Oooh, I like this a lot!

Oh my. What an interesting take on 'who would drain a lake?' - especially that conclusion!

I enjoyed how you took this concept through the whole timeline! I think my favorite line was 

(I do not wish to peek into their dreams.)

Of course it's a bit of an aside, but that sudden bit of iambic pentameter in the midst of free verse really made an impression on me, and it ties that whole section up very strongly!

Definitely poetry! And what a great use of the prompt. In the beginning, I expected it to remain very general, connected to Middle-earth but not necessarily referencing much of it, and then you went all in. And that conclusion? Goosebumps.