A/N: Hello readers! Two late chapters in a row :( I'm the worst! Please forgive me! Anyways, please take note of the following formats below that indicate types of writing.
Bold: author's note
Bold and Italic: flashback
Italic: lyrics
Thank you for your attention. Now without further ado, the next chapter of Burning Ascent!
Burning Ascent
Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten."
-Neil Gaiman
Chapter Four: Braids
"You know that this means nothing."
Iskra gave Thorin Oakenshield an unreadable expression.
"I know."
"Are you sure you're ok?" Kili asked for the seventh time since she sat down with them.
Iskra chuckled and patted him on the back, "I'm pretty sure."
Bofur smiled at her deviously before saying to the entire Company, "I think Iskra owes us a song since she worried us so badly."
"Here here!" Fili cried out in agreement.
Iskra couldn't resist the pleading eyes from Fili, Kili, and Ori. She sighed and agreed reluctantly. On either side of her, Fili and Kili got comfortable, lying their heads in her laps at almost the exact same time, effectively earning a chuckle from Iskra. It was their actions that helped her choose what she wanted to sing to them.
"Oh misty eye of the mountain below
Keep careful watch of my brothers' souls
And should the sky be filled with fire and smoke
Keep watching over Durin's sons."
Iskra ran her fingers through Kili's hair and kept a firm arm across Fili as she sang. She could feel Thorin's eyes on her as soon as she finished the first stanza of the song.
"If this is to end in fire
Then we should all burn together
Watch the flames climb high into the night."
To protect the King Under the Mountain and the two Princes was the most important part of the quest for every dwarf here. The song united them in a common goal. They could not lose them.
Bofur, Dwalin, and Balin caught her melody quickly and started to hum harmonies under her, weaving them into her voice expertly.
"Calling out father, oh,
Stand by and we will
Watch the flames burn auburn on
The mountain side high.
And if we should die tonight
We should all die together
Raise a glass of wine for the last time.
Calling out father, oh,
Prepare as we will
Watch the flames burn auburn on
The mountain side.
Desolation comes upon the sky.
Now I see fire
Inside the mountain
I see fire
Burning the trees
And I see fire
Hollowing souls
I see fire
Blood in the breeze."
Iskra was alone when she sang the next line softly.
"And I hope that you remember me."
For not hearing the song before considering Iskra had come up with it, the dwarves were very talented harmonizing together under her voice.
"And if the night is burning
I will cover my eyes
For if the dark returns
Then my brothers will die
And as the sky is falling down
It crashed into this lonely town
And with that shadow upon the ground
I hear my people screaming out.
Iskra's eyes lost focus as she envisioned Smaug and his anger.
Now I see fire
Inside the mountains
I see fire
Burning the trees
And I see fire
Hollowing souls
And I see fire
Blood in the breeze."
Iskra ended the song alone.
"And I hope that you remember me."
"That was beautiful, Iskra," Bilbo whispered when she finished.
She smiled and thanked him and the others who complimented her song choice. Balin stood with the pretense of going to sleep and came over to talk to her.
"That was inspiring, lass. Thorin and these boys are important to all of us," Balin whispered to her, motioning to the sleeping princes that were still using her lap as a pillow.
"Iskra?"
She looked up from watching the two dozing boys in her lap to see Bilbo standing in front of her.
"What is it, Bilbo?" she asked curiously.
"I, well, I had a question," Bilbo paused uncertainly, then continued when she motioned for him to continue, "The way you sang—it was different than how the others sang it. I'm not sure if anyone else noticed but…you sounded like you were sure you are going to die."
"Oh, Bilbo," Iskra said quietly, "I think I will die. I'm sure you'll find out soon enough. I'm going to do everything within my power to keep everyone alive. That alone will get me killed."
Bilbo looked concerned and confused, but took a seat next to her. He engaged her in more cheering conversations, about her favorite foods, flowers, and more. They passed the time easily together, never aware of the irritated look upon Thorin Oakenshield's face.
Iskra had admitted to herself very early in the adventure that she had grown attached to the two dwarf princes. They were adorable and young, not to mention amusing. She suspected that part of it came from her being part dragon and part dwarf. Dwarf children were rare, so they were precious. Dragons were much the same about their offspring. Dragonets were treasured and protected as fiercely as gold until they could protect themselves.
So as they were walking away from Rivendell, she promised herself that she would protect Kili and Fili at all costs. Just like how she would protect Thorin. Naturally, an unknown fact about dragons was their mating habits—not that much was known about dragons in this time since the great fire drakes had all but died out.
Dragons mated for life and only mate again if their chosen is dead. Unknown to Thorin, Iskra was forever bound to him even if he was not to her. As her first, it would be the strongest connection Iskra could ever have. It would rip her apart if he fell, so just as she would protect the young, she would protect her king, her unknowing mate with her life.
All of this she reflected on as they marched and traveled for days upon days towards the Misty Mountains, leaving her quiet for most of the day until they settled down for camp each night.
Iskra was weary as she pulled out her bedroll and looked for a place to put it. Finally deciding on a spot really close to the fire, she knelt to her knees and started clearing the spot of leaves.
"Iskra?"
The half-dragon looked up from where she was setting up her bedroll to see Kili and Fili standing before her. Kili looked strangely shy while Fili looked determined, alerting Iskra immediately that something was bothering them.
"What is it?"
Kili nudged Fili, the older brother taking over, "We want to put braids in your hair."
Iskra dropped the side of her bedroll that she was straightening out, staring at the two young dwarves. She touched her blonde hair, still elegantly pulled back and interwoven with jewels and gold. But she did not have braids in her hair, as they were important to dwarves depending on who did the braiding and how they were braided.
She looked at them suspicious before nodded when she determined that they were serious.
Iskra sat down near the fire on a log and slowly started to pull gems out of her hair, placing them on the ground next to her gently. She tugged the golden net that was woven through her hair out, releasing the golden locks down to her lower back. She ran her fingers through it to pull out the tangles and then motioned to the two brothers.
"I trust that you are both good at this."
They both nodded enthusiastically, sitting down behind her and taking her hair into their hands. After a few moments, Kili stopped what he was doing and peeked around to look at her.
"Iskra, may I use one of these?" he motioned to the jewels at her side.
Iskra tensed up, fighting down the immediate urge to fight for her small horde that she had brought with her from home. She nodded stiffly, feeling better about her decision when a huge smile lit up Kili's face.
He picked a dark ruby from the pile and incorporated it into his braid while Fili picked out a bright sapphire. Finally, the brothers declared themselves done and asked what she thought excitedly.
Iskra touched each of the braids and felt them, running her fingers over the weaved pattern. She thought she was about to cry when she recognized what they were.
"A family braid?" she asked softly, eyes getting watery.
They smiled at her brightly.
She motioned to their hair, "May I?"
Fili gave Kili a smug look, "I told you that she would return the favor!"
"You did not! I said that!"
"What?!"
"Fili," Iskra interrupted with a smile, "Sit."
Quickly, Iskra wove an emerald into a blonde family braid. She touched it softly before doing a similar braid in Kili's dark hair with a matching emerald for him as well. She grabbed the two of them in a fierce hug, burying her face into Fili's shoulder to hide her tears.
"Iskra, what's wrong?" Kili asked quietly.
"I've never had braids before," Iskra answered, voice quivering with emotion, "Not like these. Nothing ever so special."
"Well you are special to us," Kili reassured with a smile, Fili nodding in affirmation.
Iskra smiled weakly at them, releasing them from the hug. It was only a matter of time before they hated her; might as well enjoy it while she could. Little did she know that someone in the Company was going to be discovering her secret much sooner than she ever expected.
"You adore those two."
Iskra looked at Thorin from the corner of her eyes before returning to the task of washing her shirts in the river.
"I do. Children are precious."
"They are hardly children."
"They are to me," Iskra said sharply, turning fully to look at the king, "They are still young."
Thorin looked like he was going to argue but Iskra interrupted, "The stars are bright tonight."
The king looked up at the sky in confusion. Stars were not of particular importance to dwarves like they were to the elves. Dwarves lived under the mountain. There were more important things than the superficial beauty of a faraway star. It wasn't until he looked back at Iskra that his breath was taken away.
She was looking up, her amber eyes sparkling with something akin to longing. The moonlight made her look even paler than she normally did. Thorin wanted nothing more than to touch and kiss that creamy skin once again. Her hair was no longer pulled back away from her face by the golden net and jewels. It fell in soft waves down her back. Thorin felt cheated that he did not have the opportunity to run his hands through her golden locks. The two braids that his nephews had done framed her face, the sapphire and ruby twinkling at him tauntingly.
Iskra looked back at him and smiled weakly, "The stars see everything. In some ways, I envy them. But in other ways, I don't."
Thorin leveled his gaze at her, "What do you have to fear? Or to lose for that matter?"
Iskra broke his eye contact and looked out across the river, whispering, "I'm afraid of Smaug, Thorin. I'm afraid he will rip you, Kili, and Fili away from me."
"Me?" Thorin looked startled.
She chuckled, "You, Thorin. King Under the Mountain."
A/N: Ok the song is the ending credits song from the Desolation of Smaug: I See Fire by Ed Sheeran. Thank you for reading! Please review and tell me what you think :D It helps me and inspires me! I hope you enjoyed Chapter Four of Burning Ascent!