Disclaimer: I only own Eva. Please don't sue. I don't make any money from this.
AN: Thank you to all of the new reviews and follows on this story. I really appreciate it. I also like constructive feedback, so don't be shy you have something to say that might help the story along.
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Chapter 16 - Songs of the Soul
As Bilbo talked, he saw the warmth in her eyes return as she let him lead her down to one of the many gardens in Rivendell. He, unlike most of the Company, was very aware that Eva had shut off a part of herself from the others. The biggest clue for him was the way he had just seen her interact with Estel. She seemed to shine around the child in a way that she most certainly did not around the Company.
As they sat down on one of the benches overlooking a still, clear pond, Bilbo noticed her fiddling with something in the folds of her dress. Her smile had faded slightly, and now held a sadness in it that reminded him of the way he was in the aftermath of his mother's death. A small clicking sound came from the pocket and Bilbo glanced down to the fold where the object was hidden.
The click seemed to break Eva's reverie as well, as she flicked her eyes down to her dress pocket, then up to see the hobbit looking at the same place.
"Elrohir tried to steal it yesterday." she said quietly "Would you like to see?" Bilbo nodded, but he was mindful that it had to be something very important. She took out a small pouch, loosened the drawstring ties and emptied the contents into his cupped hands. His eyes widened in wonder as he beheld the object.
Laying in his cupped hands was a toy made from a material that he had never encountered before. It was the red of fresh blood, decorated with smatterings of gold dust. Its clawed feet tickled at his palm and he gazed over its outstretched wings edged in black.
Bilbo was looking at a miniature figure of a dragon.
"Remember in Bag End," Eva began "I told you that I was not from Middle Earth?"
Bilbo nodded, his gaze not leaving the miniature dragon.
"That's Smaug."
The hobbit started and snapped his gaze to hers, his eyes wide.
"That's the dragon you've been hired to steal off. Or at least, that's what he looks like in miniature."
Bilbo looked down again to the figure as Eva started speaking once more.
"My eldest son was incredible at creating things. Nobody in his class came close. He entered a competition at his school for drawing. First prize was the chance to turn his drawing into a figurine."
"He won." Bilbo said quietly, a statement rather than a question.
"He did." Eva replied softly. "He drew the dragon in all its dimensions, then when the figurine was complete, he gave it to me as a Mother's Day gift."
Bilbo carefully picked up the figurine and turned it over in his hands. He frowned "What's that?" he asked, pointing to a place that seemed to have been deliberately missed.
Eva smiled "Oh, yes. That nick is deliberate. It is said that Lord Girion loosed a scale in the dragon's chest even though he was unable to kill it." She went quiet "It's the only thing I have left of him here."
There was quiet for a while between the two friends. The breeze gently moved through the surrounding trees and made soft ripples on the surface of the otherwise still pond. A soft laugh echoed down the valley towards them and Eva looked up, startling the hobbit slightly.
"Thank you," Bilbo started softly "f-for sharing I mean. You didn't need to…"
Eva smiled, a hint of sadness still in her face "You're my friend, Bilbo. I'm lucky that I have someone that I can share these things with." She tucked the dragon back into her pocket and stood "I suppose we'd better get ready for tonight then."
Bilbo stood with her and offered her his arm "Will you allow me to escort you?" The warm smile on his face made Eva smile in return.
"Certainly, Master Baggins!"
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After a final examination by one of Lord Elrond's healers, Eva was given the all clear to leave the Healing Halls with strict instructions to rest the arm another day before she could return to normal activities. As she was leaving, she noticed two elves standing by the door, obviously waiting.
"Lady Eva!" began the first.
Eva's eyes widened "Lady Arwen? What are you doing here?"
"Making sure my brother behaves." she replied with a huff.
As Eva turned to the other elf, she recognised his face and her eyebrows rose. The very same ellon that had tried to steal from her the previous day.
"So what is this," Eva began as she studied the ellon infront of her. "Punishment?"
Elrohir grimaced "Straight to the point." he noted conversationally, but not without a little embarrassment.
"I'm human," Eva quipped in return "What did you expect?"
Arwen's surprised giggle felt like a breath of fresh air amongst the quiet "Oh, I can see why the dwarves like you!"
Not all of them….
"Come, My Lady." Elrohir began as he drew himself up "Ada has assigned you different rooms now that you are out of the Halls of Healing. It is my duty to escort you there-"
"-and everywhere else for the rest of your stay." came another voice.
Eva turned to see an almost complete carbon-copy of the ellon that had been speaking. The rich brown robes were the same, the face was the same, even the hairstyle was the same. This must have been Elrohir's brother. She smiled as she heard Elrohir quietly groan.
"'Dan…" he whined.
Arwen huffed again and turned to Eva. Both women caught each other's eye and Eva gave an exaggerated eye roll, making the elleth snort delicately with laughter. The twin brothers looked at each other in confusion.
"Why do I feel like I just missed something?" Elrohir began.
Both women shared a significant look before they both laughed again, and the group of them left.
The brothers' playful banter caused a surprising pang of hurt in Eva as she remembered her own children, but she pushed that aside as Arwen began talking to her about how the evening would run.
Wandering the halls of Rivendell, Eva was taken in by the sunlit corridors and the open courtyards that seemed to open out to nature itself. Elrond's children seemed to have a lightness and grace to them, likely from the many centuries that they had already lived. She made countless turns, guided by the three elves and their light banter. She caught the fact that she would be escorted to dinner and feast at the same table as Elrond would be seated at, as well as Thorin. She frowned at that, knowing that Thorin was already suspicious of her.
She nearly crashed into one of the brothers, she couldn't remember which was which, as they halted in front of beautifully carved double doors.
"Your room, My Lady." said one if the twins as he opened the door.
"I will be here to escort you later tonight." said the other twin with a wiggle of his eyebrow. Eva simply raised one of her own brows and crossed her arms in a rather unimpressed fashion. Arwen laughed as she saw her brother essentially being shut down, a smirk crossing Eva's face as the brother had the grace to look sheepish.
"I'm human, not gullible." she began. Eva then turned to face the trio of elves "Thank you, Arwen, Elladan, Elrohir." she said as she gently closed the door.
As the three elves made their way back up the corridor, Elladan snapped to face the other two as a realisation dawned on him.
"I did not introduce myself." Elladan began slowly "How does Lady Eva know my name?"
.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.
Nori was the first one of the Company to notice Eva as she arrived on the arm of a finely dressed elf. Initially, it was her voice that alerted him to the fact that she was approaching, but as she walked through the doors his jaw dropped in disbelief.
Eva was dressed in an intricate deep green gown, the colour of highly polished emeralds. Unlike Nori's previous encounters with her, Eva seemed to shine in the light of the setting sun and the firelight of the lit sconces. The dress molded to her form, accentuating the dip of her waist and the generous curve and flare of her hips. There appeared to be a shawl pinned to her skirts around her hips the colour of deep sapphire, and it appeared to wrap almost all the way up her torso to drape over her left shoulder. Her raven black hair had been pinned up, exposing the delicate column of her throat, held back by a delicate jeweled clasp that sat near the top of the simple twist of her hair. A small bag hung by her side from a strap on her shoulder. A soft tinkling brought Nori's gaze back down to her feet and found that not only was she wearing anklets on both feet, but she had arrived barefooted to the Hall of Fire.
The elf's laughter caught him off guard and Nori jumped slightly, hitting Kili by accident.
"Oi!" Kili yelped "Nori watch where you're- Mahalu-me turg!"
Kili stood slowly, his eyes honing in on Eva. Kili's cry had gained the attention of a good deal of the Company, and an awed hush fell over the dwarves as Kili scrambled to find words of greeting.
Thorin noticed the silence amongst his kin and looked up.
It was rare that Thorin had ever been speechless in his life, but for a moment, the image of the human woman in front of him stole his words. The setting sun and the sconces in the Hall made Eva appear to shine, the light shimmering over her raven black hair which had been pinned up for this night. His eyes drifted down to the deep sapphire shawl that had been wrapped about her torso. A burn of something primal rushed through his body as Thorin realised that she was wrapped in his colours.
He was thumped sharply on the shoulder "Baheluh?." came Dwalin's low voice.
Thorin quickly schooled his features as he looked at his oldest friend, but before he could reply-
"LADY EVA!" squealed a high pitched voice.
Eva turned towards the voice as a joyous smile crossed her face "Master Estel! It's so good to see- oomph!"
Were it not for the fact that Nori's training had honed her reflexes, Eva would have been toppled over by the over-excited child. She turned just in time to catch the boy in her arms, lifting him clear off the ground as he shrieked with laughter, gaining the attention of all present.
"Lady-"
"Did you finish all of your work from your lessons?" Eva asked in a suddenly stern voice while still holding fast to him.
Estel nodded vigorously.
"Did you give your tutors a hard time?"
The young boy shook his head in the negative. Eva gave a smile of approval and set him down, untangling him from her shawl.
"Come on, Lady Eva!" Estel began excitedly, "They're about to start!"
Eva blinked "Start? Start what?"
"The singing!" Estel replied exaggeratedly. "That's what always happens in the Hall of Fire. Ada talks a little, then everyone takes turns singing!"
Eva was led to her seat in the Hall, flanked by Kili and Ori on one side, and Estel on the other. Lord Elrond had tried to persuade Eva to sit with the older adults, but Estel's clear regard for her compounded with the dwarves' fierce looks had the elven Lord relenting to her sitting with the younger members in the Hall. He spoke mainly in Elvish for a little bit of time, but anything that he had said in Common tongue was drowned out with Kili and Estel having a subdued brawl behind Eva. She turned around and pierced them with a highly unimpressed look, effectively shutting them up.
The sound of instruments being tweaked and tuned quietened those gathered in the Hall. Eva saw Gandalf sitting off to one side with Thorin and Balin to his left, and Lord Elrond to his right. A moment of hush, and then gentle voices echoed through the Hall-
Of course it's in bloody Elvish…
"Oh, I've never heard of this one before." Estel whispered.
Eva turned to him "What are they talking about, Estel?"
The young boy listened, and Kili and Ori leaned forward "They sing of Celebrimbor … and Navi?"
"Narvi." Ori corrected gently "It is one of the very few recorded friendships between an elf and a dwarf."
"It sounds beautiful…." Eva whispered in hushed awe.
Eva couldn't understand a word of what was being sung, but there was a mournful thread to the melody and music, wistful in its remembrance. She smiled and politely clapped along with the crowd as the elves finished.
"Would a representative from the dwarves wish to perform?" Elrond questioned while looking towards Thorin and the Company.
Bofur stood proudly and adjusted his hat before walking over to the performing stage. He took a fiddle from the instruments that had been laid out, tuned it slightly, then brought it to his shoulder. He stomped a merry rhythm which the rest of the dwarves took up and he sang
"Blunt the knives, bend the forks
Smash the bottles and burn the corks"
Bilbo groaned and buried his head in his hands as shouts of laughter filled the Hall from the dwarves gathered. The elves looked on, intrigued by the words.
"Chip the glasses and crack the plates
That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!
"Cut the cloth, tread on the fat
Leave the bones on the bedroom mat
Pour the milk on the pantry floor
Splash the wine on every door!
The elves laughed softly, some out of delight and others out of horror of what they were singing about. Estel squealed with laughter before a look from Lord Elrond made him quiet down, a sheepish look on his face.
"Dump the crocks in a boiling bowls
Pound them up with a thumping pole
When you're finished if they are whole
Send them down the hall to roll...
That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!"
A great roar of merriment rose from the Company, and the elves applauded politely, some with disbelief and others with wide, indulgent smiles on their faces. Estel was enthusiastically clapping with Ori, while Kili was roaring with laughter. Even Bilbo seemed to have gotten on board and was smiling. Eva had been quiet throughout the performance, even though she smiled at Bofur's antics.
"Well now," Bofur began as he caught Eva's attention "The elves have had their turn, I've had me turn as a dwarf, isn't it time the Race of Man contributed?"
The younger dwarves all roared their approval, the elder ones looking on in curiosity. Eva looked slightly stricken at the request, even though she had a feeling it would come to this.
Come now, Sunshine, she remembered Liam coaxing, Your voice has always lit my world. Let it light the world of others.
Eva felt the grief well inside her before viciously pushed it aside. She stood quietly and unhinged the little bag at her side. Stroking the music player gently, she took it out and walked slowly towards the stage, her gown trailing behind her.
The dwarves saw a curious box being placed in the middle of the stage. The thing was tiny, and it was certainly something that they had never seen before. She took out another rectangular device and placed it in its holder. They saw her mouth moving to whisper something that none of the dwarves caught.
The volume of the music coming from the little black box made the entire party of elves and dwarves jump, and as Eva turned, she sang.
"I come from the salt water people
We always live by the sea "
The group went silent as they watched the woman sing. Thorin felt an unfamiliar twist in his chest as he listened to her rich honeyed alto.
"They say home is where you find it
Will this place ever satisfy me?
"N' my island home
My island home
My island home
Is waiting for me
"N' my island home
My island home
My island home
Is waiting for me
The silence as she sang grew thick, the once jovial faces of the younger dwarrow now replaced with looks of absolute awe. There was something that flowed through her voice that took Lord Elrond's full attention as his sharp eyes studied the woman, something that Balin took quiet note of.
"Six years I lived in the desert
And every night
I dreamt of the sea
Now I'm down here living in the city
*Oh so far
From my family"
The elves had, by this stage, moved off the stage to stand before it in complete silence. Eva's small form was standing on the stone stage dressed in elven finery. She simply nodded to them, unaware of what was going on behind them as she took another measured breath. Lord Elrond's gaze snapped to the entrance of the Hall where all three of his children had gathered to watch the woman.
Thorin looked up to see elves beginning to crowd into the Hall, eyes wide with awe. He could see them running in from different directions. Her song echoed into his soul in a way that he had never experienced before. The words she sang meant far more to him than he would ever let her know, the longing in her words fitting surprising well with his sentiments.
"N' my island home
My island home
My island home
Is waiting for me
"N' my island home
My island home
My island home
Is waiting for me
"In the evening the dry wind blows
From the hills and across the plains
I close my eyes and I'm standing
In a boat on the sea again
And I'm holding that long
Turtle spear
And I feel I'm close now
To where it must be"
Gandalf suddenly pulled out his staff, his eyes going wide as the stone atop it glowed the colour of the sunset.
"Mellon nin." Elrond whispered to Gandalf. "Now? Why now?"
"My island home is
Waiting for me
"My home is Australia
We are a land bound by sea
Though I may travel far across the ocean
It will never forget me
"N' my island home
My island home
My island home
Is waiting for me
As one, the elves gathered in the Hall of Fire massed in front of the stage with Lord Elrond at the helm.
"Mahalmarkhel." he intoned with reverence. Placing a hand over his heart, he bowed slightly. His three children standing either side of him took a knee and bowed in respect, the other elves swiftly following suit. Eva's eyes went wide, and the Company of dwarves behind them looked on in shock.
"What the hell?" Eva yelled in confusion
"You are Valar-touched, Lady Eva." Lord Elrond began as he straightened, the light from Gandalf's staff fading. "As children of Ilúvatar, the Eldar can sense the magic of the Valar. It is often found amplified through music."
Eva turned to Thorin with wide eyes. He returned her gaze, a myriad of emotions flashing through them before his face went blank, much to Eva's dismay and dread.
"Your presence here has been felt by the elves. Whether your enemy knows of you is to be seen." Elrond council.
"Indeed," came the voice of a woman from the stairs of the courtyard.
The entire group turned to the stairs and the elves bowed and curtsied as one. Balin's eyes widened as he realised who was standing there.
"My Lady Galadriel." Gandalf greeted softly.
"My Lady," Lord Elrond began "I was not expecting you so soon."
Lady Galadriel stood at the top of the stairs to the Hall wearing a half smile. She was splendidly dressed in hues of white and gold. Long, blonde, silky waves of hair fell down to almost brush her waist, crowned with a delicate circlet atop her head. She glided down the stairs effortlessly, regarding Lord Elrond warmly.
"I apologise for my early arrival, but the circumstances of my presence changed."
She turned to Eva with a small smile "Greetings, Eva, daughter of Man." Eva's eyes widened and she cursed silently. She should have remembered that particular ability from Lady Galadriel. She'd read about it enough times. "Rest easy, no harm will come to you here."
"If I may, Elrond, I would like to borrow the Lady for a while."
Eva blinked, a sense of foreboding and dread building in her and she turned to the Company. Dwalin smirked at her unease, and Eva couldn't really find it in her to be surprised by this reaction. She gave a quick sweep over the Company before locking eyes with Balin, sending the older dwarf an almost pleading look. Dwalin's hand on his brother's shoulder, though, silenced him.
"If it's alright with Lady Eva." Elrond replied cordially.
Eva looked straight past Elrond to Galadriel and said in a small voice "Why not?"
But as Eva was lead away by an ethereal Lady Gadadriel, she looked back to the Company with eyes that spoke of apprehension and hesitancy. As if something was about to happen-
"Fee," Kili began quietly.
"Aye?"
"Why does she look so scared?"
Fili paused for a moment "I… I don't know, Kee."
"They're elves." Thorin said gruffly as they noticed some of the elves leave the Hall "She is wise to be fearful."
With this, the Company were escorted back to the courtyard they were staying in. Balin though, had witnessed her unspoken fear at the core of her pleading look. As a dwarf, he was naturally suspicious of outsiders, but the look in Eva's eyes had a different depth to it.
Why was the lass so apprehensive with that elf?
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AN: And another one's done! I got a bit stuck doing some of the transitions, otherwise, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Reviews are most welcome. Constructive criticism is appreciated.
Song 1: Blunt the Knives - lyrics by J. R. R. Tolkien
Song 2: My Island Home - Christine Anu (The '*' indicates where the lyrics have been slightly changed to fit in more with the plot line of the story. You can search for the original version of this song on YouTube if you wish for more background. There are a few different versions of this song available.)
Ada - Father
Mahalu-me turg! - By Mahal's beard!
Baheluh - Friend of all friends
Mahalmarkhel - Mahal's Shield
