I don't own any right on the characters or universe in that story, except for Moonstone, and I don't earn any money from that hobby.

Moonlight can be very useful to the travellers, allowing them to easily follow their path... yet one still does not know what awaits beyond.

Chapter 3. Travelling under a full moon

They eventually stop to eat their supper. They do not light a fire, for they do not want to draw any attention. Moonstone and Thorin look in the direction they came from. They see in the sunset the landscape in which Ered Luin are remarkably beautiful. Their blue form is contrasting with the yellows, oranges and reds of the sun in its declining course, pursued by the deepening cerulean cloak of the rising night. As the first stars slowly appear into the spring sky, Thorin gathers his equipement.

- We are leaving?, asks Moonstone.

- Yes. I want to see the White Towers. It must be amazing under the full moon. We should leave if we want to see it by tomorrow.

- I am surprised that a dwarven king is interested in elvish architecture.

- Well, since their art helped me to win the war, I now am more open to their cultural particularities.

- What do you mean by their art that helped you?

- I mean their swordcraft. Orcrist, my blade, was crafted long ago by Elves of the First Age. And this sword is an important part of our victory in Erebor.

- How did an elvish blade came in your possession?

- We found it during my last travel, somewhere between Bree and Rivendell. In a troll's den.

- I cannot wait to see if those elvish towers are worth the view.

- We should sleep tonight, near that big rock we see. It will not be that late. We should be at the towers by tomorrow.

She nods. They soon arrive around the rock. It is the first time she has to sleep under the stars. They both sleep, one after the other, under fur blankets. It is long before she can find sleep. Thorin seems to understand. Even if he says nothing about it, he let her sleep later, to make sure she has enough rest. Anyway, he knows that Fili needs to recover, so he is not in such a hurry... not for a couple of hours.

After they have eaten fast, they walk all day, exchanging only a few words. Both of them seem not to need to fill the silence. They have to walk a few hours more under the silvery white scintillant light of the full moon of May, until its luminosity falls on three magnificent white towers. They look like gigantic sculptures of opal and moonstone, their beauty echoing the one of the stars in the cloudless sky. These masterpieces form a whole, but each of them has its sublte particularities. Moonstone breaks shyly the silence, whispering.

- I am speechless before this beauty, I have to admit. But something nevertheless feels strange.

- Aye. It is like the time stopped in another Age.

As they whisper, they feel like they are observed. And they are. A tall and cloaked silhouette contrast before the westernmost tower. The individual seem to wait for them. Looking at each other, Thorin and Moonstone agree silently to go to his encounter. They nonetheless stay on their guard. They finally arrive in front of the cloaked silhouette. As they arrive, he pulls back his hood, revealing an elf. Thorin and Moonstone stiffens instantly.

- Evening, dwarves-travellers. I heard you talk about the White Towers. It is a rare thing to hear such compliment from Dwarves. My name is Gildor Inglorion.

- I am Thorin, son of Thrain, Son of Thror. And here is my companion, Moonstone, Daugther of Fundin, son of Gloÿr.

- Durin's heir? In this part of the world... I am pleased to hear that you took back Erebor. Another stronghold against the rise of the Enemy.

- What enemy?

- The Shadow is gathering, slowly but surely, his new servants. But things are not settled, I cannot say more.

- Why are you telling me this?

- Because all peoples of Middle Earth will have to stand as one. And I am sick of enmities between Elves and Dwarves. Do you wish to sleep in a safe place?

- Is this your residence?

Gildor smiles warmly.

- No. This is more like a destination of pilgrimage. Will you join me?

Moonstone and Thorin hesitate. But Gildor does not seem hostile. Thorin learned, in the last decades, how all elves are not like Thranduil, as well as he now knows that he is no more like Thror was. So he decides to give Gildor his chance.

- I accept your invitation. I then will have something interesting to talk about with Lord Elrond.

Gildor laughs warmly before he walks towards the westernmost tower's door. He opens it with an elvish password. They climb the stairs until they arrive at the top. The view is astonishing. The sea mirrors the sky, in a deep and dark blue. The horizon is like two sides of a dark and velvety saphire. Moonstone whispers, but not to anybody in particular.

- This is the most amazing thing I ever saw. This is so beautiful. I do not know why, but this view almost makes me sad.

Gildor looks at her intensely. Feeling his stare on her, Moonstone realizes what she just said.

- I am sorry. I do not express as freely usually. I do not know what just happened.

- Do not be sorry, Lady Moonstone. I was all thinking about the meaning of meeting Durin's heir, and it clouded my view. I now realize that you are of a rare lineage yourself.

- How would you know?

Thorin's curiosity is now at his peak.

- You clearly have a dwarven heritage, but there is something else... Your platinum hair, and your silvery eyes... They almost look elvish, I would say... And your sadness seeing the see. Maybe you just felt the melancholia of elves that turn towards Valinor.

Thorin and Moonstone are quite lost. Gildor then explains them.

- Valinor... The West... Immortal Lands. This tower, Elostirion, was build by Gil-Galad as a gift to his friend Elendil. There is a palantiri, kept here. Since you are a king, maybe you would be able to look in and see? Do you wish to?

Thorin hesitates, for winning against the power of the Arkenstone and the gold sickness was even worst than to fight on the battlefield... He wonders if this palantiri would harm him.

- I want to, if I can, says Moonstone.

- You can try... you surely have a noble heritage. But do not be disapointed if you do not see anything.

They climb another stair, smaller than the first one, that leads in a kind of attic. They are surrounded by large windows, the walls looking more like columns. They see an enormous black sphere, that is lying on an engraved pedestal. Gildor shows them how to look in it, before he let them try. Thorin and Moonstone decide to look together. What they see is beyond understanding. The King of Erebor looks now at what seems to be the Halls of Mahal, their creator. The vision is somehow comforting, as well as destabilizing. He has the impression that he sees something he should not, but it feels like a privilege too. As Moonstone looks in the dark sphere, it reveals her the Halls of Mahal, as well as the clearing of Yavanna. She is stunned, and do not know how to process the vision. When she looks back at the sea, she cannot cease to think about green moss on a stone, knowing somehow that this idea means something significant. After a long pause, they ask Gildor if he understands the meaning of their vision.

- I do not know exactly. But it seems like your origins, as a people and individuals, is somehow linked to what you saw in the palantiri. For usually, we elves see Elbereth, the sea, or the Immortal Lands. You saw only a part of it, and I cannot say from which era... I figure only you both can explain it, when the times come. Now, my friends, you should sleep.

Thorin and Moonstone strangely sleep well, their dreams not at all tinted by what they saw in the palantiri. When they woke up, Gildor was not there anymore. He left for them some bread, nuts and dry fruits, and a letter, written in elvish. On the back is written To Lord Elrond in Khuzdul. They write a short note for Gildor, thanking him for his hospitality and for sharing his knowledge, wishing him the best, until they meet again.

And like a strange dream from which they woke up, they take the road, hoping to reach the White Downs, the hills that are at the border of the Shire, as soon as possible.

They walked all day, at a steady pace. The sun is getting down in the sky and the orange color of the horizon, as well as their tiredness, indicate them that it is time to stop. They eat quickly, and then Thorin takes the first sleep turn, as usual. A few hours later, Thorin wakes up by himself, giving is warm place to Moonstone, while she lends him the fur she was covered with. She finds sleep a little quicker, as she is slowly getting used to sleep outdoor.

A couple hours later, Moonstone, half asleep, slowly wakes up with a pleasant warm breath in her ear, a beard tickeling her neck. When she realizes it is Thorin, she is happy it is dark enough to hide her blushing. But she wakes up for good when she finally understands what he is saying, whispering instructions.

- Moonstone, Hill troll, hurry.

As adrenaline rushes in her blood, her long experience as a warrior enables her to stay in control and to act quickly. They roll their blankets, put them in their bags and swiflty leave, their weapons in their hand. Thorin indicates her the direction in which he heard the troll. As she looks that way, the light of the full moon allows her to see the huge creature. It is far enough for them to flee. But she notices that the creature is searching something, because it looks down, in any direction. As the troll walks, he is going in the direction they are trying to flee. If they continue, their paths will meet sooner or later. Both realizing, they stop behind a huge rock, having a whispering conversation.

- It searches somethings.

Thorin agrees, nodding.

- Do we take the long run to avoid it, she asks, still whispering.

He thinks an instant, before he nods again. He points out where he thinks they should go, making with his free arm an arc of a circle to indicate her the detour. She nods to him, and they take their leave, following their plan. They stay aware of the position of the troll, looking behind them at regular intervals. Seeing another huge rock, they run to hide behind it, but their plan fails as soon as three goblins on wargs get out from behind it. But it takes a few seconds for them to notice the presence of Thorin and Moonstone. A few seconds that are enough for them to take the advantage of surprise. As Moonstone throws a dagger in the throat of the only goblin that had a bow, Thorin throws one of his daggers in the eye of the nearest warg, killing it instantly. One stupid goblin shouts a war cry that instantly helps the troll to locate all of them. Without any consultation, Moonstone charges the goblin that just lost his mount. She dodges the attack of a rusty sword, only to make her blade pass througt her foe's chest. Getting her blade back with her foot on its chest, she turns around to see Thorin that just killed a warg, by swiftly stepping on the side before Orcrist decapitates the beast, making its master jump from it. It seems like Thorin knew what he was going to do, because he just steps another time, in order to impale the goblin with its own jump. But now Thorin is under the corpse, and it will take a few seconds for him to get out. Moonstone quickly charges the other warg, her sword entering directly in its mouth.

Looking all around her to check if there is any goblin or warg left, she sees that it is only Thorin and herself against a troll that already saw them, and that is on his run to catch them. Thorin now on its feet again, they glimpse at each other quickly. They are both in good condition, not hurt at all.

- Climb on the rock from behind, says Thorin.

She sprints to the rock, doing as Thorin just said. She hears his blade hitting the troll, probably his knee, and the creature screams with pain. As she quickly reaches the top of the rock, she sees Thorin running between the troll's legs, the monster hardly able to follow his prey, and screaming each time Orcrist cuts his green and brown flesh. Turning on himself to get rid of the annoying dwarf, the troll is now very near from the rock, Moonstone seeing his back. Thorin almost brought the troll beside the rock, but the creature finally grabs him. So Moonstone has no other choice than to draw is attention.

- Hey! Stinking ass!

The troll turns around straight away, almost forgetting about Thorin and loosing his grip on the dwarf just enough for Thorin to let his arms get rid of his hold. As the monster is now next to her, his big and deformed hand trying to grab her, she skillfully jumps on his arm, the left eye of the troll being her main target. But the troll moves his arm, propelling Moonstone behind his back. Thorin almost starts to panic, and only his very long experience of the war makes him hold his nerves. As the troll remembers the dwarf in his hand, he slowly approaches his prey from his hideous and stinky mouth. As the creature tries to bite Thorin, the dwarf only makes a swift move and pierces the roof of its mouth. The red-brown blood spurts out but it does not kill the creature as expected. The monster lets Thorin fall from his grip, the king taking a couple of seconds to stand up, looking around where he could find his companion body. But she is nowhere to find, and he has to deal with the troll first. The second he finally decides to try to climb the rock too, he sees Moonstone behind the troll. The monster is spitting blood enough to fill a bath, and his attention is set on his bleeding mouth. The dwarven lady finally reaches the shoulders of the troll, hammering her sword in a swift and strong motion, her blade transpiercing his brain and ending his life for good. Thorin steps, the corpse of the troll shaking the earth around them as he falls. Moonstone has to forward roll before she can stand up steadily.

They stare at each other, checking if anyone is injured. Knowing that they are safe and well, their bodies relax a little, but still have adrenaline to flush out of their system.

- It was a close one, says Thorin. How did you climb back on him?

- Never left it. I was holding to a disgusting bump that he had on his back. I finally was able to climb by putting my feet in his fat rolls.

Thorin starts to laugh, the idea of her climbing on a disgusting ladder of fat seeming an excellent way to evacuate the adrenaline. Seeing the king of Erebor laughing this way is quite contagious, and she starts to laugh too, the stress of the battle now getting on her tired nerves. After a few other moments of giggling, Moonstone finally asks:

- Thorin... I know I need to sleep, but I do not feel like I would be able right now. Do you mind if we walk until I really feel sleepy?

- Of course. I do not feel like sleeping either. We better walk. At least, we are lucky enough to have the moon to light our way.

- I do not know for you, but that was not my idea of the perfect walk under the moon.

Thorin chuckles a little before he answers.

- No, but we now know that we can count on each other.

His words sinking in his mind as well as in hers, Thorin feels obligated to add something.

- I mean, I already knew you were thrustworthy, Moonstone. No offense.

- I am pleased to hear that. But I am an honest person, and, no offense, I was not sure to trust you or not, Thorin. But it is the story of my life, it is nothing personal. But from now on, I really think that I can trust you.

They walk in silence for about an hour and a half, each one lost in their own mind. When they finally arrive past the White Downs, Moonstone feel to sleep a couple of hours in what seems to be a grassy plain, before sunrise. When she stops all of a sudden, Thorin understands that her tiredness is getting her, for she did not even sleep for an hour when he woke her earlier. So he helps her to unroll the furs. He sits besides her, taking his guard tour. As he sees her lay down on her fur, his heart squeezes at the deep need to protect her, even if he knows that she is a skillfull and fearsome warrior. But he has to fight it back, for he promised Dain to marry his daughter, both hoping to make the strongest alliance between their kingdoms. But this dwarve princess does not seem to want to marry him. Anyway, he cannot solve this unless he talks openly to Garnet, if only they can find her. But for once, he would prefer to put his needs before his duty. Moonstone pulls him out of his thoughts, whispering, half sleepy.

- Thorin... Are you mad at me that I did not totally trust you?

Answering in a whisper, his heart squeezes again, the vulnerability of this otherwise strong dwarven lady touching him deeply. He desires so much to be her protector.

- It is wise to wait for people to prove they deserve your trust. And I am very pleased to know I have win yours now. Go to sleep now, warrior lady. You really need to rest, we still have a long road ahead.

She nods to him, satisfied the situation is clear between them. If only he could have whisper his words in her ear... But she knows he is promised to another lady. She nonetheless thinks it is a shame. As she sinks in sleep, her dreams slowly bring her where an emerald moss grows on a silvery rock, under the shadow of a mountain that seems somehow familiar.