Hey guys!
Thank you to everyone who has followed this story. I really want to know what you think of Earwen. I did a ton of research for her and I added my own little flair. :)
Anywho... I'd love to hear what y'all think of the story or my OCs.
Please review! It would make me so incredibly happy.
I hope y'all enjoy this chapter!
~ Rachel
(P.S.- Sorry for the use of "y'all." If you haven't guessed I'm a Southerner. :D )
Eärwen wasted no time and said, "The Company must leave tonight, young one. Gather the dwarves and meet me in the garden on the east side. Be as quiet as you can and make haste. I will gather some supplies you will need."
Eärwen did not wait for a reply and hurried to the kitchens. She did not hear anyone inside so she quietly crept in and packed a large sack with dried foods that would not spoil easily. Once she was done, she hurried to the gardens where she had told Eraveth and the others to meet her. Sure enough, the entire company minus Gandalf stood waiting for her.
"We must hurry, Master Thorin," she said as she began to lead them out of the garden.
"Why should we trust you?" Thorin sneered as he stopped walking. "Why would a she-elf betray her kin and help a company of dwarves?"
Eärwen could feel Thorin Oakenshield's disdain and turned to face him. "I do not betray the elves, Master Thorin!" she whispered harshly as she stared into his stormy gaze. "There is one here who would seek to stop you. You may not like me but I am your only chance of getting out of here unnoticed. Oh, and for your knowledge, I am not an elf. Now, swallow your horrid pride and follow me."
With that, Eärwen turned and once again began to lead the way out of Rivendell. Almost every member of the company seemed to be staring daggers into her back for the way she had spoken to their leader. Three faces, however, did not display anger. Eraveth seemed to be smirking at the group. When she had met Eärwen the night before, she had immediately liked her. She liked the way she had swiftly put Thorin in his place and proved that she would brook no argument. Bilbo's face held a slight amount of fear. He did not ever want to be on this woman's bad side and could only imagine the fury that would be unleashed if she felt the need to fight. Lastly, Tosur was watching Eärwen's retreating back with something akin to awe. He had not seen anyone stand up to Thorin Oakenshield like that while he and his sister had been part of the company. A sly smile crept across his face as he replayed the Eärwen's words in his head as he followed the group out of the peaceful valley.
Eärwen moved quickly but silently as she led the company past the borders of Rivendell. Once they were far enough away, she came to an abrupt stop. She turned to the company and placed her bag on the ground in front of her.
"This is some food that will keep for some time," she said as she pulled out a piece of paper from a pocket in her jacket. "I will stay with you for as long as I can. I am a skilled healer and fighter." She held up her hand when Thorin opened his mouth to interrupt. "I am not asking to join your company, Master Thorin," she said with a small smile gracing her lips. "I am simply telling you that I will be here. I will be responsible for myself and will take care of my own needs. I will not abide your animosity. I am not an elf so you can take your hatred elsewhere. I am simply coming because I believe your quest to be of the upmost importance and you will need all the help you can get in order to kill the dragon that abides in you halls."
Eärwen turned away but stopped when a nervous voice said, "Excuse me, Miss. You said you weren't an elf. What are you then?"
Eärwen turned back to see the young dwarf who's name she had heard was Ori. He was fidgeting with the end of the scarf he wore around his neck. "I am a nindari, Master Dwarf," she said with a bright smile. "Many know my people by other names. We are of the water and were placed here by the Valar as servants to them and the Maiar. I was fortunate enough to be taken in by the elves of Rivendell at a young age, but I knew that one day I would be needed by Gandalf for a greater purpose. This is the task that he has asked me to help him with although I do not think it will be the last one."
Eärwen glanced around the group and saw many expressions on their faces. One dwarf, the white-haired one named Balin, spoke up and said, "I always thought that nymphs were merely myths but it seems that they are just a rare being. It is truly an honor to be in the presence of such a remarkable being."
Eraveth smiled at the blush she saw creeping up Eärwen's cheeks. She glanced around at the dwarves and saw that most of them were trying to figure out what a nindari was. She took pity on Thorin's nephews and whispered, "A nindari is what you would call a mermaid. Nindari are specific to living in the rivers and lakes. They can live in the ocean like their kin, but they prefer to live in the rivers. They have a form of magic that allows them to walk on land if they need to. Otherwise, they have tail-fins. Eärwen has actually never met another of her kind and everything she knows comes from ancient texts that Lord Elrond has acquired over the years."
Both Kili and Fili stared at Eärwen as if she had grown a second head. They dropped their gazes when she turned to look at them. She studied the dwarf princes and smiled when they seemed uncomfortable under her gaze. She glanced around at the rest of the company and quickly jumped forward with a quiet, "Boo!"
Thorin's nephews jumped a foot away from her and several of the others reached for their weapons. One tall dwarf with tattoos on his head unsheathed his sword and swung. Eärwen's weapon was immediately out and blocked the blow. The wide smile never left her face as she continued to block Dwalin's blows. Every member watched in fascination as the woman didn't even seem to be trying. Her sword moved effortlessly and before long a sheen of sweat was seen on Dwalin's brow. Soon, Eärwen grew tired of the fight and with a flick of her wrist, she sent her opponent's sword flying.
After replacing her own sword in its sheath, Eärwen turned to the rest of the company. "I suggest you get at least some rest," she said with a sharp nod. "There is still a few hours before dawn and I expect that you all need the rest. I will take watch."
Eärwen's tone brooked no argument so with many a grumble, the dwarves pulled out their bedrolls and went to sleep. It did not escape her notice that one dwarf did not lay down to sleep. Bofur settled himself beside the newcomer and looked out at the land that lay before them. The silvery light of the moon cast its ethereal grow on the land. "Kind of peaceful, don't ya think, lassie?" he asked as he studied the strange woman beside him. She had similarities to the elves, but there were some things about her that were decidedly not elvish. The points of her ears curved backward slightly; her hair was not only an unusual coloring, but it curled unlike that of the elves of Rivendell; and she did not glow like the elves.
Eärwen stole a sideways glance at the dwarf that was sitting beside her before saying, "It is quite peaceful indeed, Master Dwarf. The moon is something that many people tend to ignore. Its beauty is often looked over because it does not have the same brightness of its companion, the sun."
"Aye," Bofur said as he contemplated her words, "that is true. Tell me, please, how you learned to fight."
Eärwen smiled at the dwarf's request. She turned slightly so she could fully see his face but also keep an eye out for danger. "I learned to fight from the greatest warrior I know," she whispered in a conspiratory tone.
"Who's that?" Bofur asked as he inched slightly closer to hear.
"That would be Lord Glorfindel." Bofur didn't know who this was, but clearly, it meant something to this woman.
"Lord Glorfindel," Eärwen said when she noted the dwarf's confusion, "is my father. He has many names: Captain of the Guard of Rivendell, Lord of the House of the Golden Flower, and my personal favorite, the Balrog Slayer."
"Your father killed a balrog?" Bofur asked as he turned with wide eyes to fully face the woman.
Eärwen chuckled at the dwarf and whispered, "Yes, he did. He was an excellent fighter. When he died, the Valar saw goodness in him and he was sent back to Arda not long ago. He took me in when I was found as a child and became my father. He raised me and taught me of the world and how to fight."
Bofur was amazed by this story and could tell that Eärwen held much respect for her father. He nudged her slightly with his shoulder and asked, "Does he know that you left your home to help a company of dwarves on a journey that many believe to be foolish?"
"No, he does not know yet," Eärwen said as she nudged a rock with her toe. "Lord Elrond will tell him once we are far enough away from Rivendell that he cannot come and drag me back. He might be quite angry."
"You would risk the anger of your father, the elf who killed a balrog, just to help us?" Bofur asked as he gestured to the sleeping company.
"Yes, Master Dwarf, I would and I am doing it now because I believe it to be the right thing to do."
Bofur let the silence fall between them and did not ask any further questions. He kept watch with Eärwen, even though she encouraged him many times to go to sleep. As the hours passed, light slowly began to appear over the horizon, signaling the dawn of a new day.
The pair began to wake the others. Some woke easily, like Balin, Thorin, Eraveth, and Dwalin, but some proved to be harder to wake. Eärwen moved to the dwarf called Bifur and pondered the best way to wake him. One glance at the dwarf and Eärwen knew not to shake him awake. She stood at the foot of his bedroll and nudged his feet a few times. He did not wake to this, so she began to think. A stick lying on the ground caught her eye and she quickly bent to retrieve it.
Bofur had just finished waking the last of the company when he caught sight of Eärwen trying to wake his cousin. She held a stick in her right hand and was prodding the poor dwarf as she urged him to wake up. Bifur must have awoken to some degree because he was swatting the end of the stick away like it was an annoying fly. Eärwen huffed slightly when the dwarf refused to awaken fully.
Bofur nudged Kili and Fili and pointed to the amusing scene. The three of them burst into loud, uproarious laughter at the same time. The noise seemed to do the trick because Bifur shot up with a loud cry in Khuzdul. The stick that Eärwen was still holding met with the end of the dwarf's nose when he shot up. This caused the poor dwarf to shout with surprise. Eärwen, who had not been expecting the violent wakeup, stepped back in surprise. As she did, her boot stepped on the hem of her dress and she tumbled backward. This only caused the dwarfs to laugh harder and soon the entire company with the exception of Thorin, Bifur, and Eärwen were laughing at the sight. Once he was fully awake and could comprehend what had happened, even Bifur was cracking a smile.
Eärwen felt her cheeks flame instantly with embarrassment. Eraveth recovered quickly and helped Eärwen to her feet. She chuckled some more as she helped Eärwen dust herself off. She shot a quick glance at Thorin to find that his lips were slightly upturned with the ghost of a smile and there was amusement in his eyes.
"It's all right," she said to the older woman. "We all trip every once in a while. Perhaps we should probably get started on our journey."
Everyone nodded at this and soon everything was cleared and the company had set out once more. Eärwen was still embarrassed about what had happened and kept to herself as she walked for the first couple of hours. They walked in silence until the hobbit asked curiously, "If you don't mind me asking, my lady, how old are you?'
Eärwen glanced down at the Halfling and smiled, "Hasn't anyone ever told you that it is rude to ask a woman her age." Bilbo hung his head slightly in embarrassment but was surprised when Eärwen continued. "I am 922 years old," she said as she patted him slightly on the shoulder. "I have lived in Imladris since I was 56. I am still quite young though. My people age like that of the elves. Compared to some I am little more than a child even though I came of age over eight centuries ago."
Bilbo tried to absorb this knowledge but felt a little overwhelmed. This woman looked so young. It was hard for him to believe that she was approaching a millennia. He thought he would be lucky to reach a century. Glancing over at Eraveth, he thought about the ages of dwarves. She was ninety-five and still had many years left in her life. From what he gathered, most dwarves lived to be 250 but it wasn't uncommon for some to live to 300 and there were even a few cases of some living to be 350 years old.
Tosur listened as the odd pair talked. He walked beside Kili and Fili and tried to figure out how to pull a prank on his sister. After enlisting the help of the heirs of Durin, a plan was soon formed and the trio waited for nightfall when they set up camp.
welp, what did you guys think?
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