Straight into it we go. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything from J.R.R Tolkien's works but I do own all my original characters that you will see.
Alex travelled at the back of the company the next day. She felt well rested for a change but her mind was a muddled mess. Last night had sent her into a tizzy and it wasn't due to the fact that she'd slept sandwiched between the two hunks of the group. Looking up she spotted Fili and Kili riding in the middle of the group. Staring at the blonde's back she recapped their conversation from last night.
The brunette fidgeted as she lay between Fili and Kili. When they'd said they would share their bedrolls she thought they'd meant she would get a corner of them. Sure, she was warmer this way but she found it incredibly awkward. Looking to her left she found herself transfixed by Kili's sleeping face. He was handsome when awake but now that he was asleep his features had softened. She found herself wanting to wake him up but instantly banished the thought from her mind.
"He's fascinated by you." Jumping in fright she turned to her right to see Fili looking straight at her, expression unreadable. Looking back at Kili briefly she raised an eyebrow at the blonde.
"What do you mean?" She didn't know how anyone in the company could be fascinated with her, most of them kept her at a healthy arm's length. Sure, she'd spent a lot of time around the younger heir of Durin but he knew how to have fun. He was a natural magnet for her, especially when she was bored.
"You interest him in ways I haven't seen yet. Not many humans came to EredLuin so I think that might be part of the cause. Whatever it is, hurt my brother and you will live to regret it." The steely look in Fili's eyes caused her to swallow heavily. She was horribly confused as to why they were even having this conversation.
"I have no intention of hurting Kili, or anyone else for this matter. I don't even know why we're talking about this." Rolling over so she couldn't see the blonde's stern face she huffed quietly to herself. If she wasn't sure before on if she was friends with Fili, she was even more unsure now. Warnings and subtle threats didn't usually scream of friendship.
"If anything I'm going to do my hardest to save you both." She quietly whispered to herself. She wasn't sure if Fili could hear her or not but she didn't care. She would hold those words close to her heart and make sure she made good on them.
Rubbing her face Alex urged Lucifer to catch up with Bilbo. Smiling down at the hobbit as she reached his side she patted her guitar which was firmly tied to the saddle. The hollow thumping from her hand earned her his attention."How about a little sing song tonight? It's been a while."
"You seem eager." She pouted at Bilbo as he turned his attention back to the front. Normally he wouldn't have objected but she supposed the circumstances weren't the same as back in the Shire.
"Can you blame me? It's what I love to do best and I've been holding it off for far too long." Leaning down to speak in a hushed tone she pinned her gaze on the back of the dwarf in front of her. "Plus, every time I go to play Dwalin looks like he's about to eat me alive."
Bilbo looked at her in shock and she couldn't help but laugh. It was so easy to get a rise out of her friend. Grinning at him she casually flapped her hand in an attempt to downplay her previous statement. "I was joking. Anyways, I need something to occupy my mind, fancy a game of 'I Spy'?"
"I'd rather not. Games with you don't tend to end well." The brunette tried to swat the hobbit but couldn't reach. She resorted to her last line of attack, wobbling her bottom lip and fluttering her eyelids at him. Bilbo looked at her as though she'd grown a second head before sighing loudly. "Oh, fine!"
"Score! Okay, I'll start. I spy, with my little eye, something beginning with…" Looking around for something difficult to guess she grinned widely as she spotted something. Bilbo would have to wrack his brain to get this one. "B."
Watching the hobbit from the corner of her eye she smirked slyly to herself as he looked around. She would have to pat herself on the back for this one later; it would be the first time she'd win a game on the first round. Feeling triumphant she directed her smirk at Bilbo, overjoyed at his confused expression.
"B… Bush?" Shaking her head she waited for the second attempt. If he was going for all the obvious choices then she had the cat in the bag. "Blue?"
"Nope, try again!" Oh, this was too good. He was going to feel ridiculous for not winning this round when she told him what the answer was. Feeling her impatience rise she urged Bilbo on with a hand gesture. "Come on, it's not that hard."
"Maybe not if you know the answer. Knowing you it's probably something lewd. Is it… Bottom?" Bilbo's face spread into a smirk as hers instantly fell. Staring at the hobbit she grumbled to herself. It would seem he knew her too well. Huffing petulantly she motioned for him to take his turn.
"I wonder if it was a certain someone's bottom you were looking at." Bilbo said as his smirk grew. Alex blushed bright at the suggestion and made to hit him even though she knew she was still too far from him.
"Don't be stupid! Just whose arse would I be so interested in?" Keeping a close eye on the hobbit she found his gaze directed at Fili and Kili's backs. If she had a drink she would have spat it out but instead she choked on her saliva. Thumping her chest to clear her airways she looked at Bilbo incredulously. "You've got to be kidding me. You seriously think I was staring at their arses?"
"You have been spending a lot of time with them. The way you act around them is different too." Oh god, she hadn't been doing her little flirting act had she? For Bilbo to say such a thing she must have been. She didn't even realise when she was doing it, which was why Emily always gave her the secret signal on a night out. She wished her friend was here now to do so again.
"You're being ridiculous." Was all she said before she sped her horse up. She would have joined Fili and Kili but she was too embarrassed to do so. Instead she found herself riding beside Dori, glancing at him nervously. She'd yet to speak to him properly but he seemed like a nice bloke to her.
"So… We seem to be travelling kinda far." She knew just where the dwarves were travelling to but since they all hushed up about the quest when she was near she decided to play their game of secrecy.
"Indeed we are, milady. You seem troubled." The brunette blinked at the obvious change of subject but dropped it before she could say something she'd regret. Scratching an itch on her neck she forced a smile at Dori.
"That obvious, huh?" She would have to keep working on her poker face. She couldn't have everyone knowing when something was troubling her. "I'm just having some issues in the head department."
"Aye, I can see. I have some chamomile tea left that would ease your mind." Dori said with a smile. Her eyes widened at the mention of tea, she hadn't had a good brew since they all left the Shire. She wasn't a huge fan of herbal teas but she'd take anything right now.
"That would be great, thank you." Grinning at the dwarf she was pleased to see him return it with his smile. Hopefully the tea would warm her up at camp; she'd yet to banish the cold that had seeped into her bones during the rain despite it being warmer today. Now that she had something to look forward to she could feel her spirits lift. Forget what Bilbo said, she had a brew to look forward to!
"We'll camp here for the night. Fili, Kili, look after the ponies. Make sure you stay with them." Thorin's voice snapped Alex from her thoughts. Looking around herself she spotted an abandoned house that looked to have seen better days. She frowned as she stared at the derelict home. Something about it seemed familiar but she couldn't put her finger on it.
Dismounting from Lucifer she made her way to Bilbo and helped him down from his pony. Thorin barked out more orders but she ignored them, the day she'd be given any form of duty would be when hell froze over. Glancing back at the house she wracked her brain for why it was bothering her so much. "I don't like this…"
"Hm? Don't like what?" Bilbo asked. Shaking her head she helped him unload supplies from his pony. She might as well do something productive while she tried to place the growing fear in her stomach.
"This place. There's something wrong about it. I don't like it." Continuing to unload the pony of its burden she ignored the strange look Bilbo gave her. Let him think what he wanted, she knew there was something she was forgetting, something important. It was bugging her immensely.
"You're just paranoid. There's nothing here." Bilbo tried to reassure her. If only what he said was true, she knew there was more to it but until she could remember then she was at a loss.
Just as the two of them finished removing the supplies from the pony the brunette spotted Gandalf from the corner of her eye, stomping away from the group. Bilbo also spotted him and moved to intercept him. She followed behind the hobbit slowly, curious to the wizard's actions.
"Everything alright? Gandalf, where are you going?" Bilbo asked. It was a good question too. The wizard couldn't just go tromping in the woods, especially with such an uneasy feeling running through her. It was just asking for trouble.
"To seek the company of the only one around here who's got any sense." Gandalf replied, frustration clear in his tone. Every moment they lingered in the area the more her mind niggled at her, whatever she'd forgotten was right on the tip of her tongue.
"Who's that?" Glancing down at the hobbit she almost shook her head. She personally would have left the wizard alone after his last reply. She'd learnt long ago not to keep prodding someone in a foul mood.
"Myself, ! I've had enough of dwarves for one day." Flinching at Gandalf's sharp tone she placed a hand on Bilbo's shoulder. There was no need for him to raise his voice like that but hopefully the hobbit understood. If not she didn't want to deal with a possible sulking session from him.
Thankfully it seemed that it hadn't affected Bilbo. He nodded at her in thanks, to which she smiled at him, before turning to Balin who stood nearby. "Is he coming back?"
Alex glanced at the elderly dwarf and was troubled by his unsure expression. She sorely hoped the wizard would be back, he had to be because he still had to help the company reach Rivendell. She wasn't eased by the thought though; anything could change now that she was here. Chewing on her bottom lip she looked around the camp.
Spotting Bombur by the campfire preparing dinner she sighed in relief. If she was allowed she could distract herself from the dread occupying her thoughts for a little while. Making her way towards the large dwarf she wringed her hands nervously. She didn't know what she'd do if she couldn't help.
"Is there anything I can help with?" Bombur jumped in surprise, clearly occupied in what he was doing. As he looked up at her he smiled brightly. She found it contagious and was soon smiling back, previous thoughts forgotten.
"There's plenty to do. If you could stir the soup for me once it's boiling it would be much appreciated, milady." Nodding the brunette sat beside the large dwarf. She could deal with stirring; it was a nice easy job. She'd probably poison the company if she tampered with the ingredients anyways.
While dinner was being prepared she learnt more about Bombur. They both talked about their love of good food, which was enough for her to add the large dwarf to her slowly growing list of friends. He was confused by some of the foods she mentioned from home such a donner kebabs, which made her laugh. She promised to make him some of them someday which made him happy.
After a short while of stirring she was relieved of her duties, much to her disappointment. Looking around camp she found night had fallen and Bilbo was sorting through his pack. She would talk to him but she was craving lighter company. Kili and his playful nature would probably do the trick. Heading to her knapsack, which was beside the brothers, she picked up her bow and quiver. She stared at her guitar forlornly, she might not be able to play it tonight but she promised the instrument a long session for the near future.
Moving through the brush as she made her way in the direction she'd seen Fili and Kili depart earlier she sighed in relief when she saw them sat at the base of a tree. The ponies shuffled as she appeared, Lucifer seemingly glaring at her from beside them. Glaring back she made herself comfortable beside Kili, dumping her weapon in front of her.
"So, I'm horribly bored." Leaning back against the rough bark of the tree Alex looked at the brothers. Fili was shaking his head with a smirk. She pouted at him petulantly before turning her attention to Kili as she saw him pick up her bow.
"Are you any good with a bow?" Blinking at the question she thought back to the times she'd used the weapon. Nodding slightly she continued to watch Kili as he inspected her bow thoroughly.
"I'm no expert but I don't think I'm terrible. I had a few lessons when I was younger and I've managed to kill a couple of bunnies since I've had that. I still don't think I use it right though." Taking her weapon as it was handed back to her she twanged the string, hissing in pain as it stung her fingers.
"How so?"Fili asked. The brunette looked at the blonde in surprise, fingers still in her mouth to try and alleviate the stinging sensation in them. She never thought Fili would be the one to take an interest.
"Well, back when I was first having lessons, I was quite good but I was told that I wasn't shooting properly. Apparently I'd somehow taught myself how to score, to get the arrow as close to the middle instead of shooting as I should have been." She could remember being upset that day. She'd thought she was doing well because she'd picked it up quickly but to learn she was doing it wrong had been a downer.
"That settles it then." Jumping as Kili suddenly rose to his feet she stared dumbly at his outstretched hand. "I'll teach you how to shoot properly. You can't have a bow and not know how to use it."
"I know how to use it." Alex grumbled to herself as she took Kili's hand. She yelped as he pulled her up with more force than she expected, causing her to stumble. Glowering at the dark haired dwarf's grin she picked up her bow and quiver and followed behind Kili as he led her away from the ponies. She spotted Fili shaking his head again and following behind them from the corner of her eye. Great, now she'd have an audience.
They hadn't travelled too far when Kili stopped and turned to her, pointing to a tree straight ahead. She looked at him in confusion. Surely he didn't want her to shoot something without a target? "Shoot that tree there; I want to see what you can do."
Of course, she had to go and jinx herself. Cursing mentally she slung her quiver over her back and took the stance she remembered: feet apart, sideways from the target. Pulling an arrow from her quiver she balanced the arrowhead with her index finger, pulling the shaft back with the string as far as she could. Keeping both eyes open she focused on the trunk of the tree. If she could at least hit it then she'd be happy.
Releasing the bowstring she hissed in pain as it stung her forearm. She cursed herself for not buying an arm guard while she could. Rubbing her arm she looked up and nearly cheered, she'd hit the tree! It wasn't dead centre but she'd hit it. Looking at Kili she waited for his assessment.
"Not bad, I can see the problem though. You're not lifting your elbow enough. Get into position again and I'll show you." Nodding she did as instructed. Pulling her second arrow back she waited patiently for the next step. Hopefully he wouldn't take too long though; she could already feel her arm beginning to ache.
She nearly let the arrow fly in shock as a hand gripped her elbow. Looking beside her she saw Kili, correcting the issue he'd spotted. Blushing lightly she focused on the tree ahead. She was not going to act like a teenager in front of him, no way. She was not going to act that way just because an attractive guy had touched her. He'd only touched her elbow for crying out loud!
"Okay, now try." Alex nearly missed the command as her jumbled thoughts clouded her mind. Nodding she kept her elbow firmly in place as she aimed at the tree and released the bowstring. Thankfully there was no pain this time but she was disappointed to watch her arrow fly into the darkness, completely missing the tree. Dejected she looked at Kili, expecting disapproval.
"It's okay; you'll just have to practice." She forced a smile as she retrieved her arrow from the tree. She wasn't about to go tromping in the darkness for the other so she would have to keep a careful eye on her supply. "It'll take time to learn how to shoot again with the changes but you'll get there."
"Here it comes; the expert is out to play now." She nearly jumped in surprise as she turned to Fili. She'd completely forgotten he was there. Putting her arrow back in her quiver she slowly made her way to the blonde.
"What do you mean?" Slinging her bow over her back she looked at Fili in confusion. She glanced at Kili as he joined them a moment later.
"Kili gets a big head when he's talking about the bow. You can't get him to shut up for hours." The brunette watched as the brothers exchanged words back and forth. It was almost nostalgic to watch. She could just imagine herself and Emily in their places bantering about some issue or other. Disliking the loneliness that was welling within her she ran a hand through her loose hair.
"Seriously, anyone would think you were both children with the way you're behaving." Immediately the brothers stopped and stared at her before they both broke into grins. She could only stand there, confused. Just what was so funny about what she said?
"If anyone's a child here, it would be Kili. He's the youngest of the company after all." Once again the bantering began. She almost wanted to hit the two over the head but it all seemed to be in good nature. Something wasn't right though.
"Just how old are you two?" Kili didn't look to be much older than her and he was the youngest. Some of the other dwarves looked old too, like Balin. If they were allowing old men to join such a dangerous quest then there was something she was missing.
"Kili is seventy-seven." Alex almost had a heart attack as she registered the age she'd just been given. Seventy-seven…? But that meant he was over twice her age! He was almost as old as her grandfather. Looking him over she just couldn't comprehend it.
"Fili is eighty-two." Oh dear lord, he was even older. Taking a deep breath she tried to calm her thoughts. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea asking their age. Why couldn't she have asked something else? Like if they enjoyed fishing or something.
"Wow, um, okay. I can deal with that. I thought you'd be more my age but hey, looking good for old people." Great, now her mouth was running. Why couldn't she just keep quiet? Now they were looking at her weird.
"We're not old. How old are you?" She would have laughed at the shocked look Fili gave Kili at his question if she wasn't still trying to wrap her mind around their ages. She had to give it to Kili though he had balls for asking a woman her age. It was a good thing she wasn't offended by such things.
"I turned thirty this year so in comparison you could both be my granddads." She had to stop; her words were just making her thoughts worse. Digging the toe of her boot into the dirt she looked in the direction of the ponies.
"You look young for thirty. The few humans I've seen definitely looked older. Then again, humans don't live as long as dwarves do." Guessing from that dwarves must live to be a ridiculous age. There was no way she was going to ask how long they lived until though; it'd probably give her an aneurysm.
"I suppose I'll take that as a compliment. Shouldn't we be heading back anyways? You're both supposed to be watching the ponies." Fili nodded and began to make his way back. She followed behind silently, Kili beside her. She glanced at him curiously but he merely smiled at her. She would have thought he'd walk beside his brother than her.
As the three of them returned to the ponies the brunette paused. Something seemed different but she couldn't figure out what. She was going to start hitting herself soon if her brain didn't start working. Turning to Fili and Kili as they settled at the base of the tree she'd found them at she crossed her arms.
"Doesn't something seem weird?" Kili shrugged at her but Fili frowned. It was a good thing one of them seemed to notice something. If there were two Kili's they would all probably be doomed.
"Alex, check on the ponies. I'm going to take a look around." Mock saluting she made her way to the group of ponies, becoming nervous as they all shifted restlessly. Keeping her distance from Lucifer she looked them over. They all looked to be fine but as she did a head count she frowned. There were thirteen dwarves, her and Gandalf, plus Bilbo so there should be seventeen ponies including the supply pony but she was only counting fifteen.
"Guys, I think I found the problem." She called out. As the brothers came to stand at either side of her the niggling sensation in her brain returned at full force. Whatever she was forgetting was right on the tip of her tongue again. "We have seventeen ponies right?"
"Yes, what are you getting at?" Kilisaid, his face the epitome of confusion. She couldn't believe he'd been left in charge of the ponies. Fili would have been just fine on his own.
"There's only fifteen here. I thought I'd counted wrong but I double checked and there's still only fifteen." She watched Fili and Kili do their own count, sighing in exasperation. Why couldn't they have just taken her word for it?
"She's right. Where could they have gone?" Kili asked his brother. Fili walked away, seemingly following something, before he came to a stop at the edge of the clearing. Sharing a confused look with the dark haired dwarf they both joined him. She was about to question the blonde when Bilbo suddenly appeared from nowhere, two steaming bowls of delicious smelling soup in his hands.
"What's the matter?" Bilbo asked after nobody took the bowls. She was sorely tempted to take one herself but she was too troubled by her memory to direct her hands. It was almost to the point of hurting it was bothering her so much.
"We're supposed to be looking out for the ponies." Kili said. She briefly glanced at him and Fili to find them still staring out into the darkness. There was some serious déjà vu going on right now.
"Only we've encountered a slight problem." Fili continued. Frowning she wracked her brain for what might be happening. In the films the dwarves arrived at the Shire, left, and made their way to Rivendell. There was something that happened before that though.
"We had seventeen." Kili spoke again. Normally she would have found the brothers carrying on each other's sentences endearing but right now they were annoying. She couldn't focus with all the chatter.
"Now there's fifteen." Fili said, drawing everyone's attention back to the ponies. She allowed herself to look back briefly before returning to the task at hand. She tensed as she remembered there was something dangerous about the situation. Now if she could just remember what it was exactly.
"Daisy and Bungo are missing." The brunette's thoughts came to a standstill and she muttered quietly to herself. They just had to give two ponies silly names. At least Lucifer's was appropriate.
"Well, that's not good. That is not good at all. Shouldn't we tell Thorin?" She wanted to agree with Bilbo on this one but she didn't want to face Thorin's fury when he learnt they'd lost the ponies. She was adamant on remembering what was about to happen too.
"Uhh, no. Let's not worry him. As our official burglar, we thought you might like to look into it." Glaring at Fili she continued to stand in silence. She could just feel it in her bones that something big was about to happen. As Bilbo inspected the area she felt like a light bulb turned on in her head. Big, dangerous. The only things she could think of that fit the criteria in Middle Earth were trolls. Slapping herself she was about to warn the others of the danger when she spotted the three of them running into the trees.
Great, she'd only just remembered the trolls and they were running straight towards them. Chasing after them she cursed her memory. There was no way she was going to let her friend sneak into their camp, not this time. They might all come out of it unscathed nut she wasn't about to let Bilbo face the danger if she could help it.
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