Chapter 35

A/N Big shout out to Jessie152 for her extra help with the moon details and overall extra Beta reading/editing for this chapter. Hand on heart to Jessie!

Nÿr, Queen of the Blue Mountains, felt her worries evaporate as she smiled at Yanu, the elf who had been her trusted guardian and friend ever since she was just a young Erebor healer trainee recently wed to the King of Erebor's younger brother.

And here he was again, looking better dressed (some kind of green-tan pattern to a beautiful fabric) and far less haggard than he'd been back in those days.

She quickly dismounted from her gentle pony without disturbing the tiny bundle of her infant daughter tied close to her chest in a woven wrap.

She made a quick elven-style head-bow to Yanu and went to the pony where her two young lads had apparently been stunned into sitting completely still and silent for once.

Beyond them, their riding instructor Sten was just as wide-eyed. Only Embur, her friend and helper, was as amused at the lads' silence as she was.

"Yanu," she said formally. "My heart is lifted to see you again, my good friend."

The sylvan tall elf with his tattooed face stepped closer and went to one knee. "Tuilind and I are ever at your service, and at the service of our dear friend your Lord husband."

Nÿr made a quick hand gesture and grinned. "Get up, you silly fellow."

Yanu grinned back. "Not before we have a moment eye-to-eye."

Nÿr laughed and stepped forward to grasp his hand with her right, and Yanu looked startled for only a moment when he realized she cradled the head of an infant resting against her with her left. "Oh, my lady," he murmured.

When their eyes met he looked both proud and amused.

"You have ever been the one we trust with our most valuable treasure," she murmured with a happy smile. She had become friends with Yanu the summer that she'd first known she was pregnant with Kirin, after all, and he had been intuitive enough to realize it.

And elves, she had learned, had not been blessed with children since about the time of Durin IV. Even the mercurial Thranduil had become reverent when she'd once arrived at his doorstep–he'd instantly recognized she was in the early stages of pregnancy…and had shocked her by bowing and naming her baby a future King…even before Kili had ever agreed to return to the Blue Mountains.

She winked at Yanu. "And may I introduce Prince Kirin, my firstborn?" She took a step toward the pony where her son sat with a very funny expression–half wide-eyed shock and half Durin glower.

Yanu stood, and she knew he would understand the hint–that this young dwarf was the very one he had sensed before her pregnancy had even been obvious to other dwarves. She placed one hand on Kirin's saddle to reassure him, and smiled at Yanu, who bowed, hand on heart to Kirin.

"My name is Yanu," the elf said to Kirin in a quiet and serious voice. "My honor to meet you." He also nodded politely to Sorin, who peered out from behind Kirin's arm.

"Come lads, off the pony," Nÿr urged, giving Sorin one hand to steady him as he slid to the ground. Kirin dismounted more properly, and minding their manners under their mother's eye, both of them went to stand before Yanu (Sorin only stumbled once) and stood side-by-side.

"Kirin."

"...and Sorin,"

"At your service," they said together.

Yanu bowed deeply. "Yanu. And I am ever at yours and your family's."

Sorin just stared, then looked at Nÿr as if unfamiliar with what to do next.

"Why are you ever at our service?" Kirin blurted, unable to quell his curiosity.

Yanu smiled. "Because your Lord Father saved my life on the very day that I would have lost it."

"Good girl," Zêl said, rubbing her pony's forehead as she offered it a dried beet chip with her other hand. The animal blew its breath over the palm of her hand, sniffed with interest and then gently took the chip with its lips without even touching her palm.

Zêl smiled, stroking the pony's mane and listening to the deep and steady chewing sound. Strange. There is something so peaceful about this full-sounding chewing.' She savored the ease and produced another beet chip from her pocket. The pony's eyes brightened and Zêl continued to listen to the calming sound.

"Agh..!" She took a lunge forward to hold her footing. "Mahal ... !"

She wheeled around, but before she could reach for her knife, she relaxed again, looking into the faithful eyes of Iri's Pony, Silvermoon, obviously also very interested in a tasty treat.

"How can you scare me like that, you little beast," she scolded Iri's pony, but it plucked at Zêl's coat pocket unabashedly. She handed it a treat too, even though sneaking up like that didn't really deserve a reward. Her own pony bared its teeth and made a jerky movement to nip Iri's pony in the mane.

"Behave yourselves, there's enough for both of you." Zêl briefly took her pony by the halter and stood between the two of them. In a moment, peace reigned again and a double sound of contented chewing filled the balmy night air.

Soon all the treats had vanished, Zêl said goodbye to the two ponies and spotted the two guards, watching the herd. She greeted the young cadets. They looked oddly startled as if they felt caught. They stood at attention, hand on heart.

"Lady Urszaglêl", they stammered in unison and bowed.

Zêl smiled. "Everything all right, lads?"

The cadets were nodding eagerly. "Perfect. No problems, Lady Urszaglêl," the taller one said.

"Just Zêl," she replied, "much easier. I'll tell the King. I hope the night will be quiet."

"Thank you, Lady Ursza..." The elbow of his younger brother in his side stopped him. "Um... Lady Zêl, very well... good night..."

Zêl tried to stay serious, gave another short hand on heart and strolled back to the camp.

I will need to check the ponies in the morning, she mused and let her gaze wander over the vast landscape as she walked. The full moon had risen a good two hours ago and bathed everything in a glittering silvery light. The first crickets of the early summer were timidly singing their song, and the windless air was so clear that the moonlight was almost blindingly bright.

She reached the small campfire in front of the royal tent. Zêl found her King and his daughter sitting side by side, looking at the same view of moonlight over the plain with their backs to the fire.

Iri turned to see her and beamed. "Zêl!" she called, "Come and sit. Look at this perfect night! I'm so excited I can't hardly wait!"

Zêl heard Fíli laughing softly as he stuffed his pipe. "My daughter has been pestering me like this since sundown," he said, smiling.

"My Lord," she greeted her king and briefly bowed her head, hand on heart. "Everything is fine with the ponies. The young cadets are on watch."

"Ah", Fíli said and returned the gesture. "Then we need to check the ponies twice in the morning."

Iri giggled. "Maybe even before we go to sleep?"

Fíli raised an eyebrow and beckoned for his royal page. A young dwarf emerged from the shadows of the tent, bent down and Fíli whispered in his ear.

Zêl sat down next to Iri and turned her gaze to the radiant moon. She estimated its height above the horizon. "Not much longer," she said to her excited pupil.

Iri waved her hands excitedly at the sky. "It's so different here! The view is so vast… Will it be the same intense copper red as the last time?"

"Well," Zêl replied, "depending on how many clouds there are in the distance. But it looks pretty clear, so the coppery red light might be really brilliant tonight."

"A fire moon," Fíli said next to them and Iri turned to her father. "I first saw one, very unexpectedly. a long time ago."

"You've never said anything about that, Da," Iri said. "When? Where?"

"Ask your uncle when we see him again soon," Fíli replied. "He was just as enthusiastic then as you are now."

A head of foam appeared in Zêl's field of vision. She looked up and took a mug of ale offered by Fíli's young page. Ah, she smiled. I know the smell of this brew.

Another page handed Fíli a smoldering chip to light his pipe and then placed two more mugs in front of father and daughter.

Zêl took a swig and wiped the foam from her lips. Damn good…!

"Where does this come from?" she asked, because this ale was clearly one of the best from the Erebor brewers.

Fíli raised his tankard and toasted her. "Captain of the guard had a word with me that he had a stash it in the provisions cart. He said this night would call for a proper drink." He grinned broadly. "I may need to have a few more words with him."

Iri also took a sip and came up laughing. "You always do set great store by people making their own decisions." She grinned and held up her tankard.

Zêl snorted.

They sat in silence for a while, enjoying both the wonderful night and the ale.

"Should we wake Master Glóin? He could join us for this special event?" Iri said.

Zêl eyed her pupil and then saw Fili silently shaking his head.

Zêl understood Fíli's intention. "I think", she replied, "we should allow out venerable Master Glóin his well earned nighttime peace." He had, in fact, spent most of the trip sleeping in one of the wagons.

"But..."

Zêl saw Iri's shoulders sagging, but her excitement quickly returned. "How much longer?" she asked again.

Zêl could understand her pupil. Dwarves in their underground dwellings did not often have the opportunity to see celestial spectacles, and the young princess had been in the depths of the royal chambers during most of such events in her lifetime.

Zêl looked at the moon and the horizon. It was the hour, and she looked closer again. "See," she called out, nudging Iri with her elbow. "It begins."

Iri jumped up and stared at the moon. Zêl stood next to her and Fíli also rose. Together they watched as a diffuse gray shadow touched the eastern edge of the moon's disk, slowly spreading inward.

Zêl inwardly marveled at herself. She knew exactly how all of this was connected and came about, and yet she could not deny that she was also excited. "Another good hour," she said, not without a certain awe and anticipation.

"Then we'll see it," Fíli put an arm around Iri. "A fire moon over the plains."

West of the Plains of Arnor, in the hills country of the Shire, Merry left the Green Dragon, perhaps a little earlier than usual. Carrying a basket of strawberries from Mrs Buncle in one hand, he headed toward Bag End, the full moon so bright that it cast shadows on the road.

He turned off at Bag End Lane and took a shortcut across young Tom's potato patch, glancing over his shoulder to make sure no one had seen him.

When he reached the garden wall, he stopped, looking left and right.

"Essie?" he whispered, wondering if she'd been delayed by her duties. He saw nothing…heard a hoot owl, and something rustling in the grass–possibly a fox or marten.

Then: a distinct giggle. He grinned and snuck up to the wall and jumped over–startling Estella Bolger into a quick yelp.

"Merry!" she laughed and greeted him with a shy smile and open arms.

Merry hugged her tight and then held up the strawberries.

"Oh!" Her eyes went round. "Well, you'll have to sit right here and help me eat these while they're fresh," she winked and settled herself with her back to the wall, patting the space beside her.

"I was hoping you'd think so," Merry murmured, settling next to her. He put the basket in her lap and let her select the plumpest, ripest berry first. She popped in into her mouth and closed her eyes, humming in delight.

"Oh, Merry…" she managed before taking another. "These are the perfect snack…!"

Merry smiled, helping himself to a berry and scooting just a little closer.

An hour later, the strawberries had long since disappeared, they were lying next to each other on their backs in the grass and looking at the night sky and the bright full moon.

"Tell me again why you wanted to meet out here in the grass?" Essie asked.

"Old farmer Cotton told me…Fire moon tonight." He pointed up. "Made him happy about his beans…"

"Why is that?" she asked.

"He swears by moon-sprouted beans…says they're always the best. Fire Moon means he'll have a bumper crop of scarlet runner beans."

Essie laughed. "You're making that up!"

Merry tried to look as serious as possible. "I swear... on my sword..." Then he thoroughly enjoyed the giggles and silly chatter that followed.

"Merry!" Essie jumped. "It's changing! The moon…" she became quiet and then whispered, "I wonder..."

"What?" asked Merry.

"Can everyone see this all over the Shire?"

"Yes. In Buckland and Bree too. Even in Rivendell, if there are still Elves watching," he says. "Everyone sees the same moon every night."

And then, as if imagining his views of the moon when he had been away south, Merry was seized by a strange seriousness. He turned away from Essie's cheerful face and looked up at the sky. All that had happened to him on his travels flashed through his mind, and he wondered what the Ents thought of such a thing as a fire moon and remembered Treebeard's great sadness at the loss of the Entwives, all that long ago.

He stood up abruptly, pulling Essie with him. Being one of the strongest of the hobbits, he easily lifted her to sit on the garden wall. Then he fell to one knee before her.

"Estella Bolger," he said somewhat roughly and very seriously. "Will you be my only love and my wife?"

Somewhere on a northeastern slope in the foothills of the Blue Mountains, Kili, King of the Ered Luin, rode in the bright light of the moon. He had decided to continue travelling after nightfall. With his escort of Blue Mountain guards, he quickly approached the shallows of the river where he planned to camp for the night.

Stopping before sunset would have been more cautious, he thought. But he had consciously suppressed the urge. Prying eyes must be on me, he kept repeating to himself. That was the best way to ensure that NO eyes were on Nÿr and his children.

He knew they had reached the southern end of the Vale of Khelethur that very afternoon, thanks to his ravens, who were watching everything. Especially Corax, of course, who had delivered Nÿr's personal message to him word for word:

All is well. Elves are here. We are safe. Stonebird.

He felt his smile turn into a wide grin just as he rounded a small hill.

"My lord!" one of the lieutenants from the vanguard called. The guards had stopped their ponies, some had even dismounted.

Kili was immediately alarmed and pricked up his ears. He listened to the sound of hooves and feet stamping ahead of them. Not battle sounds, he decided.

But Skirfir was immediately at his side and took up a defensive position, having untied the safety strap on the hilt of his sword.

Then a young lieutenant approached on foot, his wide eyes.

Kili sat very still and was about to ask for a report when the lad, looking quite speechless, just raised his arm and pointed to the night sky.

Kili looked up.

The full moon, which was almost at its zenith and had been absolutely clear the last time they had had a clear view, now showed a grey shadow on one side that already had a strange copper-red tone at the edge.

"The moon?" Kili asked. "That's the reason for all the fuss?"

The lieutenant just nodded. Skirfir had turned in his the saddle to look at him and was obviously surprised by his Ushmar's calmness.

"Let's set up camp," Kili called. "Don't worry, the moon is just showing us one of his rare and wonderous faces."

The young lieutenant hesitated for only a moment while one of the older guards ahead nodded. "A darkness, lads. Happens from time to time. We just don't notice in the mines..." The old fellow grinned. "Forward," he waved to the whole squad and the guards formed up in their defensive line again. "The sooner we can set up camp, the sooner we'll get something to eat," he added.

Kili grinned at the old fellow, knowing that his escort could not resist the temptation of dinner and rest. They quickly reached a grassy area that lay in a bend in the river and everyone took up their usual camp-making duties. Younger lads fed the ponies and distributed provisions, and in the warm night it was generally agreed that there was no reason to light a campfire.

After his own pony had been cared for and he'd walked the perimeter of the camp, Kili sat down on a tree trunk with a large portion of cold salted meat on flatbread. He looked up and checked the moon again.

"Fire moon!" He called out, holding handful of salted pork towards the moon as he chewed. "Brings luck!"

The old man let out a cry of joy and took on the task of explaining the moon's whims to the guards.

But Kili sensed that Skirfir, who was sitting next to him, was still unsettled. He looked at him and saw his questioning face.

"No worries, lad," he said. "I've seen this before, many years ago. I was out with my brother and my uncle as a hired guard for a caravan," he said between more bites of salted pork. "And we saw it." His voice became softer, as if recalling another time. "The moon rose over the pass at Dunland. Huge…red and gold, the whole sky glowed. We escorted a group of merchants from the Ered Luin and they traded silverwork for furs. We took the greenway south, the mountains to our left. And then it appeared, this huge Fire Moon, lighting our way..."

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THANK YOU for reading along and I just couldn't help adding that last bit from the movie-verse. ;D Drop a note and say hi! I promise, there really is an end-game for this story and yes, everyone is definitely on their way to a special midsummer's night... Take care and hand on heart to all of you.

-Summer