Authors Note: I hope chapters will be up more frequently, sorry about the delays. Edit-a couple of things changed as of 9/8/22.
Disclaimer: I only own my OC
Recap:
"That horse needs to be tamed." Dwalin commented.
"Many have tried; Valaira is the only one who can handle her."
"That horse does not look like it is under control." Thorin argued. Looks more like a wild beast, he thought.
"Don't be too sure about that Thorin. Look closer." And he did, and he saw the elf muttering in her native language to the horse, urging it to go faster.
That elf needed to be tamed, not the horse, Thorin thought.
End recap
My horse does not need to be tamed. She thought back. We are free spirits and we do what we please. "Isn't that right Missy?" She asked her horse, who huffed in response. That meant yes. Both females found a small creek to drink from before they found their way back to the dwarves.
Thorin noticed the elf and her horse return a small while later, both in higher spirits.
"The Halfling has not shown up yet?" She asked curiously.
"He will not come, he is too soft to live a life as we do." Thorin grumbled. "He could not live without his soft mattress and warm hearth."
"I wager that he will show before midday." Valaira countered. She could already hear the feet running in their direction.
"I agree with Valaira." Gandalf chimed in, well aware of her heightened senses.
"Let us make a bet out of it, shall we? Ten gold goes to the winners." The dwarves and Valaira picked sides and waited to see who would win.
Balin was the first to speak to the elf.
"Miss Valaira, have you ever been to Erebor?" The elf noticed Thorin perk up the tiniest bit awaiting her response.
"Indeed I have. Although it has been quite some time."
"How long ago?" Bofur asked.
"I knew Thrain I and Thorin I." She refrained from saying that that had been around a thousand years ago.
"I do not remember his name but I taught the Captain and his men a thing or two." She added smiling, she remembered quite well how she was up against five soldiers and the captain and has disarmed the lot in a matter of a minute of two.
The company was silent for a while, most likely trying to guess how old the elf really was. But the silence was soon interrupted by a certain hobbit shouting and running towards them.
"I've signed it.' Bilbo gasped then hunched over to recover his breath.
"Give him a pony."
"Wait what? No I'm perfectly capable of walk-"It was quite clear the Halfling had never ridden a horse before. He was sitting in the saddle flinching at every noise the pony made. Valaira could have sworn her horse snickered at the scene. Missy had quite the attitude.
Then the hobbit sneezed.
"Wait wait wait, stop. Turn around we need to go back. I've forgotten something."
Thorin stopped his horse and turned around to see what the problem was.
"I've forgotten my handkerchief."
"Here, use this." Bofur tore off a piece of his coat and threw it to the hobbit." A few chuckles were let out at the scene.
.."Move on."
"So… how old are you then?" Asked Fili, the light-haired brother.
"Fili, never ask a woman how old she is." Gandalf chastised.
"Old." She responded anyway.
"How old?"
"Much older than you."
"Older than Thorin?"
"Yes."
"But, you do not look older than me."
"I am an elf, we are immortal…unless mortally wounded."
"She can't be that old." The young brothers whispered amongst themselves.
"Fili, how long ago did Thrain I live?" Balin asked.
"Uhhh wasn't that almost a thousand years ago? Oh…." Both brothers' eyes went wide. There was no way she was that old…was there?
The truth was she was around seven thousand years old. Truth be told she did not know her exact age either. But Gandalf was the only one who knew that she was quite old.
The entire company went quiet at this. Most were in disbelief. Others were thinking how they underestimated her.
Valaira on the other hand fell back to the end of the line. Or rather, Missy decided to.
The sun was setting and the group made camp. Fili and Kili were telling stories of Orcs to Bilbo and Thorin became angry. It seemed like he was always angry.
"You think a night raid by orcs is a joke?"
"We didn't mean anything by it."
"Of course you didn't. You know nothing of the world."
"Don't mind him, laddie. Thorin has more cause than most to hate orcs. After the dragon took the Lonely Mountain, King Thror tried to reclaim the ancient dwarf kingdom of Moria. But our enemy had got there first."
"Moria had been taken by legions of Orcs lead by the most vile of all their race: Azog, the Defiler. The giant Gundabad Orc had sworn to wipe out the line of Durin. He began by beheading the King."
"Thrain, Thorin's father, was driven mad by grief. He went missing, taken prisoner or killed, we did not know. We were leaderless. Defeat and death were upon us."
"That is when I saw him: a young dwarf prince facing down the Pale Orc."
"He stood alone against this terrible foe, his armor rent…wielding nothing but an oaken branch as a shield"
"Azog, the Defiler, learned that day that the line of Durin would not be so easily broken."
"Our forces rallied and drove the orcs back. Our enemy had been defeated. But there was no feast, no song that night, for our dead were beyond the count of grief. We few had survived."
"And I thought to myself then, there is one who I could follow. There is one I could call King."
"If you wish to change the weather of the world, I suggest you find yourself another wizard."
"Are there any?"
"Any what?"
"Other wizards?"
"There are five of us. Saruman the white is the leader of our order."
Pffft. Saruman. Valaira detested the man. He was an arrogant, controlling pig. He took everything for granted and thought of himself above everyone else. Everything must be done his way, or he pitched a fit. And as of late, he was ever more foul than usual. His age must be getting the best of him. On multiple occasions Valaira wanted to throttle the old man. Funnily enough, Valaira got along quite well for every other Wizard she had ever met. And that was quite few.
"We'll camp here for the night. Fili, Kili, look after the ponies. Make sure you stay with them."
"A farmer and his family used to live here." Indeed they did, very kind folks they were. Where their house had been was now only ruins, something attacked them.
"Oin, Gloin."
"Aye?"
"Get a fire going."
"Right you are."
"I think it would be wiser to move on. We could make for the Hidden Valley."
"I have told you already, I will not go near that place."
"Why not? The elves could help us. We could get food, rest, advice."
"I do not need their advice."
"We have a map that we cannot read. Lord Elrond could help us."
"Help? A dragon attacks Erebor, what help came from the Elves? Orcs plunder Moria, desecrate our sacred halls, the Elves looked on and did nothing. You ask me to seek out the very people who betrayed my grandfather and betrayed my father."
"You are neither of them. I did not give you that map and key for you to hold on to the past."
"I did not know that they were yours to keep."
"Gandalf where are you going?"
"To seek out the company of the only one around here who has any sense."
"And who's that?"
"Myself master Baggins, had enough of dwarves for one day."
Gandalf didn't understand Thorin's hatred for the traitorous elves/ how could he? He was friends with many of them. He brought that she-elf to help reclaim Erebor. Thorin grumbled to himself.
Speaking of the elf she was looking at him. Or rather, looking through him. He quickly turned away, avoiding her gaze.
Gandalf was right to want to keep moving. Something was out there. Something big and they did not feel friendly. But how to tell Thorin?
"Thorin, Gandalf is correct, we need to move from this place. It is not safe."
"Why should I trust you?" He growled.
Valaira's abilities are similar to her mothers, but she couldn't exactly read anyone's minds. She could feel emotion if she so chose. And Thorin obviously hated her. Or rather hated her because she was an elf. Also, she had a feeling that her gender didn't help the matter. It put an even greater distance between them.
"You can trust me because you are still alive." She growled back. Temper rising.
"Was that a threat?" He asked, surprised.
"It was a fact." She answered.
"Oi, elfling." Bofur called out.
"I have a name, dwarf."
"Sorry, Valaira. Um, could you help with the fire please?" Bofur asked politly.
Oin and Gloin had been trying to get the fire going for some minutes now.
"My pleasure." She snapped her fingers and flames starting licking the burning material.
The two dwarves, startled, had jumped back. Their eyes in awe.
"You can do magic?" Nori asked, jaw open in amazement.
"You could say that." Further grumbling came from the direction of Thorin. Something about 'it's a witch and an elf? What was that man thinking?' But he did grumble it in Khuzdul, no idea she could actually understand and speak the tongue fluently. Even though she thought it was a dirty language.
His constant resentment was starting to have a negative effect on Valaira's own mood. She could water near bye. She got up to bathe.
"Oi, where do you think you're going?" Bofur asked, mixing some ingredients.
"To do something you dwarves seem to know little of." She said light-heartedly.
"And what might that be?" Bofur questioned.
"To bathe." Offense was taken by some, others laughed it off. Also heard a few say something about never seeing an elf as filthy as her. She shrugged that one off though, one hundred percent true most of the time.
The first stars were beginning to appear in the setting sky and the dwarves were preparing for their meal and then for bed.
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