Work Text:
The discovery
The forest felt eerie in the pale early spring light. The trees and the branches of the bushes were a muted color. The leaves on the ground were decomposing and had lost the joyful yellows and reds of the previous autumn.
Nothing seemed to be moving and except for the wind no sound could be heard.
Durin was lost in his thoughts while he walked. He had found a good walking rhythm a few hours ago and easily found his way along the barely visible path. He knew he would soon reach the appointed meeting place.
On the back of the Dwarf Prince's back was a pack almost as heavy as himself. His trusted axe was strapped to his side. His heavy boots were one of the few sounds to be heard.
In the distance a wooden bridge became visible and Durin smiled as he neared it. Soon he would meet the Elf again. It had almost been two years and this time he had something special to show his trusted and beloved friend. The year ere this one Durin was sent to visit a Dwarven outpost and had to miss their meeting.
Quickly he approached the bridge and entered the small Elven realm Caran O Ereg in the forest beyond. The trees were quite old here but well tended. Flets could be spotted in the tree tops and the ivy was artfully guided between the trees to make travel between them easier. Well, at least for Elves, Durin thought.
Durin had expected to hear singing from above. But all was quiet here as well. It was unusual but not unheard of. The Elves dwelling here liked to go on expeditions and hunts. So Durin went along to the central gathering place and on from there north-west until he reached the small hut on ground-level built especially for non-Elven visitors. Here he knew he would find his friend, Elrond.
The hut was also built from wood, and berries and leaves were carved everywhere for decoration. The structure had lots of sliding walls made from woven reed and some from thin wood panels, so it could be opened up in summer but still provided cover when the wind and weather was too strong. Since it had rained last night most of the walls were in place.
Durin knocked on one of the supporting beams and called out: "Elrond! I've arrived! Come give me a proper greeting!" He grabbed one of the handles and slid a wall to the side to enter the hut. Quickly he took in the view of the main room containing a fireplace and seats around it. The door to the sleeping area was open, but no Elf was in sight to greet him.
"It seems like the pointy-eared bastard is out as well with the others", he grumbled, "Surely, he has not forgotten our meeting." During loosened the straps of his backpack and set it down. With quick steps he went over to the sleeping area to double-check.
And then he saw him. Elrond was lying in a corner. His eyes were open but did not seem to see anything. But it was different from reverie. Durin knew what Elrond looked like when he was in reverie, and it was calmer and more relaxed.
Though Elrond seemed still, he was quite tense. And for some reason, it was like Elrond was not quite part of this world anymore. Like some part of him had left but Durin did not know where to.
Suddenly, Durin realized the things he had ignored so far. There were too many things off about Caran O Ereg.
Yes, the Elves seemed to be missing, but there was always something of their carefree and happy presence left behind. Even if they were not singing, there seemed to be music. It quite naturally emanated from their creations and from things they'd touched. There were birds around to join in the singing and rodents which ran through the bushes.
Even in the harshest winter, the weather of a realm like this was slightly more temperate than its surroundings. But not now.
When Durin tried to remember how he didn't notice these signs he realized how hard it was to think of the way he came here. His memory was foggy though there was no fog around.
Durin knelt next to Elrond and stroked across Elrond's hair and face.
Disa
Disa was humming a tune as she was stirring the pot over the fire. She could feel some of the stone around her resonate, but there was nothing especially interesting here. The cave behind her had been extended to hold a few Dwarves if necessary but was rather rudimentary. Mostly, it was used for small hunting parties.
She added pieces of partridge to the root vegetables and onions already in the pot. Elrond and Durin would be hungry when they came.
It was still quite early in the morning and across the valley she could still see remnants of fog hanging in the spruce trees. Only soft sounds could be heard from the surrounding woods. She was sitting on a rock and a small meadow was sloping up behind her to the entrance of the cave. A few snowdrops were growing behind her. Next to the treeline the creek was carrying quite some water because the snow was starting to melt in the lower mountains.
Grabbing a jug, Disa stood up and went over to the water to fill it. She took a swig and poured the rest into the stew. Now it could simmer until her husband and their favorite elf arrived.
To shorten the wait Disa grabbed her sewing kit and started to mend the tear in her tunic she had gotten the day before. After she completed the task she continued with the gift she was making for Elrond.
While working, she reminisced about the last few days. Originally, the plan had been for her and Durin both to join Elrond in Caran O Ereg. However, their sibling had just brought a little one into the world, an occasion the whole family attends. And since Disa already had two children she had been chosen by her sibling to assist in the birth. Luckily, everything went without major complications, and she had been able to set out a few days after Durin had already left.
Some time later she started to hear slow steps approaching. Worried she got up. Disa was expecting two hale people to meet her, but that was not what she saw.
Durin was half carrying and half dragging Elrond along. And Elrond seemed to be lost in a kind of haze.
With sure and quick steps Disa went over to them to support Elrond on his other side.
"What in Aulë's name happened?", she asked. "Were you attacked?"
"No, I found him like this in Caran O Ereg. All the elves were like this. Well, at least during the day. At night, they were dancing and dancing around and singing. But it was strange because they did not seem to notice me. Even Elrond did not really recognize me."
Durin was agitated and sounded helpless. "Elrond taking me on rounds and rounds of dances and barely letting me sit down to catch my breath. But he never talked to me. His eyes were the strangest I've ever seen. They looked like a star had burned too bright and died."
Together the pair put Elrond down on a low bed. There was no reaction to the man-handling from him.
"Disa, I did not know what to do. I've never been in a place so eerie. My only thought was that I needed to talk to you, so I brought him along in this state."
Disa felt lost as well. The sight of Elrond made something clench in her stomach. He seemed to her like an ice-cold lake deep in a mountain cave illuminated by fluorescent light. Something part of this world but also distant, forlorn and forgotten.
She took Durin's hand and sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Tell me more of what happened, and then we will find a way to help Elrond.", she said.
So Durin sat down and told the tale from the beginning.
"And when you walked last night, did he still try to get you to dance?", Disa asked.
"No, once we left the Elven realm he did not come back to that lively state." Durin was twisting the ends of his beard. "And I can not say, what was worse this lifelessness or that excessive exuberance."
Disa saw the deep worry lines beneath her husbands eyes and how he could barely hold it together. She took him in her embrace, a comfort to them both.
"We need someone with greater knowledge than we have of Elves." Durin nodded into her neck in response to her suggestion.
"Yeah.", he agreed. "Someone like Khelebrimbur if they have not been taken by this madness as well."
"Exactly.", Disa said. "And they are not that far away. We can make it in a few hours even while dragging Elrond.
But first, my hursel, you need to eat something and rest. I suggest, we leave tomorrow."
Part of the song
He felt the Song. He was part of the Song. It felt right.
He felt the earth around him. Middle earth. For miles around he could hear, see, feel and taste the original music. Seldom there was dissonance.
Living beings had a distinct song compared to the earth or the stone. And next to him were two songs he hadn't heard the like of in a while. Songs which had been there earlier and later than the Song of the Elves. Deep songs, singular songs. There was nothing comparable to the songs of the stone children, Aulë's children.
Sung and made into being by only one Valar they were different from Eru's original children. Not less nor more than Elves or Men but unexpected. Another perspective in the world and another sort of love. The Dwarves were an expansion, a taking of Erus ideas and a reshuffling of them.
In some ways Elrond was the same. Made of a combination of three of Eru's creations.
He enjoyed the songs next to him. He loved the songs - Durin and Disa. They tethered him. Held him. And they made his life brighter.
But there was something else as well which returned his fëa to his body. It was something new and silvery. Shining like moonlight. He could feel its light and its ethereal song coming from nearby.
Thought came back to Elrond and reason. At least enough to understand that something was not as usual. Something had changed. The world had changed.
Suddenly, he felt trapped. Even the most powerful part of him was unable to do anything. He was unable to control his limbs or to speak out and ask for help.
His eyes were open but he did not see. Still he knew a lot about his surroundings. But there was no strength in him, no impulse that could be turned into action.
He knew he was helpless, but it was merely a rational observation. There was no panic or fear, no emotional reaction of any kind. Just observation.
Durin took the piece of ore out of his pack. It was a joy to look at and calmed his mind.
He turned back to the bed and there was Elrond looking at him. And he had recognition in his eyes.
Durin almost dropped the piece of ore in his hands.
Hesitantly, he walked back to the bed. Disa was slightly snoring on the other side of Elrond, he noticed.
Once back on the bed, taking Elrond's hand and squeezing it, he said: "Elrond..." There was a flicker in the other's eyes and a warmth Durin had missed the last few days.
Then he felt a squeeze back. "Elrond!", he practically shouted and increased his grip.
"Durin", said a soft voice. Then his name was said again by another, much stronger voice.
Disa was turning to Elrond and highly surprised, saw a slight smile on his face. "Elrond, are you back with us?", she asked.
"Disa", his soft voice said, "it is lovely to see you. And you, Durin." His eyes flicked from one to the other.
There were tears in Durin's eyes and a bright smile on Disa's face. Durin was almost shaking from all the emotions running turmoil in him.
The piece of ore slipped from his fingers and landed on Elrond's chest. Lifting his hand, Elrond picked up the scrap and looked at it.
"I've never seen anything like this." The reverence in his voice was almost touchable. "The way it reflects the light."
"What is it?", he asked.
"We call it gray glitter.", Disa answered. "We found it deep in the mines of Khazad-dûm, only last year. It's a new ore."
"It is remarkable. I have felt its song even before I woke up."
Disa sang a note and the piece of gray glitter ore seemed to reverberate. Elrond felt it to his core. It was like a wake-up call. He felt the last of his fëa return, and all his wits as well.
"Something in this ore makes me return to myself. I was so lost, scattered. What has happened to me?"
"We don't know.", Durin said. "I found you lost in Caran O Ereg and all the others were even worse. Switching between lifelessness and unstoppable dancing. It was eerie. Something is seriously wrong."
Elrond agreed: "Yes, the world has been changed. I can feel it in the Song. I just wish I knew how or why?"
"Well, dearie, we don't know either. So when Durin brought you here like that, we decided to seek out Khelebrimbur. They might know what is going on or how to fix whatever is happening.", Disa added.
Elrond nodded, "This seems a wise choice to me. Khelebrimbur has an expansive understanding of this world."
"Then let us rest for now, and seek them in the morning."
"Aye, Disa, let us do that. Elrond, are you fine resting between us?", Durin asked.
Elrond put a hand on each of their arms and with a content smile said: "Yes, more than fine. Rest well."
Elrond recollects
In the morning they had quickly washed in the stream nearby and eaten the rest of the stew. As Disa had been up early she had fastened a leather string around the piece of ore so Elrond could wear it around his neck.
Elrond kept touching the pendant while walking. In the morning light he realized how much time had passed. His last clear recollections were of a vibrant autumn day with leaves turning the forest red and yellow and ripe berries on the bushes. And now winter clearly had already passed.
He was glad to still be alive and to be surrounded by his dear friends. However, he was also spooked because of what had happened. There was no explanation he could find. Further, there had not been any indication that such a mood would befall the Elves. At least not to his knowledge.
He had arrived late last summer at Caran O Ereg and had helped with gathering food and preparing it for storage for the winter. It was a time full of joy and almost unending song for the inhabitants of the village. He had treasured his time there away from the court in Lindon. A vacation of sorts with no politics and no schemes and no formal dinners. Instead, he helped to bake bread, supervised the children in learning to weave baskets and enjoyed talking to the Elves there.
He slept in the guest house but spent a lot of time with Atheloth, which he had known as Mittanyariel Taurelótie back in the Fëanorian camps, and Meriel Tinthahanneth 'Gilnoen' in their talan. Meriel had served at Gil-Galads court and had helped him find his place there. With these two he could talk about anything. And a frequent topic of conversation became the two Dwarves he knew and loved the most.
Atheloth knew a lot about Dwarves and their customs since she had been part of Curufin's host in the times Beleriand still stood. She told him about the family structures she had witnessed in Nogrod, and it gave Elrond hope that his love might not unrequited by the two dwarves he loved.
Meriel on the other hand was a do-er and did not care much of what others thought of her. After leaving the court of Gil-Galad she had pursued Atheloth even though the Fëanorians were still not liked by most. But Meriel knew her heart, and so she wooed Atheloth in only a few months. Together they decided to find a quiet but joyful place to live, and after travelling for a few years found Caran O Ereg.
It took some time but when Atheloth was accepted she became part of the village council. She was especially interested in ensuring that all villagers were included, respected and supported in their needs. When she did not know how to achieve this she would ask her spouse for advice. Meriel soon was considered a wise woman by the villagers, and now a few times a week people came to her seeking advice. To honor her they called her Gilnoen, and she adapted the name as her use-name.
Elrond worried about his friends. And he worried about the children in the village. Their fëa were still fragile and developing, and he could only assume this would be detrimental for the health of the Elflings. He knew, however, that he, Disa, Durin and Khelebrimbur had to find a solution first, so he tried to put his worry to the side for now.
Khelebrimbur
It had been a strange few months for Khelebrimbur. They had never been the most normal of people. Elf and Dwarf was a combination never seen before until their arrival into the world and the Fëanorian blood did not help things they assumed. Though there were not many like Khelebrimbur to compare to. And none near right now.
Since last autumn they felt lethargic during the day and had a great desire to lie outside under the ancient chestnut tree, they had planted hundreds of years ago when they came here, and just become one with their surroundings. During the night, they felt antsy and needed to move to music that seemed to come from deep inside them. Luckily, they were able to redirect this energy into forge and other physical work. In turn, they usually slept in the morning hours.
Khelebrimbur had a strong will and great self-discipline, and they were sure that without that they'd lost all control over their life. Still it took a toll on them to switch between such contrary impulses and master them.
There were other changes Khelebrimbur perceived. The plot of land they lived on seemed to be a bit out of this world. They had become used to the Men in the nearby village coming to them for help when they needed a smith. But only the ones they knew best seemed to find the way to their smithy now, and all told of trouble finding Khelebrimbur's home.
When Khelebrimbur left their home to go mining in the nearby mountains they now had an unreasonable longing to return to their homestead.
Khelebrimbur had a few goats which mostly roamed free around their land, and just searched out the best grazing spots. They still did that, but they got lost a lot more when returning from farther meadows. In general, the animals around their land seemed more confused and quiet.
These observations worried Khelebrimbur but not yet as much as to the point of action.
They were just leaving the house in the early afternoon to milk the goats, when they saw three figures coming up the path, 2 short and stout people with a tall one in between. The path came up from the river and there was still some fog around, so Khelebrimbur could not say who they were. Though, that the short ones were dwarves, was obvious.
"Heyja!", Khelebrimbur called. "Be welcome, travelers."
"Khelebrimbur!", came the roaring answer, and by that and the red hair they now recognized Durin, the Prince of Khazad-dûm.
Soon the three were upon them, and they were able to identify the other two as Elrond and Disa.
Khelebrimbur welcomed them all and lead them to their house. On the way inside, they realized that they felt lighter and clearer in the head than before.
"What brings you here, friends?", they asked. That was when Khelebrimbur's eye fell on the piece of ore banded around Elrond's neck and the first question that came to their mind, slipped from their lips: "I've never seen an ore like this before? What is it?"
Khelebrimbur had reached out their hand, almost as if to touch but laid it back on the table.
"This", Disa answered, "is one of the reasons we came here. It is a new ore we dwarves have discovered, and it has remarkable and unexpected properties.
"Say, have you been feeling differently the last few months?"
"Yes, I have. What does it have to do with the ore?"
"You have not been alone in feeling and behaving differently.", Elrond replied. "All of Elven blood have had their troubles, but you seem to have held up remarkably well. It must be the Dwarf in you. For I have nearly fared the same as all the other Elves despite being Half-Elven as well. But the blood of Men did not offer me respite."
Khelebrimbur was looking fixedly at Elrond as he spoke.
"I, or better we, do not know what has caused this trouble to the Elven race. However, this moonlight ore has been my salvation. It has kept me from becoming more and more lost in the world around us. And from becoming more spirit than body."
"I have felt it, too. The longing to part with my hröa, and live only using my fëa. The call to dance in the night and be one with my dear old chestnut outside during the day.
"It has taken every effort to remind myself why I want to stay in my body and be acting in this world and not just be a passive part of it." Khelebrimbur was gesturing as they tried to grasp the words to describe their experience.
"Well, I almost lost myself.", Elrond said quietly and next to him, Durin had become very pale.
"I had collected him from the Elven village, and an eerier place I've never been.", Durin said. "There was no sense nor recognition in him. So you can imagine mine and Disa's joy when he returned to himself when I had taken out that piece of gray glitter ore to look at as a wee comfort."
"We do not know why it helps, but it does. And now we come to you to help us find a way to help all the Elves. Even if they are right bastards sometimes." Disa continued.
Three pairs of hopeful eyes were turned to Khelebrimbur. Elrond passed them the piece of ore. Khelebrimbur took it and their brain started to rattle.
"Is there more of it?", they asked.
"Only a little more. Though there are veins that are quite large, my father has forbidden their mining because it has been hazardous for the workers.", Durin said.
"So it is better if we find a solution which only requires little of this. Can't just give all Elves in Middle Earth a little token, then.
"What do you call it again?"
"Gray glitter, though true silver or moon silver have also been proposed. I'd guess an adequate Elvish term would be mith-raud.", Durin replied.
"No, not mith-raud. More like mithril.", came Khelebrimbur's answer at the same time as Elrond also said: "Mithril".
"I will need some time to think and tinker in my workshop. If I take this piece from you, Elrond, what will happen to you?"
"I'm not sure. Let us try it out. Khelebrimbur, can you go leave it somewhere else for a few minutes? Then you can see as well what the effect of its absence is on me."
Khelebrimbur took the ore and brought it into the nearby kitchen. When they returned the sight that greeted them was disturbing.
Only a few seconds before Elrond had been as they had known him for centuries. Bright and alive and with mirth in his eyes. Now Elrond had sunk down on the table, his head on one arm and there was a vacant look in his eyes. And no reaction even when Khelebrimbur came closer.
They saw their distress mirrored in the eyes of the two dwarves. Durin's hand rested on Elrond's back, and he looked heartbroken. Disa's hand was on Durin's, and they saw how she was unsure who to worry over first.
So Khelebrimbur turned around, took the mithril from the kitchen to their workshop and broke it in half using a hammer. The bigger piece they left for their experiments and the smaller they took back to Elrond and laid it in his hand.
A few moments later they saw Elrond blink and life returned to his eyes. They breathed a sigh of relief and left again while their three visitors thightly embraced behind them.
I have work to do., they thought.
Khelebrimbur was unique not only in their bodily make-up but also in the amount of knowledge they had and the way they thought. They were a tinkerer and an experimenter.
So when they entered their workshop different solutions were already floating through their mind. Alloys, literal solutions, magical objects and more. But one idea stood out among the others, the question was only: Did it work with mithril as well as with other metals?
And so Khelebrimbur began to experiment.
The solution
In the evening of the next day, they were all standing underneath the old chestnut tree. It had developed several trunks over the centuries and could shelter a dozen people if necessary.
Disa watched as Khelebrimbur took out a brush and started to draw runes on the roots of the tree. They had instructed her to start singing a song of staying and living, and she had chosen a ballad about a dwarf who had discovered a new cavern system and had decided to make it their new home. It told about how they'd brought their family to share in their discovery and how they'd all built a life together in this new place. It was an old and invigorating song meant to keep dwarves dreaming and doing.
Disa's vibrant voice rang out across the meadow as she sang. And all of them could feel the magic being created. The sun was setting in the background and the runes Khelebrimbur had drawn started to shimmer in the rising moonlight. As the song became more powerful the letters glowed; and when it ended they returned to a light shimmering state barely perceptible unless one looked closely. And then the magic settled on the land surrounding them.
Then Durin took the pieces of gray glitter the Half-Elves had carried on them and went outside the border of Khelebrimbur's land. But its absence did not have an ill effect on Elrond or Khelebrimbur anymore and their minds stayed their own.
"It seems your plan has worked, Khelebrimbur.", Disa said relieved. She grabbed the other two for a big embrace and shouted: "Durin, it has worked! You can come back!"
It did not take long for Durin to come running back and join the embrace. Though Khelebrimbur extracted themselves soon after.
"I have stashed away some elderflower cordial to celebrate if you come inside.", they said. And so they went.
"So, let me see if I can put your solution in my own words.", Elrond said with a relieved smile on his face.
"You've been working on an ink which should only become visible in certain circumstances."
"Yes."
"And your thought was that an ink solution from mithril would make it possible to have large quantities of ink from small quantities of ore."
"Exactly."
"But you knew that just giving every Elf some ink would not solve the problem. Rather you needed a way make it work over larger areas."
Khelebrimbur nodded.
"So your idea was to magically apply the ink at the center of an Elven dwelling so that all Elves in that perimeter would receive the positive effect of the mithril strengthened by the Dwarven runes and magic."
"Precisely. It is not without effort, logistically and diplomatically, to implement this solution. The Elves will become dependent on the Dwarves to a certain degree. But I hope this will create a new and more equal relationship between the two." Khelebrimbur was highly animated as they talked, with a flush red on their cheeks.
"It will take time to make this work, and I'm sure the Elves will try to find a way to become less dependent. A good thing for sure. But I also see a highly productive partnership if the Elves and the Dwarves work together. Something I might even like to be part of.", they continued.
"Well, I for sure like it that the Elves may not be so high and mighty now.", Durin put forth.
"Me too, dear.", Disa said. "But I'd actually like to learn a bit more from the Elves as well."
"And I will cherish the opportunity to see more of Elrond because surely you will handle the diplomatic relationships with the Dwarves?", Disa added, raising an eyebrow as she looked at Elrond with a slightly predatory smile.
Home in the mountain
A lot had happened in the last few days. After they had found a solution with Khelebrimbur's help they had gone to Caran O Ereg to do the ritual again. With the amount of ore they had, it was just enough to free the Elven settlement.
Elrond had been glad to see Atheloth and Meriel Gilnoen again. And it was reassuring to notice that the children had not come to any lasting harm. They had not grown the last few months either in body or spirit but compared to the length of Elven childhood this was negligible.
After a meeting of the Elders with Elrond, Durin, Disa and Khelebrimbur it was decided that the Elves from the settlement would send a delegation of five to Durin III, King of Khazad-dûm. They would negotiate preliminary terms to first free Lindon and then the other Elven realms. Their leader would be Gilnoen as she had the most diplomatic experience. Of course, Atheloth accompanied her.
And so nine of the free people of Middle Earth took the short journey to Khazad-dûm. As is usual with the Dwarves regarding the Elves the welcome was restrained though Durin III granted an audience. In the end, it helped that his son, the Crown Prince, had witnessed all of it and Durin III declared his willingness to help the Elves.
Another delegation was formed to go to Lindon and with it went Atheloth and Gilnoen as well as Khelebrimbur.
Disa had been relieved that she and her husband and Elrond with them were allowed to stay behind. It was clear that when the High-King of the Elves was himself again that there would be a visit by him and some of his court. Matters like this were not discussed by sending diplomats back and forth. And so they expected a royal Elven delegation in a few weeks. But for now, the crown prince, his wife and their good friend were allowed to rest.
It was the morning after the delegation had left for Lindon.
The evening before Disa and Durin had handed Elrond a gift. Elrond had been quite surprised to receive something from his dear friends and had smiled like pure sunshine.
Then the two dwarves had each taken a hand of his and Disa had started to explain. About how much they both cared for him and that they'd like to have him in theirs lives as more than a friend. Naturally, they'd be happy only to be his friend if he opposed their proposition, but they really hoped he would consider being their third.
Elrond agreed. He told them how he had started to learn more about Dwarves from Atheloth because he had developed tender feelings for each of them. How he had been thinking about creating a courting present as well, but had wanted to see them again first. He had been thinking about them the last few years and had hoped.
There were tears in Elrond's eyes as he embraced Disa and then Durin and then both. He was taller, so they fit very well into his arms.
Disa held him, too and was stroking her strong fingers through his long hair. Durin could not help himself and stole a quick kiss from Elrond and then from his wife.
Like in the cave they slept all together with Elrond in the middle.
Disa had woken early this morning. She had got up, taken a quick look at her men and then also at her children in the room next door before going to the Singing Halls. There she had sung for half an hour, a kind of meditation she practiced each day if possible.
When she returned to their wing in the mountain, she saw Durin sitting by the Golden Tree he had raised from the seedling Elrond had gifted him years ago. He had his hair unbound to dry after washing it. And he had an absent look in his eyes as he stroked a branch of the tree and played with its leaves. Every now and then he heaved a heavy sigh.
Just then Elrond came out of the bedroom. His long hair was unbound as well but dry.
Seeing Durin sitting by tree, he came over and put a hand on Durin's knee.
"Are you alright, my friend, my love?", he asked. "You look burdened."
"Ach, I have just been thinking about the last days and how much luck we had. How the outcome could have been much worse. I could have lost you, Elrond! If we had not met this year who knows how long it would have taken for someone to notice or if you Elves would have all faded without any of us realizing. I- I-, my hearts breaks just thinking of it." Durin was looking desperately at Elrond and was squashing the hand he held really hard.
"I might have never been able to tell you what you mean to me, how much I love you, and your pointy ears, and your charming smile."
"Aye, that would have been a shame." Disa decided to come over. "It is a chilling thought that we might have forgotten you without knowing. That I'd might have missed someone and never be able to tell who. You are precious, Elrond, and you shine a light into this world like I've never seen in any other." She kissed him on the head as she said so.
There were silent tears streaming down Elrond's eyes. The recollection of the last few days was not easy for him either. The thought that he might have lost himself made him feel a weakness deep in his bones.
He took Disa's hand in his free one while she stood behind him.
"Oh, Durin. It is indeed a terrible thought, and I'm very thankful that all resolved in the manner it did. I'm shaken but also so happy to be here with you and Disa. You are so dear to me." And with that he kissed Durin's hand.
"Let us try and enjoy what we have at this moment and forget the other possibilities. - May I tend to your beard?" And when Durin nodded, Elrond started to finger-comb it.
Disa was quick to bring a real comb and some beard oil for Elrond who proceeded to take care of Durin's beard.
"I'll do your hair, Elrond, alright?", she asked and started to comb out Elrond's beautiful hair. Then she added a braid on the right side of his head.
When she started the mirroring braid on the left side, Elrond began to braid the rusty-red hair of Durin's beard.
By and by all three calmed down. When they had finished, Disa sat down between Elrond and Durin while her golden eyes sparkled in her black face. Putting her arms around them, she leaned back and just enjoyed hearing them breathe.
The End