Chapter Three
After sitting down on the log, Arirua realized that she had a perfect view of the stars that blanketed the sky. She smiled up at the twinkling, knowing what the flashes meant. Arirua laughed, breaking the silence that had settled between the three that had stayed awake. The dwarves looked at her with curious looks on their faces.
"What's so funny?" the blonde one asked.
"Nothing, master dwarf; it is nothing. The stars just have a sense of humor." she said cracking a smile.
"They have a what?" the brunette asked.
"A sense of humor. The twinkling that stars do, it is them communicating with the world below. Look, see that one there, just above our heads?" Kili and Fili looked up and nodded. "That is Amlugnir. And the one next to him is Amlugwen. Together they are called the Tail Chasers, for every night they are in a different position, but always across from the other. Amlugwen has never left Amlugnir's side and he has done the same for her." Arirua explained. "And there is Mallosdes right above those hills." she said, pointing. "Legend has it that she was put in the sky when she left this world so she could see the golden flowers bloom in the summer." she paused, thinking.
"You know a lot about the stars, Lady Arirua." Kili said.
"Yes, I do. My people know a great deal about the stars." she explained. "But they grow distant, the stars. They disapprove of this world, with all the war and heartache. They have begun to distance themselves and others have disappeared all together. Their lights have grown colder." Arirua said. The dwarves noticed how sad she looked; Fili nudged Kili when Arirua wasn't looking. Arirua shook her head, forcing herself back to reality. She smiled at them. "So, what brings you on this quest?"
"Thorin's our uncle." Fili explained. "As rightful heirs to the throne of Erebor, it is our duty to come. But we would never leave Thorin to do this alone. He raised us after our father died in battle, along with our mother. Besides our mother, Thorin is the only family we have left really. Thorin never married and our mother has no more siblings."
"We couldn't leave him to do this alone." Kili said, repeating what his brother had already said. "What brings you on this quest?" he asked, which surprised Arirua. Growing up in Rivendell, most of the elves had kept to themselves, never asking why she did things or what her opinion was, excluding Arwen and Elrond.
"Mithrandir. He called upon me, though I do not know why. Lord Elrond came to me and said that Mithrandir needed my help. I except even before Lord Elrond could explain what it was." Arirua explained. "I was excited. I have never been outside the walls of Rivendell alone. Arwen and I sometimes went with Elrond to the Greenwood but that was it. I was ready to see Middle Earth up close." The fire cracked, making the three of them to jump slightly. The embers had grown dim during their conversation.
"Pass that log over here would you?" Fili asked Arirua. Nodding, she reached for it with her left arm. When she was within a few inches, she let out a scream of pain, quickly recoiling her arm. She pulled her left arm close to her stomach and reached out with her right arm, grabbing the log and passing it to a concerned Fili.
"Are you alright?" Kili asked, voicing both his and his brother's concerns.
"I am okay." Arirua said. "I just stressed my arm." She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from screaming in pain. Why now? She thought.
"If you say so." Arirua nodded. Suddenly, there was a crunch of sticks and leaves. Fili grabbed the handle of his sword and Arirua could see Kili reaching for one of his arrows. Arirua rested her right hand on the hilt of Lalar, ready for whatever was out there in the dark. Suddenly she saw the outline. Kili laughed suddenly. Arirua looked at him. She understood laughing in the face of danger, but certain death?
"Bifur, you nearly got your head cut off by our lovely new company." he said laughing.
Bifur grumbled back at Kili in dwarfish as he emerged from the shadows; Arirua relaxed, realizing that it was one of the company.
"It's your own fault." Fili said. "Sneaking around in the dark like that."
Bifur shook his head at Fili, grumbling some more. Fili nodded to what he was saying.
"He says that it's his turn to keep watch. We're going to turn in, and you should do the same."
"Of course. Goodnight Kili, Fili." she said as she got up, still clutching her arm to her stomach. Arirua quickly walked back to her little area that she piled her stuff together. She quietly pulled her sleeping things out of the pile, being sure that nothing toppled over and made a loud noise that would wake up the dwarves that were sleeping. After she got everything out of the pile she needed, Arirua carried the items to a small area that was distanced from the rest of the company. Arirua quickly lied down the bed materials, being sure to lay Lalar right under the first thin layer, allowing it to be in her reach if she was attacked in the night.
Arirua laid down on her back, still clutching her arm to her stomach, grimacing in pain and anger. The pain had been gone for months, but it showed now, right at the worst moment. Arirua tried to move over slightly and yelped. The pain was stronger, but she knew it would be gone tomorrow. The pain would come and go, sometimes staying for many days, sometimes hours. She prayed it would only stay for hours. Arirua yawned, feeling the weariness of the day and the energy she had being drained, from having been going nonstop for several days and her arm. Rest was what she needed now.
"Good night stars." she whispered before her eyes slowly began to close, heavy with sleep, something that she had not experienced in a little while. "Good night my friends."
"But mother, what about her arm?" Eldarion asked. "Will she be able to continue the journey? Thorin is not going to leave her behind is he?" The worried look on his face made his mother realize that he was truly interested in the story.
"She will be fine. As I said before, Arirua was stronger than most believed her to be. She was not weak or frail. Arirua fought many great battles with that pain in her arm, but that has yet to stop her."
"Do you mean she is still alive?" the young boy asked his mother.
"Now you are getting ahead in the story. I must finish the rest before you can hear the end of the tale." Arwen said, trying not to laugh at the face her son made to her answer. "Now, Arirua…"
Arirua was up when the sun rose, just as she did every morning. She was very much a night person, but the rising of the sun seemed to keep her from sleeping all the day and staying up late into the night, much like her people did.
After standing up and stretching, she realized the pain in her arm had left. She let out a sigh of relief. It would be okay for today, though she did not know what to expect the next day or the days after.
Shaking her head, she began to quietly gather her things up. Dwelling on the future would not help her. The future was something she could not control.
Arirua placed her bed things, all rolled up and ready to be attached to Elenduriel's saddle, next to the small pile of things she had put next to the saddle the previous night. After being sure that everything was still there, she grabbed a new set of clothes, one of two which included the one she was currently wearing. She knew that she would have to wait to wash out the ones she was currently wearing, but that did not bother her.
As quickly and quietly as she could, Arirua found a boulder a little farther off from the camp to prepare for the day. She let out a sigh of relief. Fresh clothes. She thought to herself with a smile. Arirua pulled her deep blue tunic that laced up in the front closer to her body, protecting her from small chill wind that blew. Noticing how high the sun was in the sky, Arirua quickly pulled her tall dark brown boots over her tan leggings and pull her cloak back around so she could clasp it at the base of her neck. She then pulled her pale blonde hair back away from her silvery blue eyes with the ribbon that always kept it up.
Arirua returned to the campsite to find most of the dwarves still asleep, for it was still early in the morning. She placed her dirty clothes at the top of the pile and walked over the campfire that had long since died. She noticed that the last watchmen had fallen asleep, both sitting with their backs against the tall boulder that the fire had been built in front of. Arirua quickly gathered some silt and dumped it on the glowing embers, not wanting a fire to start up and burn down the surrounding forest, for she knew that little embers could become a huge fire. After doing that, Arirua went back to her stuff and gathered some of it and began to walk over to where the ponies were tied up.
"Elenduriel, where are you girl?" she said quickly. She heard a familiar whiney and began to walk in the direction she had heard it from. Elenduriel was a standing in a little area that had some grass which she was nibbling on when Arirua came up to her. "How's my pretty girl?" Arirua asked her horse. Elenduriel put her long nose right in Arirua's face and blew warm air on it, causing the young woman to laugh. Arirua patted her nose. "That's good." she said with a smile.
Arirua quickly got to saddling Elenduriel and placing things where they needed to be on the saddle. She did not know when they would be leaving and she did not want to be left behind.
"There you go girl. Now you just rest for a little while longer. It is very likely that we will have a hard ride ahead of us today." Arirua explained to her horse. Elenduriel bobbed her head up and down as if she understood what her master was saying. Arirua gave her horse one last pat on the neck as she headed back to the campsite.
When she got there, she was surprised to see that most of the company was awake. Arirua had expected the dwarves to still be asleep. As she was walking through the camp, she saw Bilbo struggling with his pack.
"Would you some help Mister Baggins?" she asked him, crouching down to his level when she was close to him.
"No, no. I've got this." he said with a determined look, trying to place everything on the back of his pony. When it fell again, he gave a sigh of frustration. "Yes please." he finally said. Arirua grabbed the things that he had been trying to place on the horse's back into place for him.
"There you are Mister Baggins." she said giving the pony a pat.
"Thank you ma'am." Bilbo said, still slightly frustrated that he had not been able to do it himself. Arirua nodded and continued to walk through the camp. She soon was standing next to Gandalf as he was preparing his horse for the journey.
"Good morning Mithrandir." Arirua said to Gandalf.
"Good morning to you too." he replied to her. There was silence for a moment. "Would you mind going on the other side and help me put this over?" he asked her. Arirua nodded eager to help. She quickly circled the horse, patting its nose as she went by so it would know she was a friend, and told Mithrandir that she was ready. He tossed over part of the pack so she could tie it down on her side.
After they were finished Arirua excused herself, saying that she was going to see if any of the dwarves had brought anything besides meat along on the journey. Arirua walked through the camp back to the area the fire had been previously, knowing that many of the dwarves were gathering there for breakfast. When she arrived she saw that Kili had a seat next to him open. She quickly walked over to him.
"Is this seat taken?" she asked. Kili shook his head and Arirua plopped down on the log. "Thanks."
"Bread?" he asked, holding out some to her. She nodded and took a piece off the loaf. She began quietly munching on it as she listened to the conversation around the now dead fire.
"What do you think lads?" one of the dwarves questioned. "Rain or shine?" Many of the dwarves started grumbling about the idea of rain.
"Shine, Bofur. Don't jinx it for us." commented the fatter dwarf. He had strange orangish red hair and a braid that seemed to go around his neck.
"Bombur is right." said another dwarf, one with dark red hair and beard. His beard was large and was filled with small braids and silver clasps that kept the braids in place. "All this talk of rain or shine is gonna jinx us." Bofur, the one who had asked the question originally, nodded to him.
"Alright Gloin, just one more." And then he turned and looked Arirua. "What do you think lass?" he asked her. The company that was sitting at the campfire turned to look at her, realizing that she was there for the first time. Many of them looked shocked, and many of them reached for weapons that they had on their person. As a couple of them stood up, Kili shook his head.
"She's a member of the company. Thorin has allowed her to join after the wizard sent for her." he explained.
"The question still stands." Bofur said, as the dwarves sat back down and began to eat their breakfast again. "Rain or shine?"
Arirua looked up at the sky for a moment and chuckled for a moment. Then she leaned forward.
"I see rain coming, master dwarf." she said with a smirk.
A/N: Hey everyone. I'm sooooo sorry about this chapter taking so long. I have been crazy busy with Christmas and traveling and now I have a cold HURRAH! Not really. But thanks for sticking around and waiting. I loved all the reviews :D Everyday I get on and I see that I have new one it brings a smile to my face and it makes me want to write more (wink wink hint hint XD) Anyways, virtual cookies to all you lovely readers and more is on the way hopefully soon :D
A/N Part 2: I am sorry for all the craziness. My computer and iPad have been acting stupid so it's not been posting correctly, sorry for all the confusion if there was any