Hello everyone,
Well new month new chapter and so here is chapter 14. I hope you enjoy.
It was not until the next morning that Veirra awoke to a buzzing noise, rolling onto her back she looked around to find she was by herself. She heard voices not far away talking. As usual it sounded like an argument amongst the dwarves and Gandalf. An argument she would have preferred to had stayed out of, but as the voices grew in volume she gave an agitated sigh. Sitting up she quickly undid her bandage, applied some more poultice and re-bandaged her ankle. "Good morning." Bilbo said as he was slipping on his jacket.
"Morning Master Baggins." Veirra replied putting the poultice away and getting to her feet. At least Bilbo was a comfort to have in the group of short tempered dwarves, and as always he brought a smile to her face.
"Do you know what is going on?" Bilbo asked gesturing towards the sound of arguing.
"It sounds like an argument, and so early in the morning too." Veirra sighed wishing she had simply continued to sleep. "Best we find out what is the matter."
Bilbo sighed, but nodded and headed towards the room with Veirra behind him."There is no point arguing. We can not get through the wilderland without Beorn's help! We will be hunted down before we can get to the forest. Ah Bilbo, Veirra there you are. Now this will require some delicate handling. The last person to have startled him was torn to shreds. I will go first, and uh Bilbo you will come with me."
"Uhh is this a good idea?" Bilbo asked as he came forward.
"Yes now the rest of you just wait here, and do not come out until I give the signal."
"Right wait for the signal." Bofur replied by the window.
"And no sudden noises and do not overcrowd him. Only come out in pairs, Veirra you come out last. You will have a calming effect on him." Gandalf said as he looked at the ranger, which caused her to raise a brow.
"I will have a calming effect. How will I be a calming effect?" Veirra asked looking at Gandalf sceptically.
"Well you being a young beautiful lady and a ranger. He will be less likely to want to rip all of us apart." Gandalf replied.
"Comforting." Veirra grumbled sarcastically.
"You know he speaks the truth, Veirra." Kili replied with the usual charmer's smile, which surprised Veirra some. The demeanour of her companions had not changed by much after what she had told Thorin. Most of them were content to treat her exactly the same as before including Fili and Kili. She had expected them to react differently and treat her with fear and mistrust. After all was that not what her kind had done? All Veirra could do was give Kili a tight smile in that moment however then she looked back at Gandalf and Bilbo. The grey wizard was about to turn away when he stopped short and turned back to them.
"Oh-uh Bombur you count as two so you should come out alone." Veirra suppressed the laugh that threatened to escape as Bombur took a bite of something he was eating. "Remember wait for the signal." Then both wizard and hobbit went outside to greet their host.
"What signal would that be?" Bofur asked from the window he sat perched at.
"Just wait for him to gesture for us to come out." Veirra replied calmly as she leaned against the door frame unaware that Bofur would take her comment literally. She continued to hear chopping for a few minutes more as the other dwarves milled about waiting for when they would be sent out.
"Do you fear to look at me now?" The deep baritone voice made Veirra stiffen, she had hoped Thorin would pretend she did not exist. The other dwarves were either preoccupied or choose to ignore the conversation by the doorway. The chopping had stopped as she licked her lips.
"No, of course not."
"Then why do you avoid facing me? Why did you not give me a chance to speak?"
"Thorin this is not the time or place to be talking about this." Veirra said hoping to get him to drop the subject.
"There! Go go!" Bofur said, and soon Dwalin and Balin headed outside. 'That was rather quick, Gandalf.' Veirra thought relieved that she would hopefully escape her current conversation.
"And when would be the right time or place?" Thorin demanded, "I would have loved to had continued the conversation by the river last night had you not run off." She watched as two more left when Bofur mentioned the signal was given yet again, and watched Oin and Gloin leave.
"And what would have been said in the conversation, Thorin? What would I not have heard before? Would it be a different conversation? Would you have been kinder? Spoken softly? Or would you act the way you always act? Judgemental and cold?"
"Go!" Bofur said.
"Bofur I do not think he is signalling yet-" Veirra started but it was too late Dori and Ori were out the door, and she groaned.
"Is that what you think I would do? Judge you?"
"I seem to recall the first words out of your mouth when we first met was something along the lines of: the wilds was no place for a girl. You had judged me the moment you met me, just as you had judged Bilbo before he saved you. How else am I to think?" Veirra looked down at the dwarf lord at long last and saw him struggling.
"Go go!" Bofur said and Fili and Kili went out making her wish that the room was not half empty.
"I also was wrong if you recall. Both of you proved me wrong. I would not dare make the same mistake twice. Do you honestly think I would judge you? That there is anything there to judge you on?"
"Everyone else has." Veirra replied calmly not wanting to think about the people she had once known and called friends that she had cut all ties with mainly to save herself further pain. That was when the rest rushed out and Veirra moved forward towards the door leading outside. She had forgotten to go last and instead heard their host's agitated tone.
"Is that it? Are there any more?" Both she and Thorin stepped out to meet him, though he did not look pleased at all.
"Lastly this is Thorin Oakenshield and Veirra Stormshadow." Gandalf gestured.
Veirra leaned against the doorway as she saw Beorn, he towered over even Gandalf. Luckily Gandalf had a silver tongue and managed to calm down the skin changer enough not to want to kill them. The grey wizard had been right, her presence had a calming effect which kept their host from wanting to tear them to shreds. It was enough as Beorn put on an old worn tunic and led his 'guests' inside.
Some time later the group was seated at the table though Veirra choose to lean against the door frame and stay off her bad ankle. Beorn was telling of how the defiler took his people, it filled in the blanks that the wondering folk could not explain. All her people knew was that the skin-changers once lived in the mountains and then they slowly vanished with no explanation. Some believed they moved to a more hidden or remote area to avoid the other races, or believed they just died out. Beorn's tale painted a much darker picture, the Orcs.
Then he turned towards her and she straightened, Beorn finally noticed the height difference amongst other things. "I have not seen the wondering folk for so long, but their scent is familiar earth and wood smoke. Your kind were an annoyance, but never bothered us." Beorn inhaled, then looked directly at Thorin. "Your female is injured."
"I-" Veirra was about to say she was fine when Gandalf interrupted.
"Yes she sprained her ankle." The look Gandalf gave her told her to shut up, so she held her tongue.
"Go out the back, there is a small hot spring behind the house. Bathe your ankle, the waters will mend the injury." Beorn spoke, hesitantly she nodded and turned away. She rounded the corner knowing they wanted her to not hear, but hear she would for she stopped and continued to listen in even out of view. Beorn turned to Gandalf.
"Why have you brought that woman here?" Beorn demanded.
"She is a ranger of the north and very helpful to our quest." Gandalf explained.
"She is injured."
"Yes we know. She was injured-" Thorin started to explain.
"Not that," Beorn said to him then turned back to Gandalf, "She smells wrong, off; unnatural. Like an old wound that has not healed properly." Veirra swallowed hard at the comments. "There is a darkness there." She felt angry that they were talking about her, but Beorn was right. She had known for a long time that there was something wrong with her. Still to have it pointed out stung painfully, having had enough she went to find the hot spring and would pretend she had not heard a word. Even as the conversation continued on. Gandalf looked at the door Veirra had left through, he knew she had listened in on the conversation; and also knew when she left.
Meanwhile Thorin did not like how Veirra was being assessed by their host, and soon rose to his feet. "There is nothing wrong with her."
"My apologies, you are very protective of your woman." Beorn replied as he moved around the table refilling drinks.
"Why do you keep calling her mine?" Thorin asked, stopping Beorn.
"Your scent was on her. I would be careful the defiler will smell you on her too." Beorn replied.
"How do you know Azog will..." Bilbo looked for the right word.
"Notice?" Beorn supplied, so Bilbo nodded, "He noticed with my mate too. Azog knows Thorin's scent, and if she carries Thorin's scent. He will know she is important to him." Bilbo looked over at Thorin who was now deep in thought. Then Beorn changed the subject. "You need to reach the mountain before the last days of Autumn?"
"Before Durin's day, yes." Gandalf answered.
"You are running out of time." Beorn pointed out.
"Which is why we must go through Mirkwood."
"A darkness lies over that forest. Foul things creep beneath those trees. The female will be in the greatest of danger. She will be susceptible to the sickness in those woods. I would not venture there except in great need."
"We will take the Elven road." Gandalf replied, "Their path is still safe."
"Safe? The wood elves of Mirkwood are not like their kin. They are less wise and more dangerous. But it matters not."
Thorin finally came out of his thoughts and took in what Beorn was saying. "What do you mean?"
"These lands are crawling with Orcs. Their numbers are growing, and you are on foot. You will never reach the forest alive." Beorn rose from his seat and picked up a mouse from the table. "I don't like Dwarves. They are greedy, and blind. Blind to the lives they deem lesser then their own." Beorn came to stand before Thorin, "But Orcs I hate more. What do you need?"
Author's Notes:
Well here is the latest chapter and again it is pointed out by Beorn now that there is something wrong with Veirra.
Also I feel I need to mention on the last chapter a reviewer (PurpleOrangeTrees) brought up some good questions. Questions concerning people judging Veirra over the incident she and Atrice were involved in. I answered in a PM, but in case anyone else has similar questions I will post my PM reply to explain.
Private Message: To answer your questions, it is mostly how Veirra perceives people as viewing her and so she does miss-interpret how some people would react to her. Not all would 'judge' her of course but from her perspective that is a big factor. However those that have reacted 'poorly' know that there is something wrong. As you said you got the impression that it was she that tortured and murdered her and Atrice's attackers. While she can't even remember what happened fully there is this constant sense that yes she did get loose and torture those that harmed them. It couples with survivor's guilt because she awoke to find her friend lost her sanity and so she thinks that yes she did torture and kill them and also drove her best friend mad. And for those that know of the incident it begs the question: What happened?
The fact that she does not remember and it is a complete mystery makes it more frightening too. Some like other rangers may have backed up and tried to be cautious with her leading her to believe they were afraid/judging her. The other thing that would bother her is with someone attacked like that. Those close to her would feel pity and try to treat her like 'a fragile doll', and being who she is; she would hate that. So for those around her she knew before it would feel like they either fear or pity her and it would drive her away.
That said the greatest thing that would drive her to think people were judging her would be the actions of another person extremely close to her. I mentioned he walked away at the end of chapter 12, and in future chapters you will hear more about him. Because he 'abandoned' her because of the incident she cut all ties and auto-assumes that the minute anyone learns of the incident they will judge her.
Of course as far as the company is concerned they are not going to condemn her for defending herself. Mainly it is just her assuming the worst and trying to avoid them judging her. Or in Thorin's case, it is a fear of him rejecting her.
I hope that explains more for anyone having similar questions in regards to the incident. Anyway I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and please feel free to review away.
Lesliezin