Lionheart (The Hobbit Fan-Fiction)

Chapter 5: Even the Best Fall

"May I ask, Lady Reyna, why you joined the company of dwarves?" Lindir asked as they walked through the beautiful halls of Rivendell. The young Bender looked over at him and smiled.

"They are my friends." she said, as if the answer was obvious. Lindir chuckled.

"There are few people who would nearly sacrifice themselves for just 'friends'." the dark-haired elf teased. Reyna laughed, and regretted it again.

"Those dwarves may be stubborn and grumpy. But they're my family. They have been with me since I was 16. They've stood with me in happy times. And they've stood with me when the time came to fight. And they still do. And I would willingly die before I saw any one of them hurt." Reyna said, smiling sadly. Lindir never ceased to be surprised by the girl walking beside him.

"How do you do it? Most won't even fight for their own countries, let alone someone else's." the elf said. Reyna looked over at him.

"Since before I can remember, my parents taught me to love all people. May it be hobbits, or humans. Or elves and dwarves. it does not matter. They told me to love them all the same, because that's just the thing, we are all equal. And I pitty the fools that do not realize this until it's too late." Reyna began, a faraway look in her sapphire eyes.

"From a young age, I discovered that I care about others more than myself. I would not be able to live with myself if someone I love died, while I remained." Reyna said, quietly. Lindir looked over at her, sadly.

"You're not living with yourself, are you?" he asked, gently. Reyna had that faraway look again. She nodded slightly, but stayed silent. Lindir looked down, sad for his friend. The Bender was the best person that he'd ever met. She was brave, loyal, kind and beautiful. But Reyna would never see it.

"You have done much for many people. You must not bring yourself down about this. People die. Not even the Lionheart can save everyone." Lindir said. Reyna smiled at him, but her eyes were sorrowful. She knew that he was right; she couldn't save everyone. But she would be damned if she didn't try. The two arrived at the Healing Wing, and several elves whisked Reyna away.

"I wish you luck, m'lady." Lindir said as Reyna walked off.

"I wish the same to you, my friend." he heard her say, before she rounded the corner. Lindir shook his head, at an attempt to clear it. He would now have to go attend to the dwarves. And it would most certainly not be easy.

The dwarves sat around the fire, roasting an assortment of food over it. The sky was now dark, and Kili saw countless stars, shining in the sky like bright diamonds. No one present would admit it; but they were actually enjoying themselves. For just a little while, the dwarves did not have to worry for their safety. In Rivendell, they were protected from the ones that would do them harm. Bofur cooked a sausage that they had retrieved from their rations. Once it was done, he pulled his stick away from the fire. Bofur pulled it off of the stick and was about to eat it, when he looked over at Bombur. The oversized dwarf was sitting on a wooden bench piled with food. The bench strained under his weight. Bofur got an idea and grinned.

"Bombur!" he called. The large dwarf looked up in time to see Bofur toss the sausage to him. Bombur caught it and was about to eat it, when he heard a creak from the bench. The dwarf's eyes widened and the bench collapsed underneath him. Both the large dwarf and his food spilled onto the floor. The dwarves roared with laughter.

"Bofur, don't make me knock that silly hat off your head." a familiar voice said jokingly behind him. Bofur turned and the other dwarves looked up to see who spoke. There stood Reyna, a smile on her face as she chuckled at the scene before her.