DISCLAIMER: Let's get this out of the way. I do not own or have any hope of ever owning the characters or happenings of middle earth. They belong to Tolkien and as far as I'm concerned he can keep them. For now. I do however, own my OC, Kidhuzel! So don't steal her. Please, feel free to leave any comments and/or questions that you may have. Follow the story in which ever way you would like, but make your thoughts known but be polite while you do it. Thank you!
~~~~~~~~~~Shishi~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 11
Pacing the floor, Thorin attempts to calm his burning rage. The wizard tricked them all into seeking amnesty with the elves. His ears had not lied in the forest; after the company had quieted, it was not long before they were met with a rabbit drawn sleigh and a fecal spattered sorcerer. Radaghast the brown, kin to no other than the cursed Gandalf the grey. As the two talked in secret of unrevealed business, Thorin had the company gather their belongings to move. Though it had been a long night, there was little time to rest. That fact was proven by the appearance of warg scouts and, soon after, orc raiders. Fleeing while the brown wizard distracted their enemies, the company was forced to put their faith in the grey one, trusting him not to lead them astray. It was not until the group crashed into the secret entrance, hidden in a field of boulders, that the king realized not only the wizard's trickery but also Kidhuzel's absence. There was no time to speak of it, not within the elves' presence immediately bearing down on them, and hence the king was compelled to hold his questions until the evening.
"Was she with us when the orc's arrived?" Thorin interrogates the group in exasperation. He can only imagine the trouble she is no doubt causing. If her promises were true, she will be destroying the forest in search of him. Turning toward Dwalin, who he remembers was holding the girl before the second wizard arrived, he speaks to him directly "Tell me what has happened."
"When the brown wizard arrived, I set the drake on the ground to free my arms in case of more danger." Thorin nods at the reasoning of the half bald dwarf, knowing how different things would have been had Dwalin's hands been occupied during their escape. Dwalin himself thinks back to what seems like a different day all together. Everything was happening so quickly, he had moved on instinct alone "After the wargs showed up... I'd honestly forgotten her."
"Did no one think to check on the poor girl to see if she was with us?" speaking from the edge of the group, Bilbo questions them quietly in worry. His precarious position within the company is nothing compared to the blatant rejection Kidhuzel has experienced by no fault of her own. The hobbit can not even fathom how she must be feeling "W-w-what if the orcs got to her?"
"Then she is already lost." Balin sighs with a wince, remorse chasing the edges of his voice. Even in his admission of her possible death, the dwarf hopes that if Kidhuzel had met with the orcs, that they killed her out of fear. For if they did not, then they would surely find great sport in her "At least... it is my sincerest hope that they gave her a quick death."
"So you are just giving up then?" no one offers to contradict his statement, making the hobbit feel all the worse for the girl. Her unrivaled devotion is being repaid with utter silence. Looking towards the king, Bilbo finds the dwarf lost in thought and knows Kidhuzel will find no aid in him today "If you all are too block headed to help her, then we should ask the elves to seek her out. She could still-"
"Ask the elves for help? Surely you jest, Master Baggins." Not wholly unsympathetic to the girl's plight, Fili still feels a sense of indignation at having to ask the elves for anything. The young dwarrow aims to cover his nervousness by bringing the conversation back around "They would kill her on sight just to spite us."
"Or she'd kill them." Thorin mutters under his breath.
Unlike the rest, the dwarf king has no fears for Kidhuzel's safety. Placing a hand on the cool marble banister, he looks out the veranda to watch the sun set. There is no doubt in his mind that El will be fine on her own; he only worries of whose influence she may fall under while she is away. It is clear as day that she is a quick wit; having learned Iglishmêk nearly over night and beneath their noses before anyone caught on to her studies. She is both youthfully curious and anciently wise at once. Across the room, Dwalin rests with a very different mindset. While he had not lied, he had not spoken the whole truth of why he had not continued to carry the girl. What he saw beneath her hood had troubled him to the point that he could not trust himself not to harm the half drake. Even now the image is a constant precence in his mind, like fire in a dragon's belly.
"Fili is right." Balin concedes on the subject, oblivious to Thorin and Dwalin's hidden thoughts on the subject but accepting the spoken ones "Even if she lives, we can not request aid from the elves in this. It is too great a risk to have her exposed to them."
"You know as well as I that they would not give aid even if we did ask." Thorin scowls without turning to face the room. His mood has been soured by the events of the day but the giggling of elf maids worsens it further "That we must reside here is too much already."
"...Then will you all search for her yourselves?" Gazing out of the large windows around the makeshift camp, Bilbo watches the sun sink lower into the horizon. The elves had offered them rooms but the dwarves had vehemently refused, glaring darkly at the Shireling for accepting. The hobbit is at a loss at the hostility the dwarves show the ethereal beings "The light is fading..."
"... This may be a perfect time to test her skills." Silence follows Ori's statement like a cool night after rain. All accept it without putting much thought into the statement at all. And why would they? The girl is too unknown for them to make a choice against or for her but perhaps... perhaps in this they may gain some respect for her skill "It could be good for her."
The usually quiet dwarf has spent many hours studying Kidhuzel and what he has found surprised him in the best of ways. She is clumsy; falling often as if she is just beginning to come acostomed to walking with her ever changing limbs. At the same time, she holds a gracefulness to her movements that is so smooth one could almost touch it. And she is considerate, though also, uncaring. Many nights he has secretly watched her tip toe around the company members, as not to disturb their much needed slumber. Yet in the day, she does not offer any warnings for raised roots or low hanging branches that may strike a distracted traveler. Ori can only describe her as cautious of how she treats other, but not in how they treat themselves. Maybe in testing her, a place could be won over.
"I beg your pardon?" The Shireling rejects the notion that anyone should have to prove anything to be accepted by their kin. "Kidhuzel is not a criminal who must redeem themselves or a suspicious stranger in the dark of the night. She is just a child."
"She is not." the gruff snort that escapes the burly dwarf's mouth nearly startles the hobbit out of his skin. After what Dwalin saw within her hood, he can not rightly allow anyone to call El a 'child' without it causing his stomach to churn "The drake is no mere babe for ye to coddle, halfling. She is growing quite rapidly. Now would be as well a time as any to test her."
"The lass boasts of her inability to be parted from you." Balin inclines his head towards Thorin to drive home a point. The elder dwarf can see no point in dragging the girl along if she is merely an infatuated child, however he does not think this is the way it is "Let us see once and for all if she can back her claim."
"..." Gazing around the room, Thorin finds all of men, save for the hobbit, nodding in agreement. The Shireling's defiance matters little to the dwarf king, as he firmly believes he will not brave the entirety of the journey anyway. Nodding to his advisor, Thorin accepts the choice "So be it. Should Kidhuzel return, she will be given the respect she deserves."
"And if she doesn't?" Kili speaks up for the first time during the conversation. Lounging lazily on his pack, he twirls a small blade between his fingers. He doesn't add enough pressure to his skin, but the flesh does dimple slightly "What if the little brat doesn't show up?"
"... Then she will no longer be our concern and we will think of her no more."
Meeting every company member's gaze one by one, Thorin takes the time to ensure they are all in accord. He holds Dwalin's longest, as the king knows his life long friend has something weighing heavily on his mind. Without exchanging a word, the two dwarves dip their heads to each other, acknowledging that what ever needs to be said, will be discussed at a latter date.
Little does the company know that Kidhuzel has already arrived within the walls of Rivendell. Even more so, she arrived before they did. Waking alone within the woods, she was overcome with distress and ran blindly through the forest in search for her bearer. Her nose could only pick up the over bearing smell of troll, blocking out the earthy scent of dwarf. Her search lead her to the last homely home, Rivendell. Her less than warm welcome nearly ended in bloodshed of the elvish kind but the sons of the Lord of the house, Ellodan and Elrohir, took pity on the strange creature and instead offered her a place of rest. This pity was more the act of their sister, as the half drake was immediately natch into her care. Even as the dwarves discussed how the girl could prove her strength, said girl had long since had a small battalion of elves at her mercy.
"What will you tell father?" Arwen, daughter of Elrond, ignores the eldest of her twin brothers as she selects of few dresses for the barely clothed girl within the locked rooms. The elf maiden had instantly found herself interested in the girl and had taken it upon herself to care for her "I doubt that he will take kindly to you dressing up the being who very nearly decimated our troops just this afternoon. Their armor will all rust if it isn't dry by tonight."
"Their armor could use a good washing besides..." picking up a delicate pair of slippers, Arwen grins widely before heading back into the locked room " They startled her. What else is a frightened girl to do?"
"... NOT raise the river to wash them down stream." The boys exchange glances as their sister waltz into the room and closes the door behind her without another word. With a sigh, they know they have lost "That is no normal girl, Ellodan."
"Nor was that normal river water, Elrohir."
"What shall we do? She is unstable; even her gifts are not well within her control."
"... Sister shall watch her for now. The little one could not escape if she tried."
"Poor girl."
"Hush... Father should have returned from his hunt earlier this afternoon."
"It would seem that our day got even more interesting..."
"Because of the girl? Or because of father?"
"Neither, brother." Pointing to the foyer were darkened figures walk to and fro "Because of the dwarves."
"... Do you think they know anything about the girl?"
"Given the fact that I'm certain she contains more power than whats she has shown, I certainly hope not."
~~~~~~~~~~Shishi~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 11. We are moving aren't we? Finally! Yes, Kidhuzel will have some contact of the elvish kind! I wonder what she'll get out of it... Unforgivingwolf, Purplefairy11, and YMR thank you for your reviews. It's been a tough semester, just give me 2 more weeks and I'm out until August. Just a little more... Just a little more.