ELF MAGIC Notes- warning this chapter might cross the line into crack and rambunctious shenanigans of playful children but it will eventually jump back onto a mostly serious story. If you are here for the usual level of seriousness you can skip to these /We managed to find some good trails\\ But if you are curious as to what the summary of the story is talking about with elves and flags. Here is your answer.
This whole book was written to get to this point. It basically started with this idea.
Around noon I remembered that the map would be read tonight which also meant we might be leaving tonight. So I decided that I would explore more of Rivendell before leaving. A shocked cry echoed through the halls and against my better judgment I jogged towards it. As I rounded a corner I ran face-first into a chest. Stumbling backward but thankfully keeping my footing I looked and saw it was two elves, not just one. I stare for a few seconds before looking behind them, seeing a drenched Lord Elrond turning with an upset face. "Come now, before he sees us!" One of the elves, twins by the looks of them, whispered before they each grabbed an arm and dragged me down the hallway. Not wanting to get caught I kept my mouth shut…although I hadn't done anything. My feet barely touched the ground as they hauled me down several more halls before finally placing me on my feet in a room.
A little human boy sitting behind a large book stared at me in surprise. "There were some complications and we couldn't leave a witness for Atar to find." One of the twins explained to the boy who pulled out the seat that I was manhandled into.
"I'm Estel and these two are Elladen and Elrohir." He gestured to my kidnappers and I knew I was not going to remember who was who. Like Fili and Kili, or Fred and George from Harry Potter…thinking back to a soaking Lord Elrond It seemed like a more fitting comparison.
"What did Lord Elrond do to deserve a clothed bath?" I was confused by why the nice lord of this place would be gifted with wet clothes.
"It was not specifically for Atar."
"He was just the unfortunate ellon who became the target of our entertainment for the evening."
"Ada was the victim?" The little boy- Estel- winced. "He wasn't hurt right?"
"No no, just a little waterlogged." Elladen, or Elrohir? answered before quickly moving to the book. "Best to start our alibi, hîn, where did we leave off Estel?"
Estel sighed and pointed to the page he was on. "The different flags of middle earth and who they belong to, History."
I knew they taught kids a lot but… they did this too? Well it made sense if they didn't have all their information all the time. It would be important to recognize friend from foe by flags and symbols. She looked at the book as well but it was mostly unreadable. I had been learning a bit of elvish but not enough to read pure elvish books like this. I decided to just sit in and listen, but after a while of a boring lecture my mind started to wander and think of my time here in the elvish city. My eyes wandered from the current flag, from a country I didn't know, to the twin elves, then back and forth again. I had an idea.
"Could elves physically act as flags?" The thought flew from my mouth unfiltered and the lecturing immediately stopped. The three stared at me. "I-I mean Renor showed me that you can change your body's density." I hurried to explain, afraid of offending them. "If you lowered it enough and held onto the top of a post would you blow in the wind as a flag would?"
A few moments passed in silence before the elves broke into laughter. "There is only one way to find out!" One of the Elves exclaimed as he stood up, and the other followed suit. They had a gleam in their eye of mischief.
Estel brightened at the prospect. "I know the perfect place!" The elves gave the boy a fond look before gesturing to him to lead the way and Estel did, very enthusiastically. We had to jog a bit to keep up with him. A few staircases later we stared up at the flag of Rivendell flying above a domed roof
"It's perfect!" The twins started to climb up. They made the entire ascent look easy with their grace. One brother helped the other up onto the poll and climbed their way to the top just under the actual flag that was already there.
I yell up to them. "Take the flag down and be the flag!" They laughed merrily and took it down. One of them nimbly made their way down and handed the flag off to Estel.
"Take care of this please." Then he rejoined his brother who was now just below the top of the poll. He waited for a strong breeze before letting himself unfold. He wasn't just planking; you could see his body move with the wind. The three of us started cracking up and the noise must have caught attention.
"What in Erus name are you doing?!" I glanced behind me to see a blond-haired elf glaring up at the two, their victim from earlier, Lord Elrond, standing beside him. I remember seeing the blond in the training yard but had never spoken to him.
"Representing our beloved Imladris." The brother not currently flapping in the wind called down. Seeming not at all bothered or embarrassed.
"Get down!" The blond demanded. The look on the lord's face was unreadable to me as he stared up at the two, then his eyes landed on me and Estel. Oh no…
"As you wish." The brother somehow unscrewed the poll, his brother laughing as it was tossed down to us. I somehow managed to catch the thing.
"Run Lady!" The elf on the poll demanded through his laughter. "Before they can catch us!" Estel started down the hall and I quickly followed. I laughed at the faces of the two older elves.
"This way!" Estel turned down a hall and raced down some stairs. I heard footsteps behind us and unsure if it were the other twin or the more serious elves I leapt down the long stairs several at a time. Ahead of me, Estel was laughing as he clutched the flag to his chest.
"Head for the training course, Estel!" An elf shouted at the boy who immediately took the next left. I joined the boy in his laughter after passing several elves. I couldn't help it, the look on their faces was just too funny.
We made it to what was their training course and Estel, with no hesitation, started going through it. Not wanting to get caught, or outdone by a 10-year-old, I followed. It took us into a forest with a defined but heavily restricted path, requiring the runner to go over purposefully fallen trees to get to a higher elevation. Behind me, I heard the twin not on the flag yell out "I will stall them, do not let the flag fall!"
Eventually, I had to stop laughing in order to focus on my breathing and footing. Following Estel we came out of the course jumping onto a rooftop and began back down the town's buildings, towards the entrance. Honestly, the pole itself wasn't too much of a burden, certainly lighter than my bag, but both my hands were required to keep it from falling. An elf with a small smile climbed onto the roof and began chasing us. I recognized the armor as that of the guard and if not for the smile I would have stopped for fear of actually being in actual trouble when he finally caught us.
"The flag must not fall!" I cried as I lept after Estel to another rooftop. I glanced to the side originally intending to check the position of the guard but caught sight of the balcony the company had been using to sleep. I made eye contact with some of them but quickly turned my gaze back to the front to avoid falling off a roof.
I follow the boy and it's mostly straightforward running until our flag speaks up. "Guards approaching from the left!"
Estel looks back briefly "Stay close! We are headed for the bridge. Heh-" he was trying not to let laughter spill out, he knew his steps would falter if he did. He needed controlled breathing.
I can do nothing but blindly follow Estel in a direction I assume is towards a bridge. Then as we cross another rooftop I see in the distance a glimmer of hope, a beautifully built bridge, in fact, the same bridge we crossed to enter the elven kingdom. He darts off to the side and slides down a little path that I hadn't noticed upon our arrival. I slow as the path looks narrower and steeper than I would have liked. I'm two careful steps from the bottom of the path, trying very hard not to look over the edge, and before I could go any further a voice calls out.
"Razena Ryan, what on Middle Earth are you doing?!" Both my heart and my legs stopped at the same time causing me to trip and tumble to a halt on the floor. I lifted my head a little to see Estel return. My gaze drops to the pole and the elf still valiantly holding on. I groaned dramatically.
"They've got me, Estel, and I cannot go on! The flag must not fall into enemy hands; you must go on without me. Run swiftly…protect the…flag…" I make an exaggerated act of dying before abruptly going limp.
Once the flag was taken and continued its journey I looked back to see Bilbo looking down at me with disapproval. A few guards raced past us but 2 walked up behind Bilbo and looked down at me. "Heeey. Uh… this weather is real nice ain't it?"
One of them kneels down and offers a hand with a small amused smile. "Are you alright Lady?"
This was not quite the reaction I was expecting but I will question what comes next. "Uh… huh?"
The guard gives a short stifled laugh. "You are not in trouble with the guard, we simply do not wish for anyone to get hurt."
I then hear a sharp voice cut through and fill me with dread. "The guard may have been here for your well-being but I will be having a serious talk with you about your mannerisms. We are Guests in the Elven kingdom and you are running around like a loon with a poll, an elf atop of it, and not just any elf but apparently one of the Heirs of the elven kingdom." he walks up to me quickly and grabs my ear-
"Ow ow, I'm sorry, ow, where are we going? Bilbo, I'm sorry. Ow Bilbo, I was just having fun. Where are we going?" I was dragged away to our rooms and proceeded to receive a harsh reprimand about mannerisms and respect. Still rubbing my smarting ear I nodded in all the right places and lied about never doing anything like that again.
Bilbo was just taking a breath when I spotted Kili walking by through the left open door, fully decked out in his gear. When I asked where he was going, desperate to escape, I learned that he and Fili were going hunting after lunch as their stores of meat had run out. It was afternoon now, lunch had been unsatisfying but filling with salad and bread. Kili, probably out of sympathy, invited me to go on a hunting trip, and in a few minutes, I was dressed and armed to go out and hunt with the dwarves. I didn't even have a bow but it beat sitting in my room like a grounded child.
We managed to find some good trails, Fili and I waited quietly as Kili made the shot. He cursed as the doe shifted enough for the arrow to simply wound it and not down it. The doe takes off behind a bush.
"I used to go on hunting trips like this with my father. If he was out of town my older brother would take me." I share as we walk down the trail. I was hoping to start a conversation.
Fili walked beside me, Kili was the one really doing the hunting. "We did a lot of hunting with Thorin, he taught us most of what we know. Kili learned the bow from our Amad though."
"Amad? Who's that?" I did not recognize the word from any vocabulary I knew.
"We can't really tell you what it means," Fili said as Kili signed the dwarvish gesture for Mother.
"How was Thorin for a teacher? I bet that was something fun to learn." Thorin's attitude was sometimes less than pleasant but then again she had been slightly deserving of his outbreaks.
"Some days we were being dragged by the leg, other days we were dragging him by the leg. I think the best day was when we grabbed his legs and he dragged us home."
I couldn't help but laugh, "I remember doing that to my dad sometimes, I was really little. Is Thorin your father?"
"...No, well yes in a practical sense, he helped raise us. Technically our father died. Kili never met him, I was a young lad."
"I'm sorry for your loss."
"We don't have enough memories to miss him but I think he would have been a lot like Thorin," Kili adds and glanced back at both of us. I was worried for a second I hit a sensitive spot.
"I lost my father 9- 10 years ago now. I was 8 when it happened… I miss him." I didn't want to go into too much detail, it was a painful memory. I noticed they didn't go into much detail, whether or not they knew it was none of my business but I don't think they really want to go into it like I didn't… Bilbo doesn't even know though. I might talk with him when I get back. This would be like anything else I talked with him about, 10 years now? I was broken from my thoughts when I ran into Kili who had turned around and was looking up at me.
"Hey, it's ok to miss him, just because we never knew ours doesn't mean you shouldn't miss yours, what was he like?" Fili picked up where Kili finished his sentence. "If you don't mind saying you can tell us of him?"
"He wasn't a baker per se but occasionally when I was little, he'd make banana bread and the greatest oatmeal cookies. He'd let me sit on his lap when playing video games that my mom thought I was too young to play by myself and do the most boring quests because I thought they were cool. My favorite times hanging out with him was when he took me to shoot with him on dummy targets." I smiled at the warm memories I had of him. "My last memory of my father was… when he told me he loved me, and that I would always make him very proud. That night I ran away with my siblings and my oldest brother pulling me along. Today though… he's no longer around" There was a moment of silence after I finished up the story, it was a silence that went as long as I was silent. I didn't like that night but being able to talk about it was nice. They were not rude or anything, they were just listening to me and letting me talk. No questions, just what I wanted to share.
"My mother's name was Kennedy, my father's name was Liam, then Kenyon my little brother, Nancy my older sister, and the oldest, was my brother, Roran. He got me out of there that night while Nancy carried Kenyon."
The rest of the hunting trip was held in relatively small talk about families and fun stories. Then we killed the deer and made our way back to camp. I feel like now with confidence I can call Fili and Kili by the right names. Kili the blonde… Brown haired…. Fuck…I'm just kidding. I knew who was who.
—-
It was late. The meat we had luged back was being fried over the fire. The company was being their normal loud cheerful selves. Thorin, Balin, and Bilbo returned from the map reading only a few minutes prior. I wanted to ask about it but wasn't yet sure if Bilbo had cooled down enough to endure my nosy questions. I decided I would try anyway my curiosity getting the better of me. I turned my head to search for him and caught a glimpse of him sneaking away. I got up to follow but stopped a few stairs back when I heard Gandalf and Lord Elrond talking.
"Of course, I was going to tell you. I was waiting for this very chance. And I think that you can trust that I know what I'm doing." Gandalf They were walking along one of the paths below us. I slowly dropped onto my knees to better hide behind the railing. I noticed Bilbo stop at the landing between steps, fight with himself, then pause to listen as his curiosity got the better of him as it had me.
"Do you? That dragon has slept for 60 years. What would happen if your plan should fail? If you wake that beast-" Gandalf cut Lord Elrond off. Honestly, I might come back to Gandalf on that, what if it is alive? The 'Plan' is as thick as Bilbo's bravery, while not shallow isn't exactly a plan.
"But if we succeed, if the dwarves take back the mountain our defenses in the east will be strengthened." Defense from what, I wondered. I added it to my list of growing questions, might turn into an interrogation at this point. Because I already thought we were going in kind of blind but now I knew I never had sight in the first place. There was a bigger picture I was missing.
"It is a dangerous move, Gandalf."
"It is also dangrous to do nothing." Bilbo looks behind him and notices Thorin. "Oh com- the throne of Ebereor is Thorins birthright. What is it you fear?"
"Have you forgotten, a strain of madness runs deep in that family? His grandfather lost his mind, his father succumbed to the same sickness. Can you swear Thorin Okenshield will not also fall?" It felt wrong to be eavesdropping listening to them discuss the mental illness in Thorin's family. Lord Elrond continued unknowing of his audience. "Gandalf these decisions do not rest with us alone; it is not up to you or me to redraw the map of middle earth."
"With or without our help these dwarves will match on the mountain…" They walked out of hearing range. I slowly slunk back down the stairs hoping nobody saw me and rejoined the company. I sat beside a distracted Bifur who paused his carving to look at me. I smiled at him and he went back to his project. Thankfully he didn't ask where I'd been but I had been fully prepared to lie to his face with an excuse I had not yet come up with.
Thorin marched in about five minutes later Bilbo behind him. "Pack up. We leave in twenty minutes."
We scrambled to get our things. Bilbo and I rushing back to the rooms the elves had lent us. We were one of the few sober ones but I didn't have time to laugh at them, mostly Bofur, stumble around. It was a scramble for everyone to pack up, however even in my scrambled sober state I wasnt the first to be packed up. Having to change back into adventuring gear it took a little longer than expected. The only reason I didn't beat Bofur was because of Bombur and Bifur helped him before packing themselves. I did fill up the tankard he had been using with water before shoving it at him.
"One more before the road." He didn't question me and with a joyful 'cheers!' threw it back. I hid my laugh behind a cough as he thanked me and sauntered off to 'help' his family. Bilbo stopped next to me a few seconds out of breath but all packed, he even had his walking stick.
"Make sure they wait for me." I muttered before rushing to refill my metal hydro flask and waterskin from Bilbo. I made it back just as everybody was gathering to leave. While it wasnt my first time hearing them all so quiet it seems Thorin had told them something as the atmosphere around us was tense and urgent. We moved with a purpose through the buildings before anyone could say anything and just as soon as we packed up to leave we were leaving the city. Honestly, I feel a little bad about not getting to say goodbye to my new friends or teacher but I'm sure I'll get to see them again. If we survive this, I do want to come back and visit, using the main road next time though. "Be on your guard we are about to step over the edge of the wild. Balin, you know these paths lead on." As Thorin moved to let Balin pass Bilbo stopped atop the final hill leading out of the valley. I stopped with him and admired the view the last homely house made. It truly was beautiful. "Master Baggins, Miss Ryan, I suggest you keep up or you're being left behind."
At his words, I glance back to Bilbo, who nodded at Thorin. I slow down to keep him in front of me. I've more or less traveled forever, even if we are a month or 2 into this trip I'm worried about Bilbo. He had been handling everything pretty well but I think the next near-death encounter may hit his stress threshold. Thankfully I've had my stress breakdowns in another world. As we crest the top of the ravine I noticed it was the ass-crack of dawn. Damn, the sun was barely rising. I was, hopefully, going to sleep like a rock tonight.
Co-writer- we really didnt want to write how Razenas dad died because at the time we had no idea and spent like 30 minutes staring at the page like 'ya so…explosion? Zombies? Kidnapping from assassins or raiders that wanted food from us or like slaves?' like sooooooooooo many ways to die, I was having a headache. 7 hours in a call and wrote 1,000 words. *productivity*