Lost and Found Again

Chapter 14 - Varyannë

Findaráto's hand had gripped her shoulder tightly as they ran, as though certain that she would turn around and run straight back towards the fight if he let go of her, and Varyannë couldn't honestly say for sure whether he had been incorrect. All she knew was that her body had nearly physically rejected being stuck within the oppressive underground environment, and had left all too eagerly at the opportunity to draw blood, the instinct for violence still so deeply ingrained into her system that it scared her.

Now, under the free light of the trees, standing a little ways away from the group of dwarves arguing over some petty matter or another, she shivered at the recollection and repressed a much stronger reaction to the memories of the events in the tunnels had dragged to the forefront of her mind. Pressing a finger to her temple, she shook her head firmly, as though this would dislodge the memory of her skeletal brother the night he had returned from Angband, the sight of his ravaged body and lifeless limbs.

She jumped as a foot crunched in the leaves behind her and was crouched in a defensive position, sword half-drawn before she realized that it was Findaráto who stood behind her. Frowning guiltily and dropping her hands to her sides, she murmured,

"My apologies. You really ought to make more noise when sneaking up behind me." He frowned reproachfully at her for a moment, then stepped forward, staring at her face analytically,

"Olórin has called us all back, we seem to be missing one." Varyannë now searched his face, pushing her emotions to the back of her mind as more important matters took precedence. There was something hesitant in his expression that she decided on the spot she did not like,

"Might I ask who?" FIndaráto grimaced and shook his head,

"The halfling of course. Who else could it possibly have been?" Varyannë sighed, already thinking up ten possible scenarios ending in death and one hundred possible ways to fix them,

"Of course it is. Our quest could not possibly have been simple." She grinned sardonically at him and turned on her heel, walking briskly back towards the clearing, careful not to close her eyes for a steadying breath until her face was out of his line of vision. The sound of raised voices was clearly audible, and grew more distinct with each step she took, individual voices breaking away from the general buzz of the group until she stepped into the clearing, Findaráto a few steps behind her and heard Thorin say loudly,

"I will tell you what happened, Master Baggins saw his chance and he took it. He has thought of nothing but his soft bed and his warm hearth since first he stepped out of his door." Varyannë let out a long low breath, shaking her head slightly,

"And what in Arda is wrong with that? Wanting to go home, is that not what your whole quest formed around?" Thorin looked over at her, his lip curling in disgust,

"I have no need for the council of elves. Were it not for Gandalf, you would have been forsaken long ago." Varyannë's eyes narrowed slightly, opening her mouth to respond, but was never given the opportunity to speak, as Turukáno spoke up from the other side of the clearing,

"Neither of you, intent as you are upon finding fault with each other, has managed in all of your quarrelings to find a solution to this dilemma. Either the halfling is gone or he is not, and the question from this point is how to continue." Thorin now turned to him, and shook his head in anger,

"Have you not been listening? There is no longer any point in discussing the hobbit any longer. He is long gone." Turukáno inclined his head slightly, raising one eyebrow in what could only be described as utmost satisfaction as a voice spoke up from behind Varyannë, causing her to jump rather forcefully as it said,

"No, he isn't." Bilbo Baggins stepped out from behind a tree to her left, and entered the clearing, causing an audible sigh of relief to exit more than one mouth.

"Bilbo Baggins," Olórin said, a large smile cracking across his face, and Varyannë threw a glance behind her at Findaráto who's face had entirely relaxed in a moment, giving him the appearance of an unmanned puppet. Varyannë felt her mouth twitch against her will at the sight and turned quickly back to the hobbit who stood in the middle of the clearing now. He watched Thorin with an intensity in his eyes that Varyannë had not seen before, a deep understanding of some sort that she was dearly glad was not directed towards her. For a moment there was silence as the two regarded one another, and then the Bilbo blinked, shuffling his feet and turning his face towards the ground,

"I know that you doubt me, I doubt me too, but it is like you said. I have a home, and none of you do. That doesn't seem fair to me, so if I can, I'll help you get yours back." A heavy weight seemed to have fallen onto Varyannë's chest as she watched the scene unfolding in front of her, and she turned away, letting her eyes find the mountains behind them rather than let any of those around her see the soft film of moisture on her eyes.

If only it was as simple as that, a single quest and all could be forgiven. Varyannë shook her head firmly, refusing to allow any such thoughts to truly take hold, and instead focused on an odd moving blob moving down the mountainside, something that seemed to grow larger by the moment until Varyannë let out a slight gasp and reached behind her, grabbing and roughly shaking the first thing that she took hold of, which happened to be a large chunk of Findaráto's hair.

Her cousin pried her hands away and shot her a disgusted look, rubbing at his scalp angrily,

"Varyannë. That was completely-" She cut him off, motioning towards the fast approaching blob which was not clearing, separating into individual figures and Findaráto took in a breath through his teeth,

"Perhaps we should leave." He said in a strained voice, clearly attempting to remain calm while turning back to the company behind them,

"Olórin, if I may say so, I believe that it is imperative that we leave this area now, and get as far away as physically possible." When Olórin did nothing, Varyannë let out an impatient cry and turned to the others,

"We need to run. Now." She said simply, and there was no need for any more to be said, for at that moment a piercing howl split the air and dismayed understanding crossed the Maia's face. Each of the dwarves took a moment to look towards the mountains, the blob now clearly visible as a hunting group of orcs. Then the group turned as one and ran in the opposite direction as fast as their bodies would allow. It was with no small amount of irony that Turukáno turned to Varyannë and smiled tightly,

"What was it your brother used to say? Do not let yourself escape the frying pan only to fall into the fire?" Taken aback, and completely surprised by the reference, Varyannë laughed and said,

"Imagine if he could see us now."

***Author's Note***

Hi guys, Once again, it has been months since I last updated, and it was not at all intentional. I hope that now that Thanksgiving has begun, I will be able to begin writing again because I have been so insanely busy and I have really been missing being able to write what I want instead of essays, essays, and more essays. Thanks for continuing to read this, it means so much to me to have an audience who genuinely enjoys my writing. Your reading keeps me writing!