The breakfast table seemed like a feast, for the dwarves had plenty for themselves and their guests, It was no wonder the modern Middle earth saw Erebor as the centre of the world, back in those days, it was the centre of commerce and all things modern, all roads led to Erebor and supplied the world with jewels, armors and toys of the finest fitting.
"You're the new one!" Said a young dwarf who sat next to me. She looked a bit like a boy, but had an exquisite look, she dressed almost the same as I did and she looked wild. "Balin said we were going to have a special guest. I am Daria."
"Kayla."
"What's your art?"
"Travelling…?" We laughed a little until she asked me what I was god at, which was nothing like what she was good at, we agreed we would practise with each other that day, she added that Dwarves had some trouble with bow and arrow, but she could teach me a lot on swords and her favourite, battle axes.
The training grounds were much better than where the men trained, it was gardens, and I enjoyed it much more there, Daria gave me a sword, a little heavy for me, but she explain that heaviness builds strength, at first seems hard, but as we practise more and more daily our arms will grow into it and we wield it with better skill.
The axe was unbearable to wield, too heavy for my skinny arms, and every muscle of my body was hurting, I didn't want to show weakness but I was not accustomed to such endurance practise.
Balin appeared on the grounds with Thorin besides him, I kept training with Daria, who had noticed them and ignored as I have.
"Who is the moody one?"
"The prince, the one every other girl want, but smart girls focus on life objectives instead of lovey dovey moments and do not spend a lifetime in the mines."
"The prince sends women to the mines?" It seemed like a horrific fate for falling for the wrong person.
We paused our training for a moment to grab some water and she explain of the stubbornness of dwarven women when it came to love, some would marry only one and be terribly jealous of what is hers, and so are men, some pursue other objectives, but if a dwarf woman falls in love with someone she cannot have, she prefers to work the mines than to be with love.
"I taken many had fallen for the prince, has he fallen for any?"
"Once." Told me Daria. "He had a wife, but a short lived marriage. He travelled to the Iron Hills for a meeting and she went along. They say the both of them were having a walk about and hounds attacked her, pulling her through miles of land, he followed them, but she was long gone. When they returned her body was burned in a lovely ceremony, but he could barely walk, it took him a while to show himself in court, Balin said his scars would last a lifetime."
"It's sad. I guess a prince cannot work the mines."
"He works the anvil, it seems he is quite skilled on it."
"Why is he here?"
Daria looked at my hand, my ring hand.
"Perhaps he thinks you have something that might interest him."
"Oh dear, I don't think it does anything."
You see, I knew it could facilitate my desires, also it could brings misfortunes, it did not grant wishes, as I thought when I was a silly girl growing up in the north. It does bring a certain amount of protection. My stepfather warned me too much about it, but it only made my desire to have it bigger. He said it could be dangerous for mortals, for sometimes it would control you in a manner you could not understand, but it also gave great things to the bearer, hence the reason I needed a necklace, for when I wear it on a necklace it seems that my mind isn't as dark as when it is on my finger.
