Chapter 8
"Kris?"
My eyes shot open and all I could see was a black mass. I bolted out off of my bedroll, throwing my arms in the air with a small shriek. I felt my hand collide with something solid and heard a loud groan of pain.
"Oww! Kris, it's me!" Kili complained, gripping his noise. "For the love of Durin!" He swore, sitting back on his bum, holding his injured face.
"Kili!" I breathed, trying to steady by frantic heart. When I had woken, all I had seen was a shadowy mass looming over me. Instincts struck and I try to hit it.
At least I knew I had some sort of fighting spirit.
However, Kili was not an orc but rather part of my own company, so having just smacked him right in the face probably didn't vouch for my defense skills. The little scream also didn't help matters either.
"Oh, Kili are you alright? I thought you were an orc!" I pulled myself up and threw off the blanket around me. I crawled over to Kili and inspected his face.
"Well it's good to know that I remind you of an orc. Do you always react like this in the mornings?" He asked, smiling ruefully despite his sore face.
"Haha very funny," I joked weakly, still upset with myself. "God, I am so sorry. I just panicked a bit… Does it hurt?"
A large red mark was forming around his cheek, his nose taking the brunt of my wild hit. He laughed and shook his head, amazingly not really upset that I had whacked him in the head.
Without thinking, I reached out to touch his injury. The odd urge to help was overpowering and the Onyx Moon seemed to want to help.
I pressed my fingers lightly to his red cheek. His skin was smooth even with the light stubble that he had.
Kili froze at my touch, his laughter and joking stopping instantly. His eyes found mine and for a moment something past in his dark brown eyes.
I however, was focused on the swell of power from the Onyx Moon. I could feel the current of power beginning to stir, travelling out to my fingers. I wanted to take the pain away, my guilt in causing him pain overwhelming me.
But before I could help him, Kili seemed to remember himself and pulled away, his eyes down. He got up quickly and paced, obviously distressed while taking short, loud breaths.
I frowned, confused. "Kili, are you alright?" He looked so conflicted I had wondered if I had done something wrong. Perhaps the Onyx Moon was doing something strange again?
Kili looked down at me for a second then looked away, rubbing a hand through his hair.
"Kili?" I said a little louder, getting annoyed at his mood. Why was he being so strange recently?
"Nothing. I just came to get you up." He said curtly, not meeting my gaze. I frowned at him but he ignored it, leaving me alone. I sat, my mouth open in a sort of awe. No explanation, just a simple answer and abrupt exit.
"What the hell…" I murmured, shaking my head. I rubbed my head and wrapped my hair into a bun. I could feel the knots but didn't want to deal with it. Temperamental dwarves were on the mind; especially young dark haired ones.
I looked around and began to pack up, realizing that I had slept in again. The air was chilly so I wrapped my cloak around e tighter, wishing I had my usual jacket instead.
Kili's odd behaviour was still bothering me, it nagging at me so I decided to get down to the bottom of it. It all started after I saw Bofur talking with him earlier the day before so I decided to start there. If anyone knew, Bofur did, even if he didn't want to tell me.
I went over to my pony, whose name I found out from Oin during the night watch was Jack (of all the names to name a pony), and tacked him up. The other dwarves were finishing eating so I decided it was the best time to approach Bofur.
I strolled over to a small boulder and sat down, Bofur only a few feet away. I waved him over secretly, trying not to draw too much attention. He glanced up at me questioningly and came over, his face amused.
"I suppose you want to ask me something in secret, hmm?" he drawled, pulling out his pipe. I smirked but nodded.
Bofur pouted his lip and mulled it over, filling his pipe with pipe weed. "Alright. Ask away."
I decided to not beat around the bush and just go straight to the point. "Have you said anything to Fili or Kili about me? They have been acting very strange lately and I have no idea why. You wouldn't have anything to do with it?"
Bofur tried to hide his grin but failed, chuckling to himself. "Oh, aye I did say something to them. Nothing of a bad sort, I assure you."
"Then what?" I asked, frustrated.
"I just let them know that you needed to be respected."
"Respected?" I repeated, lost. "Respected as in treated as a leper?"
Bofur laughed and shook his head, popping his pipe into his mouth. "No nothing like that, just that a woman of your status needs some space when travelling alone with other men. They're young so I thought I'd give them some warning."
I stared at Bofur, rubbing my temples. "Bofur, what are you saying?"
"Well being a married woman and all…" Bofur barely finished the sentence before I interrupted him, stuttering. "Married? You think I'm married? Bofur I never told you that!"
"But you said you do not live with your family." Bofur pointed out, his forehead creasing. "Are you widowed?"
I laughed and shook my head, finally connecting the dots.
"Oh Bofur… No, I am not married, widowed or in any sort of relationship at the moment. Where I come from, women often live alone. They don't need to have a husband to leave their family. Oh god, Bofur! This entire time you thought I was married?"
Bofur cocked his head, the pipe tipping slightly from his mouth. "Well isn't that something." He mused, clearly interested.
"This Hamill-Town is a strange place to be sure."
I continued to laugh, realizing what Fili and Kili had been trying to do. Aww, they were trying to protect my honor! I thought, smiling. That is absolutely adorable! Why can't more men do that?
"So Fili and Kili were trying to protect my honor?" I asked, using finger quotations. Bofur frowned at my hand gesture but ignored it, muttering something about my home's odd customs.
"You could say that. The lads just didn't want to get you into any sort of trouble. I suppose this means I should tell them that you're otherwise, unattached. That'll cheer 'em up. Kili's sulking has been making Thorin more upset than usual."
I blushed briefly but still chuckled, not believing that this entire thing was about me being married. No wonder Kili jumped when I reached for his face.
"Please Bofur, just make this right. Go tell them to stop acting like I have the plague and to be my friends again. Oddly enough, I kinda miss them." I joked, standing up to leave. Gloin had wandered over at this point and was looking on with curiosity.
Gloin was a joyful man, to be saying the least. Generally everything with him ended in a laugh or a hearty slap on the back, except when he talked about elves. He really hated elves.
"What are you two laughing about?" He asked, wanting to be a part of the joke. Bofur chimed in for the two of us, his voice carrying over the camp.
"Aww, just how Lady Kris does not have a husband as of yet. No lucky fella has yet to catch her eye."
Gloin raised an eyebrow and grinned. "Is she now? Well I know a couple of lads who would love to hear that." He pointedly looked at me and I blushed, feeling myself getting embarrassed. How could he know if it bothered the two brothers? They just were being considerate…weren't they?
"Aye, those were my thoughts exactly," Bofur continued, his eyes glinting mischievously. "Maybe we should let the lads out of their misery and tell them now."
I gasped and before I could protest, Gloin yelled out, "Fili, Kili get over here lads! Kris has something she would like to tell ya!"
"What?!" I said, completely embarrassed. "Bofur, Gloin! How am I supposed to…Bofur, you started this whole thing! You do it!"
Bofur shrugged good-naturally at me but I could tell he was amused at my embarrassment. "Nah, I think you've got this my dear."
The whole company had now wandered over, all looking at me expectantly. Bilbo and Gandalf has even come over, Gandalf smiling at me with the ever present knowing look in his eye.
Fili and Kili approached and I could feel myself burning, my cheeks red. They both seemed apprehensive, Kili looking just as flustered as I felt. Fili seemed less bothered but I could see his eyes narrowing in confusion.
I hate dwarves, I hate dwarves… I repeated in my head, glaring at Bofur and Gloin. Oh, just let me die. Please…Kill me now!
The Onyx Moon seemed to also find this amusing and hummed, making me more annoyed and frustrated than ever. Even the stupid necklace was finding this funny!
Both brothers and the rest of the ground were now all gathered around, all but Thorin and Dwalin who seemed to be out. Bofur flicked his pipe at me to start to speak and I glared at him coldly.
"I…umm…" The words wouldn't leave my mouth, my mind confused. What the hell was I going to say? That I'm not seeing anyone so, hey, I'm single?
Yah, Thorin would love that. A stranger joining his company just to catch a man…
"Aww, don't be shy lass." Gloin urged, making me blush fiercer. I gave him a sideways glared and he chuckled.
"Kris? Are you alright?" Fili said, his eyes now alittle concerned. Kili was still refusing to look at me, his red cheek clearly visible.
"I'm fine…" I choked my voice cracking. Ugh, I am making this worst! Just spit it out! Do it!
"I was, uh, just talking to Bofur and Gloin and realized that I needed to clear something up…"
The dwarves, hobbit and wizard all waited, Gloin nodding encouragingly.
"I come from a place called Hamill-Town…to the north." A few dwarves whispered to each other, obviously trying to figure out where to the north Hamill-Town was. I ignored the murmurs and went on, my voice still unsure.
"It is somewhat different to most towns, and has some different rules and privileges." Kili and Fili were now both looking at me with a mix of interest and confusion, Kili's eyes unreadable.
"One of these privileges is that women do not need to be married to leave their families home…" I paused there, not sure how to continue.
The dwarves turned to each other, muttering. I sighed and bit my lip. This was going great…
"So, what are you saying?" Nori asked, his brow furrowed. "Do you move into your husband's house first? Or what? You've run away? Seems a bit extreme… Your husband can't be that bad."
Kili cringed at this and Fili rubbed his beard, uncomfortable. I let out a groan and shook my head.
"I'm not married, alright?" I finally blurted out, earning a few raised brows. "I am not widowed or courting anyone or doing anything of the kind! I just wanted to get that cleared up, so now that that is done, let's get a move on! Day light is a-wasting! Chop-chop! No time like the present, so let's go! Okay, move it guys! Let's GO!"
I yelled the last one, shocking the stunned audience. They all turned quickly and hurried away, Ori practically tripped backwards to leave. The dwarves dispersed fast, glancing my way with looks of confusion, amusement, and a little bit of fear.
"What was that about?" I heard Balin ask Bombur, giving me concerned looks. Bombur shrugged but hurried through his packing.
"I do not know, but I don't want to find out! Women can be unpredictable."
"Do you know what 'chop-chop' means? I have never heard that expression before."
"Maybe her people are cooks? I would ask, but she scares me…"
Balin nodded and continued off, making me cringe.
And now they all think I'm unstable too. Great job Kris… I cursed myself, wishing I could crawl into a hole and hide. Or maybe I could just go find an orc…that could work too.
I glanced at Bofur and saw that he was grinning ear to ear, shaking noticeably with contained laughter. Gloin was turning red from effort, forcing himself not to laugh.
"You two are hilarious. Real hysterical." I said coldly, earning a hearty bellow from Gloin.
I stalked off, not wanting to deal with him. I was completely embarrassed and most likely made most of the dwarves regret bringing me along.
I didn't get far though before I was swept off my feet, gasping in surprise. "What?"
"Well that's a relief!" Kili cried, swinging me in a circle. Fili stood close by, a smile plastered to his face. Kili passed me to his brother and he spun me as well, making me dizzy. I felt myself grinning, despite having just made a fool of myself.
"We didn't really know what to do when Bofur told us you were married. But, thank Durin you are not!" Fili chipped in, finally setting me down. I wobbled but grinned like an idiot.
"You guys were really that upset by the fact I was married?" I chuckled, looking at the pair of them.
Kili nodded, looking slightly bashful.
"We couldn't really continue to act the way we were. It wouldn't be proper for a married woman to be among single men..."
"And Thorin would have murdered us if he found out." Fili added sarcastically, earning a nod from Kili.
"And that too."
I laughed and pulled them into a hug, ignoring the nagging in my head. I didn't care what it looked like, I had my friends back. Both wrapped an arm around me and I felt so much of the night's confusion ebb away. The smell of forest and leather filled my nose and I closed my eyes briefly, letting the feeling last.
"I missed you guys!" I said, breaking away quickly after realizing I hadn't moved in a while. Kris…they are just friends, the voiced nagged.
"Next time someone tells you something about me, please confirm with me first. I had thought I had broken some sort of Dwarven code or something."
Both smiled but I felt so much better. Maybe I should apologize to Gloin and Bofur. They did sorta help…
No… I will not admit that their stupid little trick worked! Bombur thinks I'm a nutcase!
"Dwarves don't really have much of code to begin with." Fili laughed, leading us towards the ponies. Everyone was already beginning to file out, Thorin watching us from the front of the procession.
"Unless it involves drinking. Then we have only one."
"Drink as much as you can, as fast as you can." Kili said with a laugh, clapping his brother on the back.
I laughed and climbed onto Jack, he whinnying softly. I patted him and gave him a gentle kick. Fili and Kili soon joined me and together we set off again, not aware that Thorin had been watching coolly from the front of the line.
I could not see what he saw; only feeling the immense joy of being reunited with two new friends who were proving to make this adventure of mine more bearable.
I could not see the way one of them watched me, his lips quirking up into a smile every time I laughed. I was blind to it, completely unaware. Thorin was not however, and he frowned, his thoughts whirling through his mind.
I caught his look but his faced changed quickly, his usual stony look taking over. My brows furrowed but I let it pass, and instead enjoyed the ride. I was in too good of a mood at the moment, not wanting Thorin's odd look to bother me. I instead began humming to myself as I let the day slowly pass by, the light tunes of The Beatles echoing through the beautiful forest.
Okay guys, I promise that the next few chapter will have some action! I've just been trying to build up to it, get a little foundation! Trust me, I was starting to get alittle bored at all of the slow moving plots. I just felt Kris needed to be introduced slowly, along with all of the other characters!
Anyway, please review! It helps me so much...Negative, positive it is all good! Thanks! :)
