Chapter 01
There and Back Again
Third Age 2989
"Warg-riders," he whispered.
Elladan looked back to the host of Elves behind him. He led a small group of Elven scouts to scour the Orcs from the valley. As he stepped down from the boulder he was standing, his brother looked up, wearing the same facial feature as Elladan. The other Elves mounted their steeds, and the sons of Elrond did the same. Elladan mustered his horse beside another elf, whose fair hair was akin to their lost mother.
"Stay close," Elladan instructed sternly and the girl shrugged.
Her dark tunic was heavy and hot beneath the Sun; her hair was kept in a messy manner; and her fur coat hung loosely upon her shoulders. She got up to her steed, a black one she called Arthfael, and then rode out with her brothers in the broad daylight.
Arestel had just come back from Bree, doing errands for her father. She happened to pass the valley in which her brothers were patrolling, and decided to join them. Her exhaustion got the best of her, but she preferred to stay.
"Warg-riders!" Elladan said louder, charging with his white steed with a sword raised above his dark head.
The sons of Elrond led the march to the open fields where said warg-riders were scouting the area. These Orcs had been around the place for quite a while, raising the defense of the nearby Elven keep, Rivendell. Upon seeing the warg-riders, the Elves blew their horns as Elladan and Elrohir made the first attack. Elven archers attacked from behind; those with spears marched forward. But the warg-riders were ready. Many of them had their wargs pounce on an elf, knocking him down. About twenty was present; a number which is doubled by the forces of Rivendell.
"Arestel!" Elrohir called out as he hewed another orc with his sword.
The girl looked up from where she stood. Blood was about her sword which glinted light blue in her grasp. Goblin cleaver the Orcs call it. But it is known as Orcrist for the Company of Thorin, and to those who knew them well. Arestel grunted, pushing a dead orc's body away from her. Her kill wasn't as many compared to the others.
"What?" came her reply. Arestel ran and mounted her horse. She made her way towards her brothers, whipping her sword around, hoping that it would kill the Orcs. "What is it?" she asked again. Should there be a reason why her brother called her, she wanted to know.
"I just wanted to see if you're still in one piece."
"How thoughtful," she rolled her eyes at him, urging Elrohir to give a small chuckle.
A few moments later, the remaining Warg-riders escaped.
An easy victory, Elladan thought bitterly. He gritted his teeth. Too easy.
With his command again, the Elves marched back home. It was the third attack that week. Elrond had to send his sons out while his captain, the Elf-lord Glorfindel stayed in Rivendell for the keep's defense. As the host entered Rivendell's borders, they could hear voices of their kin. From the bridge to the stairs, Elves came to welcome them. This brought smiles to the tired warriors. Lindir and Glorfindel were on front. One by one the warriors dismounted their horses as servants came to take them away.
"How did it go?" asked Glorfindel to the brothers.
"It went well," replied Elladan sounding different. He hated Orcs most of all, him and his brother. Ever since their mother's torture from the Orcs, the brothers never forget; never forgave.
"No one was hurt," added Elrohir. He was more light-hearted than the two, and despite his hatred, he managed to sound as normal as possible.
Glorfindel nodded. "And their strength?"
"Stronger than the last, but still an easy win." Elladan was extremely confident to their forces. "They gave us quite the hassle, yet even Arestel can make things worse."
Upon hearing her name and how it was used, Arestel glared at her brother.
"Save it."
She wasn't in her usual gaming mood. She was exhausted; running back and forth from Rivendell to Bree wasn't exactly her thing. Arestel and her brothers had often been in the company of the Northern Rangers. They would take their time and stay in Bree, eating and drinking. While the brothers knew almost everyone, Arestel only knew quite a few, among them was Strider, whom she viewed as her foster brother. During those times, she was forced to ride her horse Arthfael as Gareth went on his own errands. Recently, the golden dragon had taken Arwen to Lothlórien under the request of Elrond.
"Come inside," Lindir said finally. His hands were always at his back. He led them upstairs while Glorfindel went with his soldiers.
"Have we got food? I'm starving," Elrohir sighed.
"Enough to keep you three busy." Lindir smiled.
After dinner, Elladan and Elrohir left Arestel on her own, saying that something occurred. She wasn't sure what was it, nor was she interested on what it was anyway. So, making her way towards her father's study, Arestel thought of a good reason to excuse herself for the next day.
She knocked thrice. At the third one, a voice answered from the other room.
"Arestel?" her father's warm voice came. "Come in."
She entered, finding Elrond rummaging through one of his many bookshelves. He glanced at her once, then went back into looking for a certain book.
"Sit down," Elrond said.
Arestel sat on a wooden chair comfortably. Her silver-white hair was kept in a loose braid which hung over her left shoulder, woven with a red flower incrustation. The red dress she wore was a gift from Arwen, with a neckline trimmed with midnight blue and gold. The sleeves were inches longer than her arms which made hand gestures quite difficult for her.
Arestel smiled at her father. She was confident her reason would be effective this time. As Elrond found his book, he made way his way on a chair. He sat in front of Arestel, placing his book on the table. "What brings you here?"
"I was thinking, Ada ... if you can let me visit Erebor?" Arestel asked with her most possible pleasing voice.
"Erebor?" her father echoed. "Haven't you visited them only a few weeks ago?" He wouldn't let her get what she wants, unless the reason behind it was good enough for him. Elrond opened his book, acting as if he was deliberating to ignore her request. Arestel growled a little before proceeding to convince her father.
"Well, yes. But I actually promised Ori that I would be back in a few weeks. I promised them Elven cakes, you see," Arestel continued. For the record, that one wasn't a lie. She already asked someone to make the cakes earlier this week.
Elrond dropped his book and raised an eyebrow. "Cakes? Are the Dwarves interested in Elvish delicacies now?" He mused to himself, smiling.
"They were curious, so I promised that I'd bring some for them. So will you let me?" Arestel tried to smile.
"And who's going to look after you?" Elrond sighed.
Arestel paused. She didn't see that coming. Elladan and Elrohir weren't available. Glorfindel? No. Lindir. Definitely not. She gritted her teeth and forced her mind to give out an answer. Her only option was Gareth, but he was still in Lórien. The dragon had just arrived in the Golden Wood, accompanying Arwen in her visit there.
"If there's no one, then you will stay here, Arestel. I mean it," Elrond said sternly. He knew Arestel; she never liked staying inside the house. Every once in a while, she would come up with a lame excuse to leave Rivendell. And Elrond wasn't happy about this. Someone had to discipline this child, but she would barely listen. Such a pain.
Arestel sighed in defeat and stood up. Somehow, she needed someone to come with her. She left her father's room and went back into hers. Her room was just cleaned; the handmaidens took it themselves to clean up her room while she was away. It was certainly a convenience for Arestel as she always neglected on cleaning her room. Flopping herself on the bed, an idea struck in.
"Hey Gareth", Arestel called out. Ósanwe saved her many times before and she was surely grateful. Awaiting for her friend to reply, Arestel rolled on the bed and audibly groaned. "What's taking you so long?"
"I was trying to sleep."
There it was, the dragon's hoarse voice. He didn't sound at least happy to hear Arestel's voice. Yet the girl on the other line smiled widely, and chirping, "There you are!"
"Let me guess, you need me to do something for you." Gareth yawned. He sounded cold as ever. But she knew Gareth couldn't say no to her.
"Think you can some with me to Erebor?"
"No."
"Why not? You're quite famous there, you know."
"I have duties here."
"I'm sure Arwen's big enough to handle herself." Arestel had to laugh mentally.
Gareth sighed, "Estel, tell me why you want to visit again when you had visited them two weeks ago." He sounded so desperate to have a good night's rest. That dragon was too moody for everything.
"I promised Ori, remember?" Her voice became gloomy. "I really wanted them to try Elvish cakes."
Again, Gareth sighed. "Fine. I'll be there in two days."
Conversation ended. Arestel smiled. She knew Gareth couldn't say no.
Two days later, Gareth arrived like he promised. He was reluctant to leave Arwen but the Evenstar laughed it off and allowed him to leave. Lady Galadriel sent her regards to her grandchildren and with that, Gareth was once again back to Rivendell. Given his massive size, he was able to reach the Elven keep. He landed on the keep's courtyard and in a flash, a mob of Elves came to welcome him home. Gareth watched them crowd around him and then scanned the courtyard for a certain elf.
Arestel came running towards him pulling a large pack over her shoulder. Elrond followed his youngest daughter with an obvious worried look. The Elves made way for Arestel and she dropped her pack to greet her friend.
"You came!" she beamed, hugging Gareth by his muzzle.
"Indeed," he replied in a whisper. Arestel took her pack once more and went over to Elrond.
"Be back soon," Elrond said, kissing her forehead. "Real soon, Estel." He demanded.
Arestel laughed. "Of course, Ada."
"You have one week."
"What? But why?" she whined like a child.
Elrond sighed heavily. "Just do it. And keep out of troubles, will you?"
She nodded. "Sure."
Gareth had to position himself lower so that his young mistress could climb on his back. Once she was settled, he waited another from Elrond. "Take care of her," he said.
With a nod, the dragon opened his spiky wings and steered towards the north. Other Elves came to see them off, including Glorfindel and Erestor.
"She just got back the other day, right?" Erestor whispered aside Glorfindel.
Glorfindel smiled and nodded. "You know her. She always has this urge to leave and have fun."
They spent a whole day on travelling northwards. Upon reaching the Woodland realm, Gareth cast his ruby eyes below and then scanned the withered and dark forest.
"How about visiting King Thranduil?" he suggested, trying to make a small talk.
Arestel peered down and shrugged. "I would love to, but I have only one week. Knowing King Thranduil, he won't let us go easily. Perhaps some other time, when my father would allow me to stay in Mirkwood for a few days."
"You sound indifferent in seeing Legolas again," Gareth remarked, slowing his pace.
His passenger flinched at that statement and was silent for a while. At length she answered, "I am sure Legolas is faring well. I have not seen him in a while but I would be my honor to be their guest."
Hearing that, Gareth spoke no more.
By the dawn of the second day, they reached the Dale, where the men waved their hands to them. They quickly recognized the pair, and their king, Brand, grandson of Bard the Bowman, also waved and smiled as their old friends passed through. Long ago, when the dragon Smaug owned the lands, men were terrified. But ever since the Battle of the Five Armies, Gareth was seen not as a threat anymore, but a comrade. The Company of Thorin made this all happen. Arestel was a member, recruited by Gandalf the Grey himself. She became good friends with the dwarves, although not all Dwarves were comfortable with Elves.
Upon reaching the borders of Erebor, the dwarves started to appear. She smiled and scanned the surroundings. Gareth landed on the ground with so much care. These dwarves weren't wary of his presence, not anymore at least. As Arestel dismounted, she took the packs along with her. From the crowd emerged King Daín Ironfoot, King under the Mountain. Arestel's smiled grew wider at the sight of an extremely old friend.
"I'm back," she said, patting Daín on his shoulder.
The dwarf laughed. "Come, come, Lady Arestel. They're waiting." Daín led her inside the Lonely Mountain. The crowd followed them as they entered. Gareth waited until his mistress was out of sight before he left and settled himself somewhere on the mountains.
Inside the Mountain, more Dwarves came to say hello to Arestel. Once they reached the throne room, familiar voices were heard. A group of seven dwarves arrived.
"Everyone!" Arestel exclaimed happily.
She hugged them tight: her friends, old friends. First in line were Bofur and Bifur. She patted their heads and backs. Smiles were ever so present. Next was Bombur who had grown extremely fatter than before. She laughed and said, "My! You've grown more sideways after the last two weeks."
Bombur laughed with her and proceeded to hug the Elf. The crowd opened up a little for them to continue. Dain led the way to the dining hall, where Dwarf women prepared foods. The hall was great, lit with many chandeliers. The table was made of entirely of stone, as well were the chairs. On the wall there hung a single tapestry. Arestel looked at it intently, smiling at the picture. It was the Company of Thorin. Their leader was right in the middle; his nephews Fíli and Kíli were on his left and right respectively. How she missed them. Next to Kíli were Balin and Dwalin, Glóin, Nori, Ori and Óin. To Fíli's left were Bofur, Bifur, Bombur and Dori. At the end of the line stood Gandalf the Grey and Bilbo Baggins, their burglar. Next to the hobbit was Arestel, her arm on Bilbo's shoulder. It looked so beautiful. It even brought tears to her eyes.
"The people of Dale gave that as a gift," said Dwalin, standing beside her. "Brings back memories of old. It makes me feel old."
Both laughed.
"You're right. It's as if it only happened yesterday," Arestel sighed. "I wish Thorin was here to see how Erebor has become ever since that day. And I miss Fíli and Kíli."
"Come on now. You're here to have fun." Dwalin patted her back. "Let's eat. Bombur will launch himself onto the table if we're late."
They sat at the table. Daín was on the head, with Arestel on his right and Dwalin on the other. Everyone ate, and as Arestel was busy, she finally remembered what she came for.
"Ah! That's right!" she said, earning everyone's attention. "I brought something for you!" She stood up and ran towards her pack, which happened to be lying on the side of the room. All eyes were on her as she settled herself back on the table and opened her bag. She let out the Elven cakes she brought for them and placed it on top of the table. One by one she gave the Dwarves each of the cakes. Everyone looked happy and grateful. When everyone had their shares, three remained on her bag. Arestel looked around. Someone was missing.
"Where's Balin? And Ori and Óin?" she asked.
"Oh, you haven't heard yet, Lady Arestel?" asked Dori. He was busy munching on the cake.
"Heard of what?" Arestel took a bite on her own.
"Those three travelled back to Moria," answered Glóin.
"Eh? Why?"
"He believes he can take back Moria," Dwalin said with obvious worry.
Daín cleared his throat. "Yes. I counseled against it, but Balin insisted. Many came with him, including Ori and Óin."
Glóin scowled. "I told him not to go! He was persistent!"
"You mean to tell me they are still travelling by this time?" Arestel chimed in again.
The King nodded. "They've probably reached the Misty Mountains by now."
Arestel frowned. She really wanted to give Ori those cakes she prepared for him. Perhaps some other time? Yes. She was sure Elrond would let her go.
After dinner, Glóin, Dori and Nori led her to another room. It was spacious with a fireplace inside. They would always spend their time there, telling stories. She sat comfortably on a chair, near the fire. She tucked herself in her beloved fur coat, as it had always been cold in the north. Her build didn't match with Rivendell's warm weather. As the dwarves made a circle near her chair, she again, remembered something.
"So, Glóin," her usual cheerful and teasing voice echoed, "where's Gimli?"
Glóin stiffened for a while, but laughed it off. "He's back home. He doesn't go out much if nothing ever happens."
Arestel chuckled. "Seriously, you should take him to Rivendell some day."
The dwarf shook his head. "He's not very fond of Elves, you know. And still, a lot of our people still dislike the Elves, especially those from Mirkwood." Glóin yawned; the night finally came to him.
"Well, that's true." Arestel yawned too. Standing up, she went towards the door, followed by the dwarves.
"Sleepy already?" Dori mused.
"Nah, just a bit tired. Besides, Elves don't sleep remember? We have our ways to rest ourselves." She left the room and looked around the hallway. She set herself on a ledge and prepared to jump off. "I'll be back tomorrow, 'kay?" She smiled and jumped off. The dwarves panicked and ran towards the ledge. Below, Gareth was standing with his mistress on his back. He had been waiting for her after all. Arestel waved to the dwarves before leaving.
As they watched them fly off, Nori couldn't help but wonder out loud.
"Where in the world would she sleep outside?"
Three days later, Arestel had to return from Rivendell. Two days worth of travel would be enough. Daín and his people watched her off. The King under the Mountain handed her gifts: a bag full of jewels. Although she didn't like it, maybe Gareth would. He was a dragon after all.
"Too bad Balin wasn't here," Bombur whispered to her.
"That's okay. I can visit him in Moria if I had the chance," Arestel replied. She turned to the others and hugged them each, with Dwalin being the last.
"Take care, Lady Arestel," Dwalin reprimanded. His voice was as hard as a stone.
Arestel smiled. "You take care, too."
As she was climbing Gareth's back, a loud voice came from the crowd. The dwarves made way for their kinsman, a young-looking dwarf with dark brown beard. He wore a heavy leather tunic. What caught Arestel's attention were the two axes strapped behind his back. As she realized who it was, a wide smile graced her youthful face.
"Gimli!" Arestel beamed.
Said dwarf chuckled and went to greet his father's friend. Despite being younger, it looked like Gimli was the one older between them. Arestel knelt on front of him and took out her pack. She held out an Elven cake she was supposed to give Balin.
"Here you go," she said.
Gimli disliked Elves to the core; Arestel was the only exception. Eating a food coming from the Elves was not on his list. So, he only looked at the food and to Arestel back and forth.
"You don't like it?" Her voice sounded a little hurt.
"I'll take it. Thank you, Lady Arestel." Gimli immediately took the cake from her hands without the plan on eating it. Maybe Bombur would like to have another. As the Elvish girl stood up in front of him, Gimli sighed and had his eyes follow her. She mounted the golden dragon, and after another series of waves and smiles, she was finally off.
"Goodbye everyone! See you real soon!" It was the last thing Gimli heard from her. But from the dragon, it was the first.
"Thank you for taking care of my mistress," Gareth said nonchalantly. It was directed to Daín, who nodded in understanding and waved back.
When he couldn't see them anymore, Gimli sighed and walked over to Bombur, cake still on hand.
They arrived in Rivendell on the seventh day. It was sunset to be precise. They made it just in time. Elrond would have been furious if Arestel was late again. As she dismounted Gareth, Glorfindel came to greet her. He wore still the same armor he always had, with the exception of the helm and cape.
"You're late," the Balrog-slayer remarked with a sly smile.
"Barely," she panted.
Arestel patted Gareth's muzzle. The dragon let out a soft purr before flying off to his own place to rest. Arestel had to carry the packs on her own while Glorfindel helped her with it.
"What's new?" he asked.
She shrugged. "Nothing much. Only Balin and the others went back to Moria. Other than that, everything seemed okay." She panted again and to Glorfindel, she looked exhausted. "Anyway, where are my brothers? Are they home?"
The golden-haired Elf shook his head. "They returned to Bree four days ago. They said something occurred which needed to be fixed."
By this time they reached the main entrance to the keep. There was a dark figure standing by the doorway with his arms across his chest. Erestor seemed to be waiting for them and his dark eyes were darted to Arestel. He didn't look amused at all.
"What did I do now?" asked Arestel exasperatedly. Her trip was very exhausting and she had no time to argue.
Erestor sighed. "It's nothing. Good to have you back, Estel."
He knelt to pick up the rest of the package Arestel was holding. He led them inside the keep. Many elf-maidens bowed and greeted the two elf-lords and Arestel. "Lord Elrond was expecting you to arrive yesterday. He was disappointed and became quite worried when you didn't come," Erestor said nonchalantly. He was taking them towards Elrond's study room. Upon arriving, Erestor knocked on the door and then opened it without other words. Elrond looked up from his book and nodded at his chief counselor. At the sight of Glorfindel, he nodded also as a form of greeting.
Glorfindel and Erestor made way for Arestel as she stepped forward to greet her father.
"I was worried," he said. Before she had the chance to reply, Elrond hugged her gently and sighing on her silver-tinted hair. "I'm glad you're back."
Author's Notes: So yeah, uh, I'm back! Thank you for those who patiently waited. I'm very grateful. Here comes the sequel to An Unexpected Adventure. Of course, new set of characters, all those who we are all familiar with. For the people who haven't read the prequel yet, I advise you to read it. Although you may not, since I'm trying to narrate what happened before. You'll be able to catch-up in no time.
I hope you guys will stay with me throughout this story. Again, I'm trying not to make Arestel a Mary Sue. Lots of people keep bragging about characters being always so Mary Sue-ish. Regarding Gareth, well, people can stay calm as the reason behind his presence would surely be revealed in the story.
Ósanwe is a term which means "interchange of thought". I don't recall it being mentioned in the books but in the LOTR trilogy, it is Galadriel's ability to communicate telepathically. You can say that it is one of the many abilities of the Elves.
Anyway, I'd like to ask for your opinion once you've read at least the first chapter. Any suggestion will be fine, as long as it is not rude in any way.
Thank you. Have a great day ahead.
Next Chapter Preview: When Elrond isn't amused of Arestel's performances, he asks Glorfindel and Erestor to discipline his seemingly childish and uncontrollable daughter.
