The Revenge of a Huntress

the one with an oak shield

Hi Readers!
Thanks for reading this story, it means a lot! Let me know what you think, it's cool to see what others are thinking when reading. Especially if I make an error, please let me know so I can fix it! Criticism is always appreciated here. Feel free to vote, comment, add this story, or give me a private message😊 anything is welcome!

Special thanks to Casutara and scorlilymouse333 for the comments 😊

Cheers!
Ally Layne.

"I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil." 
―J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

... 

After the company had left the safehouse they quickly put many leagues between them and Bree, which was both satisfying and bittersweet for the Ranger as she was not accustomed to being tied down.

She noticed that Thorin had hardly looked at her after last evening which Huntress found a bit odd. She thought they were making strides toward building a decent friendship, but apparently she was wrong.

"Why are you with us if you're supposed to be the leader of the Rangers?" Kíli asked her, as she had become accustomed to riding in between the two princes.

Huntress let out a wry smile. "My kin are able to run themselves for the time being. I was only a little older than my nephew when I was placed into a position of leadership."

The princes looked at her oddly. "You have a nephew?" Fíli asked. "Why aren't you with them?"

She looked at the blonde dwarf from the corner of her eye. He reminded her much of Estel, from the way he held himself to the way he spoke to his own uncle. Huntress knew Fíli, as well as Estel, had the potential to do great things one day.

"My nephew is old enough to lead his own regiment," she explained. "He needs to learn how to properly lead others and understand the responsibility that comes with being in a position of power."

"Do you ever have to help him?" Kíli asked, his eyes darting to his own uncle who was far in front of the trio. "Thorin barely trusts us with mediocre jobs, let alone being in charge of something."

"He always seems to find something wrong with what we are doing," Fíli added. "He's overly critical of us, and sometimes it's hard to believe he's actually our uncle."

Huntress grinned, not daring to look at the dwarves next to her. She set her gaze on the Dwarf King ahead as she remembered their conversation from the previous night. "He may be a bit hard on you, but I can tell you that your uncle loves you both very much. He also believes in you and your capabilities, whether you believe it or not."

She didn't have to be looking at them to know the princes were looking at her like she'd sprouted another head. "How would you know that?" Kíli asked, his voice a bit breathless as if he dared not believe a word from her mouth.

"I know because I have experienced the same thing he has," She admitted. "It's hard to be a leader of your people and have to raise your kin at the same time. I think your uncle is doing it gracefully."

"Gracefully?" Fíli asked.

Huntress shrugged. "Well, about as graceful as a dwarf could handle."

Her companions groaned half-heartedly, and Kíli threw an apple from his saddle at her head. She caught the apple a few inches from her face, smiled at the dumbfounded prince, and took a large bite from it.

"Are you even real?" he asked.

She quirked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I think my nadad was trying to say is that we've never met someone like you before, Lady Huntress," Fíli explained.