yasminasfeir1:I'm so glad you thought Dis is coming across as realistic! Thanks for your feedback, it really helps and boosts my confidence! :D This chapter is all about some more moments for Kili and Robin: enjoy!
Ryndell:Yaay! I'm thrilled to bits and also relieved that you approve of the way I'm planning to write Dis, there's something incredibly alluring as well about her standing between Kili and Robin plotwise, as a mother she would want to protect her youngest son, especially when he's a dwarven prince of the mightiest dwarven kingdom…no pressure for Kili then! ;) I'm excited to explore the dynamics between those three with the rest of this story, but first a chapter that's going to be about the growing bond between Kili and Robin, hope you enjoy and thanks a lot for your wonderful review! 3
Kirgy5040yahoo:Thanks so much for your positive review! I'm so glad you like my OC! :) I hope you'll be reading on and please enjoy this newest chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own The Hobbit, all rights go to the usual suspects!
-Chapter 10-
The entrance hall was filled with dwarves that had their heads bent in something akin to grief. Not for what had already happened. But for what they now knew would happen. The Lady Dís stood rigid and unwavering as she announced it. As she told all gathered that nothing else would have been strong enough a motive to leave these mountains before the last of her people had. But she would have to leave in the hope of soon being reunited with her brother as well as every last of the remaining dwarves here when they would finally bid this place farewell too and travel to the East. It was then, after the dwarrowdam had ceased speaking in that clear and commanding voice that the humming began. It was a low, constant droning sound that reverberated through my entire being.
One by one the dwarves walked passed a tall statue of none other than Thorin, complete with a gnarled looking oaken branch which he wielded like a shield. His armor and features too were chiseled to perfect likeness out of immaculate marble. As the procession shuffled slowly and respectfully passed everyone continued to sing in their deep voices which resonated with the surrounding stone. Had I felt out of place yesterday evening during the feast, I felt even more an intruder at this moment. Even though I tried to stand out as little as I could, tried hiding myself behind Bofur and Nori, it was doomed to fail. Short as I may be I was still at least a few inches taller than most of the dwarves around me. That, and I obviously looked very different.
Both the miner and thief looked simultaneously over their shoulders at me but I shook my head with as little movement as possible as if that would only cause unwanted attention to shift my way. Nori shot me an entreating sort of wink that in his case almost automatically came across as jaunty, while Bofur gave me an understanding and sympathetic smile before dragging the other dwarf along with him by the elbow. Grateful that neither had, in the end, insisted on making me join them I do feel incredibly forlorn as the throng of dwarves around me still keeps moving, avoiding collision with me like a shoaling fish swerving around an obstacle in their undersea world.
I fade as much into the background as possible and simply observe from my corner in the cavernous hall. When at long last the crowd thins and the majority of dwarves have returned to the work still left to be done, I cautiously shuffle towards the dozen or so of them that are clustered around Thorin's statue. From up closer I can see how each of them is holding something small in their hands. Standing on tip toe I watch how a young dwarf woman places a pebble on the edge of the pedestal, bows her head reverently and then gathers her skirts to move out of the way for the next dwarf who promptly steps up, holds his closed fist to his mouth, mumbles something in reverberating tones and then also adds his pebble to what I now notice are over a hundred already there.
Captivated by the ritual I unconsciously take another step forward and hear the grinding sound of rock on rock before I feel a small stone not unlike the pile of pebbles on and around Thorin's statue under the foot of my sole. I bent to pick it up, determined to pay my respects the same way I had seen the dwarves do. Although far from deserted the dwarves still lingering in the hall are all too occupied with their tasks and daily routine that I hope they won't notice me.
I hardly stood in front of the statue and had stretched out my arm when I felt more than saw a pair of stern eyes bore into me. I turned my head and instantly spotted a wizened looking guard peering rather menacingly in my direction. Courage failing me at once at his obvious disapproval I quickly retreat my hand still holding on to the tiny pebble and scurry off. I have no idea where I'm going but anywhere is better than to stay here.
"Fleeing from my uncle's austere gaze?" I can hear a familiar voice call out to me. Rooted to the spot I wait for Kíli to saunter my way, fist clenching so hard I can feel the pebble dent the soft, fleshy part of my palm.
"Don't worry. I've always thought the stone one is worse than the real one." he adds assuredly and flashes me a fleeting grin.
"Good to know." I answer curtly and rather meekly try to avoid looking up at him. If I did I there'd be every chance I'd look back into that guard's condemning eyes bulging out from under the rim of his iron helmet.
"Robin?"
"Hmm." I mumble back at Kíli's concerned tone, wishing fervently I could manage more but it seems futile to expect it at this moment. There is a silence that gets heavier with every second that passes but then I feel his shoulder bump into mine as Kíli takes a step closer.
"Want to be somewhere else too?" he asks, voice a husky whisper now it is clear he doesn't want others to overhear. That one sentence sums up how I feel and together with the realization that I'm not alone in this makes my heart leap in my chest. I can't lie. But I don't want to say it out loud either. This mountain is still his home after all. In the end I simply settle for a nod.
"Follow me." he tells me and steers me by the elbow as we leave the hall together. We pass through winding corridors and tunnel like paths that are all dimly lit with torches and just when I'm beginning to wonder how far into the mountain he is going to take me we stop. Jaw dropping I step into a large room in which daylight trickles inside through narrow slits: pale beams illuminating the wooden and straw dummies that bear the marks and scars of years of practice. I can just glimpse rows upon rows of armory and weapons of all possible sizes as I crane my neck.
"This way." Kíli calls over his shoulder, having given me a moment to take in the place he had brought me to but now threatening to disappear behind a rack of spears. I hasten to catch up, noting how there's only a handful of dwarves sparring at the moment. And none of them has even spotted us yet. As we head further Kíli leans slightly sideways in an almost conspiratorially manner and warns me in a mock strict tone not to touch anything. I narrow my eyes at him at the smugness glinting in the depth of his as he says it.
We pass axes, war-hammers, maces and short, blunt looking swords though I don't doubt they would cut orc necks as if the foul creatures were made out of butter. The armory was simply a maze to me. And didn't just hold dwarf weapons and armor. Hardly an expert even to me it was clear judging by the difference in size and design that they must fashion these at the request of customers and consequently sell some of these to other races.
"What do you trade these for?" my question effectively stops Kíli in his tracks though he needs no time to ponder on his answer.
"Food supplies mostly. Fresh produce. Livestock. That kind of thing. Fabrics too. Tools and necessities we don't have the material to produce ourselves." he explains patiently.
"A sword for a dress?" I arched a brow, mouth twitching with the hint of a smile I felt bubble up in my chest.
Kíli let out a good-humored laugh. "Silverwork, more likely. Or jewelry. But these mountains only have a few precious stones left. Besides there's always been more coal. We use it for the forges and smitheries."
He tapped a rhythmic beat on a nearby helmet that would be too big for both of us and made to move on. "Coming?"
I stir myself into motion again when I can't immediately stop staring at all the steel and metal craftsmanship around me. "Y-yes."
We continue on our way and just as I'm beginning to wonder whether I should have left a breadcrumb trail seeing how the path turns and twists left and right through the symmetrically lined weapons the dwarf next to me halts.
In front of us is a rather tucked away rack holding but two bows and one worn quiver with even more worn arrows inside. The rack is also considerably less sturdy and less ornate than the ones we passed. The smaller one of the two bows has notches all around the rim, top to bottom, even on the inside it seemed. Whoever had used it had marked every successful hit until there was almost no space left to keep score.
My companion let out a happy shout of recognition and took the small bow from the rack to turn it deftly and with practiced familiarity around in his hands. His eyes traveled all over the weapon with something close to fondness while his fingers traced the scarred wood. Then he came out of his nostalgic reverie, turned to me and held out the bow.
"For me?" I ask needlessly.
"Yes. For you. And don't look that disappointed." he added,
seeing me flick a not so covert glance at the bigger, shinier bow he now grabbed for himself.
"Who said I was?"
"No one. You didn't have to say it. The look in your eyes spoke volumes."
"Pretty sure they didn't." I countered a little defensively, suddenly feeling very self-conscious at the thought he could so easily read my expression.
Kíli harrumphed knowingly like I would expect Balin or Oín to do then averted his attention back to the bow in my hands, saying, "It used to be mine. First bow. It's how I learned. So it's a dear friend."
I nodded in understanding, fingertips tingling now when I had them explore the bow with a renewed interest that may not have been there before. Meanwhile Kíli turned back to the rack and busied himself with inspecting arrows.
"Stop fiddling with the string." he pointed out without having to direct his full attention at me, he had seen enough from the corner of his eyes to know what I was trying to do very secretively.
"You'll hurt yourself that way." he added, nudging his chin in my direction this time as I had only raised the bow further the way I thought it was supposed to be held, string pulled back as far as it would. His playful admonishing involuntarily increased my heartbeat. I hmmfped with feigned indignation but did not relax my stance or the bow yet, instead I watched Kíli expertly and surprisingly gingerly straighten out fletchings that had feathers poking out at odd angles. It was difficult not to all of a sudden when his expression was one of an almost boyish joy, sleek hairs falling over his shoulders and his eyes shining irresistibly. It was like I just caught a rare glimpse of the Kíli I knew. The Kíli from before the Quest which had so altered him.
The consequences of my distraction was instant and merciless. There was a loud thwang, a swoosh of air brushed past my ear and a sharp pain exploded in my lower arm as the string whipped against it. I yelped like a warg dangling somewhere at the bottom of the pack hierarchy and at the same time dropped the bow so it fell to the ground. Instinctively I clutched my injured arm tightly to myself, cradling it as if it was a new born baby. Despite feeling a complete softy I winced at the throbbing pain.
Kíli whisked around, worry etched on his face. "Here, let me see." he reached out and gently took my wrist then stretched my arm carefully. I sucked in a breath as he pushed up my sleeve. Well, his sleeve. It had been his tunic after all. I was merely borrowing it.
Reluctantly I glanced down to see that my skin was reddish and a little raw. Exactly how it felt.
"And I even warned you. But will you listen.." Kíli mumbled in pretense remonstrance then started to rub my arm with his thumb, starting at the inside of my wrist and to the nook of my elbow, moving it in soothing circles. The hints of pain at the tender touch was nothing compared to the heat I now felt rising to my cheeks and prickle the sides of my neck.
"Better?" he asked, hesitating to continue rubbing her sore arm now it seemed to make her shrink away from him. Kíli thought he could detect the slightest of tremors run through her when she reclaimed her arm for herself, kneading the palm of her hand without seeming to notice that she did and mumbling a soft and embarrassed, "Much better."
"Still up for some practicing?" he hopefully inquired, following it up by picking up the small bow still lying half forgotten on the ground near her feet. An excited jolt crawled around his spine when her visible hesitation lasted for a few seconds only before it was replaced with an eager and confirming nod.
It turned out she was not a bad shot. She wasn't a very good one either. Something in between. But he admired her perseverance. She was completely absorbed in performing all the steps involved and did not pay attention to anything else. It took her a while but already it was becoming more of a routine: to nock an arrow to the bowstring, to pull the string taut and line the arrow up with the target before releasing it with just the right amount of force and at just the right time.
There were still more arrows on the ground than bored into the round, straw target, but more and more were hitting the edge of it. And then there was also something incredibly gratifying about the way Robin would listen to his instructions. How she would turn her greenish eyes to him, ask questions when she didn't understand and then ready herself to apply his words and take aim again. He had never been this patient during his own archery lessons. Especially not the first one. That was not to say that she always meekly obeyed every minute correction of her stance or method, somehow she was increasingly finding her own way of doing it, whether it was technically right or more effective or not.
Above all he could connect effortlessly to her need for distraction. To not think about the present situation. About the new world she found herself in without warning. About the dwarves, his people, who he knew didn't take to strangers. It pained him to admit it but he had know it would be so. All the more relieved did he feel that she hadn't blamed him for the rather cold and apprehensive reception she had received so far. Well. Not yet in any case..
Regardless, there was no denying that she fitted well into his half embrace half guidance of her limbs. Concentration all bent on arrow, bow and target, he himself could not help but become one with the weapon as he always did even though he was holding it through her. It was almost as if they became one being, an extension of themselves. It was one of the reasons why he felt it was better to call it quits after an hour or so and they spent the remaining time before noon clearing the shooting range as well as cleaning and mending some of the arrows that had come out ruffled and bent.
"Bath?" he suggested as he wiped his sweaty temples with his sleeve after returning the last arrow to the quiver.
"Yes, please!" Robin exclaimed longingly, brushing strands of both gray and blond hair out of her face. A sudden urge to reach out and guide one last wayward strand behind her ear Kíli turned back to the rack to assure himself everything had been returned to its place when he had already done so not a moment before.
"You sure it's ok? You've got time?" Robin behind him asked, voice more hesitant, "I mean, I don't know how I could possibly be useful and not just in everyone's way but, this is where you grew up. You've been away for so long. I don't want to make you feel like you have to keep me company."
Kíli smiled to himself at her sympathetic consideration before turning to face her again, lips still formed in a subtle curve though he felt a bitter tinge on his tongue as he said, "I could ask you the same thing. Perhaps you would rather spent time with the other Company members instead of trudging along behind an ungrateful prince who has outgrown his home but is too much of a coward to admit it."
There was a silence in which her gaze wavered and tumbled down like a leaf before shooting up again with a rekindled light reflecting in them so they appeared like moonlight shining on moss, "I guess if we're both homeless it makes sense to stick together."
It was his turn to ponder that over though he felt the truth of it before saying with heartfelt conviction, "Agreed."
They set out without another word for the baths deep down in the mining colony. There were separate booths surrounded by big boulders and the cavernous structure of the dug out mountain. The baths were crater-like holes in the ground, filled to the brim with water that had come from even deeper underground and which was so hot steam constantly coiled up from its bubbling surface.
He got into the booth next to hers, shook off all the layers of clothing he wore and slipped into the water. He had already submerged himself several times and splashed water into his face when he still couldn't hear similar sounds coming from the other side of the boulder.
"You know, usually taking a bath involves more than just putting in a toe."
There was a soft snort both in amusement and admission.
"It's very hot, in case you hadn't noticed."
"I had. Your body will get used to it if you're actually in it. Not if you keep hesitating at the edge." he coaxed her, grin playing around the corners of his mouth. He leaned back his head with one arm bent behind it and strained his ears. For a moment longer he could hear the patter of her wet feet on the slippery stones, then a determined sort of intake of breath followed by a clumsy sounding splash. It took him some effort not to burst out laughing at the hisses and what he could swear were curses on the other side. Finally there was a contented sigh and the sound of water lapping over the edges stilled to a relaxing and occasional ripple.
"Told you." he couldn't refrain from remarking.
"You did. Thanks." came her satisfied reply.
"Any time.."
Kíli closed his eyes, soaking in the warm embrace of the water around him and trying very hard not to picture to himself the serene look on Robin's face but a stone's breadth away.