Hello, lovelies! Wow! We made it to 100 reviews! That is crazy! Thank you all so much for your constant support, and I hope that this can continue! And congratulations to Cathael! You won the 100th reviewer challenge, and I am very much looking forward to hearing what you propose for your one-shot! Hopefully, I will be able to get it out there soon. :)
Now, if you had your heart set on getting a one-shot, I will be repeating the competition for the 200th reviewer, so everyone still has a shot! Although, if you win one one-shot, you unfortunately cannot win two. Gotta give everyone a chance.
I loved hearing from you guys! Thanks to those who have reviewed and to those who have favorited and followed my story! Let's get to 200! Oh, and Part Three will be arriving shortly! So close to Fellowship now, it is killing me!
Disclaimer: I won nothing related to Tolkien's works or Jackson's representation, aside from Arathell, Kara, Glorsha, Thorent and...
Part Two - But It's Complicated
Coming Home - Alter Bridge
"So I'm coming home
Lost on a road I don't belong
I'll rest my song
I'm so alone
Far from the streets I call my own
I'm coming home"
July 1, 3018 – Erebor
Arathell's fingers gracefully traced through the young girl's hair, braiding it with love and expertise. It was a familial braid, according to Dwarf traditions, and she felt honored to give it to her. The girl's older siblings had already been given their numerous familial braids, but this one was special in Arathell's eyes.
Her daughter had had another child during her time there. Kili had been overjoyed at the prospect of another baby and his eyes lit up like stars when he met his newborn daughter. Kara, too had the motherly glow surrounding her, and there seemed to be nothing that could be done to rid the emotion off of her comely face. The doting parents had given her the name Arabiff – blood beauty. The prefix, Kara assured, was not meant to taken as a Dwarven name, rather an Elven one, meaning that her name was noble beauty. Arathell would have felt proud either way.
"Grandmother?" the girl whispered, staring into the fire.
"Yes?" Arathell replied, tying off the braid. The girl's hair was unique to that of her family, and truthfully, the name Blood Beauty was appropriate enough. It wasn't a fiery red like she remembered Gloin's to be, rather a dark copper. There were not any in her lineage that had such coloring, but there had been browns and yellows. It was Kili's mother, Dis, who believed that the colors simply came together in this girl. Dis believed that this was the girl who would go further than even her uncle and bring the clans together, flaming them until they pooled into one cohesive unit like gold. But Dwarves were all about burning and reshaping things, so Arathell wasn't as confident in the other matriarch's opinion. But like her older siblings, the girl was so far showing no signs of ever having a beard, which was fine in Arathell's opinion.
"Why are you living with us?" Arathell's fingers paused as she was drawn out of her thoughts. "I like having you here, but I don't know why you are here. You are an Elf, not a Dwarf and Uncle Fili says that loyalty to your people is important. So why are you not with your own people? Do they not need you?"
Arathell smiled grimly and retracted her hands completely. "Your braid is done. I think that your mother is waiting for you in the dining hall for dinner. You shouldn't disappoint her."
Her granddaughter gave her a look of frustration, but she stood from the wooden chair anyway and made her way out of the room after pecking her on the cheek.
Only when the door closed, did Arathell sigh and rest her temple on her hand. She had been with her foster family for nearly a decade by now and the concept of time and all of its lengthy processes had changed for her. Ten years had never been anything to an Elf – in fact it was a second in their lifetimes, but it was different now. True, she had lived with Dwarves before and had been a part of their lives before, but this was different. She had another family now, with a daughter and grandchildren whom she loved very dearly. And she saw how the years treated all of them. Glorsha, it appeared was finally in the process of finding her other half, supposedly and Thorent was learning more and more about royal duties every day. Kili was maturing without even knowing it, and Kara's wrinkles around her eyes were becoming more prominent from all of her smiles. And little Arabiff had transformed from a helpless baby to a smart little girl – all in ten years. Things like this would happen over centuries if they were with Elves. Arathell could finally appreciate just how fragile time was to these races, and it made her heart ache to know that she would outlive this family. She had already done so by tenfold even and yet she would live for thousands of years more, long after the time that their bones would turn to dust.
A knock at her door interrupted her thoughts and her head sprung to action to look as Kili walked inside with a sour look on his face. "There is someone here to see you," he grumbled, pushing the door open further and beside him stood someone she would never have expected.
"You still find comfort with them, mellon nin?" the voice drawled, and she sat up higher in her chair, meeting his cool blue eyes without emotion. "When was the last time you stepped outside of the Lonely Mountain?"
She looked down at Kili and gestured that he could leave. The door closed behind him and she stood from her chair, walking towards her window. "I never would have thought that my father would send you to come and fetch me from my haven. Furthermore, I never would have thought that he would be able to find me in the first place, let alone have someone come for me."
Her visitor did not seem troubled by her words. "He does not know that I am here. He has not sent me for you, though he does wonder endlessly where you have gone. Apparently, your horseshoe in the stables was not very indicative of your intentions. But in any case, I am here because I think you are needed."
She scoffed and turned, facing his bright blond hair with a smirk. "And why is Lady Arathell Duvainith of Imladris needed? Can Lady Arwen Undómiel not handle the torments of Imladris?"
"Calm your tone, Arathell," The Prince murmured warningly.
"Well then what are you doing here, Legolas?" she snapped. "What am I so needed for?"
Legolas growled at her sharp voice and marched up to her to grab her upper arms in a tight grasp. "It has been found." Disbelieving, she gave him a blank look, as if she didn't understand what it was that he was trying to confer to her. "The One. It's on its way to Imladris – in the hands of a Hobbit from the Shire, no less. Lord Elrond will call a council and I am meant to go." She blinked, hiding the fear that began to tread through her veins. The One Ring was a dark force that she had no desire to become mingled with, but she would not allow this meager prince to think that he was better than her in any way. "As are you," he finished.
"If Father has not sent for me then I am not needed," she disagreed.
He growled once more and gave her a harsh shove that sent her back colliding with the stone walls. She swallowed the yelp and produced a feral growl of her own, leaping from the walls to grab harshly at his garments while clawing at his face. With a sudden jerk of her shoulders, she came to a crashing stop and glared at him. She gave another growl and tried to escape, but he soon tired of her and gave her a fierce shove and she finally cried out and fell to the floor, staring up at her attacker with wild eyes. "The both of you were always so stubborn. Can you not deduce with the Valar's gift that he does indeed long for you at home?"
"I see affection directed at my siblings and none left for me," she spat. "But you still attacked one of his daughters."
"You needed it," he argued. "You have become weak in your dotage in this mountain. Perhaps you have fallen prey to the mounds of gold beneath our feet. Perhaps you are now more of a Dwarf than you are an Elf."
Arathell found that she didn't have any tactical response to finish him off. She folded her arms across her chest instead and glared at him. "So you want me to go with you to Imladris?"
"You are wise, Arathell. Why can you not see that your talent is needed?"
She stood from the floor, not meeting his gaze. "Elrond wants to destroy it then," she guessed. Legolas did not respond. "Oh, of course, you don't know anything. You are only an Elf Prince of a lesser realm." He took a step closer to her. "If that vile thing is going to be destroyed, then it will need to be in the fires of where it was made. It will need to be taken from Imladris all the way to Mordor and thrown into the cracks of Orodruin. It will be a demanding task of whoever takes it, and they will need a company to carry them when their feet fail them. This is why you are going, isn't it? You desire to be in this company if this is Elrond's decision." Legolas nodded and she gave a nod of her own in agreement. "It is a noble goal. I can only assume that you want me to go with you. You desire Shadow's abilities on this venture."
"I am beginning to question her abilities when she cannot even defend herself from a push," he barked.
She grinned, seeing only friendly playfulness in his eyes now. She had known the Elf for so long that by now, she doubted that she could truly say that she hated him as vehemently as she once did. His taunts were childish and his fighting weak in her opinion. But it was a familiarity that was quite rare. "I will go back," she said clearly.
"Come to Mirkwood and we will depart from there. I expect to see you soon." Legolas didn't offer any other words of farewell. He simply acknowledged her nod in agreement and then left the room. She watched out of her window as he rode away on his white horse. Having him suddenly gone though, made her feel darker. She loathed the idea of saying goodbye to the Dwarves she dubbed her family. In fact, it was hard to see with her little foresight if she would ever see them again. There were too many destinies and none of them seemed stable.
She ventured out of her room, going to the dining hall where she would eat with her daughter and her family. Arathell took her seat as normal and ate her salad as normal.
"I saw the Prince of Mirkwood today, Mother," Kara announced, finally broached the subject once dessert had arrived. "Kili says that he even brought him to your room," she continued. The husband, brother-in-law and children stopped with their chatter, waiting for Arathell's reply. "What business did he need to discuss with you?"
Arathell chewed slowly, feeling all of their eyes weighing heavily on her. "Lord Elrond of Imladris needs me in my homeland. There are urgent matters that must be discussed and they cannot wait, unfortunately. I have plans to leave within the upcoming months, if not this very month. I am to meet Legolas in Mirkwood and together, he and I will journey back to Rivendell and hear what my father has to say."
"You are leaving us?" Arabiff blurted with wide hazel eyes, the perfect storm of Kili's constant brown and Kara's sparkling green. "You cannot leave us! You are our family!"
"Biff!" Thorent snapped, hushing the little girl. But the look on his very face did not represent anything resembling calm. Over the short years, she had grown very close to her grandson, imparting wisdom where she could, teaching him how to fight the Elven way and even teaching him Sindarin. He had been very eager to learn.
"Are you sure you have to go?" Glorsha murmured. "Please." Arathell reluctantly met the woman's gaze. "Our family is small, to be sure. And we do not come from the lineage of Elves, so we are not wise and we are not beautiful, but we love just as heartily as them."
"We love you more than them," Thorent added with a stout nod, reaching to take her hand across the table.
Arathell pulled her hand back and wiped at her face. She met the stare of her daughter and softly shook her head. "Children, if your grandmother must go, then she must go. She has responsibilities that fall outside of our realm and outside of her realm as well. There are numerous beings counting on her, and she has never been one to abandon her duty."
Arathell felt her throat clog at the words, knowing that it was because she had done such a thing that she was in Erebor at all. She should have stayed with her family. She should have braved the dull looks from her people as they would sweep over her to look at the radiance that was her sister. But she had run from it all, and now it was time to accept what the world needed from her. She was a warrior and she did not lightly accept surrender, and she would not do so in this case.
She would go back to them. She would see them again. She would live so that everyone could. There was simply no negotiating this, even if that meant her death.
"We have to support her in what she does, for we are her family and this is what family does," Kili continued with a warm smile directed at her.
Arabiff began crying, running to her and plopping herself on her lap. "I don't want you to leave! I didn't mean what I said before! You can stay! I want you to stay! We love you here, and I don't want you to go!" she wailed, holding tightly to her tunic. "Why do you want to leave?"
"Arabiff, I do not want to leave," Arathell cooed, petting the girl's hair. "I am happy here with you and I would stay until the end of eternity if I could. But I cannot." She sighed and pulled the girl away slightly, brushing her thumbs over her wet cheeks. "You are young, but you will understand this someday."
Fili cleared his throat and wiped his face with a napkin. "Should we be sending our own ambassador for this meeting?"
Arathell hesitated and then gave a careful nod. "You need not send him immediately. I am sure that this will be something that my father will send for when the time is right. You need only wait."
He nodded solemnly and discarded the napkin. "What kind of supplies will you be needing?"
Arathell set her pack on her bed, staring out the window of her bedroom for the last time. She hadn't told Kara and the others that she was leaving. She had never excelled at goodbyes, and with her determination to see them again, a goodbye would only illuminate the worries that surrounded them all. Even little Arabiff knew better.
She walked quietly out of the fortress, feeling the wind hit her face harshly. She could see Esgaroth in the distance, moonlight shimmering of the water surrounding it. Dale was at her feet, barely beginning to wake as the sun tried to climb around the mountain.
Arathell took a deep breath and began walking. Daeroch had passed only two years ago, and the loss was still very fresh for her. That horse had become a deep part of her life and to not have him with her stung. But the Valar would guard his soul well enough. She would journey on foot to Mirkwood, praying that she would be able to make it there safely. From there, Legolas and a band of his ilk would join her in her journey to Imladris.
"I expected as much," a voice croaked. Arathell spun around to see tears flooding bright green eyes, touched with wrinkles. "You will not wait for them." It was not a question.
She shook her head and looked back on the road. "I could not bear to say goodbye. But I will come back. And when I do, the world will be happier and it will be safer. I could take the children with me to Imladris – to show them my world." Arathell wasn't sure how much she believed her words, but she knew better than to show her true despair to her daughter, for it would plague her harder.
Kara shook her head and grabbed her hand. "I was under the impression that they were your world – that I was your world, even."
"You are a significant part of it, to be sure," Arathell agreed. She grasped her daughter's shoulders tightly, as if the grip would fight away the tears. "Kara means healer; did you know that?" Her daughter looked confused. "Of course you would know that. It is a beautiful name, and it matches you very well. You healed your husband and his brother after the death of their uncle." Her voice caught. "And you healed me when your mother brought you to Imladris." Kara cried earnestly now, not bothering to wipe at the tears. "I was so broken and mangled when I met you – a little eleven year old who had just watched her own mother die in front of her. You were the size of Arabiff. You made me feel more than I had ever felt before. You healed me, Kara. And now, you are going to heal those children when they wake up and find that I have gone. Because it is what your name means and it is what you are good at. Do this for me."
Her daughter hugged her tightly. "You cannot promise that you will come back."
"Alright," she surrendered. "But I have already made the promise to myself."
"Will that help you fight harder to stay alive?"
"Yes," she murmured.
"Do not break your promise to yourself then," Kara whispered, releasing her and gesturing to the road. "Would you care for as escort to Dale?"
Arathell shook her head. "I do better on my own. I am protected enough." She nodded to Ristor and Finelleth wrapped around her. Kara embraced her one more time and Arathell swallowed the rather large lump in her throat. When her daughter released her, Arathell turned and didn't look back, letting tears slowly trek down her face.
July 17, 3018 - Mirkwood
Coming into Mirkwood again gave her mixed feelings. It brought her a step closer to her homeland, which was apparently a good thing. But it also brought her closer to her homeland where she would be surrounded by her family and whatever disapproving words they had to offer her.
"We were wondering when you would be arriving," Legolas announced, stepping from the thicket. "We will be leaving within the month."
Her eyes snapped to the Elf and anger stirred in her. "You made me abandon my daughter and her family only to tell me that we would not even be leaving for Imladris for another month? That is a month that I could have been with my family! Do you not see!? This world that we are living in does not allow for any time to be wasted. I will not have many more opportunities to be with my family, and I should be left in peace for as long as I can! I cannot count on being able to see them in fifty years, because I may be dead! They may be dead! You dragged me away from them for nothing!"
"You are going to your family!" he yelled back. "You should want to be with them! They are your true family! You should want to be with them!"
"Family does not always mean blood!" she snapped back. Angry tears of frustration poured out and she couldn't stop herself from reaching to hit Legolas hard in his chest with his fists. He didn't fight her back, but held onto her shoulders as she banged at his chest before she finally fell into it, crying harder than she had in as long as she could remember.
He didn't hold her, and for this she was grateful beyond measure. She finally pushed him away harshly and continued stomping off in the direction of the heart of the forest. He would probably waste no time in telling everyone he knew about her embarrassing fit of hysteria and that only made her angrier. She felt more lost in this forest than she had ever felt before in her life and her body didn't know how to handle it.
She avoided everyone in Mirkwood for the rest of the month, and there was more than one time when she considered leaving on her own, in order to spare herself from the humiliation of going with Legolas. She hated showing weakness to anyone, and it had been long since she had actually lost control of her emotions in front of another. Her pain was her own and she wished that Legolas had not had any part in it, but it was too late for wishing now. The time for wishing was past.
There it is! I am sorry if everyone wanted to see more of Kara's kids. Hopefully we will get a chance to see them again properly. Let me know what you think of the chapter! I am excited for your reviews!
As always, check out the music! Alter Bridge is so amazing, and they are my go-to right now so they are probably going to be the chapter winners for a while.
Love you all lots!
- LM