I would have been there, I would have fought side-by-side with my family, but they said that I was too young. They told me that because I was not at maturity, that I would have to stay back with my brother's mother, with my people, they said that I would be better off if I stayed at home. My half brother, Elrond, told me that I must stay back, that it would be me who would lead our people if there was an attack on our homeland of Arvernien. They were horribly wrong when they marched off to help the dwarfs on the Mountain halls, to protect them and help to save their home. What they did not know is that they would not be allowed to fight, they would be sent back to find that their home would be gone. Men that where left murdered, only the most beautiful women and children taken, the others left for dead.
I was one of the lucky ones – if you would call it lucky. I was only fourteen at the time, though I seemed like I was at least twenty to the orcs that had taken us. I was one of six that were chosen, that were good enough to be kept alive. The one mother that I knew, Elrond's mother, had her head ripped off right in front of me. I wore her blood on my face for the next week. I still have no idea where the hell they took us, all I know is that I was the leader and also the youngest. We were well fed, though I usually gave my food away to the weaker girls, I Ireth daughter of Eärendil and a dwarf of all creatures, was a leader of a group of scared elves that looked to me for guidance. All I could do was try and calm them day after day. Until we were taken taken to an old run down inn run by men.
We thought that there must be something wrong, that they would be able to help us, that they would come to our aid. But we were wrong and should have known that the hearts of men are easily corrupted. They were only the face of the inn, on the outside they ran it for a pretty penny, while the orc's did all the real work. Bringing in woman to make sure that they had enough people to work the men and make sure that they would stay the night. The others were almost double, some triple my age, they all had husbands that were waiting at home for them, loving and would be ready to see them if and when they returned from war.
Year after year passed, we heard whispers of the fact that the war had ended without the help of elves and believed that all of our men, or family members, my brother, must have all died before they had gotten there. It brought most of the women into a deep depression and sent most of them over the edge. Some passed over. But years still passed and slowly I made my way up and up the charts of working at the inn until I became the master of the inn's favorite elven girl. From this I was allowed to sleep in longer, I was not forced to do any chores – though I still did help the others with as much work as I could get away with – I wore the best clothes that all of the orcs and men alive could bring back. The inn master tried to make me feel as queen-like as he could. But I was in pure hell the whole way through. That is. . . until a band of dwarf's, a wizard, and a hobbit, came into the inn.
" Well look at this odd couple coming in." Nátulcien, a girl only a few years older than me who had been brought in the raid before mine, said in elfish.
" Allow me to handle this one." I said with a smile as I looked at myself one time in the mirror, placing my hair in front of my ears.
" Can I get any of you something to drink?" I asked with a big smile as they all looked over at me. I swear the younger ones mouth's dropped to the ground when they saw my outfit, which only made me giggle, but just for a second.
" A pint," one of the dwarf's, an older one with a stern look, said from the back.
" One pint, alright anything-"
" For all of us." He growled back.
" Alright then, let's see that will be fifteen pints. Anything else?" I asked, still trying to keep up my smile.
" Could I actually have a small glass of your finest wine? If you have any here." The wizard asked.
" I'll get you the finest that we have in the back." I said with a smile as I turned and walked to the back.
" Big spenders out there, wouldn't you say?" Nátulcien asked.
" Very big. Get me the best wine that we have the in back. We have a wizard in the inn." I said with athe smile as I looked back out.
They were tried. Their journey had just begun and they were already out horses and now had to walk the rest of the way on their journey. Their. . . their journey to. . . back to their mountains. Their home. They had a battle there, the ones that were old enough to know about it, old enough ti even fight. A dragon had been there, had taken over their kingdom and then orcs. It was horrible, the blood, the bodies that they had to climb over just to fight the enemy. These were all second, maybe even third-handed memories, there were somethings that did not match up, did not look right. Then there was something worse. Elves watching from afar, the older stern man at the table screaming and begging for help from them and all they did was walk away. I was in such shock that I did not notice that Nátulcien had placed the tray of glasses into my hand, in the shock it all dropped from my hand and crashed onto the ground.
" I will be killed for this." I whispered as I was still in shock as I looked back at the dwarfs to see where the memory was coming from, one of the younger ones, the one with no facial hair. Kili, nephew of the stern man. . . Thorin Oakensheild. Enemy of the pale orc. They needed to get out of here quickly. They were in terrible danger here. I instantly dropped to the ground and started to pick everything up as quickly as I could.
" You can say that again." The inn master said as he pulled me by the hair up.
" You must leave this inn Thorin Oakensheild, rightful king of Erebor, there are orcs in the back and if they find that you are here, they will call for the Pale orc. Leave now, through the backdoor. Quickly!" I placed into his mind as I was bring dragged through the doorway. Nátulcien let out a scream that sent all of the men onto their feet. I was being drug into the back as they all took out their weapons.
" Which way to the back?" Thorin finally replied with but I did not know who got the answer, all I knew was it was not Thorin.
" Go through the kitchen. The cooks are all away and the Inn master will be busy with me. You will have a clear shot. Take it and run." I begged as I was thrown to the ground, hitting pots and pans the whole way down.
" You are going to wish that you had never been born, girl." The inn master said with a sick smile as he pulled one of the knives off of the cutting board and slowly coming towards me with it.
" I have wished that since the day that I was born, you will prove nothing that I have not already known. I beg you to try and show me differently." I said regaining all of the will and grace that I have had all of my life.
I could feel the rip of my shirt being cut from the bottom up. The sound of cotton being ripped from one end to the other. I thought about screaming, but it could send an alarm up to the orc's in the back and then the men would never get out of here like they needed to. I could feel a soft tear coming from my eyes as the knife started to go for the short skirt that I was wearing. All I could do was hold back all of my tears and close my eyes tightly. I could hear the sound of clothing tearing, the noise of the knife getting closer and close to my tights. I was so scared at that moment that I could feel my body trembling.
" You were a good girl while it lasted. But now you have to learn that when a girl is bad, that she has to be taught as lesson. Now, be a good girl and take this like a good girl should." He whispered into my ear as he placed the knife to my cheek and dug in ever so lightly. I had to keep myself from letting out a scream.
" Let her go right now!" A man yelled from behind as the Inn master looked away for only a moment, but it was a moment long enough for my to twist his arm and try to take the knife from him.
" You were supposed to run!" I said as I took the knife from the Inn master's hand.
" I have never been one for taking order's too firmly." The brother of Kili, Fili, said.
" Fool!" I hissed.
It was my mistake to keep my eyes off of the man for more than a moment because he had wrapped his arm around my neck, pulled my arm up to my own neck and had the knife right there, piercing into my skin, sinking in deep. My eyes watered and I could feel the breath of a small scream coming from my mouth. I was a fool for starting to forget all of the fighting that Elrond had tried to teach me, all of the basics of war that he had placed into my mind.
" Put your weapon down and she does not get hurt." The Inn master hissed.
" Run you fool!" I hissed as the knife sunk deeper into my throat and I let out another noise.
" Now!" The Inn master said as Fili put down his sharp sword.
" Kili! Now!" Fili yelled and within the second I was on the ground the Inn master below me and the knife still barley in my neck.
I felt dizzy, I felt dazed, and from what I knew I could not stand or do anything. All I did was stare up at the ceiling that I knew too well. All of the nights that I would stare at it and try to see all of the stars and the mother I knew would teach me all about. I had not been allowed outside since the day that they drug me in here. They kept us in the kitchen through the night. I wondered if I were dead, for Kili had killed me instead of the Inn master. Inside I almost hopped that he had done that, he had heard my plea and taken pity on me. But that was too easy and soon enough the two brothers were rushing over and picking me up from the ground, lifting me into one of their strong arms and trying to rush me out the room.
" Wait!" Nátulcien begged as she placed her hand onto my shoulder.
" We cannot bring another, Thorin will kill-" Kili started with.
" I am not asking you to bring me with you. I would never ask of that from a dwarf. But she will need new clothing, something to get her through with where ever you are going. Give her to me for only a moment and I will dress her properly. She will die in those clothes." Nátulcien hissed as she tried to take my body from them.
" From what we have just seen, I do not think that I will allow you to go anywhere with her. We will follow." Fili hissed as Nátulcien sighed so heavily that it made me smile a little as she brought them into where we would dress for the night.
" Iaurfâniel, give me your warmest clothing that you have and you Dolenyulmaiel give me one of your lighter clothing." Nátulcien hissed at the girls as she went to her wardrobe and took our something and wrapped it around my body as she placed me on the cold floor and started to redress me.
" You are getting out of here my dear Ireth, please be safe with the dwarfs." Nátulcien whispered as she gave me a soft kiss on the forehead and nodded for Fili to pick me back up.
" There are still my people you know." I whispered with a smile as the warmth of Fili took over my body and I curled right into it.
" She is freezing." Fili said in almost a panic.
" We need to get her to Gandalf!" Kili hissed.
" Hurry! Thought the backdoor!" Nátulcien lead them all the way through, making up excuse after excuse when she met up with any man. I could feel my body slowly going faint as we made it into the freezing and raining air.
" We are going to have to leave her here once she awakens! We are not bringing along an elf!" Someone roared.
" Thorin, she is not just an elf though, she is only part of a part of an elf, she is also a dwarf. Notice how short she is for an elf. How thick her hair is. The sharpness of the features in her face. Yes, she is a elf, but she is also like you a dwarf, one that would be much too young to know anything about the wars that you were in, let alone having been in them. And remember, she did get us out of there being orcs attacked." An elder man said as I slowly started to move up.
" I really would not do that if I were you." A voice said from above as I looked up to see that both Kili and Fili were hanging from a tree above.
" How long has this been going on for?" I asked as I looked around and smiled as I moved to my feet, finally being able to walk again, seeing the cold grass below my feet and all I could do was smile.
" You look like you have never felt grass before." Kili said and he was instantly hit by Fili.
" Will you be quite, she has been a slave for years!" Fili said in hush to his younger brother.
" It is nothing to be secretive about, Fili, I have been a. . . slave since I was fourteen, it has been a long time since I have been that age. It have not felt grass, seen the beautiful stars, felt the breeze, since I was taken to that horrid place." I said with a smile as I looked up at them.
" Well you seem to know our names. . . what is yours?" Kili said with a thick smile as he leaned out of the tree so that we were face-to-face, only his was upside down from mine.
" Ireth." I said as I smiled at him. " You are going to fall if you stay like that for much longer."
" And how do you know that?" Kili said with a thick smile.
" Maybe she has more elven powers than we know. Maybe she can see into the future." Fili said.
" Oh maybe! Can you see into the future as well?" Kili said in an over-excited tone.
" No, I just know a little about psychics and the way that the branch you have your legs wrapped around is going to break in I'd say five seconds or less." I said with a smile as, just like I said, the branch snapped and I was there, holding the head of the young dwarf in my arms, just inches from the ground.
" Amazing." He said with a smile as he looked into my eyes, making me smile harder.
" I used to also love climbing trees back home." I said with a smile.
" Oh." Kili said as he reached out and took the hair that was blocking one of my eyes and placed it behind my ears.
" How is your neck feeling today?" Fili asked, as I felt like I was awakened from a dream as I looked up at the older dwarf.
" Well I can speak and I can move it, so I believe that it is doing rather well. Is it bad?" I asked as I felt my neck to find that there was nothing there.
" Gandalf." Fili said as he threw out his hand towards me. " Would you like to come up?" There was a smile on his face that I could not resist.
But I had to do this my own way, there was no way that I was going to allow him to help me into something that I used to play on so many times before. Now, it was unladylike and really unelflike for me to still be climbing up trees and playing around like I was still a child. Though I still felt ddeep down inside that I never really got out of my childhood, I was still Ireth the fourteen year old somewhere deep down inside, not all of that girl had died. As I took a firm grasp of the sturdy branch that Fili was on, I used all of the strength in my upper body to not only pull me up and onto the branch, but to twist me around so that I was sitting next to Fili, face-to-face with him when I landed gracefully.
" Wow." Fili said lightly as he looked over at me.
" Like I said before, I used to climb trees a lot as a child." I smiled as I stood on the branch and started to make my way up higher and higher into the tree. " What? Are you boys scared of heights? I thought that adventures had to be brave." I said with a smile as Fili instantly got up and onto the branch and Kili got a running jump and flipped into the tree. " That's more like it." I said with a smile as I made my way to the very top of the tree and poked my head out of the leaves to see the stars above.
" Breathtaking aren't they?" Fili asked as he only stuck his upper body through the brush and branches.
" I have missed them for so long." I smiled as I looked up to see all of the stars in their beauty, ageless and never changing.
" Where is she? Kili! Fili! Where did the elf go?" Thorin's thundering voice boomed from below.
