Hello again! I got another chappie for you. XD So, you may have noticed the titles to my chapters are Acting Terms. (^_^) like that little touch? Heh heh..
NEXT CHAPTER7- Day player
Bree comes up in our view almost unnoticeably till we are much closer. It kind of has that wild western demeanor to it in my opinion, where the towns often blended right into the environment until one was close enough. Bree was never portrayed as a very openly friendly place. Some look at us with a bored or half interested gaze before returning back to their own business. Others are less friendly.
The fact that people look at us with leery gazes makes me roll my own eyes. I'm not surprised by this at all. Bree has always been portrayed as a cut-throat town. Sounds like the city my grandmother lives in. The Company too, all save for Bilbo, seem also not surprised by this. They must have gotten quite used to it. I do hope not all humans live and act like this. Perhaps Gondor and Rohan are a little different?
We check into the Inn, The famous Prancing Pony. Flashbacks of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit flip through my mind as I wait on with the others this time while Dwalin and Gloin go in to get rooms. The rest of us lead the horses into the very large barn. It's like a parking garage for animals in here.
"How fortunate for us to make it here before the crowd came in." Gandalf says as he hobbles next to me. "I assume you'll need some coin for your own supplies." I duck my head a little in response to that. Had we hit the trolls first, I certainly wouldn't have! "Here. You may use mine." The wizard produces an old pouch that dangles in my hand of coins.
"Th-thank you." I mutter, hoping my embarrassment didn't show on my face.
"Think nothing of it. Would that I would go with you myself but I have my own matters to attend to while we are here." Gandalf looks behind him to the gaggle of dwarves. "Would someone be so kind as to take Miss Alicia along with them?"
That just makes me more embarrassed now. Mortified even. I am the little toddler that needs to be looked after and baby-sat.
Kili and Fili come to my rescue, being the first to volunteer with their happy smiles.
"No. Kili you shall stay with me. Fili can escort her." Thorin shuts down that opportunity immediately. Although I do like the idea of the two separating just for a little bit.
Fili saunters up to me next. "Alright Milady. What shall we get first?"
"Umm.." I think aloud as we leave the barn. "Travel necessities in Arda include travel clothes, hygiene tools, medical supplies, food and water supplies, a spare map and compass-"
Fili's merry chuckle stops me from prattling on.
"You sound like Amad or Gloin. Always wanting to pack more than they can carry."
"Well, it's all important." I smile back.
"Aye, but half of those things are taken care of by the rest of us."
"It never hurts to have a back up supplies my friend." I say proudly as we make our way to what looks like a clothing store. Inside we here a 'just a moment' call behind some curtain before we are greeted by an older lady and a middle-aged lady.
"Hello there. Looking for a new dress, are we?" The middle-aged lady says first.
"Travel clothes if you please. I am in need of….women's necessities." I answer first as Fili hangs back. The dwarf admires some nice water proof cloaks at the side, affording us a little more privacy even though I know he is still listening in. Kind of him.
The younger lady nodded knowingly, inviting me to a back room where she takes a few measurements and asks preference questions. All my offered choices are dresses and skirts, to my secret distaste. Still, I pick out two skirts to fit in the middle earth culture better. I do still ask for pants and she gave me an odd look at first till I explained that I will be traveling a long way. She tilts he head in understanding better and even fetched some lady products for monthly visits as well. As it turns out, they didn't quite have ladies' breeches long enough for my ostrich legs, so she would modify a couple of men's breeches to look more feminine for me.
"You'll make sure she don't get into any trouble on her own? Oh, how nice of you young men to come an escort the misses around like that." The old lady's jovial tone makes us peek our heads out to see a slightly pink cheeked Fili unable to get out of some awkward attention. The old lady complimenting him on his chivalrous deeds, not knowing how she was really making Fili feel.
I duck my head back to hide my quiet giggles at poor Fili. Once the other lady is finished with me, I walk out to see the old lady still chatting with the dwarf. Fili is too polite it seems, as he just stands there silently. When his eyes flick to me though I know exactly what he is trying to say. 'hurry up'.
I try not to be a butt and laugh at Fili's patronizing while I finish up with clothes shopping here. For everything the total is three silver. Three little coins…what is that seventy-five cents in my world?... Wow.
Fili exhaled a loud sigh of relief when we exit the building. I half smile at him "I don't think she meant to make you uncomfortable."
"I do not know anymore." Fili breathes out. "Elders do it so frequently I've half a mind to believe it amuses them." It makes me chuckle a little as I agree with that wholeheartedly. I wonder how Fili would take to meeting someone like Madea though.
Fili taps me on the arm once and points to another stand, one that is selling bathing merchandise. Ooooh yesss. The two of us make our way there where we indulge our sense in all the aromatic fragrances of soaps. Next to that stand was some leather works that catches my eyes. I examine some of the goods while passing a coin to Fili, "Get me a lavender one if you please."
I admire a pair of gloves and some belt pouches like I'm at the ren fest.
"Oi there. Beggin yer pardon miss." A voice catches my attention on the left. A portly looking man comes walking around the bar setting down a few pairs of shoes by the window when he sees me. "I thought I seen ya walking in town with a band of dwarves. Are ya alright?"
I pause for a couple of beats, unsure how to really respond to that random question. "Uh…I'm fine thank you. Why do you ask?"
The man clears his throat. "Just ain't never a good thing, seeing one lone human woman surrounded by dwarves. Means they got themselves a new pet they did."
"No. no pets around here." I say as I start to leave.
"No pets my foot!" Another man looking like the stereo typical crazy man that hasn't gotten much gray hair yet. "They lyin' to ya now girl? Don't ye ever believe the longbeards' kindness is free. They want something from you an' it's probably keeping to their female rituals."
"Okay that's weird. Goodbye." I say as I quickly skim past them.
"Yer one of 'em aren't ye." The paranoid grump says at my back like I'm some kind of alien. I don't bother answering but it doesn't matter as I get stopped by two other lumberjacks sized men. These two guys could almost be on par with Arnold in his body builder days!
I glare at them while I try to get away. "Back off."
"We can't letcha go back to them. Lettin' them paw at you and mark you as theirs." One of them said.
"I don't know what you're talking about. I don't care either. Don't touch me!" I smack aggressively at the hand that was just reaching out to me.
Fili is at my side in the blink of an eye then, also glaring at the men while he pulls me behind him.
"Lookit there. One of 'ems already lurking around you." One of the men sneer.
Fili Keeps herding me away. "We're leaving now." He says in a tone that leaves no room for argument.
"Where're you going with her?" The portly man cuts us off.
And now I am also starting to get riled up. At this point it's four against two. In a hit and run tactic the odds aren't too against us, but neither is it favorable. Fili makes a low threatening growling sound from deep in his throat. His hands already on the hilts of his main swords. I don't know who made the first move, but quickly hands are flying everywhere to grapple or to hit. I have two opponents and so does Fili. Or that's how it started anyway. The two lumberjacks not only look the part, but they know a little about how to act the part. They are giving Fili a hard time. I am shocked by this because dwarves are supposed to be the most physically strongest and yet these two Spartans seem to be overpowering him in some team effort. The one-second distraction is enough for the men to roughly yank me behind them to the portly man's meaty grasp.
"Come on Missy. We'll get ya from the animal." He said behind me as I am man-handled into his store. Other than the fact that I am being held against my will, he does sound almost apologetic. It affords him some grace from me, but not enough to quell my frustrations.
"Are you kidding me right now?! Get off! He's my friend and we were just FINE before you all messed with us!" I vent my anger as I keep fighting to get out of his grip. I hear harsh grunts outside, but from only one voice. They must have hit Fili! The adrenaline is pumping now as I redouble my efforts to get away from him, losing my patience enough to hurt him. He finally lets go but I am stopped when the paranoid man blocks me.
"Yer a strange kind of woman ta be in a town like this." He says.
Now that sets off alarms in my mind, is this more than just the 'righteous fool' haggle? But judging by his still pulled frown I can't really tell. One things for sure is I am so done with this. I come at him like every bit the untrained wrestler that I am. It takes him by surprise enough to knock him against the wall. I try to push him out of the way to get at the door, and I almost make it if the fat guy didn't aid his comrade. With little force from his part I am subdued and blocked from the door once again. In my fit, I knock things down, throw things at them. In the midst my wrestling with the men, the door is kicked open making all of us flinch from the sudden shock.
"Release her at once!" A loud voice booms from behind the men, so surprising it makes me jump like a sudden dog's bark. The four of us look over to see an angry looking Thorin and behind him an eerily serious looking Balin.
"Tsh. Didn't I tell ya? This girl is the dwarves' little pet. They come 'ere may haps looking fer more women to keep them sated."
My confusion sky rockets at the weird words this guy is using.
Thorin sneers at them. "I will not ask again. Leave her be."
"Or ye'll what? Turn into a beast an eat me?" The first man mocks. "You dwarves need ta learn how to keep yer own women 'appy. Yeh fooled this one into callin' yeh friends!" The other jabs his crooked walking stick in Thorin's way.
The other three grumble in agreement at the accusation that just throws me for yet another loop. At this point I'm too confused and angry to even be remotely scared anymore.
"You lads know nothing of which you speak." Balin shakes his head once. "You best just release her and let us be on our way.
"You best leave right now then an' quit yer lyin' to our women folk!" The third one says. "Quite tryin ta claim ours. You can't have her or anyone anymore! No one in their right mind would willingly choose you!"
Balin's eyes flash dangerously so, with a glint I have never suspected him to ever have, even in his younger warrior days he did strike me as the brutish berserker, but more of a calm calculative type. But I have run out of patience myself and lash out at one of the men holding me against the wall. I start by kicking out at him since my right hand is being held hostage. He grunts and doubles over, giving me a clear shot to his head and yes…
"Boom." I say when I hit it. "headshot."
One of the men clocks me at the side of my head with a hard backhand, also known as a bitch slap. My whole body is flung by it to the right. He clearly outdid my headshot…
I hear rough skids of boots as Thorin rushes forth with Balin at his side. I feel another pair of strong hands pull me away from the fray. Automatically I try to fight free from the grasp.
"Easy lass. We're getting' ya outta here." Nori says above me. He holds me steady till my mind catches up to what's happening now. Once done he jumps in to have Fili's back when the blonde rushes by us to the aid of his uncle and mentor. Everything starts clicking together. Thorin and Balin distracted most of the men, so that Nori could go rescue Fili, and now they're all rescuing me.
Blows are traded until the dwarves either knock them unconscious or render them temporarily immobile.
"Is everyone alright?" Thorin asks. He pretends to not see Nori who is already crouched down and searching pockets. I feel like any money he finds I deserve a cut, but I don't voice it. I nod my affirmation with the others, my eyes glancing at Fili in my concern for him. "Care to explain how this came about?" Thorin looks directly at me first. Of course it's my fault first.
"We were just on our way back to the inn and these guys started talking to us first." I explain. "We tried getting away but then they got aggressive and we were forced to defend ourselves."
Once again the lead dwarf does not look convinced of my story. "First the river and now this. Trouble likes to follow you it seems. Or perhaps you enjoy throwing yourself recklessly into it…"
"Neither. This isn't our fault." I retort. "WE were minding our own."
Thorin heaves a heavy sigh as if he is trying to hold back his own temper.
"She's right Thorin. Bree is known for shady business such as this." Balin intervenes. "Let's go back to the inn and put this behind us."
Wise as that plan might be, I am not quite ready to drop it. Questions of my own springing up in my head. "What were they trying to talk about? Pets…sated…animals?"
The whole room ceases in any moving for a beat before they resume, like I struck a chord somewhere. Balin looks at Thorin, who gives a subtle nod.
My brows knit together as I look at Balin, then at Nori. The latter having this inscrutable look on his face. "Balin? Was what he said true? Do you all change into beasts?"
The white-haired dwarf looks up to meet my eyes, a small smile playing on his lips. "Yes. We very much can."
WHAAAT?! XD Yes this chapter is a little shorter, sorry.
I had Fili and Kili separate for a little bit because even though they're close brothers and all, they don't have to be together ALL THE TIME. Also Fili being the more mature one because he is the heir, would naturally be the one more responsible. Fili is a popular choice for an escort/protector for OCs and I kind like the idea for now too. Don't worry Kili will have some spotlight time too.
