The Valar Child: The Desolation of Smaug

Chapter 10 - Smuggled Into Laketown

Hildar

When I opened my eyes, I was on my back, staring up at the sky. The ground felt hard beneath me, and my bruises were complaining. I sat up slowly, but felt light headed and began to lie back down again. "She's awake!" said a voice and Fili's head came into my vision.

"Oh, hello. Didn't know you were on this mission," I told him sarcastically. He chuckled, but that was when Thorin came over. He pulled me into his arms, and stroked my shoulder length, wet hair.

"Don't scare me again. I thought you were lost in the woods without me," he said as he rocked me gently. I wrapped my arms around him, and rested my face against his damp clothing. Thorin seemed happy just to hold me. He kissed my head, and brushed strands of my hair from my forehead.

"Where's Beren?!" I suddenly asked, pushing away from Thorin to get a better look around. The expression on Thorin's face told me what he thought of the man.

"Oh, that's his name! He's over here!" I heard Bofur's ever cheerful voice say. I stood up and walked away from Thorin. Beren was leaning against a rock, his jerkin and shirt stripped away so Oin could bandage a wound he had to his shoulder. Kili was nearby, his leg already wrapped up.

"Are you alright?" I asked Kili, kneeling next to him and gently placing my hand on his leg.

"It's just a scratch, I'll live," Kili responded, smiling at my concern. I gave him a smile and squeezed his hand before I turned my attention to Beren. His eyes were closed, and his breathing was raspy.

"How is he?" I asked Oin as he placed something over the injury.

"He passed out during the chase, clinging to Gloin's barrel. We managed to pull him up when we came here. The wound bled much," Oin explained as he began to bind cloth around Beren's shoulder. I reached out and brushed a few wet strands of his brown hair.

"Exquisite," said a voice and I turned to see Dwalin and Fili examining the spear that Beren had brought with him. Somehow, it had made it down the river, and was still with us. "This spear is incredible in its make. Too bad it's born by an elf," Dwalin said. I colored and would have spoken in Beren's defense, but Balin beat me to it.

"He's not an elf. There is enough physical evidence to prove otherwise. He's like our Hildar. A man of some kind, but with unnatural youth," Balin said.

"I'm a Valar," Beren's voice suddenly said, and we all turned to him. He was awake, and wincing as he slipped his shirt and jerkin back on over his head. I glanced at my guardians, and I saw the eyes of both Thorin and Balin widen. Clearly they knew what he was talking about. "A Valar is one of the higher beings, that helped create Middle Earth and protect it from evil. It was a Valar that cast Melkor into the abyss of the Void. Ever since, there has not been a great enough danger to require the presence of a Valar in Middle Earth. Until now." He stood up and Balin walked over to him. He looked down at the white haired dwarf and Balin looked up at him.

"What danger could be great enough to call a Valar among us?" Balin.

"What danger is great enough to involve two Valar among you?" Beren posed in return, and I felt a hand on my arm. I knew the protective grip in an instant.

"What are you saying of Hildar?" Thorin asked in a disconcerted tone of voice. Beren looked back at Balin and gave him a polite smile as he carefully moved his arm and shoulder.

"You said she is like me, and I am like her. If that's the case, when did you stop aging?" The last question was to me. I felt all eyes on me and I wanted to go into a shell to hide. But Beren's grey eyes were on me with some sort affection there. A different affection then what I got from Thorin and my brothers. But I had seen it before. In the eyes of another.