Kizár Elená Durin · @SilmarilNaro
14th Jan 2015 from TwitLonger
Quest-verse: The Smith of Rivendell
After http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1sji348 ( this: http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1sjp08i - is too broad to judge).
Back in Rivendell again, Kíli and Kizár go to visit an old friend.
@SonofDari @SilmarilNaro
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Kíli
Heavy snowflakes were drifting down on the valley of Imladris and the cascading currents were sleeping under the ice, when Kíli walked through the clear morning, to stretch his legs. They had made it back to Rivendell before crossing the mountains became impossible. Or rather: they had made it after the High Pass was already blocked by the snows, but as Maedhros had put it: there was always a way through the caves.
Kíli had had little wish to re-visit the Goblin caves, but he had to admit, he had enjoyed seeing the Goblins try their strength on someone like Kizár's brother. He was not a living legend for nothing. While Kíli knew he was not impartial on the matter he found he liked the ancient elven warrior and began to enjoy his company. Of course he had been raised to revere the legends of the arcane crafts and walking beside one was a privilege.
It had been a strange journey in some aspects, Kíli's memories of Thedas helped him to connect with Kizár's sister again and to understand her spirit guardian Maferath and the memories of then and now began to balance out, even while many of nights were still dream-filled with memories, alternating between the old deep roads and his other past lives. Bilbo had rightly claimed they all were becoming strange. No doubt they were confusing the Hobbit more than just a little.
When they had reached the valley of the elves, Kíli had been wondering what welcome they'd receive this time. Luckily Maitimo had been at the center of Lord Elrond's attention, so that Kíli had been relegated to the sidelines, which suited him just fine. They had to wait out the worst winter before journeying on and he had used the time to sneak out, knowing Kizár would love to see the elven valley transformed into a marvelous kingdom by the frost.
Kizár
Being back in Imladris again felt different this time around, and Kizár knew the big difference was because she was now here openly, walking in a form that seemed solid and could be watched by the residents. There was also the aspect that she had come to the Valley not truly hiding who she was, and given that news of what happened at Erebor had managed to beat them here (she suspected Gandalf of doing that, somehow), her identity was also known here.
Stubbornly she had decided to stick to her elvhen form, feeling just a little like putting a bug in the ear of so many curious Elves as they puzzled at what race she was manifesting as.
Lossanárë was spending a good deal of her time while here with Maitimo, so Kizár found herself wandering the gardens, poking around some of the galleries that Rivendell had, and more often than not doing so in Kíli's company.
Kíli
Walking beside Elenaria, in her elvhen form, felt strange and yet so utterly familiar to Kíli. He had been a bit shorter as Kélan, but not by much and with only a little imagination they might be walking through the frozen forests high in the Mountains near Orzammar. "You love irritating the elves a little," he said with a wink for her. "even as things go much smoother than they did during our other visit here."
Kizár
"It is a terrible habit, I know. One I've had for a long time, even back in Thedas." She is sure Kíli could likely remember some of her issues with the Dalish Elves, feeling they looked down on City Elves too much. It may not have been too much of an issue, since she had not a lot of contact with the nomadic folk, but at least one Dalish Warden had serious raised her ire and made her wary.
She wonders if that ire had transferred to the Sindar when she returned, but always kept in mind that the reasons for that distrust were similar - something in no way reduced by finding out the full story from her sister.
"I am trying not to be too distrustful of them, after all, despite the trust problems last time, Lord Elrond was not the worst he could have been. Certainly nothing on Thranduil."
Kíli
"Tarvel was an idiot, and an arrogant one at that." Kíli well remembered the arrogant Dalish warden, whom he had reminded more than once on the fact that none of the wardens was entitled to look down on the other. Many of them had dark spots in their past. In a way Kélan had understood well enough, being a casteless dwarf after all. Still, it was not the same, not by a long shot and Elenaria had often felt 'judged' by the nomadic folk.
"Lord Elrond is all over himself, at seeing Maitimo again." Kíli grinned. "And now I won't start with the more fanciful dwarven interpretations of their story." He added with a smirk, he'd keep that for cases where the elves got too rude. "I doubt any other of us - your esteemed self included - is of any consequence for him right now."
Kizár
"I've heard a few of them, though I have an impression so far that the real story was a lot more prosaic. Certainly Lossanárë has told me a bit about what happened with Elwing, and Elrond would still have been a child at the time." As they strolled they came to a stone bench and Kizár nodded to it, moving to sit down. "I also picked up an idea that Elrond may have a slightly odd attitude towards us - his mother was so indoctrinated about keeping Lossanárë away from our brothers that she may not have been quite..." she doesn't have a word that she feels is polite enough for Elrond's mother, yet able to convey the sense of brainwashed narrow-mindedness her sister had implied.
Wanting to draw her thoughts away from that she decided to ask about something else. "Have you seen Aelin since we arrived? Maybe I missed it but I cannot imagine he would miss seeing Maitimo while he's here."
Kíli
"She may have been blind to the truth." It is the most polite words Kíli can find for Elwing's actions. Maybe he judges her more harshly because she had been young, a child really, and as such she should have been able to see what was in front of her and not what others told her was there. Only children had that ability, before training and education, and sadly experience taught them otherwise.
"And no... I have not seen Aelin anywhere, which is truly strange." Kíli admits, Aelin is one of the elves here he likes, mainly because they both share some very similar passions. "Maybe he was not summoned up there?" he points towards the palace.
Kizár
"Maybe not." Kizár muses. "I feel like someone should let him know, or let Maitimo know he lives here... They were such strong friends once." She falls silent for a moment before leaning on Kíli's shoulder. "Maybe we could go find him and let him know."
Kíli
"There's an idea," Kíli smiles, taking her hand and they walk towards the outer valley where the trade district and the forges can be found. "You knew him before, did you?" he asks. "Aelin, I mean? Most people think not much of him these days, just another elf, only when you take the time to look, you might realize he had a story."
Kizár
"He was in and out of the palace in Tirion with Maitimo, Findekáno and occasionally Cáno quite a bit." She recalls as they walk along the paths towards the traders' area. "Sometimes he took lessons in crafting with Maitimo, and I know he learned metallurgy from Grandfather Mahtan..." Memories start popping. It happened before my time but he, Maitimo and Findekáno were likely the first people to discover Ungoliant in the mountains south of Hyarmentir."
Kíli
Kíli listens intently to her voice, like he did the many times when he was younger and she told him stories of the elder age. It is thanks to her that he can pass for a rather educated dwarf and that he speaks elven... though mostly Balin will be credited with this achievement of the young Prince's erudition.
They come down to the trader's tier and Kíli can see that even as it is early in the morning, the fire in Aelin's forge is already lit. The elven smith is standing outside, talking to a warrior or guardsman, who has unloaded a pile of junk beside the forge. "Tell Elrohir: next time he wants to chase the Orcs out of their hidey-holes when they should stay inside, he should not insist on taking every meager scrap they ever possessed." Aelin says before the other elf mounts his horse and rides off.
Turning around the Ñoldor looks at them, a strange expression in his eyes. "Kíli, welcome back." he greets him before bowing slightly to Elennaré. "My Lady, welcome. What brings you here?"
Kizár
"I was feeling brave enough to come and see how you are, Aralaimé." The whole greeting, casual as it may be, is in Quenya. "I feel as though I owe to... memories to know you are well." She doesn't want to outright say that the memories she refers to are of the father he rejected.
Aelin
Her words - the voice - are what make Aelin stop and look at her again, look with more than just his eyes, allowing his senses to see what his eyes will not, as he realizes who it is he is talking to. "I am most grateful for your visit, Lady Elennárë," he replies, stepping aside so she can enter the workshop and is not forced to stand in the streets. "I..." he hesitates, then pulling it together. "I am very glad to see you are well, and... returned to us."
Kizár
Kizár steps inside a soft smile on her lips. "I have been on the surface for a while but my confidence... I needed time to recover and rebuild my life." She looks Kíli's way. "I have been with Kíli for a while, though of late I seem to be finding more family members who have been... misplaced instead of totally lost."
Aelin
The word "misplaced" brings a small smile to Aelin's mien. "There are a few more you might find, should you wish so." he replies. "though your finding of Lord Maitimo is certainly a surprise for most people, be they elves or other races."
Kizár
"That sounds like you know where some of them are." Kizár grinned. "We have an idea on one such lead... a ruined city to the south, haunted by the dead... one person alive... But other than that... well Maitimo is also asking around over at Lord Elrond's hall, about certain rumours from the coast."
For a moment she looks at him. "Have you had a chance to talk to him? Maitimo, that is?"
Aelin
"We spoke, if only shortly. He knows I did as he commanded me to do, back before... before he left." Aelin replies. "Right now Lord Elrond is overjoyed that he is alive, and thus Lord Maitimo is rather preoccupied." He looked at her, at that grin... it felt good to see that after all that darkness she was still able to laugh. "I know little of the one south - your friend here might know more than I do. But I know that Lord Canafinwë is alive as well. Egandír's ship reached him in time before the land broke apart. And Egandír was sure willing to right fight it out with Gil-Galad himself, when his surviving ships encountered the other elven survivors off the coast the Forlindon..."
Kizár
"Was Gil-Galad really a problem back then?" She was a bit curious about that. "I know from what histories Kíli and I found said he tried to hold together the Ñoldor who stayed this side of the ocean, but I also have a bit of an issue with the bias I could see in those books."
Aelin
"He was a bit tense at first, I doubt he liked the idea of a good portion of Fëanorian loyalists not only surviving but also rallying behind the last of the Princes. Círdan certainly was not happy to see Egandír again. Though Gil-Galad decided in the end, that it was not up to him to judge. If the Valar had left those elves not only alive but also on this side of the ocean, it was not up to him to doubt their wisdom. It was the basis for a tense kind of peace." Aelin explained calmly.
"History certainly did it's share to vilify... and there is a strong tension between Lothlorien and Himring Island to this very day, as you might well imagine."
Kizár
"Likely over Doriath," Kizár said acerbically. "That may get a bit worse now, after everything that happened at Erebor... Lossanárë was rather harsh in her rejection of Thranduil and said a few things about what Thingol did to her that will likely put people from his land out quite a bit, even those Ñoldor who were tolerated there."
Aelin
"Not only Doriath," Aelin said, inclining his head to agree with her assessment that the situation at Erebor would have repercussions among the elven populace. "but also that the Lady Galadriel and the High lady of Himring certainly do not see eye to eye... I will not tell you all the gossip there is, for gossip is idle, but the High Lady... which I am sure you know better than I do... is not a Lady to let herself be pushed around. And there are enough loyalists left on the outer islands to give anyone who glances her way wrongly a very harsh time."
Kizár
That makes Kizár pause for a minute, thinking those words through. A smile slowly steals across her face and a giggle bubbles up. "Queen Alana Theirin always had a reputation for being stern, even grim, though it was always Little Star's way of dealing with in public so much. I hope this time she is doing better, now she is home..." she tilts her head and narrows her eyes Aelin's way. "Did she finally get her beloved prince then?"
Aelin
"She did find her Prince... and I dare say it was one of the greater romances of our younger days," Aelin replies, his eyes sparkling. "and she is a wonderful Queen, though I would not call her grim."
Kizár
"It sounds like she has been better then." Kizár takes deep breath and glances at Kíli before speaking again. "We tried to escape Angband once, my sisters and I. We tried to jump the Threads of Fate and find a life where we could get far enough away to be free when we jumped back... but it did not work as we hoped, and we ended up... elsewhere. Another world entirely. This form I use," she waves at her current body, "was what I lived through in that world. Elenlossë ended up in a position where she became the queen of a nation, and was considered quite stern because of how she had to cope with her shyness issues."
Aelin
"And you - as always - were her protector." Aelin's voice has become thoughtful. "though the death... or impending death of a friend greatly worried you." He shakes his head. "Forgive me, she made that mention once in my presence, not that I could truly understand it at the time. She will be more than ecstatic to have all her sisters back." He looked at her, and for a moment the usual controlled mask fell a little. "and I very much appreciate you came to see me... more than I can say."
Kizár
"As am I." Kizár offers him a fond smile. "I-" she cuts off for a moment, a hint of sadness behind it, before starting again. "I know you rejected him, but your father still loved you, even respected your stance when you did so."
Aelin
Aelin closes his eyes for a moment, unable to answer her right away. In a strange way she probably knows more of his father's later years than he does. Maybe she even understood him beyond what Aelin could see. "He made his choices, I made mine." he says eventually. "He must have passed from the world some time after the battles ended - if and only IF some things I later heard were true and those telling that story were not deceived."
Kizár
"I have no idea what happened after Valinor's forces broke through the defenses, to tell the truth I did not even know if he survived that, but there are rumours even amongst the dwarves about it." She shrugged, trying to dismiss the sad thoughts. "The past is past, we have our lives here and now... and am glad you're doing well here. Maybe if I come back this way I'll drop in to see you again, though I might have a different form by then, possibly dwarven." That comes with a smiles and glance towards Kíli.
Aelin
"You will always be welcome here, no matter the form." Aelin replies warmly. She is a memory of long gone days, be she also is a friend. "If you ever need me, call for me and I will be there."