Chapter Text
She could remember the first time they met quite clearly. Not because it was special or because somehow her seven-year-old self just knew that he would be important to her, but because their first meeting was also the first time she’d ever hit someone.
As she walked with Gandalf into the elven city of Rivendell admiring what was to be her new home, as traveling with a centuries-old wizard was not ideal for raising a young girl, she noticed first the elves that held a grace she had never before seen and next the two outliers that, standing next to the beauty of the elves, were rather bland in comparison. She couldn’t, or didn’t care to, remember the introductions that happened next as they were long and consisted of names that even now she did not know.
Yet when the two humans, a mother and her son, came up to meet the newest addition to the humans of Rivendell she can recall the way the boy peered at her curiously. She responded in kind, tilting her head to the side in a manner so bird-like that Gandalf had started calling her his little bird not long after she developed the habit.
“Why are you wearing a bird’s nest?” the boy interrupted Lord Elrond trying to introduce him and his mother pointing to her riot of curls that after days of travel did quite look like a bird’s nest atop her head. Amidst the shock of the adults, he had started to move closer to her as if to look to see if birds were living in her hair. That was when she decided that she did not want this boy who was very rude anywhere near her hair, so she hit him. It wasn't a very hard hit nor did it do much damage as she was seven but he was only nine so after recovering from a punch to his nose he tackled her and brought them both to the dirt before Gandalf and Elrond pulled them apart.
“I do believe they will get along wonderfully, Lord Elrond,” Gandalf chuckled while holding back a raging girl. His comment caused laughter to flit around the gathered company while both she and the boy glared at each other.
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It wasn’t until later that night after she had gotten bathed and was sitting in her new room that she found out his name while Gandalf told her of what she was going to be doing there. Sitting next to him on her bed Gandalf began to speak as he was combing out her hair.
“My dear, Lord Elrond will take care of you and you will be safe here where you can practice your gift without fear of those around you. You may not understand it now but people would do bad things to you if they found out your gift so here you can learn to not only master your power but also how to protect yourself should anyone ever wish to harm you. This afternoon’s introduction might not have been a good first meeting but you will be taking lessons with Estel so I would suggest that next time you try to avoid hitting the boy.”
“But Gandalf he called my hair a bird’s nest!” she squealed in mild outrage when he brought up the prior incident.
“Be that as it may, Isla, you should not have hit him; he is not much older than you and has only ever met elves unlike yourself who have traveled with me meeting all kinds of persons,” Gandalf replied calmly, moving to braid her hair for the night.
“Why can’t I keep traveling with you? I can control my changes. I didn't even do it once when Estel attacked me.”
“I know my dear and I was very proud of you for that even if it would have been understandable, but we still do not know the true extent of your abilities and Lord Elrond can help you so that no matter the situation you are in complete control. As much as I wish you could come with me, you need to learn about the world and its people first from Elrond then in the future when you are older and can hold your own I will come back and take you with me on my travels again,” Gandalf promised her. After tying her hair Gandalf rose and walked to the door looking back at the girl he had called his own for the past five years. She sat on her bed looking back at him with wide eyes. She might have only been seven but she knew more about the world and how cruel life can be than any child should. “You will be able to have fun here and ask as many questions to fulfill your endless curiosity. Goodnight my dear I do not leave until the end of the week so I will be here to help you, sleep well,” Gandalf finished walking out and closing the door behind him.
As Isla sat on the bed she looked around her room and finally settled on gazing out her balcony doors at the moonlight reflecting on the trees. She did not know how to feel in this strange ethereal place so she squeezed her eyes shut and changed herself into a small cat, then jumping off the bed she used her teeth and paws to drag a small blanket down and under the bed where she curled up in the darkness and finally went to sleep.
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On the other side of the building in his study, Lord Elrond stood at the window overlooking Rivendell as Gandal explained Isla’s unique situation.
“She is unlike any other skinchanger I have ever met. She looks like a human child, and acts like one, and while I only met them once her parents were human as well. She also is not restricted to only one animal but can rather change into any she pleases. One moment she is happily trotting along as a dog the next she sees a new butterfly and she has copied it perfectly to the point where if you looked away for a second you could forget which was the butterfly and which was the girl. And when she changes she does not rip her clothes or lose any possessions they simply reappear on her as a human as if she never changed at all. It is at the same time fascinating and frightening for what power could grant this yet she shows no other signs of being able to wield spells; she is simply a shape-changer.” Gandalf said while sitting in front of Elrond’s desk hoping for some knowledge that he might possess in all of his books.
“It is most unique, and unfortunately I have never heard of such a thing but from what I can tell she is neither in danger nor a danger to those around her. Rather she is just a child with a strange gift given from the Valar. It does you no good to dwell on the why Mithrandir, I will help her learn her gift and teach her the ways of the world. We should not question the gifts of the Valar but embrace them and all their potential,” Elrond replied, taking a seat next to Gandalf.
“I thank you, my friend. Maybe there is no explanation but she will need to be careful because it would not take much for people to believe that she wields some dark magic and that fear can bring out the worst in anyone regardless of their race.”
“Yes, and I will assure you that by the time she is fully grown she knows how to fight as well as any man or elf. She will most likely be rather formidable with her ability and I have no doubt that should she ever need to she could take down a party of orcs single-handedly should the need arise. For what orc party would be prepared to fight a bear or more, rather than one woman?” Elrond chuckled with Gandalf, imagining the trouble the young shapeshifter would get into as she matures.
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As the years passed, Isla grew as did her friendship with the only other human around. She and Estel at first would tease each other relentlessly, throughout their shared lessons and days they would be mocking each other or creating small pranks for each other. The only time the two stopped their merciless games was when Isla would go with Elrond for her private lessons each day where she would work on her ability. Estel would be left to spend time with his mother but always grew bored before Isla would be let out and he could end her peaceful reprieve with a joke or prank that he had used his free time to think of while she was busy.
For over a year this continued until the day that Estel found out about her gift. She was sitting on a bench in one of the many courtyards trying to read one of her books on the history of Middle Earth when Estel snuck up behind her and dropped a frog down the back of her dress. She shrieked when she felt the cold slime on her back, her instinct to change into a small mouse to get away overcoming her and she scurried into the brush nearby where she finally realized what happened. She immediately changed back to herself and began yelling at Estel who only stood there shocked as he just saw her transform into a mouse before his eyes.
“H-how did you…you were a mouse! How did you do that?” Estel stuttered, still having not moved a muscle from the surprise. Isla’s anger calmed down when she heard what he asked and began to realize that he didn’t know of her ability. An inkling of fear began to creep through her at how he might react to her strange power but Estel interrupted these thoughts before they could go any further. “Can you turn into anything else? Like a dog or a horse? Or what about a bird? Can you fly? Could you turn into a fish and breathe underwater? What if you turned into something huge like an oliphant?” Estel began rattling off question after question towards Isla whose turn it was to be shocked.
“You’re not freaked out about this?” Isla asked when he took a breath.
“Freaked out? This is amazing! Think of all you can do,” Estel responded enthusiastically, running over to her.
“Well it is fun to fly and I love running with wild horses they can go for miles without rest,” Isla responded shyly before Estel grabbed her hand and demanded that she tell him and show him everything. They spent the rest of the day hidden away in a hidden part of Rivendell near a pond where Isla showed him all her power could do and they talked until the sun set and an elf found them for dinner.
After that day the two were inseparable and they no longer fought. The teasing continued but between best friends and it always ended in laughter, not anger.