Turwaithiel's PoV

I dont know how long we have been traveling. I somehow lost count of the days. The dwarves were great company, and it was obvious that Bleon was having the time of his life. I watch him as Balin teaches him how to track an animal. We were resting for the day, before we get to the ferry. I unconsciously play with the necklace on my neck as Laralen plops herself beside me with a huff. We both wore trousers, since it was rather difficult to move fast in a dress.

I have learned that Laralen was good at survival skills. She could hunt and shoot an arrow with perfect aim. She was actually too good for someone who rarely shoots an arrow.

"So are you going to tell me who gave you that necklace or will you evade my questions again?" She asks, crossing her legs under her. She turns to smile at me, a flower in her hand. She twirls it between her fingers.

"Ori," she says with a shrug and I find myself shaking my head as soft laughter escapes my lips. My thoughts travel for a moment before going back to her question.

"His name was Legolas," I start and she stops twirling the leaf, her attention turning to me. I give her a small smile before I continue, " he was a prince, from the woodland realm."

I allow my mind to conjure up the image of him. His light golden hair, his chiseled jaw. How he always squinted when he smiled at something he found amusing. The constant eyebrow raising when I did something surprising. His eyes, the way they seem to be made of blue crystal that made my insides warm. How they twinkled when he talked about something he liked.

"By the way you are staring into nothing with that smile on your face, I can tell he was quite a prince." Laralen teases as I am snapped out of my trance, my cheeks heating up.

"What happened?" She asked after the pause between us seemed to stretch. What happened? I took away that twinkle in his eyes and replaced it with something dark and heartbreaking. I could never will myself to forget that horrible scene. It was the first time I had seen him cry. So defeated. So utterly broken. My heart constricts as I felt the pinprick of tears in my eyes.

"Turwaithiel?" Laralen asks, concern in her voice. Her voice made it much harder to stop the tears from flowing. What would she think of me if she found out the truth of what had happened? Of what I had done? I watch the dwarves trying to teach Bleon how to defend himself. The three of them were there that day. Would they mention it at some point during our travels? Should I tell Laralen the truth. I was so afraid of her finding out. She seemed to think elves are flawless.

"I am sorry if I have upset you," she says, her eyes dropping down on her lap where the flower was laid, "it was not my intention."

"You do not have to tell me if you do not wish to." I turn back to her as she gave me a smile that somehow felt like an arrow through the heart. She was so kind. So gentle. What horrible tragedies had she overcome and yet she could still smile as if the world had not done her wrong. She had that looked that made one think she could see the good in everything, even in the dark lord.

"I have secrets as well, " she continued when I could not find myself to speak, " we all have them. It is quite normal. No one really knows a person, that is what I think."

I offer her a smile before she pushes herself up, dusting the dirt on her trousers.

"I believe it is time for lunch," she states and I make a quick move to grab her hand as she turned quickly towards me.

"You have not upset me," I say and she gives me a small nod before smiling, " It is not something I wish to talk about just yet."

"I understand, perhaps next time then." She then turns towards the center of our little camp, bending down towards the stock of wood we had readied for a campfire.

I felt deflated as I leaned back on a rock behind me. I watch as Dwalin easily unarm Ori and push him down the ground. Bleon watches them, his eyes wide as Dwalin continued to explain how to escape in certain 'capture' situations. Laralen watches them from time to time, her eyes traveling back to the fire she was starting. Balin joins her soon afterward and I am left to my own thoughts. The necklace was cold on my neck. Somehow, I could never find it in my heart to remove the thing. It had been such a wonderful night. I close my eyes and relive the memory in my head.

---

My chest heaved as I sat down on one of the chairs. Legolas sits beside me, he was also breathing hard and quickly as if we had just ran a hundred leagues. I grinned at him, a triumphant look on my face as he shook his head slightly, the amusement still alit in his eyes.

"What do you find so amusing, Lady Turwaithiel?" He asks as an elven maid offered us cups of wine. I hesitantly take one as he takes one with a bow. I bring the cup to my lips and fight the urge to wrinkle my nose at the smell. I take a small sip as he seemed to down it all down. Like father, like son. I fought the urge to giggle as my eyes travel towards the makeshift throne to find the king gone. Odd.

Legolas turns to me expectantly and I remember he had just asked me a question. I slap myself mentally.

"I believe you have just lost a bet, my dear prince." I said, my chin lifted arrogantly. He breathes out a chuckle as his eyes travel the length of the dance floor before finding me again. His eyes glinted childishly, I felt something flutter in my stomach as my heart seemed so close to bursting. The corner of his lips curve up slightly as he draws out a breath with a shrug.

"I figured I would let you win since it is your birthday."

I raise an eyebrow at him as he flashes me a grin before he pushes himself up, offering a hand to me. I stared at him in disbelief.

"Tell me you are not planning to dance again?" I asked, my eyes flickering briefly towards his open palm. He laughs before shaking his head.

"No, no more dancing. I would just like to show you something."

I narrow my eyes at him but take his hand and let him lead me away from the party. We walked through the thick woods but did not go to far as I could still hear the sound of music. I was also aware of the royal guards that followed us silently. I found myself blushing, feeling a bit exposed during something that I would like to believe as a "private affair". We stopped then as he turned and gave some sort of signal making all the guards stop where they stood. I felt his hand tugging on mine as he lead me up what appeared to be a steep hill hidden between two trees.

We walked quietly for a minute or two before the path seemed to curve. He gives me a quick glance with a mysterious smile on his face before stopping. I stopped beside him as we appeared to be on top of a hill. I could see the faint outline of the Lonely mountain from where I stood. The air seemed cleaner up here as I breathed deeply, catching the scent of the forest with a tinge of him.

I turned to him to find him staring at me, a small smile on his lips. My heart felt like it was being dropped and thrown up inside my chest.

"Turn around." He almost whispers as he gestured for me to do so, I suck in a breath discreetly and do as he says and barely caught my mouth as it dropped.

I could see the topmost parts of the palace. How the trees seemed to bend and twist together in perfect harmony like a shield around the whole palace. Like it was meant to disguise it. One would not be able to make out the palace for it looked like a forest on top of higher ground. It was only visible now because of the flickering lights that seemed to make a faint outline of it. How big was the palace?

I jumped slightly as I felt something cold and metallic kiss my skin and realized he was clasping a necklace on my neck. I glanced down and saw the tiny leaf hanging on it. It hung on a silver chain. The leaf itself was made of an emerald stone, its edges neatly encased in a jewel that seemed to glow under the darkened sky.

"Happy Birth day." His voice rang beside my ear, causing my skin to prick as I turned to him, catching the breath in my throat.

He was too close.

His eyes stay on mine for a moment before they flickered towards my lips and I felt my heart stop for a moment as my lungs desperately tried to keep control of its purpose.

"Thank you." My voice came out as an inaudible whisper as the space between us seemed to disappear. His head leaned forward and I was not sure what I should do and then the moment is broken as he seemed to hover for a moment before smiling.

"You are welcome."

We headed back down the hill like nothing happened. Like he was not just about to kiss me moments ago. I was aware of the disappoint I felt but could not find a reason to complain. What was I expecting?

--

My eyes snap open, surprised at Bleon's expression as he stared at me with visible concern. He had poked me with a stick.

"Yes?" I ask as I noticed the light of the sun was fast disappearing. Had I fallen asleep? Bleon seems relieved as a smile forms on his lips.

He bobs his head towards the campfire as he offers me a hand. I let him pull me up as I tried to gain focus on my surroundings. The Dwarves and Laralen sat near the camp fire, deep in discussion. Bleon ran towards Lara and sat next to her as I sat next to Balin who was telling the tale.

"So there we were, trapped in the dungeons of the Elven King," he says dramatically gaining the undisrupted attention of Bleon, Laralen gives me a small smile, " we were hopeless."

Dwalin and Ori nodded their heads to this as Lara offered me food.

Bleon watched eagerly, his eyes asking for Balin to continue, forgetting his food. Balin gave him a smile that reached his ears.

"Well, Bilbo came to our aid!" He exclaims, " With the keys to the dungeon."

"Bilbo Baggins seems like quite the hobbit," Laralen comments her eyes shining with admiration for the dear Halfling. I know the story well for I have heard it more times than necessary. The story of the hobbit and the company of Thorin who sought out to reclaim their homeland.

I listen quietly to the tale, and met Laralen's eyes whenever Legolas' name was mentioned. She listened intently as Bleon seemed to drift off to sleep on her lap.

Night came and I found myself staring at the stars as I sat, guarding. I heard a soft movement before Laralen joins me.

"You should sleep," I tell her as she sat next to me.

"I am not that tired yet," she comments as she stared out into the darkness with me. I wonder if she could see anything clearly.

"You are very resilient for a human," I raised an eyebrow at her as she shrugs.

"So, Mantheniel," she starts and I smile at the mention of her name, " She is married to the Elven King?"

I give her a nod. She seems to be in thought for a moment before frowning.

"They make it seem like he was evil and unloveable." She comments and I fought the urge to laugh.

"Elves and dwarves do not get along much, especially the woodland elves and the dwarves of Erebor." I explain, " It is a fight that started many generations ago, they just tolerate each other better now."

She stays quiet for a moment before speaking again, " I am guessing Mantheniel is quite the elf?"

I nod to this, Mantheniel really was quite something. Both she and Thranduil loved each other too much even with all the quarreling and differences.

"They both disliked each other at first," I say, giving Laralen a side way glance, she seemed to not believe me as she looked at me with confusion evident in her eyes.

"Like strongly dislike, they could not stand being near each other without the people surrounding them feeling fearful that they would end up drawing their swords."

"And yet they are married?" She asked. I give her a light nod, remembering the days when Mantheniel wanted to kill the king and ended up kissing him instead. I chuckle lightly.

"Elves are...odd." She comments, the frown never leaving her face.

"Well, that is true in some ways," I agreed, " but Mantheniel did tell me that she felt compelled towards him. Have you ever felt that way?"

She seems to think for a moment before shaking her head, turning to me with a sad smile.

"I do not think I would be able to experience such things." She stated and it was my turn to look at her with a frown, " I despise men." She explains with a sigh, " I find it hard to trust them and their intentions. I would rather be alone than be condemned to live the rest of my life with a man."

It made me wonder what she had seen or what she had experience to make her think of things. I decided to ask her another time.

"Even if you feel that pull?" I ask and she just gives me a shrug but something told me she did not believe such 'pull' existed.

"So, the King and Mantheniel," she starts again after a while, " They seem to be a perfect match, as the dwarves seemed to portray them to be."

"They are," I reply, " They sort of balance each other, if you get my meaning."

She gives me a nod and we stayed in comfortable silence for a while before I hear her breathing stabled. I turned to find her sleeping beside me. I smiled and took my cloak off to cover her with it.

--

We set out the next day. The Ferry was quite a ride, a very dangerous one to be exact. The small boat kept tipping from one side to another that Bleon had actually needed to lay down and rest for a while. It was a long trip, and a struggle at that but it was worth it for the sole fact that I had Laralen as company. She talked about the humans, tales of which we had never heard of. Even the dwarves were attentive. She was very descriptive and would often make expressions. I thought it was because she was used to telling stories in such a manner, especially if her audience was a 9 year old boy. When the dwarves seemed to be lost in their own conversation, I took it as a chance to ask Laralen something that I have been meaning to ask her.

"Lara," I call and she turns to me, Bleon on her lap. She was running her fingers through his hair in a gentle manner.

"I have been rather curious about that lullaby you sing to Bleon." I state and she looks at me for a moment before shrugging.

"It was a song someone had sang long ago, I do not recall who..." She pauses, her mind in deep thought, " but I do know it was neither my da or ma."

"I have known it since I was a child, somehow the song got stuck in my head." She gives me a sad smile, " It is about a princess, well it is not exactly stated that she was but I like to believe she was, a lady whose hair looked more valuable than gold, with eyes that resemble spring. She got lost in a forest and stumbled upon a golden oak, whose leaves glittered gold."

A smile spreads across her lips as she envisioned the scene before her, then she started singing and the dwarves halted their talking.

The fair maiden walked on through,
Her eyes shimmering gold,
The forest of golden leaves,
Stories she was once told.

In the end of the glittering path,
Stood a castle of pure starlight,
Where the breeze carries a song,
Of a beautiful maiden of light,

She had found a home,
A place to call her own,
The Palace of Silver and glass
She had found at last.

She continues to hum the tune and I wondered for a moment where she would get such a song. To me, it sounded like a song about Lothlorien. A palace of Silver and Glass? A beautiful maiden of light?

"Ai, your voice has a nice ring to it lass." Balin comments and Laralen answers him with a humble smile. Laralen was not easily flustered, a trait that I should master.

The hours tick by as the sun began to set yet again from a distance.

It was nearly dusk when we had gotten to the other side. Maps should really point out in detail how far a place really is.

"We should camp here for the night," Balin suggests as we gather together in one part near the path we would be taking.

Bleon was rather alert for he had fallen asleep on the ferry ride. We ate our dinner in peace as Balin continued his tale of The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins. Bleon grew an admiration for the halfling. He was rather small for a boy his age and maybe that was the reason why.

When it was time to sleep, Dwalin offered to have the first watch and so I settled near Laralen as she lay on her makeshift bed. When I laid down I was surprised to find her eyes snap open.

"Not tired?" I inquired and she gives me a knowing smile before turning to lie on her back, I do the same.

"I am actually very excited to meet Bilbo," she confesses, "Bleon thinks of him as a hero."

"I guess in some ways, he is." I tell her. We were drowned in silence for a while until I surprisingly found myself drifting to sleep with Laralen's humming echoing in my ears.

I awoke the next day by a strange sound. When I opened my eyes I see Laralen holding on to Bleon who was having some sort of fit. He was wheezing as he coughed violently. I felt panic at the sight of him. I rolled off my makeshift bed and moved quickly towards them.

"Bleon," she soothes, " Bleon, dear. It's okay." She starts to rock him back and forth and I stare at them feeling utterly useless and paralyzed. I was not educated about the sickness and diseases of men. Laralen grasped on to his thin frame and whispered things as I noticed the tears that fell from her eyes. I glanced around to find the dwarves missing, I wondered where they went when I was answered upon seeing Ori run up from the steep ground bordering a forest.

"My Lady!" He hands her a weed of some sort as her eyes dart everywhere.

"Do you have a pipe of some sort?" She asked as Bleon continued to cough, in an instant I knew what she was attempting to do. I take the weed from her and crush it as Ori takes a pipe from one of the satchels. I place the weed inside as I hand it to Laralen so I could start a fire.

Later on as Bleon started bringing the smoke to his lungs the coughing ceased and I slumped down beside them, my heart still beating wildly.

Laralen seemed to have recovered quickly from the event as she laid Bleon down when he had fallen asleep again.

I did not want to ask but somehow the question was evident in all our faces.

"He has weak lungs, which is why I am not really fond of the idea of him exerting too much energy."

I was out of words for a moment. A sudden witness to the fragility of men, once again. I often forgot they were not like elves. Laralen seemed to make it impossible to think of her 'fragile.' I made a vow then to protect the both of them as best as I can. Perhaps Bilbo has some books about the world of men.

Dwalin had carried Bleon as we walked towards Hobbiton. Crossing by large farmlands. I knew we were near by the sweet fragrance that was carried by the air. How this part of the world seemed detached from everything else. I felt the urge to stay here, where it was peaceful and everyone was content.

The little folk had surprised looks on their faces as we passed by. Although, I noted that some of them were familiar with the dwarves.

"Dwarves, and now elves and big folk!" One of them seemed to whisper, " That Bilbo, such queer folk."

We arrived at what appeared to be a house on top of a hill. Balin opened the gate and went straight up the door as me and Laralen followed.

Three knocks and a face appeared by the window.

"Balin!" A voice calls inside the house and moments later the door bursts open and Bilbo welcomes the dwarves with a hug.

"A child? Gracious, come inside. It may not snow here much but the weather is still too cold for the young folk." He stands aside to let us in. He glances up when he sees me.

"My lady!" He chirps, a smile on his face, "this is a surprise! You could have told me you were coming for I have not prepared a thing!" He starts to worry and I laugh at his fumbling and calmly told him it was alright.

His attention then turns to Laralen who does a small curtsy.

"Greetings, Bilbo Baggins." She says, " I am sorry but I am but a stranger to you, will you allow me to stay in your home with the others?"

"Of course! Of course, no need to be so formal!" He waves us into the lounge room where a fire was burning in the heart. Bleon was placed on the sofa, a blanket over him. He had been sleeping a lot.

"My name is Laralen, by the way and that," Laralen gestures to Bleon, " Is my brother, Bleon."

Bilbo seemed to look at her for a moment then at Bleon and back at her.

"You have human siblings?" He asked curiously and Laralen is silent, as her mind tried to understand his question when a laugh escapes her lips.

"Oh, I am human Mr. Baggins." She sings as we settle by the stools that Ori had laid out for us.

"Human! Dear me," he says, " Well, the best I can offer you is tea. Would you like any?"

All of us nodded as he went about to get tea for us.

We sat near the fire place and talked of how we met in Bree and decided to Travel together to the Shire. I gave them a full account on how I met Laralen and Bleon.

Bilbo placed cots around the fire place where we would be sleeping and apologized for the lack of beds which we happily told him not to be bothered.

When we laid in the silent room, save for the snoring of the dwarves, Laralen poked me with her finger. I turned to her, her golden hair aflame with the crackling fire of the hearth.

"I made something for you," she whispers and proceeds to grab a satchel in which she digs for something inside it. I laid on my side and watched as she fished out a piece of paper and handed it to me. As she did, something fell off and I saw a bracelet made of leather and some kind of thick thread. She had made a bracelet designed with threads that seemed to be tied and designed into little flowers. In the middle was a leaf, made of leather and incased in a hard material that seemed metallic and cold to the touch.

"Oh, Lara.. You should not have." I glanced up at her to find a smile on her face.

"The bracelet was Bleon's idea," she says, " he told me I was good at making things and so he had brought all the materials and even designed the bracelet. I just made it."

"Look at the drawing," she motions to the paper in my hand and I open it to find another sketch of me. This time, I was looking elsewhere, my fingers fumbling with my necklace. The look on my face said it all.

"It is wonderful, Lara" I whisper, " Thank you very much."

"It is no problem. Happy Birthday."

--

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