Down the hall, Halien was woken up by something that she could not figure out. She got out of bed and slipped into a beautiful black and blue gown with white accents that had been laid out for her. The purple gown had been cleaned and put on the side table, folded and ready to be packed away. She pinned her hair back as best as she could with its current length, holding it in place with a beautiful leaf hairpin. With her hair being shorter, her bangs hung around her face, framing it on either side. She ruffled her hair a bit and tucked the smaller portion behind her ear. Smiling, she left her room and walked through the halls to be joined by Thorin as he came out in his usual attire. He complimented her new gown and she smiled, blushing a little, then placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Mmm..."
Thorin smiled as Halien stirred. "Good morning, Halien. It's time to get up."
"Already?" she asked, sitting up.
Thorin nodded. "Aye, and someone brought us breakfast."
Halien smiled and ate breakfast with him, then went to her room to get ready for the day.
After a while, as the day progressed, Thorin excused himself and went to find Elrond. He wished to speak with him about using his forge. Halien watched as he walked away, but she turned back and managed to duck in time as a fist full or two of muck came flying at her. She used her elemental magik to redirect it back to Fili and Kili, who had thrown it, and laughed when it smacked them each in the face. The other dwarves laughed, some falling over, as Fili and Kili looked at each other's faces, covered in muck.
"Let me get that for you, lads," she said and guided some water from a nearby fountain towards them. She positioned it above them and threw down her hands, letting the water drench the brothers much like the water she controlled the other night had when Thorin startled her. The dwarves roared with laughter as Fili and Kili smirked before they grabbed Halien and tossed her into the fountain behind her. Halien was soaked, her gown thankfully not ruined, but she accepted the brothers' hands as they helped her out of the fountain.
"Fair is fair, Halien, though we have no magik," Kili said.
"I know, but if you had, what use would there be for me?" she replied, laughing.
The dwarves and the young elf maiden decided to find something a little "cleaner" to do, so they went to a small courtyard and decided to have a sparring match. They decided that weapons and hand-to-hand combat were welcome, though archery weapons were not allowed. They agreed to do two-on-two and one-on-one rounds, Balin keeping score. Dwalin and Nori were up first. They chose to fight with their fists, grappling with each other, and ended up turning things into a wrestling match. Halien watched as the two rolled around on the courtyard floor. She clapped and cheered with the others when Dwalin had Nori pinned down, forcing Nori to tap out. Next was Bifur and Bofur versus Fili and Kili. They chose to use their swords and hammers and axes, the usual weapons they carried. They dodged each other's attacks, managed to nick each other a few times, and finally, it was decided that Bifur and Bofur won that round. Halien healed the small nicks, cuts, and bruises and looked up when Elrond came up.
"You seem to have found another way to pass your time by," Elrond said.
Halien stood and bowed to the elven lord. "It is better than having a mud or food fight."
Elrond smiled and nodded at that. "Perhaps I can test your skills, Halien."
"My lord?"
"I would like you to have a duel with me. I have heard your skills have become quite excellent over the years, as they should with a teacher like Tauriel. I wish to test them."
Halien smiled and nodded. "If that is your wish, my lord, then I gladly accept." She stepped out into the center of the courtyard, drawing her sword.
Elrond took his own sword from its scabbard and took a stance. Halien mimicked it, then with fascinating speed, the dwarves watched as the two elves lunged at each other, swinging and slashing their swords. The elvish metal sparked with each fluid strike and the dwarves watched as the two elves spun and seemed to dance in this sparring match. For a while, it looked as though Halien was weaker than the elf lord, but Dwalin was beginning to see that she was biding her time and analyzing his movements. He grinned when Elrond lunged and Halien parried his attack, sliding her blade against his and spinning it out of his hand. She caught it and stopped him in his tracks, both swords in her hands as she pointed them towards his neck.
"I concede, Halien," Elrond said as the dwarves cheered. "Your skills have indeed greatly improved. I am proud of you, you have become quite the warrior."
Halien smiled and bowed, handing the sword back to him. He excused himself and the dwarves gathered around Halien, congratulating her. She smiled and laughed with them as they began to challenge her to a match. Halien accepted, beating each of them. They knew that she could hold her own and they knew that they should never mess with her for they would meet their end at her hands.
Halien decided to excuse herself and wandered through the halls. She saw smoke in the forge and went to see what was going on. Before she could reach the forge, though, Bofur came up to her and steered her away with conversation.
"Halien, lass! That was some fighting you showed us. I didn't realize you were so good."
"Bofur, you should know by now how skilled of a swordsman I am. You have seen me fight before."
"Aye, you were good, but I have never seen you fight like that. What I saw today would most definitely save our skins against the dragon."
Halien's smile faded away a bit as she remembered her nightmare.
"What's wrong?" Bofur asked.
"Nothing, I just had a nightmare, the other night, and you mentioning Smaug reminded me of it."
"What happened in your dream?"
Halien looked at her friend. "It was horrible enough to where you may not want to hear it. Do you remember how Bilbo first reacted when you described Smaug that night we met in his home?"
"Aye."
"Think of how you described the dragon, but imagine what he could do to us. Imagine the devastation he could do to our company with one breath of flame. Then imagine that doubled. That is how my nightmare was. It felt so real..."
Bofur put a hand on her arm. "Whatever happens in Erebor, we will not fail. We will beat that fire-breathing lizard and reclaim what is ours. We will take back our home and I hope that you will stay with us. I hope you can make Erebor your home."
Halien bent down and hugged the dwarf. "I hope so, too. When my father exiled me from my home, I had nowhere to go. After the Grotsnev clan died, I tried to find a new home, but instead found myself wandering from place to place, trying to find work."
Bofur nodded and knew exactly how she felt. "Well if you hadn't, we'd have never met you and come to care for you like kin." He excused himself and walked away. Halien smiled and turned when someone cleared their throat. She saw Gandalf standing behind her.
"Mithrandir?"
"I watched your little game with the dwarves. Quite impressive, my dear."
Halien smiled. "Thank you, Mithrandir."
"Will you walk with me? I want to show you something."
Halien nodded and walked side by side with the wizard. They walked to a part of Rivendell near the waterfalls, on the outskirts of the buildings. Gandalf pointed to a broken statue of a woman.
"Do you think you can use your magik to repair that statue?"
Halien shrugged. "Perhaps."
"Give it a try. I wish to see how good your elemental magik has become."
Halien nodded and went to the statue. She ran her hands over it, looking at it. Then, she focused her magik on the broken pieces and willed them to levitate. She guided them into their places and used the earth and stone magik to mend the broken pieces. It took her a while, but Halien was finally able to reconstruct the statue and when she stepped back, her eyes widened.
"Mother..." she whispered.
"Yes," Gandalf said. "She was well-loved here in Rivendell as much as she was in Mirkwood. Lord Elrond had this statue of her made shortly after she died. He wanted to commemorate what she did for Rivendell and monumentalize her importance. It is here that she is remembered. Your father seems to have forgotten her or simply does not wish to have any reminder of her."
Halien felt tears in her eyes as she touched her mother's face. She had perished at the wrath of a dragon. Halien could remember it so clearly.
She turned to Gandalf and hugged him. "Thank you for showing me this. I never thought to see my mother's face again. It may only be stone, but I appreciate it."
Gandalf hugged the young elf back and excused himself when she asked to have some time to herself.
Halien stood there, staring at the statue of her mother for hours it seemed until an elf servant came to tell her it was time for dinner.
