THE CELESTIAL AND THE COMPANY *A Hobbit fanfic*

Chapter 28; The funeral for the line of Durin

*Author's note*

This is the last chapter that follows the Hobbit films so from here on out, things will go their own way and not follow Tolkien's films until the LOTR sequel. But I will be nit-picking various points of Tolkien's lore in order to keep true to the world he's created and that we've come to love. So enjoy my dears and again get them tissues, stuffed animals and comfort snacks out cause this is still a pretty sad chapter.

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Heartbreak. Sorrow. Grief. Regret. It was like a tidal wave of all these emotions was whirling in my stomach, making me want to let out an agonizing scream but I could not for my throat was swollen with too much sorrow and despair. Even my tears were all but spent as I stared down at my Dwarvish brothers.

Fili and Kili were the second thing I had when it came to brothers. They showed me a whole new light to the Dwarves I never knew could be possible. They allowed me to open up about my grief of losing my family, and that it was okay to allow myself to let go of the responsibilities that I forced onto my shoulders.

But now they were gone.

Tauriel and Legolas stood over me as I looked down at their corpses, holding Kili's rune stone in my hand. I slid it between both Fili and Kili's hands before taking each of their hands and cradled them to my breast, resting my cheek over their gloves as I whimpered sorrowfully.

I felt a hand rest upon my shoulder and heard Tauriel say an Elvish prayer.

"Hiro îth ab 'wanath."

"Hannon le, mellon." I said to her as I looked to her. She solemnly gave me a smile and nodded before embracing me in her arms. I rest my head over her heart when the sound of footsteps came towards us. I felt Tauriel immediately stand up and back away and I didn't need to ask her who it was that now stood with us.

"Thorin too." I asked more as a confirmed statement than a question.

"Yes." Answered Thranduil softly. My eyes closed as a couple of tears that tried to remain in my eyes dripped down my face.

"Ever since I was born, I have been forced to feel every soul that passes from Middle Earth. No matter the Race be it Men, Elves, Dwarf or even Orc. I feel it all. Most are from loss in war. Some peaceful in their sleep from old age, or painful due to sickness. But it's the ones that I know personally. The ones that I call my friends......they are forced to die in the most extreme circumstance. All because of me......." I looked up at Thranduil.

His eyes looking down at me and—for the first time they were cold or hard as ice. There was a flicker of the old Thranduil I once knew. The one who was my brother's dearest friend. Ikaris' Brother Starlight.

A strong ache in my heart forced me to clench my chest and curl inward as I choked out through the heartbreak.

"Why was I burdened with such a curse!?" I hate my powers! I've always hated being the Celestial of Death. What good is being the Celestial of Death if you are forced to listen to the last heartbeats of everyone who dies. Feel their souls leave their bodies, and why must it always be my friends that suffer the worse fate imaginable?!

Ajak, my brothers and sisters, Calen, Girion, Arathorn, Thorin, and now—now Fili and Kili.

"As I look upon Death; at first I always believed it would have such a horrifying face. Now....." Thranduil said to me. A gentle hand stroked against my cheek before coming down to my chin to lift it up and there I was looking into the eyes of the Elf King. "Now. It has become one of the most congenial faces that I've ever met."