Disclaimer: I own myself and this modification of an amazing story owned by Tolkien. Artistic liberties were taken with cultural habit and traditions.
Please review! If you see a mistake, or something that needs more or less detail or is confusing so I can try an improve this story. I know its not the best quality and I am trying to improve it, if you think it sucks or didn't like something tell me why, maybe you are correct or perhaps I was unclear in my telling of it and need to word it better. I have corrected some things that mere brought to my attention as being misspelled or missing punctuation. Thanks for the message! If you like the story tell me why I want to write something people want to read. Thank you all so much! I have also added some detail. Further detail has been added upon request to first and second chapter in prep for the 3rd chapter. NOTE: There has been a huge overhaul, please reread before continuing.
A female Dwarrowdam sat on her large wooden four poster bed as she packed some hard cheeses and dried meats into her travelers pack. She reached over with her thick pale arm strong and sinewy from years forging Steel, Bronze and Iron. Deceivingly nimble, dexterous fingers carefully picked up the herbs she had sorted and prepared for this trip the night before. A few skins of high quality healing salves and balms from her neighbor just in case of course, sat among them; for things like cough, fever, bruising, to help clot the blood and a few common enough antidotes and some not so common antidotes and even a kings-foil salve in a setting of crystallized willow honey.
She made sure to pack it so that everything had its own pocket that was embroidered with old symbols to help make the pockets stronger, colder or to bring luck and so she knew what was in which pocket even if she couldn't see, hear or speak. It had been something her Ranger mentor had in insisted on,and drilled into her head should she ever become blinded in battle for any number of reasons or otherwise some how sensory shutdown she could still heal herself correctly. She was trained to recognize all plants by feel, sight and smell as was good and proper for any Hobbit, but she was also quite stealthy for a Dwobbit and could track nearly everything except perhaps a ranger wishing to remain lost.
Her mother came in and startled at the pack and scattering of belongings about the room. Ash she stepped forward she took a deep breath pulling an ornate golden brush from her sleeve she began to brush her daughters silky mahogany hair. The girl leaned into the comforting touches of her mother and the brush from their long lost homeland.
Her mother buried her face in her hands "Please Kalur, you MUST see reason! I don't care what you think you saw in that damned dream of yours, you are all I have left in this world I will not loose you as well!" her mother shouted her voice hitching with held back fear.
"Mother, because of you I have grown up on stories of The Wandering King, tales or riches and splendor from back before the dragon fire when uncle was his best-friend back under the mountain, the tales of the majesty of mountain itself and the celebrations, feasts and even the struggles. I know how to overcome the sickness in him mother, I can do this if you but trust in me I can restore The Wandering King to the ."
"It's GONE KALUR! and its NEVER COMING BACK! This is a FOOLS JOURNEY lead by a DRAGON SICK MADMAN and NO Dwarrowling of MINE is going to throw her life away for a gold sick king you have never even MET!" She roared doing a fairly decent impression of said dragon herself in her rage at the fight she could feel she was loosing.
"How DARE YOU! We WILL retake Erebor, I know the riddle, I know the path and I know of the sickness already mother... I do not understand he was your prince! Yet when he needs me, you would have me turn my back on my KING? YOUR KING! Uncle would be ashamed of you mother. Letting your fear rule you and ruin you so, I will not stay here and suffer a life of guilt knowing that I could have saved them... in favor of the calm quiet life of a good and proper Hobbit woman." Kalur said blind to her mother's pain at her words, as she ripped into the weakness of the older woman's arguments, the rage she felt at her mother's treasonous words and demands of betrayal that refused to sit well with the younger woman.
On most days the girls mother was a fine, proud example of a Dwarrowdam. Long braided sideburns flowed into a singular beard with a single tiny braid a red glass bead at the end shaped into an anvel with a backpack on top. It was the bead that told of her daughter, it was glass as all beads that honored children were red for the color of the family line the child heralded from, re-shaped later in life as traits and skills that were noteworthy arose.
She had a head full of full Nice long and thick, bouncy honey colored hair. Detailed and intricate patterns and braided knots with lots of different colorful beads and other decorations. That if you knew how to read them might as well have been a biography, resume and pedigree papers all in one. It told of long journeys, hard fights both won and lost, tragedies befallen and prevented, of the love and joys of finding THE ONE and children that had been bore. The Marriage bead however was painted black, as was tradition when Kalur's father, Reginard Took was killed by the Orc's during The Great Fight Of The Fell Winter that united the shire folk and had them take up arms. The rest of her mother's family had been long since lost to the dragon even if only two of those deaths were actually proven.
Kalur took a deep breath tracing her own beads to calm herself. The braid by her eye that had several beads made from seeds and acorns carved to show her skills as a Ranger and as a Rogue, though a few showing skill in pick-pocketing and lock picking remained safely in her breast pocket so as not to be ripped out or destroyed by her overly proud mother. She moved away from them and to the stone bead the only blemish was a old rune for home roughly carved into it with a nail, it's round shape that showed a sibling. Her baby sister who was taken by Mahel before she turned a year old, it was charred/blackened.
Relaxing she moved her fingers backwards to the bead of her mother's brother Kaldur, it was the one that always calmed her the most and gave her strength to persevere even if faced with imminent death. Beautiful red metal carved into a tiny knot-work anvil, delicate gold filigree edged the bead showing his unwavering loyalty to Erebor. A newer addition to his bead was the ruby dragon claw that wrapped around it showing the dragon that had killed him and that he died with honor defending his home and king. It was not blacked out ... Kalur refused.
Brave Uncle Kalder from whom Kalur's own name was derived, faced down the dragon with his dying breath at Thorin's side, as he refused to abandon Erebor to the dragon even if it meant dying for it. He was crushed to death by the dragon's huge clawed foot as it plowed past the soldiers at the gates as if they were naught but grass beneath it. It was not her favorite story of life before the attack and of her uncle, but it was always the one used to steel herself against the world and the odds.
She moved to the brown acorn in her hair it's entire surface carved lightly with a tiny map of middle earth, her father had made it for her and she had used it ever since as his, it fit him beautifully the acorn was for the hobbit, the map was his merchant career. Just under his was her mothers redwood anvil with a hammer sitting on it, the old runes for wealth and prosperity carved into the anvils front while, carved vines painted green wove up the backside of it.
Slowly she turned to face her mother, eyes alight in the the firelight a look of fierce loyalty and determination. She grabbed her mace from her mothers shocked hands, she could have sworn she once again saw her Kaldur there standing before her instead of her daughter and she finally gave up, collapsing into one of the armchairs by the fireside.
"Mother, we have been over this. You should have known; and indeed I think you always have, that this time would come. I am no lady, I am a blacksmith by trade and an adventurer by heart, I am leaving to heed his call though he knows not, and I will change what I have see come to pass if I am not there! Good-Bye Mother." Those final words were the last thing uttered as she turned and stepped out of the door as it closed she could hear you strong mother breakdown into sobs, her step faltered as guilt welled up in her heart... "I Love you mom!" She finally decided to call out to her through the closed door, "I'll be back home before you know it, be safe while I'm away mother."
Quickly mounting her pony she took off down the dirt road, through the budding leaves of spring. The wind pulling at the her Mahogany colored hair. She had to catch up if her dream was correct she would need to be in the Shire by nightfall at the latest or she would miss her chance to reclaim uncle Kalder's forge in Erebor with Thorin the Wandering King.
"Faster my black prince, for tonight we must reach Hobbiton."
He responded to the urgency in his rider's voice with intelligence that the horses of Rohan were famous for and pushed himself faster, together they flew across hill and dale, leaping over streams and stone walls alike. She lost herself in her mind trusting her stallion to get her there safely and muscle memory to aid him on that journey. Her mind recalculating actions and reactions to every change in their expected journey path, to see if it would ease the journey or hinder it.
'I cannot have him go through the greenwood, it may be faster but it would also require bringing us far too close to the Elves and it was sheer dumb luck that got them free last time. Bilbo's luck at that and if I am evicting him from this quest than relying on things he did is not going to hold its weight. We will need to go around, and that means going north around the forest missing the Greenroad, spiders, elves and lake town entirely. We'd have to take the high road around Old Forest, but from there they would need to cross the mountains behind the Ettinmoors not something she was fond of but did they really want to go any closer to Mt Gunderband than expressly needed? Was there time to go south instead? It would surely be safer but did they have time, there was another pass in between Dunland and Eregion if they followed the river that would take them through Lothlorion however, would she help them or stop them? It would not cost more time than going north, but... surely the lady would be able to see our success and let us pass. It would also give the lads a good encounter with elves and a chance to rest in safety, bathe and resupply with good quality weapons. But how to get there... lets think...We would have to head south to cross Bucklebury Bridge then head south-east till we hit the bridge of Dunland to follow that river backwards up into the mountains, I remember my father telling of using that narrow path along the river to get to Lothlorian the orcs would never go near it as it was protected by eldar lights or elvish holy magic that burned anything that was tainted by darkness... it was then I realized that if I could get them to bathe in drink and cook with that water for long enough I may be able to use it to cleanse the madness caused by the gold, and any other dark magic that may have taken hold in any of them. We would go that way, period being a almost strait shot through the mountains it would be the fastest route that would not hinder the company with trials a plenty. From there we would head further east scraping dangerously close to the lands of the Easterlings to pass around the southern tip of the Greenwood then cutting sharply north past the territory of East Bight and strait north to the mountain un-delayed... but how to tell them of the time limit we have...never mind I will have to just come out and be honest with them, I have visions it's not like it's unheard of.'
They had reached Tuckburrow around second lunch she leaned back in the saddle and Prince slowed down. Before long the Green Dragon Inn came into view and two distinct ponies could be seen all packed up for a long trip, their legs covered in dried mud from a long journey already...
"Easy boy you did me proud we rest for now. Drink, have some lunch but stay where you can hear me, I will be back soon with word of our goal and an apple."
Kalur walked up to the barman pack still on her back, when she overheard a few drunken Dwarves talking of some grand adventure, she heard hushed whispering of Erebor and a dragon. Changing directions she helped herself to a chair and sat down at the two Dwarves table. Noticing that it was just two young boys barely older than she was only confirmed her thoughts about the ponies she had seen in her dreams, and the Dwarves that rode them.
"Merry meet lads, I was just going to ask the bartender over yonder for an apple for my pony outside when I heard mention of Erebor and a Dragon. Might I inquire if you mean to try and reclaim the mountain?"
They looked nervous, clearly the two hadn't meant to be overheard as they looked around to see if any others had seemed to hear. "I don't know what you mean miss, you must have misheard us we were just talking about how much we love the ale here at the green dragon as it reminds us of the -"
"Drop the act boys, any who can read the braids can see from your hair that you are Durin's direct kin. Likely very closely related to Thorin and to my knowledge of the families the only twins I know of in Durin's line at all are Dia's sons Fili & Kili."
They tensed and hands went to their weapons as Kalur's hands came up "Easy boys, I too am on my way to offer my skills to My King, to help him reclaim the mountain. I was just wondering if you knew when the meeting was ... as I am not exactly invited I-I did not exactly grow up in any of the Dwarvish settlements or holdalls, I grew up in Bree my mother settled there after the rest of our family was slaughtered defending the halls of Erebor."
"Dinner, the meeting is just after dinner." Kili replied before he realized he was staring.
They relaxed a bit and after another spiced cider ale we talked some more, joked over things, laughed things off then they shared a few tales of their childhoods and other harmless stories.
"How did you end up in Bree miss Kalur? If you don't mind my asking that is." Asked Fili politely as we all ate lunch together.
"My mother fled Erebor out the back door, then she wandered for a time taking up odd jobs in this town or that, until she met my father in Bree."
Soon we departed and Kalur bought a bag of apples for the ponies that they devoured happily, they were off at a much slower pace with her in the lead as she knew where Hobbiton was.
"He's beautiful," Kili whispered as he scratched Prince's forehead "Where did you find a beauty like this?"
"I raised him, he was sired by one of the Rohirrim's horses out of my mother's Buckland pony... he was... a gift from my father before he died." she responded somberly as she mounted her pony.
Kalur and company were off at a much slower pace with her in the lead, as she knew where Hobbiton was seeing as her father's folks lived there. The sun was just setting when they reached Bilbo's door, a blue rune glowing on the door growing brighter or fainter depending on the moonlight that hit it.
"Wealth."
"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Kili.
"The rune there, it's the rune used to symbolize wealth or livestock, in lucky charms or pendants and the like. It could be used in other forging but it's not common as it's impractical."
"You can read that? How? Who taught you?" Fili babbled off rapidly.
"Yes. With my eyes. My mother taught me. Did I get everything?" Kili snickered at the snarky response, while patting her on the back in good humor, but it was not hard to see the awe in his eyes.
"Uh- lads, this is your party I'm not knocking..."
"Oh right sorry!" They said in unison, which made her smile.