Chapter 30

A/N the source of Middle Earth astronomy is The Tolkien Gateway. The source of Astronomy in general is my good friend Jessie152, who corrected my draft. (Hand on Heart, mellon...!) :D Hope you all enjoy this fluffy kind of chapter!


Two weeks from Erebor, King Fili took his caravan of travelers down a switchbacked trail that descended to the great plain of Arnor. He looked west, shading his eyes from the very warm late afternoon sun.

"Who's got the best eyes?" he asked his escort.

"Jôth, my lord," one of the lieutenants answered, waving a young archer forward while the ponies plodded along at a slow pace on the descending trail.

Fili nodded at young Jôth. There was a time, many years past, when he and his brother had been the ones called upon for having the best eyesight. He wondered not for the first time just how nearsighted his Uncle Thorin had been… In more ways than one, he acknowledged.

"Can you see the line of a stream down there?" He pointed to the area below them where the steep road became more level and met the broad, grassy plain dotted with a few large boulders.

Young Jôth shaded his eyes just as his King had been doing and pointed slightly right. "There–a wide, shallow stream." The lad shifted in his saddle and looked up the rocky slope right of their trail. "Must be descending from a ravine past that sentinel rock," he pointed.

Fili considered this. The stream was good for pony watering but that didn't make it safe. But absolutely everything in this landscape could be concealing dangers and that was nothing new to dwarves. Consider the danger and do it anyway, he told himself. "Is that a low spot just there? Just past that really large boulder?" Even he could make out the distant gray rock the size of a small fortress.

"Yes," Jôth said.

Fili made his decision and issued orders, sending a sortie on ponies ahead to investigate. "Keep your sharp eyes on them," he said to Jôth. "Stay next to me and report their progress, lad."

It was an uneventful hour, which Fili found both a relief and a concern. Rarely was any stopping place completely safe. But times were different than they'd been the last time he crossed the Misty Mountains. And he hoped no one cared to bother a well-armed caravan of fighting dwarves.


The warm lazy wind blew her wheat-colored curls into her face and young Princess Iri stared wide-eyed at the broad, clear blue sky above her. Even her pony's mane fluttered a little in the breeze as she relaxed the reins and stared. The horizon ahead was like nothing she'd ever seen–low and flat with the largest, white fluffy clouds billowing in the deep blue sky. The enormity of the scene before her was like nothing she'd ever imagined.

"We must find time for stargazing tonight," she said to her companion-tutor, whose pony had slowly walked up to stop beside Iri's. Zêl too was staring west with eyes wide. "Will everything be different than the sky at home?"

"Not much…" Zêl sounded breathy, as if the broad panorama before them had cast a spell over her. "It's still spring–so the time any constellation sets has not changed much yet. But we never had such a view so low to the horizon."

"Will we see new constellations?" Iri asked, suddenly more excited.

"Possibly, but…"

Zêl's thoughts were cut off as a call from the pony master made them both sit up straight in their saddles and make ready to ride forward. The pony master rode by, checking the line, and nodded to Iri.

"Won't be long, lassie. Your father wishes to stop early while there's still light for the ponies to graze." He looked at Zêl (a favorite among the older lads) and lowered his voice. "And he wishes for you to pull your hoods up–no need to make yourself obvious to anyone who might be watching…"

Iri made a quick hand-on-heart to him and she and Zêl hastened to pull up their plain grey hoods. With riding gloves and boots, they blended in and looked no different than the lads, and as the caravan moved forward, she noticed that fully half of the riders had also covered their heads. She silently thanked the lads who were doing their part to conceal the princess in their midst.

Her father, on the other hand, rode at the forefront, his unmistakable golden hair a beacon for anyone who cared to notice.

Iri snorted. Anyone stupid enough to attack him would be sorry. She'd seen her father fight…and she knew he carried more blades than a needle-hog had spines.


Just before sunset, Iri and Zêl found their lean-to tent set up against a large boulder nestled in the tall prairie grass and went inside for quick washing up at a bucket set on a flat rock.

"I swear I may never get all this travel grime out of my ears," Iri said, making a scrunched up frown as she tried to swab her left ear.

"I won't get it out from under my nails," Zêl grumbled, using her belt knife as a manicure tool.

And then food was delivered. Two lads arrived to set up a low folding table and spread rolled-up mats for them to sit, and then laid out a basket of fresh, warm flatbread along with cheeses, dried pork, and a bowl of dried fruit.

"And," the taller lad lowered his voice and with a wink at Zêl said, "One of the last casks of Erebor Winter Ale."

Iri gasped in happy surprise.

"From your father," the lad whispered with a small nod.

Iri brought out their tin travel mugs as the lads departed, and Zêl broke the seal on the cask and poured for them both. Together they divided the food onto their wooden travel plates and breathed in the nutty aroma of the warm bread.

There was no talking for several minutes.

"Traveling agrees with you, lass," Zêl said, smiling as they ate.

"I've seen the maps all my life," Iri answered, folding dried meat inside a piece of flatbread. "But seeing it…" She shook her head in awe.

Zêl nodded. "Yes, even for me. Here," she said, offering half of her dried fruit. "It's a little sweet for my taste." She held out her plate and smiled as Iri hesitated, then eagerly scooped up the fruit.

When their plates were clear and the ale gone, Iri cleaned and stowed their utensils. "It's so much warmer this evening…this time last night it was cold enough to freeze water." She washed her hands, and handed Zêl the towel.

"Yes…it's definitely more summer-like here. We can sleep without piling on every blanket and coat we have."

"Can we go out for a walk? I should look for herbs Auntie Nyr might like."

"I know that look, lass," Zêl remarked. "You want to be outside. And…" She smiled like a conspirator. "It looks like we will have a clear sky this evening…"

Iri's eyes brightened with mischief. "Do you think we could sight the lower stars of the Pickaxe constellation?"

Zêl cocked her head. "Possibly. In any case more than from the Mountain," (no one in the King's Caravan would say Erebor out loud while traveling). Iri nodded. "We must find a good viewing point on the edge of camp somewhere. Maybe on top of one these big rocks?"

"It's definitely worth a try," Zêl said with a big smile.

With riding coats on and hoods up, Iri and Zêl cautiously left their shelter and assessed the camp. There was no fire this evening (it wasn't needed for heat and a fire on this flat plain would just be a beacon for troublemakers) but the small crescent moon was still low above the horizon and cast a silvery light.

They made their way toward the area where their ponies were staked out for the night, offering bits of dried apple to their pony-friends.

Iri looked at clumps of herbs, but none were familiar. "Maybe I will recognize something tomorrow in the light of day."

"It's a different landscape than we're used to, that's for sure," Zêl said as they both scanned the area.

Iri suddenly straightened. "I wonder if he knows..." She nudged her tutor with one elbow and Zêl turned. Legolas the Elf, the curious partner of her famous cousin, stood on sentry duty atop a large, flat boulder.

"He's looking right at us," Iri whispered. After considering proper manners for a Princess, she straightened and waved her acknowledgement.

He saluted.

Iri felt oddly flushed. Without another thought, she made her way to the top of the boulder, ignoring the concerned gasps that her tutor was making.

When she was close, the Elf leapt silently forward and bowed, hand on heart.

How does he do that? Fast and silent…she thought. Followed by think of something intelligent to say, you idiot.

"Iri, at your service," she said, making only a slight bow (since she was a princess) but placing her hand on her heart. "Is my honored cousin with you?"

"Legolas of the Woodland Realm." He looked down at her with an amused smile. Then he pointed down to a place in the tall grass, not ten paces away from Zêl. There, at the foot of their very large boulder, the crest of her cousin Gimli's helmet was just visible.

"Cousin Gimli!" she said in quiet surprise.

His head popped up and Zêl stepped back, clearly shocked that he was so close. "Eh. Lassie!" he said sternly, looking up at Iri. "It's getting late for you to be out and about."

"But the stars, cousin! Look at the sky!"

She saw Gimli glance up as if star-gazing was not a warrior's concern. He started to talk, but Zêl's formidable glare silenced him.

Iri stood her ground. "We wanted to find the Pickaxe constellation," she said (all questions about herbs completely forgotten.) "It's so hard to see from…home."

Legolas the elf was suddenly right beside her.

"It's there…" he leaned close and pointed. "Telumendii. It's only Durin's folk who call it The Pickaxe."

"Unless you're a hobbit," Gimli grunted.

"And what do the Shirefolk call it?" Zêl asked him.

Gimli chuckled quietly. "The Weed Pipe, of course. When did a hobbit ever think of anything but food or smoking?" Zêl, having never seen a hobbit, didn't answer.

The moon was just setting below the horizon and Iri stared at the intensifying sparkling constellation.

"And that star?" She leaned closer to the elf and pointed at a particularly bright one that was visible just above the western horizon.

"Luinil," The elf answered in a gentle, melodious voice.

Iri thought a long moment. "Like Ered Luin."

"Yes. See the blueish cast?"

"Yes," Iri agreed. "Like a tiny sapphire…"

From the corner of her eyes Iri noticed the odd look her cousin and tutor shared, and she definitely caught her cousin looking more sternly from her to the elf as if disapproving of the closeness.

And then Zêl made quick work of climbing up to stand beside her and lock elbows in solidarity.

Why the fuss? she thought. But then…there is all the family grumbling about inappropriate elf intererests… Not only cousin Gimli with the famous Galadriel…but some kind of rumor about her Uncle Kili that her father always refused to discuss.

Under the guise of scanning the sky, Iri turned her face back to the Pickaxe to follow the line of the axe handle and the curve of the pick. "The tip is much brighter than I expected…"

"Morwinyon," the elf said.

"Gwimla," Zêl corrected him in her most implacable tone.

Iri laughed while staring up at such a wide night sky full of a million stars. "Should I not learn the Elvish stars also?" she asked.

Zêl made a snorting noise that nearly sounded like a growl.

"Shall I teach you?" Legolas asked.

Gimli made a point of unsheathing his throwing axe as if it was required for sentry duty.

Iri squeezed her tutor's arm in excitement, and Zêl reluctantly nodded. "That would be useful," Zêl conceded, but it was obvious that she was not convinced.

It was after midnight when Gimli insisted on escorting Iri and Zêl back to their shelter. After thanking him and watching him return to guard duty, Iri buckled their tent flap closed and wondered if she would ever fall asleep. There was so much to consider, including how…uplifting… it felt to stand so close to an actual elf.

But as she dozed off, it wasn't the face of the elf that formed in her dreams.

It was the face of a dwarf. A lad she had not seen in many years.

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Thank you for reading and sticking with the Hobbit/LOTR fandom! As always, feel free to drop me a line and say Hi! News for those of you who have asked about access to stories 1, 2, and 3 of the Erebor 3022 series...I've made the decision (thank you PhoenixAsphodel!) to de-list the "original" stories from their online store and re-post them on FanFiction-their first and true home. In about 2 weeks I will start posting the original chapters, one per work, starting with story one. I will make a quick update here so anyone who is following me can re-follow the new posting. The re-posting should be quick, since I'm not re-editing...just grabbing an exisiting chapter and re-posting. I invite you to add fresh reviews, since the original reviews were sadly lost to ffic when I un-posted the stories. (I did print them out and save them in a personal file, however.) Apolgies for the self pub experiment and thanks to those of you who purchased the ebooks...so grateful to you. I think it was a worthwhile project and I learned a lot about self-publishing...but I continue to be very busy with a day job that pays me well to put my focus there...and the biggest thing I learned is that self-publishing takes A TON of self-promotion. Hand on heart to all of you!

- Summer