Sorry for the late update! Enjoy
Chapter 14
Light slipped in between my eyelashes and I took a few deep breaths, to make sure my lungs were functional. I slowly arched my little finger and it moved the way I wanted it to move. I opened my eyes and a shining light of red and orange rolled in like a wave of fire. But it wasn't fire; it was the light of dusk, warm and remote.
I realized that I was in a bed, but it was fairly large, maybe even too large for a hobbit.
"Bella?" a voice beside me whispered quietly. I felt a hand squeezing my own hand and my gaze snapped to the right. There sat my older stepbrother and cousin Bilbo.
"What happened?" I asked tiredly. "Where are the others?"
"The healers told us that you suffered from severe exhaustion and that you needed to rest for a bit to regain your strength." he answered and then sat himself on the bedside, still holding my hand. "How are you feeling?"
"Well, aside from the fainting, I feel fine." I sat up and glanced around me.
We were in a room with white, wooden pillars that was shaped into arches. There were some fair violet curtains hanging down from them, serving as bed was of the same wood of the pillars and the floor was of beautiful and defined marble. There were no ceiling, I could stare right up into the naked sky.
There was something different though; the air felt fresher and it seemed like the sky was closer to the ground, but most of all, something wasn't quite right with the atmosphere. This place felt… magical of some sort. Like an ancient spell or enchantment has been put on it. What was this place?
"Where are we?" I said.
"At the moment, we're in Rivendell." Bilbo replied shortly. My brow furrowed.
"Could you perhaps be a little less specific?" I chuckled ironically. He was just about to answer, when a tall figure stepped forward.
"We are in the west of the Misty Mountains." came the voice of Gandalf as he entered the space. "In the last homely house East of the Sea, in the Valley of Imladris. More known under the Common tongue as Rivendell." he leaned against the arch and smiled down at me. "Which means we're in the land of Elves, hosted by Lord Elrond."
My eyes widened of wonder; the word Elves was like music to my ears. Instantly I felt the urge to jump out of the bed and explore the Elven outpost. But I felt that my body was not fit for the pressure for running again. I had to be careful.
"The others are receiving some refreshment at the moment, I was just about to join them as I walked past the medical wing. But then I heard you speaking." Gandalf answered to my second question.
"Oh." I said and the sat up. "Well, why won't we join them?" I looked at the two.
Bilbo and Gandalf exchanged glances and then Bilbo shrugged. "If that is your wish. The healers said you would need some refreshment as well when you'd woken up." he answered and then rose from the bed and then held out his hand for me to take it.
I smiled delightfully and swung my legs to the bedside and took his hand.
Gandalf and Bilbo showed me the way through the Elven houses and halls. This truly was an astonishing and enchanting place, it felt like the further we went the more breath-taking everything looked. Even most of the Elves we passed were some of the most beautiful beings I had ever seen.
I could barely tear my stare away from a gorgeous male that we just passed, when we reached a circular balcony that overlooked the valley, with the setting sun beaming into my eyes. My stomach ached of the paining beauteous view, but it also ached of hunger. In the background, harps and flutes were played by some Elvish musicians.
"Oi! Look who decided to come back to life eh!" Dwalin exclaimed from one of the dining tables. The other dwarves cheered when I went to the tables to greet them.
"Forgive me for being late, I just needed to rest a little." I said and pretended to sweep some dust off my shoulder. I got smug chuckles as a response.
"Well, it's good to see ye breathing without a blue face." Bofur said as he stuffed his mouth with a roll. I nodded and smiled at him.
I sat down at the table with Rue, Fíli, Kíli, Dwalin, Nori, Oín, Bofur and Bifur.
"Did you have a good night sleep?" Kíli nudged my arm and chuckled.
"Best one I had in years." I chuckled back. "Where's Thorin?"
"He's over there together with Gandalf and Lord Elrond." Fíli pointed to another table.
I glanced over my shoulder at another table and found the two of them with another unfamiliar male Elf as company. The Elf wore a headdress and golden-like robes, his hair was dark brown with crystal grey eyes. His face was… ageless. I couldn't tell if he was older or younger, but he was a fair one like all the others.
He was holding a sword, Thorin's sword, the one he had found in the troll cave and he was examining it thoroughly before he gave it back to the dwarf.
"Is that Lord Elrond?" I asked.
"Yes, he's very nice, he actual-" Rue began to say, but I swiftly interrupted.
"Oh how rude of me!" I exclaimed and jumped out of my seat.
I ran up to the table of the three and then cleared my throat to draw the attention of Elrond. Now was the prefect time to show off my Elvish skills.
"Mae govannen, heru en amin Elrond." I spoke clearly and curtsied. He looked a little confused at first, but then nodded at me to continue. "Elen sila lumenn omentilmo." his eyebrows elevated a little and he then glanced at Gandalf, looking a little surprised.
"Creoso a'baramin, aier." he spoke, "Mani naa essa en lle?"
"Amin ess Belladonna Baggins II Took." I realized that the dwarves had gone silent, they were staring at me in shock. "I am a Hobbit of the Shire."
"Your Elvish is excellent, miss Baggins." he smiled faintly and raised his goblet. I nodded thankfully. "Have a seat together with your companions. You must be famished after what you've been through."
"Guren glassui." I spoke proudly.
I went back to the others and sat down to eat with them. The food was delicious, mostly it was green foods, beans and rolls filled with strange, creamy sallads. There were no signs of potatoes or meat anywhere, which made the dwarves a little grumpy.
But after a while, jolly Bofur suddenly rose from his seat "There's only one thing for this so far boring supper, lads." he said when Nori complained about the music that was played. He climbed upon the narrow platform that was bolted into the middle of the balcony.
And then he began to sing merrily, a song which was sung in my homelands; The Man in the Moon Stayed Up Too Late. Bilbo must've taught him it and the others must've heard him teaching it, because they sang along. Food was thrown around everywhere and I dodged several rolls that was tossed at my head.
The Elves were incredibly disturbed by their behavior, but they did not protest. As the song was finished, a clean ending of the food fight exited with the dwarves aiming for the Elves. I couldn't help but giggle, that was very rude and disrespectful, but it was a hilarious sight.
After supper, the dwarves went to bathe off their filth and dirt in the fountain. I didn't know where Rue went, I had the feeling he was hiding somewhere or he had gotten lost. But I searched for him around the halls, listening to echoes of footsteps and breaths.
But I didn't find him anywhere and additionally, I myself got lost in the Gardens. I sat down by a bench and admired the fair flowers and green bushes around me.
"Not with your company?" came the voice of Elrond behind me. I flinched and cast my eyes over my shoulder to look at him. "Forgive me, I didn't mean to frighten you." he sat down next to me.
"No worries, you caught me a little of guard that's all." I replied. "I lost them, I was looking for the nymph, but I ended up out here. It's a beautiful garden you've got, Master Elrond."
He nodded. "How come you're so familiar with Elvish?" he asked and looked curiously down at me.
"I've been fascinated with Elves since I was a small child." I said and met his gaze, "I was in the Eastern woods of my land when I ran into an Elf-maid for the first time. Ever since, I've been obsessed with your kind."
"Who was she? I might know her." Elrond said and listened closer.
"I believe you do know her actually. She told me she was from here, her name was Arwen."
Elrond froze firstly, but then a smile spread across his face. "Oh I know her indeed. She's my first and only daughter." he said.
Now it was my turn to freeze. "What a coincidence!" I exclaimed and laughed a little. "I didn't think about that. Is Arwen here?"
"No, she lives with her grandmother in the Elvish realm of Lothlórien, temporary." Elrond said, "Do you know of that kingdom?" I nodded triumphantly.
"It's rulers are Lord Celeborn and Galadriel Lady of Light." Elrond rose his eyebrows.
"That is true. You impress me, little Halfling." he smiled.
"Master Elrond!" I jumped of fright. "I've lost my cat! I can't find her anywhere!" a little small child on no more than 10 years ran up to us, his eyes were swollen red and tears ran down his cheeks. But as soon as he laid his eyes upon me, he stopped weeping immediately.
"You're no Elf." he mused as he wiped his tears, "Who are you?"
"Estel." Elrond warned the child.
"Don't worry, Master Elrond, the child is only curious." I replied and looked at the child.
He had dark, shaggy hair, his eyes were grey and dim. His height was tall and his body stature was lean. I rose to my feet, to come to the realization that the boy was taller than me.
"You're so small!" he blurted out and stared down at me.
"Estel, mind your manners." Elrond warned the child again.
"I'm sorry." Estel said.
"It's alright." I smiled up at him, "My name is Belladonna, pleasure to meet you Estel." I held out my hand. He took it and shook it firmly.
"Likewise." he said, "I feel bad for asking, but why are you so short?"
Elrond sighed at the child. I laughed at the boy's curiosity. "I'm short because I am a Hobbit." his eyes went wide.
"Hobbit?" he repeated, "What's a Hobbit?"
"A Hobbit is someone like me. Short in stature, curly hair, large feet." I said casually.
"But where are you from?" he said.
"I'm from the Shire. A land in the West. Where most of Hobbits live."
"Oh. What's it like in the Shire?" he asked curiously.
"It's lovely back there. Green hills and fields, woods that can tell a fairy tale with its quiet voices, prairies that stretch for miles." I mused and smiled wider.
"Sounds like a dream to me." Estel said. "I must go there when I'm older."
"You really should, I think you might like it there." I said.
What a nice little boy, I liked him already.
"So Estel, you told me you could not find your cat." Elrond spoke after a few moments of silence, "Would you like me to help you find her?"
"Yes please!" Estel blurted, "But what about Belladonna?"
"She'll be fine." Elrond said before I could answer, "I see her leader is approaching and I think he intends to keep her company. Come Estel."
I flinched when he mentioned Thorin. "It was nice meeting you!" Estel said before he and Elrond disappeared from the Garden.
"Nice meeting you too!" I cried after them. And then they were gone.
I glanced around the Garden to find Thorin coming from the arch halls. His eyes were locked upon me and it was easy to see that he wished to speak with me. I began to fidget nervously as I tried to find another exit. I decided to take the one Elrond and Estel had used and I began to walk furiously at it.
"Bella!" Thorin called after me. I glanced over my shoulder to find him walking after me.
"I'm not feeling well I have to go back to bed!" I called back and quickened my walk.
"Stop. Don't go." he said, "Don't be childish, I only want to speak with you."
"Well I don't!" suddenly I felt a massive hand grab my hand. "Let go of me!" I nearly shrieked. He didn't comply, instead he forced me stop.
"I need to speak with you this instance." he said seriously.
"Ooh did you hear that? I think Balin might be calling for you." I squeaked and tried to pull my hand away.
"Stop resisting." Thorin said sternly and tightened his grip.
"But really, Balin's over there." I switched on my acting skills and pointed over Thorin's shoulder. His grip loosened a little when he turned around to look for his friend.
Then I took the chance and smoothly pulled my hand out of his and pushed past him. I sprinted out the Garden down the arch halls he had arrived through.
"Bella come back here!" he bellowed after me.
"Not today Master Oakenshield!" I called over my shoulder as I turned at a corner.
I continued on running through halls, paths and around corners, until I bumped into an Elf. "Oh! Pardon me, I didn't see you." I said as I stepped backwards.
"Do not trouble yourself, miss Baggins." the Elf said.
"Do we know eachother?" I asked dumbfounded, I had seen him at the supper but I did not know his name.
"No we don't, but I was introduced to you when you were unconscious. My names is Lindír." he introduced himself and bowed a little. I curtsied in return. "How come you haven't bathed yet?" he asked.
"Uh well." I was a little unprepared for that question, "I was.. a little distracted. But now I'm ready for a good bath!"
"Excellent. Follow me." Lindír said and then turned.
I nearly had to run to keep up with him. He led me to a private room where he showed me inside. "You can use the other brass tub next to the nymph. We'll put in some clothes and towels for you two when you're finished." he closed the door and I heard his swift footsteps fading away.
The nymph? Us two?
I turned around to find Rue, all naked and wet inside the other tub. "Hello." he said casually as he scrubbed his arms. I couldn't help but stare confusedly at him. His eyebrows lowered when he noticed my stare. "What?" he said.
I noticed his hair, being all wet, long and, girly… Oh save me, everything about him looked feminine when he was nude. Could he really be… a female?
I walked closer to the tub so I could peek inside to look at his body. "Bella what are you doing?" he squealed as I leaned in.
He had… breasts. Breasts of a woman. His body wasn't that quite feminine, but he could not be mistaken for a boy when his full skin was shown. He had feminine features of course, but they could be hidden through thick clothing.
Oh… Oh good gracious… He was a she. Like I had suspected.
"Bella!" she cried out and covered her cleavage, "What in the world are you doing?"
"You're… You're a lass. Not a lad." I breathed and then met her gaze. "Have you been concealing yourself as a boy?"
"No!" she defended, "I've always been a girl!"
"But where did all that hair come from? And those bosoms!" I exclaimed and slapped my hand on my forehead in surprise as I backed away from the tub. "Rue, this is not good. This is not good at all…"
"What do you mean?" she asked.
The door opened and two dresses and towels were thrown in and the door closed again. I stared at the pile of cloth for a long while.
Rue was a lady. And the others were not aware of this. The company would not be pleased, especially not Thorin. So the question was; was it wise to reveal Rue's true identity or was it wise to keep it a secret? Nothing ever comes good out of secrets, after some time, it will be revealed. But telling the truth might have some consequences.
But wait, we had reached a city and from what I remembered, Rue was to be sent away as soon as we had entered one.
This was too much, this was too much all at once.
"Alright, so here's the plan." I said as I began to undress, "You and I shall change into the dresses as soon as we've finished. Then we need to go to the others and show them the real you. We need to straight this out before everything turns into complete disaster."
"What do you mean show them the real me? They know I'm a lady, Bella." she laughed carelessly.
"No they don't. Haven't you realized that?" I said as I stepped into the brass tub, "They'll never figure it out themselves unless they see you."
"Well, I suppose I've been aware of it subconsciously, but haven't really thought about it closely." she mused sadly, "What I'm more worried about is that I have to leave you soon. Did you remember what Thorin said?"
"Yes, I do." I said seriously, "I'm afraid that he hasn't changed his mind about that."
"I really don't want to leave you all, Bella. I've been getting so close to all of you that it pains me to even think about it." she frowned and gazed down.
She looked purely miserable. "It feels like for the first time in forever, that I might finally find a place somewhere. And I have a strong feeling that that place, could be with you." she said and looked at me with sad eyes. I frowned at her sorrow and fear for the future. Poor lad-lass, she must feel terrible.
I finished my bathing with her and we got dressed. Our gowns were probably the ones of a child's size, because they fit our small bodies perfectly. They had given Rue some slippers, but they were too large for her so she decided to walk barefoot and I walked barefoot as always.
She put on something on her ankle. "What's that?" I asked curiously.
"Oh this? I found this back at the troll cave." she replied as she fastened it. It was a rather simple design, it was crafter in silver with three flower pendants in the color of white hanging but the chain. It was a pretty little thing.
"So what do we do now?" she asked as we had brushed our hair.
"Um… I don't think we should just go and tell them. I think we need to stage it. They could somehow run into you looking like a lady and you should act like you don't know what they're talking about." I said.
"So I'm supposed to be unaware about that they don't know I'm a lady?" she asked.
"Yes, but it is the truth right?"
"Until a few minutes ago. So I suppose it's a half-truth." she mused, "But what about you? Should you act like you don't know me as a lady either?"
"Uh, no. I think it's best if I act that I've known you've been a lady all along. I can protect you easier with that knowledge." I said.
"I don't need protection." she protested, "I can look out for myself."
"I know Rue, I know you can. You've been doing it for the latest two years, haven't you?" she nodded. "But I think it's for the best. If the situation should turn out be worse than what we fear."
"You're right." she agreed. "I'll make out something to make them run into me accidentally or something like that. You should leave before me, if someone of them might be around." she suggested.
"Clever thought. Good luck, Rue." I said to her and then left the room in haste.
I marched down the hall. I wish this would turn out well. Oh please, let this turn out to be the best.
Elvish translations:
Mae govannen, heru en amin Elrond = Well met, my lord Elrond
Elen sila lumenn omentilmo = A star shall shine on the hour of our meeting
Creoso a'baramin, aier. = Welcome to my dwelling, short one
Mani naa essa en lle? = What is your name?
Amin ess (...) = My name is (...)
Guren glassui = Thank you from my heart
I'm very sorry about the updating failure. School's been very distracting and I just haven't had time to write that much. Future updates might become irregular, depending on school. Well well, it is as it is, I hope you enjoyed this chapter after all. Happy Saturday everyone!
P.S. Did you understand whom Estel was? If not, google his name and you'll see ;)