Deer Tracks in the Snow - Chapter 1
This will follow the storyline of the movies although I'll be adding bits in because I figured that just what we see in the films isn't enough to develop a relationship. I have a few chapter of this writen already but it depends on how many people show an interest in this as to how much attention I put into it so if you want more chapters then please show your interest.
The herd of wild ponies were grazing peacefully just inside the tree-line of the northern moors.
The early morning dew was drifting through the air in hypnotizing swirls as the tiny particles were picked up by tiny currents. The ponies were happily ripping the lush green shoots from the ground, safe in the knowledge that a threat from the moors could be avoided by bolting further into the forest and vice versa.
What they didn't have knowledge of was that a threat had been tracking them for three days and had finally got an ideal vantage point.
Her name was Tupyn Logreig, her mother had been an elf and her father a dwarf but she'd grown up around dwarves, inheriting the height and prowess of her father but the body and elegance of her mother. Through her odd combination of blood types, she'd inherited skills and from a young age had found that she had natural tracking and taming skills. She used the skills to her advantage and tracked ponies across the moors for weeks at a time to sell at markets.
She knew, as she watched the ponies graze, that if she wanted to earn enough money to live for the next month, she had to catch and tame one of them.
She gentle pushed her own pony, Foggy, a tiny step forward with a tiny squeeze of her knees and a lean of her weight. She smiled as she decided which one she wanted.
He was a beautiful creature; white as snow and built like a horse much bigger than himself, he was one of the best animals she'd seen in a fair while. His body heaved a breath and sent the particles of dew around him into an entrancing frenzy.
Tupyn leant back and gripped her looped rope, grabbing the reins and the pommel of her worn leather saddle in the other hand.
Foggy shifted beneath her in anticipation of the chase; preparing for the swift kick that would send him racing ahead.
But that never came.
Above her sounded the call of a carrier hawk. Emerald eyes flicked skywards and she froze; on the hawks leg was a tag bearing the royal crest.
She groaned and slumped. What could a royal heir possibly want with her? The message was surely meant for her; she'd been tracking the herd for almost thirty miles, there was no other living being for nigh on ten. It had to be for her.
She heard the ponies bolt onto the moor and realised her mistake of making a sound. Foggy seemed to have the exact same sinking feeling and snorted, his shoulders going slack and his head dipping. "Sorry Fogs." She said, patting his neck. "No chase today." She muttered some near silent curses and cupped her hands to her lips; whistling and calling the bird above her.
She held her arm out and watched the bird slip through an opening in the trees before gripping the joint of her thumb, talons ripping her flesh as he steadied himself.
The hawk looked to her and screeched. She moved away from the sound and chuckled. "Okay," She said, stroking the knuckle of her forefinger over its head and then down to his crest. "It's alright."
She tugged the note out of the tag and opened it. She saw it was addressed to her and smiled to the bird. "Thank you." she said. The bird seemed to understand and bowed his head before letting her lift her hand into the air to give him a helping hand into flight.
He screeched a call before disappearing above the trees.
She smiled and looked down to the note.
'Tupyn,' it read. She recognised the handwriting. She hadn't seen him in years but she still recognised it. 'I do hope you're well. I have a proposition for you. I've arranged a meeting tonight. You know where. I'd appreciate it if you made an appearance.
'Thorin, son of Thrain.'
Tupyn chewed on her lip and looked into the woods around her. She'd been an untrusting person for years and Thorin was one of the few people she trusted, wholly, with all her being. But why would he want her? Why would he call a meeting in the first place? What on earth was he planning?
She groaned and went a little limper in the saddle. He knew what to do to get her attention. He knew that he had to urge her curiosity and he'd done that like a professional; his message was vague and didn't explain anything, her curiosity had been provoked after the tenth word. She fell back against Foggy's back and stared to the sky before deciding what she was going to do.
Thorin was sat at the head of the table, Gandalf sat next to him and his twelve volunteers sat around him. The moonlight was seeping through the window behind him, shining its white light on the table despite the presence of candles in practically every possible place and a roaring fire to his left. The dwarves who had agreed to be in his company were conversing between themselves while he discussed important matters with Gandalf. Occasionally his gaze would flick over to the door which he still hoped would open one final time.
The wizard next to him puffed a series of smoke rings before turning to the king. "Do you expect her to show?" he asked quietly.
Thorin eyed up the door again. "I'm relying on it." There was a sudden roar of laughter from his right and his head snapped round, the noise catching him off guard. He watched his two nephews sway on their chairs at the hilarity of whatever had been said or done to make them and Bofer howl so loudly.
Balin turned to him. "Are you sure she's worth the wait, Thorin?" he asked in his thick accent.
Thorin tore his eyes away from his energetic nephews and looked to the elderly Dwarf. He had a never ending amount of respect for Balin but his confidence in the woman he expected to show was overpowering and he had to deny his companion of his opinion. "She is most definitely worth the wait." He assured. The white- haired Dwarf nodded slightly, respecting his leader. "However," Thorin sighed. "I shall address the others soon and if she is not here, then she is simply too late."
He looked at the ale and empty plate before him and frowned. He did not want to eat, his insides felt like they were his outsides but he kept his strong facade none the less. He preoccupied himself with a random spot on the table and slumped against the armrest in thought.
He knew it was strange to be asking someone of such unusual decent to join them on the quest. Her mother had been an Elf while her father had been a Dwarf. She had been raised Dwarf when her mother had abandoned her and her father had been one of Thorin's close personal friends, they worked together and Thorin saw Tupyn and her brothers quite a lot as they were growing up. It was a sad day when they died.
There was a loud thump that made everyone go silent. The big wooden door opened and a small smile spread across Thorin's lips as he sat up in his chair. He overlooked the fact that Gandalf had stopped smoking and had a small, proud smile spreading discretely across his face.
She walked in like a ghost. She barely made a sound as she slipped in. Her long brown hair was expertly held in a six-braid plait and she wore breeches, a long dark red tunic that fell to just above mid-thigh, leather boots and a coat of the same material that came to just above her knees. This was the first time Thorin had seen Tupyn in quite some time. He had occasionally heard that she was back in town but she never stayed for long – only to trade the ponies she had tracked and tamed – before she set off again.
She had grown up to be a rather beautiful young woman with soft looks and the slender body of an Elf; she had inherited the height of her father and held herself with his prowess and pride. There were a few reasons Thorin had asked her to join his company; she had natural taming and tracking skills, she was able to read nature like a book and had a remarkable connection with animals that made her able to tame and break them in with ease.
She took slow steps towards the foot of the table with the eyes of every man in the room planted on her. Her eyes however, kept focused on Thorin. She took a few breaths; she had clearly rushed and was still trying to get the rest of her breath back. "Sorry," she said after a moment. She shifted and her gaze flew quickly around the faces of the other dwarves before settling on Thorin again. "I was tracking ponies on the moors." She looked slightly cautious about what the company minus Thorin and Gandalf would think of her, a woman, a half Elven woman no less.
Thorin was still in slight awe that she had shown but he managed to answer. He stood. "Well, it's good to see you again." He said.
She nodded an acknowledgement. "And you." she replied. For the first time in a long while, Thorin had no idea what he was going to say. Her eyes broke from his and scanned the room. Her gaze met with every man in the room before she looked back to Thorin. He swallowed and nodded in a gesture for her to come towards him.
She did so, ignoring everyone's stares as she moved to the head of the table. She was an inch or two shorter than him and her eyes were a wonderful shade of dark green. He could see the small smile that was inching its way onto her lips. He couldn't help himself but laugh heartily as they moved quickly together and enveloped each other in a hug.
The tension that had risen in the room spiked and then fell into complete relief. She laughed into his shoulder and patted his back as they greeted each other. They pulled away and he held her at arm's length to get a proper look at her. "You have grown since we last met." He said.
She smiled as a blush rose softly to her cheeks. "And time has treated you well." She complimented him. She smiled genuinely and her eyes flickered to his clothes. "Oh," She said, looking down at herself. "My apologies, I've covered you in pony hair." She said after noticing the relatively large grey hairs that were clinging to his torso. "I had no time to get changed after tracking."
The sound in the room started to return as whispers before gradually returning back to how it was before Tupyn's arrival.
The king smiled. "It's fine, I know you did not expect my message."
"No, I didn't." They both took seats. Tupyn sat next to Balin while Thorin placed himself next to Gandalf. "Though the message was rather . . . vague." Her eyes shot to Gandalf who had gone back to smoking with the smile still on his face.
Thorin shot knowing look to Tupyn before nodding to Balin who picked the contract up. "That's where I come in, lass." He placed the contract in front of her. "Every man in this room has signed one."
She looked to Thorin. "And what's it for?" she asked, slight confusion evident on her face.
"Read and find out." He said. He knew how to tempt the young Elven-Dwarf and he had every ambition to do so.
She looked down at the parchment; her gaze scanning over it. He saw her eyes widen. "Erebor?" she turned to him. "You're asking me to go with you to retake Erebor?" she spoke in a way that seemed to be questioning if he was still sane.
He smirked, ignoring her tone as looked her straight in the eye. "Think about it Tupyn." He said in a low, almost inaudible voice. "Erebor." He rolled the word over of his tongue. He knew how to play her and Mahal himself could not stop him from doing so. "Think about the prize that awaits us; the prize that was stolen from us . . . all of us." He could see her thinking as her gaze focused into the middle-distance, the cogs in her mind working overtime. "You could be amongst us when we retake our home. Think about the glory, Tupyn."
She shot him a glance and he gave her a look that seemed to say 'it's your choice'. She swallowed hard before blowing a breath through her lips and rubbing her face with her hands, breaking his gaze. Her touch faltered over her eyes as she thought for a moment. He watched as her fingers slipped from her cheeks and her eyes moved back to the contract.
Her lips moved gently as she read and a frown soon made itself known. Thorin watched her closely as her eyes flitted across the parchment.
"Does the lass want a drink?" Came Dwalin's voice suddenly and she seemed to relax slightly as she looked away from the page and to the tattooed Dwarf that had asked the question. Balin scolded him, earning a stern, challenging look from the most intimidating of the dwarves at the table. The brothers were locked in their staring contest for a moment and Thorin sighed and closed his eyes. All he wanted was for Tupyn to sign the contract, he didn't need brotherly feuds every five minutes, he had enough trouble watching to make sure than Fíli and Kíli weren't making mischief let alone having to break up every single other set of siblings and relations in his company.
"Yes please." Tupyn answered after watching the brothers for a moment. Everyone within ear range who had seen the stares that Balin and Dwalin were shooting at each other changed their focus to the woman.
The two brothers relaxed and Dwalin spoke again. "Wine?" he asked.
She shook her head. "Ale will be fine." He stared at her for a moment before reaching and grabbing a mug of the stronger drink. He passed it to her and she took a gulp before looking back to the contract and placing the mug next to it.
Thorin leant his elbow on the table and placed his cheek on his palm. He watched as she finally got to the end of the contract.
She took a deep breath and sighed before looking to the king. "And why do you want me?"
Thorin smirked. "You know why." He said quietly.
She sat back in the chair, slouching slightly. "You want my skills." She said in a disappointed tone, rolling her eyes discretely. Thorin didn't want to say anything, he knew how to play her but she could be strangely manipulative when she wanted to be. She turned to look at him again, her eyes piercing his own. "You know my past Thorin, you know I don't take lightly to people wanting and using my skills." She warned.
"Yes, I do know your past." He said with a firm tone and she looked him in the eyes. "I also remember what part that I have played in it."
"Thorin, what you did for me has nothing to do with this. It doesn't change the fact that you simply want my skills."
"Tupyn," he addressed sternly. "You are your skills. You may be a natural born tracker and tamer but I'm not discriminative. I do not wish for just your skills. You are one of the few people I trust. There are many men I could find who can read the earth and many more who know the trade of taming but I have never seen anyone track the field mice that follow the migrations of the deer and I've never seen anyone gain the trust of a stag, nor have I ever known anyone with the fire that burns within you and yet posses the level of mercy that you do." He sighed and looked away for a second. "However, this has to be your choice. I can attempt to persuade you as much as I want but if your head is not completely with us then it could be a fatal mistake. If you truly do not want to join us then I cannot force you to come."
She looked into the distance; her expression had softened at his words. After a moment she looked straight at him. "Thorin." She said in the same tone he had said her name. "You're asking me to go on a quest to travel with a bunch of Dwarves, along miles of land with the ultimate aim to fight a dragon." Thorin's hope at her joining them was shrinking the more she spoke. "My skills with a bow and arrow are hardly professional and for the last several years I have practiced my sword skills on trees and bushes. If I had one shred of sense or maturity, I would run away from you right this moment . . ." she took a deep breath, gesturing into the door in the direction she would have run.
She looked up to the king, sighed and smiled slightly. "but I don't and I haven't and I have nothing better to do so I'm going to remember what you have done for me in my past . . . predicaments . . . and honour you, the man I have known almost since I was born and I'm going to drink ale and enjoy company for the first time in however many years. You're asking me if my head is completely in the task ahead. I reply simply by saying that it may well be and it may well not be, but I'm going come with you and the simple matter of my skills or my maturity or my sense is most definitely not going to stop me." He smiled widely and she grinned back. "Where do I sign?" she asked.
Alright, chapter 1. I know that this was a relatively Kíli-less chapter but he will be in the next one so don't worry. I love Kíli's character and have really enjoyed the chapters i've already writen. Please show if you're interested by reviewing, following and favouriting, if you do then chapters will be quicker and more frequent. I have other Fanfictions up and if they get more support then I'll concentrate on them them more than this so please do show support. Thank you.