Kizár Elená Durin · @SilmarilNaro
9th Feb 2015 from TwitLonger
Quest-verse: The Turn South.
After http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1ski7au
Time has come to split paths with the returning Exiles.
@SonofDari @SilmarilNaro @SilmarilAndrast @LordoftheReach
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Kíli
Kíli was strapping the packs to the second pack pony, while more carts rolled by towards the pass. The long, tedious crossing of the Mountains had begun, and thus their moment to say goodbye was here. Throughout the weeks-long trek towards the Mountains he had held back a lot, giving Kizár and Dís as much time as he could to spend together.
Standing here, packing up the ponies he felt torn. There was a part of him, a large part, which demanded he take responsibility here and lead the people across and to Erebor. It was hard to deny that part, hard to stick to the agreement he had with Thorin. On the other hand, a softer, but equally strong voice reminded him that this was not his time, his task was another and he'd have to wait for it to come.
The pony was done and he saddled Kizár's horse, it was a very tame one, as she had only little time to learn to ride.
Kizár
Kizár walked along the line, having come from where Dwalin was directing traffic and where the wagon that Dís had her house's belongings, including those of Thorin and Fíli as well as some of Kíli's that he would not be able to carry, was standing. It felt a little melancholy, separating now, after weeks of being able to truly enjoy having a mother again. Even Lossanárë had come under Dís's mother attentions - a heart-sister to her daughter, at least in public, while in private Dís simply said a sister to her daughter was another daughter as well.
Kizár spotted the horses she and Kíli, as well as Lossanárë and Russandol, would be taking. Kíli was frowning and Kizár came up to him, curling an arm around his and resting a chin on his shoulder. "Are you alright Kíli?"
Kíli
Kíli wrapped an arm around her tightly. "It feels strange to not go with them - make sure they are safe on their way across the Mountains." he said to her. "Stranger still - the boy I was a year ago would not feel that way, the dwarrow I am now... has a hard time to accept it." He gently stroked her dark hair. "What about you?"
Kizár
"There's a sense of being divided between the parts of my family." Kizár spoke quietly, her eyes falling shut under the warmth of his hand and the reassurance of his hold. "My new family, they are here, in this caravan." She raised her head to look at Kíli. "Part of me would be glad to stay here but I know Telpë needs us. Dwalin has those with even the smallest fighting skills on watch so the people will be defended and between him and Amad they will see everyone to Erebor. I just... don't want to leave Telpë trapped any longer."
Kíli
"We will see them again," Kíli said warmly, understanding how she felt. "Dís already told me that she insists we be at Thorin's coronation. And you are right; Telpë was captured in that city for far too long already. I....I once failed to save him."
Kizár
"Always remember you tried, Kíli. Thoraine tried, which is better than not doing so." Kizár spoke in soothing tones. "Now we can go finish what Thoraine started, get through to Telpë and break him free." She glanced over, looking at the horses waiting. "I know Rú wanted to send a letter back to Erebor, to Fion, Though I..." She tilted her head, senses alert. "Lossë is coming over now."
Lossanárë
Lossanárë walked over, fiddling with the braid she had put her hair in. She had taken to braiding it while on the road as she found it more convenient. "So here we are, ready to head south?" She smiled as she came to join the two.
Kíli
Kíli inclined his head at Lossanárë's words. "Ready to head south to find the veiled city." he replied, before his eyes went back to Kizár. "Fion seemed... strongly attached to your brother, I hope he was not too upset when he was left behind. Otherwise we might see him again somewhere." Of course there was the matter that Fion was the nephew of Dari and if Thorin had learned that little detail he might have a gone a bit possessive on yet another nephew of sorts. Fíli might have needed a cousin during the long winter.
Lossanárë
"I know Maitimo is... fond of him. How fond I am still not sure. I... did not want to push him too much." Lossanárë gave a shrug. "A year or two and maybe Fion will be able to set out himself, or else Rú will go back to Erebor himself."
Kizár
"That might cause a bit of a stir, if he did." Kizár said, as she imagined such a situation. "If he did, it might do better if we went as well. He left with Kíli so being seen back again with Kíli... well it will simply confirm that Kíli is learning from him."
Kíli
Kíli watched the two sisters discuss things, it reminded him a little of other days and yet... it was different and he loved to see their true selves here, in Arda. "We will have to be back for the coronation either way." Kíli said. "As for the rest... much depends on what the letter said and what Fion read into it. Either he leaves on his own to find us, or he may misunderstand it in some way." Like the sisters he was not quite sure how to read the blond dwarf, who had gone against the dragon with them, nor was he sure why Fion had been left behind on the Mountain.
Kizár
"You are right there." Kizár said, nodding. "We will have to leave that to them to work out. We have our own course right now, and I have my doubts Rú would be all that impressed to know we are gossiping about him." Her words ended with a slight giggle.
She turned to look back towards the wagons. "There he is." She said, spotting her tall brother.
Russandol
Maitimo had watched his sister from afar for a bit, it was the happiest, if strangest feeling to suddenly have two of them back. Lossanárë was swiftly becoming a very close sister to him and Kizár... the little Firestar... all a beautiful Dwarrow Princess now. It had been strange at first and yet, she and her brother fit with each other so well, that it made him smile sometimes, when they sibling-teased each other.
"Gossiping about me?" he repeated to her, having overheard what she had said. "I do remember times when you three would drive Ada out of his own workshop with your chatter."
Lossanárë
"All a well-crafted ploy so we could go sneak off and play where we wanted." Lossanárë grinned as she moved over to Russandol's side, slipping an arm around his waist. "Myself off to find Ammë, Eleni to see if you wanted to play and Little Star to curl up with Cáno."
Kizár
"Or I'd be off with the palace cats." Kizár added. "We were just discussing that Kíli and I, at the least, would have to head for Erebor for Thorin's coronation. We know you left behind friends amongst the Reach, so you coming with us is an option."
Russandol
He smiled remembering those days in Tirion, Eleni playing with the cats - setting them up to nothing good most of the time, little Star hiding with Cano... he put his arm around Lossanárë's side, glad they were reunited here.
The mention of the coronation was not a distraction from their gossip, not entirely at least, as far as he could tell. "Kíli should be there - sooner or later rumour of who he is will begin to spread, and if he *appears* in any way to not condone that succession, it would prove problematic." It is like that. Kíli is not just Thorin's son, which is already enough, to make any succession by his 'brother' questionable at best, but he also is Durin reborn, another reincarnation, and while he certainly seems set on evading the throne, he better not appear to contest it.
"As for myself..." Russandol shook his head. "I... I do not know yet. I would like to be there, and be it only to see my little Firestar all regal as a dwarven princess, but I do not know yet, if I can be."
Kizár
"I hope you can be, not simply for the company but... I hope your friendships there are not broken." Kizár said, a little concerned by the tone she could hear in his words. She glanced at her sister before changing direction. "Right now however we have a different journey. I for one would like to head out as soon as we may, for Telpë's sake."
Russandol
Grateful for her change of topics, Maitimo inclines his head. "We can be a good few miles from here before night," he says. "and while I know the reason for our journey is dire, I am curious to see the city Telpë's founded."
Kíli
Kíli can see the many things unsaid between them, only time can or may tell. "Ost-in-Edhil was more than a city," he says, as he mounts his shaggy white horse. "it was a dream given form, a center of the elven art and knowledge, a place where all that the High Elves were would survive." He shakes his head, running one hand through his unruly hair. "It was a dream..."
Kizár
"A dream that turned into a nightmare?" Kizár said thoughtfully, as she found her place in her own saddle. Her pony was a tolerant, patient mare, who had gone through Kizár's learning stage with an easy manner. "It is sure to be mostly in ruins now, with no one living to maintain it."
Lossanárë
"Even ruins can tell one about the past, what a place used to be." Lossanárë commented as she gave her horse a rub along it's neck.
Russandol
Russandol smiled as his sister for her words, Like so often Lossanárë understood without words, understood his need to gain a feeling for the world beyond Erebor after having lived in the silence for so long, only hearing the songs of the Skalds tell of the world outside. Skalds... not a good thought right now. "Being able to see what Telpe built, even after it was lost... it will tell me much about his journey." he replied. "Though I do recall that the stories of what happened to the city are gruesome..."
Kíli
"Gruesome yes, not all of them truthful in that sense," Kíli replied, his voice changing slightly as memories began to draw close. "much of the city endures to this day - in shambles but enduring still, thanks to the powers unleashed when it fell."
He straightened his shoulders. "The city should not have fallen quickly, not with it's defenses, not with many surviving warriors living there. But the Enemy Leader... Jaerdinar..." Strange that he would still know the name. "he saw that he could not win this conventionally. Mahal alone knows what else... what other pride or desperation drove him, but he made it beyond the gate, slaughtering his path right into the heart of the city and when he died - it unleashed a horror and a nightmare like none ever seen before."
Again he hesitated. "All stories about the horrors of Ost-in-Edhil are true, for those who told them lived through it - only nothing of it was real. And even after the initial onslaught... the ruins remained dangerous." He died there, having underestimated those powers, having underestimated many things.
Kizár
"The danger must have waned since then, or else we would not have the stories that go around of arcane smiths who tried to reach it." Kizár turned a thoughtful eye towards Kíli, knowing he must be drawing on Thoraine's memories. "Narvi even told a tale of his journey there, in his younger years. I know I did not want to believe it was Telpë, but..." She shook her head.
Kíli
Kíli pulled himself from his musings and guided his horse closer to hers. "I know... back then we both were not sure, what to think." He said gently to her. "We did plan to go there and look though, once the dragon was dealt with." He did not want her to feel guilt over waiting so long. "Narvi used a different name for the arcane smith in the ruins, as have others who went there, and I guess there is a good reason for it. I doubt they would not have understood who he was..."
Russandol
"If they did, then why keep the secret, why pretend he was someone else?" Russandol asked, studying the dwarf. "Even as his name may bear some shadow even among your kind..."
Kíli
Kíli looked at him and shook his head. "This is not about blame, Maitimo. Your family - and Khaldan, the Silver Hand, as we do call Celebrimbor - are *legend* among the arcane crafters of my kind. There is no arcane smith I know who would not keep the secret if it did protect Telpë, or if it was asked of him." His eyes shone. "You could say that the limits of what one of my kind may not be willing to do to do study with him, are very very small, if existent at all. Most arcane smiths would do whatever was asked of them for the chance."
Lossanárë
"Telpë might have asked that his true identity be obscured, if he believed Sauron's forces could somehow still reach him." Lossanárë spoke in a thoughtful tone. "If I truly understand the histories you have told me, he was involved in the crafting of some of the most dangerous items of the Second Age. He may not have wanted anyone to force his hand into making any more such items."
Kíli
"The rings," Kíli replied. "it is true, he was deeply involved into making them." Suddenly he eyes widened. "Of course... he has to hide, he'd be in grave danger if it became common knowledge he was alive." He looked at Lossanárë. "He may be the only one who had a deep and true look into Annatar's work, his theories, his secrets... Mahal alone knows how many new theories they came up with together. And such knowledge... it would be a temptation, for both sides I might add."
Lossanárë
"That is my thought too." Lossanárë nodded. "Now we go to get him out of there, and take him with us to Himring."
Kizár
"...Where Aelin said a significant number of those loyal to the family reside, with Cáno as their lord." Kizár continued from her sister. "A significant number who would also defend his nephew, if he came to live on the island."
Kíli
Kíli bowed his head to stifle a smile, hearing the sisters plan ahead, completing each other in such a manner, reminded him of his days as Kélan. "Sounds like a good plan," he agreed. Deep down he was not sure how meeting Telpë would go, what old wounds it would open... but he was all the more set on helping to reunite him with his family.