"So, who is this?" I smiled politely as Skyrena and Thorin both stood beside me, waiting for all the dwarves to settle down. Before I could say anything, Skyrena spoke up.
"A friend of mine..." She turned to me. "Era, this is Balin." The white haired dwarf took a bow.
"Pleased to meet you, my lady." I swallowed hard and held my smile, remembering Balin from when I was younger. If only he knew...
"The pleasure is all mine, kind sir." He smiled and turned to Thorin.
"I thought no women were coming on this trip, Thorin." He sighed as Skyrena spoke up.
"Thorin!" Chuckling, he shook his head.
"Someone has to make sure we eat right... Besides, these girls are both shapeshifters." Balin turned and raised an eyebrow at me.
"Is that true?" I swallowed hard and nodded. Luckily, Thorin spoke up.
"She's part shapeshifter..." When Balin gave him a questioning look, he rolled his eyes. "I'll explain at a later date." Balin nodded and moved on as Gandalf spoke.
"Now that we are all here, I will speak with you about our burglar." I tried to hide my smile as he spoke of Bilbo as a burglar. This has to be interesting... "I marked the door of his home. He will allow us to stay for the night. Then, he will come along." Soon enough, arguement erupted.
"How do we know he will?... What is a hobbit?... How do we know that he won't turn us away?..." Thorin roared over everyone.
"QUIET!" Everyone fell dead silent as he turned back to Gandalf. "Please, proceed." Gandalf smiled and nodded. At least now I know where I got my loud voice...
"Now... We will arrive a few at a time. Who will go first?" I looked around the room as everyone shifted in their seats. Finally, Skyrena spoke.
"Era and I will go... We can scout out the area and make sure it's safe." I nodded in agreement as Thorin shook his head.
"I don't think that's a good idea..." Gandalf looked down at him.
"Why not? I trust these two. Why isn't it a good idea?" One of the younger ones, the one with the dark brown hair stood up.
"I could go with them! I'll make sure they're safe..." The one with the lighter hair stood up beside him.
"If Killi goes, I go, too..." Skyrena laughed and shook her head.
"No, Filli... Killi... We can handle ourselves. Besides, if you both come with us, we all might as well go." She turned towards Thorin, who sat beside her. "Thorin, we can handle this... We're both trained fighters. We'll return at the first sign of trouble." Thorin looked right at me as I nodded.
"I'm still not to sure about this..." He sighed and smiled at Skyrena the same way Boromir used to smile at me. "Very well." She nodded and stood up, heading towards the door. I followed right behind her and into the woods. As we travelled, I noted the time of day and looked over at her.
"You know, you guys don't have to act like I'm your daughter... It might raise some question among the others, and Father... I mean, Thorin... already said that wouldn't be wise." She smirked a little as she climbed over a branch.
"We know, but we're curious about you. What if you die in the past? Will that change the future entirely? Will you simply die or will you return to your own timing? We're just looking out for you..." She hummed a little. "Thorin's growing fond of you already, and he wants to make sure you're safe." I blushed a little at the thought of Thorin being fond of me like he was fond of Skyrena.
"Who's Filli and Killi?" She glanced over at me, rolling her eyes.
"You're cousins..." I thought for a moment on what Balin had told me as a child and felt my heart drop.
"Oh..." She frowned.
"What's the matter?" I swallowed hard and looked her in the eye.
"They died in the same battle as Thorin before I was born..." I shook my head. "Perhaps I will be able to help them as well." She put a comforting hand on my shoulder.
"Don't dwell on the past, or the future, in your case. Worry about the here and now..." I nodded, holding back my tears.
"Can you imagine a life without Thorin? Without Balin or any of the others? Without friends or family?" She shook her head.
"No, I can't say that I can..." I sniffed and nodded.
"That's what the future currently has for me... Travelling alone through the Grayhavens by myself, completely abandoned and the last of our kind." I looked her in the eye. "I can't go back to that. It would kill me." She came over and pulled me into a hug.
"I know, Era... I can't imagine what you've been through, but you worry too much. I'm sure that, when you return, everything will be just fine." I nodded.
"Yeah... You're right." Before long, we made it to the Shire, and I couldn't help but grin. It hadn't changed a bit. Skyrena and I headed right towards Bilbo's house and knocked on the door. I had to refrain from laughing at the much younger, more timid hobbit who appeared at the door.
"Good evening... May I help you?" Skyrena smiled politely.
"Are you Master Baggins?" He nodded.
"Yes, but... How'd you know?" She smiled even more.
"I'm Skyrena, and this is Era." I nodded. "We were sent here by Gandalf." He frowned and looked between the two of us.
"Gandalf? But..." I sniffed around, thinking I smelt something familiar. It smelled like one of the dwarves.
"Kind sir..." With that, Dwalin came up from the gate. He glanced at all 3 of us before addressing Bilbo.
"Dwalin, at your service..." He brushed right past Bilbo and into the house. Earning myself a nod from Skyrena, I followed both dwarves into Bilbo's house. Already, Dwalin was talking to Skyrena. "Any trouble on the roads?" She shrugged.
"I haven't scouted, yet..." I came in and nodded.
"We're good for tonight..." Dwalin narrowed his eyes at me a little.
"How do you know?" I smiled politely at him, remembering how he's only rough around those he actually cares about.
"I'm a shapeshifter as well... I could smell you from a mile away." He smirked a little and patted me on the back.
"Good lass..." Soon enough, Balin, Filli and Killi, and all the others came in, followed by Gandalf. The only one missing was Thorin.
YOU ARE READING
Run It Back Again (Part 1)
FanfictionFor 45 years, Era has been alone. Upon reaching the Grayhavens, she found that she really was the last shapeshifter. When the elves leave her behind, Era decides that things were better long ago, when she had her mother and her friends. But, she...
