The next morning I found myself unpacking the bag I had hastily packed the night before. Much more thought and care needed to be put into my pack if I was going to be providing my own supplies for the duration of the journey. I glanced around my room in deep thought as I tried to decide what was absolutely necessary. I needed to bring supplies for my journey as well as clothing for when I returned home. After all, I couldn't expect my family to provide all of my necessities when I made it there. I decided on two simple gowns and a tunic and pants to change into on the road. I also packed my brush and a vial of soap leaving plenty of room for food and a small coin purse.
Crossing my room, I opened the chest at the foot of my bed and began to ruffle through it. Buried at the bottom was a short sword that had belonged to my father. I pulled it out and unwrapped it from the simple brown cloth that had kept it safe all these years. I unsheathed it and the blade glistened in the light. It was just as sharp as it had been the day I tucked it safely in the chest. The hilt was a deep reddish brown and the guard had twin horses wrapping around to form a heart shape. It was similar to many of the swords forged in Rohan and to be truthful the blade wasn't special at all except for its sentimental value. My father had fought and died upon this blade and if I never made it home, I would do the same.
I had been informed that we would be leaving before dawn tomorrow. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. In fact I was very overwhelmed at the thought of returning home after so long. How much had changed? Would my family be the same? Had they missed me all these years? Would I stop being a burden in the House of Elrond and become one in my own family's home? I shook those unpleasant thoughts out of my head. I had to make it home first before any of that came to pass.
I left my room and set out to find Bilbo, he had agreed to introduce me to the rest of the company so I wouldn't be a complete stranger to them. I found him walking back to his room. "Oh hello Éadwyn! What can I do for you?"
I smiled warmly at him. He had clearly forgotten he had offered to introduce me. "I was hoping that you could take me to meet the dwarves?"
"Oh certainly! I had forgotten I was going to introduce you! Follow me." He inclined his head towards the direction we were to walk in.
We checked the balcony they had claimed and found it deserted. Bilbo and I decided to continue our search as we chatted about the journey that was before us. We checked common room after common room but the dwarves were nowhere to be found. I was beginning to think they had left Bilbo and I behind when I saw quite possibly the most horrifying sight in my whole life. I stopped mid-sentence and my cheeks burned bright red as I averted my eyes. Bilbo followed my gaze before quickly averting his gaze as well. The dwarves had taken it upon themselves to bathe naked in one of the fountains. They were stark naked as they splashed and jumped into the fountain.
I quickly turned on my heel and Bilbo followed suit. "I think it's best that I make my introduction later."
"Agreed." Was all he responded with looking completely embarrassed.
A short while later we found ourselves sitting on a bench under a shade tree watching butterflies flit around the flowers. The bees buzzed as they collected pollen and carried it back to their hive a few trees over. I was munching on an apple as Bilbo smoked his pipe. I was just about to excuse myself to go for a ride when two dwarves came into view. The taller one had dark brown hair and a scruffy face and the shorter one had intricately braid hair. They spotted us and made their way toward us. I noted that they were quite handsome for dwarves.
"Good afternoon Bilbo!" The blonde stated before addressing me. "Fili."
"And Kili." The other said.
"At your service." They said in unison as they bowed lowly, each of them trying to bow lower than the other. Kili fell over as he bowed too low and lost his balance.
I stifled a small chuckle. "Éadwyn at yours." I said with a polite head bob as I was still sitting.
Bilbo rolled his eyes before addressing me. "Fili and Kili are Thorin's nephews." He explained.
"So you're the girl who is to join us! Splendid!" Fili said as he looked over at his brother with a twinkle in his eye.
Before I knew it they had stooped down and hoisted me up by my arms, linking theirs with mine, dragging me back inside. Leaving Bilbo to trail behind us looking slightly annoyed. Had I not been so shocked at their behavior I would have stopped and unhooked my arms from theirs but instead all I could do was be dragged along by them. I was a whole head taller than them and it made my shoulders ache slightly being pulled at such a low angle. I glanced back at Bilbo who was placing his pipe back in his pocket. He gave me a sheepish smile and shrugged his shoulders.
"You really must meet everyone!" Kili exclaimed excitedly.
"You'll fit right in!" Fili said as his brother nodded in agreement. Somehow I doubted that.
They dragged me back to the balcony that the company was once again occupying. I looked around at them all as they stared at the three of us with curious expressions. The memory of their bath in the fountain this morning came flashing back and I blushed in embarrassment. The only relief I felt was that I knew none of them had seen Bilbo or I. I began to grow uncomfortable under their gazes and unhooked my arms from Fili and Kili. I stood there awkwardly waiting for either one of them to say something.
"Lads this here is Éadwyn! She will be accompanying us across the Misty Mountains." I curtsied out of politeness as Fili continued. "And this is Oin, Gloin, Nori, Bombur, Ori, Dwalin, Balin, Dori, Bifur, Bofur." He pointed to all the dwarves as he spouted off their names as fast as lightning. I had a feeling it would take me a while to remember all of their names, if I ever did. I remembered the dwarf with the unusual hat was Bofur, the one who had elbowed me in the ribs yesterday morning at breakfast. He offered me a friendly smile as I glanced across them all. It was easy to tell who was welcoming of me and who wasn't. There were those who looked at me with distaste and those who looked at me with friendly smiles.
A small white haired dwarf stepped forward, he appeared to be the oldest of the group. "Welcome aboard Lass." He clapped his hand on my shoulder and appeared to size me up. I had been a whole head taller than Fili and Kili but this dwarf, I think his name was Balin, only came up to my collar bone. "Come sit with us, we would like to get to know you a little better."
He steered me towards an empty cushion that was on the floor and I sat down on it. I was between Balin and Bilbo, who had followed me to another empty seat. I stared at all the faces that were looking at me, waiting for me to speak. This was all much more overwhelming than I had ever thought it would be. I cleared my throat before speaking. "Well I'm not sure how much Bilbo or Mithrandir have told you about why I'm joining your quest…" I paused as I glanced down at my feet. "But I'm from Rohan and I've been looking to journey home for quite some time now and when the opportunity presented itself, Mithrandir insisted I take it. I know the area surrounding Rivendell quite well, having lived here for the last eighteen years." I was trying to talk myself up a little bit hoping to overcome my shyness. "I promise that I won't be a burden and I'll look after myself."
"Well I for one think you will be an excellent addition to our company, we need someone prettier than Kili so he won't be mistaken for a female." Fili exclaimed with a howl of laughter. A chuckle burst out among them as I blushed fiercely. I looked at Kili who was being held back from throwing an apple at his brother's head.
Fili's exclamation was enough to break the ice and soon enough I was chatting with them as easily as I had with Bilbo. Perhaps this wouldn't be so bad after all. They seemed to be a decent enough bunch although I could tell there were a few who were still hesitant at having a woman on their quest. The big, brawny one, Dwalin, kept questioning me on my skill with a sword and if I had ever killed before. I reassured him that I had slain my fair share of orcs and goblins before and that I was decent enough with a blade. By no means did I pretend to be an expert but I had been trained by the elves. Gloin just kept mumbling under his breath that I was dead weight and would be better off left behind. I chose to ignore him as he appeared to be the downer of the group. I wasn't one for confrontation anyways.
Later that evening, following another eventful meal of the dwarves throwing their salads all over the dining hall, I found myself leaning over a balcony looking across the valley. Even though I had never truly felt at home here my heart ached at the thought of never seeing this beautiful city again. The stars twinkled brightly overhead adding to the magical beauty before me. In the distance, I could hear soft whinnies in the stable as the horses settled in for the night and the raucous from the dwarves who were a few rooms over. They were eager to start the next leg of their quest and I couldn't blame them. They longed for home just as much as I did. Before long I started singing softly about home.
Where now the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that
was blowing?
Where is the helm and the hauberk, and the bright hair
flowing?
Where is the hand on the harpstring, and the red fire
glowing?
Where is the spring and the harvest and the tall corn
growing?
They have passed like rain on the mountain, like a wind
in the meadow;
The days have gone down in the West behind the hills
into shadow.
Who shall gather the smoke of the dead wood burning,
Or behold the flowing years from the Sea returning?
As I finished the song I heard clapping from behind me. I spun around to see Bofur standing there with a smile. The few times I had met him, he always seemed to have a smile on his face. It was comforting to be around someone who gave off such a warm and happy glow. "You have a lovely voice lass. A true gift."
My face flushed with embarrassment. "I'm not that good." I mumbled under my breath as he approached me. He leaned against the rail of the balcony and looked out over the valley. A few inches separated our bodies as I turned back around and rested my arms across the rail. I glanced down at him as we stood in silence, it wasn't by any means an awkward silence but a comfortable relaxed silence. It was so odd to feel relaxed around someone who was virtually a stranger. I had spent years in the House of Elrond and never felt as comfortable as I did with Bilbo, Fili, Bofur, and even the other dwarves.
Bofur pulled out a pipe and began to puff away. The silence of the night encompassed us as the world around us drifted off to sleep. I suspected we were the only ones left awake as the moon rose higher into the sky. "Can't sleep?" He asked suddenly breaking the silence. He peered up at me from under the brim of his hat.
I startled at the sound of his voice. I shrugged my shoulders. "Honestly, I'm a mix of emotions. Excited to be going home, saddened to be leaving Rivendell, and nervous for what lies on the road ahead." I subconsciously felt the scar on my chest.
The motion didn't go unnoticed by Bofur. "If you don't mind me asking lass, what happened there?" He inclined his head towards my scar and I flinched at the painful memory.
A sigh escaped me as I thought back to my last attempt at returning home. "This isn't my first time going home. I tried once before and it didn't go so well. We were ambushed in the mountains by a goblin party and I was struck down. If it hadn't been for the quick thinking of my travelling companions I would have been lost…" I trailed off. I didn't like to think about it and I certainly didn't like talking about it. If Glindir hadn't been such a skilled healer, I certainly would have died of blood loss, infection, or the poison of the blade. It had taken me weeks to heal and it still ached when I thought about it too long. I'm sure it was just phantom pains but it caused me great agony nonetheless. I'm sure this time if something happened, I wouldn't survive. None of these dwarves had the skill and elven magic that Glindir possessed.
Bofur seemed to sense my thoughts and placed his hand on my arm. "You'll make it home safely lass. We won't let anything happen to you. I won't." He gave me a reassuring smile as he squeezed my arm slightly before removing his hand. "Well I suppose I'll turn in for the night. You should do the same. Long road ahead of us." He gave me another warm smile before turning and walking away.
I turned to face his retreating form. "Bofur?" He stopped and looked back at me . "Thank you. I truly appreciate it."
"Good night lass."
The next morning came too early. I was exhausted as I rubbed my sleepy eyes. I tried to adjust to the darkness of the room as I forced my eyes open. There was nothing more in the world I wanted to do in that moment than curl back up into my bed and sleep for a few more hours. I suppose I was going to have to adjust quickly to early mornings. I groaned as a loud knock sounded on my door. I quickly jumped out of bed and shrugged out of my night dress and pulled on a pair of simple brown pants and a forest green tunic. I slipped on my worn leather riding boots before I crossed to the door and threw it open. Mithrandir was standing there looking annoyed.
"Good gracious my dear, hurry up! They are preparing to depart. I suspect you have about twenty minutes."
"Yes, yes. I'm coming. Just let me grab my pack." I went back to my bedside and belted my sword to my waist and draped my grey cloak around my shoulders,clasping it around my neck. I hoisted my pack up and slung it around my shoulders. I returned to Mithrandir at the door who handed me a bundle of food and a water skin. I thanked him before securing them in my pack. I followed him to to the stables where the dwarves were tacking up their ponies.
I smiled at Bilbo as he struggled to tack up his pony due to his short stature. "Here let me help you." He stepped out of the way as I picked up the saddle pad and placed it over his little mare's back. I swiftly tacked up his pony and strapped his saddle bags upon her back before helping him into the saddle. He nodded as he thanked me and walked his pony outside of the stable to join the few members of the company who were ready to go.
I found myself in Fëa's stall brushing her down gently. "Are you ready old girl?" She let out a soft snort and tossed her head up and down as if shaking her head yes. I brushed the braids out of her mane that I had put in a couple days prior, there was no need for such fancy braids while on the road. When I had finished tacking her up, I loaded the saddle pads on to her back before jumping up into the saddle and exiting her stall for the last time. I was happy to see that I was not the last one to join the company and that Thorin was actually the last one to join us. He had been speaking to Mithrandir who was not a top a horse. Was he not joining us? I frowned as I had been led to believe he would accompany us.
"I will meet up with you all again when the time is right. I have my own business to attend to." Before anyone could protest he turned on his heel and marched back up the steps into Rivendell.
After Mithrandir's departure we set out through the gates of Rivendell. Fëa was pushing us towards the front as she didn't appreciate not being the lead horse. We were soon positioned behind Thorin's pony who I didn't dare pass. If he wanted us to take the lead, he would let me know. I wasn't convinced he was going to actually let me show him the best trails to the foot of the mountains. Fëa was growing restless underneath me, I knew she wanted to be up front and set the pace a little faster than what we were currently doing but she was going to have to get used to following the pace set by our leader.
The sun was rising higher into the sky and with it the temperature rose. I unbuckled my cloak and shoved it into my saddlebag as I began to sweat under the sun's rays. As the day drug on the dwarves had started to burst out randomly in song singing about golden halls of treasure and old dwarven heroes. Bofur caught my eye and gave me an encouraging smile and raised his hands in a fashion that suggested I should join them but I just shook my head and turned to face the road ahead. The road was becoming rockier the nearer we came to the high peaks. There was a path up ahead that would shave half a days ride of our trek but I wasn't sure how to approach the subject with Thorin. He hadn't spoken one word to me and I could tell he still resented me joining them. I finally gathered the courage to speak to him. I rode up next to him and glanced over at him, he just continued to stare at the road before us.
"Uh Thorin?" He just grunted in response his eyes still watching the road. "There's a small path just past that creek on the left that would cut some time off of our ride." My voice came out a lot meeker sounding than I had intended. In fact, I hadn't thought he had heard me until he steered his pony up the path I had pointed out to him. I swelled with pride knowing that he had trusted me enough to follow my advice. I dropped Fëa back a few ponies until I was riding in front of Bilbo.
We chatted idly as we rode up the slowly inclining path. When we reached the top of the foothill we had been riding up we stopped for the night near a small stream. I munched on an apple and headed to the little stream to top off my water skin. There was a patch of wild strawberries nearby, that I helped myself to as well as a walnut tree. I stored some of the sweet fruit and nuts carefully into my pack before loading some into a small cloth I had and carrying them back to where the dwarves were still enjoying their dinner. I sat down beside Bilbo who was sitting near the ponies and handed him the small bundle.
He smiled in delight as he opened the cloth and found the delicious little fruit. "Oh how delightful! Thank you Éadwyn!"
"Might as well enjoy it. The vegetation gets much scarcer from here on out. You should refill your water skin well. This is the last stream before we reach the mountains." He thanked me before heading down to the stream, leaving me with the ponies.
I wandered over to Fëa who was grazing slightly away from the ponies. I reached into the saddlebag and pulled out a small apple for her. "I know you just want to run but I promise you when we get to Rohan we can ride as hard you want. There will be all the open plains in the world." She crunched on her apple as I rambled on.
"Who are you talking to?" I spun around to find Bofur standing there. Apparently it wasn't normal behavior to be talking to a horse as I was once again questioned about it.
"As a matter of fact I was. Believe it or not she understands me. Fëa is quite the intelligent horse." I stroked her neck lovingly as she whinnied softly.
"Whatever you say lass." He said with a chuckle as he looked at us questioningly.
"You don't believe me? Watch this. Want another apple?" I questioned her. On cue, Fëa picked up her head and shook it up and down before turning her nose toward the pack and trying to pull one out. I shooed her head away before pulling one out and presenting it to her. She took it with a soft snort. "What about a ride? Want to go?" She pawed at the ground and lowered herself down so I could climb on top of her. She stood up as soon as I mounted her.
Bofur let out a loud laugh. "Well would ya look at that!"
Fili and Kili joined us wondering what the commotion was. I jumped down off of Fëa and repeated the trick for the brothers who promptly returned to their ponies attempting to recreate the trick. A short while later, they returned looking defeated.
"Don't beat yourselves up too much, I could ride before I could walk. Besides, Fëa and I practiced that trick for weeks before she was able to do it." I dismounted her and she snorted in annoyance and pawed at the ground. "Go ahead but don't wander too far." She trotted off happily, with her tail raised high as she disappeared into the forest below.
"You're not worried that she won't come back?" Fili asked.
I shook my head. "Nah. She knows her way just as well as I do. We have been separated on a few occasions and she always finds her way back to me."
I shuddered as a cool breeze swept across the hilltop. The last few rays of light were disappearing over the horizon and the air was cooling fast. I bent down and pulled my cloak out of my saddlebag that sat next to me on the ground and fastened it around my shoulders. I grabbed the small bundle of berries that I had tucked away for myself and stood up deciding to share them with the friendly dwarves. It was the least I could do. I held out the bundle to Bofur who was standing the closest to me. "Here. I found these down by the stream. It'll probably be the last fresh berries we will have for a while."
"Thanks." He said as he took the bundle and shared them with Fili and Kili.
We sat on the ground near the ponies about twenty feet away from the fire that the others had gathered around and chatted idly when Bilbo once again joined us returning from the stream. I pulled out a bottle of red wine that I had stashed in my bag and took a sip of it. I handed the bottle to Bilbo who was sitting to my left. He looked at it questioningly before taking a small sip. He smiled in delight. "This is the best wine I have ever had the privilege to drink! Where on earth did you get it?"
"It was a parting gift from Lord Elrond."
He passed the bottle to Fili who passed it Kili and then to Bofur before making it back to me. The bottle made its way around the circle many times before it was finally empty. Kili held the bottle upside down with a frown as a final drip splashed onto the ground. I burst out laughing at the look on his face and the others joined in. Although I'm not really sure they knew what I was laughing at. I reached across our small circle and took the bottle from him before tossing it over to my bag with the intentions of filling it with water in the morning. By this point the alcohol had started to affect me, my fingers tingled and I could feel myself relaxing. I was beginning to think that some of that though was from my current company. Other than Bilbo, they were all very lighthearted and I found it easy to enjoy their company. At the moment though Bilbo seemed to have loosened up and wasn't quite as rigid and as formal as I thought him to be.
We shared stories for a little while longer before Bilbo unpacked his bedroll and wandered closer to the fire. Soon after Fili and Kili followed suit. Bofur stood to leave when he noticed I made no motion to follow him, he stopped.
"Are ya coming?" He questioned.
"I'm going to wait up for Fëa a little longer." I said as I stared at the treeline looking for her. "She shouldn't be much longer."
"Well I've got first watch tonight so I'll keep ya company." He sat on the grass beside me and we once again fell into a comfortable silence.
My head was starting to bob when a wolf howled in the distance. I snapped my eyes open and jumped at the sudden noise. "Nothing to be worried about lass. Just a wolf." Bofur spoke suddenly from beside me. I had almost forgotten he was there he had been so silent. "How did you end up in Rivendell? That's a long way from Rohan."
I hesitated not sure if I really wanted to tell this tale. I looked over at Bofur who was looking at my curiously. "When I was nine orcs raided our village. We lived on the edge of the village and were one of the first houses attacked. My father and brothers were caught in the thick of it while my mother and I ran to warn the other townsmen. By the time we had returned my father had perished. He died saving my brother, Éadmund. We lost many that night but they managed to defeat the orcs. After the attack, my mother moved us to Edoras but she continued to fear for our safety. She was never the same after my father passed so she sent a raven to her mother, my grandmother, who lived at Rivendell and asked if my brothers and I could come to live with her. When the time came to leave, my brothers refused to leave her and so I was sent alone. At the time I was too afraid to stay in Rohan, afraid that more orcs would come. I didn't understand just how far away from home I was going to be and each day we travelled the less I liked the idea of being away from my family. When I got there though, my grandmother made me feel right at home. She gave me Fëa and for years I was happy there.." I trailed off just now noticing the few tears that had fallen down my cheeks. That was the first time I had ever spoken of my father's death although I had thought of it many times.
Bofur reached up and wiped the tears from my cheeks gently with his thumbs. I froze under his sudden touch before he withdrew his hands. "Sorry lass. I just hate to see someone so beautiful so sad." I blushed fiercely at him saying that. "So your grandmother is an elf then?" I was happy for the change in subject.
"Yeah, my grandfather was from Rohan. They met in Rivendell while he was passing through and fell in love and he brought her back to Rohan where they settled down and had my mother. I guess they knew the moment they laid eyes on eachother. If you ask me I think my grandmother was crazy. Running off with some man she had just met! It was quite the scandal." I laughed softly.
Bofur laughed as well. "Crazy? You mean like you running off into the wilderness with thirteen dwarves and a hobbit?"
"What can I say? I guess I take after my grandmother!" We both started laughing all over again before we once again fell into a comfortable silence. I noticed movement on the treeline and Fëa came walking up to us. She nuzzled my hair before I unpacked my bedroll with a yawn. I stood up and turned to face Bofur. "Oh how rude of me! You kept me company, do you want me to stay with you until the end of your watch?"
"It's quite alright. It's almost time for me to wake Gloin anyway. Go ahead and get some sleep." He motioned towards the group of dwarves who were sleeping around the fire.
"Good night Bofur." I said softly before walking over to the edge of the group and laying out my bedroll. I curled up under my blanket and fell fast asleep, my mind at ease after finally speaking about my father's death.
