Author's Note: Hello everyone! I hope you've all had a nice weekend. We will now be entering Mirkwood – as the title of this week's chapter suggests. I did not receive any reviews concerning the appearance of Tauriel in this story on last week's chapter; please note that if you want to make your opinion known, this chapter will be the last chance you have to do so! That said, enjoy the chapter – and don't forget to review!
Chapter twelve: Greenwood the Great
When the Company set out at first light the next morning, their bellies were filled, their heads rested – and they were in a far better mood than they had been since even before they had crossed the Misty Mountains. Despite this, they were not completely at ease on the lent ponies, and every sound or sight caused them to start, weapons already at hand.
This tenseness did not improve when they reached the edge of the forest. If the overall evil presence of Mirkwood was not enough to crush even the liveliest of spirits, the announcement of the departure of the Wizard sure was.
'You're leaving us?' Bilbo asked, his voice higher than usual.
Gandalf stopped his rummaging in the saddle bags for a moment to spare the Hobbit a grim look. 'I would not if I had any other choice, my dear Bilbo.'
They spoke in hushed tones for a moment, and from where Ardhoniel was standing Bilbo appeared to be somewhat nervous. However, she quickly dismissed that thought when Gandalf clapped the Hobbit on his shoulder amiably, before going back to his horse. When all bags were secured, he turned to Thorin.
'I will meet you at the overlook; do not enter the Mountain without me.' As he got on his horse, he threw a mistrustful look at the old forest. 'This is not the Greenwood of old. You would do well to be careful. It will use every opportunity to lead you astray.'
'Lead us astray?' Nori repeated, his arms crossed in front of his chest and one, thick eyebrow raised in question.
'The very air you breathe is heavy with magic. You will not get to the other edge of the forest if you stray from the Elven road. And that is exactly why you will need to trust the lady Ardhoniel to lead you.'
'What?!' Dwalin called out in outrage, but Ardhoniel hardly noticed it.
She herself was looking at the Istar in shock – and betrayal. So that was what he'd meant when he said he'd found use for her. As Thorin tried to reason with the warrior, the Elleth quickly slipped closer to the Wizard.
'What is this about?' She demanded. 'I know this forest just as well as any of them do – and that is to say, not at all!' She sneaked a glance to the group of Dwarves, to find Dwalin was already staring at her through narrowed eyes.
'Yet you are an Elf and they have to follow the Elven road,' Gandalf spoke calmly, as if that made his decision perfectly sensible.
'How am I supposed to lead them across a hidden road through an enchanted forest that I have never travelled? Mithrandir, this is madness!'
'Madness,' he huffed and he fixed her with a very displeased look 'Madness is what brought you on this Quest to begin with! Now that you are here you might at the very least be of some use!'
While the Elleth attempted – and failed – to reason with the Istar, Dwalin spoke his mind to his King. 'Should we trust her?'
'Gandalf asked her to come.'
'And yet they do nothing but argue,' Dwalin huffed, making it a point to stare at the back of the She-Elf in question. 'I have kept an eye on her, Thorin. She appears clumsy, hot-headed and in the only fight that we encountered so far, she froze in the midst of battle. If I didn't know better, I'd say she has as much experience as the boys – if not less so.'
At this point, Ardhoniel turned her head in their general direction, as if having heard his words. Their gazes crossed for a moment – Dwalin never breaking the eye-contact – until she looked back to the Wizard.
In the moment that passed, Thorin considered his words carefully. There was truth in his friend's words, he knew, for he too had noticed that the Elf at times appeared to be rather… un-Elvish. Yet, he felt it was unfair to now judge her on the exact opposite of what had made him distrust her in the first place. 'Whatever the situation is between the Elf and the Wizard, we don't have a choice. We're traveling an Elven road and as the case is, she's the only Elf in our company.'
Before Dwalin could object, the Elf stepped back towards the Company, a grim look set on her face. Whatever the discussion with the Wizard had been about, it could not have been anything pleasant.
'Grab only what you need; we will travel light,' she addressed them, then as she turned she continued in a lower voice that only Bilbo's sensitive ears picked up: 'That we may leave this accursed forest behind us as quick as possible.'
The evil magic of the forest did not affect them as abruptly as one might think. Make no mistake, from the moment they stepped foot into Mirkwood, the very air itself seemed to become thinner, yet at the same time heaver; as if they were wading through a tangible mist. The forest was silent and quietly decaying, and the world below the canopy of trees was trapped in an eternal twilight, apart from the nights where all would turn to black.
That being said, the spell that lay on the forest had a much more subtle influence on the Company's minds at first, hardly noticeable until they were too deep in the forest and ensnared in its magic to turn back.
The first day passed by quite like the days on the road had before – with the exception of the female Elf that was now leading the way. After leaving the Wizard at the forest edge in the late morning, the Company spent the rest of the day on the road, stopping only when the last light under the trees was leaving them.
'We should make camp for the night,' Thorin announced 'Fíli, Kíli, go collect some wood for a fire.'
'No!' Ardhoniel said, her voice ringing loudly in the silence of the forest. 'Mithr- Gandalf said we cannot stray from the path or we may never find it again!' Her statement was met with expressions of various stages of disbelief, although she noted that Bilbo looked properly shaken.
To her relief, Thorin sighed and nodded – perhaps more out of a wish to avoid conflict than in actual agreement. 'We will camp on the road tonight.'
His order was met with slight grumbling about the hard ground and a cold meal, but soon the Company settled itself on the foliage covered road. Little conversation was exchanged that night and as Gloín settled himself for the first watch, the remainder of the Company tried to find sleep in the eerily quiet and pitch black forest.
When Ardhoniel started awake, it was still dark out. Moreover, it was still quiet – and she wondered what had awoken her in the first place, her dreams already having faded beyond the point of recollection. There was the familiar chorus of snores around her, but instead of calming her like it usually did, the sound put her on edge. It was too loud in the darkness of the forest, and she suddenly felt very exposed.
She sat up on her bedroll, gripping the dagger that she kept hidden under the pillow tightly. With her free hand, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. There was something nagging at her, just beyond the edges of her consciousness. Something was not right, her heart told her, yet her mind could not tell her why.
Deciding that she would not find any more rest anyway, Ardhoniel sighed deeply before she stood. Stretching her limbs, she found that her body had not agreed with sleeping on the hard road. Still, if she were to believe Mitrandir's words – which, despite their disagreements and the Istar's general tendency for dramatics, she did not doubt for a second – it was still to be preferred over the faith they would meet if they strayed.
'Elf, is that you?' It was Gloín – which meant that she could not have slept for all that long.
'Yes, it's me. All quiet?'
'Too quiet,' he grumbled and she heard the hilt of his axe hit the forest ground. 'However, there is something else… I have the feeling that we are being watched.'
His words caused her to shiver, for it confirmed her own feelings. Yet, even her sharp Elven sight and hearing could not detect anything in the dark night. Ignoring her own fears, she swallowed. 'I am sure it is nothing, Master Gloín, just the animals of the forest. Get some rest, I will sit the remainder of the watch.'
'Thorin said I was supposed to wake him when I was getting tired..'
'With his wounds still mending, I am sure he could use some rest. Besides, I will find no rest in this place tonight.'
At last, Gloín grunted his agreement.
She listened as he lay down on his bedroll, his axe clanking against the stoney surface not too far away from him. She knew he would keep one hand wrapped around the hilt, like all the Dwarves did when they felt unsafe. She knew that he would normally take out the locket from his armour and would look at the portraits of his wife and son before he went to sleep. She doubted he would be able to do it now, in the pitch blackness of the forest.
When a deep snoring finally joined the others, Ardhoniel felt a little weight fall from her shoulders.
During their travels together, she had gotten to know each of the Company members far more intimately than one would in any other situation. She knew Dori liked rules and details. He liked fussing over them, and over his brothers – even though he sometimes pretended he did not. He liked wine with a bouquet, camomile tea, and was perhaps the only Dwarf in the Company that cared whether their food was served in an old, wooden bowl or on a silver plate.
Then there was Bombur, whose perhaps most distinguishing characteristic – after looking beyond his rather outstanding girth – was his kindness. At least for Dwarf standards, he was a bit silent, preferring to listen rather than speak, and during their time together, had not once been unkind to her. Moreover (and returning to the obvious), his love for food rivalled that of Bilbo.
Ardhoniel thought about all of the other Dwarves that she had come to know to a greater or lesser extent; each with their own little quirks and habits. Knowing them so intimately, she felt that it had become impossible not to care about their well-being – even of those that cared little for hers. During their time on the road, they had become like family to her – some that you loved, some that you liked and some that you wish you would not have to see too often, but family nevertheless.
It amazed her how much had changed since she had left Imladris. Ten days. It had only been ten days since she had set out from her home, and yet it felt like the passing of an era – and perhaps it had been, for her. She was not the same Elf that had left her home. Even now, she could feel it. She had changed, and was still changing. Time would have to tell whether it was for the better.
