Ok, so REWRITE! I hated the last version, and I couldn't get it to go anywhere. :( It's based on if Thorin had had a daughter but this time, WAS married to her mother (Trust me, it does change much). The story starts in the year 2939, when Aramere is 12 (In human years- 39 in dwarrow years, just under her 'majority'. See: dwarves, Tolkien Gateway for more). This is ten months before Thorin sets of for The Shire on his quest to regain Erebor.
Disclaimer: I obviously don't own The Lord of the Rings or the Hobbit but it would be awesome if I did. I do own Aramere.
There was something immensely satisfying the sound of a hammer on an anvil to Aramere. Of course, because she was a girl, she wasn't often allowed in the forges but very occasionally her Adad would smuggle her in when no one else was around and she would have a go at making a horse shoe or two and she was getting rather good to her mind; so much so that her Adad said she could sell them at the market in town and keep the profit although they both knew that wasn't very much money, especially now in midwinter when horses were struggling to wade through the waist high snow and food was scarce.
"Right young lady," said her Adad from behind her, shaking her from her thoughts of the gold and dragons in her homeland. Erebor was more and more often on her mind these days and she couldn't place why. Of course, being heir to its throne might have something to do with it… "I think it's time we went back to your mother, else she inform the whole village that you're missing. Again."
"Sorry Adad." muttered Aramere, blushing the ruby red colour of the now setting sun. "Coming." As she jogged towards him he stopped her and looked and her questioningly.
"Aren't you forgetting something rather important?"
"Oh!" gasped Aramere, smacking her forehead in annoyance and causing her bright red, curly hair to fall in front of her face like a thick curtain of fire." My horseshoes!"
Quickly, she jogged back again and scooped up her completed horseshoes in a large cloth sack counting them as she went. "Eight today, six last time, seven before that and…" she closed her eyes to figure out how many she had done before then. "Thirty-five prior to that. So that means I now have…" she closed her eyes again.
"Fifty-six horse shoes." Her Adad finished for her. "Now come on!"
"Coming, coming." She sighed as she waded out into the waist height snow behind him, so that her hair trailed behind her like a wedding train.
As they neared the town square, the wonderful scent of apples, spices, and roast meat filled the air reminding Aramere what day it was: New Year's Eve! Tonight there would be festivities, dancing, singing and feasting until the wee hours of the morning. For those who were allowed to go, anyway. Being the daughter of two dwarf refugees, she was seen as a second-class citizen in Luin Magdul and was excluded from these festivities, much to her dismay. Every year had been the same, she would sit on the roof of her house on the outskirts of town and listen to the music and laughter and try to imagine that she was there too. More often than not her parents would come up a few hours later to find her asleep in a ball under a light dusting of snow.
As always, as soon as she opened the door to their tiny, cramped, stilted house she was greeted by a bone-crushing hug from her mother, Frida, who then promptly turned and scolded her Adad for being home so late. Today though, Aramere noticed that her Amad looked unusually taught and distracted. Not wishing to butt into her parents routine hushed conversation she excused herself to leave only to be stopped by her Adad's firm hand on her shoulder. "Actually, Ara, we need to tell you something. Come sit at the table."
"Oh, ok." She said, equal parts curious and confused as to what the news might be. Was she in trouble? Did they have to move again? Questions chased each other around and around her head.
Once they were all sat down, they all stared at each other blankly until her Adad cleared his throat awkwardly. "It's my fault so let me start from the beginning…"
Aramere listened in awe as she learned where her Adad had been going in secret for months now. He had been meeting with Gandalf the Grey, he said, and discussing plans for a long-awaited journey. He had gathered to him a dozen dwarves including her brothers Fili and Kili (they were really her cousins, but they were as close as brothers to her) and her uncles Balin and Dwalin who also wanted to go on this quest. When he finished he let out a long sigh.
"And there you have It." he said at last. "The truth."
"But Adad," she said shakily "You haven't said where you're going, when, or for how long."
"I know." He said softly after a long glance at her Amad." Sadly, I can only answer two of those questions. I will leave for a small country called The Shire on the first of the fourth month this coming year and meet the rest of the company there. We will there collect the fourteenth member of the company whom Gandalf has selected from the folk who live there. We shall then set off on the main purpose of our journey. To reclaim Erebor. As for when I will return I do not know when or if I even shall."
Aramere stared open mouthed at her Adad in disbelief, willing it not to be true. She had always known this day would come ever since they told her about her about her ancestry. As king under the mountain, her Adad would need to go back someday but she had always hoped that that time would come when she was old enough to go with them. Now the shock of it cleared and the angry tears prickled in her eyes. Why did he have to go? Why did he listen to the advice of the stupid wizard Gandalf? Why her? Why did she have to be the princess? Why was her life so unfair?
With all of these questions still whirling around her head, she forced back her chair and ran to the door and then out into the snow, slamming the door behind her. Knowing that it was fruitless to follow her, her parents sat in silence, waiting for her to calm down, see sense and return.
Still fuming, Aramere waded as fast as the snow and her little legs would allow, to the small, cramped shelter she had built under the garden of the old nursery a mile or so out of town where no one went any more. Once she had managed to bury her way in, she let the tears start to flow. For what seemed like forever, she raged and sobbed until, exhausted, she curled up and fell into an uneasy sleep.
It was late morning when Aramere awoke to the sound of her name being called. At that moment the events of the night before rushed back to her in an uncontrollable flood of fear, anger, panic, sadness and guilt. She looked around in a panic and found herself in her den under a layer of several feet of snow. Then it dawned on her why she hadn't been found; the falling snow had covered her tracks and because she was a fair way out of town no one had seen where she went!
Realising what a panic her parents must be in she scooped away the snow from the entrance and crawled out into the crisp white blanket which now lay three and a half feet deep in places and being only three feet tall herself, when she found these deeper pockets she found it a good deal harder to get out again. But eventually she arrived at the edge of town, frozen to the core and worried sick about what her parents would say when they found her.
Suddenly, rough hands had her under the arms and were hauling her up and out of the snow! Struggling against them she fell back down into the drift and whirled around to see who the hands belonged to.
"Well somebody's rather jumpy this morning!" Laughed the fur-clad figure. "And I had expected a warm welcome after the journey we've just had." Then looking closer at Aramere, "Gracious, Ara! Where's your cloak? You must be frozen!"
"Kili! I wasn't expecting you! Nor you Fili, for that matter! And yes, I am frozen but we need to get home quick. Adad and Amad are probably out looking for me. You see, Adad told me about your quest for Erebor and I was sad and angry and worried so I ran off to a little den I made about a mile or so out of town but because of the snow I left no tracks and they couldn't follow me and so they don't know where I am and…" she paused at last to take a deep breath.
"Alright, alright" interrupted Fili," We understand. But instead of standing here getting cold let us go and find your parents. Here, I'll carry you to keep you warm."
"Th-Thanks." Shivered Aramere gratefully, suddenly realising that her teeth were chattering from the cold. "You remember the way, I trust?"
"Of course we do! " said Kili with a smile," It's a second home to us! Now let's go before the snow covers our heads as well."
Ten minutes later, they were at the house. Kili knocked firmly on the door and then took a step back, waiting for it to open. Within seconds the door flew open to reveal Frida looking as though she had seen a ghost and hadn't slept in a week.
"Happy New Year Aunt Frida, you're not looking too well." Said Fili." We brought you something that might help cheer you up. "
With that he let Aramere down onto the porch and with a squeal she ran to her mother. "I'm sorry." She whispered as she hugged her Amad tight.
"I'm sorry too, Ara. So sorry." Whispered Frida before prising herself away from Aramere in order to greet Fili and Kili properly.
After the initial reunion, Frida ushered the three of them inside to thaw by the fire while she boiled some leaves in water for them to drink. Just as they had settled down to warm, the door burst open and a dripping wet, stiff figure lumbered in.
"Uncle!" Exclaimed Kili from the fireside. "We were getting worr-"
"Ah, lads I'm so glad that you're here," he butted in, seeming quite distraught, almost on the edge of panic, "you see, we've lost-"
"Adad!" screamed Aramere running from the fire to hug him. "I'm sorry I ran off last night! I was scared and worried and angry and so I ran to my den under the nursery and then the falling snow hid my tracks and then Fili and Kili found me on the outskirts of town and I, I'm sorry. So sorry. I'll never, ever run off again. I promise."
"Sh,sh." Said Thorin softly crouching down, silently thanking Mahal that this- HIS – tiny bundle of crazy-as-hell, mad-as a-hatter child, hadn't frozen to death, or wandered away. "You're ok and that's all that matters Ara. I wouldn't mind a glass of something a little stronger than water, though, after all that searching" he chuckled as an afterthought, not wanting to show quite how relieved he was.
Giggling, Aramere ran through to her mother in the kitchen to fetch some ale while her Adad discussed the future with her brothers.
Soon they were all quite warm and comfortable around the roaring fire and they laughed and talked until the night had come and the sun had set far below The Misty Mountains on the horizon.
So that was my first chapter, I hope that you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Please like or leave a positive comment as this is my first ever publish! Thanks!
Okey-dokey folks. You know that that's not STRICTLY true. But I hope that this made you happy (even if you haven't read this before). See you soon (this isn't as hard as I thought).