Another chapter! Once again, thank you to all my lovely viewers. I do not own LOTR or HOBBIT or anything else created by the almighty Tolkien.
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'I would stop them,' Leo commented off-handedly, 'But it looks like Fili and Kili want to handle this themselves. And this tree branch is oh-so-comfortable.'
Gandalf spluttered on his pipe before groaning and smacking his face into the palm of his hand. He was never leaving Leo to watch over the company ever again! Don't just sit there and watch; save them!
Leo's sigh echoed in his ears as if he had just tasked her with a most tedious chore. 'Oh but that means that I have to get up, stretch my muscles, fight some trolls, and you know that takes so much physical effort…'
I am coming to help. Gandalf growled as he turned tail and went back the way he came. Now go rescue those dwarves!
'Are we just going to ignore the fact that this would be a wonderful learning experience for the little men? Fighting large, stinky creatures and such.' Gandalf conveyed his displeasure to Leo, who winced at the force of his scolding silence. 'Fine, fine, I'll rescue the stubborn half-wits from the trolls.'
Leo paused, before adding, 'But woe, if only I could save them from their own stupidity.'
Gandalf forced himself not to smirk.
{::… ҉ ..::}
Despite Gandalf ordering her to help, Leo was in no hurry. She watched in amusement as one of the dwarf boys (Fili? Kili? Dammit. Whichever the blonde one was!) ran over to a brooding Thorin, informing the exiled-king of the missing ponies and the suspected trolls. The rest of the company was immediately sent into a flurry of activity, grabbing their weapons and donning their armor. And in the case of Bombur, finishing off the last sweet roll. Um. Ew. Dwarves should never be allowed to make slurping noises.
Ever.
Wrinkling her nose, Leo shifted her attention to the rest of the company as they made their way to the troll camp. She followed them quietly, traversing the tree branches as easily as if they were merely another forest path. If the company noticed the lack of bird noises, they probably attributed it to the presence of the trolls. Her eyes narrowed. Twelve? But where was the little one?
There was a fearful cry, and Leo recognized it as the voice of the gentle hobbit. Dammit! Whose bright idea was it to allow the defenseless halfling to face three fully grown trolls by himself? Idiots! Perhaps dwarves made it a game to hit their heads upon the stone until their brain cells withered completely?
Oh and look, the youngest one was going to just rush headlong into a troll camp and demand them to listen to him. Because that always worked. The poor hobbit was thrown like a sack of potatoes into the young dwarf (Fili? Kili? Ugh…). Leo muffled a groan of frustration as the dwarves simultaneously let out war cries –yes, reveal your position to the big bad trolls before a surprise attack –and attempted to attack the troll camp. She rubbed her temples. How their race survived for so long, she would never comprehend. Survival of the fittest indeed.
Naturally, the trolls won. And the dwarves were humiliated as the large, stinky creatures demanded that they abandoned their weapons and clothing. Leo choked. Why, by the mercy of the Valar, would one ever want to see these dwarves in their underclothes? Leo winced at the sight of Bombur, placing her hand over her mouth to resist the urge to barf. Yeah, not pretty. Plus she knew that those dwarves probably stank to high heaven –hardly an appetizing scent.
The dwarves were strung up on a spit, howling in rage but otherwise unable to do much else. Oh, but then the hobbit had to go and draw attention to himself. Leo applauded his courage, but silently berated him for such foolishness. Wait –was he seriously giving the trolls advice on how to cook dwarves? Oh this was rich. If it weren't for the fact that they were in a life-threatening situation, she might have allowed him to continue.
"Oi! I know what you're up to!" One troll scowled, finally catching on to Bilbo's endgame. "This little ferret is taking us for fools!"
"Ferret?!" Bilbo scrunched his cute little face in indignation.
"Fools!?" The trolls simultaneously exclaimed in offense. Oh their poor delicate feelings would never recover.
'Gandalf? You here yet?' Leo's mind sought him out.
I need more time. Was his reply.
'Now that, I can do.' A feral grin etched itself onto her face as Leo slipped her two swords from their sheaths at her sides, the blades whispering with the movement. There was one troll with his back to her; her first victim.
As Bilbo began to back away nervously, the trolls closing in on him with looks of fury, there was movement in the trees branches over their shoulders. The moment Bilbo focused on it there was a flurry of movement as a woman jumped out of the trees and landed with her legs wrapped around the troll's neck, simultaneously reaching around its head and stabbing her swords into his eyes until they drove into the troll's brain. Bilbo's mouth dropped open.
The troll only had enough time to utter a guttural shout before it was dead. Leo was leaping to attack the other troll before the body of the previous one had even hit the floor.
"I got this, little one!" Leo called over her shoulder as she dodged a hit from one of the remaining trolls. "You go free the dwarves!"
Bilbo was frozen for a moment, before her words seemed to register in his head. Jumping in place, he scurried over to the spit with twelve roasting dwarves. His hands fumbled with the knots of the rope, trembling under the pressure and with the fear he had felt at seeing Leo's easy kill.
"By Mahal!" One of the dwarves, he wasn't sure which, snapped at him. "Just cut the damn things!"
"I- I- I don't have a knife!" Bilbo stuttered.
There was a collective groan.
Suddenly a knife embedded itself in the dirt right in front of Bilbo's shoeless, exposed feet. The hobbit jumped in surprise with a yelp, and felt his heart leap into his throat. He glanced up to catch Leo sending a smirk his way before she was obscured by one of the trolls attacking her. Bilbo quickly reached for the knife, a little wary of how sharp the blade gleamed. He carefully began cutting the ropes around the dwarves, forgetting a small detail.
"Whoa, whoa!" Nori exclaimed.
"Aye, did ye forget about the fire below us, lad?" Balin added.
Bilbo felt increasingly frustrated, at himself and at the situation.
"Kick some dirt on it!" Fili exclaimed. "If you can at least get it down to embers we will be fine!"
The hobbit glanced over his shoulder to see Leo weaving her way through the troll's legs, dancing around them with a taunting laugh. Turning back, Bilbo began shoveling handfuls of dirt onto the fire, dampening it until all that remained were smolders. Then, he quickly took up Leo's knife again and sliced through the last rope pieces. The dwarves burst forth into an ungraceful heap, letting out yelps and curses.
But Bilbo was already turning his attention to their savior.
Leo was playing keep-away with the trolls, no longer having the advantage of surprise and not nearly tall enough to reach any vulnerable points on their bodies. So she kept on the move, acting as the decoy while the hobbit freed the dwarves. The trolls were slow and cumbersome, their reflexes barely keeping her in their sights.
But when the dwarves were freed, the ensuing racket drew the attentions of the trolls.
"Hey! What do ye think yer doing?" One of the trolls demanded of Bilbo, abandoning the annoying woman and turning back to the fire pit.
Leo cursed and darted around the second troll, coming up behind his companion and digging her swords into the back of one of his knees. She used all of her strength the force her swords through the thick skin of the troll and pulling the blades sideways in a ripping motion to shred the tendons there.
The troll roared in agony and fell forwards, not dead but certainly crippled. However the exchange cost Leo, for the momentary pause in her movements allowed the other troll to come up behind her and backhand her body. She let out a cry of pain as she was sent reeling into a tree, slamming bodily into the trunk and parallel to the ground. She felt her head and legs snap backwards around the shape of the tree, which dug into the width of her lower back, before gravity took over. The trunk snapped in half at the force of her collision.
I am here.
Gandalf's voice spread relief through her body, and Leo allowed herself to relax and close her eyes, pain rippling throughout her body. Idly she wondered if her spine had snapped, for she could no longer feel her legs. Then again, she could no longer feel anything except where her back had hit the tree.
"May the dawn take you!" Gandalf's roar echoed through the clearing. Behind her eyelids, Leo heard a loud crack and suddenly felt the warmth of sunlight. A smile touched her face, before fading into a grimace.
"Oh my, oh dear!" She heard Bilbo's voice somewhere above her and felt the flutter of his hands across her side, though it was very light as if he were afraid to touch her. Other than that, Leo vaguely registered the dwarves and Gandalf speaking but the pain prevented any concentration.
{::… ҉ ..::}
Once they had all gained their bearings, the dwarves hurriedly reclaimed their belongings and donned their armor once more, muttering as their sheathed their weapons into their proper places. Then the dwarves congregated around Gandalf, giving him appreciative pats. Thorin gazed gratefully at the wizard, nodding his head in thanks.
"Where did you go, if I may ask?" Thorin asked Gandalf, though without blame or bitterness one might have expected.
Gandalf's eyes twinkled. "To look ahead."
Thorin raised his eyebrows. "And what brought you back?"
"Looking behind." Was his off-handed answer.
The two were interrupted by the sound of Bilbo's exclamations of worry, "Oh my, oh dear!" As if suddenly remembering the woman that had saved their lives, the dwarves rushed over to the collapsed tree. Many were surprised to see the strange woman that they had met at Bag End, her body lying twisted on the remains of a tree trunk. They could see that she was still breathing, as evidenced by the hissing noises that she made every time her diaphragm expanded. Her eyes were scrunched in pain, obviously still conscious.
As Gandalf approached, Bilbo looked up, his face distraught. "I'm afraid to move her…" He glanced back down in worry.
Gandalf nodded in agreement and knelt down next to Leo. "Does it feel like anything is broken, Miss Leo?"
Leo opened one eye, "Nah." Her voice was hoarse. She licked her lips, smirking at them through the pain. "I've been through worse."
Gandalf nodded and without preamble thrust his staff into Bilbo's hands. The hobbit nearly dropped the stick in surprise, struggling to find a comfortable way to hold the staff twice his height. Meanwhile, Gandalf gathered the limp woman in his arms, holding her gingerly as she bit back a groan.
"Ssssssshit." She hissed as the wizard began walking back to the company camp, every step seeming to reignite her aches no matter how smooth Gandalf attempted to keep his pace.
When they reached the camp Gandalf gently laid Leo down on the first bedroll that he came upon. Hovering just behind him was the nervous hobbit, eventually followed by the rest of the dwarves. Thorin watched the woman with an inscrutable gaze, unsure if he should be unhappy at her presence or grateful for her help.
"May I tend to her?" Oin, the company's medic, asked Gandalf.
Gandalf glanced at Oin, then to Leo, who nodded in agreement. Then the wizard moved aside to allow Oin access to the injured woman. Very carefully, Oin helped Leo out of her leather jerkin and roll onto her side. He rolled up her tunic and studied the blooming bruises on her back.
"How in Mahal's name did you not snap completely in half?" Oin shook his head in wonder. "Ye one lucky lass!"
Leo sucked in a breath as Oin gently prodded her lower back.
"Let us pray that you didn't fracture anything." Oin muttered, leaning back. "Unfortunately there is not much that we can do to fix bruises. No bones to be set, no wounds to stitch and wrap… All there is to do is wait."
Leo muttered a curse under her breath.
"Sorry lass." Oin grunted, smoothing a salve over the bruising that would help numb the pain. "Ye want a tonic? I could give ya something that'll knock ya out for a while."
"I'm good." Leo muttered as Oin smoothed her tunic back down and let her rest. Her gaze darted over the rest of the dwarves who were still watching her with suspicious curiosity. If she had the strength, she would have rolled her eyes. Saved their ungrateful hides and they still regarded her with caution. Thorin approached her, looking unsurprised at her presence.
"Thank you." He mumbled gruffly. "My men and I are in your debt."
She relished the way that the words seemed to physically ail the king. Even Bilbo seemed amused at Thorin's reluctant show of humility.
Leo smiled into the blankets she lay one. "Ah, shouldn't say such things, king under the hill." Thorin glared at her, but she was too busy stifling a groan as she took a too-large breath and her ribs and spine protested. "You never know when I might take advantage of you."
Ah, how she wished that Thorin had been the type to blush. But Leo took pleasure in seeing the red faces of the two dwarf boys, Fili and Kili, though she still did not know which one was which. Even some of the older dwarves were surprised, some amused, some offended. Leo closed her eyes and tried to relax her body, dozing in and out of sleep.
She heard movement and old paranoia had her immediately awake. She saw the blonde dwarf that was Thorin's nephew attempting to quietly ruffle through the bags placed next to the bedroll. When he saw that she was awake, he smiled bashfully.
"Ah, sorry." He muttered. "Just getting a few of my things."
"I see." Leo said without inflection. "Then I guess this must be your bedroll, hm?"
The young dwarf colored a little. "Er, yes. Not that I have a problem with it! You obviously need it more than I do."
Her eyes drifted to see the other dwarves also preparing for something. "Going somewhere, little dwarf? It is quite dark, no?"
"My name is Fili." The dwarf reminded her. "And we are just going back to investigate the troll camp and look for their hoard."
Leo hummed noncommittally. "Do not burden yourselves with too much treasure. We still have many league left to travel."
Fili's eyebrows lifted at the term 'we', certain that Thorin had already forbade the woman from joining them on the mission. Then again, perhaps saving their lives had changed his uncle's mind. The thought made Fili snort. Yeah, as if Thorin would ever change his mind.
"The brothers Dori, Nori, and Ori will be staying to watch over you and the camp." Fili informed the woman. With that he picked up his things and went to join those dwarves that were going to search whatever the trolls left behind.
Great, now I'm the one with a babysitter.
{::… ҉ ..::}
When Leo next opened her eyes, the company seemed to have returned from their mini expedition, bearing more than one or two little glittery trinkets. Most interestingly, Bilbo seemed to have found himself a sword. Leo narrowed her eyes to focus on the blade. Elven-make? Now that was impressive.
Slowly sitting up, Leo was pleased that she only winced at the pain in her back. No longer did it flare up as before. Gingerly poking her lower back, she held back a smirk. She was healing already. Yay for magical healing!
"Everyone get your rest." Thorin's voice interrupted her thoughts. "We leave in the morning."
Speaking of rest… Leo glanced at Fili. Ignoring the aches in her back, Leo struggled to stand up, taking deep breaths to help with the pain.
"What do you think you're doing?" Glancing up, Fili and Kili approached her, the previous looking more frustrated with her than worried.
Leo furrowed her brows at the blonde one. "You will need your bedroll if you are to get any rest tonight."
Kili playfully smacked his brother. "You scoundrel!" The brunette teased.
Fili batted Kili's hand away and scowled at Leo as if she had personally offended him. "I am not going to kick an injured woman out of a perfectly good bedroll. I'll share a blanket with my brother."
Kili choked, "Wait, what?"
"Sure," Fili shrugged, "We've had to share before. Ain't nothing wrong with it."
Kili did not look too happy about the decision, but he glanced over Leo and grudgingly consented. He had enough decency to agree to Fili's decision.
Leo stared at them as if they had both sprouted wings. "Um… Uh, thanks." She said, unsure how to react.
Fili just nodded and gathered his things. "Goodnight, my lady."
Kili dipped his head and murmured something similar.
"You look like they just asked you to tapdance." Gandalf's voice interrupted her from her shock. He regarded her with amusement.
Leo glanced away. "… I am not used to such things." She muttered.
Gandalf sighed and shook his head. Leo narrowed her eyes; she never appreciated sympathy. The wizard took a puff of his pipe, causing Leo to do a double-take as it had not been in his hands prior to their conversation. "That's a shame."
"Once they find me out, they will hate me." Leo shrugged. "Not that it would be anything new."
"I trust that they will understand, my dear."
"Trust gets you killed, istari." She flashed a cynical smirk.
Gandalf shook his head and stared sadly at Leo as she limped off into the trees to be alone for a while.
There will be more humor in the next chapter, I promise. Once Leo joins the quest, there will be countless opportunities to poke fun at our favorite Middle Earth companions! Especially Thorin, that grumpy old coot haha.
Read and Review!
~Lilithia
