Disclaimer: I don't own any familiar characters, and or anything pertaining to the world of the Hobbit. All, but my ocs, are owned by J.R.R Tolkien
Chapter Nine
The Heir
"I look ridiculous." Claudia snarled through her teeth, pulling on her fine elven garment.
"You look fine, Claudia. Stop acting like a child. Lady Arwen had these made just for us." Rowan snapped quietly, batting away Claudia's hands.
Rowan looked ethereal in her light blue gauze and the dark velvet corset that tightened around her chest. If their Da saw he would have a heart attack seeing his heir looking the part of a tiny elf. Claudia, however, looked like a girl playing dress in her mother's clothes. The leaf green fabric of her dress tung to her shoulders and melted into long sleeves and stopped at her knees showing her white gauze underdress. Claudia grumbled childishly, tugging on the rim of fabric that kissed her shoulders. Without looking Rowan slapped at her hands again.
"Well, I think you look like a doll, Claudia." Theo admired the pillar he leaned against.
Claudia glared at Theo, his green velvet coat matching her own. Their small company was joined together once more in the open halls of Rivendell impatiently waiting for them to be introduced to the council.
"Theo, you aren't helping." Rowan hissed, she snapped her head to the redhead who stood leisurely beside him. "Alma please control the prince." Theo held his hands up slightly offended by his eldest cousin's command. Though as her words sunk in his gaze turned playfully to his Alma.
Claudia grimiest at the ever increasingly flustered Rowan."And what's she going to do? Kiss him." Alma smiled leaning against Theo for support. Wrapping his arms around Alma's metal-covered shoulders, the pair had become such a natural sight to Claudia. Theodon had loved Alma since they were misbehaving children.
"If it keeps him quiet during the meeting I'm not opposed to the idea," Rowan muttered, her fingers rubbing her temples.
With outstretched hands Enna stepped in front of Rowan, trying to shield her from the worry that lay in everyone's mind Claudia figured.
"Perhaps we should all take a deep breath. We are all wound tight from our travels."
Claudia elbowed Dag beside her, mocking the wise, and frankly boring, tone of Enna. The metal-covered shoulder of Dag moving as he quickly chuckled, though all laughter died on his lips as Rowan's glare set on the pair. Though before she could say anything the ache of wood silenced everyone in their party.
"My Lady, the council is ready for you." An elf spoke softly to Rowan.
All worry melted from Rowan's face. Her shoulder's straightened and her chin lifted as she bowed for the elf to open the tall oak doors. Rowan gestured for Claudia to come to her side. Claudia flexed her hand moving to stand beside Theo, both flanking Rowan's side. Warm light washed over them as the doors opened. Twelve high chairs sat at the edge of a circled platform. In each seat sat an elf, each more pristine and elegant than the last, with long waving hair and porcelain skin. Claudia's eyes glossed over each elf, settling on the High Lord Elrond who greeted them with open arms. Like his daughter, Lord Elrond held himself with respect and authority.
Rowan led them into the circle, stopping to bow before the elven lord. Claudia and Theo followed Rowan's gesture.
"Welcome child of King Fili, we thank you for answering our call. Please take a seat." Lord Elrond called them to rise.
As Claudia rose from the deep bow her grandmother instilled in her, she caught two evergreen eyes staring at her with the most intense look she ever saw. The elf sat to the right of Lord Elrond's chair. Unlike the other elf lords and ladies that surround him, the elf sat back in his chair with uncaring leisure, as if the council was a bother to him. His long marble fingers held the point of his sharp chin. A distant memory called Claudia, something about his frighteningly perfect face reminded her of something she could quite place. Rowan lightly tugged her sleeve as she moved to take her seat, snapping Claudia out of her fixed gaze. Her face burned as she moved, knowing she had been caught staring.
Clearing her mind, Claudia took the seat between her sister and cousin. The elves had provided four seats for the Durin's and Enna, making Alma and Dag stand guard behind them. Though this was not ideal to Claudia, Rowan had insisted that it was only proper to not fight their host. Claudia kept her mouth shut but settled in the fact that she couldn't stand how elves saw themselves higher than others.
"I have called you all here because we are facing an unprecedented threat. A year ago I received word from rangers of a strange traveler moving through Middle Earth. Rumors of a cloaked figure performing feats of magic even beyond Mithrandir. They claim they can heal the sick, and feed the poor, but when they leave anything they touch dies. The rangers lost track of them six months ago. Four months ago the traveler broke into the vaults of Lothlorien and stole a map. The March warden of Lorien, Haldir "he gestured to a blonde-haired elf, " followed down the wizard, and was met…" His eyes trailed off, " with much resistance."
Claudia's eyes shifted to the Marchwarden as scoffed, his hands tightening around his knees. "Much resistance? That thing killed ten of my finest soldiers. It called upon an army of light-wielding beasts, the likes I have never seen before. More lethal and cunning than any Orc I've ever encountered. If you are going to send people after that thing," he spat," then tell them exactly what they will be up against." A sadness soaked his eyes as he looked out to the mountains that surrounded them as if he were watching a distant memory playing out in front of him. A chill raced through Claudia's spine, her eyes peeked at the ridged figure of her sister.
"Whatever that devil may be, it draws powers from the darkest place in our world, " Haldir said
Silence settled over the council, the revelation heavy in their minds. It was the sound of Rowan's feet as she stood that broke the silence. "And what, my lord, does this have to do with dwarves? I share my condolences with the ones you have lost, truly. But what would you have us do?"
The long silk-like hair of the high lord draped his face as he bowed. "That is why we have gathered today, I propose a company form to stop this 'wizard' obtaining the true object they seek. If they get their hands on it, the consequences will mean death and destruction for all not just the elves."
Claudia watched as Rowan soaked in Lord Elrond's words, a panic spiking in her gut. Rowan isn't seriously considering this proposal. Surely the ever bright Rowan would know better to even give attention to the idea of her going on this wild goose chase the elves were proposing. Rowan opened her mouth, Claudia jumping to her feet to stop her sister.
"You would ask us to risk the life of our heir?" Claudia demanded, stepping to stand at her sister's side.
All the eyes of the elves fell on her. A heat wave of anxiety clouded her chest, she swallowed hoping to fight off the drying at the back of her throat. Rowan looked at her sister, equally caught off guard by Claudia's action as she was.
Lord Elrond's brows shot in surprise as the tiny woman spoke, though his cool expression never changed."We believe the 'wizard is moving toward the Great Gulf. The quickest routine would be through the Blue Mountain. Passage for a company of elves would not be met well."
"For a map?" Claudia continued, "You wish to send our heir on a frivolous quest that only serves an elvish purpose. I'm sorry they stole your map but there is no map in the world that is worth risking the life of the future queen." It was like Claudia was another person as she spoke, uncaring what the elves thought of her as she spoke.
"Tell me, Lord Elrond, are you sending your daughter on this quest?" Venom seeping from her words, the faint gasps of the elves registering in her ears as she directed her words at the head of the home. "Or perhaps one of your twin boys."
A sharp pinch brought Claudia down, Rowan's horrid face started a Claudia. "That's enough, Claudia." Rowan scolded her sister.
"Frivolous?" Roared a voice to their right. Claudia found another long-haired elf, intense fire burning in his eyes. "The lives of people, not just elves, but people all across Middle Earth are at stake. And you call that frivolous? Who are you to speak to in front of this council? And what do you think qualifies you to speak before these Lords? Surely King Fili has more to offer his heir than a simple girl as an advisor." Challenged the elf.
Claudia started toward the elf before Rowan could stop her."I am not some 'simple girl'," She stopped only a foot in front of the imposing elf, starting up at him unphased by the deadly glare in his eyes. "and I'd prefer not to be called one. And if you would prefer to address me as such, than forgive me but I will have to call up an uptight pointy-eared-"
"Claudia that is enough!" Rowan interfered before her sister's mouth ran off with her last sane thought.
The elf's face twisted with horror as Claudia spoke. Rowan rubbed her fingers together trying to keep herself calm. Taking a deep breath she turned to Lord Elrond.
"Forgive her, Lord Elrond, but she, like my mother, does not take kindly to being spoken down to."
Lord Elrond simply laughed, giving Claudia a genuine smile. But before he could speak, another voice started.
"Lord Elashor, it is you who should curb your tongue. This 'girl' has every right to speak to this council, just as her sister and cousin do. This is Princess Claudia of Erebor, second in line for the Durin throne."
Claudia"s eyes flashed in the direction of the voice, settling on the figure of a figure that was all too familiar to her. It was at that moment a horrible realization burst in her mind. Her hands shook with nervous energy as she gaped at the blonde elf. She prayed the marble floor beneath would crack open and the earth would consume her, anything to run from the flush of embarrassment that gripped her as the memory of just who exactly this elven lord was. This was Glorfindel the Lord of the House of the Golden Flower. The warrior of legend and myth. They had met three years prior on Durin's Day in Erebor, when Claudia believed him to be a lowly elven servant. Her face contoured as she tried to block out the memory of their encounter.
"I believe it is Lord Elashor, who owes Princess Claudia of Erebor, an apology." The blond-haired elf spoke, his eyes setting on Claudia.
Claudia looked anywhere but Glorfindel, she thought for a brief moment that she might throw up. The elf lord muttered a half-hearted apology not arguing any further with the likes of the Lord Glorfindel. Lord Elrond sighed, coming to stand before Claudia.
"I understand your concerns, Princess Claudia. And I am aware of how silly our worry over a map may sound to you. But Lord Elashor is correct in saying that what that map leads to will mean trouble for everyone not just us."
Claudia nodded at Lord Elrond's gentle words, glancing up briefly to find Glorfindel slumped in his seat, staring down at her with only slight interest displaying in his eyes. She looked away.
"I will need to think about this, Lord Elrond," Rowan spoke up.
Claudia's eyes pinched shut, there was nothing to consider Rowan could not go. But Claudia had already caused enough of a scene, quietly she slumped back to her seat.
"Of course, we will meet again in the morning to discuss the members of the company."
"I can't believe you." Rowan barked when they were finally far enough for only half of Rivendell to hear her scold her sister. Theo and Alma slowed their speed trailing behind Claudia as Rowan turned her rageful eyes on her sister. "Actually I can believe you would do that. Do you know exactly who you taunted in there? Lord Elrond, Claudia, the head of this house. The elf who agreed to a treaty with us three years ago. What will he think now that a Princes of Erebor had the audacity to ask if he were going to send his own children on a quest-"
"He asked us to send you so that they could make it through the Blue Mountains. It's an insult to our family, surely you can see that. Da would tell you the same thing."
"DA IS NOT HERE. I AM THE HEIR, NOT YOU, YOU WILL FOLLOW MY ORDER." Rowan yelled.
Claudia's eyes widened stepping back from the fanning flames of Rowan's rage. Rowan's chest heavied as silence raced between them. Tears stung her eyes, but she bit her lip fighting them off. Her eyes set on Rowan, the whites of her eyes now red. "How could I forget."
Rowan gaped at Claudia, her fire dying at the sight of tears in her sister's eyes. Rowan snapped her head in the direction of Theo, Alma, and Dag. "Leave us at once." Her voice was deadly.
A ghost expression played on the three dwarves, but they bowed and rushed away without question. Enna stood quickly beside Rowan, watching the unfolding events. "You had no right to speak to Lord Elrond like that. But I understand why you questioned him." She spoke quietly.
"We cannot risk the treaty we have with Rivendell, it's provided us with relief and safety in merchant travels. But you won't know that. You've never cared to pay attention in our lessons as kids. I was hesitant to let you come, but Da said it would be good for you to come out into the world before you settled down with Brand." She turned her back to Claudia and began walking away.
"I shouldn't have listened to him. You will always be a little brat." Her voice was barely a whisper as she continued down the hall. Claudia stared at where her sister once stood, her face pinched. Enna looked between the sisters unsure as to what to do or say to the youngest. Claudia rolled her eyes, flicking her hand in her sister's brutish direction. "Go after her, she will need someone to complain to."
Enna sighed, "You must go easier on your sister. She is trying to prove herself worthy of the crown she will one day bear."
"If she would let anyone else try, we could ease the burden." Grumbled Claudia.
"She is only trying her best."
And there it was. Rowan was always trying her best, and Claudia never tried enough.
Pinching her nose, looking away from Enna's amber eyes, Enna read Claudia's silence. Enna bowed heading in Rowan's direction. Claudia sighed pressing her palms into her eyes, hoping to ward off any of her tears. She sniffed looking off into the mountains. Perhaps my destiny is to be the bad guy in Rowan's story. She gritted her teeth, her hand squeezed the stone pillar she leaned against. Her shoulders tensed at the sound of footsteps approaching her in the white corridor. She stood up, brushing away a stray tear.
"Princess Claudia, how lovely I was just looking for you." A voice called behind her.
Claudia's stomach dropped at the familiar voice. Could this day get any worse.
"You have the wrong sister, the politician is off to brood," Claudia said.
Claudia looked over her shoulder, a gasp slipped from her lips upon finding two green eyes staring down at her.
"Lord Glorfindel."
A bright smile played on the towering elf's lips, a deep unamused frown set on Claudia's.
"So you do recognize me." The legendary lord seemed delighted in this fact. Could this day get any worse. Claudia turned her face from Glorfindel.
"I recognize the stench of wine." Claudia replied, hoping to avoid any talk of her last embarrassing encounter with the elven Lord. A burst of musical laughter sang from his lips,
"You have quite the spirit don't you, little human." He grinned at her as if she were a child, not quite comprehending his backhanded compliment.
Claudia's spirit dampened more, she was in no mood to be spoken to like a child by her sister or any other soul. Claudia kept a cool expression, just as Balin had taught her. Instead she pressed her nails into the palms of her hands, swallowing the vile words not dignified to be spoken in front of her current stuffy company.
"What do you want? My sister is the one that calls the shots around here." Claudia muttered, turning her heel to walk away from the ridiculous elf.
The light footsteps of the golden-haired lord followed her down the corridor.
"But you have your sister's ear, you could convince her to agree to Lord Elrond's request." Called Glorfindel behind her.
Claudia halted, laughing at his words. "You are even more ridiculous than I thought. I imagined the elf of legend would have more wits. My sister barely wants me here, she would not listen to me even if I agreed with you, which I do not." She pointed out. "I have enough 'spirit' to know that we cannot risk the heir of our throne, and my sister, for a 'feeling'," She paused meeting the green-eyed elf", My Lord."
The elf snuffed at her quip. The towering warrior stepped closer to Claudia, invading her space. Claudia gasped taking a step back, feeling the cool stone railing press into her back. Claudia glanced at the plunging cliff behind her, her eyes turning back to find the horribly perfect face of Glorfindel inches from her own. His full attention on the tiny princess with a playful gleam in his eye, as if she had just said something that amused him. A wave of embarrassment washed over her, as her face flushed at their proximity.
"Then you should go." He said plainly.
Claudia's brows shot up as he spoke. "Me?" She pushed forward surprising Glorfindel as he jumped back at her sudden movements.
Glorfindel found his footing, smoothing out his robes hoping to recover from the woman catching him off guard.
"Yes," he cleared his throat, "you said it yourself. The dwarves cannot send their heir, but they can send the second in line. We will need Erebor's support, something dark heads through Middle Earth and we have to stop it before-"
"Before what exactly? Lord Elrond refused to speak about what exactly this 'thing' is after. What is so powerful that even the elves are afraid to go near it?" Claudia questioned.
The playful mask was replaced with a stoic one as Glorfindel grew to his full height. He glanced around him looking for listening ears. "It is rumoured that the remains of a great elven kingdom sits in the Great Gulf. If it is true a powerful object sits beneath the city that if it falls into the wrong hands could lead to chaos and a war that Middle Earth is yet ready to fight."
"Then you really have the wrong dwarf. I have no skills to help in this matter."
Glorfindel shook his head. "I doubt that," he said.
"You should never doubt a dwarrowdam, we only speak in truth, elf."Claudia offered.
His hand curled on a tight fist for a brief second, flexing the tension out as he let go. "From the meeting I gathered you had some bravery in you, but you have proven me gravely wrong. You may not truly be a dwarf, but you are as selfish as one." Green eyes glared down at her.
"Princess." He added snarkily before continuing his regal march down the corridor. Claudia stared at where Glorfindel once stood.
That night as the last homely house of elves slept under the stars of Lady Varda, one small glowing light illuminated the window of the home. The soft orange blaze brightened the face of Claudia, hunched over the adorning desk in her room. A quill spun in her hand as her thoughts consumed her. The words of the elf and her sister had haunted her long into the night. A part of her knew exactly what the creature was after, what power lay in the depths of the forgotten city. It was the same city she had walked through every night of the past three months. She had begged Thallian for a sign and he had already given it to her, she just needed to open her eyes to see it.
