A new chapter for you lovelies!
TerraMacMillan: I'm glad you liked the last chapter! And yes, travelling mountains will be troublesome for Cinna, and Mirkwood... well, let's just say there are a lot of things yet to come :D
Eruwaedhiel95: Yes, Fili just always knows what to say :D And well, she's always travelled around in that dress, so it would seem perfectly acceptable to her :D
Thanks to Evangeline Pond and xoxo for your reviews! I'm glad you like the story!
Also, thanks to favouriters and followers!
Now, go ahead and read and let me know what you think, I'd love to hear from you!
The departure from Rivendell was made swiftly and in secret. Night had already fallen over the Elven city when the Company made their way out through its streets, the only witness of their departure being the moon and the stars above.
Cinna trailed along unhappily at the back with Bilbo, both of them sad to leave the beautiful Valley of Imladris, though that was only a small part of why the fae was sulking. She would have liked to talk to Gandalf before they'd left but that had turned out to be impossible, as the wizard had departed swiftly to council without so much more as giving her a nod and a friendly smile. That was the last she had seen of him before Thorin had ordered them to go, and now she was trailing along with the dwarves in a set of clothing that she didn't really like, on a quest that she didn't want to be on. Bilbo, Ori and Bofur had managed to find her some trousers, tunic and a coat that had all belonged to an elven child before her, and though Cinna had to admit that everything fit her quite nicely, she would have much preferred to remain in her usual clothing. The trousers seemed constricting, the coat adding an unusual weight on her shoulders, which was only increased by the small pack she was carrying on her back. The dwarves had all gathered together the things they had to spare, such as a bedroll, blanket, socks, a water-skin, and anything else one would need on a journey such as theirs. The thin green fae's dress was stuffed on the very bottom of the pack, as she had refused to leave it behind.
But what bothered Cinna the most were definitely the shoes. She didn't like them one bit and couldn't understand why anyone would put their feet into such uncomfortable things. After the amount of walking they'd already done, the fur-lined boots were making her sock-covered feet sweat, a sensation that was entirely unknown and unwelcome to the fae.
"What's that face you're making?" Bilbo asked quietly, head turned towards her as the company made their way up a steep hill that led out of the valley, sending her a curious look as Cinna glanced up from where she had been glaring at her boots to meet the hobbit's gaze.
"Oh! Nothing," she uttered, hesitating shortly as she shot a glance down at Bilbo's own furry feet. "I just… Oh, Bilbo, it's just that I really don't like walking in these things. How come you and the others forced me into them but yourself are walking blissfully on bare feet?"
The Halfling's eyebrows rose in surprise before he laughed quietly, giving the fae a small shrug. "You can always take them off," he answered before he stopped shortly, turning for a moment to take in the view of a rising sun above the Valley of Imladris. A small sigh left his throat as he gazed down into Rivendell. "I am sad to leave this place. I do hope I'll come back soon."
"Master Baggins, fae," a deep voice suddenly spoke from behind them and they both turned around at the same time to see Thorin shooting them a stern look as the company filtered past him up the hill into the wilderness, Balin leading the way. "I suggest you keep up."
Bilbo just sighed and nodded shortly before he walked past Thorin, turning his back on the beautiful valley of Imladris as he followed the others. Cinna followed the hobbit's example, however, she stopped next to the dark-haired dwarf for a moment, shooting him a pointed look as he returned her gaze evenly. "I do have a name, you know," she said cooly. "I suggest you use it."
And with that she brushed past him and followed Bilbo who had waited for her a few metres further ahead. Neither of them looked back to see Thorin releasing a deep sigh before he turned as well, building the end of the group. They walked for a long while, hours had passed when they finally reached the top of the valley, and even then Thorin pushed the company to go further. It was only at midday that they stopped for a short break, to have something to eat and regain some strength before they marched on for the rest of the day. More hours passed, and as the sky slowly grew grey and then dark, Cinna was marching along unhappily next to Fili, who did his best to keep her spirit up with some funny stories he had in store. And though the fae had found the blond dwarf to be entertaining for a while, her mind was now occupied with the pack that was pulling on her shoulders and the boots that were squeezing her feet. Finally, when the stars began to shine above them, Thorin called the company to a stop and ordered them to make camp for the night.
As Cinna had never made camp and usually just found a nice spot in a tree to sleep, she now watched curiously how Oìn and Gloìn set up the fire, all the while following the others' example as she spread out her bedroll on the floor, pulling out a blanket from her pack and eventually just letting herself plump down onto it, immediately pulling off her boots. After a while, Fili sat down next to her, where he'd set up his own bedroll, just as she was wiggling her toes to get some feeling back into them.
"How are you doing?" the blond dwarf asked quietly, smiling as he watched her dancing toes. Cinna just sighed and shrugged slightly, shooting him a sideways glance.
"I think my feet will have fallen off by the end of this journey."
Fili chuckled, shaking his head. "Well, then we'll just have someone carry you."
"I'll volunteer!" Bofur called from where he was sitting a bit further away, grinning at Cinna as she looked at him. "I'll bet the lass is actually lighter than my pack!"
The fae smiled in amusement and shook her head at the hatted dwarf as he shot her a wink while most of the rest of the dwarves laughed at his comment. Cinna found the sound rather nice, the kerfuffle of laughter over a warm campfire was something she had not experienced before but found that she could get used to. They were a rather lovely bunch, over all, these dwarves.
"You will get used to the shoes, surely," Gloìn said then, sending her a nod. "It'll take some time, lass, but yer feet will thank ye."
"Best not let it take too much time," Dwalin grumbled from where he was sitting beside the red-haired dwarf, sharpening one of his axes while Bombur was preparing their dinner. The large cook never said much, but always smiled kindly at Cinna when she met his gaze.
Gloìn huffed slightly in return to Dwalin's words. "Give her some time, will ye," he rumbled. "She's just a little fae, after all."
"Doesn't matter what she is," the bald dwarf replied without even looking up from his work and Cinna could only watch from her spot as the conversation continued. "If she doesn't get used to them soon, she'll only slow us down. It's no good having someone in the company who can't defend herself but can't run either."
"Dwalin is right," Thorin rumbled before Gloìn could say anything else, his gaze wandering from the bald dwarf to the red-haired fae who sat across from him. He met her gaze over the fire, his icy blue orbs sparkling in the orange light, though his face was as stony as always. "You will need to get used to them soon, for we are to travel the mountains in a few days. And you will need to learn how to defend yourself. I won't have any of my men risking their lives for you. If you want to survive, you will adapt."
Cinna said nothing for a moment, slightly taken aback by the dwarf-king's harsh words, though she had not really expected anything else from him. Although, she hadn't thought she'd be expected to learn to defend herself. How was she supposed to do that? Before, she could have vanished in the bushes and escape from danger this way, but that only worked when she was wearing her fae dress. She shot a small look down at her trousers and tunic, a small sigh escaping her lips. Things had certainly changed now.
"I have never used a weapon," she then muttered quietly, fidgeting slightly as she thought back to the warg chase when she had been holding one of Fili's knives. Thorin held her gaze for a moment, his face showing that he had known that already, before he looked away as Bombur handed him his bowl of stew for supper.
"Fili and Kili will teach you," the dwarf-king then said, his voice an order to not only Cinna but also his nephews who merely inclined their heads obediently as they were passed their food, as well. "They are both skilled warriors and in addition to swordsmanship, Kili will be able to show you the basics of archery."
As Cinna glanced over toward the brunet dwarf, she felt as though Kili wanted to say something but he simply pressed his jaw together and returned his gaze to the bowl in his hands without uttering a word. The fae looked back at Thorin as she was passed a bowl as well, but the dark-haired dwarf was concentrated on eating while Dwalin spoke to him quietly in a language that Cinna didn't understand. Apparently, there was nothing more to say on this matter for Thorin, so Cinna didn't try. Balin, who was sitting next to the dwarf-king, shortly caught her gaze and sent her a comforting smile beneath his bushy white beard, his eyes sparkling kindly. It eased the fae's mind slightly and with a sigh, she picked up her spoon and began eating.
This would be a long journey.
"No, no, no. That's rubbish, try again."
Cinna took a few deep breaths, clenching her eyes shut as she tried to gather her energy once more, even though there was next to none of it left. She didn't mind the continuous walking she had to do in order to keep up with this quest, she'd even gotten more used to these accursed boots over the last few days. But it was the training, the long and exhausting lessons that she received each night from Fili and Kili that were quickly draining her of her any strength she had left in the evenings.
"I can't," she let out, panting as she let the sword sink to the floor, her arms trembling from the weight of it. Her hair and tunic stuck to her sweaty skin. The tip of Fili's borrowed sword landed with a clunk in the earth and the fae leaned slightly on its hilt, looking up to meet Kili's eye. He had been the one sparring with her while his big brother was watching from the side, calling corrections to her as they were fighting.
"That's not acceptable," Kili answered with an authoritarian voice as he watched her. "You need to learn how to fight."
"But I can't," Cinna breathed tiredly, shaking her head as she tried to even out her breathing and wiping some of her red strands from her sweaty forehead. "I can't fight. I don't want to fight. I'm a fae, not a warrior."
Kili just looked at her sternly, obviously displeased, though that was nothing new for Cinna. He always seemed to be displeased with her for some reason. "It doesn't matter if you want to. You have to. I don't think you realize how dangerous this quest truly is."
"I do realize that," the redhead replied in a small huff, narrowing her eyes at the brunet dwarf. "If you remember, I was with you when you were running from wargs and orcs."
"Why, funny you should mention it," Kili scoffed, lowering his sword as he faced her. "Because I do happen to remember that. I remember how you were frozen with fear, staring at the body of a dead orc while clutching a dagger in your hand that would have been completely useless if you'd actually been attacked."
Cinna frowned at him. "That's –"
"- the truth, and you know it," Kili spoke over her impatiently, raising his sword again and Cinna instinctively took a step back, though she was still holding on to the sword in her hand, its tip still stuck in the ground. She didn't have the strength to lift it anymore. "I know you don't want to fight. I can see that you're scared just at the sight of a sword, never mind holding one. And I also know why."
He quickly took a few steps forward then, too fast for Cinna to raise her heavy sword to try and deflect the blow, and touched his blade to the part of her arm that lay bare because she had rolled up her sleeves. It wasn't a hard hit, it didn't cut her skin but the touch of the iron still burned on her skin and Cinna flinched back with a small pained noise, letting go of her sword and bringing her hand up to rub the spot. She was about to confront Kili when the brunet dwarf did it again, this time on her other arm. The fae hissed and took a few steps backwards, out of Kili's reach.
"Stop it," she said with a glare, rubbing the slightly reddened skin where the iron had touched her. Kili just snorted through his nose as he shook his head.
"Kili!" Fili called from where he had observed the scene a bit further away, leaning against a tree. "That's enough."
The brunet dwarf shot a quick look over his shoulder towards Fili who shook his head at him before he looked back at the fae before him, his gaze still stern though he lowered his sword.
"Do you think an orc will stop just because you say so?" he demanded of her, looking at her intently. "Do you think the enemy would care at all that the touch of iron burns your skin? No, they will take pleasure in your pain. They would take advantage of it, torture you with it."
Cinna shuddered at the thought, hugging her arms around herself a bit tighter as she lowered her gaze. Kili just looked at her, letting his words sink in as he stepped forward and picked up the sword she'd dropped on the floor. As he stood back up, she was looking at him again, her emerald eyes wide with fear, though Kili thought he could see some sort of understanding in them as well. Maybe he could use this fear to overpower the one she had of weapons and fighting, and actually get her to learn something. He sighed quietly, holding her gaze as he spoke.
"So, maybe you see now the importance of not letting it ever get that far. You don't have to be scared of a sword if you know how to use one. Knowing how to fight means knowing how to stay alive. And that's what you want to do."
He waited until Cinna nodded jerkily, still hugging her arms around herself, before he sheathed his sword and gave the other back to Fili. The blond dwarf shot the fae a sympathetic look when she didn't move. "I think that's quite enough for tonight," he said softly, giving the redhead a friendly smile as she looked up at him. "Go back to camp and get something to eat, we'll be right behind you."
Again, the fae just nodded and padded off through the bushes that led away from the small clearing they'd been using as a training ground to where the company had set up camp earlier. Fili waited until Cinna was out of sight before he directed his gaze to his little brother, his expression growing more serious.
"You didn't have to be so hard on her," he said quietly, sheathing his sword as Kili rolled his eyes in turn.
"It's no use going easy on her if she is ever to learn something."
"Still," Fili answered with a small shake of his head. "She's not used to a life like this, to fighting and to basically being in constant danger. You could consider this next time you're with her."
Kili let out a deep sigh, slightly inclining his head to escape his brother's stern gaze. "We've been at this for five days without any success now. She finally had to understand what this is all about, Fili. The only way to get her to overcome her fear of fighting is to show her the horror of what could happen if she doesn't. And to hope that the fear of that will be greater than the other." He paused shortly, slightly rubbing his neck with one hand as he let his gaze wander to the spot where the fae had disappeared. "I realize it's not the best way to make progress, but it's better than making no progress at all. We don't know when we'll run into trouble next, or if we will at all, but something could happen any day and I don't want her to be completely unprepared."
Fili said nothing and looked at his little brother for a moment. The brunet actually wanted the fae to make progress, Fili could see that, and he was glad for it. He knew that Kili hadn't been entirely thrilled to be teaching the red-haired female, for he knew that the two of them still had trouble getting along. The blond just sighed and nodded then, motioning with his head to go back to camp.
They found Cinna and the others already eating supper, the fae sitting next to Balin who was telling her a few things about dwarven culture and history. She was listening with great interest and only glanced up shortly when the two princes walked into camp.
Kili let himself slump down next to his brother and began eating as soon as Bombur handed him his bowl, and though he was trying not to, he found himself shooting small glances over to the fae every now and again. He wasn't quite sure why he was doing it. Maybe because he felt a bit guilty about the way he'd treated her during training and wanted to make sure she was all right. Whatever the reason for his glances, he noticed the way her red hair glowed in the firelight and the soft features of her face as she listened to Balin with a small smile. He realized that she wasn't a warrior, and was somewhat sorry he had to be so hard on her. But he did hope she realized that he was not being so strict with her because he didn't like her but because he cared enough to not want anything bad happen to her. That didn't mean he liked her, of course, but just because that was the case didn't mean he didn't care at all. She was now a member of the company, after all. However, as Cinna looked up and shortly caught his gaze across the fire, Kili saw her smile fade and she quickly averted her gaze to look at something else.
A silent sigh escaped Kili's lips as he directed his own gaze back to the bowl of food in his lap and he stuck his spoon into his stew unhappily. He didn't notice Fili giving him an odd look from where he was sitting beside him and neither the small shake of his brother's head as he ate his own food.
