Dear Nuggets,

Here is the next instalment, this I think sets up a theme that I'm about to start playing with more. I really hope that sets up what I want it to. I'm getting super excited about MIRKWOOD yahsssssssssssssssssss!

Big cheers for the F/F: Elizabetch, Sophia Kaiba, , cindralu and Aquakim.

Also many big thank youuuuuus for the reviews: snm1 and sethadoreVGC.

I only own little Todd.

Chapter 26 – In Talks With Salvation

Todd woke later than the rest of the company, she had stirred when she felt a great sense of heat leave her side, but refused to get up. Her legs were still aching and her eyes were extremely heavy, so she let herself roll into where the heat had been and settled back into a light slumber. Waking up in the middle of the night with a fright, Bofur helping her to calm down before settling back into a fitful sleep left her wanting nothing more than to knock herself out, for more rest. The nightmare itself had been utterly horrific, so much unwanted death and destruction. She could still hear the screaming and roaring of the flames in her ears, as if it wasn't just a dream but a vision of her future. Then that begged the question, why did the familiar voice sound like it was suggesting her part in it. Had that utter hellish scene been her fault, could it have been a consequence to a decision she was yet to make. She had no idea, and it was weighing heavily on her mind. Normally he would wake up with the vague knowledge that she had woken in the night and been afraid, but that would be it. Yet this time, fragments stayed in her mind, like a fog descending, everything was still there but misty and she couldn't make head nor tales from it. She could remember a sick smell. A hurtful familiar voice. An indescribable heat. The one thing she couldn't shake especially was the feeling that no matter how much she thought she was doing better and how proud her Father would be for how far she had come, she felt like now she was moving towards something dark. The constant itch in her head and the reoccurring nightmares just seemed to be more proof to her.

She was starting to worry. This very feeling was the exact reason why she ran from the North after she had lost her Father. A feeling had descended the northern land's, it fell down over them like the night creeping over the day. The nights felt chillier and the nights felt darker than ever, birds were losing their voices and opting for silence, not to mention the animals were all round shyer than they ever were. Todd of course, picked up on this straight away. The lands were beginning to be overrun by foul creatures, laying siege to villages and towns. Whole families were being wiped out, hell hers was pretty much, she was the only one left. Yet the more and more the darkness grew, the more she itched. Like something was rolling over within her ready to wake up and cause havoc, and she was terrified of it.

When she was much much younger than she was now she had always had her mother to help her. The itch would come and it was as If her Mother knew, and she would instantly be there taking Todd's mind of it. They would then be playing, or singing or merely just chatting on the amazing light memories that they had together, that was how she made it through and buried the itch again. Yet with her Mother and Father dead, and her being one of the very few last of her Mothers race. She felt very much alone. The dwarves were becoming the family she had been missing for so long. They were starting to care for her, especially after everything that she went through to save their King during their time within the Goblin tunnels. The thought of those shafts and dark cavernous holes, she took a hand up to her hair.

She raked her hand through her red curls and she sucked in the deepest breath she thought she had ever taken in her whole life. She wanted nothing more than to forget it had ever happened. She remembered being hysterical and asking for Bilbo and Bofur just to cut it all off. A part of her still wanted that, a very large part of her, but they wouldn't let her. She knew that her hair would look beautiful again, it would just take a long time and a lot of care. Those kinds of violations don't just slip from your memory. Plus, Bofur had told her that her hair still looked beautiful and that meant more to her than any words could suffice.

Her hair felt strange to her hands. She hadn't brushed or cared for it in such a long time, her mind always thinking, 'what's the point it's already ruined'. Now she regretted treating it like so. She knew that hair is an extremely respectable property for the dwarrows. She took then to combing her nimble fingers through her hair after she pulled Bofur's hat from her head. An act that she had not done at all since he had left it for her beside her bedroll in the Eagles eerie.

She pulled at her long wild curls separating the knots till her fingers just glided through it. She knew it needed a damn good wash, but in that instance, she felt a tiny little better about it. Sucking in another deep breath she let her eyes wander over the garden before her.

It was a quiet and beautiful garden, completely serene. It was full with rough patches full of long grass and wild flowers, then between these patches of untamed beauty were organised growths that looked well-kept and maintained. She surmised that their host was a lover all of things natural and she couldn't blame him. What their host had achieved in the middle of this field was beyond her. The protective walls held strong and shielded the house from not only people that would want to cause harm, but the wind. It was a beautiful little haven from prevailing winds that had whipped at their ankles when they had run for their lives just the day before.

She hadn't left it unnoticed as well that the large bees that were residing around them as they were resting were now out and being busy little bees, buzzing around the wild and kept flowers. She was thoroughly amused by them, mainly because they were the largest bees that she had ever seen, and she had to wonder, just how amazing their honey would taste on fresh bakes bread. She couldn't help having a slight chuckle to herself as one of the large bee's buzzed around her face, hoovering and just touching at her nose, as if trying to suss her out.

Her ears picked up movement behind her and she made a gentle sniff at the air as to ascertain who was creeping up behind her.

"You are quite the sneaky Istari, my friend." She passed comment, blowing gently at the bee so that it moved off and away. It fluttered a little then set off in search of its next bright flower.

"I thought I would seek you out little fox, it's been a while since we talked with each other frankly, and I feel it is needed" He stated. Rocking on his feet a little, before peering down to her form the corner of his eye. She smiled and nodded to him, forever interested in what the wandering wizard had to say.

"You should know by now that I am always interested in talking to you Gandalf!" She smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she looked down to her lap and pulled at Bofur's hat a little, feeling nervous now that someone was seeing her without it on again. Gandalf must have noticed, because he let a knowing soft smile play across his features.

"You look beautiful, if not a little weathered. One more good sleep and you will be right as rain." He smiled, it had not escaped his attention that the roots of her hair were bleeding darker colours through her hair, and he couldn't help but recall a warning long since bequeathed to him from the lady of Lothlorian.

"You are too kind, what is on your mind?" She blushed.

"There have been things I have needed to discuss with you and now that we are quite far into our quest I feel the time is right, especially while we are resting, it makes it even easier." He began, trying not to stare at her hair too much, he cursed himself for not realising her hair could be changing from beneath the hat that she had been refusing to take off for so long, letting himself down to sit beside her. Her head barely even reaching his shoulder.

"It is peaceful to be able to rest in a home, even though we are not yet acquainted with the owner, I do hope he doesn't mind!" She thought out loud. It had been something that had crossed her mind, what If when the great bear becomes a strong man, would he kick them out without helping them, or would he listen to their plight, only time would tell she guessed.

"He is going to like you little one" He responded, peering down to her again.

"We share a skill, if you would call it that"

"Indeed, you have nature in you, something wild that he will sense and respect." He started then, pulling a pipe from a concealed pocked with in his many layers of grey clothing. "You haven't been sleeping well"

Todd didn't respond, she just looked to him, her eyes waiting for what was to come next. Was the wizard going to give her advice on how to make it through the night without waking in a fright? She did not know, but any advice was welcome, she needed a full night's rest desperately.

"Something is stirring, something that was once maybe far away, yet now moves under your subconscious maybe." He explained, Todd feeling her eyes widening at his words. "Upon first meeting you, you will remember we shared words through each other's mind, upon doing so I was privy to some of your inner workings, I do hope you will pardon me for the intrusion."

She knew as much already, and it didn't surprise her, the wizard had the canniest of knacks of being able to know everything about everyone all the time. It was remarkable about exceedingly frustrating. Todd hesitated, seeing that the Istari was now waiting for her reasoning.

"It can be excruciating at times, like a relentless fire!" She mumbled. "Yet that's only while im dreaming mostly" Gandalf nodded to her, his eyes ready and willing to listen and because of this, she spilled.

"When I was younger it was there, but only ever appeared as an itch within the back of my mind every other blue moon, my Mother would always know, and would distract me magnificently. Then she was kil… she died and it got a little worse. I still had my Father though you see and he cared for me deeply, he would never let anything hurt me, be it something physical or mental. Then he was taken from me also and I spend years and years in the North as it started to fade into darker and darker times and the itch became a slight pain, so I ran Gandalf I ran from wood to wood, from town to village until I was captured by those foul trolls!" She gushed, her explanation tumbling from her and making her feel all the lighter for doing so. She had never told anyone about it, yet her reasoning for unloaded upon Gandalf was because some part of her believed that he would have a cure, he would have the answer to her predicament.

"It certainly is troubling my dearest Rebhane" He looked from her back into the garden before them. "I cannot give you a certain answer I'm afraid"

"I can feel it though, and those nightmares make it hurt, it burns inside me IS there nothing you can do? Something I can take or do to stop it?" She spoke carefully and quietly. She didn't want the others to know, they would second guess her nature for trickery and spite. The wizard gave a slight shake to his head, Todd deflating, she was back to being closer to anything.

"There are going to be hard times ahead, something is rousing and I can't quite put my finger on it, but your confessions worry me… hmmmnnn yes, it worries me quite a lot!" His low voice rumbled over his pondering.

"It can't be that bad though, nothing that can't be remedied?" She tried.

"There is a sickness spreading from the Greenwood, festering from Dol Guldor! It's what has the orcs in such a frenzy, I fear that same sickness could warp you, young Todd!"

"Warp me Gandalf?" She questioned, not liking the sound of that at all, and mainly because she felt like it could possibly happen. Her hands tightened around Bofurs hat.

"The story of your people, of your heritage. Nastas and Devoss fell into dark ways, they let their minds succumb to something that Yavanna had unknowingly made them susceptible to. They had darkness blossom within them, and they let it take hold instead of purging it."

"The itch?" She began "It's a dark call to arms, but that must mean…." Her mind was racing now and she became suddenly terrified of herself. "That evil was destroyed, it won't come back, it can't?"

"There are many strange things afoot here, I just wanted to hear your side, it's good to have all sides to a story see" He stated, finally getting around to lighting his pipe. She sat and watched him puff at it, taking his sweet time to get it burning before he took a deep breath. Then, he let it go in the most magical fashion, before her a smoky spectre of a fox running floated around her, before dissipating into thin air. Todd couldn't help but smile up to him. Her eyes, even though still held worry, were shining, and that was why he had hope for her, he knew that with the right help she would be ok.

"Talking about sides to every story, I do have another question, but you must pardon me for it is personal." Gandalf tried, leaning over to nudge her shoulder a little, a lighter tone to his voice that made her feel calmer despite their previous dark topic of conversation.

"Go on, what has you so piqued?"

"I would very much like to hear about your affection for a particular dwarrow named Bofur?" He asked, straight off the bat. It completely took her by surprise, Kili and Fili had insinuated it before her, and she had played along by being overly bashful, and in a way, being playful about it, made it seem like it wasn't a big of a deal as it was to her. Every corner she turned a new aspect of her affections sprang up in her mind. She couldn't help it, she was drawn to him, the way his eyes sparkled, the way the lines around them made him look like he had been laughing for a lifetime, and she believed it to, because where ever he went smiles and happiness followed. He put the mood of the others in the company before himself, and she found it completely amazing. She loved how he was always there for her, and he listened. She couldn't help the smile that spread across her face.

"I am drawn to him, I can't deny it anymore!" She breathed, saying this out loud and instead of thinking constantly on it felt amazing, like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She felt like she wanted to tell the whole world now, she knew better than to blab about her personal feelings though, they would only get in the way of the quest and she couldn't do that to her King. She digressed further though. "He makes me feel like everything is going to be ok in the end, no matter what… and I can't help but feel the need to protect him!"

"I feel, his feelings are quite similar my dear…" He puffed a few more breathes of smoke out before them. Todd felt herself pulling and playing with the hat in her hands. "The next time you feel yourself being pulled in a way that is too dark, just think on him, he might well be your salvation."