I do not own LOTR nor the Hobbit.
This story is dedicated to my two fav characters of Tolkiens world, Thorin and Boromir. Both are true heroes with weaknesses, like any of us. And both should have deserved to see their homes restored in full glory.
The song below is from Moya Brennan, Tell me now (what you see), it not mine.
A huge orc swung his war hammer at the majestic dwarf standing in front of him. The dwarf was thrown back at impact and bones cracked. But he stood up again and charged the orc. After a sheer endless fight the orc let out a growl and two archers turned towards the fighters. At the orcs sign they dishonorably shot the dwarf in the chest from afar. On his knees the dwarf swung his sword at the orc one last time, wounding him badly. But then his strength left his body and he collapsed on the battle ground. Two younger dwarves came running by, their faces full of pain and grief and defended the other dwarfs body from the approaching orcs. They were fierce fighters and they killed dozens of orcs before the brownhaired one was hit by an arrow in the back and fell. The blonde dwarf stopped fighting and closed his eyes in anticipation of the deathblow. The eagles circled over the battlefield, looking down at the three dying Durins and tears like raindrops fell down to the ground.
Another dream. Gifted with the power of foresight like her father, Leandala, daughter of Elrond, saw the fate of Middle Earth in her dreams. She awoke with tears running down her cheeks, although she had never met one of the dwarves she had seen dying in her dream.
For weeks she was haunted by the same dreams. She dreamt of a Lonely Mountain, home of a dragon, and she dreamt of the former inhabitants of the mountain, now homeless and uprooted. One of the faces in her dreams was the face of Thorin, king under the mountain. Leandalas dreams showed him as a warm-hearted, forthright and kind dwarf before the fall of Erebor. He had hardened under the burden of kingship, after the death of his grandfather and the disappearance of his father it was his duty to lead his kin to a new life. Leandala could see the Blue Mountains and the new life Thorin had lead his people to. She saw his sister Dis with her two sons, Fili and Kili, and recognised them as the dwarves who fought for their uncles life and lost. She could see no woman in the dwarfs life. Love between a male and female dwarf seemed to be of no value in their culture, only the love between comrades or male family members seemed to be of importance. But the elven princess would soon find out how wrong she was.
Long Ago,
Your name a shadow,
in my dreams, the wild
brave still searching
Raining Winds, fall apart.
I believe, your heart
tell me now,
what you see
tell me what you feel
now you're here
tell me
tell me now,
what you know
never let me go
tell me now
what you see
Hope cries from the hill
the mist creeps from your eyes,
your banner will promise
let's remember the start
I believe, your heart
tell me now
what you know
never let me go
tell me what
you see
tell me now
what you see
tell me what you feel
now your here, tell me
tell me now
what you know
never let me go
tell me now
what you see
Lord Elrond stood on his terrace, looking down the valley of Imladris, also known as Rivendell. He could see his younger daughter, Leandala, stand at her window staring up to the full moon. Leandala was singing the song her mother had taught her. She must have had one of her dreams again, he thought. She had told him about the dreams. Lord Elrond knew these dreams, having the gift of foresight himself, but he never had returning dreams of the same people. It seemed to him that the fate of his daughter was linked to the line of Durin. That thought did not please the elven lord. The future of the elves in Middle Earth was uncertain. Once they had been mighty and strong people, but now the elves had vanished into the woods, secluded from the rest of Middle Earth. Soon many of the elves would leave Middle Earth for good. It was only a matter of time.
'Orcs have crossed our borders, Ada.' Elrohir, the younger son of Elrond came rushing into Thorins chambers. 'We should teach them a lesson.'
Elrond sighed. Since the death of their mother, who had been captured and tortured by orcs and then sailed into the West, his sons had become vindictive and killed every orc in sight. They even went for orc hunts. But if the orcs had indeed crossed the borders they had to be fought back.
'Saddle my horse.' Elrond ordered an elf servant, grabbed a sword and followed his son outside.
'I want to come. I can fight.' Leandala came out of nowhere and followed her father. 'I train with Elladan and Elrohir every day, Ada.'
'No, you stay here. Battle is no place for a princess.' Elrond stated calmly. 'No discussion.' he told her and smiled at the dark frown that covered her beautiful face. His youngest child should have been born as a prince, not a princess. She loved horseriding and she handled a sword better than many male elves he knew. Her favorite weapon was an elven sword with a long grip and a chakram, a thin metal ring which she could throw like a discus and it always came back to her after it hit its target. While Arwen was called the Evenstar, his other daughter could only be called Nova. Leandala was restless and sharp set on adventures. But her father would never take her on a hunt for orcs, unlike his sons. Elladan and Elrohir treated her as if she was a younger brother. She had learned everything from them that would make her survive in the wild. As children, they had often bickered with each other and had driven their parents to desperation.
With a last glance at his daughter Elrond mounted his horse and rode out to hunt some orcs with his sons and a few elven guards. Although he knew that he left his precious daughter behind in the safety of Imladris he had a foreboding that something would happen that day which would change her life forever.
'Princess Leandala! We have visitors.' Lindir told Leandala and pointed to the hidden passage. A small group of dwarves had entered Imladris. Dwarves! Leandala felt hot and cold showers run down her back. Her dream. With her elven eyes she saw Mithrandir who led the group and she also saw the dwarf brothers, Fili and Kili, who looked at the beautiful city in awe. Although she had seen them in her dreams so often she still could not distinguish which one was Fili and which one was Kili. Behind them she saw the king under the mountain, Thorin Oakenshield. He seemed to be furious about beeing led to Imladris. Leandala saw him argue with Mithrandir, his eyes showing pure hatred of every elven thing. Of course, Leandala knew what made him hate her kin so much, but she hated it when people were generalising. Thranduils behaviour had nothing to do with the elves of Imladris or Lothlorien. Leandala was sure that her father or Galadriel would have helped the dwarves in Thranduils place. With a sigh she walked towards the gate. As she arrived there the small group had already arrived. Leandala took a deep breath and faced the dwarves she seemed to know for a long time already.
'Mithrandir!' she called out and began walking down the steps to the gate. She could see the dwarves turn around to her. Thorin looked at her condescendingly and whispered something to the huge, bald and heavily tattooed dwarf standing beside him, also eyeing her suspiciously. Leandala hated the way the king of the dwarves looked at her, as if she was a dirty insect which had to be crushed under his heavy boots. The other dwarves looked at the She-elf with a mixture of mistrust and curiosity.
'Leandala!' Mithrandir greeted her warmly.
'We heard that you have crossed the valley.' Leandala told Mithrandir in elvish. She spoke her native tongue, for she knew that the dwarves would not understand her and she liked to make them feel insecure. In her dreams she had always felt drawn towards the dwarves and had suffered with them the loss of loved ones or their homeland. Now she only felt a strong aversion.
'I must speak with lord Elrond.' Mithrandir came to the point instantly.
'My father is not here.' Leandala answered.
'Where is he?' Mithrandir asked, but her answer was disrupted by an elvish horn. Leandala saw her father ride back to Imladris and smiled. All the elves that had set out with him had returned safely.
Thorin was furious. The blasted wizard had led them straight to the elves, the treacherous and dishonorable people who had betrayed him and the dwarves of Erebor. And now they were standing below the gates of this elvish city, like lost travelers who seeked refugee. He heard a female voice call out for Gandalf and saw a beautiful She-elf walk down the stairs. She had long dark brown hair, reaching her waist and deep purple eyes. She had a beautiful face, a small nose, fiery eyes, full red lips and a slim body with curves at the right places. Thorin had to admit that she was quite a beauty, but that made him hate the elves even more. They were too perfect. Her gaze met his and he asked Dwalin if he knew who she was. Dwalin only growled a no under his breath and Thorin could see the She-elf frown and focus her attention on Gandalf. They began speaking in the language of the elves and not understanding their conversation made Thorin feel even more unsettled than he already was. Feeling his anger rising he thought that it was exactly what this elf woman was up to. He knew that the elves strongly disliked the dwarves for their rude and loud nature. The She-elf talking to Gandalf was not different. Thorin heard Gandalf ask for lord Elrond and the She-elf answered that her father was not here. So that was lord Elronds daughter? Thorin wondered if she was the one who was considered the most beautiful woman in Middle Earth. She was beautiful enough. The sound of an elvish horn pulled him back to reality. He saw a group of mounted elves ride through the gate in full speed.
'Du bekar! Close ranks!' he yelled at his companions and the dwarves draw their weapons in defense. The elves surrounded them, looking down at their visitors from the height of their horses. At last an elf with a crown dismounted his horse and greeted Gandalf, ignoring the dwarves at first. He, too, spoke the cursed elvish language.
'Strange for orcs to come so close to our borders. Something or someone has drawn them near.' Elrond stated finally in the common tongue.
'I am afraid that might have been us.' Gandalf apologised and Elrond finally turned to Thorin.
'Welcome Thorin, son of Thrain.' Elrond greeted the dwarf king.
'I do not believe we have met.' Thorin answered arrogantly and looked at Elrond with a provocative glare. Out of the corner of his eye he saw that the She-elf frowned at his impolite answer. He did not care and focused back on lord Elrond. The arrogant elf lord thought that he would impress Thorin with the knowledge about who he was.
'You have your grandfathers bearing. I knew Thror when he ruled under the mountain.' Elrond explained to Thorin.
'Indeed? He made no mention of you.' Thorin knew that he was incredibly impolite, but his hatred for the elves was stronger than his political correctness. He could feel the She-elfs eyes burn into him, she looked at him as if she wanted to punch him hard for his behaviour. Well, she could try - Thorin thought and smirked.
Leandalas hands twitched. This arrogant and overly proud dwarf king insulted her father with his lack of courtesy. His answers were ignorant and offensive. Her eyes must have shown her feelings because the white haired dwarf standing beside Thorin smiled at her, probably with the intention of calming her down. Mentally counting to ten, Leandala stepped forward and asked her father if dinner should be served for the guests as well. She intentionaly spoke in the elvish tongue again. Her question provoked an uproar with the dwarves. A red haired dwarf furiously asked if she had offered them insult. Leandala rolled her eyes. These dwarves were insufferable.
'No, master Gloin, she is offering you food.' Mithrandir calmed down the dwarves.
At the news the dwarves stuck their heads together to debate the offer.
'Ah well. In that case, lead on.' Gloin answered and walked by Leandala who only looked after him in mild shock. Not even one word of apology came from him for having thought that she had insulted him. Clenching her teeth and with a last glance at her father she turned around and rushed up the stairs.
Elladan and Elrohir still sat on their horses and watched how their sisters temper rose at the behaviour of the dwarves.
'How much do you bet that she will spit into their food?' Elladan asked his brother with an amused look on his face.