Hey Everyone! I'm baaaaaack!
So this is the long promised prequel series to my Lord of the Rings OC Trilogy. Expect lots of background for our OC and also an introduction to her relationship with Legolas! If you've already read my first trilogy, awesome! but expect to read it again bc after i'm done uploading The Hobbit series, I will be going back through that one and uploading my edits! and there have been A LOT of edits, from grammar to entire story changes!
If you haven't already read my first trilogy, DON'T. As i said earlier, I WILL be editing it A LOT.
Enjoy loves!
In Dale, Caladwen found herself helping its people prepare for war. She helped the uneducated sharpen their swords and collected first aid supplies in an old wing of the castle, which her and her kin had turned into a field hospital of sorts. Thankfully, she had been able to stay out of Thranduil's path for the better part of the day.
"Bard! There is a vagabond at the gates!" A shout came from the door to the lower city. Caladwen made her way to the door, confused, just as Bard exited the castle armory.
"Where?" He called.
"In the market! He just entered!" The townsman told Bard. Bard looked to Caladwen, and she nodded, following him out and to the courtyard, where a crowd had begun to gather.
"Who is in charge here?!" An old voice yelled, causing Caladwen's heart to jump. She began to push her way through the crowd behind Bard.
"Who is asking?" Bard questioned the visitor, and as Caladwen broke the line of gawkers, she smiled.
"Mithrandir." Caladwen grinned, crossing the gap between them and hugging her old mentor. Gandalf froze, smiling as he brought his arms around her shoulders.
"I trust the realm of men have treated you with accord, Amdirvaethil?" Gandalf asked, pulling away from Caladwen.
"Like royalty." Caladwen smirked at Bard, who watched their interaction, confused. Gandalf patted her shoulder, taking a step towards the leader of men, hand extended.
"My name is Gandalf the Grey, I have come to catch up to my company but it would seem there has been… a set back."
A little bit later, Gandalf had called a council with Bard, Caladwen, and Thranduil. The Elven King did not seem happy to see Gandalf, but he accepted his invitation all the same, and it was in his tent that the group met.
"You must set aside your petty grievances with the dwarves. War is coming! The cesspits of Dol Guldur have been emptied." Gandalf pleaded with them after he had heard the story of their current relations with Thôrin's company. "You are all in mortal danger." Thranduil scoffed at Gandalf's words, but Bard was listening and he stepped up to the wizard.
"What are you talking about?" He asked, concerned.
"I can see you know nothing of wizards. They are like winter thunder on a wild wind. Rolling in from a distance, breaking hard in alarm." Thranduil smirked. "But sometimes a storm is just a storm."
"I have been chased by an orc war party since leaving the Shire with Bilbo Baggins. They attacked your halls, killed your people. This is no mere storm!" Caladwen told him cooly. Thranduil turned to her, glaring.
"You dare? Where is your right to even be sitting in on this council?"
"I am an emissary of Imladris. This war could have repercussions for years, and miles, to come!" Caladwen was feeling much more brave now that she was on neutral soil. Thranduil would not talk to her like that, they were equals, he was not her lord. Thranduil took a step towards her, but Gandalf intervened, slamming his staff into the floor.
"Armies of orcs are on the move. And these are fighters! They have been bred for war. Our enemy has summoned his full strength."
"Why show his hand now?" Thranduil spat.
"Because we forced him! We forced him when the company of Thôrin Oakenshield set out to reclaim their Homeland!" Gandalf shouted. Thranduil scoffed, exiting his tent. The rest of the party followed him, Gandalf in the lead. "The dwarves were never meant to reach Erebor; Azog the Defiler was sent to kill them. His master seeks control of the mountain, not just for the treasure within, but for where it lies, it's strategic position." As Gandalf talked, Thranduil led them to a nearby balcony, which overlooked the plains and the citadel of Erebor. "This is a gateway for reclaiming the lands of Angmar. If that fell kingdom should rise again, Rivendell, Lothlorien, the Shire, even Gondor itself will fall!"
"These orc armies you speak of, Mithrandir- where are they?" Thranduil asked him. Gandalf grew silent and Caladwen frowned, shaking her head. Thranduil smirked at the old wizard, turning back to his tent.
"Since when has my council counted for so little?" Gandalf questioned the king, who stopped, turning to look at him.
"I think you are trying to save your dwarf friends, and I admire your loyalty, but it will not dissuade me from my course. You started this, Mithrandir, you'll forgive me if I finish it." Thranduil again turned to leave, speaking over his shoulder. "We will attack tomorrow at dawn." He said, entering his tent and leaving the three where they stood.
"You! Bowman. Do you agree with this? Is gold so important to you that you would buy it with the blood of dwarves?" Gandalf asked Bard. Bard frowned at Gandalf.
"I want to believe you, but my people's future is in peril today." Bard told him, shaking his head. "I am sorry." He told Gandalf as he walked back towards the castle. Gandalf huffed, throwing his arms to the side.
"I will talk to him." Caladwen assured Gandalf, but Gandalf shook his head.
"There is no point. He will listen only to his King and Thranduil seems to have no love for you." Gandalf raised an eyebrow at her.
"The Elf King is a child, he expects full servitude from those around him, and his son is no better." Caladwen spat, earning a queer look from Gandalf. "I did not bend to them."
"Well, had you, this meeting may have gone differently."
"Do not worry. Our burglar has a plan. I am to retrieve him at midnight." Caladwen grinned up at Gandalf, who gave her a pleasant smile.
Caladwen busied herself around Dale, counting down the hours until she would go to meet with Bilbo. Getting out of the city wasn't hard, she had been scouting all day for a weakness in their guard watch, and she found one in the market level. After she exited the town, she ran across the plains swiftly, taking what cover she had and using it to get to Erebor.
Once at the wall, it was a quick scale to the top for her, and as she made to climb over the top of the wall, a series of footsteps and voices stopped her.
"Wenny!" Bilbo whispered, peering over the edge of the wall
"Shh! Burglar!" Caladwen called up to him. Bilbo startled, grabbing his chest.
"I hadn't expected you to climb the wall." He said honestly. Caladwen tilted her head.
"What did you expect me to do?"
"I-i don't know. Wait at the bottom?" Caladwen pursed her lips at him.
"What is your plan?"
"Ah! Yes! Plan! It is a good one, but I will leave to come with you to-"
"You should be inside, out of the wind." A voice called from down the wall. Caladwen froze, eyes wide and she began to lower herself further down the wall. Bilbo cleared his throat, turning to the voice. It was Bofur.
"Oh, no. It still stinks of dragon." Bilbo told him. There was a moment of quiet, then the footsteps began walking towards Bilbo and where Caladwen was hiding.
"The elves have been moving their archers into position. The battle will be over by tomorrow's eve…Though I doubt we will live to see it." Bofur said sadly. Caladwen closed her eyes, frowning as she did.
"These are dark days."
"Dark days indeed." Bofur agreed. The wall grew quiet, Bofur taking several more steps towards Bilbo. "You know… No one could blame a person for wishing themselves elsewhere." He said suddenly, the air between them going quiet. Bofur knew that Bilbo had planned to leave. "Ah, it's midnight. Bombur's got the next watch. It will take a bit to wake him." Bofur sighed.
"Bofur!" Bilbo shouted, walking away from the edge of the wall. "I will see you in the morning." He told him finally.
"Goodbye, Bilbo." Bofur's voice was sad, but full of respect. "And tell Wenny… Tell Wenny that we're sorry." He paused, clearing his throat. "She will always be Wenny to us, no matter what Thôrin believes." Bofur said, except this time louder. Caladwen's eyes began to burn and she took a deep shaky breath. She wondered for a moment if Bofur knew that she was here.
After a few seconds of silence, a rope was thrown down the wall beside Caladwen. It nearly hit her in the face, and Bilbo apologized as he peered over the wall.
"I still don't know why you scaled the blasted wall." Bilbo told her as he began to descend. Caladwen shook her head, following his lead.
"I was unaware that you would be so resourceful." She told him honestly. Bilbo stopped, glaring up at her.
"It's because I'm little isn't it."
"No. No of course not." Caladwen whispered, jumping to the bottom. She reached up to help Bilbo down, but he swatted her hand away.
"I'm not small." Bilbo told her, petulant. Caladwen pursed her lips at him. Bilbo rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean."
As resourceful as Bilbo had been getting out of Erebor, Caladwen and he had found that getting back into Dale would be much tougher. The wall that she had scaled to get out of the city was much taller than the stone gate at Erebor and there was nary a rope for him to climb.
"I can't climb that." Bilbo told Caladwen as he stared up at the wall.
"It is easy." Caladwen told him as she began to scale it. "Just find the hand holds."
"I can not climb that." Bilbo repeated, this time slower. "You couldn't have dropped a rope?"
"Any rope we have is being used for the war offensive. They would have noticed it missing." Caladwen told him honestly. "Thranduil has ordered everyone to stay inside the city walls. No one is allowed in either." Bilbo paused, thinking hard on her words. After a moment he nodded his head, placing a thumb inside his pocket.
"I will go through the front gate."
"Did you not hear what I just said?" Caladwen guffawed. Bilbo cleared his throat, rolling his eyes at her.
"They will not see me. I promise." Bilbo told her, walking away. "Now, scale your wall, you wild woman." Caladwen made to argue with him, but Bilbo had already begun to run off towards the front gate.
"Thranduil's tent is in the castle courtyard!" Caladwen called after him. Bilbo waved a hand over his shoulder and Caladwen chuckled, beginning her ascent up the tower.
Once Caladwen had returned to the castle courtyard, she was greeted by an anxious Gandalf, who was pacing outside of Thranduil's tent nervously.
"Where is Bilbo?" He whispered, walking over to Caladwen. Caladwen shrugged, point to where the market was.
"He couldn't climb the wall, so he took the front gate."
"The front gate?!" Gandalf hissed, pulling Caladwen to the side as he'd gained the attention of a few elvish guards. "The front gates are highly guarded, by elves no less. What were you thinking? He will not make it through!"
"Thank you for the vote of confidence." Bilbo surprised them, his voice seemingly appearing out of nowhere. Gandalf raised a questioning eyebrow at the Hobbit, who only smiled in return.
"Bilbo Baggins!" Gandalf greeted him happily. Gandalf knelt, grabbing his tiny shoulders. "Amdirvaethil tells me that you have a plan?"
"I do." Bilbo grinned, gesturing to the tent behind him. Gandalf nodded, striding over to the tent, Caladwen close at hand. Inside, Bard and Thranduil were going over the plan for tomorrow's attack, and as the three entered they both looked up at them.
"Ah, and what kind of nonsense have you come to pedal this time?" Thranduil scoffed, his eyes falling to Bilbo. If Caladwen had thought that Thranduil was frosty before, his demeanor cooled tenfold upon seeing the Hobbit. "If I'm not mistaken, this is the Halfling who stole the keys to my dungeons from under the nose of my guards."
"Yes. Sorry about that." Bilbo said sheepishly, a hint of amusement to his voice. Thranduil glared at him, and Bilbo squirmed under his gaze. Across the room, Bard smirked at the Hobbit and Caladwen covered her mouth with her hand, turning away from Thranduil, who's glare had fallen to her. "I've come here to bring you this!" Bilbo told him, crossing to the war table in front of him and placing a leather package on top.
Caladwen watched as Bilbo began to unwrap the package slowly, and every single person in the tent watched on anticipation. As Bilbo folded back the cloth, Caladwen was surprised to find that in his possession, Bilbo had a pearlescent, oval stone, that shone like the sun. Thranduil stood from his seat, awestruck, and Gandalf and Bard also closed on the table.
"The heart of the mountain…" Thranduil whispered. Caladwen gasped, for on the table sat a glowing, pearlescent stone, the Arkenstone.
"How did you get this? Does Thôrin know?" She questioned him. Bilbo shook his head, stepping back from the table.
"I took it as my share of the treasure." Bilbo told them. Looking up at Caladwen and then Gandalf.
"How is this yours to give?" Bard questioned.
"It isn't. And if Thôrin knew, he would likely kill me." Bilbo said. Caladwen knelt next to him.
"Bilbo, why would you do this?" Caladwen asked him, concerned. She was afraid for her Hobbit, if Thôrin were to find out...
"Yes, why? You owe us no loyalty." Thranduil interjected. Bilbo began to shake his head, holding up his finger.
"Oh no, I am not doing this for you." the Halfling explained. "I know that the dwarves can be obstinate, pig headed, fickle, suspicious… secretive…" He listed, causing Thranduil to roll his eyes. "They have the worst manners you could possibly imagine, but they are also brave and kind and loyal to a fault. I have grown very fond of them and I would save them if I can." Bilbo sighed. "We would save them." He corrected, grabbing Caladwen's hand. Caladwen squeezed it tightly, smiling at them. "Thôrin values this stone above all else. In exchange for it's return, I believe he will give you want you are owed. There will be no need for war."
"We shall see, Halfling. Caladwen," Thranduil called her name and Caladwen looked up at him. "Perhaps it would be better met if you were the mediator?" He asked, his eyes flickering to the stone and back to her. Caladwen nodded, reaching for the stone, only for Thranduil to grab her wrist. "I am trusting you, Maiden of Lorien." He drawled, releasing her. Caladwen huffed, taking the leather and rewrapping the Arkenstone in it, before depositing it into her satchel.
"Wise." She hissed, leaving the tent the way that they came. Bilbo and Gandalf also turned, following her out into the courtyard.
"Rest up tonight. You must leave on the morrow." Gandalf told Bilbo. Bilbo, flabbergasted, shook his head.
"What? No I'm not leaving. You picked me as the burglar. I'm not about to leave the company now." He protested.
"There is no company, not anymore, and I don't like to think what Thôrin will do when he finds out what you've done." Gandalf surmised, looking to Caladwen. Caladwen nodded.
"I agree, wee Burglar. It is too dangerous for you to return to Erebor."
"I'm not afraid of Thôrin." Bilbo told them defiantly.
"But you should be!" Gandalf shouted, catching Bilbo by surprise. "Don't underestimate the evil of gold, gold over which a serpent has long brooded. Dragon sickness seeps into the hearts of all who come near this mountain." The wizard warned. Caladwen frowned, thinking back to her dream. The undulating form she saw under the ice, she realized now that it did look a lot like a serpent. That explained why Thôrin was acting the way he was.
"My Lady!" Bard called from the castle. Caladwen turned, looking up at him expectantly. "You are needed in the healing house. There's a fever around." He told her. Caladwen frowned at Bilbo, crouching beside him.
"Please, Bilbo. Listen to the wizard. They are much wiser than we give them credit for." She smiled, taking her leave.
