Rising from the east the sun brought a beautiful dawn. As the eagles descended one by one upon Carrock Bilbo and I watched Gandalf utter a spell upon Thorin, waking him from his unconsciousness and healing some of his injuries. "Come." I murmured to him, letting go of my hold and Bilbo squeaked, sliding down off the eagle's back and landed on his feet firmly upon the hardened stone as the eagle cried out, stretching its glorious wings as it arced around once more with me still upon its back, allowing me to observe the exchange in which Thorin faced Bilbo seemingly in anger, before then expressing his gratitude for his bravery and pulled him into a firm embrace. It was a beautiful moment, watching Thorin confess his folly for ever doubting Bilbo and his courage.
My mount landed behind the company, allowing me to alight as all eyes turned towards the Lonely Mountain, the distant solitary peak calling them home. "There it is. Bless my beard." Bofur murmured as the dwarves completely forgot my presence. I had seen Erebor from a distance and had even entered its halls and I could understand their longing for such a home, as I longed for the distant trees that made the forest of Greenwood. The one I called father dwelled there, as well as Legolas whom I held deep within my heart. The time was nearing where I would be reunited with him and I prayed upon every hope that he had not forgotten me in these latter years, as our communication had eventually run dry.
"What do we do now uncle?" Fili questioned as I reached into my breast pocket to withdraw the key. "If you do not have the key then how are we to open the door?"
"I do not know. This quest may yet be in vain." Thorin's tired and distant voice made me empathise with his yearning, so with a soft smile upon my lips I spoke to them all, their movements jerking quickly as all turned to face me in astonishment and gaping mouths hung wide.
"Do not give up upon your quest so easily, Thorin Oakenshield." Quickly he made his way to the front, staring at me with wide orbs as I held the key out to him upon the cord, his brow creasing in wonder at the sight. "Perhaps you should be more careful with such an heirloom, it was careless of you to lose it." There was a light tease in my voice as Thorin slowly approached, a little wary of me still however as he reached out his hand I did not retrieve mine, allowing him to take the key gently from my hand before I then reached back and pulled forth Oin's hearing trumpet and Thorin's oaken shield that I had reclaimed, the latter being turned over to him also before I held out the hearing trumpet. "And for you, Master Oin, perhaps this will be more useful to you than gathering dust within a goblin hoard. I am only sorry that it has been crushed." With a toss through the air Oin caught his trumpet, some of the others muttering as Thorin turned the key over in his hands.
"What is your business here, elf maid?" Thorin questioned me and instantly there was silence. I did not how to explain my reasoning to him or even if he would believe me but I could offer him nothing but the truth. After all, I had never spoken a lie in my life.
"Because it is my belief that I can be of use to you in some small way, noble king." I informed him, rising up to my full height before I then bowed my head and touched a hand to my heart. "I was oblivious and ignorant before, I did not know the consequences or the realities of the world around me because I allowed myself to be sheltered and because of my carelessness, your people and the people of my mother suffered." With a lift of my head I met his gaze evenly, refusing to sway in my resolve as my face darkened with severity. "I intend to correct those wrongs in any way that I can. Whether you wish for my help or not I shall follow you until your quest is at its end and you have found victory and I have sated my conscience."
"I was against accepting the help of elves before, what makes you think that I shall accept what you offer now?" He questioned and Mithrandir looked as if he were about to speak for me but my lips only curled into a warm smile, stepping forwards so that we were face to face.
"It is not your permission that I seek, Thorin Oakenshield and I wish for no share of the treasure under that mountain if that is what you think. My intentions are pure, though you only have my word as proof." Softly I stretched out my hand, turning my palm so that it faced upwards and offered it to the dwarf king, allowing him to make his choice. Whether he accepted it or not, it would not stop me from following them, but I still wished to speak my mind and I wanted to hear his opinion on the matter. Turning his head slightly, Thorin looked back to his company to silently ask for their opinions.
"The lass did come to our aid in our time of need." Dwalin spoke first, much to my surprise and it registered upon my expression as my hand dropped, blinking at him as he gave me a careful look. "Kicked that pale orc scum right in the maw. She's got spirit, I'll give her that." Perhaps that was as much of a compliment I was ever to receive from Dwalin as I could see that he still did not fully trust me.
"You must have followed us all the way from Rivendell through the mountains, correct?" Balin asked so I dipped my head in affirmation. "It takes no small degree of skill to track us for that length of time and appear on the other side unharmed."
"Aye, and she retrieved the key from the goblins!" Kili added however Dori pursed his thick lips, flicking out a hand against Bifur's chest as he spoke in rough Khuzdul which meant I did not know whether he was speaking for or against me.
"How did you know that the key would be lost and where to find us? Perhaps you are in league with the goblins to have walked through their kingdom without so much as a scrape." Another suggested but the mere thought of an alliance with those foul creatures was so abhorrent to me that I physically recoiled, touching a hand to my stomach at the sickening feeling. Align with goblins? I would rather die a thousand deaths. "An elf can never be trusted! Never trust an elf!" Dori declared and soon there was conflict, dwarves arguing their part over whether or not I was trustworthy though every time I attempted to open my mouth and speak so that I might explain, another voice overcame me until finally, Mithrandir stamped his staff upon the ground.
"Confound it all! Have you already forgotten that our dear lady here possess a rare talent for being able to receive premonitions and glimpse into the past and future?" He questioned them all with his powerful voice and I turned my head slightly, unused to the harsh tone of his voice though the moment everyone else was silent, his voice returned to being soft tempered and mellow. "Lady Asta Eleniel is a favoured maiden among the realms of Rivendell, Lothlorien and Mirkwood. Her influence stretches far and could be of use to us. When bartering for safe passage across the many leagues that remain between us, a fair face can never go amiss."
His reasoning earned a rosy blush that made my cheeks turn pink as I carefully turned my attention back to Thorin, awaiting his answer. His eyes were locked thoughtfully upon the key for a while, observing it until finally he spoke his word. "If it is your wish to follow then we cannot keep you from your decision." He began, however when his eyes met mine they were filled with warning and slight coldness. "But this does not make us allies, nor does it mean that we are friends. You shall be watched closely, she-elf, I do not yet trust your kind enough to turn my back upon you." Although his words were hurtful I accepted them, knowing that he had been greatly wronged in the past.
"Will you at least allow me to tend to your wounds?" I requested, making him halt where he had made to move forwards, looking at me strangely. "I have some items with me that will ease your pain and I may be able to accelerate your recovery if you would let me tend them now."
"I need no healing." He spoke stubbornly but I did not give up, stepping to the side to block his way and his expression quickly turned angry.
"Azog the Defiler will not give up on his chase of you. Here upon this rock we are safe, however the moment you set foot on the ground we shall all be hunted. Allow me to help you, Thorin Oakenshield, so that you do not become your own undoing." Giving him a soft gesture with my hand I invited him to sit, taking off my bow, quiver and sword before then drawing the travelling pouch that I wore around my waist. Thorin allowed me this argument, sitting himself down after ordering the others to rest and sleep for a while before we would then move on. "Please, you must remove your shirt so I may assess the damage."
Thorin looked at me quickly at that and I could see his nephews sniggering over his shoulder behind him. He looked as if the last thing he wanted was to strip in front of me but I was patient, offering him a warm and friendly smile which eventually won him over so he shrugged out of his overcoat and began to remove the layers by himself, obstinately refusing any further assistance. The moment his skin was bare I was looking to the heavy bruising across his chest where he was hit by Azog, puncture marks in his flesh from where the warg had bitten him deeply. "Do not dawdle with time, be quick about it." Thorin told me harshly so I moved my hands to my pouch and drew out a salve within a silver container.
"This will help reduce the bruising and inflammation whilst also preventing infection. Do you wish to inspect it first?" I offered but Thorin shook his head, allowing me to carefully rub it into his skin. He hissed at first before then relaxing, frowning at the sensation of the healing salve as it worked into his skin.
"It is warm." He told me with a questioning tone so I beamed at him.
"Yes, it is perfectly ordinary so do not be concerned. It is made from a mixture of herbs that grow in the gardens in Imladris. I have no skill with tending plants or even mixing these salves or poultices, but I am a fair hand at healing wounds at the very least." Keeping his attention busy with my words I finished the chest area then pressed my hand flat against his breast, closing my eyes before beginning to speak in my own tongue, feeling the warmth spread through my hand as I encouraged the injury to heal, knowing that he had several cracked ribs underneath the surface and they took priority.
Thorin took a deep breath as the bruising began to recede, fading into his natural skin tone and as the pain also disappeared he found it far easier to breathe. "These injuries will need to be bound, please remain still for me." Giving a slight nod of his head Thorin watched me closely as I cleaned each puncture wound, touching him with the most delicate of care in order to cause him as little discomfort as possible. Upon both upper arms Thorin had matching tattoos of deep black, wrapping around the muscular bicep in dwarvern patterns and a ring of runes that I did not understand. "Did these not hurt?" I asked, never before having seen a tattoo.
"At first a little." He admitted, glancing down to his arm where the tattoos lay prominently against his skin. "But eventually the pain faded away. By the time the second one began, I was numb to the sensation." Blinking slightly Thorin frowned at me again, surprised by the fact that he had answered me. I spoke no more, binding up his left arm and also around his torso, leaning into him slightly to reach around him until finally I was finished with what I could do.
"Thank you for allowing me to treat your wounds, Thorin Oakenshield." Bowing my head I gathered my things before standing up, allowing him to dress though I knew he watched me carefully. Most dwarves turned their backs to me as they rested, having little interest in conversing with an elf but I accepted their feelings, knowing that with a little time they might perhaps change their minds. Instead I went and sat beside Mithrandir who smoked his pipe with his legs hanging over the edge of the rock without a care in the world. "Mithrandir, may I join you?"
"Of course my dear, make yourself comfortable." He invited, gesturing for me to take the unoccupied space next to him so I did so, taking a breath as I then looked ahead to the great forests that lay before us. "Tell me, does Lord Elrond know of your absence?"
"We parted on good terms with one another and he even gifted me this blade, Gilestel. He knows why I am come." I told him truthfully as my gaze never once shifted from the forests. "It was time that I moved on and stepped out into the world. With so much at stake, I could not allow myself to sit back and do nothing."
"Such a heavy burden for one person to carry alone, don't you think?" He enquired, giving me his intelligent sideways look that made my smile creep back onto my lips. "Do not worry yourself too much with what lies ahead. It is always the present that is most vital and those who are too short sighted to see it may miss it entirely." I could not agree more, yet I had learned to always keep one eye upon the present and another turned towards the future, knowing it was best to be prepared.
"I do not like the stirrings in the shadows, Mithrandir." I told him softly, keeping my voice low so that no other could hear us. "I can feel it growing like a creeping cold that steals away the warmth or a razing breeze that douses the fire's glow. Something is moving, summoning its strength and waiting. I can feel it, I can see it, the time is almost upon us." All the while I spoke my eyes never changed, not needing foresight to be able to know these things.
"I pray, dear Asta, that you are wrong." The old wizard muttered beside me before taking another deep breath of his pipe. The smell was unusual and unfamiliar to me, yet I watched as he exhaled shapes from the smoke such as butterflies, birds and horses for my amusement, easing my mind with the distraction whilst the dwarves snored behind us, as did Bilbo. They slept deeply for a bare handful of hours before Thorin bade them rise, ordering his company to continue forwards and so began the unsteady decline from the peak, down into the wilderness where the moment my feet touched the grass I sensed the looming danger behind us…and also ahead.