The Lord is getting engaged!
This joyful news spread rapidly from Weathertop's Hogwarts Castle down throughout Hogsmeade village and the bustling town of Bree below the mountain.
For a brief, glorious moment, residents within Kael's territory erupted with celebration, the atmosphere rivaling the festive spirit of the winter holidays.
For Kael's loyal subjects, this was something they had long anticipated with quiet hope.
Because only when their lord married and had descendants, when Hogwarts Castle finally had a proper heir, could Hogsmeade and Bree enjoy genuine long-term stability without fear of unexpected political changes or succession crises.
So Hogsmeade and Bree decorated their streets with colorful lanterns and bright banners. Shops offered generous discounts to celebrate, and taverns poured free rounds for toasting the lord's happiness.
This wonderful news also spread throughout Eriador through traveling merchants and wandering minstrels, carried on every trade road.
While his subjects below the mountain boiled with excitement and celebration, Hogwarts Castle itself remained as peacefully quiet as ever.
After returning from Rivendell, Kael immediately began the considerable task of writing formal invitation letters.
According to elven custom, engagement ceremonies were traditionally held at the bride's family location, requiring Kael to attend accompanied by close friends and family members.
Gandalf and Bilbo, needless to say, were absolutely essential guests.
Next came dear friends like Mirkwood's elven Prince Legolas, Moria's dwarf Lord Balin, the Anduin River Valley's formidable skin-changer Beorn, and Dale City's Lord Bard—none could be overlooked without causing offense.
Even Lonely Mountain's Dwarf King Thorin Oakenshield deserved an invitation, along with the other dwarf companions from that legendary expedition, plus Iron Hills' Lord Dáin Ironfoot, who had once met Kael and generously gifted him dragon scale armor.
The far eastern elven estate owner Caranthir, the two Blue Wizards Rómestámo and Pallando, and even the reclusive Brown Wizard Radagast—all needed carefully worded invitation letters.
Gandalf and Bilbo both remained at Hogwarts as houseguests, helping Kael with the considerable correspondence.
The Owl Tower's snowy owls welcomed these busy days, flying with invitation letters clutched in their talons to all corners of Middle-earth.
Besides writing endless invitations, Kael continued working intensively with Gandalf on designing the Thunderbird magical circulation systems for Thorondor's eventual transformation.
Gandalf proved very interested in Kael's "Thunderbird" magical creature concept, stating thoughtfully that such magnificent storm-commanding creatures would surely please Manwë, the King of the Valar himself.
After all, Thunderbirds controlling storms, creating rain, and releasing devastating lightning were naturally masters of weather magic.
Manwë ruled the sky and atmosphere as Lord of the Breath of Arda, commanding wind, rain, and clouds—called King of Arda's Air and Wind in ancient songs.
Thunderbirds, to some significant degree, aligned naturally with Manwë's divine domain, potentially making them even more suitable than great eagles as the Vala's messengers.
Kael and Gandalf had previously designed the phoenix magical circulation systems together. With that valuable foundation and experience, designing the Thunderbird circulation systems' initial pathways didn't encounter major difficulties.
But finally they found themselves blocked by the crucial core circulation system portion that governed the creature's storm powers.
Gandalf, as Narya's bearer, understood fire profoundly through long experience, especially since phoenix abilities aligned so naturally with Narya's divine flame power.
So designing the phoenix's magical circulation hadn't proven too difficult with Narya's guidance.
But Thunderbird's magical operation differed drastically from phoenixes in fundamental ways. Though Gandalf could summon lightning attacks when necessary, his understanding of lightning's essence couldn't compare to his mastery of fire.
In the Transfiguration Room, Kael carefully cast complex transfiguration spells on a large giant spider specimen.
Under the sustained transfiguration magic, the giant spider slowly transformed into Thunderbird appearance—developing an eagle-like head, two pairs of powerful wings, and a distinctive tail trailing two long decorative tail feathers.
After completing the external transformation, Kael continued the delicate work of transfiguring the internal magical circulation pathways throughout the creature's body.
Halfway through this crucial internal transformation, violent magical conflicts suddenly arose within the unstable circulation system.
Accompanying the Thunderbird-shaped spider's terrible, pain-filled shriek, with a sharp crack and explosion of wild lightning, the experimental creature exploded messily into smoking fragments.
Kael had timely cast Protego, successfully shielding both himself and Gandalf from the explosion's dangerous aftermath.
Seeing yet another experiment fail catastrophically, Kael showed no disappointment, instead turning immediately to revise the circulation pathways with Gandalf's input.
Then he retrieved another unfortunate giant spider for continued magical transfiguration experiments.
Through countless repeated experiments over weeks, the spiders either exploded violently, became grotesque feathered spiders, transformed into disturbing birds with spider legs, or became eagle-headed spiders with countless unblinking eyes—various monstrous chimeras.
Kael efficiently waved his wand to send these failed transfigured monsters down to Herpo's Chamber as exotic snacks for the basilisk.
Then he continued systematically ravaging the giant spider population without remorse.
Giant spiders bred with remarkable speed—one mature female could lay hundreds of eggs at once. Though Kael intentionally controlled their numbers, the tower-raised spider population had grown excessive despite culling, requiring multiple Extension Charm expansions of their chambers.
So Kael felt absolutely no regret about ravaging these giant spiders for experimental purposes.
As days turned to weeks, Kael finally successfully transfigured a giant spider into a proper Thunderbird appearance and function.
Not just a simple external cosmetic transformation, but truly becoming a Thunderbird at a fundamental level.
Even using finite incantatem couldn't revert it to spider form—it remained stubbornly Thunderbird-shaped.
Moreover, the experimental Thunderbird could actually release faint electrical sparks from its feathers.
But Kael still frowned with dissatisfaction, not pleased with this limited result.
This pale imitation remained far from his mental image of true Thunderbirds. Forget creating devastating storm rains—its full electrical output could be easily blocked by even a basic Protego shield charm.
"Alright, Kael, don't become discouraged by slow progress," Gandalf consoled warmly. "We had absolutely no reference material for these Thunderbirds. Achieving any electrical discharge ability in just months of work is already excellent progress."
"Such experimental breakthrough work needs considerable luck and sudden inspiration. We have plenty of time ahead—there's no need to rush."
"Luck and inspiration?" Kael's eyes immediately brightened with realization, his furrowed brow relaxing.
He smiled while nodding in enthusiastic agreement. "You're absolutely right, Gandalf. We genuinely need some extraordinary luck. So after Felix Felicis finally completes its brewing, we'll conduct experiments again with that advantage."
Hearing this clever plan, Gandalf smiled with anticipation. "I'm really looking forward to experiencing how genuinely miraculous your Felix Felicis proves—actually granting people measurable luck. More wondrous than all conventional magic!"
"When Felix Felicis completes successfully, I'll gift you a vial too, Gandalf," Kael promised generously.
Both wizards temporarily set aside the challenging transfiguration experiments, turning their attention to preparing for the rapidly approaching engagement day.
The invitation letters Kael had sent throughout Middle-earth gradually received enthusiastic replies. Elven Prince Legolas, Dale's Lord Bard, Anduin Valley's Beorn, and Moria's Lord Balin—all happily accepted the invitations without hesitation.
However, Lonely Mountain's Dwarf King Thorin and Rohan's King Théngel both expressed regret that busy domestic affairs prevented their attendance—they would send trusted representatives for the engagement ceremony, then personally attend the wedding celebration later.
The Far Eastern Blue Wizards, dealing with recent troubling Easterling tribal movements, couldn't come either, to Kael's disappointment.
Grey Havens' ancient Círdan, occupied with the solemn duty of transporting elves sailing west to Valinor, couldn't attend Kael's engagement banquet either. He specially sent a beautifully carved box filled with rare pearls formed from mermaid tears as his blessing.
September 20th arrived—the day before Harvest Festival, and more importantly, the day before the formal engagement ceremony.
Legolas, Bard, Beorn, and numerous other invited guests came through the Floo Network fireplaces to Hogwarts Castle throughout the day.
Hogsmeade's Mayor Luke, Bree's Mayor Butch, and Dunlending Chief Brog, plus carefully selected citizen representatives, successively arrived at Weathertop to join the celebration.
The normally quiet castle became wonderfully lively with diverse guests.
In the grand banquet hall gathered humans, elves, dwarves, and hobbits—a remarkable assembly of Middle-earth's free peoples.
The original Lonely Mountain expedition team, except for Thorin Oakenshield himself, had reunited once more after years apart.
This included dwarf Kíli accompanied by his elven maiden bride, Tauriel.
Since leaving Lonely Mountain behind, they had traveled extensively throughout Middle-earth together, recently settling in the Blue Mountains, where dwarves had once lived in ancient times.
Receiving Kael's warm invitation, they had journeyed together with Tauriel to celebrate.
Legolas had always viewed Tauriel as family despite her banishment. Seeing her again looking so genuinely happy and in love, he felt profoundly joyful for her.
Among the expedition dwarves, besides Kíli, who had left Lonely Mountain to build a life with Tauriel, Lord Balin had also led Ori, Óin, Bifur, and several other dwarves to establish new lives in reclaimed Moria. So they hadn't seen each other in quite some time.
This joyful reunion brought enthusiastic embraces all around. The dwarves hadn't forgotten their original teammates Bilbo, Gandalf, and of course, Kael himself.
While heartily congratulating Kael on his engagement, the generous dwarves gifted impressive piles of gold, gleaming silver, and precious jewels as traditional gifts.
Especially Moria's Lord Balin, who presented magnificent armor forged entirely of pure mithril—a gift beyond price.
Everyone eagerly toured Hogwarts Castle's many wonders under Kael's guidance.
They witnessed the never-extinguishing Gubraithian fire burning eternally, floating candles drifting through the air, an enchanted ceiling perfectly matching the sky outside, mysteriously moving staircases that shifted locations, the world-like expanded herb gardens, salamanders living comfortably in fireplaces, and countless magical portraits hanging throughout the corridor walls.
All the guests curiously watched these moving, talking portraits with fascination, attempting friendly communication.
Seeing the portraits prove no different from ordinary people with distinct individual temperaments and established habits, everyone felt even more profoundly shocked by the magic.
Most stunning of all were the garden's magnificent golden Mallorn and silver White Trees, radiating dazzling metallic light under the sunset's rays, enveloping the entire castle in ethereal radiance.
Sweet mingled scents carried by gentle evening breezes scattered everywhere, invigorating spirits and lifting hearts.
Such breathtaking scenery left everyone utterly stunned and reluctant to leave the gardens.
Time passed quickly in pleasant company. Morning arrived with September 21st—Harvest Festival and the engagement day itself.
Everyone dressed in their most splendid formal attire, gathering with infectious liveliness and bright smiles by the fountain before the banquet hall's grand entrance.
Seeing twelve tall white pegasi pulling the magnificent golden carriage approaching majestically, everyone gasped aloud, looking with amazed appreciation at these beautiful flying horses.
Even the normally critical dwarves had to grudgingly admit these pegasi were extraordinarily beautiful creatures.
"Alright, everyone board quickly. We absolutely cannot keep our gracious hosts waiting!" Gandalf approached the carriage first, loudly calling to the assembled group.
Today Gandalf had changed into pristine white robes instead of his usual grey, appearing remarkably like the future White Wizard Gandalf would eventually become.
Hearing Gandalf's practical words, everyone quickly made final adjustments to their appearances, then queued politely to enter the magically expanded carriage interior.
Those present included twelve dwarves—Balin, Fíli, Kíli, and their companions; elves Legolas and Tauriel; hobbits Bilbo Baggins and Drogo Baggins, who was Frodo's father; the imposing skin-changer Beorn; human Lord Bard and his son; plus Kael's loyal Dunlending Chief Brog, Hogsmeade's Mayor Luke, and Bree's Mayor Butch; plus, of course, Gandalf and Kael himself—twenty-three diverse people total.
Adding the two experienced coachmen made twenty-five passengers.
"Just this one carriage? Won't we be terribly cramped inside?" Dwarf Bombur looked skeptically at his own considerable bulky figure, then at the carriage's modest external size, muttering doubtfully.
But upon climbing into the carriage and actually entering inside, Bombur immediately widened his eyes in complete shock.
The interior proved a vast expanded space. Forget comfortably fitting their mere twenty-three people—even ten times that number would still leave the space feeling spacious and uncrowded.