Skin Changer : A Hobbit FanFiction (Discontinued)

Wish Upon a Star

“It is the legacy of my people,” Thorin ground out as Gandalf insisted he show the elf lord his map. “It is mine to protect, as are its secrets.”

The old wizard rolled his eyes. “Save me from the stubbornness of dwarves; you’re pride will be your downfall. You stand here in the presence of one of the few in Middle Earth who can read that map! Show it to Lord Elrond.”

Thorin met the elf’s gaze, clenching his jaw as he reaching into his overcoat and withdrew the folded map left to him by his father. He swallowed, steeling his nerves as he took a step forward.

“Thorin, no.” Balin said, placing a hand on his arm. He brushed it off, glancing down at the parchment in his hand before handing it to the elf.

The lord of Rivendell took one glance at the map before looking at Thorin sharply. “Erebor? What is your interest in this map?”

Thorin opened his mouth to answer, fully intending to tell the elf exactly why they needed a translation.

“It’s mainly academic,” Gandalf answered in his place, giving him a pointed look. “As you know, artifacts of this kind often contain hidden text. You still read ancient dwarvish, do you not?” he added as Elrond began pacing the library floor.

“I do, yes,” he said over his shoulder, a small smile crossing his face. “But there is another here who claims fluency.” He turned his gaze upward. “Tolo hí, pinig. I know you are there.”

There was a slight rustling was heard, and Thorin felt fury well in his gut that someone he didn’t know had overheard their conversation. His eyes widened as the pale elf of the Greenwood slid down a ladder, her bare feet making no sound as they hit the floor. She looked to Elrond with annoyance.

“I know you wouldn’t, but it really sounded like you called me a pig.”

Bilbo snorted and Thorin cast a glare his way, silencing him. “Woman, why are you here?”

She turned her moonlit eyes on him, and he shivered at the effect. Her pink lips quirked up into a smile. “Why, reading, of course. What else would I do in a library?”

“Ilma, I didn’t know you read ancient dwarvish.” Gandalf said, approaching the small elfmaid.

The female drew into herself, eyeing the wizard warily. “I am not familiar with all of the runes, but I can make it through a sentence unaided if I must. Why?”

Elrond smiled fondly down at the woman, and Thorin felt a weight lift off his shoulders. If she chose to stay, then she would at least have a mentor. For some reason, it had been bothering him.

“Can you read this?”

He held the map out to her, and she automatically reached out to take it. Her fingers had barely brushed the parchment when she pulled back, her eyes meeting Thorin’s.

“May I, Master Oakenshield?”

He squared his shoulders, nodding. Her acknowledgement of his authority was a display that the elf lord could not have ignored if he tried.

She took the map in her hands, her violet eyes running up and down and side to side, her lips moving as she read. She stepped up onto the open dias that took up most of the library, the moonlight catching in her hair as she paced. Stopping, she turned to face them with a smile on her face.

“There are moon runes on this map,” she announced, holding it in the air and gesturing wildly at it. Just like a child.

“Of course there are,” Gandalf sighed happily. He looked over his shoulder at his shorter companions. “An easy thing to miss.”

“In any case,” Elrond began, retrieving the map from the young elleth and sending her into a pout. “Moon runes can only be read by the light of a moon of the same shape and season as the one by which they were written.”

Thorin crossed his arms over his chest. “Can you read them?”

Elrond smiled with infuriating confidence. “Yes, I can. Pinig, you will accompany us.”

The woman started visibly. “Me? But I -.”

Elrond placed a hand on her shoulder. “You cannot pretend you are not fascinated by the concept.”

“Well, no, I suppose I can’t, but,” she looked to Thorin again, her white brows creased anxiously. “It really isn’t my place.”

Well, the girl had a better grasp on the situation than he’d given her credit for.

“She can come,” he heard himself say. “A second pair of eyes won’t hurt us.” He justified, more to himself than anyone else, and her wide smile eased the tension in his chest.