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Chapter Text

“If you depart soon and go through the mountains passage your company should arrive there in time, but i should warn you not to divert from your path, Thorin Oakenshield, for the forest is not as safe as it was in the past”

Elrond said while rolling the map back. There was concern in his tone but also longing that almost passed unnoticed for the wizard.

Taking a deep breath he intended to begin to talk but coughed when suddenly he was interrupted by a fifth voice who spoke before he could.

“So consider your stay in here ventured, my friend”

Deep and sweet the voice filled the garden like music and all green things stirred to the sound. They jittered lively under the moonlight and the light breeze of the winter garden deepened the sweet smells of flowers.

A subtle hint that only Elrond caught on.

His accent was a characteristic of northern folk, that the dwarf had no acquaintance with, his long light hair and green clothes however were quickly recognized as the elf's form made itself clear as he walked around the curve of the hedgerow slowly leaving the shadow of the plants.

“And who are you?”

Snarled Thorin to the shadow balling his hands into fists, he patted his fastens but remembered irritated that his axe was stored in his rooms earlier, so he settled to squint furiously as he watched the figure approaching.

“Just a wood elf who is happening to travel the same path as you soon and is offering guidance for a safer journey”

The elf said, moving elegantly as he approached, his movements looking at the same time effortless, casual and precise.

A mischievous smile adorned his lips, so characteristic of the wood elves of mirkwood, feline azure eyes shone and under the pale light of the moon his skin and hair seemed made of silver.

Stopping under the garden's dome he guided a hand to his chest in a dwarven curtsey.

“My name is Ethuil, but you may call me Tulie, at your service”

Bowing to the dwarf into a perfect form, one knee touching the floor, his braid slipped to his shoulders. The elf stayed at that position knowing he was being gravelly evaluated by the dwarf, but stayed in place, eyes low in the floor, nothing but calm in his form.

“Well, Tulie… “

The dwarf snarled with a particular deprecation at the mention of the elf name.

“And why would I accept a wood elf in my company”

As he said that Thorin spat at the floor and crossed his arms, clearly showing his deep disapproval.

Elrond tensed his shoulders, his hands hidden under the sleeves of his robes pressed his arms tightly.

A wind rippled through the leaves at that moment and the winter garden grew a little chillier than it was before.

Bilbo instinctively rubbed at his arms and even the wizard seemed to shiver a little. The elf, though, seemed undisturbed and stood again, looking at the dwarf calmly.

“I see, straight on trading aren't you, my lord? Very well. I take that your question meant what would I gain by presenting my services to favor dwarfs, is it?”

Thorin kept silent, not agreeing but not disagreeing either. The silence was so thick that Bilbo found it hard to move and noticed that even both Gandalf and Elrond were as still as one could be.

The merry voice cut through the silence again.

“Look at this as a political endeavor. We are traveling the same path at very close times, so by scorting your company I ensure none of you walk any of our 'wrong paths’ or 'get lost’ in our forest. Also our kin have very ‘sensitive’ relationships so it's of my people best interest that no dwarf suffer any kind of injury in our forest, and most importantly, it is known our king does not… appreciate unannounced dwarfs in his territory, so by scorting you I also ensure that none of you stay more time than it's strictly necessary in our forest and by doing so I gain, not only the favor of Mithrandir himself, but also the of my liege’s”

Thorin still looked skeptical, turning his back at the elf, fiddling with his beard with crossed arms and stern expression on his knitted bushy eyebrows.

"That is not all…"

Growled Thorin and Contrasting with the dwarf somber manners, mirth etched the elf's beautiful features and his laughter were a hundred cristal bells.

“Right! You got me!"

Said he but nothing in his body's perfect posture changed except the glee in his eyes as he continued.

"We also would benefit that Thorin II Oakenshield, son of Thrain, son of Thror owed us a favour. Your people are known to honor their allies and our trades with the dwarfs of the gray mountains and the iron hills would greatly benefit from a stronger friendship with your people.”

Elrond looked astonished at the elf and then to the dwarf, many times smaller than him, that seemed deep in thought.

He walked by, around the round playing with his own beard as it seemed to help him think, at the same time as he looked at the elf with the same eyes he would to the elven sword earlier, or to a pile of coins... as a commodity. That, noticed Elrond again, was extremely rude towards the elf and the elven people in general, an insult, as had been the spatting, but the blond one… Tulie, if he has not reacted he would not intervene either.

In fact the elf didn’t seem to care, just staying there, in his best position, as the well trained warrior that he was.

All the while Elrond tried to refrain from stealing glances at the blond elf, what Mithrandir also seemed to be doing with different levels of success for a time, but then his expression switched to an interested one, atently observing what was happening.

After a good while the dwarf seemed to reach a conclusion, and stopped in front of the blond elf, mistrust heavy in his eyes.

“Your people are known as liers to mine. How can you ensure you are not lying?

The elf smiled, easy mannered and seemed satisfied with the dwarf.

“Then you possibly know also that an elven oath can not be broken. If I do, you’ll have my oath and three testimonies to hold me accountable if I ever fail you.”

He said in a charming way and then recited a sworn promise in old sindarin with a gesture that symbolized the oath, both Elrond and Mithrandir felt the hush of power flowing into the room, the trees and every life form in nature vibrating with their caller, Bilbo shivered and even the dwarf seemed to feel a something when the elf did so.

But then, holding the dwarfs suspicions true to their tales, Thorin looked at Elrond questioningly.

“ ‘My heart is bound to the desire of nothing more than to protect you and your company, as much as it wants to protect mine. To our safety in this journey’ is what Tulie said”

Elrond translated to the dwarf that seemed to evaluate the elf a little longer, then he spat on his chunky hand and extended it to the elf.

A pact.

Both Mithrandir and Elrond looked at the elf wearily, but both were utmostly surprised when the elf did the same, with a quite powerful spat of himself in his hand and a strong hold in the dwarf's hand.

The dwarf seemed to be using more strength than normal, but the elf again didn’t seem to care, corresponding accordingly, and as knowing what came next he curved, so the dwarf could hold his head, and with hands still held together he knocked hard their skulls together.

The elf seemed oblivious to the aggressiveness of the dwarf ways, almost as if used to, and that held a note of appreciation on the dwarf, even if very brief and withered.

“It’s done then”

He said with his grave voice seemed mildly satisfied with the procedures, and finally let go of the elf that turned to position and held still.

That also satisfied the dwarf.

“We will depart in one week then, I’ll seek your counsel for the travel again in that time, lord Elrond”

He said in an impetuous tone, deeming the conversation over, and storming out of the room.

Bilbo seemed confused for a moment as to what to do, but one look at Gandalf and his smiling face told him to follow Thorin to the summer solstice festivities happening below, near the waters, where the other dwarves already waited for them. The halfling nodded and rushed after Thorin.

Elrond just made a short acquiesce and the three of them waited in silence as the dwarf and the hobbit went away.

“Tulie?”

Said Elrond in a disbelieved tone once he knew the two were far enough not to hear them anymore, the blond elf just shrugged it off.

“It is what I am, after all”

Elrond seemed to grow aggravated by the second until, one moment after, he was holding the bridge of his nose and breathing deeply.

Mithrandir accompanied the proceedings with a cheeky smile.

“Well… Tulie, you seemed very well versed in dealing with dwarfs”

Tulie turned to him and smiled daringly to the elder.

“That is why my liege choose me to political and diplomatic endeavours, my lord Mithrandir”

Gandalf seemed to find it extremely funny and his laugh echoed through the round.

“Just Gandalf will suffice, my good elven friend”

He nodded charmingly.

“Gandalf it’ll be then”

Elrond seemed to get even more annoyed at the exchanges but that didn’t come to his words when he talked, just his eyes showing the reprovation.

“What are you thinking, Tulie?”

“Nothing more than you heard me swear, to protect them and my people”

“By traveling with them? What if…?”

“It’s said its wise to keep your allies close, and your enemies even closer, Elrond, and Tulie seems very… prepared to do such as they will need a guide”

They held a heavy stare for a minute in a silence that Tulie broke gingerly prying the map still in Elrond’s hand.

“Talking about allies”

He said unrolling the map over the tablet in the center of the dome with care, almost reverence and for a moment he just looked at it, glowing runes under moonlight.

“I take that your own endeavour will be well meet by reinforcements, Gandalf, my friend”

“My endeavour…?”

Said the mage, Elrond crossed his arms looking from the elf to the mage. He did not needed his power to see the future to see how it was going to be and sighed… Testing territories with Tulie was a very dangerous action to take.

Tulie, despite this, huffed a laugh, easy mannered, and half turned to them smiling, mithril hair framing azure eyes. He very much seemed like one of the enchanted creatures they sang about in the halls of fire.

“No one enters Greenwoods without a good reason, not even you Gandalf the gray! Especially since it became mirk as you may know… And yet, curiously, we have our wards reporting your passage through our forests with increasingly frequence recently, especially in a peculiar troublesome region for our own people”

He said, as charmingly as he had talked with the dwarf, no inflection in particular, just calm and amiability in his tone, his eyes though, electric blue, were sharp and knowing, as his hand fleetingly gestured to a very specific part of the map.

“We’ve been having problems with that region for years now, but since within our borders, we never shared the need of assistance with other realms, for the most part, we were able to suppress the growth of the darkness on our own, but my liege fear that this approach will soon no longer suffice and a more direct intervention of the problem will be taken, however by doing so the wasps nest will be awake”

“So, your liege intends to intervene directly at the fortress…”

Said the mage pensively tinkering with his beard, the elf laughed again.

“He doesn't! But you on the other hand... am I wrong, Lord Elrond?”

Oh he could see that coming.
Mithrandir was way out of use in talking with that elf and by that end forgot to notice that he never mentioned whose action was to intervene at the fortress. He hasn't mentioned the region he was talking about or even a fortress, and by that Mithrandir had assumed the knowledge of such a problem.

He just sighed and agreed silently with the blond elf that had cornered them with just one move.

Just then, by that moment ahead the charm of his ways and voice made themselves clearly to the elder, extremely dangerous, as honey in a beehive.

They stayed quiet as the diplomat continued.

“I am no one to say as such, but as a diplomat chosen by my liege my counsel is that it would be wise to warn him if an intervention at the fortress is what you aim, as an unexpected turn of events would deeply injury our territory and further aggravate the relations between the realms in an already difficult time for our race”

Continued him turning again to the map and distractedly tapping some points in the map.

Elrond watched with utmost attention knowing that he was not simply pottering with the map, but indicating elven settlements and points of contention around Dol Guldur.

“You see, our liege is a very warm-hearted and generous elf, against what other realms tend to think, and if warned about your intentions, would gladly join with your efforts, provide valuable information, provisions… maybe even a military contingency”

“This is very sensitive advice, Tulie, but why do you think we intend in dealing with the said fortress?”

Tulie seemed to find that funny and his posture changed a little, so subtle, however changing the mood in such an expressive way, like the stiffness of his body had been washed away.

Elrond braced himself covering his mouth with his hand and Gandalf when he took notice of the gesture knew he had made a wrong move once more.

“You are too used to deem my people as simple, you are mistaken Gandalf. We’ve been tracking you , as I said before, and your preference around the place leaves little to query.”

His voice was sharp, cutting, his expression was not. A warning, of a predator to a prey.

“We know what is in there, we have been watching the locality much longer than you have. Also, if “they will need a guide” you exclude yourself therefore meaning the dwarves, and “need” states a very specific predicament, where I can only presume that you, the only guide capable between that company, will not stay with them in a very critical part of the travel. And by personal knowledge I must say, even the high path and Esgaroth being not as safe as it was before, I can assure you, they are not as dangerous as Mirkwood is now”

The mage made a heavy silence even if the words of the elf were light hearted and easy toned, he looked nervously at the sides.

“You are a very observant elf, I see”

The elf didn’t answer with more than a mischievous smile and a stone gaze to both of them.

“We can not hide our plans from that one, it seems, lord Elrond”

“No… we cannot, Gandalf”

Said the lord with a tired tone in his statement, Gandalf nodded.

“Can you assure your king will cooperate with us, Tulie?”

“I can”

Said the elf with a smile, rolling the map back and giving it back to the lord.

“Maybe we should retire for a more private room, for more that I like it, the gardens are no place to discuss these matters with the attention it deserves”

Said the light haired elf to what the lord nodded quietly.

"We shall retire to my studies"

“Please, lead the way, my lord"

Agreed the diplomat and they went in silence, both the peredhel and the wizard knew the elf watched them closely.

“Esgaroth is way too far from the route to the land of the northern dwarfs, you know? So I believe we will also have to talk about Thorin’s plans of reaching the lonely mountain ‘in time’ to 'Durin's day', as well as his plans of awaking the beast and retrieve the mountain “

They heard and their backs stiffened as the words reached them, being accompanied by an amused laugh and Gandalf gave a worried look to Elrond that after the first shock had taken a clearly resigned posture.

“We will have a long chat today, won’t we? Better ask some food and wine for we’ll possibly spend the night together, my friends”

Said the blond elf seeming exultant, passing one arm around each of his companions shoulders and giving a gentle slap especially in Elrond’s back.

They retired for the night, finally, after long hours of discussions.

What didn’t mean the end of it for Elrond, who wished to stay as long as possible with the elf since they now had a departure date, far too close than he would ever wish.

But then, by the way his eyes glowed, he knew their conversation wouldn’t end as they left the studies room.

“Will you stay with me tonight, mellon nin?”

Asked the blond in a tone almost too low to hear, he knew.

“I will join you in a moment”

He answered and they departed.

Elrond took that moment to gather himself as he prepared for bed, hoping the time apart would serve to calm his nerves and not fuel them further.

When he found his way to the elf's rooms he found him close to the hearth, sitting comfortably in his nest of pillows.

Damp hair drying in the warmth, giving a fresh smell of flowers mixed to the rich fragrance of sweet berries of the dark wine he sipped on.

He could not help but smile as he joined him.

“You always make me think of a cat… Tulie”

Teased Elrond deciding to address the topic before anything else.

The blond elf chuckled and sipped from his wine.

“You don’t need to call me that when we are alone, melleth”

“ ‘But that is what you are, after all’ “

That made Tulie laugh and his smile made Elrond’s heart warm.

“Where did it come from?”

“Celeborn, he liked to tease me when I was an elfling”

He answered pouring wine into a new globet and offering it to Elrond who accepted unceremoniously.

“It’s quite silly”

“Children are silly… And in this case the silliest the best. It’s easier to construct a cover when your counterpart thinks low of you”

“So we are going to fight a dragon”

“No… I’ll fight a dragon. You and Gandalf and, hopefully, king Thranduil’s contingency will fight the Necromancer of Dol Guldur”

“Thranduil is a great allie and I ought to him and his benevolence my thankfulness”

“I’ll send him your wishes”

He said in a mocking tone that made Elrond chuckle, but nothing came after that. The peredhel didn’t know what to expect from the elf’s reactions, he never did for that matter, but this was not their usual unexpected interactions, warm and familiar, no… this time it felt like a chasm existed between them and the thought that he couldn't reach him ached.

“Are you mad?”

Elrond tried again, by a different approach, hoping he could reach him from his feelings.

The sindar knew what he was doing, of course he did, with that mind of his and rolled his eyes at his new strategy, sighing and looking at him fondly before taking another sip.

“I am not angry… just disappointed”

“I am sorry meletron”

“Not at you… at the situation as a whole”

If there was something Elrond dreaded more than this elf’s rage, was his disappointment. He didn't like contention, much less with the one he cared most. With rage he could expect words, could expect him telling straight to the point what was bothering, but with disappointment they were like this, strained in silence and distant thoughts.

There was nothing he could do though, except wait for the other. 

So in silence they stayed.

Even when the elf got up to sit beside him, resting his head over his shoulder.

Eventually the sindar grabbed one of his hands and bit one of his fingers. 

The dark haired elf snatched back his hand chuckling.

"What are you doing?"

“How were you intending to tell me?”

A conversation starter, the question answered. He smiled.

“From the very start, but Mithrandir was against it and so was Galadriel”

“Hm…”

The elf detached himself from the peredhel's shoulders in favor of pouring them both more wine which he drained almost instantly. Elrond made a face but said nothing.

“That is what I cannot understand. With different matters both would not hesitate to consult us, but then exactly when the matter affects my people they fail to reach us”

“They thought you would be against it”

“Of course I would. Attacking Dol Guldur has exactly the same effect as throwing stones at a wasp nest. That's why it need to be carefully planned”

“They thought you would not listen”

“They mistake me for my father!"

The Sindar seemed angry for a moment, then he sighed and just looked sad

"… I thought they knew better than this”

“I am truly sorry meletron”

“I know you are”

He squeezed the noldo hand a little

“I know your heart enough to say so”

Elrond chuckled, kissing the top of his head then laing his own head over the sinda.

"For my part, I knew it was wrong but I honestly hoped we could let you out of this battle”

“We've been in this battle longer than any of you”

“But now you'll fight a dragon…”

“And how is fighting a dragon worse than fighting the ‘necromancer’?”

“I know… it's just…”

“Scars won't hold me back from fighting for my people…”

Elrond pressed his lips tight. He always admired how brave he was and his selflessness whenever it came to his people never ceased to amaze him… but not this time.

“What if that happens again?”

“It's a risk I'm willing to take”

“But I am not…”

Tulie looked up to meet Elrond’s eyes and he found sadness in there, that long sadness he knew so well, also fear, and affliction.

“We do what we must. I know this well, as the lord of this lands. But my heart cannot stop worrying for you, for our destinies… I… don’t think I can bear to lose you...”

Before he could continue, the sinda stole a kiss, chaste and caring from his lips then smiled.

“Neither do I, but here we are. You heading towards the necromancer and I to a dragon’s nest”

Once again Elrond sighed

“We are quite a pair aren’t we?”

Said the lord, finishing his own goblet of wine hearing Tulie’s laugh like a hundred of crystal bells.

“We will succeed, Elrond. We must. I won’t allow that spawn of Morgoth the opportunity to join ‘him’ again, to harm anyone else”

“I dread the moment of your departure already”

“So sentimental”

“Please… promise me…”

Elrond began but was hushed by the elf.

Fingers pressed softly against his lips, tips brushing feather light against skin as hands moved to cup the side of his face. His eyes caught in deep blue. His breath hitched as the focus changed from his gray eyes to his lips, his stomach tying in knots in anticipation as the distance between them was so small that he could feel his warm breath touch his skin and the smell of flowers and berries.

“It is a cold night for Laer”

“It is…”

Chapter Text

One week hushed by and Tulie noticed his lover growing clingier as the days passed.

In the morning of the departure he almost didn't let him get out of his embrace as they had only this time in the quietness of the chambers to depart from each other.

“My thoughts will be with you, my dear”

“As will mine”

Said Tulie with a gentle caress over his cheek that felt like embers over his skin, and then he left.

And then routine took its place and they didn't see each other until the time the dwarfs gathered in the gates of the city where they bid the Lord of the 'Last Homely House' their farewell and so did Tulie as the protocol demanded.

As the sinda and the dwarven entourage went away, the Lord's children couldn't help but notice their father's silence and a worried longing growing as the group reached farther in the horizon until they disappeared from sight.

The dwarven entourage, of course, were not happy with the elven company.

Being honest the only one happy with their new companion, besides Gandalf himself, was Bilbo, who quickly seemed to befriend the elf.

“I am quite glad I am not the only one liable in this party anymore”

Confessed him to Tulie in a small voice making the elf smirk to the hobbit.

And as if hearing them one of the dwarves began again. That was the exact reason the little hobbit had felt upon himself to say he was welcome, at least by him.

“I just don't understand why this one is traveling with us. We already have Gandalf as our guide”

“This one has a name, and it would be good if you used it already. Like it or not, Tulie is traveling with us”

Said Gandalf to Kili.

“It's already decided”

Said Thorin matter of fact and the subject was quickly dropped, what was a relief for the inquiry had been going on for a while 

“No offense Mithrandir, but your maps are a little outdated, I can understand now why you get lost maybe more frequently than what is necessary”

Commented the elf and the face the mage put was one of betrayal.

“But I always arrive were I need, no earlier, nor later”

“I never said you didn't”

Bilbo and another two dwarfs laughed at the exchange but stopped as soon as Thorin looked at them.

They quickly set up a route and a pace that was quick and strong with little time to rest, which no one was really happy with, but they couldn’t complain either. It was demanding in a way that everyday, no one laid down to a sleepless night, but wasn’t exhausting.

Apparently the elf had a good sense of how much he could stretch his company strength and their ponies.

A couple of days later at that rhythm and they quickly arrived at the passage through the mountains.

That time of the year the leaves were still verdant and fructiferous trees were full, here and there. The smells, together with the damp soil of the river running below the rocky slope they walked along, were fresh and sweet.

Birds sang happily accompanied by the soft gurgle of water. Little animals could be seen at glimpses as they walked. The dwarves talked about hunting meat for dinner that night so they could save provisions which everyone agreed promptly.

Not that they would be ungrateful for the hospitality of lord Elrond and his house, but meat there was a scarce treat, by now all the company were more than missing a good roast in dwarven way.

Spirits were high with the promise of food for when they stopped for the night when they began to hear it.

Sounded like wind whispering in their ears as it ran fast it confounded itself with the ripple of the river, but there was no physical presence of said wind however. The leaves did not seem disturbed, the air around them was fresh but still, so they stared around confused.

It was Bilbo who noticed first. Far in front of them the elf opened way through the woods, cutting vines, twigs, roots and shoo away any living thing that could be disturbed before they crossed paths. 

Just then the hobbit noticed nothing had grazed or snagged in his clothes since Rivendell. He kept looking at the elf, his fluid movements of one used to do that, he seemed to be singing along, which made him look just a little less concentrated and more aloof as he moved. 

His voice though was... confusing.

‘A strange impression to have about a voice’ noticed Bilbo, and at first the halfling thought it was because the singing was in a language completely lost to him, but even as it formed patterns it was still difficult to hear, as if it blended itself with the sounds of the forest around them.

Enticed, the hobbit found himself trying harder and harder to hear the elf's voice and he thought he could almost grasp it, a rich strong voice, warm and sweet, making him think of afternoon sunshine and the smell of spring flowers...

He felt a slap in his arm and fell immediately from the dream-like state that he seemed to have gone into right back into the animosity that seemed to have settled between the dwarves.

They gave Bilbo a warning look and exchanged reproachful looks between themselves as if silently agreeing with something.

“Is it necessary?”

Asked Thorin to Gandalf a little too briskly.

“The singing? No, if you are dispensing a safe passage through the mountains”

“What do you mean, Gandalf?”

Asked Bilbo who was not bothered by singing at all, even if now it was just a murmur along the forest. He noticed it carried through the winds without disturbing the birds there, which was fascinating.

“Tulie is asking safe passage to the mountain and the ones who live there, if he does so, the chances we find ourselves in trouble in the mountain diminish greatly”

“Do you believe in that? Seems like a nonsense"

Said Kili.

"Seems like a waste of time for me”

Fili completed in a mocking way despite the wonder in Bilbo's face and the reproach in Gandalf's.

There were two days of traveling together and the judgmental comments over the elf’s efforts were yet to wane.

And though the elf himself was seemingly at peace with all that, the mage was slowly losing his patience and getting at the last of it with the dwarfs for the mistreatment, what was surprising to think about, that he would lose his temper faster than the elf would.

Sensing that the mood of the entourage was getting worse by the minute the hobbit tried to dispel the heavy feeling nervously.

“Well, I-I don’t see any bad in it. He is trying something to help and even if he is not, i-it is just singing! We all sing, you all sang at my house! Hobbits sing all the time! Yes! It’s just singing that’s all. A-and we are still walking! Which is good, there is no bad in it, is it?”

“It’s irritating”

Said Ori from the back of the entourage.

“It would be wise for you, fools, not to bite the hand that helps you!”

“No harm is done, my dear Gandalf. The animosity between our people is long known, to expect a warm welcome is naive”

Interject the blond elf who now, done with the singing, turned back to face them as he waited for them to catch up with him. 

The forest almost seemed too silent now.

“If that qualms your hearts, it is not my intention to force any of you to indulge me, I am not welcome. That is clear and that doesn’t bother me, at all, I am merely presenting my services to your master, as promised”

He continued and the dwarves seemed to get upset with that.

“I don’t like you! Sissy elf!”

Wrangled Glóin from the middle of the group suddenly and the dwarfs seemed satisfied with the confrontation as some seemed to partake of his words, animosity rising.

“Hm!”

Answered Tulie, unbothered, searching something in his pack.

“As I said, I have no need of your liking”

That was not what the dwarves expected from his reaction and that showed in their expressions, deepening in anger. 

They stopped now a good feet away from the elf and his horse, least Glóin who broke from his position to the front of the entourage to point a thick gloved finger at the elf.

He did it in front of Gandalf and Thorin and Bilbo who had his lips agape and trembling, looking alarmed with eyes the size of saucers at both of them.

Gandalf seemed worried but ready to take measures if things got out of hand, if the tight gripping on his staff was any indication, but Thorin... had a silent almost cold contemplative expression as he pulled at the end of his beard.

Bilbo had a bad feeling watching the scene unravel, dropping at his stomach like stones.

“Your people are just like that, cold traitors. I don’t trust you! I don’t trust any of your kind! Where were your services when Smaug sacked our kingdom?”

“This is not a place to discuss past endeavours of kingdoms, their rules and their decisions are their own to talk about in a high council, we have no place in this.”

The elf cut shortly but tha only made the dwarf set his jaw, taking a step forward.

“You are running away, that is what you are doing! That is the way of your people, cowards.”

Spatting on the ground the dwarf had his knuckles closed white, right beside his body.

“Now... I’ve heard many descriptives words about dwarves, forgetful was not one of them”

Said the elf calmly, slipping his package back to its place and finally regarding the dwarf.

“For the said assault was met by reinforcements of elven contingency, yes. You may argue that we were not ‘fast enough’, but there is no fast enough action against a dragon. That said, to affirm that the elves did not extend assistance to your people in your time of need, is not only untrue, as it overlook the lives saved in our healing wards and our refugee camps, it also deliberately neglects to remember of the wars the dragons of the north waged upons us three hundreds years ago, and the pact our people sworn to fight against together...”

“You make excuses!”

Glóin was now completely taken by anger, it could be seen as in his face, reddened as an apple but also in the way the dwarf held onto the axe in his belt and trembled slightly.

Bilbo could hear his own heart beat loud in his ears, afraid of the worst. The elf however did not seem even a little bit disturbed at what was happening and just kept looking at the dwarf, level headed and stone still. There was something deeply unsettling to see a living thing so impossibly still like that.

Breathing fast the halfling looked around frantically to a way to make it stop and found that elf words had done something to the entourage.

Where before was unified sentiment of outrage against the elf was in all their faces, now different expressions emerged, peppering here and there, confusion, annoyance, some annoyed agreement and some mournful...

They were dispersed. There was still a wrong feeling in the air, but it was not the same aggressive energy as before.

He looked again at Thorin and he sure was making a face at the dwarf, but he had to stop when his attention was brought back not by Thorin’s voice, as he wished, but by the elf’s.

“No. I don’t.”

His tone changed profoundly, it was heavy and knowing and made Bilbo shiver.

“I understand your pain, your anger, the desire to blame anything other than your own helplessness to deal with such a sudden brutal attack. The destruction of a kingdom... of a home, is something I’ve seen more times in my life than I ever wish I had, and there is not a single soul in this land to whom I desire this kind of desolation upon. What your people need to try and understand is that there were nothing your people or mine could have done to prevent it, what you suffered through was not granted by elven hands, we are not the enemies you seek justice for, your anger is hitting the wrong target”

Again, that was not what the dwarves were looking for when beginning in that kind of query with the elf and that was almost disorienting to have so much aggressive energy built and disbanded so fast.

Gloin however was still engaged, now angry for having built the energy for a fight that would not happen.

“You’re weak. I bet I can knock you down with only a blow Sissy elf.”

Said the dwarf again, this time knocking his axe on the ground. To what Tulie made a mild face of annoyment that lasted for mere seconds.

Seeing this Bilbo finally threw himself bodilly between the two parties agitating his arms.

“Woah! Woah! Calm down you guys! It was just singing! Remember? We don’t need to get this angry…”

“Let him talk, Bilbo. There is no problem, their uneasiness is understandable”

Said the elf calmy to Bilbo.

The halfling pressed his lips and began to protest again but the elf stopped him with a gesture and a shake of head, Bilbo said no more. To the dwarves the elf said.

“As I said before, I need neither your approval nor your liking. I need only that you endure this travel together, as I am sure we are all doing already, so we can see you all safe across Mirkwood”

Said the elf and after a moment of silence where he found more comprehensive expressions than not, he turned back to the trail and sighed to himself getting the reins of his horse and resumed walking.

For one moment they all thought it had ended but the Gloin laughed at his back and spat on the ground and all the hair on their necks stood.

“Yes! Do what your coward folk do best and run from battle, nancy-boy! You wouldn't last even…”

The dwarf didn’t get to end the sentence for in the next second the elf vanished in thin air just to reappear on his back, his axe taken from him and aimed at the back of his skull.

Tulie was again still as a statue, the eerie unsettling aura around him, no expression in his face, what was terrifying to see. Neither Glóin, nor the other dwarves could see it, but they knew for sure now they had crossed the line.

Danger exhaled in every relaxed line of the elf’s body and Glóin gulped in dry and they could see sweat forming in his temples despite the fresh weather. Silently the other dwarves reached for their weapons which the elf just acknowledge by looking at the side then back at his target.

“I believe we don’t need to start a fight either, dear Glóin, so if you have finished…”

Tulie twirled the axe in the air and Bilbo braced himself for the blow, the dwarves tensed up  and the sounds of metal being reached quickly filled the air, but nothing happened next besides that the elf placed the axe back on Glóin’s back fastens in a swift motion and passed through knocking him hard out of his way, walking calmly and elegantly as if nothing had happened.

Not even a hair of his braid out of place.

“ … we should keep walking. The giants grant us passage for seven days, no more. That means we have to keep a fast walk if we intend in trying a safe passage”

Announced the elf to the group and to Thorin he said, clearly so they all could hear.

“I am trying to do what I am entitled to the best of my habilites, but I’ll only succeed in doing so if you can control your own company and keep them from disrupting my task. Should I trust you to do so, lord Thorin? ”

Finished Tulie handing the dwarf a well wrapped map.

Thorin who was watching everything impassively just briskly took the map from him and opened it with no word except a short nod and a hard stare at his entourage.

"Sure…"

Blinking still in confusion Bilbo started to comprehend the severity of what just happened.

Thorin was gambling... All the time when he did not intervene. From the start, it was a test. By letting his company confront the elf like this was a test of the elf’s position and behavior, the way the elf reacted to that would determine where the boundaries of their relationships were.

The dwarves now under the hard stare of Thorin seemed sheepish, having finally understood that they shamed him in front of the elf and two testimonies.

Their disconcert showed instantly as they seemed to immediately worry about gearing up and getting in line as best as possible.

This was politics, Bilbo thought, with surprise and uneasiness still a little weak on the knees. He looked at the wizard who was watching everything in silence, he wore a hard expression, but in his eyes there was an amused gleam of satisfaction. 

Tulie began to walk again patting the mage in the back in a gesture of comradery and to him and Thorin he said.

“We are taking the East passage for there is a pack of wargs wandering the west. It is a longer way to cover, but we should be safer. I advise to not let your guard down nevertheless, for there can be rogues from the pack”

He looked generally to the dwarves just to assure they all had heard, and then to Bilbo to whom he dedicated a smile before exchanging short words with the mage and getting a aprovation of Thorin resumed to walk leading the way.

The first night outside Elrond house, they were far enough so they could hunt and the dwarves did.

Finding a mountain goat and capturing him.

The elf had not a problem with them hunting to feed themselves, but the screams were piercing.

It was not clean that much was clear and the sound was close to were he was collecting wood for the fire. So he debated whether he should go and take a look or leave it to them.

In the end his ethics got the best of him and he went to them, were they were butchering the goat.

It was Bombur who was gutting the animal, with a good precision he admitted.

"Good hunt I see"

Said the elf referring to the size of the goat. There was fourteen of them after all.

"Not as good"

Said th dwarf distracted pointing to the puncture on the flank of the animal.

"We had to run for a while to reach this one. It was not a clean death, he fought too much"

The other two dwarves, both the younger ones watched the back and fourth a little uncomfortable, fidgeting now and again.

The elf sat on a stone watching as the dwarf worked.

"It is always bad when they take too long to die"

He said and Bombur finally turned at him with a judgmental gaze.

"Their meat turn too hard"

The elf completed and watched the expressions on the dwarf change, from judgmental to surprised, from surprised to amused.

"Yes… it will be a pain in the arse to cook!"

He said turning back to work.

"That hard? What was the problem?"

"The problem was the archer!"

Snared the dwarf, but he was very amused too see, not at him for once, but at the youngest, giving him a hard slap on the back of the neck.

'Missed the aim then…"

The dwarf grunted still working.

"At least he hit something"

Bombur said looking judgmental now to the older of the brothers and giving him and equal hard slap.

Tulie respectfully did not laugh at them.

"Can I see the damage?"

The dwarf then looked from over his shoulder to the elf then nodded and Tulie promptly got up and closer to see.

It was a deep gash of the left hind leg, deep enough that it would hinder movements after a while but far to misplaced to be able to impede it from trying to flee.

The gash had opened as the animal tried, eventually it would bleed into death, but not fast enough.

So they hit it again on the torso and finally on the neck, just then they reached it to deal a knife through it`s neck.

“What a shame… it’s pelt will not be salvageable”

“Yeah a know…”

Bombur growled lookin at the youngest with side eyes.

“And we’re to expect more o’this, the youngest must learn to hunt properly an’I’m stuck with’em”

The elf just looked at them pensively and talked after a moment.

“I would be glad if I could be off some assistance for you”

Bombur who never stopped his hands from working looked at him as if measuring the elf In Front of him.

With tight eyes and low voice he said.

“Help me pelt it”

The elf just nodded putting the wood down and grabbing his hunts knife and became working with the dwarf.

At some point bombur baked at the younger.

“Don't just be standing there doing nothing! go fetch wood! The fire will not lit itself!”

The younger scrambled and started collecting wood.

Together they made quick work of the goat preparing it perfectly to bring it back to the camp without any more complications.

“Yo’re quite good at this kiddo”

Said the dwarf as he ensacked the clean meat as the elf arranged all the disposal for the other creatures of the forest.

“I had my fair amount of hunting”

He grunted and lifted the sack into his shoulder alone what was an impressive display of strength.

“I'll need a better archer by tomorrow, if you know of someone”

The elf just chucked and nodded.

“I'll find you one, rest assured my friend”

The dwarf grunted again seeming less unnerved by his presence, barked at the younger again and Tulie watched as they made their way back to the camp.

Three days more had passed since they began their hard walk upwards, and it seemed to have no end.

They switched from time to time from a march by foot and by riding, giving the ponies and horses a chance to rest in a slower march, but nonetheless they kept moving forward.

The weather turned colder and colder as they went upward despite it being Laer still, there was no snow, but it was cold in a dry way that still chilled them down to the bones. The nights were no better, with the cold increasing and the constant wailing of the winds and storms.

Everyone’s spirits had been bad since the fight before they entered the passage in the mountains, seemingly a kind of grudge for them being shown wrong.

The cold weather did nothing to help either, making the dwarves growing even grumpier than normal and with little patience and of course that Tulie impassivity to all the situation didn’t make anything better.

It was almost as if nothing bothered the elf, not even the lightning and the flogging rains.

Bilbo noticed along the days they spent together that he, when not talking to Gandalf was all by himself, didn’t ask for anything, didn’t swear, didn’t complain or nag about anything.

If not he was thoughtful about their necessities calling halts and working out a fire as often as possible and even bringing from his scouts rabbits and little animals, that he scalped and eviscerated with practice, and gave it to the dwarves to prepare, but did not partake in eating any of it.

Travelling he rarely saw the elf eat, or drink, or even sleep. Taking full watches over the night and reserving only the last watch to sleep, which he traded with Gandalf that didn’t find it bothersome to wake up a little earlier.

Even then he didn’t seem to sleep really, sat by a corner with eyes semi closed.

Bilbo couldn’t conceive how someone was able to rest like this.

“Are you not tired?”

Asked Bilbo one of those nights, with them all huddled together inside a crevice into the mountains.

The elf, soaked from the storm outside, had completed a scout around their makeshift camp inside the mountain.

The question was met with a small smile from the elf’s part.

“I am not, but I thank you for worrying Bilbo”

He said setting close to the small fire, taking and stretching his gray cloak over a rock, undoing his livery and his braids just so he could dry them properly.

He had long, long beautiful pale hair that in that light gleamed like strings of gold, although as beautiful as it was loose like that the elf kept it, at all times, braided and out of the way.

“How is it possible?”

Asked Bilbo thinking about hairs of gold but then came to his senses when the elf answered.

“What is that?”

“That you are not tired?”

Bilbo diverging from his reveries instead and came to sit closer to him.

The elf seemed to consider his question for a moment looking the halfling in the eyes.

“What do you know about elves, Bilbo?”

“Not much, really, not that I don’t want to, but we don’t hear much about your people, at all”

“I guess we don’t talk much about ourselves, huh?”

“Not at all!”

Now that his hair was loose it fell in cascades over his left shoulder seeming liquid gold under fire lights.

In that moment, Bilbo thought that even the masterpiece of the most skilled smith of the dwarven people couldn’t replicate the beauty of his forms, with the light in his skin and hair and his eyes that shone a deep clean shade of blue.

He had to disfarce a sigh into a yawn at the last second.

The elf was absolutely beautiful, especially without all the rigidness of his livery and riding armor, it was funny to notice, from so close, that like this the elf seemed like a strong female elf, or a delicate male one. Or at least was what he could grasp from the elves he’d seen in Imladris. How intriguing.

He unpacked a small bread wrapped in leaves, broke a little piece and took it into his mouth, the rest he broke in half and offered one of them to Bilbo who accepted not knowing if it was rude to refuse or not.

Tulie wrapped it again and packed.

“It is called lembas”

Answered before the halfling could ask.

“A elven bread for long travels, it’s made in such a way that even a small bite can nourish our bodies”

Bilbo looked amazed at the bread as if it was something magical.

“Does not fill your stomach and is not as pleasant as a meal, I should warn you, but it nourishes, what is what we look for in long travels”

“That is even more intriguing, how can your people survive with so little?”

Tulie took a moment more, again evaluating the question. Before he answered though he shared a long and heavy look with Gandalf.

“I guess we are made to survive even the more unlikely of the situations. No one really knows why exactly. Of course we have our legends about this, but they change accordingly from place to place”

The elf studied Bilbo’s face that seemed entranced but not even a little satisfied with his answer, he smiled again. With the corner of his eye he could see the dwarves hearing attentively, even if some of them feign not care the least about the conversation.

“All the legends have this point in common, though, where they say an elven spirit is linked to this world, being part of the life in it and therefore bound to it until its very end. This way, if the world lives, so do we, even against its worst intemperies”

“It’s said that an elf cannot die, if not killed in combat, and even then their spirits live on the undying lands, far on the other side of the sea”

Completed Gandalf from his spot in the cavern where he smoked from his pipe.

“Is that true?”

Questioned Bilbo.

“I’ve never seen an elf dying from any infirmity, no…”

“So how long can an elf live?”

“Long… very long Bilbo. Longer than you could count. Longer than the memory of your people or the ones that came before, longer than what history can tell you. Very, very long…”

“How old are you?”

Tulie chuckled at this and messed his hazel curly hair.

“Much older than you think, child, now go to sleep!”

He said good heartedly but with the finality of one who seemed to have ended his talk and resumed his work on his hair that was still damp but not soaked anymore.

“I would like to know more about elfs one day, Gandalf!”

Bilbo said while getting up and back to his bed roll on the cavern.

“Lord Elrond has a large library, maybe you could find something in there. Should you ever spend enough time in Rivendell to search through their books, but it’s said... that even more impressive are the libraries of the Elven-King’s Halls in Eryn-Galen, Greenwood The Great, there I am sure you would find all the books you would want about all the elven story in Middle-Earth”

“Is that true Tulie?”

Asked Bilbo with a tone and a gleam in his eyes that reminded the elf of a child's excitement.

“You should stop spreading rumors about Greenwoods already, Gandalf”

He said monotoned with a neutral expression, but from the inside his heart was fluttering with happiness and pride.

Next day they walked hard again for the most part of the day, but when the sun was falling from the sky Tulie seemed to tense up, after a flock of birds passed them.

“Gandalf! Lead the way. The weather will change soon, I'll scout ahead for a safe place. Keep on the road and don't stop”

He said mounting back in his dark horse and pulling the hood over his head departed as the wind itself and disappeared between the rocks.

A lot of things happened after that, as the clouds turned a dark shade of gray casting an earlier night, the rain started pouring in angry wafts, the winds wailing loud at his ears.

Tulie had gone for no longer than half a hour and now had to slow his horse march so they would not fall in the wet rocks.

Nature was angry.

The birds he met earlier had warned him about the pack of wargs, disturbing the giants of the mountains and how they were angrily pursuing them, to their direction in the mountains.

He intended in locating a hideout for them to wait the end of the chaos sure to be in security and certify there were no wargs close that could put them at risk.

When he departed he did expect to find some of them, that he slaughtered easily. What he did not expect was that the cries would be heard between the heavy rain and attract the whole pack to his location.

And there he was, surrounded by wolf beasts.

“Look if we did not find something precious!”

aid one of them with their awful jeering voice as the wolves closed their siege on him, all teeths and dripping slobber.

“An elven ‘friend’ for us to play with, maybe if we squeeze him enough he will tell us where the others are hiding. What do you think? A feast of elven meat today!”

Said one of them to the others that wailed their evil laughs.

Tulie kept silent.

The pack didn’t wait to begin their attack and then all was a blur of movements.

Getting to slaughter two of them right away, but had to roll over to evade a third, grasping on it’s back hard and struggling for a hold while trying to concentrate enough to use his fëa to control the animal.

The beast screamed and contorted but subdued under his control, eyes glowing pale golden.

Luckily, the scene was horrible enough for the wolves to halt their attacks in time for Tulie to ride the abhorrent animal using his strength and velocity to help and slaughter more of them than he could have alone.

There must be more than one dozen of them, what was truly a problem, the elf almost had no time to track their movements in mid of all the madness, reason why one of them got to jump over his mount and knock him out.

He had time only to flung his sword and cut the monster's neck during the falling, before he got knocked hard over the rocky floor, sending sparkles of pain through his head.

His controlled warg fought for him before another of them snapped his throat and yet another lunged at him from his blind side.

 And it was something to say about himself that he was already so used to this kind of scenario that instinctively he rolled to the side and braced his sword up.

The sword anchored in the large beast skull, inches away from his face, foul breath and slobber on his face. There was little time to think, he knew, so concentrated all his fëa on the hilt of the sword he screamed.

“Calad lomi, men ennien!”

A light covered all of them at once and the wargs farthest from the lightning yelped jumping back.

Tulie pulled his sword out using his legs to push his now dead attacker off him, the metal glowed with electricity running over it.

He got himself up as fast as he could, still a little hazed and accessed his surroundings.

There was still half of the pack, but now they were too afraid of the lightning to come any closer to the elf and his incandescent swords.

Using this time to breath and reorient himself, he evaluated his options, there were still too many wargs there, and they were high up over the rocks, the odds were against him so he had to be quick while their shock lasted.

And so he began to run fast. He heard one of the wargs bark at his back.

“So you are one of 'those', you’ll pay for this!”

He needed to gain time. He would have some chance of escaping if with Yukale, but he had hidden his faithful horse far back in the trail knowing that throwing him into this kind of chase would be the death of him. By foot he knew that, even being very fast, he would be catched very soon so he called to the winds.

“Oron noroth, hirim faraseg!”

Sure enough the wargs, now furious, surrounded him again not long after and screamed as they attacked him once again.

“Your head is mine! Grey-elf!”

Roared one of them and prepared to attack, but then stopped in his tracks as the sounds of stones crashing violently filled the chaisms, shaking the land.

The diversion came in time for him to jump over and run away from what was to happen.

And no doubt the deafening sounds of destruction came right after his flee.

Out of immediate danger Tulie, tucked inside a slit in the rocks, took the time to catch his breath, resting his head over the back of his hands, feeling the rain whipping his back and dripping from his hood into his narrow field of vision, ears heedful to all the sounds of the mountain.

It took a while but the sounds died eventually, except that the tremors continued until a big glowing eye found his hideout.

Tulie looked at it and smiled wearily.

“Tired already?”

Said the giant waiting as Tulie crawled out of the narrow crevice of rock he had hidden inside.

“The years weight on my shoulders already”

Said the elf standing in front of the giant that stood in the deeps of the chasm.

“Still, you showed them what the elves of the north are made of!, I see”

Tulie just laughed, still recovering his breath.

“What are you doing travelling alone through the mountains?”

“I was looking for a hideout for my company when the pack reached me”

“A hideout in the mountains can be a trick of the goblins, you must use caution”

“I thank you for your advice, but my party don’t know any better, that’s why I went ahead alone”

The giant nodded

“You can find safe shelter in the north path, from here, not much ahead, though I think that your company has already taken care of it. You should find them now, before some evil befall over them”

Tulie looked at them with sharp eyes.

“What do you know?”

“We know that dwarves are not as careful as are the elfs, and their stubborness can easily send them in harm’s way”

He sighed deeply knowing then an even bigger trouble was coming their way.

“I deeply thank your help, noroth caun, I should head to them now”

“I must thank your help this time and excuse myself  for breaking my promise to you, my old elven friend. Buy we will see to that, in time. Now hush, your friends need you”

With that the giant catched the elf in his big rocky hand and placed him back into the trail and went away.

Tulie was already tired, but danger never cared for it, as he runned he called his horse that met him halfway and together they hushed back to what surely was more danger.

“Damned dwarves!”

He sweared quietly into his horse neck.

In the hours Tulie went away the rain caught with the company, the path got covered by mist and Gandalf chose to call them to a halt, close to the trail, hidden under a salient rock in the mountain were they intended to spend the night… or wait for their elven guide.

The dwarfs were angry and in the mid of their annoyance, hungry, fatigue, endlessly flogged by the rain that soaked them all to the bones and scared till no end with the screams and laughs of the giants was that Thoring screamed,

“That damn elf!”

Then jumping to his feet he shouted.

“That is enough! The elf had forsaken us, he will not come back!”

“I am sure he will come back! Maybe something happened!”

Contered Bilbo and the way the dwarf looked at him was piercing.

“Whatever it is! We cannot wait here at the whim of the weather until he returns. If he returns!”

Angrily Thorin brandished his arms, Bilbo could see resolve in his gestures and bited his lips.

“We wait here and the wind will take us, we will drown, lightning will fall on our heads, or we will be caught by some giant and kicked into the skies like balls! Is that what you want?”

The mage was clearly annoyed, the dwarves thought he was also unhappy to be under the bad weather, but truly he felt lots of things at once. He was angry at the giants, worried of what had happened to their elf in mid all this raging storm, annoyed at the dwarves, and only mildly intimidated with the rain.

There was so much more to worry about than comfort that it just made his mood worse.

“Well, if you know somewhere nicer, take us there”

Snarled the wizard and in the end they sent Fili and Kili to find a better shelter, which they did, coming back a little after saying they found a dry cave where they could hide.

Gandalf questioned them if it really was safe and after their confirmation he had little to say for the dwarves were already moving to the shelter, but the mage kept suspicious though he didn’t share this to anyone, except Bilbo who could see that crearly in his face.

“I am sure Tulie will come back”

“He’ll find us then”

Said one of the dwarves and they departed to settle in the cavern.

There, hours after, they were already comfortably settled, mood lifted without the presence of the elf. What Bilbo personally thought horrible of them, how could they be comfortable thinking that Tulie was still lost in the mountains while they ate and slept comfortably.

None the less they enjoyed themselves carelessly talking about plans and what they would make with their part of the treasure.

Finally they all slept but Gandalf, that in the absence of the elf took the watch. He was worried and so was Bilbo.

“Do you think something happened to him?”

“I am sure it did, Bilbo, what I am questioning now is if we will ever see him again”

“He is strong, isn’t he?”

“He is indeed, but so are these mountains”

Then they fell in silence again and Bilbo found that he could not sleep.

In the complete darkness he saw lots of things, and though he was sure he did not fell asleep he thought he was dreaming when he saw a slit open in the deep of the cavern that grew bigger and dark strange forms coming out of it.

When Bilbo screamed they were already surrounded by hideous monsters, lots of them, that were already taking them.

Next they saw a strong light and heard an explosion, many goblins fell dead but they were already inside the slit that closed seconds after leaving Gandalf behind.

Tulie was close when he heard the explosion and runned in that direction, sure the sounds were the premise of some horrible danger the company had built for themselves.

When he found Gandalf he had already his swords in hand, that glowed the unmistakable blue that warned him… Orcs.

He came so he could help the mage fending against some orcs, too few to be the attack that justified that explosion.

The wizard was breathless, a mix of scare and deep concern.

“What happened?”

Asked him sheathing one of his swords to help steady the elder.

“Goblins!... Captured them!”

He said gravelly between breaths.

Tulie only closed his eyes and shook his head.

“We have to rescue them”

Pressed the mage and the elf gave a warning look at the elder.

“Of course we do”

Snarled Tulie

“I made a promise and we need them for ‘this’ to work out. Are you hurt?”

“No! What have you dally for so long?”

Said the grey mage with a new worry in his voice, taking a seat over a rock with Tulie’s help.

“Wargs”

He said only taking this short time to take off his upper clothes and address the feriment he had gained in his arm, at the meantime Gandalf had lightened his pipe and smoked viciously at it even against the odds of the rain.

Arm embalmed and wrapped, Tulie dressed up again and quickly checked his weapons, making sure they were all fastened in place. 

“That will do. Are you ready?”

He said offering his hand to the mage so he could stand up.

“I guess I have to”

“I guess. What is the plan?”

“What makes you think I have one?”

“Gandalf… you always have a plan, my friend. Even if the plan is to not have a plan at all”

That earned a chuckle of the mage.

“Well, guess you are right”

“Indeed”

The mage took his time finishing his smoking and tapping the ashes to the ground.

“The only way in I know is also the only way out”

“On the other side of the mountain…”

“Yes. Elrond was right, you are a quick one”

“I’ve been in the war for longer than you think, to stay alive one need to be quick”

“I see… so... that is my part of the plan, any idea of how we reach the other side?”

He said watching the elf walk into the darkness.

The elf called in a sweet voice a couple of words in elvish and a little after his horse came to them, his dark fur making a perfect camouflage in the darkness of the mountains.

“Glorfindel is not the only one to have a fast mountary”

He said caressing the animal’s nose and head murmuring silent words to him.

The horse bobbed his head and Tulie sighed touching their foreheads together.

“Come on! Lets rescue some dwarves…”

Said the blond elf in an annoyed tone mounting his horse and offering his hand for the elder.

“Never thought I would live to hear you say those words… Tulie”

“Hold tight”

He said only, more annoyed than he was before, and they set away, fast like the wind.

Chapter Text

Gandalf had to admit that he was formidable.

Waiting behind as told, the mage watched as the elf sneaked up to the exit of the caves hiding between the trees, moving as if he were part of them, without any sound, as much as the wards of the high trees of Lothlorien would, against the winds and hiding in the shadows of the trees.

Silently he reached for his quiver, five arrows pressed in his hand and against the forearm as carefully aimed a sixth.

Gandalf didn’t find it strange the waiting, it was said that… that elf was not one of the best rangers of his people anymore, but on the other hand, he was dealing with one of the brightest of all grey-elves of that age, so he waited patiently.

Suddenly the sound of the air tearing up rolled and seconds after six goblins fell into the light. No other sound was made beside their lifeless bodies over the ground.

The mage was left stupefied wondering how great could be a ranger of his people.

Looking at the elf that still hadn’t made the sign for him to come he remembered of Elrond’s recommendation.

“He’ll rarely actively interfere or instruct you in any way, but if he does, listen and do exactly as he says”

Tulie rolled his left shoulder and hooking the bow into his back jumped out from his perch and as carefully as he aimed, he approached the doors of the mountains, still hidden using his ears to map the orcs inside the mountain.

The next ones were still hundreds of meters inside the cavern and could not see their fallen comrades.

He cut the rest of the distance and quickly dispatched the horrendous bodies into the forest, retrieved the arrows, then made something unthinkable grabbing a handful of goblins dirt and passing all over himself. Skin, hair, clothes, armor, cloak, there wasn’t a single part of him that wast cover with the disgusting oily dirty and other body fluids those filthy things never bothered to clean.

Not to give under the revulsion that filled his entire being in doing so was a matter of training, happily, or not at all if you really thought about it, the elf was now too used to the displeasure battles could bring with it. 

He sighed and just then he looked back to Mithrandir gesturing for him to come closer and as he did, the elf just gestured to the dead orc indicating that he should do the same.

“Go on, you’ll hate it!”

“I am intrigued, why are y… we doing this?”

Asked the mage with eyes full of confusion and disgust.

Tulie was already very annoyed at this point, being awake without rest topped with a fight against a whole pack of wargs and a full speed hide through the unstable rock terrain at night was beginning to take a toll on him, but still mustered some patience to explain.

“Because we are infiltrating their nest and trying to get out alive, I can’t afford our cover to be blown because they find us by smell”

Gandalf had to admit it was very intelligent, but was still repulsed by the idea and Tulie could sense his hesitation, the last of his patience escaped him for a second and he sounded marginally threatening when he said.

“Do it, Gandalf!”

As he heard the hard voice of a commander absolutely fed up with battles, made the mage comply with the orders promptly but taking his time doing so.

Tulie just took a deep steading breath and with the unplanned free time choose to tackle a problem he was sure to have soon.

Taking off the right glove he reached for one pocket inside his clothes, took the notorious bread from it, broke it in half, making his half into smaller pieces and putting it all inside his mouth at once. He waited for it to soften inside his mouth before taking two large gulps of water.

Then he looked at the sun and it’s position on the sky, committing the day and hour to memory. Sighing, he turned to look at the elder who was finally finishing his task.

The elf then inspected him and his smell.

“Disgusting! That will do”

He concluded smirking at the other and passing to him his fill of bread and water, buckling his right glove back in place while the mage ate in a fast similar manner that the elf had.

“Good, we are entering now, stay behind and cover my back, make sure nothing blocks our way behind. Our only way of getting out is making sure no one stays behind to block us”

“Good luck for us, I think”

“If you believe in such things”

The mage only nodded and Tulie grabbed his shoulder in a show of camaraderie.

“Stay as silent as possible and move as I say”

And so they entered, Tulie two dozen yards ahead cleaning the territory so Gandalf could come closer, always in high alert, even if the elf took care of each and any orc of every corner and crevice of the mountain efficiently killing them as they entered and recognizing the paths.

They made relatively fast progress, what was still a bit slow as would require an infiltration and mapping like this, but until then they had engaged just two bigger fights but no horn had been heard so far.

If Tulie was using something more than pure intuition to guide them inside that maze of tunnels Gandalf would never know.

But they went ahead nonetheless and found a cave with a huge hoard of stealled items, itthe elf turned grim at seeing the heap of things and only said.

“Take what you must quickly, I’ll keep guard” 

Soon enough they could hear the loud cacophonous sounds of goblins music screaming and laughing along it.

They neared and surely there they were, talking with the Grand Goblin in the center of all the madness.

“Now is your turn, how do you intend on getting us there?”

Whispered the elf to the mage in an almost inaudible tone while both of them hid behind a large rock in the corner, right to the path they entered. The wizard turned to him and noticed that even with eyes hidden under his long cloak they shimmered in the low light.

“Surprise effect, be prepared”

“Oh lord…”

He answered and then started to listen carefully.

“We were travelling to visit our relatives…”

Irritation grew very quickly and Tulie had to contain a very deep want to groan as he heard Thorin’s excuses, forcing himself to stop paying attention to what he was saying immediately as not to and focusing entirely on what Gandalf was doing instead.

Magic, of course, he was doing magic. He readied himself for action.

The lights went out, all at once, and the goblins in the darkness wailed and screamed, throwing themselves in frenzi.

The elf took it as his cue and began to action cutting them apart and opening the way to the dwarves with his dagger.

In much less than a minute they were by the dwarves' side again and Tulie had to act quickly to keep the path open. 

Unsheathing his sword that glowered like a blue lighting in the darkness, Gandalf trespassed the Grand Orc and made him fall dead.

“The sword returned to its sheath!”

Said Gandalf's angry voice in the dark.

“Follow me quickly!”

They scrambled all over the place and Tulie had to trust the mage knew where he was going while he tried to usher the dwarfs forward in the most organized way that ruckus allowed.

Of course the hobbit had difficulties following the others, being the smallest of the group and easily body slammed to the sides and ground. The elf quickly scooped him from the ground hurrying the dwarfs.

“Faster! Move!”

“Their lights will be back on in just a minute!”

Warned the mage as they run.

“Tulie?”

Asked Bilbo under his arm.

“Sh! No talking!”

Murmured the elf back to him, focusing on moving the dwarves forward.

They stopped much ahead, down to the heart of the mountain, liberating the dwarves and the hobbit from their shackles.

“Are we all here?”

Questioned the wizard breathless, litting his staff and start counting the dwarves

“Gandalf we should not be using light in here”

“How do you expect us to see in the dark?”

“They will find us!”

“If they catch us first, let's see, thirteen, fourteen, all here. Good! It could be worse but, on the other hand, could be a lot better. No ponies, no food, and not knowing exactly where we are, and with angry Goblin troops on our heels. In front!”

“Do you at least know where we are?”

Interrupted Tulie recovering all the annoyance he had early.

“Of course not! Do you?”

“Yes!”

“Then lead the way!”

Switching positions Tulie placed Bilbo at the ground and went ahead liderind the company without a word more.

Ahead he grabbed a torch from the sidewalk, he was against using light inside the cavern but the wizard was right, the dwarves and the hobbit could barely see him in the dark, so begrudgingly only because necessity commanded he lit it murmuring some words. Bilbo watched dumbfounded “can he do magic too?” but there was no time to say so.

They run fast through the maze of tunnels, but despite their efforts they kept hearing the steps of the goblins growing louder and louder until Gandalf screamed and he together with Thorin, with the elven sword Galdalf had returned to him, held the curve they just passed through.

Tulie could hear the screams of orcs dying, and the yips of fear of the others. Looking over his shoulder to them, he was glad to see they were safe and kept progressing, ushering the unarmed dwarves forward, until he was forced to stop.

“Watch out!”

He said reaching his sword in time to knock the orcs down investing against them. They got to intercepted them in one of the passages ahead.

Fixing his feet strongly in the ground he was determined not to let any orc come any close, or break his defense.

Behind him he heard the unarmed dwarves struggling backt their feet, while further behind, Gandalf and Thorin’s battle sound progressed, decreasing slowly in giving space to their laboured breaths.

This was exactly the problem in fighting against orcs, they were too many and kept coming forward no matter how many of them he slaughtered. The tight space was irritating, preventing maneuvers in any way that would gain them advantage. 

All that was left to him was to guard his stance and hold ground, at least until Thorin and Gandalf reinforcements came. With the three of them they could fend off the orcs. His only wish was that they would not take too long.

Time was precious in that exact moment and while the elf could keep them at bay fairly well, he could not slay them fast enough and the more time they spent stuck in there, the more difficult it would be to reach the exit. 

Though the elf and the wizard had foreseen this situation and blocked some of their passages while they were mapping tunnels expecting to hamper their pursuit.

Tulie slaughtered yet another orc when the horrendous howl came from the end of the tunnel intercepting theirs echoing over the stone walls, then a huge orc came dashing forward, knocking other orcs in the way.

Though it was in a way very helpful, the clash against the elf dragged him several feets behind and now the golden elf struggled to hold the beast in place.

It was then that he heard things falling. Big rocks were being thrown knocking back down the orcs that were getting up.

He was so concentrated that he tried to remember if they were doing this before?

Then he felt his ears twitching and a creeping sensation to his neck and swerved quickly to the side. A second after a big rock hit the orc he was wrestling with square in the head, hindering him stun for long enough for Tulie to pull a dagger and slay the foul thing.

Luckily it had also been enough time for Gandalf and Thorin to resolve their fight and come to his side, helping him fight back the last of the orcs in front of them.

He took some seconds to catch his breath then looked behind him to the dwarves.

“What? It is dark in here!”

Nagged Glóin’s voice from the dark tunnel. Annoyed the elf recovered the sword he let fall while struggling with the orc and said nothing besides:

“Move!”

Now finally outside they still kept going under Tulie commands, and came to a stop almost an hour later when they neared a dale and the dwarves quite literally threw themselves into the ground, drained.

They all seemed to be panting, except Tulie, who despite breathing heavily watched everything cautiously.

First their surroundings, the time, then their position and what was close, and finally take at their company with full attention. Gladly there were no wounds to be taken care of and that was only luck, no one seemed to be more than tired, what was good.

Still one thing was missing and he needed not count them to know.

“Where is Bilbo?”

The elf asked out loud, but he already knew the answer, the hobbit had been left behind in the turmoil of the fight.

The brief relief of their escape faded immediately and Tulie felt his temper rising quickly, worse than it was inside the mountain, seeing white, hot anger burned him from inside out and he pressed his lips together tightly trying to push down with all his strength the urge to blame the dwarves.

Breathing heavily and deeply his mind raced.

He was not interested in the quarry that would unroll next, he was not interested in excuses, in who they would blame, what were their circumstances, the sour truth was that they had left a partner behind.

And if he was not dead already, he soon would be… or worse.

His heart clenched. He needed to be alone.

Giving them his back he paced around for a while finding a place of much needed quietness, near a stream of water where he headed to undoing his garments and package, finding his cleaning utensils that were just a little bar of soap and a towel really.

Light packs for long travels… reminded him of war. Including the fact that he was well aware of his surroundings and the time, very narrow, he had to spend in this task. So he worked quick and efficiently, thanking his elves for having developed the precise thing that could tackle the horrid task of cleaning the foul blood and grime of morgoth beasts.

Using the task as grounding Tulie tried to stay away from these thoughts, but he couldn’t help as his mind weighted the odds against the little hobbit.

“He is dead, dead for sure” . His heart felt heavy. “Dead because I failed him”

His mind raced and the result of this was that the cleaning was done much faster than he needed to. He was trembling with anger, crouched ankles deep in the stream, half dressed, hair dripping wet, eyes lost watching the water running over his now clean gear and clothes.

Then he heard the sounds.

Soft light steps, moving carefully over the leaves in the ground, not as silently as a wood elf could be, but close, maybe a little out of practice on walking over leaves, maybe overconfident that the sounds in the canopy would subdue the sounds of his steps.

He looked directly at it, at the sound, but saw nothing. A cold feeling ran down his spine.

As if jumping from a scare he heard the sounds of the light feet moving to the back of a tree, his face accompanying the sound instinctively with knitted brows, used to oriented himself by sounds Tulie was absolutely sure he heard steps, though his eyes could not see their owner, and now scared breathing behind that tree.

That particular wheezing belonging to…

“Bilbo?”

He said getting up, reaching his bone dagger just by precaution. Morgoth was known by deception, it wouldn’t be the first time he would encounter something like “this”. What unsettled him was that “this” kind of beast should not be running around Middle Earth for more than three centuries now.

“Bilbo, Is that you?”

He tried again. The goose bumps over his flesh were not because of the wind.

“One cannot surprise an elf, I see!”

Said Bilbo’s voice behind the tree, seeming a little scared and breathless, but then jumped from behind the tree in front of him, hands on hips.

Then looked from Tulie’s dagger back to his face confused, hands dropping to the sides.

“Are you waiting for someone else?”

Tulie took longer than the hobbit expected to show some reaction and that made him on edge, thinking that the elf could attack him for real, but then the elf’s expression changed completely, shoulders relaxing just a little, a soft smile in his lips, brows arched… he looked almost… glad?

He chuckled and sheathed the dagger back into his boots.

“No I was not”

And then the elf, for the little hobbit huge surprise, dropped to his knees and embraced him tightly.

For some seconds the halfling seemed frozen in place but then chuckled, then laughed.

“Oh! I was not expecting this”

Said the hobbit patting the naked skin of Tulie’s back and then not, seeming disconcerted and reorienting his hands to his hair, that he touched lightly and then not.

The elf found this funny, and though he knew he was making the little hobbit uncomfortable the relief of seeing him alive made it difficult to will his arms to let go immediately, he took some seconds more steadying himself, shoving back inside his emotions then let go of the hobbit and to make him more comfortable stood back a little holding him by the shoulders to look at him.

“You worried me sick little one. I was sure you were already dead! What happened to you?”

Said him evaluating the hobbit from head to toe.

“I…”

Began the hobbit fumbling. 

“Bilbo?”

Said Gandalf’s voice from behind Tulie’s shoulders and then the elf let the halfling go.

“Here is your burglar!”

Exclaimed Bilbo excitedly presenting himself to Gandalf and the others, Tulie just watched silently and went back to his belongings with a discomfort in his heart.

He finished medicating and wrapping his arm and then dressed back.

He looked to the side just to see two pairs of eyes staring at him, both of the youngest dwarves, Fili and Kili, he believed were their names. They received a hard knock at the back of their heads and jumped looking ashamed, heads low as they moved away slowly.

Nori, who had knocked them, was glaring very annoyed, hard posture, fists tight ready to knock them again at any minute. Apparently they were not moving as fast enough so the dwarf stomped as a warning and the youngest scrambled away.

Tulie smiled at the dwarf and nodded answering the short and serious nod Nori gave him.

He dressed back his inner tunic, then his chainmail, then his outer tunic and spent a little more time checking the buckles of his now clean riding armor and dressed it too, despite it being damp.

Then, deft hands braided mithril hair out of his face and by doing so he found out he had cut it out somehow. He just sighed and continued braiding and tying it up letting the length loose so it could dry better. Motions he was long used to.

All the while he heard Bilbo’s tale.

There were parts missing and the discomfort settled in a feeling of wrongness that filled him, but nothing showed through. He just exchanged a look with Mithrandir that said he had also picked up on something wrong in Bilbo’s tale.

“What did I tell you?”

Said Gandalf laughing.

“Mr. Baggins has more talents than you think”

He said this looking intently to Bilbo, what no one noticed besides Tulie and Bilbo himself.

“B-but and you? How did you two got inside there? How did you find us?”

Asked Bilbo, diverting the attention efficiently.

Tulie was not interested in tales he already knew and went to scout the region.

Found his horse that easily answered his calling, then mounted he talked to the trees and the animals, gathering information. 

They could afford an hour of rest, but nothing more. The goblins surely would persecute them to avenge their killed master, the birds told him about a large contingency of goblins and wargs already gathering at the mountain gates.

If they wanted to leave the goblins behind they would have to be quick.

Coming back he had the urgency to communicate they needed to move fast, but then Tulie felt fourteen astonished pairs of eyes looking directly at him when he entered the gathering. That felt so strange that he lost track of what he was doing, whatever Gandalf had told them had made quite an impression on them.

“What?”

Blurted the elf still trying to process what was happening and why were they staring.

“You fought all those orcs to enter the mountain?”

Asked Balin with disbelief.

“I... did just what I needed to do”

Said the elf only despite all eyes over him. Deflecting possible questions he crossed the gathering and reached for his package taking a small leaf wrapped bread from within and headed on to debriefing the matters in hand.

“We are out of provisions, so we are rationing mine. Take a small part and pass forward. I’ll refill my water skins. It'll have to do for now, so try to quench your thirst now, we are moving.”

The elf said and took his skins to refill in the stream right below them.

“He is very modest, I think”

Answered the wizard to the dwarves that still seemed incredulous.

They continued ahead shortly after, Tulie and Gandalf chatting quietly while walking.

The horse would be carrying belongings if there was any, but there was none, so it was carrying the dwarves, two at a time so they could rest a little longer as they moved.

“If you can call them the time is now, Gandalf. I can send Yukale home without me”

Said Tulie and as they stopped he grabbed a pebble on the ground and threw it over the slope.

They would ask something like ‘who is ‘them’’, but then the rocks rolled thundering down the slope and over each other causing an avalanche.

Worriedly the dwarves watched the rocks thinking about the problem it would have been if they just tried to go down without Tulie's assessment and the question disappeared their minds.

Stones were still rolling down and dust coming up when the elf, mildly annoyed, went back to his mount, retrieving his pack, fetching a long wrapped cord inside and fastening the pack back into himself.

Quietly he touched his forehead to his horse’s murmuring silent words and caressing the animal who went away north into the forest as soon as Tulie let go of him. But even if the elf had shouted at his mountry, they would not have heard.

While they watched the black horse go away the elf wrapped the cord around a nearby tree with a running knot.

“This will be faster. I'll go first, you just have to hold tight and follow”

Then he got down the slope with admirable precision, and scurried the dwarves to get down.

One by one they followed, leery of the endurance of the thin rope, but kept silent, only Bombur voiced his concerns.

“This thing will not endure my bulk.”

Said him tugging at the rope before getting down.

“It will! Come on already!”

Answered Tulie with a sympathy he was not feeling at all.

Some of them took longer than he would have liked, but even then it was better than sliding with the stones or having to descend it without a rope.

With them all down, including Gandalf and Bilbo, the elf let go of one end and pulled the rope unwrapped itself from the tree, wrapped it all again putting it back in his pack.

“We follow south”

“Yes! We are now too far to the north from what our path would have conducted us. And though we have made great progress by cutting way over these stones, we still have a long path to cover today. If we intend to leave the goblins behind”

“Let’s go, Gandalf”

Tulie said patting the wizard’s shoulder and taking the lead again.

The hobbit and the dwarves took deep breaths and willed themselves forward. It had been a long day and they were feeling weary and ragged.

They were not hungry, but they didn’t feel full either. True to Tulie’s words the bread he gave them truly had something in it that they didn’t feel weak, nor with shaking legs, but all the same, they felt hungry in the meaning that their stomachs yearn to be filled.

“We are tired!”

Complained Thorin.

“How much more do we have to walk? My feet are bruised, my legs ache and my stomach is swaying like an empty bag”

“A little more, Bilbo”

“Much more, you mean. Don’t lie to them, Gandalf”

And looking over his shoulders the elf continued.

“We are still in an extremely endangered position, if we stop the cave orcs can close the distance we opened between us at night”

“So why are we still walking and not preparing ourselves to fight?”

Asked Thorin in an angry manner, Tulie rolled his eyes finding it equal measures endearing and foolish that he thought of fighting with only three men and a hobbit.

“Because we need to reach the meeting point”

Answered Gandalf in Tulie’s place.

“Meeting point?”

Questioned Bilbo but received nothing more than a “You’ll see” from the mage and silence from the elf.

They walked long hours that seemed ages for the halfling, the night had already fallen over them and the moon was close to the zenith when they arrived at a large clearing.

The sky was clean and the pale light illuminated their path through the leaves of the trees.

It was a dense crop of pynus, mostly, dotted with larches that were slowly changing colors at this time of the year. The yellowish colors begin to contrast with the dense green of the cembra and the dark bluish green of the sylvestris. Their smell accentuated by the warm night, sharp and sweet, the cytrusy tones refreshing the still air. 

Gandalf and Tulie exchanged a look, the mage nodded once and gave a step forward but then was impeded to proceed by the elf hand in his arm.

“What is it?”

But he had no time to explain as the next thing they heard was the howling away down the hill, long and shuddering. Soon it was answered by another away to the right and a good deal nearer to them, then by another not far away to the left.

“Wargs”

Was all he had time to say before they saw the horrid glowing eyes of the creatures who came yelping and howling in their direction.

“Quick, climb the trees!”

Gandalf instructed and all the dwarves climbed as fast as they could living Bilbo behind, too small to reach even the lowest branches.

“The burglar!”

Exclaimed Nori from the top of a branch but Dori noticed this before getting up into the tree and frantically gestured to the hobbit so he could help him climb.

Running as fast as his little legs allowed, Bilbo reached Dori who lifted him in his back but even then the hobbit couldn’t reach the branches.

Seeing this Tulie moved, walking between trees quickly, as only a wood elf could, to reach where Bilbo and Dori tried to climb, then as quickly, he suspended himself by the legs to reach Bilbo and flexed back to put him safely over the branch.

The wargs were too close when Dori struggled to climb fast and failing for fear made his movements too clumsy.

Again Tulie suspended himself, this time dangerously low, his legs almost slipping from the branch as he reached Dori’s hand and with a strong impulse flung the both of them back over the tree. Dori’s red cape got torn in half as the warg caught it in mid air.

He was trembling with fear when Tulie placed him secure over the tree branches, just then the dwarf noticed he was clinging strongly to the elf and let go at once as if scared of him too.

“I… huh”

He began but the elf dismissed him with a little pat on his shoulder and moving again between the trees.

“ELF!”

Growled the wargs to the trees rounding them as the famine wolves they were, trying to jump and reach them, sniffing the air.

“That damn elf from the mountains! It was you who killed them!”

To which Tulie answered with a mockery laugh and a proud voice, still moving between the trees.

“Yes, are you sad?”

Answered Tulie to the warg but nor the dwarves, neither the hobbit understood what the wargs were saying. They could identify the menace, but were surprised when Tulie answered them.

“We will destroy you! We will eat you to the bone…”

They continued but a loud whine echoed through the air when a sharp arrow trespassed the warg skull from the mouth to the back of the head, and then the animal fell dead to the ground.

“You were saying?...”

In a horrendous chorus the wargs wailed and Tulie took the opportunity to hit as many as he could then let out a laugh, jeering and carefree as if he found it funny. The dwarves and the hobbit cheered from their trees.

“Vermin! You'll pay for this!”

Barked another of them.

“Only if you can catch me”

He countered with a playful tone and hit another one that chose to wail to him, laughing mischievously and retreating deeper into the trees.

Many of them followed him and as they did Gandalf threw exploding pines at them causing a bigger chaos than it was already. The scent of dirt and smoke concealing the fresh citrus of the pine wood forest.

“How many wargs is necessary to catch a lonely elf?”

Tulie's voice sounded between the woods echoing everywhere, above the barks of the wolves as they ran, around and around trying to find and catch Tulie who circled the clearing without ever leaving the trees.

He hit some of the pines Gandalf threw with arrows causing them to explode in the air, projecting flames in every direction.

The flames, as it was expected from magic fire, caught in their fur as blazes in dry straw and they yelped and wailed and threw themselves into the ground trying to extinguish it in vain, some tried to bite each other maddened by fear and despair.

“What is it? The puppies fear fire?”

Said him laughing trickling the wargs even further and changing directions once again.

The dwarves watched stunned as the elf and the mage threw the wargs into chaos.

Despite his efforts to confuse them, some still tried to hit the trees where the dwarves perched, making them shake violently and causing the dwarves to grab tightly as to not fall from them. They mimicked Gandalf’s efforts throwing pines at the wolves, but that caused nothing more than a little bother to them.

That annoyed Tulie deeply, but the wargs didn't know that, much less the dwarves so, as long as he played it right, the illusion would last.

He needed more distraction and considered his options. Accessing his own body he felt the burn in his limbs as he continued to exert it relentlessly for the third day in a row, he took in the territory, weighted the odds and with a profound breath steeled himself.

Deep down he knew he would hear the reproach of his actions in a future, he would reproach his own plan if he heard it out loud, but they were limited and they needed time.

With a jump from a nearby tree Tulie launched himself into one of the wargs back saying.

“So ochadeen valenor!”

The warg growled painfully and again Tulie submitted a beast to his power, eyes glowing warm golden light and once again Tulie used his trick to wield the warg’s strength against them.

With his wolf mount he ran through the clearing, swords aimed outside slaing each and every warg that tried to get closer.

The wood elf made sounds that the dwarfs could only understand as war cries and in response they cheered maddening the wargs even more.

“That will do” thought the elf, and now the wargs were all either trying to catch him or trying to extinguish the fire that consumed them as Gandalf kept throwing explosive pines.

He played as long as he could, changing the domain over the warg when necessary. Some of his mounts died by the jaws of the others as they now fought between themselves.

Like this he was sure their diversion had succeeded, but he was beginning to worry about his part of the play as he felt his fëa quickly getting tired the longer he spent.

Hastily he exchanged a look with Gandalf that nodded, finally, and with a glad sigh Tulie redirected the warg to the woods sliding in the ground mudded with blood, a heap of wargs crashed against each other right behind them.

As the elf gained speed again with his wolf mount he saw one of them pursuing ferociously, closing the distance dangerously fast, so he thought it was time, taking a moment to position himself inconspicuously as to not telegraph his intentions and in the next moment jumping out of the warg back to the trees hearing his mount cry, in the next second he watched it being shaken by the jaws of his persecutor.

He laughed, hearty and earnest, despite his tiredness and his vision becoming perilously blurry and dark at the edges, the price for playing with energy domination. This was absolutely in the list of the worst ideas he had in his entire life, but the thrill of danger rushing through his veins made him a little light headed and it felt good, and so he knew that must be bad.

The clearing was an absolute disaster, destroyed by wargs rage. Dust extended a thin curtain in the air making vision difficult from ground level, the metallic pang of blood was heavy in the air and at the tip of his tongue as well as the smell of smoke, wood fire, fur and flesh, concealing completely the sweet citrus of the woods.

Sliding down through the trunk, the elf crouched in the branch of the sylvestris he landed on and took a little time to calm down, breathing heavily and observing the wargs around the tree with amused eyes.

“Come on, are you even trying?”

“We will destroy you and..”

The warg was silenced by an arrow, his last one, disguising worry with a chuckle Tulie set off again, this time deeper into the woods, each and every warg of the pack following him as he laughed into the forest.

“Ye, I’ve heard it before!”

The dwarves were not less than dumbfounded looking at the destruction of the clearing and the pile of dead and agonizing wargs into it.

One thing was hearing Gandalf telling the story, another completely different was seeing this with their own eyes.

The elf was an absolute wonder in battle, doing what none of them, dwarves, humans or hobbits ever thought would be possible.

“This is madness!”

Said Balin visibly shaken by what they saw.

“Keep it together boys! Our help is coming!”

Called Gandalf out and then as he reached the top of the tree he was perched in. As if what they saw wasn’t shocking enough, they watched as gliding softly into the air in big circles around the clearing enormous eagles plunged in their direction like arrows.

They screamed as the birds caught them but noticed Gandalf was laughing, now perched into the eagle’s back.

Bilbo was almost left behind again if it wasn’t for Dori to reach out and catch him as he jumped to reach them in mid air.

Lots of eagles now persecuted the wags left in the clearing, and others followed up to find the goblins marching to the clearing direction.

Bilbo had never seen bigger birds in all his life and was amazed to see how they fought the wargs as if they were just little rabbits.

The wargs were enormous! Big enough so Tulie seemed small in their backs. That the monsters now seemed just like little prey in the clearing was dumbfolding.

He looked up to Dori who cried about his arms and to the eagle. He looked like little rats in their tallon.

The scare he got when the eagle looked down at them almost made his grip escape Dori’s but the eagle grabbed him with it’s free tallon and kept flying undisturbed.

Something in it’s expression made him think of their elven friend and then it clicked inside him.

“Gandalf! Tulie! We are leaving Tulie behind!”

They had forgotten their elven friend with all these things happening. But even scared to the bone of the heights and the eagles, Bilbo screamed to the mage.

The wizard just looked at him with a smart smile, or he thought that was what it was with the low light and the distance.

“I know! I know!”

Tulie ran between the trees as he hadn’t for a long long time now.

Almost felt nostalgic, the colors, the smells, the feeling, remounted at a time long gone of endless games and competitions between himself and his cousin, what constructed this exact mastery.

That compensated him now. Tired as he was his steps felt wobbly, he tripped a couple times and slipped his next jump. If he wasn’t as used doing this as he was, if his reflexes were not as fast in this kind of situation, he surely wouldn’t be able to grab the next branch available and continue running.

He forced himself to keep his focus and his hearing heed.

This forest had changed too much in the long years they’ve been apart, he could only expect he still knew where he was leading the barks at his heels.

He couldn’t deny that he was having a good amount of fun, though he knew he would have to keep quiet about his adventure or he would never hear the end of it… 

But those were worries for later, right now he needed desperately for it to end already as he felt the last of his energies leaving his body.

He was tired… too tired.

Maybe he had distracted himself again while running for when he looked up again he found himself reaching the last tree in that forest, almost falling out of the cliff and there they were, wargs everywhere, encircling him.

“A dead end” he thought, panting, cold sweat running down his face as he leaned against the tree trunk and considered his surroundings. “No way back”

The wargs barked at him viciously. Evil laughs filling the air.

“What is it now? Have your wits left you?

“Or is it fear?”

Barked the wargs at him, mocking, finally having an upper hand against the elf. The shame they passed in the clearing mattered little if only they could kill him now.

“This is the end for you now elven vermin!”

They said and one after the other started to hit the tree with their huge bulks. Their leaves shook and some branches cracked but he stayed unmovable, relaying in his balance to keep up.

“Where is your laughter now?”

The tree started to give in, impacts being too strong for the rock to sustain it’s heavy body, he felt bad for her.

He felt the rock cracking and the moment the ground started to give in.

Then everything happened in a second.

As the tree fell down one of the wargs used it’s inclination to climb, at the same time Tulie turned setting on running through the tree trunk as fast as he could and jumped off it arching into the air a mere second after the warg jaws closed in the air, too far and bellow from him to catch and started to fall with a wailing sound.

Tulie still had time to have a wave of satisfaction before the warg and the trees got completely out of his vision and as he fell he contemplated the possibility that their plan could have failed and that he could die there, in the bottom of that chasm that approached in a vertiginous speed.

“So be it…”

He thought contemplating the dark chasm at his head, the stars at his feet, as his vision went black, but the impact was faster and softer too than he expected. The strangeness of not feeling his bones crushing registered together with voices calling a name, was it his name?

And then just darkness.

Chapter Text

In the dark he saw a light…

It was pale as a star and flickered like a candle in the wind, it’s brightness dim and shy, as if the darkness it stood against was too dense to let through.

For a long time he just watched, silently hearing a faint fëa.

It made him think of wind bells and rain, thunder roaring distantly, water trickling leaves and murmuring between stones.

With his mind's eye he could see the little drops falling gently from the leaves and splatter over grass and flowers. Little hurriedly animal seeking refuge. The warmth rising from soil, perfuming everything with an aroma of earth and wood, hints of flowers and the freshness of leaves.

It was familiar in ways that made him long achingly… home.

The murmur stirred something deep inside and against the dark bonds he struggled to break free without finding any give. 

He felt drained, the dark mist making his mind hazy, and even in that confusion the want to reach it burned in him, he needed to reach it.

So he tried the only way he could, building his strength inside of himself, fëa concentrating and as a wave building, growing, running wilder just to crest and crash washing everything off it’s way.

For long he waited, worn and tired, watching anxiously until the wave could no longer be seen, it’s brightness lost in the dark. He hoped for it to be enough, it had to be, he thought, the seconds going by. 

Inside he could feel his own fëa repeating the chanting, over and over again, but so quietly, that he thought he was just trying to comfort himself from the sorrow eating at him… At his limbs, at his body, at his fëa. A dark prison he did not know why he insisted on keeping on fighting.

But then… In the dark he saw a light

A pale star glimmering dim and shy, flickering against the dark winds too dense to let its light through.

He held his breath and hoped, watching transfixed. Slowly drawing closer, clearer and it touched him as the first rays of sunshine after a long winter.

It knelt in front of him and he could discern… the light’s shape, the feathers reminding him of a crown, wrapping around white hair and front where dark piercing eyes wore a difficult expression. 

It reached out to him, fingers tracing gently over the bindings.

It’s staff touched over his front and he could faintly see a smile before a strong light drowned all things and he felt a pull…

He came to his senses struggling for air, trembling and gasping, as a drowning man pulled out of the water.

And it surely seemed like it, his desperate breathing rattling in his chest so when his trembling hand shot up, a silent call for help, his old hand instinctively found the other’s and pulled from his laid position,  cradling the elf's back with his arms and letting his head rest over his chest.

That was exactly what it seemed like, a drowning.

Chilled to the bone, trembling, pale, skin clammy and clothes damp with sweat, his blue eyes floated around viciously, and try as he may to find nothing stable to fix he could not and closed them tightly shut again.

The only thing convincing the wizard that he was not drowning was the fact that he felt dry... mostly. And obviously the fact that he was there at his side all the time he had been unconscious.

“That was dangerous"

Gandalf said with sympathy not knowing if the elf would understand what was he talking about.

"You are too weak, you shouldn’t get up so fast if I was you”

The blond said nothing and let himself pliantly be slowly lowered back down to his mattress of straw and feathers.

The look of recognition came across his beautiful features a little belatedly.

"Hnn.."

Was all he coul mutter, a pained displeasured sound and that made the Mage's heart feel tight, and however a conscientious sound even a sad one like this, was a good sign in his book..

He watched as the edhel tried to lift his hand, probably to touch his head and face but after some wrestling with his own movements and the intense shaking of his limbs the elf gave up, laying limp. 

Something like a frustrated sob escaped his mouth followed by a sigh.

He felt his heart clenching more and more and his sympathy for the elf growing by the second, he couldn't even imagine how bad it could be, feeling trapped inside his body of all places… with that.

All his concentration seemed to focus on breathing slowly and suppress the pain to manifest vocally. Instead it showed in his expression and in the lines of his body that seemed tense despite the limpness.

The elf had said and done nothing in the few minutes he was awake, but in that small time, the anguish and irritation felt was palpable, so it was not a surprise when he snapped.

“My necklace…”

The question however, was.

“I took it from you before laying you to rest”

Sighing the sindar continued, his voice was edged, clearly annoyed but guarded as someone trying very hard not to lash out on others.

The mage appreciate the effort and smiled, but the elf barely seemed a menace sounding hoarse and unstable, frail in comparison to what it sounded usually, and lying helplessly trembling and heaving over an improvised mattress.

He seemed to know that too and that seemed to escalate his exasperation even further, if it was possible.

“Fetch my pack… would you, please?”

"Oh… of course"

Said the wizard not before frowning quizzical and got up wandering the rock formations and hurriedly came back palming the contents of the sinda's sturdy pack of dark brown leather as soon as he sat down again.

“Why would you want your necklace in a time like this?”

“Don’t!”

Chided Tulie, who’s control over his annoyance seemed to have slipped momentarily. A whimper followed and the elf resumed his focus to his breathing.

The wizard looked from the suffering elf to the necklace puzzled.

It consisted of a string made of natural fiber holding a series of beads, in the center it carried a stone, dark blue etched with leaf motifs sided by six hazel colored teeths, three at each side decorated in the same fashion of the stone.

Gandalf remembered taking it off  together with the heavy livery when laying the unconscious elf, hours ago and thought nothing of it, but now he was intrigued.

That sort of ornament was characteristic of the telerin as a whole, though their kin who lived by the sea, the falathrin and even the falmari on the other side of the ocean, tended to use more sea inspired adorns.

Thinking about sea shells was what brought his attention to the stone in the center.

Serendipitous Ithil was clear in sky that night illuminating enough so he could it well, the stone seemed pretty solid when tapped with his fingers, the weight seemed right too but his attention was on the ring that outlined the stone perfectly and held it on the necklace. He couldn’t see any seams but it did not discouraged from trying to pull it open as one would a seashell.

Nothing happened, then he looked again to the elf laid beside him.

His breathing was difficult but he seemed calmer, slits of blue were clear, almost luminous between golden lashes watched him.

 It remembered him of the orc caves and he stored that curious information to himself.

Of course the mithril edhel was smarter than this. So he tried to rotate following the ring, nothing happened to one side, but it did on the other. Opening exactly as he expected the stone now emitted a strong smell of eucalyptus and peppermint… A healing balm.

“Oh!”

It was medicine! He concluded with a surprise comprehending now why the elf was annoyed. He grabbed one of the teeth and shaked it, feeling an almost unnoticeable swirl of the liquid inside, so tightly pressured it was. Everything in the necklace should be some kind of medicine, thus it was on his person at all times, should the need of any of the components ever appear.

Even in odd situations… like this one.

“Oh!” Chuckled the mage “How clever!”

The beads of brownish red that seemed hard upon looking proved to be a little softer than expected for something made of wood. So of course it was not. 

He applied a little more force between his fingers and to his enjoyment it proved him right crumbling in his hands, smelling like valerian and ginger, between many other things.

“Don’t waste...”

Was all the elf said and the mage placed the crumbles on his mouth, making a face, definitely medicine.

He looked at Tulie again and the elf seemed drained, bordering lose consciousness again, but he had a feeling that the only thing preventing it was his will alone. 

“Which ones do you need?”

Asked the elder and watched lips open and closed without any answer.

Pressing his lips in a tight line Gandalf inclined ever so slightly over the elf taking one of Tulie’s hands and running it slowly over the necklace.

It took two times running his cold hands over the necklace and calling him softly until the elf could divide his attention into something more than just breathing and tap weakly over two beads and a tooth that was in the center.

The elder cut it off from the string carefully and gave it to the elf helping him upward so he could swallow without choking. He gave the elf water too and laid him down again.

Blue eyes looked up at him again and Gandalf was already wondering why when  a weak smile crossed his whole pale expression and a softly whispered “ celebess” hit him before the elf closed his eyes passed out completely.

The wizard blinked at him and sat back, pulling on his beard the while chuckling as he watched the elf longly.

“You have good eyes, I see...”

He said still amused, retrieved his pipe, pressed some herbs inside, lit it up and watched the night.

It was a chilling night into the top of the mountains.

But the cavern the elf was placed to rest was not as windy and cold as the other landings. Gwaihir attention that was very appreciated yet peculiar to say the least, maybe the surprise lied in the intimate nature of this knowledge.

It seemed like a secret for it wasn't common lore, but then every one that really mattered seemed to know…

Still was strange to think.

Elven bodies were perfect and never fell sick, did not wilt and their years were countless if not severed forcibly. They were spirits made to last until the very end of the times.

And then, there was Tulie... Contradicting everything known about the eldar. Survivor of a war whose darkness he still carried within himself.

How had he endured such torment and kept on going without being consumed of fading was beyond his comprehension, and yet there he was, alive against all odds. 

Flawed, but alive.

And that curiously made him also more… human, in a way.

Elrond had told one thing or another about how The War of The Last Alliance had changed them all, but hearing and seeing were two greatly different things.

It was almost unsettling, to watch an elf, the epitome of creation of Illuvathar, moreover Tulie in special, looking fragile like that, huddled up striving to keep warm. Exhausted and frail and in pain.

So different from the austere self he presented anywhere else, and certainly different from what was said about him and his fiendish mind… He was different.

And that was more an epiphany than a conclusion, he was different, from what was said or believed of him. And it took travelling with said elf to understand that, he indeed was a skilled warrior, a quick thinker, a strategist, but he was also calm and considerate, a gentle companion. An empathetic diplomat. A trustworthy friend...

It was a cold night… there at the top of the mountains.

So he pulled out a gray heavy cloak from the leather pack and draped it over the elf and torn apart a piece of the nest where the elf was laid down, plucked the feathers from it and lit a little fire, small not to call attention, but big enough to offer warmth and a little comfort.

And so he waited “guarding a guardian” , the elder chuckled as he smoked from his pipe.

Chapter Text

It was warm and comfortable…

The wizard chanted idly, the tune was familiar as was the smell of the herbs in his pipe.

Opening his eyes drowsily he regarded the dark dome of night and it’s lights. They were always a calming sight… when they were not dancing furiously in front of his eyes so he closed them again and let his mind clear a little from the heavy slumber the potion had put him into.

For one moment he had forgotten. The High Pass, inside the mountains and the clearing…

His body however had not, punishing every little movement, screaming angrily everything he had done wrong in the last days. It hurted bones deep and he knew yet more beads would be needed to subdue the pain.

In silence he catalogued what his body was screaming.

Too much effort over an old wound plus a dislocation, if the ache was anything to go by. His body felt stiff and sore, his head ached, his muscles throbbed and burned, he felt tired beyond measure…

All in all, significantly better than the dark sickening feeling eating at him when he first ‘woke up’. Still… it hurted greatly.

On the ‘brighter’ side, he had no life threatening injuries.

While the fight was happening he had not thought much of it, while he was trying to keep all of them alive, and though there was no regrets in him about what he had done, carelessly wielding his own body during the battle, he was sure the pain would be enough reminder of his own recklessness for days to come.

As would a certain elf if he knew of this… He could almost hear him chiding, grave voice heavy with worry and annoyment.

He would not be mad, no, but he would wear that difficult expression of his, now so familiar, that said of one at his wits end of what to do with a loved one who was being particularly exasperating.

Except that rarely would he be the subject of this expression… Not anymore at least. He thought with a faint smile to his face.

Feeling less light-headed he decided to try open his eyes again, looking up to the dark starry sky. They were blurry and floated strangely but his eyes followed easily the path to Gil-Esthel feeling his heart tight in his chest, what an irony that the star that helped guide was a constant reminder of that elf… And how much he missed the sooth of his warm embrace already.

He took a deep breath and turned slowly to watch quietly at the source of warmth right next to him.

Magic fire… that was the only thing to explain why it burned so slowly even being fed by straw and thin branches, he smiled looking at them dancing in soft colors of green, blue, pink and purple.

His blue eyes seemed to shimmer in the low light of the flame, and like this it was easy to bnotice when they diverted from the fire to their wielder and kept watching as the wizard blew some rings of smoke with lips tugged at one side.

“Thank you Gandalf”

There shouldn’t be a surprise in something as simple as a thanks, but somehow the elf’s voice sounded so small and earnest that made the elder smile.

Crossing his arms over his chest and rubbin at them the wizard nodded.

“Who would have known up here could be so chilly?”

The blond elf just huffed.

“You would, as do I and many others that care for a book once in a while”

That amused the wizard.

“Right you are. Right you are...”

Tulie sighed and closed his eyes again, trying to make himself yet smaller inside his cloak without moving his left side.

“Tired?”

“I‘m far beyond that”

The elf’s slurred while pressing his right eye with the palm of his hand. His vision was still swimming and keeping his eyes open was difficult. 

“You had no respite for four days in a row. And that was a particularly dangerous endeavor… I think we can understand why this is huh?”

“Had worse in my life”

“Well… that was before the war, I believe”

“I’m referring to it”

“Oh!... I see” And after a pause "That's why you carry an emergency supply of medicine with you"

"Precisely"

Gandalf nodded comprehendingly while lighting his pipe again. The smell was sweet... as the name suggested ‘Sweet Galenas’ , his people used it, but the smell for him was yet another reminiscent of Imladris.

He sighed.

“Did the plan work?”

Broke his hoarse voice into the silence and Gandalf smirked as he answered amusedly.

“We are alive aren’t we?”

“I guess… I am not sure myself”

“Lord Elrond had told me once about your strange sense of humor”

“I guess he did”

The mage made a pause pulling some rings of smoke and watched as the elf shuffled slowly putting himself into a sitting position .

“You should try and eat something, my friend. Maybe rest a little more, you are in need of it”

“Food… courtesy of the eagles I suppose”

“And the dwarves. Yes. Apparently their appreciation of you grew considerably from the last time you’ve seen them, you know?”

Said the wizard arching his eyebrows with a far too knowing and a far too amused tone that made Tulie smile despite the pain.

“Oh! What great news, I am flattered.”

Answered the elf with a snicker, the shaking making the pain worse for just a second. After a deep breath he continued with much less energy.

“But unfortunately I’ll have to be inconsiderate with my hosts”

“And why would it be?”

Questioned the wizard curious.

“I don’t eat meat, Gandalf”

Explained the elf that could almost hear the wizard’s thinking, the questions forming, but was glad for his friend was sensible enough to not bring any of it, for now.

“That explains a lot to be honest!”

Said he and Tulie had his attention.

“Does it?”

“Yes you see…”

Continued the wizard getting up.

“Earlier, Gwaihir came to this landing to talk about some matters and to see your wellbeing… That was to be expected, as he is our host. Isn’t it?”

“Surely”

“Yes… I thought so myself, but then, interestingly the Lord of The Eagles also brought with him a basket. This one in fact...”

Said Gandalf coming back with said basket in hands and placing it at the side of the nest Tulie was in.

“Yet more intriguing it comes with a message. He says ‘The hermit of the Carrock wishes a fast recovery to his elven friend’ ”

Recited Gandalf in front of Tulie again, watching him with interest in the dark smart eyes.

This time when the elf smiled, it actually reached his eyes and his cheeks.

“I see… So now it makes sense”

“Doesn’t it?”

The smile lingered there though his blue eyes seemed distant and thoughtful as he reached out for the basket, forcing his arms to move.

The movement caused a wave on his whole body, and it burned, he hissed suddenly aware of every inch of his body. It ached, but it was far from being the worst pain he ever felt in his life.

So he sighed reorienting his attention to his breath and to what was he doing.

The basket was round weaved with fine withe, the lid was tied to the top firm enough for him to have to cut it open. He smiled at the precaution as to not have the contents scattering around during the flight.

Inside was a bundle of cream colored fabric, well wrapped as to not let anything inside move, beat or break in any way.

There was more than enough. Bread and soft cheese. Butter stuffed on a small wooden box, over it tied with twine a spreader made of the same wood and of the same size of the box. The jam was in a small but thick glass jar, as was the honey, it was strawberries from spring past. Tomatoes, black berries, grapes and figs.

Everything so carefully arranged... for him.

He touched the contents carefully without moving anything, in his mind he could see the dark skinned hands that wrapped it all together in the bundle that laid in front of him. Could feel the thought while he was doing it.

A gentle shake of the elder’s hand over his shoulder prompted the elf to look up again. Maybe he had  spent too long staring at the food.

“You should eat and rest now, my friend”

Offered the wizard and he obliged. Eating more forcefully than he wanted and as much as he could without getting sick.

The sinda offered some to the mage, who denied at first saying he needed it more, but ended up tasting a little bit of everything. It was good food, but it was unfortunate that he was far too tired to enjoy it properly.

A long companionable silence stretched all the while.

The wizard smoked from his pipe and everytime their eyes met the sinda could see the questions but nothing was said.

So Tulie continued as if nothing, wrapping the bundle back together when finished and placing it aside with the basket.

Again his left shoulder gave a dull pain with the movement and he bit down the whimper before it escaped his mouth.

It really was displaced.

Gandalf's heavy eyes were on him, of course, watching closely, but it was far from keep the ward to do what he needed.

Fetching his necklace, he took four more beads from it, putting all four in his mouth and chewing it while attached it back to his neck, but not without wincing.

It was a quick process and he had done it thousands of times, it did not help however the prickly sensation creeping his back and legs in anticipation.

Taking some deep breaths he willed himself, bending the left knee over and wrapping his right arm around it, grabbing his left wrist.

He kept breathing as his knee slipped forward and down pulling his left arm together and then faster than Gandalf could understand a crushing sound echoed in the stone walls and he whimpered, cold creeping inside his body, sweat in his brow, the world losing color and focus.

“Elbereth and all the stars! What are you doing!?”

The elf ignored in favor of laying back down on the feathers which the elder helped with a myriad of complaints he could not hear for his senses, gladly were out with the pain.

A sigh of relief when he finally felt himself relax over the mattress. Long minutes have passed when finally answered.

“My shoulder was displaced"

Said Tukie simply and the elder seemed torn between angry and confused for a moment, there were many things he would have said, his expression told the elf, but he setted just to sigh resigned.

“You’ll need to brace it”

“Maybe later… this very moment I wish to stay very still”

Said the elf pulling his cloak over himself.

“What do we do now?”

Asked him looking up to the wizard, just his eyes peeking out of his cloak.

“I thought you wanted to be very still"

"Still and silent have different meanings" 

" Children ” He thought sighing lighting his pipe once again.

It was true, the wizard was truly annoyed at the elf's stubbornness.

In a strange way, he understood that that was the way a warrior used to do things alone. He knew a couple more of those individuals and all of them had good hearts in them, but it was also distressing to see someone negate help to oneself when it could be so much easier.

However, it was also true, and that he was learning quickly, the wizard couldn’t find it in himself to be angry at the elf for too long. Especially if he was looking directly at him with those starry blue eyes.

Sighing annoyed, the wizard continued.

"Well… I was thinking about paying respects to the hermit of North”

“Sounds good… It's been a while since I've last saw Beorn”

“I am sure he will be pleased to see an old friend, but not as pleased to see dwarves.”

Tulie’s eyes tracked at the mage as he talked.

“I've never talked personally with Beorn the hermit, do you think we can convince him to have some kindness towards our dwarfs?”

“Convince...”

Repeated Tulie sounded thoughtful and just a little annoyed and Gandalf knew of the misstep, but then he sighed, apparently too tired to be mad.

“You think ill of the people of the north. They are not uncivilized, they live in the wild, yes, but there is a difference in that. And they surely don’t need to be 'convinced' to have kindness towards anyone, they are kind themselves”

“Well, that is not what is said, my friend”

The mage said in a huff of a laugh looking amused at the elf, but he just looked... sad, his eyes fixed on the blue flame.

“Look around you, Gandalf. What do you see? Think about my people’s forest, of what happened, of what it is in there. Think of what we are to fight in the moons to come. What kind of stray do you think come to us in times like this?”

“I just worry that this method will lay friends and enemies in the same way”

“You would know, wouldn’t you?”

Said the sinda and the wizard flinched, silent and guilty written over his expression.

The elf immediately looked sour and took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

“I am sorry, Gandalf. My behavior is undue, I guess I am too tired to think clearly”

“You are worried, as you should be. I understand”

“I am as worried as I am upset. I wish you could understand…”

“Well, make me understand, then”

Said the wizard holding both hands to his staff as he looked amiably to the elf. He was lending his ears to the elf, and that was more than anyone had done since it all began.

He remembered, many nights before and many miles behind, confiding in a lover’s embrace the desire they trusted them, they reached to them as the allies they claimed to be. So he ventured.

“Upsets me to hear it over and over again. We are unwelcome, wary, distrustful, unwise, dangerous… It is easier to say these things when you are not there to witness”

The elf rubbed his face in an attempt to fend the feelings that together with the pain made him feel sick all over again.

“We don't have magical artefacts, Gandalf, nor rings of power, we just have ourselves. People who suffered too much and chose to stray deep into the forest in hopes that would spare us from suffering, but suffering followed us and once more we were forced to fight.”

“Our forest is dying and all the protection our kingdom possess comes from the strength of our people. They fight for each other, they bleed for each other and they die for each other, day after day after day. It is unfair... to expect the same treatment here as you have in other realms”

The speech of the elf kept the wizard silent thinking about what he was hearing. For the first time, the situation of the north approached by one of the elves who lived there.

Made him think… and it was true.

Imladris , Lothlorien and Mithlond had protection that Eryn Lasgalen had not. The three most welcome elven realms were also the safest ones.

Looking that way at the situation he understood that, wanting it or not, that gave the leisure to live life differently from those in the north who had to constantly watch over their safety.

And strangely he had never put thought about it.

Hearing that from one of them, so openly and earnest gave new light and comprehension to all of this.

“I know Gandalf, we lack in many things and at times the wisdom of our king alone may not be enough to guide our people in the best way"

"But he tries his best, as do we and that is all we can do… Of course my point of view is biased about this matter, but I feel It’s just… unfair. To us… to them. It is frustrating… Makes me wonder who needs to be convinced to have some kindness.”

Said the sindar in a tired breath and the wizard couldn't answer anything.

It was a different way to see the world, a way foreign to him until that moment. He thought about living in a forest, once secure, and then with possibly the worst evil of that age at his side, spreading, consuming the life of what once was beautiful and free.

Having to put their own kin in the battle front, so as to keep their people secure.

It was a siege.

It was war…

Just then he comprehended what the elf said some days before "We are in this battle longer than you think".

For those people, the elves of the twilight, the war never ended.

The mage retrieved his pipe and began to press some herbs inside it.

“I see”

Was all the elder said and Tulie looked up again at him and smiled seeing his thoughtful expression.

“Hopefully you do…”

“I am happy that you joined us, my friend”

Said the mage lighting his pipe, pulling puffs of smoke through it.

The elf just chuckled closing his eyes again, not as sleepy as he wanted but something in the smell made him relax and in the next silence that stretched the mage was left alone to his thoughts.

It was much, much earlier than he really wanted to wake up.

The sky was still dark, the moon laid under the horizon for a long time now.

Having spent almost two full days sleeping since they got rescued by the eagles, it was comprehensible why his body would refuse to stay in slumber longer, though he still felt tired and sleepy.

Huddled inside his cloak to counter the cold night he got up taking the tasks he overlooked while resting of revising his belongings.

He found that some things were out of place.

Probably Gandalf, having to go through his pack to find medicine just to find it in himself in that strange kind of necklace. A trick he had learned during the war.

The rest of the pack was in place. It was not much either way.

Others used to carry in their packs something for leisure in times like this. Though he could understand the necessity of it he abandoned this habit long ago in favor of efficiency and carried only the bare minimum.

Most of it was in his person at all times, the pack was made to carry everything else that couldn’t, travel food, water skins, rope, cleaning, replacing and repairing utensils, spare clothes if much.

The rest were all weapons.

Which were all out with the exception of one, a small knife strapped right under the belt line. He snickered.

At least the wizard had been cautious to place them safely over the green livery, the two twin swords, all his knives and daggers and of course his bow.

Quiver was empty though, his last arrows lost in a warg body. He would need a replacement to them as soon as possible.

He looked at everything thoroughly, repaired what needed repair, cleaned wounds and dressed  them bracing the bad shoulder. Redressed in full livery, checked the hilt of every blade and placed each weapon in its place. Braided his hair out of his face. Finished all that and he still had plenty of time, of course.

So he walked around, taking the time to observe the alcove he was in, maybe if he could remember it clearly he would draw it, if the opportunity arrived, and found his way to the borders of the stone where he sat, legs dangling to the immense fall beneath.

It was not that bad, he thought, even if the night dragged it’s pace, being awake right now gave him the opportunity to appreciate something he would rarely in his life and he took it in with a long breath.

From there the sky extended boundlessly to all sides, curving gently to touch the surface of the earth. So vast and profound that it felt like it could swallow him.

Seemed both so far and so close, like in a youthful dream.

How many times had he dreamt of being so close to the skies, so close to the stars that he felt he could touch them if just lifting his hands a little more.

There were thousands and thousands of them... some so close together that made him think of clouds, painting the dark canvas with bright luminous colors. Violet, blue and that twilight rosy orange.

It had been so long since he last saw the sky like this.

So long…

Long enough that he almost forgot how much he loved it and how much his heart ached in longing for that loved one he never met.

In a kingdom now too old to be more than a dusty token he used to sing to them, to Elbereth .

The memory awakened a shiver that ran through his skin, and it was so vivid that if he closed his eyes he could see them, hear them… a chorus of hundreds of voices intoning the same chants to their beloved lady.

Without noticing his voice echoed the ones of the memories he did not know for how long but surprise silenced it upon finding himself not alone anymore.

“It is been long since we heard a lindar singing”

Said the great lord of the eagles to the elf.

The wind felt cold against his cheeks and he used the brim of the sleeves to dry them. He had no idea of how long he had been singing, nor did he even notice when he started crying.

Shrinking inside his cloak, he watched in silence as the eagle approached.

“I am sorry. Have I woken you?”

“You don’t need to excuse yourself. My only lamment was to interrupt.”

“ Sîdhana mellondo, alogol carnen ”

Answered the elf to what the eagle just nodded. 

“You know... we too have a liking of lady Elbereth ”

Tulie smilled.

“It does make sense, you are creatures of the sky...”

“...and ‘the sky’ love ‘the stars’”

Said the lord of the eagles good humored, settling right beside him.

“I was intrigued to see you aiding dwarves”

“Sometimes I am intrigued myself”

“Your plan is dangerous, elven guardian. Not engaging in this battle would perhaps benefit your people better.”

“Maybe… or maybe we just don’t know not to fight anymore.”

“Why?”

Asked the lord of the eagles simplyly. Tulie sighed looking to the stars, now slowly fading with the arrival of Anor.

He did not think that talking with Gwaihir would be so easy, uncomplicated and heartfelt. It was amusing and soothing that the Eagle Lord did not seem one to favour pageantry.

“I guess I am too old…”

He began.

“I lived long enough to see whole kingdoms being consumed by envy, greed, rancour… That is a mistake I do not intend on seeing ever again, if I can help it. Besides...”

A strong wave of emotion crashed against his heart, milenia of memory in them, of fight, struggle and pain and his eyes filled with tears that he did not shed taking deep breaths to force them down with a laughter emptied of any glee.

“All these years, all these battles, and I still find myself dreading for the destiny of this land… I guess the truth is just that I love this land… Too much for my own good. Is beyond me to watch its demise without giving myself to try and protect it, even it takes the last of my breaths”

The eagle nodded looking again to the horizon, rose and gold against the deep blue sky. Clouds rolled over and between the rocky peaks dyed in colors of dawn.

“That is something I can understand well”

They both stayed in silence for a long time more watching in companionable silence as the sun raised in the sky.

“You are an inspiring little thing aren’t you?”

Said suddenly the eagle and chuckled.

“How can I be off help?”

He offered caughting the elf out of guard but the great bird just nodded encouragingly. He watched the horizon in thought and spoke.

“I need one of yours to carry a message”

Chapter Text

When he finally joined with the rest of the party in the great landing later that morning, his welcome was better than he expected.

That did not mean that the dwarfs greet him, besides a couple of them at least, but neither have they ignored his presence with the hard silence of always. A simple nod was more significant than words in the ways of the dwarves.

Bilbo however, golden hearted that he was, jumped promptly coming to his side, offering sticks of roasted rabbit meat and wanting to know if he was feeling better after fretting horribly after his fall.

Tulie thanked the hobbit and deflected any requests for details showing the basket to him so they could share, what was really effective in the elf’s opinion, since even the dwarves seemed amenable to drop the matter in favor of accepting some delicacies even if a little begrudgingly.

"And were are those from?"

Asked Balin, seeming still a little crumpled from sleeping.

"An old friend, it seems…"

The dwarf nodded pulling his white beard pensive.

"Having friends far and wide seems a important thing to have around here"

The elf smiled taking a seat close to the low burning fire.

"Here as in middle earth"

Balin seemed to find it funny and chuckled himself taking a sit closer to the elf. It wasn't uncommon for him to do so.

Except for Bombur who he dealt with personally many times, more specifically every time the elf went patrolling and came back to the camp with a spoil or two from hunting.

The dwarf had argued with him the first time about the way of skinning the prey, but settled as soon as he saw nothing would be wasted.

He too had laughed as he repeated the same "nothing should be wasted" to the dwarf as soon as he received the skinned rabbits to cook shaking a playful but knowing finger at him.

"Depending on how much you bring, we will line everyone's cape with furs"

Answered the dwarf after the elf asked what would he do with the skin and after a long pause the elf answered with

"Gandalf is very tall though"

The dwarf laughed patting his back and went on preparing their meal.

Balin seemed unperturbed even from the very moment they meet and knew the elf would be traveling with them.

He was young when the dragon took their mountain, sometimes the elf wondered if he remembered.

"You are a valorous warrior and showed yourself to be trustworthy friend"

At that Tulie silenced, no expression showed on his face but he could not feel a little shook as he heard the elder dwarf.

"I believe I can say on behalf of all of us" he said looking around at his brothers in arms "We are thankful for all the help and protection you have offered to us so far, my friend. And I hope this friendship lasts long between us."

The elf blinked and then smiled shyly despite of the discomfort the look of some of the dwarves as the oldest talked. Thorin being one of them. Tulie just tried ignore it and focus on the message the dwarf in front of him was delivering.

"I look forward to this myself, Balin my friend"

The dwarf chuckled nodding holding his smoke pipe.

"What about all that situation in the clearing?"

Asked one of the youngsters, Fili the curious one. He tended to approach anytime another older dwarf sat closer to him and ask questions.

"Oh!... That was just a diversion"

"It sure seemed more than that"

The elf smiled gently gazing quickly over them.

"I never heard of someone mounting a warg, I would not believe it hadn't I seeing it myself"

His last word sounded strangled as Nori, who say at his side jabbed a string elbow on his ribs.

"That was just a trick. Wargs prefer to attack in groups and are very cohesive. Confusing them and breaking them into smaller less cohesive groups is the best tactic, especially with such numbers. Luckily we were in a terrain that favored me"

"It was not less impressive"

Commented Balin to which an eagle continued.

"We've seen groups of elves fighting wargs, but a lone elf against so many of them was a first!"

"From above the way you moved almost made you seemed like you had wings"

Another commented, to his surprise, they seemed satisfied, commenting enthusiastically over what they saw of his battle in the clearing.

It was a strange interaction as the elf saw it for the eagles acted like he was part of their aerie.

A beautiful white eagle, with white feathers dappled with brown and golden seemed very fond of him, sat right behind him while another, a darker one which looked almost black, jumped and flapped around re-telling how impressive he had looked from above, jumping from warg to warg in the clearing.

As for him, he half listened, too glad to be close to the fire and to have a warm feathered belly backing his tired body as he focused on little tasks, although from time to time a beak would gently dishevel his hair.

Tiredness still was a heavy mantle around his body, but the welcome was good and heartwarming.

“We expected nothing else from your people, but still was very impressive”

Commented a brown eagle to the left.

"Nothing else?"

Bilbo inquired curious at the same time the dark one continued 

“I never thought I would see for myself a little thing like you doing such mastery! I'm glad!”

For one short moment they were staring at the little hobbit. He then remembered the mighty eagles he was surrounded by and shrinked, fearing have spoken out of turn but Tulie answered bringing back the attention and if anyone else noticed his sigh of relief no one said anything. 

“And I am deeply grateful for your help, even my efforts wouldn't have been enough to save us all. Neither would I have survived the fall”

“The friendship of your people has saved many of us many times, Tulie the guardian. That was the least we could do for your people”

Answered lord Gwaihir, prideful and noble, but received a shake of head in answer from the elf.

“Between my people it is tradition to present our benefactors with something of great value to us. I am indebted to your benevolence, lord Gwaihir, and even carrying no richery with me at this time…”

For a time it seemed like he was just arranging his hair as he had done so many times during the journey, but now, with a dagger in hand, he quickly snapped a part of his hair, in the back, close to his scalp.

From there he retrieved a braid of his own hair that he wrapped tightly at the ends with leather strings.

Then he got up, close to Gwaihir and presented it to the lord of eagles kneeling in front of him.

“This is all I have to offer this very moment, my lord, but I hope that will serve as a token of my gratitude and the bond my people share with yours from now own”

The eagle looked silently at him, wise eyes evaluating the elf just to make a gurgled sound of praise.

“That would honor me very much. Tulie, the guardian!”

Said the eagle presenting his neck so the elf could tie it there.

“Thank you, my elven friend!”

Tulie just made a reverence, as he would for a king, and turned back to his spot close to the fire.

“You are very well-bred aren’t you, little one?”

Said the white eagle at his back and the elf just chuckled but stayed silently warming himself.

Bilbo that was closer to the elf, even if a little weary of the eagles, saw from close what a beautiful braid that it was, and each string of silvery golden hair sparkled in the light of fire like fine woven mithril.

Even now, in the neck of the eagle it glimmered and once again he thought that even the most skilled of the dwarves would not be able to replicate such a thing.

Strands of Tulie's hair…

Maybe the elf didn't know that, but if he was one of the eagles he would be more than honored by this present that somehow seemed to mean more than if it was pure gold, the little halfling couldn't help but feel a little jealous of the lord of the eagles.

Later that morning they were ready to leave lord's Gwaihir halls, and having Gandalf agreeing with him the best spot to leave them they set off.

Seventeen majestic eagles cutting the skies. 

Steventeen eagles, yes... for nor the white neither the dark could reach an agreement about who would escort the elf. So both went.
Tulie was happy enough flying in the back of the black eagle enjoying every second of if.

“Do you like to fly,Tulie?”

Asked the white one, the elf cheered.

“I am discovering that I do, indeed!”

“Then fly with me!”

“And how could he?”

Asked the black one in a mocking tone to the white, and Tulie gave it a little moment of thought then smiled mischievously.

“Do you mind if I stand on you?”

The eagle gave him permission without really knowing what he was about to do. 

The elf, standing now, took one second to balance himself, thanking the Vala the many times he had practiced standing like this in Yukale and all his mountaries before him. It felt smoother in comparison, without the hard impact of the hooves on the ground while they galloped in highspeed, the wind however pushed back harder than he had ever felt in his life.

Cold gusts against his cheeks, hair billowing like a banner behind him.

He took a moment to take in, the sun still rising in the horizon, the land far below, the land spreading as far as the eyes could see, no boundaries, no invisible lines dividing, just one land and it’s beauty.

Closing his eyes he thought about the immensity of it all, and entertained the idea of being able to fly like this and feel like this every day, like this it was easy to understand the freedom these spirits carried on themselves.

The elf smiled then and when he opened his eyes again he set off with an impulse diving into the air.

The white one dived together tumbling in the air and catching him on it’s back and laughing with joy.

“Oh not fair!”

Exclaimed the dark one after the first shock and began to tumble too, and again Tulie dove in the air just to be caught by the dark one.

They went like this all the way to the (meeting point), laughing and playing mid air.

The dwarves looked at them with disapproval, the hobbit tried to decide if he was awed or anguished with the possibility of the fall, but the wizard just looked amused to watch the elf playing around with the eagles.

That was until the other eagles wondered how nice it would be if they could play too and started to dive and tumble in the air together with the playful elf and the two eagles.

Then everything was a big mess, or at least it was in the eyes of the dwarves who descended the eagles with shaking legs and twisted stomachs.

Tulie didn't mind the displeased eyes of his companions, at least the eagles had some fun… As had himself, of course.

“It's a pity we have to depart so soon”

Said one of the eagles to the elf and he felt like he could understand that.

“May the stars guard us until our paths cross again”

Greeted the elf.

“Farewell! Wherever you fare till your eyries receive you at the journey's end!”

Said the eagles

“May the wind under your wings bear where the sun sails and the moon walks!”

Answered the mage who knew the correct way to greet the eagles.

And so they departed 

The place where they were left was close to a flat space on the top of the hill where a well worn path with many steps led down to the river. The placement of the stones letting clear that it was made by someone.

Across the river a ford of huge flat stones opened to the grass-land beyond the stream.

They crossed the path slowly, down and across the river, gathering under the curved ceiling of a cave, near the ford.

The dwarves were still visibly angry with the elf for the travel with the eagles.

“Well, for more than I undervalue myself the rumpus on the trip. I am sure our elf could not have known the eagles would all join the… Thoughtless play.”

“I apologize, it was not on my intention to cause any discomfort”

Said the elf maybe too good humored for their liking.

There were some curses, though some were rude ones Tulie didn’t mind, he was particularly in a good mood, despite the pain.

He could sympathize with their anger, however watching some of the dwarves still wobbling around on their feet was making it difficult to respectfully not smile.

Besides, there was nothing he hadn’t heard a thousand times before.

“I will give you some time to recompose”

Leaving the wizard with them, the elf went ahead, back to the ford.

His weapons were still heavily dirty from the fight against the wargs, though they were made in a way that even if he left it to dry with blood for days it wouldn’t have damaged the blade neither would it dull the edge, such was the fine mastery that created them, he liked them clean. Therefore, given the opportunity, he was always inclined to take the time to clean them.

The weapons were not the only thing in need of a cleaning. The smell of warg fur, slobber and blood clung to his clothes and that was also a thing he was always inclined to do, given the opportunity.

“I’ve always meant to see you all safe over the mountains”

He heard the wizard from the cave, the rock walls helped to carry the sound farther than intended.

It was mostly his swords that took the abuse of the fight, in the eyes of the elf it was good since it would require less time to fix.

“Now, by good management and good luck I’ve…”

The mage couldn’t exactly see him, being the elf too far from them to be seen, but he paused, coughed and continued.

“We have done it! Not with little difficulties, but we have done it…”

The elf chuckled, continuing to wipe the blade.

Red stained the water when the elf submerged the blade in. It was always a little disturbing to see how much of it could cling to the metal.

He wiped it with oil and began to work on the other sword.

“...Though we are now a good deal further to the east than I ever meant to come with you. This is not my adventure after all. I may look at it again before it is all over, but in the meanwhile I have some pressing business to attend to”

Said the mage and the dwarves immediately made sour comments, grunting distressed and querulous.

“But why?”

Said Bilbo, voice cracking.

Again red stained the water. He wiped the sword with oil.

“Why now? Why not after we fight that dragon? Where are you going? What is more important than this?”

“Many things…”

Said the wizard pensive. 

The elf could hear the distress of the dwarves and the hobbit.

“Look, I am not going to disappear this very instant!”

Contered the mage.

This time it was the cloth he was using to clean the swords who stained the water, the streak it left bigger than the ones before, he twisted and left it to dry beside his pack under both sheathed swords and the dwarves voices was the last thing he heard before getting too far from the cave to hear anymore.

Maybe it had something to do with the blood, maybe it was their tone of the dwarves voices, or maybe yet the memories of the night before who stirred awake those too.

He tried to pay them no attention, nor to the clanking sounds of swords in his mind, neither to the strong smell and taste of iron or the dripping red pools and all the gore spread over the white stone floor.

He paid them no attention, although they made him dizzy.

Taking his clothes off was a quick task, he left them with the cleaning utensils at the rocks, safe from the current and dived without thinking too much.

For long minutes he swam away strong and decisively, as if he could flee from his own mind, even when he knew it was a silly thing to do but he let it happen anyway.

Strangely being underwater helped, and the memories seemed less real.

He could imagine many reasons why, but he had no need for it now, so instead he entertained himself, concentrating in watching that world underwater.

It was crystalline clear, but tinted blue the more distant it was from him. 

The current was not too strong what allowed for it's little inhabitants to swim freely.

There were some twigs, some plants, and countless colorful stones buried in the light coloured sand in the river floor.

One of them called his attention, of a lively bright green that shone under the light(chrysoprase). He dove and grabbed it into his hand.

On the surface again he looked at the stone against the sun.

It seemed to glow happily, it reminded him of a smile and that made him smile too.

Turning around he found the rock he had left his clothings on and swam back to it.

His solitude was an advantage now and he took it to cleansed his clothes and himself with calm this time, then dressed again even with them soaking wet and sat there bathing in sunlight to dry.

Anor was still crawling up to the sky so the warmth was not too harsh.

It was peaceful, and he found out that was something he missed.

The simplicity of a peaceful morning, sunlight, the sound of water flowing by, greenery lazyly dancing with the breeze. 

Made him think about home… and every little thing that had changed in it, despite all his people efforts and how they strived to bring back.

He looked at the stone in his palm and sighed.

Closing his eyes he wished it all could be simpler, peaceful like that morning.

But he knew better.

For them, nothing came without a battle. They were fighters and he had too many things he wished to protect.

Gandalf was right, it was a good thing that he joined them.

When his solitude was interrupted by a little voice to his side he was glad. The day was beautiful and he was happy to have some time and someone to appreciate it with.

“What are you doing here alone, Tulie?”

Said the halfling coming to his side, much cleaner now than he had seen that little one being in weeks.

“Thinking”

“Your things are back there”

Pointed the hobbit.

“I know”

“Gandalf said he is leaving in a few days...”

“Are you worried?”

“I sure wish he could stay with us. What about you?”

“I made a promise to keep all of you secure. I do intend to keep it”

Bilbo huffed embracing his own knees.

“It is good to have you here… even when the dwarfs don't seem very happy with it.”

“Name one thing they seem to be happy about”

“… gold”

Said Bilbo in a whispering voice and Tulie laughed out loud, making his mischief worth it.

The elf stayed silent looking camly to the river and the hobbit tried to do the same for a time, but of all interesting things he could be looking at, greenery and leaves were nothing the most beautiful things there to be appreciated.

He kept stealing peeks at him unsure if the elf wasn’t noticing or if he was just ignoring.

The truth was that it was difficult to ignore how beautiful the elf was, and even if he did not want to stare at him, sometimes he found out that he already had been without noticing.

The creature seemed enchanted, especially under the light where his hair and skin seemed to glow.

The hobbit forced himself to stop and focus on something else, it was then that he saw a small shiny green stone the elf held gently over his palm.

“What a beautiful stone you have”

He blurted out and looked to the elf to see if it annoyed him.

“I found it on the river floor. Makes me think of someone dear”

“I see”

Answered the hobbit unsure of what to make of it.

“Will you bring it as a present?”

“Or maybe I’ll just carry it with me. I am not sure myself. There is time to decide”

“Yes, you are right”

Chuckled the halfling.

“Have Gandalf decided where we go next?”

Continued the elf.

“I do have decided”

The mage’s voice came suddenly right behind them and the little hobbit jumped, but the elf was expecting having heard him approach a little before

“We are going to pay a visit to the one who made the Carrock”

Nodding the elf got up promptly retrieving his pack with Gandalf.

The dwarves slowly gathered around so they could continue their march.

Bilbo found it at the same time interesting and confusing. They clearly were talking about someone both of them knew while he was sure nor he neither the dwarfs had any idea of what a carrock was.

As always he had many questions.

“What is a Carrock?”

Asked him and Gandalf answered.

“This is a carrock”

Said him gesturing to all the sides. Bilbo seemed to be more confused than before.

“But why is it called the Carrock?”

“Is a Carrock because this is his word for it. He calls things like this carrocks, and this is the Carrock because is the only one near his home and he knows it well”

Bilbo was up now, and looked increasingly confused. He looked to the elf as if it could give him some clue of what was happening, but had none.

They started walking, Bilbo followed.

“Who calls it the Carrock?”

“The somebody I spoke of earlier, of course. He is a very great person. You must all be very polite when I introduce you. I shall introduce you slowly, two by two, I think; and you MUST be careful not to annoy him, or heaven knows what will happen. He can be appaling when he is angry, though he is kind enough if humored. Still I warn you that he gets angry easily”

Tulie rolled his eyes.

The dwarves gathered around when they heard the wizard talking to Bilbo

“And is that the person you are taking us to now?”

“Couldn’t you find someone more easy-tempered?”

“Shouldn’t you explain it all a bit cleared?”

Asked them one after the other to what Gandalf answered crossly.

“Yes it certainly is! No I could not. And I was explaining very clearly, mind you.”

No he wasn’t. But Tulie was not fool enough to point that out. In its place he said.

“He is a very strong man, also a very kind one, his name is Beorn, the skin-changer and guardian of these lands.”

“What?”

Asked Bilbo still without understanding.

“A furrier?“

“A man that calls rabbits conies,when he doesn’t turn their skins into squirrels?”

Said the dwarves, the two youngest.

Tulie was annoyed by it, but Gandalf was more.

“Good gracious heavens, no, no, No, NO!”

Shouted the mage.

“Don’t you all be fools! And in the name of all wonder NEVER mention the word furrier again unless you are farther than a hundred miles of his house. No furrier, nor rug, or cape, or tippet, or muff, nor any other sort of unfortunate words! He is a skin-changer. He changes HIS skin!”

There was a heavy silence after the mage outburst, no one really having the qualms to say anything else.

Tulie sighed, taking for his the task to explain on the wizard's behalf now that he was angry.

“Any of these words are insults here. Would be wise to watch over your words, since none of you want to be rude with the man that can lend you assistance in this moment of need by insulting him in his territory.”

He looked at the party and they seemed to comprehend a little better, but they were clearly annoyed to be corrected by the elf.

The elf starting to walk again, they needed to move if they wanted to find Beorn at any rate that day so he continued to explain while they walked.

“Within my people skin-changers are also called win-srawanwe, the ones who can change their bodies, what means he can change the form of his own body. Of what is known, Beorn can sometimes be a great black-bear, but he also can be a large man, with strong arms and a long black hair and beard. Though we don’t know if there is any other forms he can change into, we believe it is likely that he does”

Continuing the elf taking out his dagger to cut off a long branch out of the way, he swayed it around while walking and cutting twigs, branches and vines out of the way again in a very similar way he had done while ascending the mountains with the group.

“There are some who say he is descended from the ancient bears of the mountains that lived there before the giants. Others believe that he is descended from the first men who lived before Smaug and any of the dragons, or goblins or orcs came to life in Arda. However there is no meaning questioning his origins for he is who he is, win-srawanwe, and the magic he wield is from no one but himself”

Now entertained and moving, neither the dwarves nor the hobbit had time to make questions, dividing their attention between following the path up the slope and what the elf was saying.

Gandalf seemed grateful it gave him some time to calm down the rage he felt before.

“He lives in the woods of ancient oak trees, and from them he has made his home, a great house not far from where we are now. He keeps cattle and horses and other animals as marvellous as he is himself, and they are as much his servants as they are his friends. No cruelty is done to any living being in here, with the exception of invaders and the ones who try to disrupt the peace and the order he guards in this territory.”

They were now descending a dale and they could feel the temperature growing very hot.

“He does not eat meat, nor did he allow it to be eaten, so for the time we spend in his land, no meat will be eaten, and we shouldn’t mention it either, as this is also disrespectful not only to him but to his servants and friends. He lives mostly on cream, grains, plants and honey that he harvest from the hives of great fierce bees all around his house, so this is what you should expect from his hospitality.”

They continued ahead and from there the path opened in a field with fewer trees that slowly became more and more covered by flowers.

“Sometimes you can see him at night, as his bear self, ranging as far as to the hillside. Sometimes he is just sitting alone, watching the starry sky as moon sinks towards the Misty Mountains”

It was a particularly hot day and the party was having difficulties to keep up a faster pace, so the elf kept it slower, but constant.

They seemed engrossed in his talking enough to put up with it.

“As for his personality… He is a kind, witted and good humored man. The closeness with goblin and wargs territories gave him that rough suspicious facet to his personality, and since no one comes these parts anymore one can hardly say he is welcoming either. But he is undoubtedly a good man, more than many men of this age. He loves and respects life above all things, this is the belief that rules his life and that says all.”

Finished the elf looked behind at them.

They were deeply in thought and that satisfied the guide. Gandalf seemed in thought himself and just nodded to him while they fell in a silent march.

When the sun was zenith in the sky they began to see the bees.

“For everything that is sacred, what is this?”

Said Nori with a gasp.

The bees were so much bigger than a hornet, they were bigger than a dwarf thumb and the yellow of their bodies shone like fiery gold.

When one of them came too close he raised a hand to shoo away the animal, but Tulie quickly warned.

“Don’t!”

“But they will sting us!”

“If they sting me I am sure I’ll swell double of my size”

Said Bilbo equally anxious.

“They are Beorn bees. Remember, no violence is done to any living being in here”

“So what do you suggest?”

Asks Nori very agitated.

“Yes! What is your suggestion? That we wait for them to fall in our eyes and sting us inside our clothes?”

Gloin more says than askes, to that the elf only sighs, letting go of Nori’s hand and giving a hard look to the young dwarf that was almost swatting another bee.

He looks at the wizard and says.

“You go onward… I’ll reach you”

And to the dwarves he says

“Just… cope with me for a while, will you?”

Then the elf walks into the open fields full of flowers and bee and start to sing quietly in that elvish tongue of him.

Bilbo really did not know what was that or if that was some kind of magic, but if there was some doubt his singing did effectively something, that was the proof.

The bees started to open a path around them and goig to him, answering to whatever was the elf singing to them.

Some of them landed on his shoulders and hair, none came to their direction. Soon the light haired figure was almost swarmed by the bees, the elf seemed unperturbed.

Though the dwarves were still not comfortable with the elf’s singing, they were mostly glad they were safe from the bees and their guardian.

In a low voice the wizard urged them as if to not disturb what was happening.

“We are getting near, we are now at the edge of his bees-pastures. Come now, let's continue”

Said Gandalf and so they started to walk again.

After a while walking ahead they reached the borders of his house surrounded by oaks and high thornbush walls waiting for a while and no doubt the elf close to them again.

A little of pollen here end there but nothing else.

Gandalf nodded satisfied with his presence.

“Well we are here! You better wait were you are, and when I call or whistle you begin to come after me, but only in pairs, mind, about five minutes between each pair of you. Watch the way I go. Now remember to be polite! Come on Tulie! Mr. Baggins!”

Said the wizard and Tulie wanted to protest, but let it be and went according to the plans of the mage, he was in the mood to be amused anyway.

Leaving the dwarves, the elf, the hobbit and the wizard went ahead through the broad gate and beyond the gardens towards the house.

A couple of ponies saw them at the distance and came closer curious to see, to them the elf said in his tongue.

“Tell Beorn that his old elven friend from the north comes to thank his well wishes. May you?”

The ponies seemed surprised and then they went, galloping ahead to the house.

“What was that?”

Asked the hobbit in a murmur.

Of course Gandalf could understand whatever he said in his elvish language, but instead the wizard said.

“They have gone to tell him of the arrival of strangers”

Tulie who had decided that he would not be annoyed just huffed a laugh.

Finally when they reached the house the man was waiting outside, beside a wooden gate.

He was almost as Tulie could remember him, strong, tall, taller than himself, dark skinned, his beard was definitely longer as well as his braided hair, there were a couple of scars he didn’t remember in his bare arms, but all in all he continued the same.

His laugh came as soon as he put his eyes over the elf. Powerful and loud. Tulie smiled too.

“Aya! If it’s not the elven caun himself!”

“No need for pleasantries, Beorn”

The man went from his spot beside the gate and embraced him strongly. Two pats on the back strong enough to take all his breath with it.

“It has been a long time my friend! Where are your elves? Who are those?”

The man let the elf go and indicated the other two.

“They are my friends”

“I am Gandalf”

“Never heard of you. What about the little fellow?”

He said, stooping down to look at Bilbo who gulped dryly.

“This is Mr Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit from The Shire, in Eriador”

Offered Tulie and Beorn seemed surprised, Bilbo bowed and it was visible he would take his hat off too if he had one which seemed to amuse Beorn.

“I see”

Said him getting up again.

“You are far from home, little hobbit. What are you doing here and what do you want from me?”

There was a pause where both elf and man just looked at each other in silence and Gandalf as well as Bilbo were very confused at what was happening.

“I am a wizard, and though you haven’t heard of me, perhaps you have heard of my cousin Radagast who lives in the southern borders of Mirkwood?”

He slowly looked from the wizard to the elf and back.

“Yes, I have. Not a bad fellow, as wizards go. I believe I used to see him now and again.”

Said Beorn pensive.

“But what do you want?”

“To tell the truth we have lost our luggage and almost lost our way, we are in reather need of help, or at least an advice since we had a quite bad time with the goblins in the mountains”

Continued Gandalf.

“Goblins?”

Again he looked at the elf who just nodded.

“What did you go near them for?”

“We did not mean to. They surprised us at night in a pass which we had to cross. We were coming out of the lands over west into these countries. It is a long tale…”

“Then, you better come inside and tell me some of it”

Said the man leading the way through the house to a veranda on the side of the house that faced South, sun faced that side at that hour of the day and bathed the garden full of flowers that came right to the steps.

They sat on wooden benches while Gandalf continued his tale.

“I was coming over the mountains with my elven friend and another friend or two…”

Said the wizard

“Two? You mean these two?”

Tulie and Bilbo sat there listening, the hobbit looked apprehensive to the elf and received back an encouraging smile.

He could solve the problem much quicker and efficiently, but Gandalf seemed to have everything sorted out and the elf was rather interested in indulging the wizard and see where he was going with it.

“Well to tell you the truth, I did not like to bother you with a lot of us, until I found out if you were busy. I will give a call, if I may”

“Go on,call away!”

Said Beorn crossing his arms.

As Gandalf looked to the side giving a long shrill whistle, the man looked at the elf seeming amused himself.

The look they shared however, seemed to Bilbo as if they both knew something the others don’t. Thorin and Dori came round the house by the garden path and stood bowing low before them.

“One or three you meant, I see! But these are not hobbits, they are dwarves”

“Thorin Oakenshield, at your service!”

“Dori at your service!”

“No. I don’t need your services, thank you. But I understand that you need mine, though I am not over fond dwarves.”

Said Beorn now stroking his beard.

“So you are Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thrain, son of Thror, what are you up to, by the way?”

“They are on their way to visit the land if their fathers, away east beyond Mirkwood and it is entirely an accident that we are in your lands at all”

Said Gandalf in their place.

Tulie had to suppress the whim to laugh at him, having difficulties to believe they would keep using that horrible excuse again. Had the elf less control over himself, that play of theirs would have ended there.

“We were crossing by the High Pass that should have brought us to the road that lies to the south of your country, when we were attacked by the evil goblins, as I was about to tell you.”

“Yes, go on telling then!”

Said Beorn that at least seemed entertained. The elf that kept listening silently to the story signaling to the hobbit with his eyes when a new pair of dwarves were about to come.

Then it was a game by itself with both, hobbit and elf trying to show one another signals that the dwarves were coming.

By the time all the dwarves finally had been all introduced to Beorn, Bilbo seemed less tense. His expression to the wizard was one of admiration.

When the story finally ended with the eagles bringing them to the Carrock, the sun had fallen behind the mountains.

“A very good tale!”

Said Beorn getting up, stretching his arms

“The best I have heard for a long while. If only all beggars could tell stories they might find me kinder. You could be making it all up, of course.”

Said Beorn with a little pause and Tulie watched the little surprise bottled-up in the mage’s expression.

“But you deserve a supper for that story of yours all the same. Let’s have something to eat.”

They all thanked the man and followed him inside.

It was a beautiful night. The moon tinged the flowers in silvery colors and it was warm enough that their smell carried through the winds.

Beorn’s animals came to look at him and he greeted them. Those have probably never seen him before, at least he did not recognize any of them. It had been too long since the last time he had come to these lands. But they did know who he was, and sensing his distress offered him another bowl of mead that he accepted.

Almost at the same time that one of the dogs came back, on its hind legs carrying two bowls, that Beorn appeared to join him in the garden carrying a full barrel of mead.

“It is easy to find you! you are always where the flowers are… spring”

“Accurate”

Said the elf laughing.

“We are drinking tonight, I see”

“We are indeed...”

Placing the barrel on the ground the man grunted sitting beside the elf over the flowers.

“Because it is not often I get to see an old friend and I am sure you have a long story yourself. You know how much eagles scare my kettle?”

“I would have sent a less majestic bird if I had a choice”

“So… Goblins and wargs huh?”

The elf sighed, deciding to drink it all at once in the hopes that it would give him a faster effect. Beorn laughed at it seeming satisfied.

Rubbing at his face the elf said.

“How do I begin to talk about this mess of a situation?”

The man took the bowl from the elf’s hand and refilled it, pouring himself some too.

“Maybe you should begin from the reason why you are wandering around with dwarves and fighting against goblins and wargs”

“Well…”

He took a deep breath

“I was at Imladris...”

“Hm…”

Said Beorn in a knowing tone.

“There I found out about Gandalf’s intriguing plan to lead Thorin and his entourage through Mirkwood towards the Lonely Mountain”

“The Lonely Mountain is taken by a dragon”

“Yes…”

In the pause the elf made to sip his mead Beorn concluded.

“They will try to take the mountain back… aren’t they?”

“Yes. Of course, they say a different story. That their intentions are to travel to visit their relatives in the north.”

Said him with a humorless laugh.

“I wish they were this simple”

“So how did you discover that? Did you overhead him or something?”

“A little of that, yes, but mostly because Gandalf told me. You see, he is very smart, but he is also too confident. One doesn’t need to be a genius to piece something wrong with this story.”

“Yeah… I’ve thought that myself. To have Thorin Oakenshield and entourage traveling towards the north does raise some suspicions. But aren’t they quite outnumbered to fight a dragon?”

“They are indeed, even when dwarfs were the ones who taught us to fight against said beats, thirteen is a too low number”

“So, how do they think they are doing that?”

“I don’t know. What I do know, however, is that this battle will hardly stay inside the mountains and when this dragon comes out, Esgaroth, as well as the whole forest is endangered… if not Middle-Earth as a whole...”
His hands were cold, so it was pleasant when he rubbed his face. A nudge on his arm and he saw Beorn nodding to his bowl, it went back to the man and forwarded again, now full.

Annoyed he was indeed, and he thought that he would be everytime he thought about it until this whole situation ended, of course, considering it would end in a good way.

“...Especially because, in that conversation, I came to know that Gandalf, together with that council of him, wants to intervene at the fortress.”

He drained the content of his bowl as quickly as it came to his hands and decided he did not have enough and passed it to the man again. Beorn was at the same time amused at the elf’s attitude and concerned about what he was hearing.

The blond one seemed jittery and uncomfortable under his own skin, changing positions a few times until finding comfort in one of them.

That was a strange demeanor to watch in his friend, for even when he let go of that steely controlled self when with his closest friends, the elf wasn’t known to let his emotion out. What concerned the skin changer even more.

Once more he offered a refilled bowl of mead that the blond held with the point of his fingers, arm resting over a bent knee.

“We’ve been observing the fortress ourselves, Beorn… The darkness growing within those walls is no longer afraid to show itself. It has been growing slowly, infesting our forest, consuming it’s life and spreading, giving birth to the monsters that raid our land and our people. It has been deceiving us for too long and now it is almost ready to come out…”

Sighing the elf shared a long look with his friend.

“It must be stopped while we still have time, but now our time is shorter given our circumstances at the mountains. I am sure word of the dwarves will quickly travel there and then…”

The elf shook his head and looked forward again, taking a long drag of his drink.

“If the dragon does range further than Arathram, the chances that the beast will be summoned to ‘The Necromancer’ of Dol Guldur are great. My objective joining their party is to prevent the worst from happening… and to take that dragon out at all costs.”

The man sighed himself passing his hands through his face and beard.

“This is not good news”

“They are not”

Said the elf now bitter.

They made a long silence, looking at the stars.

“Well… How do I help?”

Eventually, Beorn said, passing an arm around Tulie’s shoulders. That took a dry laugh out of the elf.

“I am in need of arrows.”

Said him taking a sip of the mead and received a choke worth pat at his back.

“You are an oaf!”

Laughed the man don’t expecting the jest after all he had said. There was a little coughing while the elf dried with his sleeve the mead he spilled out over his face but other than that they were silent and in that silence that stretched between them they began to hear singing. 

They were far from the house, as to ensure no one except Beorn’s animals could hear them talk, but they could hear nonetheless, both having exceptional hearing as they did.

It was harmonic and low, the voices danced with each other forming chords as was the style of the dwarves, and they sang about their lands, about the dragon and the desolation.

It had much of mourning and the longing of things that were long gone.

The blond elf could find beauty in their style… but of course, they would never sing to an audience like himself.

Beorn drained his mead while nodding to his thoughts.

“Do you trust them?”

He said out of nowhere.

“… On the dwarves I have hope, on the hobbit I have faith, on the wizard I have trust, on myself I have conviction.”

The man made silence again this time watching the elf carefully. The elf in turn, looked at his palm, a bright green gem shone over it.

“There is a shadow luring over the lives of this land, Beorn, this time not only my people lives, but possibly of all Middle-Earth, should our fears be confirmed. And though I cannot stand what this entitles, I swear I am not ready to leave this battle without the conviction that I gave my absolute self to keep the peace of this land.”

The man huffed a laugh resting his face over one knuckle.

“Inspiring”

Said him with a smug smile

“Take me seriously, please”

Answered the elf with a sigh.

“I am! But I cannot deny that you look particularly charming when you talk this passionately”

Tulie was at first annoyed, but then he chuckled, shaking his head. He placed his bowl down and let himself fall over the flower bed. Beorn laughed too and with a playful pat on the elf’s arm continued.

“Come on, ‘spring elf’! You still have to tell me about goblins and wargs”

Jested the man making the elf groan out of frustration throwing an arm over his own eyes.

Just thinking about the missadventure gave him a headache.

“Tell me you have more of these inside of your store”

Said him referring to the barrel and Beorn laughed out loud.