Adventure. Action. Romance. Dragons!
Once, Gandalf hired a burglar, now he needs a scout! It was a simple task, nothing more than spying upon treacherous lands. But Safirah felt she was meant to do something more. Running away from home she followed...
Down South of the Silent Hollow, the sloping mountainside wasn't completely buried in snow and the pine-forest faded to grey. We strode faster across the thick forest tracing a narrow trail towards the edge of the woods. Northern forestlands extended far and wide, I've never seen so many silvery pines and rowans so lush and full of life. The last day of autumn was two days ago, rowan trees bore no more berries, larches towered forty feet high, it's needle-like leaves were deep bluish green with mist covering most of the valleys. Unlike other trees, the pines weren't completely bare.
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Mounting their respective companions, Erett, Darion and Jaharo followed me closely, trotting five paces behind, the treacherous path was better climbed than trekked down. It was past two after the noon and the sun never showed, it stayed hidden behind thick gray clouds.
We came near the open, at last! I glanced over my shoulders feeling tired, the tight metal armour drained the most of me. 'We've been riding for almost a day now, how far is The Giant's Keep?'
'We're near,' Erett shouted back, jerking his chin slightly East. 'See that giant rock over there?!'
I pulled the bridle as I squeezed Gray in the stirrups, the wolf skidded to a halt, the others came to pause behind me. 'A giant rock?!' I murmured.
'That's how the place got its name. That reddish brown rock was once tall as these pines until dwarves came to these lands and carved a fortress out of it. Fifteen feet above ground, the only way in is going under the city-fortress and I must say the toll is extremely high for outsiders.'
'I do know dwarves have immense love for glittering stones and gold, I wouldn't be surprised to see so much dwarves in one place,' I said tucking a few strands of my hair behind my ears.
'No dwarves but halflings,' Darion confirmed pulling down the visor of his iron helm. Mist drew in and out his mouth as he spoke. 'Dwarves abandoned the rock few years after the battle for the lonely mountain. Few years later, men settled in and revived the place. Young Lord Severine was known an adventurer but he never set foot on the Keep, blood feud ran deep in his veins.'
'But he did visit the lone mountain once, he had no love for dwarves but dwarven armour he adored. The strongest armour I knew was made by the hands of an old dwarf named Bolin.'
'Erebor?!'
'Aye! You can only imagine how much ruin that golden dragon has done to the little people. A few years after the dragon's death, war bursts everywhere, Dale, elves, orcs, dwarves. The death of a dragon killed the thousands, let alone the widows and the fatherless sons and daughters after the war. I'd say the dragon somehow served a greater purpose than guarding its plunder inside that cursed mountain.'
His words revealed some truths, truths I've heard from Miraak long before. I glanced at him with a faint smile, but a little stiff to avoid earning discomfit. 'Perhaps it did!' I said before turning my eyes back to the distance.
