A/N: Thanks for such a great response guys! It's so nice to see so many people interested in this story. Seriously! I makes me happy.
I realize that I'm uploading these chapters fast, and hopefully you guys are delighted by this fact. However, this won't always be the trend. I'm just playing catch-up right now. I have a lot more written than what I've posted. So that's why you're getting so much so quickly...
On another note, go watch the new 'Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug' trailer! I squealed and died a little as I watched it. Seriously, December can't come soon enough.
As always, please feel free to leave me your comments, questions, interpretations and whatnot. I love hearing from you!
Chapter Summary:
Dwalin Proves his intellect
Several thoughts crossed Lyla's mind in that silent moment, as she stared at Dwalin's expectant face. The first thought she considered was the attempt to run. She was small enough that she might be able to slip past the dwarf and dart a good distance before he could start towards her. But she didn't think her tender ribs could take the abuse. Not to mention the fact that she was shirtless. Such a display would hardly appeal to the better nature of her hosts (and Dwarves!) No no indeed she didn't need THAT type of attention (nor such a spectacular way to blow her cover). And she was fairly certain that her father would roll over in his grave if something like that happened to his only daughter.
Another thought she entertained was to simply slam the door in the dwarf's face and hurriedly lock it before he could get it open. Though, as she gazed at Dwalin with his taught arms, thick fists and steel boots, his battle axes slung over his shoulder, she knew this would be a foolish pursuit. He could either stop the slamming door with his boot or chop the offending wood with one of his axes if he so desired. And if nothing else, the sheer muscle force in his arms could loosen the wood from the hinges in short order.
'And what a shame that would be' Lyla mused, 'The door is rather beautiful'
No, she sighed in resignation, there was really only one option. First things first though…
"Just, uh give me a moment master Dwalin," she murmured blushing at her current state of undress, "Let me make myself presentable if you please."
However, Dwalin didn't seem to consider her request as an excuse to avoid the impending conversation and pushed his way into the room anyway. Lyla blushed scarlet from her toes to ears and clutched the cloak (Dwalin's cloak!) tighter around her frame.
"Ex-excuse me! I don't really think this is a-appropriate!" She stammered, her face aflame.
Regardless of her protests, though, heavy footfalls entered her small sanctuary. She heard a loud 'thwump' and hazarded a glance into the room, noting the dwarf sprawled out on her bed (and he was filthy too!).
"I don't think you're in any position to be calling my actions inappropriate lassie," Dwalin muttered (though he had the decency to keep his eyes closed), "I'm not the one deceiving a company of dwarves, s'pecially one who could end yer 'burglaring career' right quick, if ye follow me. Hurry and dress yerself then. Balin's the one with patience, not me."
She didn't need to be told twice. Lyla quickly grabbed her filthy, bloodstained shirt and turned, facing away from Dwalin's reclined form. Dropping the heavy cloak, she quickly (or as quickly as she could) threw the shirt around her shoulders, shoving her arms through the designated holes and fumbled to work the buttons up. Her fingers were shaking so badly—from a mixture of embarrassment, exhaustion and pain and fear—that her usually nimble fingers couldn't function properly. As it was, it was taking far longer than normal to perform such a menial task.
She had successfully gotten the first three buttons done, when a grumble of annoyance filtered towards her ears. Dwalin sighed in frustration and she heard him approach, his footfalls matching the hammering of her heart.
"Come here burglar," He muttered lowly, turning the startled hobbit around (carefully) to face him. She was grateful she HAD managed to get most of the buttons done up (successfully covering her chest and most of her stomach), though that didn't lessen her embarrassment as Dwalin grabbed her. She simply wasn't used to being handled this way! Grasping her shirt forward he deftly buttoned the remaining pieces of her shirt together and then pushed the hobbit back towards the bed.
"I think it best if ye sit down a few moments. Don't need you fainting on me before we've had our talk."
Lyla nodded mutely and slowly clamored on the bed. Dwalin, spotting a chair in the far corner plopped himself down and peered at the nervous hobbit carefully.
"I suggest ye start talking before I decide to inform Thorin of this little…deception of yours aye lass?" Dwalin, it appeared, wasn't one to beat around the bush. He stared at her expectantly before his eyes narrowed, "And don't think of denying the truth lass, it's as plain as the freckles on yer face."
Was it really that obvious? Had her ruse really not amounted to much?
"Well…I-uh…" Lyla wrapped her arms around herself (hoping to disappear from the piercing gaze of the warrior dwarf before her, "It-Gandalf suggested that it be best if I-"
Dwalin swore, then, and leapt to his feet and started pacing about the room clenching and unclenching his fists, "That wizard!" he grumbled heatedly, "Always playing tricks and deceiving. He can't be trusted I tell you!" he swiveled his gaze back to Lyla, "WHY did he suggest ye disguise yerself? What does 'e mean by sending out a young hobbit lady to the wild under the guise of a male name? What's his plan then lass, eh?"
Lyla didn't really have an answer to that. She suspected that it was because the company wouldn't take kindly to a female member of the company. But, she couldn't say for sure what the definitive reason behind Gandalf's actions was.
"I-er-I'm not really sure…" she trailed off, "I guess he wanted to make certain I was coming along I s'pose."
Dwalin stopped pacing and stared at Lyla and grumbled something unintelligible to the hobbit's ears, before plopping back down into the chair he had vacated only moments before.
"Yer sure he doesn't have another motive for lying?"
When Lyla shook her head in a solid 'no' Dwalin grumbled something in the dwarvish language Lyla had heard a few times around the campfire. "That wizard," he spat the word, "doesn't know a thing about dwarves then I reckon."
Lyla was confused. Apparently dwarves like to speak in riddles.
Dwalin stared at her for a moment and then sighed, "Female folk, at least for the dwarves, as well respected. There bein' so few of them, they've had to learn to survive, so it's no surprise if a female dwarf goes along in a company or down into the mines ter work and earn their keep. They aren't gentle folk. They are hardy lasses who know how to wield a sword."
"Oh."
Dwalin snorted at her response, "Fili and Kili's mother, Dis, now she was a warrior." His eyes softened at the mention of the lady. "She bested her own brother in the fighting ring. Ye didn't want to mess with that lass. She was a force to be reckoned with."
"Her brother?"
Dwalin fixed her with a firm look, a smirk playing on his lips, "Aye, her brother. Thorin." Oh.
Oh!
Lyla's eyes widened at the thought of Thorin's sister (his sister!) besting him at fighting. The dwarf who represented all things rough and battle-hardened, had been bested by his sister!
It was a comforting notion to say the least.
"Aye, lasses can be fierce warriors," Dwalin scanned her face, "in most cases. Which is why I figure that two-faced wizard concocted this disguise of yours."
"I'm not sure I follow," Lyla murmured, unable to tear her gaze away from the dwarf's battled hardened one, confused and intrigued by the dwarf's assertions.
Dwalin snorted again and quirked his eyebrow at Lyla, "Oh don't you? I didn't take you for a simpleton MASTER Baggins. I thought you were smarter than that. No, I think Gandalf decided to disguise your gender to convince Thorin that you were a valuable MALE asset to this company."
What?
The blank stare Lyla gave Dwalin made the surly dwarf grumble in annoyance. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and he gazed long and hard at the hobbit curled up on the bed.
"The wild is no place for those who cannot fight nor fend for themselves. And womenfolk who cannot defend themselves certainly wouldn't convince Thorin to include them in his company, no matter how deceptively charming that wizard can be. We dwarves are protective of women, regardless of whether they can defend themselves or not. But a woman unskilled in weapons and fighting is the type that should not be traveling to meet a dragon. A male could be excused for their inability to fight and taught how to properly defend themselves. Thorin would accept that. Somewhat." Dwalin sighed, then and rubbed his temples closing his eyes briefly, "But not you. He'd never accept YOU."
Lyla felt the sting of truth run through her veins at Dwalin's words. She wasn't cut out for adventuring. It was far more dangerous and terrifying than she had supposed and she was floundering to earn her keep amongst her fellow company members. Thorin had made that clear. And Thorin never would have accepted her (HER) no matter how marginally, if it weren't for Gandalf's ruse.
With a defeated sigh Lyla closed her eyes and leaned her head back on decorative headboard of the bed.
"I'm sorry to have deceived you all. Truly," She whispered tiredly, "I don't know what I was thinking. I'm not a Took, I'm a Baggins. I suppose I should have never run out my door. I should never have listened to Gandalf. This was a mistake."
Dwalin gave a grumpy 'hmph' and Lyla opened her eyes, her blue ones meeting his hazel (hidden beneath large brows that were knit together in a contemplative gaze aimed at the hobbit upon the bed) "I may have said that you can't trust a wizard but I never said that you shouldn't follow his counsel. He appointed YOU to this company. You were his choice and though we may not know the reason, I believe he see something in ye that we have yet to discover. Perhaps there's a lot more to hobbits than meets the eye and ye have a lot more to offer than any of us know. Including yerself."
"But I can't even-"
Dwalin held up his hand, "If ye look about the company you will see many different dwarves with different problems. Bifur. Bifur can't communicate exceptin' in Khuzdul makin' it hard ter understand him sometimes. And Fili and Kili," Dwalin rolled his eyes, "Those two young pups are hardly fit to enter battle. They're barely old enough to be considered adults in our culture."
Fili and Kili? Really?
"Truly?" Dwalin smiled (and Lyla was speechless because of it), "Aye it be true lass. We're a rag tag bunch of dwarves off te fight a dragon. I guess that makes you a perfect fit for our company aye?"
Lyla was speechless as she observed the dwarf before her. She never in her entire existence would have pegged Dwalin for the comforting type and yet he sat before her telling her that she belonged in the company. Just as Bofur had. Her chest tightened and a warmth spread through her veins at his words.
"But what about…that is…are you going to inform the others of my-er-of the truth?"
Dwalin shook his head, much to Lyla's surprise. "I think it best if Gandalf gets his way fer now lass. I don't know his plans but I'll not be contendin' against a wizard." He fixed her with a firm glare, "But if ye jeopardize this mission, don't think I won't hesitate to inform Thorin of yer deception. Clear?"
Who was she to argue with that? She nodded in quick agreement.
"I-er-that is…thank you. For-for understanding I s'pose." She smiled hesitantly completely baffled by the turn of events the evening had brought. It just proved that this day was marked as one of the most bizarre of her life.
Dwalin cleared his throat and straightened up at her voice, "Yes…well then it's time for ye to start earnin' yer keep in the company."
"But I-you just said-haven't I helped?" She MAY have felt a little indignant at that comment.
Dwalin snorted again and cracked his knuckles, the sound making Lyla's heart jump (and reminding her once more that one of the toughest creatures to cross her path held her fate in his calloused hands). "Aye you've helped in camp, but ye are still untrained and unskilled with a weapon. Yer a liability until ye learn to defend yerself. And I'll not be lettin' Thorin's quest falter because of the weakness of the young hobbit lass dressed up as a man."
True.
Lyla sighed in resignation at that comment.
"What must I do?"
"We'll start yer trainin' in a few days once you've rested up a bit and properly healed up that shoulder and ribs of yers. And don't go thinkin' you've been sly and keepin' the truth from those of us who are observant," He quirked his eyebrow at her, "Aye lass, I may not look it, but I'm clearly the smartest of the group."
Lyla gaped at him though she did acknowledge that the rough-cut dwarf had a point. Out of all of them, he was the one to figure out the truth first. Really she figured it'd be Dori, or Balin or Ori. One of the more contemplative, thinkers of the group. Not this battle-worn, tattooed giant of a warrior who sat quite smugly before her.
And what an interesting notion it was really.