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Every dwarf knew the story of Durin the Deathless, as did most who lived in Middle-earth. Durin’s story was spread far and wide. But there was far more to his story than most would ever know. The dwarves had kept it carefully hidden, guarding it more jealously than they did their language and children. Durin’s true wife, the queen, had come from the stars. There were many texts that had survived the fall of Khazad-dum, each one of them had described her, hair the colour of fresh blood, eyes that would put rubies to shame, garnet coloured hooves that could kill a dwarf in a single kick. There were legends about the feasts that she would throw for the dwarves that served under her, not just the nobles, but everyone.
She had even created a guild, a cooking guild, that still existed to this day. It still proudly bore her crest and obeyed the rules that she had placed when she had created it. To break one of the sacred rules was to be cast out, to be shamed.
Every dwarf knew the story of Durin’s wife; they also knew that it did not end happily or peacefully.
She and her family had visited the Valar, who in turn invited them to explore Middle-earth. So they explored, and wherever they went, they left many in awe. Durin was not an expectation either. But unlike the other Durin saw and he wanted, he desired, so like any true dwarf, he set out to get what he wanted. For over a century, he courted her; he fought like a dwarf possessed. No star person would ever consider anyone weaker than they were. For a star person, there was nothing more desirable than standing on the field of battle and fighting side by side with their chosen partner. So having someone who was strong enough to be able to fight them, to injure them?
It was seen as a desirable trait.
Durin had to prove himself, not just as a fighter, but as a King. There was no point in spending all of his time on the battlefield if all it did was prove that he was a bloodthirsty brute who didn't care for his people. Durin worked tirelessly to prove himself. In the end?
It all paid off.
One day, Durin presented her a circlet of mithril and rubies; he had no idea if she would accept. No way of knowing if the fruits of his labour had paid off. But he had some faith that he had proven himself to her. When he presented her the circlet, she didn't say anything at first; it had taken Durin some time to craft. She had a set of deer ears on top of her head, and that meant that it wouldn't rest on top of her head like he had wanted it to. Instead, it would carefully slide around her forehead. He had spent weeks making sure that the design was right.
She hadn't said anything; she had merely stared at him before kneeling down and allowing him to place the circlet on her. Everyone had watched with bated breath for Durin to do so. The roar that the crowd let out when he did so could have been heard for miles around. That didn't mean that their marriage was smooth sailing; there were those who believed that Durin should marry a dwarf, that he should not be creating mixed children. That he should take a proper spouse, a darrowdam. There were those who were far more insistent than others; they did everything in their power to break the pair apart. Yet their plots failed time and time again.
But they knew at some point something had to give. It was just a matter of when.
Eventually, a darrowdam got tired of her tricks and plans not working, and so she went to another, someone who would not baulk at the idea of murdering Durin’s wife. Those who she had worked with before were too weak willed to do the job that she wanted, so she needed someone who would not shy away from a bit of murder
Sauron.
But as the darowdam had learned, simple tricks would not be able to break the pair apart, nor would it be enough to subdue a will as Durin had. She wanted to have Durin, the crown, the kigdom and have Durin’s current wife tossed out or executed, she would often dream about being the first to have a star person executed. She would then imagine that she and Durin would make love long into the night after the deed was done. She wondered what type of lover Durin was, would he bring her completion first?
Or would he take what he wanted from her?
Would it be a night of animalistic passion that would leave her aching in all the right places?
Arranging a meeting with Sauron was easy, far easier than she had expected it to be. Sauron had also agreed far easier than she had expected, she had assumed that she would need to bargain. However, she did not need to do so. But she was not willing to look a gift from Mahal too closely, and surely this had to be a gift from Mahal, for who else would aid her?
Thus began Durin’s downfall.
His descent into madness was one that was well documented, as was the collapse of his marriage and the slow, crumbling death of Khazad-dum. No one knew when, or how, but Durin had been gifted with a giant white stone, the Arkenstone, it had been called and many healers speculated that it was cursed, and that it was the reason why Durin was turning into a mindless beast. The darrowdam that had been trying to marry Durin was successful, but only to a degree. Durin was too wild to control. She did not have the life of luxury that she had dreamed of. Even when she had banished Durin’s first wife and claimed that it was she who had cursed Durin.
The dwarves still did not obey her.
Even when she had them executed for treason.
They still would not obey.
She had no control over Durin. Durin spent the majority of his time drugged and chained in a room far separate from hers, at first they had shared a room together, but the more the madness set in the less controllable Durin became, in the end she had to move him to a separate part of the castle all together. The kingdom that she ruled did not obey her, and there was talk of leaving Khazad-dum to find another place to call home, of sending search parties to find the true queen. Anyone who dared to speak such things was executed. She had that many dwarves excuted that even the nobles were concerned that there wouldn't be any workers left to keep the kingdom running. But she wouldn't hear anything of it. She was the queen now.
Her.
Not the abomination that Durin had been tricked into marrying.
But Durin was too dangerous to keep contained, and more often than not, the drugs that he was given on a daily basis didn't last, and he would break free and look for his wife. Not the darrowdam that he had married. But his first wife.
The texts that they had were damaged slightly, but when they recorded the death of Durin, they spoke of how it took an army of orcs to bring Durin to his knees and even then, he did not die peacefully or quietly.
Some of the texts argued that Durin’s wife, his true wife, had been seen that day on the battlefield, bathing the field in the sickly black blood of the orcs, while some said that she rained fire down from the skies. But the one thing that every text agreed upon?
Durin’s wife had been there; that had been the last time that any dwarf had seen her.
Durin had been laid to rest shortly after that, and then Khazad-dum fell. They had dug too deep and had awoken a Balrog. They had no choice but to flee.
The lonely mountain became a new home for them; the grey mountains also became a home for many, as did the iron hills. Many fled to other dwarven settlements, hoping to carve a new life for themselves. But they didn't forget what had happened, or why they had been chased from their home. The darrowdam that had been able to ensnare Durin had been killed. A lynch mob had formed as many blamed her for what had happened. After all, she had been the one to make a deal with Sauron.
If she hadn't done what she had?
Khazad-dum would never have fallen; they wouldn't have been forced to leave their home. It had been because of her greed that they had dug as deeply as they had; she had never been happy with what they had presented her. She always demanded more. Wanted more. They had to keep digging to keep her happy, otherwise. She would execute their family. Khazad-dum had been a city of death, hoplessness and fear. But there were those who remembered what it had been like, when laughter echoed through the streets, when food was plentiful and not hoarded, when miners were treated fairly and received a proper wage. When no one had been above the law.
They hadn't forgotten, and nor had they forgotten who had caused them to lose everything.
Killing her would not undo everything that had been done to them, but it would stop her from causing any more harm to anyone else. They dismembered her body and buried her body parts in different places, so that even in their Creator’s halls, she would never be whole again.
As they moved on with their lives and tried to heal from what had been done to them, they did not forget, they didn't forget their queen, Durin, the home that they had been forced to leave behind or the lives that they had all lost. But they knew that one day, their queen would come back.
Dwarves were made from stone, and they spent decades learning to master their crafts, so they could wait until she returned to them.
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Yavanna had never been on to interfere; nature would correct things, and very rarely did it need her to interfere. But in her long years, she had never seen Mahal look so devastated. Her husband had been working tirelessly to undo the damage that Suaron had done to Durin, and Yavanna feared that they might be able to undo all of it. Durin’s mind and soul were shattered, and she feared that not even their healing halls would be able to do much. But Mahal had faith.
There was no denying that Mahal’s children were strong, but she feared that this would be too much for them.
She looked at the group of star people who looked as if they wanted nothing more than to murder Durin while he was in a healing sleep. However, she knew that they wouldn't. It was not in their nature to do so. But that did not stop them all from glaring at Durin. Yavanna felt that Durin was lucky that he was in a healing sleep and therefore wouldn't have to experience what was going on around him.
“Give me one reason, just one, why I shouldn't tear his soul to shreds and scatter it amongst the stars?” Glowing red eyes met Mahal’s gaze without an ounce of fear. Yavanna, much like the others, knew how destructive the star people could be; after all, the Great Music came from them.
Not even Eru would be able to stand against them.
“Durin was not of his own mind. Sauron infected his mind and twisted his soul. That there is even anything left is a miracle.” Mahal was steady as he spoke; he knew that he could not show any weakness, not to them. Not when one of his children had injured one of theirs.
“Yet, my child is not with us while yours is here. Healing.” Mahal could not deny that Sarah had disappeared, and while some feared the worst, there were others who had different ideas as to where she was.
But the majority of them thought that she was healing, somewhere they couldn't see her. But because they couldn't see her, neither could her family. Durin had been the last one to see her. Hence why he was trying to stop them from killing his son for what Durin had done to their daughter. It was far easier said than done.
“Sarah is safe, far away from any prying eyes.” Yavanna stood next to Mahal. She knew where Sarah was; she had guided the female star to the Shire, a safe place, a place where she could heal without worry. The Hobbits would look after her.
Yavanna hadn't been able to spy on her all that much, but she could look into the lives of the Hobbits that lived in the Shire. But even then, she was limited in what she could see.
“You know where she is.” It wasn't a question, rather it was a statement and one that she wasn't going to deny.
“She is safe, healing and away from anyone who wants to harm her. They won't be able to find her with the protections that have been placed.” She watches as some of the tension bled out of the group, like a wound being lanced, but she knew that it wouldn't be enough.
“Come, follow me.” She knew that it would be far better to show them rather than offer empty words that would do nothing to ease their worries.
“She is in the Shire, it is protected, and no one will be able to find her unless she is ready for them.” She was taking them to her viewing pool, while it wouldn't be able to completely see what Sarah was doing, it would give them enough of a view that it would ease their minds.
She hoped.
She knew that they would not be able to survive a war with the star people; unlike the others, she and Mahal had seen the level of destruction they were capable of. She did not want that aimed at them. The viewing pool flared to life the moment she stepped near it, a series of images flashed across the surface before it settled down. There, gently floating on the surface was an image of Srah tending to a garden, her red hair was tied into a braid, and the beads that Durin had threaded into their marriage braid glinted in the sunlight, each bead had been carefully carved from mithril.
“She looks tired and ill.” Yavanna had thought so as well. There was a dullness to her eyes, and the few times she had been able to look in on Sarah, she had been sleeping.
“She is fighting off a curse, see?” The image changed, and Yavanna saw thick black lines that ran throughout Sarah’s body. She had seen many things, but nothing like this.
“Someone tried to steal her lifeforce and use it for themselves; it is most likely the same person who turned Durin from a sane dwarf into what he became.” Sauron. He had done this, and while Yavanna mourned the loss of who he had once been, she did not feel any sympathy or pity for who he had become.
He had made his choice.
Just like Morgoth.
“Sauron.”The word fell from her lips as the beings behind her stilled. It was unnatural the way that they had all frozen, then there was a sudden pressure build up, and she found it hard to breathe.
Red eyes flashed, and it was as if Sarah was reacting to their power despite being so far away from them.
“No, no, no!” She watched in amusement as Charlie, the more bubbly and approachable one of them, waved her hands in front of her. Charlie’s gold eyes were flecked with red, and Yavanna knew that she was just as upset, but unlike the others, she wasn't going to resort to violence as her first option.
“Sarah always heals better closer to nature and the Shire? Is filled with it, sure we can't see her now, not with how ill she is, and we can't bring her back home for the same reason. But she is alive and healing, isn't that enough for now?” Yavanna had to admit that they were good points, although she was curious as to why Sarah couldn't return to them.
Still, she wasn't going to pry. It wasn't her place.
“Char-char.” Charlie shook her head, and it was clear that she wasn't going to budge on this; she wasn't going to let anyone get in the way of her sister’s healing. That included them.
“Just for now?” Charlie was aware that she was asking a lot of them. Before Durin had fallen into madness, they had visited the pair and would often stay in Khazad-dum, and it had been a thing of beauty. Durin had worshipped the ground that her sister had walked on, and it was clear to everyone that Durin loved her.
Charlie looked at Vaggie and wondered if she would have the same strength, if she would be able to endure losing Vaggie. Vaggie was her whole world, and she didn't know what she would do without her. So she couldn't imagine the pain that Sarah was going throug,h and knowing that Sarah wasn't able to return with them?
It hurt.
But Charlie knew that Sarah would heal better amongst nature, with her finger buried in the dirt, the wind making a mess of her hair and the sunlight burning her skin. They would need to wait. Although, how long it would take?
Charlie didn't know. Nor was she going to try and take a guess.
“Fine, we will leave things be. For now.” Charlie let out a sigh of relief, she knew that it had been a risk, neither her dad or papa were forgiving when it came to those who harmed their family.
“Why don't we see if we can help Mahal? Perhaps we will be able to find a way to undo what has been done to Durin.”
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When he awoke, it was in bits and pieces, strange feelings and the darkness once again. The next time he awoke, it was to voice, strange smells and then darkness claimed him once more. Then, when he next awoke, it was to burning pain, pain, pain, so much pain, he felt like he was screaming, but he couldn't make a sound. That time, he was grateful when the darkness claimed him.
He had no idea how long the darkness had claimed him. He didn't know how much time had passed; all he knew was darkness.
“Honestly, Durin, you sleep any longer, and I shall rule instead of you.” The voice was familia,r and it made him ache. He knew the voice; it called to him.
Darkness dragged him under and kept him there; it was trying to snuff out the light, to bury the voice that he had heard.
“Children? Perhaps, although it will take a long time before we do have any, being long-lived means that my fertility is a price for how long we live.” His heart ached, and he wrapped his arms around her. It was a female, that much he could tell. But what was her relationship to him?
Why couldn't he remember?
The darkness surged up and forcefully dragged him back under.
“I don't know who works more, you, me or my parents. Rest, the work will still be there tomorrow.” The paperwork that hewas working on was removed from his hands, and the pounding headache that he had been dealing with for the last few hours faded as warm fingers massaged his temple.
“The kingdom will not burn if you take a night for yourself, Durin.”
Once again, the darkness wrapped around him and pulled him back under.
“Durin, you can't be strong all the time. There is shame in admitting that you need my help. We are married, your strength is mine, and mine is yours.”
This time, when the darkness surged up, he fought; the more he tried to remember, to go towards the light, the more the darkness tried to drag him under. Durin didn't want to sink back into the darkness; he wanted to go towards the light, towards the voice that he knew on a level that he couldn't explain or understand.
“My family is coming to visit, and while I am aware that Khazad-dum has no equal, remember that we come from the stars and, as such, we have seen things that no mortal can understand. There are even some things out there that Gods can't understand.” He snorted and wrapped his arms around her waist. He had been panicking over her family coming to visit, which he would admit, as she had said they had seen things that no mortal would ever be able to comprehend.
“That being said, showing them the beauty of Khazad-dum, not the gilded and golden halls of the nobles, but the hot springs hidden in the mountain, the caves that have ceilings that glitter like stars, will impress them far more than a royal escort and piles of gems.” Her deft fingers undid his braids, out of everyone, she was the only one that he would allow to touch his hair, his wife, just as he was her husband.
He had fought long and hard to prove himself to her, and he didn't regret it, not for a moment. It had been well worth it in the end.
Durin gasped, and his eyes shot open, his hands clawed at his chest as he looked around, a wild look in his eyes as he tried to find her.
“Sarah.” The word was torn from his throat as he realised that she wasn't here, that she wasn't beside him.
Where was she?