There and Back Again: A Girl's Tale

Chapter 18 The Claiming of Kin

Chapter 18 The Claiming of Kin

Everyone seemed able to relax once they knew Beorn wasn't going to shift into a bear and eat their faces. Despite his disdain for the dwarves, Beorn turned out to be a gracious (if not a little gruff) host and insisted they not set out for Mirkwood until the following morning. It was already midmorning and they would lose the light before making it to the elven road.

Elwen did her best to be a good guest. She insisted on helping with the dishes, so she and the skin-changer went outside with a giant washtub and set to work.

If she thought Beorn's house was impressive, it paled in comparison to the outside. It was fenced in by a high hedge that looked very difficult to climb. She didn't blame him for wanting the extra security, not after the story of the fate of his people.

What must it feel like to know you are the last of your kind? That there was no one else in the land who shared your history? She looked at him, his thick arms down in the tub up to the elbows and his heavy brow furrowed. How lonely he must find himself at times. Elwen knew a little bit about not having a family, about loneliness.

"It is strange for an elf to be traveling with such..." Beorn cut her a suspicious glance, "diverse company."

"Half-elf," she reminded him while scrubbing a plate.

"Another strangeness," he countered. "It is rare for elves to mate with the race of men."

"So I've been told."

Beorn was, by nature of his circumstance, a suspicious being. She knew he wasn't going to let up until she told him something of herself, at least.

"My mother was human, and she's dead. My father is apparently some grey elf with a bad attitude who gave me away when I was a baby. I was raised in Rivendell until I was five by Lord Elrond. I was then sent away, somewhere far, allegedly for my own good."

It was still difficult for Elwen to believe, even as she spoke. Elves' appearances changed, but slowly, and they eventually stopped aging altogether. When Elwen was sent away, she had already been tutored in Rivendell for five years, making her quite advanced. But to the world she'd grown up in, she'd appeared no older than three. The absence of magic had allowed her to age as the years went by, but now that she was back in Middle-earth? She could look twenty years old for a long, long time. Twenty five, she corrected herself. I'm actually twenty-five.

"I lived for years thinking I was an orphan. It wasn't easy," she finished quietly, concentrating very hard on the dish she was scrubbing.

"No," said Beorn. "Living without kin is not easy." He looked at Elwen then, eyebrows raised in surprise. "Let me see your eyes, girl."

Elwen's eyes widened from surprise, not the request. He leaned in closely, then jerked away.

"Your father is Sinda, you say?" he asked, turning back to the dishes. Elwen grunted an affirmative. After a few moments of silent washing, Beorn spoke again. "In the forest, you may find some answers. But..." he paused, looking at her. "The elves of the Woodland Realm are very different from those you have previously encountered. Be wary of them."

Beorn stood and wiped his hands with a dish towel. He offered it to her, then helped her off the soft, cool grass.

"Come," he said. "I will show you the horses."

The rest of the afternoon was spent lazily for most of the company. Many of the dwarves napped or made themselves useful around the property. Thorin spent most of his time with Balin, Dwalin, and Gandalf discussing the road ahead. Elwen split her time between getting to know Beorn and the land he loved so well, and spending time training with her bow with Kili.