A Place to Belong

Chapter 7: The Short Walk to Paradise

She laid there, her burning muscles cooling against the cold rock, and allowing the memory to resurface bit by bit. That day, in a way, had been the beginning of her as she was. If it had never happened other things would have played so differently and she wouldn't be where she was or nearly as strong, both physically and mentally.

~\/-\/~

It was mid-summer almost 4 years after the loss of Erebor. The dwarves had been through much, traversing the wilds of middle-earth looking for a new place to call home.

Braerka had become accustomed to the daily routine. Some months after they had settled down in a small temporary dwelling, Thorin had deemed her, and several other dwarfling's, ready for training. Even while on the move they would be taught and now every morning at the crack of dawn she would be woken by Thorin, she would then briskly get dressed and run down to the fields with eagerness and await instruction. She loved it, the daily plan, the order; everything was constant.

On one day however, after several years of fierce training, Thorin and Dwalin had given them something different to do. She and the other dwarflings would have to fend for themselves in the wilds surrounding their encampment for four whole days alone; using the only skills they had been taught. Braerka had been timid towards the idea, unlike the others that had been raised observing and learning these skills; she hadn't been learning for very long and was mindful of the fact that she would have to be successful on order to be truly accepted.

Dwalin had briefly explained to them what they would have to do, "You will each get a pack with supplies for one day, use them wisely you never know what might happen. Your task is to survive… catch your own food, make your own shelters or perish… you will only get one chance at this"

The other dwarflings had teased her that day as they prepared for their endeavour; she couldn't remember their names, but their young faces were clear as day. Being the only girl put in for training she had been the source of many a day's amusement for them, the fact that she wasn't even a dwarf made things all the worse for her. But she knew she was different and ignored their ploys.

Shortly before leaving Thorin called her over, he handed her a pack and then kneeled down to her eye level, just like he had done not so long ago.

"The worst thing you can do is panic, stay calm remember what I've taught you and stay alive" he told her before laying a light kiss on her forehead. She loved it when he did this she felt safe and as though they were the only two in the entire world. She had noticed he did this more often since his father had begun acting odd and in turn spent less time with him, she thought maybe he was afraid of losing her, as he had lost him, and sought to make the most of the time he spent with her.

She nodded and smiled at his words, every day she grew stronger for having been with him, he was-everything else aside-the best thing that had ever happened to her. Before she could barely stay upright when fighting but now, with his training and direction, she could defend herself with almost anything. She subconsciously tightened her grip on the small dagger he had given her.

Dwalin had called all the dwarflings together before starting their trial. He told them not to go any further than the boundaries marked and not to be helping each other. And then they were off, all six dwarflings, and Braerka, started their trek out into the outer reaches of the neighbouring forest, not knowing what the next four days would bring and hoping that everything would go as planned.

The first 3 days went swimmingly for her, she was able to catch rabbits and fish using the skills Thorin had taught her. She had made herself a tiny refuge in one of the larger trees, she had always been better than the others at climbing. That was probably the only advantage she had.