The Three Women Of Durin

Office Of An Elf

Frankie was awoken by the cooing of a bird. Shuffling from the uncomfortable position she found herself in, she opened her eyes to perforating sunlight and a small bird, chirping happily on the ledge of their balcony. She had fallen asleep on the hard balcony floor alongside her two best friends. She went back into the room and retrieved a beautifully woven blanket which she placed on top of her companions, protecting them from the slight nip in the air.

Frankie dreaded going downstairs, for she knew that there was a certain dwarf who she had not seen since she did some painstakingly drunk things in front of him. He had also read the map meaning he now knew that they were telling the truth from the beginning. I hope he see's past his stubbornness Frankie thought leaning on the balcony, she had a brilliant view of Rivendell as it slowly awoke. Soon came the sound of voices from below, she leant further over the balcony and felt her body turn to ice when she saw Thorin himself conversing with Balin.

"Thorin be reasonable!" Balin called after Thorin as the king plundered forward, striding away from the dwarf, "Thorin!" Balin called once more.

"What?" Thorin snapped, Frankie winced.

"Thorin, we now know that they were telling the truth," Frankie could only make the guess that they were talking about her and her friends, "They have been telling the truth since the start, they've been wanting to help us since the start," Balin continued, obviously trying to persuade Thorin to do something.

"Help us," Thorin again spat out, "I do not need help." Frankie rolled her eyes, he was getting a little too big for his boots.

"Thorin you cannot retake this mountain without help. You even asked it from us." Balin's voice had switched from persuasion to a strict tone. "And we gladly accepted, for it is our duty as Durin folk to be strong hearted, loyal and brave," Balin's voice was softer again yet lost none of its vigor, "Those are traits that I not only see in every dwarf in this company but something I see in those three women...and that hobbit too!" He said. Thorin was now a mix between angry and defeated.

"This quest is no place for any woman," Thorin said clearly, but there was something else in his voice, something Frankie couldn't quite decipher.

"Aye, maybe. But these are not any women that are from our world, are they?" Balin said, in an all-too-knowing voice.

"No." Thorin sighed. "But what if they get hurt, injured, I will not have that responsibility on my shoulders," Thorin said, Frankie could agree to this.

"Well you see I was talking to young Kili the other day, and he had been conversing with the girls and knows for a fact that they are going to learn how to fight and fend for themselves," Balin said.

"I do not like how much time my Nephews are spending with them," Thorin said again, this caused another eye-roll from Frankie.

"Let them have it. It appears the three women are the first women that the princes have not tried too-" Balin started but was cut off by Thorin raising his hand.

"Enough. That is a subject I do not wish to talk about so early in the morning," Thorin sighed. Frankie then realized that the king must have been up all night, reflecting on what the map said. And for a moment Frankie could see through Thorin's stubborn exterior and into the man who only wished a better life for his people, a man who was crossing borders and contesting battles for his own people, for the possibility of a better life.

As Frankie was mulling this over she didn't realize that her two friends had awoken at some point and were to listening in on the conversation. Similar thoughts ran rampant in each other's minds. Thorin and Balin left and in doing so left the girls with their own thoughts and wonders to muse on.