Disclaimer: I own nothing except for my original character. Everything else is property of New Line Cinema, Peter Jackson, etc.
Author's Note: Thank you to the people who have reviewed this story thus far! In response to the anonymous review asking about Legolas, I'm not sure how large of a role he will play in Take Me Home, I haven't figured that out yet.
The dwarves had just crossed the threshold into the courtyard of Rivendell when a tall, well-dressed elf with an intricate circlet resting on his head appeared. Gandalf greeted the elf as a friend and asked to speak to Lord Elrond, the master of Rivendell. The elf, Lindir, Gwyn realized, said that Lord Elrond was not at home. Just then the elven horns the Company had heard earlier sounded, and armored elves mounted on horses crossed the bridge into the courtyard. The dwarves quickly circled up, facing outward, drawing their assorted weapons. Fili and Kili shunted Gwyn behind them to protect her. Gwyn, personally, did not see what all the fuss was about, until the elves began circling their horses around the dwarves. That was when Gwyn began to get a bit nervous.
Lord Elrond dismounted his horse, and was speaking in Elvish with Gandalf. From his tone Gwyn could tell that he was being hospitable, but Gloin heard insult in the elf's voice, and the red-haired dwarf began bristling at the perceived slight. Gandalf rolled his eyes and heaved a long suffering sigh, explaining that Lord Elrond had offered the Company of dwarves food and lodging. The dwarves briefly debated the situation amongst themselves, before they lowered their weapons and allowed the elves to lead them to a dining porch, where a light supper had been prepared.
Gwyn thought the Elvish harps and flutes were very soothing, and she quickly found herself relaxing. She was seated between Fili and Kili, and as the dinner progressed, she grew bolder and more flirtatious. Until this point in the journey Gwyn had mostly been quiet, occasionally surprising the others, as she had with the attitude she had shown while searching for her clothes in the trolls' clearing. However, she found herself adapting to the journey and to the company she traveled with, and as she adapted she became more comfortable with speaking her mind.
Gwyn and the other members of the Company seated at the long table were chatting comfortably when Kili was caught staring at the elven musicians, the elf-maid playing the harp especially. At Dwalin's blank stare Kili began hem and haw, acting as though he didn't find the elves at all appealing. Gwyn, from her spot between Kili and his brother, each with an arm draped around her casually, began to smirk. Dwalin raised an eyebrow at her mischievous expression, and in response she subtly winked. Turning slightly towards Kili, she asked, still smirking, "Well, if you don't like elf-maids, what do you like?" The rest of the table began to laugh heartily at Gwyn's boldness, surprised though they were at it, when Fili and Kili both turned to her, matching her smirk with their own, and said "Why, Gwyn, surely you've realized that you are the very maid we have dreamed about, since even before we knew you!"
Gwyn's eyes widened briefly before she shot back with "If that's true, then what are you two going to do about it?" Fili and Kili were not expecting such a response, so they could not answer. Bofur nodded approvingly at the cheekiness of the response, as the rest of the table began laughing again. When Gwyn looked down at her plate to pick up another bite of elven bread, the two brothers shot each other a significant look over her head. For all of their purported cluelessness, few of the dwarves at the table missed the look, and after Gwyn excused herself, and the brothers wandered off to speak to their uncle, Nori flashed a shark-like grin at the others, and soon wagers were being made, as to how long the three young members of the Company would be dancing around each other.
After leaving the dining porch, Gwyn somehow found her way to the women's bathing chambers. She stripped out of her clothes and waded into the warm, lavender scented water. As she luxuriated in the water, Gwyn found herself thinking back on the journey thus far, and she found her face flushing from the heat of the water and from thoughts of her audacity at dinner. She could not believe her boldness in response to Fili's and Kili's flirtatious attentions. As she scrubbed her skin of the grime of weeks on the road, Gwyn wondered if they had merely been teasing her, or if there was some truth to their words. If Gwyn was going to be truly honest with herself, she wasn't sure which option she preferred. She also wasn't sure which brother she preferred, she was equally attracted to both brothers, and that confused her.
Gwyn emerged from the bath a considerable time later, clean and smelling faintly of lavender. She wrapped herself in a towel, and decided to apply one of the lotions she found nearby, which also smelled of lavender. Gwyn sat before a small vanity tucked into an alcove of the bathing chambers, and began to comb out her hair, musing all the while. When she had arrived in Middle Earth, Gwyn's hair had been cut into a neat bob, just barely reaching below her jaw. Now it reached past her shoulder blades in gentle waves. Gwyn also noticed that she was leaner and lightly muscled, like a dancer. Somewhere along the journey to Middle Earth, Gwyn's glasses had been lost, but she found herself not needing them. It was as if her eyesight had somehow completely corrected itself, granting her perfect vision.
Once Gwyn had completely untangled her hair, she moved to begin redressing, unhappy at the thought of putting on her dirty clothes. However, when she reached the spot where she had left them in a pile on the floor, they were gone. Instead, Gwyn found a neatly folded pile of clothes, obviously meant for her. In the place of her jeans, she found soft leggings, in place of her t-shirt there was a soft tunic and light undershirt. Her chunky, heeled boots had been replaced with lighter weight moccasin-like boots, that she was sure would protect her feet more comfortably than her original boots had. There was also a chainmail shirt, leather bracers for her forearms, a sturdy but flexible leather corset, and a belt. All of these clothes were woven in dappled shades of green, brown, grey, and black which would provide camouflage on the journey. The leather bracers and corset were tooled with intricate designs that reminded Gwyn of the Celtic knots that she admired from her home. Folded up nearby Gwyn saw a leather coat, similar to what the dwarves wore, lined with soft fur. Mercifully, whoever had taken her old clothes, probably to be burned, Gwyn thought, had left her bra. Underneath the neatly folded pile of new clothes, Gwyn also found some soft cotton underwear. Dressing quickly, Gwyn decided to leave off the bracers and chailmail off until the Company departed from Rivendell.
Fully dressed in her new clothes, all of which fit her perfectly, Gwyn began making her way towards the veranda where the Company would be sleeping during their stay in Rivendell. Rivendell was huge, but all Gwyn had to do was to listen for boisterous dwarven laughter, and eventually she found the others. What her new boots lacked in height, they made up for in stealth. She quietly crept up on the dwarves, before loudly clearing her throat. It pleased her greatly when several members of the Company, including Dwalin, jumped in surprise. Suddenly, she was very aware of 14 pairs of eyes staring at her new attire. Emboldened by the feelings of being clean and wearing clean clothes, she gave a little spin. Bofur and Nori catcalled her, while many of the others applauded the transformation. Poor little Ori stutteringly told her that her new clothes suited her quite well. Bilbo exclaimed that she was like a whole new person, and that she seemed much more comfortable. She smiled and thanked everyone for their compliments, throwing winks to Bofur and Nori, who both pretended to swoon. Of all the members of the Company, Thorin, Dwalin, Fili, and Kili were silent, though for different reasons. Thorin and Dwalin were coolly assessing the suitability of her clothes for their journey, while Fili and Kili were stunned into muteness. They soon recovered themselves, and rushed over to begin their flirtations with Gwyn anew.
Soon the various members of the Company began falling asleep, their snores punctuating the growing stillness of the night. Gwyn, Fili, and Kili stayed up talking much later than the others. The brothers had been explaining dwarven customs to Gwyn, particularly those surrounding courtship. Eventually though, Gwyn began dozing off as well. She heard a bit of shuffling, and some muffled whispers, but she was too tired to question it. She fell into a deeper sleep, unaware of the fact that she was sandwiched between Fili and Kili, their combined warmth granting her a more comfortable night than she'd had since before arriving in Middle Earth.
The next morning, Gwyn awoke, refreshed, when the dwarves began their own morning rituals. Stretching, Gwyn finally noticed that there two bedrolls on either side of the one Gandalf had managed to scrounge up for her at the start of the journey. She recognized them as belonging to Fili and Kili, and she felt herself flush, though whether it was from embarrassment or something else, she couldn't say. Noticing that she was awake, Fili and Kili made their ways over to her.
"Gwyn, I don't mean to alarm you, but you seem to have shrunk in the night!" Kili exclaimed, looking at her. It was true, without the extra inches provided by her old boots, Gwyn was now only slightly taller than Bilbo. Gwyn laughed and pointed out that her old boots granted her the extra height. Fili and Kili both draped an easy arm around her shoulders as the Company headed back to the dining porch for breakfast. Thorin, Dwalin, and Balin watched the trio's interactions with sharp eyes.
After breakfast, the dwarves split up to resupply for when the Company set off on their journey again. Gwyn was wandering aimlessly through the halls of Rivendell when she encountered Lord Elrond.
"Good morning my lord," Gwyn said quietly.
"Good morning to you as well, Mistress Gwyndolyn, was it? You are the girl not from Middle Earth travelling with the company of dwarves, are you not?" Elrond asked.
"I am my lord, although I usually go by Gwyn. I wanted to thank you on behalf of my self and my companions for your hospitality."
"You are most welcome, Mistress Gwyn. Tell me, how are you finding your journey?"
"To be perfectly honest my lord, I am still quite confused as to my role on this quest. I am not a warrior, nor am I a tracker, nor do I have any other useful skills for the dwarves' purposes," Gwyn answered. While the pair were conversing, they also began walking. Lord Elrond seemed to be guiding Gwyn somewhere, but she was not sure where.
"You may find, my dear, that you have skills you do not know you possess. You may surprise yourself," Lord Elrond replied with a small smirk.
"Somehow, I doubt that. I mean, back home I was a student. I read and researched things all day. That does not a warrior make," Gwyn replied.
"Do you find yourself missing your home? Do you wish you could go back?" the elf lord questioned.
"Yeah, I do miss home, and I am worried about my family. I have no idea if they know where I am, or how they're handling my disappearance. I don't even know if time passes the same way here as it does there. For all I know, it could be an hour later there, even though weeks have passed here. That being said, if I were given the choice, I'm not sure I would go back. It's a bit strange, but I almost feel more at home here than I ever did when I was actually at home. I mean, I'm even physically changing to fit in better here. And then there's the fact that these clothes mysteriously fit me perfectly," at that she turned to Lord Elrond with a raised eyebrow. He simply smiled serenely, gesturing for her to enter the doors they had reached during their conversation. As she entered, Gwyn realized that Lord Elrond had led her to the training grounds.
Looking around, Gwyn noticed Gandalf, Thorin, Dwalin, Fili and Kili were standing near a table looking at something arrayed on top. Approaching the group, she saw the rest of the Company in bleachers nearby. As she drew near, Gandalf was the first person to see her. He strode over to her, commenting on her new clothes, and stating that they suited her quite well. He led her over to the table, upon which were arrayed a variety of weapons, including knives of several different sizes and shapes, a bow carved from rich, dark wood, and twin swords in their sheaths.
"We figure it's probably a good idea if you know how to fight, so we're all going to teach you!" Kili exclaimed enthusiastically. Fili smiled, while Thorin and Dwalin merely nodded. Gwyn raised an incredulous eyebrow before looking at the weapons on the table. She began with the bow, hefting it in her right hand, examining it closely.
"Short, recurve bow, lightweight but sturdy," Gwyn muttered to herself, as she tested the bowstring, "good tension, the design of the bow allows for more power behind each arrow, especially if it's overdrawn." She picked up an arrow, examining it as well, "The design of the bow combined with the particular fletching on the arrows would provide for a quieter release than most recurve bows typically allow, which would be good for stealth attacks." Nocking the arrow, she quickly took aim at a target at the end of the range, smoothly drew the bowstring taut, and loosed the arrow, striking the target dead center. Three more arrows quickly followed, all striking the center of the target.
Setting down the bow, Gwyn turned her attention to the various knives. So intent was she in her examination, she completely missed the looks of disbelief exchanged between the other members of the Company, nor did she see the knowing smiles upon the faces of Gandalf and Lord Elrond. There were four very short knives that tapered sharply from the hilt to the tip. Picking one of the knives up, Gwyn began muttering to herself again, "small throwing knives, meant to be concealed in the boot, one on each side of the calf." Spinning around towards the target again, she drew her left arm across her body and released the knife in her hand, striking the target near her cluster of arrows. Moving on to two of the longer knives she commented that their long, thin blades would be ideal for slipping between an enemy's ribs, puncturing a lung. The design of those knives, she noted, meant that they could be concealed easily within bracers, like those she had found the night before. They lacked a cross guard, simply transitioning smoothly from handle to blade. The last two knives she saw were very similar to the Bowie knives she knew from home, the blades wide and slightly curved, but sharpened only on one edge. Their sheaths were designed to be strapped around the thigh, accessible through the slits in the sides of a tunic. The last knife she came to was unique in its shape. It had a thin, short, tapered blade but the cross guard was what drew her attention. The cross guard was gently arched on either side of the grip, and Gwyn blushed as she realized it was meant to be concealed in a bodice, resting between a woman's breasts.
Finishing her assessment of the assorted knives, Gwyn began to study the twin swords. "These are strange blades, not of Dwarven make like Fili's swords, these were made by the smiths of Gondolin. They are lightweight, but I'd reckon they would be strong enough to withstand any opponent." Holding the sheathed swords up to eye-level, Gwyn's eyes widened. "These swords can be united at the pommel, creating one double ended sword! When the blades are united, it seems as though the double sword could be used almost like a staff, while separately the swords could be used for both offense and defense." Drawing the swords, Gwyn began to move, almost as though dancing, through a series of postures, demonstrating the uses of the blades. When she united the swords, her movements changed, relying less on her own movements, and more on the design of the weapon.
She dimly heard an impressed whistle from nearby, and blinking, she began to become more aware of her surroundings. Realizing what had just happened, she separated the double sword and sheathed the blades. Turning sharply to Gandalf she demanded, "How did I know all that?! I have never handled weapons like this before IN MY LIFE, so how the hell did I know the different purposes and hiding places for all these knives, how did I know what to look for in a bow, and more importantly, how in the name of God did I know how to use the twin swords, because these particular swords are very unique in their design?! I want answers Gandalf!" Gwyn was breathing heavily, but Gandalf just smiled serenely before excusing himself. Lord Elrond also took his leave of the Company. Gwyn was just about to start shouting abuse at their retreating backs when Dwalin cleared his throat sharply.
"That was an impressive display of skills and knowledge of weaponry, lass, but what are you going to do if you are disarmed? I'd wager you still need to learn hand to hand combat."
Gwyn's eyes hardened and she moved to the center of the training room. Several members of the Company, including Fili, Kili, Thorin, Dwalin, Gloin, Bofur, and Nori surrounded her. Circle of Death, Gwyn thought, this will be fun. Allowing a small smirk to grace her lips, she closed her eyes, listening closely to the opponents surrounding her. The dwarves around her looked confused at her actions, but they soon began attacking her from all sides. She gracefully dodged their blows, while managing to land powerful hits of her own. Nori and Bofur were the first two attackers to leave the ring, followed by Gloin. Kili was expelled when Gwyn nailed him in the stomach with a horse kick when he tried to attack her from behind, while Fili simultaneously came at her side. Gwyn grabbed Fili's arm, pinning it behind him, before tossing him from the ring. The brothers both laughed at the ferocity in Gwyn's eyes as she faced down Thorin. While her attention was centered on their leader, Dwalin crept up behind her and wrapped his huge forearm around her neck. Turning her head slightly to the side so that the large dwarf was not cutting off her air supply, Gwyn stomped on one of his feet, hard, before grounding herself and tossing Dwalin to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Chuckling breathlessly at the dwarf's attempts to regain the air she had knocked from his lungs, Gwyn refocused on Thorin, now the only assailant left. The two opponents circled each other, looking for openings in the other's guard, when Thorin rushed at her like a charging bull. He was obviously counting on her being caught off guard by his actions, but Gwyn merely grasped Thorin by the collar of his tunic, planted a foot in his stomach, and allowed his momentum to throw her backwards. Gwyn then used the foot in his midsection and her grip on his collar to throw him across the training grounds. As Thorin landed hard Gwyn continued her backwards roll and got to her feet. She was just about to declare her victory over the dwarves when Gwyn herself suddenly hit the ground hard as she was tackled from the side.
Gwyn felt large hands pinning her wrists to the ground as a weight settled on her midsection. Looking up, she saw Kili smiling down at her. She smirked up at him, and asked, "What's the problem? Don't you know what to do when you've got a girl underneath you?" Kili smirked and began to describe exactly what he would do to a girl in Gwyn's position. While Kili was distracted, Gwyn discreetly shifted beneath him, wrapping her right foot around Kili's leg as he straddling her. Once she was in position, Gwyn pushed up powerfully, flipping them so that she was straddling Kili. His eyes widened when she asked him if he yielded. He conceded defeat and she stood gracefully before helping Kili up.
Gwyn was covered in a sheen of sweat from her exertions, her hair sticking to her face and neck, and she was out of breath. Fili and Kili each draped an arm around her shoulders, laughing at how much she surprised everyone with her skills. She heard Gandalf and Lord Elrond laughing from the doorway. Turning, she noticed the creeping wariness in the expressions of the dwarves and the hobbit, but she simply shrugged. The elf-lord and the Wizard approached her, praising her skills.
"Did I not say that you would surprise yourself, Mistress Gwyn? It seems as though I was right, and you had skills you did not know you possessed," Lord Elrond said. "Those weapons have been sitting in my armory for ages, and since you were so skillful with them, they are my gift to you."
"I could not accept such generosity my lord," Gwyn demurred, "and I still wish to know how it was that I knew how to use the weapons, however, I am willing to wait for my answers, for the time being." When the others were confused about her change in attitude she explained, "The nice thing about sparring is that it forces a person to focus on the immediate future, where the next attack will come from and how to defend against it, while also analyzing your opponent's weaknesses. Today's matches allowed me to realize that I will get my answers when Gandalf is ready to give them, even if I want them now, Gandalf has deemed that I am not yet ready for them, so I shall wait. However, I reserve the right to request a sparring match with anyone in the Company, should the Wizard prove to be too frustrating." The others laughed, and agreed that her attitude had much improved after the vigorous exercise. As the Company began filing out to continue with their day, Gwyn hung back to speak with Lord Elrond.
"Mistress Gwyn, I must insist that you accept my gift of these weapons. They are perfectly suited to you, and they will be happier being of use on your quest than if they were to remain in my armory," Lord Elrond said. Realizing that to refuse the elf-lord's generosity a second time would be exceedingly rude, Gwyn nodded, thanking him.
"I would ask a favor my lord. I have heard stories of your skills in the healing arts, and I fear the Company is woefully undersupplied in this respect, but I would like your permission to raid your store cupboards to pack a small satchel with healing plants, especially the herb athelas. If we have already encountered one orc pack, there will surely be more, and I would feel more at ease knowing we would be able to heal any resulting injuries," Gwyn requested quietly.
"Certainly Mistress Gwyn. I will pack the satchel myself. I will have it prepared before you set off again," Lord Elrond said, holding up a hand to stop her protests. "You will need other supplies as well, so I will leave you to pack those. When you return to your sleeping quarters you will find a new pack and bedroll ready for your use." Gwyn stammered her thanks before the regal elf walked away.
Grabbing her new weapons, Gwyn began to make her way to the dwarves' veranda, before going to the bathing chambers. Once she was clean and redressed it was time for supper. Gwyn's stomach growled, as she had not eaten since breakfast. On her way to the dining porch, Gwyn encountered Gandalf, who offered to escort her to supper.
"I overheard you asking Lord Elrond for healing plants for the journey. I was particularly intrigued to hear you request athelas. Whatever for, may I ask?"
"As I said to Lord Elrond, I would feel more at ease simply knowing that we had it, should the need arise. As I have always said, it is better to have something and not need it, than to need something and not have it," Gwyn answered.
"Wise words indeed, Gwyn. And you are right, I will grant you your answers in due time, but right now I can only say that you will accomplish great things."
"Thank you Gandalf, I can only hope you are right."
"My dear, seldom am I wrong. And unless I am much mistaken right now, it smells as though supper will be more than salad tonight!"
"That should please the others greatly, although I don't think the elves will find their table manners satisfactory at all, if last night's display was any indication."
The two reached the dining porch, and Gandalf went to sit with Thorin and Lord Elrond, leaving Gwyn to take her place between Fili and Kili. As Gandalf had predicted there was a hearty venison roast steaming on the table and as Gwyn had predicted, supper was a raucous affair, and many of the elves looked affronted at the dwarves' crude manners. Gwyn merely laughed at the elves' distaste, especially Lindir, who looked positively green at the dwarves' behavior. For a second night, Bofur entertained everyone with his antics, and Gwyn surprised everyone at the table, yet again, when she began to chime in on the choruses of his songs. Gwyn was comfortable around the dwarves now, and so enjoyed the elves' expressions, that she even sang drinking songs that she had learned at home, much to the pleasure of everyone.
Soon, the Company retired to their veranda, while Bilbo, Thorin, Balin, and Gandalf consulted with Lord Elrond about Thorin's map. As Lord Elrond had promised, her ratty bedroll had been replaced with a much newer, nicer one, that was also certainly warmer than the old one had been. Resting on her bedroll was a new leather pack that looked as though there were already things inside. Examining the outside of the pack, Gwyn noticed that the designs tooled into the leather matched those of her bracers, corset, and even the designs etched into her new weapons. Looking inside, Gwyn found spare clothes, including undergarments, a small sack of coins, a weapons care kit, a woven cloak, and an even smaller sack. Intrigued by the smaller sack, Gwyn opened it, to find several beads and clasps, similar to those worn by the dwarves to secure their braids. Fili and Kili had explained the night before the significance of braids in dwarven culture, especially in relation to courtship, and Gwyn blushed at the contents of the sack she held in her hand, thinking of the implications. She quickly closed the sack and hid it at the bottom of her pack before anyone asked about it.
As she was repacking the contents of her new pack, Bofur finally noticed what Gwyn was doing.
"Whatcha got there Lassie?" he asked.
"It is a new pack, obviously." Gwyn snarked.
"I can see that, but I think we are all wondering where you got such a fine thing. You're not taking lessons from Nori, are you?" Nori tossed a pillow at the back of Bofur's head at the implied insult.
"Of course I didn't steal it! It was a gift from Lord Elrond!"
"Well, he certainly has been bestowing quite a lot of gifts on you. I wonder why that is?" Fili mused. If Gwyn hadn't been paying attention, she wouldn't have noticed the slightly jealous tone in his voice, nor would she have noticed Kili's frown.
"I'd imagine that it is because he pities me, as I was so ill-prepared for this journey when we first arrived here. It also seems as though only he and Gandalf know exactly what my purpose is here, so that could have something to do with it, as well." Gwyn answered. Setting the pack aside, she sat on her bedroll, and she was soon joined by Fili and Kili taking their now customary places on either side of her. The Company began settling down for the night, telling stories and jokes, and one by one she began to hear snores rising from her companions. Once again, she, Fili, and Kili stayed up talking, and once again, she fell asleep sandwiched between the two brothers. Once they were certain she was asleep, they crept closer to her, each one wrapping a possessive arm around the girl's sleeping form.