Chapter one: The Black Web
"Good morning, Prince Fili," I murmured quietly, offering a small bow in his direction.
He offered a grin in return. "Good morning, Hava," he greeted. "Off to make your rounds?"
"Actually, I was off to the library," I answered, pausing for a moment. "Why? Does someone need my help?" I inquired worriedly.
"Er, not that I know of. I was wondering, however, if I might join you when you make your rounds," he requested, rubbing the back of his head.
I blinked a few times. I'm sure that was just an order from Thorin, right? Thorin had always been a little wary of my curse. He knew how helpful it was, but just the thought of not knowing the extent to which it could be used was unsettling to him. He knew I could obtain life forces, but he didn't know how and with his paranoia, I wasn't about to let him know it took only a snap of my fingers. Literally.
I finally nodded my head a few times. "That shouldn't be a problem," I murmured. "I can do my rounds now if it is more convenient for you, my lord," I suggested.
"Er… sure, why not?" he agreed, grinning once again. His grin always reassured me. Of what?
Just about anything, really.
"Where do you start first?" he inquired as I turned and walked in his original direction.
"I normally start in the west wing, top floor and work my way east, then down and back and forth. Sometimes it takes a while because this place is so huge, but normally it goes by pretty quickly, considering how watchful the dwarves are," I complimented. "It really isn't that often they need my help…"
Fili nodded. "Makes sense. But you do know that no matter how small, your services are important and noticed by all. They're appreciated by Thorin as well as everyone," he said strongly, confident in his statement. He normally was. He almost never had a reason to lie.
My cheeks tinted slightly, even thought he said this sort of thing often to me. I realized that thought it was called a curse, it was deemed a blessing by whom ever I ended up helping. I'd been thanked countless times, but when it came from Fili, it seemed to really hit home. I clutched my satchel tightly.
"Ah…. Thank you, Fili," I murmured quietly.
After a few awkward moments of nothing but the thudding of Fili's boots and the soft tapping of my slippers, I went through the contents of my satchels. I noticed this seemed to be a nervous habit of mine. Where in the world was everyone? Normally the halls were streaming with people, but now it seemed desolate.
"Ah, how could I have not noticed this earlier?" I grumbled in disbelief.
"Noticed what?" he murmured, trying to subtly look into my bag.
"Hmm… nothing… but I'll have to go away for a little while," I mumbled, shaking my head.
"What ever for?" he asked quickly, eyebrows furrowing deeply.
I hesitated in telling him. I hadn't explained to Thorin just yet what it was. I thought maybe he'd cast me out, finally having an excuse to get rid of me. My Death's Grasp was used to hasten the healing process and while my mother's potion did that, it was my curse that completely got rid of it. Without my Death's Grasp, it would take hours to get rid of the wound and, depending on the wound, I might lose my patient by them. I know I said earlier I could obtain a life force like seemingly nothing, but truth me told, it took a lot out of me sometimes, especially if the creature was large. Besides, it wasn't exactly in my nature to just go around snatching life forces.
"I seem to have nearly run out of my Death's Grasp…" I finally mumbled, gaze on the floor.
"Is… what is that?" he asked, watching as I flipped through a small book while we continued walking.
"It helps me with the healing process," I sighed. "Bigger, more serious wounds take a long time and far too much energy for me to do by myself. I can't make any more right now due too the lack of ingredients."
"Well, what do you need?" he inquired, seeming ready to jump on the horse, as they say.
I glanced over at him. He would help anyone in need in a heart beat, especially his friends. I don't know what I was to him, but he was to me the most precious of people. He was even a little higher than Lassor, to be honest. Heh, but I'd never tell him that. Lassor would kill me.
"Death's Cane, Corrupted Flowerlace, Inferno Parsley, Volcano Buttons, Glowering Feverfew, Grim Bower and Grave Ambrosia," I listed off, showing him hand drawn pictures of each plant.
"Hey! I've seen that button thingie at Uncle's in the Iron Hills," he exclaimed excitedly, grinning up at me.
I nodded. "Unfortunately, they're spread out really all across Middle Earth," I mumbled, shaking my head.
"Then someone should accompany you," he nodded, seeming to already be forming a plan in his head.
"Are you saying that someone should be you?" I teased, quirking an eyebrow.
He bowed deeply, stopping in his tracks. "I'd be honored to, Lady Hava."
"H-Hey," I stuttered, lightly brining him back to standing position. I kept my hands on his shoulders for a moment, before quickly pulling them away. "People would begin to wonder if they saw us like that…"
As a human, one would be under the presumption that a dwarf would be half my height. Well, not really. I was around five and a half feet, only a foot taller than the prince. Considering the fact that my posture was awful and I was slumped over most of the time, shop an inch or two off of that.
"Bah…" Fili mumbled, snapping me from my thoughts.
"Isn't it improper for such a high ranking dwarf to kneel in front of such a lowly human?" I inquired, gaze averted.
"Not if I don't consider you lowly, which you're not," he chided. "In my opinion, you're higher than any Queen, no matter the species." Before I could even retort, he said. "Come on, let's do those rounds and meet up with my uncle to see what arrangements we can make for getting those plants," he murmured.
I could only nod and quietly follow him, words seeming to escape my grasp.

The rounds didn't take very long at all. There were only one or two injured and they were minor injuries.
"Do you think my uncle would allow us to go alone?" he inquired aloud.
I paused, face burning. I swallowed hard before stuttering, "P-Probably not."
"Oh, I didn't realize I was speaking aloud," he laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head.
I just shrugged. "It's fine… but uhm… I heard your uncle had some things he needed to go over with you over the next few days… then again, maybe he could hold off for a little while longer. Sauron has been pushed back by Gandalf and Lady Galadriel. The only 'threat' is perhaps the random thief or two, which I'm sure you'd have no problem taking on."
"One or two?You'd better believe I'd be able to take on one or two! I could take on ten!" he exclaimed, giving a loud, hearty laugh.
I just grinned. "Riiight,"I teased.
"Do you really mock your future king? Only the future queen could stand to do that."
"Well then, where's my ring?" I joked, holding out my hand.
Fili, Kili and myself bonded instantly when we first met. Although my shape-shifting friend, Lossor, wasn't to fond of the Company (for the sole fact that they're all men), we still got along well. And teasing each other about marriage was out favorite thing to do, really. Kili was already promise to Tauriel (although she was quite unaware of the arrangement) by the time we met, so it was only appropriate that Kili tease and poke fun at Fili and myself.
But he reacted differently this time.
He simply looked away and abruptly entered Thorin's area of work. I blinked a few times, unsure of what just happened. Thorin looked up from some papers he was going over with Balin, who also looked over. Thorin quirked an eyebrow. He hadn't been in the best of moods ever since Bilbo went back to the Shire to make some arrangements.
"Ah, hey, Uncle… so I was– or rather Hava was–"
"So you two are finally betrothed?" Balin inquired.
"W-What–?" I stuttered, eyes going wide and face going red.
Thorin just shook his head. "Balin… Quit with the antics," he muttered. "What is it?"
I took a moment to compose myself. "I… I have to leave for approximately three to four months."
"What ever for?" Balin inquired.
"I have a potion, a mixture of herbs, if you will, that helps me heal the more complicated injuries," I explained, "However, I'm running out and need to gather the seven necessary ingredients. They're unfortunately spread out across Middle Earth."
I walked over and showed the three dwarves my book, which contained an small map of Middle Earth, including the areas where each ingredient could be found.
"Mmm…" Thorin hummed. "Alright. I want you to take Dwalin and Bofur."
"No way, uncles! What about Kili and I?" he intercepted, stepping forward.
"Out of the question," he growled.
"And why's that?" Fili demanded.
"Because you two are heirs to this throne! You looked to learn how to do things correctly, not frolicking around Middle Earth, looking for some stupid flowers with some stupid human girl!" he snapped.
i flinched back, head lowered. Thorin's gaze snapped to me and it immediately softened.
"I'm sorry, Lady Hava," he apologized.
"No, no, it's fine," I laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of my head. "Used to it…" I mumbled, then cleared my throat. "How about I just go alone? I need to stop by the Shire anyways and I can grab Lossor. I'm used to traveling alone with him," I shrugged.
"Out of the question," Fili growled. "What if you get taken again?"
"Again?" inquired Thorin, looking from me to his nephew.
"Not again," I said quickly. "Not what he meant," I added, shooting a small glare towards the prince.
"But she's also a lady and ladies–"
"I wouldn't finish that sentence, lad," Balin murmured, shaking his head.
I simply snorted. Sure, I simply adored that stupid dwarf, but he was getting on my nerves right now. "Just because–"
I stopped, seeing the spiderweb in the window sill. I cautiously went over and looked at it more closely. Black. A black spiderweb. That could only mean…
"Hold still, Hava, you've a spider on your head," Fili murmured.
Before I could stop him, he grabbed the spider with his ungloved hands and let out a yelp of pain, jumping back. I whipped around, eyes wide.
"No!" I shouted, grabbing Fili's hand.
"What? It just bit me," he grumbled, embarrassed for yelping at such a seemingly simply thing.
"Fili! Hold still," I snapped, yanking his hand back towards me. I flicked the spider to the ground and poured wax from a candle over it. Once it solidified, I looked back at Fili's hand and groaned.
"What? What's going on?" Thorin demanded, standing up now to try and get a better view.
"Your nephew got bit and Hava is babying him." Balin sighed, shaking his head.
"No! You don't understand! That was a Black Web Spider!" I exclaimed. When they still didn't seem to get it, I groaned. "The venom in a Black Web Spider will kill Fili."
"Then help him!" shouted Thorin.
"I can't! My potion! I-I…. I need to get my potion…"
"But…" Fili murmured. He already died once and that was a quick death. This one… would last a lot longer.
Thorin's face went rigid and he pursed his lips.
"How long?"
"Six months," I said, letting out a shaky sigh. "If we're lucky."
"Isn't that plenty of time?" Balin inquired. "You said three months earlier."
"I also said if we're lucky. The most common time of death is… three months," I breathed.
Thorin was silent for a moment. "Take Kili and go," he ordered.
I nodded and dragged Fili back to his quarters.
"Strip and get under the covers," I murmured. "Now!"
He hurriedly did so as I grabbed the rest of my potion. Once under the covers, I went over and sat on the bed. I took his hand and after chewing up the mixture, smeared it on his hand.
"Don't wipe that off," I murmured, already feeling the poison seeping through my own body. "This won't stop the poison, but there shouldn't be much pain."
"But… Hava…" he started.
When I looked at him, he was already sweating in waves, probably from the fever. This wasn't a good sign. The poison was running through too quickly. He'd never been introduced to any sort of poison before… I gently put my cold hand on his forehead.
"I'll have someone come in with a cool cloth before I leave. Drink a lot of water… you'll be puking a lot," I murmured quietly.
"Hava…"
"Try not to talk too much, Fili," I mumbled, starting to stand, but he grabbed my wrist, demanding my attention.
"Hava, my uncle has me betrothed to a dwarrow; a princess," he murmured. "I'm sorry… I wanted to… tell you earlier… but…"
I blinked a few times. "Ah… all right… I'm sure she'll be rather disappointed if you die, so I should get going," I mumbled, taking my wrist back.
I quickly left the room, closing the door behind me. Why was my heart beating so loudly? I could have sworn I heard the thumping echoing through the hallways. No, wait… I looked up to see Kili hurrying towards me.
"Hava!" he called out, worry smeared all across his face.
"Kili… He'll be all right, but we need to get a move on," I said quickly, starting to walk passed him.
"Then why are you crying?"
I paused abruptly, swallowing hard. I wiped my face roughly. "Uh, well… I care for him, yeah? Like I care for you," I added quickly.
"But you said not to worry!"
"No, I didn't! I said he'll be all right. I know he will, but I worry about all my patients… we need to leave," I insisted, glancing over my shoulder at him.
He looked at me, unsure, then sighed. "Allright, allright. We're picking up Bilbo in the Shire, right?"
I nodded and continued out until Tauriel seemingly came from nowhere.
"I want you come too," she demanded.
"Tauriel, I need you to watch after Fili. We can't afford too many people on this expedition," I murmured impatiently.
She looked quite offended and turned her attention to Kili, who just shook his head. Tauriel clenched her jaw, but finally nodded.
"Don't you dare die on me," she mumbled.
Kili simply grinned and hugged her. "No one is going to die," he reassured her.
Tauriel gently lifted his face and passionately kissed him. I glanced away, my own jaw clenching. I was trying not to think about the engagement, but it was hard with these two making out every step of the way. I cleared my throat and they parted. Tauriel pecked his cheek before we went off.
Thorin met us at the gate. He looked at Kili, before shifting his eyes to me. I refused to met his eyes, but I could just feel his eyes burning into me. He knew I knew.
"I wish you luck, you two," he finally mumbled, moving his gaze elsewhere.
"Thank you, Uncle. We will be quick in out return," Kili replied.
I thanked Bofur when he came to us with a pony and a horse. I climbed upon the horse, my horse, Rosie, and checked my satchel for various tools and jars I needed. Some of these plants were dangerous to touch or impossible to break or– well, you get the picture. No one ever touched or even went near these plants. Guess who gets the honor of sticking them in their mouth and chewing the cursed things up?
Oh yeah.
It's a party.
When I heard Kili mount his pony, I glanced over.
"Hava," Thorin started.
"No time. Need to save you nephew. Bye," I said quickly, still not looking at him as I lightly nudged my horse, telling her to go.
It didn't take long for Kili to catch up.
"What in the world is your problem?" Kili demanded, looking up at me.
"How about Fili dying? Is that a good enough answer for you?" I snapped, but then paused. "Sorry…. Didn't mean to snap," I sighed.
"There's something more. You're anger is directed towards my uncle. Why?"
"Were you aware that Fili is betrothed?" I finally inquired.
"Oh, he finally asked your hand?!" he exclaimed eagerly, grinning.
"Ah… not exactly. More like your uncle betrothed your brother to some dwarrow princess," I grumbled. So Kili knew my feelings– woah wait a minute. Finally asked my hand… Was he–
"Are you insinuating that your brother was planning on–"
"No! Well… no, not really," he mumbled. "I know you like him… Guess that sucks, though. Ah well, heard Thranduil was making googly eyes at you the entire war," he teased.
"Oh nasty," I muttered, sticking my tongue out in disgust. I shook my head.
"Stop joking around," I sighed. "And I don't like your brother. Not in a romantic way."
"Then who do you like?"
I understood then what Kili was doing. I knew he was simply trying to distract me from A) Fili's illness and B) the engagement. Of course, it wasn't true that I didn't look at Fili in a romantic way, but clearly that was out of the question now. I wasn't sure how to answer his question, so I looked down at my map for a few moments. I was hesitant to go through Mirkwood forest, even if the darkness had been lifted, but it was much faster than going all the way around. I knew Kili was watching, waiting for me to answer.
"No one, I guess," I mumbled finally, not taking my eyes off the map. "We'll go South until we reach the elven path. Apparently Lord Elrond helped clear it out enough for horses to go through. Apparently, he was pretty upset at Thranduil for not taking proper care of it."
Kili snorted. "Yeah, because it's just like Thrandork to make an easier access way for just anyone to enter his forest and leave alive."
I chuckled. He had a point. Thranduil had a tendency to no think highly of anyone but himself and perhaps that's what aggravated me the most. Normally, I wasn't fond of very many creatures that walked around on two feet. Though they had bigger brains, they may as well have a pea sized one, especially the selfish ones. I was all too familiar with that type.