RB-verse, Post-THotJ and Wishes-verse. Continuation of http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1rvsg1s

@SilmarilNaro @AnvariShadow @Valandhir

After defeating Azog in Kélan's world, he and Kizár find out why Kizár and Anvari ended up there.

(Based on Valandhir's fic "Wishes are no horses" - http://archiveofourown.org/works/942362 )
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Kélan

"Twisting and turning
All the winds were burning
Leaving me without a name
How will we ever find our way?

Snow was falling
I could hear the frightened calling
Fear taking over every man
Life meaning nothing more than sand...

Wind will sweep away
The traces I was here
A story in a teardrop
That's all I have to give..."

The cold wind of a new autumn morning seemed to rip the words from Kélan's lips, the song echoing out into the chilling air. The dwarf stood high up on one of the many slopes of the mountain, from whence one could see the camp deep down in the flank of mountain. Kélan had sought out this place, the loneliness after the horrifying battle inside the mountain.

From two sides had they stormed the great hall of the Mountain, to be confronted by the pale Orc himself and his armies. Kélan shivered, even in the middle of this fight Azog had come for him. All that he had already done, had not been enough for the pale slayer. And Kélan would have lost that fight, he knew that, not from despair but because he had *tried* he had fought his hardest, but it had not been enough. Not nearly enough. But for Boromir he'd have perished, or been recaptured.

The very thought of that made his stomach churn. Rather be dead than back in their hands. How Boromir could have stood through that battle was.... it was beyond him, but it was exactly what he had learned Boromir was - a warrior who had the stuff of legend in him and who fought like he had been reincarnated straight from the Elder Days.

Maybe he did see Boromir through a too romantic angle - after being saved from the chains by a warrior crazy enough to storm Carn Dûm without truly knowing the extend of the Witch King's lair, did that to a dwarrow. Maybe he had decided to take Frérin's dying advice and live *for* something or someone. Why had he chosen Boromir to be that something? Maybe because the man pushed him in certain ways, and made him smile when Kélan was sure that he had lost that ability a long time ago. Maybe because something in the Menfolk Captain made him *want* to go on, made it possible to face the idea of living on bearable. And maybe because he liked him.

And now he had slain Azog. He may never know what his heroic destroying of the beast meant for Kélan, and for those he had unknowingly avenged when he destroyed Azog's cruel rule forever, but the thought of it made a warm spark grow inside Kélan. Maybe Thorin and Fili could now rest in peace.

The thought of them brought back the memory of the two strangers they had found inside the mountain. Kizár and Anvari. Kizár had identified Kélan by his old name, and woken painful memories. He shook his head. Kíli was dead and like all believes buried beside his brother and Uncle, it would remain that way. Kélan was just one of the many surviving slaves, a shamed one. Kélan could maybe a find a new life amongst the Menfolk, whatever life that might be. He had that liberty that a Prince of the House of Durin would not have.


Kizár

There is still a measure of fighting going on within the mountain, surviving pockets of orcs that were being rooted out of their holes, but now that their leader was defeated, the whole rabble was demoralized and easily cleared out.

Kizár had stood and seen Azog destroyed, and though most would not know it, she had used her own powers to bolster Boromir as he fought, keeping this other self of her bond-brother as safe as she could. Anvari knew, she could see it in his eyes he sensed what she did, though she has her doubts Kélan sensed it.

She would have gladly called up the white fire hidden within her to destroy Azog herself, but in a way, she is glad it did not come to that. Having to burn people may have been the great defense taught her by Elbereth's blessing, but it was a fearsome and terrifying thing to have to do. It is fr easier on her spirit to turn a dagger on an orc who got too close than to call up that fire.

In need of clear air, she has found her way outside, well away from the carcasses of dead orcs, away from the constant smell of orc blood. She hears the song being sung from a way away, and heads in the direction of it, listening to the sad words. She knows it is Kélan, the voice much the same as the Kíli she knows.

She knows she tried to push him before, when she called him by that name, and it has left her wondering if she has done more damage for raising a past he seems to think himself no longer worthy of.


Kélan

Kélan hears the approaching steps and two reflexes hit him at once, one is to crouch, evade the whip and let the patrol pass, the other to come around weapon in hand. He reigns both in best that he can, trying to pretend he is fairly normal is something he is getting increasingly good at. Pretending to be strong was something Thirán taught him, because others would always look for them to be the leaders, the example.

Turning around he sees Kizár who has walked up the steep flank of the mountain. Wearing some of his things, practical clothes and chainmail, she looks much more normal to him than in that dress that she wore when they found her in the mountain. But she is a bit pale, that he can see at once. The fighting down there can not have been easy for her.

Kélan has the distinct feeling that Kizár detests fighting and is not used to be on the front lines. She may try to be strong and tough for her betrothed's sake, but he has his doubts about it. "Are you alright?" he asks, walking towards her. "Were you injured down there?"


Kizár

"No..." Kizár shakes her head as she makes her way over to a low rock she can sit on. "In truth I mostly avoid the front lines of battle, so to put myself right there... it was not easy on my spirit." She looks down and her hands, dirty and a little grazed and battered, unavoidable at the moment though.

Right now she has trouble being able to look at Kélan for long, he reminds her of Kíli - more specifically he reminds her of the Wanderer she knew in another life.


Kélan

Her hands are fine ones, slender and not has hardened as most dwarrow paws are. Kélan too has lean hands, but hard ones. Hers are... elaborate and right now caked over with dirt and blood, the way she looks at them, speaks for itself.

Squatting down beside her, Kélan gets some clean water from his waterskin and uses a bit of clean cloth to gently clean the dirt of her hands. He knows that the dwarrow of old might see it as servant's behaviour, for him it is simply taking care of a comrade, who is a bit in shock after the events. Of course he has recognized that she does not like to look at him and he understands what it means, thus keeping his eyes down.

"You should not be in such situations," he says softly, as he works on her hands. She is too good to venture into Orc battles, leave that to those who are already damaged and jarred enough. "your spirit is too bright for it."


Kizár

Kélan's move makes no difference to her, as there had been plenty of times when Kíli had done likewise when, in her enthusiasm over having her new body she had scraped herself.

Kélan's words however bringsout a slightly harsh laugh in her, and Kizár shakes her head. "I did bring it on myself, practically demanding to see this battle in person, instead of staying back at camp with the healers and such." She draws in a shakey breath. "I have heard so many tales of the Pale Orc, I wanted to see him die with my own eyes, to know he is truly gone from this world and no longer a threat to... everyone who might draw his attention."


Kélan

"Sometimes we do bring things on ourselves, not knowing how horrible they will play out." Kélan says gently, her harsh laugh is painful, it does not suit the sweet dwarrow lass she is. When she speaks of wanting to know the Pale Orc was not a threat for...he sighs. She knows who he was... and how he should have died. If he only had. "You care a lot, Kizár," he says, wondering why she would.


Kizár

"I have lost too much in my life, too many who were once my family to give up on those I have left..." She looks Kélan, making herslf stop avoiding doing so. "Not even when it is a ghost from another time, another place, who looks like one I know." Even as she says it, she knows she could be saying more than she should, revealing more than she should, but there's no way she can tell how Kélan will interpret her words.


Kélan

Looking up Kélan gingerly touches her cheek with his hand. "Ghosts only torment us, Kizár, they haunt us with pains that cannot be healed. Do not burden yourself with them, it will not bring you happiness." His voice is gentle, and right here he decides to trust her with something. "If I can help you to find your way home, back through the stone, I will."


Kizár

She catches the hand gently, taking it between her own, absently tracing fingers over scars and calluses. "There is something... I may be imagining it, but there was something down in that chamber we appe- came through into." She had not had the time to even truly turn her mind to it when Boromir had first found them, but something had been there. "It was like... an echo, almost. An echo in my mind..."


Kélan

"The chamber you appeared in," Kélan finishes what is unsaid. "I did not sense much, your appearance blinded whatever senses I had." It is a big admission for him, no one, not even Boromir, knows that Kélan has some arcane skill, that he keeps in check by whatever training he received in childhood and by whatever dark training he gained in the dark years, when they all were made produce weapons for the war in the east.

"Do you want to go back and look for whatever you sensed?" he asks her. That part of the mountain is secured by now and no one will ask questions if they go there together.


Kizár

His admission that she blinded him gets a mumble of "I should remember to shield better.", though it also gets her looking again at his spiritual presence. Looking at that is, in some ways, worse than looking at the state of his physical body, with how bend and messy his powers are. There is control there, but it is in no way the even, ordered control she knows Kíli. If she had time, she would do what she could to teach him how to even it out, but she doubts that she and Anvari can afford to stay long enough for her to do so.

To his inquiry about going back, she nods readily. "I would like to go and see it, see if I may find what that echo is."


Kélan

Getting up, Kélan extends a hand to Kizár and they walk towards the Mountain. There are guards at the entrances but no one really asks, they know Kélan does a lot of scouting alone, finding things none of them could. With the passing of weeks and months, they have gotten used to that.

"Could the echo you felt be the reason why you got landed here?" Kélan asks as they walk through the silent tunnels towards the hall where Kizár and Anvari were found.


Kizár

Kizár looks at him as she considers the possibility. "I do not know for sure, though it could have been. There was an... incident where I can from. Something akin to what Anvari and I have experienced, that I am given to believe only came to happen because of my presence." Her head starts throwing up reasons why thinking of the Wanderer is totally wrong, and she has to force back the random workings of logic in her mind to try tap into her instinct again. "Maybe it is just that my presence once again causes the problem, but... I do not see why it would draw me here, if there was not a greater connection besides... ghosts."


Kélan

He can see how much she struggles, and he bites back a comment telling her that nothing in life makes sense, that it simply is, and usually life is cruel. It is not what he wants to tell her, why he does feel so protective of her, he does not know. But he feels that way. "I don't think your presence is a *problem* in any way," he says gently. "it is not. And maybe... maybe even as you connection here are only ghosts, shells of what you wish to find..." he knows she expected him to be someone else, someone he has no right to be any more. It makes him feel ashamed that he disappointing her so much. "maybe there *is* something here, something you need to find, or to see. Sometimes... sometimes the great stone portals set us out on a path to learn something, to see something we would not see otherwise." There is much of an old lesson from Thorin in that, whispered words in an icy night, things Thorin wanted him to learn.


Kizár

"I've heard that one before..." She murmurs before she can censor herself. She shakes her to clear it. "It is not that I believe myself a problem, merely that the reason why this has happened may be directly linked to myself. The other time... both sides had reason for it to come able, benefits that were gained."

As they approach familiar halls, Kizár once again feels a feeling of... echoing. It is even softer, muffled, as if she is hearing it through something else. Her attention shifts to try and divine it, turning her head this way and that, even trying to cover her ears as if blocking out normal sound will make sensing it easier.


Kélan

Kélan watches her looking around, searching. Her mention of this happening before and everyone winning something feels strange to him. Like he should understand it but doesn't. He closes his eyes and tries to reach out with his senses, letting the hall echo to him, it does not work. His senses remain cold, unmoved. He sighs, it is always the same.

Forcing his focus he allows a spark of his deformed fire come forth, and land on his hand, deliberately burning himself. The Easterlings used burning whips to *motivate* the arcane captives, and in the end he could only embrace his weak skills when the pain was there.

His senses flare up when the pain singes into his skin, a small burn is enough and suddenly the hall whispers and sings to him. Something *is* here, something bright... radiant like Kizár. "There..."


Kizár

Kizár felt that fire, as he called it, as it burned. It almost made her cry out, but for whatever reason he did it, his direction is right. There *is* something there, something that is trying to block itself from *her*, but for some reason Kélan's fire highlights. Following his indication she ends up kneeling in a corner, digging out a small heap of rubble and rotting junk to find... a rock.

No, she knows it is not just any rock she holds, this rock is black, it's surface a mix of rough basalt showing flashes of glossier obsidian underneath, where rough encounters have knocked bits of the duller outer stone off. She runs light fingers over the surface, sensing it is still shielding from her, so she starts to sing softly, that Ages-old Quenya lullaby Nerdandel sang to her sons, and in turn, her sons sang to their bright little sisters, no matter what their father would say of foolishness.


Kélan

The stone that Kizár takes up shines eerily, beautiful like only Obsidian can, the glass that sprang from the Earth's fire. Kélan's senses are not the best but the stone has the same spark, the same light Kizár has - it is like her in a way. An ancestral stone maybe? The place where her line began?

He cannot say, but her song, a hauntingly beautiful song in a strange elven tongue, echoes through the halls. He shivers, he knows that tune, though not the words. The tune he picked up from that young captive he helped flee so many years ago. Slowly he comes closer, watching her sing, cradling the stone in her hands. He does not know if he is allowed, but he wants to see a bit more. So he raises his hand over the stone and calls his fire again, one of the few useful things he can do with it, is make it burn right in his hand and light his path. The flames seem to reflect in the surface of the obsidian and it looks like there was a spark of light deep inside, even though it is only the reflection of the flames.


Kizár

The song is exactly what was needed for the stone to open up, just enough to allow Kizár in. She does not stop singing, though her mind sinks in and she finds herself in a strange state that is something akin to a mirror. Everything that she thinks is reflected by her Other, everything that crosses her Other's thoughts are echoed in her own mind. There are not even words as they communicate, almost all that passes between them is a melange of images and emotions, as Elennárë sees Kizár's life - both her lives - and learns the hopes and dreams of her Dwarf self.

It is with a strange dual attention that both of them turn to observe Kélan, as he summons up a flame. Elennárë flinches at the damage in his spirit, but Kizár stands firm, letting her see deeper into her memories of Kíli, see how, as damaged as he may be, Kélan is one who may be trusted, maybe even cared for.

"This is who drew me here." Kizár says out loud. "She needed one who would know her for who she is, one who can guide her on her way, hopefully to find safety, maybe even family in this world."


Kélan

There is something in that stone, a spark of warmth, that Kélan perceives, and somehow he feels he scared it with his fire. "You see... you never were the problem, Kizár, you came here to help someone." He looks at the stone in her hand, she spoke of the stone in the female form. And there is a clear relation between them, that much he can see clearly. Could she be one of the stonemade? The very first Mahal created and hid away? He does not know for sure, but it would explain a lot, including her young protector.

When she speaks of her stone finding a family, a protector in this world, he nods slowly. "I cannot offer much, Kizár, but I can try to find someone for her."


Kizár

Kizár looks at him, that intent look she used before, when she protested staying behind at the camp. "The first time I found my way out of the Deep Fires, I found Dwarf, traveling in the Deeps." She knows she is saying things that have always been a secret second only to her nature as a Silmaril. "He took me in, he thought me one of Mahal's own creations, accepted me as his sister and showed me how live a life without thinking myself merely a *rock*." Her fingers caress the rough surface of her twin's shell, knowing that she is listening, absorbing her words and thoughts.

"If I would entrust my self of this world to any, I would hope that this world's alternate of my *heart-brother* would consider being her guardian, and friend." It is said in Khuzdul, a deliberate choice.


Kélan

Her words allow him a short, fleeting guess why she reacted so strongly to him when she first saw him. Why she was so disappointed when she realized what he had become. Carefully he places one hand under the one that holds the stone, the other on her shoulder. "I know I am not the one you remember, a ghost, as you would say..." his eyes stray to the dark stone in her hand and he can feel something tug at him. "but what strength I have, what I still have to give..." he can feel the tugging again and he knows he will try and protect her, this small stone, that small shard of flame. "I will protect your twin, Kizár, for as long as I may."


Elennárë

It is not Kizár, but Elennárë who tries to reach out to Kélan, gently trying to find a way to gain a spot in his mind, where she can speak directly to him. Taking the guidance she has gain from Kizár, the language of the Dwarves her Other has conveyed to her, she tries to speak. "If my Other thinks I may trust you... I would like to try."


Kélan

He can hear the warm, small voice in his mind, a whisper only but it is so much more. Like she is touching upon places inside his soul that died long ago. He knows it *is* the Obsidian stone speaking to him and it is most amazing thing he ever encountered. He focuses solely on her voice, trying to reach out to her in his mind. "I would like to get to know you." he tries to direct his thoughts towards her.


Elennárë

Elennárë follows the direction of his voice, finding a path deeper into his mindspace, careful not to cause further damage to an already hurt spirit. "She says you have a kind soul, and when I look at you... I can see it is so, hidden behind all this..." She touches a spot that Kizár's thoughts liked to a scar. "I only want someone who hears me again... someone who is not one of the monsters I would burn."


Kélan

Her voice, the request for someone who is not a monster, it makes him feel protective of her. She should not be lost in this world, not with all the darkness that haunts it. Her touch is not painful to him, but rather feels like a warm protective fire. "You have a beautiful voice..." the thought is something he cannot hold back. "and I will keep the monsters away." He does not know why, but something inside him wants him to reach out stronger, to try and reach her, while somewhere from the depths of his mind emerges a tune, the tune of an old dwarrow song.


Elennárë

Elennárë stills to hear the tune, listening to the deep music, so very different to Elven songs, but having a beauty in it's difference.


Kizár

The song is familiar to Kizár, possibly one she has heard from Kíli, and she hums softly to it.


Kélan

Out in the woods, where the ancient stone stands,
down by the old road crossing the land,
where the Blackbird sings, when dawn is at hand,
stands the Obelisk of the fallen.

And that ancient stone in the grassland so deep,
where the Black Crows come when they want to sleep,
is the Pillar that all the memories keep,
called the Obelisk of the Fallen.

And when you come there, some people say,
when you stay until the dawn of the day,
and sit in silence, you'll hear if you may,
the Voices of those who have fallen.

And if you go there, so the old story tells,
if you stay there till the afternoon swells,
you will see him come, right down from the fell,
the Guardian of the Fallen.

And he has been there since the Elder Days,
he buried the first there in Erdanors Days,
and he remains there till the last sun's rays,
to Honor those who have fallen.

The song comes back powerfully to Kélan as he sings it, it is one of those linking back to happier times, to the days before they went on that accursed quest, back to that mountain he now hates. It brings something back to him, a memory of who he used to be... maybe not who, not Kíli, but what he used to be and he realizes that while he is Kélan now, he can still try and be that dwarrow.

He gently reaches for Elennárë inside their mindspace, inviting her in.


Elennárë

The invitaion is something she accepts with a rush of gratefulness, gently slipping in and finding a place to settle, where she may feel his warmth. It makes her feel safe, a feeling she has not had in a long time.


Kélan

This time Kélan cannot resist the mental hug, wanting the little lost flame to know she will be safe. He will look out for her.


Kizár

Kizár cannot help but smile as she withdraws from the link between her and Elennárë. Her other self will find a home, where she can feel that safety Kizár knows has always been the one thing she has craved the most. Taking Kélan's hands, she lays Elennárë in them.

"I know you will be good for her, as my Kíli was, when he found me the first time." A thought passes through her mind. "Though... If you ever meet a tall, red-headed Elf missing his right hand, it would likely do both of them good if you let him know his sister has returned to the surface. I certainly do not say you need give her up to him, but I would think there is plenty of room for her to have both you and he as family."


Kélan

A one handed, red-haired elf? Kélan recognizes the legend, though he has no real clue how the stone and the elf interlink. Albeit... Mahal *was* the mentor of Feanor, who knows what kind of 'sister' to the many sons in the family was created between them? He swiftly represses some very naughty thoughts on the matter. "I promise, Kizár, should I ever have the honor to meet him, I will tell him of his sister - and have an eye on them both to not be too stubborn."



Kizár

Kizár laughs briefly. "If anything remains true between worlds, he will likely be more of the mind that he does not deserve to be her brother any longer, but it will be good for them to resolve all the old pain as I got the chance to do."

She sits back, content to know Elennárë will be safe, and that maybe she will be able to help Kélan. He will never be Kíli, but he may find a path for himself.

"I do believe I have my answer for why I was drawn here, the resonance between two silmarils would defy the borders of Time itself..." She says it only in a low murmur.


Kélan

"Sil..." Kélan does not dare to finish the word, shocked and worried all at once when realizes what she is and what that small stone in his hand is. "Light of the world..." his voice is a bit shaky and now he worries all the more for both their safety. "If the resonance between you two drew you here... you might be in danger of it happening again."


Kizár

"I-" The thought had not occurred to her, but as she thinks on it, the possibility is likely. "We have to take the risk, the quest we were on still needs to be done, and if needed, I can enter the sanctuary on my own... though I was so hoping Anvari could see it with me." Kizár bites her lip in thought. "I will have to stay alert in any case, I would not want to be thrown into another world where I never found my way out of the Deep Fire. I may have protected one person from it once, but I am not sure how well I can repeat it."


Kélan

"He should be with you, especially if there is the risk of you being transferred again," Kélan says firmly, her protector needs to be with her. "as dwarrow he should have some resistance to fire and maybe with his presence you can somehow sense the places that he cannot go and you therefore might avoid as well." He thinks of the little details that he knows of the portal of stone, it's bits and pieces mostly, and he probably forgot some of it during the long dark years. But still... "My... Thorin once said that the portal of stone... if it takes you it takes you where you need to go. And as I firmly doubt any power in the world would feel the need for your immediate destruction... I believe your intuition and maybe some trust into the deep stone can aid you." it feels flimsy, weak, but deep down Kélan knows from experience that listening to one's intuition can get one far.


Kizár

A quirk of a smile crosses her face at those words. "If there is one thing I know, Thorin Oakenshield had quite a bit of good sense in him. I also do think you may be right that the Powers would do me wrong. Barring the Deep Fire wanting me back - which I do blame on the ancient influences that corrupted the World in it's making - no Power has truly tried to force me bad to that, and with having seen four lives where I have found a way to escape... I doubt they judge me wrong for wishing to live a happier life."


Kélan

"Four lives?" Kélan asks awed, wondering what long journeys she has behind herself. One hand still closed tightly around her twin, he takes her other hand and leans close to touch foreheads. "Maybe I should better find Anvari and make sure you can go on?" Boromir might be slightly miffed if they are gone, but Kélan will deal with that, he will make sure those two are right on their way. Somehow he is confident he can deal with the Captain's anger if necessary.


Kizár

"Yes... Though I hope Boromir is not too put out by it." Her hand returns to touch the pouch the wardstone is in, hidden under her clothing still.

"And of those lives, I have only lived two directly, then there is this world," She looks at Elennárë resting safely in his grip. "And one I saw only in a very brief vision. I saw another... where I was still in the Deep Fire... but four against only one life... It makes me more confident of my place."

She gets to her feet, absently dusting herself off. "I doubt this location is significant, since it was Elennárë instead that drew us. The only requirement we wold need to make the return is shadows."


Kélan

He smiles a little, she looks just cute dusting herself off while wearing a chainmail armor and a leather brigantine. "Then let us find Anvari and a shadowy place for you to continue your journey."


Kizár

Kizár catches that smile, unable to stop returning it. "You want this armour back? I do not know how much stock in Dwarven sizes Arnor's forces have access to." It was maybe not her best choice to go down to the Keystone Ward in one of her dresses, but Kíli had told her the worst they would find there were the bodies of the long dead.


Kélan

"You keep the armor." Kélan says firmly. It will keep her safe no matter where her journey leads. Her home must be a wonderously safe place, but here things are different and he does not trust other worlds in that regard. In armor the Orcs won't peg her as female so quickly. "It's not a dwarven chainmail, but one I adjusted for me." They come out of the mountain again, and Kélan has a good guess that they'll find Anvari down in camp.


Kizár

"I do know how to dress better for dangerous situations, but I was not expecting much when we set out." She can pick up his concern for how unguarded she had been. "I can't help feel, even in a different world, my brother watches out for me..." She adds softly as they head down the slop to the camp.


Kélan

"As well he should." Kélan adds just as softly, while they walk down to camp. He navigates them through the hustle and bustle easily to find Anvari.


Anvari

Anvari can see Kélan and Kizár walk through camp side by side and there is a sense of peace between them. He smiles, it hurt Kizár deeply to see Kíli like this, almost broken, marked by too many hardships and hardly the dwarrow they both know. Anvari hides very well that he cannot associate Kélan with Kíli, to him they are almost different people, people who have nothing to do with each other.

During the fighting down inside the Mountain he knows Kizár used her powers to bolster Boromir's strength against Azog. And while she retreated from the Mountain after the battle, Anvari staid to help with the cleanup. He just had washed up to get the blood off himself. Now he walks up to Kizár to greet her with a hug.


Kizár

Kizár gladly melts into Anvari's hug, knowing he is fine, knowing they are both fine. "I found what drew us here..." She touch his mind with her own, passing him a mental image of Elennárë and the sense of sameness with her, even if Elennárë's outer shell varies a bit from how she looks in stone form. "I found a place for her... It may be what was needed here, so we may now try to find our way home."


Anvari

Anvari hold Kizár tight, just glad that she is alright. When he sees the mental image of her other self, he cannot believe it. Her sister... a sadder version maybe, but this world is definitely a sad place. He looks to Kélan and understands what Kizár is saying. Maybe her other self can be good for Kélan, or guide him to find whatever sense his life should have here. "Then we should journey on, Kizár, my Kizár." She spoke openly of leaving within earshot of Kaelan, so he assumes the other dwarrow is willing to aid them after all.


Kizár

Kizár looks over towards Kélan with a soft smile. "You take care, of your self, of Elennárë, and... keep a good eye on that Captain too. He could do with someone close."

Looking back to Anvari, "You need me to change form?" she asks in a low voice.


Kélan

Having guided them towards the edge of camp where no one will see them, Kélan nods. "I will look out for them, I promise." He wonders what she thinks of Boromir, but does not ask, it is better they do not waste time. Somehow he has the feeling they better hurry. "Take care. Mahal protect you, wherever you go."


Anvari

Anvari shakes his head. "No, Kizár. I think we can try without that." he says, he had days to think on what happened, and he has an idea what to try.


Kizár

To Kélan she nods, saying in turn, "And may he guard you in turn."

She folds herself closer in Anvari's arms, in trust of what he may plan. "Then let us see if it brings us to the Haven as we planned."


Anvari

Grasping her arms Anvari lets his shadow form come forth and embraces her, he never has done this in physical form, enveloping her in his shadow, but the moment he does he can sense the rush again, the stream... it is singing to him, and he lets it guide them again.


Kizár

Kizár does not remain a passive passenger, letting her mind reach out through the in-between realm they traverse, seeking out the familiar feel of home. It is out there, waiting for them, and she calls to it, letting it draw them in. As a thought based on how they came to Kélan's world, she taps gently into the Wardstone to help fine-tune their direction.


Anvari

Anvari can suddenly feel Kizár's light like never before, it touches him deeply and suddenly their entire direction changes, they fall steeply, tumble over a ledge to land in a wet, soft patch of grass by a stream.


Kizár

Kizár turns on her back from where she has landed on Anvari's chest and stares blankly at the distantly glowing cave roof for a few moments. The first time she had been here, she was in stone form and her senses were more arcane. Now... while she could translate the way it appeared with some accuracy in her dreams, it still does not quite do justice to how it looks when seen with real eyes, heard with real ears, smelt with a real nose.

"Home." She murmurs softly.


Anvari

Anvari's eyes are already assessing the cavern for dangers, though he is not blind to their beauty either. Huge trees, a soft stream, the smells of earth and growth... this place is strong. When Kizár whispers the word he hugs her close. "This is your place, is it not, Kizár, my Kizár?"


Kizár

"It is..." She tries to explain a little what this place is to her. "When I was so angry and hurt by the sense of how wrong my life was, angry at the Deep Fire for the pain, angry because somehow I knew I should have had things different... I found this place and... it gave me peace." She feels a sadness for the memory of how she felt back then, the angry scared soul she had been. "It healed a great deal in me, staying here for a time. After I left... though my life was rough, I was better by far."


Anvari

Anvari takes her hands between his, seeing how hard it is for her to tell of what she feels. "You were deeply hurt, Kizár, you had a right to be angry. After all that was done to you." He smiles at her. "And I am glad you found your haven, where you could heal and find your peace again."


Kizár

"And now I get to come back, this time with you at my side." She leans deeper into his arms, a soft smile on her face as she reaches up to draw him into a kiss.


Anvari

He leans closer to kiss her deeply, both arms tightly around her. They have been here in dreams, in many dreams, but being here for real, seeing that part of her world is more than wonderful. And being here *with* her... it feels like a dream, even if they never were to return from this place, it would be alright.


Kizár

Kizár kisses even deeper, delving into him with a growing desire for whatever they might dare. Being here, with him, reminds her of a number of warm intimate dreams and she feels a little lost in that feeling.


Anvari

Raising one hand Anvari gently cups Kizár's cheeks when their kiss breaks. He can feel hear warmth pressed against him, and it wakes a sweet longing in him. In the past it has often been hard to hold back, and now it is even harder, though his respect for Kizár's values makes him so. "Maybe we should camp here and sleep?" he suggests. "Neither of us got much rest back in the other place and I have the feeling we could be safe here."


Kizár

Once again she has to be grateful for Anvari's good sense, not letting her go too far.

"We are definitely safe. The most dangerous thing we could face here is the bite of ants, if any decided to be upset at us." She stays nestled in his arms as she speaks.


Anvari

Anvari leans back against the huge trunk of a tree, pulling his cloak around them both. He gently kisses Kizár's hair. While they have been through quite some troubles up till now, he cannot make himself regret being here, sharing this adventure with her. "Sleep well, my Firestar." he whispers in her ear.
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To Be Continued...

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