Chapter 4: Unexpected revelation
Rurìn was sitting crossed-legged on Raìn, bowed over knitting while she journeyed towards Ered Luin. Elladan and Elrohir along with Teragorn were by her side for the traveling, the four of them laughed, joked, and talked all while keeping the atmosphere full of love. The Elf Twins were sad that they would be saying see you again towards their little daman as they were calling her. Teragorn was just disappointed because he might never see her again. He was human, not gifted with long life, he wasn't a Dúnedain like her mother was nor did he have a long life of a dwarf. She promised to see him again soon, that she wouldn't stay away for too long. He said he would hold her to that promise and before they got to Bree, he bid her farewell and kissed her cheek as an older brother would do. Leaving her with a corded bracelet with a little wooden carved horse on it for her to remember him by.
She continued her travels with the twins passing the shire and staying off the main roads as they slowly descended into orc-infested lands. The wilds in this part between the Shire and the Blue Mountains held some wandering orcs, not too much but enough to proceed with caution and to remain off the main roads for a time. They had been traveling for a month at this point, sleeping under the stars, and playing their instruments. Well, the twins played their flutes and Rurìn went between her Fiddle, flute, or lute. She had been gifted new instruments by Elrond, Hemi, and Lindir before she left along with a brand new cloak and travel wear. The elvish friends she had made spoiled her; Raìn had a few packed parcels of gifts on him. From jewelry to clothes and even art supplies, as well as a small painting of her with the Rivendell residents who would forever have a place in her heart. She had spent years living with them, growing, training and bonding. Friendships that would forever last a lifetime and then some more when her friends would sail to the west.
Before they got to the first gate of the Blue Mountains was were Rurìn must say her farewells to the twins. They were not allowed to go any further due to the conflicts with the Dwarves. They would have dared it but Elrond would kill them himself should they cause any anger or force him to come all this way to plead for their case.
"Don't worry our little daman," Elladan held Rurìn in his arms while she sniffled. "We will see you again! Wàyenda will bring us the letters that you promised and we will keep our word and reply to every single one with haste!"
"We will see you again our sweet Raven sister!" Elrohir kissed her forehead before getting back on his horse.
Elladan helped her back up on Raìn and fixed her ribbon in her braid, and placed a small silver ring on her thumb.
"We had it made for you," He explained, she looked down at it to see Sindarin script with 'Where the wind blows, we shall meet again'
"Thank you," She placed her hand on her heart. He smiled up at her, patting her cheek.
"Take care and remember there is no shame in not staying. We will come for you if you want to return even if it's only a week from now. We care deeply for you, all of us do, Rurì."
"And I you, muindor," (Brother)
He grinned up at her and turned away to get on his horse. The twins waved and turned their horses before galloping away, leaving her to travel alone. She tighten her quiver straps and adjusted her now on her shoulder before tapping Raìn gently on the sides.
"Let's go home, boy."
He neighed softly and went in a gentle trot. It wasn't long before they came to the first gate where she was allowed to pass through without so much as a glance. The first part of the lower pastures around the mountains were fields of grain and few wandering farm animals, the second gate held the farmsteads and as the terrain began to decline upward, the fields held more dwellings, with dwarflings running around in the wildflowers, darrowdams were hanging laundry and the darrows were sharpening their weapons or working on the ground doing a little bit of everything. There were a few elderly Darrows shucking corn or stripping tobacco. They all looked up at her with narrowed eyes, some of the small dwarflings ventured near her only to be called back by their mothers.
Rurìn felt even more like an outsider than before despite her being one of them. She forced a smile on her face and continued on, only a little faster than before. As the fourth gate came into view, she traveled in more of an incline steep. One of the guards called for a halt, pointing an arrow at her. Tugging gently on the reigns she tilted her chin up to meet the eyes of the wall guard.
"What business do ye have here!" He growled.
He could have been a little more friendly in her opinion. There was no reason to be so hostile with her. She hadn't done anything to warrant that tone in his voice.
"I've been invited by the Princess, Lady Dìs of the House of Durìn!" She held a firmer voice that was almost foreign to her. She rather not talk at all or be put under a spotlight. Rurìn will always prefer the shadows for her safe space.
"Do ye have proof!" The Gaurd growled two more arrows were now directed at her face. Honestly... She really hadn't done anything to now have three arrows pointed at her.
"Of course, Master Dwarf! I would gladly get it if I weren't so concerned about having three arrows embedded in my head!" She snapped.
The guard looked momentarily stunned and looked as if heat bloomed upon his face. The arrows were lowered and he gave a sheepish smile. "Apologies, my lady... Can't be too cautious with the world. Dark times upon us, you know..."
She huffed. "You are forgiven. May I show you my invitation? Or should I direct you to it and one of your guards pull it from my robes? I am more than willing to place my hands in the air to ease your wary minds if it pleases you."
The guard chuckled and disappeared from the wall, a gate opened and he stepped out. "Lift your hands, Lassie. Tell me where the letter is."
She did as she was told, watching the Darrow step towards her. "It's in my pocket on my right leg, the larger one closer to the knee." She said quietly. He looked a bit bashful when he reached to touch her; Having to stand on his tippy toes just to reach her knee and pull the letter from her pocket. She kept her eyes on him, refusing to look away. He scanned the letter and then held it out to her which she put back in its place. He whistled and rolled his. wrist in the air, the gates opened all the way to let her through.
"Yòlun! Show the lass in!"
A younger guard, looking a bit clumsy met her at the gate. He was on a smaller pony, stumbling a bit as he held the reigns. He hardly had a beard, more of an after shadow scruff, he had no beads nor braids in his hair. A bit on the chubby side than stout. He nodded his head at her. She nodded back. "Follow me..." He said quietly and nudged his pony.
Raìn cantered slowly beside the pony, she had to look down on him as he lead her through a small path filled with stalls and out of another gate. They had a lot of gates, a testament to how secretive they were. Overly cautious more like it...
"This is the Maker's Hall, as ye can see this is where all the dwarf craftsmen work and share the huge forge for their crafts." Yòlun continued through the second half of the gate and through another door. "This here is The Forge's hall, it is only lit in the mornin' and will be put out few hours after sundown. If yeh want to use it, yeh have to talk to King Thòrin."
He climbed off the back of his pony and held a hand out towards her. She whistle lowly and Raìn kneeled down enough for her to climb off him gently. Yòlun lifted his eyebrows in shock and grinned at her when she took his offered hand for help to steady her. She smiled. "Yeh have to leave yer steed in the barn 'ere. Once settled, yeh can collect 'em. Lady Dìs will put 'em in the Durìn stables with theirs. You can leave yer stuff on 'em. Nobody will touch it."
"Thank you," She bowed her head. He walked off for a moment while she got her horse settled in a stall. Wàyenda crowed lowly from above and when she came out of the barn, she swooped down to land on her shoulder, nuzzling her neck and ruffling her feathers. Yòlun returned with another guard.
"Ye have a raven..." Yòlun gaped.
"Wàyenda," Rurìn said softly, brushing her beak with care. " She brought a letter from Lady Dìs. She did not leave and chose to stay with me. We've become attached to one another."
"A mighty fine gift... to bond with a Raven. Must be special for Mahal and Manwë to bound yer souls." He hummed. He then looked to the guard. "This is me bruder, Mòlun, he will escort yeh to m'lady."
Bowing once more, he left her and got back on his pony. She looked to Mòlun who in turn, bowed. "Welcome to the Halls of Thòrin Oakensheild," He said. "Home of Durin's Folk. The place of Dwelling for those who survived and were exiled from Erebor, the Lonely Mountain by Smaug the terrible."
Rurìn gazed around her. There were many market stalls, being restocked for the morning, and the tavern was just beginning to open up to be aired out. She could hear grunting and metal clanging from close by followed by cheering and several thumps. A line of many men was carrying Mattocks and whistling as they chatted and moved towards an entrance on the side of the mountain.
"That's the City Mines, yer not a Miner from the looks of yeh," He said, looking at her closely. "What is yer craft? Do yeh have one?"
She shook her head no. He grunted in response.
"If yeh continue down the Great Hall, ye will find yerself in the Throne Room at the end. Ye will know yer in the Great Hall when you find the main building of the city, the largest one." He started walking off towards it.
Rurìn thought it was a bit odd that the dwarves didn't live inside the mountain like she thought they would have. Though there was some housing placed in the mountainsides, it was more like carved passes, pathways through the mountain inside with the sun beaming down on them from above. She followed Mòlun closely, neither one speaking as they got closer to what he said was the throne room.
He bowed to the guard's station outside of the double doors, speaking quietly to them, one of them bounded off behind the door before returning to where she had to wait. Mòlun bid his farewell to her, leaving her with the two stoic guards who were currently leveling her with suspicion and hatred. Looking at her garbs with distaste. The Elvish style of her clothing was like a beacon here. She didn't think about that at all... well too late now.
"You will address her lady and the lordships with proper respect. You will speak only when spoken to and not a moment more. You will not make any sudden movements or I will kill you on the spot. Any suspected ill intent and you will lose your head. Do I make myself clear?" One of the guards growled. He glared so ferociously at her, it made her back up a bit. "Now, hand over the letter!"
She wasn't expecting that... She may have done well in battles with her elvish family, and she may have done very well on patrols but she was still the very same girl from Hollin. She was quiet, shy, and reserved. She was kind and did not like conflict. The dwarves here were. treating her much like her counterparts did. Like she wasn't even fit to clean their boots. That she was nothing more than trash to them. It made her regret coming. At least Glorfindel promised her a forever home, should she fail here.
She scrambled for the letter from her pocket. He swiped it from her hand roughly. The guard didn't wait for a response before he opened the doors. Two young Dwarfs were standing beside her, one had golden long hair that glimmered in the torchlight, looking as if the sun itself was made from him with piercing blue eyes much like the Dwarrowdams that he stood beside. The other had short dark hair with only two small braids with a scruffy beard. His eyes were like molten chocolate. They were very young looking, both grinning with crossed arms, emitting a careless, light attitude versus a princeling one of stuffiness. She could tell they were brothers from the facial structure, eye shape, mouth, and even the stoutness of their bodies. Only, the brown hair dwarf appeared much too pretty to even be considered one. His nose was small, straight, and narrow with a childish lopsided grin that was too pure for the world. The golden hair dwarf was quite handsome but nowhere near how pretty the brown hair one was, his nose was still rather small for a dwarf though.
"Princes Fìli and Kìli and her royal Highness, Princess Dìs," The guard bowed. "This is Lady Rurìn."
Rurìn gave a rather awkward curtsy causing the boys to stifle their laughs and amusement to flash in the dam's eyes. She felt a bit mortified by it, she was so nervous enough as it was. "She claims to have been invited to Ered Luin by you, m'lady." The guard came forth with the scroll that came to Rivendell for her and passed it to the Dam.
Princess Dìs took the scroll and opened it, looking closely at Rurìn with a piercing gaze. She smiled lightly when she read the letter and then rolled it back up, stood up, and stepped down from the throne. Rurìn stood very still as the dam began to inspect her like a prize mule, humming lightly as she did so and then fingered her wild locks, and brushed her bare cheeks.
"You're as smooth a babe..." Dìs chuckled. "So you must not be a full Darrow..."
"Uh... no, m'lady. I am part Dúnedain."
"Truly?" She rose her eyebrows.
"Yes, m'lady."
Princess Dìs looked at the guard. "Have her items taken to the guest room in my family's wing. Lady Rurìn was indeed invited by me, she will be under my protection until further notice. If she has a horse, bring it to my family's stalls. You may leave us now."
The guard bow and left the room with the door closing behind him. The dam smiled warmly at Rurìn. "You must be hungry, come. We will have supper in our shared space."
Rurìn did not speak while they ate. Only the two boys joked and laughed. Dìs was observing her and only once the table was cleared off of the hardy meal did she finally ask the question that had Rurìn sweating with a dry mouth. The moment arrived. "How do you know you are part Dwarrow?"
Rurìn never wanted to part with her father's token, the only thing that belong to him. It was weird that before her were her half-sister and her nephews. They had no idea who she even was. The boys stopped their playing and grew silent, staring at her like their mother. Waiting for her to answer the question. Rurìn brushed her fingers under her knitted fingerless gloves and slowly undid the knot that held the bracelet in place.
"My da gave my mother his family emblem to give to me when I was older. I never met him, only knowing the stories that my mother told me whenever she came around from her travels. I was raised by my pops and nana. They had no idea what it was, it was only until I found myself in the company of Elves in Rivendell did the light shine upon my hidden heritage..." Rurìn began to stutter on her words as she pulled the pendant from the binds of the leather. braids. "It was just as a surprise to me... as I am sure it will be for you..."
Dìs held her hand out for the pendant and once she took it and looked down upon it did she gasp loudly with wide wild eyes.
"Amad... what is it!" Fìli asked quickly, coming to her side.
Dìs looked from the pendant to Rurìn and then back down at it. Her wild gaze slowly brimmed with tears. She stumbled to her. feet and came around the table to stand before Rurìn, taking her wrists; to make her stand. She grabbed Rurìn's cheeks, turning her head this way and that way. Staring deeply into her eyes which reflected her own shade of blue. The Durìn blue...
"Oh Mahal... truly... I do see it. You look just like Thòrin did as a dwarfling..." She whispered.
Rurìn covered her hands that held her face still. "I have been alone all my life... Never fitting anywhere and wondering if I would ever find my family. I only wish to know you, nothing more than that. Even as a bastard, I just want to know you."
Dìs scoffed and then slammed Rurìn into a tight hug, knocking foreheads with her. "You are not a bastard, Bunnanun. You are a Durìn. My Namad..." (Tiny treasure. Sister)
The two princes standing behind their mother, jaws dropped. Rurìn held Dìs, tighter. Perhaps she had spoken too soon... this was easier than she thought.