The Wandering Elf

Thorin was right; a storm was coming, though calling it a storm was a more than a little gracious. It was more like a tempest. A cyclone. A bloody monsoon. Whatever monstrosity the thing was, it had awful timing. It hit them when they’d been crossing the most dangerous place they’d been all day, where the trail was so narrow that they could move only by sidling with their backs against the stone The tips of Ara’s boots were hanging off the edge of the trail, over what she could only describe as an abyss. Only when the lightening flashed could she what would happen if she slipped, and it wasn’t a comforting sight in the least.

“We must find shelter!” Thorin shouted over the howling wind.

For the first time, Ara agreed with him wholeheartedly. With the hair that’d come loose from her braid blowing into her eyes and rain blurring her vision, she was likely to accidently stroll off the edge with one misplaced step. When the wind blew even more rain into her eyes, temporarily blinding her, she instinctively grabbed the first stable thing she touched. She clutched it desperately, but was surprised when it squeezed back. It was Kíli’s hand she grabbed. Assuming he’d need it for balance, and remembering their argument from that morning, she loosened her grip to let go, but he held it even more tightly.

He glanced at her over his shoulder, his wet hair sticking to his face. “Everythin’ll be fine, Ara,” he said. “It’s just a storm.”

She’d just begun to feel comforted when she heard a deep rumble, and the stone behind her back shook.

“What was that?” she asked, her panic steadily growing. “Did the mountain just move?”

“Don’t worry ‘bout it, lass,” she heard Fíli say behind her. “Just focus on movin’.”

Not a second after he said it she heard Dwalin shout, “Watch out!”

The mountain quaked with even more strength. Lightening flashed again. Though it illuminated the mountain across from them for only a second, Ara could’ve sworn she saw something literally break off from the mountain and rise.

“F-Fíli? What is that? What is that!”

“This is no thunderstorm, it’s a thunder battle!” Balin called. “Look!”

“Well, bless me!” said Bofur, leaning forward over the edge to get a better look. “The legends are true! Stone Giants!”

“Stone Giants!” Ara shrieked. She didn’t think it was healthy for her heart to be beating as rapidly as it was. Absurdly, all she could think to say next was, “I’m so glad I peed!”

At its full height, the Stone Giant was significantly taller that the mountain they were clinging to. It lifted a boulder and launched it. With a crash louder than she could ever imagine thunder to be, it hit their mountain with such force that parts of the trail cracked and fell away. Ara’s leg slipped into one of the holes left behind. If Kíli hadn’t been holding onto her hand and Fíli hadn’t quickly grabbed the back of her shirt…

Well, she didn’t really want to think about that.

“T-thanks, guys,” she stammered.

Regrettably for Ara, she just so happened to be standing in the most unfortunate place at the most inopportune moment, for a Stone Giant had just awoken, and she, along with the rest of the company, was standing right on it. Just when she’d convinced herself that she would never separate from the two brothers ever again, the path beneath her began to crack, with one of her legs on each side. It widened so quickly that Ara’s hand was ripped from Kíli’s, and she fell back into Fíli.

“Kíli, grab my hand!” Fíli shouted, but it was too late. They continued to separate, Fíli’s arm around Ara’s waist the only thing keeping her from pitching forward into the gap between them.

The group had been spilt in half, Ara realized, each one on the Stone Giant’s knees. As the space between them widened even further, she saw Kíli staring at Fíli with wide-eyed horror, his hand still outstretched. This was the first time the two had unwillingly split since she’d met them.

“Oh, heavens,” Ara gasped, hyperventilating. “I’m going to die, aren’t I?”

“Just hold on to me, alright?” Fíli shouted.

She didn’t need to be told twice. She gripped the arm he’d slung around her waist with both hands, ignoring how he flinched when the palm of her hand touched the bare skin of his wrist. She was pre-occupied, you see, for the giant across from them had found another boulder and had hurled it straight at the giant they were stranded on.

At this point, most people likely would’ve shut their eyes and hoped for the best. Not Ara. When the boulder smashed into the head of the giant they were on, she saw every piece of broken rock that showered down around them. When its legs pitched sideways, she saw each of the horrified expressions of the other half of the group when she began to free-fall passed them. She even saw the rock that her body would’ve smashed against, if dark brown leather hadn’t gotten in the way. When she crashed into the leather, she toppled it over. The fall knocked the wind out of her, yes, but she was alive.

“Dwalin?” She couldn’t believe, of all the dwarves, Dwalin had been the one to catch her. She was fairly certain he cared for her as much as Thorin did. “T-thank you!”

“Aye, you’re welcome,” he grunted. “Now get off, lass, you’re freezin’.”

She rolled off of him, absentmindedly mumbling, “It’s a condition.”

She’d survived. She couldn’t believe she’d survived, and with only a few aches and bruises to prove the whole thing had happened at all. She was so shocked, she didn’t even realize that Thorin, Kíli, Bifur, Nori, and Dori were missing until Balin said something.

“Where’s the rest of the group?” he asked.

“Back there,” Dwalin answered, gesturing to what remained of the path. “We got separated.”

Seconds later, Thorin came rushing down the path, the rest of the dwarves hurrying after him. “Fíli!” he shouted.

Sitting up, Ara saw Thorin wordlessly but fiercely embrace his eldest nephew. Kíli hugged him as well, after Fíli muttered a heartfelt, “Next time I tell you to grab my hand, be quick about it, will you?”

Afterwards, Kíli approached Ara. Upon helping her to her feet, he pulled her into his arms, squeezing so tightly she doubted she’d ever breathe again. “You let go of my hand.” he said, and Ara noted how rough the stubble on his chin felt against her forehead. “I thought…” He sighed and squeezed harder. “Let’s not do that again, yeah?”

When he leaned back a little to look at her, his face was thisclose to hers, and she noticed something she hadn’t before.

“Your eyes aren’t brown at all,” she said, and perhaps it wasn’t the best time for her to point that out, but she’d just very nearly died, and her heart was still pounding, and she was still struggling to breathe properly. “They’re green. Like moss. Or bullfrogs. They’re very pretty.”

With a queer look, he held her at arm’s length. “Durin’s beard, you hit your head, didn’t you?”

“Oh, and Bifur has an axe stuck in his forehead,” she continued. “Who knew? I sat with him almost all night and never noticed!”

She very suddenly wanted to laugh, though she knew nothing was funny.

“Fíli, I think somethin’s wrong with Ara!”

“She’s in shock, I bet.”

“We must find shelter,” Thorin said again, and resumed his position at the front of the company.

“Wait!” Ara said, when Kíli’s hand dropped from her arms. “Where’s Bilbo?”

The dwarves searched all around them, some even glancing up into the sky, as if Bilbo had somehow sprouted wings and flown off, until Nori cried, “Here! He’s here!”

Poor Bilbo had been clinging to the side of the mountain, his cries for help drowned out by the noise of the Stone Giants. Rushing over, Ara tried to grab his hand, but her arms were too short. Thorin stormed back, pushing the dwarves aside, and without hesitation, swung down to Bilbo. One of his hands held onto the ledge while the other grasped a handful of the hobbit’s clothing. With help from the dwarves, Thorin boosted Bilbo up, and then was pulled up himself by Dwalin.

When he was safe, or as safe as one could be in such a situation, Bilbo stood pale-faced and trembling in the rain. Ara shot him a small, sympathetic smile. Bofur clapped him jovially on his back. “That was close,” he said, grinning broadly. “We almost lost our burglar!”

“He’s been lost ever since he left home,” growled Thorin. “He should never have come. Same with the elf. They’ve been nothing more than burdens.”

“Ara. The elf’s name is Ara,” she snapped. The shock was wearing off, and she was feeling quite agitated. She didn’t cower this time when Thorin glared at her.

She had not left all the lectures behind in Rivendell to only find them again in Thorin now, especially not after she’d almost died.

After a bit more walking, they were lucky enough to find shelter in a cavern. They all piled into it and Ara quite literally collapsed against the far wall in exhaustion. “I think this may have been the longest day of my life,” she said to nobody in particular.

“Welcome to the company, lass,” Óin said. “It’s not all rollin’ hills and waterfalls, y’know.”

She was starting to learn that, and was finally acknowledging the danger inherent in this journey. A little late, yes, but better late than never.