Collection of One-Shots

》in the company of dwarves

"I will have nothing to do with an elf that is from the Woodland realm, not after what King Thranduil did to my people," Thorin rebutted as Gandalf leaned forward, shifting his weight on the brown wood staff.

"And why might that be, Master dwarf? She has no control over what her king may have done, Lord Elrond informs me that she was expatriated by the late King Oropher," the old wizard glanced over the dwarf's head to the young elf that sat at the fireside, merrily singing the songs of the dwarves, though her voice did not fit their tunes as much as it would the songs of her own people.

"You do not have a very Elvish name," the two youngest dwarves would comment on her first night's stay, she would all but smile and pull them both into a single hug. "My father spent many years in Esgaroth as a diplomat and negotiator for trade between Greenwood the Great and Lake-town that is why my name is not purely Elvish." Kili and Fili were enamored with the elleth; Balin enjoyed her tales of old, overlooking her race to see that she was more than beneficial in the quest to reclaim the mountain, though Thorin remained stoic about the situation. "Give her a chance Thorin, I have no doubt she will prove herself a valuable addition to the company."

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When the company along with Astrid arrived at the edge of Mirkwood, the very breath within her lungs seemed to escape; she had not looked upon her home in centuries. A sickness, a strange darkness had encompassed the woods, in a gesture that brought tears to her eyes, she placed her hand on a single tree. Her heart ached when it felt dead under her touch. "Come now elf, we must continue," Thorin gritted out, pushing pass her to the decaying cobbled path buried beneath years of detritus. The thirteen dwarves and the hobbit followed behind him.

"Let's get a move on Astrid, we'll want to keep the company together," Bilbo had said, suddenly the hobbit from the Shire, who often longed to be back within the comforts of his hole, eating second breakfast and then luncheon, seemed to be more enthusiastic about the adventure than the elf maiden who had willingly asked the Mithrandir to join.

Even though the old wizard warned them about losing the path some inevitable way it happened, the company had grown disoriented in the forest, and though Astrid tried to lead Thorin in the direction she knew the path to be, he was stubborn, and still would not trust an elf, though this was where she was born and raised, she swung from the branches and hunted in these very woods, the path was second nature. "Come along Bilbo, if we find the light I can lead us back to the path and mayhap Thorin will listen."

The hobbit agreed and climbed the tree next to the one Astrid scaled, their heads popping out of the canopy nearly simultaneously, the light kissed their faces and the colors she had missed so dearly were present in the leaves, Bilbo looked around his excitement growing as he spotted Lake-town and the Lonely Mountain, he announced the findings down the thick trunk but no reply came.

"Be silent," Astrid commanded, and Bilbo obeyed, the leaves rustled but not because of the wind, the trees cracked and creaked but no one else was climbing. She nodded in his direction and began her descent back to the forest floor. The hobbit stood at her side, his hand resting up the small sword he wielded and she had her bow and arrow at the ready. "Careful Master Baggins," Astrid smiled and departed from the hobbit, searching for the dwarves. The cobwebs clung to her garbs and soon the spiders came bustling down their webs.

"I found them Astrid!" Bilbo exclaimed, and she approved of his statement, carrying on fighting off the creatures until she stood back to back with Thorin, each with an Elven sword in hand as multitudes of spiders fell before them. Their raid stopped and the sound of bows being drawn surrounded the dwarves.

"Do not think I won't kill you dwarf, it would be my pleasure," the Elves had surrounded them, and Astrid knew that they would be taken to the halls of the King, more than likely to be tried and imprisoned as trespassers in his dungeon. "And what business do you have with these dwarves, elleth?" Astrid knew the question was directed to her, she tried her best to conceal her face as she knew very well she had the features of nobility. Cautiously, she raised her eyes to meet the leader of the small troop.