Hello! This is my second attempt at writing a story set in Middle Earth and this time I hopefully have written it with much more realistic and sophisticated language. So far I have 7 chapters completed, with probably another 10 or so more to write, and I am going to aim to upload a chapter each week. Please feel free to shout at me if I forget. I am extremely proud of this story as I've never written so many different personalities that are crucial to the storyline in one story before- I mean there's the 12 dwarves, Bilbo and Gandalf for starters!
Okay so my character is called Maetharanel and she is an elf. Other than that my mouth will remain shut and to find out any more about her then continue reading! I hope you enjoy this story and please leave a review to let me know f you liked it/what could be improved. Personally this is my favourite ever piece of writing (and considering I've been writing for over 10 years now, that's saying something!) and so I hope that people will like it as much as I loved writing it. Most chapters are around the 2,000 word mark, with a few exceptions being longer or shorter such as chapter 1 for example which is a little under 1500 words as it is the introduction after all.
Oh- and it is a Kili/OFC story. Sorry, but I really couldn't resist the opportunity to give our prince a little bit of loving!
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She sat in the darkest corner of the tavern, hunched into the corner as far as she could reach without appearing suspicious. The whole time, she ensured her hood remained firmly in place, covering her features and, most importantly, her gender. She was under no illusions; if the men here realised she was actually a female, they would immediately regard her as fresh bait and begin hounding her until she would inevitably be forced into harming, or even killing, one of them.
A tiny tendril of smoke danced across her vision, breaking her thoughts as it curled around her in gentle wisps, drawing a smile onto her face as she recognised the sweet sandalwood scent of the tobacco that she knew of only one person to possess. Still, despite this, she sat silently, unwilling to move in case the men in the tavern saw her for what she was. It didn't take long before a familiar shadow appeared before her and she smiled once again as the owner of said shadow placed a pint of ale in front of her before addressing her.
"It's rather a dangerous location for a young woman such as yourself to be around." A male voice spoke, his tone one of equal parts amusement, fondness and concealed concern for her safety.
The only response he received was a slight movement of her wrist, revealing to him the long sword that was firmly secured in her grasp, hidden out of view from the other customers. The man's eyes twinkled and even in the darkness, she could see the ever-present mischievous glint in his gaze. She moved her sword back into its hiding place before finally turning her face enough that he could see the light of the tavern's fire reflecting in her eyes. She remained speechless, instead simply raising one delicate eyebrow, silently questioning his presence.
"I am here to ask for your assistance. I am soon to go on an expedition of sorts with a small group of companions. Your knowledge of languages combined with your skills in hunting and tracking will likely prove to be vital in helping us to reach the end of the journey."
Her eyebrow lowered and she leaned back, her expression settling in to a glower, her eyes darkening with suspicion as she knew there was something he had failed to tell her. Her senses went onto high alert when the man coughed and raised a wrinkled hand to rub at his dark grey beard nervously.
"There is also a small chance that we will be passing through Mirkwood and may need your…where are you going?" he asked as she pushed past him.
As soon as the word Mirkwood passed through his lips, her breath hitched and without pausing, she raised herself to her full height that to her annoyance was only tall enough to reach the man's chest. Her eyes flashed in anger and she roughly pushed past him, walking out of the tavern, only pausing to throw a gold coin towards the barkeeper as she left. After taking only three steps outside, she heard the door open and shut behind her and immediately slid her dagger out from under her tunic. The moment she felt him behind her, she darted round and pressed the blade against his throat before he could even blink. She grit her teeth to see the smile of amusement on his face and sighed, removing the blade and placing it back into its hiding place. Her gaze never left his and she growled quietly in frustration at the smile that had yet to leave his face. Turning away from him, she indicated for him to follow her and waited only until they were out of sight of any prying eyes before finally speaking with a voice as pure and clear as a clean cut diamond.
"Why me?" she asked, her tone holding the harsh edge of a woman barely hanging on the balance of containing her temper.
"You are one of the only ones whom the elves of Mirkwood will trust and will listen to. I fear we will cross into Mirkwood on our journey and King Thranduil will not take kindly to the majority of the members of the group. I believe that you can help persuade him to allow us to pass through without any conflict."
She didn't want to hear this; she couldn't believe him. Was he truly serious?
"Please do not tell me you plan on taking dwarves through the forest? The king would rather see them all hang than listen to me plea for their safe passage through!" she argued. Lowering her tone, she tore her eyes away from his. "Besides, I have been banished from there since before it even became known as Mirkwood. Should the elves see me; they will likely kill me, not allow me safe passage." she murmured, her tone melancholic.
The man's eyes dimmed slightly as he saw the inner fight she had to pull herself out of her thoughts of the past and back to the task he had asked of her and he nodded in understanding. Knowing she would never be able to fully understand his intentions, she also knew she could never refuse him, especially as she'd hidden herself well enough to not be found by those who knew of her and yet, here he stood. He would not have gone through the trouble she knew he would have faced in tracking her if he did not truly believe in her or need her skills. Sighing in defeat, she mumbled a few choice words to herself before looking back up at him, her eyes a mix of anger, fear and most importantly to the man in front of her, acceptance, albeit reluctant in nature.
"You knew I would say yes before you even arrived didn't you?" she asked him, her voice becoming amused as he winked and chuckled, his blue eyes twinkling in joy at her acceptance.
"My dear girl, of course I did. I know that the girl who spent her whole childhood defying her father at any moment still resided in you somewhere despite the feelings you have against returning to Mirkwood, and this would be the ultimate act of defiance in the eyes of your father and for you, the perfect excuse to show that you are beyond the callousness of your people when it comes to the matter of dwarves."
She smiled at his words, unable to repress the thought of her father's reaction should he discover that she was travelling with dwarves. The more she thought about it, a deep, deep part of her soul she long thought to have shrivelled and died long ago once more stirred to life; the part that had always longed to stand up to her father and fight for what she knew to be right. With one last sigh as she resigned herself to her fate on this journey, she gave the old man a defeated smile.
"I will help you."
"As I knew you would my dear. Now, I must be off to prepare. I will be passing through the Shire in two days and in three days, myself and the company shall be departing for the Great East Road. I wish for you to meet us along there. I strongly suggest you bring a horse with you, for the journey we face will be both long and arduous."
"You truly have an infuriating method of persuasion for a wizard, Mithrandir." she sighed.
Mithrandir, known more commonly as Gandalf in the common tongue, let out a booming laugh that reverberated through the trees nearby and clapped her on the shoulder.
"And you, my dear Maetharanel are still the same young, fiery spirit I remember you to be, despite the effort you put in to hiding your true self from the world."
Maetharanel simply laughed and waved as the old wizard made his way to the exit of the town. Once he was out of her sight, she dropped her hand, instead clenching it into fist. Being on a journey with Gandalf along with the knowledge that it was likely she would have to face her father, filled her with both fear, anger and strangely, a glimmer of hope. Maybe this time, after being away for almost one hundred years, her father would begin to understand her more and maybe even forgive her for leaving in the first place.
That was, if he could bring himself to forgive her for willingly travelling with dwarves as companions.
