A thousand dreams had passed her until she awoke.
She breathed for what felt like the first time, drawing soot into her lungs. The air was heavy upon her chest and a chill kissed her cheeks. Yet she took a moment before opening her eyes.
Silence.
She took another breath and her thoughts traced back to the last time she knew such content.
Uncertain and unaware, her eyes widened like the moon to find herself far from home. A newfound world, where dirt and branches made up for her bed and meandered and overgrown branches above subsisted for a ceiling. She wasn't afraid, but instead curious.
A newfound energy coursed through her despite the death surrounding. Dead trees, fallen leaves and forlorn paths stretched across her. Yet she moved through it, feeling herself guided by an unseen force. She weaved carelessly through, with whispers following her and an occasional hiss.
Her mind was interested on the sound, that was nearing her no matter what direction she strode. Her mind was interested on many things and yet never did it wonder where home was. She pondered where she was. She questioned if this was another dream. Perhaps this forest was modeling her own faith, perhaps she was dead. And if not, was there an escape?
Lost to thought, she never saw the eyes of red glowing above. The vermin that lurked in the forest spoke to another, alerting of the intruder, leading them all to assemble. It took only one though to wind down and as she whipped around to the approching sound, there the enlarged spider heaved its stinger through her stomach. Though her closed mouth attempted to scream, she only produced a moan. The red eyes in front of her lingered in her mind even after it left. Her body grew limp before it fell numb and a darkness took her vision.
()
Thranduil had seen the sign but chose to thing nothing of it for the time.
Thorin would have his noble quest and fail along with any fool who dared to follow him. But another unsuccessful attempt meant another age without his gems and though he was not possessed by any need for riches like most men and dwarves, it was his heir looms he often wished to see. He had even come to consider Thorin succeeding. Though unlikely, should he reclaim Erebor the gems would be left to him and his kin. He wasn't like most dwarves – he far less dimwitted. The gems would be his leverage.
Thranduil had several ideas should it happen and all required war or fighting – he didn't want either – save one. Yet missing an essential elements to the plan had left him to discard it.
Then earlier that day, the guards had arrived with an abandoned human, poisoned and on the verge of death. He had known those forests since he was young. They were cast under a spell, more so a curse, leaving any who ventured in it weak minded and vulnerable. Should a spider or any other beast lurking not kill them, insanity would finish them.
Not her though.
She was alive upon finding her and with the right care, she would survive.
She was all he needed now.
Once she came to, Thranduil summoned her with bond hands. He watched the guards usher the small figure from the dark end of the hall, to where he sat. Seeing her cast doubt. Her head remained down, her body consistently trembled and even as they dropped her to her knees in front of him, she reminded silent.
Even in the privacy and silence, her body quivered and her stare rested on the ground. He circled around her, evaluating her, and noting all he could with what little she showed. Once satisfied, Thranduil broke the silence. "It is the nature of men to wander where they shouldn't. They lose their way. But not you…" His expression twisted as he drew closer. "What is your name?"
Such a simple question, one that didn't deserve hesitation. She knew that. She also had come to known, with the drastic change in scenery and time her true name was unfitting. It was a fair trade. If she lied, the less suspicion Thranduil would have, leading to less questions to answer.
"A-A-Aeris," she stammered, taking the first abnormal name that sounded proper enough.
Her performance to him was mediocre if anything all.
This plan he had required several traits and Aeris had shown to possess only one. Convincing wasn't it.
"Where is it you come from?" he inquired.
"I-I-I…do-don't –" she begun.
"Do you stammer because you lie or you fear?" Thranduil inquired.
"I do-don't…" She took a gulp as she tried to recollect herself. Her impediment was only provoked by fear. "I d-d-don't think…you w-w-would know if I-I told…you."
"No." He paused his observation, perhaps because he couldn't handle anymore disappointment or he had gathered all he could within Aeris' few movements. She didn't know, but it relieved her, enough to slowly lift her eyes, granting herself a peak of her captor. "You are not the filth from Esgaroth. There is something about you. There is parts of you that are uncertain…seeking something…perhaps I can be help to you."
Thranduil looked back to barely meet the hollowness resting in her eyes.
She could be what he needed.
"I will left you go…should you reclaim something of mine," he begun and she looked up again. Her attention was his and soon, her service. "Once I have what I desire, I will aid you in finding your home –."
"I-I-I don't want…to go back." There was a shift in her personality. She was timid and reserved, but the mentioning of it had lace her tone in anger. Her protest came clear and easier.
A weakness, he thought, something worth remembering. Though it put a pause in his speech, Thranduil was quick to even the scores again.
"Then I will grant you with freedom. You will be welcomed to stay here or part, with a vast amount of wealth." Wealth was the desire of all humans, he believed. "You have my word."
"Wh-what if-if I don't?" she suggested, settling back into her old self. "Wh-wh-what if I f-f-fail?"
"Then you will be left to rot in one of my cells…" he said even in a casual tone. "Deprived of all you have known, left to spire into madness until you are defeated."
"That..s-s-sounds…horrible."
"And it will, should you not fulfill your end of the bargain."
There was no other choice.
She steadily nodded in agreement.
"Good," Thranduil said. He continued on, telling her of his gems, his heir looms and where they lied. He, as he commonly did spoke harshly of the line of Durin. He told of a selfish race of easily corrupted minds. Their kingdom, Erebor, laid in the mountain, where they found a stone of great power that lead them wealth and alliances. And later to great sorrow.
Briefly he spoke of his alliance, gifting them his gems as a sign of honor. But the dwarves were hasty. Their king fell into a sickness of the mind. His senses dulled to the desire for more. Soon a fire drake from the north, Smaug, had come, eating and setting fire to all those who tried to stop him. He claimed Erebor for himself.
The King fell, his son soon after, but his grandson lived on, surviving only to avenge his people and regain what he had lost.
"There is rumor of a prophecy…a hidden door will be shown during the last day of autumn. If Thorin and his company are to find it, they will be able to regain their kingdom once they find the stone and slay the dragon. And should Thorin rule –."
"You – you won't ever ge-get back what you – you…lost," she whispered, piecing together the details.
"But if you were to follow him, gain his trust and be there when the doors open and the lost treasure is retrieved…"
"Ta-take your gems-gems back."
For the first time, Thranduil faintly smiled to himself.
That constant longing to see his jewels again begun to ease. Now all he needed was to equip her with a weapon and send her on his way. Then he would wait, which mattered not. This wait seemed small compared to all the time that had passed spent.
Hello everyone!
I won't lie...I'm surprised you've actually read this far! Thank you for that. This idea has been in my head for a few years and I guess I was never really confident in it enough to post or even write it. I don't think it has a lot of potential but I think everything is worth a try! Another thing, haven't wrote anything in several months so my skills are very rusty - I think this chapter makes that incredibly obvious - so I'm sorry for how crappy it is. But in my defense, aren't first chapter always bad...don't answer that.
So a few details: Aeris' impediment comes from a personal struggle please don't be rude about it. There isn't a lot of romance, save some Thorin and Bilbo because they're meant for each other damn it! There might also be a little at the end but I like Aeris having friendships more than romantic relationships. No Legolas and especially no Tauriel because she's just pointless. I feel like I'm going to get a lot of blacklash for that.
I love receiving constructive criticism and as you can probably see it's greatly needed, so have at it. Any errors you see, OOCs (cough cough Thranduil cough cough), boring parts, confusion, stupid scenes, this whole chapter in general, etc. just drop me a message. I appreciate it! Thank you all who's reading and continues to read it - who am I kidding I'm just talking to myself at this point!