Daughter of the Moon | Hobbit

Leaving the house of Elrond

The light shone brightly in the large elven courtyard. The bird songs from the trees and the sunrise break from night to dawn. Thorin's arm still wrapped around Valerie, with the fur keeping the woman warm from the morning breeze. She still had her head resting on his chest. Their fingers were still intertwined loosely. He felt a faint heat reaching him, as when the thought slipped his mind; he wanted to stay like this for only a moment longer.

The sun shining was what woke Thorin, that and the weight on his chest. His knee-jerk reaction was to fight, but feeling Val's fingers against his own, and then the slightest way she moved; he remembered the previous night. He gave her the faintest of smiles, her own grin chasing away the phantoms of his sleep. He was thankful for her help, even if she didn't know that she was helping him. Just seeing her smile back after the previous night was enough to rouse him.

Valerie felt the weight she carried was easier to deal with as the morning grew. The woman was feeling balanced with her feelings, she had to thank Thorin for that who didn't leave her side. He showed how much he cared for her and in a long time, the woman was gifted a night sleep without the haunting dreams of her past. 

The rest of the company began to stir and rise, bringing Thorin back to their quest. He knew they needed to leave before the other Wizard found out. He didn't so much have to speak his commands but give his fellow dwarves a look and they began to prepare. Valerie slipped out from the balcony, Thorin assumed to change into more travel appropriate attire. The Dwarven King was sad to see the beautiful dress go, it really cast the Blonde in a more regal light and he doubted they would have a chance to stay anywhere else where such fineries would be offered.

Once everyone was accounted for, it was time for them to push on. Thorin took Gandalf's instruction, and the leader of the company was leading the way to the valley, on their way to the Misty Mountains.  

As the morning grew, the mountain of a man called Rash opened his eyes and bat his eyes several times. While laying on his back, he turned his head to the side. He had heard stumbling and grunting earlier in the morning and he suspected that the dwarves were getting ready to leave.

Now, nothing could be heard except a silent wind blowing through leaves outside.

Rash rose up slowly, almost hitting his head in the ceiling as he had forgotten how low it was. The elves were often seen as the tallest of races in Middle-earth, but next to Rash, they were not unlike humans since he towered over them too, only with sharper ears and each one of them was beautiful to look at.

The Knight started walking towards the relatively small door and opened it by kicking it a little with the front end of his boot.

The door swung open almost violently, even if Rash didn't put any effort into it. Rash rotated his head to the left outside the door once he could actually stand normally. The roof in the great hall was several stories tall. A gasp could be heard and a plate could be heard crashing into the floor.

"Oh. I am sorry, you just appeared out of nowhere and surprised me." A She-elf who wasn't a maid of the sort, but she was working with putting some of the plates and cups away from yesterday's feast. Rash had spooked her when kicking the bedroom door open and she had dropped a collection of small plates.

Rash walked easily up to the woman, only needing to take three steps to do so. The elf was only half his length, and one could very much understand her shock from seeing a half-naked giant kicking a door open.

She looked upon Rash as she looked like she was fainting. Her eyes were rolling up and down and she seemed to be swaying. Then, she fell to the side, seemingly losing control over her balance.

The half-naked knight stretched his right arm out and caught her mid-fall. He kneeled for a bit then used his left arm to pick her up by the legs as he supported her upper body with his right arm.

The woman seemed to have a hard time coping with being so close to a human. Especially a human of such titanic size and a human whom she was so close to that her lips actually brushed against his naked shoulder. Then, she lost all sight and faded.

Rash had pulled her close and carried her over to a large, soft seat. He put her down with delicate care and felt her forehead.

"No fever. She must have worked too hard during the night." Rash thought to himself, as he rose up. "You certainly have your way with females, my friend." A raspy old voice could be heard from behind the knight. With sweeping steps, the wandering wizard approached Rash. He chuckled for a couple of seconds and took his seat on a chair next to Rash and the sleeping elf maid.

"Gandalf. She was still working when I got out of the bedroom." The knight answered bluntly, taking a chair next to the table nearby. The wizard looked with joyful eyes at the elf, then at Rash. "You think too little of yourself, master Knight. You ought to not miss out on your opportunities."  Rash stared at Gandalf for a moment.

"I am no such creature." He said with an annoyance in his voice.
Gandalf then rose up from his chair, walked up past Rash and knocked him lightly on the back of his head with the staff.

"That's not what I meant, you fool. But she clearly was swooned by your presence." The wizard grunted as he kept walking around slowly. Rash only reacted by scratching the back of his head. He turned around to look at Gandalf behind him. The old wizard was in deep thought, walking around in small circles.

"The dwarves already left, yes?" The knight said. Gandalf kept walking in the front. "Yes." Rash looked at the elf maid sleeping on the couch-like structure. She was a beauty to behold. "Shan't we catch up with them?" Gandalf stopped in his walking, now staring with focus at a floorplate.

"No, not yet. We have other things to investigate. You remember the presence I told you about? The one that I've felt during our journey to Bilbo's house?" Rash turned his face slowly to face Gandalf.

"Yes. What of it?" Gandalf turned his face to Rash. "Not only have I felt this darkness, but we've seen how organized the orcs have been. They're working for something. We might have a clue to what." The wizard kept staring at Rash with a growing worry in his eyes.

"My friend and colleague, Radagast the Brown, has found evidence that there is a very strong spiritual presence in Dol Guldur."

Gandalf said with a steady voice, still staring at Rash as if he was waiting for an answer.

Rash understood what it meant. He also saw what Gandalf saw. Something was definitely returning to Middle-earth.

"Then, let's deal with this as quickly as possible so that we can catch up to our little friendly band of dwarves, a woman, and a hobbit." The Knight said in a thunderous voice as he rose up from his chair.  Gandalf looked at his companion with a light in his eyes and smiled with confidence.