Ruby woke to a faceful of softness. For a moment, she didn't know who she was, where she was, how, or why she had gotten there. The only thing in her mind was the soft, warm linen in her face. Then a gentle prodding in her shoulder made her jerk to awareness.
The trolls, the Orcs, the flight, it all came crashing back to her as she moved on instinct. She cursed as she found her corset missing, along with her weapons. She tried to clear her vision of black spots by blinking and shaking her throbbing head lightly as she pressed herself to a pillar for support, knocking over a vase with flowers. The ringing in her ears muffled the crashing sound and the calls of what seemed to be Elves around her.
"Kind of you to invite us. I'm not really dressed for dinner." Gandalf was saying as they wandered the halls.
"Well, you never are." Lord Elrond laughed as they arrived at the courtyard where the Dwarves were eating.
The Dwarves were sitting around tables, eating and arguing about the vegetables when they heard something smash. Lord Elrond, Gandalf, Thorin, Dwalin and Kili were the closest to the noise, and followed it to find the healers around a familiar thrashing form.
"Ruby!" she felt two long hands grip her arms tightly and shake her. The blurry shape in front of her held her against her struggling.
"Focus, foolish girl!" she recognized the deep voice from many years ago, when it was teaching her magic and the wonders of Middle Earth. She forced herself to take deep breaths and slowly, the room around her slid into focus. She recognized Lord Elrond holding her, and Dwalin standing protectively in front of the Elven healers. Gandalf was standing by Thorin and Kili, who looked alarmed.
"I'm going to ask you to calm down, Ruby." Lord Elrond said slowly and clearly. She looked down and saw the water from the vase had floated up to form a protective shield around her clenched fists, the thin streams of water ramping around her flesh was enough to cut Lord Elrond's long sleeves. She slowly relaxed her wrists and the water dripped down to the floor in a soft splash.
"I'm sorry." Her tongue was heavy and drowsy. They had probably given her something to keep her asleep while they stitched her up.
"No harm done, my lady." Lord Elrond had to support her weight as she finally calmed down and her knees buckled. "The healers are going to stitch your wound. I need you to stay calm and not hurt them." He was saying before she could pass out again.
"I'm fine." She weakly tried to push him away, but her limp hand merely flopped against his chest. She tried to step away from his grasp, only to fall back into softness again. She sighed at the familiar smell of dark woods, tobacco, rain and spices, letting the darkness take her again, this time willingly as she sank into the warmth.
"I told you sedating her wasn't a good idea." Gandalf was saying to their host as they stood watch over her as the healers worked on her shoulder. She was lying on Thorin's wolf pelt, as she refused to let her grip loosen from it ever since he caught her from falling and tried to lay her on the bed. He had untangled it from himself and let her clutch it to her as her shoulder was stitched. "I remember a time I tried to push a dislocated shoulder back in place and she threw me out of the window!" Gandalf continued. "Broke my wrist in the fall." He grumbled.
As the healers filed out, so did the others, Thorin staying behind a moment longer to look at Ruby's pale face as she buried her face in his pelt. He felt something stir in his chest and breathed deeply to get rid of whatever it was, but it kept nagging him from inside. He turned and left for the feast.
"This is Orcrist, the Goblin Cleaver." Lord Elrond was examining Thorin's sword. "A famous blade, forged by the High Elves of the West, my kin. May it serve you well." He handed Orcrist back to Thorin, who accepted it with a slight bow of the head. "And this is Glamdring, the Foe-hammer, sword of the King of Gondolin." He was turning Gandalf's sword in his hands. "These swords were made for the Goblin wars of the First Age...How did you come by these?"
"We found them in a troll hoard on the Great East Road, shortly before we were ambushed by Orcs." Gandalf explained.
"And what were you doing on the Great East Road?" Lord Elrond looked ready for a discussion.
"Ah, Ruby!" Gandalf successfully avoided the Elf. "Awake already?"
They watched as she came and sat between Gandalf and Thorin, the latter's pelt draped around her shoulders.
"Lord Elrond." She started. "I apologize for my behaviour. I would like to speak and make amend with the healers."
"All is well, my lady." The Elf waved a servant closer. "They are quite used to your antics." Gandalf chuckled at his words.
"It seems I have yet to arrive without injuring myself. Thank you." She thanked the Elf as he placed a bowl of rice in front of her.
"You'll get to it." They laughed. Thorin turned to Ruby, who was eating as fast as she could without being considered rude. He counted the hours since they had stopped for supper. Since before the trolls.
"You've been here before?" he asked.
"My teachings were divided by these two grumpy old masters." Ruby smirked at them.
"Ruby has a rare talent for controlling the elements, as you saw before." Gandalf explained, ignoring her comment. "I am a servant of the secret fire, wielder of the flame of Anor." He recited one of his titles.
"Yes, I remember her throwing a fireball at the Orc who shot her." Thorin watched as Ruby's face darkened.
"Lord Elrond, on the other hand, is well acquainted with the powers of water." Gandalf continued.
"And what of earth and air?" Thorin asked her curiously as she was sipping her wine. She looked at him and set her glass down.
"The Eagles refuse to share their knowledge with a land-dweller, as they call us, but I managed to get my hands on a few scrolls. They're not as good as an actual master, but I taught myself a few tricks. As for earth, I spent many years with the wood Elves." She let her words sink in. "Thranduil was harsh, but I learned much from him." She finished.
"Excuse me." Thorin growled and left the table.
Ruby sighed and watched as Bofur started singing and the Dwarves threw food around. Lord Elrond was appalled, much like the other Elves around them. Gandalf and Ruby tried to contain their laughs.
Until Kili threw a loaf of bread filled with what seemed to be cottage cheese at the back of Ruby's head. Silence ruled for a few seconds. Ruby turned in her seat to glare at him.
"At least it's not mud this time." He grinned sheepishly.
"Mud?" Lord Elrond looked appalled.
"I'm going to count to five." She started, calmly. "If I get to three and you're still here I will throw you off this balcony." She said to Kili, who was staring wide eyed at her.
"One." She stood from her spot, cheese dripping down her hair.
"You wouldn't do that to your dear companion, now would you, Ruby?" Kili stood and stepped back.
"Two." She started towards him, a manic grin on her face.
"Now, I think you're going a bit too far with this." He looked around for help, but his brothers in arms merely snickered at him.
"Three."
Kili turned and bolted down the steps, Ruby hot on his heels. They ran across an Orchard and past Thorin who was sitting on a stone bench. He looked up and saw his nephew sprint past and Ruby slow to a halt next to him.
"What did he do now?" Thorin studied her dirty hair.
"Just a bit of fun." She huffed and came to sit by him. "Here." She handed him his pelt back. "Thank you, again."
Thorin took it back and placed it around his own shoulders. Her scent seemed stronger as the wind picked up slightly. He tried to ignore it, but Ruby had her eyes closed and was breathing in deeply.
"Hmm, do you smell that?" she smiled.
"What?" Thorin willed the red off his cheeks.
"Soon this tree will be filled with lemons." She looked up at the white flowers.
"You like lemons?" Thorin searched in the branches, but there were no ripe fruits yet. "Women usually enjoy sweeter fruits." He mused.
"Then I suppose I'm unusual." Ruby shrugged. "I've always loved the sour taste of them." She explained. "Squeezed fresh over roasted pork, or whipped with sweet cream for a pie, or even a cold lemonade on a hot summer day." She opened her eyes and turned to him. They stared into each others' eyes, and Thorin raised a hand to wipe a bit of what seemed to be cottage cheese from her cheek. She looked up at him and blushed.
"My lady Mîruin?" the dark haired Elf from before came closer. "are you feeling better? You should be resting."
"Lindir." She greeted him. "I'm fine, no need to worry. But I seem to require a bath." She said, a bit embarrassed.
"I shall have a bath be drawn for you, my lady Mîruin." He took her hand and kissed it. "May I lead you to your quarters?" Thorin bristled.
"I know my way back to my own rooms, thank you, Lindir." She pulled her hand away from his. "Before I go, have you seen Mal Jun?"
"He's usually in the library, or with his mother." Thorin smirked at the disappointment in the Elf's face as she pulled away from him.
"How is she?" Ruby knew of the woman's poor health, and how he suffered from it.
"The same." Lindir bowed his head in sadness. "Estel will be glad you have returned. Excuse me, my lady Mîruin." He took his leave with a smile.
"I thought you weren't a lady?" Thorin walked with her to the library. "What did he call you?"
"Elves were always too courteous for my taste. And just like they call Gandalf Mithrandir, which means 'grey pilgrim', they named me Mîruin, loosely translated to 'red jewel'." She shrugged, wincing at her hurt shoulder.
"I hate to agree with one of their kind, but you really should rest." Thorin said as they passed large wooden doors. The silence of the library was comforting, but they kept talking in hushed tones.
"I'm fine." She waved him off as she looked through the book lined hallways.
"Dovahmiin!" a young boy ignored the shushes around the library as he dropped a book and sprinted to Ruby, who wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
"Dii shir hes kiir, frolok vir hi lost naram!" she cooed at him, kissing the top of his head.
"Das Zu'u fen kos faariik fein hi!" He answered in the same strange tongue Thorin did not understand, but with a thick accent.
"You? Taller than me?" she raised an eyebrow. "I hope that day never comes. Never grow up." She laughed. Pushing the boy an arms' length away, she studied him. "Don't the Elves here tell you to brush your hair?" she tried to run her hand through the unruly brown locks, only succeeding in catching her fingers in knots, making the boy hiss and squint his blue eyes at her. She proceeded to wipe some dust from his cheek, probably from the many books he buried himself in every day. The boy fought her off, stepping back and looking curiously to Thorin. "This is Thorin Oakensheld." She said. "Thorin, this is Mal Jun, he's helping me find any information about myself. I've been teaching him my language." She explained.
"Gamut sanu yenet, khazad thane." The little boy bowed respectfully to Thorin.
"Vemu, iburm." Thorin replied. "You are very smart to know so many languages." He praised.
"Indeed, he is!" Ruby caressed his chin in pride. "Have you been training with your sword as well? I don't want you locked up in here the whole day!" She scolded. The boy proudly showed a small, thin scar on his forearm.
"I got this after Lord Elrond allowed me to use a real sword instead of the wooden training sticks." Ruby took his arm in her hand and ran her finger over the scar. Thorin could see in her gleaming red eyes she was holding back a great deal of concern. Anyone could see she cared deeply for the boy. Thorin watched her closely and forlornly wished she would shower him with attention and praise as well. He shook his head, dispersing the strange thoughts to the back of his head.
"Did you learn how to correctly hold a sword so you don't hurt yourself again?" she asked, snapping her eyes to the boy's face. "A scar is of no use if you don't learn anything from it."
"I did." The boy nodded. He seemed like a puppy, eager for praise.
"Very good. And did you find anything in these books?" she looked around. As the boy shook his head, her face fell. "I see."
"I'm looking really hard, Dovahmiin, I swear! I'll even travel to other libraries when I'm older, an—"
"No." She interrupted. "You are not a scholar, Mal Jun."
"You haven't yet taught me that word." He said. "I know mal means little...?" he hoped for an answer.
"You'll find out soon enough." She said, smiling proudly at him. She knew Lord Elrond did not want the boy to know of his true heritage, at least not yet. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a bath to get to." She gestured to her hair. "Please don't lock yourself in this library. I appreciate your help, but you shouldn't be tied down by my quest." She ruffled the boys head.
"I missed you, Dovahmiin." He hugged her once again and smiled as she kissed the top of his head. releasing her, he turned to Thorin. "Rasup gamut, khazad thane, tan menu selek lanun naman."
"Rasup gamut, iburm, tak natu yenet." Thorin replied and watched the little boy return to the pile of books and start putting them away.
"Thank you." He turned his eyes to Ruby.
"For what?"
"He's so zealous about learning new languages, you stroked his ego quite a bit." She smiled.
"I assume he has a great tutor." Thorin offered her his arm and placed his hand over hers as she held the crook of his elbow. "How many languages do you speak?" he let her lead them to a corridor parallel to the one the Dwarves were staying.
"Oh, a few." She smirked at him. They stopped by a door.
"I hope your bath soothes your wound, azbad men Baraz Kunzek." Thorin stopped at her door and took her hand, bowing down and kissing her knuckles.
Ruby's breath caught in her throat as those blue pools of ice looked up at her slyly. She shivered at the soft scratching of his beard on her skin and the warm feel of his calloused hand. He kept holding her hand as he straightened up and stepped closer. She shivered as he named her in Khuzdul, an obvious retaliation to the Elves.
"I—" his musky smell surrounded her, making her dizzy as she lost herself in the two ice chips he called eyes. Nervously licking her lips, she saw those blue orbs zero in on them.
Thorin wondered if she had been eating berries before. There was no possible way her lips looked so red and plump naturally. He threaded a hand through one of her tresses that had fallen across her forehead and tucked it behind her ear, burying his fingers in her hair.
"My hair is all caked with cheese, I shoul—" she started to step away, but Thorin held her lower back in his other hand.
"I don't mind." He whispered huskily as he slowly closed the distance between them, their noses grazing each other. He stopped a breath away from her lips, looking up at the pair of chestnuts that were trained on him. The sunset shone through a window, giving them that red gleam that sent shivers up his spine.
Ruby rested her small hands on his chest and pressed herself to him, sealing their lips. He tasted of the strong Dwarvish tobacco he was so fond of and spiced wine. She gasped as a warm tongue poked at her lips and started dancing with her own.
Thorin felt lightheaded. Her hot mouth was soft, but for a thin scar on the corner of her lower lip. He grazed it with his tongue, and took the chance to push it in her mouth as she gasped in surprise. He felt like he was suckling on a honeycomb, but beneath the sweet nectar, he could taste the uniqueness that was Ruby.
They parted for air, Ruby's eyes slightly unfocused.
"I—I should go." She dropped her hands from his chest.
"Yes, you should." Thorin made no move to release her.
"I'll see you later for dinner?" she slipped away from his arms and opened her door.
"Of course." He straightened up and watched her disappear in her room. "Fili, Kili." He called. His nephews appeared from behind two pillars, wide grins on their faces.
"Hello, uncle." Fili stepped closer. Thorin crossed his arms, but could not keep a small grin from his face.
"I assume rumours will have been spread in the morning?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Why wait 'till morning uncle?" Kili led his brother back to the balcony with a laugh. Thorin shook his head and decided to deal with it later. He went to his own room to find a bath had been drawn for him as well. He stripped ad stepped inside, giving himself a much needed scrub while he let his mind wander to the beauty across the hall.
Translations:
Mîruin - red jewel (adaptation) - Ruby
Mal Jun - little king - Aragorn
Estel - hope - Aragorn
Dovahmiin - Dragon eye - Ruby
Dii shir hes kiir, frolok vir hi lost naram! - My dear sweet child, look how you have grown!
Das Zu'u fen kos faariik fein hi! - Soon I will be taller than you!
Gamut sanu yenet, khazad thane. - Well met, dwarf king.
Vemu, iburm. - Greetings, little boy.
Rasup gamut, khazad thane, tan menu selek lanun naman. - Farewell, dwarf king, may your forge burn bright.
Rasup gamut, iburm, tak natu yenet. - Farewell, little boy, until next we meet.
azbad men - my lady
Baraz Kunzek - red stone - Ruby