15.
Waterfall

As much as Aninth enjoyed the ease and relaxation that had come with their time in Rivendell, she was also eager to get on the road again. They only had a certain amount of time until Durin's Day and every day they wasted relaxing in Rivendell increased the chances that they wouldn't make it in time. So when Thorin announced that they would be leaving while Gandalf and Lord Elrond had a meeting and were distracted, Aninth was already on her feet.

Bags packed and on their backs, the Company, Aninth, Ryvniss, Ygritte and Bilbo began to trek quietly through Rivendell, being extremely cautious of their surroundings in case they happened to cross paths with someone that could possibly stop them and inform Lord Elrond of their leave. Ryvniss was awake and sat upon Aninth's shoulder while Ygritte walked in front of her silently. 

She could tell that her friend was upset about the nature of their departure. And she could even understand why, too. If they had to be quick and quiet about leaving, then Ygritte would not get a chance to say her goodbyes. Just because the Dwarves didn't have any attachments in the elven city didn't mean no one did. Aninth herself wished she could bid Lord Elrond goodbye, thank him one last time for his help and maybe even get a chance to hear more about her father. When her attachments were so small, she couldn't imagine how Ygritte was feeling.

"I'm sorry that you had to leave without saying good-bye," Aninth told Ygritte, placing a hand on her arm. She tried to put just how much she understood the pain Ygritte was feeling, into her tone.

"I never leave without visiting her one last time," Ygritte croaked. 

Aninth was unsure of what to say. The pain in Ygritte's voice was clear. Aninth felt for her greatly. If she had the opportunity to say goodbye, to even simply talk to her parents... even if it was just a statue, she would give everything for it. Several moments seemed to pass until Ygritte stepped away from the edge of the cliff that looked back at Rivendell. 

"We best keep up before we lose sight of them," Ygritte said.

"That's highly unlikely," Aninth replied with a smile. Ygritte looked to her, perplexed. "I'm sure if we rode Ryvniss that we would catch up with them in, what do you say, two minutes at the most, Ryv?"

The little dragon yawned. "Five, I'm tired today."

"How could you be tired? You've done nothing but sleep, eat and hunt since we arrived in Rivendell," Aninth pondered, staring at her companion.

"That is exhausting work," Ryvniss replied.

"Sleeping is exhausting?" she questioned.

"You can speak to him?" Ygritte asked suddenly, causing Aninth to turn her attention to the other blonde.

Aninth nodded, her blonde hair bouncing in loose waves. "My people are able to communicate with our Pygmy Dragon through our bond."

Ygritte's brows furrowed. "Why could I not hear him? To me, it sounded like ─ "

"Like hisses and growls?" Aninth finished for her, receiving a nod from Ygritte in response. "That is to be expected. You see, anyone that is not of my people is kind of forbidden to communicate with a Pygmy Dragon unless their human companion allows you to. Well, forbidden might not be the right word, but I trust you get my meaning. Here, I'll show you." Aninth turned her head slightly and glanced to Ryvniss with a growing smile. "Ygritte, daughter of Gandalf and Melisandre, I grant you permission to hear with your ears the voice of my companion, Ryvniss, child of Khalne and Nuzex."

Aninth watched as Ygritte's eyes widened in anticipation, a grin pulled on her lips and her breath seemed to catch in her throat. For a moment, she wondered how long her friend had been waiting for a moment like this. Was it just as long as they've known each other? Or was it even longer?

"Hello, Ryvniss," Ygritte said after a moment of thinking.

Silence.

Ygritte waited in anticipation, her grin never wavering, yet all Ryvniss did was blink at her. He didn't even open his mouth. Immediately, Aninth's brow furrowed, she tsked and glanced toward her companion in irriation. "Ryvniss, don't be rude! Ygritte is our friend."

Ygritte sighed. "I understand why you are called Ryvniss the Stubborn now," she told him with slightly narrowed eyes.

A laugh bubbled from Aninth's lips and she clapped a hand over her mouth as Ryvniss turned to glare at her. 

"Don't worry, he doesn't hate you if that is what you're thinking," Aninth assured her friend after a moment. "He is just being his usual stubborn self."

Without another word, the pair began walking again to catch up with the Company. Eventually, Ygritte started feeding Ryvniss tiny pieces of fruit from her bag as he sat perched upon Aninth's shoulder still. It didn't take a genius to guess that she was hoping that maybe if she interacted with him some more that he might finally speak to her. It was an adorable way to try and gain his friendship.

"Be on your guard," Thorin warned from the front of the line as they wound their way around one of the mountains around Rivendell in a single file line, "we're about to step over the Edge of the Wild."

He paused then and stepped to the side of the path where there was enough room for them to still pass by him and told Balin to lead on as the old Dwarf apparently knew these paths. He agreed and they walked on at their same pace while Thorin watched them.

Aninth's eyes met Thorin's and for a single moment, everything stopped and they simply stared at each other. The blonde quickly averted her eyes as everything slid back into motion. Something that she had scarcely noticed before had definitely changed between them since her moment of weakness in Rivendell. She didn't know what it was, but it was making her regret ever crying in front of him the more time that passed since the incident.

Just ahead of her, Bilbo paused and looked back at Rivendell. Aninth could tell that he was conflicted about leaving the Elven city and she couldn't say she blamed him. He had been feeling out of place since they began this journey and he finally felt like he belonged while they were in Rivendell. Aninth couldn't blame him for not wanting to give that up.

"Master Baggins," Thorin said gruffly, "I suggest you keep up."

Bilbo gave him a nod and turned away from Rivendell with one last lingering look. Aninth touched his shoulder gently. "Don't worry, Bilbo, Rivendell isn't going anywhere. Once we've taken back Erebor, you can always come back."

"Yes, but how long will that take?" Bilbo questioned. When she didn't have an answer for him, he just kept walking.

❖

They walked and walked and walked some more as the sun made its journey across the sky. They crossed over rock and grass, uphill and then down again, between trees and boulders and every possibility therein. Aninth did not grow as weary as she expected to and even let Ryvniss stretch his wings and fly above them for a while, though she was sure to tell him to be more careful this time.

Through their walk, Aninth mostly kept to conversation with Ygritte, who was becoming a fast friend. Some of the Dwarves were good for conversation as well, such as Balin, Bofur, Dori, Fili and Kili, though she suspected that Kili was more interested in conversation with Ygritte.

Eventually, at about midday or just past, they found themselves walking along a passage behind a waterfall, and when Aninth noticed an outcropping of rock that was close enough to the waterfall that you'd be able to reach out and put your hand under it and feel the spray from where you stood, a smile split across her face.

Jogging out to the edge of the rock, Aninth stretched out her hand towards the falling water and looked back towards the Company. "Ygritte," she called to the other blonde, "come feel the water."

With a smile on her face, the Wizard's daughter did just that, coming out to meet Aninth on the rock. The two women let the water run over their hands and wrists before Aninth had a brilliant idea and cupped her hands beneath the water so it would collect and then brought the water to her face and doused it.

"Oh," Aninth said happily, "that is much crisper than the water in Rivendell. Try it."

Ygritte did so, a laugh escaping her lips. The water was cool and refreshing, with the edge to it that Aninth hadn't realized the water in Rivendell didn't have. It was much more like what she was used to in her travels and gave her an odd sort of comfort.

As she unwound Ryvniss from her neck to hold him out near the water to do as he pleased, Ygritte looked back at the Company behind them and laughed again. When Aninth gave her a questioning look, she explained.

"Thorin is watching you," Ygritte explained in a sing-song voice.

Aninth didn't turn to see. "He still does not like my companion, I am sure he is watching him with detest," she replied steadily.

"He's not watching Ryvniss," Ygritte said, dousing her face once more to hide her smirk.

This time, she did turn to see. Thorin was indeed watching her, and their eyes met when she looked at him. He didn't avert his gaze as she expected, and it didn't harden into a scowl either. There was a careful blankness to his expression and even though the distance between them, Aninth could see it.

"Perhaps he is wondering why we are stopping for a waterfall," she said, eyes now on Ryvniss as he rolled around under the water.

"Perhaps," Ygritte agreed, although she sounded also like she didn't truly agree.

"Why else would he be watching me?" Aninth asked, pulling Ryvniss back from the waterfall and letting him take flight.

Ygritte didn't answer, simply gave a shrug and turned and began to walk back towards where the Company was still walking. Aninth followed after her, brows knit in confusion. She refused to believe that there was any reason at all for Thorin to be watching her and Ygritte had to see that, right?

As they kept walking, now uphill to her detriment, she couldn't help but wonder what exactly Ygritte was trying to tell her. It didn't make any sense at all to Aninth but with one already cryptic answer, she wasn't going to ask again to possibly just get another. The more and more she got to know Ygritte, the more she was seeing how alike her father she truly was. 

The cryptic answer that she had given was exactly the kind of answer she would have expected from a Wizard.