Autor Tópico: [Fanfic 4, cap. 19] Loyalty, Honor etc - Mirkwood  (Lida 5497 vezes)

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Offline Luinwen

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[Fanfic 4, cap. 19] Loyalty, Honor etc - Mirkwood
« em: Novembro 10, 2013, 08:59:16 am »
They followed the song and made their best to be away ere break of day. Although they did know it was expected to happen, they hoped that Gandalf would change his mind and not part from them right then. Although he made sure they would send the ponies back to Beorn along with the horse the elf was riding, he himself didn’t bother to let his own horse go back with them. Thorin was resentful of having to send all the ponies away when they had so a heavy load to carry when Gandalf was keeping the horse Beorn leant to him to his own use.
“Thorin, my friend, I swore that I would return the horse to him, and so I’ll do, in due time. Now a wizard is in need of haste, and he knows it. Fare you well! Don’t forget to trust Bilbo’s eyes and ears, and more!”
And so the gray clad man went away, while the Company finished to fill their water skins in the creek close to the forest’s entrance and to repack their supplies proportionally according to each one’s ability.
“Do you remember, Aunty, the first time we went to a trail with you?”
The elf laughed.
“Sure! You complained about the weight of your backpacks from beginning to end, I was almost to swear I’d never take you into a tracking again!”
“And now here we are.”
“Yes, here we are.”
The three women embraced themselves in a tight hug, as if knowing they were about to tread a path that would lead them beyond everything they ever dreamed or dreaded about.
Mirkwood was no fun at all. As soon as they got under the shadow of its leaves, a sort of “watching and waiting feeling”, and Bilbo put it, got over them. It was utterly dark, almost as if at night, and as they got further in the light at its borders faded as the memory of a dream.
None of them had the slightest inclination to sing, as they used specially when in troubled times. The heavy backpacks were a case of double approach-rejection, as they were heavy of food, but the food had to be spared as much as they dared, so they would be slow to get lighter from consumption, but when they got lighter it would mean they were going short of food.
Ellen tried to forget the boring walking calculating how much they would have to walk based on what Gandalf told them about going round the forest instead of crossing it. Lily had had enough geometry classes to be one to discuss the matter with.
“See, if Gandalf stated to Bilbo that there would be two hundred miles to the north and twice that to the south to get round the forest, and we know by our map that this forest’s shape is almost round at its northern borders, then we have a six hundred miles perimeter semicircle.”
“Yes, and we have to get through its diameter, which means, twice this imaginary circle radius.”
“With perimeter being twice ?.r, then we can change the formula to radius being perimeter divided by twice ?, right?”
“Sure! Then we have twice six hundred miles divided by six dot three, to simplify.”
“All right, less than two hundred miles, then? Can we guess hundred ninety miles, maybe?”
“Hmm, it seems fair to me. At a rate of twelve or a little more miles per day, we should do it in fifteen or sixteen days, with luck.”
“What crap are you talking about?”
The two laughed at each other to Fíli’s angry question.
“Just making some calculation to waste time, why?”
“You seem to be talking in an almost completely foreign language.”
“Hmm, easier than Khuzdul, I bet.”
“You have nothing to bet, I know you are out of tuna cans!” He teased.
“Hah, but you don’t know what I found out! Aunty, you neither! Do you still have your wallet?”
“Hmm, I think so, my driver's license, my credit cards, this kind of stuff I always keep close to my body when on a track like we begun an age ago, so I didn’t lose them in the goblins’ den, they are right here in my waist, but as they had no use I didn’t care to look at them.”
“Then take your time and take a look, you will be surprised.”
The elf fumbled at her waist and pulled out a wallet, that now looked more like a leather pouch, then opened it while they all were walking. A thin whistle crossed her lips. Lily was smiling to herself, satisfied for having been to one to find that out. Curious Fíli was at their side and took a look also.
“Wow, what have you got there?”
Ellen took some golden pieces out of the wallet to show him and Lily.
“It seems my whole credit cards limits changed themselves in currency!”
Lily laughed.
“I knew you would love to know it! I had just a little money with me, so now I have a little Middle-Earth money, but I didn’t imagine your credit cards would change, too.” She turned to the blond dwarf at her side. “What do you thing it means in terms of the money you use?”
Ellen handled the pouch to Fíli for him to evaluate it. He weighed it in his hand for a while, looked inside to make sure most of it was gold, and gave it back to the elf.
“Of course in terms of Erebor’s treasure it is nothing more than a crumb, but in terms of hmm, let’s say, common people living ordinary lives, inside this pouch there is enough to buy, hmm, lots of things.”
“What amount of “lots”?”
The elf asked while putting the pouch back to its hidden place at her waist.
“Not enough to buy a house, but enough to keep a house very well furnished and supplied for a whole year, plus a good steed in your stable.”
“Hmm, it seems good. Where is the nearest Victoria’s Secret in Middle-Earth?”
“The nearest what?”
“Just forget it! All I know it that now I have something to bet with you if I wish!”
And this was the only merry moment in the whole track through Mirkwood. It took not long for them to hate the forest as if it were an evil hearted creature. The days were dark as nights, and the nights were pitch dark. The first night they tried to lighten a fire, but it brought on them moths as big as small birds and perplexed bats, and it became completely impossible to sleep at all. So they gave up fires and just huddled together to keep themselves warm, taking watches in twos so one could look at the other’s back, as if it were possible to see anything at all. Let’s say, anything besides the eyes. There were hundreds of eyes, big eyes, bug eyes, eyes of any sort, eyes in bulk, eyes in wholesale.
They were rationing the supplies, but they ran low on water far too soon. Walking was a dry work, and Lily and Ellen’s calculations were based on a straight line, or, as it was used to say by the dwarves, “as the raven flies”, and not “as the wolf runs”, which meant a real path with its curves and meanderings. Besides, the honey based loaves made both by Beorn and by the women increased thirst, although Lembas had more nut than honey in it.
“I don’t understand. Galadriel swore one of her lembas would suffice a whole day’s track. How many did we make?”
“Ten to each one of us, and there was Beorn’s bread, too, plus honey and dried fruit. Or we are demanding more time than we expected to walk through the forest or we are eating more than we should; but then, the nutritional needs of a dwarf might be different of the ones of an elf; as everybody is going along hungry in the last few days, I deem we are taking more time than expected.”
“We are all being thirsty, too. I can almost hear the dripping of water, as if there were a river nearby.”
As a matter of fact, there was a river nearby, but not one they could cherish of finding. It was the dark-watered river Beorn warned them not to drink or swim in. If they were not that distressed by the lack of food, water and light, they would remember he said it was almost at the end of the forest, and would have lightened their hearts. As it was, the river was only a hindrance to deal with. Bilbo and Iris were the ones to get good news out of nothing.
“The river is not that wide, I deem.”
“I see something at the other bank.”
Ellen tried to see, too, but her spirit was downcast for some days already and it was affecting her physical abilities as well as her mind. Darkness was a worst poison to her than whatever was in that orc arrow point. While in her former world, she suffered with seasonal depression, which was settled with mild anti-depressives, some months of the year, but she didn’t ever think about getting that medicine to a one week LARP party close to summer solstice. She went quieter each day that passed, her smiles getting fewer and shorter, her energy decaying. Kíli didn’t know what to do, he feared it could be something related to their last argument before entering the forest, to which she swore to him it was all right, she only lacked light. Some days earlier they talked a while about this issue.

ooo000ooo

“Your nieces have names of flowers, but it is you who withers out of lack of sunlight, like a delicate flower.”
Kíli’s hand traced her arm, bringing her close to him as much as he dared.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be so weak.”
“It is no weakness to be who you are.” He remained silent for some moments, holding her to his chest, trying to protect her from the chill of the night. “What does it mean?”
“What?”
“The name of who you are. What does ‘Ellen’ mean? You see, I know usually people name their children on what is meaningful to them; me and my brother have names based in what our father worked.”
“You said he died in battle, he was a warrior, then. What do your names mean?”
Kíli cast his eyes down, looking to his hands.
“He was a warrior as every dwarf has to be a warrior in this age of sorrow, unfortunately. But it was not his main work. He was a whitesmith.”
Ellen thought for a little.
“An artisan who makes metal things?”
“Yes. Not a blacksmith, who forges weapons, like Uncle. So, our names are related to his work.”
“And what do they mean?”
The dark haired dwarf laughed to himself.
“Fíli means a rasp, a lime. And my name means a wedge, a planer.”
The elf smiled.
“It suits. Really.”
“And your name? What is an ‘Ellen’?”
The elf gathered her Middle-Earth and former world memories, what she still had of them.
“If I think my name as an elf, ‘Elen’ means star, as it was the first word the first elves said when they woke up at the borders of Cuiviénen lake. It also means ‘look!’ in the old language, for the same reason.”
“You are sure one to be looked at.” He whispered, and the cheeky smile she guessed from the tone of his voice made her day.
“You are just too kind...” He nuzzled her neck, taking advantage of the surrounding darkness.
“And in your own language, what does your name mean? Why was it chosen for you?”
“Hmm, not everyone worries about the real meaning of a child’s name, back at my old world; people use to choose names out of family tradition, community use, or simply liking to the sound of a name. I don’t know what was the reason for my name to be chosen, or for my brother’s name to be chosen, by the way. But I know their meanings, at least.”
“And what would they be, if you allow me to know it?”
“Well, my brother’s name is Wolfram, which means ‘tungsten’; I think it was chosen for him to be as resilient as this metal is.” Ellen lowered her eyes for a moment. “Our parents knew that he would need to be resilient, I think.”
He nodded, thinking what his brother-in-law story might be, but not wanting to bother her already depressed beloved one.
“Sometimes our names mention a kind of metal or of stone; even being born out of the circles of Arda, your brother’s name suits Khazad uses and traditions.” He was quiet for a moment. “I would like to know your brother personally; he must be a great comrade. And what might my ‘Ellen’ mean?”
The surrounding darkness enclosed her into his protecting arms as she whispered so as not to trouble anyone’s rest.
“I’ve heard it means something like ‘a torch in the darkness’. I’m sorry I feel so much more in need of a torch than in condition to be a torch to anyone, right now.”
Kíli tightened his embrace, having at least the chill of the night as an excuse.
“You have already lightened up far more than you can imagine, believe me.” He ran his fingers through her hair. “Now you sleep. You claim you are all right, but I deem you are not quite recovered from your bleeding.”
“You overprotect me.”
“I am sure I’m not doing anything different from what you yourself would be doing to me if our places were exchanged.”

ooo000ooo

Now she strove to see the other bank through the dim light and could not make more of it than Bilbo and Iris, although it was more than the dwarves were able to.
“Might it be a boat of some kind?”
“Yes, so it seems. If we only could pull it...”
“Does anybody have a hook? We could throw it with a rope attached and pull the boat.”
They had not much equipment, since most of it was lost in the goblin den, but someone produced a hook Beorn provided along with other tools. Dwalin tried to land it into the boat, but what he had in strength he lacked in precision, moreover because he didn’t know where to aim to. Fíli had the better sight among the dwarves and was the one to land it true.
The dwarves pulled the rope, but the boat was really tied up to the river bank, and came just to half of the way. Then they pulled harder and the rope that tied it snapped, making the boat come fast to their bank.
“We have no oars, what will we do?”
“Kíli, tie the rope to an arrow and shoot it to the other bank.” Thorin distributed orders. “Fíli, tie the rope to that post so we have a handrail.” It was all that remained from an old bridge that should be there. “The boat is small, we will make it in twos, to be safer. I’ll go first with the halflings.”
And so they did. Kíli had to shoot trice until the arrow fixed itself firm into a tree trunk, and then they started the crossing. It was torture to be so close to water and not to dare to take a sip of it, but there was nothing to be done. They jumped out of the boat and Thorin tied the rope tightly to the post as Fíli had done on the other side, while the others pulled the boat back. Dori and Ori came next, and Ori tied the rope to its prow while the silver haired dwarf pulled them along the rope handrail.
Things seemed to be going fair until the last pair was about to come. They were in the middle of the river when a roar of hooves was heard, and a small herd of deer came trampling in the path, almost knocking the Company down. Lily tried to shoot at one of them, but if she got it was impossible to see, for it jumped over the river like all others. Then they heard a desperate cry coming from the river bank.
“Help me! Bombur has fallen into the river!”
"I´m shieldmaiden, and my hand is ungentle."