Blessed of the Valar
A/N: I am so sorry it's taken me so long to update this story. I make no excuses I just haven't been able to make the time in my life. Here is the next installment with everyone in Rivendell. Hopefully it makes up for the long break. More will follow soon as I'm hoping to catch up and bring this one up to BOFA events. I finally have the extended version of BOFA and will hopefully be updating Bejeweled soon…ish. I have a few other stories swimming in my head that want to be written as well.
Chapter 4
As the company crossed a massive stone bridge that led to the entrance of Rivendell the Dwarves were all tense and wary. Several of them were giving Belle odd looks as she nearly danced across the bridge with a happy smile on her lips, Thorin looked especially sour at how much she seemed to like the elven place. A tall thin elf seemed to float down a stairway to greet Gandalf, only to have a small bundle of happy hobbit latch onto his legs. Balin shook his head with a soft sigh when Thorin growled at seeing Belle hugging the tall elf, and receiving a hug in return. The growl only intensified as the two began speaking in Sindarin, leaving the poor Dwarves to wonder just what was happening.
"Hello My Lady Belle. You have been sorely missed in these halls."
"Thank you Lindir. I do apologize for having been gone for so long. Is Lord Elrond here? I would very much like to see him..."
"He should be returning shortly with his hunting party. Apparently an Orc pack came too near to our borders..."
The tall elf gave the little Hobbit a pointed look which she cheerfully ignored, much to his mock irritation, as an elvish horn sounded and a herd of slender horses ridden by equally slender elves surrounded the Dwarves. Belle found herself being pulled back and maneuvered into the center of the Dwarves as they closed ranks around her. When the apparent leader embraced Gandalf in a friendly hug they all relaxed just enough for Belle to be able to slip out under Thorin's arm, racing full speed to the armor-clad elf who swooped down and lifted her into his arms. Her joyful grin and happy giggles earned a number of fond smiles from the Dwarves. The two conversed for a while in Sindarin, making the Dwarves shift uneasily.
"Little Belle. It seems so long since I last saw you. You have been missed, my dear, I assure you."
"So Lindir tells me. I am sorry I stayed away so long...I just couldn't..."
"No apology is needed little Lady of the Shire. I see many things...as you well know. Arwen and I knew you would be visiting us soon."
"Are they all here? Arwen, Dan, and Ro?"
"Arwen is, yes, but my sons are off on one of their Orc hunts. With any luck they will return before you leave. Arwen, I am sure, will be very pleased to see you. She has been sewing clothing for you recently...I do believe a bit of dress-up is in your near future."
Belle huffed softly and shook her head with an amused little smirk. A sudden image flashed in her mind of Arwen helping her into a flowing royal-blue gown and her smirk softened.
"She always did enjoy dressing me up."
Lindir will lead your companions to my private balcony for supper, if that meets with everyone's approval."
"Does he offer us insult Lass?"
"No Gloin...he's offering you food...and a bath I hope?"
Elrond let out a soft laugh at her hopeful tone and nodded sagely, trying to appear aloof and mysterious and failing when it caused her to giggle.
"Of course little one, you may have anything your little heart desires here. You know that full well."
"Thank the Valar...I was kind of used as a troll hanky last night and I feel disgusting...I probably look just as bad."
A chorus of Dwarven denials met her ears and she smiled softly at them in thanks. Elrond nodded to Lindir, who reluctantly stepped forward.
"Lindir will lead you all to a chamber where you may place your belongings and clean up a bit before escorting you to my balcony for supper."
As the elven Lord began to leave, still holding Belle in his arms, the Dwarves protested and Thorin was the loudest.
"Where do you think you are taking her?"
"I am taking her to my daughter, a good friend of hers, so that she can get a proper bath and some descent clothing Master Oakenshield."
"I do not recall meeting you..."
"You have your father's bearing. I knew Thror when he ruled under the mountain."
"He made no mention of you."
Belle interjected before either of the two could become overly hostile; much to the amusement of Gandalf Thorin actually ignored the elves to focus on her when she spoke to him.
"Thorin, quit being so rude. I'll be fine. No one here would ever hurt me I promise. You'll see me again at supper...I just really need a bath...please?"
Her soft plea undid the dwarf king and he nodded with a soft sigh, being rewarded with a blinding smile before she left his sight.
"I do believe that woman is going to be the death of me Balin."
"Perhaps, but she may also be the life of you my friend. Mahal knows you could use a Lass like her to keep your head on straight."
"That she may Balin, that she may."
Thorin pointedly ignored his friends little jab and the company followed the tall elf to where they would be sleeping. Once everyone was cleaned up Lindir led them to Elrond's balcony where the company sat at a long table and Thorin was invited to join Elrond and Gandalf at a smaller round table nearby. There was a fourth place setting there which he assumed was for Belle though he did not see her just yet and that made him strangely anxious.
"Where is our Hobbit?"
"Behind you, Master Oakenshield."
At Elrond's words the entire company turned to see Belle entering the balcony area. She wore a deep royal-blue gown with silver embroidered patterns along the seams. The sleeves were made from a floaty fabric that barely seemed to have substance as they fluttered around her arms in a breeze no one else could feel. There was a small silver circlet atop her auburn curls that looked like flowering vines had taken residence in her hair, which shone in the sunlight as though little trails of flame were flowing through it. More than one dwarf found himself entranced by the sight of her as Lindir led her to the round table and helped her into a taller chair than the others had been given to compensate for her smaller stature.
"I see my daughter has outdone herself this evening Belle."
"She was wonderful as always Uncle Elrond."
"Uncle?!"
Belle blinked owlishly at the stunned Dwarves, flushing a light red as Elrond responded for the suddenly quiet hobbit.
"Uncle indeed. Her mother was a very good friend of mine, and she grew up knowing my children as her close friends. Belle essentially adopted me as her uncle."
"You forget that you also saved my life after the Fell Winter, something that Hobbits do not take lightly."
"I know my dear."
"The Fell Winter? Gandalf mentioned that once. What was it Belle?"
Belle grew very quiet for a long moment and seemed to almost shrink before their eyes at Kili's innocent question. Several of the older Dwarves glared at the poor lad but Belle waved them off before they could yell at him.
"He is only curious and he could not know how bad it was...few outside of the Shire truly know how bad it was. The Fell Winter, as we call it, happened when I was still just a tween. It grew so cold for so long that the Brandywine River, that's the river that borders the Shire to the north and protects us from the creatures of the forest, froze solid and stayed that way. The animals had all moved on or froze to death so the wolves were starving. They came into the Shire and began attacking anyone that dared to leave their homes...eventually no one dared to leave home unless it was an absolute emergency. That relative safety did not last for long as the wolves soon began finding ways to get into people's homes and devour them. My father was among the able-bodied Hobbit men who were called by the Thain to help protect the borders, leaving my mother and I alone in Bag-End. My mother heard the wolves at the door and went out to meet them with her small sword and a number of daggers. She died protecting me and the wolves would have gotten me anyway had the rangers not shown up then. One of them scooped me up onto his horse and raced to a tent that Lord Elrond had set up to treat injuries. Those two men saved me that day, and Hobbits do not take such a thing lightly."
"Nor do we Dwarves, Belle. To save a life is a great thing and should be honored. I for one am very glad that you were saved that day so that you could join us here."
"Thank you Thorin. Shall we eat now?"
Elrond clapped his hands together once and a number of elves brought out bowls of leafy green salads. Belle burst into a fit of merry giggles at the dismayed expressions of the Dwarves, which earned her more than a few smiles from the company. She had just gotten herself under control when she heard Dori mothering Ori and Dwalin complaining.
"Try it, just a mouthful."
"I don't like green food."
"Where's the meat?"
She burst into another fit of laughter while Thorin watched her with a soft, amused look on his face. He leaned over and whispered in her ear with laughter in his voice. She answered him while still fighting her giggles.
"And just what is so amusing little Hobbit?"
"I'm sorry...do dwarves really not eat salads?"
"It depends on the dwarf honestly. Some will have a small amount with a large meal but most prefer meat and heavier sides."
"Oh...well the lot of you can relax. The salad is only an appetizer of sorts. The main meal will come soon."
Elrond gave her a dry look for spoiling his amusement and she rolled her eyes at him while sticking out her little tongue, not realizing how thoroughly distracted this made a certain Dwarf king. The dwarves all gave a cheer at her words, relieved to know they would actually have real food soon. This did nothing to prevent the food fight that eventually broke out, much to Belle's embarrassment, though Gandalf seemed amused by it all. Elrond just shook his head at Lindir's horrified expression as a glob of mashed potatoes narrowly missed his head and landed on a statue behind him. Bofur actually climbed onto a table and started dancing and singing, prompting Belle to try and admonish him for such uncivilized behavior but her words were drowned out by the cheers from the other Dwarves so she just gave up. When she attempted to leave the raucous gathering and head back to her room she was stopped by a strong muscular arm wrapping around her waist and pulling her into a lively dance. She looked up into Thorin's smiling face and couldn't help but get caught up in the merriment. Eventually they all made their way back to the large, and airy room that the company had been given for their stay. Belle was in a private room across the hall with her own bath, for which she was very grateful. Once they'd all settled in, after some of the Dwarves destroyed furniture to make a fire in the middle of the room and earned some harsh glares from Belle for it, they all noticed that their little Hobbit seemed nervous and kept picking at her leather bracer. Thorin's large hand covering her own smaller one made her pause and look up at him.
"Is something the matter Belle?"
"I think...I think it's time I told all of you my secret. Gandalf and Elrond disagree but it is my secret to share not theirs."
"Why would they want you to keep something from us Lass?"
"They fear that you will not react favorably Balin. I have more faith in you all then that."
"Whatever it is Lass, I am sure we will all remain positive aye Lads?"
"You're one of us Belle, you may not be a dwarf but you're still one of us."
"Thank you Kili. I think it might be easier to show you..."
Belle startled slightly as Thorin's hands, still on top of hers, began untying her bracer with a gentle tenderness that surprised her. Balin and Dwalin exchanged a loaded look at Thorin's behavior. Once the bracer was unlaced Thorin allowed Belle to be the one to remove it entirely. When she turned her wrist and they saw the word Blessed scrawled in every language of Middle Earth, there were a number of gasps and a lot of slack-jawed and bug-eyed looks. Belle had looked down at her lap, afraid to see their reactions, but Thorin would have none of it. One of his hands gently cupped her chin and lifted her face to look at him.
"You need not hide from us Belle. We will not harm or ridicule you...especially not over something like this. That mark is extremely rare and considered sacred to Dwarves. No harm will come to you by any of our hands, I can promise you that."
They all saw a sheen of tears in her eyes as she smiled softly at their King, one of her little hands coming to rest atop the one now cupping her cheek.
"Thank you Thorin. I had hoped you all would be accepting but...I still feared. Not everyone in my past has reacted so favorably."
Kili was the first of the company to voice what they were all thinking, though only he was bold enough to voice it.
"So...what gifts did they give you?"
His obvious boyish excitement caused merry laughter to bubble up in the little Hobbit and she grinned at him.
"You've seen a few of them already Kili."
"The water thing?"
"Yes the 'water thing' as you call it. I can make water move how I want it to, I can do the same with wind but only a small breeze. I know what all of the gifts are, I just haven't used all of them before. The creator, Eru, made it so that once I choose my life-mate my lifespan will extend to match theirs."
"That is quite the gift Lass. Do Hobbits normally have a short lifespan then?"
"The average is between 90 and 100 years Balin, though a few have lived a bit longer."
"Such a short number of years..."
"We make do Balin. Manwe's gift is being able to stir the breeze, and if I'm ever in dire need I can call his eagles for aid."
"You mean the giant ones of legend?"
"They are no legend Ori, ask Gandalf for he is friends with their leader Gwahairn. Let's see, Ulmo is the one who gave me the gift of control over water. That's why I didn't get wet when it rained. I just willed the rain to not touch me."
"So not fair...We all looked like drowned rats."
"Precisely Fili, a fate I chose to avoid. Your creator, Mahal, gave me one of my favorite gifts. I can take any rock or gemstone and create something beautiful or useful without the need for tools."
"That, little Lass, is an incredible gift to have. Mahal has clearly favored you Belle."
"He's actually spoken with me a couple of times, he and his wife Yavanna. She's the creator of Hobbits, just in case you didn't know that. Thanks to her gift I can talk to animals and calm them when they are agitated."
"No wonder the ponies adore you...you can understand them."
"Indeed I can Bofur. Dori and Ori, you'll both like this one, Vaire gave me the ability to do cloth and fiber crafts...such as sewing and knitting. When we finish this adventure you two should come back to visit the Shire...I have a large number of pattern books you two would greatly enjoy."
"Thank you Belle, that is a very kind offer and we may just take you up on it."
"Hey Belle? What did the Elves creator give you?"
"Irmo, or Lorien if you prefer, gave me the ability to sometimes catch a glimpse of a future event. Mind you the future is never set in stone and can always change drastically depending on what happens in the present. It is very frustrating to get a glimpse of something bad happening far from where I am, and knowing I can't do anything to change it. Another of the Valar that the Elves honor, Elbereth, gave me the ability to create little orbs of light...like this."
Belle held out a hand and a tiny little orb of soft blue light formed, hovering just above her palm. The Dwarves crowded closer to get a better look at it, the younger ones looking wide-eyed in their delight. She leaned back a bit, to put just a little space between her and the over-eager Dwarves, and ended up leaning into Thorin's broad muscular chest. The bright red blush that bloomed across her cheeks made him chuckle softly in her ear. He noticed a wide yawn that she tried to hide behind her hands and decided shooing the company away to bed for the night would be best for her.
"Off to bed, all of you. She will tell us more when she is ready, and none of you will pressure her. Understood?"
"Yes my King."
"Yes Uncle."
"Good. Come Belle, allow me to escort you to your room."
"Thank you Thorin."
Thorin held out an arm to her and she wrapped a small hand around it, feeling the corded muscles under her fingers. Thorin chuckled again at the little blush that stained her cheeks and couldn't resist teasing her a bit.
"Are you warm Belle?"
"What? Oh, no I'm fine. Why do you ask?"
"You seem flushed, little Hobbit."
Her blush only intensified and she lightly smacked his arm when she caught the teasing glint in his eyes.
"Oh you…"
When they reached her door he opened it for her and she gave him a soft smile. He leaned in and stole a tender kiss before gently pushing her into her room and closing the door with a few whispered words that left her feeling flustered and confused.
"Goodnight my little treasure. Sleep well."
That night she dreamt of stone halls deep inside a mountain that glittered with jewels and lanterns. She dreamt of herself wearing an intricately detailed white gown as she walked up to a large carven throne, upon which sat a very handsome Dwarf king with a beaming smile on his face and love in his eyes. When she woke the next morning she felt safe, happy, and hopeful.