The Last of the Guardians Part 1 - A Hobbit Fan Fiction

Chapter 25

Fili stepped forward, reaching into his furs and pulling out a long chain from which hung the gem, grasped tight within the talons. He held it out toward the brown-haired Guardian, but the winged man shrank away from the necklace.

"Cursed is the Guardian that dares touch another's life," he said. "You must give it to her. The rest of you, stay back."

"I thought once Guardians Change they do not need these anymore." Fili stated.

The blonde Guardian smirked at Fili, as though he had just been asked whether it hurt to be run through with a sword. "Of course she needs it. Our Taegra's are our lives." The Guardian rolled his eyes. "When a dwarf has mined a life's supply of gold, does he mine more?" His eyes flickered towards Thorin, but the dwarf ignored him.

Fili took his uncle's lead and acted as though he had not heard the Guardian speak. Instead, he walked forward to stand before Nema. He was going to simply hand it to her, but then he had another idea. Gently as he could, Fili placed the Taegra around Nema's neck himself, allowing his fingers to linger on her skin a little longer than was necessary as he closed the clasp on the chain. The blonde Guardian bristled as he watched, struggling to keep his expression neutral.

As the gem touched Nema's pale skin, it began to change in colour. Pale blue was replaced by a deep, blood red. Colour spread back into Nema's cheeks, and fires dances behind her eyes.

Fili stepped back and the blonde Guardian removed his arm from around Nema's shoulders, allowing her to stand on her own. All weakness had fled from her body, and she stood straight and tall on the plateau.

The eagles and the other Guardians, who had been patiently waiting on the nearby peak, took of and flew closer to hover around the plateau. Their wings beat in perfect unison, sending great gusts of wind around the valley.

Nema and the two Guardians beside her rose to join their kin. There they waited, humming softly. The dwarves and Bilbo watched the winged creatures with as much awe as confusion. Gandalf, however, seemed perfectly at ease.

Nema closed her eyes and slowly drew in a deep breath, filling her lungs until they were as full as they could be. Then, as gently and slowly as she could manage, Nema let out her breath in a steady stream. Despite the warmth of the day, her breath was clearly visible as it twisted and turned in the air before her. The more she exhaled, the more the cloud grew until she stopped breathing out. Nema opened her eyes and whispered softly. The cloud lengthened and thinned, curving into the shape of a bow. Nema held out her hand, and closed her fist around the body of the bow, watching it solidify in her palm. The bow was as white as her wings, and just as strong, with tiny rivers and swirls of silver inlaid into the grip, and tipping both ends.

The other Guardians now ceased their humming and inhaled as one. Each Guardian exhaled until twenty white and silver arrows were created, one from each winged creature. The arrows were carefully placed in a matching silver quiver, then passed to Nema, who tucked the strap over her shoulder along with her bow.

Then the Guardians joined hands in the air and began humming again, and this time Nema added her voice to theirs. The melody was haunting, and seemed to hang in the air around them. Though they could not understand the language, the song echoed within the heart of each dwarf, making them feel more alive with every note.

But then the music ceased as quickly as it had started. For one finale time, the Guardians exhaled, and their breath united in the centre of the circle, twisting in the air. Nema flew forward and drove her hand into the cloud. She gripped the white hilt of the sword newly-formed sword and smiled. For a few moments, she was captivated by the beauty of the weapon, but she soon sheathed the ornate blade and returned to stand upon the plateau before the dwarves.

The Guardians parted and flew off over the Misty Mountains along with the eagles, having no need to bid farewell to each other. All except the blonde Guardian.

To Fili's dismay, the man landed beside Nema and placed a hand on her shoulder briefly. He then approached Thorin and bowed deeply. "Sîor, at your service," he smiled and straightened.

"Thorin Oakenshield, at yours," replied Thorin, bowing in return.

"I wish to join your company. Nema is new to her Changed body, and as she never lived amongst Guardians as a child, she still has much training to complete. I would be her tutor on the road, if you would be so kind as to allow it."

Thorin was slightly taken aback. "It would be an honour to have you join us,' he said slowly. "After all, I am sure Nema would appreciate the company of her own kin."

Nema smiled warmly at Thorin. Fili, however, was not so willing for Sîor to join them. It wasn't that he thought the Guardian to be a bad man. Fili knew deep down the true reason why he already disliked Sîor, and he wasn't willing to share it with the others for fear of shaming himself.

"So," began Bofur, a wide grin spreading across his cheerful face, "what next?"

Thorin returned his smile, then turned to face the forest that sat in the valley below them. Across the distant tree tops, hunched over on the horizon, the Lonely Mountain stood, half shrouded in cloud.

"To Erebor." Thorin said, determination heavy in his voice. "To our home."

***Hello! Okay, well I seriously don't know what was going on with those Guardians. The breathing thing just popped into my head and I though 'Hey! That's cool! Lets roll with it!' So just reread that with an open mind if you didn't quite get what was happening the first time.

I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this and vote/comment on it. It means so much to me and I love you for it! Your comments inspire me to keep writing and without them I probably wouldn't have finished Part 1 until September or something.

THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE!!!! I LOVE YOU!!!

If you are enjoying this story so far, please carry on reading it. Part 2 can be found on my profile***