Collection of One-Shots

》a token

"If you are a fairy then where are your wings?" The youngest dwarf prince did not relent his pestering glare and impish smile towards the enchanting lady that was at Bag End as well, looking just as disgruntled with their presence as Bilbo. When Kelda did not answer right away Fili knocked his brother on the back of the head, not hard enough to cause harm but just so he could see the fidgeting and uncomfortable position he had put her in at the moment.

It was far from her first run in with dwarves. In her time traveling as a healer, she had come across nearly everything and everyone in Middle Earth. Dwarves, however uncouth they may be, were always merry and in her opinion had the best songs and tales.

The eldest of the dwarves shook his head, his white beard swaying with the movement. It was Balin, if she had remembered correctly. "Pay no mind to those two, lass. They're hardly more than boys." Kelda covered her lips as she laughed, much to Fili and Kili's frustration and chagrin and the surrounding company joined in with Kelda's delicate laughter when red appeared on each of the dwarf's faces.

She and Gandalf had moved on for a private discussion as the twelve guests began tossing dishes about, cleaning them while singing a song. "Why are you here, Gandalf? Poor Bilbo will go be mad if this lot stays any longer than the night." The hobbit's distress was palpable after the arrival of only four dwarves, not to mention when eight came tumbling through the door at once followed by a wizard.

"We shall be gone by morn, as for the reason of this gathering, it is not my place to say. I do suspect that your skills would come in handy should you join this company." The fairy quirked her brow up at the wizard, for she was no taller than Bilbo. The comment caught on her tongue ceased to exist when three, firm and loud knocks echoed through the hobbit's home. Silence fell over the hobbit hole, the rowdy group hushed and looked on as Bilbo opened the door for the final time.

"Allow me to introduce the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield." Gandalf offered introductions. This particular dwarf seemed different from the rest, Kelda peered curiously at him from the shadows. His dark hair was mixed with silvery strands, though he hardly looked old enough to bear such signs of age. Nobility emanated from the dwarf and for a moment his eyes landed on Kelda but she quickly shied away.

She loomed near the dining room as they discussed the quest for the reclamation of Erebor and that was when all the pieces fell together and she knew. Gandalf looked to Thorin but instead he found Kelda, a keen amount of curiosity in her bright eyes. "Thorin, I should like you to meet Kelda. She is known by many as the wandering healer." He only nodded in recognition and she in turn stepped back, silently observing his features, the most striking of which was his eyes. She supposed they were a shade of blue but looked more like the color of the northern sky before a winter storm. The fairy returned to her favored chair in the corner of the sitting room and watched through the archway as the exiled dwarves of Erebor gathered near the fireplace and began to sing.

At once she was captivated but the sound of their low voices was also soothing and before they could finish the last verse the fairy had slipped into the realm of sleep. Thorin was the last of the company to sleep, his thoughts were troubled and above all hopeful, though the figure in the corner remained a mystery to him. He shrugged off the heaviest of his coats and looked around the room for assurance that the others were, indeed, asleep before he draped it over the fairy's figure. The leader watched her for only a few seconds as she turned into the fur collar. For some odd reason Thorin smiled and so did the wizard that had witnessed the act.

The quest had been perilous thus far, with the exception of the short stay in Rivendell for Kelda and Elrond were old friends. The High Pass seemed to be the worst of it all but then they encountered the goblins and as they exited the labyrinth of tunnels into sunlight it appeared that Bilbo had been lost. Kelda looked back to the path they had just taken but saw nothing until the hobbit miraculously appeared from thin air. Gandalf was not the only one to notice Bilbo sliding a gold ring into his waistcoat pocket. Both Kelda and the wizard looked perturbed before smiling.