Note: Hello everyone! Thank you to all who've read Chapter I and thank you to the one person who followed and liked my story! Shoutout to you, fellow writer, I appreciate that! I also want to note that Tolkien owns Middle-Earth and all its stories. I only own my OC characters. I am aware that my OCs may have the same names as the OCs of other writers. Please know that I don't intend on stealing anyone's ideas.
This story is largely based on The Hobbit Trilogy (directed by Peter Jackson) but it will have Silmarillion references as well. It also won't have that cringe love triangle Hollywood put in PJ's movie. I would suggest checking both of those out for better context.
Constructive feedback is welcome. Please like, review and follow!
Chapter II
When she was a child, Eruanna was sent with her mother, Hiriel, to live in Imladris which was better protected from the darkness. Her dragons grew overtime and by the time she passed her majority, she could ride them.
Though Eruanna's birth brought much joy to the elves of Imladris, Eryn Galen and Lothlórien, she would be the only heir to all three realms. Her father was to remain in Eryn Galen whilst Hiriel was to reside with her daughter and kin, only making trips back to Eryn Galen as often as possible. But with the growing darkness, these trips became less and less frequent. Husband, wife and daughter would soon be able to converse only through letters.
Legolas and Hiriel's separation would leave them unable to have more children. This grieved Hiriel, who had wished to give her daughter siblings, but Eruanna was far from alone growing up. Whilst many were intimidated by her elemental dragons (as none had been seen for hundreds of years), that didn't stop many elflings from befriending the Princess.
Of all the nobility, her lineage was arguably the greatest. It was for her lineage she was named, Eruanna, and called "the blessed child." On her mother's side, she was descended from all Houses of the Edain. She was also descended from Thingol and Melian the Maia, as well as the Houses of Finarfin and Fingolfin, who were both the sons of Finwë, as well as the Houses of Olwë and Ingwë. On her father's side, she was descended from the House of Oropher which had ties to the House of Thingol through Thingol's brother, Elmo. She was descended from all Elf-fathers and their wives.
Eruanna was bold, bright and beautiful with sharp wit. She found joy in playing games with other elflings and enjoyed her lessons in the library. She loved reading and spent many hours learning about the heroes who came before her. From a young age, Eruanna took to dancing and singing like her great ancestress, Lúthien, whom she resembled. However, her willful personality likened her to Aredhel, daughter of Fingolfin. She loved the woods as much as her father's people did and would often go there to fill the nearby forests with her song.
As her majority neared and her teenage years set in, Eruanna was noted by the elders to have a personality similar to that of her great-grandmother, Galadriel, in her youth, something even the Lady of Lórien admitted. She was well-mannered and dutiful but also proud and willful. She had even inherited her temper from Thranduil, never forgetting a slight, but she rarely showed it as few would dare to earn her displeasure.
Above all, Eruanna was beautiful. She had porcelain skin and long black hair that reached her hips and would later grow longer. Her eyes were as blue as the Sundering Sea and her shell pink lips were plump. Her limbs were long and graceful. She was tall, taller than most elven maids of her time. Her beauty rivaled that of Hiriel, Arwen and even Galadriel. Some attributed her divine beauty to her devout worship of Varda Elentári, the Star Queen, who was said to be beautiful beyond the descriptions of elves and men. Alongside Varda, Eruanna would also greatly worship Yavanna Kementári and Nienna.
Eruanna Úlumiel loved her dragons and her people. She had a great fondness for many animals, especially horses. If she wasn't riding her dragons, she was almost always on horseback. The Dragoness excelled at anything and everything. She was well-read and did well in her studies, paying attention to her lessons. Like her mother, father, uncles and many before her, she was an excellent warrior, training under Glorfindel, the Balrog-Slayer, mastering swords, daggers and archery. Eruanna was noted to have more of an inclination to rule, enjoying council meetings and politics.
The Princess enjoyed the company of other young elleths or even the animals in the forest. She enjoyed arousing jealousy in the many young suitors who fawned over her. Minstrels swooned over Arwen twice as much as they did Hiriel, but only half as much as they swooned over Eruanna. Many of them would sing songs in honor of her beauty and determination. To all, she was the perfect heir.
Her family was vocally proud of her, especially her grandfathers. Thranduil even declared her to be the fairest elven maiden alive. Eruanna even became very enamored with Glorfindel and he would voluntarily take up the position as her sworn shield, treating her as if she were a niece of his. When he wasn't advising Elrond and Hiriel, he would be guarding Eruanna and enchanting her with tales of Gondolin where he served her ancestor, High King Turgon.
Aside from Glorfindel, Eruanna's closest friends were Caladhwen and Miluiel. Caladhwen was an elf of Imladris, her parents being Noldor. She had dark brown hair and grey eyes. Miluiel was an elf of Eryn Galen who had a Noldorin mother (a handmaiden of Lady Hiriel) and a Sindarin father. She had light blonde hair and blue eyes. All three elleths would grow up in Imladris together, best of friends. Caladhwen and Miluiel would be devoted handmaidens of Eruanna.
One day, in T.A. 2941, Caladwhen came into Eruanna's chambers. She and Miluiel had been serving Eruanna as her faithful handmaidens, just as Glorfindel had been serving as Eruanna's sworn shield. The Balrog-Slayer was in a council meeting with Lord Elrond. "Eruanna, Mithrandir has arrived. He is in the gardens requesting an audience with you."
Eruanna looked up from her five dragons. Elemental dragons could change their size if needed, making them truly unique. The dragons had shrunk in size to fit inside her chambers but as their normal size, not even a giant building would fit all five of them. They could even understand all languages spoken by dwarves, men and elves, though unlike Morgoth's beasts, they didn't speak themselves.
"What could he want with me?", Eruanna frowned. She wasn't close with the wizard, preferring the company of elves.
"He hasn't said. He has told me that his words are only for your ears to hear."
Eruanna was about to respond when she looked at Naurion and Sûlion who were fighting over a piece of meat. "Naurion. Sûlion. Behave", the Crown Princess gave them pointed looks. Faroniel looked at her brothers and rolled her eyes. With her sharp claws, she swiftly sliced the meat into two pieces, forcing them to share.
Eruanna chuckled. "Hannon le, Faroniel." The golden dragon snuggled up with her sisters, Ceveniel and Helegiel. She looked at her friends. "I'll go meet with him. Look after my dragons", she gave Miluiel and Caladwhen kind smiles before leaving, which they returned.
Gandalf watched the Dragoness walk out into the gardens. He was truly stunned. It had been quite some time since he had seen her and the Princess had only just passed her majority. She had a slightly revealing violet blue dress covering her pale body and her long black hair tumbling down behind her. Her deep blue eyes captured a young elf who winked at her but she paid him no heed.
They had always had a strange relationship. Gandalf got on well with her maternal great-grandmother, Galadriel, Lady of Lothlórien, and her maternal grandfather, Elrond, Lord of Imladris. But Eruanna Úlumiel wasn't just Elrond's granddaughter. She was Thranduil's granddaughter as well and Thranduil never cared to listen to the old Wizard.
Eruanna never outright ignored him, but she wasn't close with him either. She preferred the company of other young elves or advisors and musicians like Lindir and Erestor. If Glorfindel was around, she would almost always be with him. But the Balrog-Slayer, the lady's loyal Golden Knight, was not with her. "He must be in a meeting with Lord Elrond. Or hiding somewhere, the sneaky elf he can be", Gandalf thought amusedly. "My lady!"
Eruanna looked in his direction and smiled pleasantly, folding her hands. The Princess was known to be mindful of her manners and always maintained a calm disposition (unless someone had really crossed the line). "Mithrandir. I was told that you wished to speak with me?", Eruanna said.
How was he going to make this proposition? She had Elrond's nobility but Thranduil's pride. It was a dangerous combination.
"I have come to ask something of you", Gandalf said.
Eruanna pulled both her hands behind her back. "What do you mean? What could you possibly want from me?"
"The dwarves of Erebor. I'm sure you've heard the tale", Gandalf began.
"The fire-breather, Smaug, came and took the Kingdom by force, attracted to the gold King Thror kept. I have heard that story many times. What does this have to do with me and my people?", Eruanna questioned him, making the same face Thranduil would whenever someone said something that displeased him.
"Thror's grandson, Thorin Oakenshield, is the rightful heir to the throne of Durin", Gandalf responded. "We have organized an expedition. A quest to take back Erebor. That dragon has sat there long enough. Simply put", the Wizard looked at Eruanna. "I want you to join."
Eruanna snorted and shook her head, as if she had just heard the biggest joke ever. "You want me to join?", she cocked her head. "I should remind you what his ancestors did to my own ancestor, King Thingol. They butchered him in his own halls. My great-grandfather, Lord Celeborn, is a survivor of the sacking of Doriath. Not to mention that the dwarves dishonored my daeradar, Thranduil."
"Thorin did no such thing. He is not his grandfather", Gandalf reasoned. "Eruanna, we cannot cling onto the past-"
"This isn't about the past. This is about me ensuring that I do not get my head cut off because that naugrim and his folk will butcher me the moment he sees the shape of my ears. And what will happen to my dragons then? I am the only dragon keeper they know. Nothing can happen to them. They are my companions."
"You know more about dragons than any of us, my lady", Gandalf said. "Your knowledge will be necessary. And mayhaps we can repair the feud between your races."
"Your little quest will not even begin to solve a blood feud that has happened for thousands of years", Eruanna countered.
"Eruanna, listen to me", Gandalf said. "You have been sheltered for far too long. A darkness is growing", he saw fear grow in her eyes though she did well to hide it. "Should they take advantage of Smaug, they will rule the skies."
"My dragons rule the skies. No one else", Eruanna said.
"Not while Smaug lives", Gandalf insisted. "Should someone rule the skies of Middle Earth, I'd rather it be you and your dragons. A darkness is growing. Should Smaug side with them, terrible things will follow. You will not even be able to save your own people from such henious fates."
Eruanna diverted her eyes for a few minutes. She wanted control of the skies but not for ambition. She was the Princess of Eryn Galen, Lady of Imladris and Lothlórien. Her people were her duty and ruling the skies would protect them and sway whatever darkness this was away from them. If getting rid of Smaug was the key to this, then she knew her choice.
The thrill of venturing beyond Imladris also captured her interest. She'd only been to the elven realms and has long desired to go beyond the confines of the fair valley she lived in. She was tired of being locked away in one Kingdom or another.
"You cannot guarantee my safety", she said.
"I cannot. But I will try to ensure it as much as I can", Gandalf promised. He didn't want angry elven lords to come after him.
"Very well", Eruanna responded.
"Good", Gandalf said, satisfied. "Meet me in the Shire. Look for the symbol."
Eruanna laughed again. "The Shire? Those hobbits will want nothing to do with your dwarven company. Your methods perplex me sometimes, Mithrandir. Exactly how much pipeweed have you been smoking?"
The wizard shook his disapprovingly.
Eruanna turned to leave and called out, "Know this, Mithrandir: if any of those dwarves lay a finger on me or dare to insult me, even you cannot guarantee their safety. They will burn."