Disclaimer: Middle-Earth and its characters belong to J.R.R Tolkien. Tauriel and movie-verse storylines belong to Peter Jackson. Maggie and Riley, along with other original characters belong to me.
Summary: After BotFA, Riley travels north with Kili, Legolas, Tauriel and Bard to find answers to his past with the Dunedain. In Rivendell, news of Maggie's pregnancy causes political turmoil between dwarves and men, but all she wants to do is move on from Thorin's death. Can she find light and perhaps even love again?
A/N: Oh look! A sequel! If you liked Castaways, I hope you'll like this one too but I must warn you, it'll be a little darker. In my original fic (which was called 'A Day in the Life), Maggie and Riley spent a year in Rivendell and Maggie originally got together with Elrond and while I'd like her to find love and happiness, I haven't decided what direction to take in. Maybe you guys can suggest what you'd like to see?
I've chosen to call this fanfic Mélamar, which simply put means "Home" in Quenya. I've named it such, because Maggie and Riley are exploring what home and family means to them.
Each chapter will change point of view from Rivendell to Riley's travels in the north. This fic is also going to be a slower burn than the other one so hang on tight and buckle up, it'll be a long ride. I hope you will enjoy it :)
CHAPTER ONE
"You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart will always be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place."
Imladris, March
"You are worse than Estel."
Elrohir's voice startled Maggie as she reached into the cookie jar. She wondered how long he'd been watching her, no doubt knowing she wouldn't see it coming. Elves, Maggie had learned lately, were just a sneaky as hobbits and dwarves. In fact, since her arrival in Rivendell a few months earlier, she'd become increasingly aware that apart from young Estel, Maggie was the only person in the Hidden Valley without night vision and other heightened senses. Sometimes, it made her more self-conscious, as she knew there was always somebody aware of her movements. On a whole though, moving to Rivendell had been a wise choice, even if Maggie was reluctant at first. Their time in Erebor had been brief in comparison, but still she had many memories with Thorin. To Maggie, leaving Erebor was another way of saying goodbye to Thorin.
For Maggie, the first two months in Rivendell had been the worst of her life. Every night, she would wake up sweaty from nightmares where she lives through Thorin's death over and over again. Each time with some new, horrible twist at the end. Sometimes she heard the Necromancer's voice taunting her and sometimes, Thorin's pale body would ist at her bedside, staring at her with black hollow eyes. Every time she awoke from those nightmares, it was usually Fili who sat her bedside, using his voice to calm her panic as he had done many times before. Elrond would use elvish incantations to send her back to sleep. Sometimes, Oin would put an herbal remedy in her tea at night to help her sleep more easily. In those first few months, Dwalin had taken to keeping a closer eye on Maggie and she'd heard him talking with Fili and Oin about something they called Battle Terror. Maggie could only assume it was their name for PTSD.
If the nightmares weren't bad enough, the morning sickness had reached a new all time high and Maggie still couldn't quite stand the sight of the Oin's rice porridge, even though it was rather good. Poor Estel had been a bit frightened in those first few weeks because he couldn't understand why Maggie was suddenly so different from the last time he'd seen her. He'd even kept his distance from her for a while, which made Maggie feel even worse because above all, she didn't want Estel to be afraid of her. Eventually though, after the worst stages of grief had passed, slowly but surely, Maggie began to feel like herself again. Soon enough, Young Estel was always coming out of his shell and began to seek out her company, much to Maggie's relief. Of course, the heartache was still there and she knew that it would never truly heal. She still loved Thorin Oakenshield and wished more than anything that he was there with her but, like Bard had told her all those months ago, she had to be strong for their child. While the idea of motherhood was still a terrifying reality for Maggie, she was going to give it her best shot.
Nights were still the hardest part of the day and her thoughts were more persistent, questioning every single decision she'd made up until that point. She still cried, usually when nobody could see her and it did help. On those nights when sleep didn't come easily and her thoughts were more annoying, Maggie had taken to exploring Rivendell at night, which is why she found herself in the kitchen.
At four months pregnant, Maggie was already feeling done with the whole thing. The morning sickness was much less prominent but she had no control of her body anymore. Her joints ached more than usual and she was definitely showing physical signs of pregnancy. The most annoying part, beyond the tiredness, was the hunger. Maggie had always thought the phrase 'eating for two' seemed silly but as she was experiencing it herself, it made sense. The cravings were made worse by the fact that she craved food that she knew she couldn't have in Middle-Earth. By some miracle, it turned out that the Shire had something that resembled actual coffee, which Bilbo had promised to bring when he came to visit. To say Maggie was excited was an understatement because if she was anything, it was a coffee connoisseur. Not to mention, being able to have something small that reminded her of home made things a bit easier. Of course, she was looking forward to see Bilbo again too and she missed her friend.
On that particular cold evening in early March, Maggie found herself craving Dwalin's homemade oatmeal cookies, which Elrond had made a habit of stocking in the kitchen for her enjoyment. No doubt the Elf-Lord was well aware that she snuck out at night to feast on the crumbly, delicious treats.
"Estel has the right idea." Maggie replied as she turned around to Elrohir, who stood leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. "I'm starting to think that maybe I should have gone with Bilbo to the Shire. At least hobbits have the right idea about food."
"I shall be sure to let Lindir know you think we are not feeding you enough." Elrohir teased
Maggie stuck her tongue out at rolled her eyes in jest. Spending time in Rivendell had allowed her a chance to get to know Elrohir and Elladan properly and she enjoyed their company. In some ways, their mischievous nature reminded her of Fili and Kili. She recalled those nights with the Company when they'd been drinking Elvish wine and Riley had told them stories of drunken escapes. At the thought of Riley, Maggie let out a sigh and wondered where he was. For a while, they'd been able to correspond with letters but the further into the wilderness, they travelled, the longer the distance between letters. In her heart, Maggie knew Riley as well as the other were fine, but she still missed her brother.
"What are you doing here, 'Ro?" Maggie asked, after a while. "If you've come for the cookies, tough luck, I'm keeping them for Estel and I."
"I couldn't sleep, so I decided to go for a walk." Elrohir replied "When I suddenly heard footsteps heading in this direction, I thought perhaps Estel was on another nightly burglary mission, but instead I found you. At least now I know who my brother's criminal companion is."
"If you ask me, he's the real mastermind behind the operation. Did you know he tricked 'Dan out of bathtime the other day?"
Elrohir chuckled. "Tricking Elladan is not difficult, but Estel has learned from the best."
"Seriously, though." Maggie sat on the countertop and let her feet dangle as she munched on another cookie. Only one more, she reminded herself, otherwise she would have to explain to Dwalin why the batch he'd made only a day ago was already gone. "Why can't you sleep? Is it because of Talathel?"
At the mention of the elf-maiden, Maggie saw Elrohir's ears turn pink and she grinned. Talathel was one of the elf-maidens who had helped Maggie settle into Rivendell. Maggie missed Brenna back in Dale, but it was nice to have another woman around to talk to and Talathel had introduced her to some of the other elf-maidens of Rivendell. Some of them were a bit shy still but in general they were friendly. It was no secret that Elrohir fancied her and always sought out an opportunity be near hear. Maggie also figured that Talathel felt the same way because she clearly enjoyed Elrohir's company as well as giving him a hard time when he was being ridiculous, which was often.
"You have to tell her how you feel, 'Ro." Maggie said "Life is too short to doubt and second guess things"
That was certainly something Maggie had come to accept lately. It wasn't her business to meddle in the affairs of others but she liked Elrohir and saw both him and Elladan as her friends.
"What if my advances are unwanted?" Elrohir asked nervously. "If she does not desire me in the same way, I will be humiliated and 'Dan will never let me forget about it."
"If Elladan gives you a hard time for following your heart," Maggie said, "I will kick his sorry arse."
While Elladan and Elrohir were twins, their personalities were different. Elrohir was the calmer of the two and the one who considered his options before acting on them. In that sense, Elrohir was more like his father. Elladan on the other hand, was more impulsive and quick to act without thinking, which sometimes got him in trouble. His heart was in the right place though and Maggie enjoyed his company as well his counsel, which she had sought from time to time.
"Now that I would very much like to see." Elrohir said
He grabbed a cookie from Maggie who was just about to eat it. "Too much sugar will make it difficult for you to sleep. Come, I'll see you to your room."
Maggie admitted defeat and Elrohir helped her off the counter, which really was much too tall for her short-arse self. They walked through corridors and Maggie found that she enjoyed these nighttime escapades and they were always full of surprises. The other night, she'd run into Glorfindel and as they walked the gardens in the starlight, he told her stories of his youth and the many adventures he'd had before even Elrond was born. Finally, Maggie and Elrohir reached her room, which was the same one she had used during their first arrival in rivendell, all those months ago.
How things had changed.
Maggie slept relatively peacefully that night and was not plagued with nightmares. She woke up feeling slightly nauseated but it quickly passed after breakfast. Oin had kept his word and always kept an annoyingly close eye on her food intake to make sure she was eating enough. If she didn't have enough breakfast to keep her going, Maggie often found her plate refilled, whether she liked it or not. Dwarves, it turned out, adored all children and when it came to pregnancy, they were incredibly attentive and made sure Maggie was as comfortable as she could possibly be. As a way to pass time and show Elrond some gratitude for once more inviting her into his home, Maggie had decided to tutor Estel. Not only did she really enjoy it, she also found it a great way to connect with him, it also took some pressure of Erestor and Glorfindel, who could return to their other duties. Unsurprisingly, Estel was a great student even though he sometimes lacked patience as most young kids did.
The "curriculum" Maggie had put together was a mix of Erestor's existing one, which included some history of Middle-Earth. Estel hated it but Maggie found it interesting. She taught him writing, at which he already excelled and he had a penchant for telling stories. To make it more interesting, Maggie also shared with Estel, some history from her own world. So far, his favourite stories included the tale of Anne Frank and more contemporary people like Malala. Even though Estel did not understand everything, Maggie could tell he enjoyed hearing stories about this strange world she came from.
"Maggie, can we go outside?" Estel asked with a pleading voice, "Ada and Glorfindel are sparring!"
Maggie looked up from her book and peered out the window, where she saw that Estel was indeed right. Elrond and Glorfidel walked out on the grass, each carrying a sword in their hand. One thing Maggie had underestimated, was how busy Elrond's life was. Imladris was a kingdom in its own right and therefore, there were often other Elven visitors for diplomatic counsels, trade with towns where men lived and surprisingly also a fair amount of paperwork. Most days, Maggie and Estel hardly saw Elrond except when occasionally took a break to see how Estel was doing as well as herself. Maggie knew that sparring was a popular past-time in Rivendell and she had seen Elladan and Elrohir spar with each other as well as Erestor and Glorfindel. Even Lindir, whom Maggie had not taken for a combative elf, enjoyed it on occasion. This was the first time Maggie had seen Glorfindel and Elrond spar and it was bound to be a treat
"I guess we can call it a day, Estel." Maggie said "You've been good today."
Estel's eyes lit up excitedly and he was out the door before Maggie was barely able to stand up. As she did stand up, she noted her joints and muscles ached a bit more than usual. Something she would have to mention to Oin for her examination later on. At first, Oin had insisted on daily check-ups to make sure Maggie and the baby were both okay. There was still a worry that the baby's half-dwarrow and half-human genes would cause complications, and some of it had been noticed in the nausea. However, after no small amount of bargaining and persuasion, Oin had settled for a check-up twice a week, much to Maggie's relief.
Watching the two elves spar, was nothing short of incredible. Maggie had very little knowledge of sword fighting other than what Thorin had taught her, but she could tell Elrond and Glorfindel had different techniques. Glorfindel was a more aggressive swordsman and he knew his target well enough to anticipate his movements. Elrond, Maggie guessed, knew that Glorfindel was more impatient and so when their swords clash, Elrond shifted his footing which worked in his advantage when he swung his sword so his blade rested under Glorfindel's blade. It put the blonde elf at a disadvantage and Estel could barely contain his excitement next to Maggie. The youngest Spencer had to admit it was pretty thrilling.
"I hear someone was indulging in criminal activities last night." Came Fili's voice, as he sat down next to Maggie. "Dwalin is rather grumpy about it."
"Dwalin is always grumpy, Fee." Maggie replied "God, gossip must sorely lacking in Imladris, if my cookie craving is the only talk of the town."
Fili saw through her faux-annoyance and put an arm around Maggie as she rested her head against his shoulder. Over the past few months in Rivendell, Fili had been the one Maggie spent the most time with and they had become good friends. They both missed their brothers and often talked about Riley and Kili. Fili had matured a lot since leaving Erebor and he was a much calmer dwarf. Maggie often wondered if maybe one day Fili would take the crown after all, as it was still rightfully his and as she understood it, Dain was merely guarding it for now. Fili often quickly changed the topic of that conversation, which Maggie took to assume he wasn't quite ready and that was alright.
"Not the only talk." Fili said "I hear Erestor is going to teach you Elvish? May I ask why?"
It was true, Maggie had approached Erestor about taking lessons in Elvish and he had graciously accepted.
"Well, partly because we're going to be here for a while." Maggie replied, "I'd like to do something intellectually challenging. I've always loved Elvish and Erestor offered to teach me."
"What about Khuzdul?" Fili asked "Would you like to learn some?"
Maggie raised an eyebrow "I thought Khuzdul was a secret language, only to be spoken between dwarrow kind?"
"Your son will learn it and it makes sense that you should too." Fili told her "I could teach you, if you would like."
Maggie pondered Fili's suggestion for a moment. Learning two new language would be difficult, but it made sense that she should know some Khuzdul, if anything for the sake of her son. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a loud THUD. Maggie turned to see Glorfindel on the ground with Elrond's sword aimed at him. The elf-lord carried a pleased and smug expression on his face as he asked if Glorfindel would yield and then helped him up on his feet. Estel ran up to Elrond who picked up his son and walked up to Maggie and Fili.
"Would you care to spar, Master Fili?" Elrond asked "I hear you're a skilled swordsman. I should like to see it for myself."
"I would love to," Fili replied "Although, I wouldn't want to tire you out at your old age, My Lord."
It was lucky for Fili, Maggie thought, that Elrond was an elf with a good sense of humour and an endless amount of patience. She knew Fili would regret those words at some point. Elrond put Estel back on the ground and Fili accepted his request. Glorfindel passed him a sword and then turned to Maggie.
"I believe it is customary for a lady to show a token to the combatant whom she favours." Glorfindel said and as Maggie caught his eyes, she saw a glint of mischievousness
Maggie placed a kiss on Fili's forehead. Something she had also learned was how dwarves showed affection among friends, family and kin. She'd been asking Dwalin a lot about dwarrow culture lately as she felt it important that her son knew both worlds. Maggie was aware that her son would learn the human customs of Middle-Earth but she would make sure to teach him the customs of her world. Even if that did mean recounting all the Harry Potter and Narnia books from memory. Perhaps, she thought, she could start with Estel at bedtime tonight.
"Lady Margaret, I am insulted." Elrond teased.
"I'm sure your honor will survive, My Lord." Maggie said "Unless of course Fee beats you, in which case, I'll make sure your sons will never let you forget it."
When Maggie watched Fili and Elrond walked out onto the grass, she thought that life in a strange was rather tranquil. She enjoyed the calm and quiet of Rivendell, as well as the peace of mind it brought her. Here she could find time to heal broken pieces within her. At first, she had thought it impossible, but now, perhaps there was a chance. Her gaze followed Elrond and Fili's movement, which was just as exciting as watching Elrond and Glorfindel. Maggie assumed that the height difference between the two would cause a problem, but instead it actually seemed to work in Fili's faour. His training session with Dwalin was definitely showing results and Maggie was impressed. As her gaze bounced between the elf and the dwarf, a flicker of movement from behind the trees caught her attention. At first, she thought she'd seen a shadow moving but thought it was perhaps a trick of the light.
What happened next was so quick that Maggie barely had a chance to react. For a moment, her attention went back to Fili and Elrond but suddenly, a strange noise filled the air and as Maggie looked up she saw an arrowhead flying through the air in her direction. Maggie was just about able to duck out of the way as the arrow missed her. The archer loosened a second arrow, this time caught mid-air by Elrond. Glorfindel and Fili shot off after the hooded archer and as Maggie thought the first danger was out of the way, she heard a loud thud behind her as something dropped onto the ground and and an elbow grabbed her tightly by the neck. The next thing she felt was a sharp blade pressed against and her breath became more shallow. Elrond's reaction was instant and his sword was aimed at the assailant while Maggie heard another familiar voice behind her.
"Drop yer weapon," Came Dwalin's voice. "Your death will be instant
"You cannot harm me." the assailant hissed
Dwalin wasted no time and Maggie heard the gushing of blood as the grip on her losened. When she turned around, a decapitated head lay on the ground. Meanwhile, Fili and Glorfindel returned with the second archer, whom Glorfindel threw on the ground in front of Lord Elrond. The elf-lord pressed his boots against the archer's chest so that he was unable to move.
"Maggie!" Fili ran up to Maggie, who was still in shock, trying to understand what just happened.
Elrond's blade rested against the assassin's neck and as he gently pressed it into his skin, a trickle of blood flowed from him. Yet, the man did not flinch. The first thing Maggie noticed, was the he was human, perhaps only a few years older than herself. The second thing she saw was how his face was covered in scars and he carried an ill-favoured look on his face which made her deeply uncomfortable. How had not one, but two complete strangers found their way inside the borders of Rivendell?
"Who sent you?!" Elrond demanded sharply. "Whom do you serve?! Speak quickly if you value your life."
The assassin said nothing and instead spat at Elrond. Then, he did something nobody foresaw and Maggie watched in horror as he reached for his dagger and without hesitation put it through his chest. He fell backwards and the death was instant. Elrond cursed in elvish and Maggie breathed out a heavy sigh. She turned to Elrond who seemed both angry, surprised and scared. Someone had just tried to kill Maggie and not just in his home, but in front of Estel who was still hiding behind Elrond. .
"I thought Imladris was impenetrable!" Maggie said, "Why the hell did someone just try to kill me?"
Estel tugged at Elrond's robes and the elf-lord picked up his son. He did not know the answer, but he feared it was not good.
"I do not now." Elrond replied "But, you are carrying a child who is a half-human, half-dwarrow heir to Erebor and Gondor. I'm certain there are fanatics on both sides who are not happy about it and would rather see the child not born."
Fanatics? It was a conversation they'd briefly talked about in Erebor, that some people wouldn't be pleased to hear about a human procreating with a dwarf. Maggie and Riley's heritage also added complications but she would never have thought that someone out there might actually want to kill her and her baby. She was scared, because up until now, she had always thought Rivendell was a safe sanctuary where nothing evil could enter.
"You think there'll be more?" Maggie asked
"I will strengthen the magical barriers to our valley." Elrond said and Maggie knew that his avoidance of her question was enough of an answer. "From now, you will have guards at your door each night and you will not go anywhere without one of us accompanying you. At least, for the time being."
Maggie let out a frustrated sigh. "Great, so I'll have a babysitter."
It seemed her hopes of tranquility had come too soon and Maggie had a feeling they hadn't seen the last of it.
A few hours later, when Maggie had a chance to calm down after the events of that morning, she found herself in the infirmary with Oin. News had quickly spread of the assasination attempt and naturally, the healer was worried. Maggie lay on a bed with her head propped up against a pillow. She did feel fine, but her thoughts still lingered on the two assassins. One of them, she hadn't been able to see very clearly, but the scars on the other one's face were distinct. Maggie certainly was no expert, but the scars had almost seemed self-inflicted and all of them in the same semicircular shape. Based on the intricate details and pattern, she wondered if they meant something.
"Honestly, Master Oin, I feel fine." Maggie said "I was a bit startled is all."
"I still want to make sure." Oin insisted "You could have very nearly not been fine. Deep breath please, gehyith."
Maggie did as she was asked and inhaled a breath, counted down from five and then exhaled the breath as Oin listened for her heartbeat. Next, he placed his hand on Maggie's stomach as she kept breathing steadily. The lack of doctors or medicine from her world, was something that worried Maggie when it came to the labor. If she was back on Earth, the doctors would give her an epidural for the labour and she would have ultrasounds and a midwife to talk her through the whole process. Here, there was nothing of the sort and while Maggie trusted Oin with her life, the lack of modern medicine did scare her. Especially if something, Valar forbid, went wrong. As her thoughts went back and forth in her mind, Maggie suddenly felt a sharp kick inside her. She opened her eyes and looked at Oin who had felt it too. His eyes were warm and Maggie found herself smiling.
"Did you feel it, Master Oin?" Maggie asked "He kicked!"
Her child kicked again and it made Maggie jump. She had felt her baby move before when Thorin had whispered some incantiation in Khuzdul, but this was the first time her son had actually kicked. It was like nothing Maggie had felt before and she couldn't put it into words.
"Yes, your son is growing stronger by the day. He is healthy." Oin said. "Your own heartbeat is a bit fast though. Have you been overindulging in Dwalin's cookies again at night?"
"Oh for god's sake," Maggie whined " Caught red-handed by Elrohir once and suddenly I'm some sort of bloody cookie terrorist."
Oin chuckled and put away his instruments. "I won't deny you simple pleasures, but do take care."
"Yes, dad."
Maggie sometimes felt bad for her whining, but she had a lot of respect for Oin and enjoyed his company as much as Dwalin and Fili. Maggie sat up and Oin passed her a mug of herbal tea, which she drank slowly with pleasure. As much as she didn't like the check-ups, these moments with Oin was another pastime she enjoyed. The older dwarf had settled into life in Rivendell pretty well. Maggie could tell he missed Erebor and the company. In fact, he frequently corresponded with his brother Gloin via letters. Gloin's wife and his son Gimli had finally joined him in Erebor and as per usual, most of his letters were about the family. Oin didn't mind though and he wrote back about how life was going in Rivendell. On a whole, it seemed as though the Company was doing well in Erebor. Some of them, such as Ori and Bofur, were suffering from Battle Terror dreams but were slowly but surely recovering. They asked about Maggie as well as Fili and Dwalin. From Gloin's latest letter, it seemed as though Dis was driving everyone a bit crazy, making changes around the mountain which weren't always approved by Dain.
"How are you sleeping?" Oin asked as he sat on a chair, with tea of his own in his hands.
"Pretty well," Maggie replied, "The dreams are fading and they're not as frequent anymore. I don't see him as much."
"You are healing, this is a good sign."
Maggie swallowed a bit of tea, which seemed to be some sort of lemongrass. She was glad that the dreams were fading, but the fact that Thorin didn't appear in them as often was always slightly worrying to her.
"What if I forget him, Master Oin?" Maggie asked "I want to move on, but if I do, what if I stop remembering him and everything we shared?"
The thought was painful but it had occurred often enough to keep her awake at night. Oin put his mug aside and placed his hand on Maggie's, while gently stroking her cheek.
"You will never forget him, dear." he said calmly "Thorin will always be in your heart and live through your son. Just because we move on, it does not mean we forget. I wouldn't worry about that. He would want you to heal and to be happy again."
"It's just strange." Maggie said "I feel guilty even though I shouldn't. Maybe it's all these pregnancy hormones. Honestly, I'm surprised I haven't had a nervous breakdown yet."
"Speaking of breakdown," Oin reached for his mug again. "I heard Lord Elrond challenged Fili to a sparring match earlier."
"Yeah, I'm hoping they'll pick it up."
"I also heard you favoured Fili as a combatant and presented him with a token?"
Maggie was about to respond when the sound of footsteps from the hallway outside caught her attention. She turned around to see Lord Elrond in the doorway and Oin quickly exited the infirmary, leaving Maggie alone with the brown-haired elf-lord. At first, Maggie thought staying in Rivendell might be awkward considering her somewhat complicated relationship with Elrond, but things had been good. In fact, things had been very good and Maggie was glad to have found in Elrond a kind and loyal friend.
"Lord Elrond, how may I help you?" Maggie asked
"First, you can stop calling me 'lord'." Elrond said "Elrond will do just fine, we are friends after all."
"Only if you stop calling me 'lady'."
Elrond nodded. "Now then, I was looking for you for a reason. In light of the events this morning, I am sending Erestor on a diplomatic errand to Gondor. He will be leaving tomorrow."
"To find out more about the assassins?" Maggie guessed
"Yes, Erestor has connections in Gondor that might help us." Elrond said "I'm also aware he promised to teach you Elvish, is that so?"
Maggie nodded sighed in disappointment.
"I would be glad to take his as your teacher." Elrond said "If youd' like to."
"Really?" Maggie asked, surprised. "You have time for that?"
Elrond chuckled and raised an eyebrow at her, as if to say he was a ruler and could do as he damned well pleased with his time.
"Yes, I'd like to." Maggie said "Thank you."
"Wonderful." Elrond said "We will begin tomorrow after supper. Be sure to rest today, there has been too much excitement for one day."
To Maggie's surprising, relaxing wasn't as difficult as she thought it was. By nightfall and after supper, she was utterly exhausted after the day's events and returned to her bedroom. While she remained calm in front of the others, on the inside, Maggie still felt a bit shaken. After everything she'd been through on the quest to Erebor, an assasssination attempt was something new entirely and she wasn't really sure how to process it. It was strange to her that someone would hate her and her unborn baby so much that they would try to kill her, without even knowing her. She hoped that Erestor would find some answers in Gondor, sooner rather than later.
Maggie wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep when the sound of the door creaking woke her up. It took a while, but when he eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw the shape of young Estel standing in the doorway
"Estel, what's wrong?" Maggie asked "You should be in bed."
"I had a bad dream."
Estel's voices quivered and Maggie sat up, lighting a candle on her bedside. Estel looked scared and stood with his arms crossed in her doorway with a soft toy hanging from one of his hands.
"Should we go find your ada? He might be in his study."
Estel shook his head and rubbed his sleepy eyes.
"I want to sleep here, with you." Estel said "Please."
Maggie felt her heart melt and she had no idea why Estel would rather stay here than go to Lord Elrond. Estel loved his adoptive father and it was difficult to keep him from him.
"Come, Estel." Maggie said as she waved her towards him "There is plenty of blanket for both of us."
Estel crawled under the soft blankets and curled up close to Maggie. It was strange to her, how quickly the child felt safe in her presence.
"Can you tell me a story?" Estel asked, carefully as if he didn't want to push his luck.
"Sure." Maggie replied as she stroked the child's hair "Have you ever heard of a land called Narnia?"
"Narnia? Where's that and who lives there?"
"Well, you see Estel, a long time ago in a cold, grey and dreary place called London, there lived four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie…"
To be continued….
There we have it. The first chapter of the sequel and we're going right into the action. The next chapter will show us what Riley and the others are up to on their travels. What are your thoughts so far? Will we find out who sent the assassin? How do you think Maggie is feeling after everything? Let me know what you think.