An Experiment Gone Wrong

Chapter 5: Rivendell (part 2)

*** A/n: Hey everyone! Hope you're enjoying this book! I am writing this author's note to say that I know I'm taking a lot of dialogue straight from the movie, but I like it when stories are mostly accurate. I'm going to make the Rivendell scene into multiple parts cause I didn't want to make one chapter out of it. I have a lot in my mind that I am going to do character building and relationship wise so I hope you enjoy and will kind of stick with me through it. ***

Mara stopped and looked at Elrond, missing the look Thorin gave her. Little did she know that Thorin had hung back and decided to listen to the conversation out of sight from everyone. He wanted to make sure that she would be safe since he didn't trust this elf as far as he could throw him.

Elrond smiled at Mara and grabbed her hand, leaning down to kiss it softly. "Cin gar- govannen an flae amarth, lúg-mellon."

Mara took her hand back from Elrond blushing and looked to Gandalf before turning back to Lord Elrond. "Excuse me, but what did you just say?"

Elrond didn't look surprised, in fact he looked amused. "You have met an ill fate, dragon-friend." He translated leaving Mara baffled.

"Dragon-friend?" She asked, feeling something nagging in the back of her head, but no matter how she tried she could not figure out why. She closed her eyes and stepped to the side trying to quell the frustration she felt. She couldn't remember anything, how could he possibly know anything?! Turning back to him, she narrowed her golden eyes. "How could you possibly know anything about me, when I-" she placed her hand to her chest and looked at him desperately, "- have forgotten my friends. My FAMILY! My abilities!" As she listed these things, she could feel herself starting to melt. Her chest got tighter and tighter to the point she couldn't breath and she started pacing back and forth. "I don't know where I am. I barely remember where I'm from! I'm traveling with a group of dwarves that hate my race when I have done NOTHING to them!" She yelled swinging her arms outwards. "The dwarves in my land are DEAD! The only things remaining from them are their ruins and deadly machines! They turned a whole race of beautiful snow elves into abominations! Having that information in my head, I STILL don't resent these men by their race!"

Thorin winced.

Mara was panting and she felt herself tearing up. Days of frustration, anger, and sadness welling up in her throat just threatening to spill out as hot tears.

Elrond took a step forward and bowed, holding his hand out for her to take. "I am sorry," he said with a sad and sincere tone. "I did not mean to cause you so much grief. I meant no disrespect." He smiled waiting for her to take his hand. After a few minutes she placed her hand into his tentatively. "I can tell that you have dealt with dragons." He said looking into her eyes. "You can see it in your eyes." He whispered low enough to where Thorin couldn't hear.

Thorin was shocked, dragons? Why hadn't she said something to him! He thought as he listened, eager to here anything else that might help him in reclaiming his home land.

Mara sighed and looked to the side. She didn't have to say anything for Lord Elrond had already ordered a female elf to lead her to a room and find her some fresh clothes. Looking back to Mara he smiled and kissed her hand again, "I do hope that you will join us for dinner." Mara smiled and nodded, allowing herself to be lead away from the two men and passed by a terrified Thorin. If you had saw him he didn't know what he would have done.

"She will remember Mithrandil. There is yet another like her in this land that is residing in Mirkwood." Elrond said watching the young Bosmer walk away. "Except this one retained her memories."

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Hours passed as Mara bathed in the crisp waters of the waterfall by Rivendell. The water felt amazing in her dirty brown/blonde hair and she could feel the blood and dirt just wash away. Once she finished in the river, she walked back to the room the female elf had told her would be hers for the evening. She took her time and would stop here and there to revel in what sunlight she had left, but she couldn't take too long for she needed to eat dinner.

Entering her room, she spotted a beautiful satin gown lying on the bed. There were no clothes like this fabric in her homeland. It was either metal, leather, or wool so this fabric threw her for a loop. She slipped the smooth and comfortable material over her head and let it drape down her body before looking at herself in the mirror. She looked different. More feminine. The dress hugged her in places that her armor hid and honestly it felt nice. These elves made her feel less barbaric and more regal.

Once she was able to tear herself away from her reflection, Mara made her way to the dining area where everyone else was. She was nervous, but it couldn't be all that bad. As she approached she could see the dwarves picking up and refusing to eat the salads they were provided. 'Savages' she thought as she stood to the side admiring the beautiful music playing. What was that golden instrument with the strings? She would have to remember to ask Lord Elrond later.

As she approached she heard Kili trying too hard to deny how much he found an elvish woman attractive, which made Mara roll her eyes, but when he said he found a male not bad she couldn't help but laugh with everyone else drawing their attention to her.

Mara felt the room grow silent, despite the beautiful music. The silence of the dwarves was deafening enough and was enough to make Mara feel naked. She shifted from one foot to the other before walking to sit between Gandalf and Thorin.

Bilbo was the first to speak up with a friendly smile, "you look beautiful Mara. It's nice to see what you look like without your armor and all clean."

Mara smiled at her friend and thanked him for relieving some of the tension in the room.

"You do look good for an elf." Dwalin said, which Mara rolled her eyes and thanked him.

Thorin was silent. He was contemplating the conversation from earlier, completely tuning out the conversation Gandalf and Elrond were having about the trolls. He allowed his eyes to wander up and down the open skin he could see and what he did see shocked him to his very core. All the way down her back - as he could see because the dress was open backed - was three claw marks. There was no mistaking those marks, they were dragon claws, which meant that she has fought a dragon and lived to tell the tale.

"Thorin," Mara said in between her bites of her salad, "why are you staring at my back?"

Everyone got silent, waiting to hear what their fearless leader would say next. Thorin took a quick look around before answering her question a little annoyed she had caught him, "the scars on your back. What are they from?"

Mara looked at him confused, "What scars?"

Thorin took three fingers and placed them at the top of the marks and slowly drug them down the scars. "These scars. They look like dragon claw marks." He said softly, entranced by the surprisingly smooth feeling of her skin.

The electric tingling that followed his fingers subsided as a wave of distant fear and pain wash over her body, her vision fading to a watch tower. There many - of what she assumed where guards - were running around shooting the air. She looked up and saw what they were fighting, but before she could grab her sword, the dragon had landed behind her and took a swipe at her back causing her to fall. She was in searing pain, and bleeding profusely, but she managed to crawl to a hidden place among the rubble and heal just enough to keep from bleeding out. Not long after that, the dragon died and she remembered a bright yellow light surrounding her and entering her body.

Mara came back to reality as Dwalin had spoke up, "well lass, have you fought dragons before?"

Elrond watched with child-like wonder at Mara and waited with baited breath to hear what she would answer.

Mara whispered, "yes. Hundreds," she looked down at her hands and turned them into fists, "and most have fallen by my hands."