Prologue- Second impressions.

The darkness loomed above her, the clouded night sky stretching far into the distance. The light had been lost faster than expected, which left her stumbling in the dark. She blindly felt about in her bag, before finally closing her hand around the flint. With a sigh of relief, Cael squatted down to rest on her haunches.

Her eyes flicked about the forest quickly, more out of paranoid habit than necessity, and waved her hand in a light circle. As if of a will of its own, rocks skidded and jumped into a ring, encircling clumps of brush and twigs which had sprung from the ground. Short work was made of lighting the fire and once it was cracking to an acceptable degree, she leaned back with a sigh, pulling her cloak around her.

In the distance, she could just barely make out her destination, a solid, pointed outline silhouetted against the greyed night sky. The Lonely Mountain. Erebor. Her heart clenched painfully, she had never planned to return, she would have rather done anything than come back to the Dwarven kingdom. Yet here she was. All because of that damned wizard. Again.

Cael didn't know how he found her, she didn't even know where she was going or for how long she would stay. She would go wherever the wind directed, sleeping in inns or cornfields, performing parlour tricks and telling fortunes in every town. She never stayed long, and there was neither rhyme nor reason to where she would go next. That was the way she had always lived, however, and she rather liked it. It allowed for total freedom and self expression, with no one to dictate her mannerisms nor dress. She preferred it this way.

Yet the wizard had still found her, he had sidled up to her in a tavern in Aldburg. He had clapped her on the shoulder amicably, however his usual merry face was drawn into a frown. "Why exactly have you been running and hiding?" He has cut straight to the chase, skipping over any and all polite pleasantries. So very typical of him. Cael glared over the rim of her tankard, "I'm wandering. There's a difference."

Gandalf tutted, shaking his head in displeasure. "Well you better finish your wandering, because your family needs you."

"I don't have any family, thank you very much." she countered, her lip curled in a sneer. Gandalf watched her for a long moment, his thick brows knitting together, before sighing. He knocked his glass of red wine back, flung a bound piece of parchment onto the bar top before her and made his exit, grumbling all the way.

She shared a look with the barmaid, Eorla. "Dodgery old fool, probably wants me to finish collecting groceries." Cael said with a forced laugh, desperately avoiding looking at the sealed parchment, its regal blue seal displaying the sender's status clearly. Her stomach had clenched painfully, she felt like she could hardly breathe. As she tucked the scroll into her jacket, she downed her drink and bid Eorla a goodnight, getting a soft "night" and a sad look in return. She had exited the bar, her head tipping up to bask in the moonlight.

With a gulp she had opened the tightly rolled note, and immediately started north. The journey took a month of riding, with very little sleep. She had taken the Kingsroad through Mirkwood, this journey much friendlier than the last. Which led her here.

The sun had begun staining the sky, enveloping the world in vibrant reds and oranges. The single solitary peak towered above her, casting a wide dark shadow in her path.

She hiked her satchel comfortably on her shoulder and continued her trek. Eventually she was intercepted by armed guards along the road. Not as soon as she expected, she thought with a frown as she raised her arms, being patted down for any hidden weapons. The security was getting relaxed, and she didn't know how to feel about that. She had even made a wee bit of a spectacle, stumbling and clattering around the woods as loudly as possible. Her eyes narrowed, why was their security decreased, and why were they examining her so closely?

"What is your business here stranger?" A dwarven Guard demanded harshly, his chest puffed proudly. He was very young, she noticed, his fair hair groomed neatly and with not much of a beard to speak of. His braids indicated he was a head Guardsman; however she didn't recognise him. But, really, why would she? She hadn't been inside the mountain in close to five years. Cael exhaled slowly, pinning the guards with her best steely glare.

"I request an audience with the royal family."

"They're indisposed."

Caels heart clenched painfully, so it was true. As she travelled through Laketown, she had heard rumours that one of the royals was deathly sick, and that the princes hadn't been sighted in public in weeks . Even after Gandalfs information, she had hoped against hope that it had passed safely, or the ordeal had been blown out of proportion. She had hoped she didn't need to return. Yet, here she was. Funny how the world worked sometimes.

Cael grinned cheekily at the group of guards, thrusting her wrists in front of her. "They will want to see me, I'm wanted for committing treason." Immediately, she was shackled and horns were blared. She kept her eyes down and hood up as she was marched right through the monstrous doors of Erebor. Every step felt like lead had filled her boots. They stopped outside the giant emerald doors of the throne room. One of the guards slipped inside, and as she heard the murmured voices within, her courage completely slipped away. Despite this, a cocky smirk was fixed to her face. She wouldn't let them see how uneasy she was, she wasn't that timid, happy go lucky young woman anymore. No, she had changed, and they were the reason she was forced to.

As the giant green doors slowly lumbered open, and as she set her eyes on former friends, essentially entering the beast's maw, she wondered how in the Goddess's name her life had led to this.

Well! Welcome to my story, i hope you enjoy it as much as I've enjoyed working on it. I have no updating plan set in stone, but will be sorting it out soon. Until next time x