Kizár Elená Durin · @SilmarilNaro
14th Dec 2015 from TwitLonger
Quest-verse: Coronation
After http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1sno07q
At the coronation party Kizár and Shangraile dance, and plot.
@SilmarilNaro @Gyrfalconsheart
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Kizár
A part of Kizár - a very big part - was glad the day of the coronation had finally come. With the various guests who were in Erebor for the event (and Kizár was quite surprised by some of those Thorin was allowing to witness it), it felt like too many people were keeping a very sharp eye on her and her sister.
Friendly relations with close neighbours was understandable, and Bard attending as the leader of Men of Dale (a good portion of the Laketown folk having some time in the last few years reclaimed the old city) was not that odd, but Kizár had been surprised to find out that Thorin had managed to work through a treaty with King Thranduil and was even on polite enough terms for him to be present.
But despite certain looks from the Mirkwood Elves when they saw Lossanárë firmly in Russandol's company, the greater stress for Kizár personally was the near-constant attention she seemed to get from Dáin's son, who she had taken to thinking of as Thorli. She already had one Thorin in her life and the young Iron Hills dwarf hardly matched up to her uncle, being an annoying, self-aggrandizing nuisance who behaved as if she should fall over herself for him.
What made his constant attempts to seek her company suspicious was how his mother was so encouraging of it, and putting on airs of condescending sadness when she refused to play along, preferring to keep to the company of Kíli, Losá, Maitimo, Shangraile - frankly anyone but Thorli.
One of the more curious arrivals she had witnessed in the last few days had been the party from the Reach. Lord Rór had a face that held some familiarity to her, event though she knew full well she had never laid eyes on him, but observing the double-take he made on spotting Fion at her brother's side quickly enlightened her. Obviously there was some unacknowledged links between Fion and the lord of the Reach, just as evident as the similarities that existed between him and Fíli, though no one denied Skar and Dári being brothers.
Kizár was firmly glad however that her place in the coronation at Dís's side also allowed for Lossanárë to stand with her, with Maitimo on Losá's other side. One reason for two Elves standing with the royal family was the close alliance they held, though a less widely spoken one was their roles in slaying Smaug as well. No one said anything aloud about Losá's previous existence inside the Arkenstone, but some looks Kizár had caught being sent her sister's way seemed to imply some folk definitely remembered it and did connect the very solid lady now present with the ghostly one who had fought in the Battle of the Five Armies.
She took a moment to glance behind her as she thought over those worries. Shangraile was there, just behind her and Losá, in the obvious role of a guardian to the both of them. It felt reassuring to have him there, even if his tricks for hiding in dark corners may be very effective. The coronation was however not a situation where he could stay at a distance as too many questionable factors were close by.
Kizár glanced over to Kíli as ceremonies started. He was standing with Thorin and Fíli, about to be recognised as a prince. She gave him a smile as he caught her eye and got a quick smile back.
Kíli
Kíli kept calmly at his place, where he was supposed to stand, but careful to ensure that the main focus was on Fíli. Which was easy enough, with his golden hair and silver armor Fíli stood out brightly. Kíli had chosen a dark armor for himself, he knew the choice was almost identical to Askíl's favored armor style, maybe he had allowed this particular memory to be closest, maybe he had always loved such armors, he was not sure. Whatever the reason, it allowed him to subtly stand back behind Fíli. Knowing the ceremony helped a lot in that regard either, in his heart he knew every step of the ceremony to come - it was strange remembering it that way, having gone through it several times.
He felt Kizár's gaze and smiled back at her. Dís had spend days going through the royal hoard finding the best jewels for her daughter and had the very best dressmakers of Erebor in a frenzy, to ensure the Princess would be properly adorned. It had taken some strength on Losá's side to not end up with the same treatment, because she was Kizár's born-sister and as such Dís regarded her as a second-daughter. Dís work had been fruitful, Kizár easily outshone any Lady in attendance, and Losá would not have needed jewels to be second to her.
He had noticed Thorli's clumsy attempts to court Kizár, and once the ceremonies were over, and the coronation feast began, they would need to put a stop to that. But right now, the ceremonies commenced, Thorin going through the questions of the Guardians, answering them as he progressed along the hall. Kíli watched him, Thorin seemed a bit more at peace off late, ever since Fíli seemed closer to him... maybe there was some happiness for both of them, some true happiness. He'd wish it on both of them, they deserved it.
Kizár
Kizár watched, silent and subtly biting her lip as Thorin spoke his acceptance of the throne and acceptance in turn by the people was spoken by Bofur. As the crown - a quite unpretentious piece of bright metal highlighted with diamonds - was place on his head and the Guardians announced his ascension, Kizár felt she could hear a soft but pervasive echo underneath everyone cheering. It felt like the mountain, the Deep Stone of Erebor glad to finally have a king again.
Kíli
Kíli watched calmly as Fíli was presented as the Crown Prince of Erebor, rendering his Oath of Loyalty to Thorin in a clear, firm voice. Kíli's own presentation followed suit, he was glad to know the ceremony well. When the time came he knelt to Fíli, acknowledging his right as the older Prince, as was proper. He could see that Fíli was ill at ease with it, and gave him a small encouraging smile, hoping that Fíli would not let any insecurity show. When it all was done, Kíli was relieved, the ceremony had gone without any problems, and no matter his legacy, the sequence of succession on this throne was not in question.
Shangraile
He had never seen a dwarven coronation in full detail, though stories about the coronation of Durin II had made it into the Easterling camps at the time. Right now Shangraile paid little heed to the details, but kept an eye on Grísela and her infantile son Thorli. She had designs on Kizár, that much was clear and her son most certainly gave Shangraile urges to fall back to the old ways and drag him into a very dark place to leave him to rot. As the ceremonies drew to a close, he would have to find a way to keep this pompous fool away from his Kizár.
Kizár
It took a little for the cheering and general celebratory noise to die down and people to start being ushered to the greatest of the festival halls. The hall had once held a mold for an unfinished statue of Thrór in it, evidence apparent that the completed piece was intended to be made of solid gold. Dís had related the tale some time ago of how Thorin had reacted to the idea, the pain of knowing he was susceptible to gold sickness a sore point with him. As it was now however, the hall was lit well with numerous glowstones and the walls draped with banners embroidered in dwarven style, not lacking one bit for the absence of a gaudy statue.
Though she was sure it might bother some folk, Kizár was quite content to have her dark guardian acting as her escort as they entered. Looks had already been thrown her way that made it evident that more than one person would wish to draw her away from family and friends, but she was not going to give them any way to angle in, if she could avoid it.
Shangraile
Shangraile cast a few sharp glances at all too forward dwarves, who seemed intent on luring Lady Kizár away from her family. He gave them stares that ought to remind them, that he was very much capable of beginning a new pile of Duel-corpses over the beauty of a dwarven princess right here and now. If one of Durin's daughters had been so sought after, that her champion had to slay 99 dwarves who were unworthy of her, Shangraile would happily extend that to 999. While many of them were startled to see an Easterling, a good number of them had come to the conclusion that he must be a descendant of Bór and his blood, as such serving in some capacity the House of Lord Maitimo. They did not need to know more.
At least the atmosphere in the huge hall was somewhat more relaxed and the dwarves had not insisted on adding the banquet right after the ceremonies, which would have been just as stiff. Instead there was music, room to dance and enough corners were food was served to feed an entire army. Shangraile looked at Kizár - who seemed all the more radiant in the light of the stones. "Would you wish to join your family first, or rather indulge a little on your own?" he asked softly.
Kizár
At Shangraile's question Kizár glanced first towards parts of her extended family, noting Thorin talking to Rór, while Lossanárë seemed to be keeping an eye on Thranduil's party with a subtly amused look on her face.
"I believe I would like to indulge a little, I think parts of the family are occupied already." she spoke as she followed Losá's line of attention to a particular redheaded Nandor who seemed to be watching Kíli with curious intensity. "Though some of those engagements might not be particularly wanted."
Shangraile
Shangraile followed her glance with his eyes, noticing the red-headed elf - she had called her Nandor and as far as classifying elves went, he'd trust she'd know. The elf in question watched Kíli with a strange longing in the eyes, an expression Shangraile could decipher. "Why do I have the feeling that we'll hear of this before long?" he said softly before turning his attention back to Kizár. Sometimes he wondered if he too would have to hide such an expression, but maybe he had learned to hide it better all along. "Rayaél," he said, using the name he had once given her. "would you honor me for a dance?"
Kizár
"I would be honoured." Kizár said with a smile, taking Shangraile's hand and stepping into dance area, moving into the follow of the music. It was a delightful feeling, being able to put aside her worries for a moment.
"That elf, she was posted on guard duty when we were taken prisoner in Mirkwood, on the quest." Shangraile had heard the full tale of the quest before, much of which was told on Himring when she and Kíli had told the complete story to Elenlossë and Cáno. "Kíli was trying to get on her good side, in hopes that it might help in an escape attempt, but that never came up and she turned up later on Raven's Hill..." she shrugged, not overly worried about the matter. "I do not think it will be a huge issue, she will simply need someone to talk some sense into her."
Shangraile
Shangraile smiled a little, he enjoyed the dance, though it also presented room for conversation. "Her heart is torn," he said, sharing what he saw in her. "and her soul is freezing. She lives in a cold land, a cold court... and is drawn to warmth and light. She may be lonely... but she is all too close to losing her heart to Durin's blood. And she just might end up proving the ancient proverb true, that loving Durin's true blood is like loving the Deep Fire - it will burn you to ashes. Though the man who said that, spoke of Durin II I believe."
Kizár
"And knowing of his tale, I would think he said it about what happened with his brother and Talion," Kizár mused. "I might ask my sister to talk to her, she may be willing to listen from that direction and Losá can claim the last few years of living close to Kíli for her understanding of him."
Shangraile
"I think the person who said it had fallen FOR Durin II... and learned that he had a soul of steel and no heart at all." Shangraile replied without malice, Durin II had been a formidable foe and the austere, somewhat lonely dwarven King had been respected by his enemies. "Though I agree talking to her might be wise. The way that King looks at her, she bears some ire on his part too." He smiled a little at Kizár. "I had hoped we'd spend a first dance not plotting around..." a spark of humor dawned in his eyes, plotting was an Easterling art after all. "but I certainly shall not complain too much."
Kizár
Kizár laughed softly. "I don't mean to constantly have my head on plots and such, but I feel like I cannot keep my concerns off my mind for long - too many people here I remain suspicious of. Perhaps when we can travel again and I can get away from the worries here I can simply just ~enjoy~ life."
Shangraile
He had not intended to make her feel bad, he did not overall mind being drawn into the plots of her extended family, for that too meant, he'd have some of her attention for himself. "Or we could make plotting an art-form again, find this unfortunate elf lady a suitable husband tonight, twist Thranduil into having an affair with a dwarf... how about Thorli?.. and ensure Thorin proposes to Fíli before long." Shangraile suggested with a wink at her.
Kizár
That made Kizár giggle brightly. "Thranduil and Thorli... that would certainly be something for the annals of history, and certainly a quick proposal between Thorin and Fíli would be more than welcome. As for Tauriel... I would almost be tempted to send her on a mission to Little Star... But I have my doubts the Seariders would believe her, so I would be happy if she decided to take a journey to Rivendell instead. Perhaps she could find an elven man far more suited to her there."
Shangraile
"If you were to give her a letter addressed to Egandír, he would obey the letter's contents without fail. Fëanorean followers are not known for their tardiness." Shangraile replied. "Though I believe, that she is drawn away from the elves because of the cold... the distance. It is something your family never had, you always were fiery, and strong-willed... and altogether special, but many other elves then and now seem cold, distanced and..." he had no words for that, but he had the distinct impression that young elf was freezing in her soul and drawn to the warmth and life of the dwarrow. Maybe they ought to head over to her and talk... find out more. It could be a prudent course of action.
Kizár
"Hmm..." Though her thoughts had not been totally serious, Shagraile's response made the idea sound like something that could be effective. "At least on the island, if she truly did find someone, it would be someone immortal and spare her undue pain. I know that the few relations between Elves and the mortal races that have come about in the past have not turned out well much of the time." Kizár looked Shangraile in the eye. "I do think this has potential, both to help her and to remove a potential problem from Kíli. I know his destiny and it is not with an Elf."
Shangraile
"If it was love, real love, than it would not be diminished by being finite." Shangraile replied. "it is our ability to love someone that much that keeps us whole." He took her hand, as they turned through another round of dancing. "But you seem to know Kíli's heart well enough, to judge. Maybe you do know him better than he knows himself."
Kizár
"I have spent two lives with him, once in Thedas, and now this one," Kizár said, not quite sure what she thought of the idea that she knew Kíli better than he did. It was not that she thought that a bad thing, but if she knew more about him having only known him and Kélan well, then perhaps he still had more to learn about himself. "He is my brother and if I can help him walk the path he has before him, I will."
Shangraile
Shangraile smiled at her, she would do that and she would look out for her chosen brother. He could well see her watch over Kíli... her friendship with Kélan had been well known. "You have known him for two lives - and you know some of his destiny. The way you speak of his path tells me that you know some of the obstacles ahead. And seeing that gaze of yours..." he held her gaze for a moment. "I better do not believe that this will be one of the long ages that dream away under a careless sun."
Kizár
Kizár took a deep breath, switching into Thedosian so no one would understand her words, if they managed to hear. "This Age is working it's way up to something, I don't even know for sure, but I know the constant struggle Gondor has with Mordor is building. I drew that much from the memories I got from another life, the life where another me lived in Gondor. She was years past the year we live here, sixty-nine years," she bit her lip for a moment. "I think Kíli will have something to do with whatever will come, perhaps acting as a leader, certainly at Boromir's side... I will be there, likely fighting alongside them as well."
Shangraile
"So there is another war coming, and maybe another age to die in the storm." Shangraile replied, a voice inside him reminding him that every age had to die in blood, every turn of the great wheel at to meet it's opponent, that the patterns of the world were woven that way. "And he will be right in the middle of it, incarnation and all... not that he could ever be born in less than trying times." If Kíli was Durin reborn, the seventh of them to come, things would be hard. Shangraile recalled the second incarnation of him well enough, to know that much. He did not mind the dwarf throwing himself right onto the battle-field, it was their way. What he did not like was the idea of Kizár being in that battle as well. She was a formidable fighter, no doubt, she had her weaknesses too and the darkness here was one that was patient and cunning. Seventy years... he might have to die another time, to be still strong and capable by that time, if his bond to her did not slow his aging enough. "I will be there with you," he said, having already made that decision. "to make sure you come out on the other side. To make sure you do not lose too much again, like you did in Thedas."
Kizár
For a moment Kizár just looked at him as they moved, the slightly worried frown that had crept over her face as she had spoken still lingering, but it broke into a soft smile. "Thank you," she said softly. "I know that means you will have to stand against the Empire and I have no idea how that may be for you."
Shangraile
"I will have to read into their strategist teachings... Dwalin mentioned in passing their last great war saw sweeping changes to current strategy. If I want to predict them, I need to know how their armies work these days, what changed, what developed... the whole works." Shangraile replied. He'd also need to read philosophy, the teachings of the temples... anything that would teach him to think like a current Easterling. "Our planned travels east will help there, it will allow me to study them quite a bit. I was not overly impressed with Jircanor... but that's not saying others won't be of harder caliber." He'd learn, and he'd learn well. He had learned the art of war and of deception from the best... even if this person was not one he'd mention in front of Kizár. And he had seen wars, battles and terrifyingly brilliant ploys on his journey. Maybe there was a use for all of it. "And I will have to learn how to blend it among Edain, as well as dwarves and whoever else will become your brother's ally."
Kizár
"I can at the least relate what Elennárë knew of the war in her world, as for blending in, I think that is a matter of seeming to live by Western ways. There are enough folk of dark skintone this side of Rhûn and north of Pelargir not to cause too much question, only how they act." She did recall the mix of people in Laketown when they came through on the quest, having been at the time a bit bemused by how far from their ancestral homeland some seemed.
Shangraile
"I guess with enough traders coming to a place, there will be traces." Shangraile agreed, along the trade routs mixes happened first, if they did not spread deeper into the country. "I do not think my colour is the big problem... it's the eyes." His violet eyes had made people jump on more than one occasion. Dark hair and deeply sun-tanned skin could be claimed for many a race, but his eye colour would be the hardest to explain. "But you are right, if I learn to live by western ways, maybe adopt a few dwarven ways, people will come to believe that I do belong in some manner."
Kizár
Kizár gave a quick sheepish grin at the mention of Shangraile's eyes, the strong purple tone being something that only came from the Dark disciplines. "Then that is something to work forward to, in the years we have ahead. For now though..." she glanced to see where her sister was currently, surprised to see she was engaged in a dance with Thorin of all people. That made Kizár smile, knowing her sister would likely be smoothing over family relations, and more than likely discussing a little of the implied alliance with Himring.
Shangraile
Shangraile's glance followed hers, surprised to see Losá dancing with Thorin, and it seemed the grumpy dwarf was actually not quite as grumpy and actually courteous. "Miracles never cease..." he said softly in Thedosian. "As for now... why don't we enjoy the celebrations?"
Kizár
"Yes, I would be glad to," Kizár said, smiling as she let herself sink a bit more into the rhythm of the music.