Daughter of The Darkness

Chapter 24

Elfreda had Fili on one side of the river bank as Kili on the other both holding an end of the rope. She was stood on a stepping stone in the middle of the river cutting a nook in one of her arrows.
"Keep the rope as tight as possible and as close to the water as I told you," she instructed. The dwarves looked at each other and pulled the rope tight again. Elfreda had the pair, lying flat on the river bank holding a thin rope as close to the water as they could reach.
"What exactly are you doing?" asked Kili. Elfreda chuckled to herself.
"You'll see,"

Placing the arrow with the chip cut out into her bow. Swimming around the stone was a school of salmon, trying to get up river to reach their breeding grounds. Pulling the string of her bow up to her face, Elfreda aimed the arrow into the water. She focused onto one of the grey fish.

The arrow shot into the water and killed the fish. Due to the force of the river in the middle of the stream, the water carried the dead fish to the rope where the rope stopped the arrow from going any further.

Elfreda looked up and over at the dwarves with a satisfactory smile.

Fili pulled the rope with the arrow attached to the bank of the river where Kili and Elfreda joined him. He handed her the fish.
"Can you teach me?" he asked. Elfreda nodded and took the fish.

Together, they walked back to the camp were all the company sat eating stew. Two bowls were set aside for the brothers and Bofur was trying to stop Bomber from dipping his finger in the food. Fili and Kili picked up their bowls and sat.

Elfreda sat close to the fire and began to dig a hole with a small shovel. It was just wide enough to fit the fish. She filled the bottom with coals then put the fish on the top. Finally she put some more coals on top of it and covered it with the ground she had dug up. Elfreda patted the mound with her hand noticing the dwarves looking at each other with concern and confusion in their eyes.

The fish was ready the same time as all the dwarves had finished eating. By this time Elfreda had prepared some carrots and some safe wild mushrooms and cooked them in a pot of water. She sat by the mound and began to dig it up. A delicious smell of wood cooked salmon filled the air as Elfreda pulled the cooked fish out of the coals. She put it into a bowl with the carrots, mushrooms and some herbs.

The dwarves looked at their empty bowls and the over at Elfreda's dish. All she could do was grin at them.

Everyone sat around the fire and laughed and joked. Gandalf joined in every now and again whilst he puffed on his pipe. But Elfreda sat their in silence watching the laughter and the jokes fly back and forward like in a tennis match. She was sat next to Gandalf
"You were right, I have missed a lot," she whispered. A smile edged around Gandalf's mouth. He always knew he was right.

That night, Elfreda volunteered herself to take the night watch. Everyone else was so tired they did not once object to her staying up all night. They all fell asleep as soon as their heads touched their pillows. Elfreda sat on the ground and coaxed the embers of the fire with the tip of her sword. She watched the sparks fly up into the air. The night was clear but warm and all the stars where shining like scatters of glitter.
"Bilbo, you don't have to pretend to be asleep," she said looking over at the hobbit who way lying on the ground. He had not been able to sleep, his mind was racing after the fight he had the night before. Bilbo was haunted by the fire and the howls and when he closed his eyes, he could feel something watching him. So he stood up and walked over to Elfreda. He sat next to her.
"What's the matter?" Elfreda asked. Bilbo sighed
" I cannot sleep. When I close my eyes, I see shadows and darkness. I feel like it consumes me." When the hobbit said this, he touched his pocket with his hand. But he quickly moved it away when he saw her looking rather concerned.

However she pretended to over look it. Elfreda put her hand on his knee " The best way to deal with fear is to confront it. You Bilbo Baggins have proved that by protecting your friends"
Bilbo sighed and yawned. He thanked Elfreda for wise words but was still rather nervous about sleeping.
"Stay up, if you wish and we could tell stories to pass the time," calmed Elfreda. Being in the company of such a calm warrior was both relaxing and nerving. But the hobbit agreed to spend the long night hours telling stories.
"So how do you and Thorin and the rest of the dwarves from Erebor know each other?" Bilbo asked.
Elfreda chuckled "How long have you got!"