It was two days after the incident - my pill for that day was a little scary to see the least. If you've ever seen one of the pear/bogey flavored jelly beans, you'll understand. It was a light green, with darker flecks of green inside it. I was a little reluctant on popping it, but I bit into it and swallowed. Cue little electronic voice rattling away that it was going to update my brain with healing methods and the medicinal properties of herbs. Gee; thanks. Time to learn about the flora; I'll admit, I scanned the area around my pony with more than a little dose of disdain. Surely I'd learnt more than enough from those boring-ass plant documentaries that James used to watch. Stupid ecologists. As soon as I'd had the thought, the oh-too-familiar throat ache came in, and I sighed heavily.
At least Fili and I were over the week milestone. Mahal.
My blossoming - who am I kidding - relationship with Thorin was horrific. Literally hideous. I was pretty sure that he saw me as wholly dependent on Fili, his golden child, and therefore an utter waste of space. I just tried to stay out of their way and not 'distract' Fili from his duties that much. Whatever they were - Thorin insisted that Fili rode with him most of the time, so that they could discuss tactics. Bastard.
At least I had Bilbo to keep me company - even though he still didn't seem quite right after his night of drinking and was complaining of a constant stomach ache. Maybe I could find some herbs or something with this new pill of mine to make him better.
"We're stopping here for the night." The 'here' in statement was a fairly well protected little outcrop. A forest bordered one side, which we'd came from, along with a little brook where I could bathe and clean my clothes. Fili had taken to using me as his laundry lady. Also a bastard. It'd be Kili next, mark my words.
The company dismounted, exhaling in relief as they set about readying up a camp. We'd only been able to buy a few supplies in Bree, and so everyone was on relatively low humor. It was the same ill temper that made none of them want to go hunting and do something about it. Ridiculous dwarven men.
As soon as Fili had set up our blankets together in a little secret section away from the rest of the group - but not too far, we didn't want anything to snatch us away in the dead of the night - I set my pack down and went to look for herbs. Fili raised an eyebrow when I told him where I was going, but did little more than give me a dagger and tell me to scream if I was in trouble. Great advice. Thanks.
And so I set off at my own little leisurely pace into the forest.
The problem with the pill I'd crunched was less that it wasn't exactly specific unless you were utterly fluent in dwarvish - I'd been practicing but was still a little rusty - but it was more that you only got a vague sketch. When I took it up with Perfect Blonde, she'd shrugged and muttered something about only using available resources. Thankfully this seemed to be a relatively well stocked forest - I found most of what I was looking for within the first half an hour, or so I estimated.
I was setting off back to camp when I heard the rustle.
There was something out there in those trees by the other edge of the stream. I froze.
And then suddenly a shape burst forwards and I flung a knife and it crumpled in midair, crash-landed on the bank of the stream in front of me and everything was still again.
Ok, so I'm not saying that it was a fucking huge stag, but it was freaking impressive. Of course, I didn't register that because I was screaming my head off because I'd just thrown a dagger into Bambi. The deer was already glassy eyed, the dagger quivering between said eyes.
Great head-shot, for all of you guys who think girls are bad at CoD.
True to their word, a few minutes later, Fili and Kili came storming through the trees, louder than the rustle I'd heard. More like a duo of elephants, actually. So Fili looked really hot hefting both of his swords, whilst I will happily admit that Kili looked dangerous in a totally damnfine way of his own. They stopped abruptly when they saw the deer corpse. I was still, at that point, sobbing incoherently about Bambi, on my knees in front of it.
When I'd stopped sobbing a little and turned towards them, Kili let out a long, low whistle. "Impressive, m'lady." He mock bowed, grinning. I could've seriously swatted at him but I was pretending to be traumatized and clutching at Fili. Of course he responded, wrapping me in his arms as he raised his voice to call the others.
They all came running with weapons from the trees as well, and stopped when they saw the deer corpse. By that point I had grown some freaking balls and stopped sobbing over Bambi, and moved forwards to pull the dagger out from the deer's skull. It slid out with a sickening pop. Of course, I didn't really hear it that well - I wiped the dagger on Kili's sleeve - because the dwarves were already clapping me on the back - ow - and moving forwards to grab the deer and haul it off. Fili threw an arm around my shoulder as I padded back and offered the knife.
"Keep it. You earned it." He was grinning; the awful, arrogant grin that did terrible things to the butterflies in my stomach.
We headed back to the camp; I went immediately to fetch the water and make tea for Bilbo. Don't ask me how I knew; I can't tell you. The other's were butchering the deer and singing about it, whilst I brewed the herbs over the campfire, tasting it every so often to check that I'd done it right. Don't ask me how I knew if it was right, either. I still can't tell you. I just don't know. But eventually it was ready, and I poured it into a little tumbler for Bilbo, padding over to where he was sitting.
The Hobbit was facing the cooking fire; the first few strips of meat were just beginning to go on as I approached. He looked up as I drew close; his skin was pale, with dark circles under his eyes. I sat down beside him, noting the few tissues I'd given him crumpled in his lap. I'd have to find some more for him.
I smiled. "I fixed you a brew." The modern words were out my mouth before I could quite stop them, but he didn't seem to notice, and I passed him the cup. "Careful, it's hot." He took the cup, staring glumly into the fire, and we sat in a companionable silence for a while as he sipped away. "I'll get us some dinner." I stood, walking over to where Fili was carving away.
He looked up as I approached, and I lunged forwards to stop his hair from swinging into the meat and getting all bloodied. I had to sleep with that later. The hair, not the meat. Ew. I ended up with my arms around his neck, faces inches apart, and he grinned one of his lazy grins. "M'lady."I grinned back in the same manner. He leaned in, grazing my lips lightly with his own. Someone whooped behind us. I didn't see or care who.
I heard, rather than saw, someone approaching us. Fili pulled away, tucking his hair into his collar with a little glare at me that I wrinkled my nose at. When I turned around, it was Kili, holding his bow and a quiver, full of arrows. "You're meant to be good at targets, right?"
I was on the verge of refusing when I realized that everyone was looking. Even Fili, behind me, had turned to look at us. Fabulous. "Unless.. that was a potshot?" There was a small commotion at his words, and he grinned with that little shit-eating- Ugh.
And so I nodded, taking the bow gingerly. I sent a silent prayer to Mahal that the weapons pill covered archery as I took the quiver too. In my head, Perfect Blonde stretched and smiled. "You'll enjoy this." I sincerely hoped she was right.
Whilst the others had been carving, Kili had set some small torches around the camp; little more than a piece of bark on fire, hammered into a tree. I wondered where he'd got the nails as I slung the quiver onto my shoulder.
"I don't really do this much..." Kili grinned, folding his arms and motioned for me to step up to take the shots.
As then everything just went apart from those arrows and the strip of bark. The routine; arrow, nock, steady, loose. The endless routine. It was harder to miss than to hit; just a thin tunnel with only one destination.
Indescribable.
I came to for the last shot when Kili bumped me on the hip and I staggered, losing my balance. The arrow flew, but I was turning as it flew through the air, the dwarves jeering at Kili as Fili playfully leapt at him, tussling on the ground. "I suppose she can't handle the pressure?" Kili laughed, and the dwarves began to chant as the two wrestled, Fili roaring something about protecting my honor. Pssh. Maybe I should place a bet? Totally on Fili winning. Mahal.
It was only when Thorin cleared his throat that I turned and actually looked at the targets that the laughter died in my throat. How was that even possible? Perfect Blonde had her smug face on. "So, we gave you the super advanced pills. We usually only save those for the important ones." I blinked, a little shellshocked. That explained a lot. And they told me now.
Clean shots through all of them. Even the last one.
"I believe, nephew, that she can handle the pressure." The dwarves slowly silenced, looking at the targets. Even Kili and Fili stopped, their gazes turning to the objects of everyone's bemusement as well. I wondered if I had the same expression on my face.
And then Thorin snarled low in his throat, unsheathed his sword, and slashed down in the air towards me. Perfect Blonde swore, and I could just see her at her desk pressing buttons. I unsheathed the daggers in my sleeves, stepping neatly out the way of Thorin's sword as it fell. Thorin continued on with the momentum, and I was more than surprised to see my boot on his back, sending him on his way. Holy fuck. I heard Fili move forwards; Kili held him back at one arm.
Thorin spun as he charged, and when he looked at me again, his eyes made the normal me literally die on the spot in fear. The other, weapons pill me, grinned savagely. I have no shame in admitting that I let her do all the work. She ducked, parried, slashed, dodged and swiped at Thorin with a speed I'd never attributed to my body before. I felt like I was just in for the ride - weapons pill girl snarled in Thorin's face as his sword caught her cheek in a shallow cut. Normal me could only think that an inch higher and I'd have lost an eye.
Perfect.
But weapons pill me was beginning to wind down - Perfect Blonde swore, muttering about how I needed more stamina. Pfft. Rude.
I had plenty of stamina - why, I could go on all day and all night.
But then weapons pill girl was fading and suddenly I was getting closer and closer to being the one taking the attacks. I stumbled back, falling rather inelegantly. I remember Thorin's blade sweeping in a silver, downwards arc, and then suddenly, with her last bit of effort, weapons pill girl raised both daggers, brought them around the sword, and flipped it clean out of Thorin's hand. It buried itself in the ground, amidst silence.
My chest was heaving, I was sweating like a pig, and I was gratified to find when I looked at Thorin that he was too. For a moment, neither of us moved, catching our breaths. But then he stepped forwards, offered me a hand and pulled me up.
Once I was steady, he dropped my hand, hoisted his sword out of the earth, and went to sit by the fire, taking off some of the meat.
I just stood there swaying, until Fili came over, touching my shoulder hesitantly, as if I were about to grab him and throw him across the campsite. Ok, so that imagery made me laugh mentally, and I gave him a wan smile. He traced the cut on my cheek, glowering at his uncle over my head, before he wrapped his arms around me. "That was incredible."
Ugh. I rubbed my not-bloodied cheek against the rough material of his tunic, exhaling heavily. Bilbo-healing, deer-killing, Thorin-beating, archery-winning. What a day. "M' tired." I mumbled into the fabric of his jacket; it was true, my head and eyelids felt heavier than they'd ever done before. Mahal; I wanted to collapse in a heap on the floor. Unfortunately I had to trudge to the exact spot to collapse in a heap on, and so I padded over to the bedrolls, with promises of dinner from Fili. I'd heard that from his brother before. Hmph.
Fili returned after a little while with two plates of stew; I was curled up in our little blanket nest, having stripped down to my tunic. He climbed in, nestling down beside me as he handed me a plate, kicking off his boots. I practically inhaled the stew, snuggling into him as sleep eventually tipped my eyelids. He wrapped an arm around me, pulled one of the blankets up and kissed my forehead softly.
And we fell asleep like that.
A/N: ok, so it's quarter to 5 in the am, and I'm heading to bed at long last. revisions may follow promptly; this could be the biggest load of crap ever. just wanted to get it posted before i curled up with fili and went to sleep under some blankets- sorry what?
goal number one: trying to avoid mary-sueish character ;c
status: failing miserably.