Here's the Epilogue to New Life, in Defiance of Death. Enjoy
1.5 Years Later…
"Mommy, look! I found another one!" Aurora excitedly said.
She then ran back to where her mom was and showed her what she and daddy found.
Mia couldn't help but smile.
"Wow looks like you and daddy are getting good t finding sand dollars in the sand. Pretty soon, you'll have enough to make a necklace out of." She says to her daughter.
"More like she is better at finding them than me." Came her husband's voice as he quickly approached from behind their daughter.
He then walked up to her and gave her a brief kiss on the lips before pulling back. His gaze then shifted down to the swaddle wrap she carried at her front. Then he leaned in and lightly kissed the top of his five-month old son's head.
"Is Seth awake? Or is he sleeping?" Aurora asked, eyeing her baby brother.
"He woke up about a few minutes ago while you and daddy were hunting for more shells and sand dollars." Her mother said.
The three-and-a-half-year-old got up on her tippy toes and craned her neck trying to get a look at him. But it was hard to see him in the swaddle wrap.
So, Mia knelt to one knee, so her daughter could get a better look at him.
Her blue-grey eyes met with his big sky-blue ones that looked so much like his mother's.
While Aurora was a combination of both her parents as far as features go, her brother looked almost like the spitting image of their mom.
They knew this because when they compared her mom's baby pics to his, the resemblance was uncanny. Even Aerin had stated that Seth looked like a little Mini-me of Mia.
Things were a little rocky in the beginning when they learned of her pregnancy.
While Aerin was excited about them having another child, their daughter was less than enthusiastic. To the point, she broke down crying when she found out.
When they held her and hugged her, asking her what was wrong, Aurora eventually told them the reason why she was sad was because she thought they would give all their love and attention to the new baby and ignore her completely. That they would love the new baby more than her.
Both Mia and Aerin assured her that it wasn't true. That they love both her and the new baby equally and wouldn't treat her any differently than the baby.
In the coming months as Mia's pregnancy progressed, Aerin put a hold on his writing of his new story to spend more time with his wife and daughter.
He would do a lot of fun things with Aurora to keep her distracted and occupied.
This included getting her involved with new things now, that she was a little older. At three and a half, she was very mature and smart for her age.
Her vocabulary was very extended, and she was very astute, along with her comprehensive skills.
Enough so, Aurora's preschool teachers commented on how smart and advanced she was. Apparently, she was ahead of all the other children in her class.
Mia cannot say she was surprised.
There were times she would see her husband working with their daughter on the basics, like reading, writing, counting, and even math.
This is most likely to set her ahead of many of the other kids, who were still learning about letters and numbers as well as the days of the weeks and months of the year.
Aurora had most of these things down by the time she was two though.
Mia was driven from her thoughts when her daughter spoke up.
"Mommy, can I hold him now that he's awake?" Aurora asked.
She gave her a soft smile.
"Sure." Mia says.
Then she carefully pulled baby Seth out of the sling and carefully handed him over to his big sister.
Aurora smiled as she carefully took him and held him. Of course, her daddy helped support him with a hand under his back, because at five-months old he would be pretty heavy for a three-and-a-half-year-old.
"Hi, Sethy." Aurora says, then leans in and places a tiny kiss on his head.
He looked up at his sister, before giving her a tiny toothless smile.
While Aurora was not onboard in the beginning of adding a new addition to the family, once she saw her brother after he was born, she fell in love with him just as her mommy and daddy have.
Since then, she had been offering to help with him whenever necessary. Except for the diaper changing. Not only was she still too young for that, but it was something she didn't wish to partake in, because in her words, it was just too stinky.
But she really liked being able to bottle feed him when her mom wasn't nursing.
Both Aerin and Mia sat in the sand, while watching the cute interaction between their two children.
"Daddy and I found a few more sand dollars, Sethy. We will put some of them on your dresser." Aurora told her baby brother as she continued holding him.
His nursery happened to be a spare room at the far end of the hallway, that Mia originally was using as a spare junk room. Thankfully, there wasn't much in there. So, it didn't take long for both Aerin and John to clear all the extra stuff out and gradually turn it into another nursery complete with the furniture needed for a baby.
Originally, it was a room all but forgotten. Aerin didn't ask about it again after he inquired what was behind the extra door at the end of the hall once she told him it was essentially a storage room for junk.
Eventually the baby's smile faded and was replaced by whimpering.
Aurora shifted her gaze to her parents with a worried look.
"It's ok, Sweetheart. He's just hungry. Since we are walking along the beach, I didn't think to prep any bottles for him. So, I'll have to feed him naturally." Mia told her.
Then she held out her hands, and Aurora carefully placed her baby brother into their mother's arms.
Mia took him with a soft smile and placed him back in the swaddle wrap or sling as they would call it. She then shifted her maternity shirt and bra aside, freeing a breast and directed him to a nipple beneath the wrap.
Once he latched on, she sat back and relaxed.
No one could see her nursing, because her baby was completely swaddled up in the wrap out of sight. Even Mia could hardly see him herself. But knew he was feeding because she could feel him suckling.
Aerin sat right next to her on the sand, hiking up his knees as he did.
Aurora went and sat in between his long legs and leaned back against him. He loosely wrapped his arms around his daughter and pressed a soft kiss to the back of her head.
Mia softly smiled at the cute scene.
While their daughter has always shown affection to them equally, Mia can still somewhat see that Aurora was a daddy's girl. Something that Aerin eventually noticed too and found it to be both amusing and cute.
Even he will admit that she was what they call the 'apple of his eye'.
But then ever since she was born, Aurora had her daddy wrapped around her finger and they both knew it. He was her partner in crime and best friend.
It was only a couple months ago that they had her enrolled in karate.
Aurora seemed to like the action-packed cartoons where there was some fighting, like Ninja Turtles and Thunder Cats, because of this, they offered to have her take lessons as a birthday present.
The end result, she loved it.
Aurora had taken to the karate lessons and seemed to enjoy them. Whenever class ended, she would run to her parents and exclaim excitedly how much she liked the class and if they saw the moves she had executed during said class.
They found amusement in her exuberance and excitement.
It was pretty clear, that Aurora demonstrated the same enthusiasm in Martial Arts, just as her mother felt with ballet.
So, how was karate class last night?" Mia asked her daughter, as she continued nursing her son.
A big smile appeared on Aurora's face.
"It was fun! The teacher showed us how to punch!" She exclaimed excitedly as she still sat leaning back against her father's front.
"Oh, really? So, you're going to be a pro soon." Her daddy pointed out, with an amused smile.
"Yeah! The teacher has been teaching me a lot! It's been so much fun!" Aurora says.
"So, you will be able to beat up daddy someday, is what you're saying." Mia joked.
"I wouldn't put it past this little Losse. She just might have me on my bottom soon enough." Aerin teased, while lightly tickling his daughter's sides.
Mia had shared with him that it seemed like their daughter was into fighting just like he was. Something that he didn't find all that surprising.
In the past, many of his daughters were just as into fighting as his sons. They grew to be formidable warriors, using their smaller size and speed to their advantage against their larger brothers. These advantages had them besting their brothers in numerous sparring sessions.
Perhaps, Aurora was truly more like him than they thought and had a penchant and skill for fighting. Either way, they support her for whatever it is she may take an interest in.
If anything, Mia was glad that her daughter held an interest in things like karate and martial arts.
She told Aerin put her at ease knowing that their daughter was learning how to defend herself. It would greatly lessen the odds of her being attacked. Even better, her husband shared with her that when she is older, he could go a step forward and teach her how to disarm an opponent.
Which made a lot of sense, because who better to really learned fighting skills from then someone who has centuries of combat skills under his belt.
If Aurora continued showing interest in martial arts as she grew older, then he would teach her everything he knows. Enough for her to be a formidable fighter if she pleases.
In a way, Mia hopes that Aurora will continue martial arts training.
If not for the fact, that she doesn't want her daughter to become a victim of assault like she was. No, she wants to do everything to prevent that.
"No, I wouldn't hurt daddy." Aurora says, as she turns and embraces him in a hug as she sat between his legs.
He couldn't help but envelop the tiny girl in a hug, with a smile.
"I know, my dearest Aurora. But regardless, I wouldn't mind teaching you a few effective fighting moves in the future." He says.
"Yay! That would be fun!" The tiny girl said, with a big smile.
Aerin couldn't help but chuckle a little, before placing a soft kiss on her forehead.
"Something tells me that we'll make a fine little warrior princess out of you yet. Who knows, in a few years, I may even teach you how to use a sword." He said.
Aurora just smiles and leans back into him as they both sit there on the sand overlooking the waves.
It was too bad that it was currently October, and the cooler months were upon them.
If there was one thing she liked as much as Martial Arts, it was swimming. Not only that, but swimming in the sea. It's because of this, she has grown to love the summer months more than any other season.
"I'd throw daddy in the water. Not beat him up." Aurora says, with a wide smile, as she looked up at him.
She was currently leaning up against him, and had her head tilted back against his chest, looking at him with a big smile.
Mia couldn't help but laugh a little at their daughter's reply.
"Oh really? And who's to say, I won't throw you in instead?" He teased, as he looked down at her smiling face.
"No!" Aurora says.
"Oh yes, I think it's only fair. Seeing as you said, you want to throw me in the water, because of this, I should take you with me." He said, with a wide smirk.
Then he quickly scooped her up, got up and started running to the water's edge with a squealing and giggling girl.
Mia smiled, as she continued watching the cute scene between them as she sat on the sand comfortably, still nursing baby Seth.
Aerin then pretended to throw the small child. Only to toss her upwards into the air and laugh as he caught her. Aurora was laughing too as her daddy played with her.
"Again! Again!" The young girl squealed.
"Again? What are we, Peter Pan now? Or in your case, Wendy?" He asked, between laughs as he threw her up in the air once more.
Aurora just continued giggling and having fun.
"Yeah!" The girl yelled, between giggles.
"Better think those happy thoughts then." He teased, with an amused grin.
He then tossed his daughter up one more time, making her continue to squeal with laughter as he did so.
Aerin then caught her and held her close.
"You know I love you with all my heart, my Darling." He softly says to her ear as he held her.
Aurora smiles and wraps her little arms around her daddy's neck.
"I love you too, daddy." She said.
Eventually, he carried her back to where her mother and baby brother were and sat them both on the sand next to them once more.
"Did daddy make you fly?" Mia playfully asked her.
"Yeah! Like a birdie!" Exclaimed Aurora.
"Just don't go flying south for the winter now." Her daddy joked.
The little girl vigorously shook her head.
"Nope, after Christmas." She announced.
Both her parents chuckled at that.
"Really? You going to take the rest of us with you when you go?" Her mother teased.
In which Aurora nodded.
"Yeah, we all going to Florida with the other birdies!" She announced proudly.
"That would be nice." Her mommy says.
They did a one-week trip to Florida last year and had a great time.
"Perhaps some day again we will." Aerin replied.
The family continued to sit there in the sand, watching the waves softly lap at the shores.
In mid-October, the weather was still mild. Today in particular was warm. It was around seventy degrees. The weekend was shaping up to be a nice one. So, they decided to spend as much time outside as they could.
Something they tend to do before winter starts settling in. He placed one arm around his wife's shoulders while the other was wrapped around their young daughter who still sat, leaning back against him.
A soft breeze filtered through the air as they continued sitting there. It was at this time; Aerin suddenly felt the feeling that they were being watched.
He looked around, but no one was in sight. As his eyes scanned the rest of the beach, he could see no sign of anyone, besides them.
The breeze picked up minutely.
Then Aerin swore he heard a whisper in the wind.
'A new life, in defiance of death.' A voice whispered.
At the same time, a few of the clouds moved away from the early afternoon sun and shone down on them.
He somehow recognized that voice. It was the same one that spoke to him after he died and right before he found himself here on Earth.
It appears; they were still watching over him. Not only that but watching over his family as well.
Aerin knew what the words meant. Though they were mainly designated to the seeds planted before war, so that life may sprout up after many deaths, that occurred during the war itself.
For the longest time, he didn't fully understand why Manwe had uttered those words to him.
Yes, after all this time, he does believe it was Manwe that granted him this second life. But it was Eru Illuvatar that sent him here to Earth.
Why? A small part of him is still uncertain. But even then, he knew better than to question the Valar and the Creator. For everything they do, it is for a purpose.
While he is unsure still, why he was granted a second chance, he was still eternally grateful for it.
He has committed countless atrocities in his very long existence. Most out of anger and hatred.
But perhaps, it was his small act of redemption that counted most in the Valar's eyes.
Once he donned Galadriel's Ring, Nenya, it gave him such clarity and understanding, while showing him deep down, that he was still an elf at his core and a good man, despite all the corruption instilled in him by Morgoth and Sauron.
It opened his eyes, and made him see that what he was doing was for all the wrong reasons.
He may have initially waged war with Eregion to flush Sauron out due to fear and anger. In doing so, he took what he loved most at the time and used them as disposable assets just like both Sauron and Morgoth had done in the past.
While he may have realized this too late, he still had enough sense and dignity to give Galadriel her ring back. Something that most in his position wouldn't have considered doing.
If it were anyone else, they would've undoubtedly kept the ring for their own gain and selfish desire. Yet, all his years of wisdom and resilience had proven that the only way to try and fight the darkness was if the ring was in the right hands where it belonged.
This is why he had given it back, because in the end, he desired peace just as much as Galadriel and everyone else wanted.
To this day, he hoped Galadriel was able to be triumphant over the dark lord, who had just as much sway over her as he did with him.
He likes to believe that she, Elrond, and the others were successful.
At the same time, Aerin was just happy to be here, living the life he has always dreamed about. A life with a wonderful wife and beautiful children.
It's all he ever wanted. Not power, nor strength, like most were initially led to believe, and that was what made him stand out from the other Moriondor.
All those centuries, Aerin believed that the Creator and the rest of the Valar had both abandoned and forsaken him when they never came to free or assist him and the others when they were captured.
Now, it seems like that wasn't the case at all.
They have been watching all along. They were aware of his pain and his struggles, as he tried his best to do right by his uruk children. Even if it was for all the wrong reasons.
But perhaps, it was that single act of valiance that moved them enough to grant him this second chance, instead of wandering the Halls of Mandos for all eternity in spirit form.
As he sat there holding his beloved family close, only one thought came to mind, as he stared up into the clear beautiful sky.
'Thank You.'
That wraps up this story. I hope everyone enjoyed it. Please feel free to leave a review and your thoughts on the story. As always, it was a joy writing it.
Until Next Time