We had wandered throughout the day. The sudden rain causing us to raise our hoods and look rather suspicious amoung the halfing folks who called Damas their home. To them, we were either simple folks who wanted assistance, yet none would offer to help us; Or, we were theives so confident in our abilities that hiding from their gazes was of no concern to us.
A step behind me, on either side of me stood one of my guards. Maren, my brothers best friend and the most trusted elf whom ever served our father. Noreo, He was everything an elf was not supposed to be. He was smug, showed emotion willingly and basked in the unspoken praise after he was victorious in battle.
Standing looking up at a small round door painted a dark green, a shade or two darker than the grassy hill that made up the roof. A gate in an attempt at some privacy came up to my knees, there was a window showing light coming from a fire in one of the rooms. It had been two nights since I had felt the warmth of a fire and I longed for it. Not entirely being covered from the rain, a simple fire would make me happy.
"This is it?" Noreo asked, his voice unimpressed by the simpleness of it. "thought it would be bigger" He offered, I felt him glance at me waiting for me to move.
"What do you expect, he is a hobbit, a half-ling" Maren spoke, his collected voice so unlike Noreo it made me smile.
I was the first to move, to approach the small knee-high gate and open it. It did not make a sound, well maintained. The aroma of flowers got stronger as we approached the door. Flowers of all colours crowded a flower box that hung from the window, the grass all around the home was cut and perfect, not a blade out of place.
The stone steps leading to the house were half a step to anyone taller than a half-ling. My chest fluttered, excitement at seeing my home again, this was the first step to reclaiming the greatest elven city, Imranlion. I inhaled through my nose. I lifted a hand ready to knock, my eyes quickly shifted to a chain hanging nearby.
Instead of knocking, I wrapped my fingers around the small orb that allowed it to hang straight, pulling the slightest bit hearing the gentle chime of a bell. Noreo shifted, his positioning making him look more human. I had to close my eyes as the door opened; the light blinding me, so used to the dark night.
It took less than a moment before my eyes adjusted to the odd combination of light and dark. A small hobbit woman opened the door, seeing our hooded faces she quickly hid her tiny frame behind the door.
"Evening.." Her voice was shaking and nervous. My eyes looked around, was this the right house? "A-are you thieves?" She asked, her voice barely a whisper, as if trying to offer us a chance to rectify her accusation.
"I admit, we certainly look the part" Her tiny brow furrowed at hearing my voice. "Hoods off boys" Maren and Noreo obeyed immediately, I a moment later. Her tensed shoulders relaxed seeing my feminine face. "I apologize, we must have frightened you. Tell us, is Mr. Sackville present?" Her eyes fell to the ground.
"Mr. Sackville has passed over a year ago" My blood went cold, how? Why? I glanced over my shoulder to Maren who glanced at me before looking to the woman again. "you are an elf?" Her voice changed, sadness no longer clouding it, she was intrigued.
"I am, as are my companions" My tone lifeless as my mind raced for a solution to this.
"We don't get elves here very often, ever in fact" Noreo was smiling at her, causing the poor woman to blush at his constant attention. "What business do you have here?" She asked, carefully moving to hide behind the door away from Noreo's gaze.
"We are here to find ourselves a companion, this is to be a meeting place for our company" Noreo offered, taking a step towards the small house, now at my side. "Has the Wizard not told you?" He asked.
"I admit, a Wizard had invited himself to dinner on this night, rather bold of such a high figure. But he has not arrived and the hour is late for dinner"
"Might we come in Ms. Sackville? It is raining" Maren too stepped up beside me.
"Oh, yes, of course...forgive me, come in" She stepped aside, not entirely willingly at the look she gave me as I passed between Maren and Noreo. Water dripped from our cloaks onto her polished wooden floor.
She released a tiny gasp seeing our weaponry. I leaned my bow and quiver against the wall, unbuckling my belt that held my daggers in place at the nape of my back; hanging it on a hook designated to coats. Maren and Noreo did much the same, Noreo having several more smaller daggers than myself, but he did not possess a bow. I turned to face her, she stood in the walkway protecting her living room from us. Her eyes dropped down to our feet, boots, covered in thick dark mud, already having destroyed the cleanliness of her greeting area. I bit my bottom lip, leaning over to undo the laces of my boots. It took me several minutes, Noreo merrily kicked his off while Maren placed them neatly by the door.
Barefooted we wandered the home. Maren remained with me while Noreo searched for the hobbit woman who seemed to have disappeared.
"I am surprised your brother did not meet us here" Maren offered, uncertain if Aias would appear from a back room.
"yes, it is odd" I accepted and found my way to the glow of a small, simple yet warm fire. A small smile came to my lips as the warmth of it hit me. I felt Maren watching me from behind, he did not see the splash of emotion I offered the peace of the fire.
It reminded me of home and the small fireplace in my chambers. I had it lit most of the days I spent in it, I always enjoyed fire; the way it danced around the confines it was given, gifting us with the beauty that it was as well as warmth to keep us engaged to it.
"Might I offer you something to drink? Tea? Ale? Wine?" The hobbit woman spoke, Noreo leaning against the frame of the doorway looking down at her amused. He was making her uncomfortable.
"Tea, my brother does not permit me to drink" I offer her a smile.
"Very well" She turned, Noreo about to follow.
"Noreo, stay here a moment will you" I ordered, my eyes demanding. He chuckled before coming to stand beside me.
"since when do you not drink wine? Even when your brother orders you against it" Noreo made me purse my lips in an attempt to suppress a smile. The three of us remained in silence, listening to the heating of the kettle.
The loud thundering knock on the door got all of our attention. "Answer it" I ordered Maren. He moved with silence. He pushed his shoulders back, lifting his chin and opened the door. Noreo and I chuckled lightly at him, having forgotten the door was needing us to duck in order to enter. Maren lowered his head and looked at those who had knocked.
"Bloody hell, tis an elf, thought only hobbit-sized folk lived in these parts" the gruff angry voice of a dwarf. Ms. Sackville was behind Maren in a moment, glancing around him to see the newcomers. "Ah, a hobbit lass, perhaps the wizard did plan for this trip to be fun" It was not only I who glared, but Noreo as well.
"dwarves" He growled before turning to leave me by the fire.
"Noreo" I called before he could get too far away. "Watch the hobbit woman...make sure none harm her" He nodded his head once before retrieving the boiling kettle from atop a fire in the kitchen.
The hobbit woman; whom introduced herself as Jessamine to the dwarves, spent a good portion of her time beside me. Soon, the entire hobbit hole was filled with dwarves, men, and us three elves. Three dwarves and two men.. I had hoped for the other way, yet the look these men offered Jessamine and myself was not one a woman should take lightly.
"Ill go...just watch.." I had been listening to the two men compliment myself and compare me to women from their homes, including their wives. "Milady" One of the younger of the two approached, Jessamine cowered behind my form as his eyes glanced to her. "You are a stunning example of elven beauty" I turned my attention to the fire, letting his mindless comments fall unto deaf ears. Maren would notice in a moment and quickly put an end to it.
"Step away" His stern voice the only emotion he allowed anyone but myself and my brother to see, Noreo as well on rare occasions.
"I-Is she your.." The man left the rest for the imagination.
"She is not interested" Maren stepped so I could see.
"I think she can speak for-"
"Step away" Maren interrupted, repeating his first warning. Jessamine leaned around me to watch the man retreat back to her table where the second man chuckled lively at the firsts misfortune. Maren turned and looked to me, receiving a bow of my head to dismiss him.
"Is he your husband?" Jessamine asked.
"Maren is my guard, as is Noreo" I offered. Her brow furrowed into a tight knot.
"If they are your guard does that mean that your are-" She was interrupted to a gentle chiming of a bell. "Excuse me" She stood. Making her way to the door, myself in tow. A pile of boots and cloaks cluttered the area by the door. She opened the door.
There, in the doorway. I smiled moving past her. "Aias!" I threw my arms around his neck, not caring it was a sight of emotion the hobbit could claim she saw an elf commit. He was taken back, arms held out on either side of him uncertain as to what I wanted. Finally, he wrapped his arms around my torso, tightening his arms.
"Amara, it has been far too long" He nuzzled his nose into my hair inhaling the scent he had long forgotten.
"It has" My voice cracked threatening tears.
"Maren" Aias, released me and bowed to Maren, my back still to Jessamine fighting back tears.
"Aias!' Noreo called, almost knocking the woman over trying to get to Aias quicker. He too threw his arms around Aias, pulling away more willingly than I had. "It has been far too long" He held Aias at a distance, receiving a stern hand on the shoulder from Maren, pulling him away from Aias and myself. Aias smiled at Maren, Noreo and then to me.
"Dear sister, it has only been a hundred years.." I glared at him while we were amongst friends.
"A hundred years is far too long for siblings to be apart" I retorted receiving yet another full smile from him.
"come" He opened his arms, inviting a hug from me. I curled into him, feeling the warmth hidden under his soaked cloak. We pulled away, he glanced down to my feet. "Where are your boots?" He asked.
"Our hostess" I made sure to enunciate the word. "requested out boots be removed"
"Forgive me, was that improper?" she asked, suddenly quite nervous.
"Not in the slightest. This is your home and we will oblige by your rules" Aias was quite good at making those around him feel worthy of his time. It was a good trait for a future king. "Might I come in?" Jessamine was quick to open up the doorway to my brother, who offered her a warm elven smile before he too, undid his boots and wandered to the fire as I had.
The dwarves groaned in disgust at seeing yet another elf arrive. We stood alone in the room; Aias having dismissed Maren and Noreo from our prescience. Noreo dragging a almost unwilling Jessamine along with him.
"come, sit with me" He offered, glancing at a couch behind us against the window i noticed earlier. He sat down carefully, myself beside him. "From what I've heard from Maren, you are acting quite out of character tonight" Aias remained emotionless staring at the fire now several feet away.
"I dont know what you mean" My hair was straight and hanging almost in my eyes. While we sat I took to braiding it carefully. Aias looked over to me.
"You look like mother" He almost whispered.
"I wouldnt know.." I replied dryly.
"It was not your fault.." I shook my head.
"I know" Offering him a reassuring smile; both of us knew I still blamed myself for what happened to our Mother. "I just miss her, and father" I added. A hand raised to my chest to feel the precious stone that hung from around my neck. "I think when we reclaim Imranlion I will feel better"
"Is that all that is bothering you?" Aias asked, giving me his stern fatherly look. I swallowed hard, uncertain if I should tell Aias again. I bobbed my head slightly accepting I should speak to him.
"Maren asked for my hand again.." He seemed unfazed.
"And what did you answer?" I looked to my hands in my lap.
"I didn't.." I shook my head. "It was during the last full moon...I still haven't answered him" I admitted. Rather hating myself for dragging this on for as long as I have.
"Amara, dearest sister, he is a good man. He will claim the throne after you, if anything should come to happen to me"
"I know, I know the match is good, and Mother and Father would have already had me accepting by this time, yet, Aias, I feel like my heart is telling me it is wrong" He lifted a hand, cupping my cheek.
"Then do not give him hope where there is none" I stood, making his hand fall back to his lap.
"I will accept him, if by the time we reclaim Imranlion my heart has not changed"
"If that is what you wish" He stood and moved beside me as we watched the group of men and dwarves.
"It is" I murmured, uncertain if Aias truly heard me. Aias and I were not normal siblings. At the young age of seven hundred Aias was forced to choose between staying with me, or protecting the citizens who survived Imranlion's invasion of Orcs; He did what a good King should. Sent me in search of our father while he stayed and made arrangements with other elven kingdoms for our refugees to stay.
I was four hundred when I lost my home, father, brother...everything. I searched for father; there was never a body to claim him dead, so we always had hope that we would find him. For two hundred years I searched all of this realm, Maren and Noreo my constant companions while we faced dangers such as Orc attacks, bandits, Goblins, Monguul Wolves, the list is never ending.
"Its getting late, Ladies, you two will take the two rooms I noticed" Aias called, demanding everyone's attention.
"Oh.." Jessamine bit her lip nervously. "I can sleep out here, I insist someone take the room" She offered getting narrowed glances from everyone.
"So lass, ya wanna come sleep by me?" One of the dwarves called to her, making her suddenly regret her speaking.
"Nonsense. Us two will share a room" I spoke before anyone else could speak. Before any objections could surface I grabbed her hand and moved to the furthest back of the two room. I assumed this to be her room. Pictures of family hung on the walls, neatly decorated with flowers and smelt of lavender.
I shut the door behind us, hesitating a moment before deciding to lock it. "Locking the door?" Jessamine asked. "Surely those men wouldnt...harm us?" I shrugged.
"Hard to tell with men" I eyed the bed, shaking the thought of suddenly gifting my body with the comforts of it and spotted an armchair in the corner. "Ill lay here" I slumped into it before her tiny voice squeaked with objections.
"No, please. It is a hobbits way to offer the best to their guests" I raised an eyebrow at her.
"Im fine, Im used to laying on the ground, this is cloud-like" I snuggled into the curve of the chair deeper showing her i did not lie. She blinked a few times, wishing to object, but I had already closed my eyes.
I listened to her tap her foot against the floor several times, uncertain as to what she was supposed to do, she had offered her guest the bed, and was refused, twice. She padded her way across the room, blowing out a candle before padding her way back to the bed and climbing into the covers. As soon as the room was dark i opened my eyes, waiting for her to fall asleep.