Dear guest, I am sorry in the delay for this chapter! My beta reader has a lot on her plate & hasn't been able to get to this chapter for me yet, so it's unedited by anyone other than myself. I plan to update it once she is able to look it over for me, so please check it out for changes soon. Also, I plan to make some small changes in the first seven chapters or so. Obviously nothing that will affect the story, but hopefully it will make it flow a bit better and not be as rushed.
And please leave me some reviews! What do you like about this story?
10. A Sad Departure
The four traveling companions remained in Ered Luin for several days. Sigrid's birthday came, and they all had a huge celebration in Dís's tent. Fili asked some of his kin make her a special dwarf cake and happily presented it to her. "This is a dwarf delicacy, a cake with poppy seeds and fruit. I hope you enjoy it! I wasn't sure what kind of treats you like."
"Fili! Thank you!" she cried happily, hugging him as soon as he set her gift down on the table. He handed her a knife, and she slowly cut it into pieces, trying hard not to mar its rugged beauty too much. Outside, its topping consisted of a pale shade a pink, which Kili said came from a certain edible plant native to the area. Inside, bits of fruits and poppy seeds popping out in tiny bursts of colour amongst the pale, creamy shade of the cake part. When Sigrid took the first bite of her treat, her eyes closed in sheer rapture as she savoured the sweet and sour fruity juiciness, and Fili laughed at her enjoyment. "I see we have found you a new favourite food!"
"Yes, I love it even more than all we had at Rivendell or even Bag End!"
Everyone else dug into their slices, although none had quite the experience that the lone human did as she relished the treat.
But joy in life was about to fade some for two certain dwarf brothers. Now that Dís finally had her two sons back home, she felt she could succumb to her consumption and die in peace. She knew she would not live long even before their return. However, having them near perked her up considerably and gave her a new will to live as long as possible. She used her final days to reunite with her boys, as she still referred to them, and to get to know her daughters-in-law better.
A week after their arrival, Esmerelda made a special pot of stew and under the cover of night brought it to Dís's tent. She'd watched it several hours and was fairly certain everyone else had left. Her feet made no noise on the soft grass and she made sure her voice was quiet as she sought entry. "Mother Dís? It's Sigrid. May I come in?" The dark lady tried to sound as much like her nemesis as possible.
"Yes, my child, I'm not asleep yet."
A risky move but one she must make, the schoolteacher boldly entered the tent and breathed a sigh of relief that it would just be the two of them; her faithful watching had paid off and they were the only ones in the shelter now. She walked over to the pallet, the light of a solitary candle only enough to make out the prostrate form on the makeshift bed. "I made some stew for you. Think you can eat some?"
"That's lovely of you. I'll try a few bites. I just haven't felt like eating much lately."
The dwarf woman took the bowl of stew and obligingly ate several large spoonfuls. "This is delicious. Thank you. Now I know you can properly feed my son!" she smiled.
"It was nothing. And you know I love your son very dearly. I'd do anything for him." Esmerelda's voice dripped with sweetness.
The two sat in silence as Dís ate, then she sat back and handed the bowl to the lady she thought was Sigrid, never catching on to the masquerade. "I can't eat anymore. I'm sorry. I know you worked hard on it."
"It's fine. You ate enough to satisfy me! I shall just take my leave and let you rest. Goodnight!" With that Esmerelda left, knowing the dwarf would be dead by morning. She'd put the castor beans in the stew and when she checked the remaining contents of the bowl, she found them all missing. Good! That would get rid of one person! Now to only dispense with everyone else and get inside that mountain!
The next morning Kili walked into the tent to find his mother slumped over in an unnatural position. He rushed to her side and discovered her cold, lifeless body to be stiff with rigour mortis, a bit of dried blood at the corners of her mouth. Clasping her hand, tears formed in his eyes and his throat became tight; no words could form in his mouth. He knew this day would come but hadn't expected it so soon. Why did losing his mother seem different than the battles he'd been in? It wasn't as if he'd never seen death before. Yet having his mother gone broke his heart, as though someone reached into his chest and squeezed it, causing a lack of oxygen and consequently that feeling one gets when one can't breathe. Except his heart rather than lungs had no air, the life juice that supported it suddenly cut off. Fili arrived on the scene and gasped at the sight. He embraced his brother and they mourned in silence for a long while. The death of his father had been enough of a shock, but at least it was during a battle and not exactly unexpected. He never thought his mother could be gone this soon.
Then, Tauriel and Sigrid arrived at the door and called out. "Are you alright in there? May we come in?"
Fili choked out a heart-wrenching, "Come in."
The womenfolk cautiously entered and immediately rushed to their dwarves' sides. Sigrid had no words but simply wrapped herself around Fili and let her tears flow as she tried to comfort him. Her future mother-in-law had been so kind in welcoming her and she'd hoped they could at least exchange letters once she made it back home to Dale. However, that was not meant to be.
Tauriel tried to comfort Kili as well and allowed him to stay silent. There really were no words to say at such a time as this. At last, as if one, the four got up and the elf made a suggestion. "Fili, Kili, if you want to go somewhere and think about things, Sigrid and I can care for the situation here. I am truly sorry."
A mist formed in Kili's eyes. "Thank you, Meleth. I don't think I can handle this tent any longer."
With that the elf and human shooed their men away and got to work on preparing the corpse for burial. Sigrid had never done such a thing before and would have been sick had not Tauriel handled things calmly yet firmly expected her to aid in the task.
The dwarf lady's sons buried her in regal dwarf fashion and remained there in the encampment to mourn a few more days. The dwarves were grateful to have their womenfolk there to grant them comfort in their sorrow. Then they decided it was time to go back to Erebor and help their cousin Dain rebuild the once-great kingdom.
O_O
Three weeks later they arrived in Hobbiton for the second time and went straight to Bilbo's home of Bag End, reaching their destination just in time for tea at precisely four-o'clock, exactly as the kindly hobbit had invited the dwarves to do long ago in Erebor when he left for home.
"Welcome back!" he greeted them as he opened the door. "I trust your journey went well?"
"Yes, it did, thank you! Unfortunately, our dear mother passed away a few days after we were reunited with her," Fili answered, the grief still fresh in his mind.
"I'm sorry, Fili and Kili." Memories of his own parents' deaths flashed inside his head and he understood the pain the dwarves experienced. Perhaps some good hobbit hospitality would help. "Please come in and have some refreshments; I just finished baking a loaf of bread so it will be nice and hot." He gave them both a kindly hug, recalling the death of his own parents and wanting to show them he remained their faithful friend.
"That would be lovely. Thank you!" This time Tauriel replied.
Hence they went into the hobbit hole once again, quite grateful for Bilbo's hospitality. He insisted they stay several more days, and they complied.
Once again the company headed on their way towards their new home of Erebor. This time they travelled through the Old Forest and were greeted by a certain man, Tom Bombadil.
"Hello, my dear travellers! It has been a long time since I have seen dwarves and elves keeping company," he greeted them, appearing quite friendly.
"Good day, sir! I am Tauriel, and this is my husband Kili, his brother Fili, and our friend, as well as Fili's fiancée, Sigrid."
"Yes, I know, my dear friends. Most people call me Tom, Tom Bombadil. However, the elves call me Iarwain Ben-adar, the dwarves Forn, and some men Orald."
Now all the companions recognised this strange yet kind man. "'Tis a pleasure to meet you," Tauriel again spoke for all.
"Thank you! Now I should love to have to you come to my house for the night! My wife, Goldberry, enjoys visitors but we do not get them often."
"Are you sure it would not be a great imposition on you?"
"Nonsense! It would do us both good to have some young souls about."
The foursome agreed to stay the night and had a lovely time. Tom had a wonderful sense of humour and so many stories! They could have stayed years just listening to him. Goldberry enjoyed singing her tales, quite a delightful entertainer. Her voice, soprano, was melodic like the rain softly falling on a thatched roof on a midsummer day. They heard numerous delightful accounts of when Middle Earth was much younger. The ladies especially enjoyed the saga of how Tom and Goldberry met and married.
Tom Bombadil was a happy creature, always singing and humming, just enjoying life in general. His joy spread to the other four so they felt the happiest they had in quite a long time. Fili and Kili, in particular, felt their spirits lighten; they had experienced too much fighting and death lately. It was nice to remember life is not all about war and peace is preferable, although not always possible.
The couple asked them to stay longer, and they agreed three days would be fine, then they would really have to be on their way. Kili had become a bit worried about Tauriel, since she was expecting. He had never been a father before and had no idea how pregnancy worked with elves, but she told him the gestation period is about a year and she had ten more months to go. She insisted she felt fine and was not in the least tired. Kili decided to simply let the matter go, at least until she was further along.
Fili and Sigrid also were getting a bit anxious to get back; they were not even married yet, and Kili and Tauriel made them long for such a relationship and children of their own.
Despite the slight unrest in their hearts, they all felt well-rested and satisfied after their stay with Tom and Goldberry ended. In fact, they hated to leave but knew they needed to get back home. The couple made sure they were well-provisioned before sending them on their way, and all regretted parting ways.
The quartet made their way to Rivendell, quite uneventful. Lord Elrond welcomed his guests and even offered to perform the wedding ceremony for Fili and Sigrid. Yet they decided to wait until their return to Dale; Bard, as well as Sigrid's brother and sister, would be extremely disappointed if they were not invited to the wedding. Although Sigrid had grown to love the elves and their culture, she preferred her own and desired a human wedding, with which Fili concurred. Additionally, their two-year courtship had not reached its end. They felt they needed to respect Bard's wishes and wait until that time was up, which would be fairly soon after they finally went back home to Dale.
Several days were spent in this lovely elven dwelling, full of relaxation. During that time, dwarf and elf-ruler had a private conversation. Kili knew Elrond had the gift of foresight and asked about Tauriel, his worry for her growing as they were only about halfway done with their journey, and that the easier part as far as geography is concerned.
"Lord Elrond, I am a bit worried about my wife, Tauriel. Can you tell me if her pregnancy will be affected by all this travelling?"
The elf lord smiled. "Kili, she will be just fine! Elves are hardier than you think. Tauriel is strong and as she told you, this early in her condition exercise is good for her and will not harm your child. I would suggest trying to get to the Lonely Mountain a couple of months before she is due, something with which you should have no issue."
"Thank you! Do you know if we have a son or daughter?"
"A son, and I daresay you shall name him after your uncle Thorin. He was a brave dwarf."
"That he was."
With that, the dwarf was satisfied and returned to his wife, who was resting in their room.
A few days later, the company was off again. The journey got rougher here, as the next step would be to once again cross the Misty Mountains.
O_O
Meanwhile, Esmerelda experienced a huge rush of fear as she realized what she'd just done. She had never killed a person before. What if someone found out she was the one who'd advanced Dís's death? Her heart had pounded so wildly when she overheard Kili finding her dead body that she'd raced to her horse and galloped away. The mad dash towards Dale continued save only a few necessary breaks for her horse's sake. Consequently, she arrived home in record time.
Once she'd been back a few days, she calmed a bit and was better able to process her journey's events. Anger radiated from her green eyes, her brow furrowed as she pondered and plotted revenge. Her advances towards Fili in Hobbiton met such a cold reaction. Surely now that his mother was dead he'd have to turn to someone for comfort and hopefully become more vulnerable to those who seemed to care. However, she still had the small matter of that stupid girl who seemed determine to marry him. She knew Sigrid would not willingly give Fili up, and he was obviously very affectionate towards her. She suspected he was that upright, one-woman type, not a ladies' man. Thus she concluded murdering Sigrid seemed the best option, fairly simple and straightforward. Already she'd made one kill; what was another in the life of someone so desperate for power? But how to accomplish this task without being suspected or caught? Bard loved his children and would hunt the schoolteacher down if he suspected her. On top of that, dwarves were well-known for their expertise in fighting, some of which she had witnessed first-hand in the terror of the Battle of the Five Armies. Things did not bode well for her if a dwarf happened to be near when she executed her plan. This killing spree would have to be carefully planned so that no one would know or guess she had a hand in the matter. Having an elf on the dwarf's side was not going to help matters either; Esmerelda knew little about elves but felt certain they were very perceptive creatures, thus she was worried the female elf might find her out and prosecute. Not to mention Tauriel seemed to be a friend of the ruthless Elvenking, whose wrath most people greatly feared. Esmerelda was no exception, finding Thranduil one of the most intimidating persons she had ever seen. Extra caution was needed in this endeavour to assure she would not fail.
She also hoped deviously that ill had befallen the two dwarves, elf, and that certain young lady whom she hated. She especially wanted Sigrid to get sick again and die or experience some great tragedy so she would not return; such an event would make Esmerelda's plan much easier! AS for Kili and Tauriel, she couldn't care less about them one way or the other as long as they did not prevent her from gaining control of Erebor. But her only interest was Fili. He was her only chance at becoming the dark ruler she always dreamed of being, a way to get inside that mountain and overthrow King Dain.
Back in Dale, the dark schoolteacher hoped deviously that ill had befallen the two dwarves, elf, and that certain young lady whom she hated. She especially wanted Sigrid to fall ill and die or experience some great tragedy so she would not return; such an event would make Esmerelda's plan much easier! She really did not care whether Kili and Tauriel survived or not. Her only interest was Fili. He was her only chance at becoming the dark ruler she always dreamed of being, a way to get inside that mountain and overthrow King Dain.
Suddenly, a spiderling from Mirkwood wandered its way across Esmerelda's window. An evil grin popped up on her face as a plot formed in her mind, and she eagerly let the creature inside, rubbing her hands together in anticipation.