Wow, over 100 followers and over 15,000 views for this story? :D That is truly incredible! Thank you all for your support, that makes me very happy!
And a very big thank you to my loyal reviewers: ZabuzasGirl, mrsmiawallace88, MusicalDreamerx and midnight faye-wolf! You all are such sweet and wonderful people and I can't thank you enough for your continued support! :) And also thank you to all my new reviewers, you guys are so great!
Oh, what a chapter this will be! And...there will be a little twist at the end...! That's all I'm gonna say ;)
Can you tell I like surprising my readers? ;D (hehe!)
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"What in the world?" Aira gasped as she gaped at Ori.
"Ori, what is this?" asked Kili. "How did you see us?"
Fili said nothing, but looked to Thorin with concern. Thorin just stared back at him for a moment before looking away, the emotion in his face very hard to read.
Ori turned red and lowered his gaze, once again embarrassed. "I—I was just going out for a walk last night, and…I was passing by the bridge when I saw you two. It looked like you were arguing, at first, and then…I saw what happened afterwards."
"You watched us the whole time?" Aira asked with a firm voice.
Then he grew worried that they would get mad at him and began to sputter out, "I didn't mean to watch! I was just so shocked and…I got curious."
"And you saw everything?" Kili then questioned.
Ori gave him a slight nod. "Up until the two of you left the bridge," he admitted, "but I didn't hear anything! I was too far away, I couldn't hear anything."
Aira sighed and glanced back down at the drawing. She had always known that Ori was a talented artist, but in looking at the picture, she just marveled at just how truly talented he really was. Not only had he drawn her and Kili well in terms of actual appearance, but the hidden things were apparent as well. Even though it was their profiles and their eyes were closed, she could see the happiness and love in their faces. It made her heart feel warm in her chest, knowing now what she and Kili looked like together, even if the moment Ori had captured was only briefly after they had confessed their feelings for each other.
In her head, she had to admit that she wasn't actually angry at her friend for seeing her and Kili. She was just startled at the fact that they had, in fact, been seen and was maybe being a little too hard on him.
"I'm sorry," Ori said to Aira and Kili, his puppy-like eyes turning sad and worried. "I know it—it was wrong of me, but once I saw you both kiss and how happy and in love you looked, I just couldn't help it. I saw that and wanted to remember it so I could…make a portrait of it later because I thought it was so—so beautiful and I was happy for you both. Please don't be angry with me…."
Aira and Kili looked at each other, both noticing how ashamed Ori was feeling. In a second they could tell that they were both thinking the same thing.
She turned back to Ori and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Oh, Ori," she said with a sweet smile, "we could never be angry with you!" Then she quickly pulled him into an embrace, which surprised him.
When they pulled away, Kili placed a hand on his other shoulder and told him, "You did nothing wrong. I suppose both of us were a bit startled at the fact we had been seen when we didn't know it and we didn't mean to come across as angry at you."
Aira held up his picture. "This is really beautiful," she said. "You truly have a gift, my friend."
Ori's worried expression vanished when he smiled gratefully. "You can keep it, if you like," he exclaimed brightly. "I was going to offer it to you anyway."
"I think I will!" Aira replied.
Then Ori looked back and forth between her and Kili and told them in a hushed voice, "And don't worry, I won't say anything to the others. I know that you'd want them to hear it from you and not anyone else."
They both thanked him and, seeing as how things were cleared up, Ori left the room, not feeling guilty anymore.
After watching her friend leave, Aira met Thorin's wondering gaze. "And now there's Thorin to deal with…," she thought to herself, now tensing up a little. All she, Kili and Fili could do was stare at him nervously.
"So…," Thorin simply said, placing his hands behind his back and taking a couple steps towards them. Then he glanced back at Aira and then at Kili. "You two are together now?"
Kili nodded. "Yes, Uncle," he said, trying to sound secure despite his nervousness.
Thorin turned his attention to Aira. "When did this happen?"
"We both realized that we felt differently about each other back in the Shire," Aira answered him.
He just nodded, interested. "And what took place last night that Ori saw?"
Aira opened her mouth to answer, but Kili stepped forward and said with confidence, "Everyone was retiring for the night, but I saw Aira had wandered off and I followed her to the bridge. I was going to tell her how I felt about her. After everything that had happened, I realized I couldn't keep it a secret anymore. However, we started off arguing about how she stayed behind to fight the Wargs, and that was my fault. But then I couldn't take it any longer and I kissed her and told her…that I loved her."
Aira was amazed at Kili for being so firm in telling Thorin the truth. She looked at Thorin and his expression simply appeared attentive. He wasn't saying a word; only listening.
Kili continued, "Aira then confessed the same for me after I did. Then we left the bridge and went for a swim in a nearby pond."
"After that, Kili had asked me to spend the night with him," Aira chimed in, earning a wide-eyed, shocked look from Thorin. She immediately held up her hands defensively and told him, "We swear by Mahal that nothing happened! We merely slept and nothing more, just as we have been since the start of this journey."
"Is that why you were in here this morning when I came in?"
"Yes. Kili and I woke up and found Fili was already awake and he began teasing us. That was what led to the wrestling match you walked in on."
Thorin turned his eyes to Fili, his eyebrows raised.
Fili saw this and explained, "I had heard them both come into the room in the middle of the night and get into the bed and I knew what had happened. Once they awoke, I was just being funny and teasing them about…certain things, even though I knew nothing happened. It was all just good fun."
"I see," was Thorin's response. He looked down to the floor, contemplating everything the three young Dwarves had just told him. "You know that love is a very complicated emotion," he said as a caution to Kili and Aira, his eyes still looking down, "and can often be confused for other sorts of feelings."
"Yes, we do," Kili responded, "but Aira and I are absolutely certain that what we feel is love." He reached down and took Aira's hand in his, giving her a reassuring grasp. Then he turned back to his uncle. "What I feel for Aira is unlike anything I have ever felt for anyone. I know her better than I know myself, so I had already come to love everything about her before that night in the Shire. I just didn't realize it until then. My life feels complete now that we're together. I feel complete when I am with her."
Aira, being filled with such great admiration for Kili, let go of his hand and wrapped her arms around his waist, thankful for his words of devotion. She felt Kili's arm move around her shoulders and nudge her back.
Thorin eyes the met Aira's. "And what do you have to say?" he inquired, raising his eyebrows again.
Staring steadfastly into Thorin's eyes, Aira replied, "I love Kili. I know I love him, Thorin. I've never been more certain of anything else lately. When we were together last night, everything felt right; like it was meant to be and I believe that. I know you may think we're too young to understand what love is, but I don't think we are. My feelings for him are so strong that I feel there is no other way to describe them other than as love. To echo what Kili said: my life feels entirely whole now and I feel complete with him. I do not hesitate in saying so."
Now it was Kili's turn to feel overcome with exceeding adoration for Aira. A smile came across his face and he planted a soft kiss in her hair.
They both glanced at Thorin, wondering what he would say, considering the fact of whether or not he was angry or happy about everything they had just told him still being hard for them to read in the expression on his face.
Finally, after an almost uneasy, silent moment passed, Thorin looked up from the floor and at Aira. "You're right, Aira," he stated, "I do believe that you both are too young to understand what love is…."
Aira looked at Kili, both of them noticing the worry in each other's faces.
"…but it appears I am mistaken."
The eyes of all three young Dwarves suddenly grew large in surprise. Did Thorin just admit he was mistaken; that he was wrong about something?! That just about never happened! Aira, Kili and Fili all gawked at him, wide-eyed at his response.
He then went on to say, "In hearing how you two spoke of each other, it is clear to me that you do understand what love is and that there is more wisdom to be found in youth than I had supposed."
Seeing grins of realization inching upward on the young ones' faces, Thorin grinned himself and continued, "Us older Dwarves tend to believe that, when you are young, you do not understand as many things as we do. But, in instances such as this, we find that young ones actually know more than we think. Therefore, I have no reason to doubt your certainty in your feelings for one another."
"So…you are not angry, then?" Aira hesitantly asked.
Thorin shook his head. "I could never be angry at either of you for finding love, especially when you found it with each other." He held out both of his hands to them and they stepped forward. Thorin took Aira's hand in one of his and laid the other on Kili's shoulder. "Kili, Aira, I truly am happy for you both and I give you my blessing."
"That means more to us than any of the treasure in Erebor, Uncle Thorin!" Kili said to him, smiling gladly and pulling the Dwarf King into a tight, grateful embrace.
Aira turned her head to see Fili moving next to her and they shared a glad glance. Fili then moved an arm around her waist and she placed a hand on his back as they proudly watched Kili and Thorin hug each other.
Thorin then turned to Aira and she smiled at him as he pulled her into his embrace next. "Thank you, Thorin," she said to him as she thankfully kissed his cheek.
"I couldn't help but notice that all three of you," he said, stealing a look over at Fili on the side, "looked a little worried there."
"When it comes to matters like this, it's sometimes hard to know what your reaction will be," Fili responded.
Thorin nodded. Then he turned back to the couple in front of him. "I will admit, I was perhaps surprised a bit when I first noticed Ori's portrait and he told me he had seen you two, but then I supposed that something like this was bound to happen eventually."
Aira crossed her arms, rolled her eyes and said with a sardonic tone, "Oh, we know all about that!"
Thorin looked at her quizzically.
To clarify, Aira said to him, "Fili told us about the little wager you and the other Dwarves made about the three of us during my twentieth birthday gala."
Now it was Fili's turn to be on the receiving end of Thorin's confused expression.
"I overheard you all making the bet, so I've known about it all along," said Fili.
"Typical…I should've known," Thorin said to himself in his head as he felt the corners of his lips twitch. But then something dawned on him. "Fili, tell me," he said to get his oldest nephew's attention, "who were the ones that placed their vote on Kili in our old wager?"
Fili grinned, knowing where this was heading. His eyes rolled up to look at the ceiling, pretending to be deep in thought, before he replied, "I do believe it was Balin, Bofur, Gloin, Nori and…you!"
The Princes and the Princess had never seen their King look so pleased! In that moment, he almost seemed to stand a little taller as his chest puffed out and his proud smile grew wider. His hands once again wrapped around to his back and he stated, "Well, that is certainly a delightful thing to hear. Once Dwalin finds out, his reaction will be a sight to see."
"Why Dwalin?" asked Kili.
"You all know that Dwalin is my closest friend and companion," said Thorin, to which they all nodded, "and we hardly disagree on anything. This wager that we all made years ago is, I think, the only thing that we have ever not agreed upon."
"And clearly you're getting great pleasure in knowing that, in your very first, so-called, 'competition' with him, you are the victor!" Aira declared, finishing his thought for him as she could very well point out the obvious.
A very unfamiliar, devious smirk spread across Thorin's face as he replied, "Exactly."
Aira's eyes rolled again and she smiled. "Sometimes these older Dwarves are so ridiculous…!" she thought playfully.
"You are going to tell the others, aren't you?" Thorin asked.
Kili nodded his head. "We were talking about that when Fili told us about the wager. And then, before you and Ori showed up, Aira said that she had an idea."
"That's right!" Aira exclaimed, remembering she had in fact said that.
However, just as she opened her mouth to speak, there was a knock on the door, which was still open. Everyone turned and saw that Ori had returned, peeking his head in through the doorway.
"I'm sorry to interrupt," he said in a squeaky voice, "but Mister Dwalin wanted me to let you all know that he and the others are going to do some sparring soon if you wanted to join them."
Thorin gave Ori a nod and thanked him for informing them.
Ori started to leave, but Aira called his name and asked the lad to join them for a moment. He obeyed and came into the room, making his way next to her.
"Perfect timing, my friend! I have a plan on how to tell the company about Kili and me…," she told him, "but I think we should have a little fun with it and I want you to be a part of it."
Ori, Thorin, Fili and Kili all looked at her, confused and curious.
"Should I be worried…?" Ori hesitantly asked.
Aira shook her head. "Of course not, it will be all good fun!"
Kili narrowed his eyes and gazed at her in wonder. "What's going on in your head, love?"
She just raised her eyebrows, smirked and answered, "Well, I will tell you."
Out in the foyer just a few corridors down from Fili and Kili's room, the remainder of the company was all sitting around smoking, drinking or sharpening their weapons, getting ready for their sparring after Thorin and the young Dwarves all arrived. They knew that, because they were going to be there for a week's time, they had to have something to do during their stay that suited them. For Dwarves, whenever they needed anything to do to occupy their time, weapons training was always the answer.
Within moments, they all saw Ori and Aira coming around the corner with Fili, Kili and Thorin right behind them, all of them carrying their weapons and looking cheerful.
"There you all are," said Balin, standing up from the chair in which he was seated. "We were starting to wonder if you were coming."
Oin looked up at Aira, holding up his ear trumpet, and asked her, "Aira, do you think you're quite up to training due to your injury?" Being the company's medic, he was one of the members of the company that was most concerned about her and her condition.
Aira replied, "I don't feel the pain as much anymore, so I suppose we'll see. I, at least, would like to try. I do need to work on my training a little, but I do fear the wound may re-open if I'm not careful. Still wouldn't hurt to try, though."
"It's very good to see that you're still doing well," said Dori, holding up his wine goblet.
"And looking rather bright and chipper, if you ask me!" piped Bofur merrily.
She gave them a gracious tilt of the head and said in response, "I certainly feel bright and chipper, especially this morning!"
"Oh…? And why is that?" asked Dwalin.
Aira grinned. "Well…I have something I want to tell you all. Actually, I and one of the lads behind me have something to tell you." She looked up to see Gandalf, Bilbo and Elrond were entering the foyer just as she said this. Now she was starting to get excited.
The three of them along with the other Dwarves all leaned forward, waiting for her to continue and their curiosity bubbling up inside them. They all certainly had an idea of what she was going to say.
Aira and the Dwarves behind her all set their weapons down. Then Aira turned to the boys behind her, held out her welcome hand and one of them took it, grinning as he did so. She pulled him up next to her, wrapped her arms tightly around his waist as he put his across her shoulders and cried out with glee, "Ori and I are together now!"
The reactions from the rest of the company were nothing short of shocked, startled and just downright flabbergasted.
Dori had just taken a sip of his wine and sprayed it all over Gloin's face, which caused him to cry out and shield his face. Oin had also received a few drops of wine to the face, as well.
Dwalin, Bofur and Balin all stood up and shouted, "What?!"
Bifur, Bilbo, Gandalf and Elrond all raised their eyebrows in surprise and stared at them wide-eyed. Bombur also stared at them with his large jaw hanging wide open and Nori was so shocked that he actually fell backwards out of his chair and onto the floor.
After giving them a second to gain their composure, Aira said to them, "We're sorry, everyone, that we didn't tell you sooner. But…we only realized that we had feelings for each other just last night. We'd been keeping them bottled up for so long." Then she and Ori shared a happy gaze at one another.
"Ori!" Dori shouted once he was done choking on his drink while Nori was patting him on the back, now that he was up off the floor. "We've always known that you and Aira were friends, but…you never once let on you actually had feelings for her!" Luckily, they didn't sound angry; just still in shock.
Ori shrugged his shoulders and said to his brothers, who were both staring at him, "I'm sorry, I wanted to tell you, but I was too afraid to say anything. I was worried about what you'd say…plus, I've never been good at talking to ladies much."
"But you found the courage to say something to me," said Aira sweetly, resting her head on his shoulder.
It was then Balin stole a look behind them at Fili, Kili and Thorin. They were all looking either down at the floor or off to the side, shielding their eyes from the others. That made the older Dwarf rather suspicious.
"Is this really true?" Dwalin asked Ori and Aira. "You two really are together?"
"It is true, Dwalin, I swear," said Aira.
Balin took a step forward, placed his hands on his hips and said to them, "Then why don't you two young ones prove it?"
Both Aira and Ori looked at him, taken aback at his sudden request. "What? You don't believe us?" asked Ori.
"I do…," Balin answered, narrowing his eyes, "but I still would like to see some definite proof, just to be sure."
"I don't think that'll be necessary," Ori stated.
"I think we're all right," said Aira, joining in his protesting.
But then Bofur stood up. "Oh, come now!" he exclaimed. "You two can't show us just one little kiss?"
They heard light snickering behind them followed by Kili's voice saying, "Yes, give the company a kiss!"
"They would love to see that!" Fili added.
Aira closed her eyes and inwardly growled at them. They were certainly having a little too much fun teasing her. She and Ori faced each other and shrugged, supposing they had no choice but to comply with their friends' requests. Aira lifted her hands gently to Ori's cheeks and they slowly leaned towards each other.
"By the gods, they're really going to do it!" was the main thought that ran through everyone's minds as their suspense intensified watching them.
Their lips were only inches away when they started to tighten and quiver. Finally, neither of them could take it anymore and just suddenly burst out into loud, hyper laughter. Aira's hands dropped from Ori's face and clutched at his shirt as she buried her face in his chest, trying to suppress her wild laughing.
They glanced at everyone else and now they were even more confused than they had been just a second ago. They were all completely lost.
"Ori, I just realized:" Aira cried, lifting her head up, her voice hinted with pretend comprehension, "we cannot be together! It's not an option; it would not work for everyone else…," Now she turned and faced the others. "…since I'm supposed to end up with Fili or Kili in their little wager they have about me!"
All four of the young Dwarves just then pointed fingers at the others with jeering laughter at their now stunned expressions. Even Thorin was standing there chuckling at his companions. They had tricked them and tricked them good!
"You fools should see your faces!" Kili, who was leaning on his brother to keep himself steady, exclaimed through a laugh.
Gloin then stammered out, "How—how did—how did you find out about that?"
Fili stepped forward boldly. "I had overheard everything you all said that night at Aira's birthday celebration."
"Then he informed me of it just this morning," Aira put in. "I wondered what would've happened had I not taken either path with Fili or Kili and chose someone else instead. And did Ori and I hoodwink you good!" Then she began to point at every Dwarf in front of her as she said, "That'll teach you sorry lot to not place money on my love life!"
Dwalin looked over, with eyes still wide open, at Thorin, gestured to the young ones and asked, "And Thorin, you were in on this, too?"
Thorin grinned widely and gave one nod of the head. "Indeed, I was," was his simple reply.
Everyone just continued shaking their heads. They couldn't believe that Aira, Fili and Kili had found out about the wager and had pulled the wool over their eyes while involving both Ori and Thorin.
"Now, hold up just a minute!" cried Nori, holding up his hands to get everyone's attention. All eyes looked at him. He went on, "Fili told Aira about the bet, which must mean that she's made a choice, just like we guessed! Why else would he tell her about it if that wasn't the case?"
Bofur pointed at Nori with his pipe and said in regards to his statement, "Aye, I think Nori has a point!" Then he turned to face the younger Dwarves. He lifted his eyebrows at them and asked with a very curious tone, "Does he speak true, Miss Aira…?"
Aira smiled her usual bright smile and replied, "Yes, Bofur, he certainly does."
Everyone's curiosity peaked again.
Ori stepped off to the side and let the two Princes move up beside the Princess, Fili being the one standing closest to Aira. She was about ready to move when Fili had reached down and grabbed her hand. He wasn't quite done with the fun of messing with the company. He bent over, lifted up her hand and pressed his lips to the back of it, grinning up at her as he did so.
Aira noticed this and felt her lips move up as well. She knew what he was doing.
A couple of satisfied grunts and chuckles began sounding from the others, but then Fili turned to them and said, still grinning, "Sorry, lads…but Kili wins the heart of the Princess!" He led her around the front of him over to where Kili was standing, both of them beaming gladly.
As Aira came around to him, Kili pulled her up against him by her waist and held her there, pressed his other hand to her cheek and brought his mouth to hers firmly right in front of the entire company. Aira's hands moved up to his shoulders and she returned the kiss with great enthusiasm.
Now there was applause and cheers from everyone, even from those who knew they had lost the wager. They all knew that Aira was just bound to fall for one of the Princes, it seemed inevitable. It didn't matter which Prince they thought she'd choose; what mattered was that she was happy with her choice and they could ultimately see that in the way she had smiled at Kili before he had kissed her and the way that she was clinging to him as she kissed him back.
"Ah, young love!" exclaimed Bofur with a merry voice.
"A rather beautiful thing, indeed!" Balin said to concur with Bofur.
Aira and Kili pulled apart, but then he quickly pecked her lips once more, just for good measure, which made her giggle, and he started fingering one of her braids by her ear. What made her even happier was the fact that he had kissed her without hesitation; he was not afraid to show his affection for her in front of the others. That, in turn, made her not afraid to react to it the way she did.
Aira's gaze wandered to the back and met Gandalf and Elrond's, remembering their advice from the previous day about telling Kili the truth. They both bowed their heads to her and smiled as if to say, "We told you so." She just smirked back at them.
Then she looked down at Bilbo standing next to Gandalf. Having no knowledge of the wager whatsoever, he was looking rather lost. But once he noticed Aira looking at him, his expression changed and he gave her a very pleasant grin that she gave back in return.
She looked back to the others and said, "Now, if my memory serves correct, I believe that Dori, Oin, Bifur, Bombur and Dwalin all have to pay up, seeing as they placed their bets on me choosing Fili!"
The losers all rolled their eyes, knowing they were defeated and started fishing for their money in their pockets.
"Just out of curiosity, how much money did you all wager?" asked Kili, who still had an arm around Aira's waist and holding her close to him.
"Ten pieces of silver," answered Thorin behind them.
Kili, Aira and Fili's eyes all about popped out of their heads.
"Ten pieces of silver?!" Aira repeated. "Good gracious, I didn't think you lot were that serious about this bet!"
"You all are mad!" Fili exclaimed.
However, they still felt pleased as they watched the other Dwarves exchanging their pouches of winnings. Bifur tossed his over the table to Balin, who was sitting back in his chair, and he caught it, simply grinning. Oin handed his money bag to Gloin and then stuffed his ear horn with a napkin to muffle the sound of his brother's triumphant laughter. Bombur snatched Bofur's hat off of his head, dropped his jingling pouch into it and then shoved it back onto Bofur's head, making him cry out and the younger Dwarves snickered. Then Dori just tossed his bag up into the air and Nori, who was still standing behind his chair, caught it with a proud look in his eye.
Thorin stepped out from behind the young Dwarves and approached Dwalin standing closest to them. "Our first little competition and it appears you have lost," he boasted at him.
Dwalin scoffed nonchalantly and replied, "Well, I guess that goes to show you just can't ever beat the King!" With that, he handed a pouch of money to Thorin and then lightly punched him on the shoulder for his bragging, not to mention the teasing look he was giving him.
"You all are ludicrous…!" Aira said to them with a joking tone of voice. Deep down, she knew that it was all good fun and she couldn't help but laugh at it herself.
Just then, they heard footsteps approaching and saw Lindir coming up behind Elrond and he started whispering something in the Elf Lord's ear.
Thinking it was something not meant for them, Dwalin announced, "Well, now that that's all settled, how about we get to sparring now?"
"I concur," said Thorin, picking up Orcrist from where he had set it down.
The rest of the company, including Bilbo, all nodded and voiced their agreements, gathered their weapons and began to move out in a single file line out of the foyer.
Elrond, however, approached Aira and said, "Aira, my dear, I would like to speak with you for a moment before you join your companions."
"Oh, all right," Aira responded, wondering what he wanted her for. She turned to Kili, who gave her a curious look after Elrond's request, and told him, "Go on, Kili, I'll catch up with you soon."
"Don't take too long," he replied before stealing a quick kiss from her and then running off with Fili, who gave her a little smile, to join the others.
Aira couldn't help but think, "I love those two so much!" as she watched them leave. Then she pivoted around to face Elrond, ready to hear what he wanted to talk to her about.
"I would like you to follow me," he said as he turned and walked away from her, gesturing with his hand for her to come with him.
"What's going on? Why do we have to do this now?" Aira wondered. Right now she wanted to be with her company training, especially because she wanted to get a feel for the sword Thorin had given to her. But she didn't want to offend Elrond, so she followed after him anyway.
He led her through a few corridors and soon she could see they were approaching the entrance to the city; the same entrance they had come to when Elrond had brought her to Rivendell and same for the company. Down at the bottom of the stairs was a figure clothed in a black cloak and hood, standing next to a small, white horse.
"Lindir informed me that a good friend of mine has just returned," said Elrond as they started to descend the long staircase, "and, if I am not mistaken, I believe you know her, as well, and I thought you would be pleased to see her."
"Her?" Aira asked. She began to rack her brain, trying to think of anyone of her gender that both she and Elrond could both possibly know. There was no one that came to mind and she wondered how that could be. He was an Elf Lord and she was a Dwarf Woman from the Blue Mountains. There was really nothing in common between the two of them, so how could they both have a mutual friend?
Elrond said nothing as they made their down to the platform. He motioned for Aira to stay put while he approached the cloaked woman, who had her back turned to them. Elrond said something to her in Elvish and she turned and embraced him before answering him in the same language.
It was then Aira noticed that the woman was actually rather short, which seemed quite odd. Surely, the woman couldn't be an Elf or a female of the race of Men. The only options left were that she could be a Dwarf or a Hobbit, but then that made Aira wonder what on earth a Dwarf or a Hobbit outside of her company would be doing in Rivendell.
Elrond then said something to the woman, once again in Elvish, and then gestured to Aira with his head. The woman turned to look at her, but the light was shining behind the woman so Aira couldn't quite see her face.
There was a gasp and the woman cried out, "Aira! Oh my goodness, I can't believe it's you!" She then pulled off her hood and Aira gasped.
Underneath the hood was a rather lovely young woman with a slender face, long dark brown, almost black, hair that fell to her shoulders, amber eyes and a bright smile. Hers was a face that Aira had not seen in quite a while and was shocked to see here in an Elven city.
The last time Aira had seen her was over a year ago in Rohan.
Once she found her voice again, Aira gasped out gladly:
"Maori…?"
.
Remember Maori...? ;D
(Chapter 10, just before the song, in case you don't)
I do hope you enjoyed such a fun and lighthearted chapter! :D
Drop me a review or a PM, my dears! I enjoy getting such great and positive feedback from you all, they always make my day! :)