They woke the next morning to a knock on the door. When Tracey opened the door Artemis was standing on the landing. "Thorin wants to talk to us."
Gripping the sheet around her naked body and pushing her black hair out of her face, Tracey's shoulders dropped and she muttered some words under her breath that sounded a lot like protests, but she nodded.
"I'll be out in a few minutes, I'm going to let Legolas sleep a little longer."
Disappearing into the room after closing the door, Tracey went back to the bed and leaned over Legolas, admiring how peaceful he looked while sleeping and kissing him lovingly. She whispered in his ear that she had to meet up with Artemis and the Dwarves for a little while, but then she'd be back. After leaving several kisses on his lips she dressed quickly and left the room.
"Alright Artemis, let's see what our stubborn Dwarf has to say now... hopefully his decision is favorable."
Artemis led her to the dwarves quarters and knocked before they entered. Thorin was sitting at the table near the curtained window, he stood when they entered and gave them a slight smile. "Thank you for seeing me so early."
Tracey was slightly taken aback by the change that she saw in Thorin, never in her dreams did she think that he would actually smile. Her wings fluttered a bit and she decided she would give him the benefit of a doubt and returned his smile with one of her own. "Good morning Lord Thorin, what did you wish to see us about?" Tracey asked, resting her hands on the backside of a chair.
Artemis sat down in a chair and crossed her legs and Thorin sat down across from her. "I have spent the last week considering your positions on my return to Erebor and while you were away Gandalf spent some time adding his own opinion."
"Ah, it's good that you've considered Gandalf's counsel. He's wise and has been around for a long time." Tracey replied, nodding her head at his words. "What have you decided?"
He clasped his hands in front of his and stared down at the weathers digits, he seemed diminished somehow, and Artemis reached over resting her slender hand over his. "You've decided to leave haven't you?"
He nodded then looked up at her. "You convinced me, all of you. I could not bear the destruction, the ruin of the world for my own pride. I will travel with Fili to the north and explore the lands beyond the mountains."
Artemis took his hand in hers and clasped it. "You have no idea how grateful I am for that."
Tracey's wings fluttered again and she nodded. "Acknowledging that you have a problem is the first step to fixing it and I am also grateful that you've been wise enough to listen to the opinion of others before listening to your heart. You are very wise in your own right, may you find peace in the North with your kin."
He nodded slowly. "I will be leaving in two days with Fili, the Lady Galadriel is providing us with horses, provisions and tools to get us started."
Artemis stood up and wrapped him in a hug which stunned him before he returned it. "Thorin, your people will remain a strong proud people, beloved in song and story." She kissed his cheek and he flushed.
"We don't know what you will find up North, but we hope for the best." Tracey said before looking at Fili. "You think you can stay out of trouble while you travel?"
She crossed her arms under her chest and smirked at him, he chuckled and shook his head. "I'm hoping to find lots of trouble up north."
Artemis laughed and hugged Fili who gladly hugged him back. "I'm not sure how much longer we'll be here so if we are gone before you leave we wish you the best of journeys."
She stepped back and both dwarves bowed to her and Tracey. Artemis bowed in return and took Tracey's arm. "Let's go get some food huh?"
"Agreed, I'm starving." Tracey said, allowing Artemis to lead her away and to the dining area.
Trays of fruit and juices were laid out on the tables and this gave them the opportunity to pick what they wanted and eat at their leisure. Slowly Tracey picked at her food, despite being starved, she found that she didn't have much of an appetite and pushed a few grapes around on her plate. The thought of their leaving was starting to weigh on her heart and on her mind. Occasionally she glanced at Artemis and rested her elbow on the table and her chin in her palm before speaking.
"How much longer do you think we'll be here? And where do you think we'll go from here?"
Artemis had eaten fully and hungrily and was now sitting back in her chair with a cup of strong black tea. She stared pensively into the dark liquid and shook her head. "Not long now I think. We've solved the problem, we saved the world. It could come tomorrow, or tonight or in the next two minutes." She looked up at Tracey and set her cup on the table.
"Tracey…" She hesitated then kept going. "I'm sorry, that you're going to be torn away from Legolas. If I thought I could stop it, if I thought I could change it I want you to know I would. I would give anything, every scrap of power to make it so you can stay here."
"Well..." Tracey started with a lopsided smile, a few tears coming to her eyes as she looked into Artemis's own calming brown ones. "At least now I know what you feel every time you think about Iolaus. I know you'd give up everything to help me, just as I would do anything in my power to help you. It is going to take some getting used to being without him, but I will steel my resolve and if there is a just and loving God or Gods out there than they will see to it that we get some type of reward... or they'll just stop messing with people's lives and drawing in innocents to fix their crap."
Pushing hair out of her face, Tracey tried to keep herself calm and collected. Artemis reached over and took her hand squeezing it comfortingly. "I will find a way back. I swear it, I will find a way back to Middle Earth somehow." She tried to smile at Tracey but her own eyes glittered.
Tracey had to take several deep breaths and wiped her eyes, using the inside of her sleeve to do so. Getting rid of the lump in her throat seemed next to impossible, but after several minutes she took a few sips of her juice and picked a few fruits to satisfy her grumbling stomach.
"It would have been nice to get at least a warning that this was going to be a hard adventure." She muttered, cracking a half smile at Artemis, but shrugging her shoulders and leaning back in her chair and patting her hand.
Artemis left her chair and pulled Tracey into a hug stroking her hair. "I'm sorry." She murmured. "Go spend as much time as you can with him while you can. I'll take care of any preparations."
Hugging Artemis back tightly, Tracey gave her a grateful smile and grabbed some fruit before taking off, heading back to her room as fast as she could. She pushed open the door as quietly as she could and shut it behind her. Legolas was still resting and she placed the fruit in a bowl on the bedside table before crawling back into the bed with him, curling up against his warm body and sighing in content.
'I need to remain strong for him, he will be my new reason for living and moving from each world to the next.' She thought to herself, starting to stroke his hair and loving how silky smooth it was between her fingers. 'I just hope I can be as strong as he is.'
Artemis watched her go before picking up her tea and swallowing it down in one gulp. She stood and went to her quarters and pulled the satchels out of her saddlebags and started checking through them making sure all their personal items were still available. She was wrapping the diadem Tracey had been wearing before she regained her memories in a length of silk when a knock on the door frame startled her. She spun and relaxed when she saw Gandalf who gave her a reassuring smile. "I see you are packing."
She tucked the diadem into Tracey's satchel. "I am. I have the feeling we'll be summoned away at any moment and I want to be ready."
He sat down on the chair in a corner and smiled as he pulled his pipe out. "I see. Well I shall miss you and our conversations."
She closed one satchel and started reorganizing the other one. "I will miss you too Gandalf. You kept me honest if nothing else."
They both chuckled at that and Artemis closed the satchel then sat on the bed with a sigh and looked down at her hands. "I feel so bad for them." She said softly.
"Their love is strong. He said quietly. "As is yours."
She looked up and he smiled warmly. "Oh don't look so flabbergasted my dear girl. I saw it in the story you told, and the care you took to reinforce their love."
She swallowed and wiped her eyes and he reached over resting a hand on her shoulder. "You are both stronger than any outside force even knows, you and Tracey are the quiet strength, the open hearts and the honest love that gives me hope in the dark days to come."
She leaned forward and hugged him tight, hot tears tracking down her cheeks and he patted her back. 'They are dangerous, loyal and strong. These women, these beautiful women will make it through.' He thought as he held her while she cried.