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**Speaking through the mind: Bold Italics.
Chapter 11:
A fortnight had gone by ever since the young girl from the Race of Men, Lux-Vita, disappeared from their midst into her world and the elf-witch allowed them a gander into the poor child's hardships. It took a mere week for the guilt-ridden dwarves to move onwards from their iniquity actions and settle firmly on contrition; all thoughts of Lux-Vita had been eviscerated from the recess of their minds as they continued journeying the dark, perilous and murky path to Erebor.
From the individuals of Thorin Oakenshield's Company, only Fíli, Kíli, Ori, Balin, Bombur, Bifur, Bofur and Bilbo were plagued about the well-being of the girl and the misconduct behavior their fellow dwarves impaled upon her, a young girl who hadn't yet achieved adolescence weighed down by heavy burdens and the crude horror of life and death. The five dwarves and lone hobbit would find themselves adrift in turmoil reflections of the poor girl, wondering if they would ever cross paths again, and if she managed to locate peace in her realm now that she was apart from their harsh, judgmental companions and their biting words.
A serendipitous night after the girl's horrifying departure, Balin found himself keeping watch over their campsite while the Company evenly slept, and by chance, Tharkûn happened to be conscious. It was as though the meandering wizard knew the wizened dwarf was in desperate need for reassurance, and whenever Balin found himself to be burdened with worriment thoughts of the anguished girl, he would recall Tharkûn's words of wisdom.
"Do not fret over dear Lux-Vita, Balin, for she is currently at peace, surrounded by her loved ones. We have not seen the last of our mystified witch, and when she rejoins the quest, her heart and soul shall be sufficiently healed."
Sitting around the campfire, waiting patiently for Bombur who was presently preparing soup for the Company's dinner, Balin son of Fundin rehashed the words Tharkûn parted of the young girl's Fate for the umpteenth time, and was interrupted from his deep musing when their Burglar piped up in a worried nuance, "He's been gone a long time."
Extracting the pipe from his mouth, Bofur raised an eyebrow curiously, and obliviously asked, "Who?"
"Gandalf," Bilbo stated in an obvious tone; Balin smiled grimly at the lone hobbit, their Burglar seemed extremely attached to the Wandering Wizard, and truth be told, Tharkûn was a beacon of hope to Thorin Oakenshield's Company in regards to the perilous journey that lay ahead, and in addition to their bleak quest.
Bofur waved a hand dismissively, seemingly unconcerned with the Wizard's abrupt departure, "He's a wizard! He does as he chooses."
Bilbo bit his lower lip in a mixture of frustration and exasperation; the leader of their Company, Thorin, managed to aggravate the wizened wizard yet again. Even with Lux-Vita gone, the uncrowned King managed to butt heads with Gandalf, this time however, Bilbo knew not the exact reason. All the lone hobbit managed to deduce was that the location they had currently stopped to rest was ostensibly unsafe. According to Gandalf, a farmer and his family used to inhabit this particular land in the dilapidated shack they were currently resting nearby.
A heated argument occurred, and Gandalf stalked away in a flurry of robes, his wizened face furrowed in palpable anger, and when Bilbo cried out after his departing back, "Where are you going?" The retort was abrasive and fueled with tempest, "To seek the company of the only one around here who's got any sense."
"Who's that?" Bilbo's small face morphed into alarm before transforming into shock at hearing the crisp reply, "Myself, Mr. Baggins. I've had enough of dwarves for one day."
In all honesty, Bilbo didn't blame the Grey Wizard in the slightest. It was a very well-known fact to all Races, that Dwarves were extremely stubborn and pigheaded; Bilbo was oblivious to the truth of that statement, dismissing it as bigotry or such, until he left his hobbit-hole for the suicidal quest. At times, the lone hobbit rather wished he could take a short break from their suffocating presence, but alas, he was not well equipped to separate himself from their intimidating protection, unlike the wizard. In the fortnight of Lux-Vita's departure, Bilbo found himself envious of the tormented girl, craving the return to his peaceful abode.
He wouldn't mind being tormented by the insufferable ranting of Lobelia Sackville-Baggins if it meant he could return to the Shire.
A small pat on his back awakened him suddenly from his reverie, and he met the mischievous brown orbs of Bofur, the lines around his eyes crinkling in a smile. Too lost in his own thoughts, Bilbo didn't realize that the jovial toymaker had been addressing him. "Uh, I'm sorry. I was- I was lost in thought. What did you say?"
Chuckling with mirth, Bofur handed over two bowls filled with Bombur's delicious soup, "You don't mind doing us the favor by giving these to the lads, do you?"
"N-No, of course, of course not," Bilbo gave him a genuine smile, rapidly taking the offered bowls into his tiny hands and scuttling passed an unimpressed Thorin who grunted in disapproval, probably still fuming over his presence and hoping that he too, would disappear like poor Lux-Vita, who he had been ultimately cruel to.
Upon reaching the two young dwarves that, like Bofur, were the most likable ones, Bilbo took note of the identical looks of consternation on their mien, their eyes roaming around their environs desperately.
"What's the matter?" Bilbo unconsciously whispered in a hush.
Fidgeting slightly, Kíli grimaced, "We're supposed to be looking out for the ponies."
"Only we've encountered a slight problem," Fíli continued, letting out a strangled chuckle that lacked any humor, "We had sixteen. Now there's fourteen."
In a unified, instinctive motion, the three of them scoped the premises, taking note that – yes – two ponies were in fact, missing.
Bilbo rapidly shook his head in an action that greatly resembled a mangy dog after a bath; slight problem? SLIGHT PROBLEM indeed! It was a CONSIDERABLE problem, one that would have them gutted by Thorin once informed, thought Bilbo, and he pitied the young nephews. He didn't envy their quandary, not the least bit.
"Daisy and Bungo are missing," Kíli spoke up, stating the obvious.
Letting his previous thoughts be known, Bilbo fretfully stammered, "Well, that's… not good. That's not good, at all. Shouldn't we tell Thorin?" The instant those words tumbled out of his mouth, the hobbit winced at his suggestion; it was quite obvious that the Princes would rather keep Thorin in the dark, lest they suffer his wrath due to their carelessness.
Simultaneously, the brother's shook their heads, both of them sporting wide eyes.
"Uhh, no. Let's not worry him," Fíli slowly spoke up; sapphire blue eyes cognizant to Thorin's except for the lack of ice, stared down at Bilbo with warmth, desperation and uncertainty, "As our official burglar, we thought you might like to look into it."
Bobbing his head immediately, Bilbo let out a sigh and tried to make himself useful. Fíli and Kíli had been immensely kind and friendly to him, treating him like an honorary dwarf, and spared absolutely no censure or disparaging remarks ever since they set out for the journey. The least the lone hobbit could do with his limited skills would be to aid them in their greatest time of need.
Looking around with his sharp vision, Bilbo noticed some trees had recently been uprooted, the torn chunks lay heedlessly on the ground; scattered. It was unanimously obvious that someone or something with a strong caliber ripped them apart. "Well, uh … look, something big uprooted these trees," Bilbo revealed.
Kíli instantly nodded his head in agreement, "That was our thinking."
"Something very big, and possibly quite, dangerous," Bilbo gulped once done with his report. But Fíli wasn't concentrating, instead, his sapphire orbs were focused on the flickering of light some distance away from them, "Hey! There's a light. Over here!" once Kíli and Bilbo noticed the light, Fíli inaudibly motioned them to move forward, "Stay down."
With practiced ease, or in Bilbo's case, affinity, the three of them ran quietly through the forest toward it, hiding deftly behind a log upon realizing the source of light was coming from a roaring fire. Raucous laughter ensued, prompting them to recoil behind the log. Fíli and Kíli's mouth dropped down, eyes bulging in horror and a confused yet frightened Bilbo meekly asked, "What is it?"
"Trolls," Kíli hissed in distaste.
Bilbo gaped at the two brothers when they ran straight toward the fire, and asininely grabbed the two untouched and forgotten bowls of Bombur's soup, before he effortlessly ran after them. It was only once Bilbo reached the brothers that he finally noticed the two recently pilfered ponies, neighing and thrashing wildly under two of the three trolls' arm.
Fear engulfed the hobbit when he noticed that the two ponies were not Daisy and Bungo, "He's got Myrtle and Minty! I think they're going to eat them, we have to do something!"
Tactlessly, the brother's traded looks of agreement, and Kíli grimly smiled at the hobbit in a sheepish demeanor, "Yes, you should. Mountain trolls are slow and stupid, and you're so small, they'll never see you."
Eyes wide, mouth agape, comprehension crawling into his veins at the hidden meaning, Bilbo fervently shook his head, "No, no, no …"
"It's perfectly safe!" Kíli continued, placing both hands on the hobbit's shoulder in support, "We'll be right behind you."
Fíli nodded, his smile equally grim, "If you run into trouble, hoot twice like a barn owl, once like a brown owl."
And they left. Bilbo's face was still frozen in shock and horror for a moment longer, before steely determination enveloped him and he squared his shoulders, repeating Fíli's parting words like a mantra under his breath. Like Kíli said, he was small, he could do this. There was nothing to fear. He would rescue the four ponies, and the Company would escape the vicinity, hopefully learning to listen next time to Gandalf's wise words filled with warnings.
There was absolutely nothing to worry about. He wouldn't get caught.
***Lux-Vita Laelynn Jamie Potter***
Bebother and confusticate!
Those words were currently swimming in Bilbo's head as he stared at the thirteen tied up dwarves by the trolls' feet near the fire. Dori, Nori, Ori, Bombur, Bofur, Bifur and Dwalin were tied on the spit, roasting over the fire, their faces sweltering due to the raging heat of the dancing embers, profusely red and eyes alight with fear. The others were placed in sacks, unable to use their limbs in protection and their large assortments of weapons were discarded on the ground, far away from their immobile bodies.
Bilbo cursed himself for his arrogance that led to him being caught. Kíli bravely intervened and a second later, Fíli charged from the bushes with the eleven dwarves close behind. Bilbo was dropped instantaneously and made a beeline to the tied up ponies, only succeeding in mortifying himself by getting caught. AGAIN.
William, Bert and Tom, such peculiarly normal names for such horrendous abominating creatures; trolls may be stupid, but they were smart enough to use their diminutive noggins by capturing Bilbo and using him as leverage. Thorin glared at Bilbo with incensed malice and rage before obeying the command and dropping his weapons, the twelve dwarves following their King's lead.
If their Burglar died, then the Arkenstone would be forever lost in the seas of gold and treasure, held hostage by Smaug, leaving Thorin at a stalemate. And that was the reason – the only reason, why he obeyed the abominations who were currently arguing over how to cook them.
Thorin was abruptly snapped from his malicious thoughts when their Burglar made himself known, speaking up in a shrill voice that reeked of panic, "Wait! You are making a terrible mistake!" Thorin raised an eyebrow at the foolish Halfling whose face was furrowed in consternation.
"You can't reason with them, they're half-wits," Dori shrieked indignantly from the spit, his face turning a peculiar purple.
Bofur grunted and despite the fact that he was currently roasting over the fire, tried making light of the situation, "Half-wits? What does that make us?" Typical Bofur, Thorin mused, rolling his eyes in annoyance, before they snapped toward the Halfling who had managed to make use of his two feet, despite being lodged tightly in the sack.
"I meant with the, uh, with the seasoning," Bilbo stated, hazel orbs staring imploringly at each of the trolls. One of the trolls, Bert, bent lower and screeched in a nasal voice, "What about the seasoning?"
"Yes, what about the seasoning… What in Mahal is our Burglar up to?" Kíli groaned lowly from his spot in front of Thorin whose eyes were focused intently on the Halfling.
"Well, have you smelt them?" Bilbo said conspiratorially, "You're going to need something stronger than sage before you plate this lot up." Bilbo's words managed to prompt thunderous yelling from the dwarves who began bellowing 'traitor' at the top of their lungs
"I'll get you for this!" Dwalin roared from the spit, his onyx orbs glaring daggers at the cowed Halfling who curiously rolled his eyes in annoyance.
"What do you know about cooking dwarf?" Tom inquired; Bert nudged him, interest peeked, "Shut up, let the flurgaburburrahobbit talk."
Bilbo's tiny face scrunched up in thought, weighing each word slowly, "Uh, the secret to cooking dwarf is, um-"
"Yes? Come on, tell us the secret," Bert impatiently shrieked.
"Um, yes, I'm telling you," Bilbo huffed, his brows knitted together in utmost concentration, "the secret … is to skin them first!" he yelled, prompting a tirade of objections from the dwarves as they began threatening the Halfling's life.
"Tom, get me the filleting knife," Bert excitedly threw out an arm.
Thorin growled lowly in his throat, glaring at the Halfling for his betrayal, and inwardly promising him bodily harm. The uncrowned King desperately prayed to Mahal for help, unbeknownst that aid had arrived mere moments ago in the form of somebody completely unexpected.
Perched on the tree, observing the events unfold was a slim figure, hiding deftly in the shadows. Plump, petal-shaped lips lifted up in a smirk, inwardly congratulating Bilbo for his brilliancy in attempting to delay the three morons. The hobbit underestimated his bravery at every turn, and the idiotic dwarves assisted; ethereal emerald orbs rolled aggressively in their sockets as the dwarves bellowed objections and retribution.
In all honesty, Bilbo should have been more creative and picked another suggestion instead of skinning them, but in his frantic and panicky state, the figure understood the effects of being under pressure. The dwarves should use their brains more often and recognize Bilbo's endeavor in stalling. The trolls were obviously under a restricted deadline, having heard them mutter worriedly about dawn not being far away; obviously the shrewd hobbit was the only one from the horde of dwarves who understood the meaning behind their words.
The figure couldn't remain hidden any longer once Bombur was swiftly picked up, dangling over William's revolting mouth, even though Bilbo managed to salvage the predicament by yelling in frantic tones, "Not that one, he's infected. He's got worms in his … tubes."
William dropped Bombur as though he had been burnt and courageously, Bilbo smoothly continued, "In fact, they all have it, they're all infested with parasites. It's a terrible business. I wouldn't risk it, I really wouldn't," he said conversationally as though they were simply talking about the weather.
"Parasites, did he say parasites," Óin bellowed, taking offense, and once again, ethereal emeralds rolled in their sockets … the stupidity of dwarves.
Kíli's face flushed in indignation, and accusingly yelled, "We don't have parasites! You have parasites!" Prompting the dwarves to bellow once again, yelling expletives loudly.
Finally, Thorin's icy eyes widened in recognition; the Halfling has been trying to stall them the whole time. He instantly kicked Kíli in the back, silencing them all, and like a domino effect, every dwarf rapidly changed their tune, admitting that they did, in fact, have parasites.
The figure giggled lowly upon hearing Óin yell out in a gloating tone, "I have parasites as big as my arm." Simultaneously, Kíli proudly stated, "Mine are the biggest parasites, I've got huge parasites!"
"We're riddled!" Dori exclaimed.
Tom growled and glared at the hobbit, "What would you have us do, then? Let 'em all go?"
"Well…" Bilbo trailed off in a suggestive tone.
Continuing with renewed fervor, Tom shrieked, "You think I don't know what you're up to? This little ferret is taking us for fools!"
"Ferret?" Bilbo bristled in deep offence, and the figure sighed, smirking morbidly.
"Time to save these damsels," the figure smirked, and without a second thought, pounced from the tree.
Thorin gaped in astonishing wonder at the figure that materialized from the tree, an opulent sword in hand, lunging toward Tom who happened to be the nearest. In a fluent motion, the figure sliced the back of Tom's knee, erupting a pained yell as he fell down with a loud thud. Not wasting the perfect opportunity, the figure slashed the sword in a horizontal motion, promptly decapitating Tom's head clean off his shoulder. The death of Bert and William's brother shook them from their stunned reverie and they bellowed, charging toward the slim figure that deftly dodged them, impressively jumping onto Tom's back and leaping high into the hair, landing on Bert's left shoulder, the sword impaled into his neck, its point sticking out of the other end.
Bert's eyes widened before turning glassy as he gurgled blood and fell down onto the ground beside the beheaded Tom; dead. The figure fell down with the second dead troll, and with practiced ease and caliber, viciously yanked the bloody sword out before turning swiftly to face the last troll, William, his face scrunched up into murderous rage.
The thirteen dwarves and lone hobbit were shocked to the core when instead of attacking William, a soft, melodious voice rang out from beneath the black, long, hooded cloak. A feminine voice. "So, what's it gonna be, Troll? Either you walk away with your life fully intact, or join your brothers in a mutilated death?"
William responded by letting out a war cry and charging toward her. The hooded girl merely quipped in amusement, "Dead it is," and without further ado, swiftly ducked around his knees, holstered her sword and from her back, revealed archaic-looking double swords, swinging them horizontally on both legs, deep enough to amputate both limbs. With a pained growl, the legless William collided with the ground and the figure causally sauntered over to his head and decapitated it, killing him swiftly.
The vicinity was engulfed with an ambience of complete silence as the fourteen tied up individuals gaped at the hooded female in shock and reverent awe. However, it was Gandalf who broke the silence as he finally made his appearance known, a wide smile filled with pride on his visage as he ambled toward the hooded female.
"Ah, my dear, I was wondering when I would be seeing you again."
Under the hood, the figure tilted her head sideways, a musical laughter ringing out, "Omniscient as ever, Gandalf. Can't get anything past you, hmm?" Thorin's jaw dropped lower at the jesting conversation happening before his very eyes.
"What took you so long, old man?" the hooded female inquired in a light-hearted tone.
Gandalf's lips curved upward in a smug smirk, "I felt your timely arrival. Your presence made itself known to me. I decided to let you take care of the, ah, situation."
"You know this, woman, Tharkûn?" Thorin demanded in suspicion, interrupting their teasing barbs.
Gandalf's eyes twinkled, a proverbial action to the hooded female, "Ah, Thorin. Yes, I know her, and so do you."
"WHAT?" every individual spluttered in shock, their eyes squinting at the hooded female as though trying to distinguish any feature that could not be seen from under the cloak.
In a meticulously slow action, the female lifted her dainty hands and lowered the hood of her cloak, eliciting loud gasps of ranging disbelief, recognizing the girl for who she truly was. Thorin's eyes roamed the girl's features in incredulity; long curly ruby red hair cascading down to her waist, almond shaped eyes, orbs the color of a vivid emerald, a straight-sloped nose, and prominent cheekbones, framed by a pale heart-shaped face. Rosy, plump, petal-shaped lips curved in a smile, an action that had never been seen before in the month she journeyed alongside them. The girl was breathtakingly stunning, almost, otherworldly in beauty.
Her smirk turned more pronounced as her emerald green orbs met the icy ones of the flabbergasted, King Under the Mountain. "A pleasure, I'm sure, to see you again, your majesty," she spoke up in a taunting tone. Gone was the shy, stuttering, meek and wounded girl, replaced by this foreign stranger who radiated smugness and overconfidence. Curiously, she lost her childish features, seemingly older in years.
"Well?" Dwalin gruffly bellowed from his place over the spit, "Are we done with the pleasantries? Or are you going to leave us hanging here?!"
Rolling her eyes, Lux-Vita unsheathed a wooden stick from out of nowhere, producing a torrent jet of water and extinguishing the flames, prompting shocked gasps to echo in the silent air. Together, Gandalf and Lux-Vita ambled toward each tied up dwarf and Bilbo, effectively untying them from the strong binds.
While the Company flurried around, donning on their garments and collecting their discarded weapons from the pile, Lux-Vita lounged lackadaisically, leaning against a tree with her arms crossed and a look of complete disinterest on her mien.
From afar, Thorin narrowed his gaze on her, pondering over what his next course of action should be in regards to the seemingly different human girl. Gone was the weakling he baited and jeered; the deft swiftness she portrayed in eliminating three mountain trolls in under a minute astounded him and the uncrowned King grudgingly appraised her. After witnessing the memory the elf-witch forced them to observe, shame engulfed Thorin and he regretted his deplorable treatment toward her. However, Thorin was a Durin, a prideful and stubborn dwarf, and he could never bring himself to apologize for his previous transgressions.
Oh, how he mocked her and insulted her, calling her a weakling repeatedly and adamantly exclaiming that she would only slow them down in their journey to Erebor. Yet here she stood, strong and proud, after saving their lives. Thorin was confused, and when he was confused, Thorin acted rashly and so, he hid all his gratitude and confusion behind an iron mask and stalked toward her in heavy footsteps. Once he stood directly in front of her, he felt rage consume him at the palpable look of disinterest she gave him.
"Why did you return?" he gruffly demanded; Gandalf, Bilbo and the remaining dwarves slowly approached them, circling the girl and the King, curiously awaiting her response.
Sighing aloud, Lux-Vita pushed herself from the tree that was previously supporting her weight and glanced blankly at Thorin, "I sensed you were in danger."
Curiously, Gandalf spoke up before Thorin managed to put his foot in his mouth again, "What do you mean, dear child?"
"Well, don't look at me like that. There I was, minding my own business, trying to discover what Draco bloody Malfoy was doing since he disappeared from the Marauder's Map, and the next thing I knew, I felt a sharp pang in my chest," her nose scrunched up in thought, and Thorin would never admit out loud that he found the action to be adorable. "It was sort of a consuming sensation that flooded the essence of my mind, and I heard you yelling as though you were all whispering in my ear. I knew you were in danger and so, I concentrated on your location, and voilà. Here I am."
"Voilà? What does that mea-"
"Bofur now isn't the time," Thorin growled briskly, piercing Lux-Vita with a stern gaze of mistrust, "After our mistreatment toward you, why would you travel between realms to aid us?"
"Uh, because I'm a good person, duh," Lux-Vita snorted, arousing confusion in the Middle-Earth-ians due to her odd terminologies. "Look, I have a duty as Keeper of the Realms, which bases you all solely under my protection. I would never allow my own personal thoughts about you or vendettas to cloud my vision and allow you to die. I'm not that kind of person."
"Lass," Balin spoke up gently, prompting a genial smile from Lux-Vita, "Do you mind explaining how you look older? When we last saw you a fortnight ago, you seemed younger."
"Two weeks?" Lux-Vita cocked an eyebrow, inhaling in a sharp intake of breath, "In my Realm, I haven't seen you in two years. Personally, it was eight howe-"
"Eight?" Gandalf barked out in shock; the dwarves began muttering and mumbling loudly at her words, staring agape at the girl.
Lux-Vita nodded sharply, "When Lady Galadriel aided me in retuning to Earth, my go-godfather," she choked up slightly, but adamantly continued, leaving no room for questions, "And my Headmaster decided I was in need of training due to the arduous events that shall be taking place in my future and due to my role as Keeper of the Realms. Sirius accompanied me to Japan – a country – and had me study in a time-chamber for six years which in regular time would be three months. Therefore, I haven't seen you in eight years, and I am sixteen now."
Although they were all confused, they managed to surprisingly understand Lux-Vita's peculiar terminology.
"Who is this … Draco bloody Malfoo?" Fíli enquired curiously, prompting a humorous snort from Lux-Vita; emerald eyes glittered with mirth, "Draco Malfoy is a prat. My nemesis. We've had a rivalry ever since I began my education at Hogwarts. Bloody bastard," she mumbled under her breath, but they all heard her loud and clear, and although most of the individuals laughed, a scandalized Dori blanched and yelled, "Language, lassie. Oh my, you are a Lady! And a Lady should never speak with such vulgarity."
There was a collective rolling of several pairs of eyes, and they all ignored the clucking mother-hen, Dori.
"So will you be journeying with us, Lux-Vita?" Gandalf enquired, a satisfied smile appearing on his visage. Thorin desperately wanted to rebut Gandalf's words, but he couldn't bring himself to disagree; the girl's magic and deftness in killing three trolls by her lonesome was incredibly outstanding and, though he hated to admit, she would prove to be extremely helpful now that she was not lingering in depression.
Lux-Vita sighed, and dragged a weary hand through her ruby locks, and for the first time, they all took note of her haunted eyes, she looked conflicted and in turmoil, "For a while Gandalf. Now that I know time passes differently, I could risk staying for a while longer. When I was here for a month, two hours passed in Earth."
"Is everything alright?" Kíli hesitantly asked; Thorin gritted his teeth at the palpable concern seeping into his nephew's tone. It didn't escape the uncrowned King of the enthusiastic looks on his nephews' faces once she made her arrival known.
"No," Lux-Vita regrettably retorted, "There is a war in my Realm, my country to be specific. I am greatly needed there, which is why I won't accompany you for long." Gasps reverberated in the air, but Lux-Vita ignored them and snapped her intense orbs to face Gandalf, "However, I have been meaning to visit Middle Earth, I have business of the highest importance, and frankly, takes prominence in my agenda."
Gandalf raised both brows in surprise, and once again, spoke up before Thorin could, "And what sort of business do you seek in this Realm, dear child?"
Every individual noticed the tangible anguish on her visage, all cockiness diminished to be replaced by tormented pain, sorrow and desperation, one cognizant to the memory they had witnessed when the Dark Lord murdered her fiancé in the blink of an eye.
"At the end of my fifth year – last year," she clarified, "I was tricked by Voldemort into leaving the safety of my school, thinking he held my godf- my godfather, hostage. My friends accompanied me to the Ministry – a place of government of the Magical Community," she explained rapidly, "And we found ourselves surrounded by twelve of Voldemort's most ruthless Death Eaters – they're followers that abide his bidding. My godfather and a few other adults meant to protect me arrived toward the end of the battle and … Bellatrix," she snarled the name with such vicious malice, that even Thorin recoiled, "Cast a spell on him, throwing him into the Veil of Death. My mentor, Albus Dumbledore, informed me that my god- that Sirius might be alive, and that the Veil was probably a portal to this Realm. If not, then he's …dead."
"And?" Glóin gruffly asked; he spoke roughly, but it was visibly obvious that the abrasive dwarf felt remorse over his misbehavior toward her, the lines on his face drawn softly as he stared at her.
Sucking in a sharp intake of air, Lux-Vita stared vulnerably at Gandalf, "And, I need your help." She placed a hand into a beaded bag, shocking them all to the core when her whole arm disappeared inside, pulling out a folded parchment and handing it over to Gandalf. His eyes widened impressively at the small moving portrait of an aristocratic handsome man with piercing grey stormy eyes who looked deeply emaciated and gaunt. "That is my godfather, Sirius Black. I would appreciate it if you could be on the lookout for him. I won't get my hopes up, but if there is any chance that he is in fact alive and in Middle Earth, I need you to protect him for me if I am not around."
Gandalf pocketed the picture and nodded instantly, "I vow to you that I would do my best to locate your godfather and have him safe under my protection."
"Thank you," Lux-Vita breathed out, a myriad of emotions seeping into her tone as she blinked away heartfelt tears.
A/N: Lux-Vita is back in Middle Earth! YAY! Thorin, Bilbo and the Company, too!
Is Sirius in Middle Earth? We'll have to wait and see! XD
Next, the Company would check out the Troll Cave and a few relationships build with the changed Lux-Vita (I told you she won't be depressed for long – eight years may have passed, but she isn't over Cedric, Sirius and being defiled by Voldemort, but she managed to move on and bury her hurt).
ALSO! In Chapter 6, I left a note; the distance to Erebor will be different. In the movie, Thorin and Company met Radagast after checking the troll cave, and then they were ambushed by orcs and fled to Rivendell. My story will be different! A few weeks or maybe a month would pass before escaping to Rivendell.
R&R.