A/n Hey there! Welcome to my fic. Right now I will explain the rating. I have most of the ideas plotted out in my mind and on paper of where this story will go. I want to start out by stating these things:
1) This is not a love story. In no way, shape or form - any smut (which I am still not sure of adding which is why this is a T) I add in is to either accent the story, and I will point out it will undoubtedly not be fluffy
2) Yes this is written from the point of view of my OC, Derry (yes named after the irish town/someone at my school who has the same name and is not like my character), who I hope is not a Mary-Sue, no like-y no read-y
3) Thorin and some of the other dwarves will be, well to put it in a polite way, not be very nice to Derry - threaten her and like - because in my eyes, after what they have being through, a women coming out of the blue and having known alliances with elves is not going to get along with the dwarves with trust issues after elves abandoned them after the fall of Erebor. I'd also like to point out that may describe graphic violence at some points, but I will warn before hand.
4) Finally, as much as in this note I sound like I'm saying 'My fic, hands off'; if there is anything you do not like, please tell me. If there is anything you do like, please tell me. If you do not like something Derry does, or anything I make the other characters do, please tell me.

Other then that, I hope you like it. Two more things. Anything in italics is spoken in Elvish.
The definition of the Elvish words used in normal converstation are:
Gi suilon - I welcome you
Dandelassel - You again
gwennig - Maiden girl
Firiel - Human (f)

Disclaimer: Not mine, just god-playing in the sandbox of Tolkin

Apologises for the long Authors note, better get it at the start and not half way through.


Chapter 1

The mud from the boots of the dwarves covered a large amount of the marble flooring near the entrance of the river side house. Rivendell was light by the late evening sun as I stepped through the hall, my faded green cloak brushing at my knees as I entered the House of Elrond. After dodging the piles of mud and weapons before tripping up slightly I came face to face with Elrond's assistant Lindir.

"Gi suilon Derry" My hood fell from my face, Lindir looking -straight faced- at me. I push the hood further down, causing my hair to frame my face and the slowly healing gash beside my eye.

"Dandelassel Lindir, Is Lord Elrond here? He wanted to see me." I smiled hopefully; Lindir has annoyed me about me staying here for about three weeks now. He looked; somehow, less impressed with me then, then he had before.

"My lord Elrond wanted to talk with you when he arrived back from hunting near the mountain pass" Lindir clipped his look at me. I stared at him, eyes narrowing as he looked down his nose at me.

"I apologise that I only got just got the message, can I see Lord Elrond." I began to unclasp my cloak, pushing my sword to the side as I slid the green material off my shoulders.

Lindir watched me take my cloak off. My eyes glancing up at the stairs behind him as I spoke, the sight of a young brown haired dwarf looking feebly down at me caught my eye. "Lord Elrond is currently in talks and cannot be disturbed" Lindir once again, almost snapped at me as I glanced back at him. I had the childish urge to knock that stupid crown off he's head as he spoke…

"Then what did he want to talk to be about?" I found my eyes once again wandering to the stairs again. Two dwarfs, both older, had joined the younger one at the top of the stairs. Their eyes almost glaring at elf and I as I stared back at them.

"I guess you have noticed them. Elrond wants you to watch them. And whence they leave here, gwennig, you are to follow" He stepped back, catching my attention as he forced his feet into the marble.

My eyes widened slightly, I glanced back up at the group of dwarves to notice them turning to leave. A sigh escaped my lips as I hissed at the elf. "What? I expect a worthy payment for this Lindir."

Lindir must have found my protest amusing in some odd elvish way, because he promptly smiled. "You could always turn it down, Firiel" Smarmy little 'princely' elf.

"No. I'll do it." I, at that time, believed that to turn down a job -especially one like that- was a bad idea. Even now I think that to have turned down that job would have being a crime. As a Ranger I guess now it was a first instinct, help the elves and protect this land against whatever is left from the darkness. Even if I do have to cross the border of where Arnor once stood, I will still be able to help fight for middle earth. It's not like the others in the order particularly care. As long as I'm there when needed, it'll be fine with them, and fine with me.

"Good. I'll alert my lord Elrond" Lindir then turned and left me stood alone in the marble hall, mud caked my boots and legs, my knees grazed from tripping up on my way there. To be honest, I must have spent … well a long while staring at the door at the top of the stairs considering why the hell I had answered yes. After I finally noticed that my hunger was too much, I walked up the stairs to hear the sound of laughter and singing from the Dwarves.

I continued up the stairs, following the sound of laughter and music to see the dining area set out. Around a dozen dwarves and, I thought, a hobbit sat surrounding a table, picking at the greens on their plates. To the side, Elrond sat with two others I could not recognise, at that time, from where I was stood on the stairs. After taking a few more steps, I could final recognise the two sat beside Elrond. Gandalf the grey and a rather angry looking Thorin Oakenshield. It's hard not to recognise people like yourself in elven houses. Especially when you have met them before.

I finally made it to the top of the stairs, only to find it next to impossible to find a place to sit or eat. The group of dwarves from earlier seemed to stare at me as I stepped around the table and towards the balcony, folded my arms against the marble banister to stare out at water and swirling sunset sky. If I were some romantic, I'd probably write a poem about the sheer beauty of Rivendell; but I'm not, so I won't describe the swirling marble pillars and arcs or the pristine blue water against the mountains to a nice tune, because I'm not a poet. I'm a wanderer. A ranger.

The sound of laughter once again vibrated against my eardrums, the wind carrying the sound as I continued to stare out at the late summer sunset. I somehow wished that, somehow I could have known their jokes, laughed along with them; but instead there I was, covered in mud, staring at the sunset, hungry as hell.

Turning away from the sunset I glanced over at an empty seat, a full plate of food in the place mat with a drink of elvish wine in the goblet. Surely the seat was taken, it was at the dwarves' table. After glancing at Elrond for a moment, to see him raise his eyebrow and nod at the food, I sat down in the seat and quickly burst into eating the food. Not at all like someone in an elvish house, mind that.

"Ay look boys, someone was hungry." One of the dwarfs laughed, causing the others to laugh along with him. "She's actually eating the rabbit food." I, at that moment, was too busy filling my mouth with pointless vegetables to answer back at the dwarf. Looking feminine was not in my mind right now, like it ever was, so the sight of this brown haired girl in an elvish house shovelling food into her mouth was something that would have being an odd sight. An odd sight indeed.

Noticing Elrond was frowning at me, I sat up and finished chewing my mouthful shrugging at him with sorrowful eyes. I glanced back at the dwarves, who were now laughing more then before. "'m Derry"

"Nice to meet you /ranger/" one of the older two from the earlier group snarled at me. I shrugged it off, raising my eyebrow at him momentarily. I pulled my cloak up off the floor where it had dropped, laying it on the back of my chair

"Kili, be nice to our guest." An older dwarf growled at the dwarf, Kili, who then turned and glared at me. Whilst he continued to glare at me, I took a drink of the wine, smirking over the goblet.

"She is a ranger though, Balin" Kili hissed at the older dwarf, who I presumed to be Balin. I once again raised my eyebrow at him as he pointed at me.

I then, already fed up with these dwarves, sat my goblet down and glared over at Elrond. Only to find that the dwarf, who was sat at the head table, was scrutinizing my movements. "And from the looks of it, she works with /them/" The brother of Kili glanced at me, smirking as I turned away from Elrond's table to face him.

"I am a Ranger, you are correct Kili" The young dwarf in mention glared at me as I once again sipped my wine. His eyes a picture of an internal war of hate or belief. I needed to step away from these elves if I could notice an internal war of hate or belief in someone's eyes then I needed a holiday.

I then began to ignore the conversation slightly, it very quickly moved away from me – which I was mostly glad about, since I wasn't particularly happy about discussing my life with dwarves, especially ones I've just met. I continued to sip my wine and attempt to make conversation waiting for the time to pass when I could talk to – someone or – Elrond about this work.

Sitting around these dwarves actually made me notice how short I actually am. I knew I wasn't an exactly tall human, especially since I had spent time with the tall elves (lets say the shortest elf is at least a head on top of me) but I didn't think I was really that short, until now. I only started to notice when I glanced, once again, over to Elrond's high table again. Both him and Gandalf, even though both sat down, were still about two feet taller then the Dwarf beside them; whereas I was less then a foot taller then the dwarves beside me. I guess that it could be because they are male, Elrond is half elf so naturally taller leaving me the short, human lass. Continuing my look around the hall, I watched the trio of female elves playing their eloquent instruments in their very elvish tunes. Their long silken-looking hair pulled back off their faces to show their unmarred skin. Their slender bodies in beautiful dresses that I wish I could wear. Their hands clean and not cracked with hard skin from work or covered in veins of dirt worked in from tripping over too much, only to work it in further in my palms by my attempts to shoot arrows or –more often at that time- rubbing the hilt of the sword against my bone of my thumb as I practised.

I proceeded to pull my fingerless thick woollen gloves from my hands. Examining the cracks full of dirt in the lines of my hands, I felt my thoughts be interrupted by movement at the opposing table.

Slowly I stood, looking at Elrond to find the answer to my unspoken question. He nodded towards the balcony to the side of the dining area. My boots carried me there, without a second thought, but a glance back at the dwarves -who looked in partial shock and partial disregard for what was happening- made me pause momentarily before continuing.

"My Lord Elrond." I bowed my head slightly, keeping my voice in hushed tones as we stepped slightly away from the company of dwarves. After stepping about four archways down, he motioned for me to stop walking.

"I chose you for a reason, Derry, do not doubt it" he spoke in words that sounded final, answering all my unspoken questions in one take, as he placed his hands against the pale banister before us.

"I…I do not understand why you trust me with this." When I finally managed to speak, it was in a stutter. My words sounding strained as I stepped back slightly out of an odd need to show more respect to him then I already knew I was; head bowed, hands clasped behind my back, back straight.

"You are not the same clumsy girl who fell in front of the horses years ago." For once, his words gave me hope; hope that I could manage to do this job. I glimpsed back down at the other end of the balcony; the dwarven prince Thorin was watching the exchange between Elrond and I carefully.

"Thank you, My Lord Elrond… Do you know where they plan to go?" The remaining look on my lord's face told me that he was as clueless as I was. A glimmer of confusion passed over the dwarf's face in the corner of my eye. Something I had a feeling that I would not want to know the other end of if he ever found out the truth; which he probably would.

My regret about taking the job on multiplied as Elrond spoke. "No. I do not." A frown covered the elf's lips as he spoke, if only momentarily. I frowned myself, and turned into one of the archways; hiding myself from Thorin's view but causing me to be more in the view of the other dwarves, who were too busy conversing to realise.

"I will not turn it down now, My Lord Elrond. But I still do not believe myself to be the right choice" my lips seemed to barely move as I spoke, my voice coming out in a murmur. I was not quiet sure why I could no longer bring myself to speak at a loud enough volume, but Elrond still managed to hear me – I'm guessing elf ears.

"I chose you for a reason, Derry, do not doubt it on your journey" I then heard his footsteps turn from the balcony. He then passed the dwarves table; Thorin, the dwarf Balin, the Hobbit and Gandalf following him away. The banister of the stairs they had proceeded down steadied me for the moment, my eyes focused on the table of dwarves, whose eyes were following the group as they were led away. Finding myself under the scrutinizing stare of the more warrior-like dwarves, I stepped back towards the balcony. Clasping my hands over the edge of the banister, my arms resting against the marble – which the coolness of radiated through my sleeves – as I glanced over the purpling rocks as they began to fade into darkness and black.

The orange rays of the sun reflected meekly behind the mountainous range surrounding the house of Elrond, nightfall was soon upon us; and for all I knew, it was the last night I felt that I would experience in the homely house of Lord Elrond before these dwarves would take off.