Blue swords|| Legolas

07

They flew right through till morning. Luin spent the whole time sleeping as his body recovered it's lost spiritual energy. He had managed to curl up on his side between the Eagles' shoulder blades. His case was still strapped to his back but he had tucked his swords between his knees to stop him dropping them. With the heat of the bird and the soothing silence of the altitude, Luin slept peacefully.

It was only the sudden jolting as the bird landed that woke him. He yawned and stretched, feeling rather well rested from his night of  sleep. As the rest of the company landed around him, he slid off the bird's back, taking care not to ruin its feathers, and gave it a thank you pat on the neck. The eagle ruffled itself before taking off again with its flock.

The company had assembled in a small group further away from the cliffs edge. They had been left by the eagles on the edge of a stone cliff just as the dawn sun rose over the horizon. It set everything awash in a golden glow. Illuminating the view of the horizon and the faces of the company. Luin grimaced as he spotted a burnt, bloody patch of his robes. Face distasteful, he turned and examined the rest of the group. Everyone was dirty and singed. Hair was sweaty and soot covered their faces, but they seemed happy and relieved to be alive. Bilbo stood at Luin's side, expression anxious and tired. Luin gave him a reassuring smile as the dwarves clamoured forwards to help Thorin. The eagle who had carried him gave the party a caw before gliding off after it's fellows. Luin waved them goodbye.

"The halfling?" Thorin asked Gandalf as soon as he was steady.

"Alive and well", Gandalf replied with a smile.

Thorin turned and fixed Bilbo with a stoic stare. Luin wasn't sure if he was happy or angry at the hobbit. Reflexively, he stepped back and away from Bilbo, not wanting to deal with Thorin's temper.

"What were you doing? You could have gotten yourself killed", Thorin bellowed at Bilbo. The hobbit took another step back. "Did I not say that you were a burden? That you would never survive in the wild?" Thorin sighed and walked up to Bilbo. He placed his hands on Biblo's shoulders and smiled. "I have never been so wrong in my life". The stunned look on Bilbo's face as Thorin embraced him made Luin hide a relieved smile.

"I'm sorry I doubted you", Thorin apologised as he and Bilbo separated. "You've shown us great respect and loyalty".

"It's alright", Bilbo muttered sheepishly. "I would have doubted me too. I mean, I'm not a burglar or a hero". Luin shook his head in silent disagreement. Bilbo was a hero. He just didn't know it.

Thorin then turned and bowed his head at Luin, meeting his eyes. "You too Luin. You're not an elf and I'm sorry for letting my bias affect how I treat you. You too have shown us great loyalty and have saved us many times. Thank you".

Luin smiled at him. "Thank you Thorin for your apology".

Thorin turned his head away and grumbled under his breath. "Still looks like an elf though". This drew a chuckle from everyone who heard it.

"As pretty as an elf", Kili added. He sent Luin a joking wink and Luin preened. He ran a hand through his dirty unbound hair and blew a kiss towards the twins. Fili and Kili pretended to swoon. Everyone laughed.

Luin looked up as more sunlight bloomed over the horizon. It lit up more of the view. Luin held a hand up over his eyes to take in the sight. "There it is", he said in awe. The company all turned to see what Luin was looking at.

"Erebor", Thorin breathed. He gazed at the illuminated black mountain in the distance with undisguised longing. Luin watched each of the dwarf's faces in turn. There were a mixture of expressions, from excitement to nostalgia. It felt incredibly powerful.

"Erebor", Gandalf spoke aloud. "The lonely mountain".

"Our home". Thorin's words were soft.

"Look! A raven", Gloin called. He pointed up as a blackbird flew overhead in the direction of the mountain. "The birds are returning to the mountain". Luin watched the small shape glide past. It was a black bird, not a raven but the sentiment was the same.

"We'll take it as a sign. A good omen", Thorin stated as they all watched the bird fly further and further away.

"I do believe that the worst is now behind us", Bilbo muttered hopefully as the company stared at the sunrise. Luin placed a hand on his face and sighed. It went unnoticed by the others, too caught up in the moment to fully notice Bilbo's innocent words.

Well, Luin couldn't fault him. The hobbit was unused to adventure. He had no idea what he had just said or that he possibly could have jinxed it all. Gandalf caught Luin's frown.

"Let it be", he smiled at the younger wizard. "Let then have this moment. The hobbit is young and will unfortunately learn. Don't ruin this for them".

Luin sighed and relaxed his features. "You're right", he replied. "I should let them have hope".

AN: A bit of a short update for you folks. Netflix took Hobbit, desolation of Smaug off. I'm sad.