Daughter of The Darkness

Chapter 10

Elfreda had changed out of her dirty travelling clothes, they hung from the open window in her room drying. She was dressed in a long dark blue/green dress with a hood and golden strips down the front, round the sleeves and along the brim of her hood. She had washed her hair and it hung loose down her back, unbraided it came down to her waist, Elfreda thought of giving it a trim when she realized she would have to get down from the tree she was sat in to do it. So Elfreda let the idea float away in the breeze, she felt so calm up here.

A robin fluttered down and landed on the branch next to her. The red breasted bird tweeted tunefully to her. Elfreda reconised the bird from the one that she raised in her wood cabin back in Fangorn. She greeted the bird and held out her hand. It seemed to lower its head to also greet her and gladly hopped upon her hand.
Elfreda rubbed the young birds head as it whistled its merry tune. Spending this time with the bird made her remember the fond memerories of living alone with nature, not following a band of dwarves who always seemed to get into trouble. She remembered the soft wind and kind the sun, how she would often speak with the trees and listen to their very long conversations. Being alone with the world was how she had been raised, her mother had died when she was very young and her father, he abandoned them before she was born. Her long thoughts were disturbed by Lindir, calling her from the bottom of the tall tree.

"Elfreda!" he hailed "Lord Elrond requests your council!" Elfreda said goodbye to the robin as it flew away into the horrizon. Like a monkey, she swung down off of her branch landing on the one below. She did this all the way to the bottom branch with such grace and elegance, it seemed alomst like a dance. On the last branch she jumped, bending her knees as she landed only a few meters away from Lindir. The elf shook his head and laughed.

"Lead away my dear friend!" she replied. The two walked together, Lindir leading the way to Elronds place of thought.

Elrond was sat in deep thought on a wicker like chair. The area was enclosed and covered in shadow by the cover off masses of trees. She walked up to Elrond and bowed.
"My lord, Elrond" she nodded. Elrond rose and allowed her to stand. He walked, giving the idea to Elfreda to follow and she did. She listened to him give his council.
"The dwarves, worry me they are traveling into unknown and darkened waters." he said. She nodded, they also worried her but or different reasons. Elrond already knew about her trailing them, Elfreda knew that but the way he talked about the dangers and the darkness ahead shrouded her mind with other, darkened thoughts.
"I will protect them," she insisted. Elrond shook his head and instantly replied in a low but harsh tone.
"I think you do not understand, from what Radagast reports, if we do not act soon, we may not be able to even protect our own souls." With this he turned to look directly at Elfreda. "You know, better than anyone what your..."
Instantly Elfreda replied" I am not a relation of whom you speak of, I ridded myself of that title years ago"
Elrond let the matter pass but told her the White Council was going to discuss this matter and if she wanted she could attend.
"I do not go about, interfering with the affairs of the world, I only do it on my terms" she instructed. Elrond let out an internal laugh.
"I fear you already have, without looking up your 'terms', good bye Mellon" he said as he strode away. He walked briskly up a small flight of stairs. Elrond then remembered what he was going to ask.
"Elfreda, will you attend dinner?" he called. The young maiden laughed and apologised, she would not attend dinner.

They both departed ways.

Elfreda almost walked straight into Thorin and Balin.
"It cannot be, she was killed, buried beneath Smaug!" despaired Thorin. Balin shook his head.
"You cannot ignore the facts, no one else in Middle Earth could ever pull off those stunts, nor could they have hair that shone like the sun!" the elder dwarf retorted. Thorin put a hand to his face and groaned. Balin continued.
"It's Elfreda, sir, we both know it!"

From behind the wall, Elfreda's heart skipped at beat. They were onto her...

They had remembered.