Hey guys! Oh my goodness,were so close to the end. I'm still trying to figure out if I want to make the short sequel or just tack on a few extra chapters on to this story. What do you guys think?
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Rowan Laid on the small cot in the corner of the tent staring up at the canvas ceiling. She wanted to cry, scream, to go back up to the mountain and give Thorin a piece of her mind- but she just laid there numbly, wishing she was a stronger person so that the ache inside of her chest would cease.
slowly she pulled her necklace from under her shirt turning it over in her palm.
She sighed running her fingers over the bird covering the front.
"Lady Firebrand" a male voice called from outside the tent flaps.
Rowan sat up, placing the necklaces back in its place. "Enter"
A tall brown haired elf pushed back the flaps of her tent and stepped inside with a short bow "My Lady. Gandalf the Grey has requested your presence. He says it is of utmost importance"
Rowan nodded pulling on her coat "Very well" she said following the elf out of her tent.
As she exited the tent she nearly tripped as she collided with something solid.
"Ouch"
She looked down to see Bilbo rubbing his head "Oh Bilbo I'm so sorry" she apologized
Bilbo merely waved a hand at her "Its fine.. He told me to wait outside while he got you... I guess I should have waited further back"
"Follow me please" the elf said as he began to walk away from the tent.
"Rowan..." Bilbo began as they walked "I'm sorry for what happened we never meant for..."
Rowan held up a hand stopping him.
"What happened was not your faults. What is done is done... please just to leave it for now" She asked shaking her head
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Elira followed the tall blond elf through the camp finally stopping in front of what she recognized as Thranduil's tent that she and Bilbo had met him and Bard in the previous night.
Slowly she pushed the flap back and stepped inside. Everyone looked up at her arrival
"Ah Elira there you are.. well now that were all here we can begin" Gandalf said gesturing her forward to where he stood around a large table covered in maps.
Bilbo smiled at her from where he stood next to the wizard. Elira smiled back coming to stand beside him. She could also see Thranduil along the side of the tent pouring a glass of wine. Bard Stood a bit further down from Gandalf, rolling his eyes at the elf king who came back to the table, glass of wine in hand.
As she looked back at Bard she noticed Rowan standing along side the Bowman. Her arms crossed over her chest, a stoic look on her face.
She wanted to say something to her friend but was stopped as Gandalf began to speak.
"Thank all of you for coming"
"you said this was important Gandalf" Bard said
The old wizard sighed "It is... I have received news from the ravens"
"What do they say?" Thranduil asked impatiently
"War is coming. A legion of orcs and goblins are headed for Erebor... the pits of Dol Guldur have been emptied"
No one spoke for a moment. Elira couldn't believe what she was hearing. They had avoided one war only to have another come to them.
"How long do we have?" Rowan asked calmly turning to the wizard
"They will be here by mid morning- no later. The will march upon the mountain" Gandalf replied gravely
"The mountain is not my concern" Thranduil said dryly "But I have allied myself with the people of lake town. We will defend what we need... and no more"
"But the dwarfs will be outnumbered by far"Elira spoke up
"I'm sure Thorin has sent word to Dain by now... But Elira is still right. This fight is not just for the mountain but for the safety of middle earth itself. If Azog takes the mountain then the enemy will have a foothold in this world"
Bard sighed " If Erebor is taken by orcs that will make Dale uninhabitable..."
"Then we are at an agreement" Gandalf said triumphantly
"We shall see" Thranduil muttered.
They all turned as one of Thranduil's guards entered the tent "My lord- there is a messenger from Lothlorien"
Thranduil looked puzzled "Show him in"
the guard disappeared for a moment, returning another elf behind him.
Elira studied the elf for a moment. He was tall with long pale blond hair. His face was ageless yet he gave off the impression of age and wisdom"
"Êl síla erin lû e-govaned vîn. " he said placing a hand on his heart.
"Gi nathlam hí" Thranduil replied
The elf bowed slightly "I am Haldir marchwarden of Lothlorien"
"This is a surprise I must say" Thranduil said studying him "What brings you so far to this place?"
"I have been sent my my mistress to aid her kin" he replied. He caught sight of Elira and bowed deeply "My lady I am here at your service"
Elira blinked at the elf in front of her "My grandmother sent you?"
"Indeed she did my lady. She had foreseen a great battle would come to pass and sent me to ensure your safety"
"So your the missing princess of Lothlorien? This is a surprising turn" Thranduil mused, though something in his voice told Elira it was not really a surprise at all.
Gandalf cleared his throat loudly "If we are quite ready to get back to the matter at hand, our time to prepare runs thin"
They rejoined him at the table as he spread a map of the valley out on the surface. "From best I can tell they will come from the south" he said pointing at the map "which gives us the advantage of the high ground..."
"We can set archers along the ridge here facing into the valley" Bard said dragging his finger along the map
"We can cut most of them off from Raven hill if needed. Try to bottleneck them the best we can" Gandalf decided. "We must hurry and prepare Dawn is not far off"
He turned to Rowan Bilbo and Elira "We must find a safe place for the three of you to stay until this is over"
Elira shook her head "I may not be ready to fight head on in a war, but I can assist the archers on the wall."
She looked at Haldir "If that is what you wish to do I will assist you" he said bowing.
Thranduil hummed "Very well then the both of you will lead the archers on the wall. I will have them assemble for you at dawn."
Elira nodded, unsure of whether she could command an army.
Rowan spoke up for the first time since the beginning of the meeting, her expression unwavering. "I will fight in the charge" She said flatly
Bard regarded her gravely "Surely you would be safer on the wall"
Rowan shook her head "I will fight in the charge"
"Under whose banner?" Thranduil asked poinently "If I recall you are no longer of Erebor's banner"
For a moment Elira saw a flash of pain and sadness on Rowans face, breaking through her stoic mask.
Rowan said nothing to Thranduil, but turned to Bard instead "Under that of the bowman, if he will have me"
Bard nodded "aye"
"What about the dwarfs?" Bilbo asked "shouldn't someone warn them"
"The ravens have already alerted them to the danger...whether they help us is up to them" Gandalf replied dryly
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The sky was beginning to lighten over the hills as they left the tent. All around them elves and men bustled around them.
Rowan retired back to her tent. she stared at her armour piled on her cot slowly she began to dress, carefully lacing up her boot and double knotting the laces. She pulled the chainmail over her shirt then pulled on her thin coat over it. she became aware of the face after a moment that she would need help with the rest and left her tent to find Bard.
"Rowan!"
turning she saw a familiar head of Red hair.
"Tauriel!"
"You look lost" she said looking down at Rowan
"I'm looking for Bard...my armour is a two person job it seems"
the red haired elf laughed "Allow me"
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"you seem nervous" Tauriel said as she buckled Rowans elbow plate in place.
Rowan moved her arms back and forth testing the armour "Going into battle was not really one of the things I expected to do in my life"
"Then why go? why not stay here where you can be safe from harm?"
Rowan sighed strapping her sword to her hip "Because are we ever safe from harm in life? Of course not. The real question is- are we living a life that is worth the harm? I believe that to protect my friends and family is worth what ever harm may come"
she finished as she strapped her bow to her back, and tucking a few daggers into her belt for good measure.
Tauriel handed her a small shield "Your courage is admirable." she said with a smile
"Alámenë Rowan Firebrand, cormlle naa tanya tel'raa" she chuckled as she left the tent.
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Across the camp Elira began setting out her armor.
"Your grandmother sent this for you" Haldir said handing her a small wooden box
She took it carefully and opened the lid. The first item she pulled out was a small gold diadem made to look like intertwined vines and leaves.
"It was the lady Galadriel's when she was princess" Haldir explained as she ran her fingers along the vines .
Elira carefully placed it next to her on the cot and looked back into the box. lining the bottom appeared to be a silver corset. as she pulled it out she was surprised to discover it was much lighter than she expected.
"It is made of Mithril... stronger than steel yet light as a feather. no blade can pierce it"
"Thank you Haldir"
The elf nodded "I shall take my leave to prepare. I shall come find you when it is time"
Elira nodded. She waited until the tent flap shut once more before sprawling on the cot. She held up the corset in front of her and sighed
"How did it come to this..." she whispered
..
Elira dressed quickly in her new armour. Most of the pieces she had gotten in the mountain were too big for her so Thranduil had supplied her with some elvish armour to supplement what she was missing.
Finally she buckled her crimson cape around her shoulders, and placed the diadem on her head, securing it in her hair.
"My lady it is time" she heard Haldir call from outside her tent.
Elira took one last deep breath before exiting the tent. The sun was up above the ridge now, peaking out from behind the clouds that laced the sky.
"Come my lady. the troops have gathered for us" He said ushering her towards the edge of the courtyard.
From where she stood she could see dozens of like dressed elves waiting at attention. At the sound of her foot steps they turned in unison to face her.
Elira sucked in some air and squared her shoulders.
"We make for the over look on the ridge" she said in the most authoritative voice she could muster
The troops said nothing but merely parted as she and Haldir passed through them before turning as one and following behind them.
As they walked through the city, Elira caught sight of who she had been searching for. "Give me a moment" she told Haldir before rushing off
"Rowan!"
At the sound of her name Rowan turned round to face her. Elira paused to take in the sight of her. She too had supplemented some of her armour with some that Bard had given her. She wore her same coat as always, but Elira could see chainmail sticking out underneath of her shirt and small chest piece. She also wore tarnished silver guards on her knees elbows and forearms, and thick leather fingerless gloves.
She looked in a stark contrast to her own sterling elvish armour Elira thought with a laugh.
"There you are I have been looking for you all morning!" Rowan breathed with relief pulling her into a hug
she paused from the hug for a moment holding Elira at arms length "Well don't you look snazzy " Rowan said raising her eyebrows
"so do you."
They both allowed themselves a short laugh, forgetting what was about to come for a moment.
"So this is it" Rowan said looking around them
"Promise me you'll be safe" Elira said looking intently at her friend
Rowan gave her a lopsided grin "Don't worry Eli, I don't plan on dying today."
Elira didn't look convinced
"Trust me, I'm not stupid... I know I'm not nearly trained enough to dive head first into the throng. I'll stick to the edges, scouts honor."
they held eachothers gaze for a moment, neither one wanting to admit that it could be the last time they saw each other again.
Finally Elira could not take it anymore. She pulled Rowan into another hug "promise you'll come back" she said her voice cracking
"Eli" Rowan said quietly
"No promise me" Elira said pulling from the hug
Rowan gave her a teary smile "I always do don't I?" She said extending her pinkey to Elira. Elira gave a hiccupped laugh as she wiped away a stray tear before locking her pinkey with Rowans.
"i think the last time you made a pikey swear with me was when you promised not to tell Mr. Adkinson that it was me who broke his mail box" Elira laughed
" but its a two way street" Rowan said looking seriously at her "...please just stay up in the overlook. Promise?"
"Promise"
Rowan looked over to where the elves stood waiting "Hey Haldir!" she shouted
The blond elf looked over at her
"If you let anything happen to her while I'm gone you're going to have to find a new world to live in cus I'll make sure this ones a living hell for you"
Haldir bowed to her "you have my word"
"Everythings going to be fine" Rowan assured her before hugging her one last time "Good luck"
"Good luck"
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A/N: Êl síla erin lû e-govaned vîn-A star shall shine on the hour of our meeting
Gi nathlam hí-Welcome/ I greet you
Alámenë- go with blessing
cormlle naa tanya tel'raa-Your heart is that of the lion
Dun dun dun... Here comes the battle!