Chapter 2: On to Rivendell
Though the journey to Rivendell was more than two miles away on foot, Thorin allowed no one else to tend to her, and he himself carried her to the House of Elrond. She woke once and touched his mouth.
"Thorin," she said, her whisper almost lost in the breeze. Her head fell back against his arms, and she did not wake again.
He looked down at her and felt an unfamiliar twisting of his heart. He recalled what she had done and how she took on an entire Orc pack without fear for their sake.
She is a true warrior, he thought with admiration, his lip curling at the notion that she was a warrior like himself but with an appearance that suggested something else. He gazed on her face again, taking in her labored breaths, and saw that she was growing paler. He quickened his step and grew more anxious and short-tempered as they walked. Offers of help were met with stony silence. Balin looked over and watched the familiar mask of pain harden Thorin's features.
"Surely, others can carry her. You don't need to be burdened with..."
"Burden? Burden?" he thundered his response, turning so quickly that Lady Grace's hair flew out and streamed over his arm. His pale blue eyes flashed. "She is …." He did not finish his thought. Stopping and looking into the faces of his kinsmen, he saw their affection and concern.
"It is no effort." He tossed his head in an effort to control his irritation. "She is light and we are almost to the gate."
Shortly after, they arrived at Rivendell tired and confused. Summoned by his chamberlain, Lord Elrond, with his robes sweeping about him, greeted Gandalf and the dwarves with great civility.
"My Lord Elrond," said Gandalf with a rub of his bushy eyebrows, "we come for counsel for we have a bit of a mystery." He inclined his head toward the bundle in Thorin's arms.
Thorin gritted his teeth, glaring at Lord Elrond, sure that he harbored ill intent. "We do not need counsel, Gandalf. She needs help."
"She?" Lord Elrond asked. Thorin stepped back and clutched her to his chest. "Bring her inside."
The tall elf lord and Gandalf exchanged glances over Thorin's head while they watched him lay her on a silken couch with great care, making sure that she was hidden from their view. Once he was finished, he turned and lifted his chin, challenging Lord Elrond with his eyes and his fists on his hips.
"I want it clearly understood that she owes us nothing and that she be accorded all respect and honor."
Lord Elrond bent his head to one side and observed his behavior, which seemed tantamount to taking this woman under his protection, a surprising development. The dwarf prince and king-in-exile's eyes followed his movements, trying to discern his intentions, and Elrond thought that he might take up arms if he thought the woman in danger. Surprising indeed.
"And so she will be, Thorin, as would any who come in peace, but I must be allowed to see her if I am to help her."
The dwarf prince grumbled and drew back her cloak, making sure that the elf lord did not somehow injure her. Lord Elrond gasped at her exotic appearance.
"Her armor," he said with wonder. "What is this? Not gold, no, but something I have never seen."
Gandalf stepped in close, somewhat frustrated that no clear answer was forthcoming. "Is she of any of your people?" Lord Elrond shook his head and leaned over to look for clues. Gandalf hesitated and then ventured, "Could this be a trick of Sauron's? Could she be evil in disguise?" Such tidings would not be at all welcome, and the thought of one of Sauron's servants in Imladris chilled his blood.
"No," Lord Elrond said, "from what you tell me she stood alone against the orcs and was willing to give her life to save you. Evil is not selfless." His brow knotted, and he held a crooked finger against his lips.
Fili and Kili stood at attention with their hands on the handles of their belt-knives in support of Thorin. The others gaped and gawked at her, voicing all manner of opinions.
Gandalf grasped at straws. "Is she from the Undying Lands?"
"No, but there are legends," Lord Elrond said, never taking his eyes off of her. "I cannot be sure. Only a few can still recall them in their entirety. But if I am right, her kind cannot be healed by any art we possess."
"Thorin healed her," Nori said with a wipe of his nose. He eyed various silver and gold goblets and other treasures around the chamber and fiddled with his pockets to make room. Balin turned to Thorin with reverence and pride.
"Aye, Thorin helped heal a cut on her face when we first found her."
Lord Elrond's eyebrows rose several inches.
"That is not possible," he said. "There is no art or magic in Middle-earth that could have any effect on her kind if what I am thinking is true."
Thorin snorted and paced, his face tight and angry. "Her kind? What kind? You all talk in half-sentences, never finishing a thought, and not one of you is helping her. She could die while you stand there and blather about where she comes from."
"In that case, what did you do to help her then when you first found her?" Lord Elrond asked.
Thorin stopped pacing and scowled. "I did not mean to help her," he replied. He muttered with resentment. "I thought she was an elf."
"But you did help her," said a smooth voice from the doorway. Lady Galadriel exchanged glances with Lord Elrond and gazed at the motionless form on the couch, her ageless face thoughtful.
"How did you find her?" she asked.
Thorin rubbed his brow. "We were caught out in the open by orcs and had taken refuge in a cleft in the rocks. I thought we would have to fight our way out, and then we heard a sound against the back wall of the cave."
"What happened then?" she asked, prompting him with a dip of her head.
As they listened Thorin's recounting, with Balin and the others chiming in, Lord Elrond turned toward Galadriel with dawning comprehension. The pale blond Elf queen waited for him to finish.
"I see," she said, now sure of what she suspected. "What did you feel, Thorin, son of Thrain?"
He stuck out his chin in response, unwilling to share his private thoughts with someone he despised, but a look at Lady Grace's almost chalk-white face changed his mind. Turning back with sneer, he dared the elf queen to mock him. "Fear," he said, ignoring the shocked exclamations of his companions for revealing what was so obviously a weakness. "I am responsible for my sister-sons and kinsmen, and I could not bear them falling into the hands of those monsters. I alone am responsible for the House of Durin, and I will see it prevail even at the cost of my life!"
Satisfied, Galadriel turned to Lady Grace and nodded, keeping her face neutral. If she was right, this legend was no myth. "Now touch her where she is injured, and we will have our answer."
Sitting next to the girl, he closed his eyes, bent his head over her, and placed his hands near the burn. Her jewel began to glow, and golden light flooded the chamber. It streamed through the windows and lit the delicate arches and walkways in the courtyard below. The dwarves laughed and clapped each other on the back. Gandalf leaned forward on his staff and looked on with intense concentration. The elves nodded to each other, and Thorin did not move until a gentle hand reached out to touch his hair and the side of his face. He lifted his chin to see her smiling, and he could not help exhaling with relief.
"I thank you for being my rescuer once again," she said, her voice quiet and thoughtful. "I am again in your debt." He caught her hand in his and tucked it under her cloak.
"No, my lady, I and my kinsmen are in your debt." Then realizing that the others were watching their interaction, he cleared his voice and pushed off the couch. Her eyes wide with astonishment, the elf queen nodded at Lady Grace.
"A Therian," she said as if speaking from a dream. "There is nothing else she could be."
"A whatian?" Bofur asked. Balin jabbed his side and told him to hush. The others shifted on their feet and shrugged.
"A Therian," she repeated.
"A Therian," Lord Elrond whispered, his voice filled with awe. "How is it possible? A creature of pure light come here? For what purpose?"
"Are you sure, my lady?" Gandalf asked. "Such a thing is unheard-of, impossible."
"You mean that's not a woman?" Nori asked, one corner of his mouth lifted in doubt. The dwarves looked again at her perfect form. "She looks like a woman—of sorts."
"Shut up, Nori," Dwalin said. "What do you know of women?"
"More than you," he said with a flounce of his shoulder. Balin shushed them with his hands.
"That's enough from both of you," he said looking over like a stern parent.
Thorin watched the elves and Gandalf discuss their conclusions, and his mouth set in a grim line. It seemed like something momentous had happened that he was not part of, and it grated until he could hold his tongue no longer.
"I do not understand," he said, his wary eyes shifting between them. "How can she be made of light? He glanced back at Lady Grace who had closed her eyes again but this time in peaceful sleep.
"Where is she from?" he asked with his hands on his hips. "Is she out of danger? I need"—he cleared his throat—"I want answers, and I will have them now!"
A knock came at the door.
"My Lord Elrond," Lindir said, "many of your people have felt an unfamiliar stir and have come to see if all is well within."
"All is well, indeed," he replied. He kept his back to the others, and sifted through the present facts, concerned that her presence was already felt among his people. "At least for now," he added under his breath. Then he faced the others, his face grave. Such a happening had to be handled with the utmost care, for such a thing was unknown and and perhaps dangerous.
"All who wish to know what we know come with me." He led them to a nearby antechamber. Thorin placed his hand on Balin's shoulder, nodded to Fili and Kili, and motioned for the others to stay behind.
"She needs your protection," he said as he looked hard into each face. "I'll have your solemn oaths on this. If she wakes again you will come and get me." They stiffened and dipped their heads. Satisfied for the moment, but still uneasy to leave, he turned and followed the others. Lord Elrond shut the door and bolted the lock.
"We must be careful," he said, "and nothing may leave this room for the time being." He motioned for Galadriel to speak. She took a deep breath and prepared to share only the essentials.
"The young woman that you have found is a Therian, a creature whose existence has never been proven," she said, "Stories were dismissed as fact long ago and are now childish fables."
"But what are they?" Thorin replied, raking his hands through his hair. "She is not a creature of light. She is real. I touched her. She spoke to me. She …." He waved a hand in the air and rubbed the side of his face, trying to summon the images he saw in his mind.
Lord Elrond cocked a brow, but Galadriel spoke first.
"You must tell us all that she said to you," she said, "but I will answer your question. Legend has it that Therians are beyond physical form in the realm they inhabit and that a Therian may assume a physical form if injured, as what happened here."
"But why then did she become a woman and not a man?" he asked. He turned his face away and stared out a window, trying to make sense of all he felt, "Why was I the only one able to help her?"
Lord Elrond and Lady Galadriel glanced at Gandalf who looked pained at the evident emotion in Thorin's voice. This event could change everything but must not change anything in his opinion. Smaug had to be dealt with, and this was a most unwelcome complication.
"It doesn't matter at this point, Thorin," he said. "She is well now, and the elves will help her with whatever she needs. You are relieved of your obligation to her. You have other matters to attend to."
Thorin snorted at his words and replied with heavy irony.
"Indeed, wizard, but since we came at your suggestion and cannot leave tonight, it would do no harm to have my questions answered," and he turned his back on Gandalf who huffed in frustration. Then he motioned for Lady Galadriel to finish.
"She assumed the form that is most consistent with her natural self," she said, "and you may have noticed that she did not accept food or drink." He recalled that she refused his offer. "We believe that Therians live off of the service they give to others. They are creatures of honor, and her beauty reflects her heart."
"What?" Fili interjected with a blink and open mouth. "No food at all? How can anyone live without it?"
"Maybe they don't have food where she comes from," Kili said in an aside to his brother who shook his head at something so incomprehensible.
"What little we know is that they appeared in times of great crisis," she continued, "and without exception to turn the tide for those they deemed worthy. They respond to nobility of heart, commitment of purpose, and passion. Thorin, son of Thrain, you of all your company possess those qualities together in greatest measure. You also have suffered the greatest pain. It seems as well now that Therians respond where they can do the most good."
"She threw herself out there to fight," he muttered under his breath.
"Exactly so," Lord Elrond said. "We only know of them from stories of lights and golden glows and rare sightings of beings so magnificent and bright that those who saw them fell to the ground in awe. Those very few who encountered them spoke of being touched by perfect peace and joy, an experience that changed them forever. No one in living memory has ever seen one …."
"Until now," Thorin said.
"Until now," agreed Lord Elrond. "This is unprecedented."
In the other room, Lady Grace began to stir. Her dreams at first had been pleasant but were now turning dark and troubled. Images of a fall, pain, and a creeping evil made her clutch her throat, gasping for air.
"Dori, get Thorin now!" Nori cried. Dori ran to the door and pounded in a panic.
From inside the room, Thorin heard her cries, and he threw the door open and hastened to her side while commanding the dwarves to give her room.
"My lady, my lady," he said, taking off his fur and leather cloak and wrapping it around her shivering body. He sat next her and said, "All is well. You are safe, and those here are sworn to protect you." He looked over the top of her head at Gandalf and the elves, daring them to contradict him.
"You are safe now," he whispered. "There is nothing to fear."
Her shaking arms reached for him, and he was both surprised and embarrassed by her pulling him into a tight embrace. Her head dropped into the crook of his neck, and he heard the murmurs of his company behind him. He tried to pull away, but she would not let go, so he surrendered and held her until her shivering stopped. Then he stood, adjusted his tunic, and faced the others, willing his face to look calm. However, in his mind, he had already come to a decision. If she needed his help, she would have it.
"I will stand watch over her tonight," he said, raising his hand to silence the protests of his kinsmen. "Choose an attendant, Lord Elrond, if you wish, but I will not leave her again until morning."
"A very great complication indeed," Gandalf said.