Authors Note: Okay, so this chapter is specifically dedicated to Owlsareawesome. They are such an amazing reviewer, they genuinely just wants to help me, and for me, taking the time to try and help me out is the greatest compliment ever. Honestly, I love owlsareawesome. So here's to you, I hope I did you proud!
"Honestly, I can't remember!" Oswin squirmed from her place in from of Kíli. Balin had spent the past ten minutes questioning her about her gemstones. She felt horrible, lying like this, but honestly she didn't know where the bloody hell all of them came from. Seriously, she was considering saying something utterly random, like she always had a hedgehog on her in her left front pocket to see if one magically appeared, like those bloody stones.
Balin shook his head and sighed, "Lass, those were some of the purest gems I've ever seen. Maybe one day you will remember?" All Oswin could do was nod, smiling sadly. Yeah, when pigs flew from her bag she'd remember. With that, Balin seemed to be satisfied for the time being and moved forwards in the group. Her heart ached, knowing she was lying. But honestly, it was all she had, these dwarves were curious folk, and it wasn't like she could explain a double decker bus nearly colliding with her easily!
Oswin groaned and leant back against Kíli, yawning a little as she did. The dwarf looked down at her and chuckled, "Tired after a little bit of questioning are you, Ozzy?"
"Oi," she defended herself, "you try remembering an exact location from when you were just ten years old. Plus, I don't even know how I got to the Shire, let alone my way back."
Putting a hand up, he laughed, "I was just teasing you. No offense meant, Oswin." And there it was. Oswin muttered a small 'oh' under her breath, turning red from the misunderstanding and sitting up again, holding onto the horn of the saddle.
Fíli rode up beside them, taking Balin's place, and told Oswin, "You shouldn't take everything so seriously, Oswin. In case you haven't picked up on it, my brother and I aren't very serious people."
Giving him a smile, she nodded and replied, "Yeah, I know. Anyway, Fíli, what do the braids mean, on your mustache I mean. If you don't mind me asking."
Kíli laughed loudly and his brother leant over and swatted him in the arm, before answering the girl, "They signify that I'm the heir to my family bloodline. How'd you know they mean something?"
Smiling proudly for once, she told the brothers, "Bofur taught me last night. Like the ones by your ears mean you are to inherit Erebor, more or less."
"Smart girl," Fíli chuckled.
"Wait, so what about Bifur's?" She blinked wide eyed and innocently.
Kíli took his turn and told her, "His is a bit sadder in some ways. See, Fíli's have clasps, to show symbols of our family, but Bifur's don't have clasps because they're to show that his heart belongs to someone who he isn't married to. In Mister Bifur's case, he gave her up to come on this quest."
Oswin's face was one of pure sorrow and amazement and she asked timidly, "Why would he do that, if he loved her?"
Fíli smiled and informed her, "At first, it was because he was injured, that bit of Orc axe in his head, he couldn't do much, and he didn't want to burden her. But, she was a she-dwarf, that made her stubborn as could be. That woman took care of him, helped him get up and walking. But, since he still can't speak in common tongue, only a bit of Khuzdul, it'd be near impossible for them to get married. So, they live together, like husband and wife, just not married officially. Though, I don't think there is a dwarf in Middle Earth who sees it that way. And, besides Bofur and Bombur, she's really the only one who can communicate with him and understand what he means."
Oswin sniffled and Kíli asked her, "Ozzy, what's wrong?"
She wiped her eyes, sniffling out, "I-it's just, that's so sweet. Sorry, I know, I'm a bit of a sap, but Bifur ignored his own happiness for what he thought was her wellbeing."
Fíli chuckled, shaking his head and commented, "I think Bifur would appreciate that. As much as the dwarves accept that they are meant to be together, plenty of women gossip that she's a fool for staying by a dwarf who can barely talk to others."
Scrubbing the remaining tears away, she said firmly, "They're just jealous. That's true love, staying with the other through thick and… orc axe to the head."
Kíli laughed at her joke and told her, "Well, dwarves only do love once. For most dwarves that means do whatever you must to be together if the feelings are returned."
Her face scrunched again and she told the two, "Your uncle said that last night. I think he gets a laugh out of saying cryptic things just to make me confused."
Laughing, Fíli assured her, "Uncle Thorin isn't the most direct person when it isn't something necessary or has to do with emotion. What did he say, though?"
Immediately, Oswin's face went red and she stammered, "U-uh, I, uh-"
"You don't have to say, Ozzy." Fíli chuckled at how nervous she was. It was adorable, it reminded him of when they were younger and Kíli would be trying to not get in trouble by covering up something he did, but him being such a bad liar, it did him no good.
She sighed in relief and nodded, scratching her head. Almost as if someone knew that she was ready to get off the bloody pony, they came up on what looked like the remnants of a house or farm of sorts. Thorin yelled back, "We'll stop here for the night!"
As always Kíli hopped off and helped her down. Unlike always, today she just happened to get her foot stuck in the saddle and managed to topple both her and Kíli over. Which, of course, made Fíli burst out laughing. Oswin's face went nearly neon red at the position and she squeaked as she fell of him. Kíli sat up and glared at his brother, before standing and offering a hand to Oswin, pulling her up as she accepted it.
"Fíli! Kíli!" Both brothers looked over to their uncle who barked the command, "Gather the ponies! Gloin, Oin, get started on a fire. Miss Oswin, you'll help Bombur again."
Oswin hurried over, only for Bombur to tell her, "Go ask if Kíli if he'll go catch some meat. Watch the ponies with Fíli while you do Miss Oswin."
She nodded and quickly scuttled after the brothers, who were trying to move all fifteen ponies at once. Kíli glanced back and asked her, "Any particular reason you're following us, Ozzy?"
The nickname made her smile, as it usually did, and she answered, "Mister Bombur wanted to know if you could go catch a deer or few rabbits for the stew. I'll watch the ponies with Fíli for you."
Oswin didn't understand why the two brother's exchanged such odd looks and Kíli agreed without looking at her, "Fine. I'll be back soon, shouldn't take me long."
Smiling, she gave him a hug said brightly, "Thank you Kíli!"
He grunted something before turning and heading off, leaving Oswin confused. Had she done something wrong. Fíli patted her shoulder and reassured her, "Don't mind him, he's just sour I make sense of his own thoughts for him."
Frowning, Oswin followed as the blond dwarf walked over to sit on a log and pressed, "What do you mean?"
Fíli raised an eyebrow and asked instead, "You're mother and father loved each other, didn't they?"
Nodding, Oswin replied, still confused as ever, "Well, yes, I suppose. They argued sometimes, over small things, but they always made up and apologized. Sometimes they even laughed about it days later."
Fíli continued, "And how did you know they loved each other?"
"They said it a lot," Oswin replied, resting her chin in her palm as she reminisced, "And my dad, every Sunday, he would wake up and make breakfast for my mom. I mean, it wasn't some gourmet meal, it was just toaster waffles, but he made the effort, would pour orange juice, set the tray up nicely, sometimes he even put some flowers in a cup with water and took it to her in bed. When I was little, I used to brag that my parents were in toaster waffle love. No one knew what the bloody hell I was saying, but my parents thought it was adorable."
Fíli looked almost as confused as Oswin normally did before sighing, "I don't know what a 'toaster waffle' is. But, what I do know is that everyone has their own little way of telling a person they love them. You mother and father had… 'toaster waffles'- whatever those are. My brother… Did you know when we were young, and our uncle was first teaching us how to ride a pony, Kíli was so upset that I was allowed to ride alone and he wasn't? Didn't matter that he was younger, that he was a little clumsier because he was so reckless, he was determined to prove he could ride by himself. He did, after sneaking out to the stables several times. Swore he wouldn't ever share a pony again. He's help that oath up until the journey."
Oswin gaped at him and gasped, "Oh my gosh he must hate me! I made him break a promise to him-"
"That's not what I'm saying, Ozzy!" Fíli chuckled at her and shook his head, finally telling her as bluntly as he could without breaking his brother's trust, "You are the only person in Middle Earth he would break that promise for. That is one of his little ways. And here he is now, rabbits and all."
Oswin looked up from Fíli, her face once more showing just how confused the poor girl was. Kíli frowned and asked his brother, "What'd you say while I was hunting?"
Fíli chuckled and sighed, "Nothing, nothing at all. Have you ever heard of a 'toaster waffle'?"
Kíli gave his brother a strange look before shaking his head and handing Oswin the sack that he always had tucked inside his jacket, telling her, "Tell Bombur that's all I could find. Not much else around here, it's odd, I didn't see any nests either."
Oswin nodded and took them, thanking him again before turning away and headed back to camp. It was a quick walk and as she returned, she passed Gandalf who was muttering, "I've had quite enough of dwarves for the day."
Pausing and watching him walk off, she asked Bilbo, who was nearest at the moment, "What was that about, Mister Bilbo?"
The hobbit turned and told her as best he could, "I think Mister Gandalf and Mister Thorin had a disagreement about where we should be headed. He should be back soon, I hope."
Oswin nodded, before turning back and heading to Bombur, handing him the sack and repeating what Kíli had said. As she began to add the ingredients Bombur told her too, it suddenly donned on her what Fíli had meant; Kíli liked her. Nearly dropping the potato chunks in her hand, she shook her head, recomposing herself.
Kíli couldn't like her, could he?
Authors Note: This one is definitely not some of my best work, I've had much better... anyway, Oswin's first little slip up with the toaster waffle thing :3 Oh, and Fili interfereing a little :D See, she's not that dense, she figured it out... eventually... AFTER Fili spelled it out for her... Ahaha, anyway reviews are good :3 Constructive ones are my favorites.
