Eruraviel often found herself wondering why those she met, particularly the elves, seemed so intent on staying with her even when that put them in danger.
"What happened to your mare?" One of the nearby warriors inquired, obviously concerned for the fate of Arvellas after Eruraviel's unexpected separation from her. Eruraviel gave the ellon a small smile at the honest concern from her place in front of Glorfindel as they made the short journey back to Imladris.
"Arvellas can, and likely has, been tracking my Faër since I fell into the tunnels. It is highly likely that she will cross paths with us shortly before we arrive or possibly even be there waiting for me." Eruraviel explained calmly, as even now she could sense her mare moving swiftly towards where Imladris was nestled into the stone cliffs.
"A good omen, as I will need a day to gather my things before we depart in the morning." Erestor tacked on from nearby, Eruraviel swallowing back a sigh. She truly wished the advisor would remain in the vale rather than following her to an active war front.
"I feel much better knowing you will be traveling together." Elrond said as he and Arbellason led them down the trail into the valley. Periodically, small clouds of black smoke drifted past, though it only pleased them all knowing such a threat had been dealt with before any lives were lost to the goblins.
"We will need to widen our patrols to include the higher mountains paths, I don't want to risk the goblins digging a new nest when they discover this ones destruction." Glorfindel stated, his voice rumbling against her back like the purr of a large feline.
"The time line for that discovery depends on how hard King Durin is pushing them back. If under enough pressure, the goblins may wait rather than sending some of their own forces away to build another nest. They wouldn't want to risk losing too much ground to the dwarrow as King Durin is relentless in his efforts to rout them from the Underground." Eruraviel added on, knowing that few knew of what was happening in those dark tunnels far below the light of the sun and stars.
"How long has King Durin been having to fight for dominion of the Underground?" Elrond questioned, mithril eyes sharp in thought. The peredhil was evidently resuming his herald mantle with relative ease. Even the smallest bit of information, no matter how insignificant it seemed, was given carefully thought and consideration
"About 500 years now. It started small, orc's being sent below the stone to try and prey upon the dwarrow. However, it was taking too long and as time passed, their bodies changed drastically from their orcish beginnings. They became smaller, lighter and more agile than an orc. Their sensitivity to light is much worse, but they are fast and breed even faster. The problem with goblins, as they became known as, is that your never facing a dozen or even twenty but hundreds. They're like a swarm. It has caused the battle between the dwarrow and the goblins to drag on for much longer than first believed." Eruraviel began, pausing as Glorfindel shifted before pushing his waterskin into her hand when her voice broke mid word.
Obediently, Eruraviel took several long swallows before sealing it and handing it back.
"However, other than sheer numbers, the biggest concern for King Durin is the goblin tunnels themselves." Eruraviel continued, Erestor speaking up as they began their descent into the valley.
"Because of the structural integrity of the tunnels?" The advisor wondered, Eruraviel lifting a hand and rocking it in a so-so motion.
"In truth, the dwarrow can correct any of the structural issues within reason. It is in fact, where those tunnels are dug that is the problem. The goblins are digging far too deep, possibly weakening the structure for the entire range of the Misty Mountains. King Durin is also growing concerned as they show no signs of slowing their descent, and what may be unburied as a result is unknown. The Misty Mountains are old, and the secrets they carry may hold more danger than anticipated." Eruraviel stated gravely, wanting them to know of how serious this problem could become, and to not brush it off as dwarven fear mongering.
"Mithril." Elrond said slowly, clearly considering something as his gaze grew dark.
"Elrond?" Glorfindel asked, nudging his horse closer to the other.
"In all of Middle Earth, the Misty Mountains is the only place where Mithril can be found. But why? What about these mountains is so unique compared to the rest of Middle Earth? Mithril holds immense capacity for storing magic - but something like that only starts when there is a need for that, and evolutionary process. Something buried under the stone, something that is trapped by the Mithril." Elrond explained, Eruraviel's eyes narrowing.
"Could the goblins then be digging so deep on purpose?" Eruraviel wondered seriously.
"None of the Eldar or Dwarrow know what else may lie under the stone. How could the goblins?" Erestor questioned sharply.
"Potential. If Sauron doesn't know, he may be doing so simply as freeing whatever it may be will heavily weaken if not destroy Hadhodrond." Glorfindel theorized.
"King Durin knew that there is a threat beneath the stone, it is why he sent Nain II son, Dain, to the Grey Mountains to set up a secondary hall for their people further north away from the Misty Mountains while Prince Nain II remains in Khazad-Dum to stand beside King Durin." Eruraviel pointed out.
"So that should disaster strike, a least some of his people would be guaranteed survival if they are unable to escape Hadhodrond." Erestor stated in solemn understanding, appreciating the Dwarf King's determination to ensure that at least some of his people would live even if the worst happened.
"Will Lord Grór have any misgivings about Master Erestor accompanying you?" Amdiren asked, worried over the dwarf lord's possible reaction to Eruraviel bringing an unknown along with her.
Elrond snorted, Glorfindel and Erestor laughing silently in their saddles at the question.
"Lord Grór cannot afford to shun or turn away any help as of right now. He either accepts Erestor joining Eruraviel, or they will both return. He can only thank Lord Aulë that we're even allowing Eruraviel to rejoin him with such dangers laying in wait for her return." Elrond stated firmly.
Eruraviel flushed, a tight feeling forming in her chest. How long had it been since she fell under another's authority, allowing them to make decisions on her behalf and trusting them to do so?
She blinked, a twinge of sadness flashing through her knowing it hadn't been since the loss of Gondolin, when the golden city still stood proud and whole atop the highest mountain peaks. She remembered more than once overlooking the peaks below, the cloud cover beneath the city itself making it appear as though the city was built atop the clouds themselves rather than solid ground. She forced her mind out of old memories, refocusing as they reached the gates only to find Arvellas awaiting them, still saddled.
Evidently the mare had refuted the stable hands attempts to take her to a stall where she would have been more comfortable. Seeing the surprise on the faces of the warriors around them made her force back a smile as she dismounted. Before she had time to appropriately greet her mare, Arvellas trotted up to her, brown eyes locked onto her as unease sparked in Eruraviel.
"Arv-" Eruraviel began slowly, only to choke off mind word with a high yelp as the mare lurched forwards and snapped her teeth closed on the end of Eruraviel's braid and yanked. With her teeth around the end of the braid, the mare was safe from the strip of barbs and thorns woven in the rest of the braid. Arvellas snorted, tugging harshly again and it felt like her hair was moments away from being pulled out by the roots.
"Ack! I'm sorry! I'm Sorry! I didn't expect it to be a goblin bait trap!" Eruraviel hissed out as Arvellas huffed, and Eruraviel snapped her hands out to grabbed a hold of the mare's halter.
The blessings of the Valar shone upon her then as Glorfindel mercifully decided to intervene.
"Easy mellon-nin, while covered in soot and dust, she is mostly unharmed aside from some bruising. You will both also be joined by Erestor for your time away so you won't be watching over her alone." Glorfindel soothed, stroking Arvellas's forelock and rubbing the mare's withers. With a huff, Arvellas finally released Eruraviel's hair, who grimaced as she let go of Arvellas halter to rub at her scalp. Low laughter reached her ears, and she with a low blush coloring the tips of her ears, Eruraviel turned to see a smirking Elrond with a laughing Celebrian leaning against him as she giggled away.
"It's not funny." Eruraviel groused, dropping her hand as her blush deepened.
"It very much is. If only as proof that she is most likely a large reason you've survived this long." Erestor commented dryly, Eruraviel tossing him a light scowl.
"I'm not that reckless." Eruraviel refuted, only for Glorfindel to let out a loud snort.
"Yes, you are." Glorfindel remarked, Eruraviel tossing her hands up in exasperation. However, she said nothing, knowing that none of her counter arguments would be believed or accepted by them.
"I will be in my chambers gathering my gear for the trip." Erestor stated, nodding to Elrond as he strode off into the winding maze of halls.
Eruraviel watched him go with an inward sigh, wishing she could find a way to persuade him to remain safe here in the hidden vale rather than following her into a bloody war, and knowing she'd fail if she tried.
"I must admit, while the purpose behind our journey is a grim one, it is nice to be traveling once more. It has been quite some time since I last ventured this far north." Erestor remarked as they crossed the Misty Mountains. This trip thus far had been much easier and safer than her first and they were almost completely through the mountain range and into the foothills of them.
Eruraviel smiled somewhat wryly.
"Grim is a good word for it. The future hangs heavily on my mind in a way it hasn't since the Valar shatter Middle Earth." Eruraviel sighed, her shoulder's slumping a bit as she eyed the fading stone as greenery and undergrowth took the place of massive boulders and outcroppings.
Erestor frowned at her words, his eyes darkening in thought.
"I can feel something of the same, though I had originally thought it to originate from the revelations about Sauron. However, thinking on it further, it feels more… distant that our immediate plans." Erestor agreed, his grip on his reins tightening a bit. The advisor shivered lightly, as he to, remembered the War between Melkor and his siblings when Middle Earth was split in twain and half of the free world sank beneath the waves. Melkor had to be defeated, but the sheer scale of death and destruction was nigh unfathomable to those who hadn't witnessed it for themselves. Thousands of elves, dwarrow and humans lost their lives during the cataclysm that tore their world in half. Dozen's of elvish cities and capital were buried under the ocean floor. Eruraviel blinked, shaking herself from dark thoughts and memories of what was.
"We'd best be cautious nevertheless, better to be a little paranoid and not be caught off guard by being careless." Eruraviel groaned, already feeling that weary exhaustion that came from being on the look out constantly. She hated having to continually look over her shoulder when she didn't even know what she needed to be looking for.
"Agreed. Caution will only serve to help us as we move forwards. How… antagonistic are Lord Grór's people to the firstborn?" Erestor asked in concern over how their reception would be viewed by the dwarrow of the Iron Hills.
Eruraviel gave him a reassuring nod.
"Good actually. With me having spent so much time around them and fighting alongside them for so long, they view of the elves is actually quite favorable. Within reason of course. As such, it should be quite cordial with a few exceptions among his… nobles, who object to everything not related to themselves immensely." Eruraviel informed him, easing some of his worries.
They rode in silence for a little while, neither finding a need to fill the air with pointless chatter and conversation.
"I am concerned about how such news of his return could go so long unnoticed." Erestor voiced, Eruraviel giving a low hum of agreement.
She thought over Sauron and the other events occurring in Middle Earth, before her head tilted in thought.
"Not as unnoticed as he'd hoped." Eruraviel said slowly, contemplation giving birth to a newer realization.
"How so?" Erestor asked as they left the foothills behind them.
"Sauron regained his form about 1,500 years into the third age. Around that exact same time, the Istari arrived on our side of the seas." Eruraviel pointed out, only having just made the connection between the two events. Dark eyes widened slightly at her observation before Erestor broke out into a snort.
"The Valar knew and intervened in the only way they could with their oaths, as they couldn't intercede directly after they swore not to do so again after the breaking of the world." Erestor agreed after a moment.
Eruraviel snickered herself, eying the trees warily as they rode below the heavy boughs and emerald canopy. She was always more alert when on this side of the Misty Mountains. She did spend most of her time here, and all of it was spent fighting or chasing the fight. The road weaved between the trees, patches of dense underbrush blocking the view of the deeper parts of the forest.
As they came around a curve in the road, Eruraviel frowned as she spotted the broken tracks imprinted into the dirt alongside the road.
"What caused that? Whomever it was, they were moving in a hurry." Erestor said lowly, seeing the same tracks she did. Eruraviel pulled Arvellas to a halt, though she didn't dismount as they didn't know if anything lurked behind the trees. She studied the deep press of boots, as well as the short stride with the feet angled just slightly to the side to aide in better traction. A habit used only by those accustomed to having loose rock or stone under their feet.
"Dwarrow." Eruraviel deduced as Erestor hummed, following the tracks and taking in the small markers that illustrated different dwarrow.
"7 from what I can discern, they were running." Erestor shared, one hand moving from the reins to rest on the hilt of one of his blades before continuing. "The question then, is just what happened upon them to make dwarrow run. There are no tracks following their own. Whatever was chasing them was not on ground level and very few creatures have enough speed and balance to run along the trees."
Eruraviel tilted her head in thought, seeing the seriousness countenance Erestor bore. She eyed the trees, not finding any with broken branches or damaged trunks. Her gaze spotted a small dark form several yards back, dangling lifelessly off of a branch. Her eyes narrowed and she drew one blade as she dismounted, still cautious of their surroundings.
"Eruraviel?" Erestor questioned, his voice growing tight as he unsheathed one blade. Ready to move at a moments notice should something move to attack her. It was odd having another guard her back, Eruraviel mused as she scaled a tree.
"Something is hanging off of that branch. I want to get a closer look at it." Eruraviel explained as she began moving easily between the trees with nary a sound to show her passing. She didn't know with certainty if it was still alive after all, and as such she would approach with caution. As she neared the right tree she stopped, pausing with confusion. Seeing it, Erestor called out softly only loud enough for his voice to reach her and no farther.
"What is it?" Erestor pressed.
Eruraviel blinked.
"A bat," she answered slowly and crept a bit closer. It was quite a large bat, bigger than normal by far and was covered in what looked like lamp oil but reeked of sulfur and mold. She covered her mouth, realizing the liquid was likely its blood and used her blade to lift one dangling wing. She spotted the odd mark seared into the skin of its chest, cut in half along with the bat itself by what must have been a large blade.
"How was it killed?" Erestor asked, just as confused as she was.
"Blade. Nearly bisected completely." Eruraviel passed on, pulling back a bit as the smell began to make her stomach churn. She looked at the other trees around them, seeing the blackened areas that shone wetly in the fading light of Anar.
"They were being attacked by a bat colony. Their blood is coating quite a bit of the canopy." Eruraviel stated as she dropped from the tree and strode back to where Arvellas stood patiently. Erestor frowned, eying the bat as Eruraviel climbed back into the saddle.
They nudged to horses to keep moving, uncomfortable with remaining in one place that had already seen bloodshed.
"Why would bats be attacking the dwarrow? Severely enough to send them running?" Erestor asked, his voice soft and barely above a whisper.
"I am unsure, however, it did carry a brand upon the chest. I couldn't get a good look as it was severely damaged when it was cut in half." Eruraviel informed him.
"A brand? Did you recognize what you were able to see of it?" Erestor continued, his voice taking an edge of confusion. Eruraviel just shook her head.
"No, should we follow the dwarrow's tracks and see if we could find them? They may be able to tell us more." Eruraviel mused, considering their options.
"No." Erestor stated immediately, his voice flat. She turned to him, a brow lifted in prompting for him to explain his reaction to the suggestion.
"You've done enough already when it comes to being pulled into tasks that only pull your attention away from our goal. You don't need to be running about throwing yourself in harms way every time an opportunity comes your way." Erestor informed her dryly, making her scowl a bit.
"But then how will we uncover what happened with the bats and what that mark was?" Eruraviel would forever deny the almost petulant whine buried in her voice. Erestor sighed, just shaking his head as he ducked under a low hanging branch.
"We have bigger concerns that a bat farmer losing control of his… livestock." Erestor reminded her. She understood his point and knew that, logically, he was completely in the right. But she hated leaving things unknown, and her curiosity was going to drive her nuts. Unknowns meant possible unknown threats that could bring danger to those she protected after all.
Erestor snorted lightly, before snickering.
"Bats. The dwarrow ran from bats." The advisor drawled in amusement. Eruraviel did acknowledge the humor in this.
"Maybe they were caught off guard? And then there were just too many?" Eruraviel stated as she tried to salvage some pride on behalf of the dwarrow.
"They are dwarves. They live predominantly underground among the tunnels, caves and caverns and they ran from bats." Erestor repeated, as he continued to snicker. They picked up speed, Anar sinking just below the horizon casting large shadows upon the forest floor.
"Why would anyone choose to farm bats?" Eruraviel wondered. Erestor only shrugged.
"Not a clue. We can check if Lord Grór knows about a… bat farmer and the brand." Erestor offered.
"So much to do." Eruraviel sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly. She wondered why it would finally end. She grew tired of the continual runnings and fighting, the constant worry about what danger would show itself next. Suddenly, the hair on the back of her neck stood on end, a shiver slicing down her spine. Arvellas snorted, the mare's ears folding back as she reacted to Eruraviel's own unease. Green eyes darted around seeing a dense corpse of trees nearby as the sounds of the forest went silent.
"Move. Now." Eruraviel hissed, Arvellas breaking into a gallop towards the spot she'd spotted as Erestor's horse joined them, the advisor trusting her instincts even as his own began to scream at him. As they reached the trees, she jumped from the saddle Arvellas moving behind the brush and laying down so that she was completely out of sight and snorting at Erestor's stallion until he copied her. Erestor and Eruraviel moved behind twin trees, crouching low as they peaked around the trunks with their back pressed against the bark with their blades in their hands.
Both remained quiet, unsettled by the silence of the forest around them. Several long minutes went by when the wind carried a foul stench to them. Eruraviel ignored the urge to gag as her eyes blew wide in dismayed recognition mixed with hatred and fury.
Alarmed, Erestor tapped her knee drawing her eyes to him and she read the silent demand for answers in his gaze.
She placed her blades in her lap and held up nine fingers before folding all but one of them. His face tightened, a cold anger taking root in his own eyes. Eruraviel turned back to the road, her body tensing as the ominous form of the Witch King atop a fell steed came into sight. Her eyes went cold, her lips pulling back from her teeth as her grip on her blades turned her knuckles white from the strength of her grip. She shifted, her body's tension changing from hiding to preparation for a fight as she prepared to lunge for the Witch King. She never saw Erestor shake his head no, easily understanding what her body language meant.
Before she could leap from behind the tree, arms locked around her and pinned her down onto the soil. Only her training kept her from letting out an alarmed shout as Erestor trapped her against him. She froze in her writhing attempts to free herself as the Fell Steed snorted, Erestor never letting her wiggle out from under him. He looked down at her, holding her eyes and shook his head no, his gaze hard and unyielding.
Eruraviel swallowed a growl, deeply unhappy with that decision. The Witch King was her fight, it wouldn't be the first time she crossed blades with him. The foul creature of shadow and death was most likely heading for Dol Guldur. Now was the perfect time to stop him before he could free the other Ulari. She twisted once more, but was unable to break his hold no matter how she tried. Valar, only now was she remembering Erestor's millennia of experience as both King Gil-Galad and Elrond's shadow. Finally realizing the futility in fighting, Eruraviel slumped back limply onto the soil as they heard the Witch King moving further and further away.
Only when they could no longer hear or smell him and the sounds of the forest resumed did Erestor pull back and release her.
"Why did you hold me back?" Eruraviel hissed, upset at missing a chance to stop the Witch King. Erestor frowned, giving her a harm look.
"Fighting him would do no good. Each time you've battle him prior has been during a major battle where you were able to force him to retreat. We don't know how to kill him or the other Ulari. That is why they were sealing within Dol Guldur and not destroyed, we don't know how. Fighting him here and now would only serve to leave us tired, hurt as well as telling Sauron where we are. It would accomplish nothing while possibly costing us everything. I understand your hatred of him, but now is not your time to fight him once more." Erestor explained, a similar anger to her own shining in his eyes.
Eruraviel was silent, thinking over his words before letting out a grudging sigh of resigned acceptance as they stood with their horses mirroring them and standing as well.
"I don't like this. I feel like I'm letting him win. We both know where he's going and why." Eruraviel confided, biting her lip as she continued to silently chastise herself, climbing back into Arvellas saddle.
"We do, but our efforts would have been for naught. We will do more good following our plan then deviating from it now would bring." Erestor consoled. Silence fell between them for a long moment before Eruraviel broke it with a bittersweet snort.
"I do believe I just proved your reasoning for coming with me." Eruraviel admitted, Erestor's face shifting to an amused smirk.
"Indeed."
Eruraviel mused on the strange duality she felt by his support and protection of her - as well as him also working to keep her in check.
What an odd duality.