A Tale of Time

Chapter 8: False Foretelling

Chapter 8: False Foretelling

Thorin stares at the grey sky as the morning sun barely seeps through the gaps of the thick softness. The camp is being packed back up and they are almost ready to move. Gailien notices the King standing on the edge of the drop-off. He seems lost in thought.

She walks over to him slowly, stepping over the packs not yet put on the horses. Thorin does not speak up as he notices her presences, which Gailien takes as a good enough sign.

"It seems my vision was right," she muses in a light tone. "I think rain isn't far off."

"Rain will not slow us," Thorin replies, still not looking at the girl. His eyes drift over the horizon, taking in the plains. Gailien turns her eyes to him though, gauging him but there is nothing for him to give her. Eventually, she shrugs slightly, looking back out over the horizon as he does.

"No, but it makes the journey uncomfortable."

Finally, Thorin veers his own head towards her, tilting it down slightly. His eyes narrow in a mix of boredom and annoyance. "If rain makes you uncomfortable then maybe you do not belong here. Go back to the comforts of your home."

Gailien's face drops slightly, a little hurt at his indifference to her presence. Her attempt to draw him into a light conversation is failing miserably. But she is here now and would carry it out. "Unfortunately, I do not have a home to go to." Thorin's head turns ever so slightly back to her out of the pull of his eyes. Gailien smiles sadly. "I stay here and there for awhile then move on once I get bored."

"Where do you go?"

Gailien hides her smile at Thorin's interest. Perhaps he is asking out of politeness, but he does not strike her as the type to be nice for the sake of formality. He doesn't need to be, she supposes. He can command respect through other means.

Gailien is slightly envious at his ability to do so, a natural leader. Her presence alone has never done her any good and it has forced her into being overly polite, mostly in the company of elves. But even then, she has never been able to earn their respect.

She glances back over her shoulder to the dwarves. Kili and Fili are packing their ponies along with her own. She did not even need to make an effort for them to speak to her. Ori and Bofur as well. Her life would have been so different is she was born a dwarf, though she is not sure how she would handle the facial hair.

Her eyes blink a few times as her head returns straight, realising she has not answered the King's question. "Anywhere," she responds. "I was in Gondor for many years, but I've been in the wild for the most recent ones. Where were you before Gandalf found you?"

Her question is a risk, asking a King a personal question. But alas, he does answer. "Same as you. I was on the road working as a blacksmith. Gandalf found me in Bree." Thorin looks over his own shoulder as Dwalin calls his name.

"We're ready to move," the warrior dwarf declares. Thorin doesn't say anything to end their conversation, just walking away back to his own pony. Gailien smiles to herself, following his lead and saunters over to Kili and Fili who are holding theirs and her ponies. She takes the reigns from Fili.

"Thank you," she says to them. Kili smirks, mounting his pony.

"Wouldn't want Thorin to be pissed when you hold everybody up because you haven't packed yet," he cheeks. Fili and Gailien laugh, also mounting. Her cloak is tied around her in anticipation of the oncoming weather, and she can see that the brothers are also dressed warmly and in their coats.

"Well luckily I have you two looking out for me then," she teases, nudging her horse to pass them.

"Just returning the favour!"