I awoke to someone gently shaking my shoulder and Thorin's crusty voice filling the air with screams.
"Arielle, my dear, we must get moving" Bilbo says, helping me up. I rubbed my eyes groggily. I barely got any sleep after that talk with Thorin last night, It seems like he's back to his bitter self again. I grab my toothbrush and canteen and find some privacy behind a boulder where I brush my teeth and rinse my face. It was very uncomfortable, but hey, a girls gotta stay fresh, am I right? I head back to the camp to see everyone packing up their last few things, Fili is over by my bag.
"I packed your stuff for you, I hope you don't mind" he starts lifting the satchel off the ground to hand to me. I grasp it a swing it over my shoulder cracking a smile.
"Of course I don't mind, thank you for being so thoughtful Fili." He simply smirked before walking over to Thorin, who started making his way out of the camp site. I adjusted my back pack once more and then followed Bilbo and the rest of the company on the start of today's adventures.
We hadn't even been walking for 3 hours when I was started to rethink why I came on this adventure. 'Why did I again?' I questioned myself as the blazing sun beat down on my forehead.
"Arielle dear, are you alright?" I shook my head and refocused to look over to Bilbo who shared a face of concern along with Gandalf, 'Oh yeah, that's why', my heart warmed as I looked over at him. 'To protect my only family and maybe find out about my life before'.
"Oh yes I'm fine", I responded smiling lightly back at him. "The sun is just very hot today", I added grabbing the piece of cloth Kili held out to me and dabbed my forehead. Trust me, it has to be as hot as hell before an elf starts sweating.
"If you're going to be traveling with us, you're going to have to get used to the harsh wilderness, princess" Thorin interrupted to snicker along with Dwalin.
"If anything I'm concerned for you, too much heat might make you lightheaded old man", I grumbled back, receiving a few snickers of my own. Upon the giggles Thorin jumped around to glare at us but we zipped our lips before he saw us laughing. I held eye contact with Thorin for a few seconds before he turned around mumbling something to himself.
After walking for a few more hours we came upon a run down farm house. Setting my backpack down a cool breeze swept across my face leaving me with an eerie feeling. "Are you sure we should rest here for the night Thorin? I have a bad feeling about this place". Everyone looked between me and Thorin, who had just turned to glare at me.
"I knew a farmer who had once lived here, it would be best if we continued on our way", Gandalf chimed in with me nodding in agreement. The house looked like it had been smashed in almost as if something was trying to get inside.
"Everyone is too exhausted to keep going so we rest here for the night", Thorin started and Gandalf walked up to him beginning an argument. I crept off to examine the field around the small house we were all standing in front of. There was a forest off to the right and as I peered into the trees, I could have sworn to have sensed some sort of movement. But, when I stepped closer it seems to have stopped, so I started heading back to the group catching Gandalf before he stormed off.
"Gandalf are you okay? Where are you going?" I asked him, noticing his angered expression. His face softened when he turned to me, but he was still fuming when he replied.
"I'm going to seek someone who has some sense miss Arielle", and with that he stomped off. I turned back to Thorin, slightly glaring at him, but the old fart just smirked back at me and turned to the company.
"Set up camp!" He yelled. He started giving everyone jobs and mine was to gather firewood along with Ori, so we headed off into the woods together while everyone stayed to get the rest of our site ready.
"There's some over here Arielle" Ori mumbled shyly to me. I looked at him and his little cheeks flamed under my stare. He was too cute! I walked over to where he stood and bent down with him to gather the dry branches. We were there for a few minutes when a scent caught my attention.
"Should we head back now?" Ori asked to me with his arm full of the twigs. I snapped my head towards him still focused on the scent.
"Umm, why don't you go on without me", I suggested as I started walking towards the delectable smell.
Ori looked nervous as he responded back to me. "I don't think we should separate Arielle, it's already getting dark and we have to get the wood back for the fire. I don't want to leave you-I mean Thorin would get angry if you didn't come back with me-" I cut him off and his face burned red like a cherry tomato. I dumped the small amount of sticks I had into his arms and took a few steps back towards him.
"Ori, don't worry it's nothing, I just want to check something out" I smiled softly back at him."I'll come out right after you, I won't take long, I promise" I added, walking up to pat his shoulder gently.
"Okay, but hurry back we don't want anything to happen to you", he replied turning slowly and walking out of the woods and back to the camp site. When he was gone I whipped back around and began following the sweet scent into the woods. I knew that scent, it was so familiar. As I passed trees and bushes I finally came upon what I had been looking for. There was a single bush, almost glowing with a single moon ray glowing down on it. There were small plump purple berries dotting the bush and I couldn't help picking a few and popping them into my mouth, I hadn't remembered ever having them but I could just tell they weren't poisonous. But as I slowly chewed the ripe berries a burst of flavor exploded in my mouth and my mind blanked as I was wooshed into a...memory.
'I was young, frolicking through corridors and spinning under the warm sun. I was happy and delighted because he was finally going to take me to the beautiful berry bushes out behind the gates. "Are you ready my sweet Elle?" he asked, holding my hand softly. It was him, the man from my first strange dreams, and just like before, his blue cloak shadowed his face. I wasn't scared of him, I knew him. How? I don't know, but i was glad that he was with me and pulled his hand as we made our way out of the unfamiliar beautiful castle that rested on the hill. What was this place? We walked just outside the walls and into the woods where the purple bushes flourished under the light. "Do you know what these berries are called, melamin?" The mystery man questioned, he sat with me on his lap and plucked a few to hold on his hand. My own tiny fingers rested on his palm to pick up the berries and shove them into my greedy little mouth and I shook my head to his question. His musical chuckle traveled through the trees and he picked more to hold for me. "My little Elle, these are what we call Nonias. The sweetest berries known to the Elves. They can cure the sourest stomach and soothe the deepest wound, they are also just very sweet", he finished looking down to my chubby face. I turned in his lap to face him and continued feeding from his hand like a bird."Your nana planted these here", he whispered and my eyes peered up at his dark face. I could make out a small tear trailing down his cheek, the only place the light seemed to reach and my miniature hand stretched out to brush it away.
"Do not cry Ada, she is here with us, and I will always be here with you, gi melin" my young voice spoke softly to him as I squeezed him with my short arms, the man I felt that I needed to comfort. But why? I couldn't figure it out. Why couldn't I make out his face?!
"I know Iellig" he said stroking my cheek with his knuckles. "And what a gift she left with me, a beauty I could never let go of. Gi melin, I will always protect you my sweet Arielle, melamin".
I stumbled back refocusing on the bush that my hand was still settled on. Peering down at the berries, I stood replaying the scene over in my head. There was one thing I knew now for sure, the family that got killed in the Orc attack, wasn't my actual family. I plucked a nonia off the bush..."Ada?".
***
Translations:
Gi melin- I love you
Ada-father
Melamin-my love
Nana-mother
Iellig-daughter
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Glowing Heart (Hobbit Fan Fiction)
AventuraArielle wasn't like others, She always felt like something was missing, with her strange tattoo, that she has always had but has no idea why. Lost with nowhere to go after her village gets burned down by orcs, Arielle finds herself in Bag End where...
