A/N: I have been working on this story for some time now. I decided to finally publish the first chapter. I am dedicating this story to the amazing Christopher Lee, who just passed away several days ago. He will always be Saruman in my mind.
To clear things up, this story starts at the end of the Hobbit and will continue just past The Return of the King.
Disclaimer: I own only Erika.
Thorin whispered in Bilbo's ear just before he passed on a simple phrase that would haunt the Hobbit for the days to come.
My daughter, heir to the throne, awaits her call in Minas Tirith.
Bilbo finally confessed this to Gandalf just before the funeral for Durin's line. Gandalf quickly passed on the word. Within the hour of Bilbo's confession, Legolas had set out on horseback towards the realm of Gondor to find Thorin's daughter.
The news traveled quickly. Word reached Minas Tirith within a day of the recapture of Erebor. Everyone in Gondor heard that Thorin and his nephews were dead. Including a woman who mostly kept to herself. No one knew much about the dark haired woman. Her blue eyes seemed to pierce your soul when she looked at you. So everyone avoided her. This was fine with Erika. She preferred not to get too close with these people. She would be vulnerable if she were to make friends. This made it only easier on her. For when the word spread to her that Thorin and his heirs had died at the battle to reclaim Erebor, she had bought a horse and packed. Within the hour she had set off north toward the land of her father. Her thick, curly, dark hair flowed behind her as she rode north. She traveled for nearly a day when she heard a noise from far off. She hid her horse and found a position in a tree with her bow loaded with an arrow and ready to strike. An elf rode into the small clearing. Her curiosity got the better of her. His long blond hair and clothing characterized him as a Sindarin elf.
"Who are you?" she called in elvish. The elf turned in her direction.
"I am Legolas of Mirkwood. Show yourself!" he demanded. Erika reluctantly jumped to the ground, her bow still loaded and aimed at the man's head.
"I must be going. I need to find someone in Gondor before the sun rises tomorrow," he told her.
"For whom do you search? I come from Minas Tirith now," she explained.
"I do not know her name. I search for the woman that should rightfully rule Erebor," Legolas proclaimed. Erika smirked a little. Fate was surely on his side.
"You have found me. Let's get to the Lonely Mountain, shall we?" she teased, tossing her bow over she shoulder. She leapt gracefully onto her hidden horse and turned her path north.
"You are Thorin's daughter then?" Legolas interrupted her.
"I am daughter of Thorin, heir of Durin, and Asta, the half-human, half-elven Dúnedain woman who ended the wars between elves and men in previous ages," Erika claimed proudly.
"You're saying that you are half dwarf, one fourth Dúnedain, and one fourth elf?" Legolas asked incredulously.
"Of course," Erika said, laughing at the look on his face.
"The dwarves will not want a woman on their throne, let alone a woman not fully dwarf," Legolas warned as his horse caught up to hers.
"I don't think I care. If I do not rule, who will? Dís, my aunt? Or Dain? No, I have the true claim to the throne," she swore. Legolas admired this woman as she sat confidently on her black horse. Some of her dark hair was pulled back into braids in the fashion of an elf mixed with that of a dwarf. Her beauty was more striking than that of a human or even an elf. Her ears were just slightly pointed, revealing the fourth elven blood that ran through her. She made quite the impression. Her beauty and carefree attitude made her a strange heir to the throne of Erebor indeed.
"Are you staring at me?" she called out to him teasingly.
"And what if I am?" he responded lightly.
"Why good sir, I do believe it is slightly inappropriate to act such away to a woman so high above your social status," she retorted. She heard him chuckling at her answer.
"Why, my lady, I believe you may be mistaken about who I am exactly," he finally responded.
"Oh?" she asked.
"Indeed. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Prince Legolas, son of the Elvenking Thranduil of the Woodland Realm of Mirkwood," he said proudly. His ego was bruised a bit when she laughed loudly. "What, may I ask, is so funny?" he requested.
"Nothing," she said simply. Up until then, she had been in the lead. Now he spurred his horse forward a bit to catch up to her. Once he was side by side with her, he asked again.
"Nothing isn't that funny. So what is so funny about my full title?" he questioned. He looked over at her to see a sparkle glinting in her eyes.
"If you must know I was laughing at your futile-and obvious-attempt to impress me. Men always try woo me within minutes of meeting me, and it would appear that elves are no exception to this," she informed him seriously. He was ashamed to admit that his gaping mouth resembled that of a fish's at that moment.
"I may have been trying to impress you, but it was certainly never my intent to woo you," he finally protested. He had fallen behind her again in his shock. He suddenly noticed her shoulders shaking and quickly realized it was from laughter.
"You are entirely too gullible, my dear elf," she told him once the laughter had subsided.
"Was my attempt at impressing you really futile?" he asked. He saw her choke down a laugh again before she answered.
"I am afraid it was. You forget I am Erika, half-dwarf from my father Thorin Oakenshield, King Under the Mountain, a quarter elf and a quarter Dúnedain from my mother, Asta the Brave who had songs sung about her in all parts of the world. Your titles mean nothing to me," she told him almost flippantly. This shut Legolas up effectively for a long while. They rode on in silence, both unknowingly thinking of the other.
A/N: Sorry the first chapter is a tad short. Just so you know, I have 58 pages written with 20 chapters. I am only a little ways into Return of the King now. Reviews are welcome and encouraged!