Serendipity - a Fili Oakenshield Love Story

Chapter 8. - Home

Fili had never had any problem understanding women; they were vivacious, flaunty, and where he came from, bearded. They threw themselves at him, not that he ever threw himself back, but the gestures were flattering. They were all so predictable; the way they would stare and bat their eye lashes, swing their hips and twirl their beards. They were all so dependent, because without a man, a woman was nothing in dwarven society.

But Ùsahtiel needed no man, and this is where his mind became baffled. She had a tough exterior, but her breakdown at the Hidden Pass clearly showed that something else was going on.

Fili had never thought and pondered so hard in his life.

“You all saw it! That was it, that was the wolf!” Ori was verbalizing what had been on the dwarves’ minds since they escaped; the giant white wolf.

“Surely it was some sort of...I...maybe it was...” Gloin was stumped as well. “I don’t know laddie.”

“It didn’t look like any wolf that I was use to seeing.” Dwalin said.

“Did you see it, Ùsahtiel?” Bilbo asked.

“Uh, no.” She quickly lied. “I wasn’t with you when it happened.”

Dwalin narrowed his eyes at Ùsahtiel. “Yeah, where were you?”

“I was ahead, behind some other rocks.” Her mouth became dry and she lied through her teeth. By now, she should be the queen of lying and deceiving.

Dwalin just sniffed, and turned away while the others just dropped the subject. They continued walking through the claustrophobic pass, and it was not to long before they were standing over the great city of Rivendell.

Ùsahtiel had never seen an elf before, let alone an Elven City. Her eyes lit up, and she stood frozen as she took in the view of the sun beaming off the fortress.

“This was your plan all along.” Thorin sneered to Gandalf. “To seek

refuge

with the enemy.”

“You have no enemies here, Thorin Oakenshield.” Gandalf sneered back. “The only ill-will you will find in this valley is that which you bring, yourself.”

“You want the elves to give our quest their blessing? They will try to stop us.”

“Of course they will.” Gandalf said matter-of-factly. “But the elves can help us, give us answers. And if we are to be successful, this will require a great deal of tact, and no small amount of charm. That is why you will be leaving the talking up to me.” He said, leading the group into the valley.

Fili watched Ùsahtiel, and studied her closely. Not in a perverse way, just in an observational way. Every chance she got, she would glance over at the city. Her lips remained in a tight line, her eyes wide with curiosity. She was well composed and an even mix of a woman and a warrior, Fili could already tell. It’s not like he hadn’t caught a glimpse of the scars on the back of her neck, which looked as if they had been made by teeth, leading him to wonder what had gone on in her previous life.

“Isn’t it marvelous?” Ùsahtiel whispered to Bilbo, who looked just as awestruck as she did.

“It’s beautiful. I’ve read about this but never...actually...” Bilbo trailed off, caught up in the view.

“Have you ever seen an elf before?” She asked. “I haven’t.”

“This is a first for both of us then.” He said as a young elf came down the steps to greet them. He and Gandalf traded words and finally Gandalf spoke, “I need to speak with Lord Elrond.”