✧

ℑ𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝔈𝐚𝐬𝐭

Naerien stood in the center of her drawing-room, a large backpack sitting upon one of the seats and her blade and scabbard beside it. She was barefooted, frowning down at the navy cloak and pair of boots she was about to don. Her hair was no longer loose; she had pulled her long blonde tresses into a tight braid. Jewelry no longer adorned her wrists, neck, or ears, and she was no longer in an elegant dress. Underneath her long grey tunic were a pair of trousers. It felt more than a little odd.

As she pulled on her dark boots, the footsteps of a child were heard outside her door. The wood burst open to reveal Estel, still bleary-eyed from just getting up that morning and tears staining his cheeks.

"Oh, Estel!" She cried, excepting the child into her arms as he embraced her tightly. She questioned him gently as to the tears dropping from his eyes. "Whui ceri cin nini?" He pulled away, his arms still around her middle as he spoke.

"You're leaving!" He nearly wailed, his grey eyes watery.

"Yes, little one," she told him, brushing his brown hair out of his face and kneeling to his height. "But not forever." She couldn't bear to tell him that she might not return. Her heart ached at the thought of never seeing him again.

"But why?" He demanded, his voice quivering. "You have never left before."

"I'm afraid that I cannot tell you everything," she explained gently, "only that the dwarves that have arrived here are on a perilous journey and I believe that I can help them succeed."

"Naerien, I do not want you to leave," he pleaded. "I will miss you."

"I will miss you as well, Estel. I will miss you a great deal. But I am doing this because I believe it is the right thing to do. And do not worry," she smiled hopefully at him, tapping his nose. "When I return I shall tell you all about my adventures." That caused him to break into a smile and she pressed a kiss to his forehead. She stood and he hugged her again.

"Now, come," she told him, breaking apart and grabbing her things. She strapped her scabbard to her belt and donned her cloak. "You can see me off." Naerien turned to Estel and found him struggling to hand her the pack. She laughed and took it gratefully from him, hoisting it over her shoulders and walking with him to the front gate of Imladris.

The dwarves and Bilbo were standing around, apparently waiting for Mithrandir. When Naerien's eyes met Thorin's, he gave her a curt nod. It seemed the Gray Pilgrim had succeeded after all.

"Naerien!" A small voice called, drawing her attention to the half-ling. He gave her a wide, albeit confused, smile. "What are you — what are you doing here?"

"Didn't Mithrandir tell you?" She asked, looking around for the wizard, who was not present. "I am joining you."
The statement rendered the hobbit just about speechless; before he could collect his voice, another rose into the air.

"Ah! Good!" The wizard himself called out and the group turned, seeing the wizard and Lord Elrond descending the steps. "You're all here — hello, Estel." The little boy grinned at Mithrandir, who gave him a wink from underneath his wide-brimmed hat and bushy eyebrows.

"The sun has barely risen," Lord Elrond informed them, glancing briefly at the sky, "you are off to a good start."

"I agree," the Grey Pilgrim nodded, turning to Elrond and thanking his old friend. "Hannon achin, mellonnen. Farewell."

"Galo Anor erin râd lîn," replied Lord Elrond with a kind blessing. He then turned to the group. "I wish you luck on your quest, Thorin Oakenshield, even if I do not approve."

"Thank you," Thorin told him gruffly, yet with a twinge of newfound respect in his voice.

Naerien turned to Estel, who was on the verge of crying once again. She knelt, embracing him tightly. "Cuio vae, Estel. Novaer." She bid him farewell, telling him to behave while she was away.

The boy nodded as they broke apart and she stood up straight. He retreated to Lord Elrond's side, watching her and the others with both sadness and joy in his eyes. His mother was behind him, smiling as she watched the group.
Naerien's eyes met Elrond's and he gave her a small smile that conveyed his wishes for her. Take heart, have courage. She bowed her head slightly out of respect and as a thank-you. Without his words and the words of Mithrandir, she would not be leaving with Thorin and his company.

As they left, following Mithrandir across the large stone bridge and up the side of the Hidden Valley, Bilbo turned to the she-elf.

"Who was that little boy?" He questioned. "Was he your son?"

"No, he is not my son," she replied with a faint smile, meeting his eyes briefly. "His name is Estel. He is Lord Elrond's ward. His past is tragic, but he has grown up well in Imladris."

"You seem to care about him deeply," the half-ling went on.

"I do. It grieves me to think I may not return to him..." she murmured.

"Don't talk like that," Bilbo scolded, glancing up in front of him as their path sloped sharply upwards. "I do not doubt that you will see Estel again."

She studied the hobbit of little size but of large heart. His voice held pure conviction and hope, despite the danger that he faced ahead of him. She smiled. "Thank you, Master Baggins."

✧

It had been several long, toiling days, nearly a week, to be exact, since they had left Rivendell, and Naerien could recall the exact moment when they left the protective magic of the Last Homely House to the East. It was as if they had passed through a waterfall and into the shadow of some great mountain. The warm, soothing air of Imladris was gone now and the she-elf had almost forgotten what the outside world felt like. There was a near-constant heaviness that pressed down on her heart, but she was determined to not allow it to dampen her spirits.

Several paths branched off of the thin trail out of Rivendell, but many of them lead only to sheer cliffs or terrible ends. In fact, without the wisdom of Lord Elrond or the knowledge of Mithrandir, the company of fifteen would have gotten lost or fallen to their demise. The Misty Mountains seemed to go on and on and up and up with no end as they followed the dangerous, crooked path. There were several instances, when hiking up the lonely trail, that boulders would rain down upon them, sailing past their heads or though the gaps between them and crashing into the valleys below.

"Summer is getting on down below," muttered Bilbo to himself on the seventh day of their venture. They were resting briefly out on a large rocky outcropping, far above the tree line. The wind had picked up as they ascended the mountain range, making for a comfortless rest. The hobbit seemed to think that no one was listening to him, so he was talking to himself as he stared off West. "They'll be harvesting before we even begin to go down the other side at this rate..."

"What happened to that hopeful attitude when we first started off?" Naerien questioned softly, a sheepish and amused smile working its way onto her face when she saw him leap out of his skin. "Sorry."

"No — no, it's alright. Er, I didn't think—" he cleared his throat, calming his racing heart "I didn't think anyone could hear me."

"You're homesick," she guessed, pushing empathy into her words.

Bilbo gave a tiny, sad smile and looked away, embarrassed or ashamed. Sympathy for the poor hobbit washed over her and she offered him a hopeful look.

"There is no reason to be ashamed of that. I have felt an ache in my heart ever since we left Imladris...though it is not the Hidden Valley I miss."

"What do you miss, then?" The half-ling asked curiously. "Estel?"

Naerien let out a breathy laugh. "Yes, I miss him terribly and we've not been gone a week. But I was talking about something else. It is difficult to explain to mortals." She caught his expression and decided against stopping there. "But I will try anyway." Bilbo's face lit up at her words.

She began to spin a rather oversimplified tale of the elves and their connection to the land of Aman, the Undying Lands. "Elves are not meant for this world — the world of mortals...we do not belong. But there are havens, such as Imladris and Lorien to the East that imitate the eternal peace we all long for. It's a funny thing, missing somewhere I have never been before."

Bilbo silently contemplated her words for a rather long pause. At length he spoke, "I imagine it must be like missing home. Not your house or — or the things in it, but the place you know you belong, and could spend the rest of your days there."

"You are rather poetic, Master Baggins," she informed him with both humor and admiration lacing her words.

"I do try."

✧

They passed on in a similar manner for a few more days, until they were suddenly hit by a wild, raging thunder storm. Thick, never-ending rain assaulted them, blinding them, as lightning attacked the mountainside. Rocks broke free and boulders went racing down into the dark mass of trees that stood miles beneath their path. Nothing could prevent the company from getting soaked to the bone. Even Naerien, whose body was resistant to most weather, was soon miserable. The sun had not leant her mercy to them, either, for she soon abandoned them to face the vicious weather alone. Many of them had lost their footing and nearly fallen into the darkness, if not for the surprisingly quick reflexes of their companions.

It suddenly occurred to Naerien that Thorin was shouting, but his voice was lost in the howling wind and the rain. There was an alarmed shout from Dwalin, Balin's brother, and Naerien had just enough time to press herself against the rock wall before a massive boulder came hurdling their way, impacting the mountain above their heads and sending down shards of rocks. When the sky was lit up by lightning; the she-elf could see the outline of a giant being made of stone. It was the cause of most of the rockslides and it wasn't alone. There was another rock giant across the ragged valley, hurling boulders larger than a small cottage at the first one. Between the wailing of the wind and the cracks of lightning, Naerien could hear Mithrandir's voice being carried down to her.

"If you know of anywhere better, take us there!" He was shouting, apparently at Thorin. The son of Thrain did not know, however, so he ended their argument by sending Fili and Kili, the youngest of the dwarves, to seek out some sort of shelter.

It was a miserable and excruciating wait as the two brothers disappeared down the path. Bilbo slipped behind her, letting out a shout, but Dwalin managed to catch him by his backpack before he fell.

"If we do not crushed by boulders or struck by lightning, we will get blown off the mountain before we reach shelter!" Naerien shouted, attempting to get her voice heard above the wind's howls.

But Fili and Kili were back with news of a cave large enough for all of them to fit inside. After the brothers insisting that it was completely empty when Mithrandir pressed them, they all made their way forward, rounding a corner and finding the cave that they were speaking of.

Without warning, a third giant had emerged from the wall of rain and brought a chunk of the mountain down on one of the others. It shook the ground once again and Naerien's foot slipped out from under her. Her heart leapt into her throat, but before she could tumble to her death, Fili had grabbed her arm and Kili had pushed her back.
The head of the falling giant slammed into the mountain side above them, urging on half the group in the front and halting the rest in the back. Rocks split like shards of glass and, above the howling wind, the shouts and yells of the company they couldn't see could be heard. A massive stone hand came surging downward, unaware of the dwarves, hobbit, and elf that were there as it tried to steady itself.

Naerien could only watch in horror as it slammed down on the path, appearing to crush Kili, Bofur, Bombur, Dwalin, Ori, and Bilbo.

"Kili!" She heard Fili scream above the wind, just as Thorin let out a shout of his own. The remaining members of the company surged forward as soon as the rock shards fell away. Through the stinging of their eyes they could see that they were alive! The dwarves and the hobbit had managed to dive out of the way just in time to miss being smashed and lay in a messy heap on the side of the cliff.

"Where's Bilbo?" Bofur suddenly cried, looking wildly around as they regrouped. "Where's the hobbit?"

Naerien scanned the cliff's edge, squinting to keep the rain out of her eyes. In the blur of darkness, lit up only by brief cracks of lightning, she spotted movement. "There!" She shouted, alerting the dwarves nearest to him of the half-ling's presence.

"Get him!" Thorin yelled. Bofur ran to the edge, reaching down in an attempt to grab Bilbo before he was lost forever. But he failed to reach him. Naerien could only watch, unable to help, as Thorin jumped over the small drop that separated them and leapt down to Bilbo's side, hoisting him up and back onto the path.
There was a scramble to get the heir of Erebor before he fell, but Dwalin and a few others pulled him up as well.

"I thought we lost our burglar," Dwalin cried.

"He's been lost ever since he left home," Thorin spat into the wind. "He should never have come; he has no place amongst us." Without skipping a beat, he turned to the rest of the company, ignoring the furious look in Mithrandir's eyes as he ordered everyone into the cave.