Chapter 1 - Home Lies Far Away
In the moments between night and morning, just before sunrise, where the deep darkness began to fade away, dipping the world in the blueness of the sky, was when Dania felt most at peace. There was no sound save the soft breeze, carrying with it the smell of mud and pine from deep within the forest.
Like every other morning, she began her walk towards the top of the hill that dominated the landscape just outside the small village where she resided. Rocks and branches covered the path, tearing and tangling the bottom of her skirts.
The sun was beginning to rise as she reached the top, the deep blue in the sky mixing itself with the warm orange glow of the soft autumn sun. It seemed incongruously peaceful out here, with the crackling of leaves from wind whispering through the trees mingling with the sound of birds going about their business overhead. The far-off knocking of a woodpecker echoed through the air, along with the liquid duet of mockingbirds, somewhere in the tall trees. Content, Dania sighed, emptying her mind from everything other than the eerily calming sounds of nature surrounding her. From up here, she could see far beyond Dunland — far beyond the land she hated. But she could barely see the outline of the Misty Mountains in the soft lavender sky, which blocked the one thing she would ever dream of seeing again: home.
Ever since the Dwarves had settled in the neighbouring villages of Dunland, 7 years ago, Dania had felt utterly out of place. Her father — one of the King's most trusted advisors — had grown grimmer by the day and even though he never said a word to her — nor to anyone about it, Dania knew her mother's death caused him immense pain. Sometimes, in the evening as they sat down for their meal, she could see a pang of faint guilt in his eyes — as if he blamed himself for what had happened to her. Dania hated the idea, but even so, she knew not how to talk to him about it. The mere thought of her mother clogged her throat; like something was taking away all the air in her lungs. And so she never spoke of it, burying the thought of her deep inside.
She began her stroll down the hill when the sun had fully risen, the orange glow of the early morning illuminating the trees that swayed in the wind. A small bird was standing on the path ahead of her, its gentle song easing the insecurities of the night. Her boots sank soundlessly into thick black leaf mould as she began to hum in unison with the surrounding birds but then thought better of her behaviour once she reached the village, not being in the mood for stares and judgment.
Now, Galtrev was a small village — but a very busy one, if you compared it with the villages around. Although to Dania, and all the Dwarves, every village and town seemed remotely inviting nor enchanting as their beloved home. Situated in the middle of the Hill Lands, Galtrev was the center of all trading in the region, which filled it with Men from all around, though no more welcoming than the locals. The man Dania worked for was one of those who was not over-fond of Dwarves, and he made no secret of it, either. But Dania made no comment about it. Even if she wanted to, she did not think she would have the strength to face someone as odd and vile as him.
Pushing open the door, Dania stepped inside the small crooked shop, her eyes landing on none other than the man in question in front of her. Geth was his name, and dark as night was his hair. He was a skinny man, with long legs and arms that seemed too long for his crooked body. When he stood up, his back would arch so that his whole figure was bent in two. But even half his size, he was still much taller than Dania — much like all the Dunlendings were, in fact, taller than all her kin.
The sound of the bell attached to the door made him aware of her presence and — turning around to face her — his eyes looked up and down her small figure and he chuckled. "T'was about time you showed up," Geth said as he walked towards another room, even though she was right on time, give or take a minute or so. How to make a fuss about nothing and everything, if you asked me, she thought to herself. Still, she quietly followed him.
He led her into a small room with bookshelves that ran all the way up to the ceiling. But even with all that space, there were barely any books in here — or so it was to her eyes, for she remembered the great library of Erebor. Compared to it, this place was no more than a broom closet! A single chair and a table were placed in the middle of the room, a tall pile of old, disorganized maps resting on it.
"I want ye to file all these maps into different categories for tonight."
Gerth left the room, leaving her to work alone. Dania let out a sigh when she knew Gerth could not hear her; she did not even know into what categories she was supposed to place them in. Nevertheless, she sat down on the wooden chair and began her work. To my surprise, she found herself rather enjoying looking at all these different maps.
One, in particular, caught her attention. A map of the Wilderland, on which she could see the Lonely Mountain. She bit the inside of her cheek as she felt her heart tightening in her chest. Dania ached to go back there, back home. But she knew it was something that would never happen. But even so, she found myself wishing for things to be different and better as she traced the lines of the mountain on the parchment with her long, delicate fingers.
Someone in front of her cleared their throat, making her jump as she came back to reality. Looking up to see a Dwarf standing on the other side of the table, her eyes widened as she suddenly realized who he was.
"Prince Thorin," she said as she stood up and bowed. When she looked up to him again, she thought she saw the shadow of a smile on his face, though she knew not why.
"Dania, is it?" He asked.
"Yes," she smiled, surprised that he would even remember her name. It had been so long since she had spoken to him, for it had been so long since she had seen his sister; Dís, whom she had always been very good friends with. "What can I do for you, My Lord?"
He stayed silent for a moment as if wondering how to say what he needed. While he walked around the room, Dania found herself staring at him. The last time they had been in a room together, she had been nothing more than a child. But now she was a little older, and she could see why the other Dwarrowdams constantly talked about him: he really was no pain to look at. With his thick dark hair and short beard, Thorin was very different from other Dwarves, physically, that was. She did not know him well enough to speak of his character.
She suddenly realized he was staring right back at her, and blushed madly, knowing for sure he had seen her study his features. "I asked you a question," He said simply, though, curiously, his voice seemed to tend more on an amused tone than an annoyed one.
"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Dania asked, feeling her cheeks heat up.
"I need a map of the Misty Mountains, preferably ones who focus on the region around the Mines of Moria," He explained, making me frown.
"Moria?" Her curious mind could not help but surface, and she realized only a second later that she should have stayed silent and obliged. After all, who was she to question the demands of the prince? she thought with a strange feeling in my stomach.
"Yes. Do you know if you possess such documents here?" He ignored her suspicions by overshadowing them with another question.
"Yes, I do." This time she obliged.
Dania did, in fact, remember from a few hours ago that she had seen a few of those maps, and she quickly tried to recall in which pile she had placed them. Fumbling through all the old and torn parchments, she pulled out three different yet very similar maps, placing them side by side on the wooden surface for Thorin to look at.
"Mhmm," He let out a sound as he traced the words with his large fingers. "They all look the same to me." He laughed slightly, to her surprise.
"They're not," Dania told him, smiling slightly, despite the long day she had suffered. "You see, this one," — she began while pointing to the one on the far left — "is a physical map. It shows things like mountains, rivers and forests," she explained, pointing to the things she was stating as she went. "And this one, the largest one," — she pointed to the next map — "shows more the names of these places. You can see the river Glanduin, here. And even Lothlorien, on the other side," she showed him. "This is the one that shows you where the gate lies; here," His interest seemed to have been pricked at this moment. "And finally, you have this one, which shows all the roads in the mountains, with all their given names, of course."
"Well, these should be enough for—" He stopped abruptly mid-sentence, leaving her to wonder what these maps were for.
"Here," Dania said as she began to gently roll the maps before tying them with a leather strap. When she handed them to him, her fingers gently brushed against his hand, making it tingle in a wave from the very tips of her delicate fingers to the center of her beating heart. Dania gulped as she looked into his eyes, praying to Mahal that he had not felt it as well, nor that he had realized she had felt it.
"I must go now," he said as if he suddenly became aware of the weight of her embarrassment. "Thank you . . . Dania," He ended while looking into her eyes, and she could not help but stare back, despite the state she was in.
Dania found herself thinking about what shade of blue his eyes resembled the most. A lake, she thought. His eyes were as deep and dark as a mysterious lake, yet something wonderful lingered at the bottom. They were the most gorgeous blue, and upon having that thought, she blushed as if he could have heard her. Yet Dania was even more embarrassed by her thoughts than anything else, and she did not understand why she could not help but want to look at him even more.
"Have a good day," He said, pulling her out of her daydream and back into the crushing reality.
Dania involuntarily frowned. "Good day, My Lord" The words had barely left her mouth when Thorin was already out the door, holding what he had come for in his hands. "Good day," she repeated in a low whisper, her fingers still tingling strangely.
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Sooo... first chapter of the prologue!!! What did you guys think? Any thoughts on young Thorin and Dania? Let me know in the comments! And of course, don't forget to vote!!