The Ranger ➵ Kili Durin

PART I : CHAPTER 8

The sun had slowly risen from behind the mountain peaks, casting shadows upon the sides. The sky was a pigmented shade of yellow, orange, and blue as the silhouettes of the giant eagles flew across the landscape.

"That was a very hasty thing you did back there on the cliff, young Ranger," Gwaihir, the Lord of the Eagles, said as they sailed over a large mountain range.

"My dear friend, I knew you would be there. And had you not been, I'm sure one of the others

would have tried to catch me," Elvira smirked. The pair actually knew each other very well. Fifty six years prior to this occasion, Elvira stumbled upon the Great Eagle wounded in a field. She managed to heal him from the poison arrow wound and in return, the Eagle King pledged his allegiance and his friendship to the young woman.

    "Had that not been the case, you would have fallen to your death," he replied. He was constantly watching for her, as she was incredibly good at doing things rationally and putting herself in danger that way.

    "Yes, but you were there. Let us not dwell on the things that didn't happen," Elvira laughed and petted his feathers lightly. Gwaihir and Elvira were the last to land on the Carrock. All the other eagles circled the Carrock and flew away after dropping off their passengers. Gwaihir landed on the edge of the Carrock and Elvira slid off his body to land on the ground, just as Thorin had stood up. Gwaihir decided to stay, as he felt his duties as the Lord of the Eagles were to make sure they were okay after the rescue.

    The company watched the interaction between Bilbo and Thorin, and did not necessarily notice Elvira's presence as she stepped in behind them all. She smiled when Thorin embraced Bilbo in a hug, signifying his peace and gratitude to Bilbo.

    Kili was the one who turned his head around the company in search of the Ranger. He saw her standing on the edge of the group, watching them all wistfully with a small smile graced upon her lips. His smile grew at the mere sight of her. She was alive and okay, and that was all that mattered. He quickly went to her and without saying anything, took her into his arms and embraced her. Elvira stiffened at the sudden contact, but chuckled and softened into the hug, taking it welcomingly.

It was at times like this that Elvira reminded herself that personal contact was a good thing. It was something she needed every so often, just to make sure she still was capable of having kind emotions. It comforted her to know she wasn't all stone and harsh stares. She could be kind when she wanted to be.

    Kili chuckled into the hug as he squeezed her tighter and nestled his head into her neck, enjoying the closeness and the happiness he felt with her in his arms. The sun was shining around the Carrock, and moods seemed to be lifted across the entire Company at the moment.

    "Is that what I think it is?" Bilbo's voice questioned, as everyone turned to look in the direction he pointed towards. Kili and Elvira separated, both grinning wildly. He kept one arm draped across her shoulders as they too looked out towards the distance, where the silhouette of a single solitary peak shadowed the horizon: Erebor.

    "Our home," Thorin said quietly, his voice laced with nostalgia and awe. All watched the distance for a moment, taking in the rest of the journey. Bilbo swore that the rest of the journey would all be easy, and he smiled a great big grin for the first time since he left the Shire.

    "You are an idiot, I've gotta say," a voice from behind Elvira called out. She turned to find the blonde brother with his hands on his hips staring at her in mock disappointment. "I thought you were smarter than that, being an experienced Ranger and all, but you're no worse than Kili really," He smirked. Elvira simply laughed, throwing her head back, and then wrapping her arms around his neck and bringing him in for a hug as well. He took it kindly, and the pair laughed before releasing each other from their grip.

    "Trust me master Fili, I've done worse in my lifetime, I can assure you."

    "I have no doubt in my mind about that, your highness."

    All three of them smiled at each other, Elvira taking note of the way Kili's dark brown eyes seemed to sparkle in the glowing light.

    Gandalf and Gwaihir were talking quietly, Gwaihir nodding every so often to something Gandalf said. Elvira wanted to make sure the Great Eagle did not leave without saying goodbye, so she kept a close eye on the pair as they spoke.

    Thorin, while making up with Bilbo, continued to be wary around Elvira, and she was perfectly fine with it. She knew the king did not trust her and while she thought he was being insensitive, she had to respect what happened. She constantly thought of ways to try and regain his approval, but she kept coming up short with ideas.

    Gandalf and Gwaihir said their goodbyes, and Elvira rushed to the eagle's side before he could fly away from the Carrock.

"You didn't think you were going to just leave, without a proper farewell, did you?" Elvira smirked, and feigned insult and hurt. The eagle chuckled.

"Of course not, young one. You would have found a way to shoot me out of the sky to say your goodbyes had I left," he joked. She smiled, and wrapped her arms as far as they could around the Great Eagle's neck. His head bent down at her, while his wing somewhat covered her body in affection. She peeled away, and just as he started to take off, she shouted, "I'll see you next time I decide to jump off a cliff, yes?"

    Gwaihir let out a great bellow of laughter at this. "Of course you will, young one. I will always be there to catch you when you do things like that, I assure you."

    "I'll hold you to that promise, then." And with that, the Great Eagle leapt up into the sky, and let out a mighty screech as he sailed away towards the sun.

    She watched her majestic friend soar through the clouds until he was out of sight. Bilbo came to stand beside her, and neither said a thing. Elvira looked down and smiled at him, feeling at ease for the first time in a while. He grinned back up at her, and she put her arm around his shoulder as Fili and Kili came to stand beside her on her other side. The group watched the sun rise higher into the sky, its colors creating palatial bursts of life along the mountainside as, for once, each one felt content.

BUT IT DOESN'T LAST LONG WHOOPS ONTO BOOK 2

wow. part one is done.

what did you guys think?? Please let me know, i'm so curious

I hope it was okay. I'm pretty proud I guess.

Part 2 will be coming in approximately 2 weeks... hopefully y'all can wait that long

thanks bunches for the amounts of support I've received with this book. Truly, you are my inspiration and reason I write, so thank you for the love.

I hope I can return that love with more books and immense amounts of gratitude

I love you guys! Thanks!

stay amazing

em