"You want to explain what you're doing here, Era?" I knew by the calm tone in his voice that he was trying really hard not to lose his temper. I swallowed hard and held my blades at my side.
"I can explain, Father..." His composure broke, and he grabbed my arms, yelling at me.
"What on earth were you thinking?!? Don't you know you could have been killed?!? Why are you even here?!?" I swallowed hard and let him rant for a little, careful not to bite my tongue as he shook me. "Why were you even here?" I looked him right in the eye.
"We were out for our daily ride, and we noticed the Orcs outside of Dale. We couldn't just sit back and..." He began to yell once more as he released my arms.
"You don't even know a single thing about fighting, unless..." I watched the realization dawn on him as he turned and yelled throughout the square. "Fili...! Kili...!" Both dwarves came out, looking like dogs with their tails between their legs. "You've been teaching Era to fight, haven't you...?" It sounded more like accusation than a question, so I stepped between them, lowering my gaze.
"It was my fault, Father. I asked and begged them to until they finally agreed. Don't be mad at them..." He sighed and shook his head.
"I should have know." He nodded to one of the men, who brought over his pony as well as mine. "We are going home right now, young lady..." I kept my gaze lowered as I mounted. He nodded at Balin and Dwalin. "Make sure she gets there." They both nodded as I nudged my pony forward and started back for the mountain, refusing to say a word.
I should have know Father would never let me fight. The question was why... I'd proven today that, unless I let myself be distracted, I could fight just fine. He never once argued with Mother about teaching me everything about being a shapeshifter. Why wouldn't he let me fight?
"He worries about you, Era?" I turned and looked at Balin, who smiled kindly at me. "He doesn't want to see you get hurt is all." I shrugged and looked back towards the mountain.
"If he'd let me learn to fight, I wouldn't get hurt." I heard Dwalin chuckle softly.
"Being a warrior doesn't make you indestructable, Era..." I nodded.
"I know."
*Thorin's Pov-
"You disobeyed me, and you tried to keep it a secret from me..." Both Fili and Kili refused to meet my gaze as I shouted. "What were you thinking?!?" Fili spoke up.
"Like she said, she begged us to. She cried, whined, begged, and more, trying to get us to train her." Kili spoke up.
"She said that she may be a princess, but what good is it to sit around and depend on others to defend her? She can tell something's coming, Thorin, and so can we. You said so yourself..." I sighed and shook my head at them.
"From now on, no more lessons. You are to guard her only when you are around her." I narrowed my eyes at Fili. "A king protects his own kin, Fili. Tell me, were you protecting Era by letting her ride off to fight that pack of Orcs?" He hung his head.
"She's a great fighter, Uncle. The only reason why she was in any danger to begin with was because you called her attention away..." I bit the inside of my lip and thought for a moment.
He was right, actually. From what little amount of the fight I had seen, Era was an accomplished fighter, almost as good as Skyrena and I. I shook my head, shaking the thoughts from my head.
"It doesn't matter. What if she got hurt, Fili? Why weren't you at least beside her during the fight?" He swallowed hard and kept his gaze down.
"I was making sure everyone was safe. I knew she'd be okay, and I was coming back to her..." I sighed and turned away, anger building up in me. Why did this have to be so difficult? I pounded my fist into a nearby wall, shaking my head.
"You two may go." I turned and looked at Fili. "Remember what I said, Fili. And, don't think that I'll have forgotten about this tonight when I make the announcement." He nodded and mounted his pony. Gloin stood beside me, watching them go.
"You're still considering letting him?" I watched them both go, shaking my head.
"I'm not considering it, Gloin. I'm going to let it happen..."
*Era's Pov-
"There you are, Era!" I sidestepped Mother and marched through the stable and halls, trying not to hit something or someone.
*Skyrena's Pov-
"What's wrong with Era?" Balin sighed and watched her go.
"She was fighting the pack of Orcs in Dale..." My jaw dropped as I turned to face him.
"But, she doesn't even know anything about swords or anything!" Dwalin shrugged and dismounted.
"Apparently, Fili and Kili trained her at her request." I swallowed hard.
"I take it Thorin didn't take kindly to this...?" Dwalin shook his head.
"Madder than a hornet's nest." I sighed and turned back in the direction Era had gone. "And, if you ask me, my queen, she's almost as good as Thorin himself." I bit my lip in order to conceal my smile.
"I'll talk to them and try to diffuse the situation. After all, what's a festival when the king's family wants nothing to do with anyone?" I started off towards Era's chambers, where she always went when she was upset.
*Era's Pov-
I threw the door open and slammed it shut. How could I have been so naive? What made me think that Father was ever going to let me become a warrior? He never even let Mother fight anymore! I picked up a pillow as I sat onto my bed, crossing my legs.
"It's not fair..." I rested my chin on the pillow and took a deep breath. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Not long after, Mother opened the door.
YOU ARE READING
Run It Back Again (Part 2)
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...
