It was cold in the cave. The fire had long since gone out, barely emitting a heated smoke, and Essence shivered against the chill. The stone, like ice under her was uninviting, and she wrapped her arms around herself. Her clothes were still wet, previously laid out against the fire to dry. She had been traveling in the rain for far too long before she stopped, and was now soaked to the bone and shivering. If it wasn't for the sparse amount of sticks and leaves that happened to litter the cave before she had entered, she would have, most likely, suffered from hypothermia. At least she was dry, if not her clothes.
A loose shirt and underskirt clung onto her fragile body, still slightly damp, but warmed by her body heat. Essence brushed a loose strand of wet hair behind her ear, hugging her knees to her chest. Her stomach grumbled, and she let out a shaky sigh. She hadn't eaten in days—it was a wonder the young healer was still living.
Outside, Essence could hear the wind and rain battering the side of the mountain; the thunder roaring and lightning illuminating the rock shards outside the cave. The small girl didn't even know where she was—her last map had been destroyed after she foolishly tried to read it in the rain. Essence now resented that, and hoped she would happen along a clear road soon.
A particularly loud crash of thunder—or was it really thunder?—wracked the stone walls of her cave, and Essence thought she heard a yell or two. They sounded of men, but she couldn't be sure. Besides, no man would travel this far into the mountain. She herself was only so unwise to do so because she had lost her way. No one would voluntarily travel here in such cruel conditions.
Another roar shook the cavern, and Essence vaguely began to question the thought of it being simply thunder. She put her head between her knees, hoping to find warmth. She was, honestly, used to being alone, and although it hadn't always been that way, she enjoyed it nowadays.
Essence ran her thin fingers through her black hair and sighed. Her life was a mixture of blood and tears, old wounds that could never be repaired.
Essence was an elf. Yet, also a Vala, in a way. As a child, Essence had died as her mother gave birth. Stricken with grief, her mother prayed to the Valor for days, weeks, especially to the king of the dead, Namo, more commonly known as Mandos. The old Vala king, known for his cruelty, spared the young Essence's life, yet took her mother's life in return. On the young girl, Essence, he placed a curse. Though a gift to others, this curse caused the poor girl to suffer.
Combined with her natural Elfish healing powers, Mandos gifted her with the strongest remedial powers in all of middle earth. While the young girl, named Essence for her glowing presence, restored everyone she could, it was her health that they were taking. She felt every bit of pain that she took from the wounded, and gave them her own strength in return. If ever a wound was too difficult to heal, the life could be taken from her. Not like it hadn't already been.
Essence knew, in her heart, she could not save everyone. And those who she could not save, their family's tears would be forever embedded in her. The lifeless look of the victim she couldn't help, their cold fingers as the soul was sucked out of them, had scarred her. In her one hundred and sixty two years, Essence had realized love, or any form of attachment, was useless—even if she could heal wounds, everything faded into dust eventually.
Essence shuddered, rocking back and forth on the ground as the rain battered down even heavier than before. Wind whipped in, and she huddled into the corner of the cave. She wished for a warm bed and some food—she was starving, but the fear of the outside kept her hunger at bay.
A second loud noise shook the cave, and a small stone fell from the roof, just feet away from Essence. Feet away from hitting her, and probably killing her. Essence let out a gasp as she clamored backwards, fear rushing through her. That could not have been human.
She had heard legends about rock giants, and believed them—but never had she thought she could be in a position to actually see them. The thought terrified her.
A series of thundering blasts echoed through the cavern, and Essence sunk back as far as she could against the wall. Rocks battered the side of the mountain, shaking the cavern. Even from inside, Essence could feel the rocks as they cascaded down the wall. Another man-like yell came from outside the cavern, but this time, it was followed by many more. Her keen Elven hearing picked up on that immediately, even through the thick rain. Essence tensed up, slowly standing.
Another crash on the wall, followed by more yells. They were definitely men. The girl's wet hair clung to her fine olive skin, and she brushed it off, shaking. If men were charging through the mountains in this weather, this would be the first cave they would enter. She had chosen this one because of the large door-like entrance on the front, something the men would easily see.
Essence quickly backed up against the wall, looking around in fear for somewhere to hide. There was no way she could leave this cave without being seen by the men.
"Ah," she heard one of them say gruffly, as many groans sounded through the cave. They were near. Essence, seeing nowhere to hide, began chanting to herself. Essence prided herself in the small blessings of her elfish and Vala heritage. She slowly began to melt into the wall, or at least, it seemed like she did. The girl chanted a simple, yet effective, illusion upon herself, and seemingly disappeared. Almost everything was camouflaged except her glowing golden eyes, which she couldn't shut for fear that the men would sense her. She needed to be alert and awake the entire time.
"He's been lost ever since he left home," snapped a low voice at the entrance of the cave. "Dwalin!" No, no, no, though Essence to herself as the two Men entered the cave.
The Men came through the front of the cave came the stomping of heavy feet. Essence looked down and almost gasped aloud. She had foolishly forgotten to pick up after herself, and had left her drying clothes in front of the small pile of ash that used to be a fire. Her coat, over-skirt, over-shirt, and undergarments were still lying next to the abandoned fire. Essence almost screamed at herself. If these were the men she was used to, she would be down an outfit. The Men stomped in anyways, stepping over the jagged cave bottom. They were behind Essence as she breathed slowly, and they began to cast light through the cave.
"Search the cave," said the low voice. "Caves in the mountains are seldom unoccupied." The men rush forward, lighting up the cave. Essence frowned—she didn't even know it went that far back. The man who had spoken first walked in front of her, and looked around. Essence realized that this company was not of men—it was of dwarves. And, as another one stepped inside, of hobbits.
A dwarf with a half shaved head and tattoos stood next to the one with the dark hair. "Thorin, what do you suppose that is?" The dark haired dwarf, presumably Thorin, turned around. He stood a foot away from Essence and as he turned, she saw worn features and a thick beard, more kept than the other ones'. He looked down at the small fire that used to be there, as well as her clothes strewn next to it. Thorin's eyes widened as he looked back at the shaved dwarf.
"We must leave, now," he said, and Essence let out a sigh of relief. "All of you, we must go."
"Why?" asked another one. Essence's eyes followed the conversation. Her back was tight against the wall as they argued. "We've only just arrived!"
"Someone else has been here," he said lowly, turning his back to her. "The fire looks fairly new. They will be back before morning." Yes, leave, thought Essence as the dwarves around groaned.
"It looks abandoned," said one with long blonde hair and a braided beard. "They must have already left."
"Not without taking their clothes first," says Thorin, gesturing to the clothes that lay on the floor. Essence's heart skipped a beat as a dark haired one picked up her skirt, fingering it. It was elven made, and she prided herself in not usually having dirty dwarven fingers all over it.
"And it looks like it was a lady," says the one holding the skirt, a mischievous smile on his face and his dark eyes lighting up. Essence almost reached out and hit the childish dwarf, but the older dwarf saved her from having to do so. Thorin snatched the skirt from him and threw it back down, a disgruntled look on his face. The one who previously held the skirt frowned.
"Lady or not, we're getting out of here," said Thorin, turning again to leave the cave.
"Thorin, you mustn't force them into that weather again," said the one with tattoos, and Thorin turned to glare at them.
"Yes, I can." Thorin glared at him, his eyes like steel. "I'm not about to put this company in danger because of a wish for comfort!"
"You should listen to them, Thorin," said a very short dwarf with a curled white beard. He was probably the oldest one there. "We'll only stay until dawn breaks. And it is very unlikely our guest here would have left in this weather, or bothered to come back." The old man shrugged as Thorin drew himself up to his full height and tightened his lips. "We need to get out of this rain, Thorin, or you will lose half your company to natural causes." The dwarves nodded vigorously, and the small hobbit leaned up against the wall as if he were trying to blend in, just as Essence was. The rough stone against her back was beginning to hurt.
"Very well," said Thorin stiffly, and many sighs of relief echoed through the cavern. Thorin, the tattooed dwarf, and the oldest one moved towards the edge of the cave, sitting down. Another one, with red hair braided through his beard and mustache, walked in with a handful of sticks and twigs apparently held in the side of the cave Essence had not traveled yet to.
"I'll make a fire!" he said excitedly, dropping the sticks on the ground, and Thorin waved his hand dismissively.
"No fires tonight," said Thorin, and Essence frowned. It would have been nice to be warmed up—it was still cold in the cave, and she didn't have as much clothing on as the dwarves, even though they were soaked to the bone as well. And, looking at the blonde and brunette dwarves who were eying her clothes, she figured she would not be getting them back any time soon. "We'll wait here 'till morning, then leave the mountain at dawn."
"I thought the plan was to stay in the mountains until Gandalf met up with us?" inquired the white bearded dwarf, and Thorin sat down gruffly.
"Plans change," he replied simply, and watched the dwarves lie down. Many of them took whatever spots they could in the cave and put bags under their heads, falling asleep almost immediately. Essence breathed in a sigh of relief.
The dwarf that had made a comment about her skirt on the floor walked over to where her clothes were still laid out. The other dwarf with blonde hair and a braided beard walked up and stood beside him. "I do hope that lass comes back tonight," said the dark haired one quietly. "She won't be wearing any clothes!" The blonde one next to him snickered, and Essence moved to reprimand them. She immediately regretted it after the brunette lifted his head from her garments on the floor. His eyes widened as her skin slowly processed that she had moved and set into its new background. He opened his mouth and squinted at the space on the wall. He frowned, reaching his hand out to touch the movement.
"What was that?" he asked quietly, and his brother looked up at him.
"What was what?"
"That movement." His short frame moved towards her, and she bit her lip to keep from yelling out. Maybe he just wouldn't see her…
He took another step closer to Essence, and she drew a quick breath in. His eyes widened and he looked her straight in the eyes. She mentally cursed herself—she should have closed them. Unlike most elves, her eyes didn't seem to blend in with her surroundings. The gold stuck out like a sore thumb against every surface she had ever encountered.
"What are those?" he asked to no one in particular, reaching a hand out to one of her eyes. His finger was thick and caked with dirt. Essence tried to think of a way to reveal herself before the foolish dwarf poked one of her eyes out. Though she was known for her gentleness, at least while she was helping someone, she did not feel the need to be gentle now. Essence decided a more domineering approach would be best. After all, they were all barely over four and a half feet tall.
"Excuse me," Essence said loudly, willing her camouflage to wear down. The dwarf jumped back, tripping over her damp coat and nearly landing on the ground. She shook her black hair over her shoulder and stood as tall as she could. Over the years, healing had taken its toll on her height, and she continued to shrink. She was now barely four inches taller than the dwarves, something she wouldn't have. "What are you doing here?" Many of the dwarves snapped their heads up and drew their weapons, gathering together loudly and clumsily in their wet and heavy apparel. Essence tried not to show her fear as she stood tall. The dark haired dwarf called Thorin stood up in an attempt to reach her height, holding a sword across the room and pointing it at her.
"What are you doing here?" he asked aggressively, waving his sword at Essence. She lifted her chin and began to speak with the authority she had begun to master. Well, as much authority as she could with only a thin over-shirt that was probably wet and a thin skirt on. No doubt they were see-through.
"She's wearing clothes," said a disappointed voice. Essence refused to meet eyes with the speaker and stared down the largest dwarf.
"This is my cave," she said defiantly, "And I believe you would be the intruders here."
