ATE: Lookie what I got here for you all! Another chapter! First of all I want to thank user2014 and Gekkou no Netsu for their reviews for the previous chapter.
Recently when I was watching Snow White: A Tale of Terror (which is one of the many versions of the story that I've found myself preferring over most; it's really good and I recommend you check it out when you get the chance) I noticed how the character Lilliana Hoffman (who is basically Snow White in the movie, played by a young Monica Keena) looked exactly like the image of Silvia I created. At first I thought I was seeing things and pulled up the image of Silvia I created and compared the faces of my OC with that of the character from the movie and was quite shocked at the resemblance. So now if you want a better idea of what Silvia looks like, go watch Snow White: A Tale of Terror and you'll see exactly what I mean.
Originally I had this chapter already prepared, but when I was on deviantart I got an idea that I just had to add to this chapter that's originally from the book (with a slight difference to how it happens) so I ended up having to alter some details that happened when I had written up before deciding to use this idea.
Declaimer: I down on The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings in any way, shape, or form. I only own my OC.
~*~Chapter 3~*~
Silvia found herself being paired with Dwalin the next day while traveling. Despite what Balin told her yesterday, she was still intimidated by the gruff looking Dwarf despite his size. She was too scared to say anything or try to start a conversation, which made her feel somewhat awkward.
"My brother told me you were quite talkative yesterday." Dwalin suddenly said. "And yet here you are, quiet as a mouse."
"Y-yeah." She replied reluctantly.
Dwalin was quiet and Silvia assumed that he was done talking.
"Would you like to hear a story?" He then asked.
Silvia looked over her shoulder at Dwalin, surprised that he would ask her that. She didn't know what to make of the situation (after all, it was the one Dwarf in the group that intimidated her the most that was asking her), but she got the feeling that the Dwarf was just as awkward as she felt and was trying to ease the tension between them.
"What kind of story?" She finally asked, feeling curious.
"Any kind." Was his answer.
"And what is 'any kind' about?"
It seemed everyone had been listening in on their conversation (it was hard not to when they were traveling so close together) since Silvia heard laughter erupt from the group. She even heard Thorin chuckle a bit from in front of them.
"I think it would be best if she knew where we were going and why." Gandalf suggested after the laughter died down. "What do you think, Thorin?"
Silvia watched Thorin turn around slightly on his pony to regard her with his piercing blue eyes. She felt nervous as he did this, knowing that he was thinking over his decision carefully. He then turned back around to face the road in front of them.
"Tell her, Dwalin." Thorin said, giving him permission to tell the tale she would soon hear.
And it was with Thorin's permission that Dwalin started telling Silvia about Erebor and how the great Dwarf kingdom had been sacked by a dragon called Smaug. She hung on every word of the story as the other Dwarves would add their own input of certain aspects of the tale. As she heard more of the story Silvia couldn't help feeling sympathy for the Dwarves for being practically exiled from their home and forced to live somewhere else.
"And that is why we are on this quest. To reclaim our home." Dwalin concluded.
"That's horrible. You all lost your home, but now you want to take it back." Silvia commented, feeling sorry for the Dwarves she was with. "How long has it been since that happened?"
"Too long." Thorin suddenly answered.
Silvia looked over at Thorin's back, noticing for the first time how regal he seemed to appear after having heard about Erebor.
He truly was a king of a lost kingdom.
Silvia was grateful to finally get off the pony when the Company stopped to make camp. She was even more grateful when Oin approved that she was well enough to help out around camp. When Thorin heard this he started Silvia off with something simple, which was helping Bofur and Bombur with preparing supper that night. While Bombur had gone to fetch water for soup from a nearby stream, she had gone with Bofur and Bilbo to gather some herbs and mushrooms, learning from the Dwarf and Hobbit what was good and edible and what was bad and poisonous. She also learned the names of some of the things they gathered, which she did her best to remember for future reference. To help with this Bofur and Bilbo had her identify the different herbs they found on the way back to camp, and as soon as they got back the Dwarf had her sort the herbs and mushrooms they found for the soup (Bombur had been quite pleased by the amount they found).
Silvia had been so focused on sorting the herbs that at one point she hadn't heard the sound of footsteps approaching from behind. She jumped in fright when a hand had landed on her shoulder and she quickly turned around to see who it was. Her frighten blue eyes met amused dark brown ones and she realized it was one of the Dwarves, the one that didn't have much of a beard (it was more like stubble, actually) and wielded a bow. Silvia had forgotten his name, which made her feel horrible, but then again there were 13 Dwarves and most of the names sounded similar.
"Sorry if I frightened you, Lady Silvia." He apologized, looking somewhat sheepish. "I thought you might be able to use these for the soup tonight."
Before Silvia could ask the Dwarf had held out two dead rabbits to her, their feet having been tied together by rope for easy carrying. She hadn't been expecting this and carefully took the rabbits from his outstretched hand.
"Thanks." She said.
The Dwarf merely smiled at her before walking off. Silvia turned back to look at the rabbits, noticing the holes in their bodies. She realized that the Dwarf had probably hunted for these when she had gone out with Bofur and Bilbo to gather herbs and mushrooms. Speaking about Bofur, she could see him making his way over to her with a huge grin on his face.
"I see that one of the lads has tried to impress you, Miss Silvia." Bofur told her.
"Impress me?" Silvia asked, feeling confused. "He only gave me these rabbits to use for the soup we're making."
Bofur gave her a knowing smile before sitting down next to her, taking one of the rabbits after untying the rope around their feet.
"Let me show you how to skin a rabbit."
Silvia did indeed learn how to skin a rabbit and helped cut the meat into small pieces to put in the soup. At first the thought of cutting an animal open made her a little nauseous (along with seeing the guts as well), but once she got past that she found that she was fine. Bofur even gave her some tips during the process which she was thankful for since it made the task less difficult.
Suddenly the sound of one of the ponies neighing caught everyone's attention and Silvia turned to where they were next to the stream nearby. She saw the beardless Dwarf that had given her the rabbits trying to calm the panicking pony, but before they knew it he had been dragged into the water with the animal.
"Kili!" Thorin yelled before rushing to the stream, followed by a blonde haired Dwarf.
All hell broke loose and everyone dropped whatever they were doing as they all ran over to the stream. Silvia's face paled when she saw the drowning Dwarf struggling to stay above the water in the rushing current, all the while trying to save the pony that had fallen into the stream with him.
"Let go, Kili!" The blonde Dwarf cried out.
"The current is too strong, lad!" Thorin yelled. "We're losing him!"
The blonde Dwarf grabbed some rope, which he hastily tied around a nearby tree before tying the other end around his waist.
"Kili! I'm coming!"
"Fili! Don't!"
Before Thorin could stop him, the blonde Dwarf (Fili) jumped into the stream, struggling in the strong current as he tried to swim over to the drowning Dwarf (Kili).
"Take my hand!" Fili yelled, holding out his hand to reach for Kili.
"Fee!" Kili cried out.
Kili struggled to reach for Fili's hand, but suddenly he was pulled under the water by the current.
"Kili!"
Everyone started panicking when this happened. One of the Dwarves grabbed some rope and rushed over to Thorin, who proceeded to do the same thing Fili did by tying one end of the rope to the same tree the blonde Dwarf used and tied the other end around his waist before jumping into the stream to save the two Dwarves. Everything passed by in a blur that before she knew it the three Dwarves were already back on land soaking wet. Thorin and Fili were fine, but Kili was laying on the grassy ground unconscious. Silvia suddenly felt worried and feared the worst, but her thoughts were interrupted by a hand gently grabbing her arm, causing her to turn around and see Balin giving her a small yet reassuring smile.
"Come along, lass." He told her softly. "You needn't worry for them now that they're safe."
Silvia merely nodded before allowing the old Dwarf to pull her away from the scene. Looking off to the side she noticed Oin pulling out blankets from one of their packs and an idea suddenly popped into her head.
"Balin, wait!" She suddenly said.
Upon hearing her Balin stopped moving and turned to her.
"What is it?" He asked.
"Those blankets Oin has, he's going to use those to get them warm?" It was more of a statement than a question.
"Oh course. Why do you ask?"
"I have an idea." She glanced at the fire where Bombur had resume cooking and smiled. "A good idea."
Balin noticed her glancing at the fire and raised a bushy eyebrow.
"What are you up to, Lady Silvia?"
"I need to borrow three blankets besides the ones Oin has now. I'll also need help holding them close to the fire."
She watched as the old Dwarf's eyes widened in surprise before letting out a laugh.
"That's genius! I'll get you those blankets while you find someone to help you."
While Balin went off to retrieve the blankets she requested Silvia managed to convince Bofur and Gloin to help her out. When the time came for them to warm up the blankets the three held them close enough to the flames for the material to absorb the heat but not catch fire at the same time. Glancing around at everyone she noticed that the Dwarves were worried but refused to show it.
"It's all right guys, Kili's fine!" Bilbo's voice suddenly shouted.
Silvia's head shot in the direction Thorin and the two young Dwarves were and saw that Kili was conscious as the blonde Dwarf held him in his arms, supporting his upper half. Bilbo ran off and over to Oin, but Silvia was more focused on the three. She heard Thorin yelling at Fili and Kili but couldn't tell what he was saying. Judging by the two Dwarves' reactions she assumed that he was scolding them. Suddenly Thorin grabbed a hold of Fili before pulling both he and Kili into his arms, holding them close. Silvia couldn't help the soft smile that formed on her lips as she observed the tender moment between the three Dwarves. She knew Thorin had been worried about them after what happened and it was at that time she noticed how he treated Fili and Kili like they were his own sons. And with how desperate Fili was to save Kili when he was drowning, she came to the conclusion that they must've been brothers (if what Balin told her was true when it came to Dwarf names).
Silvia turned away from the scene, feeling as if she was intruding on something sacred. She was glad they were safe, but she knew they had lost the pony to the stream.
Eventually the three Dwarves made their way back to their group around the fire and Fili (who had been carrying Kili) carefully placed his brother on the ground before sitting down beside him. Oin soon came over to help Thorin, Fili, and Kili out of their clothes until they were left wearing their shirts and pants before wrapping them up in the blankets he'd unpacked from earlier.
Silvia felt sorry for them at seeing the state they were in, shivering violently as they held the blankets tightly around them to keep warm. Looking over at Thorin she knew he was cold even if he was refusing to show it. She was glad she had the forethought to warm up some blankets when she did, but it was going to take a while before they were ready.
Sometime later Silvia deemed the blankets warm enough to use and decided to take the first one to Thorin. When Bofur and Gloin tried to follow her example she stopped them by saying that they needed to keep the blankets warm while she distributed them one at a time. She then approached Thorin, who glanced up at her when she stood in front of him.
"I already have a blanket, Lady Silvia." He stated.
"I know, but I wanted to give you a warmer one." She replied.
Silvia resisted the urge to laugh when she saw the confused look on Thorin's face. Leaning forward, she took away the now damp blanket he'd been using before replacing it with the one she heated up, making sure it was wrapped behind him before pulling away. She watched as Thorin pulled the blanket closer around him, letting out a sigh of content as he found comfort in the warm blanket.
"Thank you." He said, looking up at her.
She smiled.
"You're welcome, Thorin." She replied before walking off.
Silvia went back to where Bofur and Gloin were waiting while continuing to hold the blankets up. She traded the damp blanket she retrieved from Thorin with Bofur before going over to where Fili and Kili were sitting. She was about to reach over to take the blonde Dwarf's blanket from him, but he stopped her.
"Take care of my brother first." He told her.
"But what about you?" She asked.
"I can wait. He needs it more than I do."
Seeing the pleading look Fili gave her Silvia glanced over at Kili, noticing that his gaze was on the ground and that he seemed to be deep in thought. Her decision was made.
He didn't seem to notice her when she went to stand before him, and she figured that he was still shaken up from almost drowning. Not wanting to disturb him too much, she reached around him to pull his blanket off. It was as she started wrapping the warm blanket around his shivering form that Kili's head suddenly shot up to face her, looking startled as he just became aware of her standing in front of him. His expression changed when he realized what was going on and gazed at her as if he was seeing her for the first time. She gave him a smile, knowing that he was grateful as he held the blanket tighter around his body and shivered, this time from the sudden change of temperature.
Silvia retrieved the last blanket from Gloin, heading back over to Fili, and replacing his blanket with the warmer one. She was about to walk away when he suddenly grabbed her hand.
"Thank you for taking care of Kili." He said, giving her a grateful smile.
"You're welcome." She replied before leaving.
Soon enough the soup was finished and Silvia helped Bofur pass out bowls to everyone. She had started with a Dwarf that had been writing in a book, along with the two Dwarves sitting him with (one of them having hair that reminded her of a starfish, which the other one had a short white beard).
After Silvia had passed out soup to them, she grabbed two bowls before heading over to Fili and Kili who had remained in the same spot since they'd been brought over to sit by the fire. They both glanced at her when she approached them.
"I brought you soup." She told them, carefully handing the bowls of hot soup to each brother. "It should make you feel better."
This earned her the same smile that she got from Kili when he'd given her the rabbits, but from both of them. Silvia blushed at this, glad that the light of the fire hid the color of her face. Looking at them she noticed that Fili's and Kili's appearance had improved after she'd given them the heated blankets and not shivering as they had earlier.
"How are you two feeling?" She asked, the concern showing in her voice.
"Much better, Lady Silvia." Fili replied.
Fili noticed that his brother wasn't saying anything and swiftly hit him with his knee.
"Ah-! Yeah, thanks." Kili added when he recovered.
"The blankets you warmed up were a brilliant idea. Not many would think to do that."
"It wasn't just me." She told them. "I had help from Bofur and Gloin."
"But all the same, thank you."
After taking care of Fili and Kili she went to passed out soup to Oin, Balin, and Dwalin before finally taking a bowl to Thorin, who still had the blanket she'd given him placed around his shoulders.
"Thank you." He said curtly.
Silvia watched him briefly, wondering if she should ask the question that had been going through her mind while she had been passing out supper with Bofur.
"Thorin?" She decided to ask. The Dwarf looked up at her, his eyes letting her know to continue. "Am I…doing okay here? With the Company, I mean."
Thorin regarded her thoughtfully, and she shifted nervously on her feet. After a while he placed his bowl down before putting a hand on her shoulder.
"You are doing fine." He told her reassuringly. "I've seen Bofur teach you how to do certain tasks as far as cooking goes. There is also how you thought to warming up some blankets before handing them out to myself, including Fili and Kili. You are learning and willing. Don't forget that."
Silvia smiled.
"Thank you. I hope you feel better."
Silvia went back to the fire to get herself some soup to eat, but then came the decision of where to sit. Looking around for a bit she noticed Gandalf sitting off to the side eating his own bowl of soup and decided to sit with the Wizard. Seeing her approach he smiled at her.
"Ah, Lady Silvia! Come sit beside me." Gandalf greeted cheerfully. Silvia sat beside him and smiled. "Perhaps you can humor an old man and tell me how you are faring so far."
"I'm doing fine, Gandalf." Silvia told him, turning to look over at the Dwarves and Hobbit. "I'm doing fine."
It was quiet as Silvia ate her soup, all the while watching the others talking and laughing.
"They've taken quite a liking to you."
"Who?" Silvia turned to Gandalf.
"Everyone, actually. You seem to have a bit of a charm that tends to draw others to you. You also managed to help out the leader of our Company along with the two youngest Dwarves in our group with your quick thinking today. Do note that this is merely what I've observed so far."
"What else have you observed?"
"That despite having amnesia you are willing to learn and lend a helping hand, along with being quite curious for your age."
"Is that a bad thing? My curiosity?"
"As a matter of fact, no. It just means that you have an open mind to the world around you. I believe it is because of that open-mindedness that has allowed the Dwarves to accept you with open arms, even if it seems like a few of them aren't the type to do so at all. It's exceptionally rare, given the stubbornness of Dwarves. But then again, there might also be the fact that you're a woman since Dwarves tend to be protective of their women."
"Because there are so few of them."
"Precisely!" Gandalf gave Silvia a gentle nudge in the direction of the others. "Now go join the others, my dear. Surely they'll benefit more from your company than an old man such as myself.
Silvia turned to look at Gandalf and smiled when he gave her a wink. That was all the encouragement she needed before grabbing her bowl and joining the others. Just as Gandalf said they welcome her with open arms (some literally in the case of Bofur), and for the first time since she'd met them she finally felt like part of the Company of Thorin Oakenshield.
ATE: I find that I like writing Gandalf for some reason and I think I did a decent job. I mean, who doesn't like our favorite Grey Wizard? I'll admit that I was a little afraid of writing his character and dialogue since I felt like I wasn't going to be able to do him justice at all. Hopefully the readers can decide if I did a good job or not. I'm also wondering that as well for the other characters as well to, now that I think about that.
Now I believe that a lot of you are wondering about the part where Kili (and Fili to some extent) almost drowned (which happened in the book and not in the movie), but with a few tweaks to fit it into the story since it actually took place after the Company had been traveling in the rain. Originally I wasn't going to have this in the story (I almost forgot about it) but while I was on deviantart I came across something called the 'Hobbit Comic part 01' created by Brilcrist. I was very impressed with how they created the comic showing their version of what happened during this part in the book and it is drawn extremely well and the dialogue I used for this part was taken from the comic as well. I recommend checking it out (there are 3 parts total).
So what did you all think? Did I do okay with how I handled the characters?
Please remember to review and tell me what you all think! ;D
