A day with her

Thorin seemed to be pretty much frozen as he let the news from Phoenix sink in. His father was really alive? After not finding any sign of him since he ran from the battle months ago, he and his sister had given up, but now this stranger knew about him? Did she know where he was? Could she get into contact with him? He looked at the half elf, half dwarf beside him and he suddenly had a million questions, and it looked like she knew it as she seemed to steel herself for something.

"How do you know of him?" He asked.

"I found an orc troop heading towards Dol Gudur." She told him. "They had a single prisoner, the poor creature looked broken and on the verge of death, I knew that I had to save him. I was miles from this Valley, so I knew I needed to be fast, so I took out the orcs and got him out of his cage and helped him onto my horse." She continued. "That wasn't an easy job, he was frightened and almost out of his mind, but once I showed my face, he seemed to be more relaxed. So I raced through the forest and lands to get back here, where I knew I could find something to help him heal, Carnahan refused to rest until our three day journey was completed." She smiled slightly at the memory and gently touching her horse's neck as he walked closer to the sound of his name. "When I brought him here, I got him onto my bed, stripped his metal armour away, leaving him in his under cloths, washed him down, mended his broken bones and infected wounds and stayed up with him every night to make sure he made it." She looked up to the sky now as she spoke and Thorin watched her with anticipation. "When he was healed and able to speak I helped him to change into some fresh clothing, handmade by myself, and I fed him as much food as he could muster, and helped him regain his strength with daily duelling lessons." She looked at him. "He spoke about you all of the time, you and your sister I think, he said her name was Dis or Dice or something like that."

"Dis." Thorin corrected.

"Yes, her, he told me how she was expecting a child and how he hoped that it would be a son. And he spoke of how he hoped that you had married a nice dwarrowdam and were raising your own family in the near future." Phoenix told him.

"That hasn't happened yet, but maybe once I take back my homeland, I could look at taking a wife." He told her with a relieved sigh. "Have you heard from him recently?"

"Not in the past few months, but he comes to visit sometimes." She told him. "He told me that he would go to the Blue Mountains to look for you, but judging from your shocked expression and the fact that you've been hunting for him for some time now, I don't think he has gone back." She asked.

"No, he hasn't." Thorin sighed.

"I will send Uldoniair out with letters to look for him whilst we leave for your quest." She told him.

"Thank you Phoenix." Thorin nodded.

She nodded in return. "Now you should go back to sleep, it's late."

Thorin nodded and he soon went back inside to sleep, he fell asleep quite easily, knowing that his father was alive and well, lifted his spirits greatly and it made him fall asleep quickly. When he woke up the following morning, he found that his company had already gone, but the laughter from outside suggested that they weren't far. Getting to his feet, he headed outside to where he found them all down at the stream and they were stark naked!

"Uncle, come and join us!" Fili shouted as he whipped his brother's bare behind with a towel.

"Owe, Fili!" Kili shouted and lunged himself at his brother, both of them falling into the stream.

Thorin rolled his eyes, before he headed back inside where he found Phoenix walking out from her bedroom fastening a crisp white shirt over her chest, and buttoning up her waistcoat.

"Forgive me, I did not wish to interrupt your dressing." Thorin spoke, turning his back.

"It's alright Thorin; you wouldn't have been able to see anything." She told him. "But I thank you for your ability to advert your eyes."

"It is unjust to see a lady in a state of undress without their permission." Thorin shrugged as he turned back to her. This woman was beautiful, and for once, the fact that she was half elf and half dwarf did not bother him.

She gave him a smile that stopped his heart, how could he fall for a woman so quickly? It almost scared him; no one had captured his heart at all in his life, let alone this quickly!

"Would you like some breakfast?" She asked.

"If there is any left," He told her.

"I've just finished making some porridge; I'm sorry it's probably not what you're used to, but it is hearty and will fill your stomach for a long time." She told him as she knelt by the fireplace.

"It's alright, I'll eat anything." He told her and at her giggle he cursed himself, now he sounded like a greedy dwarf, when in comparison to others in his company, he ate very little.

He watched as she brought a bowl to be placed in front of him, the food inside the bowl looked mushy and lumpy, and it was white, as in almost as white as the clouds on a sunny day.

"It does not look like much, but it tastes good." She told him. "Especially, with a bit of honey," She handed him the jar of honey and Thorin put some onto his breakfast, however he almost overfilled the bowl as he was captivated with her sitting opposite him.

"You must really like honey." She told him, nodding to the pile of honey on his porridge.

"Oh..." Thorin couldn't think of anything else to say as he stared at the lump of amber coloured liquid. "Yeah, I do."

"Well, would you mind sharing?" She asked, and she held out a hand for the honey pot, which he gladly handed to her.

"Yeah...Sorry about that...My mind was elsewhere," Thorin told her as he watched her dribble a bit of honey onto her own breakfast.

"Yes, I thought it would be after what I told you about your father." She confirmed, mixing her honey into her porridge with her spoon.

Thorin was thankful that she came up with a lie instead of him having too, he did not fancy telling her that he was too busy watching her, after all that would come across as very creepy, very creepy indeed. Thorin looked over at her and he knew that he needed to change the topic of conversation quickly, even if it was just to keep hearing her voice and then he noticed her quiver of arrows hung up by the door and he recognised them from somewhere.

"I believe I have something of yours." He suddenly spoke and he reached into his jacket pocket, putting out the tip of the arrow that he had found.

"I left that for you months ago." She told him. "I can't believe you kept it."

"What else would I do with it, it is only the end, but it is made expertly." He told her and he saw a soft blush form on her cheeks. "I was going to fashion some of the same design for myself for when I go hunting."

"I could show you if you wanted." She offered.

"If you would like to," Thorin smiled and the woman across the table from him gave him a smile all her own, it lit up her whole face with beauty.

The rest of their eating was covered in silence but neither of them minded they were simply enjoying each other's company, which did not last long when the door to the cottage was suddenly thrown open and Thorin's company suddenly tumbled in.

The minute they saw the two eating, they all stared and they seemed to be stuck on what to do whilst Kili and Fili looked at them both in amusement and surprise before they ran to grab a bowl and some porridge that Phoenix had moved to dish up for the dwarves, even the Hobbit was amongst the group as they all stared at the porridge that was given to them, well all except the Hobbit who took the honey and drizzled it onto his breakfast with almost glee and he ate with a feverish hunger.

"What is this stuff?" Gloin asked.

"It is porridge." Phoenix told him as she got a bone from a hiding place on top of a cupboard.

"Must be elvish stuff," Dwalin told him.

"I for one will not eat this elvish swill." Gloin told her. "We want real food."

"Master Dwarf I do not know what you are used to eating, but that is the only food for at least one hundred miles, if you do not wish to eat it then fine, but if you do not eat it then do not complain about your hunger because I for one will not give you sympathy." She told him and her quick tongue impressed Thorin who hid his smirk well.

"How dare you speak to me, outcast?" Gloin snarled as Phoenix was about to walk to the door with the bone and her hand tensed on the bone almost as if she considered throwing it at Gloin.

Everyone had stopped to watch what was going on between the two and Gloin seemed pleased when Phoenix did not have a comeback, until she really said something to upset him.

"Menu shirumund," She told him before she curtsied and left through the door just as Gloin went bright red in the face and charged after her before anyone could stop him.

Once outside, the entirety of the dwarves crowded around to watch and they watched as Phoenix threw the bone for her wolf to catch. Suddenly she was tackled by Gloin who held his walking axe pressed to her throat, cutting off her breathing.

"Speak again elf scum and I will cut your throat." He warned her.

"Gloin let her go!" Thorin commanded.

"Not until this elf bitch fucking takes back what she said." He told him.

"I said let her go!" Thorin shouted, getting up to his feet.

"What is going on here?" Gandalf asked as he walked down from the entrance towards them, but Gloin ignored all of them, and when he looked down at Phoenix he noticed something. Her eyes were glowing bright red and suddenly the handle of his axe got too hot and he dropped it with a yell and he suddenly found himself on his back, Phoenix standing over him, a sword to his throat as hers was bleeding.

"You are in my valley!" She told him. "If you dare to insult me, then you can leave." She told him, the tip of her sword glowing red hot as it hovered inches from Gloin's throat.

"Phoenix let him go." Gandalf told her. "Phoenix, ech avaú gar an cuio di ech mai ech medui tîn cuil hí."

"Do not be so sure Mithrandir." Phoenix told him but she removed the sword anyway and sheathed it back in her belt, before she walked inside the cottage and slammed the door shut.

"Now, what on earth caused that?" Gandalf asked, looking at the dwarves and Hobbit.

"He called her an outcast." Kili told the wizard.

"But why would that bother her?" Ori asked.

"Because Master Ori, Phoenix's people turned their back on her because she is half elf and half dwarf, her own Kin wanted her dead." Gandalf explained. "Only the man she calls her father kept her safe with his family."

The dwarves looked at each other whilst Thorin looked at the door to the cottage, debating whether he should go after Phoenix to make sure that she is alright, but Gandalf stopped him.

"It is best to leave her alone so that she can cool down." Gandalf told him, and so he did, in the end he started sparring with his company.

When it became late, and it was almost time for supper, Thorin was about to go out with Kili to retrieve some meat, when the door to the cottage opened and Phoenix walked out, dressed in her rider cloak, and mask over her mouth. She walked past them without a word, reached her horse where she fastened his saddle onto him and she attached her bow and arrows, before she jumped up into the saddle before she tugged on the reigns and the horse took off in a run towards the entrance and once it was through there, she was gone.

"Well, that was rude." Dori muttered.

"Enough." Thorin told them. "Gloin you will apologise to her when she returns, and I do not wish to hear one more word about Phoenix, is that clear?" He looked at the company.

"Yes Thorin, you heard our king and the lass have been good to us, letting us stay somewhere warm and providing us with food, and then you go and insult her all because she didn't give you any meat for breakfast." Balin told him, as he watched Dwalin hit Gloin on the back of the head. "Maybe you should be a bit grateful."

"Even on the road we have more meat than whatever slop she offered." Gloin told them.

"Gloin, shut up!" Thorin suddenly thundered and the entire group looked at him in fear, before they all sat around, waiting, until Bofur got to his feet.

"Right, well I'm not sitting around, I'm going to give her a hand." He told they and he ran inside and when Fili, Kili, Ori and Thorin followed, they found him looking through the cupboard and pulling out everything he would need in order to make a stew.

Thorin, Fili, Kili and Ori all watched as Bofur suddenly had a vegetable stew simmering away on the fire pit and they jumped when they heard footsteps and found the wolf walking towards them.

"Uldoniair, when will she be back?" Thorin asked and the wolf seemed to look at him for a few minutes before they also seemed to shrug.

"Uncle, the wolf seems pretty happy with you." Fili observed and Thorin looked down to notice that the wolf was rubbing her head against him in a friendly gesture.

"And you with it." Kili noted, watching Thorin stroke the wolf.

"Could it be that you have fallen for her master?" Fili asked.

"Can we expect to call her Aunt in the future?" Kili joked.

"Shut up the pair of you." Thorin warned them. "But no, I merely enjoy the silence which you two are incapable of having."

Both of them shut up at that point as Thorin went back to stroking the wolf's head and he watched as Bofur kept checking his stew and Fili and Kili even got bowls out in readiness just as there was the sound of hooves drawing closer and they heard Dwalin.

"Here lass, let me take that." There was the sound of something being dragged to the floor from a great height. "Lass you have certainly got more than we ever thought in this part of the woods." He praised.

"Thank you, master dwarf." Phoenix told him as she walked inside and she paused at seeing Thorin, Bofur, Fili and Kili. "What are you three doing here?"

"I was hoping to get you a stew started to warm you up." Bofur told her. "It's only a few vegetables and some seasoning, but I wasn't sure what meat you would bring back, so unfortunately it is very simply made."

"It will be fine." She told him as she hung up her cloak and weapons. "I brought back some venison; I hope that is to your liking."

"Thank you." Thorin told her.

"Your dwarf with the battle axe and the tattoos on his head was cleaning the kill." She told them as she walked into her room and left them to it.

During the evening, Gandalf helped with the setting up bowls of food and he even made a bowl for Phoenix, who had not come out of her room since she got back and Thorin watched as the old wizard walked to her door and knocked with his staff.

"Phoenix, would you let me in?" He asked.

"Please Gandalf; I am not very hungry right now." She told him through the door and Gandalf seemed to know better than to force the half breed to eat anything, so he left the bowl on top of the fireplace where it would be kept warm.

Thorin waited all night for Phoenix to come out of her room, but she never did and he grew worried, so worried that he could not sleep and when everyone else had fallen into snores of deep slumber, he picked himself up and walked to her room and he knocked gently.

"Gandalf go away." Phoenix's voice called out.

"It's not Gandalf." Thorin told her.

"What is it Thorin?" She asked.

"I merely wish to talk." He told her and he smiled slightly as he was let into the room, where he shut the door behind him. He took a few minutes to look around the room, and he found it to be quite plain, with only a bed made of the lightest wood that Thorin had ever seen, and there was a chest at the foot of the bed which obviously held blankets and possibly clothing. Then there was a stand in the corner that held an extra cloak and some extra weapons such as her swords. Thorin noticed the small size of the room and the limited amount of furniture but he felt comfortable in the room, yet that comfort soon disappeared when he saw Phoenix looking at him from where she was stood by an open window, highlighted in moonlight.

"What is it Thorin?" She asked.

"I came to see if you were alright." Thorin told her.

"I am fine." She told him.

"Oh...Good...Um..."

"I don't expect you to know what it's like." She told him. "Being half of two creatures, not belonging to either one, but I can at least assume that you know what it is like to want to belong somewhere."

"I do." Thorin told her, sitting on the edge of her bed. He felt for her, she was actually alone if what Gandalf had said was true, but maybe that was not all that he felt. Maybe his nephews were right, maybe he was starting to fall for Phoenix, after all they had only known each other for a few days, but if every day was like it had been when they had breakfast together that morning. He would happily spend every day with her.

Translations

Menu Shiumund : You are beardless

Phoenix, ech avaú gar an cuio di ech maid ech medui tîn cuil hí : Phoenix, you will not be able to live with yourself if you end his life now