Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone! So we have come to the end of this story. It's been a blast writing it and seeing all of your reactions to each chapter in the reviews you have left me. I look forward to seeing you all again when I post a whole new story, that I am plan to post in late January.
Warning: Have your tissues ready!
Disclaimer: I don't own the Hobbit or LOTR.
90 years later…
"King Thorin and his warrior queen fought the pale orc on the frozen river that flows through the remains of Ravenhill. Fighting as one, the two warriors gave the pale orc a good fight but it wasn't enough to keep them from being injured. For you see, the pale orc had already landed a nasty blow to King Thorin's foot, which made fighting the pale orc harder for the king. Yet the blow that ended the pale orc came in the form of Queen Inara. She heroically threw herself at the pale orc so that he would fall over the edge of the frozen waterfall. Together, the queen and the pale orc fell over the edge, but all was not lost. For an eagle had witnessed the selfless act of Queen Inara and was so moved by it that the eagle dove from the sky to save the warrior queen."
Looking into the small classroom, within Erebor's Library, the former King of Erebor watches the small group of dwarflings listening closely to the story being told. Yet his old eyes focus more on the Princess of Erebor, who is sitting on the floor surrounded by the dwarflings, reading from the well-worn tome. His heart breaks a little for the Princess, for she never knew her either of her parents and was raised by her oldest cousins and siblings.
"She looks so much like Amad." A familiar voice says softly from behind old dwarf.
Turning his head slowly, the former king gives the newcomer a sad smile. "Aye. That she does, Durin."
Durin, the current King of Erebor, places a hand on his older cousin's shoulder. Over the years Durin had begun to take on more of his adad's facial features but retained the dark brown hair, laced with dark red highlights, that his amad had. Though his body still held the perfect combination of human and dwarf. Powerful, but not stocky.
Seeing the former king's sad smile, Durin knows what is racing through the old dwarf's head. "You kept your promises to my parents, Fili. They would be proud of how well you raised Faith in their absence."
"I know. Yet I can't help wondering if I did right by Thorin. I promised to keep Faith and Inara safe and to look after them." Fili says, his old eyes going moist with tears.
"There was nothing you or the healers could have done for amad. After adad's death, amad seemed less like herself. I think she was only holding on to this world long enough to birth Faith. Otherwise amad would have fought harder against the child-bed fever that took her from us."
Durin looks at his youngest namad and lets a hard smile appear on his face. After 90 years, Durin still finds himself having a hard time fighting back the resentment he had towards Faith. Back when she was still an infant, Durin had wanted nothing to do with the bairn who took his amad away from him. But when the little lass was kidnapped at the age of seven, Durin was the one who found the renegade members of the Blacklock clan. It was him who had slaughtered the renegade dwarves and brought the Princess. From that point on, Durin hid away his resentment and took more of a proactive role in Faith's rearing.
Fili pulls Durin towards himself and gives the king a gentle hug of understanding. After having witnessed Inara's passing, while holding a crying Faith in his arms, Fili too had wanted to hate the newborn. Yet when he looked down at the wailing bairn, it was the tear-filled eyes that kept him from having someone else raise the child. For it was in her crystal blue eyes that Fili could have sworn it was his dead uncle looking at him. At that point, Fili had vowed to raise Faith as his own.
"Papa. Nadad." A sweet sounding voice says, catching the attention of both males.
With her wavy brown hair left lose, save for the braids that announces her as a Princess of Erebor, Faith is now standing in the center of a now empty classroom. Her crystal blue eyes are locked on the two males. A smile graces her natural blush colored lips, which are a perfect blend of pink and red without any artificial color added to them. Her royal dress is of a shimmering red and gold fabric that has the embroidered emblems of Erebor, Fili, and Thorin scattered over the ball gown-length skirt. The bodice itself is form fitting and made of the same fabric as the skirt but minus the embroidery. The neckline is of a square-line with gold ruffled fabric peeking out along her ample bust-line. The sleeves hug every muscle of her upper arms, then come to a stop just below her elbows with the same ruffled gold fabric trimming the sleeves' end.
"What brings you two to my domain?" Faith asks teasingly while placing the large tome on the largest desk in the room.
"It is nearly time, Faith." Durin says, answering his sister's question.
Letting out a sigh, Faith places a loving kiss against her fingertips before placing them against the tome. She lets out a small sniffle as she looks down lovingly at the large book that has a special place deep within her heart. As a gentle hand comes to rest on her back, Faith lets a few tears slip from her eyes.
"Take it with you to Minas Tirith. Think of it as an early wedding present for you and Eldarion." Fili says to Faith, with a smile on his face. He moves his hand from Faith's back and gently places it against her damp cheek. "Your amad and adad would be proud of the lass you have become. Of the honor that you are bestowing upon Erebor and Gondor."
Faith gives Fili a sad, tear-filled smile. "It isn't honor that has us doing this, but of our love for one another."
"Aye, namad. Love may it be, but you are almost twenty years older than your soon-to-be husband." Durin teases before wrapping an arm around Faith's shoulders. "Just like our adad you are. Finding love with one that is younger than yourself. Though from what I hear, Eldarion's mother is far older than his father."
All three of them softly laugh at Durin's teasing words, all of them needing to release some tension that has been building for days.
"Oh how I will miss you, nadad." Faith says as she places a kiss against Durin's cheek.
Durin lets out a hum before placing a kiss against her cheek. "Me too, Bunnanunê. I am sorry that I won't be able to go with you to Minas Tirith."
Faith steps away from Durin and wipes away the dampness that is on her cheeks. "Your place is here, leading our people. Besides, Vân will be going with me and will be the one to give me away on my wedding day."
"We only wish we could go with you." Fili says bringing Faith into a hug. "I would like to see you happy on your wedding day. I would like to be the one to give you away."
"But Papa, you're too old to make the journey. Your heart isn't as strong as it once was. Especially since Pa Kili's death only a few months ago, Papa. I don't want to lose you too." Faith mumbles against Fili's shoulder, tucking her head further into the neck of the dwarf who is like a father to her.
Fili tightens his hold on Faith, trying to convey his love for the lass who has brought him so much joy over the many years. Since Kili's passing, Faith has been one of the many joys which has kept Fili from joining his nadadith in death. Now, having to face the reality that she is leaving him as well, Fili is trying hard to keep himself from slipping into a deep depression that he had once fallen into at Sigrid's passing many years before.
"Come. The caravans will be leaving this afternoon, and we wouldn't want you to be late for your own wedding, Faith." Durin chokes out, not wanting to destroy what could be the last image he will have of his namad and old cousin together.
"Yes. You mustn't be late, or dwarves all over Middle Earth will never hear the end of it." Fili teases as he releases Faith from their embrace.
Reaching past Faith, Fili takes hold of the tome with shaky hands, but with a firm grip. He holds it out for her to take, knowing that it is one of Faith's favorites since the first night Fili had read it to her as an infant. Now, Fili wants Faith to take the tome with her and share it with any children she may have with Eldarion.
"Take it. To remember where you came from and to remember who your parents were." Fili tells her while giving her a serious look on his wrinkled face.
"But it belongs to Erebor, not me." Faith says after taking hold of the tome.
"Yes, but I have it on good authority that Ori had made a second one. So there are, in fact, two copies of that tome in Erebor's library. Actually, nearly everything Ori had written has a second copy just in case if something happened to the original." Fili gives Faith a wink, knowing full well that the lass knows this already thanks to Yuri being her educational tutor.
"Thank you, Papa." Faith hugs the large tome against her breast, cradling the one item that has been one of the many things that remain of her parents.
Fili offers Faith the crook of his arm as Durin exits the room. He watches as Faith takes his arm while still hugging the tome to her chest with one arm. Slowly they exit the room for the last time and make their way down to the gates. Along the way, every dwarf and dam bow to their former king and to the Princess.
Arriving at the gate, Faith notices that nearly all of her family is there, waiting for her. All of them dressed in their royal attire, including the little ones.
Durin makes his way over to Brea, who is also the Queen of Erebor, and their two daughters. Each girl looking more and more like the queen than the king. In their hands, the two girls are holding a small square box between them.
Fili leads Faith towards the family so that they may say their goodbyes. He watches as the girls give Faith the box, which holds a diadem that Durin, Brea, and their girls had created together. It is made out of Mithril with several jewels encased at the ends of the vine looking design. Faith thanks them for the gift and hugs each one before moving on.
Next in line is Rìka, Kilian, and their four sons. The two sisters embrace each other as they shed silent tears. Since the day of Faith's birth, Rìka had taken up the mantle of a mother figure for her namad. Kilian and the boys watch the two females, with the oldest of the boys fighting to keep his sorrow from appearing on his face. Fili lets a smile appear on his face at seeing his nadadith's grandsons, for each one looks like a combination of Kili and Thorin put together. Though the oldest is a near replica of Kili, just like Kilian is.
Moving on, Faith comes to stand before her cousin Balder and his family. Balder embraces his cousin in a long hug before allowing his pregnant wife, Runila, to say goodbye. Next to Balder is their one son, who is a spitting image of what Bain looked like when Fili first met his future brother-in-law. Fili remembers how long it took for Runila to become pregnant with Coen, and wasn't surprised that it has taken nearly fifteen years for this pregnancy to happen.
Freya is next to say her goodbye to Faith before Solen and Yuri take their turn. So far Balder is the only one of Fili's children to give him grandchildren. This doesn't bother Fili at all, nor does it bother the dwarves of Erebor, for there are many Princes and Princesses that already ensure that the Royal Line of Durin is still strong.
The last to say their goodbyes to Faith are Fergys, Karys, and Elleon. Dwalin's twins had become the youngest dwarves to ever become generals for Erebor's army, and jointly too. Elleon, however, had arrived only a few days ago from his travels with Radagast the Brown.
With the last of the goodbyes, Fili offers his arm again to Faith and escorts her outside of the gate, where Vân is waiting for her with their ponies. However, what the two weren't expecting to see is that of another member of their family.
Kelda is sitting on top of a large elk, with a small bundle cradled against her chest.
"Kelda? We weren't expecting you." Fili says in surprise at seeing the oldest child of Kili and Tauriel.
"Thranduil asked Legolas and I to take his place as a guest for Faith and Eldarion's wedding. How could we refuse a request like that?" Kelda says to Fili.
"Besides, Kelda wanted her family to meet our newest child." Legolas says as he brings his elk towards Kelda's. Sitting in front of Legolas is their strawberry blonde daughter who is coming up on her thirtieth birthday but still looks to be of a pre-teen age in the world of Men.
"Oh?" Fili asks with an arced eyebrow. "Lad or lass?"
"A boy." Kelda answers with a sad smile on her face. Being careful, Kelda slowly descends from the elk, and approaches Fili and Faith. Moving some of the blanket from around the infant's face, Kelda shows Fili the baby.
"He looks like Kili." Fili whispers out softly as he reaches to brush a wrinkled knuckled against the baby's cheek. "But he has Tauriel's green eyes."
"Yeah. I see so much of them in my son." Kelda chokes out. "Unlike like Aníron. She has more of Legolas in her."
"I am sure that they would have loved him." Fili says before carefully leaning down to place a kiss upon another of his nadadith's grandchildren.
"What is his name?" Faith asks Kelda.
"We named him Kili, after adad. But to the elves he is known as Gîlruin. It means Blazing fire star." Kelda says with unshed tears building in her eyes.
Fili chuckles at the meaning of the name, for he remembers the overhearing Kili telling his children the tale of fire moons and starlight when tucking them in as bairns. So it doesn't surprise him that the elves have given the babe a name fitting with his grandparent's story.
"Kelda. We should go." Legolas says, as he looks over at the waiting caravan which is ready to disembark.
Kelda looks over her shoulder at Legolas and their daughter and gives them both a smile. Then she turns to look down at her old uncle and leans down to kiss his cheek.
"We will come back after the wedding, and share stories of our adventures with you, Uncle." Kelda vows before leaving Fili and Faith. Carefully, she gets back up on her elk and follows after Legolas to join with the waiting caravan of dwarves, elves, and men.
"We need to go as well." Vân hands Faith the reigns to her own pony before he climbs up onto his. "I will send word once we have reached Minas Tirith."
Fili nods his head at Vân before watching Faith tuck her tome into a saddle bag on her pony. With the thick book safely put away, Faith rushes back to Fili and hugs him tightly to her.
"I love you, Papa." Faith whispers to him through her tears.
"And I you, Faith." Fili replies as he returns the embrace. "Now go, and don't look back."
Giving Faith a kiss on her forehead, Fili lets her go and watches as she hurries to climb up onto her pony. She doesn't look back as she sends her pony forwards, leading her away from Erebor and towards her future.
~After note~
Six months after Faith's departure from Erebor, Fili passes away in his sleep. It is as his soul enters the afterlife that he is reunited with his own adad, Dis, Uncle Frerin, Thorin, Inara, Aliena, Sigrid, and countless others who he had known during his life, but there is one in particular that he is happy to see again. Kili and Tauriel are the last to greet Fili upon entering the afterlife. It is here in the afterlife that they all are able to watch over their family on Middle Earth.
Frerin, who never did step foot in Erebor ever again, ruled over the Blue Mountains and made it one of the largest dwarven trading cities in Middle Earth, second only to Erebor. He married later in life to a local dam, who bore him only one heir. None of his subjects knew why Frerin would never leave their kingdom, and it wasn't till after his death that they learned that he had self-imposed himself into exile after Thorin's death at the battle of Pellenor Fields.
Durin continued to rule over Erebor, ushering in golden era for the dwarf kingdom that had begun during his Fili's reign. He ruled for over a century till he died on his death bed and his son, Thorin V, became king. Though nearly thirty years younger than his two older sisters, Thorin V became a well-loved ruler just like Durin, Fili, and his grandfather, his namesake. Thorin V even learned how to mine from his cousin Tanis, who had help Durin through a mining strike that almost turned deadly.
Rìka and Kilian became Erebor's ambassadors when dealing with other dwarf clans. They only traveled when necessary, but most of the time stayed in Erebor and raised their four sons. While Rìka focused more on politics and diplomacy, Kilian was much different. Even with part of his arm missing, Kilian held the rank of commander within Erebor's army. He trained the next generation of archers, using both elven and dwarven techniques that made Erebor archers the most prized among the race of Men. Even Fergys and Karys couldn't deny that Kilian had a great talent to lead his archers.
Vân, upon coming of age, left Erebor and traveled throughout Middle Earth. For a short time, he stayed with the Rangers, learning their ways. The rangers accepted him within their ranks, curious about this man who was also part dwarf. With a height of five foot seven inches, Vân could blend in well inside the cities of Men. He never did stay in one place for too long a time, nor did he ever marry.
Maiti, had left with Thorin Stonehelm to help rebuild the Iron Hills after the end of Sauron. Even with her blindness, Maiti was respected by everyone who had returned to the Iron Hills, for she had the ability to use the earth as her eyes. Though Thorin Stonehelm had married another to secure relations with another dwarf clan, he never ended his relationship with Maiti. Out of this relationship between them only one child was born, and only a year after the boy's birth Maiti sacrificed herself to keep their son safe from an attempted assassination by an unknown dwarf.
Balder and Runila lived within Erebor, running a blacksmith shop of their own. Their son Coen would become one of Erebor's most sought after smiths for his talent with metal working would surpass that of his father, grandfather, and great uncle. Balder and Runila's daughter eventually joined Erebor's spy network and become its leader, Bofur II.
Freya never married, even though she had many offers of marriage from dwarves and men. However, she would continue on the work that her aunt Inara had started with midwifery. She was also the most requested midwife in Erebor and Dale. Her knowledge of female anatomy and childbirth gave her an edge, but it was the knowledge of herb lore that she learned from Sigrid, that made her the best. She eventually taught her cousin Raina, who she had picked as her successor.
Solen had married Yuri, after having asked her over a hundred times in a year. Though after their marriage, Solen found himself being asked to undertake the managing of the new Esgaroth by his cousin Bard. Both descendants of Bard the Dragon Slayer, had taken on the likeness of their ancestor and in Solen's case, even his height. With his new responsibilities in Esgaroth, his marriage to Yuri suffered from the distance between them, for Yuri refused to leave her father's library. Yet hope was not lost, for after the birth of their daughter Yuri had left the library to join her husband.
Kelda traveled with Legolas and Gimli for two decades before marrying Legolas with their parents in attendance. The ceremony had taken place in the Glittering Caves, that Gimli had been a new lord of for only a short time. Leaving her cousin behind in his own kingdom, Kelda and Legolas traveled across Middle Earth until Kelda found herself with child. It was then that they returned to Mirkwood till after their daughter's birth. After spending a decade within the forest, Kelda and Legolas took their daughter and traveled again. It wasn't until Tauriel's death by a small band of Melkor followers did Kelda and Legolas return to Erebor. Kelda had watched her father Kili battle through his grief until it finally led to his death only a decade later. She left Erebor again with Legolas and their daughter and returned to Mirkwood. It was there that she gave birth to a son, and Thranduil gave the boy his elven name. After only a few months, Kelda and Legolas with their two children traveled to Minas Tirith to witness Faith's marriage to Eldarion. From there, they traveled to the Glittering Caves to live with Gimli. Kelda's whereabouts after that time are unknown. However, Thranduil eventually found himself having guardianship over Legolas and Kelda's two children.
Toril lived with Pippin in Hobbiton since she refused to leave his side. Though they never had children of their own, they took in any orphaned Hobbit child whose extended family didn't want. Eventually, Toril and Pippin would begin to take in dwarflings as well, since her cousin Frerin would often send one or two to her if the dwarfling's extended family couldn't be found. The orphanage would eventually close after Pippin reached an old age. Toril took him and Merry back to Minas Tirith, and saw to it that they were indeed buried in a place of honor that Aragorn had promised. From there, Toril returned to the Shire for a time before heading to the Blue Mountains. It is there that she is buried.
Elleon became a companion to Radagast the Brown till the brown wizard was called back by the Valar. He would eventually take up residence in Radagast's home and stay there for most of his life. He never married, nor had any inkling to look for a spouse. Though there were many occasions that he would visit Thranduil's realm.
As for Faith, the youngest daughter of Thorin and Inara, she married Eldarion and lived in Minas Tirith. They ruled together for many years, and even produced several children. One of them married a descendant of Faramir and Éowyn, while another married into the ruling house of Rohan. But it was during the early years of their rule that they fought side-by-side against the growing cult of Melkor on the battlefield. When a tapestry was created, in remembrance of the battle, it was commented upon by many on how their rulers looked like Aragorn and Erebor's former warrior Queen Inara. But it was their children who made the remarks that their parents looked more like King Thorin and Queen Inara in the tapestry. For all of their children knew of King Thorin and Queen Inara from the tome that Faith had brought with her from Erebor.
So there it is folks. This story is all done, and I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I have.
Selene