A.N. Boy, this story has been plaguing me. I went through yet another writer's block, which is why it has taken so long for me to update. Thanks to those of you who are new, and have followed this story! It means so much to me.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters and plot points.
Little was known to Danica about the Grey Mountains. In her time as consort beside Thorin, she had learned of how Durin's people inhabited the area before they had to flee to Erebor. It frustrated her how Thror hadn't learned his lesson with the dragons the first time. Two kingdoms lost to dragons. Those lands were thought to be deserted now, creating the perfect hiding place for the Easterlings. The easter side of the mountains had been broken long ago, and were now split with a valley called the Withered Heath. It was protected on three sides by the mountains. That was where they were headed.
To keep out of sight as much as possible, Nathir had them traveling along the outskirts of Mirkwood. This ran the risk of encountering orcs and spiders, but Nathir seemed more concerned about scouts from Erebor. Danica couldn't entirely blame him. The dwarves were likely in a fury over what had happened, and that the suspect had escaped them. However, Danica's concerns lay in the open space that lay between Rhovanion and the Grey Mountains. There would be nowhere to hide from anyone watching in the Grey Mountains. When she voiced this concern, Nathir looked at her in surprise.
"Contact my twin in your dreams," he said, as if it should have been obvious. "She can cover the area in mist when the sun goes down,"
Danica gave him a disparaging glare. "I doubt it would be that simple. You have given me little to no information about her. I do not know her name, or if she will even listen to me,"
Nathir steered his mount from the path they'd been using, covered their tracks, then continued until they were out of sight enough to make camp.
"Her name is Tara," he spoke softly, tone distant. "From what I remember, she is nearly identical to me, but her hair is a richer brown; almost red. She was always a quiet, gentle person, who would give her life for someone else,"
Remaining silent, Danica sat back against a tree, chewing on some dried apple. So far, she felt confident in reaching out to Tara, but she also couldn't fully trust Nathir.
"We were separated a long time ago. She decided to stay with our people in the east, but I wanted to see more of the world. A few months ago, I received an anonymous warning about Tara's capture. It had to have come from someone who survived the Easterling attack when they took Tara,"
"Is there any possibility she is working with them willingly?"
For the first time, Nathir's eyes flashed dangerously. "No," he said curtly.
That ended the conversation, so after letting the tension settle a little, Danica asked about Gwyn. She wanted to know more about the person she inhabited, whose voice had been absent as long as Danica had been in her body. Gwyn was a dancer and acrobat, who had the heart of a warrior. She had known about Nathir's plan, and volunteered to let Danica possess her. In order to make the transition easier, she had spent weeks in combat training, creating muscle memory similar to what Danica would have experienced in her own body. It shocked Danica. This woman believed so fully in her leader, and what he was trying to do, that she would sacrifice herself in such a way.
"I promise I will do whatever it takes to protect this body, and make sure that she can continue to live out her life," Danica vowed, knowing Nathir would appreciate it, but mostly hoping that Gwyn would hear it.
They fell completely silent when the sun went down, the darkness drowning them. She had forgotten just how deep the darkness of the forest was, and how unnerving the night time sounds were. Campfires couldn't be risked for a number of reasons, not least of which was the spider infestation that was still giving the elves trouble. Sleep eluded Danica, pushed further by the pressure she felt to contact Tara. With some reluctance, she asked Nathir for help. He had some of the healing gift of his ancestors, and used it to ease her body into slumber.
More darkness greeted her, but it was broken by moonlight. Unsure of where she was, it was hard to keep the panic at bay while her eyes got used to the new surroundings. Within a few moments, the darkness cleared, and she could make out the silhouettes of trees against a clear night sky. These were different from the mossy, canopied variety in Mirkwood. Great pines stretched up to the stars, allowing for more openness on the ground. Crisp, clean air told her that she was somewhere in the mountains. If she were a betting woman, she'd wager that she was in the Grey Mountains, which meant that Tara couldn't be far away.
She moved to take a step, and faltered for a moment when she realized that she had her own body. Running her hands over her body, she breathed a deep sigh of relief. Any evidence of her pregnancy was gone, but she was just thrilled to be herself again, even if it was only in dreams.
Getting her bearings, she looked around for any sign of camp fires. She didn't have to look for long. Just to the northeast of her position, a few smoke columns floated up past the trees. Not sure if she would be invisible or not, Danica proceeded as quietly as possible. Her heart jumped into her throat at the sight of a couple of guards hiding in the shadows at the top of a ridge that looked out over the valley. Luck was with her, for they neither heard, not saw her. Hoping this was a good omen, she went past them, and walked down toward the glow of the camp.
Thanking God that this was only one battalion, she looked at the tents more closely. If Tara was, indeed, a prisoner, then her tent would be somewhere defendable, where she could not easily escape. Though she was silent and invisible as a ghost, Danica kept to the shadows. Her skin tingled eerily, waiting for the cut of a blade or arrow. Conversation circled around her, but she couldn't understand a word of it.
After looking in a few tents, she found one that was separated into three rooms by thick drapes. Bingo. No one occupied the first room, which appeared to be set up as a council area. Magic pricked at her skin, subdued, but strong. Danica followed it to the room on the left. There was a simple cot, and a dresser upon which sat a wash basin. In the cot, a woman with long brown hair lay with her back to the entrance.
Even from the back, it was easy to tell she was an elf. Her hair was rich and lustrous in a way Danica could never achieve for herself. Tara's body was long, lithe, and graceful, almost screaming of immortality.
"Tara?" hoping the elf would hear her, Danica spoke softly, moving closer.
Starting, Tara sat up with an ease and swiftness that had Danica jumping back. Grey eyes met deep brown, both wide with surprise. Tara glanced at the drape beside her, then rose from the cot.
"You can't be here," Tara's voice was light and melodic, but filled with panic.
"Nathir sent me," Danica put her hands up, wanting to seem as harmless as possible. "He wants to help you,"
"Nathir," the name was said like a prayer. Tears fill Tara's eyes, but she held them back. "He's still alive?"
In that one sentence, Danica heard all of the unconditional love of one sibling for another, but more intense. She supposed that only twins could truly understand the bond, even if they hadn't been together for many years.
"Yes, and he's waiting to rescue you. My name is Danica,"
"I know who you are, Dreamwalker," recovering herself slightly, Tara shook her head. "I know who you are, and what you can do. Though I am not sure how Nathir found out about me, nor how he managed to enlist your help, I can tell you that it is fruitless of you to come here," any glimpse of happiness she'd had at the mention of her brother darkened by utter hopelessness.
"If you know what I can do, then you know that I can help," Danica protested. "All we would need is for you to hide us with your mist so Nathir can get close to you,"
The tears escaped now. "They would know it was me, and I can't risk it. Too much is at stake," her hands went to her stomach in a gesture Danica knew all too well.
The breath flew from Danica's lungs as her heart hit the floor. "You're pregnant,"
Tara nodded. "If I do not help them, they will kill my baby, making sure I stay alive. My people have not had any children for too long a time, and could not bear the loss of this one. Please, you must understand,"
Running a hand through her hair, Danica sighed. "I do. I just gave birth to my first born. A son. It's a long story," she said at Tara's confused look. "There has to be a way for us to get to you,"
"Not likely," a male voice with a strange accent spoke behind Danica.
Spinning around, she saw an Easterling man, tall and imposing standing beside the open drape. He was beautiful, but his dark eyes glittered with cruelty, as did the smirk he wore. His posture was relaxed and casual, but Danica knew he was lethal.
"I was beginning to worry you would never show up," he said, eyes slowly taking in every inch of her. "It appears your astral self reflects neither your recent delivery, nor the body you are currently inhabiting,"
"Who are you?" Danica demanded, moving in front of Tara.
The Easterling chuckled, moving a step closer. "She is not the one in danger,"
Every hair on her arms stood at the threat. He could see and hear her, which was concerning enough.
"Who are you?" she questioned again.
He took another step, hands clasped in front of him. "We knew of the warning that was sent to Tara's brother, and have been waiting for him to make his move. The Dark Lord was certain you would become involved, and here you are. This is why he gifted me with one of the rings he had taken back," he moved one hand, showing her the thick, metal ring. Danica recognized the design instantly. It was dwarrow.
"You son of a- "
"Yes, this is one of the dwarven rings. In fact, it is the ring that Azog took from the hand of Thrain son of Thror. We thought it would be the most appropriate for this moment. With this, I am immune to your control, and have a direct connection to the Dark Lord. To make it all that much more perfect, you left the Arkenstone in the mountain. Your last defense,"
Cold fear drowned the rage in Danica. All of the implications of his words hit her hard. She backed up, then closed her eyes to will herself somewhere else. A hand closed around her throat, causing her eyes to fly open again. The man's face was right in front of hers, his breath stirring her hair.
"You are no longer invincible, Dreamwalker. We will control you from now on," heat spread from his fingers, burning her.
A different pain struck her face, and she disappeared from the tent, the man's angry cursing echoing in her ears.
It took a moment for her to realize that she was awake and back in Gwyn's body, because of the continued burning.
"Are you alright?" Nathir's voice was breathy and hurried.
"I-I don't know," she brought a hand up, and winced at the tender flesh. "What happened?"
"I'm sorry, but you were not waking, and we have to leave. Now,"
Confusion kept Danica quiet as they packed up and hurried through the trees. Everything was made clear when she noticed the clicking echoing behind them. It spurred her to move faster, but the fear she'd had for the arachnids was nothing compared to the fear she'd felt looking into that man's eyes, and seeing the fires of Mordor.
"How many are following us?" she asked, glad for Gwyn's athleticism. Her own would not have been able to manage this level of exertion just yet.
"At least five,"
Danica fought against the urge to look behind them. "Does Gwyn have any combat training?"
"She knows how to wield a blade, but I figured your training would make up for the rest,"
"It might, but this body doesn't have my muscle memory," and she worried that would inhibit her.
They were stopped dead by a spider dropping down in front of them. Nathir tossed a weapon toward her, which she thankfully caught. She unsheathed the short sword, and went back-to-back with Nathir, facing the spiders who came from behind. Surrounded and outnumbered. Danica knew she could leave Gwyn's body and return to her own, but that felt wrong. There was already some guilt at the burn that could scar Gwyn's throat, but to abandon both her and Nathir would surely send her to hell. So, she started swinging.
As she feared, being in a different body made her slower at the start. It didn't take too long to catch up, but it was long enough for her to be cut by the spiders' teeth. Worried for Gwyn, she fought all the harder, but she and Nathir were being overpowered. They couldn't hold out on their own much longer.
With a wild cry, someone ran into the fray, chopping down the spider that was just about to sink its stinger into Danica. Another figure followed, making short work of the remaining creatures. Panting, Danica turned to thank their saviors, but found a blood-slicked blade pointed at her throat.
"You two are coming back to the mountain to face the king's justice," the male panted.
Danica's eyes widened. It was Tala.
