So this is my official first chapter! The beginning is a little slow I must admit. I know you want some Durin but I really want to provide background and attachment to my OCs before Thorin takes up your attention. I'm not the best writer but I hope you enjoy the crap that has spilled from my mind. Enjoy!
I have completely mastered pretending to sleep, my brothers genuinely believed I was dead to the world, something which needed great skill. It is almost impossible to hide something from them and usually they could tell if I was trying to eavesdrop. You see, I've had to learn this because it is the only time I know for certain that they would tell me the truth – unknowingly of course. It is not that they lie to me, it is more that they fear for me. Being the youngest with three brothers has meant that they are fiercely protective, any notion that things are going badly they try to hide from me and of course, the fact that in their eyes I am but their baby sister. In the past they have, in their minds failed to protect me from the evils of this world, an event that nearly stole me from them but I won't dwell on that part of our lives. The thought of being without my brothers tears at my heart. I decided to risk being a fake by moving, turning my body round to cuddle up to Elijah, his familiar (yet annoying) snores comforted me. He immediately moved his arm to my waist to hold me tighter, like he sensed my distress despite he was so deeply asleep I'm sure a frying pan to the face would not wake him... Yeah, I've done that. Only once and I needed to go into town early, he promised he would take me but nooo he went out drinking too much ale and passed out on the sofa.
Aaaanyway, I do wish they would just confide in me instead of feeling like they need to coddle me so much. We're a team after all, we only have one another. This world is full of darkness, it is impossible to hide me from it, especially on the quest we are embarking on.
"Henrion, you cannot expect me to go through with this, it is far too dangerous for them", I could tell just by his voice Xander was starting to get increasingly irritated but would not raise his voice in case he 'woke' Elijah and I.
"Xan, we cannot hide in the shadows any longer, they are young but strong, do not question it", Henrion replied, in a slightly bored tone.
"We promised our parents we'd protect them from evil, going on a fucking quest to retrieve land that was lost long ago for the greed of some dwarves does not seem like the right way to go. Lucinda is only 20, Henrion, she is just a baby. She should be enjoying life. Elijah too, he should be able to mature in his own time. We have nothing to do with it, let's just go back to Meredith, let's go home brother." Xander was almost pleading, he used my full name, he never does that.
"We cannot carry on living looking over our shoulder awaiting the next attack. I will not let my siblings feel as if they cannot live because of the fear that it could be taken from them. Yes, they are both too young for this, I wish they could do everything we did when we were young – well perhaps not everything. This is the world we live in now, it pains me but to have a life in the future, we must fight for today and tomorrow and the next. Meredith is not our home. We do not have a home until we figure out what is hunting us. We speak of this no longer, do you understand?"
Henrion has so much responsibly, it is only when he lets his guard down that I see how exhausted he is. He was forced to be a father to us three. I've never thanked him for giving up his life to care for his orphaned younger siblings. Meredith was the village we stayed in for the longest, we never stay in one place for too long – we're always on the move. What is hunting us? He must be speaking of the orcs, they seem to be everywhere these days, destroying everything in their path.
"And what of the dwarves idiotic quest? The dragon Hen?! The fucking dragon? We may be told that we will be capable of much but a fucking dragon?" I almost ruined my fake sleeping with a chuckle. Xander's voice almost became supersonic with hysteria. Wait… what did he say?
"Would you keep it down! Your brother and sister are sleeping. The quest is idiotic but Erebor is their home, a home that was stolen from them. They are stubborn folk, I'm surprised they have not tried to retake it before now. Our involvement in this quest is the first step of many in ours. Patience brother, we will get our answers in the end. Whether it is good or bad. We will get them".
They have been arguing over this for the last week or so, since Gandalf came to us asking for our assistance.
"Plus, Gandalf helped us when we needed it most, we owe it to him to help in his time of need. I know you worry for them, especially Belle but it is time for her to see the world, instead of being held back by us. We need to learn that she is a woman now, not the sickly little girl, she is a strong warrior, strong like our mother. We have trained her well. As for Eli, he is reckless I must agree but he will learn to control himself. The signs are here Xander, we must get answers".
Belle, my nickname since I was born, apparently when I was a baby I had such fondness for a little bell with a pink ribbon that I would grasp in my hand and ring until I fell asleep.
This is what I love about Henrion, although he worries just as much as Xander he can detach himself from it to realise what is truly best for us. I guess it was engraved in him from the beginning, being the eldest and all. He is the leader of our pack, and his stature reflects that. He is built like an ox, over six foot with hands like shovels. His long brown hair was pulled back into his signature ponytail, completely neat despite our three day trek in forest after forest. His strong brow seemed to always be creased in obvious worry, yet he'd always have a smile on his face. He radiates intimidation, though underneath his bravado he is but a softy. My brother's all look very similar, I can imagine that they look exactly like my father did at their age. They all have the high cheekbones and strong jaws, their features may even be compared to those of the Elves. Although strong, their features have a delicate and elegant feel to them. Henrion and Xander could have passed off as twins, though there is a five year difference. The only variation between them was the fact that Xander's hair was almost white, like our fathers, though now smeared with mud and grass from our long journey. He preferred to keep it untouched and messy, tucking it behind his ears. Elijah had the near white hair as well, though he preferred his short, he lets me cut it when it got too long. He also had cute little freckles around his nose, he detested them but it is a perfect reflection of his childlike, mischievous behaviour. He, like the rest of my brothers inherited my mother's vibrant green eyes – something that I envy every time I look at them, shinning back at me like emeralds, unfortunately that gene seemed to have skipped me, seeing as I have my father's blue eyes. Although, I should not complain really, my father's eyes – my eyes, are beautiful. My best feature by far. A ring of navy almost black surrounding a stormy blue.
Hen and Xan are considerably older than Eli and I, Henrion being 80. The first born to a couple that were told they could not recreate. He was treasured by my parents, Elena and Henrion Sr. Then five years later, my mother gave birth to another boy: Xander. My mother always wished for children, and when she was told that she would not be able to conceive, it broke her heart. So when she was blessed with two sons, she thanked Mahal for her gifts every night before she slept. It was not for another 50 years that she gave birth to another son, Elijah and then finally 60 years after her first born; I was welcomed into the world. It was not long after my birth that my parent's world crumbled and at the age of three my parents died and my brothers and I were on the run. I always blamed it on myself – being a bad omen of sorts, ruining the goodness of their lives and turning it into pain and death. This was until we were told that our parents died whilst looking for answers, you see, there is a prophesy about our family which my parents discovered which foresaw the events of our birth. It spoke of the boys that would rise to be warriors of Middle Earth and beasts of the wild. The 'beast of the wild' refers to the fact that my brothers are shape-changers. They turn into magnificent beasts, wolves the size of bears. I think they're sweet but the orcs they tear apart don't seem to think so. My brothers tend to avoid changing shape unless necessary. It is an ability passed down from my father, I do not have this ability which is unfortunate but then again seeing them shift seems painful so perhaps it is a good thing.
It spoke of a female child, small and fragile but with a mind that would tear down all in her path. It was incomplete, the last sentence being 'and then the darkness took them…' We do not know what that means, and my parents were killed by orcs trying to find out. Fearing that their children would be taken from them. I do not know much of what happened to them, only that one moment they were there and the next I was told they moved on to a better place. I wonder whether Henrion and Xander have hidden what happened to them from Elijah and I but they seem to be in the dark just as much as us. I know not of the signs that Henrion speaks of, though the way he said it, sparked anxiety into my veins. His usually deep uplifting tone was laced with worry.
"I know Hen, you're right. Of course you are. Our mother's death will not be in vain. We will find a reason for why this is all happening. I just want to live, I don't want to have to hide who we are because of some stupid prophesy and the actions of that-"
"Alright, enough. Clean yourself up Xan, you look like shit. We move at dawn, I suggest you get some sleep before we arrive at the Shire. No more mention of your worries either. Trust me and know this is what we have to do."
"Thanks for that", chuckled Xander, all the tension seemed to have disappeared, "you know I trust you with my life brother that will never change, even if I think this is insane."
As I heard them chuckle and grab one another in one of those 'we're too manly to properly hug so a forearm grab and one handed clap on the back will do' many questions ran through my head. The actions of whom? What signs? Our mother's death? What about my fathers? As the numerous possibilities ran through my mind, I fell into a dreamless sleep.
There we go. Any questions don't hesitate to ask! Lucinda's parents are a part of this story that will become clearer as we go on. I don't want to give up all my secrets at once!