- It's a joke!
Bofur says in disappointment as he throws whatever weird weapon Bard has given to us.
- You will not find better weapon outside the Towns weaponry.
Bard says.
I sigh and shake my head and walk over to where I have been sitting before.
I sit down with a sigh and look at the fireplace.
- Maybe we should just take this.
"Balin?"
I stop using my eyes and focus more on my ears.
Balin is trying to tell Thorin that he is having too much in his head and that he should accept what he is offered from Bard. But Thorin is too much stubborn to see the kind stuff he is offered, and he is thinking about to sneak into the weaponry.
"Oh, uncle. Please wake up. This is not you, this is your grandfather. And you said that you wouldn't become like him."
Balin comes over to me after a few seconds and when he sits down, he looks really sad and depressed. I place my hand on his shoulder and he look at me and I can see that he is on the verge of tears.
- Don't worry Balin. Uncle only wants to reach that mountain now. He's maybe worried that we won't reach it in time.
I say in a low voice. Just in case Bard would be listening.
Balin look at me and some tears falls down his face. I wipe them away and smiles.
Balin smiles back. But the smile has no happiness or anything.
- Sorry for interrupting but, Sigrid wonders if you can help us with something. I'm not interrupting, am I?
Tilda asks as she walks up to me and Balin.
She looks at me and Balin and then back at me.
I look at Balin and he sighs but nod his head.
- I can help you.
I say and squeeze Balin's shoulder before I stand up.
~ Stay by Thorin's side. He might need you and your calmness.
Balin sighs again but nods as I walk after Tilda.
Sigrid smiles when she sees me coming with Tilda.
- What do you need help with Sigrid?
I ask when I walk up to her.
- Can you help me with the laundry?
She asks.
"She needed help with that?"
- That's it? You don't need help with anything else?
Sigrid shakes her head.
- (Sigh) Alright. I can help you.
- Thank you.
After some time, I hang up a dress that I guess is Tilda's.
- How many dresses doesn't you two have?
I ask when I lift up an exact copy of the one, I just hanged up.
- Oh, we only have three, but they look the same, so it looks more than what it is.
Sigrid says as she hangs up a shirt that belongs to Bain.
- I don't think my sister or brother has asked you what your name is?
- My name is Ratcha Reynheart. But I don't think I need to say what I am. I guess you heard when I told your siblings.
- What? Reynheart? Did you say Reynheart?
- Yes. Why are you reacting like that?
- Father had a woman here whose name was Reynheart.
"Mother?"
My legs bend underneath me, and I fall down on my knees.
"Mother has been here?"
- Ratcha? Are you alright?
Sigrid asks as she walks over to me and places her hands on my shoulders.
- Did this woman tell you what her first name was?
- She said that it was Relitch. What's the problem?
- The woman that was here. That was my mother. I haven't seen her since Smaug attacked. She ran into the woods and I haven't seen or heard anything from her. And now you're telling me that she has been here.
Sigrid puts away the shirt she has been holding and kneels down beside me. I look at her with tears in my eyes.
- When was the last time she was here?
I ask in a whisper.
Sigrid makes a thinking face as she tries to remember.
- I think it was for three days ago. She hasn't mention anything about having a family when I was around. She said that she is alone.
"Why would she say that? Is it something she is trying to hide from the world?"
- Did she say that she was a Mind-Changer?
- Yes. She taught us how to close our minds incase we would meet someone who could read our minds.
- That can explain why your father's mind was closed when I met him. But why did Tilda and Bain react like they did when I said that I was a Mind-Changer?
- Well, Relitch did say that she saw her kin get killed right in front of her eyes. They didn't think that they would meet one more.
- Well, I can say this. She did not see our kin get killed in front of her eyes. She ran away when Smaug attacked. My father and I ran to Erebor to help. When that happened, there were around as many as you are here in Lake-Town. The rest got killed by Orcs or other things. Some of us followed the Dwarves of Erebor on their journey to find a new home. Smaug destroyed our houses too.
By now are my tears streaming down my face and Sigrid wraps her arms around me and without saying a word, she start to stroke my hair and I start to sob.
- It's alright Ratcha. I shouldn't have said anything.
- Aye, you should. If I ever find my mother, it's good to know that she is alright and that nothing is wrong more than the fact she hasn't done anything to see if her family is alright. She did her own conclusion that she is the only one alive. She didn't try to find us.
- She might have her reason for doing that.
Bard suddenly says.
- Da!
Sigrid shouts as she look up in surprise.
There in front of us is Bard standing with the shirt Sigrid has been holding before.
Bard walks over to me and gives Sigrid the shirt. She takes the shirt and walks away from us.
I look at Bard as he kneels down in front of me.
- For how long has she been here?
I ask with the tears in my throat.
- She has been living under my roof for a long time. She did know that you and your father ran to Erebor. And she felt that your father died. But she didn't feel anything from you. Come inside and I will tell you more. It's not safe to speak about your kin here.
Bard says as he looks around with suspicious eyes. As he stands up, he reaches out his hand to help me up on my feet again.
- I'll tell Tilda to come out and help you with the rest, Sigrid.
Bard says over his shoulder as he and I walks inside his house again.
He takes me to a room with a bed where he tells me to sit down on.
I sit down with a sigh and Bard takes a chair and sits down on it after he have closed the door and look at me with sad eyes.
Suddenly, I feel other presences amongst us.
When I 'look' I force myself, so my smile won't be too big when I realize that it is father who is standing beside my side of the bed. I haven't asked him to come. He just appeared.
- So, mother say that she saw me and my father running to Erebor. But she did not follow?
- Aye. She told me that she wanted to follow you, but her body didn't want to stop. She walked around in that forest for a long time. I can show you what she said.
- Please don't. I won't be able to hear what she says. I will only see her. Just tell me what you can. I can't stand seeing her and not being able to talk back to her.
Bard nod his head and closes his eyes as he tries to remember.
- She said some things about your father, but most of the time she was talking about the you and your father, you were the one she would talk about the most. Everything from how you looked like to your personality. She said that you always had something sarcastic or witty to say to your father and herself. You are quick thinking and you listen to everyone that want to talk to you. You always wanted to help those around you that needed help.
I smile at him and nod my head when he opens his eyes again.
- She also said that she felt that you would become one of the strongest of your kin. She only wished that she could have given you more training, but she didn't have anything more to teach you before that attack.
- She did teach me the difference between every living thing that lives on Middle-Earth. Everything from their weapons to their ways of speaking. She wouldn't tell me why she thought me that. But I know now why she was so strict with me learning all those things.
Bard gives me a questioned look, but I shake my head.
- I won't tell you everything, for it would take too long. But you can see on the weapon who or what it is that is attacking you.
Bard nods his head and smiles quickly.
- She didn't tell me more about you after she had said that she felt your father die. She did say that when she tried to feel anything from you, she didn't feel anything. She mumble something about that you had closed yourself from her.
I make a confused face and Bard tilt his head with the same look.
- I know for a fact that I haven't closed myself. It was mother who did. She cut the link she and I shared before she ran away. And father told me she did the same to him, so it's very strange that she could felt father died. The more your telling me, the more confused I get over her decision with running away. I have more questions to her now than what I had before. And what's even more strange is the fact that it does not sound like my mother. Nothing of what you said sounds like her.
- If you don't believe me, then take a look for yourself and see with your own eyes that it is Relitch.
With a sigh, I close my eyes and tries to calm down my anger. When I open my eyes again, I nod my head towards Bard with confident eyes.
I want to believe him, but I can't believe him before I can see mother for myself.
Bard nod his head and closes his eyes.
I do the same and reaches out towards him.
Then suddenly, I see mother right in front of my eyes. She doesn't say anything, she just smiles at something Bard has says. Sigrid is in the background, trying to get her two very tired siblings to go to bed before they fall asleep standing up.
Mother has changed so much since I saw her. Her hair has gotten longer, she used to have short hair, so it wasn't in her face when she chases me around the house in one of our tickle games. She has colored it as well. Instead of her hazelnut brown, her hair is now as dark as the night. Her skin has also gotten a paler color as well. She look like the night in a human form. She is thinner than before but look like being a lot stronger as well. But the ocean blue eyes is the same as the one I grow up to adore and worship. It is my mother. That's no question in that. The only question is: Why has she changes so much?
When I open my eyes again, I smile weakly and nod my head as a thank you. Bard does the same and stands up.
- Did she say if she would come back?
Bard look at me and shake his head slowly.
- She never did. She could just appear on our doorstep one day. Sometimes there would be some wound on her body that Sigrid had to look over and take care of. Last time she was here had she been gone for a year. She said something about not returning after this time. Don't have your hopes up for seeing her here.
With a sigh I look down on my lap and nod my head. Bard smile before he walks out the bedroom. A single tear left his eyes before he walked out of the room and closed the door.
I sigh again and I feel a light weight on my right shoulder. I smile a weak smile as I look up at father. He smiles back and sit down beside me.
~ Why would she lye about us? Why would she say that both of us die?
I ask as I rest my head on his shoulder. If anyone would come in now, they would wonder what I am doing.
~ I have no idea why she have become like this, Ratcha. The only thing I can think of is that she have suffer memory loss and she must have thought that when she felt that I died and she didn't feel anything from you, she must have thought that you died as well. That's the only thing I can think of.
~ But still why? She has given me more questions than I had before.
Suddenly, a light knock from the door can be heard.
I look up in shock and I feel father places his hand on my shoulder.
- Ratcha?
Fili's voice comes from the other side of the door.
With a quiet laugh, I call for Fili to come inside.
He walks in and closes the door right behind him. He look at me with fright and worry.
- What's the matter brother? Something wrong?
Without saying a word, he walks over to me with two big steps and sits down on my left side and places his arms around me in a tight hug.
- Everything is fine with me Ratcha. But when that bargeman came in with you and walked into this room, we got worried over you. You haven't been this sad since Thorin came with you that day for 60 years ago. You remember that day?
Fili whispers with his brother eyes as I call them. He has this sadness but also this love that only a brother can have for his sister.
- How can I forget? That day everything that was gone for me was given back to me. How can I possibly forget that then?
I say as I lean onto Fili's shoulder with a smile on my face as the memory comes back.
