Kizár Elená Durin · @SilmarilNaro
17th Dec 2015 from TwitLonger
Quest-verse: Anvari and Asutri
After http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1so1fve
Whiel the coronation celebration carries on, two strange dwarves come to Erebor.
@SilmarilNaro @Gyrfalconsheart
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???
It was a day of celebration, which made the guards a bit lax, or at least that was what the two dwarves thought who slipped past the gates with ease. They both wore armor that might fit into any dwarven tribe somewhere in the land, a bit on the poor side, simple with no adornments but of good, sturdy quality. They were both about seventy some years old, even as their faces made them appear older. Both used cloaks to hide their faces, most of the time. Though under the hood of one of them, a few golden streaks were visible now and then. The blond one was the smaller one of them, which said nothing, as he was almost 5 feet tall, the other was taller - too tall for a dwarf, though too small for a human. They kept close to each other, as they walked the halls of Erebor, where Dwarves were reveling all over.
"I did not think father's claim that it would be a three days binge, was all that true." The dark one said softly, to the other, as they passed a whole bunch of intoxicated warriors.
The blond one snorted softly. They both were brothers by choice, if not by blood, and they had been born in the same night, which had strengthened their chosen bond even more. "Your father should know better than anyone. Let us go further - we have to do this, we need to do this. We need to make this oath - even if it is unbeknownst to them... otherwise who knows what may come in the long run."
The dark one nodded. "I know..." he said in a hush. "I know we have to. It just hurts, Asutri."
The blond one closed in to hug him. "I will not allow anyone to shame you, because of your other father." he said. "He has honor, even as his person forces us to be very diligent on this oath. Come... let's see if that palace has a back door. If the King is drunk, we render the oath and be out. The oath will bind us... that's all that is required. He does not need to know the dead came to swear."
Together they slipped through the halls, easily evading people, picking the locks of two stone doors with practiced ease and finally coming to one of the side-entrances of the palace .Loud voices and songs echoed through the halls. "I think the bard is not yet fully drunk." Asutri observed as they evaded the very relaxed guards. "maybe the King is drunk but not fully out yet. This one over there..." he pointed to a Dwarf in regal apparel "is positively snoring."
Kizár
Kizár absently rubbed her head as she tried to weave her way through the much-sotted crowd. She had to admit that in all her time living with dwarves, an event as big as a coronation had never happened and therefore a celebration on this scale had never occurred. That the Exiles did not have events that warranted quite this level of revelry was one reason, and another the scarcity they had lived with. Oh they had held parties when they could, to keep spirits up, but Erebor had gold to spend, the Men of Dale had, since the death of the dragon, been able to start farming again making foodstuffs more available... and Kizár had her own headache induced by both wine and the ever-present need to avoid both Grísela and her son.
The plots she and Shangraile had discussed setting in motion had not all been viable. Oh, gently pushing Thorin and Fíli closer to a proposal was working out well, and Lossanárë was already making inroads on establishing a friendly dialogue with Tauriel, but the amusing idea of setting up Thranduil with a dwarf was just one step further than they could reach, running to both the Elven sense of loyalty to dead partners and Thorli's single-minded interest (heartily encouraged by his mother) in Kizár.
Only a few moments before Kizár had yet again dodged an attempt by one of Grísela's ladies to hold her up, a tactic they had pulled before, where the girl would engage her long enough for Thorli to cut in on the conversation. The fact that they were using such moves had made Kizár all the more watchful of everyone around her, alert to every move, another contributor to her headache, besides the wine.
It was her incessant scanning the crowd that made her notice two figures that did not fit in - cloaks still worn, and what clothing could be seen being a step down in the general quality level of most revelers present. It was curious enough for Kizár to circle around a group loudly singing the Orzammar mining song she had introduced, following the two cloaked figures as they moved towards the throne where an admittedly out-of-it Thorin was resting.
???
I am a dwarf and I'm digging a hole...
The song had a nice ring to it, and the two travelers liked it, as they carefully meandered through the ranks of rebelling dwarves. The King on the throne was exhausted and tired enough that both of them wondered if he had no family to rescue him for a few hours of sleep. But he was still too awake to not notice if they approached more closely. "If he drank another cup, he might fall over." Asutri whispered. "or you go, pretend to be one of the many followers, swear the oath and out we are. It has to be you... my oath... is unacceptable."
The darker dwarf grasped his brother's hand. "The draught purged that... other blood from you. We will never tell anyone who sired you. They do not need to know." He said fiercely. "But it might be worth the risk, the King looks half-asleep already."
Kizr
Kizár frowned, straining her senses, including her arcane ones to hear their murmured talk. She was not sure what to make of their words - one had strange blood purged from him? The idea of such made her think of her hard-won cure for the Grey Warden taint. They wanted to swear an oath? If it was what she thought straight off, then a binding oath with arcane backing was something that to truly be effective, needed knowing acceptance. Swearing to a half-unaware receiver would not have quite the same strength.
But the fact that Thorin was in such a condition might give her reason enough to interrupt. A concerned niece seeking to aid her ailing uncle? Better yet, if she could detain these two she could find their reason and assess it's worth. Swearing even a second-rate oath would still bind, if not as strongly, so they wanted to give their loyalty to Erebor.
She immediately stepped into sight of both the two, and of Thorin, bustling up to the king. "My lord uncle," she sighed, knowing her words were more formal than Thorin usually expected. "Perhaps it would be est if you went to rest..."
Even though she spoke, she reached out in spirit, tapping into her bonds, to Kíli, to Losá, to Shangraile. She would need aid to corral the two seeking an oath.
Thorin
Thorin looked up smiling tiredly at his niece. "If I leave, I will officially end the feast," he said softly, his speech surprisingly clear, with less slurs of alcohol than one might expect. "And... they deserve to celebrate, to be happy for once, to not think of anything but being happy."
Kíli and Shangraile had picked up on Kizár's call, closing in on the two startled dwarves, who quite deftly used a few revelers to dodge them, forcing Kíli into the hugs of serious inebriated Dáin, who called him a "a good laddie."
Shangraile frowned at this trick, it had a certain... style to it. He moved swiftly the other direction to cut them off.
Kizár
"Ahh.... Trying to keep some of the more annoying away? I wish I could do likewise, but I have found feigning illness gets too many offers to accompany me safely to my chambers." Kizár snorted, though her eye was on the situation with the two dwarves. "I think we have a bit of an odd situation happening right now, I do want to check on it... though I should let you know what results of it as a soon as I know."
Thorin
Thorin had looked to the side, catching a glimpse at one of them moving away, he paled suddenly, his fists clenching, but he kept still. "Be careful..." he said in a low voice.
Shangraile had been right, the two headed for one of the servant-corridors, to escape through them. They were deft and clearly used to move underground swiftly, because they gave good chase. Kíli had freed himself of Dáin and caught up, as did Kizár, they did steer the hunt down one of the more empty corridors.
Suddenly all trace ceased. Shangraile looked around eyes scanning the darkness, this was too good, too swift... they had to still be here. Kíli had caught up with him and he heard Kizár coming. "That tunnel leads straight down." Kíli said softly.
"They are not ahead of us any more." Shangraile replied, he was sure of that. One of them had an echo... faint but it was there. He only needed to pick up on it again.
"Kizár... oh Kizár..." Thorli's voice echoed up behind them as the dwarf came traipsing along. It was his own foolishness most likely, Shangraile noticed that the way he tried to adjust his cloak and belt, looked like he wanted to draw a weapon.
Ere either of them could react, something moved in the shadow of the tunnel above them, a dwarf dropped down and sent Thorli into the realm of dreams with a hit over the head.
Kizár
The surprise drop one of the two dwarves had managed to get on Thorli had come only a moment before Kizár was ready to let Elenaria loose to punch the fool in the face. To have him traipse straight into the middle of their attempt to apprehend the two strangers could have ruined everything, but as luck would have it, now they had them cornered.
Absently sneering at the unconscious redhead Kizár stepped over to the cloaked figure. "If you come with us, we may be able to aid you in some way. If it is an oath you truly want, one willingly received will always be the better, if you will let us know your reasons for giving such."
???
The second dwarf had moved behind the first, the height difference between them notable, as they stood side by side even with their hoods still hiding their faces. "This is very generous of you, my Lady." the taller one spoke up. "And much as I am grateful for your offer... it is all but impossible to oblige you, as our presence is not usually tolerated in polite society."
Kizár
A frown crossed Kizár's face as those words tickled at her thoughts. Dwarves not tolerated in polite society? Something made her think of... Osgiliath. "How polite do you think the Exiles could afford to be? Erebor is held by those who had to shed a dozen and one niceties just to survive, so there is very little we do not accept, even Zarg-tagir would find shelter under Thorin's rule, and any dwarf who is not Narûg Khazad would be welcomed, and I cannot help think that if he could give them a bond with the Deep Stone, he would, to save a many as he may."
Anvari
The two exchanged glances, shy almost fearful glances that did not fit their otherwise confident demeanour. Then the taller one slowly raised his hands to push his hood back. He had a lean, somewhat proud face, framed by deep black hair and dark blue eyes with the slightest tinge of violet. Now that the hood was down, it was also more clear to see that he was by no means a full dwarf. "Some of our parent's generation would whisper that Prince... King Thorin would not despise Zarg-tagir as much as many other dwarves would." he said in a clear voice. "Still being dead... and dead with a cross in one's blood might be one offense too many for anyone to take."
He hesitated for a moment. "My name is Anvari, and my brother and I appreciate your will to hear us out."
Kizár
There was something in that face, something tinglingly almost familiar to Kizár. It was not the time to sit and dig through her mind for it right now, but she would hope she would figure it out. "Perhaps we can conduct this in more a comfortable setting. Perhaps the family dining room?" She briefly glanced to Kíli for his agreement. "Though I should let some of the guardsmen know to come pick Thorli up and take him back to the guest wing. Goodness knows we don't need any Iron Hills fools interrupting."
She held out a hand to the half-human dwarf. "Come with me?" She glanced at his brother, seeing closer the blond locks peaking out of his hood.
Anvari
"I'll ensure Thorli is relegated to his quarters." Kíli said, he wanted to make sure this was done right. Not because he liked Thorli, but because how close to lethal the attack of the dwarf with the hidden face had been.
Anvari took Kizár's hand bowing slightly. His brother followed them like a shadow, as did Shangraile, who had a watchful eye on them. The other still kept his face hidden and his head down... something was off with this one.
"We did not mean to cause any disruptions." Anvari said as they walked through the halls.
Kizár
"If you mean about knocking out Thorli, don't let it bother you too much," Kizár answered. "A dispute is already brewing because the fool will not leave me alone, though it is for the best for now that he is alive, we likely could do without a feud with the Iron Hills."
The pathway to the royal quarters and the private dining-room was a slightly circuitousness walk, but for the most part was free of anyone but the occasional guard and a few servants going about their business. They stepped into the room and Kizár let the two settle, though she think their attitude was still a bit unsettled.
"We're relatively secure here, so you may relax a bit." She tried her best to sound assuring. "I would like to help you, if I may, but I would also like to do so knowing your reasons so we may do the best for you."
Anvari
Anvari accepted the invitation to sit, his brother kept standing behind him. "Our reasons are not easily explained, my Lady." he said, thinking on how to begin. He titled his head to exchange a glance with his brother.
"They actually are." it was the first time Asutri spoke on his own, though he had not revealed his face yet. "We need to re-swear our loyalty to the House of Durin. That is the reason we were sent here. Once an oath binds us, there can be no doubts, and there will be no debate about where we stand, no matter what. While there is no active doubt about it yet, we feel... that given our situation it would be best, to do exactly that, so our loyalties will be set."
"You see," Anvari spoke up again. "all of us - a community of no small numbers, are dead. A number of us is of mixed blood, like I am... and if ever word got out about it, our loyalty might come into question."
Kizár
As Anvari mentioned their mixed blood Kizár frowned in thought, eyes studying him intently. "And those who might try to lay claim on you... they would include men of the Empire... ones who have learned the way of the Shadow." She turned to give Shangraile a look. "How much control do you think could be exerted over a son of an imperial agent? One who has taken no oaths to the Shadow?"
Shangraile
Shangraile shrugged. "None whatsoever. Not even a child born inside the Empire could be controlled that way. The oath must be given freely, though inside the Empire it is considered a honor." he studied Anvari closely, he could see the eastern blood in him. "High Easterling father, no oaths or other binds to the East... but some natural talent in certain tricks and he was trained." he observed. "This one definitely knows his human father... however that came about to be."
Anvari looked up his cheeks hot and eyes burning. "My father left the Empire, he left the Shadow as far as any man can after such things as he has done... he did it when he followed his heart. And yes, he was one of the first to say, we better swear clear oaths, 'ere someone claims that we are in league with the East, or the East discovers that a certain outpost did not die in a huge Orc uprising many years ago."
Kizár
"Hmm..." Kizár absently bit her lip as she contemplated the options. "I do think an oath directly to Thorin is possible, though there is also a possible option that may help keep you out of the direct eye of those who are less accepting..." her voice dropped to a softer tone, "and also bind you to another loyalty that can never be confused with the East."
As she heard her sister quietly and unobtrusively slip into the room, Kizár stood from the chair she had claimed and in two steps Elenaria was the one before the two. "I would accept an oath, if you would give it, and you would not only swear to the line of Durin but also to the Children of Fëanor, the Lady of Himring, and wholly to the Light."
Anvari
Anvari cast a glance to his brother, not quite sure what to think. Her words stung, but then they had known that his ancestry was not acceptable and they better never mentioned Asutri's... which was even worse. "What do you think?" he asked softly.
"Your father would accept it, both of them... the others too. They hold the noble House of Fëanor in the highest regard. And it would end all questions. Not even a High King of the Dwarrow could call us too disloyal for such a vow." Asutri said encouragingly.
"But what of..." Anvari had risen from his seat and turned to his brothers. "what about *THE* others... your secret siblings..." he did not want to say more, knowing Asutri would understand.
"They do not exist, much as I do not..." Asutri replied. "Anvari, this is the best that could happen for us, and we cannot squander it. If the High House of Fëanor would accept the oath, accept what our people are, then we can count ourselves very very lucky."
Kizár
Elenaria held out a hand to each of them, with an encouraging smile. "I will do everything I can to see the both of you safe, and if I may, your kin as well." She glanced at Lossanárë as her sister's hand came to rest on her shoulder. "The both of us will, and with us our kin as well."
Lossanárë
"I will definitely be sending an envoy back to Elenlossë soon enough. It will take little to let her know of those under our protection." Lossanárë added in soft voice.
Anvari
Anvari took her hand with an appreciative smile, a bit unable to not look at her. Asutri's gesture followed more shyly and for the first time he shook back the hood that had hidden his face. He was considerably paler than his chosen brother, a face framed by long golden hair with bright intense eyes. While essentially good-looking there was something missing in his appearance, like an artist had made a statue and purposefully left some of the features generic. "We both appreciate your generosity," Anvari spoke again. "our people will never forget what you are doing for us."
Kizár
Elenaria glanced up as Kíli entered, glad he was there as well. If she was going to accept an oath to the line of Durin, it was all the better to have Durin present as one of the witnesses. For a moment she reached out to pass him the essential gist of what was happening, before reaching out to touch the two dwarves with her spirit senses, reaching for their respective souls.
"If you would, open your spirits to me and swear by your true names, that the Deep Stone may hear and Father Mahal may know you belong to the line of his first son." Elenaria spoke in Khuzdul, using an ancient formal cant. "Swearing your allegiance to Elennárë Kizár, Daughter of the Two Trees, sister of Durin Reborn, and I will take you as my own, accepting your service until Mahal calls you unto his halls."
Anvari
Kíli had inclined his head, encouraging Kizár to continue. Anvari knelt, as did Asutri, though further behind, his oath secondary to that of his brother, that much was clear. Anvari placed a hand on Kizár's sword, and then spoke in a clear, firm voice.
“I, Anvari, Son of Thirán and Khalayne, make this oath under the eye of Mahal: that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Elennárë Kizár, Daughter of the Two Trees, sister of Durin Reborn, of the House of Fëanor, that I shall be in the forefront of fierce battle, forging ahead with my lord and friend, coming to the war-call carrying my weapons; and when no battle causes the war-horn to blow, I shall not forget my duties, but will offer wise counsel as I may. And though I had rather lay down my life than see harm come to my lady, still should the poisoned point or aged edge strike her down, then I shall not flee a single foot-length from the field, but rather shall advance into the enemy army, slaying as I might, to avenge the protector of the people. And by Mahal, and by Eru's gift, may this blade smite me upon which my hand rests, may my own edge twist and turn against me should I fail to keep this oath.”
Asutri echoed the same words, yet without naming a parent or line that he came from, not quite unheard of, especially among the dead, otherwise his words were the same as his brothers, his voice a soft echo of Anvari's.
Kizár
Elenaria took a deep breath as Asutri finished his oath, feeling the arcane lines weaving between them of loyalty and service taking shape. With her attention on those bonds not wavering she followed up their words with the formal response.
“And I have heard your oath, as have Mahal and the forefathers and Lord Eru over all. Under their eyes it was spoken and it was heard by world below and the skies above, may it endure until the world ends. Hear you then my vow to you: no loyalty shall be forgotten, nor valor remain unhonored, if to the lawcourt you are called, in legal tangles twisted and tied, then I and all of my kin shall stand as oath-helpers if you should need this; and finally, my sword shall stand between you and your enemies, my strength beside you boldly, for no arm alone will win battle.” She did not stop there but added one last addition in Quenya, "May the Light protect your souls and may my fire defend, should the Shadow seek to turn you away."
As she spoke she felt to bond settle into place, here it would remain to protect these two.
Anvari
Anvari shivered when the oath settled, but let nothing, no discomfort show on the outside. Asutri flinched, almost collapsed but had himself in check within moments to finish the ceremony properly as did his brother.
When they rose Anvari bowed deeply to Kizár, to again express his gratitude to her and her actions. He was not sure on how to continue. Now that she had their oaths, she of course had the right to answers, though he was not sure if she wished for them, or if she wished for them to go and begone as swiftly as they had come.
Kizár
The near-collapse of Asutri did not go unnoticed and Elenaria frowned in concern. Looking to Kíli she asked, "Are there some quarters these can move into? I think they could do with some rest, and perhaps a good meal." She turned to glance at them. "I am willing to leave further questions until later, and certainly I could take a rest from the party in the grand hall myself."
Anvari
Anvari smiled at her, he was worried about Asutri though... could the draught that purged him, have had that effect? His own father had provided it... or was it a last trace that even the draught could not clean up? "That party certainly is overwhelming, my Lady." he replied. "if you wish to rest, we will remain where your people tell us to remain until you call for us."
Kizár
"Then let's go rest, " Elenaria said, giving his hand a squeeze. "I'm sure we can see you housed comfortably quickly enough."