Chances Are (Avengers & LOTR crossover)

See You As I Do

She had decided to stop crying ever since she buried her mama and sister. She was an Avenger; and she did serve her purpose. She avenged their deaths and promised herself that she would be strong.

What’s left was a numbed pain, one that wasn’t physical, yet she felt it across her skin, seeping into her very bones. It would’ve been better if Bellethiel had died just like that. Yet what lied in front of her complicates everything.

–Or at least that was what she kept telling herself.

“Wanda,” called Erestor, bringing her attention back to him. The advisor's eyes were kind and considerate, “Are you ready?”

How could anyone? Wanda answered inwardly. Instead nothing came out of her; not even a nod. Even Elrohir gave her a supportive smile, yet she couldn’t respond to that as well.

This past week Elrohir had learned that the woman that he had fallen in love with, may or may not exist anymore. That shy, warm girl was now cold, unreadable and faraway. But Elrohir was true to his heart. He would stand by her no matter what.

For some reason Erestor took Wanda’s silence as an approval. Elrond's advisor moved away, revealing a beautiful elleth who was sitting gracefully by a bed on the vast healing wing–or what was left of it from the war– gently rocking a small bundle in her arms.

A baby. The elleth smiled at the Avenger warmly and gave her somewhat a hopeful smile. Wanda felt all eyes on her, and it irritated her slightly.

“’Tis’ a baby girl. She is beautiful, just like her naneth (mother),” stated Erestor fondly as he took the baby in his arms carefully and rocked her.

Wanda made no move nor changes in her expression as she watched the bundle of fabric in Erestor's arms. “How is this possible?” she questioned.

“By the grace of the Valar, one of our healer that was running away from the enemy passed your adoptive sister’s body and went to check on her. She saw that your sister was unconscious, and decided to use her gift of healing to reach for her feä. Bellethiel's was already passed to the Hall of Mandos, yet the baby was still there, barely hanging on to the world of living. So she made a last minute decision to perform an emergency surgery and saved her.”

“But she was dead,” the human responded defensively. Who was she try to defend, she didn’t even know. “That’s impossible.”

“Like I said, it is by the grace of the Valar that the baby lives. ‘Tis rare, yet not impossible,” replied Erestor patiently as he smiled to the baby. “Such a gift,” he cooed to the baby, before turning his eyes to Wanda, “We have yet to see how time unravel The Valar’s plan for the blessed child.”

“You mean the same being that you put your faith on, the same being that let the orcs ruin your home?” she responded with a heavy accent in her quiet, cold voice. “The Valar you’re talking about is a kid with an ant farm, Erestor. He’s not planning anything.”

Elrohir's face fell at the bitterness that marred her voice, while at the same time both Erestor and the elleth looked at her with concern and sympathy. They knew she was grieving, yet none of them could really decipher the ways of the Valar and gave her the answer she needed.

“Even the very wise cannot see all ends,” said a voice from behind them that belong to the lord of Imladris himself. “Such is the mystery of life. We must have faith or we have nothing.”

All eyes turned to him as he swiped the clean, ivory sheet that served as the screen entrance to the healing wing. A circlet sat on top of his head; his face was still slightly pale and the scratches on the side of his face seemed to fade slightly. The smile on his face was genuine as he greet everyone and peered closer to see the baby in Erestor's arms. Soon the bundle were moved to Elrond's arms, who seemed genuinely happy to hold the baby.