Outside of the Shire
The freckled brunette was pleased with herself that she left when she had. The sky was painted a variety of vibrant colours and the first morning light kissed the early-summer air and made the green of the treetops and grassy hills glow. There were few civilians of the town up and about, but those who enjoyed the peace and the gardens and the gentle lapping of the brook took advantage of the morn.
The dwarven-girl gracefully weaved through the small streets, listening to the birds overhead and the townsfolk chattering. She was painfully aware that most of the people awake would get quieter as she passed through, less likely do with that fact that she was leaving at an odd hour and more to do with the fact that she was approximately a foot taller than most. And the fact that she was strutting around with a bow was the most startling sight of it all. The woman moved her cloak hood up far enough that it concealed most of her brown locks and pulled the front together to concealed her sword, daggers, and other blades.
One man - clearly married, as his wife was with him - was tending the garden by the fence nearest to the road that she was on. He was busy and humming as he went about his chores until he heard the faint crunch beneath Axell's heels as her hunting boots came in contact with the dirt path. Once his eyes landed on her face they refused to move, and it was obvious that he was enjoying the view. His intense and continuous gaze held a delight that made a deep pink hue to rise up from under her freckles, which contrasted with her blue eyes. Because of the chuckle it arose from him, her steps moved faster down the road but that didn't stop her from hearing him receive a smack and the argument with his wife that followed.
When she finally came to the town's edge, relief filled her. She had never done well with people watching her or staring at her for any reason whatsoever. Then the thought of how strange it would have been to leave the town with all of the dwarves, and by the time they had decided to leave most of the hobbits would have been awake by then. There will really be a spectacle at that point and the woman smoothed her black tunic as she sighed while pulling herself from her thoughts.
Inhaling the pure air of the forest around her, the small woman moved gracefully through the smaller trees as they slowly became thicker and older the further away from the town they got. She was enjoying her last moments of peace, tranquillity, and solidarity before she had to worry about catching up with the dwarves. An unanticipated twist within the woman's gut confirmed her thoughts as she begun the search for her steed. Two sharp and quick whistles cut through the silence of the trees and she remained stone on the spot she stood as to listen intently. In the near distance, the ground thudded and quaked because of the power rolling of the beast the thundered in the dwarf's direction. A subconscious tug appeared on her lips as she closed her eyes to focus on the sound of her creature. It was not until the sound nearly roared above her did they cut to silence and with it, her dark tresses flew away from her cheeks and forehead as the force of air the animal had made pounded against her form.
She opened her eyes with a faint smile at her old friend before her. The gentle black beast lowered his head to meet her own, nickering in a familiar greeting before pressing his forehead into her stomach and giving a gentle warning nudge. Her chuckle at his wisdom carried in the breeze as the two of them walked together to the spot that she had left his bridle along with her satchel, and upon reaching the tree, she reached in to pull out the two items before pulling her bag over her her shoulder and neck, and placing the bit in her steed's mouth before tossing the reins over his head. With a gentle tap to his mid-chest the girl asked him to kneel. Beautifully obedient, he leaned back and dropped his front leg closest to his girl for her to mount onto his bare back. Once on, he hopped upward and started to gentle meander to the road they had been on the day before. Gathering her reins in her dominant hand and quirking an eyebrow as they quickened their pace. The woman perched herself high on her steed's black, silk shoulders. She slid her non-dominant hand down his neck and through his mane as they moved through the trees in unison.
They were upon the Company in a short few minutes and could hear multiple hooves tapping across the road. The group consisted of many small and sturdy ponies, and one horse, all in a sporadic road. Ponies were just as sturdy and were the perfect height for dwarves, however, Axell was much slimmer and had a far stronger level of endurance for someone of the dwarf kind.
The black beast of a horse danced into a jog as it started to come up to rear of the pack, and its rider noticed that the ponies were trucking at a rapid pace in order to keep up with Gandalf's mount. Only when the horse settled in next to the smaller creatures did the stunned expressions file, most turning when the muttering got a little louder. A sickeningly sweet smile had morphed on the woman's face at the shock that nearly caused a dwarf to fall of his pony, the blond's grey eyes widening as he slid a little further than he had expected.
"A horse..." his voice was quiet at first as he mulled over his words, "how could you be possibly barebacking an animal that large?"
His lion-like features twisted from shock to awe in a matter of seconds as he analyzed the girl from beneath her brown hair.
"Who? Caspian here?" A sing-song laugh carried on the breeze enough to catch the attention of the young brunet that rode in front of her.
And while he was paying attention, he did not dare turn around and make that fact known.
"My boy is nothing more than a sweetheart, I assure you, I know that I am safe while riding him." Shrugging her right shoulder as she pulled up to the blond's right side.
"Yeah, but it's a horse! Dwarves can't ride horses! Forget about bare-backing one!" He exclaimed excitedly.
"Sure ya could! Horses aren't that much bigger than ponies, just a little less sturdy. They need a gentler touch. That sort of thing is taught. As for bare-backing, you need good balance, good patience, and a lot of perseverance!" She gave the statement as simple explanation.
"Sounds like I'd do terribly, patience isn't my thing at all." He chuckled causing the breads from his mustache to swing against the beads in his hair. "My brother would probably do well though."
Once the words escaped his mouth a brown fuzzy pony came trotting alongside the two-toned grey ombre pony that the blond sat upon.
"You called brother of mine." The cheeky young brunet leaned in the direction as he peered over at the only woman to dare take action in an adventure that he had heard of.
"Oh nothing brother." The older said, a mischevious cloud over his eyes rumbled. "I'm just saying that you're a stubborn-headed mule of a dwarf."
"Really?! Well you shouldn't be one to point out anothers flaws! You aren't the humblest of dwarfs ya know!" The younger retaliated.
"Excuse me-" The blond started, however, Axell decided it would be smart and keep their argument from getting beyond the point of no return.
Caspian was given a quick yank on his left reign and he leapt before their small ponies which effectively cutting off their argument.
"Gentlemen, please." The brunette shook her hair away from her face before pushing it over her ear and catching both of their eyes before continuing on. "I don't think it would be best to antagonize Master Thorin."
The two looked at her innocent ocean eyes with blank faces before chuckling under their breaths glancing at each other before chortling harder. Her nose wrinkled and eyebrows furrowed as she sucked the corner of her bottom lip into her mouth. The raven-haired dwarf watched her action with a slight tinge of pink that she remained oblivious to.
"Fili and I have always been ones to argue, fight, or whatever else comes to mind." The younger explained as he choked on some of his words. "I think our Uncle's used to it."
And though dwarves are known to be oblivious, this woman was brilliant in comparison.
With a verbal exhale, Axell pulled her hair out of her face and trapping it against her neck while tilted her head against her shoulder with a flirtatious gleam to her eyes, "I see, so, which Prince does he complain about most?"
The brothers did not notice nor deny the assumption that the young woman had made, which confirmed what she had been attempting to discover.
"Kili. Easily," Fili shoved his younger in the shoulder roughly but lovingly.
"Prince Fili and Prince Kili," Axell stated more to herself than the two in front of her. She dug her heels gently into her black steed's side, causing him to spin his backside around so they were facing them.
Commanding her voice to speak louder in order to be heard, the woman looked at them with her chin held high asking and demanding respect in return, "Axellriandra. At your service."
Bowing to the best of her abilities while horseback, she pulled herself back into an upright position to faces of wide eyes and hanging mouths. A smirk pulled at the corner of her mouth but the woman kept herself in control. A brief glance over her shoulder told her that they needed to move along. She spun her horse around and looked back at the Durin boys. Though they were still fixated and hypnotized to the spot she had been at before.
"Gentlemen!" Her voice was raised causing them leap out of their skin and pale a number of skin-tones. "We need to move."
They nodded quickly and pressed their ponies into a faster pace then rushed past Axell and Caspian, rounding the bend.
"All right, Caspian. Let's catch up too." With that the two jogged off prancing into a walk as they came up to the tail end of the pack.
"He won't come!" A shout by a largely bearded, dark red haired dwarf brought the three of them into a vibrant conversation.
"Of course he will!" Bofur attempted to remain optimistic.
"How can you be so sure?!" The other argued.
"Just try to be positive!" Bofur tried.
"But Gloin is right!" A bald dwarf with an epic scar sporting a pair of knuckle dusters agreed.
"Dwalin! Not you too!" Bofur looked defeated, then suddenly he seemed to click something in the back of his mind knowing a weakness within his own, "I bet he will."
Axell, while unknowing to why this was considered to be a weakness, paid attention to it no less.
"I make a fifty shilling wager that he won't!" Gloin added grumpily.
"I will see that fifty, and he will!" Bofur put stubbornly, while shaking his bag of shillings.
"No!" Dwalin repeated the action Bofur had done.
"Yes!" Balin exclaimed while tossing a small sack into the air, catching it with as it chimed together.
"No!" Dori spat.
"Yes!" Fili and Kili shouted forward in unison.
The atmosphere around the girl at the end whispered and screamed. If it had been any other member of the Company they would have mistaken it for only the breeze, but she knew better. The brunette pulled Captain to a halt beneath her while turning him in the direction of the ghostly whisper. She strained her ears to hear it again, but all she received was nothingness. Sitting only for a few seconds longer the girl pulled her hair into a ponytail and turned on her steed to see a member waiting patiently. Although she was stunned to see Kili, she was pleased for the Company nonetheless, especially because she believed the others were about to leave her in the dust. While smiling at the young dwarf kindly, the two marched on together beginning a friendship to come with a light conversation and plenty of laughter.