There and Back Again: A Girl's Tale

Chapter 31 Fire and Death

Chapter 31 Fire and Death

Elwen watched Kili's face carefully as she bandaged his leg, looking for any sign of lingering pain. He still looked dazed, almost as if he were drunk. The magic had coursed through his veins like holy fire, burning out the poison. He was looking at her with half open eyes, as if she were a wonder. She wasn't the one who deserved his adoration.

"I've heard tell of the wonders of elvish medicine," said Oin, speaking to Fili. "That was a privilege to witness."

Elwen couldn't meet Fili's gaze, though she felt his eyes on her.

It had been a privilege to witness. The way Tauriel had been able to call upon whatever magic flowed through the natural world and mold it to her purpose, it was beyond Elwen's comprehension. And that was the problem. I couldn't save him , she thought. He almost died because I didn't know how to help. I was useless when he needed me the most. I---

"Elwen," Kili said her name softly, like a prayer. His voice was still weak, but she was so grateful to be hearing it at all.

"Lie still," Elwen said, trying to smile. He was laying on the table, his hair still damp with sweat. He looked so vulnerable, and it was all her fault. She didn't deserve the tender way he was looking at her. She never would and for so many reasons.

"You cannot be her," he said, his voice breathy and dreamlike. "She is far away. She...she is far, far away from me."

Elwen stilled. She thought about walking away. Would he remember saying any of this later? Was he delirious?

"She walks..." he took a deep breath, "in starlight, in another world."

Their eyes met, and Elwen felt like the floor had fallen beneath her. She moved closer, a moth pulled flame.

"It was just a dream," he said. He reached up and grazed her fingers with his. She threaded their fingers together loosely.

"Do you think she could've loved me?"

Elwen and Kili's eyes met, and that's when she felt it. Her eyesight dimmed, and she felt herself being pulled down into the vision by the magic she didn't know how to wield. She had no choice but to dive under the current.

Elwen looked around, unsure of where she was. She was standing in front of a cottage, modest but well built. It stood in a clearing of wildflowers, and when she looked around, she found that the house stood between a city and the mountain.

The city was not Lake-town with its shabby docks, but Dale. Somehow, she knew it was Dale rebuilt. Erebor seemed a beacon in the distance, lit beautifully by a quickly setting sun, and she knew. I am seeing the future, she thought. What has yet come to pass.

The dwarves of Erebor were home.

Elwen entered the cottage. There was a small, but cozy living space full of overstuffed furniture and shelves of books. Off to the side was a modest kitchen, and on the stairs that hugged the wall stood a woman.

Not just any woman, she realized. It's me.

She didn't look much changed; her hair was a bit longer, maybe her face looked older, but she couldn't really tell. The Elwen of the future turned and smiled brightly at the spot over the true Elwen's shoulder. When she turned and saw who was standing behind her, she gasped.

Kili's smile was brighter than she'd ever seen it. The Elwen on the staircase flew to him and he scooped her up and held her tightly, as if they'd been long separated.