Authoress Note: Holy cow I wasn't expecting this big of a hit for this story. Wasn't even thinking that it was going to make it to 100 reviews and it has. Wow thank you so much for following this story guys and leaving such wonderful reviews for this story. It really does mean a lot to me that you guys are enjoying this story as much as I am enjoying in writing this story for you. The reviews really do keep me going and it means a lot that you guys are keeping up with this story. I will keep working on this story since so many of you are interested in this story and it really does mean a lot to me that there are so many of you that love this story. Just for how many reviews that I have gotten for the last chapter I am once again updating early as a treat for you all. Which won't be happening that often. Just letting you wonderful readers know. I had a little bit of trouble writing this chapter due to where it is in the movie. I like writing longer chapters, but sadly this one was going to be one of the shorter ones since I didn't want to go into the troll scene until I was ready to which I am not quite yet. Chapter 10 will be dealing with what leads up to the troll chapter. I tried my best to make this as long of a chapter as I could trying to keep it up to a good point. I didn't want to fail with this chapter. So part of it is a filler chapter. There is a song in this chapter that I had to edit it some since it was supposed to be a duet. For Good seemed to fit perfectly for Thorin and Aranduriel's friendship that they had. If you don't know what the song is from it is from the musical Wicked. Also this chapter was a little bit embarrassing for me to write. I have never been so red faced writing something like this in my entire life. Maybe it was because I had accidently put myself in the role of Aranduriel and how would I feel if I had a hot dwarf spying on me. I had a lot of time to work on this chapter since I have a cold and well it is keeping me indoors. Without further ado Chapter 9 of The Second Daughter.
Chapter 9
Talks of Wizards and Song of a Friendship
The next morning Aranduriel thought that it was wise to get a bath before they began their travels for the day. She walked over to Gandalf. "I am going to clean up a bit." She told the old wizard.
"Try not to stray too far." Gandalf told her.
Aranduriel smiled and patted her hip where a knife stayed. "I won't Gandalf, but I can protect myself." She told him with a chuckle. She knew that Gandalf indeed worried about her. She walked away from him and went to the small river that was near the camp. She removed her coat that she wore and then preceded to remove her vest. She pulled her white tunic off off of her. Her corset was the next thing to go. She removed her boots and breeches. She also removed her panties that she wore. She stepped into the small river shivering a little bit due to the cool water hitting off of her warm skin. She ran her fingers through her black hair. She leaned back into the river and began to cleanse her hair.
Fili had noticed that Aranduriel was missing from the camp. He had made the choice to go and look for the raven haired elf maiden. He walked through the woods carefully and heard singing.
I've heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you
Fili felt his mouth go dry. His blue eyes were locked onto the soft smooth skin of Aranduriel's back. He was not expecting to see her naked. He didn't know that elvish maidens looked like this. He closed his mouth.
Kili came up behind him. "Fili." He whispered. He stopped and saw where his older brother was looking. Kili's brown eyes widened. He had never expected to see a woman's naked flesh and her not being the one that he was going to spend the rest of his life with. His cheeks turned red.
Like a comet pulled from orbit
As it passes a sun
Like a stream that meet a boulder
Halfway through the wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
Because I knew you
I have been changed for good
"Fili we shouldn't be here." Kili said grabbing onto his brother's arm.
Aranduriel moved her hair revealing her back to them even more.
Fili took a sharp breath. He had never seen such smooth pale skin on a woman in his life. He knew that this was wrong, but there was no way that he could move his eyes away from her thin from. He could only hope that she would not turn around.
It may well be
That we will never meet again
In this lifetime
So let me say before we part
So much of me
Is made of what I learned from you
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart
And now whatever way our stories end
I know you have re-written mine
By being my friend…
Aranduriel ran her hands through her hair to get the water out of her hair.
Fili bit his lip. This was indeed a problem.
"Come on Fee… Thorin will be upset." Kili whispered to his brother.
Fili still couldn't move. He was too entranced by Aranduriel.
Like a ship blown from it's mooring
By a wind off the sea
Like a seed dropped by a skybird
In a distant wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you
Because I knew you
I have been changed for good
"Fee…come on." Kili grabbed his brother's arm and pulled him away from the river where Aranduriel was washing up.
And just to clear the air
I ask forgiveness
For the thing I've done you blame me for
But then, I guess we know
There's blame to share
And none of it seems to matter anymore
Like a comet pulled from orbit
As it passes a sun
Like a stream that meets a boulder
Halfway through the wood
Who can say if I've been
Changed for the better?
I do believe I have been
Changed for the better
And because I knew you…
Because I knew you…
Because I knew you...
I have been changed for good.
Aranduriel got out of the river and put her clothes on. She thought that she had heard someone out in the woods, but it might have been the guys gathering their things up to begin their journey once again. She dried her hair the best she could and walked back to the company.
Thorin turned towards her. "And where were you?" He demanded from her.
Aranduriel looked at Thorin. "I was washing up." She told him crossing her arms.
"You shouldn't have gone off alone!" He shouted at her.
Aranduriel crossed her arms. "I had a dagger." She told him.
"Load up. We leave now." He told the rest of the company.
Aranduriel rolled her eyes and went to gather her things up.
"And Aranduriel."
Aranduriel looked over at him.
"You will not be going out alone any more." He told her in a harsh tone.
Aranduriel simply just got onto her horse. "Maybe you need to think before you begin speaking Thorin Oakenshield. I am not like some in this company who have not been in a battle. Which I believe most of your company has not been in one battle." She said before she began following some of the other company members.
Thorin looked at Gandalf. "I told you that this was a bad idea to have a woman part of my company."
"Thorin she is here to help you. You must not treat her like a dwarfling nor a woman that needs protection. She knows how to protect herself." Gandalf told the stubborn dwarf king to be. Now he was certain that this was going to be a long trip for them.
The rain started to pour around them soaking them to the bone. They were cold, wet, and miserable.
"Here, Mr. Gandalf, can't you do something about this deluge?" Dori asked looking at Gandalf's back hoping that Gandalf would be able to do something about the weather.
"It is raining Master dwarf." Gandalf said trying to remain calm and not bite off Dori's head. "And it will continue to rain until the rain is done. If you wish to change the weather of the world, you should find yourself another wizard."
"Are there any?" Bilbo asked looking up at Gandalf. He was curious if there were other wizards in the world.
"What?" Gandalf asked Bilbo.
"Other wizards?" Bilbo asked his curiosity getting the best of him.
"There are five of us. The greatest in our order is Saruman, the White. Then there are the two Blue Wizards. You know, I've quite forgotten their names." Gandalf said looking back at Bilbo.
"And who is the fifth?" Bilbo asked in wonder.
Gandalf looked thoughtful. "Well, that would be Radagast the Brown."
"Is he a great wizard, or is he more like you?" Bilbo asked hoping that it was not a wrong question to ask Gandalf.
Gandalf looked slightly offended at the question that Bilbo had asked. "I think he's a very great wizard, in his own way. He's a gentle soul who prefers the company of animals to others. He keeps a watchful eye over the vast forest lands to the East. A good thing too for always Evil will look for a foothold in this world."
Aranduriel looked up sharply. She knew that the evil had tried to get a foothold in the world a long time ago. It was a long time ago before she was born. She remembered hearing stories about what had happened during the second age from her father. Even stories from her grandmother and mother. From her mother she had gotten the hatred of the orcs from. They had harmed her mother and they were still destroying things in the world.
"And how do you know the evil grows stronger?" Bilbo asked curiously.
Aranduriel looked at the curious sandy haired hobbit. "Some can sense it coming in the back of their minds." She told the curious hobbit. It was true some could sense the darkness growing.
"And do you feel the evil growing?" Bilbo asked her curiously.
Kili and Fili looked at Aranduriel. They were curious of what she was going to say.
"Yes, in certain areas."
Bilbo grabbed his reins tightly in his hands.
Aranduriel looked at the scared hobbit. "There is nothing to fear Master Baggins. Gandalf says is true, evil won't be able to get a good foothold on this world. Not while the wizards are around." She said with a smile. She could only hope that she was right with what she said.
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This is the end of chapter 9 of The Second Daughter. It wasn't the easiest chapter to write that was for sure. But this is what I got to post up. Hopefully it doesn't fail really because it would make me sad if I had one bad chapter. Hopefully I don't lose any of you wonderful readers. Please leave a review and let me know what you think. The next chapter we will be getting somewhere in the plot. The next chapter will lead up to the troll chapter. But I have to figure out how Kili and Fili get away from the ponies and actually lose two of them to the trolls. The next chapter will be a cliffhanger of course. So please let me know what you think about this chapter. It would mean a lot. It really would. Until next time. I will update on Tuesday if not a little bit early. It will be in the weeks time that I give myself. So until next time.
