Eruwen (Part 1 & 2)

In a Town of Men in a more Human Form

Many years later...

Feon's shackles were worn out, and I had to visit the town of men. He was fond of the care and attention of others throughout the procedure, hence the reason I didn't use magic. To avoid attracting attention, I made his wings disappear.

We found a blacksmith in town and they immediately began to attend to us.

"Unfortunately, young lady, you will have to wait sometime until your horse is ready," the man replied, "we have a high number of people interested in the same services today."

"Then when should I expect to be met?"

"Would you mind until the following day?"

"No," I spoke up and handed the horse into his care.

"Go to our inn and book a room," the man added, "my wife runs it."

I obeyed the instructions and went to the inn, where I paid for one of the better rooms. I learned to control the spells that allowed me to change my appearance. Among humans, I chose a less conspicuous brown hair color and a more human form of ears.

I spent the day out and about and didn't get back to the inn until the evening. I ordered dinner before I saw a familiar face - it was a dwarf from the kingdom of Erebor. He was sitting at the table, eating his dinner and sipping from a wooden pint of ale. The fingers of his hands were adorned with various rings, all made by dwarves, well, except for one whose true owner was someone else. The ring was made of white gold, set with tiny diamonds and carefully crafted into a star motif.

"May I sit down?" I asked, sitting down across from him.

"If I told you no, would you leave?" He replied with a question.

"Honestly, no."

"Then why do you ask? Do you want something?"

"Dwarves don't show up much in these parts."

"Do you have a problem with me?"

"No," I spoke up and my dinner was brought to me, "I was intrigued by your jewelry, especially those rings on your hands."

"They are not for sale!" he said.

"I wasn't talking about buying. The one on your left ring finger doesn't look like the work of dwarves."

"Do you know anything about jewelry?"

"I wouldn't claim to be," I admitted, "You wear it in a place that is meant for a person close to your heart."

"You're nosy, you know that?"

"More like curious," I corrected him, "the ring looks to me like it was meant for a woman."

"If you don't go elsewhere, I will."

The inn was busy, so he couldn't just sit somewhere else.

"Really?" I assured myself, "If you want, I have a room with plenty of space."

"Why would I go anywhere with you?"

"Yes, I understand that it may seem like an ambush, I apologize for that. I have the biggest room going here if you were interested in visiting me. Room 4."

We finished eating and our paths parted again, well not for that long. About two hours later there was a knock on my room door, it was him.

"Have you changed your mind?" I wondered.

"The other rooms are full."

"Come in," I invited him in, "What's your name anyway?"

I actually knew his name, I wondered if he was planning on lying or not.

"Thorin Oakenshield."

He wasn't lying, that surprised me.

"What's yours?" He wondered.

I'd been waiting for an opportune moment to reveal my origins to him, and this question was beautifully designed to do just that.

"I think you know my name, Thorin Oakenshield."

"You are not familiar."

"Not in this form, I confess, but you have carried my name with you for nearly sixty years."

My name was engraved on the bottom of the ring. I broke my spells in front of him before I wrapped myself in the cloak as he had first seen me then.

"Eruwen," he pronounced my name.