"To fight evil; you must first understand the dark."
From the blood of Dragons, a child shall rise,
Born of fire and fear, her fate sealed with lies.
For she is the chosen, the one who will bring
A reign of darkness, a world with its dark king.
...
Gandalf and Elrond continued up the stairs to the pavilion, now out of reach for the three to eavesdrop any longer. Anaynah glanced up to the bottom of the staircase she had been climbing to see Bilbo and Thorin had already disappeared, probably to join the rest of the company for the night. She hurried down the stairs, keen to finally relax with her companions. As Anaynah got closer to the bottom, she could hear the chatter and laughter from the dwarves, smiling eagerly.
"Anaynah!"
The Dwarves turned to see the ranger walking down the stairs with a bright smile on her face.
"Anaynah, would you care for a sausage? I think Bombur has had his fill for today." Bofur asked with a nightly laugh as he fell to his side, the others around him too chortling.
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The ranger simply raised an eyebrow when she noticed the broken wooden pieces scattered across the floor with a very guilty look upon Bombur.
"Oh, Bofur. You truly are a piece of work." Anaynah chuckled as she joined the company in the little area they had resided for the past two nights.
"Kind of you go finally join us." Thorin spoke, a hint of disdain in his voice, "Rarely have we seen you here, quite busy you have been fraternising with these Elves."
Anaynah scowled at Thorin's harsh remarks.
"What is it exactly you are implying, Thorin?" Anaynah asked calmly, she did not want to endure another heated argument tonight with another person she cared about. Thorin stepped closer to her, the rest of the company had quietened down to listen. Fili stood up from his brother's side and walked closer, he could see where this could be going.
"It seems you have failed to mention your association with the Elves." Thorin grumbled, Anaynah held his gaze, daring not to look away, "Lord Elrond; your father, is he not? Would you care to explain why you have hidden this from us?"
Most of the company's eyes fell on Anaynah, some shocked and some confused. She took a deep breath in annoyance at Thorin's confrontation.
"I have not hidden anything from you, Thorin." Anaynah replied, defending herself, "I have but always told you the truth, that my birth parents had passed away, killed in an Orc raid. I simply did not think it was relevant for you to know that it was indeed Lord Elrond who raised me as his own. He gave me sanctuary and gave me knowledge that I use to this day. But this does not change anything. I am still a part of this company, I am a ranger and I will do my part as a ranger. I will do my part as your family."
Thorin remained silent, his eyes fixed on Anaynah as she spoke. Despite the unexpected revelation that she was not an Elf, he managed to remain composed and calm. Deep down, however, he felt a sense of confusion and uncertainty, his mind racing with questions about what he had just overheard from Elrond. He struggled to make sense of the situation, trying to reconcile his preconceptions with the new information he had just received.
