Chapter 51: Interlude

[General POV]

-Mirkwood-

Legolas was gazing at the horizon, thinking about the human who had caught his attention. He planned to sneak out at night and go to Esgaroth. He was determined to discover what this feeling was that he felt.

Footsteps drew his attention, pulling him from his reverie. Turning to see the visitor, he found his best friend Tauriel approaching him calmly. "By the look on your face, I can see you have something planned," she said as she sat beside him.

"I plan to go see her. I want to find out what this feeling is," he replied, knowing he could trust her. Despite being reprimanded by his father, she would always be there to cover for him.

With a tired sigh, Tauriel looked at him, frowning. "Again? At this rate, I won't be able to cover for you anymore. Your father has started to suspect that I haven't been carrying out his orders." She wasn't happy. Lately, the king's reprimands had increased to the point where she thought she might be relieved of her position as captain.

"I'm sorry. I know I've caused you a lot of trouble, but it's something I have to do," he said, giving her an apologetic look. He had heard from other elves that his father frequently reprimanded Tauriel because of him. He even heard that she might be relieved of her captaincy. However, he had been selfish and kept causing his friend problems.

Shaking her head, Tauriel sighed again, this time more heavily. "It doesn't matter. I only came to find you to inform you that the queen is looking for you. She said she had something to discuss with you." Tauriel stated the reason for her visit. If Aldril had heard this conversation, he would have been greatly surprised since in the movie's plot it was mentioned that Legolas's mother had died.

"Mother?" Legolas frowned, looking at her. He had been avoiding her since she had also mentioned that nothing good would come of his relationship with a human. He couldn't understand why his kind mother had opposed this. Normally, she would support him, but this time she was against him, which hurt him, and so he had avoided her all this time.

Seeing her friend's reluctant face, Tauriel turned to look at the horizon. "I don't know why you're avoiding her. If she said that, it was for a reason. At least give her the chance to talk about the reasons why she doesn't want you to be involved with the human."

Her words seemed to affect Legolas, who thought Tauriel was right. He hadn't given his mother time to explain herself. Maybe he guessed his father's reasons, but he was wrong not to let his kind mother give her reasons.

With a sigh, he stood up. "You're right. I'll go find her. Will you come?" he asked, since his mother loved Tauriel like a daughter, so he saw no harm in her being present while they talked.

Shaking her head in refusal, Tauriel remained seated, gazing at the horizon. "No, your mother said she wanted to talk to you alone."

"Alright," he said, turning and leaving. He understood that his mother, having asked Tauriel to find him, had already given him enough time alone to think things through.

-With the Expedition Team

A group of giant eagles soared high above. Plains, mountains, forests, and rivers adorned the beautiful landscape. Aldril was oblivious to this as he was asleep. Some in the group enjoyed these views, knowing that they had never met anyone who had experienced being carried by eagles, a truly magical experience.

Those who were utterly exhausted, like Dwalin, Glóin, and Balin, who had fought the most, were asleep. Their bodies, feeling the relaxation of the environment, stopped producing adrenaline, causing them to fall asleep.

The younger ones, like Kili, Fili, and Ori, were shouting with joy. They hadn't fought much, so they weren't as tired as the rest of the group.

Unlike the dwarves, Bilbo, instead of enjoying the scenery, was lost in his own world, staring at the golden ring he found in the goblin kingdom. It seemed this ring was in the hands of that creature but had fallen when it was killing the goblins. It was also a magical ring because, while running, he accidentally put the ring on, and it appeared to have made him invisible since when he wore it, Gollum couldn't see him even when he was right in front of him.

"Ahh!" The silent atmosphere was broken by a scream. Bombur had a terrible dream. He dreamed he was skewered on a grill and eaten by trolls, causing him to scream in fear. This clearly woke up the other dwarves, who opened their eyes in horror.

"Damn it, get up!" Bofur shouted, having woken up abruptly and not noticing that he was being held by the eagle's claws.

"What's happening?" Nori joined him, looking around.

"Are there enemies?" Alarmed, Dwalin tried to get up, only to realize he was being held by large claws.

The dwarves who had just woken up from their slumber immediately tried to grab their weapons, only to react and realize they were still being carried by the eagles.

Then they saw Aldril sitting on the back of an eagle, looking at them seriously. They had woken him up unnecessarily; his instincts told him there was no danger, but the shout had still awakened him, ruining the peaceful sleep he was having.

The dwarf Bofur looked at Aldril suspiciously and said loudly, "Aldril, was it you who shouted?"

Aldril shook his head. Because the eagles were flying very close, he could hear what Bofur said. "No, but I'll kick the ass of whoever shouted. I don't like being woken up without reason."

Glóin, who was angry at being woken up, looked at the others until his gaze settled on Bombur, who looked extremely nervous. So he asked loudly, "Bombur, were you the one who made that strange noise a moment ago?"

Bombur quickly dismissed Glóin's question. "No, no, it wasn't me. I just woke up too."

Kili, seeing Bombur's nervous behavior, guessed that he was the one who shouted, but wanting to have some fun, said, "Bombur sleeps heavily; I don't think it was him who shouted. Maybe it was Bilbo."

After Kili finished speaking, Bilbo, who was at the back, saw how all eyes focused on him. He was clearly bewildered, just looking at his ring when Bombur shouted and woke everyone up. Now he was being blamed.

After hearing Kili's words, Glóin immediately looked at Bilbo and asked loudly, "Was it you, Bilbo?"

Not wanting to be blamed, Bilbo shook his head. "No, it wasn't me. I was awake; it was Bombur who shouted."

Immediately, everyone's attention shifted to Bombur, who, seeing no other option, lowered his head. "I'm sorry."

"Ah, bastard, no 'sorry,' let us get to the ground, and I'll give you a beating," shouted an angry Glóin.

"Bombur, I'll kick your ass," Aldril said calmly. He was tired, so after saying that, he lay back down and went back to sleep. Bombur, resigned, bowed his head. He knew Glóin's temper and was sure he would hit him. 'But Aldril wouldn't hit me just for that, right?' he thought.

The eagles, with a tacit understanding, flew closer to each other. They understood the dwarves were arguing and, wanting to join in the fun, flew closer so the group could talk and curse each other.

***

As the golden autumn sun began to set in the west, the bright sky started to turn dark, and the stars shone in the sky, welcoming the night. The eagles that were transporting the team had flown from midday until the early evening, and after a few minutes, they began to descend, soon arriving at the top of an open mountain.

The members of the expedition team were carefully dropped off one by one. It wasn't a very comfortable journey for them; the views were magical but very uncomfortable. The claws of an eagle are not soft, and every now and then, the tip of a claw would prick their behinds.

Aldril jumped off the eagle's back, turned around, and politely said, "Thank you for the ride." He knew that because of his ability, he could speak all languages, so he hoped the eagle would understand his gratitude.

After expressing his thanks, he turned around. When he took a step, a voice came from behind him. "You're welcome. As long as you fight against the orcs, you'll always find a friend in my clan." Aldril's step halted; he turned his head in surprise. He hadn't expected the eagles to talk, at most to understand him like Shadowfax.

But it was logical; a creature so magical and intelligent would be capable of speech. After all, he was in Middle-earth, a magical place where anything was possible.

Aldril's surprised face prompted the eagle to speak again. "Surprised?" it asked. Somehow, this human who also smelled of an elf pleased him. His aura was comforting, as if he was in tune with nature.

Aldril set aside his surprise and, with a smile, apologized. "Sorry, I didn't see it coming." After all, he had only seen The Lord of the Rings movies, and none of them showed the eagles speaking.

Shaking his head, the eagle didn't mind. "No worries, you're not the first nor the last to be surprised."

"In that case, my name is Aldril. Nice to meet you," he said, thinking it wouldn't hurt to befriend a giant eagle. Sensing no fear from Aldril, the eagle introduced himself politely.

"Aerlindor, nice to meet you too, human Aldril, though you have the scent of an elf," he said, curious. The last time he felt both scents was from that elf who helped them repel the orcs who wanted to invade their home.

The eagle, wanting to continue talking with Aldril, said, "I saw you. You killed Narzug. I appreciate it."

"Narzug?" Confused, Aldril asked, having never heard that name. Seeing Aldril's confusion, the eagle clarified, "He's the white warg, he was the alpha. Now that he's dead, the wargs will be more rebellious towards the orcs, which helps a lot."

"Oh, I see, it was nothing, as long as I can help." Now seeing clearly, Aerlindor found many similarities between this human and that elf, but he didn't dwell on it. It was getting dark, and he had to return to his nest. "Good luck on your journey." With that, he flew high.

Like Aldril, Gandalf was also saying his goodbyes. "Thorondir, give my regards to Gwaihir and thank you very much for the help," he said with a smile, never tiring of admiring the beauty of these creatures.

"No need to thank me, Mithrandir. As long as you fight against the evil that plagues Middle-earth, our race will always be there to help. But if you want to thank us, visit our nest. The king always speaks of you and your adventures." After speaking, he spread his wings and flew off.

Gandalf watched with his characteristic smile, having known these eagles for a long time, even being there when they were just fledglings.

Everyone watched as the eagles left, and when they disappeared, they turned around. Thorin, who had woken up at some point during the journey, was looking into the distance at the imposing peak of a tall mountain.

Balin stepped forward and stood beside Thorin, looking at the mountain with mixed feelings and whispered, "Finally, it's in sight, our home, Erebor."

All the dwarves heard Balin's whisper. The older ones looked at the Lonely Mountain with much sentiment, while the younger ones didn't understand the feelings the elders were experiencing, as they had been raised in the Blue Mountains, so they had only heard of Erebor.

Curious, Bilbo approached Gandalf and asked, "Is that mountain...?" Before Gandalf could answer, Thorin looked at him and said, "That is the Lonely Mountain, our former home."

***

At night, on the edge of a forest, a faint light was present, clearly a campfire that the team had made. Around it, there were some deer legs, and the group was enjoying the relaxing atmosphere.

Next to Aldril sat Bilbo, who was worriedly looking at the battered Bombur. Yes, Aldril and Glóin had kept their promise and kicked Bombur's ass, who couldn't put up any resistance.

While the team was having dinner, Balin asked a question that many wanted to ask, "By the way, Gandalf, why didn't we ask the eagles to take us directly to the Lonely Mountain?" Everyone wanted to ask this question, as it would make their journey even easier.

Gandalf, aware of their doubt, explained, "It's impossible. The eagle king doesn't allow members of his race to approach such a place, especially with Smaug's presence. He doesn't want any of his kind to die uselessly."

Everyone nodded in agreement. They could understand the reason, but the younger dwarves were dissatisfied. This was clearly noticed by Thorin, who just waved his hand, indicating it didn't matter. "It doesn't matter; they brought us close enough. It's only a matter of time before we arrive. For now, focus on resting properly. We'll depart early; the sooner we get there, the better." With that said, no one spoke anymore.

They finished their dinner and went to rest. The blankets were taken out from Aldril's storage ring, something he would have to explain to Gandalf in the morning.

****

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