AN: 786 views. In one week. This is unheard of for me, than you all so much.
BECAUSE this is an even-numbered chapter, I'm going to answer reviews and questions, now that I've got a few saved up.
Österreicher97: Really? I've always thought it was an obvious crossover. Maybe it was too obvious and that's why there are few fanfics for it. I hope you'll appreciate the amount of research I've done into TES and the Tolkien-verse, and that I don't disappoint!
To the guest on May 14: Ow, that hurts, if you could give me helpful criticism or something that would improve the story, that would be fantastic.
Gianfranco Cembran: You've reviewed twice now (tysm) so I'll answer both here. To the first, yes, as I explain later in the story, she is immortal, at least until she has collected all of the souls of the Dovah in the world. To the second, yes I hope very much that she is a nice Half-Elf.
Holosagewolf32: You've also reviewed twice, (tysm). I'm glad that it's interesting. As for Durnehviir, Demon-Kagetsuki addressed that and said that he wouldn't be appearing in Shadow of Dragons, but I haven't really made up my mind about that. I did go to Solstheim really quick and make sure he was summon-able, which he is, so clearly he isn't confined to Skyrim, then. I guess we'll both have to wait and see!
"She could have killed you," was the first thing Brænna heard when she woke, brain still muddied from unconsciousness.
"But she didn't," she heard Kíli reply. "Didn't you see? As soon as she saw it was Bilbo, the magic went out."
"She lost control," Thorin growled.
"Oh right, and you've never seen a berserker before," defended Fíli.
She cracked open her eyes and found herself wrapped in her bedroll, a makeshift tent made from canvas and a string tied between two trees strung over her head.
"That still doesn't explain the scales on her back!" one of the other Dwarves argued.
She closed her eyes, grimacing. That would be a tough conversation, she knew. She tried sitting up, managing to get her hands underneath herself, but as soon as she got vertical, the blood rushed from her head and she fell back to the floor with a muffled "whumph."
Hearing the noise, Oin and Balin peeked their heads in. "Ah, you're up," said Balin with a nervous smile. She smiled back wanly, knowing that there was a long and difficult conversation ahead of her. "How're you feeling?" the white-bearded Dwarf asked, both Dwarves coming into the tent.
"Tired, scared, and sick to my stomach," she said truthfully. "And not murderous in the slightest," she said, trying to make a joke. Balin sat down on a makeshift stool made from a log, and Oin walked over and began examining her.
Fíli, Kíli and Thorin's argument hadn't stopped outside, but she paid no attention to it, that was something to worry about later.
"You scared us quite a bit, lass," Balin said. "In more ways than one. Has this happened before?"
"What, fainting or going 'berserk?" she asked, not knowing the term, but understanding the meaning behind the word.
"Either," Balin said.
"Passing out is new, I haven't done that before. But I've had the Rage for a long time," she answered.
"Is it connected to…" he trailed off, nodding over her shoulder, referring to the scales on her back.
"In a way," she said. "I suppose you'll want an explanation for that," she reasoned.
"It would be appreciated," Balin said, shrugging, with a small smile on his face.
"Would you mind waiting until I could tell the whole company? That is… if they'll all listen," she asked sadly.
"Certainly," he answered, patting her on the arm. "I'll go grab you some stew, I bet you're hungry."
"I'm not sure I could eat anything-" she said as he walked out of the tent, having completely ignored her.
"Yes you could," Oin said. "You've been out for almost a day. You need something in your stomach, at least."
She paused, staring down at her lap. "Thank you for caring for me," she said.
"I swore an oath to take care of everybody. Besides, you've trusted us enough, and everyone has secrets," he smiled.
Balin came back with the soup, and as soon as she smelled it, her stomach growled. She'd just barely gotten the spoon to her mouth when Thorin strode in, face dark with anger and suspicion. She sighed, knowing that this discussion wouldn't be pleasant. Seeing the tension between the two, Oin left quickly.
"Explain," he demanded.
"Let me eat, then I'll explain to the company, please?" she asked.
"No. Explain to me first, and I'll decide if you stay with the company," he threatened.
"What do you want to know?" she asked.
"The scales, first. Are you man, elf or beast?" he snarled.
"I'm something that the people of Skyrim call 'Dragonborn.' That means I'm a mortal with the soul of a Dovah, and the body that I was born with."
In horror, he reeled back. "You bear the soul of a Dragon?"
"Dovah are fragments of the God Akatosh. They were supposed to be guardians of Time, keeping the world from overgrowing, becoming too crowded. They became lax in their duties, and the eldest and most powerful, Alduin the World-Eater declared himself God-King of Tamriel, conquering and destroying any in his way. A millennia before I was born, three heroes defeated Alduin in battle, casting him adrift on the river of time. In the year as I know as the 201st of the 4th Era, Alduin returned to the world."
Interrupting, Thorin said, "Suppose I believe this fantastical tale of yours. What does that have to do with your scales?"
She rolled her eyes. "Every so often, a mortal will be blessed as a Dovahkiin, a Dragonborn, and have the ability to use the powers of Dragons, called Dragon Shouts, or Thu'um. However, the most important part of being Dovahkiin is that when I slay a Dovah, I absorb their souls. Shards of Akatosh bind to other shards of Akatosh"
"And in doing so, you become more draconic?" Thorin growled, reaching for his dagger. She put her hands up in defense.
"You've got it completely wrong, I think. Most Dovahkiin don't live that long. Only one other Dovahkiin I know has lived past their natural lifespan, and he too had the scales, though his were green. I don't know what the difference is between Miraak and I, and all of the other Dovahkiin throughout Tamrielic history, but unlike him, I have done my utmost to stop the progression instead of encouraging it," she said. She leaned forward, tears beginning to fill her eyes. "Thorin, I promise you, this terrifies me as much as you. I don't know why I have it, I don't know what it means, but I haven't done anything to earn your ire."
Thorin paused, hand still resting on his dagger as she spoke. The tears flowed freely as the pent up emotions poured forth. Frustrated and angry she said, "Gandalf told me that I would be slaying a dragon, nothing more. I did not expect to be forced to work with a company, nor did I ask for the hostility and suspicion which I have been met with. Did saving Kíli from the river count for naught? Or Bilbo from the Trolls? What have I done to actually earn your suspicion, Thorin?"
His hand clenched on his dagger, expression unreadable. Without a word, he stormed out of the tent. A concerned expression on his face, Kíli entered the tent.
"Soul of a Dragon, huh?" he asked.
"You heard that?" she winced, wishing she would have explained it to the company better.
"Not many of us didn't. Some are more worried than others," he said.
Groaning in irritation and still sniffling from her embarrassing outburst, she cast a sound-warding spell on the canvas. "What's the damage?" she asked.
He shrugged. "Between the scales and the Dragon soul, the more suspicious of the group think you're only with the company to take over the Mountain.
She laughed bitterly. "I can turn iron and silver into gold, I've lived for an age, I have more gold than I know what to do with," she said.
"You can-" Kíli began, then shook his head. "Never mind. A discussion for another day. That isn't the problem anyways," he said. "How are we going to convince them to let you stay?"
She snorted. "Thorin's decided to keep me alive? How charitable."
"Brænna," he said, unamused. "I'm being serious. You're our best chance at taking back the mountain, no matter how much the Wizard believes in the Hobbit."
"Well there you go," she said. "Tell that to him. Tell him I'll even forfeit my share of the treasure. Give it to Bilbo, for all I care. Besides," she mused. "I'm not trying to boast, but I could take out the entire company if I wanted to. Which I don't," she clarified quickly, seeing his apprehensive expression.
"He would say you needed our help to take down the dragon," he rebutted.
"Well, he's entitled to his own opinion," she said, before muttering to herself, "Even if it is wrong."
"So, we've covered the scales," he said. "Which is the only real thing they're upset about. I mean, besides the Dragon-soul bit, I guess."
"And?" she said, wondering where this was going.
Instead of speaking, he gestured to her forearms, which only now she noticed were uncovered. She hugged them to herself, trying to cover the markings and whorls of ink that looked like Eldritch calligraphy with her body, and mostly failing. Still, she laughed bitterly. "Believe me, that's a story for another time, and the least of your worries."
"So there's a whole story behind them?" Kíli asked. "Well, now we'll definitely have to keep you around so I can hear it!" he grinned.
"Hopefully," Kíli said with a wry smile on his face, "Thorin will come to his senses and realize he couldn't leave you behind if he tried. He could still kill you, though," he said, expression falling.
So did hers. "Kíli, there's another important thing I need to tell you," she said, deciding at least he, of the company deserved to know another of her biggest secrets
"What is it?" he said, suddenly serious.
"I can't die," she whispered, staring up at him with sorrowful eyes.
She sat on a log opposite the members of the Company Thorin had chosen to be her 'jury,' the fire crackling and snapping, sending embers into the night air between them. She'd finished explaining to them, just as she had to Thorin. After talking to Kíli, the two had decided it would be best if she were to speak to them alone. She'd decided not to argue the point that she could potentially slay the entire company, as that might be a little… off putting.
She had also decided to not tell the company about Odahviing yet. She figured that one shock was enough for today. She glanced at the faces, pale and golden in the firelight - Thorin, Balin, Oin, Gloin, and Dwalin.
Balin, dear, sweet old Balin looked from her to Thorin, and argued, "She was defending one of our own."
Unimpressed, Thorin replied, "She has always favored the Hobbit over us."
"For good reason, too," said Gloin, surprisingly. "To be honest, Thorin, we haven't treated her that well."
Her eyebrows shot up in surprise- she hadn't expected the thick-bearded Dwarf to come to her defense.
"What's to say she won't turn her sorcery on us in order to 'defend' the Hobbit?" Dwalin growled, staring straight at her.
Her features stiffened, recomposing her mask as she said, "There's a simple solution to that. Don't attack the Hobbit."
She heard a snort of laughter from somewhere off to her right, either one of the Durin brothers or the Hobbit himself, she didn't know, and didn't look to find out.
"Gandalf doesn't have the soul of a Dragon," Thorin said, and only the crackle of the fire was heard for a long time.
Brænna considered this. She didn't know what, or how, but Gandalf was no ordinary Man, mage or no. She'd been around powerful beings her entire life, having consorted with Aedra, Daedra, and even many of the Magna Ge, and knew that Gandalf was no ordinary Wizard. Still, she didn't think it a good idea to argue the point.
The five argued amongst themselves, and it seemed that while Dwalin and Thorin were against her staying, Balin and Gloin managed to make several points in favour of keeping her in the company, including the ones that she and Kíli had come up with in the tent.
The only one that hadn't said anything was Oin, who seemed to be neutral on the matter. Eventually his brother noticed this and asked what he thought.
The Company's medic looked from her, and then beyond her shoulders, no doubt to the other members of the company behind her. Finally he shrugged. "As far as I know, she hasn't harmed anyone in Middle Earth, except for the Trolls that is." He gestured to Thorin, and said, "She saved your nephew from the river, and you remember he was the one most against her staying in the first place. She also took up arms for the Hobbit. I say she's done a good job of protecting the members of the company, better than most of the rest of us have. I say she stays," he said finally.
She released the breath she didn't know she had been holding and heard relieved laughter from Fíli, Kíli and Bilbo behind her. Silence fell, though, when Thorin stood. "Fine. It is decided." he stared down the other members of the Company, and said, "The Elf stays, but," he said the next part directly to her, "You are on thin ice," he said before stepping away from the fire.
"So nothing new?" asked Bofur, surprisingly.
Thorin stopped in his tracks, before turning slowly, fury in his eyes. "What did you say?" he asked icily.
"Oh come on, Thorin," the braided-beard Dwarf said. "You've been a breath away from giving her the boot the entire time. Gloin had it right, we haven't treated her well. Her or Bilbo," he added.
She wished she could just disappear into the shadows, not be part of this conversation. Still, she was glad that so many of the Dwarves were coming to her defense. "Honestly, yes, she kept it a secret that she's got weird scales on her back, and that somehow she's got the soul of a Dragon in there, somehow, he said…" then trailed off. "What was I saying?" he asked.
"Honestly, I don't know," Kíli said.
"My point is… my point is," Bofur said. "Shouldn't everything she's done helped her gain our trust? She's been with us since Hobbiton, she saved Kíli, and Bilbo," he said. "Technically, she hasn't even lied about anything. She told us she was a Dragon-slayer and Archmage from her land, she just left out the part about… special magic shouting and Dragon souls."
"What's to say she's not keeping more secrets from us?" asked Dori, nervously.
She'd turned around to be able to see them by now, and saw Bofur's shrug. "So long as they won't hurt us, I for one believe her secrets are hers to keep."
All right, that's it for this week, thanks for all of the views, glad to know people are coming back to the story after the first chapter.
Again, all questions and reviews will be answered/acknowledged on every even chapter, so please review, ESPECIALLY if you didn't like what I wrote so I can learn to be better.
-Celebrenor