DISCLAIMER: I do not own the characters or happenings of middle earth. They belong to J. R. R. Tolkien and sometimes Peter Jackson's stuff might fall in too. I only own my OC. Please, feel free to leave any comments and questions. Follow the story in which ever way you would like, but make your thoughts known. Thank you!
~~~~~~~~~~Shishi~~~~~~~~~~
CHAPTER 10
The night progresses smoothly but quickly and I exchange jokes with Bofur continuously. They are horrible and we laugh like the lunatics we are; Bilbo even throws in a couple here and there. We've been talking for a couple of hours before we even notice that everyone else is starting to settle down for the night. My bowl has magically disappeared but I'm not going to stress it.
"Bofur!" I hear Thorin, none to gently, call to my new friend "You have first watch!"
He nods to the king before turning back to me with a grin. Bowing again he excuses himself with an exclusive dip before drifting off to complete his duty. With a final laugh I turn to Bilbo only to find the tiny hobbit asleep already, curled tightly against the light wind. 'The poor guy is all tuckered out. Cute.' Looking around, I make sure no one is watching before I lay down behind him; our backs close but not touching. I only feel nervous being near conscious people, probably because sleeping people can't judge/see me. Snuggling down, I bathe in the heat radiating from the small creature beside me and try to relax. A glance in Thorin's direction confirms that he is once again directly across camp. This time, he sits with his back pressed against a tree and his head bowed though whether or not he is asleep, I do not know.
"Goodnight." I whisper into the empty night, just in case
~~~~~~~~~~Shishi~~~~~~~~~~
The first thing I notice when I wake up is how warm I am. Arching my back in a stretching manner, I find my movements horribly restricted. Having six younger siblings, I am used to waking up with the feeling of them in my arms or on head as they often sneak into my bed at night and take up all the room. However I'm not in my bed and the arms around my waist, while shorter than my own, do not belong to a child.
Peaking my eyes open, I find Bilbo cuddled up in my arms. His back is pressed against stomach as he murmurs in his sleep about scones. From our closeness I can assume that we must have gotten tangled up and around each other in our sleep. Bilbo's tiny pale hands are tucked under his curly… head. Both of his hands are under his head... 'So whose hands are on my waist?! BAD TOUCH!' Not wishing to alarm my capture of my wakeful state, I swivel my hips delicately do my bum is on the ground, making it easier to turn the top portion of my body. I slowly ease onto around until I'm partially on my back only to find myself next to the one and only King under the mountain. Said King is using me as a teddy bear.
His normally fierce face is mostly smooth, save for his permanent frown lines. Even in sleep though, he doesn't appear to be fully at rest. One should breathe deeply, yet Thorin intakes his air as if he isn't sure there will be anymore. How he can breathe silently while panting is beyond me. Still, the dwarf must have fallen over in the night because he is sprawled on the floor rather than leaning on the tree as I remember he was. Bilbo and I had to have rolled all the way over here... Unlikely, since I'm a light sleeper but not impossible. Thorin's long eyelashes twitch along with his lids before he inhales deeply and rubs his scruffy beard across my face. I quickly close my eyes before before Sir Cuddles-a lot can damage my cornea. 'I need my sight orb. Thanks.'
I have no idea how I'm going to get out of this one. Even if I could escape his death grip, what about Bilbo. (Not to mention Balin, who is on watch) I can't handle a bromance right now thus I can't abandon Bilbo AGAIN. Not so soon at least. If anyone woke up, it would look as if I were stealing the company burglar. 'Joke worthy, but not an overall good look.' I look towards the place where we fell asleep originally and wish we had never gotten into this mess, but again:Wishes and fishes. I close my eyes again as I feel movement behind me, which can only mean one thing. The beautiful blue eyed dwarfgon is waking up and is going to kill me. I just keep my eyes closed and hope that he doesn't notice me.
Suddenly, my back feels cold. I wait, hoping upon hope that I don't die. After a few agonizing seconds of nothingness, I begin to wonder what's up. Glancing next to me I find Thorin still asleep but back across camp. Jerking my head around I realize that Bilbo and I are back in our previous spot. 'How the heck?' I glance around to Balin and find the guy staring at the sky, totally oblivious. I have no idea what just happened but my confusion in put on hold by the sun shoving the tree tops in an attempt to blind me.
The day starts fairly quickly after this and I forget about my little morning mishap in a flurry of departure preparations. 'Was probably a dream anyway.' We pack our few items, class the camp, and move out all within an hour. I once again ride with Balin while ignoring Fili and Kili's obvious hair tossing and eyebrow wiggling. It isn't hard, as Balin rides nearer to the front than they do. Occasionally Bofur will yell a joke in my direction and I will laugh until I grow tired of Dwalin's growls and Thorin's glares.
The trip progresses in this fashion for a week or so. Ride, Eat, sleep, ride. 'Baths? What are those?' We leave behind the calm forest and travel through tall grasslands and then rocky terrain, early passing anyone else. So dull and uneventful was the week, that I almost didn't notice that we finally reached the ledge I made my prediction about. Walking over to Gandalf after dismounting from my... mount, I aim to tell him that tonight is the night. I haven't talked to him since he confirmed my suspicions about my ability, or rather inability, to go home a few days ago. He gave a very wizardly answer; full of riddles and no real information. If I weren't so nice, off fearful, I'd have socked him in the mouth for his uselessness.
"Good evening, Gandalf."
"What do you mean?" he says, eyeing me as though I may be harboring a dragon in my sweater. "Do you wish me a good evening, or do you mean that it is a good evening whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this evening; or that it is a evening to be good on?"
"Well..." I can't help it. I smile and answer "All of them at once I suppose." He blinks up at me from his spot before giving me a smile from around his pipe "I have come to tell you that tonight is the night of my prediction. And just for the record, you all shouldn't let him sit in denial when you know it isn't true."
I see Bilbo slip away to feed his pony, whom I have informed him is named 'Myrtle.' Gandalf's eyes widen in surprise and confusion before returning to a reasonable size. He inclines his head and after returning it, I leave his side to go sit by the fire. Dwalin doesn't offer so much as a grunt as I sit across from him but I know everything is going as planned as a screech cuts through the night. 'Unless things go horribly wrong and I end up looking like an idiot.' Thankfully Bilbo shoots across camp like a spring and makes his way to my side, a question spilling from his lips.
"What was that?" he whispers in a frantic voice.
"Orcs." Kili says in a low voice, eyes darting in mischief between Bilbo and I
"Orcs?" The poor hobbit cries.
"Throat cutters. There'd be dozens of them out there." Of course Fili has to jump in too, not noticing the angry approach of their uncle. "The low lands are crawling with them."
"They strike, in the wee small hours, when everyone's asleep. Quick and quiet, no screams." I try to still Bilbo's shivering by wrapping an arm around his shoulders, giving the pair of brothers my dullest look. Kili just turns it with a toothy grin, the whites glistening from the camp fire "Just lots of blood."
The two idiots laugh as Bilbo looks extremely worried, then confused, and finally offended by the joke. It takes Thorin finally thunders up to the group for the two to understand how deep in trouble they are. I only wish that he didn't have to stand directly behind me while he lectures them.
"You think that's funny?" The king asks with such dark venom that I shiver "You think a night raid by orcs is a joke?"
They have the decency to look ashamed of themselves but by now I feel bad for them.
"We didn't mean anything by it." Kili murmurs dejectedly.
"No you didn't. You know nothing of the world." He angrily storms off to go brood on a cliff. I can only hope that I don't roll off it tonight. I slightly turn in Balin's direction right before he begins his story, knowing it'll happen.
"Don't mind him, laddie. Thorin has more cause than most to hate orcs." Balin strides over tiredly to settle himself closer to the flames. I watch the action curiously, but think nothing of the change "After the dragon took the Lonely Mountain, King Thror tried to reclaim the ancient dwarf kingdom of Moria."
"Khazad-dûm" I whisper just low enough that no one hears me "Dwarrowdelf"
"But... our enemy had gotten there first."
"W-what enemies?" Bilbo speaks up, and I again notice the small change. Nudging the hobbit gently, I place my finger to my lips to signal his silence "Sorry..."
"Moria had been taken by legions of orcs, led by the most vile of all their race, Azog the Defiler. The giant Gundabad orc had sworn to wipe out the line of Durin." I feel a twinge in my gut knowing that if I screw up, Azog will finish what he started. Unless he is, hopefully but unlikely, dead "He began by beheading the king."
Bilbo's hand flies to his mouth and I can't help but grimace. It's one thing to read it or watch it in a movie; it's a whole different game to listen to it in the presence of those involved. I can see from the corner of my eye that everyone is listening, especially Fili and Kili. They look frozen between shook, awe, and fear. Good. After a short pause, Balin continues.
"Thrain, Thorin's father, was driven mad by grief, he went missing, taken prisoner or killed, we did not know. We were leaderless. Defeat and death were upon us." I've never been leaderless; America would never allow it. They'd rather put on idiot in charge for a few years rather than let the seat stay vacant. Not that every act taken affected me anyway. Yet neither have I ever been completely lost on a battlefield. I imagine... that it was beyond frightening "That is when I saw him."
"Thorin."
I hadn't meant to say it aloud, honest, but the near breathless whisper of excitement still escaped me. Balin and Dwalin exchange a wily look before the eldest nods at me with a wink. Turning away in embarrassment, I watch the star filled yet empty night sky that the King stands blocking.
"Aye, Thorin. A young dwarf prince facing down the Pale Orc. He stood alone against this terrible foe. His armor rent, wielding nothing but an oaken branch as a shield." Unshakeable. That's how I'd describe the king in this moment. Knowing acritical moment of his life is being told, yet not even flinching "Azog the Defiler learned that day, that the line of Durin would not be so easily broken."
Balin is a wonderful story teller. Even without the actually pictures in front of my eyes, I can see the images in his words. Violent, colorful, and painful; they burst behind my eyes and drift down to my heart, giving it a painful squeeze.
"Our forces rallied, and drove the orcs back. Our enemy had been defeated, but there was no feast, nor song that night for our dead were beyond the count of grief." I gaze into the burning embers as the memory of that scene washes over me. A sea of death is what it was "We few, had survived. And I thought to myself then, there is one who I could follow, there is one I could call king."
I want to throw my fist in the air but I keep my cool and my let my gaze rest on Thorin. Then again, everyone's eyes are on Thorin, so I'm nothing special. Bilbo, ever curious Bilbo Bungus Baggins, inquires about Azog's fate. Thorin whirls around and gives a heated answer but low answer.
"He slunk back into the hole whence he came. That filth died of his wounds long ago."
I ignore the glance shared by Gandalf and Balin in exchange, as well as the one the wizard throws at me, keeping my eyes on Thorin. He stomps away, as he always does, back to his previous seat only to stop half way there. Ever so slowly he turns and sets his blazing eyes on me with clear realization in them and I agonizingly find that I can't look away. It only lasts for a few seconds before I break the connection and turn my focus fiercely into the fire, huddling beneath my blanket. Placing an hand over my chest, I can feel my heart racing but I don't know if it's from excitement or fear.
~~~~~~~~~~Shishi~~~~~~~~~~
Another one pounded out. I mean that as child friendly as I can manage. :) Tomorrow is my first day of my second year of grad school. Yay. Please be sure to ask questions, about the story of course. I can't be the best that I can be without feedback. That mind, Lets say cheers for my cheerleaders!
Amy: I meet your love for the story and raise it one appreciation for the comment.
Blackhreat: Thorin is so stoic that writing his story makes my stone heart glow.
Katherine Sparrow: You know he awful feeling you get when you have t use the bathroom and the closer you get to the location, the worse it gets? That's the theme of the last chapter.