Decided to try my hand at another story. Hopefully this one goes the way I plan. Don't know how often I will update it, but I will try to keep it consistent.
A pair of eyes hidden under a hood watched from a tree as the giant eagles dropped what looked like a group of 14 men. All varying in heights, but one stuck out the most, the tallest dressed in all gray. To the figure in the tree he looked familiar. One that seemed like he was in charge stood up, he walked to the shortest and it looked almost heated until they hugged. Then they all turned and stared into the distance.
The figure wanted to wait out until the company left the large rock, but they were told by the eagles before they left to hunt and show some hospitality to strangers. Below the tree laid to large deer and a couple of rabbits. The figure climbed down the tree and started to gather some wood.
When the company reached the bottom of the rock they noticed the growing pile of wood. The hooded figure stopped by the tree line and noticed the company looking at the pile of wood and the deer laying on the ground. The figure got a better look at the company, there were 13 dwarves, a hobbit and a wizard known as Gandalf the Gray. The figure took a deep breath and walked out of the tree line with a pile of wood in their arms and the rabbits strung together over their shoulder.
The company stopped talking when they noticed the person coming closer. Eyes looked up from under a dark gray hood, slips of blond hair fell out of the hood. The person walked towards the company like it was nothing. Setting down the wood the figure looked up and saw the wizard smiling.
"I don't believe it."
The figure stood up. Pushing the hood down revealed a beautiful women with long blond hair and light gray eyes. Upon seeing the dwarves she made sure her hair covered her pointed ears.
"Believe what?" the leader asked.
"A dear friend of mine has graced us with her presence." Gandalf smiled at the girl. Instead of saying anything she started to build a fire.
"I was under orders of your rescuers to show hospitality that I have not shown many people in the last fifty years. A warm meal and a nice fire to keep you comfortable for the night, then see you on your way."
"Finley, you are not the happy girl I remember seeing all those years ago." Gandalf said.
"I am not that happy girl any more, she died a long time ago." Finley said as the fire started.
"Why?" Gandalf asked. The girl looked down at the fire then stood and turned. "Where are you going?"
"You all need wood to keep the fire going, and a way to cook those deer."
"We can help." the leader said.
"You are injured." he gave her a look. "I can tell by the way you stand. You should rest, I will welcome the help, as long as you are not involved in that help."
When she looked at him a little longer she realized who he was. Thorin Oakenshield, the prince of Erebor, but he had no home to be prince of any more. She also knew that he, out of all dwarves, carried the most hatred for her kind, elves.
"Men, help the lady." Thorin said.
The rest of the company followed her into the woods and she led them to a pile of cut wood that she used for her own fires for her own meals, but they were in need of it more than she was.
"What are you doing out here all by yourself?" the little hobbit asked.
"I have my reasons." she said sharply.
"Is it safe?" A young-looking dwarf with a knitted cardigan and mittens.
"Probably not, but it is the life I have chosen and it is the one I plan on living it until I cannot live it any longer." Finley said picking up a piece of wood then turning on her heel.
"How do you survive out here?" a dwarf with a long white beard asked.
"I learned how too." she said without turning to look at them.
She walked out of the woods and dropped the wood on the ground next to the fire. The rest of the company brought over a lot of wood, so Finley wouldn't need to get any more. She went to walk off but Gandalf stopped her.
"Finley, may I have a word?"
She gave a sharp nod and they walked away from the group. Finley stared at him as he lit his pipe.
"What did you want to talk about?" she asked impatiently.
"Since you have made your home out here, then you must know Beorn?"
"Yes I do. He is the only person I have had contact with in the last fifty years. But we both enjoy the peace of being by ourselves. Why do you ask about him?"
"I was going to take the company to seek some rest."
"Why? He does not like company very much."
"But he does like a good story." he smiled. "We have a good tale to tell him."
Finley shook her head. "Gandalf, be careful."
"I do not know the way to his home though."
"Then why take the company? There must be somewhere else you can take them that will be more welcoming."
"We need supplies. Beorn is a good man, and he will help us."
"You can not bombard the man with 13 dwarves and a hobbit at the same time."
"I know. I have a plan. I wanted to ask you if you would lead the way. Seeing a familiar face will help lessen the burden of all of us arriving."
Finley sighed, she knew he was right. It probably wouldn't hurt to go see Beorn again, it has been ten years since she saw him last. Well except the times that she saw his bear form at night.
"Fine."
"Finley, what happened to the little elf that use to run around without a care in the world?"
"Well the world got to her. After many of years, that little girl was hardened by all the wrong doings of the world. After she watched the world for hundreds of years turn into a dark place, slowly so did her heart."
Gandalf gave her a sad smile. "You will one day remember the world as how you saw it when you were a child." Finley just looked at the ground and shook her head. "Well if you will be spending a few days with the company, you should meet them."
"Why? It is not like I will ever see them again."
"Think of it as part of your hospitality."
Finley huffed then nodded. The two walked back to the company who were now happily munching on the rabbits.
"Ye found some fine rabbits lass." a dwarf with tattoos on his bald head and a mustache said.
"Thank you. After fifty years in the wild you learn how pick the good ones out." Soon the rabbits were gone and everyone sat the fire while the deer cooked.
"I believe it is time for introductions." Gandalf said. He started to go around the circle.
"Ori." the small dwarf with the cardigan.
"Nori." the red-head with hair that looked like a star fish.
"Dori." a dwarf with gray hair and very intricate braids.
"Dwalin." the one with tattoos.
"Balin." had a long white beard.
"Gloin." the perfect picture of a dwarf.
"Oin." an older dwarf with a horn he kept close to his ear.
"Bombur." a very fat dwarf, who was doing the cooking.
"Bifur." a dwarf with black and white hair, but she would remember him by the orc axe stuck in his forehead.
"Bofur." a dwarf with three braids, but the front two pointed up, just like his hat.
"Kili." the youngest looking of the group with dark brown hair and only stubble on his chin.
"Fili." had blond hair and a neatly braided beard.
"Thorin Oakenshield." the leader of the company that Finley knew, but he didn't know that they had met many years ago, and she wanted to keep it that way.
"Bilbo Baggins." the resident burglar and hobbit.
"And this gentlemen, is Finley daughter of Thranduil of Mirkwood." Finley's head shot towards Gandalf. Her eyes glaring at him. She could feel Thorin glaring at her.
"An elf?" he hissed.
Her head snapped in Thorin's direction. "Do not let your hate of a race, cloud your mind so much that you forget who is currently supplying you with wood for your fire and meat for your meals." she growled.
Thorin turned his head away from her. She looked around and saw everyone staring at her. Some in awe that she talked to their leader that way, a few, mainly Gloin and Dwalin, looked at her sceptically, and the hobbit half-smiled at her.
She pushed herself off the ground. Gandalf went to stop her but she yanked out of his grasp. "You all need water. Unless you do not trust an elf to go get it." she said glaring at Thorin. He looked up at her and nodded.
He was not the man she met all those years ago. The one that would smile at the bored elvish girl when her father would visit his grandfather. The dwarf that would talk to her during dinner when no one else would. This man carried more hatred then any man should carry with him.
She walked to her little camp site and grabbed four water skins and walked to the near by river. She filled them and walked back to the company. Gandalf was telling them all about going to see Beorn.
"Finley has graciously offered to lead us to his home."
"You coerced me into it." she said as she approached the fire. "Do not lead them to believe I am more willing to lead the way then they are of having me lead them."
She passed the skins out so they could all get something to drink. She also pulled a vile out of her pack as she passed it. She walked next to Thorin.
"This will help with your pain."
"I don't want it."
"Do not be stubborn, it will help you." she said pushing it towards him. He sighed and accepted it without another word. Finley turned to return to her seat between the wizard and the hobbit.
"You were the young elf that accompanied Thranduil to the meetings he had with the king." Balin stated.
"Yes."
"The one that was so amazed by anything and everything that had to do with dwarves." he smiled.
"Yes."
"The same one that use to love braiding her father's hair while he sat talking to King Thror."
Finley stared across the fire at him. "Yes, but I am no longer that young elf any more."
Balin smiled at her. "But she still lives inside you." Finley looked away from his knowing eyes.
"No she does not."
"Why are you not with your family?" Ori asked.
Finley sighed. She hated being asked about herself, she always did. "I left when my father would not help your people when the dragon attacked your home. I am guessing that he believes me to be dead, and I prefer it that way."
"You left because he wouldn't help us?" Thorin asked.
"Yes." she snapped. She saw every one looking at her again. "Your deer is done cooking." she stated trying to get eyes away from her. They all turned back to the fire.
After every one ate, Finley took Nori, Bofur and Kili back to her little camp to grap the company some blankets.
"This is where you live?" Bofur asked her.
"Yes. I called it home for the last forty years."
"It looks, homely." Nori laughed looking around the tent. Finley half smiled at him.
"I never planned on staying here very long."
"Forty years is a long time." Kili joked.
"Unless you are an elf that is going to live for ever. Then forty years is actually a kind of short time."
"True." Bofur laughed as she handed him some blankets. The four of them walked back to the fire. Finley set her pile of blankets down.
"To keep you warm tonight. Not that it will get very cold, but you need some sort of comfort."
"Thank you Finley." Gandalf smiled at her behind his smoke screen.
"You are welcome. I will hunt tonight to get you breakfast for in the morning." Then she turned and walked back to her camp and grabbed her bow and quiver. By the time everyone woke up, Finley was cooking five rabbits, a small deer and a stew that had some meat from last night in it.
"Smells good." Bombur said walking over to the fire.
Finley nodded. She left the rest of the cooking to Bombur as she walked to her tent. She packed up her cloak and some supplies, it was only about half a days walk to Beorn's home, but with Gandalf you never knew what kind of trouble he was going to get you into.
She arrived back at the fire to see everyone eating. She took the water skins and went to fill them up, the less she talked to them the better she felt.
"Lass?" she turned and saw Balin standing behind her.
"Yes?"
"Need any help?"
She bit back a rude reply and handed him two of the skins. "Thank you."
"Why did you actually leave Mirkwood?"
"Because, my father wouldn't help you. I enjoyed being around dwarves, and he sat and watched the dragon take your home from you. Not even offering you all some sort of shelter and food until some one could find a place to go. He put his army's life over the dwarves that day."
"When did you leave?"
"That night after I found out about him leaving. I snuck out. I wondered around for years until I found this place, it has been my home in a sense."
Balin nodded then they walked back to camp. After every one ate Finley put out the fire and started to lead the way to Beorn's house.
"Gandalf what is your plan once you get there?" Finley asked.
"You will see." She heard the company carrying on different conversations, the one that stuck out the most was Balin and Thorin talking about her and her father.
When they arrived at Beorn's field Finley stopped. "What is your plan now?"
"Bilbo and Finley, you will go with me first. When I whistle, I want the rest of you to come in groups of two, in five-minute increments. Bombur will be last."
Bombur started to grumble about always being last. Finley cracked half a smile then her, Gandalf and Bilbo set off towards the large wooden house. As they walked the horses all picked their heads up. One looked at the group then took off running to the house. Bilbo looked confused.
"She is running to tell Beorn that we are here." Finley stated.
The three of them walked to the large wooden house and saw the door open as they approached.
"Finley?" A large man with a long dark beard said walking out to the porch.
"Beorn." she half smiled.
"You have brought guests." he smiled back at her as she walked ahead of her two companions.
"You have not heard a tale in a long time that has kept you interested."
"You are right. Come in." he smiled putting his hand on her back. They followed him inside and sat down around a large table.
"Beorn, this is Gandalf the Gray and Bilbo Baggins of the Shire." Finley said.
"A hobbit this far away from his home. Must be an interesting story then."
Gandalf started the tale. He started talking about the company and Beorn looked confused. Finley smiled slightly as Gandalf walked towards the door and whistled loudly. Finley looked at Beorn, he had no idea what he was getting himself into.
Reviews are welcome (=