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Chapter 10
Hunting for Stag
May 12
They were two weeks into the journey and just when Kíli thought that he would never get a chance to be alone with her, his luck changed. Upon an order to go hunting by his uncle Thorin, Kíli and Rylee were sent out hunting. Much to Kíli's chagrin, she protested loudly before they left.
"You want me to take him hunting? Are you kidding me?" Rylee looked up at Thorin from the buckle she just secured on Mikhaul.
Thorin looked at her with a hard glare. For days, she went off searching for the elusive beast that was hunting them, staying just at the periphery of her senses, and every day she returned perturbed and upset because it was still out there. He wanted someone with her if she met up with it and who better than her One? "That is a direct order Rylee, you will take Kíli with you or you will stay with the company."
"This is a horrible idea, Ugshar!" Rylee said hotly, following Thorin around the camp. "Mikhaul can take Fíli and Kíli, I can just stay with the Company. You know what happens when I go hunting!"
"Mikhaul will not take anyone without you, and you know it," Thorin growled at her, "Kíli is going with you and that is that, Rylee."
"But -!" Rylee stopped short watching incredulously as her mentor saddled his own mount. She was absolutely appalled at his unwillingness to see reason.
"No more arguments, Rylee! Get on that horse and go with Kíli," Thorin ordered her.
"Fine, he can come with me, but he had better stay out of my way," Rylee growled lowly, making sure her voice didn't carry any further than Thorin's ears. "There is something big out there, and if I am right -"
"You have been saying that for days and naught has come of it," Thorin shook his head and rolled his eyes in annoyance. "You have not seen an Orc or Warg in days, and every day you come back empty handed. If you are going hunting, you may as well take Kíli and actually bring back some meat. We are running low on supplies as it is."
"Have you ever wondered why game has been so scarce lately Ugshar? Why the Orcs and the Wargs keep their distance lately?" Rylee put her hand on his as he tightened the girth strap on his saddle. "I have been feeling a familiar presence for days, I am not entirely sure what it is, but my suspicion is that it is terrible enough to keep other dark things at bay."
"What do you mean?" Thorin shot her a dark look, his suspicions heightened.
"You do recall what it is I hunt, do you not, Thorin?" Rylee told him quietly, this was between the two of them. She didn't want to risk Kíli if she didn't have to. "I mean a drake."
"That is not hunting! It is suicide!" Thorin roared in shock, he could not believe what he was hearing. When she said they were being tracked by something big, he thought perhaps it was a werewolf, not this! The company was being tracked by a drake? A dragon was after them when they were ultimately after a dragon? It was just too absurd to even fathom.
"It has been skirting us for over a week!" Rylee shot back, her tone was menacing, and it caused a shiver to run over Thorin's spine. "I know you don't like it Thorin, but ever since I met Ungoliant the beasts of Morgoth are attracted to me. Either I hunt it or it hunts me, either way I will be fighting it."
"It greatly bothers me when you start making sense, Rylee," Thorin scowled at her, she was a War Maiden of the Valar, and he had to stop trying to hold her back. He still wanted Kíli to go with her, if he was right, Rylee was Kíli's One, and he would do anything and everything to keep Rylee safe. "Take Kíli with you, if only to ease my mind. Go on, then, they are waiting!"
Rylee was seething and frustrated. She didn't want to take Kíli anywhere with her, she was trying to avoid him. She stalked off towards Mikhaul and Kíli brought over his packs and weapons, looking none too happy at her obvious annoyance at his presence. She helped him strap everything onto the back of Mikhaul and then swung herself into the saddle. Rylee offered her hand to help him into the saddle behind her. He settled himself against her and she inwardly flinched at the intimate contact.
"You have not truly forgiven me have you?" Kíli said softly as Mikhaul jumped into a quick trot.
"I said I forgave you Kíli, I meant it," Rylee said in frustration, holding on to the great mare with her knees. Kíli's hands were on her hips, and she could feel the contact through her clothes and armor as though she was being seared with a brand. "I am hunting, which is not the same as when you hunt. I do not want to put you or anyone else in danger."
"I am sure I can handle anything that we find Rylee," Kíli assured her, he was ever confident, and she knew that he would have his usual cocky surety on his face. A small mischievous smirk playing about his mouth and a twinkle in his chocolate eyes, she didn't even need to turn to see it, she could hear it in his voice.
"Just promise that you will follow my orders if we find one of Morgoth's creatures." Rylee pleaded as she turned to look at him over her shoulder. She was not wrong, his confidence was written on his face and the twinkle in his eye spoke of his surety and bravery. She just hoped she was right and it was a drake and not something much, much darker.
Kíli was stunned. The look on her face told him that she was dead serious. Rylee fully expected to battle a monster. The thought unsettled Kíli for a moment, but it was just for a moment. This was the chance Mikhaul kept talking about, the chance to prove himself to Rylee, the opportunity to gain her favor. "I swear it, Rylee. If we meet one of Morgoth's creatures I will do whatever you say."
"Good, because I do not want to explain your death to your brother and uncle if you do not," Rylee nodded once and turned back to face forward.
With that Mikhaul broke into a run and they left the company far behind. Rylee and Mikhaul only talked on occasion to discuss the direction of the presence that they felt in the shadows. This was how Kíli came to be riding behind Rylee on Mikhaul's back. They were galloping at great speeds across the plains and into the thick forests that seemed perfect for game hunting. Neither Rylee nor Mikhaul found it important to stop for game; they were on the hunt for something much larger. It took mere hours for Mikhaul to cover ground that would take the other ponies the whole day to cover.
"If we had sixteen more ponies like Mikhaul we would be in Erebor already," Kíli said in admiration.
Mikhaul pranced at the compliment, tossing her head and trumpetting in glee. Rylee laughed as they raced along, "She is remarkable isn't she?"
Kíli was both reveling in and in agony over the constant contact with Rylee. He was so aroused it hurt, and yet he did not want to let go of her waist, as he rode behind her in the saddle. Already his hands were moving of their own accord, brushing against her hips, settling on her thighs, back to her waist. Mikhaul jerked suddenly once and his hands spanned over her lower tummy making Rylee gasp and her back arch. He got a face full of her glorious hair and an admonishment, "You do that again Kíli and we will fall off Mikhaul's back!"
His hands were driving her to distraction. They were everywhere! She was burning all over, all she needed was a spark and she would be up in flames. It was only made worse when Mikhaul sidled left and his hands brushed against her belly, even through all the layers she could feel the friction and the heat between them. She nearly fell off Mikhaul right then and there.
"Kíli, if you don't stop whatever you are doing to Rylee I am going to kick you when we reach the forest," Mikhaul's voice whispered into his mind. "She has been digging her heels into my ribs for the past twenty minutes."
So he was not the only one affected by their proximity, that was good, but knowing that Rylee was affected only made it worse. Thankfully it was not much later that Mikhaul stopped, and they were able to dismount. Kíli didn't wait for her before he stalked off into the forest, cursing about pain and control. It took every bit of his control not to haul her against the nearest tree and maul her. She was all he could think of, his lust for her was driving him out of his mind. He was nearly past the point of insanity. He just needed some space to clear his mind and get his body back under control.
It was not yet midday when Rylee pulled their gear off of Mikhaul and made a base camp for them. Just before she went after Kíli, Mikhaul told her that she would be back later that day. Eru needed her for some matter. Rylee wished her well and then turned into the forest to find Kíli. The odd lingering feeling of familiarity washed over her again as she sensed the darkness close by. Her instincts were dead on. It was closing in on them, and Kíli was out in that forest alone.
She had to go after him. She could not allow Kíli to face this beast alone. She checked some markings on a few of the low-lying bushes. There was a deer nearby, Kíli would be scouting it, and Thorin didn't tell him what they were actually hunting. Damn it! At least she had given him some warning. She walked right past him, perfectly silent in the brush. She knew he was there, but her focus was on the presence in front of her and not on the Dwarf beside her.
He was about to tell her where he was when she turned, met his eyes and held her finger to her lips. Then stealthily as a cat she moved forward through the trees. He followed on her heels making as little noise as he could behind her. She was tracking something, a relatively large animal from the markings that she was checking out. Finally, she stopped and looked back at him, "Did Thorin tell you what we are hunting?"
"No, he just told me that Bombur needs fresh meat, I told him we would bring back a stag," Kíli whispered softly.
"Well if we are lucky, we will both bag our game today, Kíli," Rylee whispered softly, her voice barely even registered, "I am hunting something much, much bigger."
On the move again they worked their way deeper into the forest. Even in daylight the thick branches above them shut out the majority of light, dappling the forest floor with shadow. Still Rylee was able to follow the trail of her game. She was good, almost as good as he and Fíli, she stopped twice looking at the markings before he pointed out the direction and they continued on. She followed behind him for awhile, until Kíli motioned for her to stop.
There it was, a massive stag in the forest, tall at least eighteen hands, and it had no less than six points on its massive antlers. It would do the company several days for food. Kíli gave Rylee his bow and arrow since she did not bring hers. She shook her head adamantly, not wanting to risk missing the shot. He was insistent if she missed they would find another deer, she needed to at least try. Finally, she took it and took her stance and drew back on the bow, she stopped, perfectly still and lowered the weapon a fraction of an inch.
Kíli wondered what in Mahal's name she was doing, he grabbed her shoulder and she pointed to an enormous mass that was towering just over the tree line on the far side of the deer. Kíli blinked trying to see what she was looking at when all of a sudden the mass moved, quick as a cat, it leapt for the deer. Rylee aimed at the deer and took her shot, the arrow swerved right and the whistle of the turning arrow alerted the stag to danger. The buck took off at a dead run, just barely escaping the massive jaws of a hulking long-tailed wyvern. The arrow struck smartly on the dragon's snout and fell harmlessly to the ground. The bright, sharp silvery teeth snapped shut at the miss and the creature hissed in anger.
Kíli blinked, Rylee alerted the deer on purpose, knowing her arrow would turn away from the deer. Kíli moved to draw his sword, prepared to fight their way out of the forest when Rylee stopped his hand. She pulled out her axes and handed them to him, mouthing the words, blood mithril. She then unclipped her whip and let it slowly uncoil around her. Her other hand reached for her long dagger on her spine. There was a spark in her eyes, a hunger, she looked ready to pounce. She motioned that she was going to skirt the clearing to the opposite side and took off on nearly silent feet.
"I smell dwarf," The dragon spoke in a soft, low, hypnotic voice, Kíli could see its mouth moving. It was a voice meant to lull their prey into a stupor or to give up the fight. After all the tales of dragons he heard in his youth, Kíli knew he had to remain strong and fight the seduction of that voice.
The dragon turned a flaring red eye in their direction, looking directly at Kíli. It was a massive silver thing, standing easily as tall as the trees, its long silvery tail whipping back and forth, destroying trees with every lashing swipe. The thick silver scales covered him. Face, feet, back, and tail. The only soft area was a bright blue leathery underbelly that he kept protected close to the ground. It had a long jaw, and spines along its nose across its broad cheekbones and up over the massive burning red eyes. The spines joined above the eyes to create an enormous comb that ran down its neck and along its shoulders before receding slowly into nothingness.
"What is your name, Dwarf?" The massive creature asked Kíli, his voice sliding silkily through the trees, "What should I call you?"
"I am called Master Archer," Kíli said softly feeling compelled to answer but knowing from all of his dragon lore that he should never give a dragon a straight answer. "I am called Scout."
"Was it you who made the arrow turn?" The dragon asked with no small amount of intrigue, "It is a neat trick, I will give you that. Not remotely interesting enough to let you live. You carry gold and precious things, pitiful, not enough gold to bother. I have a great hoard to the north in the grey mountains, so great that all lesser worms desire it."
"If I may be so bold as to ask," Kíli spoke slowly as he watched Rylee move through the trees. He was trying to buy her time so he continued, "If it is so great a hoard why did you leave it?"
"I search for someone," The massive beast followed Kíli with his great red eyes, his nostrils flared as he took in his scent. "You smell like the one that I hunt, and yet different. You are vaguely familiar. Yes, I remember this scent, I remember this taste."
"That is impossible," Kíli shook his head, feeling no small amount of fear. He was shaking in his boots and yet he had to keep the dragon preoccupied until Rylee reappeared. "I have never met you before."
"Of course you have not. No dwarf has stood against Esgaud and survived," The dragon taunted him out loud, he could see his lips and face moving with the words. Kíli shook his head as he also heard thoughts in his mind, much like Mikhaul's, but these were telling him to give in, to give up and to disarm peacefully. Mikhaul's voice was bright, cheerful and joyous. This beast's voice gave Kíli the shivers; it was cold, dark, and angry. It filled his mind, telling him to succumb to death. Kíli scoffed, there was no way he was giving up, what did this beast take him for, weak? "I am Killer of Durin Sons, Destroyer of Dwarves. You smell of the Durins folk, I have met your kind before, weak dwarves the lot of them. What were their names? Their names... ah yes, Dain and Fror, I tasted them and I took their mountain, driving the others out."
Kíli could not believe it. This was the beast that killed his ancestors, Dain I and his son Fror. His great grandfather Thror's brother and father died in an attack by a cold drake! This beast was that very drake! This monster, Esgaud was the reason Thror moved his people back to Erebor. Rage filled Kíli and he had to hold himself back from charging in against it. He wanted to avenge his ancestors, for Thorin's sake, for his mother's sake. But he was not strong enough to kill a dragon alone and he promised Rylee that he would follow her orders, so he held still and waited for her direction.
"It is a pity that you are not the one I seek," the dragon taunted Kíli trying to draw him out of the trees. "You are too small for dinner, but I will kill you nonetheless. The only good dwarf is a dead one."
"You may stop with the mind games gozig'kall," Rylee said, her tone was bored, sardonic and highly disrespectful. She was standing on the opposite side of the dragon. Kíli's eyes widened, she was taunting the dragon? It was a fool's errand to taunt a live dragon, everyone knew this, and yet Rylee continued to speak, "Neither of us is susceptible to your powers of persuasion."
"Treasures. You smell different, you smell like treasure, like gold, like dragon, and like wolf," Esgaud turned its head to look at Rylee, to get a better sniff at her. "You smell like fire."
"You like the way I smell, don't you gozig'kall?" Rylee asked. Her voice rang with power, she sounded almost seductive to Kíli's ears, rivaling the dragon's power over mind and sound. "I smell like power. All dragons, even cold ones like you, like power."
"I don't like that you smell like that dwarf," Esgaud sulked, no longer able to play his game with Kíli, he was evidently becoming agitated. "You should be with someone stronger, Little Power. Little Firebrand."
"So you know my name Esgaud," Rylee scoffed devaluing his knowledge. She tried to shake the feeling that she knew this dragon, that she faced him before. How, when, where? She didn't understand. It was not like her to ever forget a dragon. She could remember every battle, from her first all the way to her last against Ancalagon. Red eyes, she could see it in the red eyes. She knew this dragon, but how? Silver and blue flashed bitterly in her mind, followed by a flash of green and gold. Shaking it off Rylee focused on the battle at hand, "My reputation precedes me."
"You have been missing from the world for a long time, Firebrand. You nearly wiped out my kind." The dragon told her darkly. Kíli wondered what the banter was about. Rylee signed in Iglishmek, "The long tail will attack very soon. On my command we go for the forelegs, you go to the right, I take the left." Kíli nodded imperceptibly. "I remember you. They called you by many names, Dragons Bane, Firebrand, Rúnyatári, and Rylee Emitheral."
"How do you know me?" Rylee said, again fighting this feeling of knowledge, of acquaintanceship. How could she possibly know this beast? She felt dizzy and she wondered if somehow her ability to block the glamour of dragons was failing. That was impossible. Green, gold, blue, silver, red eyes, the images swirled in her mind making her nauseous. Something was horribly wrong.
"Don't you remember, Rúnyatári? My brother and I lived in a great hoard. He was of fire and I am of ice. You and Fram came to take our hoard from us." The silver dragon with the blue belly growled lowly, his red eyes flashing with hostility.
"I don't know anyone named Fram," Rylee whispered feeling sick to her stomach, her mind whirling with images swirling. This was not normal, she needed to shake this off, whatever it was. "I don't know you. I don't know your brother."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, Rylee Emitheral. What did the White One do to you?" Esgaud teased her darkly. Rylee could feel him pounding against the barrier in her mind, the one that protected her from his glamour. It was intact. Whatever was upsetting her was not based on dragon magic. This was something else. "How is it possible that you would not recall Scatha?"
"Scatha!" Kíli gasped in recognition of the name. Scatha was a dragon killed in the year two thousand, nearly nine and a half centuries ago. Rylee was there? How was that possible? He looked at Rylee and he was shocked. She looked ill like something was profoundly wrong. She was leaning against a tree, sucking in deep breaths. Her usually pale face was ghostly white.
"Who is Scatha?" Rylee whispered as she braced herself on the tree. Green and gold, jewel bright red eyes, fire and sparks came from nose and mouth. Familiar and yet she did not remember. "Who is the White One?"
"I remember it clearly Firebrand," Esgaud was creeping forward, slowly but surely, closer and closer to his prey. "My brother and I were merely protecting our hoard. You and that Fram attacked us. My brother used his magic on Fram, he could manipulate the human. Scatha could not manipulate you, and you killed him, but not before you fell. The White One did something to you, right before you vanished."
The flash of a face, gold and green, a man, red eyes, someone wearing white, silver and blue. The images danced before her eyes. Rylee fought against the pictures in her mind, she needed clarity. She needed to shake this off. Knowing full well that she could not fight this dragon in her current condition and she needed to protect Kíli. She took a deep breath and forced herself to clear her mind. Pushing the odd images away Rylee envisioned her flame, she thought about Mahal and about the company and the Dwarf she was trying to protect. Everything that she could use to bring her to focus she used it. Looking across the clearing to Kíli, she met his eyes and pushed away from the tree, feeling strong again.
"So how many are left of your kind, vile worm? How many gozig'kall are there left in the world?" Rylee taunted the beast, allowing the power in her voice to rise once again. "Once I kill you there will be one less and I would like to share the news of your fall with your kin."
Kíli watched her with an edge of fear and horror. She was baiting this beast on purpose. He could see the beast beginning to coil in rage, ready to attack.
"I am the last of the wyverns," Esgaud coiled, its muscles flexed and tensed visibly. Its long tail began twitching, then swinging and sweeping ferociously back and forth, crushing trees with each wide swing. "You killed my brother. You killed Scatha, for that I will destroy you."
"You are a liar, Esgaud," Rylee taunted in return, there was a sardonic lilt to her voice and she stepped out from behind the trees, closing the space between herself and the dragon. "I know for a fact that there are others, many that are smaller than you. I have heard a legend of one more powerful than you, one that keeps a watch over a gold horde in a very lonely place."
Esgaud's nostrils flared in rage, the audacity and daring of the little creature before him, did she have no respect for those stronger than she? She was little more than a child! He was supposed to bring her to the dark master, but Esgaud wanted her dead. He sneered at her, "There is one great Fire Drake far to the east. You will never reach him for you will die this night."
"That is where you are wrong, lizard, Smaug is next!" Rylee growled lowly, her whip cocked in readiness, she said evenly, "Now Scout!"
Kíli blinked for a moment as he realized that Rylee used one of the names that he gave the dragon to ensure that it could not use Kíli's name to overpower him. She sprang forward as he did, together they attacked. She lashed her whip at the left foreleg as Kíli sprang for the right. Rylee released the blades and pulled as hard as she could and her whip began to dig into the scaled flesh of the beast. The bladed whip had cut deeply into the thick muscles of the left foreleg before it unwound and the whip fell loose. It was a deep wound and the Dragon screamed in pain and flailed upwards, but not before Kíli planted both of the Mithril axes into the ankle of the right forefoot, completely severing the great silver paw.
"Use the axes to climb!" Rylee ordered, her voice was commanding, "Take his head from the top!"
She lashed her whip again as the dragon thrashed in agony, Kíli watched in awe for a moment as Rylee kept the beast distracted. Then he did as she commanded and swung the axe into the monsters hanging forearm. Arm over arm, Kíli used the axes to pull himself up the side of the dragon while Rylee kept the screaming beast busy below.
Rylee lashed out with her whip trying to keep the beast contained, and still enough that Kíli could climb. She purposely cut long lashes into the thick muscles of the dragon's throat, weakening the skin. Esgaud snapped at her, so she rolled under his heavy jaw and drove her dagger into the loose flesh under its angry maw. He roared in rage.
She rolled back out from under his head and backed away, flicking her wrist and once again striking it in the face. The beast turned his head to nip at Kíli, who was nearing the bony area of the Dragon's shoulder. The blooded axes digging deep into the flesh with each swing and pull as he lifted himself ever higher. Rylee taunted Esgaud, "Come on you stupid, vile beast! You can do better than that!"
"Where is your spark little firebrand?" Her whip dug deep into his face as he swung back to face her, the tail end snapping right into the pupil of his bright ice blue eye. He screamed in pain and lunged forward, snapping ferociously at Rylee. Kíli did everything that he could just to hang on so he could continue to climb.
"What spark is that, Esgaud? Killer of Durin Sons, Destroyer of Dwarves," Rylee said repeating the words she heard earlier. She was no longer certain that she didn't know this beast, he was too familiar a presence to deny the possibility. But she was certain that she did not know who Dain or Fror were, but she saw Kíli's face when the dragon taunted Kíli earlier. She knew that he was enraged by what he heard, which meant that they were ancestors of some sort. Rylee vowed that she would help Kíli avenge their deaths.
Suddenly the beast's chest flared and a freezing cold fog erupted from its mouth pouring around Rylee who still stood just before him. Kíli watched in horror as everything around them became coated in glistening ice before it cracked and died, turning black. Strangely Rylee began to smile, even as her leather solidified, her hair turned white and her eyelashes grew icy. She grinned dark and feral, looking up at the dragon with pure hostility. Esgaud looked down at her with superiority, "Feel the power of the North Rylee Emitheral, how do you like being frozen?"
"You should know better than to play with fire, Drake," Rylee said in rage as Esgaud once again turned to snap his teeth at Kíli. Rylee ignited the sparks that lived under her skin, and then she allowed herself to burn. The beast swung back in surprise to see the girl on fire and the ice around her evaporating into mist. The flame trickled up her arms and over her shoulders, down her back and over her legs until she was completely enveloped in bright red flame. Then she spoke a command and her whip lit on fire. She looked up to see Kíli standing on the beast's head, looking down at her. His face was awestruck.
"It cannot be!" Esgaud roared at her as he watched the fire flare to life around her, "Scatha himself doused your flame! I saw him destroy your fire! He pulled your spark from your soul!"
"Nothing can steal my spark and no one can contain my fire! I am the Queen of Red Flame for a reason!" She began to speak in the blood magic language, Aglâbu Azrâdu'damâm, the flames rose higher around her waving hypnotically back and forth. The dragon was so caught up in her movements and her dance with her whip that he didn't notice Kíli standing high up on his neck, readying his axes. The handles of the blades in Kíli's hands vibrated with the influx of raw power, the runes began to light from within, as did the runes on Rylee's whip and dagger. Kíli's eyes were drawn to Rylee, covered in flame, her deep dark ember hair crackled with sparks and flame. Her electric eyes sparked white, and the flames clung to her petite frame like a second skin. She truly was a firebrand.
"Cut deep, Strike True," she cried to him in her impassioned language. He didn't know the words, but he understood the meaning. Kíli took it as his cue and embedded the rounded axes on either side of the dragon's neck. He felt the pulse of the magic in the blades as they sliced deep into the flesh and Kíli jumped back as the tail of Rylee's whip swung up and wrapped tight around one of the handles. She pulled hard and the axe split the flesh on one side of the dragon's throat.
Esgaud roared in rage and bucked into the air, as black blood wept from the grave wound. Rylee was launched upwards and landed hard on the dragon's snout, and Kíli slipped down the dragon's back. He grabbed tight to one of the spines on his neck and used the dagger called 'hush' to stop his free fall, embedding the blue blade into the flesh as he fell. Kíli noticed that even his blade thrummed with the life of Rylee's magic, silently shredding the flesh, digging deep into dragon flesh and bone. The dragon tried to scrabble away from its imminent death and keened at the massive laceration in its neck. Rylee was still on Esgaud's nose, she hung there for a long moment clinging to the spines as the dragon thrashed. Using his dagger as a climbing anchor Kíli crawled back up the dragon's neck toward its great head. Finally up top, he tucked the dagger back into its scabbard and prepared to help Rylee, who was on the nose of the beast.
He watched as Rylee rolled over and got her feet beneath her. Her dagger still in hand she launched herself at the dragon's eye, planting the blade deep within the black pupil of the bright red eye. The dragon screamed and thrashed as the fiery blade penetrated the soft tissue. At the same moment, Kíli leapt for the handle of the other axe, using his weight to pull the blade through the flesh. As the blade cut its path through the scaly skin of the beast, Kíli saw the handle of the other axe still stuck in the other side of the Dragon's neck. The power of Rylee's magic still emanated from the weapons as he reached for it and pulled hard on both. Tucking up and pressing his feet into the underside of the monsters neck, he pulled the blades through the muscle tissue, severing the hot arteries and veins. Finally, the monster fell in a deadened heap. Kíli pulled the axes free and rolled away just in time, screaming in rage and in retribution, "That is for killing my ancestors you worthless worm!"
He looked back at Rylee whose flame shimmering body clung to her dagger, still embedded deep within the dragon's eye. She was hanging haphazardly off of the great beast's face, the red eye bleeding white viscous fluid over her hands. She did not move for a long moment.
"Rylee!" He called to her as he approached. She rose to her feet and stumbled back as she jerked the dagger out of the dragon's eye. The flames disappeared and she started to fall. Kíli dropped the axes and ran for her, catching her before she fell to the ground, "Rylee, are you okay?"
"Aye, Kíli," Rylee whispered, she hung limply in his arms. He picked her up and carried her to a tree opposite the dragon. "Magic is exhausting. I just need rest."
"Well you cannot sleep here," Kíli said softly, caressing her face, trying to keep her awake.
"No, Kíli, this is," Rylee started. Her eyes closed for a long moment. When she opened them she continued, her voice even quieter and weaker, "the safest place. No one will approach a dragon, even a dead one. I will rest. You go hunt, find that stag."
"No, I will not leave you, Rylee." Kíli shook his head. He did not want to leave her here, with this monster's carcass. "If anything, we need to go back to the company."
"Mikhaul is gone to help Eru, we cannot leave until she returns," Rylee whispered. "Go hunting. Get the stag, by the time you get back Mikhaul will have returned. I promise I will be safe."
"No Rylee, please, let me take you to safety," Kíli stroked his fingers down her face, but she was gone. Only her steady breath assured him that she was still alive. "Please, my love, wake up. We cannot stay here."
"She will be safe, as she said," a voice said from behind him. Kíli spun, the only weapon he had left was his hunting dagger on his left hip, everything else was scattered. There was a tall man standing behind him, taller even than Gandalf, with hair the color of Rylee's, and a braid in his beard. He had an aura of greatness, his chest was bare, but he wore an Armored cloak and held a great war hammer in his hand. "You should do as she says, go hunting, and gather food for your kin. Rylee needs sleep. Do not worry young Kíli. I will stay with her until you return."
"You are Mahal!" Kíli said his eyes wide with awe. He took a breath and looked back at Rylee, "I don't like leaving her. It feels wrong."
"I promise she will be fine. Go on your hunt, return quickly." Mahal said looking down at his sleeping daughter. His pride and love for her was written in every expression as he took in her sleeping form.
Kíli did as asked, he hated doing it. Leaving her like that when she was so vulnerable, but she was with Mahal. If anyone could keep her safe it would be Mahal. It took less than an hour to find the stag, and then he had to track it silently waiting for the perfect shot. It took another hour to clean it and another to haul the carcass back to the camp Rylee made. Twilight was just settling around them as he pulled the meat into camp for curing. He found it surreal that he and Rylee took on a dragon in the middle of the day, and still there was time enough left to hunt and carry out a stag.
When he arrived, he found Rylee sleeping in her bedroll and Mahal sitting beside a roaring fire. Their weapons were gathered together and a smoke tent was already set up over a small coal pit with fragrant branches and herbs smoldering gently on a rack within. All that was missing was the stag. Mahal looked at him appraisingly and Kíli found himself unsure under such a dark gaze. "You are a skilled warrior. You might be a match in strength for my daughter. The real question is if you are the one who can give life to her fire."
"Rylee is fire," Kíli said in confusion, looking up at the very maker of his people.
"Aye, she is, but she is more. Her power has been subdued by the wills of those who covet it. When her heart is pure, her fire is pure as well," Mahal said softly, he looked at Rylee and Kíli could see the love and affection that he held for her. "She is a soft soul, but a bright one, one who can bring great joy and light to those around her, that is Nienna's doing. Nienna's Grace resides within her, but until that purity is restored, Rylee will remain lost. I urge you to help her find it."
"I will try, if she will let me," Kíli said honestly, looking at the Maker of Dwarves, feeling complete reverence just by being in his presence. He could not believe that the Vala was here, standing before him, much less talking to him.
"Good, that is good," Mahal smirked at his response. The glint in his eyes spoke of amusement as well as considerable knowledge. The tall Vala walked away from camp. Moving out of the small clearing and towards the thick forest, he stopped at the edge of the woods, "Oh, Kíli, tell no one that you saw me, especially not Rylee. It would only upset her that she missed a visit."
With that, Vala Aulë was gone, leaving Kíli with the question of how? How was he to help Rylee find what she was missing? What did he mean by giving life to her fire? If Rylee was fire, how could he give life to it?
He pushed the thoughts away for the moment. He had other tasks that needed to be taken care of before he could figure out the puzzles of the Maker. He would have to cook the meat himself and make food for himself and Rylee for when she woke. Thus far, she slept deeply, steadily. Kíli set himself to work, getting as much done as he possibly could. Luckily he kept supplies on him for instances like this. While hunting it was always likely to have a delay or a need to keep camp for an extra night. He started to butcher the stag and smoke the cuts that would be best smoked while he waited for Mikhaul to return, the rest he roasted over the fire once it got low enough to cook without burning.
It was late that night when Mikhaul returned, her coat glistening with sweat. Kíli took one look at the steed and knew that there was no way that they were going to be returning to the Company that night. Whatever she and Eru were doing that day, it was obviously enough to exhaust her. The mare usually had energy for days, but Mikhaul would not speak of it. She only told him that darkness was growing and Eru was concerned.
He and Mikhaul took turns keeping watch through the night. Rylee continued to sleep, dreamless and peaceful. That alone worried Kíli, it was not like Rylee to sleep for so long or so deeply. He noticed several nights ago when he was on watch that her sleep was often riddled with dreams, dreams that made her toss and turn and cry out softly in the night. Sometimes they were the names of the Company, other times they were names he never heard before. When Kíli woke at dawn and found her sleeping still, his worry grew. He checked the meat that he slow roasted and cured over the fire, then packed it away, it was nearing the noon hour and still she slept on. Kíli and Mikhaul shared a long look. They could not remain here longer. He needed to get Rylee back to Thorin and the company needed their meat.
He packed up camp leaving Rylee's bedroll for last. Everything else was already strapped to Mikhaul's back. He sat beside Rylee and put his hand on her shoulder, shaking her lightly. "Rylee, it is time to wake."
Her brow creased, and she murmured softly. Her hands caught his, pulling it to her chest. He took both of hers in his own hands. "Come on Rylee, time to get up, we need to get back to the others."
"So tired, Kíli, just a little more sleep," Rylee pleaded softly, her eyes didn't open.
"No, Rylee we need to go now." Kíli urged softly, her eyes fluttered in the bright midday light. She whimpered as she fought to open her eyes. "Tell you what, you get up now, just long enough to get on Mikhaul, and you can sleep while we ride back."
"Mmm-okay," Rylee turned over and tried to rise. She was weak, stumbling, and Kíli had to help her to Mikhaul's side. He turned and rolled up her bedroll and strapped it with everything else. Her weapons were all packed together with the rest of their belongings. She would be more comfortable if she didn't wear them today. He wrapped her thick black fur cloak around her shoulders and propped her up on Mikhaul's back and pulled himself into the saddle behind her. Once he had her settled against him, they set out.
Finally they were back on the trail, headed back to the Company. Mikhaul didn't need direction, so Kíli just held Rylee against him, making sure she didn't fall from the mare. Holding her tight against him the day before drove him to agony due to lust, today he was in agony due to her state of sheer exhaustion. He was concerned for her welfare, having never before seen her so weak and vulnerable.
"This can't be comfortable for you." She said suddenly. Kíli wasn't sure she actually spoke until he looked down at her, leaning against him, her back against his chest. Rylee turned to look up at him, eyelashes fluttering as she struggled to open them. When she finally did her stormy eyes glimmered in the daylight, her exhaustion was evident in them and it was mere seconds before she closed them once again. Then she turned into him, sitting sideways across his lap, snuggling her face into his chest and collar, "but you smell good and you are comfy for me."
Kíli chuckled softly and whispered back, "I am comfortable enough Rylee, you go ahead and sleep."
"Okay, Kíli, anything for you," Rylee said as she wrapped her arms around his waist, clinging to him. He brushed a strand of hair away from her face, and she hummed, a smile pulling up at her lips. He brushed his fingers from her brow to her cheekbone to her jaw. His thumb brushed over her bottom lip. She kissed his thumb, "you make me warm inside."
Kíli could not believe her words, his stomach clenched with emotion at her confession in a state of vulnerability. He wanted to hear more, he wanted to know, "What do you feel when I touch you, Rylee?"
He ran a hand down her back, down to her bottom to lift her higher into the saddle, closer to him. She moaned softly at the intimate contact and whispered, "Joy, pleasure, rapture, bliss."
"All of that from a single momentary touch?" Kíli asked her softly, elation filled him as he grinned at her, her sleep-induced confessions pleased him greatly. If she were more awake, he would kiss her, he wanted to feel the softness of her lips on his once again. He wanted to taste her and explore her, be the one to teach her the joys of kissing.
"Hmm, all other thoughts disappear," she confessed against his chest. Her arms clung even tighter, then she admitted, "I can think only of you, Kíli, you are entirely distracting."
She fell silent then, her breathing evened out as she fell back asleep curled tight against him, and her soft breaths warmed his collarbone. She was probably the most graceful Dwarf Kíli ever met, definitely the most sensual, and she was more distracting than any Dwarrowdam he ever had the pleasure of getting to know. If ever there was a maid he wanted to court, it would be Rylee, but it was up to her to make the next move. Mikhaul said that Rylee was afraid and had admitted to not knowing the courting customs. If that were the case, perhaps it would be acceptable to make his own rules and court her in his own way.
"I feel the same, Rylee," Kíli whispered, as he kissed the top of her head, "I feel exactly the same."
He thought about what she did the day before, fighting the dragon, luring it, seducing it towards its own demise with her fire. The immense power of her magic, how she looked covered in dark red flames, giving him enough time to get into position to kill a dragon. Her powers of seduction sparked his imagination, and he wondered if he could do that with her, seduce her into making a move. He looked down at her, her arms wrapped around him. It would be worth a shot.
They rode for hours like that, Rylee sleeping peacefully in his arms as Mikhaul took them back to wherever the others were. Kíli watched their surroundings, not realizing just how far they went the day before. Kíli knew the moment that she fell under the throes of a nightmare. She tensed against him, her arms clinging tightly, she started to shake, and her breathing became uneven as though she was trying to fight something. She began to struggle against him as she woke from whatever terrors were chasing her, until he spoke, "It's alright Rylee, just a dream. I have you. You are safe with me."
"Kíli!" Rylee gasped as she heard his voice in her ear. She struggled to get her bearings and figure out what was happening around her. It came back to her slowly a she pushed away the dreams that still clung to her exhausted mind. The fiery eye in her dreams was gone, but still she was having visions, premonitions of deaths, deaths of the company, and of herself. The image of Dori and Nori being crushed to death by a troll, and the twining bodies of two dragons were still vivid in her mind. She no longer felt like they were being followed and the darkness was greatly subdued, she gave a mental sigh of relief as she came awake.
"Just a dream Rylee, are you okay?" Kíli asked looking down at her as the emotions of fear, pain, sorrow and relief flashed across her face.
"Aye, aye, I am alright," She whispered as she met his heavenly chocolate eyes, remembered that they were riding on Mikhaul's back returning to the others. A flash of her comments earlier on horseback flashed through her mind and she blushed as she realized what she confessed to him. She hoped for a moment that it was just a dream, but the sly look on his face told her that she most definitely said those things out loud. 'Oh Mahal, what did I do?' She thought, sending her thoughts to her father, she could almost hear him laughing at her. She promised herself she would keep him at a distance and instead she was telling him things that were secret, personal. 'I am such a lovesick fool,' She thought in annoyance and turned her thoughts to the events of the previous day. She looked up at him and grinned, "You killed a dragon, Kíli."
"We killed a dragon, Rylee," Kíli chuckled softly. They avenged his ancestors and destroyed a beast that long plagued the Dwarves of the Grey Mountains. While he was proud that he had a hand in it, he could not help but feel that Rylee was the only reason they were successful. "We killed it together."
"You gave the final blow, you brought him down," Rylee protested, insistent that he take some credit for the kill. "You did really well, you should be proud!"
"I am just happy we both survived. I promised Thorin you would be safe with me," Kíli told her as she tried to sit up against him feeling her fingers dig deep into his shoulders as she moved. He pulled her back, helping her adjust upright since she seemed much more awake, holding her so she didn't fall off the great horse. "I never thought that hunting a stag would turn into killing a dragon."
Rylee started to laugh and Kíli wondered what he said that was so funny. He didn't find the humor in it whatsoever. At his questioning glance, Rylee just laughed even harder. While he enjoyed the sound of her rich laughter, he wondered if she was laughing at him or at something else. It made him feel self-conscious so he snapped at her, "It's not funny Rylee, I thought you were going to die. When you didn't wake up for a whole day, I was worried."
"I apologize, Kíli," Rylee said as she sobered up, his anger at her dampening her thoughts. "It's just your words reminded me of something that happened a long time ago."
"Why what happened?" Kíli asked he wanted to know everything about her. He wanted her to share herself with him.
"Hmm, I think I have told you enough confessions for one day, and I don't want to share with them," Rylee said indicating the group of dwarves looming before them. Recalling her confessions to him, she blushed uncomfortably from roots to toes. Did she really tell him all that? Damn, she was supposed to be pushing him away not falling even harder for him. She really was an idiot.
"Where the hell have you been? We expected you back last night." Thorin thundered at Kíli, and then he saw Rylee curled in Kíli's arms, her exhausted expression, the light dusting of ash that seemed to coat her, and a deep concern etched across his face. "What happened?"
Mikhaul answered she kept it between Gandalf, Kíli, Fíli, and Thorin, "Mahal says it was a Cold Drake. They killed it together, but Rylee used Aglâbu Azrâdu'damâm on her weapons."
Thorin's eyes met Rylee's tired ones. "I warned you what we would find if we went hunting, Thorin. I was not wrong."
Worry creased Thorin's brow, "We will talk later. We need to find a place to camp for the night. She needs proper rest, and from the looks of it, so do you, Kíli."
"Wait, Thorin, you knew that, that – Thing – was out there?" Kíli asked in shock, he realized that they couldn't tell the others about the dragon, but Rylee and Thorin knew they would find a dragon? And Thorin let them go? Was that the reason why Rylee was so against him going hunting with her because she knew she would find a dragon?
"This is what I hunt, Kíli," Rylee whispered as she leaned against him, "this is why I need trilobate arrowheads."
"It was a cold drake, Uncle, the same beast that killed Dain the First and Fror, it called itself Esgaud," Kíli told Thorin later that night once they made camp. Kíli, Fíli, and Thorin stood in a small clearing a ways away from the rest of the group along with Gandalf and Rylee. "It seemed to know Rylee. It was taunting her as though he remembered her from long ago. It acted like it was hunting her on purpose."
"How is that possible?" Thorin asked Rylee, "Is it possible the beast survived since the First Age?"
"Of course it is possible," Rylee said softly, "the beast was ancient. But I don't remember ever meeting it, and I remember every kill and every encounter with the dragons. I don't understand. For days, I have been feeling this beast following me, along with it a sense of familiarity to it. How is it possible that I have no recollection to this beast? And who is Scatha?"
"Scatha?" Thorin turned to her in surprise, "What does the golden dragon have to do with this?"
"Supposedly I killed the beast," Rylee was pacing, restless and aggravated. Green and gold flashed before her eyes, twining with silver and blue. Both beasts had red eyes. She could see the dragons, picture both in her mind, but she did not remember anything about the events the creature spoke of. "Who is Scatha? When did he die, who killed him? What happened?
"Scatha was a Long-worm, a wingless fire drake, he was killed by Fram some nine hundred forty-one years ago," Gandalf told Rylee sagely meeting her confused gaze. "He was beheaded, an exceptional feat for a mere man. There was a dispute over the dragon's hoard that led to Fram's death."
"Fram insulted the dwarves by giving them only a necklace made of Dragon Teeth," Thorin added with a look of scorn on his face. "A significant portion of that treasure was rightfully ours, stolen from our people by Scatha."
"But Esgaud said that Rylee killed Scatha, but not until after Scatha used magic on Fram," Kíli mused in bewilderment. He met Rylee's eyes and he could see that she was easily just as perplexed as he. "He said that the White One did something to her before she vanished."
Rylee looked at Gandalf again and narrowed her gaze as she recalled those words, "Who is the White One? And why do I not remember any of it?"
Gandalf stood suddenly and approached Rylee, "Let me see you, child."
"What? What is it, Gandalf?" Rylee asked looking up into the wizard's blue-grey eyes. He pressed his thumb and forefinger to her forehead and whispered in Quenya. Rylee felt a pressure on her mind and Gandalf's hand began to shake before he suddenly pulled his hand away from her as though he was being burned.
"Your mind is blocked!" Gandalf gasped stepping away, "There is powerful magic sealing your memories. I cannot unlock them."
"What do you mean? Gandalf, I need answers!" Rylee was quite upset by this news. She remembered the feeling of illness as she confronted the beast. The shifting of her memories and the flashes of images plagued her. "There is darkness growing around us, I feel it, Mikhaul feels it! I need to know what is going on! How am I supposed to complete my quest if I do not know what dangers there are awaiting us?"
He looked at her with a great amount of concern, "I can only tell you of what I know about it, I was not there for the end of Scatha. If you were there, then it was not with me as your guide."
"But you are always my guide," Rylee shook her head in frustration, "Who else would meet me in Middle-Earth that has the ear of the Valar?"
"I suggest you speak to Saruman the White," Gandalf advised her gently.
Rylee met his gaze, "This Saruman, he is the White One?"
"It is just a theory, but being the head of the White Council, he would be the best one to ask about this," Gandalf said with a short nod.
"How can I find Saruman? I am in the middle of a quest, and the effects of whatever block is on my memory nearly disabled me during battle," Rylee was seething in frustration. How could she not remember? If the dragon was telling the truth, then she was missing an entire life! She could not remember fighting Scatha! It was possible that Esgaud was lying to her, but if that was the case why did he feel so familiar? Why did she feel like she was once acquainted with his aura of darkness? At least some of what Esgaud told her was the truth, it felt true, but whom or what could have the power to block her memory? "It took a lot of energy to break free of whatever hold it had on me, in order to wield a simple weapon spell."
"Perhaps you should refrain from using your fire or magic until you figure this out," Thorin said quietly, he was speaking out of concern. He just did not want to see her get hurt. If a simple weapons spell could drive her into a dead sleep for a full day, he did not care to know what a greater spell could do to her.
"The Fire energized her, Uncle. It was the Blood Magic language that tired her." Kíli protested in defense of Rylee, who was now pointedly glaring at Thorin for even making the suggestion. "Putting power into her weapons was what tired her, but it also was what killed the dragon. I would never have been able to cut through its flesh without it."
"She is damn lucky that you were there to help her!" Thorin growled glaring back at Rylee, "Must you fight me on everything? All I am asking is that you stop using magic until you know what it is that is holding you back! Is that so much to ask?"
Gandalf huffed in frustration and walked away, headed back towards camp. Rylee watched him go before turning back to Thorin. She met his eye and snapped, "I am not going to stop using my powers just because it takes more energy than usual."
"I thought you said you accepted her blood magic," Kíli said quietly in frustration. The tension amongst them was nearly unbearable. He was uncomfortable and he could see that Fíli felt the same.
"I accept that it is part of her, in fact, I find it quite beautiful," Thorin growled angrily, how many times did he need to repeat himself? "I just don't like the fact that it takes so much from her. You saw what it did to her, the fire magic she used the other night was on a very small dagger, and you saw how tired and weak she was. She barely made it to her bedroll before she passed out. One spell against a dragon and she was defenseless for a full day! What if you were not there? What happens next?"
If someone came across her when she was weak, what harm would they do to her? If the wrong person got a hold of her and tried to abuse her powers, what would happen then? Thorin worried about this above all others. His family was prone to dragon sickness, what if he fell under the same spell as his grandfather and he tried to use Rylee? He knew that he was as much a danger to her as anyone else, yet he still wanted to protect her from others.
"What if she is weakened by it because she does not use it often enough?" Fíli suggested quietly, thoughtfully. Rylee met his eyes, thankful for a voice of reason. "She only uses it when she absolutely must. It does not sound like she has received proper training so wouldn't she get stronger the more she uses it?"
"Do you want to tempt fate lad?" Thorin hollered at him, Rylee flinched from where she stood, all these arguments and more she used the last time they argued about her use of magic. "She received training in Aman, but it seems that she has as much control over the flame during magic as she does cooking."
Rylee ran her hands down her face in frustration; it was the same old argument, over and over again. He hated it when she used too much magic, she always overtaxed herself. Rylee didn't bother telling them that the Valar only taught her how to use simple blood magic. None of them knew what her magic truly was until she was already journeying in Middle-Earth searching with Olorin for a suitable host or hostess. They found out later that it was much, much more than that, her power went beyond her blood and into her soul and her very essence. When they finally discovered what her magic consisted of, Manwë sent a message through Mikhaul to seek out Jovina. Jovina was the only person who could help teach Rylee to control the powers, and Jovina was long gone, having disappeared during the battle of Gondolin.
"Is it possible that she needs a staff like Gandalf to direct her power?" Kíli asked softly.
"That was what the Star of Ilúvatar was for," Rylee whispered, her head in her hands, "And it is lost."
"Lost or stolen?" Thorin asked her his voice was harsh, angry, she flinched visibly.
"Lost, stolen, does it really make a difference? Over six thousand years have passed since it was last in my possession. Do you really think that it will still have the power it once did?" Rylee snarled at him, she was getting really fed up with this whole conversation. "Even if it does, do you really think that the people who have it are going to give it back? They were powerful in the First Age, not even Olorin or Galadriel were able to get it back from them."
"Who stole it from you, Rylee?" Thorin asked her this time softly.
"Oropher stole it, thinking he could use it as leverage against me and gave it to his son, as my betrothal token. Thranduil refused to return it to me. He said that it was his right to carry it, as he was my betrothed." Rylee said with barely leashed rage. She closed her eyes for a moment before looking at Thorin and his nephews. "I am done with this conversation. I do not want to talk about it anymore."
"We are not done with this conversation," Thorin told her sternly. "When you were in the healing tent, when they stole it, it was because of the magic wasn't it? You overdid it and made yourself vulnerable and they took advantage, didn't they?"
"What was I supposed to do, let the Balrogs smash the citadel with everyone inside it? Thousands of children, dwarves, elves, and men, all of which were hiding from the horrors that were attacking the city. Of course, I used my magic, and I would do it again and again and again if it means saving the lives of innocent people! You think that I used my magic frivolously? That it was just for the sake of making a weapon?" Rylee turned on Thorin with a snarl and both Kíli and Fíli flinched back in near horror. They never spoke to Thorin as she was, they would never dare. "I don't know how I did it, but with my magic I was able to hold back the Balrogs and weaken them so they could be slain. When I use magic, it is for a bloody reason, Thorin!"
"Why do you think that they stole the gem, Rylee?" Thorin barked at her returning her rage, "They were trying to gain control over you, and from the sounds of it, it worked!"
"Did it Thorin? Kaia and I successfully put off the wedding for four years! I figured out the meaning to my dreams on my own, and I fulfilled my last quest, or at least the last one that I remember." Rylee was pacing. Her voice was little more than a growl as she prowled around them. Her eyes flashing and her power threading through her voice, making them all shiver, she was on a rampage now. "They thought that through the stone, they could use me and my power, but that is not how my power works! The jewel only stores and channels my energy, not my actual power! The power is from inside me, the desire and need to create must come from within me, and it cannot be forced. I am the only one who can use it. Do you want to know why? The language is my own, I created it. It cannot be taught to another, only felt. You cannot manipulate that. I know you don't like it, but I will continue to use my magic, when and how I see fit! You can either take it or leave it, but that is the way it is!"
Once again they were staring each other down, Queen evenly matched against King, standing toe to toe. If it came to blows, Fíli was not certain who would win. Neither one was willing to back down.
"Why must you be so stubborn! All I am asking of you is to not be careless! You make it sound like I want you to stop using magic! I just don't want you to use it recklessly!" Thorin hollered at her.
"Back to that again are we?" Rylee scoffed caustically, "Too reckless, to tempestuous, too impatient! I am not a child! I have been battle tested for decades. When are you going to trust me to know what I am doing!"
"When you stop acting like a child! When you start thinking strategically, as you were taught to!" Thorin yelled at her.
"I have commanded armies Thorin Oakenshield! You have never seen me in battle! You have no right! No right at all to judge me!" Rylee screamed back, her electric eyes were sparking with white fire. "I planned the attack on the Dragon! I even told Kíli what I needed him to do and I only used my magic because Kíli was there!"
"Do not tell me that you would not have used magic if Kíli were not there," Thorin said his voice dropping into a cold, threatening whisper. "You would have used your power regardless. You might have wielded a different spell, but you would have used it still."
"No, you are right, I would have," Rylee said her voice was deadly cold in response, "because it is mine to use as I see fit. Now if you don't mind, I am going to sleep so I can have yet another nightmare about the future that I am somehow supposed to change. With or without that stone, I will succeed in this quest."
Rylee turned on her heel and walked away, going back down the trail, heading back towards their camp and her bedroll. Fíli and Kíli both watched her go with troubled looks on their faces. They looked at each other and then turned to Thorin. Fíli asked quietly, "You don't think you were a little harsh on her?"
"That damn girl is going to be the death of me yet!" Thorin spat turning towards the stunned faces of Fíli and Kíli. "Never has another soul torn me apart like she does. Even at your worst, you two were never as difficult as she is."
"I take it your talk did not go very well," Balin said as he and Dwalin joined them, coming up the same path that Rylee just departed on.
"What gave it away?" Thorin growled, his bright blue eyes flashing in the low light.
Dwalin quirked a brow at him and asked, "You mean other than the screaming match between the pair of you?"
Thorin didn't answer. He was just too frustrated. Every time he thought things were going well between himself and Rylee, they would get into a spat, over her battle tactics or her magic. It was like they were rehashing the same fight over and over again.
Dwalin smirked and continued as though Thorin's response was inconsequential, "Nothing really. Rylee said something about stuffing dragons' teeth where the sun don't shine and seeing how long it would take before you actually gave a shit."
"Son of a Goblin sucking Orc!" Thorin swore vehemently, as Fíli and Kíli shared a look of surprise. It took a lot to get their uncle to swear, they both knew that a person had to push just the right buttons and Rylee seemed exceptionally adept at it. "She pushes every boundary, breaks every rule. Ever since that first bloody hunt she has been out of control."
Kíli looked up sharply, watching his uncle with open curiosity. Her first hunt? The one where she got the scars?
"She used to be such a joyful child, curious about everything. We all doted on her, me and all of the Valar," Thorin sighed in frustration as he thought back to the girl she once was. "Ever since that hunt, ever since Yavanna and Nienna had a falling out and Eru ordered them and her to sever ties, she has been relentless, reckless, and angry. I swear she enjoys defying me at every step. When will she get it through her thick head that I just want what is best for her?"
"Give the lass some time, Thorin," Balin said gravely. "It has been seven years since she was under your guidance, and she is used to being alone now. She is used to leading people."
Dwalin looked thoughtfully at Thorin, "Your relationship with her reminds me of you and your father, Thorin. She acts more like your daughter than your student."
"Aye," Balin nodded in agreement looking at Thorin with a twinkle in his eyes. "Mother always used to say, 'the curse of Dwarflings is you always get at least one like yourself.'"
"That's great," Dwalin said sarcastically, slapping his hand hard on Thorin's shoulder, withholding a small grin. "Just what the world needs, a female version of Thorin."