Disclaimer: I own only Eva. Please don't sue me, I'm not making any money (thought at times I wish I were).
AN: This was one of the first chapters I actually wrote for Mahal's Shield. What you are seeing now though has had to be heavily edited due to the path that this story has taken. Thank you to all of the new reviews, follows and favourites. You guys are the reason that I'm still committed to doing this, and your input helps to fuel and guide my story. Enjoy!
Warning: Some coarse language.
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Chapter 19 - Forging the Shield
It was very late when Lord Elrond considered the ellon before him thoughtfully. "While I'm certain that the dwarven Company would likely object to their Shield being trained by elves, I must admit that the logic of your argument is hard to ignore."
Elrohir sighed "The history between ourselves and the dwarves makes it more challenging than I anticipated. I do not wish to do wrong by them, nor by Lady Eva for that matter. I know my place and role in this picture, ada. All I ask is that we have someone guide Lady Eva so that she does not feel a burden to them on their journey. All she needs is a chance."
Lord Elrond faced his son "Very well. Leave this with me, and I will have someone meet you in the Dining Halls early tomorrow morning. Having met her though, Lady Eva may need more than just weapons training."
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Eva woke to the very first rays of the sunrise with a new grim determination. Today would mark the start of her research into the storyline that she was currently experiencing. Her encounter with Lady Galadriel had cemented the reality that she was going to be essential to the dwarves. Having said this, she also had a growing suspicion that the timelines between the movies and the books had somehow been intertwined. It worried her, because though the outcome was identical in both, the ways they were achieved were not. If what the visions were telling her were correct, she was also in the process of directly affecting the storyline as well.
Sliding out of bed, she took an apple from the fruit bowl in her room, then went to the small closet in the corner. Having a quick riffle through, she found a set of legging and a tunic that was not so see-through. She wanted comfort over fashion. Combined with her modern day undergarments, she donned the outfit, quickly braided her hair and left without much preamble.
I will keep my promise...
As she made her way to the library she was stopped just outside the Dining Hall by a voice calling out to her.
"Lady Eva?"
She didn't recognise the voice, but oh, did she recognise the elf who spoke when she turned around!
Elrohir was waiting with the unknown elf, and Eva felt her jaw drop and her hairs on her neck stand on end. This was an exact replica of the elf that she had seen in her vision the previous night. Glorious blonde hair framed a face with stunningly clear blue eyes. Unlike Elrohir, he was dressed in hues of white and gold, similar to Lady Galadriel. But as she approached, Eva noticed that the intricate flowers that adorned his other robe were nothing like Galadriel. She felt a thrill run through her as she realised who was standing in front of her.
"Lord Glorfindel?" she whispered.
"Ah, I see my reputation precedes me." the blonde elf replied with a playful glint in his eye.
Eva blinked as the silence began to stretch "Umm….. I guess you could say that?"
Elrohir laughed as the Elven Lord glided towards her "They say that you are Mahal's Shield. That you wear Lord Aule's mark."
Eva's lips pressed thin as she nodded. Turning to Elrohir, she stuttered "I said extra training sessions… I didn't mean- what am I supposed to- you got him?"
Elrohir smirked "Ada said he would arrange it." he offered in answer.
Eva was too stunned to speak.
"May I escort you?" Glorfindel asked kindly.
Eva nodded dumbly. Oh, goodness! Oh! Goodness! Oh! "This is surreal….." she whispered.
He gave an understanding smile as he offered a toned, taut arm to her "I'm aware. I have had the pleasure of meeting one of the previous Mahalmarkhel." For some reason, the Khuzdul did not sound so strange coming out of this elf's mouth "Though I was quite surprised to find that a woman had been Marked in this case."
Eva took the offered arm in awe "You and me both, My Lord. I don't think the dwarves were too happy with me being a woman."
Glorfindel hummed in understanding "Female dwarves are treasures in their culture. It goes against several deeply ingrained rules that you are here with them."
The trio walked down to where the training grounds were, and Eva was surprised that the place was empty. Glorfindel produced a waterskin that Eva had not spotted on his person and set it down. Fleetingly, she realised that her research was going to have to wait at least a few more hours.
"Shall we?" Glorfindel asked as he removed his outer coat.
"When you're ready, My Lord." replied Eva with a stutter "I must warn you though, I'm not particularly good."
"Show me you best." Glorfindel called as he threw her a practice staff.
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The morning had been busy for the dwarves as they had eaten their breakfast. Mumbled conversations in Khuzdul had seen the Company split into different groups in order to explore the city more. The younger ones seemed enamoured with the oddness of it, as they were much more used to cities closed over in stone. The older ones grumbled about being stuck around elves, but they were very well aware that they were unlikely to get another break like this for the entire Quest, so they grudgingly took their rest.
Thorin had been deep in thought for most of the morning, waving away Dwalin's concerned questions and Balin's questioning looks. As soon as he had voiced to Dwalin that he believed that they were not being told the entire truth, his mind jumped on the little things that had seemed to be out of place.
How did she end up in the halfling's hallway, of all places to appear? How did she know the halfling would come? How did she know Dis' song for Fili and Kili? How did Eva know to poison the trolls? How did she end up with Gandalf before all the others when we were being chased? How did she know how we had been treated upon arrival in Rivendell, despite being unconscious?
With each question, Thorin's confusion and frustration grew. He knew that Mahal had chosen her and that Mahal had asked him to put aside his stubbornness, but there were too many unanswered questions at this point for him to be able to trust her completely. Thorin had been duped by the Race of Men before, and he was not about to be fooled on the most important Quest of his life.
With a grim look on his face, Thorin stood up and walked purposely towards the hallway that connected their little courtyard to the rest of the city.
"Baheluh? Where're ye goin'?" Dwalin began as he stood with Balin beside him.
"To get some answers." Thorin replied.
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Lunch time saw Eva nearly collapsed against the benches. When Eva had agreed to show Glorfindel, he had been reasonably surprised to find that the woman had solid foundations. It had then turned to three hours of being put through her paces. She had several bruises to her legs for her trouble, but the Elven Lord seemed impressed.
"That was the most fun I've had in many centuries." Glorfindel confided. "You are far more advanced in your knowledge than the previous Shield… and if I may say without offense, far better company!"
Eva moaned "Believe me, the pleasure and pain is all mine. Christ! You're a fucking tough task-master!"
"Shall we get something to eat?"
"Yes." Eva squeaked "Ooo, my shoulders…."
Eva stumbled up the path as Elrohir chuckled softly at her predicament. "I shall escort you to the Healing Halls afterwards if you wish. You did very well for your first training session."
"That you did." Glorfindel replied lightly "This one spent most of his time in the dirt when we first trained."
As they entered the Dining Hall, a familiar voice called to her "Ah! Miss Eva! Been wonderin' where ye'd run off ta."
Eva turned to face Noti "Out sparring, Master Nori!"
For a brief moment, Nori took her disheveled appearance in. Holding onto the arm of her escort, she was having a little difficulty walking, but it wasn't that that caught his attention. Eva was shining with pride. A pride that he had never seen when she had been in the presence of his own kin. She was radiant in her exhaustion.
"Yeh should have said somethin'. Lass!"
Eva took her arm out of the elf's hold "Master Nori." she began in a low ,cheeky, conspiratory tone that he'd not heard from her before "When the Lord Glorifindel asks to spar with you, you do not turn him down."
Nori turned to look at the male elf and blinked. "Lord Glorfindel?"
The Elven lord gave a gentle smile "Your Shield is far more capable than she gives herself credit for. I take it you are the same Master Nori that she claims showed her the foundations?"
Nori nodded "Aye, that'd be me." he said, puffing up a bit with pride. Having sat and listened to Ori go on and on about this particular elf - the Balrog Slayer - during Ori's apprenticeship, Nori knew exactly who he was looking at.
"We're off to lunch, Master Nori. Would you like to join us?" Eva asked as she flicked her unravelling braid back behind her.
As suspicious as he was about strangers, the dwarven thief wasn't going to say no to a living legend.
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"Why dun ye ask fer directions?" Dwalin huffed as he rounded yet another corner behind Thorin.
"Haven't found it yet…" Thorin muttered darkly. "Damn elvish corridors. They all look the same!"
Balin's brow rose as he followed silently behind the other two, quietly wondering where Thorin was trying (and failing) to go. It was a well known fact amongst the group that Thorin was fine with directions below the ground, but was a laughing stock above it.
The clanking of dulled metal against each other made all three look up, and Thorin's brow furrowed in confusion. Following the noises, they realised that the path was leading them to a vast clearing that had been sectioned off with ropes and sturdily crafted benches. As they approached, the sounds of training could be heard echoing through the grounds. There was a crowd around one of the rings. Curiosity got the better of Balin, so he peeked through the crowd.
"What is it, nadad?" Dwalin called
Balin's head popped through the crowd "You need to see this, nadadith. You too, Thorin."
The elves parted when they realised that they had dwarves in their midst.
"Your Shield is very good, considering she's claimed to have very little weapons training." said one of the ellons.
Looking down, the elder dwarrow were stunned to silence.
In the ring was Eva, holding her own against an elf. A very well trained one, if his movements were anything to go by. While the older dwarves could see that the elf was holding back substantially, Eva was not. She was fierce as she prowled around the ring, even though her moves were not as refined as the others, her practice sword raised.
"She's got spark, that one, despite her lack of skill" said another. Balin turned to the elf in question and raised his brow. "Elladan, son of Elrond, Master Dwarf."
"Balin, son of Fundin, at your service." Balin replied civilly.
"Ah!" came another ellon that looked to be an exact copy of the first "Elrohir, son of Elrond." Balin nodded at the elf "You must be the Master Balin that Lady Eva speaks so fondly of?"
Balin blinked in confusion "Pardon me?"
"Lady Eva often refers to you as the wisest of the Company. She says of the lot of you, you're the only one with their head properly on." one of the twins said to Balin (he couldn't remember which one at the moment) "She holds you in very high regard, Master Balin."
"Eva!" came Glorfindel's voice "Choose a staff."
Eva threw the practice sword down and picked up a slightly smaller staff that would work with her height. She rolled her shoulders as she walked back into the ring, Glorfindel meeting her in the middle with a staff of his own.
"Ready?"
The spark in her eyes was unmistakable as she flicked her braid over her shoulder "Bring it!" she called.
The two of them circled, waiting for the other to move. Glorfindel attacked first and the dwarves watched in awe as the two clashed. The elves murmured amongst themselves as Eva very nearly scored a direct hit. Her braid left a blur of red and gold as she spun and dived.
"Come on!" Eva called "You're holding back! You can afford to give me a bit more!"
Glorfindel swiped dangerously close to her already injured shoulder and Eva grinned "That's it! Come on! I can't get better if you think me too delicate!"
Dwalin snapped to attention as Eva landed a hit on the elf's braced leg. Balin saw the meer hint of a wince.
"I thought Dwarrow revered their women?"
Eva sloppily dodged another swipe "Oh, they do! But they think I don't know they whisper behind my back!"
She took an enthusiastic swing, which missed Glorfindel comfortably "Useless woman… reckless wench…" Eva hissed as she took another swing and managed to miraculously clip part of Glorfindel's arm guard. "Unfit to be here… " she panted as she dodged a slow swipe from the elf.
"You're a fast learner!" Glorfindel called. Eva feigned right and then quickly dodged left, managing to catch the elf momentarily off guard.
A loud crack rang the air as Glorfindel hit one of her arm braces. Eva shook it off "Got a point to prove, didn't I? Damn stone-headed idiots! They think just because I have a bosom that I should be left out of 'men's business'. Have they already forgotten that I lived alone for two years in a man's world?"
Glorfindel charged at the woman again, but got a shock when she dropped to the ground, tucking the staff close to her body and rolled fluidly out from under him, leaving him momentarily surprised.
"Alright, that's enough! You need to eat, Eva." said the Elven Lord as he held a hand out to help her off the dusty training area "Your Company is truly blessed to have you in their Company."
"Pfffft! I'll believe that when I see it!" came Eva's defeated retort "But thank you for your vote of confidence. I'm going to need it when it comes to that lot! I swear!"
Balin had heard enough as he felt anger rise through him. Balin knew more than most the value of dams in dwarrow culture, being only slightly younger than Thorin, and it tugged deep within him that the sole female in their midst was turning to the dwarrow's natural adversary for help because she felt unwanted. He grabbed Dwalin by the ear and forcibly led his brother away. Thorin's gaze followed the two brothers as Balin dragged Dwalin.
"Nadad! Ow! What are yeh- OUCH!"
The crowd dispersed as the two opponents in the ring packed away their training weapons. Thorin's gaze returned to her as he caught her rolling her shoulders and neck. He watched her in silence as she crossed the practice ring to the other elf. A completely unfamiliar feeling in his chest briefly flared as he saw the two of them smile at each other warmly. Then, Eva bowed her head to the elf in respect before turning around to leave.
She was obviously preoccupied with something as she did not look up until she was within arms reach of him. Thorin cleared his throat quietly, which made her head snap up as she shrieked.
From here, Thorin could see the emotions cross her face. Surprise, suspicion, confusion, and finally resigned defeat. She cast her eyes downwards, completely missing Thorin's frown, and walked straight past him towards Rivendell's peaceful hallways before he could gather himself to actually ask for her company.
This is going to be harder than I thought…..
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Bifur was whittling away at a piece of stubborn hickory when Nori found him. The axe-headed dwarf had brought the piece all the way with him to Rivendell, having not had either the time or the inspiration to begin carving. He tapped the wood idly with his whittling knife as he dug for some inspiration.
"Hello, Master Bifur." Nori began quietly.
Bifur blinked in confusion. Nori was usually too sly to approach him, even though he had been travelling for over two months on the road together. He gave the younger dwarf a confused look.
"I've come 'cross some information tha' a think you might want ta hear."
As Bifur set aside the hickory to listen to Nori, the younger dwarf described to him in low tones what he had witnessed about Eva. Her loss and her perseverance struck a cord of recognition within the axe-headed dwarf, and he could see where Thorin's approach to her had deeply hurt her. The revelation that she would likely die on the journey halted him sharply, though Nori seemingly didn't notice.
As Nori slowed in his story, Bifur gently took the thief aside and murmured gruff Khuzdul words of reassurance. Nori, now unburdened, thanked the older dwarf and left.
Bifur now wore a frown of contemplation. Looking slowly around the little garden that he was currently quite alone in, he took a deep breath and relished the smell of the wildflowers on the breeze. He, unlike most of the Company, had no issue whatsoever being stuck in an elven settlement. He was strange like that occasionally, but Bifur had most learned to ignore the whispers.
As he looked around, he saw a huge tree in the next clearing, vines and runners winding themselves all the way up the truck of the tree. As his eyes travelled up, he saw a mother bird feeding her chick in a nest at the fork of the first branch.
Bifur's mouth curved into a lop-sided smile as he packed the hickory back into the sack he brought with him and instead began his search for a suitable branch to make into a sturdy walking staff.
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The fortress reeked of death and suffering, and it made Eva's stomach churn. She had no recollection of this place at all, even though alarm bells were going off in her head telling her that this was a very important place. None of her dreams during the course of the journey had been anything other than important, even if the importance was different between dreams.
She couldn't do anything except watch as she saw Gandalf enter the fortress below her. He was speaking in a language that she couldn't understand, but she felt the magic rush by her as he slammed his staff into the ground, creating a shockwave that spread throughout the structure.
Eva could tell that even Gandalf was uneasy. She looked around again, trying to commit the details to memory. She followed Gandalf through the collapsing structure as he tried to navigate while holding his sword, each passing minute becoming more and more nerve-racking.
Then, without warning, something jumped down and attacked Gandalf from above. Eva screamed as she pressed herself into a dark corner and screwed her eyes shut. She could not, however, block the sounds of struggle from her ears. Minutes went by, and slowly, the struggle turned to Gandalf's favour before he finally subdued the creature.
Gandalf's body blocked the creature as the wizard held a strong, steady hand to his brow. Long, low murmuring and then-
"Thrain?"
Eva's eyes snapped open and she came out of her corner. She looked upon the creature, now confirmed to be a dwarf, with disbelieving eyes.
"Gandalf?" came the hoarse reply.
Thrain was filthy from top to bottom, his beard and hair were grey with age and sticking out at odd angles. An odd tattoo sat in the middle of his forehead, all angles and geometric lines. As Eva walked around to make sure that she saw both of them well, she found herself looking to grey eyes, not the piercing blue that Thorin had. She saw the sense slowly return to the old dwarf.
"My old friend," Gandalf began, his voice full of unsaid pain as Thrain struggled to sit up.
"A lifetime…" the old dwarf rasped "I've been here a lifetime…."
"I'm so sorry I'd given you up for dead…" Gandalf murmured quietly.
"I had a son… Thorin-"
"And you will see him again." Gandalf reassured his long lost friend. "Come, we must leave."
Eva jerked awake to find herself face down on the covers of the bed that she had been given in Rivendell. Her mind was racing as she pushed herself up roughly into the covers and rubbed her eyes with her hands.
Think, woman!
She had known that Thrain was Thorin's father, she knew that even before she Jumped to Middle Earth. Something in the back of her mind was screaming that this was extremely important. Was this part of her task too?
Eva walked over to the little washbasin in the corner of her room and splashed icy water on her face in a bid to wake up the rest of her brain.
Dol Guldur.
Eva gasped. That sounded like … like…
My child, what you saw was Dol Guldur.
"Lady Yavanna?" Eva whispered.
Olorin and Thorin need to know, child. But you must hurry!
Without much thought to the way she looked, she threw open the door to her room and sprinted out of it, leaving in her wake a very confused elf.
"My Lady!" Elrohir called, but Eva kept on running. He blinked in surprise before scrambling to follow her.
Eva made her way to the courtyard where she knew the dwarves were sleeping. Her one track mind blocked everything else out until she quite literally bounced off someone that she didn't see and was knocked to the ground.
"Fuck!" she yelped as she collided with the someone and crashed unceremoniously to the floor.
"Miss Eva?" came the rather unimpressed tone of the one person she needed to see, but really did not want to at the moment.
Am I ever going to catch a break with him?
Eva scrambled up to be faced with a curious but suspicious look from Thorin.
"Hello, Lass." Balin greeted "Who set yer tunic on fire?"
She chose to completely ignore Balin as she turned to Thorin, getting her breath back. She had no idea how she was going to even raise the subject of her dream without looking like a loon. Thorin saw the hesitation.
"Miss Eva, has something happened?"
Eva looked into Thorin's face. He was still suspicious, but now she could see the concern in his face as the question seemed to be genuine.
"I…" she began "I don't even know where to start…"
Thorin looked at her for a long moment "The beginning is always the best place to start, Miss Eva."
Eva looked into his face and hoped to the Valar that sent her that she wasn't about to make a colossal mistake.
"Thorin, we need to find Gandalf..." she began anxiously "Something's not right…"
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Ada - father
Mahalmarkhel - Mahal's Shield
Baheluh - my oldest friend
Nadad - Brother
Nadadith - younger brother
