Daughter of Starlight

Chapter One: Talks of Trinkets

Thorin had not easily accepted me into the company of the dwarves. I found out quickly that he had a strong dislike for all elves, especially the elves of Mirkwood. It was only when Gandalf and I took him aside and explained the necessity that I join in on their quest that he finally acquiesced, along with more than a little encouragement from Gandalf.

Gandalf had promised that he would distract Elrond while the dwarves, the hobbit, Bilbo, and I made our way out of Rivendell. He also gave me his word that he would apologize to Elrond for me for leaving him like this and that I would return as soon as possible to personally thank him for his hospitality and kindness towards me. I owed him so much for taking me in when no one else would in my time of trouble, and I would do my best to repay him.

What I had thought would be a simple trek to the Lonely Mountain quickly revealed itself to be an arduous, yet exciting adventure. My first night with the company of dwarves was spent battling an underground kingdom of goblins that we had encountered in the caves of a nearby mountain after escaping death from an ensuing battle of giants. After yet another close brush with death by the hand of Azog the Defiler, where we almost lost Thorin to the sword of the Pale Orc, we finally made it to a period of relative peace in our travels. In that time, the members of the company had grown accustomed to me, even been welcoming and friendly, with the exception of Thorin.

At the moment, we were hiding in the woods while we waited for Bilbo, our burglar/scout to come back to us with an update on the orc pack tailing us. Kili, the dwarf who had winked at me in Rivendell and who was now also my friend, had explained to me exactly why orcs were hunting us. Apparently Azog had a sort of vendetta against Thorin, and would stop at nothing until he held his head in his hand. But we were all keen on making sure that didn't happen. I had grown to respect Thorin in my short time as a member of his company, even though he didn't return it.

"What's taking him so long?" Kili wondered out loud. All of the dwarfs were getting antsy. Meanwhile I, the only elf in their presence, and Gandalf, remained calm.

I sat cross-legged on the ground, sharpening the blade of one of my twin daggers, two of the few belongings I still had from my time in the Woodland Realm. They were of a sleek design that characterized the metalwork of the elves. I looked at my reflection in the blade. Although it was slightly warped by the curvature of the knife, I could clearly see my own light blue eyes gazing back at me, my pale face framed by my pale, almost white hair that held a silvery sheen.

"Do not fear for Bilbo," I spoke, not worried by how long the hobbit was taking. "He knows what he's doing. He'll be back soon enough."

As if he had heard my words, Bilbo suddenly burst out of the trees, and everyone's heads turned towards him.

I stood up from the ground, placing my dagger back in the sheath on my back, next to its twin blade. My quiver of arrows that had been given to me by Elrond awhile ago were also strapped to my back, their corresponding bow in my hand. I was dressed in traveling clothes, which were also given to me by Elrond. A dark purple fitted tunic with a hood paired with a similarly colored short skirt and pants, both made of sturdy material with decorative golden embroidery, and leather wrap boots that could stand against any sort of terrain. I had braided my hair back out of my face, the only part of Sindarin elf culture I had decided to accept once again. Among the Rivendell elves I had left my hair to flow down to the small of my back, unbraided, but I couldn't risk it getting in my face during these fights with the orcs.

Bilbo gave us good news, revealing that we were well ahead of the orcs, albeit we wouldn't be much longer if we didn't get moving. Gandalf began to compliment his skills as a burglar, and the dwarves vocally agreed, patting Bilbo on the back. But Bilbo wasn't finished.