Chapter 10:

The rain drizzled down on the Company off and one until around noon the next day. The sun burst through the dark clouds so brightly that one could almost think that he heard the sun laughing down the wet, dismal world below.

Because rain had wet everything within sight, the Company had to eat a cold lunch. Mara helped Bombur dole out portions, as usual. Shyly, she brought Kili his lunch after he had finished tending his pony.

"This is yours," she murmured, holding his plate of dried meat and Dwarven way-bread (I think it's called cram)out to him. He thanked her and her eyes flicked up to meet his. Thanks to his uncle's blue-grey tunic, her already blue eyes looked impossibly bluer, causing butterflies to suddenly take flight in his stomach. He reached out to take the plate from her, and the action caused his fingers to brush hers. A faint current jumped into his hand. As he struggled to hide the reaction, he wandered if she had felt anything too.

"Durin's beard, what's wrong with me?" Kili thought as she moved to give Fili his lunch.

It seemed to Mara that Kili's fingers lingered against hers a tiniest bit longer than was absolutely necessary, but she found that she did not mind. His light, gentle touch awakened a fluttering sensation in her stomach that was not entirely unpleasant to her. However, she quickly tried to dismiss the feeling as fanciful imagination in spite of momentary pleasure it gave.

"Come on, Mara!" the girl scolded herself soundly. "As soon as he knows the truth about you, he won't give you a second glance. Why should he give you one now? He's a prince, and you're a drunkard's daughter, for heaven's sake!" With a small smile, she offered Fili his plate.

"Why, thank you, Lady Mara," he grinned down at her.

A faint blush blossomed on her cheeks. "You know you and Kili are the only ones who call me that, right?"

Fili shrugged. "So?"

"But I'm not a lady!" she replied. "You all know that I'm just a nobody!"

"'Just a nobody'?" Fili retorted, "The cheek of it! Kee, do you hear this?"

"Hear what, brother?"

"She trying to convince me that she's 'just a nobody'," Fili answered. "Surely, you agree with me in saying that Mara is, in fact, a lady."

"Absolutely," Kili answered stoutly.

"I'm the daughter of Leonard Holbrook, a drunk, and was raised by said man without a mother to teach me anything about being a girl. I am not a lady." Mara said sadly. She felt Fili's hand on her shoulder, strong and comforting. Then, Kili drew near and took her right hand in both of his, his warm brown eyes earnestly meeting her blue ones.

"Leonard Holbrook may be a coward and a drunk, but his daughter is far above him," Kili said. "Regardless of possessing a noble title or not, she is a true lady." He raised her hand to his lips and gently brushed a kiss across her knuckles, his eyes never leaving hers.

Fili took her other hand in his and copied his brother's actions. "No matter your past, a lady you will always be to us, Lady Mara," he said.

"Oh, heaven's, they're so chivalrous—so good—to me," she thought as tears welled up in her eyes. "Here I go again with the crying…" She quickly dashed the tears away.

"What's going over here?" Bilbo's voice sounded out.

"We're trying to convince her she's not 'just a nobody'," Fili answered.

"Well, of course she not nobody! She's Mara!" He pointed a finger at the girl. "Now, Miss Mara, if there's a nobody in this Company, it certainly isn't you," he said firmly.

"Well said, Master Burglar," Thorin rumbled suddenly from behind Kili. Exclamations from the other dwarves agreed with Thorin. At this point Mara had to wipe here tears away again, using her left hand. Her right still gripped Kili's.

Mara looked at all the smiling faces around her, and, suddenly, such a feeling of acceptance and warmth engulf her cold, lonely heart that a little sob escaped her lips. She turned to the closest person, Kili, and threw her arms around him, crying into his chest.

His arms surrounded her immediately without him having to tell them to, and he let his cheek rest against the top of her head, since her head barely came level with his shoulder. Fili laid a gentle hand hand on her shoulder, and let his thumb rub back and forth on her arm. It warmed Thorin's heart to see his nephews comfort the lass who was so clueless of her own worth.

"Oh, lass, do really think so little of yourself?" Dwalin asked.

"It's all she's ever been told, I dare say," Thorin growled, realizing her father never would have said anything to the contrary. In fact, he probably told her that she was worthless.

"Yeah, along with a lot of names and things that I'd rather not repeat," Mara added, her words muffled in Kili's tunic.

Every face of the Company stared in sympathy and anger. Among dwarves, children, especially daughters, were cherished because there weren't very many.

"Ach, come here, lassie,' Dwalin suddenly rumbled. Mara stared at him a moment, then let herself be drawn into this burly arms. "Ye are not your father, ye hear me?" he growled at her as he released her, trying to keep something of his usual gruff manner about him. Mara silently nodded as Bifur came up behind her and hugged her, lifting her entirely off the ground, causing her to squeal. As soon as he set her down, Balin stepped up.

"For a lass who never had a mother, you sure could have fooled me. You are a proper young lady, you are; one many a dwarrow would be proud of if you were his little lass." The white haired dwarf sent her a fond smile before hugging her gently.

One by one, the entire Company, including Bilbo, hugged her, until she came to Thorin. Looking up at the noble dwarf-prince, she paused. Would it right to hug him? He was royal, after all, and was their leader too. He had a dignified image to uphold.

As these thoughts bounced around Mara's head, Thorin could not help but feel his heart clench at her hesitancy. He reached out and engulfed her tiny frame in his strong arms, tucking her head under his chin. Mara threw her arms around the dwarf-prince as far as they would go and buried her face in the fur collar of his coat, breathing the slightly smoky pine forest scent that was Thorin's alone. Gandalf and Balin shared a rather knowing look as Thorin held her.

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