Chapter 7
The dream seemed to pick up where it had left off the previous night.
The same sunny forest.
The same odd feeling of truth behind what I was seeing.
The red-headed child, Kahli, stood panting, still trying to catch her breath.
She didn't have to wait long for her companion to reach the clearing.
Philip came pelting through the underbrush in much the same way that Kahli had.
Like the girl, I had the strangest inclination to believe that I knew him.
He appeared to be around the age of fifteen, and very good looking, with blonde hair and startlingly blue eyes, that I knew I had seen before. Though he was tall as I was, so he could only be a dwarf.
He was as well dressed as Kahli, but seemed to pay more attention to keeping his clothing clean and well kept.
When he came to halt beside his companion, she spoke.
"Took you long enough. Stop to smell the flowers did we?" she playfully shoved him. He rolled his eyes and changed the subject.
"She's late," he said. "Are you sure she said she would take the south way back?"
"Yes," said Kahli solemnly.
I wondered who they were talking about. This dream was already confusing enough without someone else to worry about.
I felt the ground shake beneath my feet and recognized the sound of hoofbeats. I moved quickly to stand with my back against a tree trunk.
I looked toward Kali and Philip to see her face lit up in a knowing triumph, and his face crease into worry.
"See, what did I tell you? That'll be her now!" said Kahli.
"We don't know that Kahli. Anyone could be on the horse. We need to get out of here right now!"
"Please," scoffed Kahli. "You're over reacting."
But Philip didn't seem to be paying attention to her. He was looking around before his gaze finally came to rest on a tree behind them.
"Kahli, can you climb that tree?" Philip asked hurriedly.
"You're ridiculous. Also, are you trying to insult me?" Kahli asked incredulously.
"I don't know, it looks pretty high to me." Philip teased.
I realized his motive. Poking at her pride was all that he needed to make her comply with his wishes.
It was then that I decided Philip was a genius. This assertion was solidified in my mind when I saw Kahli swing herself up into the lower branches and disappear into the foliage. The only remaining indication of her presence was the occasional flash of her fiery red hair through the leaves.
"Hey, knucklehead, aren't you coming?" Kahli hissed down at Philip.
"No. I don't like heights and you know that very well," he answered. The hoofbeats grew louder and I could feel them vibrating through my body.
I began to worry for Philip's safety. If the approaching rider was friendly then he need not worry. But if the rider was unfriendly, Philip could find himself in some trouble.
Philip didn't seem overly phased. He was all composure as he drew a dagger from its sheath at his side.
The dagger!
It was unmistakeable.
With its silver and ruby pommel and dark leather sheath.
It was the very same dagger that I had slung around my own waist!
But how could he have it?
Who were they both?
Before I had time to wonder much else, a midnight black draft horse erupted from the forest!
Seeing Philip, it reared up on its hind legs. Its full height was frightening and I could feel my heart pound at both its beauty and its strength.
It snorted and shook its main, before sinking back onto all fours.
Before I could make out its rider, I started awake!
I have never been a morning person. I would just like to make that perfectly understood. Even if I were the most amiable person in the world, I would still be unreasonably grouchy in the earlier hours of the day.
And so, when my shoulder was shaken for the second time, I grabbed the small pillow from under my head and unceremoniously whacked it in the general direction of the person trying to wake me up.
My pillow hit a tree instead of a dwarf, proving just how bad my aim was.
Before I could reposition it behind my head, it was snatched away from me, and promptly thumped against the side of my head.
"Ow!" I exclaimed.
"That didn't hurt!" exclaimed Kili.
For it had been he trying to wake me up.
"It did so." I answered, sitting up.
"I wasn't even trying." he said.
I wished he would wipe that silly grin off of his face. He clearly found the situation enormously funny.
I glared at him, before extracting myself from my bedroll, and rolling it up. I snatched the pillow away from Kili and was just about to belt it to the bedroll when Kili said, "oh, and you missed breakfast."
At this, I stood, turned to face him, and clouted him over the head with the pillow.
"That hurt!" he said indignantly.
"Really? I wasn't even trying." I said before turning around to fix my pillow to my bedroll.
"Oh, and you should saddle up. Thorin wants to leave soon." Kili declared, and then he proceeded to head in the direction of his own pony.
I finished securing my bedroll and pulled my backpack towards me. I didn't care if we were leaving in one minute or twenty, I was going to brush my hair. As of then, it was a mess of deep brown frizz that fell almost half way down my back. After tugging through it just enough to make it look presentable, I replaced the brush into my backpack and sighed.
As always, that was as good as it was going to get.
I sighed and stood up, wincing as my ankle took the impact of my weight.
I bit my lip hard and willed myself not to collapse onto the ground. I looked down helplessly at my backpack and bedroll. As light as they were, I wasn't sure I could lift them onto Minty's back. I decided that I should fetch and saddle her before addressing my other concerns. And I was about to do just that when I noticed Fili making his way towards me.
He was leading his own pony, Bungo, but I was surprised to see him leading mine as well.
She was saddled and seemed ready to depart.
When I noticed this, I felt simultaneously full of gratitude, and annoyance that Fili had thought I needed help.
"Thank you," I mumbled when he reached me and handed me Minty's reigns. "You didn't have to do that."
"Don't worry about it," he said. "I thought you might have some trouble considering your bad ankle. Do you need help with your bedroll?"
I gulped. I wasn't used to accepting help from people but, I suppose, "yes please," I whispered.
I furiously tucked my hair behind my ear.
Why couldn't I stop doing that lately?
It was a nervous tick that I had been cursed with since I was a small child, but I thought I'd managed to lose it in middle school.
Why was it coming back now?
Around ten minutes and one awkward pony mounting later, the company of Thorin Oakenshield was on the move once again.
By the time the sun had fully risen, we were on the road again. It was a well-beaten path and so, for the first few hours, the going was easy. The dwarves conversed about various things over the course of the morning.
Some things such as the legend of Smaug (which was told by Balin purely for the benefit of Bilbo, myself, and a few of the younger dwarves) fascinated me immensely. I found myself asking questions and listening to the answers with wrapped attention.
Other topics, like the proceedings of dwarvish politics, I knew nothing about but found incredibly interesting. As with the stories, I asked question upon question, and by the time Thorin ordered lunch to be distributed, I had more than a fundamental understanding of the topic.
The only low point of the morning was when Balin, who could tell I knew little of dwarvish tradition, asked me where I was from.
The question caused my heart to pound and my head to race in circles but I managed to avoid blowing my cover by saying that it was very far away, and my parents didn't care at all about political proceedings.
This was, for the most part, true.
My parents only paid attention to politics when it affected their stocks, to them dwarvish politics wasn't worth a lick.
Bofur, who was in charge of lunch, tossed me a piece of hearty cheese and a small loaf of bread.
Balin, whom I had been riding with, urged his pony forwards. He engaged his brother in a conversation about the weather.
This I found no interest in, so I filtered their conversation out, letting it become background noise. I didn't mind riding by myself. It was something I was used to, and it gave me time to think about what I had heard.
I looked about and took a deep breath in through my nose. I let out a sigh. The countryside was breathtakingly beautiful. The sun shone down on the rolling hills and wild grasses surrounding us lending them a picturesque green iridescence. I absentmindedly bit into my cheese and was surprised to find that it was very good. I bit into my little loaf to find it equally tasty.
Though I did grimaced to think what the rations would taste like a month from now. I turned my mind to happier things. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't notice Kili moving up to ride on my right side until he spoke.
"Dull, isn't it?" he remarked.
"What?" I started.
"All that talk of trade and official conduct." he said. "I don't think I could stand listening to that all day."
I raised my eyebrows. "A fine prince under the mountain you'll make." I told him sarcastically.
"I'm glad you think so," he said grinning.
On a more serious note, he said "besides, second in line usually inherits a military position. I'll be a general or something of that sort. I wouldn't mind thinking up battle tactics and border protection, but I've no interest in the finer points of metals trade." he said, laughing as he finished.
"I suppose it isn't for everyone," I said. "What does Fili think on the subject?"
Kili was about to answer when he was cut off.
"On which subject?"asked Fili, who was now riding to my left.
He had startled me. For the second time that day, I found my fingers reaching up to tuck my hair behind my ear. I could not seem to figure out why, but I sincerely hoped that Fili hadn't noticed.
"Oh, um, politics." I said ruefully. Back home I didn't care much for government. But the way a dwarven kingdom was run seemed so far out of the ordinary way that, like everything else in middle earth, I found myself falling in love with it.
"Since I was very young Thorin has been teaching me how to run a kingdom. It's taxing work, but after so long, I don't mind it much at all. I suppose you find it boring and distasteful." Fili finished.
"And, why do suppose that?" I said indignantly.
"Most dwarf maidens don't concern themselves with affairs of state." he informed me.
"Oh, so I'm most dwarf maidens?" I retorted without really thinking. I blushed not quite knowing what he would say in response.
"No, I'm fairly sure I've never met a maiden quite like you." he smiled.
My blush deepened, and for the third time that day, I found myself reaching up to tuck my hair behind my ear.
I managed to brush the comment to the side with a question, deciding that I would have time to figure out what he had meant later.
We talked for the better part of the afternoon.
Agreeing on some topics and disagreeing on others. I was inexperienced in dwarvish ways, and he had to correct me when I suggested a course of action that was outside of their traditions.
On these subjects, Kili and I tended to agree more. Unlike Fili, Kili was more likely to hang tradition and do what he wanted.
It was Kili who turned the conversation turned towards traditions of marriage, and I was shocked by the fact that before a couple could be married, the dwarf had to build his lady a dwelling. Not find her pleasant place to spend her days, no, he had to physically make her a home. He could have help from close relatives but still.
"That's ridiculous!" I said.
"I agree." said Kili matter of factly. "When I marry," he continued "We can live in a cave or up in a tree for all I care. I don't see the use in carving a home out of stone."
"And that," Fili cut in, "is why you are not getting married anytime in the near future."
Fili and I laughed.
Kili just shrugged because he had been completely serious.
By the time Thorin called a halt, I had decided that this had been the most enjoyable day I had experienced in so long.
A small part of me felt satisfied in a way that I had not been in years. I had found conversation, companionship, and maybe even friendship.
I spent the days that followed in a similar manner. Slowly beginning to settle into the steady rhythm of the road. The terrain turned wild, and with each passing day, we saw fewer farms and dwellings.
But there was always that weight at the back of my mind. The knowledge that as we grew closer to our goal my time would begin to run short.
On our fifth night on the road, I was drifting off to sleep in my bedroll, when I heard Fili and Kili talking while on night watch.
"I'm worried." I heard Kili tell his brother.
"Worried? Worried about what?" Fili queried.
"Ammâd" Kili said quietly.
"We left her in the care of the most loyal dwarves in the Blue Mountains. We need not fear for her safety, nor for the saftey of ou-"
Kili cut his brother off in mid-sentence, "Fili if one of us doesn't make it back, it would break her heart."
There was an even longer pause before Fili answered his brother.
"Then we'll just have to make sure we both get back."
I turned over quietly and saw Kili nod solemnly.
After that, a heavy silence fell over the camp.
It was on that night that I realized that these weren't just characters. They were people. And unless I could do something about it, the were going to die. The light would leave their eyes, the smiles would die on their lips, and they would be gone forever. Part of me couldn't deal with that, and I remember very clearly, that on that night I cried myself to sleep.
And I very quietly, very sincerely tried to hope for the better.
Thank you guys so much for the awesome reviews! I hope to hear more of what you think as we get further into the story.