The first sensation was warmth.
Not the burning heat of Sunshine, not the scorching intensity of solar power, but something gentler. Like the first rays of dawn after a long, cold night. Like being held in the embrace of someone who loved you unconditionally.
The second sensation was peace.
No pain. No exhaustion. No cracks in his essence or damage to his soul. Just... wholeness. Completeness. As if every broken piece of himself had been carefully gathered and put back together, but better than before. Stronger. Purer.
Escanor opened his eyes.
He stood in a place that was not a place. A space between spaces. All around him was light—not blinding, but comfortable, like being inside a sunset that never faded. And before him...
Before him stood a presence. Not a figure, exactly. His mortal eyes couldn't quite process what he was seeing. Sometimes it seemed like an old man with a kind face. Sometimes a pillar of light. Sometimes simply a feeling of infinite love and infinite power combined.
But he knew, with absolute certainty, who this was.
"Eru Ilúvatar," Escanor breathed, and found himself falling to his knees not from fear, but from sheer reverence.
"Rise, Escanor," the voice was gentle, like a father speaking to a beloved child. "You need not kneel before me. You, who gave everything for the world I created. You, who burned away your very essence to protect my children. You have earned the right to stand."
Escanor stood, though his legs trembled.
"Am I... am I dead?"
"You were," Eru said. "For exactly seven heartbeats, you were truly gone. Your soul had left your body. Your light had been extinguished. But I could not let that stand. Not after such a sacrifice. Not when you had done what even my Valar could not do—face Morgoth himself and win."
"I didn't win," Escanor protested. "He struck me down. Killed me."
"But not before you struck him first," Eru smiled. "You pierced his essence, severed his connection to the material world, and sent him screaming back to the Void. The chains I placed upon him millennia ago are whole once more. He will not walk free again until the end of all things. You saved Middle-earth, Escanor. You saved everyone."
"At the cost of my life."
"At the temporary cost of your life," Eru corrected gently. "I promised you, through Galadriel's mirror, that death was not the end. Only a transition. And now, I fulfill that promise."
Eru reached out, and his hand—somehow both light and solid—touched Escanor's chest.
Power flooded into him. Not Sunshine. Something greater. Something fundamental. The very essence of creation itself, flowing into him, remaking him, transforming him.
"What... what are you doing?" Escanor gasped.
"Making you whole," Eru said. "And more than whole. You burned your essence to fight Morgoth. That essence cannot be replaced—mortal souls, once burned, are gone forever. But I am not bound by such limitations. I am remaking you, Escanor. With a new essence. One that will never crack, never break, never fade."
"Why?" Escanor looked up, meeting those infinite eyes. "Why do this for me? I'm just one man. One soul among billions."
"Because you are not just any soul," Eru said. "From the moment I saw you fall into my creation from another reality entirely, I watched you. I saw how you chose to use your power. Not for conquest. Not for glory. But for protection. For love. For noble purpose. You could have been a tyrant. Instead, you chose to be a hero. And that... that is worth rewarding."
The power intensified, and Escanor felt himself changing. His body reconstructing. His soul being forged anew. And something else... something more.
"I give you a gift," Eru said. "Immortality. Not the fading immortality of the Elves, who must one day sail west and leave Middle-earth. But true immortality. You will not age. You will not sicken. You will not die unless you choose to. And your power... oh, Escanor. Your power."
Sunshine roared back into being inside him, but different now. Controlled. Stable. No longer burning away his essence, but integrated perfectly into his new, immortal form.
"This is too much," Escanor whispered. "I don't deserve—"
"You deserve everything," Eru interrupted. "But I cannot give you everything. I can give you life. Power. Immortality. But the rest—happiness, love, fulfillment—that you must still earn for yourself. That is the nature of free will. I can open doors, but you must walk through them."
"My family," Escanor said urgently. "Arwen. Tauriel. My children. Do they know—"
"They felt you die," Eru said gently. "And even now, they grieve. But they will not grieve for long. Because you are returning to them. Now. Today. This moment."
"Then send me back," Escanor pleaded. "Please. They need to know I'm alive. They need—"
"Peace, my child," Eru smiled. "Look."
He gestured, and a window opened in the space around them. Through it, Escanor could see the battlefield. Could see his body, lying broken and still. Could see Eldarion kneeling beside it, sobbing. Aelindë and Aurëlindë holding each other, faces streaked with tears. Gandalf standing over them all, head bowed.
And then... the window showed his body beginning to glow.
"It is time," Eru said. "Return, Escanor. Return to those who love you. Live the life you have earned. And know that you will always have my blessing."
The light intensified, and Escanor felt himself being pulled back, back toward his body, back toward life.
"Wait!" he called out. "Will I see you again?"
"When the world ends," Eru said. "When all of creation comes to its final rest. Then we will meet once more, and I will personally welcome you home. Until then, live, Escanor. Live fully. Love completely. And never doubt that you are cherished."
The light became everything.
And Escanor opened his eyes to see the sky of Middle-earth above him.
The Black Gate - Moments Later
The first thing he heard was gasping. Shocked voices. Someone screaming his name.
Escanor sat up, feeling strength course through him like never before. No pain. No exhaustion. Just... power. Pure, stable, perfect power.
"Papa?" Eldarion's voice, hoarse from crying.
Escanor turned to see his son staring at him, face pale, eyes wide with disbelief.
"Hello, son," Escanor smiled. "Sorry to worry you."
"You... you were dead," Eldarion whispered. "We felt you die. Your heart stopped. You weren't breathing. You were DEAD."
"I was," Escanor admitted. "For seven heartbeats. But Eru Ilúvatar had other plans."
"The One Above All," Gandalf breathed, falling to his knees. "He brought you back. He actually intervened directly. In all my years, across all my lives, I have never seen such a thing."
"Papa!" Aurëlindë and Aelindë crashed into him, both sobbing, both holding him so tight it would have hurt a mortal man. "You died! You left us!"
"And I came back," Escanor held them both, tears of his own falling. "I promised I would, didn't I? The Lion of the Sun keeps his promises."
Around them, the battlefield had gone silent. The armies of Mordor, seeing their master Sauron destroyed (for the Ring had been cast into the fire, and Barad-dûr had fallen even as Morgoth was banished), had fled or surrendered. The men of the West stood in shocked awe, staring at the man who had died and returned.
"He defeated Morgoth," someone whispered.
"He died and came back," another said.
"He's blessed by Eru himself," a third breathed.
"He's a legend," Aragorn said, walking forward, tears on his own face. "No. More than a legend. He's a miracle."
Escanor stood, his children still clinging to him, and looked around at the battlefield. At the destruction. At the lives lost. At the price of victory.
"How many?" he asked quietly.
"Two thousand fell," Gandalf said heavily. "But eighty thousand survived who would have died if not for you. If not for your sacrifice."
"Then it was worth it," Escanor said. "Every moment of pain. Every drop of blood. All of it worth it."
"Escanor," Aragorn approached. "What you did... what you sacrificed... Middle-earth owes you a debt that can never be repaid."
"I need no repayment," Escanor said. "I did what I did for one reason only—love. Love for this world. Love for those who live in it. And especially, love for my family." He looked at his children. "Speaking of which... we need to go home. Your mothers need to know I'm alive."
"They felt you die," Eldarion said. "The connection through the ring Galadriel gave you. They felt it break. Papa, they think you're dead."
"Then we ride," Escanor said with urgency. "Now. Fast as we can. They've grieved long enough."
Rivendel - Three Days Later
They had ridden without stopping, changing horses at every outpost, pushing themselves to the limit. Escanor, with his new immortal body, didn't need rest. But his children did, and he forced himself to let them sleep in shifts as they traveled.
Now, as the sun rose over Rivendel, as the beautiful valley came into view, Escanor felt his heart race with anticipation and fear.
How would Arwen receive him? Would she be angry that he'd scared her so badly? Would she understand why he'd done what he'd done?
They crossed the bridge into Rivendel, and Elrond was there to meet them, his face haggard, aged in ways that even elven immortality couldn't prevent.
"Escanor," the Lord of Rivendel whispered. "The reports said... they said you were dead."
"I was," Escanor said simply. "But Eru brought me back."
"My daughter," Elrond's voice broke. "My daughter has not left her room in three days. She weeps. She has not eaten. She barely breathes. Your death... it broke something in her."
Guilt crashed over Escanor like a wave.
"Where is she?"
"Her garden," Elrond said. "Where you first walked together. Where you first..."
Escanor was already running.
He burst through the trees, into the hidden garden, and saw her.
Arwen sat beneath the ancient tree, her face buried in her hands, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs. She wore black, the color of mourning, and her hair hung loose and uncombed.
"Arwen," Escanor said softly.
She didn't look up.
"Please," she whispered. "No more visions. No more dreams. I can't... I can't see him again only to wake and find him gone. Please, just let me grieve in peace."
"This isn't a vision," Escanor said, walking closer.
"It must be," Arwen's voice was hollow. "He's dead. I felt him die. Felt the moment his heart stopped. Felt the connection break. He's gone. My love is gone."
"No he's not."
Escanor knelt before her, taking her hands gently in his.
"I'm here, meleth nín. I'm alive. I'm real. And I'm never leaving you again."
Arwen's head snapped up, her eyes red from crying, and when she saw him—truly saw him—she let out a sound that was half sob, half scream.
"ESCANOR!"
She threw herself into his arms with such force they both fell backwards. She kissed his face, his neck, his hands, sobbing and laughing at the same time.
"You died! I felt you die! Your heart stopped! The connection broke! You were GONE!"
"I was," Escanor held her tight. "For seven heartbeats. But Eru brought me back. Made me immortal. Gave me back to you. I'm sorry, Arwen. I'm so sorry I scared you. But I had to—"
"I know," she interrupted, kissing him desperately. "I know why you did it. I know it was necessary. But Escanor, those three days... those were the longest days of my existence. Three thousand years I've lived, and those three days felt longer than all of them combined."
"I know," he whispered. "And I'm sorry. But I'm here now. And I'll be here forever. Eru made me immortal, Arwen. We'll never have to say goodbye. Never have to face the pain of me aging and dying while you stay young. We have eternity together now."
She pulled back, looking at him with wonder.
"Immortal? Truly?"
"Truly. I won't age. Won't sicken. Won't die. And my power is stable now. I can use it without burning away my essence. I'm whole, Arwen. More whole than I've ever been."
She kissed him again, deeper this time, pouring three days of grief and terror and relief into it.
"I love you," she whispered when they finally broke apart. "I love you so much. Don't you ever do that to me again."
"I won't," he promised. "No more dying. No more last stands. Well... no more dying, at least. I can't promise not to fight when needed."
She laughed through her tears.
"You wouldn't be you if you didn't fight for what's right. Just... be more careful. Please."
"I will," he promised. "For you. For our family. I'll be careful."
"Our family," Arwen suddenly stood. "Tauriel! She needs to know! She's in Mirkwood, grieving just as I was! Escanor, she felt you die too! She—"
"I know," Escanor stood as well. "We ride for Mirkwood today. But first..." he pulled her close again. "First, let me hold you. Just for a moment. Let me feel that you're real. That we're both alive. That we survived."
They held each other in the garden where their love had first bloomed, and for a moment, the world was perfect.
Mirkwood - Two Days Later
Tauriel stood on a balcony, staring out at the forest she had protected for centuries. But she saw none of it. All she could see was the moment she'd felt Escanor die. The moment the warmth of his presence, which she'd always been able to feel through some indefinable connection, had simply... stopped.
"Lady Tauriel," a guard approached hesitantly. "There are visitors. From Rivendel. They say—"
"I don't want visitors," Tauriel said flatly.
"But my Lady, one of them claims to be—"
"Tauriel."
That voice. That impossible, wonderful, beloved voice.
She turned, and there he was. Standing in the doorway. Alive. Real. Smiling at her with that smile she thought she'd never see again.
"No," she whispered. "You're not real. You can't be. I felt you die."
"You did," Escanor walked toward her slowly. "I did die. But I came back. For you. For Arwen. For our children. For our life together. I came back."
"Prove it," Tauriel said, tears beginning to fall. "Prove you're real."
Escanor reached her, pulled her close, and kissed her. Deep and desperate and full of life.
"Real enough?" he murmured against her lips.
She hit him. Hard. Right in the chest.
"OW! What was—"
"That's for dying!" she hit him again. "And that's for scaring me!" And again. "And that's for making me think I'd lost you forever!"
Then she grabbed his face and kissed him fiercely.
"And that's for coming back. For keeping your promise. For being alive."
"I'm sorry," Escanor held her as she sobbed against his chest. "I'm so, so sorry. But I'm here now. And I'll never leave you again. Never."
"You better not," she said, her voice muffled by his shirt. "Because I can't... I can't go through that again. Those five days were hell, Escanor. Pure hell."
"I know. And I'm sorry. But Tauriel... I'm immortal now. Eru made me immortal. We have forever together. All three of us. All seven of us, counting the children. Forever."
She looked up at him, hope dawning in her eyes.
"Forever?"
"Forever," he confirmed.
She kissed him again, and this time there was joy in it. Pure, unrestrained joy.
One Week Later - Celebration of Victory
All of Middle-earth gathered to celebrate. In Minas Tirith, in the newly crowned capital of the reunited kingdom of Gondor and Arnor, a feast was held that would be remembered for ages.
Aragorn had been crowned King Elessar, taking his rightful place as heir of Isildur. At his side stood Arwen, who had chosen to bind her fate to his as well as to Escanor's. The arrangement was unusual, but after what they'd all been through, no one dared question it.
Escanor sat at a place of honor, Arwen on one side, Tauriel on the other. His children were nearby, celebrating with friends they'd made during the war. The hall was filled with heroes—Gandalf, Legolas, Gimli, Merry, Pippin, Sam, and even Frodo, who was recovering slowly from his ordeal.
"A toast!" Aragorn stood, raising his cup. "To Escanor, the Lion of the Sun! Who faced Morgoth himself and won! Who died for us all and returned! Who showed us that even in the darkest hour, hope remains!"
"TO ESCANOR!" the hall roared.
Escanor stood, feeling uncomfortable with the attention but accepting it graciously.
"I did only what anyone would do," he said. "I protected what I loved. Fought for what mattered. And yes, I died. But I also learned something in that moment between death and rebirth."
The hall fell silent, listening intently.
"I learned that love is stronger than death. That sacrifice is never in vain. That even when all seems lost, there is always hope. Because as long as one person is willing to stand against the darkness, as long as one light refuses to be extinguished... evil can never truly win."
"Beautiful words," Gandalf said. "And true ones. You have given Middle-earth a gift, Escanor. Not just victory. But hope. The knowledge that even the darkest evil can be defeated by those brave enough to stand against it."
"And now," Aragorn said, smiling, "we celebrate! Not just victory, but life! Love! Family! All the things worth fighting for!"
The feast continued long into the night. Music played. People danced. Stories were told and retold, each retelling making them slightly more legendary.
And Escanor, sitting between his two loves, watching his children laugh and celebrate, felt a peace he'd never known before.
He had died. He had faced the ultimate darkness. And he had returned.
Now, he had eternity to enjoy what he'd fought for.
Forever with those he loved.
Forever to protect Middle-earth.
Forever to be the light in the darkness.
The Lion of the Sun had roared his last battle cry.
Now, it was time to simply live.
And that, Escanor thought as he held Arwen's hand and felt Tauriel lean against his shoulder, was the greatest victory of all.
Epilogue - Ten Years Later
Escanor stood on the same balcony in Minas Tirith where he'd watched the army of Mordor approach a decade ago. But now, the view was very different.
The city had been rebuilt, more beautiful than ever. Gardens bloomed where once there had been only stone. Children played in streets that had known only fear.
And in the distance, he could see Mordor. But even that cursed land was changing. Slowly, painfully slowly, life was returning. Trees were being planted. Rivers were being cleaned. The scars of Sauron's reign were healing.
"Papa!"
He turned to see his youngest son, born three years after the war, running toward him. Little Solindil, which meant "sun-friend" in Sindarin. A child of peace, not war.
"What is it, little one?"
"Mama Arwen says dinner is ready! And Mama Tauriel says if you're late again, she's eating your portion!"
Escanor laughed, scooping his son up.
"Well, we can't have that, can we?"
He walked back inside, to where his family waited. Arwen and Tauriel were setting the table. Eldarion was helping, now a captain in Aragorn's guard. The twins were arguing good-naturedly about something. Caladorn and Taurohtar were arm wrestling. And at the head of the table, a place had been left for him.
Home.
This was home.
Not a place. But people. The ones he loved. The ones he'd died for. The ones he'd returned for.
"Took you long enough," Tauriel teased as he sat down.
"I was contemplating," he replied.
"Contemplating what?" Arwen asked, serving food.
"How lucky I am," Escanor said simply. "How blessed. To have all of you. To have this life. To have forever."
"Forever is a long time," Tauriel said.
"Not long enough," Escanor replied, looking around at his family. "Not nearly long enough."
And as they ate, and talked, and laughed together, Escanor knew with absolute certainty that he would never take a single moment of this for granted.
He had been given a gift. A second chance at life. Immortality. Eternity with those he loved.
And he would spend every moment of that eternity being worthy of it.
The Lion of the Sun had found his pride.
Not in battle. Not in glory. Not in power.
But in love. In family. In the simple joy of being alive.
And that was worth more than all the gold in Erebor.
Worth more than all the kingdoms in Middle-earth.
Worth everything.
THE END