Chapter 17: Rain and talk

[General POV]

Oblivious to Aldril's thoughts, the expedition party moved on. They had just left Hobbiton and it was only noon. The whole group was cheerful, as it was the first day of their great journey.

However, the sky, originally clear, began to cloud over and immediately a heavy rain began to fall, as if welcoming them to their first day of travel.

Just after they emerged from the forest, all the team members looked like wet rats in the rain.

The conditions they found themselves in caused Bilbo to lose his enthusiasm for the adventure.

"If we keep walking in the rain, we might get sick, why don't we find a place to shelter from the rain?" suggested Bilbo, as the raindrops slightly blinded his vision.

At his suggestion, Thorin spoke in an indifferent tone, "Mr. Baggins, this is one of those summer rains. It won't last long, besides there is no place to take shelter. Just wait for the rain to pass."

Complementing Thorin's comments, Kili turned to Bilbo and with a mocking look said, "A little rain won't affect us, Bilbo. On the contrary, being exposed will make you a little stronger."

Skeptical at what Kili said, Bilbo looked at Aldril to see if it was true. "Is it true that rain will make you stronger?"

Shaking his head, Aldril wanted to have a little fun and gave Bilbo a white lie: "Maybe. After all, I've had trips with lots of rain and now you can see how strong I am."

Nodding, Bilbo lifted his face to the sky, allowing the raindrops to hit him squarely in the face, as if he were accepting the rain.

Watching Bilbo's behavior, many of the dwarves began to laugh. Their laughter caused Bilbo to look at them strangely.

"You are too innocent, Bilbo. Of course we are joking," Aldril said, as he shook his head and laughed a little.

Hearing what Aldril said, Bilbo frowned slightly, annoyed at the joke that had been played on him.

"Don't overthink it, Bilbo. This is part of the adventure; even more extreme climates await us," Gandalf reminded him.

"Well, it looks like the adventure is a little different than I imagined," Bilbo muttered.

...

The rain intensified even more, making the expedition members feel a little uneasy, as they thought the rain would stop within a few hours. But, on the contrary, it intensified.

"Hey, Mr. Gandalf, can't you make the rain stop?" No longer enduring the rain, Dori asked aloud.

"These heavy rains won't stop until they stop naturally. If you want to change the weather, you should seek out other wizards," Gandalf replied, as he ran his hand over his face to wipe away some of the droplets clouding his vision.

"Others?" Bilbo, who was riding beside Gandalf, asked.

"Other what?"

"Are there other wizards besides you?"

Gandalf turned his head to look at Bilbo, "Of course there are others. There are five of us in all. The most powerful among us is Saruman, the White Wizard. There are the two blue-robed wizards, but I have forgotten their names. The other is Radagast, the Brown Wizard."

The thing about the blue-robed wizards was true. Gandalf did not remember their names, he only remembered that they traveled with Saruman to the east, beyond the Sea of Rhun, and he does not know what happened to them.

"So what do the others do, are they still travellers just like you?" Bilbo, like a curious hobbit, kept asking Gandalf all sorts of questions about wizards.

And as Gandalf was good-natured, he constantly answered Bilbo's various questions with a smile.

Aldril, being a fan of knowledge, did not miss the conversation Bilbo and Gandalf were having. He even joined in by asking a question that gnawed at him after remembering the white bird from his childhood.

"By the way, Gandalf, I have a question, do you know anything about a white bird that shines like a star even in broad daylight?"

At Aldril's question, Gandalf looked at him with a thoughtful look, while stroking his wet beard.

"Mmm, let me think. Only the lady Elwing the Beautiful comes to mind, a woman who was blessed by the great valar Ulmo. She was blessed with the gift of becoming a white bird that radiates beauty and a light comparable to the stars."

"She is the wife of Eärendil, of whom I have already told you, and therefore the mother of Lord Elrond of Rivendell - why do you ask?" After the explanation, Gandalf looked at Aldril with a questioning look.

"No reason. As a child I thought I saw a bird just like it, but I think it was just my imagination." Responding somewhat effusively, Aldril spoke no more on the subject, but pondered what Gandalf said.

Piecing all the clues together, Aldril felt he was close to discovering who he really was. He needed to search for answers, he would use the short time the expedition was in Rivendell to get them.

Gandalf knew Aldril had something he was keeping from him, but he did not press him to talk, for he too was beginning to suspect that Aldril's origins might not be simple.

...

[Half an hour later]

Just as Thorin had said, the heavy rain that had made the group uncomfortable ceased. The clouds that darkened the sky began to disperse and the rays of sunlight fell upon the land, shining brightly.

After the rain stopped, the atmosphere began to become more lively, as the dwarves began to make jokes to each other about how wet they looked.

They were also on the lookout for a possible wild beast that could become an extra portion of food, should it dare to attack them.

Looking at the more lively atmosphere, Aldril slowed down and, wanting to know more about the adventurers, approached the dwarf Balin. "Mr. Balin, I hope you can tell me about the adventurer Tindómiel."

In a cheerful mood, Balin remembered that a night ago this young man was very interested in the adventurer, so he cheerfully said, "Sure, I'll start by saying that Tindómiel is the daughter of Elros, first king of Númenor. There are many documented adventures of hers. The most famous were when she faced a great basilisk from the east, a huge creature capable of murder with its gaze."

"Over the years she did more exploits, such as the time she faced a fearsome dragon from the south, where she gained the name of the dragon slayer."

"Besides the fact that her beauty was said to be comparable to that of the beautiful elf Galadriel, her hair was said to be as black as night, shining like starlight."

And so, Balin began to describe various feats of Tindómiel, while Aldril listened very happily, feeling an inexplicable feeling of familiarity every time the adventurer's name was said.

Although he was a little disappointed to learn that a few years ago she disappeared and it is not known what became of her, they do not know if she married or had children.

Due to the great feats she did, the name "Adventurer" became famous and at the same time there are very few people who have held that title.

...

[One month later]

In a thick forest, Aldril held his bow and hid very carefully behind a tree. Not far away, the dwarf Kili, also wielding a bow and arrow, crouched carefully behind the undergrowth.

A little further ahead of the two of them, seven or eight burly deer were eating grass. Ingrained instinct made the deer look up and around them very cautiously.

Aldril raised his hand to gesture to Kili. Nodding toward Aldril's signal, Kili positioned himself in a suitable hiding place and waited.

After waiting a few seconds in silence, Aldril took advantage of the moment when the deer lowered its head to continue eating and fired his arrows.

"Shis," "Shis."

The two prepared arrows went out, tracing a straight line and hitting the heads of the two deer. Kili was not far behind, firing the prepared arrow, it hit another deer in the stomach, wounding it. The other deer, seeing the attack, ran away.

When the two returned to the temporary rest camp carrying three deer, the others greeted them with great joy.

"It's been a month since we left the Shire and something tells me that sooner or later we will meet the orcs," thought Aldril, as he left the deer for them so that the other dwarves could prepare supper.

"Soon the chase will begin and Gandalf will lead us to Rivendell, where I will find answers to my questions," he said, as he looked at the horizon where the sun was beginning to set.

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A surprise chapter!

In this chapter I have given many clues about Aldril, so comment your deductions!

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