"Mister Luin. What is that black box on your back", a young blonde haired dwarf, Luin was pretty sure that he was called Fili, asked. The party were making their way from Rivendale and Luin could see the beautiful elven city fading in the distance. It left a slight pang of sadness and excitement thrumming in his chest. They had left early, leaving Gandalf to speak with Elrond before catching up. He had reassured Luin that he would quickly return to them and that he would be fine with the dwarfs. Although, judging by Thorin's sharp glare, he was beginnings to doubt that.

Luin had left Rivendale quietly. He had paid his brief farewells to Arwen and Elrond before packing lightly and catching up with The dwarves. Thorin had grimaced and glared at him but did not verbally protest, which Luin took as half hearted permission to come. It did not pain him to leave what had been his home for so long. But it was a bit bittersweet despite the fact that he was used to moving on and constantly traveling. When he was young he never stayed in a place for more than a month. Now his soul, not his body which still was as youthful as the day he arrived, was older, he found that he was able to form easier attachments but also break them just as quickly.  Arwen was probably the one that knew him the best other than Gandalf, being the closest thing to a sibling that Luin knew due to their close ages. Some would say that Luin was cold and unfeeling. The truth was that he always expected things to go wrong, never better. It had saved him many more times than he could count.

"It's a case", Luin hummed, mind whirring with eager excitement. The instrument in the case was calling to him, making his hands itch. It had been a while since he had used it but the case gleamed as if it was freshly polished.

"A case for what?" Fili's twin, Kili questioned. He had attracted the attention of a few of the other dwarfs and now they were eyeing the case quizzically.

"I bet it's a weapon", Fili voiced excitedly. "A huge sword or axe".

"I hope it's food", Bomber, a rather round dwarf, smiled wistfully.

"It's a instrument. A musical instrument called a guqin , as well as a few changes of clothing", Luin answered with a laugh. There were a collective groan of disappointment.

"Luin, What is a guqin?" Bilbo asked curiously. Luin smiled down at the small hobbit.

"I would show you but we need to keep moving. Let's just say that it's magic, like Gandalf's fireworks", he winked at the group, who looked excited.

"Hurry up back there!" Thorin's grumpy voice called back to the small group. Luin pulled a mocking face before speeding up. His long strides easily outpacing the dwarves.

"How old are you lad?" Balin asked as Luin reached the front of the group. He probably the oldest dwarf amongst them, although he certainly did not let that stop him.

"I don't really know", Luin thought out loud. "I have been here for a good seven or eight hundred years, maybe even a thousand years, but I have not aged. I'm not an elf but I seem to age like one. My parents were immortals so it is possible for me to be one as well. Although physically, I think about twenty two". He brought a leather tie from a pocket in his robes and began to tie back his  waist length black hair. His fine fingers wove it into a fishtail braid which started from the top of his head. It was with a skilful ease that did not ruin his pace. The black ebony tresses gleamed in the light, setting off his lightly tanned skin as he plaited it.

"And Gandalf has been training you to be his apprentice since you arrived? You're not from middle earth? Where are you from?" Bilbo asked without thinking. When he noticed, he gave Luin a shocked glance. "Sorry that was dreadfully rude of me".

"It's alright young Bilbo", Luin smiled, warming up to the lovable hobbit. "Yes. Gandalf was the first person I met when I arrived. He found that I could use magic and I have been his apprentice ever since. With regards to where I'm from however, let's just say that it's a land far over the seas". And after that Luin would say no more despite the younger dwarfs numerous questions. He merely sped up, his long legs easily loosing them, a small smile playing on his lips.

——

The company walked and walked, over grass and over stone. Grumbling, joking and talking as they went. Days passed, nights spent under small shelters as they continued onwards towards the misty mountains. Over the days the company had warned to Luin somewhat. The younger dwarves, Kili and Fili especially, were intrigued but Luin's unusual features and lilting voice.

It was one of these nights, the group bunkered down underneath a rock overhang, when the two of them decided to sit closer to Luin than normal.

"So Luin, why do you look like that?" Fili asked. He gestured towards his eyes, miming the hooded slit of Luin's black gaze. Kili elbowed him in the side, whispering that he was being rude. It had been a few days since they had last broke the subject but Luin seemed in a more relaxed mood.

Luin chuckled. "Because I do not come from around here Fili. My parents came from lands over seas, a places further away and a lot easier to find than any place you've heard of. In my world we called it Asia, or more precisely China, which is where my parents are from. For some reason, they left and had me only to die after arriving here. In Asia, people have different features that What you have here. Dark hair, dark eyes, lithe bodies and toned skin. Your elves refer to my kind as dark elves due to our darker colourings, but we call ourselves cultivators".

"So your parents were cultivators?" Kili looked slightly worried. "What are cultivators? Are they dark creatures?"

Luin smiled reassuringly at the dwarfs, a lot of them were listening to him even though they tried not to act like it. "No we're not evil. Do you think Elrond would really share his home with me if I was? I've never seen my parent's homeland so I can not really explain it. But we harness the power of our souls to cast magic and fight. We call it Qi or spiritual energy. It flows through our meridians and through out bodies".

"So you use your souls?" Bilbo spoke up. His face creased slightly in confusion. "Do you run out of fuel? Or is it just dependent on your abilities?"

"Our power is dependent on our heritage. It can become increasingly low which can cause death but luckily mine is incredibly strong so it is unlikely for me to cause my own death in that way", Luin stated. The dwarfs seemed a bit relieved by that piece of information.

"You should all get some sleep", Thorin barked from where he was lying. "We have a long way to go. Luin is on first watch".

The rest of the group obediently curled into their blankets, muttering to each other as they fell asleep. Luin turned his back to them, eyes seeking out the darkness as he hummed a soft tune. His case lay across his lap. Normally he would have taken his staff on such an adventure but the object was more for the ceremonial aspect as, unlike Gandalf and the other wizards, he did not need it. He had a feeling that the instrument would come in handy so he had chosen to take it instead, leaving his staff with Arwen for safe keeping.

The story he had told the dwarves was only partly true. His mother had been a cultivator, a fierce woman with delicate stature and fearsome blades. She had been travelling when she met Luin's father on a empty island. Her crew had rescued him and they fell in love. Luin had been born on that boat, spending his early childhood on the sea. His mother had taught Luin of cultivation, versing him in magic and her mother tongue. She taught him how to fly and fight, using agility similar to that of elves to run across the sails of their ship with ease. She had been his protector and trainer in one, taking the role of the stricter parent. Luin sill carried her blades, twin jade swords attached to his hips. One of the only things he managed to keep of hers. They were fearsome weapons which were sentient, able to fly and respond to his summons.

His father came from a different class to his mother. Having been a criminal, he had tried to escape the emperor by fleeing in a stolen ship. It had not turned out well and he was picked up by Luin's mother. He had given Luin his guqin, a musical instrument of string which produced a rich sound. It was the object that he had stolen, forcing him to flee. He had taught Luin to play it, teaching him songs from his dreams, vastly different from the ballads here. Luin never knew why he had stolen the instrument. He never got the chance to ask.

His parents had loved him dearly and his family was the crew of their ship. They lived on that ship for almost seventeen years until they encountered a vicious storm.  For all her lower, his mother could not control the weather. The ship was capsized and swallowed by the waved. Luin and his parents had been tossed onto the sands of middle earth where Gandalf had found them all half alive. His parents had died a few days later of their injuries, leaving Luin alone. Since then, Gandalf had raised him. Luin was introduced to the strange world of middle earth and the species that lived there. He was taken to Riverndale where he continued to pursue his heritage of cultivation. Gandalf and Elrond had taught him the languages of middle earth, English, elvish and dwarfish. He had picked them up surprisingly easily and when he was deemed old enough, he began to travel by himself.

It was interesting story. Luin had never seen either of his parent's homes, both having left them behind. But it was not something that he was concerned about. There was a whole world here which he would travel and learn from. With that though in his head, Luin stared out into the gloom whilst the others slept.

About halfway through the night a sleepy Ori took over on the next watch, allowing Luin to get some sleep. Relieved to be getting some shut eye, Luin rolled himself in his woollen blanket. The material had been a gift from Elladan, one of Arwen's brothers. It was a thick warm knitted thing which produced a surprising amount of heat. The comfortableness of the warmth and the soft smell of rivendale was enough to send him into a deep sleep.

Luin dreamed that night. There was flashes of reds and blacks, fire curling up the sky as people screamed. Everything was out of focus. Too bright and sharp with colour. A Blurred figure moving through the trees. Long limbs and a bow sling over its shoulder. Not matter how hard he tried, Luin was unable to see who it was. The face always turned away. He just caught glimpses of gold hair and a green cloak as the figure taunted him. 'Who are you?' He had called out, voice a soundless echo, but the person only darted away through the trees. Luin had awoken with a sense of hollowness. It had left him breathless and aching for something which he did not know.

AN: Luin is based of the idea of cultivation. Since I do not know Chinese or any other Asian languages, I don't know much about the cultivation world other than what I've read in translated books. So Luin as a character, is not well versed in cultivation laws either which sort of fits with the story as he is in middle earth, which is based on European fantasy and culture. Please forgive me if I get anything wrong.