Lost Wanderers (Halbrand / Rings of Powers)

13 - The Realms Under the Mountains

Luthien kept walking but she had the feeling that she was moving further away from her destination. She kept changing direction, hoping that luck would lead her back to where she was supposed to the waiting.
She cursed herself for leaving behind her bag and having only her sword.
She hugged herself, starting to feel thristy and starving.
At least no beast attacked her yet, but she kept shivering cold. Those unforgiving lands were becoming her enemy.

I trade all I’ve known for the unknown ahead

She muttered to herself.
To comfort herself she recalled what brought her there.
Just few weeks earlier she had met Halbrand for the first time. And how many things happened in that short time. More adventures than in her entire life!
She obeyed to the words of her favorite song, that had also brought her troubles.
She left everything to follow the unknown.

Sing to me, sing to me lands far away
Oh rise up and guide me this wandering day
Please promise to find me this wandering day

As the sun started to go down, Luthien started to lose hope and to hate that song.
She was going to die in those inhabitated lands and nobody would ever find her. She would become food for the wild animals that went hunting at night.
She also tried to start a fire using her sword and some rocks, hoping to make smoke as a signal, but it was too damp and no fire burned.
Defeated, she sat down, tired also of cursing herself for causing her own ruin.
Her mind recalled the teachings of Master Ben about dwarves. That they were designed by Aulë the Smith to live underground. That they hewed marvelous underground cities and filled them with lamps. But they liked the dark and could see well in it.
She cursed her delirious mind and guessed that she'd never see if those words were real or not.

Suddenly some soft noises startled her and she immediately thought of some wild beast targeting her as an easy prey.
She stood up and swung her sword around but two human eyes looking up at her surprised her and she froze.
Was she allucinating?
"Don't be scared" the strange, short creature said to her with a weird accent.
Luthien stared at the creature with confusion. It looked like a child, covered in grass and natural colors, looking so blend in with the landscape that Luthien wouldn't have noticed it if the creature didn't come out.
"Are you hungry?" the short creature asked, hearing Luthien's grumbling stomach, and handed her something.
Luthien crouched and grabbed the weird food, tasting it. It tasted good enough so she devoured it.
"Yes, you are" the creature said with a big smile, then patted a hand on her chest "I'm Nori".
"Luthien" she replied sitting down and welcoming the flask of water that Nori handed her.
"Nice name. What happened to you?".
Luthien breathed with grief watching as Nori sat in front of her and without much effort started a fire.
Was she a guardian spirit sent to get by some Valar that had pity on her?
"I got lost. I was with..." her heart squeezed with sorry at the thought of what happened to Halbrand in the meanwhile "my friend. He told me to wait while he explored, but I became afraid and I got lost".
Luthien didn't notice her hands were trembling until Nori placed hers on them and she froze at that unexpected gesture.
"It's alright. You will find your way back to your friend" Nori said confidently.
Luthien nodded to believe that, then observed her more carefully.
"Are you a dwarf?".
Nori chuckled "No. I'm a harfoot. And my friend is a wizard".
Nori pointed at her back and Luthien jumped up on her feet so quickly that she almost lost her balance and fell on the fire.
If Nori surprised her for being short, the stranger that appeared at her back towered her.
The wizard smiled at her and offered her a hand, that she shook also to steady herself on her feet.
He waved at her to sit down and sat next to her.
"Do you two travel together?" she asked, unsure on how to react in front of the first wizard she met in her life.
"Yes, we are sharing an adventure" he said shooting an excited look to Nori.
Luthien was reminded of the understanding between her and Halbrand. And she felt guilty for betraying his trust.
"Where are you travelling to?".
"To the east" the wizard replied and took her hand, that laid rigidly on her knee.
His warm touch calmed her a bit.
He seemed to examinate her palm, trying to read it. Then he simply let her go with a smile.
"You are good, Luthien. You will find what you're looking for".
She smiled feeling awkward, but she was grateful for his attempt to comfort her.
"It's getting dark. It means we have to sleep. The sun will come back to wake us up" Nori said covering the fire to extinguish it and fussing around.
Luthien followed the duo by some trees where they camped for the night.
Also she held her sword close to her, she was scared of sleeping with strangers, but she was so tired and the wizard murmured some weird words over and over that helped her to sleep soundly.