Estateillio

Flight from Mirkwood

• Bilbo had heard the dwarves talk about some mysterious person that was supposed to help them fight the dragon but had not yet shown up - which some were happy about and others not so much. He had, however, not expected to meet her in the halls of the elven king wearing a dress like liquid copper, easily a head taller than the other elves and with scarred face and milky, unseeing eyes.

• "I am Estateillio", she told him as she descended the stairs to the dungeons where the company was being held and Bilbo wondered how she had detected him, even though she was blind and he wore the ring. He asked her about it.

• "One does not need eyes to see, young one", she answered, "for sight is faulty and treacherous." The hobbit wanted to ask more about it, but then they arrived at the cells where the dwarves were being held and with a hand on his shoulder, the elf bid him stay silent.

• "Greetings, Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thrain, son of Thror, and greetings to all those who travel with him." Estateillio clasped her hands behind her back and halted in front of Thorin's cell.

• They talked for a long time, in a language Bilbo did not understand but knew to be Khuzdûl, and they argued and often the names Smaug and Thranduil and Gandalf fell, and Durin once also.

• "I will not cause a political incident to free you, Thorin, when it was your pride that brought you here. This is my last word on this matter." And thus Estateillio left, long black hair fanning her shoulders and back.

• Bilbo freed the dwarves and the next time they met was when the orcs pursued them along the river. She was wearing soft greens and browns this time, hair bound back by a golden clasp, two swords on her back and a dagger and knives on her belt. And unerringly her arrows flew from her silver bow and found its marks in heads and hearts and necks.

• With her and her two companions' help the company survived and escaped from Mirkwood, though Kili, nephew of Thorin, was wounded.

• She found them again on the shores of the lake, though she was smaller now and her scars were faded, her eyes a dark grey and her skin that had been a soft brown colour before was now fairer in hue.

• Her face was unmoving as she crouched down and put a hand on Kili's wound and when she removed it again the bleeding had stopped and it was starting to scab over. "This will do until we find a safer place." None questioned this, though Thorin glared at her.

• They found a boatsman and paid him to take them to Esgaroth, so that they may resupply - the elf did not have much food, for a single dwarf it would have barely been enough for a day- and when they passed the gates they went by unnoticed.

• ("You would call it magic, I believe", Estateillio told Bilbo later, "It's a simple trick to travel dangerous paths securely." He then asked if that was why she looked different to when they first met and if she often went into danger. She laughed quietly and affirmed the question.)

• Their tall companion then persuaded the boatsman - Bard - to let them spend the night in his house, in exchange for having hidden the barrels full of fish that he had illegally brought into Lake Town.

• He had three children, Sigrid, Tilda and Bain and Estateillio asked one of them to get some Kingsfoil and she promised the girls to braid their hair in an elvish style for doing so.

• "For your wound, Kili", she explained when the girls had disappeared into the night, followed by their brother, "I have contained the poison for now, but there is only so much I can do with my power. Better to heal it now when we have a moment of rest than to be troubled by it later when in immediate danger." Begrudgingly, even Thorin agreed that that was a good idea and so they waited. Bard kept an eye on them.

• His children soon returned with the herbs and the elf immediately went to deal with Kili's wound. When she was finished it was mostly healed. Then, keeping her promise, she started braiding Tilda's hair, though far she did not come, because she heard the faraway footsteps of orcs that were quickly nearing.

• Putting her finger to her lips she bid them stay quiet, slowly drew one of her swords and then rammed it through a small crack in the wooden walls of the house. Outside there was the gurgling sound of a dying orc and when she withdrew the silver-white blade it was coated in black blood.

• "They found us", was all she said, before slamming open the door and slitting the throat of another orc that lurked nearby, while two other came crashing through the roof. Immediately the dwarves grabbed their weapons and made quick work of them, while outside Estateillio slaughtered three more with surprising grace and without a sound their lifeless bodies slid to the ground.

• Bard too had armed himself with his bow, though he stayed at his children's side. "You need to leave, it is not safe here", she told the dwarves and then promised the man: "Rest assured, this is not your fight and no harm will befall you tonight." Then she slipped away into the night, blades glittering in the pallid moonlight.

• The dwarves were loath to miss out on the fight, so most of them went out as well, trying to locate the enemy and kill as many as possible, though that was a futile attempt, for most were perched on the roofs and the only ones they could reach were the dead.

• So, begrudgingly, they heeded the elf's advice, gathered their possessions and left the small house of Bard with the plan to somehow steal supplies and a boat.

• Meanwhile a dark figure was dancing on the roofs of the sleeping town and it was a deadly dance, with silver blades (that could cut through stone if she wanted them to) twirling through the cool night air and reflecting the moon and the preternatural glow of the dancer.

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Hi, thanks for clicking on this story. It's my first LotR fanfiction and also my first attempt at writing an english story.

I wanted to try this bullet point style, because I find it easier to write like this (Especially because I did not find a proper transcript of the hobbit movies). I will also, probably, drop the poetic ending after the first chapters, because I mostly use the events of the Hobbit to create a solid foundation for my OC and I really like stylistic devices to describe a character.

This chapter is mostly a try to see if anyone likes this style and would like to read more of it like this or if I should change something about it. So please leave a comment, so I may improve my writing skills.

Thank you!

AT

P.S: If you read all this, here's a cookie for you 🍪