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THE NIGHT IS STILL YOUNG WHEN RHAENYRA ENTERED HOBBITON AFTER MAKING SURE DROGON WOULD STAY IN HIS LAIR. A small group of hobbit children, no more than four, were still out playing, screaming and chasing eachother, running around and laughing. When Rhaenyra was spotted by them, they all collectively screamed in joy, forgetting the game they had been playing in order to properly greet her. A broad smile found its way onto her lips as Rhaenyra knelt down on the ground and greeted the children with open arms and a warm hug, though she was careful in doing so in order for them to not accidentally hurt themselves on the quiver of arrows and the bow she had slung over her back.
"Did you go meet the elves, Rhaenyra? Did you meet Glorfindel again?" One of the small girls asked her, eyes wide open and sparkling in curiosity.
"I did meet the elves of Rivendell again, Glorfindel was there," Rhaenyra told them, a kind smile on her face as she remembered flying on Drogon with Glorfindel, "I have many other friends in Rivendell I was there to visit."
One of the young boys tugged on the dark fabric of her robes, catching her attention, "Do you have any stories you can tell?"
Rhaenyra had a strong desire to stay with the hobbit children and tell them about all the fun she had in Rivendell this time around, especially the stories containing mentions of Glorfindel which they seemed to enjoy, stories about his legendary deeds reaching even the Shire. But Rhaenyra currently had a basket full of fruits and vegetables she had picked up for Bilbo at the market.
"Perhaps another time, sweet children." Rhaenyra stroke some curly hair out of his face, giving them all a warm smile before parting ways.
Once Rhaenyra turned down a cobbled street she waved at an old, yet kind hobbit who was out late smoking his pipe, walking down Bagshot Row with a skip in her step and a smile on her face. At the end of the street was her final destination and Rhaenyra chuckled when she noticed the light coming from inside and along with it loud and rowdy voices. The dwarves and Gandalf had most likely already arrived and given Bilbo a headache.
On the round, green door Rhaenyra spotted a small mark Gandalf often used, glowing in a faint turquoise light. Rhaenyra mentally prepared herself to face the dwarves and hopefully help ease Bilbo's stressed mind before carefully knocking on the door.
It was humorous how everyone inside fell silent straight away after Rhaenyra had knocked on the door and after a moment Bilbo opened it, muttering and cursing about wizards and dwarves ruining his kitchen, but when he saw that it was infact Rhaenyra standing at his door with a basket of food, his mood significantly improved and his face lit up.
Bilbo quickly ushered Rhaenyra inside, gratefully taking the basket from her, hiding it underneath a chair before throwing a blanket over it to fully conceal it, "These dwarves have practically emptied out my pantry, not even a crumb of bread left!" Bilbo told her with a strained smile, taking Rhaenyra's bow and quiver from her and carefully placed them against the wall.
"Rhaenyra, my dear!" Gandalf greeted from the doorway to Bilbo's dining room, he had a kind smile on his face as his arms stretched out wide in greeting. She shook her head at him, but still hugged him back, a smile tugging at her lips. "I knew you would come." He whispered in her ear, a teasing glint in his blue eyes appeared.
"Valar Morghulis." Rhaenyra whispered as her own greeting before pulling away from the hug with Gandalf.
The old wizards still struggled with the pronuncition of Rhaenyra's mothertongue, but when she wanted to teach him what she had learnt from her mother and Missandei, Gandalf did his best to learn quickly, hoping that it would make Rhaenyra feel more at home in Middle Earth, "Valar Dohaeris." He responded in a low voice.
"I don't remember allowing you to extend an invite for an elf to join our quest, wizard." A deep and gruff voice was heard from the dining room. A man much shorter than Rhaenyra had spoken, with hair as dark as raven's wings and with eyes a sharp azure staring straight at her.
Rhaenyra decided to make a point of putting parts of her silver hir that had escaped the braid, behind her ear after her flight on Drogon, showing that it was not as pointy as elf ears.
Gandalf looked down at the floor with his arms crossed over his chest, disappointed in Thorin for being openly hostile towards Rhaenyra straight from the start, "I have asked Rhaenyra to take part in this quest, she knows the wild lands of Middle Earth well and will be a valuable ally to have when we retake the Lonely Mountain."
Rhaenyra felt several pairs of eyes land on her, a few of them distrustful glares from the dwarves who didn't trust her yet, thankfully though not all of them seemed to feel that way. Those who appeared to be younger in age stared at her still, but did so with more acceptance.
Rhaenyra very well knew it would be Drogon who would be instrumental in the battle against Smaug, should it go so far as it would turn into a battle, but going by their reaction Rhaenyra suspected Gandalf had yet to tell them about her dragon.
"Here," Rhaenyra said, meeting Thorin's glare with one of her own, equally as dark, handing him the contract she had signed without further complaints, "The contract is signed and ready."
Grumbling under his breath about unpredictable wizards, Thorin took the contract from her hand, reading the name she had written down with careful strokes.
"Targaryen? That is not a name I have ever heard before." Thorin noted, eyes going from the name on the contract to the person to whom it belonged, observing the woman's unusual appearance, silver hair that was done into a complicated braid freeing up her face where strange violet eyes bore into his skull.
"You're not the only one, Thorin Oakenshield, not many in Middle Earth have ever heard my name," Rhaenyra spoke, "At the end of this quest, you and your kin may be more familiar with it than most."
Thorin seemed suspicious of her, eyes narrowed into slits when his gaze went over her face and figure again. Perhaps he wondered why someone like her, a lady who held herself and walked in such a regal way, would join in a quest where danger was a sure factor and obstacle they would have to face and cross. The way he was looking at her made Rhaenyra uncomfortable, as if he was suspecting her of having done something terrible and have ill intentions towards their quest before he even knew that Rhaenyra truly wished to help.
"Very well," Thorin said after a moment of deliberation, hiding Rhaenyra's signed contract in one of his pockets, "As the wizard assuresme you will be nothing but an addition to this company, and I hope he is right on that point, I welcome you to this company, Rhaenyra Targaryen."
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AFTER SOME QUICK DISCUSSIONS WITH THORIN AND GANDALF, BILBO HAD SHOWN RHAENYRA TO HER OLD ROOM IN BAG END. It was just as she had left it. All the furniture, such as her bed, had to be specially made since Rhaenyra was much taller than the average hobbit. And as she grew older Bilbo made sure that the room he had provided Rhaenyra with was remodelled to have a higher ceiling than the rest of Bag End, so there was at least one room there where she could stand at her full height without problem.
On the small nightstand next to her bed laid a small stack of parchments, written down were small scribbles of text describing what Rhaenyra had seen in her dreams as well as small drawings bringing further detail to the scene of what happened to Rhaenyra in her dreams. She was diligent in writing down everything she remembered and dreamt about so Rhaenyra would never completely forget her past life and the place she had come from. Hopefully if she pieced some of these pieces together she might also find an answer to what some of her dreams were trying to tell her.
Rhaenyra had stirred in her deep slumber just before the dwarves did the same, leaving plenty of time left for her to fully wake up and gather her belongings. Her travelling gear that consisted of the battledress she wore that was completely black in colour with streaks of red sown into the fabric to have Rhaenyra match Drogon's markings. In her satchel Rhaenyra placed only a few small things, a leatherbound book where she could write down scribbles and other kinds of notes of her dreams as well as the ring she had taken from her mother's dead body before she started the funeral pyre all those years ago.
"I see you have had a horse prepared for me as well, old man." Rhaeanyra smiled, walking up to Gandalf who stood next to two large horses.
The one meant for Rhaenyra was completely white in color, peacefully standing still, munching on the green grass beneath it.
Gandalf chuckled when he heard Rhaenyra's nickname for him, but said his next words with a low voice so only she would hear, "I figured that revealing your friend so early in our journey would not be very wise."
Rhaenyra laughed, shaking her head as she mounted her horse. With Rhaenyra and Gandalf, riding at the front of the company they rode off, away from Hobbiton. The Last Dragon and the Grey Wizard silently whispered to eachother when it would be best to reveal Drogon, so far they had not settled on anything.
Later Rhaenyra was surprised to find two of the youngest dwarves urging their ponies to walk next to Rhaenyra's horse, Thorin's two nephews Fili and Kili. The two of them never appeared to be far away from each other and always had friendly smiles on their faces, ready to tell a joke or a good story.
Rhaenyra didn't have the best of introductions to their uncle, but she thoroughly enjoyed their company, so much so that they managed to rope her into the gambling that had started to take place between many of the dwarves concerning Bilbo and when and if he would join them. She accepted their wagers with a sly smirk, having seen that particular glint in Bilbo's eyes the night before that told her all she needed to know. He would join them soon enough.
Later that day Rhaenyra was proven correct when Bilbo came running after them, bag over his shoulders and the signed contract in hand. She was the first to stop her horse, glancing over her shoulder to see an out of breath Bilbo, in the background she heard Fili and Kili grumble when realization set in that they had lost the bet.
Bilbo, leaning over on his knees and breathing heavily handed Balin his signed contract. The old dwarf with a white beard that reached his belly, unfurled the piece if parchment and scanned it with his sharp eyes, making sure Bilbo had signed it in all the right places.
"Everything appears to be in order," Balin concluded, sending cheeky grin Bilbo's way that was still mostly hidden under his beard, he put the contract away in his pocket, "Welcome, Master Baggins, to the company of Thorin Oakenshield."
Bilbo at first appeared pleased with himself at having been able to catch up with them. Thorin observed the last and latest addition to his company, a burglar he was supposed to be and despite what the dwarves might think of hobbits and their large feet, Rhaenyra knew that if they wanted, then hobbits could actually move with surprising stealth.
"Give him a pony." Thorin declared in his usual dark voice, turning his head and commanded his own pony to move to the front so he would now lead the way, every spot in the company was now filled.
"No, no, no - that won't be necessry!" Bilbo protested with a nervous smile, never having ridden a horse or pony before in his life, much more comfortable with walking to wherever he needed to be. Rhaenyra tried to imagine Bilbo on Drogon's back, but quickly hid the smile that had started to grow on her lips as the thought became clearer. "I'm sure I can keep up, I've done my fair share of walking holidays you know." Bilbo said, not noticing Fili and Kili riding up behind him with mischievous smirks, "Came as far as Frogmorton once - OH!"
The two brothers took hold of one shoulder each, quickly hauling up poor Bilbo at the last remaining pony. She was a gentle filly with a soft brown coat of hair with a brighter shade of blonde for a tail and mane, but it appeared neither Bilbo nor the pony were completely comfortable with the other. Rhaenyra tried her best to show Bilbo the proper way to hold the reins. He tried to mimic it, but it didn't work very well since he still sat as still as a statue, stiff to the bone.
When the sun had started to settle over the horizon later that day, turning the sky into pretty shades of orange and yellow, the company of dwarves, one wizard, one hobbit and a single human had made camp close to a formation of rocks that provided shelter, most of them huddled close to eachother around the campfire. Rhaenyra chose a spot close to Gandalf, so they could resume the conversation they had been having previously that day, about Drogon, making sure the tones of voice they used were low enough so the dwarves and Bilbo wouldn't be able to hear them. She had been clear with Gandalf that she knew Drogon would follow them, staying well out of sight until Rhaenyra would call upon him. Still, she had to be firm when explaining to Gandalf that if something should happen to her, then Drogon would not stay hidden for very long, he would be on the offensive and be ready to burn all threats to the ground.
But speak of something evil that might want to hurt her and it shall appear...
A shrill shriek was heard, originating from somewhere down the hillside on which their camp was located. Though thanks to the darkness that had fallen over the hillside and the forest below, made it hard for any of them to spot the origins of the sound, but Rhaenyra suspected it came from an orc.
Then another sound swiftly followed the first one, a sound Rhaenyra was familiar with. A deep and loud roar echoed through the land, making Rhaenyra's whole body tense up and shoot up to a standing position.
"That was no orc, was it?" Bilbo whispered, trying to keep his voice steady, but it was clear as day that these strange shrieks and roars terrified him.
"It certainly wasn't, dear Bilbo." Rhaenyra responded, without thinking she moved to sneak down the hill.
"Where are you going, my Lady?"
Sweet and kind Bofur stopped Rhaenyra's movements. She ignored the fact that he called her 'Lady' and not 'Princess' or perhaps even 'Queen' as would have been her proper title, but so far they didn't know anything about Rhaenyra's past and Bofur had always been kind to her so she simply ignored the error. She glanced over her shoulder, seeing all the dwarves, with Bilbo also looking back at her, confused as to why she would be willing to leave the safety of the camp and go out into the night. Gandlalf too worried, but he still knew why Rhaenyra would want to leave for a short while.
"I will be back soon."
Rhaenyra didn't stick around to hear the few protests that was voiced, the loudest coming from Bilbo trying to tell her she had forgotten her bow and arrows, but Rhaenyra ignored them all and once she reached the edge of a small grove of trees she crouched down slightly, moving silently between the bushes and the trees.
She walked forward for a while, before deciding to run the last way to a large opening in the trees quite far away from the camp. No longer could Rhaenyra see the light from the campfire and most likely they would not be able to see her, nor the creature on the ground waiting for her.
"Hello, dearest friend." Rhaenyra murmured upon seeing the great black dragon that was Drogon.
He let out a soft purring sound, pushing his large head against her middle, as if he was a small kitten asking for scratches behind his ears and not a enormous dragon. But Rhaenyra did what he wished for, scratching the scales along his neck.
"You smell them right?" Rhaenyra whispered to him, "You found the orcs and they saw you and know now that you are here, why don't we pay those servants of evil a visit?"
A rumbling sound came from Drogon who lowered his right wing for Rhaenyra to more easily mount his back. Without any trouble she climbed up, using the spikes that covered his back to have a safer grip on him. Then, with a mighty flap of his great wings, Drogon launched himself up into the sky.
Rhaenyra made sure to keep herself and Drogon high up in the air and quite some bit away from the camp to make absolutely sure the dwarves and Bilbo wouldn't see them, even if it was dark outside and Drogon's scales were mostly black.
It didn't take long for Drogon to find the pack of orcs. Rhaenyra was thankful that it was not as large as some of the other packs she had come across during previous years, only a few orcs with two of them riding wargs. It was unfortunate for them that it was Rhaenyra and Drogon who hunted them and that they didn't spot the dragon until it was too late. Drogon was soon upon them, releasing a great inferno of black flames shot through with streaks of red down on them. In less than a minute the whole pack of orcs and their two wargs had burnt to ash.
Rhaenyra whispered to Drogon different kinds of praises about what a good job he had done as they flew back to the glade where Drogon had picked her up. She stayed with him a few extra minutes, to make sure he had not been hurt by the few arrows the orcs managed to fire off at them before they turned into ash.
She made sure to keep her steps slow and careful on her way back to the camp, so Rhaenyra would not by accident wake anyone up who had managed to fall asleep.
Rhaenyra had suspected that at least a majority of the dwarves had fallen asleep by the time she would be back, but when she walked back into camp she was proven wrong and was met with the stares of 13 dwarves, 1 hobbit and 1 wizard.
"I see you are still all awake." Rhaenyra noted, trying to ignore the narrowed eyes of Thorin and Dwalin especially, when she walked to sit at her previous spot next to Gandalf.
What Rhaenyra didn't see was that Gandalf wore a guilty look and Thorin held something small made out of silver in his hand, which he then showed to Rhaenyra.
"A ring shaped like a dragon? Should I worry what kind of allegiances you have?"
Rhaenyra's eyes sharpened into a glare, "Did you go through my private belongings, Thorin Oakenshield?"
"It fell out of your satchel when you left earlier."
Rhaenyra rolled her eyes, not at all convinced by Thorin's defence and more than a little disappointed in Gandalf for not stopping him from rummaging around in her satchel. "It belonged to my mother." Rhaenyra snarled, snatching her ring back from Thorin and placed it on her own finger.
"Your mother had allegiances to the servants of Morgoth then? The evil fire-drakes?" Dwalin accused, pointing a finger in her direction.
Gandalf tried to hinder any more comments coming form the dwarves, very well knowing what further comments like that would do, but Rhaenyra hissed to Gandalf to sit down. Not wanting to have her rage rain down in him too, Gandalf shrugged his shoulders before sitting down, preparing another round with his pipe.
"Tread carefully, dwarf." Rhaenyra said, voice low and growling, "If you think my mother would have been a servant to someone evil like Morgoth, then you are surely mistaken. Where I came from, evil is what she fought to eradicate."
Thorin and Dwalin must have both seen something in her eyes, for they simply let it all go, returning to their places at the edge of the camp, having a quiet and private conversation Rhaenyra didn't care enough about to try and hear what they were saying.
Bilbo tried to calm Rhaenyra with a small smile, sitting down beside her, "I'm sure your mother was an extraordinary person, from what you have told me." Bilbo said to Rhaenyra, bumping his shoulder against her arm, friendly enough to make Rhaenyra smile.
"Can you tell us about her? Or about the place you said you come from?" Fili sat on the opposite side of Rhaenyra, on the other side of the campfire next to his brother Kili.
The other dwarves heard his question and most of them moved closer, sitting in a half-circle around Rhaenyra and the fire, as if they were not adults but rather children waiting to hear a story.
Kili agreed, nodding his head eagerly, "We have always heard the same old stories, would be nice to hear some new ones."
Rhaenyra hesitated, glancing at Gandalf. The old wizard simply shrugged his shoulders, letting Rhaenyra decide for herself what she wanted to tell.
"I can tell you some things," Rhaenyra let out a nervous breath, playing with the ring on her finger, "What do you want to hear about first?"
"You said before 'where I came from', what is that place?" Bofur asked.
"I don't come from Middle-Earth," Rhaenyra denied, "My mother was born in a place called Westeros, but I was born in a land that in my world is called Essos, more accurately I was born in the Dothraki Sea, not a sea of water, but a wide sea of grass that seemed to have no end. The world there is vastly different, there is just the race of man there, that I know off at least."
Rhaenyra was careful about mentioning anything about her Valyrian heritage to the dwarves, given that none of them would react in a positive way to the dragons. It would be safer to not mention any of it, at least now. Perhaps she could, but in that case it would be further into the future.
The dwarves however seemed fascinated by all this, Bilbo too, even if he had heard much of it during earlier years.
"How did you end up here in Middle Earth then, lassie?" Balin asked, voice kind and soft, the same tone of voice the Old Knight ser Barristan used to her while he was still alive. Rhaenyra missed him a lot, he was always kind to her.
"I don't know and I don't remember much of it," Rhaenyra hesitated to answer, wanting it to sound convincing without mentioning Drogon, "There was a storm, then absolute darkness, then I appeared somewhere in the Shire where Gandalf found me."
All eyes went to Gandalf for a moment, before they returned to Rhaenyra.
"Master Baggins said your mother was an extraordinary woman," Kili said, "Could you tell us something about her?"
Rhaenyra smiled at the thought of her mother, "Just like Bilbo said, she was an extraordinary woman. Surprising to you perhaps, she was born a princess, then later on became a Queen in her own right."
"Then you are of royal blood!" Bofur exclaimed, his eyes along with everyone else's were wide open.
Ori, who had as up until this point not said much to Rhaenyra directly, spoke in a careful voice, "But you speak of your mother as if she is not here anymore, you speak of her as if she has passed."
"Because she has, Master Dwarf," Rhaenyra said in a somber tone "My mother, Daenerys, had broken the wheel that ruled over rich and poor, freed slaves, saved the world in a battle that in my world was known as 'The Long Night', and in the end, before she could even sit on the throne that she had won, the man she loved thrust a dagger into her heart."
Balin shook his head, Fili and Kili looked away, all of them distraught at what Rhaenyra told them.
"Dreadful" Gandalf whispered, knowing the full story behind it all, he knew of Rhaenyra's pain, she had told him the full story a few times.
"I think I speak for us all when I say this, lassie," Balin spoke, "We are sorry for what you have lost, incredibly sorry. Your mother sounds like a hero, the ones we would write songs about."
Rhaenyra managed a weak smile in Balin's direction, "Thank you."
The conversation died down after that, most of them noticing that after speaking about her mother, Rhaenyra appeared tired and sad, as was given. She however debated on how and when she would tell them the full story. It was sure that they eventually would know of Drogon, but Rhaenyra was nervous on how they, and also Bilbo, would take it. Would she be rejected and viewed as some monster? Be called mad just like Daenerys' enemies claimed she was?
All would reveal itself in due time...
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I had trouble ending this chapter and I am not quite happy with it. Though in the next chapter there will be some more action, so stay tuned! Also, since this is the first 'real' chapter of this story I would love to know your thoughts, don't be shy to comment!
I also have not had much time to check for spelling or grammatical errors in this chapter, I will fix this at some later date.