Not only did Beorn give us food and shelter, but he had given us ponies to help us journey across the land much quicker. I was very grateful for that and I thanked him various of times. I already had much time running the day before and I did not want to go through that again. It was awful. Unfortunately, he didn't have enough ponies so I had to share one with Fili. I didn't mind though.
I walked over to Fili who was already sat on the pony, holding onto its reins. He held out his hand to which I gladly took, pulling myself on. I placed my hands around his waist after I safely sat on the back.
"Go now, while you have the light, the hunters are not far behind." Beorn said as we began to ride away.
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We continued the journey in silence. I shifted on the pony a bit and laid my head on Fili's back whilst closing my eyes. To say that I am worried would be an understatement. Mirkwood is a foul place. Who knows of the dangers that lurks within that forest. I have never ventured in Mirkwood, nor have I ever planned on it. Elrond had advised me to not go near that place. But he still told me what to do if I ever did.
"Be careful on those roads. You have Elven blood, your senses are strong, don't let them get to you. Only venture there in great need."
I kept those words in my mind. I knew what I had to do. I figured it wouldn't be easy but I must try.
"Is everything alright back there?" Fili asked me in a low voice that only the both of us could hear.
"Yes I'm fine, thank you." I assured him.
"You seem to be holding on tighter than you were before." He said, I couldn't quite make out the tone he said it in.
"Well maybe I meant to hold tighter. Does it bother you?" I said with a playful smile. He chuckled whilst grabbing a hold of one of my hands that were around his waist and intertwining it with his own.
"Hey is that what I think it is?" I asked as I looked over his shoulder.
"The Lonely Mountain, yes. We're getting closer. Although we still have a long way to go." He answered.
"I bet the halls of Erebor are beautiful, don't you think?"
"Indeed. To gaze upon its halls is all my brother and I ever wanted. Even when we were children." Fili added whilst we all continued riding on our pony.
The forest was finally in our view. Our ponies came to a stop and I was the first to get off and run to the entrance of the dark forest. Immediately, I had received a bad vibe from it. I looked fixedly at it, examining it with my eyes. The trees looked monstrous, branches stuck out, pointing in every direction, looking like sharp spears. Leaves were scattered across the ground, covered in dirt. I swore it felt like someone or, something was watching me from the darkness in the forest.
Gandalf walked near me, only to stop at the entrance. He looked at the company who were getting off their ponies.
"Set the ponies free, let them return to their master."
"This forest feels..." Bilbo begins as a sharp pain came from my head. I hissed as I laid a hand on it.
"Sick." I finished his sentence.
"Are you alright, Eleanor?" He asked me.
"Everything is fine, I'm simply getting a bad feeling about this." I assured him.
"Is there no way around?" Inquired Bilbo, sounding frightened.
"Not unless we go two-hundred miles north or twice that distance." Gandalf answers as he walks into the forest but not too far in.
The atmosphere near the tree felt heavy and very unwelcoming. As much as I did not want to journey through this sick forest, I knew it was our only choice if we wanted to get to the mountain on time. It would take longer going around and we all know we don't have time to waste. If I could only control my Elven senses, I would be fine. To conceal them would be the hard part. Besides, how bad could it really be in there?
I crossed my arms and shut my eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. Trying to relax myself seems like the best thing to do.
A loud voice next to me interrupted as Gandalf stormed past everyone.
"Not my horse! I need it!" He shouted.
I knitted my eyebrows together in confusion. Is he doing what I think he is doing?
"You're not leaving us"
"I would not do this unless I had to." He says ever so calmly, as if it were no big deal. How were we suppose to go through this forest without his direction? None of us had ever been to this place before. Anxiety began to build up inside of me knowing we wouldn't be having the wise wizard with us anymore. Or at least for right now. What could possibly be more important that he has to leave us?
"I will be waiting for you at the overlook, before the slopes of Erebor. Keep the map and key safe." He walks near Thorin and looks down at him.
"Do not enter that mountain without me."
I didn't even take much notice of the rain that began to fall on us, I was too irritated by Gandalf always leaving us at times when we really need him.
He walks over to his horse as he climbs on it. "This is not for the Greenwood of old, the very air of the forest is heavy with illusion, it will seek to enter your mind and lead you astray."
"Lead us astray, what does that mean?" Bilbo asked, though I'm sure none of us had a clue.
"You must stay on the path, do not leave it. If you do...you'll never find it again." Those were the last words Gandalf said before he rode away.
"Come on, we must reach the mountain before the sun sets on Durin's Day. It's our one chance to find the hidden door." Thorin announced as we all walked in pairs, heading into the forest which seemed like something straight from a nightmare.
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We've been walking through the dark and dirty paths for some time now. The air in the forest was growing heavier and heavier the longer we were in there. I was getting dizzy and the sharp pain in my head came back. However, I was lucky it wasn't so bad.
Occasionally, I would look up at the forest and wonder what in the name of Durin is wrong with it! Searching the place, it seemed as if everything was dead. A small squirrel ran across my feet at one point and I was glad to see it wasn't mutated or something. There was no sunlight in there whatsoever. The need for some sun was greatly desired for all of us.
We went through all these twists and turns while we were on the path. Thorin would occasionally kick some dirt and leaves to lead makes sure the path was there or Dwalin would shout that it was in the other direction.
The groans and complaints from the dwarves caught Thorin's attention, I was relieved when he said we'd camp here for tonight. Well, I wasn't glad we were camping here, in this place but you get what I mean.
We walked over to the small area where we'd camp, getting ourselves settled. I brought out my bedroll and set it down. "Are we going to start a fire?" I overheard Ori ask Thorin.
"No, not in this place. We don't want to attract creatures of any kind. They could be dangerous."
I sighed. It doesn't look like we are eating today. Or tonight. I don't even know what time of day it is due to the lack of sun we are getting. We all sat down, chatting amongst ourselves in the semidarkness.
"Hey Eleanor!" Kili cheerfully said whilst he came and sat next to me.
"Hi Kili" I gave him a small smile.
"How are you liking this place?" He asked.
"Are you joking? This place is horrible! I wouldn't come back here for anything!"
"Not even if I was being attacked by a bunch of angry squirrels?"
"Nah." I replied, but of course I was lying. Seeing his face full of playful hurt made me laugh, soon causing him to join in.
"Maybe the squirrels wouldn't be so angry if you didn't try to steal their acorns."
"And how did you know that!?" He said.
"It just seems like something you would do!" I answered in between laughs.
Our laughter died down some as we continued to chat.
"Aren't you tired?" Kili asked me.
"A little. But sleeping on this dirty, filthy ground doesn't seem like a great idea for me right now." I replied.
"That's true. Hey speaking of dirty and filthy, my brother Fili..-" I slapped his arm before he say any more.
"That's mean!" I told him.
"You didn't let me finish! Goodness gracious..." He answered, continually rubbing his arm. I didn't have a clue what he was going to say next and quite frankly, I was kind of scared.
"Well before you had beaten me with your hand, I was going to say that you should ask Fili to clean his swords for him." He said, saying that last part slowly.
"Clean his swords? Why?" I questioned as I unbraided my hair to fall into its natural waves.
"Oh thank Durin you don't know!" Kili sounded relieved as he whispered to himself.
"What don't I know?"
"I mean- uh.. Cleaning the weapons of another dwarf is an act of kindness. I figured since his swords are dirty, why not, right?" He seemed panicky at first but I decided to not pay much attention to it. Maybe he was just being his usual Kili self again.
"Seems a bit random that you brought this up, don't you think?" I asked him.
"Yes, yes indeed. Now go before I drag you over there!" He brought me up on my feet and gave me a little push before sitting back down. I glanced back at him and with his hands, he motioned for me to keep going.
Sometimes I worry about Kili.
I see Fili sitting down on a rock, talking to Bofur and Dori. Seeing that they are engaged in a conversation, I didn't want to interrupt but I knew Kili would literally drag me here if I turned back.
"Hi, I uh...have a question I need to ask Fili, I hope I didn't interrupt." I said, I was a tad nervous and I stuttered, seeing the three of them stare up at me. Smooth, Eleanor. I mentally slapped myself.
"Well actually you di-" Dori began but Bofur elbowed him on his side.
"Nonsense, lass! We were just about to leave." He smiled at me.
"No we weren't-!"
"Will you shut up!" Bofur dragged Dori along with him as they left Fili and I alone.
I chuckled nervously at him.
"Hiiii. I was going to ask you something, if it's alright."
"Of course! What is it?" He grinned.
*Kili's POV*
I am a genius. Getting Eleanor to clean my brother's weapons was a great idea. The cleaning of another dwarf's isn't necessarily an act of kindness.
It is one of the steps of dwarf courting.
I was glad she didn't know what I had meant at first when I said it. I do feel kind of bad for lying to her but if anything, I am doing them both a favor! Am I an awful dwarf just because I want to see my brother and his love be happy together? I didn't think so. I'm just hoping everything goes as planned and eventually Fili will catch on.
Sitting back, I watch a nervous Eleanor asking Fili to clean his weapons. Say yes, say yes, I repeat in my head. It's unlikely that he would say no. He's like a lovesick puppy ever since she's been around.
I mentally pump my fist in the air as I see Fili handing over his swords to her, along with a white piece of cloth. Cleaning the weapons- check!
*Eleanor's POV*
I didn't think asking him a simple question would be so hard. That goes to show how much of an effect he has on me.
I sat on a rock next to him, rubbing the cloth all over first sword, trying my best to get any orc blood off that may be around still.
"You have a braid in your hair. I've never noticed." He said as he held it in his hands.
"Yeah, it's been hidden in my hair so that's why it's not visible."
"Do you mind if I fix it?" Asked Fili.
"Go ahead." I smiled.
He chuckled softly, undoing the braid and brushing it out with his hands. He carefully fixed it back into its place. When his hands brushed past my face, I tried concealing the blush that was creeping on my cheeks.
"Do you think a woman's table manners matter?" I overhear the conversation going on between Nori, Bilbo and Gloin.
"What? Of course a woman's table manners matter! What if they do not eat ladylike?" Bilbo said.
"Nothing like that matters when you have found your One." Gloin responded.
"You're One? What is that?" I questioned, loud enough for the three of them to hear me.
"Well lass, it goes back to tales from the past. There would be stories that talk about having a One. Think of it as a soulmate, or your other half. That basically every dwarf is born with one. Either they find them or they don't"
"How do you know if you've found your One?" I asked him.
"Aye, it's an indescribable feeling. But I will try my best to explain. Well you'll know if you've found your One by the way you feel when your around someone. You get nervous when you're around them, your heart starts beating rapidly, and they are all you think about." Gloin kept on explaining but to be honest, I zoned out. Not that I didn't want to hear what he had to say, but I had began to think about something.
All those things he talked about. They happen when I'm near him. He is all I think about. What could this mean?
Could Fili be my One?
*Fili's POV*
I wouldn't know how all those things felt like. Well, that was of course before I met her. She makes me feel all those things. She makes me feel alive. My heart skips a beat every time she looks at me.
I want to be there for her when she's feeling down. I want to protect her when she can't herself. I don't know what I'd do without her. I don't even want to think of a world where she is not by my side.
Maybe Eleanor is my One.
Scratch that, Eleanor is my One.
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I hope you all like this chapter aaaaaand IM SORRY for posting late and stuff. School is driving me crazy and I just wanna cry.😭 so yeah vote if ya want tooo;) thanks for reading!