Romantic Flight
Bella Baggins wouldn't say that she was bored. Far from it; the Dwarves had such interesting stories to tell, they were mostly genial, and she was actually a part of the conversation tonight, something she'd been lacking for the last four days.
The envoy from Erebor had arrived five days ago to discuss treaties and such, but Bella had missed the first day because she was helping everyone square away their dragons. After all, Hobbit Hospitality Rule Number Two was 'Always do your absolute best to make your guests feel at home,' and Dwarves didn't mix well with dragons. In any event, her absence was hardly noted the first day, and she was just slightly more noticed while she was there, which irked her. If she was going to slip into that ridiculous dress and smile that diplomatic smile for the next week, she really would've liked some more attention than a simple polite nod and a mildly shocked look when she reminded everyone she was there by speaking up.
Still, it wasn't completely terrible. She wasn't outright ignored, mocked, or scorned; she hadn't had to deal with any diplomatic accidents, stumblings, or faux pas; and she was getting a good meal out of the whole thing.
But there was almost nothing Bella wouldn't have given to be out of her stately dress and in her riding suit, on Twilight's back, soaring through the clear summer night.
There had been several dragon incidents already. Rather suspicious ones, too. All of them seemed aimed at the Dwarves, with the intent of being unsettling at the least and fatal at the most, but everyone else had gotten to handle them. It as if, by some unspoken agreement, every Hobbit present – her Grandda included – had agreed the good Baggins name was to remain as distant from dragons as possible, despite the fact that Bella was, hands down, the best dragon tamer, trainer, and handler in the four Farthings of the Shire.
That was why, when a Deadly Nadder came screeching through the window, snatching Thorin, and taking off out the adjacent window, Bella only gave her Grandda, Gerontius Took, Thain of the Shire, a second-long before she leapt from her chair and headed for the window. Luckily for her, he'd nodded, quite ready for the whole business to be finished with. Not that she saw it, or would've stopped even if he'd forbade her from going.
Amidst shouts to stop, she flung herself out the new opening with a sharp whistle. Twilight, her Night Fury, who was waiting below the window, was beyond quick to respond. Bella landed on Twilight's back, her ridiculously embroidered skirts flying in the wind and they raced to catch up with the Nadder. Thank Yavanna she always, always wore some kind of breeches, pants, or shorts beneath her stately dresses for situations exactly like this.
Twilight roared her enthusiasm they caught up to the Nadder. It might've had the advantage of time, but they had the advantage of speed, and it didn't take very long to catch up with the screaming Dwarf and his kidnapper. Bella leaned in. "Twilight, plasma blast," she said. The dragon was happy to comply. She fired a single blast into the Nadder's side; not strong enough to knock the dragon out of the sky, but definitely enough to make it release its grip on Thorin, who promptly feel through the air, shouting even louder, if that was at all possible.
They dived beneath him, timing the catch perfectly. The moment he had something to hang onto, he did, with as strong a grip as he could manage. Unfortunately or not, said something was Bella herself. She found it highly amusing, despite the fact that it made it somewhat difficult to breathe and restricted her movement greatly. It didn't take him long to regain his senses enough to look at what was happening, and he went as tense as a tightrope. "What in Mahal's name am I doing on the back of one of those things?" he demanded, tone carefully measured but failing to disguise his fear. Bella rolled her eyes at his term. She'd been listening to the Dwarves denounce the 'mindless, ravenous, vicious beasts' all week, and those among them with even less tact than the Crown Prince possessed included the riders in their long lists of insults.
Twilight clearly wasn't happy, either. "Get me down from here, now. Right now!" he ordered.
"Very well," Bella replied noncommittally. "Twilight, down."
She and Twilight had very different ideas of 'down.'
Twilight promptly shot straight into the air, eliciting another cry from Thorin. Even Bella herself gave a bit of a gasp, simply because it was so unexpected. If Thorin hadn't been hanging on as tightly as he was, he might've been slipped from her back entirely, and Bella wasn't sure if that was what Twilight had in mind all along. "Twilight, what're you doing?" Bella hissed. Twilight, instead of responding, began a steep descent, pulling up at about treetop height and rising again, with a few loops.
Thorin continued to scream his terror, and Bella would've been deeply enjoying the man being put in his place if it wasn't jeopardizing the agreement. "Twilight, we need him to like us; you're not helping!" The Night Fury once again ignored her trainer, folding her wing in and diving to the right. They fell, Twilight's back to the ground, and Thorin got enough of a good view of how high he was to make him so nervous he shut up. Bella wasn't sure how she felt about that. "Twilight!"
Twilight ignored her, straightening up and pulling harshly into a level-out. Thorin was jostled by the sudden semi-stop of movement, and his grip slipped for a second. He regained it almost immediately, but it was enough to kick start his mouth again, and he let out an impressive string of what she could only assume were swears, all in Khuzdul. Twilight gained speed, then tucked her wings in and began to spin. The swears turned to screams once more as he actually buried his face in her back, and Bella almost facepalmed.
"I hope you know you've just made this whole bloody deal go right down a Whispering Death hole," Bella chided. Twilight roared, sassing her back, and Bella wished she could actually understand what Twilight was saying. Then again, it might've simply made her mad. "None of this is my fault!"
"I'm sorry!" Thorin shouted. "I'm sorry; I take it back! I don't care what I have to say, just get me back on the ground!" he begged. As if a switch had been flipped, Twilight pulled up and slowed down.
After a few moments of normal, sensible flying, Thorin looked up and around at the scenery. It really was a beautiful summer night. They were over the North Farthing at the moment, and Twilight flew within a foot of the pines. The fireflies rose from the evergreen branches and into the sky alongside them, and when they passed over the Brandywine River, the thousand points of golden light were reflected in the amazingly still surface of the water. The calls of the night birds and some distant dragons filled the air, creating a wonderful symphony of natural sounds.
Then they banked skyward once more, soaring above the clouds for a good look at the sea of stars that lit the black sky. The galaxy flowed in a galactic river above them, and the many constellations displayed on the sky around them filled every possible angle except down with white points and a breathtaking view. The half-moon glinted off Twilight's wings and bathed the two royals in its soft, pale light. Bella almost didn't care what Thorin thought of all this; it was marvelous and she wanted to enjoy every second of it. She did feel him relax, though, and he actually reached a hand out to rake it through the fluffy clouds. She grinned despite herself.
They headed back for the ground, near the Fae town of Hollowhaven, and it was dark enough that the Lunimars arrayed the forest in their full, glowing glory. Twilight dipped below the treeline, allowing the trio an up close look at them. Everything looked so different under the bioluminescent blues, pinks, golds, and greens, especially Thorin. He was awed by the color and beauty, and the light – which so often changed how people looked – seemed to strip him of his air of regality and showed the man, not the crown. She found that the man was rather handsome, and with his emotions so openly displayed across his usually guarded face, this was someone almost entirely new, whom she inexplicably wanted to trust.
He did meet her eyes for a long moment, and she could see the same thing she'd just gone through flash across his face. Something new seemed to take hold of her, and were she any less sensible and practical, she might've leaned forward and kissed him right then and there. She didn't, though, and they both looked away at the same time. She looked back to Twilight, who was watching her with a strange look, and something twisted in Bella stomach that she wasn't sure she liked.
Twilight took the silent cue and headed back toward the meeting hall. Below them, all of the Shire was settling in for a nice night's rest. There were a few riders out, but they stayed well away from Bella, Thorin, and Twilight, either from fate or simply because they couldn't see them. The whole scene was peaceful, as it always was, and for a fleeting moment, Thorin riding behind her felt right, as if they were simply out for a quick night ride before heading back to Bag End for a nice cup of tea and bed.
The flight was over all too soon, and they landed outside the hall. Thorin dismounted, a bit shakily, but far calmer than she expected from the to-be Dwarven king. Their gazes met once more, but this time, she broke it first, by dismounting. When she looked back at him, she tried and failed not to look into his deep stormy blue eyes. "You should go," she spoke first, happily surprised at how strong her voice sounded. Never mind the fact that it was just a bit above a whisper, and far gentler than she'd meant for it to sound, she was happy it hadn't cracked.
"You aren't coming?" He sounded quite strong as well, but he also sounded disappointed.
"I've got a thing or two I need to handle. Dragon stuff. I won't be missed," she answered.
"You will," he corrected, and she felt a slight flutter in her chest. "I'll tell the others that you send your regards." She nodded and smiled, then remounted – which negated the need for having dismounted in the first place, save for the fact that it allowed her not to get lost in those eyes – and watched until he went in. Twilight murmured at her, and she shot the dragon a look.
"Don't even start, you meddling little jackrabbit," Bella muttered as they took off, soaring back into the bright night.
She noticed everything seemed just a little less breathtaking without Thorin.