A/N: Last Chapter! It's a bit shorter, but ah well, what can you do? There are two songs that I advise listening to at the end of this chapter. I placed them between these ~" . . ."~ so you will know when they come up. I just felt that they fit the mood well and a little music can take a scene a long ways. Review!
It was several staircases later and many breaks to catch her breath before she found herself at the entrance to Erebor. She let out a sigh of relief and stumbled into the sun light, aching and stinging with every step, but paused when she saw no sight of her friends. Had they left her? Decided that she was a lost cause? She felt so utterly defeated at the thought that she crumpled to the ground, no longer fighting the tears that she had been holding back all that time. She could not move any further, and it pained her and embarrassed her to admit it, that she had only just been able to make it out of the mountain by a few feet before giving up. She was disgusted with herself but at the same time she felt that it was in her right to give up. She had survived an encounter with a dragon for god's sake!
Frustration welled up within her and she struggled to push herself to her feet. She knew that if she traveled west of the mountain she would eventually reach Mirkwood and the King's Halls. It would take about a day and a half, she realized, but she could make it. Lake Town would have been a smarter choice, but knowing that it was men from that very settlement that had attempted to enslave Estel sent her blood burning and she refused to get aid from them.
When she was once more on her feet she set out over the rocky terrain and turned right, determination ebbing and swelling within her, until she had gotten far enough from the mountain that she could look back and take it in as a whole and not just the imposing form leering over her. She nodded once to herself, satisfied with how far she had gotten, before turning to continue. It was mostly open grass land that awaited her with a few rocky hills and corps of trees for decoration. She snorted. It looked like she was truly on her own and it would not do to acknowledge it in such a desperate way by referring to the trees as company. Now if she had an ent it would be a different story, but she was not that lucky.
As she walked she tried to take in her injuries, she had severe burns on her arms and left side, less ugly to look at were the ones on her legs, but there was a nasty one that seared its way over her left collarbone and continued onto her right cheek. She could not see it but knew that it was oozing puss because she had to wipe at her jaw several times to prevent it from spilling down her neck. The sticky liquid dried and crusted against her skin and she resisted the urge to pick at it, knowing only infection and further irritation would result in it.
She was hungry, but more than anything, she was thirsty. She did not know how long she had been trapped within that dragon's circle, but his fire had sapped her of any water she had had within her. She knew, however, that if she kept going in the right direction she would reach the river that led into Lake Town. She altered her course, heading a bit more south in hopes of reaching it sooner, for her thirst was too great. Water was more important than food, she knew, and so she kept going.
Her mind was blank in the sense that she did not have any definite trains of thought to follow but she ran through memories of her family, her days as a child playing with the kids in her neighborhood, and wished that she was back there. When she was only a kid and could do anything she wanted if she imagined hard enough and the worst thing she ever had to worry about was homework. The yearning sent tears spilling over her cheeks again and she pushed on. Now she simply wanted to see her mother and hear her lecturing her about getting her head out of the clouds and getting a good job, not the one at Tommy's, and finding a husband to start a family. That thought made her laugh. She certainly had a bigger job than she could handle now; a protector of Middle Earth.
Thoughts of her father tormented her the most. Had he been there to comfort her, she knew he would have only encouraged her to keep moving forward, one foot in front of the other. Keep trudging down your path, he would say, and you just might run into a bit of luck. She vaguely recalled that he had spoken those words while watching a movie, but she had not the mind to recall which one it was at the time, and so had let the matter drop.
She stopped for a little while to see to her burns as best she could, tearing up what was left of her tunic and tying it around her chest, not worrying about anyone seeing her because she was quite alone on that plain. Now she did not have to deal with the fabric rubbing against the worst of her burns. At least she still had her cloak to cover herself if she needed, tattered as it may be, but she pushed it behind her shoulders to keep it out of her way now. She had thought about hacking off her jeans too, but those burns were not so bad, so she decided against it.
She got back up, though it was a struggle, and continued on.
When the sun began to sink towards the horizon she wondered if it would be wise to stop for the night. She dearly needed the rest but she feared that if she lay down to sleep she would not be able to get up again. If she kept walking through the night she would reach Mirkwood all the sooner anyways. She did not want to wast any more time, fearing that she would not be able to last much longer.
It was at twilight, when the sun had just sunken behind the shadow that was Mirkwood forest on the horizon, that she began to notice a strange shape taking form in the distance. At first she thought it was part of the woods and that she was simply further along than she had thought but the closer she drew towards it the more she began to realize it was not. There was a strange sound accompanying the form. The soft clattering of metal on metal and the heavy footfalls of horses.
She could not comprehend this. She figured it was a delusion brought on by dehydration, exhaustion, and pain so she simply kept trudging on her path, not caring that she was headed straight for the imposing force. When she could finally make out the specific figures that were opposing her, however, she began to hope. For the one leading the way was atop a great elk.
For the third time that day tears fell from her eyes and she could not control the sob that escaped her throat.
The elk rode forward with several horses following it while the rest of the great army, for that is what it was, remained behind in place.
Katy fell to her knees, knowing that she need not go any further, and curled into herself. She knew that she was crying out of relief and gratitude but she felt ashamed that she allowed her emotions to control her so. She heard the approaching hoof beats drawing ever closer to her until at last she heard a voice:
"Katelyn!"
It was Elladan. Her sweet Elladan. He was always the more emotional of the two, she thought.
The horses and grand elk slid to a stop and several pairs of elven feet, usually so quiet and graceful, hit the ground and came running for her. She heard them thanking Eru, the stars, and the moon itself and felt their hands on her shoulders. She realized she must make quite the sight, burnt and singed as she was, and wearing nothing more than a wrap around her chest but she did not care. Her friends were here.
Glorfindel really had kept his word. He had brought back reinforcements, an entire elven army, just to save her.
"How did you escape, little one?"
That was Thranduil, she thought, and though his tone was light she knew it was in an effort to keep the others calm. Elladan had pushed her back to take in her injuries and was looking a little green, some of her burns were more than a bit grotesque and would scar badly. He had attempted to wrap her cloak around her but she had cried out and reached for his shoulder to stop him.
Glorfindel stood back from the huddle, a hand resting on the shoulder of Estel, who had ridden with him. She saw the guilt on his face, the horror, and so she had opened her arms to him. He ran forward, wrapping his arms around her neck, and even though it hurt she still held his head to her shoulder and cried. He was okay and alive and that was all that mattered. He had escaped the dragon's lair in one piece and made it back to their friends.
"He likes stories," she finally answered with a laugh of both pain and joy.
"Of all things." Thranduil lifted his brows and gazed down at her with admiration. He moved forward and drew Estel back with a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Come, she must be taken care of in my halls, then you can be with her all that you wish," he muttered quietly.
Estel nodded and returned to Glorfindel wiping his eyes.
The twins were hovering around her, not quite sure what to do because any time they touched her she would cry out in pain or wince, but they knew she had to be moved. They had long since forgotten about their own injuries, ignoring the dried blood and bruises that decorated their flesh like so many jewels.
Thranduil brushed a hand against each of their shoulders and wrapped her cloak about her, ignoring the gasps of pain from her, and lifted her in his arms. They watched as he walked, Katy nearly hidden completely by his broad shouldered form, and lifted her onto the back of his elk. He mounted behind and gazed at them before nodding curtly.
"Send word to Lord Elrond of these events and I will care for Lady Jones in my halls and send her home when she is well enough," he said before nudging the great elk into a walk and turning back to his army. His gloved hands gripped the reins tightly and he lifted his chin to the very stars in almost defiance, daring any to hinder his path.
It was quickly decided that Glorfindel would return to Rivendell with Estel and that the twins would stay with Katy. Thus they parted ways and the twins galloped after the Elven King into his woods.
Katy was in pain, the ride was jerky, though she realized it was not as bad as it would have been had Thranduil been riding a horse. The elk ran in a gentle loping way that was equally graceful as it was efficient. She was reminded of the movie Bambi and let out a chuckle even as the King tightened his hold on her and adjusted the reins in his hand.
"You said the dragon liked stories?" he asked sometime after.
"Yes," she answered, wondering why he was trying to get her to talk, was she in that bad of shape that he didn't want her to fall asleep? "I told him I did not want his treasures, because I could not stay in one time let alone any one place, and that my wealth was in knowledge," she explained, "he said he would keep me as one of his own treasures then and I said I would love to stay if he could keep me from slipping into another time. He demanded that I tell him stories and so I did until he fell asleep and I snuck away."
"He may think you were nothing but a dream," Thranduil observed.
"He has yet to come looking for me," she agreed. She winced and fisted her jeans in pain, feeling her burns rub against the leather bracers Thranduil wore. "Fuck," she bit her lip and tried to deflect from one pain to the other. The burns were a horrible constant stinging and tearing pain and oh how she wished to trade them for the sharp and dull throb of a broken bone.
Thranduil hushed her and glanced back at the elven army he commanded. Once they had retrieved Katelyn any semblance of militant order was forgotten and the elves had retreated into the woods behind him, running on foot, though not able to keep up with the elk. They would return to the halls, he knew, and so gave it little thought. He noted the twins following just behind on horse and faced forward to hide a smirk, what loyalty she inspired.
The elk galloped through the trees and did not falter in step no matter what obstacle moved to hinder it. It leaped over wood and rock as easily as one would step over a crack in the sidewalk and when the halls had come into view it continued on, straight into the mountain itself and stopped only when it had gone as far as it could within the main hall. It was such a large beast that it could go no farther.
Thranduil slid from its back, one hand resting on Katy's back to keep her steady, and when he was safely on the ground he pulled. He encouraged her to slide down on her own and she complied with the best of her abilities but when her feet touched the ground she crumpled. He caught her before she hit the ground just as the twins pulled their horses to a stop and jumped from their saddles.
"Find the healer," the King commanded to the Mirkwood elves who had gathered about upon hearing the commotion, "Tell him to bring whatever herbs he can find for dragon fire, I am sure he will have some on hand," he muttered darkly and lifted the girl into his arms once more. "Elladan, Elrohir, with me," he ordered.
Katy did not have the mind to feel embarrassed about her position, she was in so much pain, and now she felt nausea stretching to life in her stomach. Her head was pounding and she thought, at least the sickness, was due to her dehydration and exhaustion. She had not the strength to voice this, however, as the ride to Mirkwood had taken everything that she had left. Her arm hung uselessly below her and she was just glad to be out of the wind for it rubbed at her burns in an uncomfortable way. She thought she was happy to be out of the sun as well but she realized that the sun had long since sunken past the horizon. It was the heat that tortured her. Smaug and his foul breath with his belching and snorting, uncaring of her pain, watching in delight as she struggled to tell her stories. She could still feel his hot breath running over her skin.
And yet she could not find it within her to blame him.
"What's wrong with her?" Elladan cried.
"She is sick, I am afraid that anything that comes from a dragon, even fire, caries disease," Thranduil muttered as they sped through the halls.
Katy closed her eyes, tired of seeing the roof of the caves swirling around her in an almost drunken frenzy. She was going to hurl, she just knew it, and the realization that she needed to voice this before she ruined the king's lovely robes occurred to her almost too late. As it was, she had enough time to push herself away from him and out of his grasp. The pain was immense as she hit the ground, landing on her left side, but Thranduil had felt her tense in time to come to a stop and so he thankfully did not trip over her as she ungracefully flopped to the ground and wretched. The bile burned at her throat and it was thick and suffocating because she had nothing, not even water, in her stomach leaving her struggling to clear her throat to breath.
"One of you, get me water, bring it to that room there," he snapped.
Elrohir rushed off, easily the less emotional of the two, and Elladan remained behind frantic as a mother hen and unsure of what to do with himself.
"Why does everything burn?" Katy croaked out and struggled to sit up. Her arms shook and she growled in frustration and pain.
"Hush," Thranduil muttered and helped her to sit up so he could once more scoop her into his arms.
"Don't hush me, you jack ass," she mumbled in delirium, throwing an arm over her face to block out the torchlight.
Thranduil ignored her and waited for Elladan to open the door he had pointed out previously to Elrohir before stepping in and moving over to a bed. This room had a window, and allowed the moonlight to filter in through clear glass, illuminating the four poster bed and small dresser. He set her down atop the covers as gently as he could manage just as Elrohir returned with a jug of water and a ceramic cup in hand. The king took these from him, dipped the cup in the water, and lifted her head enough so that he could dribble the water into her mouth.
Upon feeling the water on her lips Katy moved to reach for the cup but the elf pulled it away from her grasp, "No, you will only vomit again if you guzzle it." He spoke quietly as he worked to slacken her thirst and when he felt that she had enough for the moment he lowered her head back onto the pillow and set the cup on the bedside table.
The healer arrived soon after, armloads of herbs and plants in tow, and a good amount of supplies brought behind by another elf. They quickly went to work on grinding and boiling what they could in the small fireplace while Elladan paced and Elrohir stood on the other side of the bed watching over Katy.
Thranduil was giving her more water, singing in an ancient tongue that the twins did not understand but knew it as the magic their father used when healing more of the grievously injured that came to him, and leaned over to brush her hair out of her face.
Katy felt hot, not like she had just been burned, but as if Smaug's fire had slithered in through her open wounds and taken up nest within her skin. She jerked and twitched and fought against nothing but the sensations within her very flesh. She grit her teeth and groaned in frustration. It was maddening! The feeling of a million little dragons slithering up and down her nerves, gnawing at them, eating away anything and everything until she began to lose feeling in her fingers and toes, it was driving her insane. She tried to roll away from Thranduil, feeling the need to get away from anything that gave off the slightest heat, and wanted to curl into a ball within the cool bed sheets but he pulled her back. Forcing her to lay on her back against her will and holding her by the shoulders.
"Make haste," he snapped at the healer who was just now handing off a bowl of green paste to Elladan who rushed to the bedside and offered it to Thranduil. "Elladan, Elrohir, leave," he commanded, not bothering to spare them so much as a glance.
"But-," Elladan stuttered.
"Out," Thranduil snapped. "See to it that your own wounds are taken care of."
Elrohir rushed to his brother's side and pulled him from the room, shutting the door behind him, and resting against the wall while his brother paced in the open hall.
Thranduil wasted no time in scooping out a good portion of the paste and smoothing it over her burns, she struggling against it at first, trying to push his hands away, but the paste worked to sooth her burns. He started on the burn at her side, layering it over the wound until it was sufficiently covered before moving on to her collarbone and cheek.
The healer continued to boil the herbs in a cauldron over the fire until it released a potent sweet scent. He snatched the ceramic cup from the bedside table and ladled the brackish water into the cup before moving back over to the bed.
Thranduil had calmed the girl down, singing softly as he worked, and had moved on to her arms which he held as gently as he could. He glanced up at the healer and gestured for him to put the brew down on the table before scraping the last of the herbal mix out of the bowl and rubbing it into the wounds on her legs.
"Have someone bring up bandages," he muttered quietly, for Katy's eyes had fallen shut and he was loath to pull her from her peaceful state.
The healer nodded before leaving the room.
Thranduil pulled her boots off and undid the pin at her throat that held her cloak in place and gently slid it out from under her before pulling the sheets loosely over her for she had started to shiver. Once done he reached for the cup on the table, now cooled, and lifted her head once more to pour it as easily as he could into her mouth.
"The pain will diminish over time but the sickness should be gone within the hour," he explained.
"Okay," she mumbled. Her eyes had glued themselves shut against the relief of the burning and she struggled to form a coherent response.
"Rest," he ordered quietly. He placed a cool hand over her forehead, noticing that her fever had gone down, and pulled the blankets over her knowing the paste had long since dried over her burns.
When Thranduil stepped out of the room the twins had slithered past him and gone to sit at her side, hoping to provide what comfort they could to her. He watched them for a moment before pulling the door shut behind him. He walked down the hall, tired and weary, but otherwise content with the situation. He wondered briefly where his son had run off to but found him in the royal wing, pacing about the sitting room before catching sight of him.
"How is she?" Legolas asked.
"She will be fine," he responded, moving towards the window and gazing down at the trees, "though she will no doubt have much scarring." His jaw clenched, feeling the taught pull of his own scarred flesh hidden by the glamor.
"I feared as much," Leoglas murmured darkly. He dropped his gaze to the ornate rug at his feet.
"Do not worry, she is not so vain as to let it bother her," he admonished lightly thoughts wandering to his own memories of dragon burns. There was a moment of silence before he turned to face his son over his shoulder, "Did you hear how she got away from the beast?"
Legolas shook his head, his brows scrunched together in concern and confusion at the growing smile on his father's face.
"She said he liked stories," he answered. The words hung in the air between them, mystical in their simplicity against the complexity of Smaug and the history of Erebor, and caused the prince to gaze at his father uncomprehendingly. "If only every battle could be won with the telling of a story," Thranduil added, turning his gaze back to the window.
"I am sure she wishes the same," Legolas agreed quietly, deep in thought.
"I know she does," Thranduil said. "She has this way of simplifying every situation and making people reevaluate themselves. It is quite intriguing . . ." he trailed off thoughtfully. "Things are different where she is from."
Realizing that his father would say no more of the subject, Legolas left to see for himself that the girl was okay before returning outside to the trees where he found he could think clearly. The sight of the woman laying motionless in her bed, bandaged and raw, had awoken a deep fear and sadness within him for it harshly reminded him of his own father returning home from battle burned and heart broken.
~"Can't take it in"~
"Katelyn."
Katy would have sighed but her lungs were too tired to draw the extra breath needed to do so. She was warm and resting among a pile of blankets that felt too soft to be of any cheap quality and her wounds had long since gone numb though she did not remember how she had gotten them. All she knew was that she was now safe and in good hands and it was okay to sleep. But a soft voice called her name. It echoed around in her mind and drew her tired eyes open.
"Katelyn." It called again. She was confused to find the voice familiar. It was light and joyful.
Her surroundings were dark, darker than they probably should have been, but she suspected it was because she was not actually conscious.
"I always knew you were clever," the voice commented with a laugh.
"Who are you?" she asked, her own voice echoing.
"You know who I am," the voice playfully admonished.
The ring on her finger grew warm, almost hot, and she lifted it to her face to watch a glowing blue light erupt from the silver band and separate. It floated up into the air, a small star, flickering with laughter. It stopped eye level of her.
"I wanted to tell you that you are on the right track," it said. "There are many things in this world that are meant to happen but I realized they would need a bit of a nudge so I waited for you."
"What's so special about me?" she asked, her brows scrunched together and her mind struggling to pull the pieces together. She had a fuzzy idea of what had happened to her, she knew she was in Middle Earth, but the exact details of the past seven years were a blur to her. At that moment she was more of the girl from Florida than ever. She was fighting the urge to ask what time it was and was struggling to remember if she had work or not.
"Nothing really," the star flickered, "but you were the first to find me and I liked you."
"Really?" she snorted.
"Well, you were born just as the last of the magic in the world disappeared," it relented almost reluctantly. Then as if it felt that further explanation was actually a good idea it added, "It went to you, little one, you would not have made it without its help."
"What was it that helped me?" she asked, curious and concerned. She leaned towards the glowing blue ball of light, feeling the warmth it gave off across her cheeks.
"A star," it stated simply.
"A star?" she blinked in surprise. "Like you?"
"No," it chuckled, "I am no star. I appear before you in this form because only a part of me is within the ring. This is all that I could manifest from such a great distance."
"Oh!" she wanted to smack herself in the forehead for she knew who he was, but the name would not come to her.
"Yes, now I think it is time for you to get some actual sleep, dragon burns are not the easiest thing to come back from," the light advised.
Katy nodded but reached her hands out as if to cup the star within her palms. The warmth was so pleasant that she found herself smiling. She was so caught up in the moment, because with that warmth came thoughts of her family and loved ones, that she did not notice when her surroundings became less dark and more prominent. She could see the bed she had been sitting in, the night stand to her right, and the window that allowed moonlight to spill across the floor.
"Who were you speaking to?"
Katy turned to look at the door where Thranduil stood. He was staring at her curiously and with a hint of suspicion. She did not know how to respond and simply smiled "A star."
He remained silent, staring at her ragged and sleep mussed form, and allowed his eyes to wonder around her room searchingly. He had come by to check on her, as it had been a few hours since she had actually fallen to sleep, he had suspected she would have a relapse in fever.
Katy dropped her hands into her lap as the king moved further into her room and shut the door quietly. He had no doubt that the twins were somewhere in the kitchens searching for food now that they knew Katy was well on the way to recovery. He moved over stone and rug quietly, not even his robes dragging along behind him made a noise, and sat in the chair at her bedside.
"Where is this star?" he asked quietly.
She examined him carefully before lifting her hand and pulling at the ring. Unlike all the other times when she had tried to pull it off and pass it on to someone else it slid off easily for the king to see. "He's not really a star, but he looks like one," she explained. "See?" she lifted the ring so that Thranduil could see the small star engraved within the silver band.
"Oh?" he raised his brows, blue eyes reflecting the sparkling silver curiously.
"He said that a star sacrificed itself so I could live and that is why he chose me," she whispered. "The last of all the worlds magic gave itself up so I could live and that is why it is my job to bring it back."
"That is quite the heavy burden," he murmured in quite awe.
"Yes, but do you know what that means?" she asked.
The atmosphere in the room was not heavy, it was rather light and filled with a hushed wonder, causing them to speak in whispers. The two were leaning towards each other to hear, curious to each other's reactions, as if they were sharing a great secret. One that all of the world was oblivious to and they were the only ones to ever know.
"What does it mean?" he asked, angling his face to look at her from the corner of his eyes like he so often did, almost as if he were suspicious but the light in his eyes was nearly joyful.
"There is magic here."
The four words strung together held so much meaning in them that it sounded as if she had layered it with an enchantment of her own. Her eyes were bright and mirthful, watching the king as he processed what she said before smiling kindly, and she grinned. Her world which was dark and grey and filled with gasoline and grease and all things sickly had held magic. Despite the wars and racism, hatred and anger, despite the money hungry business men and struggling single mothers, the divorces, the hopelessness, diseases and cancers, car accidents and atom bombs, despite all the strife and complacent contempt . . .There had been a spark of magic. Just enough to save a life despite all odds and likely hoods. That star had watched as its companions withered and died, as the world darkened and turned to money and media and war, and decided to give itself up in hopes of bringing to life what once had been.
And now it burned from behind her eyes.
"I understand Tinusell," he said.
~ "The Call"~
When Katy awoke the next day there was light streaming in through her window and she welcomed it gladly. It spilled over her bed and illuminated the two forms, each on a chair on separate sides of the bed, heads resting on the mattress and deep in slumber. She smiled at the twins and chuckled, turning her gaze outside, and taking in the treetops and blue sky.
"Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if I were to go on an adventure . . ."she said quietly, watching as a bird flit past her window.
"What did you say?" Elrohir asked. He rubbed at his eyes and pushed himself into proper position on his chair, stretching.
"It's a beautiful day," Katy answered with a grin.
He turned to look out the window and then turned back to her, and impish smile on his face, "Everyone uses weather to start an awkward conversation."
"Or to avoid one," she added with an impish smirk of her own.
"They call you Dragon Charmer now," Elrohir changed the subject. He laughed at her dumbfounded expression and simultaneously woke his brother, who jerked into consciousness.
"Dragon Charmer? Sounds pretty bad ass," Katy muttered, rubbing at her chin thoughtfully.
"Yes, yes, you have a tittle now," Elladan growled. "It would be even better if we had some breakfast." He rubbed at his head as if he were recovering from a hangover himself and stood, turning away from the two, and consequently the day light as well.
"Always so grumpy when he's hungry," Katy commented dryly. She pushed the blankets away, taking in her bandaged body with a grimace.
"I'll have you know we spent the whole night worrying over you so the least you could do is show some gratitude," Elladan snapped.
"Yes your highness," Katy mock bowed to him from her seated position. "Though I know for a fact that you two were rummaging through the kitchens last night for food while I fought off a fever and struggled with these burns."
"Says who?" Elladan shot back.
"A little deer told me," she hinted with raised brows, picking at some dried paste sticking out from a bandage on her arm.
"What?!" Elladan growled.
"Can we skip the arguing and just find food?" Elrohir interrupted with a sigh.
A/N: Tinusell is a really rough translation of Daughter of a Spark/Small Star.
