CHAPTER XIV.
THE WATERFALL

　
RIVENDELL meant so much to Ygritte. It is one of her favourite destinations where she can simply relax and reminisce with the people that she loves. It is the place where she had grown up and became the woman she is now. It is the place that her mother often took her to when her father was off on one of his adventures. It held so many dear memories within its roots that is was practially her second home, if not her permanent home with the amount of time she has spent within it's walls. So, suffice it to say, she was rather upset to be leaving so abruptly.

It was the break of dawn when Thorin had made the announcement. While her father and Lord Elrond were attending a meeting he intended for them to leave. "The longer we stay here, the fewer days we have until the next Durin's Day," Thorin had told the Company as they packed their bags and kicked out their breakfast fire. Ygritte tried not to show how upset she was about leaving so soon but she had a feeling that the Dwarves could see her mood dampen in a matter of minutes, yet no one said a word toward her.

Bags packed and on their backs, the Company 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. Ygritte had turned around at one point, coming to stand at the edge of a cliff that overlooked her second home.

They had left so suddenly that she wasn't even able to bid Isobel or Lord Elrond or even her mother a farewell, which is something she has always done before she departs on one of her journeys. Her heart has been aching in silent pain with each step she was taking away.

Ygritte eventually heard footsteps approach her from behind and then felt a hand lay itself upon her arm. She didn't have to turn around to know that it was her friend Aninth offering her this comfort.

"I'm sorry that you had to leave without saying goodbye." The tone that Aninth had spoke with showed how much she understood the pain Ygritte was feeling, something Ygritte herself appreciated, as Aninth has always been nothing but kind towards her since they met. She was glad that her father asked Aninth to come along because she couldn't imagine never knowing this exceptional woman and her dragon companion.

"I never leave without visiting her one last time," Ygritte croaked. The moments that followed were silent. She could tell that Aninth didn't know what what to say to her next given her sudden silence.

Several silent moments seemed to pass by until Ygritte finally stepped away from the edge of the cliff. "We best keep up before we lose sight of them."

"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?"

When Aninth glanced toward her dragon companion that rested on her shoulder, Ygritte watched in both confusion and fascination as they had a silent conversation with each other. Yet, only Aninth's words were actually audible to her ears, Ryvniss' voice sounding like low hisses and growls.

"You can speak to him?" Ygritte suddenly asked, eyes dancing with fascination.

Aninth nodded, her blond hair bouncing in loose waves. "My kind 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."

Ygritte felt her heartrate pick up slightly and her eyes widen in anticipation. Ever since her mother would tell her stories about dragons she has been utterly fascinated in them. She was desperate to meet one all through her youth but was never given the chance to until now. So, needless to say, a grin had quickly found it's way onto her face when she was granted permission by her new friend to speak with one.

"Hello, Ryvniss," she ultimately decided on saying after a moment of thinking.

Silence.

Ygritte waited in anticipation, her grin never wavering, yet all Ryvniss did was blink towards her with his marvelous coloured orbs. Immediately, Aninth's brows furrowed, she tsked and glanced toward her companion in irriation. "Ryvniss, don't be rude! Ygritte is our friend."

When Ygritte was faced with nothing but silence and blinking eyes staring toward her, she began to wonder if Ryvniss hated her. It wasn't like she did anything to him in the past, so what was the problem?

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. In response, Ryvniss turned to glare at her and Ygritte smirked at the look upon the dragon's face. It seemed that he really didn't approve of his companion laughing when he was being called stubborn.

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

Without another word, the pair began walking again to catch up with the Company. And with each step that she took away from her mother, Ygritte could feel her heartstrings pulling rather painfully but she kept going anyway. She didn't really have a choice to turn around and go back anymore. After all, she did promise her father that she would to stay within the Company until the very end.

Eventually, Ygritte decided to start feeding Ryvniss tiny pieces of fruit from her bag as he sat perched upon Aninth's shoulder still, hoping that maybe if she interacted with him some more that he might finally speak to her.

"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 quite well. He agreed and they walked on at their same pace while Thorin watched them.

While everyone else seemed to be oblivious of the moment that occurred between Aninth and Thorin as their eyes met with gleams of something other than hatred toward each other, Ygritte found herself smirking. So it was true. Something had happened during their time in Rivendell. She kept quiet, intending to approach Aninth and ask her about them later.

Just ahead of them, Bilbo paused to look back at Rivendell. Ygritte could tell that he was just as conflicted about leaving the Elven city as she was and she couldn't blame him. Bilbo has been feeling out of place since they began this journey and he finally felt like he belonged while they were in Rivendell. Ygritte couldn't blame him for not wanting to give that up. She went to approach, but Aninth beat her to it so kept following the path instead.

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

Ygritte eventually fell into step with Kili, who peered up at her with soft brown eyes and offered her a comforting a smile before asking, "How are you, Ygritte?"

"I'm well."

"You don't have to lie, you know." His words surprised her and caused Ygritte to look down at him for a moment because casting her gaze ahead once more.

Am I really that easy to read? She wondered.

"I seen the look on your face when Thorin said we would be leaving," he continued. "What troubles you?"

"When I was a girl, my father would travel a lot in search of young wizards in need of training ─ other times he would just travel on his own adventures and encounter new places he had yet to go. During the time that he was gone my mother would often bring me to Rivendell. I grew so attached to it's beauty and it's people that it quickly become my home."

Kili watched her frown and felt his heart tighten. He wished that he could sympathize with her but he didn't know what home sickness felt like. He has always had Fili, his uncle and even his mother, and yet Ygritte has no one other than her father now. He felt a desire to hold her hand in that moment, and so he did. He reached hesitantly across the space between them and touched her hand gingerly, as if she would shatter.

"I'm sorry that you feel this pain within your heart," he spoke sincerely, eyes boring into hers and hand squeezing hers comfortably. "If I could take it away and place it within my own, know that I would without a moment of hesitance."

Ygritte's heart filled with warmth. No one has ever said such a thing to her. A blinked away the shocked expression that rested on her face, a smile soon replacing it as she allowed her fingers to squeeze his back. "Thank you, Kili."

He bowed his head softly, bringing their connected hands up to his lips where he placed a tender kiss upon her knuckles. Ygritte found herself grinning largely at the contact. Their eyes locked for a few moments before Kili dropped their hands and moved forward to join his brother. And Ygritte continued to stare after him with the same grin upon her features.

Until she heard someone clear their throat.

Glancing to her right, Ygritte found Bilbo walking beside her. With one look at the knowing gleam within his eyes and the half smirk on his face, she realized that had been standing there all along and had silently watched the entire interaction between herself and Kili. She felt her cheeks heat up.

"What?" She asked.

"Nothing," the Hobbit answered, biting back a grin.

✶

They walked for hours upon hours 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.

Through their walk, Ygritte mostly kept to conversation with Aninth and even Bilbo, the two becoming fast friends that she would willingly lay down her life for. Other than them, she also made conversation with Fili and Kili, the latter continuing to spark something within her that caused a warmth to spread throughout her chest each time he looked at her and smiled.

Eventually, at about midday or just past, they found themselves walking along a passage behind a waterfall. As Ygritte found herself admiring the beauty of the small terrain, she suddenly heard her name being called by Aninth.

"Ygritte," she had called over to her, drawing her attention immediately. Ygritte turned her head, finding Aninth leaning up against the outcropping of rock that was close brought to waterfall that you could put your hand out and feel it. "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 given the heat they've been walking in all day. It was much colder than the waters she would come across on her travels, Ygritte realized, as she cupped her hands together again to douse her face once more.

As Aninth 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. She caught Kili's stare for a moment before her eyes came to settle upon Thorin, who was watching Aninth. It caused her to laughed again. And 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, Aninth did turn to see. "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 replied, though she had feeling Thorin watching her for an entirely different reason. You don't just got from loathing someone completely to spending secretive time together and watching each other from afar. There was something there between them whether they chose to believe it or not. Perhaps it was a growing fondness, or perhaps a mutual respect for each other ─ either way Ygritte wanted to understand what was going on Thorin's mind that suddenly caused this change in him.

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

That's what I want to know.

Ygritte opened her lips to answer but instead slapped them shut. She was choosing not to answer by instead allowing Aninth to figure out what Thorin's sudden change could mean for herself. Not only would it be entertaining to watch, but it would allow the pair to spend even more time together.

When Aninth continued to eye her for a response, Ygritte gave her friend gave a shrug and pushed herself off the rock to continue their journey.