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Chapter 3: The King of Erebor
It wasn't working. We kept bumping into each other. He kept bumping into me.
"Woah, halawal," Fili murmured, big hands going to circle my biceps warmly as I plowed into his chest coming around a corner. I grimaced, feeling the resulting heat start to bubble along my skin and sear my cheeks. It was ridiculous how many times I could run into him in a single night. "In a hurry?"
"Galkhishmer," I whispered, lowering my eyes and ducking around him to get into the dining room.
I could feel the heat of his gaze all the way around the corner.
It was a merciless game of hide and go seek. Every time I would start to settle in, there he was. And he kept looking at me. Winking. Throwing me cute little smirks. Eventually - tired of going around corners and suddenly stopping in terror as I saw random flashes of blonde hair - I settled in the dining room.
It was a shame that most everyone else had the same idea.
"What's wrong with your face?" Ori's eyes widened as he took up a seat directly next to me on the long bench. By shoving together a couple of tables that had been scattered about the house in random places, we had been able to make a large enough table to seat us all with a variety of smashed together benches and chairs. Plates filled with food cooked by Bombur - I nodded to him as he set himself down at the end of the table with a hmph and a great platter of cheeses - who was as famous for his recipes as for his prowess in front of a full plate.
"I don't know what you mean," I whispered, trying to keep my expression neutral. I had been trying to do that for so long that part of my face felt numb.
"You look all…" He contorted his face, his eyes widening and the squinting as he waved his arms about randomly.
"You do look rather sickly, Tori," Dori grumbled as he sat down beside Ori, his plate clattering to the table as he gave me a keep once over. "Have you been eating properly. Too thin as always."
Someone threw a piece of meat at Bombur, the slab nearly hitting my face as I quickly leaned back. My eyes caught on Master Baggins, his face emptied of all color as he shook his head in disbelief and turned away from the scene. Although I had lived with dwarves most of my life I could see how it was unwelcoming. They were loud and rowdy and they liked to talk with their mouths filled with food, spittle dribbling out. Not to mention…
My eyes caught on Fili as he strode toward the table, his lips quirked up in a mischievous smile and his arms filled with full cups of ale as he hopped up onto the table.
"Watch your step, boy!" Gloin reprimanded as his boots came dangerously close to capsizing the elder dwarves plate.
"Wouldn't dream of taking away your potatoes and ham, Gloin," Fili said charmingly, leaning down to hand him one of the drinks before moving on.
Something inside me withered uncomfortable. I watched him closely as he went across the table, stepping over plate after plate and around glasses with the deftness of a cat. How many girls had he been able to charm with those looks and words? His teeth flashed clear and white as he neared me, his eyes snapping up to connect with mine as he slowed. I was suddenly very glad that I hadn't had to endure watching his past conquests in the Blue Mountains.
"Jailaikhsh astni, hamumal amrul." His eyes never left mine as he handed the drink over to me. Excitement tingled along my spine as a blush worked its way up my neck. Was he going to continue to call me that ridiculous name?
"Thank-" I stopped, suddenly becoming uncomfortably aware of the silence that had dropped over the dining room. Embarrassment and discomfort prickled along my skin as my fingers involuntarily brushed against Fili's as he handed over the cup, searing tingles jolting up my hand. My heart felt like it was dancing its way up my throat. I wanted to look away but his eyes looked like they were swirling darkly with blues and crystal whites that took my breath away.
I felt like I was having a panic attack.
"Y-you can move on now," I snapped, slamming the cup to the table and making ale slosh all over both my hand and the table. Chills and heat prickled along my skin as I waited tensely for him to move, my eyes firmly glued to the cracked table.
Everyone was still silent. Dwarves didn't thrive on drama but they certainly weren't averse to the occasional bit of juicy tidbits. I bit my lip, forcing my eyes up even as a blush burned across my cheeks. I'm sure it was all too obvious that this was affecting me. My skin was way to white and my freckles all too much a contrast to hide a single color change. Arctic blue eyes caught mine, his brows drawn low. He looked like he was calculating something, his eyes growing dark and… I gulped, my mouth suddenly going dry. Hunger. Something deep inside me twisted, responding.
"Actually," he started slowly, crouching down so that we were nearly eye to eye and so close that I could feel his warmth. "I was going to take the seat directly beside you, Tori. Catch up on all this lost time."
Cotton filled my mouth as I reeled back at the statement. Sitting beside me… My heart beat faster in my throat, my skin neck tingling uncomfortably. That would be very close. Panic itched through my insides.
"Unless," he said, his head tipping to the side, causing his braids and beads to clink against each other as his eyes crinkled. "That makes you uncomfortable, hamamul amrul."
My lips pressed together as I forced my eyes away from his.
"Whatever my prince sees fit to do," I forced out weakly, my stomach twisting.
"My prince…" Fili mused, jumping down and sliding so close that his thighs and side pressed snugly to mine. I was going to die if I didn't breath soon. "I like the sound of that."
Brutal irritation rebelled against the other half of my mind that was becoming a puddle of mush beneath his gaze. The scents of leather and steel drifted toward me as he settled into place, his arm coming around to press to the other side of the bench, just beside my thigh. I breathed in again, closing my eyes. Leather and steel and then something beneath that - something sweet and comforting like fresh bread or cinnamon rolls.
"Is there something that I can help you with?" My eyes snapped open, my mind reeling. I was leaning towards him. Dear Aule, I looked like a irrikifi. Fili's eyes were crinkled up, the blue depths glittering like a fresh spring of water.
"You - " I sounded desperate, the side of my thigh burning as I felt his thumb brush closer. It was a good thing that the others had gone back to eating. Although I could still feel the pointed attention of some. I lowered my voice, tipping my head back more so that I could stare at him better. "Why are you doing this?"
His eyes narrowed, his lips quirking down before he was taking a slow drink of his ale. It was like he was calculating the next words that he should use. Slowly, he looked back to me.
"Merely talking to an old friend," he said lowly and my throat constricted. An old friend. Why did that make me feel so agitated?
"You didn't even know who I was," I hissed out, baring my teeth in a snarl as I saw his lips twitch.
"Is that what's gotten you so angry?" Fili quipped, his teeth flashing in the candlelight as he gave me a smirk, leaning forward until we were mere centimeters apart.
"Don't call me an old friend when the meaning is so lost to you," I snapped, my temper riling up until my fingers itched with the urge to curl into a fist. My eyes stayed locked on his.
"You've changed a lot, Tori," Fili said softly after a short pause. "You're hair was always very short when we were younger-"
"It got in the way," I interrupted, heat flaring across my face as his head tipped to the side, his eyes flicking to my lips and growing dark and heated.
"It doesn't now?" His words blew hot against my mouth as he leaned ever closer, an aching starting deep inside me. I was going crazy. I wanted him to -
"I'm sorry that we all can't look magni-" I snapped my mouth shut. I was just about to say that he looked magnificent from birth. I narrowed my eyes on him as his eyes crinkled with amusement.
"And you were always so covered in mud and leaves that most everyone thought you were a boy." I gritted my teeth, the heat in my cheeks amping up another couple degrees. "You've changed."
His reasons were very good.
"Are you going to eat anything, Tori?" I blinked, jolting back from Fili to turn toward my brother, his eyes wide as they flicked from Fili to me and then back again. He was much too perceptive for his own good - even if it was hard for the others to admit.
"Um…" I floundered, looking down at my still full plate of food. I had barely eaten anything at the inn-
"We've walked a long way," Nori said, his eyes critical as he stared at me from across the table. I really didn't - An apple slid into view out of the corner of my eyes. I blinked, my fingers going to touch it's waxy exterior tentatively as my eyes flicked up to meet Fili's. I had loved apples when we were growing up. I used to climb the trees and shake the branches until they came raining down on the people below. Lucky guess.
Picking it up, I saluted the table before taking a deep bite, the juices popping sweetly in my mouth as I crunched down.
"Fili!" I glanced up to see Balin just outside of the dining room, his face tense as he gestured for Fili to come talk to him.
"Talk to you again, humamul amrul." His hand brushed along my back before he was getting up, a half smile still curling his lips. My eyes followed him as he went into another room, watching ]his steady gate. Everything about him was confident and over the years it seemed that he had grown a sense of humour that had been lost to him when we were young.
Rage was the main thing that I had remembered about our childhoods. He had always been one of the boys that seemed to be too old for the people that he was surrounded by. I suppose that had been one of his draws. Girls always did like the handsome, brooding type. Or at least, most girls.
"Tori, will you help clean up?" Dori suddenly quipped, standing as he collected all the uneaten food and headed toward the pantry. The table was mostly empty by now, most of the other, older dwarves going into separate rooms with hearths and sofas as they lighted their pipes. As he turned a corner, Dori called over his shoulder, "Ori, you help your sister," causing my brother to grumbled animatedly to himself as he went to work scraping all the leftover food into bowls.
Sighing, I did the same, creating a neat stack beside me.
"Tori, where exactly do we put the plates?" Ori suddenly asked, pausing in his tasks to stare at me.
I shrugged, glancing up to see Nori and Bofur stumble into the room, fighting over a piece of sausage links. "Nori, where do we put all these plates?"
My brother glanced up, his attention momentarily diverted from the sausages so that Bofur was able to yank them away with a gleeful smile.
"Bloody - Now look what you've done," Nori sniped, throwing his hands up as he sat heavily in a seat across from Bofur, his eyes murderous as he watched the dark haired dwarf devour the food with some help from Gloin who sat diagonal from him.
"I'm sure there's more of those in the kitchen," I said with an indulgent eye roll as I saw Bilbo make his way to stand just in the hall in front of the dining room, gesturing emphatically in every which way as he spoke rather quickly to Gandalf.
"I wanted that one," Nori snarled, jabbing a finger at Bofur as he popped the last piece of meat into his mouth just as Dori sat heavily in the across from Gloin.
"You're still not done yet?" Our older brother asked, clearly exasperated. My eyes flicked to Ori who looked particularly striken, his gaze meeting mine.
"Go ask the hobbit," I said quietly, nodding to the enraged man in the hallway. "It's his house, he should know."
My brother gave a tentatively nod, picking up one of the dishes and heading over to the hobbit as I watched closely.
" 'Scuse me…" Ori started, walking up rather quickly to stand just in front of Bilbo. "Don't mean to interrupt…"
My hands worked slowly at the plate I had, glancing up to see that Bombur had once again taken up his seat at the end of the table. Deftly, I handed the plate bowls of leftover food to him.
"Thank you, lass," he bumbled out, nodding as he slurped up the remains with a contented face.
"But...What should I do with my plate?" Ori's eyes flicked from the plate back to Bilbo who looked like he was about to explode.
Just behind them both I caught the flash of Fili's blond hair as he strode forward, Balin scooting past him to make his way to a seat at the dining room table. Quickly, Fili's eyes ran over the room, his lips quirking up as they caught mine and then went back to Ori.
"Here you go, Ori," Fili said smoothly, taking the plate from my brother as the hobbit looked on in confused bewilderment. "Give it to me."
My mind flashed dully as he sent me a wink before raising the plate and hurling it down the hall. What an evil thing to do to the poor hobbit. The blonde haired dwarf's eyes caught mine again, their depths twinkling as he tipped his chin back in an obvious challenge, his hands up. What else was I to do?
I grabbed ahold of two more plates, throwing them toward him so that he caught them deftly in his hands. A grin curled my lips as Nori and Bofur laughed, grabbing up the silverware and slamming them together across the table. Catching a bowl that Bombur tossed my way, I bumped it off my elbow, catching it my hand before throwing it Fili's way.
"A bit confident there, lassie," Fili chuckled, catching it quickly.
"Excuse me!" Bilbo called shrilly, his voice raising as I picked up another, much fancier plate. I adjusted my grip, taking care to not be too hard on it as I threw it across the room. "That's my mother's West Farthing crockery! It's over a hundred years old!"
"I don't know what that is, Master Baggins!" I called gleefully, feeling a plate roll it's way up my spine and bump it's way off my head and across the room, two more cups following quickly after it. "But I assure you that they're in good hands!"
Bewildered and horrified, Bilbo stumbled over himself, his eyes catching on Nori and Bofur and Gloin and Dori.
"And can-can you not do that? You'll blunt them!" I snorted, spinning and dropping as Dwalin came in and grabbed up a plate to lob at Fili.
"Ooooohhh," Bofur mused, yelling over the clatter of silverware and plates as he continued on with sharpening the utensils. "Did 'ja hear that, lads? He says we'll blunt the knives."
I chortled, my eyes catching Fili's as he sent a plate under his leg and down the hall. What a silly hobbit. We were dwarves. If anything, we would make them sharp enough to kill a bear.
"Blunt the knives, bend the forks," a deep voice started from down the hall and I realized that Fili had been sending the dishes to his brother. Slowly, the blonde haired dwarf joined in, followed quickly by everyone else. "Smash the bottles and burn the corks / chip the glasses and crack the plates / That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!"
I screamed the last part, jumping up on the table to kick up a couple plates and bowls with my feet, sending them toward Nori who had gotten up from his seat with a merry blush to his cheeks. We hadn't sung like this in so long.
"We're very good with our hands, Master Baggins! Don't you worry!" I giggled, twirling around him as I caught a couple plates sent to me from Ori and sent them down the hall to Bifur.
"Very good with our hands," a deep voice whispered in my ear, causing a shiver to roll up my spine as I spun to come face to face with Fili who had a devilish smirk on his lips.
"Splash the wine on every door," I started back in unsteadily, ducking so that a bowl went sailing over my head, my eyes still intently on Fili. "Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl / Pound them up with a thumping pole."
Fili spun me, his hands on my waist and his eyes sparkling as he stared down at me. Butterflies fluttered through my chest, tickling my heart. "When you've finished, if any are whole / Send them down the hall to roll."
Fili's fingers curled around my bicep, leading me over to stand just beside Nori who had a secretive smile on his face. "That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!"
The song ended with a great splatter of applause and laughter, the wizard staring down at the stacked dishes with barely concealed amusement. And the hobbit - Well, he looked like he was going to faint as he rushed into the room, his breath uneven from chasing dwarves around his home.
A sudden knock broke through the laughter, sending everyone's heads turning and silence to reign over the group. I gulped, all glee sinking into uncertainty. Besides me, Fili straightened, his eyes growing hard and his head tipping back. Ah, here it was. The moment where he stopped fooling around with the peasant girl and became a prince again. I edged away from him, my lips tightening.
"He's here," Gandalf said softly and my heart beat a little faster. Fili's eyes ran over me, his brows tipping together.
Slowly, we all moved into the main hall. I trailed behind, my eyes intent on the closed door. Even his knock sounded commanding. Seemingly sensing the change in mood, Bilbo stayed by my side. Cautiously, I made my way to the front, Master Baggins still firmly beside me. I think it had more to do with the fact that I was female and around his height than the fact that he liked me. I wasn't as imposing as the others. Licking my lips, I watched with baited breath as Gandalf opened the door to reveal a tall dwarf, his build strong and filled with unconcealed authority. His dark hair that reached nearly to his shoulders and his beard were both spiked through with silver. And his eyes were just how I remembered them, a grayish blue that seemed to hold arctic winds.
"Gandalf…" Thorin said slowly, his voice deep and steady as he stepped into the house. "I thought you said that this place was easy to find. I lost my way, twice. Wouldn't have found it at all had it not been for that mark on the door."
I bit my lip as Bilbo shifted beside me, his eyes snapping with recognition as Thorin took off his cloak nonchalantly and set it on a chest beside him.
"Mark?" Bilbo quipped, looking around in astonishment as Gandalf closed the door with a slightly contrite expression. "There's no mark on that door; it was painted a week ago!"
My brows furrowed as Gandalf turned to stare down at the poor hobbit. "There is a mark; I put it there myself."
"It's the only way that we would have known how to find you, Master Baggins," I said softly, staring at him as he looked between the wizard and me in confusion.
"Bilbo Baggins, allow me to introduce the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield," Gandalf cut in quickly before I could say anymore.
Kili's eyes widened and then narrowed as he stepped up beside his uncle who turned slowly to stare down at the hobbit.
"So, this is the hobbit," Thorin started, his head tipping to the side as his eyes lit with amusement. "Tell me, Mr. Baggins, have you done much fighting?"
I grimaced, watching in grim dismay as Bilbo blinked. "Pardon me?"
"Axe or sword? What's your weapon of choice?" It was hard for any of us to believe that a hobbit who lived in such a posh place would be willing to risk his life in a dragon infested mountain. I was sure this distrust was amplified ten-folds for our king.
"Well, I have some skill at Conkers, if you must know, but I fail to see why that's relevant." I blinked. So were we supposed to get him acorns and string? How would he fight off orcs with something so puny? Conkers. I shook my head. He was no more a fighter than I was a human.
"Thought as much. He looks more like a grocer than a burglar." I snorted. Bad decision. Thorin's eyes zeroed in on me, the mirth evaporating as his eyes narrowed and hardened. "What is she doing here?"
I shrunk beneath his gaze, my head bowing. Thorin had been the most pleased at my decision to leave the Blue Mountains. I would even say that if we had asked for money to fund our trips then he would have emptied to vaults to see no more of us. My lips pressed together as I kept my gaze firmly on the ground, heat rolling over me as silence fell heavily.
"I brought her, my king," Nori said softly, coming to stand beside me. Just behind Thorin, I saw Ori and Dori tilt their heads back, their gazes dark.
"Do you want to bring the hobbit's next door neighbor as well?" Involuntarily, I flinched back at the harsh words, my hands clenching at my sides as a spiking pain exploded in my chest. No one laughed. No one said anything, in fact. I didn't even hear the shuffle of boots or clothes as Thorin continued to stare at me. Beside me, I felt Nori move closer to my side.
"Uncle -" My ears perked at the deep, gravelly voice, my eyes flicking up to see that Fili was staring at me with a mixture of… Pity? That was the worst thing that I could find. I looked away.
"I am hungry," Thorin said suddenly, heading with a surefootedness that befit someone of his status to the dining room. Slowly everyone followed after him, their eyes lingering on me as I stayed rooted to my spot.
"Maznigthi, 'unna," Nori whispered to me, his hand warm and comforting on my back as he slowly led me into the dining room and into a seat beside him.
I had been too carefree. I had made the foolish mistake of thinking that Thorin would accept me into the party without a backward glance. How wrong could I be? How foolish? Pride and embarrassment warred with each other, clouding my sense until I could barely hear what the others spoke of. It was a rehash anyway. Everything that I needed to know, I already did. Dragon. Mountain. Revenge. Death. Four simple words that explained the risks of following behind a king that didn't want me. My eyes zeroed in on a crack in the polished oak table, staying fixed until they were scratchy.
"Well, how many dragons have you killed?" I blinked, snapping out of my thoughts to stare around. Immediately, Fili's eyes caught mine, his head tipping back. He had been staring at me. Deftly, he flicked his hand up, pointing his index finger to the sky and then to the right. Iglishmêk. He was speaking to me in Dwarven sign language. Are you okay? I gulped, nodding tentatively before I forced my eyes away from him to Gandalf.
"Go on! Give us a number," my brother exclaimed, causing the rest of the party to grow more and more restless as the wizard kept his silence. Suddenly everyone was screaming at once, chair clattering back as they argued about the number that the great wizard had killed.
Across the table, I caught Fili's eyes as he held up two fingers. Two dragons killed? I shook my head, holding up five which made him smile.
"Shazara!" Thorin suddenly roared, his chair clattering back and his hand slamming down onto the table, immediately silencing everyone. "If we have read these signs, do you not think others will have read them too? Rumours have begun to spread. The dragon Smaug has not been seen for 60 years. Eyes look east to the Mountain, assessing, wondering, weighing the risk. Perhaps the vast wealth of our people now lies unprotected. Do we sit back while others claim what is rightfully ours? Or do we seize this chance to take back Erebor? Du Bekâr! Du Bekâr!"
I smiled softly. He was very good at speeches. Cheers filled the small room.
"You forget," Balin broke in, sounding beyond irritated as the others sat back in their seats. "The front gate is sealed. There is no way into the mountain."
He might as well have called us all dolts in the process.
"That, my dear Balin, is not entirely true," Gandalf suddenly cut in, sounding whimsical and mischievous as he twiddled his fingers, pulling a key out of thin air.
"How came you by this?" Throin breathed, his eyes glued to the key.
"It was given to me by your father, by Thrain, for safekeeping. It is yours now." With that, the old wizard handed the key over with a small smile, his eyes gentle.
"If there's a key, there must be a door," Fili mused and I rolled my eyes.
"Fantastic deduction, my prince," I sniped and his brows rose as he stared across the table at me, his lips tipping up. He looked like he was up to - I yelped as a boot skimmed across my calf, working it's way up and causing a blush to sear my face as I swatted it away.
"These runes speak of a hidden passage to the lower halls," Gandalf was saying.
"There's another way in!" Kili exclaimed and Fili looked at me pointedly.
"Well, if we can find it, but dwarf doors are invisible when closed. The answer lies hidden somewhere in this map and I do not have the skill to find it. But there are others in Middle Earth who can. The task I have in mind will require a great deal of stealth, and no small amount of courage. But, if we are careful and clever, I believe that it can be done."
"That's why we need a burglar," Ori whispered, his eyes wide.
"Hm, A good one, too. An expert, I'd imagine," Bilbo said with a firm nod, his brows drawn together. I raised my brows.
"And are you?" Gloin prodded careful.
"Am I what?"
"He said he's an expert!" Oin exclaimed without waiting for an answer. My eyes flicked to Fili briefly, catching the calculating stare that he had fixed the hobbit with as several dwarves laughed.
"He didn't say anything," I said carefully, my eyes locking on Bilbo as he reeled back and everyone fell silent.
"M - me? No, no, no, no, no. I'm not a burglar; I've never stolen a thing in my life." I had thought as much. My frown deepened as I stared at the jittery little hobbit.
"I'm afraid I have to agree with Mr. Baggins. He's hardly burglar material," Balin said warily as Bilbo nodded in agreement.
"Aye, the wild is no place for gentlefolk who can neither fight nor fend for themselves." At this, Dwalin's eyes flicked to me. What the hell did that mean? My brows went up.
"If I am considered gentle then I suppose it is by your hand alone, Master Dwalin," I said sweetly, taking one of my daggers out from beneath my vest to plunge into the oak table as I kept his gaze. "A student is only as good as her teacher."
Dwalin's lips quirked up as argument broke out all around us. If we had no burglar and no time to search one out, than this journey was going to be nearly impossible.
"Enough!" My eyes snapped to Gandalf as he raised himself to his full height, a suddenly chill gusting through the room. "If I say Bilbo Baggins is a burglar, then a burglar he is."
I held my breath as the wizard sat back down. He was so good-natured that you could almost forget that he was one of five great wizards.
"Hobbits are remarkably light on their feet. In fact, they can pass unseen by most if they choose. And while the dragon is accustomed to the smell of dwarf, the scent of hobbit is all but unknown to him, which gives us a distinct advantage. You asked me to find the fourteenth member of this company, and I have chosen Mr. Baggins. There's a lot more to him than appearances suggest, and he's got a great deal more to offer than any of you know, including himself. You must trust me on this." It made perfect sense when he explained it but that wasn't the problem. The problem was the hobbit himself. My eyes wandered to him. At the moment he looked like he had just discovered he had eaten glass.
"Very well. We will do it your way," Thorin said and I closed my eyes as the hobbits voice grew frantic and the dwarves gave a couple hoots. Whether he would make it to Erebor was beyond me. Whether he would even make it to the next morning was beyond me.
"Miss Tori." I looked up, surprised to hear Thorin call my name.
"Yes, my king?" My voice squeaked, going higher before I could conceal it. Thorin's eyes raised, his lips thinning. Behind him, I saw Bilbo looking over the contract with narrowed eyes.
Under the table, Fili's foot pressed to the side of mine, his eyes hard as he stared at his uncle. Briefly, Thorin's eyes flicked from his nephew to me and then back again.
"You've signed the contract?" he asked slowly, his eyes finally moving to stare back at me. I swallowed thickly, shaking my head in swift jerks. My eyes flicked to Nori and Dori, both of their lips thinned and their eyes blazing. The contract was a binding document with only one true signature meant to represent the whole of the dwarves of Erebor - Thorin's signature. We were his kin so we were under his name. Where he went, we went. The fact that he was asking me meant that - I blinked rapidly, lowering my gaze to the table. Against my foot, Fili's foot nudged the side, his body moving forward on the bench until his whole leg was pressing along my calf and thigh warmly.
I took in an unsteady breath.
"Under your order, Tori is required to go," Dori said lowly, his eyes dark as he stared at our king. My fingers clenched on the oak surface, my inside shivering.
"I think you are mistaken," Thorin said lowly. I could feel the press of his eyes on my face, unrelenting. "Tori - although we would like to imagine that she has the blood of the dwarves running through her veins - is no more a Durin than I am a Baggins. She has no right to the mountain nor does she have any claim to the gold in its vaults. To fairly treat her, we must allow her to sign the contract."
I flinched, my throat clogging as an eerie silence fell across the room. Pain split my chest, involuntary tears blurring my vision. Beside me, my dagger glinted coldly in the lamplight. Why had I allowed myself to come back? For this? Embarrassment and disgrace.
"I will sign it by dawn," I whispered, keeping my voice soft so that no one would hear it crack. It was enough to be an outsider. Being pathetic and weak would drive my uselessness over the edge.
Abruptly, I got up, pulling my dagger from the wood with a dull snick and moving swiftly away from the table and around the still seated dwarves. My red curls fell in my face, curtaining me from the stares of the room. If I was to be disowned from all my rights to the line of Durin than I would make the safe assumption that I didn't need to wait for my king to get up before I could do the same.
I didn't want them to see me cry. I would never let them see me cry. What had it gotten me in the halls of the Blue Mountains? Scorn and laughter. Moving swiftly down the hobbits halls, I opened the first door that I saw and sunk to the ground before hot tears began to slide down my face and throat. After this night, I wouldn't cry again, I promised myself, letting head drop to my knees as I stared at the blurry wisps of fire in the hearth. I would do everything in my power to get Erebor back for my family and then I would disappear - disappear like I had so many years before.
Distantly, I heard the beginnings of a low song - a song that Nori and Dori and even Ori had sung to me even when I was a babe.
"Far away from Misty Mountains cold," I sang softly, curling up on the mat in front of the hearth and ignore the snug bed behind me. No one would come to find me here.
You know what to do, my lovely's! I love to hear from you guys and please follow/favorite if you like my story and want to see more.
Khuzdul:
Halawal: Sweets
Galkhishmer: Thank you
Jailaikhsh astni, hamumal amrul: For you, little love.
Irrikifi: Creep
Maznigthi, 'unna: Courage, sister. ('Unna actually means something of the sort like respected sister.)
Shazara: Silence.
Du Bekâr: To arms!
*Conkers is a game commonly played in the U.K. or in Ireland where you take an acorn and drill a hole into it and then thread a string through. Commonly there are two players and they take turns smashing their acorns into each other until one breaks. Fun for all!