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chapter 1
Dìs was a dam who went through a lot, all of them did after the dragon came to Erebor.
She experienced way too many losses for a single person, and yet she endured, she had to be strong for her brother and for her sons---but she was still only one dwarrowdam and it was understandable that she could have moments of weakness, especially when her boys were involved.
When she finally received letters from the Company who went to reclaim their ancestral homeland, it was clear that Fili and Thorin were trying to hide something, thankfully Kili's letter was honest (he must have figured they would have an earful from her when she saw them, so might as well say the truth uh? smart boy) and the thought that she almost lost all three made her legs weak.
Her father, her grandfather, her brother, her husband
she had lost them all, and still went on for the sake of everyone around her, but what if Thorin and her boys were also taken from her?
But that did not happen, they were all alive, and as much as she wanted to be there on the first caravan, duty compelled her to wait for everybody else to be gone.
It took almost another year for this day, but she was finally going home, and not alone.
At her side was Bilbo Baggins, the 14th lucky member of the Company and apparently the one her brother decided to court.
The biggest surprise about this was that Thorin actually managed to ask him, to be honest.
<<I wonder how much has changed since I last was there>> he mumbled to himself, looking at the mountain that was now so close, yet still too far.
He seemed as eager as her, but Dìs thought it might be for a different reason.
<<Well they had a whole year to clean up a bit, so I hope for them they did!>> she said, earning a laugh from the hobbit. He was good company, and she liked him. <<I wonder if my brother has a pile of courting gifts waiting for you by now, though I don't think anything could be worth more than the shirt he gave you >> a Mithril shirt, really Thorin? very subtle.
That made Bilbo blush, the poor lad didn't even know the meaning of such a gift and how could he? no one told him!
Well, except for when Dìs saw it.
Oh, Thorin.
Ever since the news from Erebor she felt lighter, like a weight was lifted from her chest, she found herself joking more as she used to in her youth.
She was grateful.
<<Are you sure about the decisions you made, Master Baggins?>> Dìs asked, and he stayed silent for a moment.
She was the one who accompanied him to his old house and helped him regain all the things that were stolen--oh sorry auctioned off while everyone thought him dead.
the audacity!
In the end, he decided to hand his home over to a young couple of relatives that Dìs could not remember, the only thing that matter was that the dragon in hobbit form that was Lobelia Sackville-Baggins didn't get her hands on it.
Still, leaving all his life behind, all his people, to live amongst a completely different race on the other side of the continent...quite the decision.
<<You know, I have been alone a long time>> he said, finally <<my parents passed away when I was young and I was an only child...an oddity for my people. I thought...I thought I liked being alone, only me and my books, my armchair, my garden, but that wasn't true>> continued, Dìs found herself nodding <<This journey made me realize it wasn't, I also realized that I can't live like that anymore, alone again while my family is so far from me>>
If she didn't have so much self-control, Dìs might have cried at the last sentence, and she was about to speak when someone ahead in the caravan shouted that there was someone on the ground.
She exchanged a concerned look with Bilbo, and both started running where they were pointing and that's when they saw her.
There was a girl lying on the ground, she didn't know many from the race of Men but she knew enough to understand that she was young even by their standards. She looked to be in a nightgown, like she didn't have the time to actually dress and put on shoes, her feet were also bleeding, and she was breathing heavily.
"She must have escaped a fire" Dìs thought as she gently moved some of the girl's hair from her face, and she saw dried tears and ash on her cheeks <<We can't leave her here!>> she said, there was no way Dìs of all people would leave someone like this, she remembered all too well being afraid and starved, wandering in search of a new home after they lost Erebor, and no one would help them.
Dìs vowed to never be like that.
The girl opened her eyes or tried to at least, and Dìs' dark blue eyes met a pair of hauntingly violet ones, she looked in pain
<<mother?>> Dìs heard her say, so softly, before the girl lost consciousness again.
Well, now she really couldn't leave the poor lass behind.
------
It was very late, but for some reason, Ashara could not fall asleep.
After tossing and turning in her bed, she decided to head to the kitchen--a nightly snack maybe would help with that.
Not long after she lit some candles, she heard her father soft chuckle from the door.
<<Can't sleep?>> he said, joining her at the table <<You know, when you were little you could only sleep after a lullaby, do you want me to try again?>>
<<Father I'm twenty-four, a bit old for lullabies>>
<<there's no too-old-for-lullabies! if it works, it works!>>
She laughed, but remained silent, grasping tighter at the cup of milk and honey she had prepared for herself
<<Are you still thinking about what they said?>>
A man from the Covenant had come in the morning, asking to arrange a marriage between his son and Ashara. The reasoning behind it being that house Morgil, her house, had "no heir"
"I have an heir" her mother had said "I have a daughter"
<<I don't like him, and I don't like his son>> Ashara said, taking a sip of the milk and closing her eyes <<and I don't want to marry for such a stupid reason>>
Haran, her father, chuckled again. <<Good, I don't want you to marry for that either>> he said, taking her free hand in his <<I want my little girl to be happy and loved>>
She rolled her eyes at being called "little girl", but Ashara knew that it was just how her father liked to call her...and she always felt safe in that, she knew he would always be there for her.
When they came back from the kitchen, Ashara took the hem of his shirt
<<...how about that lullaby?>> she asked, tilting her head with a smile.
But she never had that last lullaby.
---------
Ashara woke up still not knowing where she was, but it wasn't day anymore.
That didn't matter, because when she tried to get up she felt a jolt of pain and at that moment, it mattered more than telling the hour of the day.
<---uhn>> she couldn't help moan from the pain, but still managed to sit (not without cursing under her breath.
The second thing she noticed was that her head felt lighter, and holding a hand to her hair confirmed that it now went a little under her ear, but it still didn't reach her shoulder. Why was her hair so short? how would aunt Jasna braid it now--
"it doesn't matter if your hair is long or short now, idiot" she thought. Aunt Jasna was gone, she saw her body, the blood, she tried to wake her but it was too late.
"she's gone, they're all gone now--"
And now her hair was gone too.
<<I'm sorry about that, lass>> a voice said, Ashara felt her head snap towards the sound. A woman was on the entrance of the room she was in, she must have taken her there.
"So I did pass out, in the end" she thought.
Ashara didn't speak, studying the woman in front of her.
She was...kind of short, she noted, with long hair beautifully braided, decorated with silver beads that really stood out in the black sea of her hair.
She also had a beard that was braided, that threw her off for a moment...but then again Ashara could conjure a fireball from her hands, so she figured this wasn't the weirdest thing to see after all.
The woman's eyes were the most striking feature, though.
Blue, beautiful and clear.
In the end, Ashara shook her (now lighter) head <<It's not important>> she whispered.
The woman sighed, now approaching the bed Ashara was put in << Don't worry, your things are safe>> she said. It was only now that Ashara remembered her mother's bag, she breathed with relief.
<<Where...am I?>> She decided to ask.
Knowing her position was important, from there she could decide where to go--Clearly this was a safer place and looking around she didn't see any signs of the Covenant.
They weren't subtle, Ashara knew, they liked to show off.
But the woman seemed confused <<You don't know where you are?>> she asked, now on the side of the bed <<Do you know your name?>>
<<I-->> for a moment, Ashara contemplated lying. What if it was really a trap? but it couldn't be possible, the Covenant had to predict that she would try to use a portal and then where she ended up...there's..no way <<Ashara, my name is Ashara>> she said in the end.
<<Well Ashara>> the woman started, seeming relieved that at least she knew who she was <<I'm Dìs, and you are in Lake Town at the moment...but I think that is not where you are from>> the woman--Dìs said.
Ah yes, Lake Town! Of course!
....where?
Ashara was confused, obviously, you can't be expected to remember every single place in the world, but she was usually good with geography
<<You seem confused>> Dìs urged, seeing the look on her face.
Ashara tilted her head again <<I...don't know where this is, I wanted to get away from--from where I was, but I didn't know *where* to go and it was the first time using portals-->>
<<Using...what?>> portals? it takes no expert to realize the girl is talking of power. spells. magic.
She seemed too young to be a wizard, and she was clearly no elf, so who was she?
Dìs remembered the torn and burnt nightgown, the ash on her face, the dried tears.
That little "mother" whispered with pain.
Ashara only seemed to look around herself <<I think I did it wrong>> she said in the end, looking at her hands <<And I think it saved my life>>
Getting out of the room was not an easy task for Dìs, but despite being evening, the girl wanted to get up and dress herself, she wanted to know where she was.
<<Did the girl wake up?>> a voice asked behind her, it was Bard.
They came to him asking if he could spare some help for Ashara, and it was hard to refuse after looking at her, honestly.
<<Her name is Ashara>> Dìs replied, nodding <<and she has...quite the story to tell, that's for sure>> She didn't say anything after the last sentence, but she must have understood something, there was a glint in her eyes.
Dìs didn't know where Ashara was from, but it was clearly far from this place.
They heard the door open slightly and a there she was, in clothes that must have come from the bag she was carrying.
<<I...>> she began, she probably wasn't expecting to see someone else there and stopped when faced with the presence of Bard <<I have no shoes>> she said <<can I borrow a pair? Or if you have a pair you don't need anymore, that's fine too>>
<<Don't worry about it, I'll find a pair for you>> He said, exchanging a glance with Dìs before disappearing again.
Dìs looked at Ashara's feet, they bandaged them and she could clearly walk, but could she make the last stretch to the mountain? Because she felt she could not let her by herself.
She looked at her again, she was quite the beautiful girl, her skin a warm brown, black hair they sadly had to cut shorter, but it was the eyes that gave away she was not from here; Ashara had violet eyes, like a dark amethyst.
<<what happened to my hair?>> she asked suddenly, breaking the awkward silence
<<the back was burned>> Dìs replied <<It pained me to do it, but there was nothing else to do>>
She watched as Ashara brushed a strand between her fingers, with a sigh <<Hair grows back, I just...wanted to know and I didn't notice it was burned>>
<<She woke up? she did! oh thank Yavanna!>> both women were distracted by Bilbo's arrival, he carried shoes in his hands <<Are you sure about these? you're in no condition to run around miss--?>>
<<Ashara>> she said, glancing at his feet. Yeah, Dìs did it too when she first met him, but then the girl shook her head.
<<Well miss Ashara, you can have the shoes, but only if you don't do anything too stupid and wait until tomorrow>> with a little smile, she nodded.
<<I just like to be prepared, got that from my...>> she started, but suddenly stopped when looking at Dìs <<I think I owe you an explenation>>
Well, that was sudden change in topic.
<<I opened a portal to come here, a portal from a different world>>