Woohoo! I'm very happy! You can probably tell ^-^ This is one of my longer chapters so far. Hope you enjoy it! And please review! It makes me so happy when you do!
Disclaimer: I do not own the hobbit or the lines from the movie. :(
Laurëel lay flat on her back, her urgrosh back in her hand where it belonged. She smiled contentedly. She was never letting go of it again. The birds chirped harmoniously around her as the dwarves begrudgingly found their clothes and weapons and reassembled their exteriors. Bifur found it a bit more challenging than most. Laurëel inhaled deeply and rolled to her feet, looking around anxiously. She saw whom she was searching for across the clearing, sheathing his sword. She got up and made her way over, trying not to look to conspicuous. Kili looked up at the sound of footfalls and immediately frowned.
"What do you want?" He asked the girl. Laurëel frowned back.
"What's with that face?" she retorted angrily. "Why do you assume that whatever I'm about to say is bad?"
"Because it probably is." Kili looked at Laurëel, eyebrows furrowed. Laurëel growled in frustration. "It's really a shame you're so grumpy all the time. It's a waste to have a face like yours always looking so sour."
"What?" Laurëel asked, not quite sure if she had heard right. Kili sighed and spoke louder, looking straight at her this time.
"I said it's a shame for such a beautiful girl so be so grumpy!" Then his eyes widened in surprise as he saw Laurëel's tanned cheeks turn pink. Kili's mind finally caught up with his mouth and he too blushed before quickly turning away.
"Did you just…" Laurëel started, still not believing her ears. Kili started cackling.
"You didn't really believe that did you?" He turned around, laughing hard.
"What?" Laurëel asked, really confused now.
"It was a joke. A joke!" Kili clarified, making sure she heard it this time. "Who would actually think you were beautiful? What a laugh." Now Laurëel turned red, not out of embarrassment, but anger. Her knuckles turned white as she clenched her fists. She stood on the spot, trembling with rage.
"You… you knucklehead!" She shouted, causing more than one head to look in their direction. "Why are you always so thick?" Kili's laughter stopped immediately, and he looked at the young woman wide eyed. "You can never let anything go right, can you? And to think!" She started, getting a little hysterical. "And to think I was about to thank you for saving me! What an idiot I was!"
"Wait, you were going to…" Kili started, astonished.
"Forget it!" Laurëel snapped, turning on her heel. "My words are wasted on an idiot like you!" She walked away fuming, leaving a baffled Kili behind her.
"Smooth, little brother." Fili chuckled, patting Kili on the shoulder sympathetically. "Real smooth." Kili sighed, deflating. Why did she have to get angry so quickly?
"Why does he always know just how to get on my nerves?" Laurëel vented aloud to her pony. The girl plopped down with a sigh. She was suddenly so very aware of how tired she was. It occurred to Laurëel that she hadn't gotten any sleep the night before. "I was too busy gettin' roasted alive." She muttered to herself. A movement in the bushes removed her from her thoughts. Bombor stepped into the clearing. Laurëel stood up and moved her hand away from her weapon, which she had grabbed on reflex.
"Sorry to startle you." Bombor apologized, looking around awkwardly. "I just wanted to let you know that some of the lads are looking for the troll's cave. In case you wanted to join them."
"Is Kili going?" Laurëel asked eyes narrowed.
"I don't think so." Bombor nodded, somewhat confused.
"Count me in then." Laurëel sighed, headed back towards the others.
The cave, once they found it, was foul beyond belief. Laurëel covered her nose quickly, but it did little good to keep out the putrid odor. Bones of the trolls less recent meals crunched under Laurëel's feet as she and the others made their way down the slight incline and into the cave.
"It smells awful!" Laurëel complained through pinched nose.
"Be careful what you touch." Gandalf warned as he started towards the back. Bofur looked down in surprise as his foot landed on something other than ground.
"Seems a shame to leave all this gold lying around." He mused, brushing gold coins with his foot. "Anyone could take it."
"Agreed." Gloin looked up, a strange glint in his eye. "Nori. Get a shovel." Laurëel headed farther towards the back with Thorin and Gandalf. A row of weapons lined the back, the blades covered in thick webs and dust. While the two older men stopped to examine the weapons, Laurëel looked further. The cave didn't go much farther than that, and it stunk the worst back there, but something caught the girl's eye. She strode over to it, trying to crush as few bones as possible. Upon reaching the point that had caught her eye, she crouched to the ground and brushed away some leaves, at least she hoped they were leaves, with the back of her hand. Her fingers closed around a cold, smooth surface.
It's edges fine and curved. She held the trinket close to her face and saw that it was a pendant; the loop that would have connected it to a chain had been bent and twisted. But other than that, it was in perfectly good shape. Well, maybe a little polishing wouldn't hurt. The pendant itself was shaped like a crescent moon, the points fine and serene. At the widest part of the sliver of medal, was a bluish green gem. The smooth gemstone looked like a drop of water, frozen and laid into the silver metal. Laurëel narrowed her eyes as she flipped it over. There was some type of writing on the back, but she was not familiar with that language.
"Come on Bofur, Gloin, we're leaving." Thorin called to the dwarves as he headed towards the mouth of the cave. Laurëel stood up quickly, slipping the pendant into her boot as she rose. A pocket might be useful. She thought to herself as she passed Gandalf on the way out. He must have also spied something, because he was staring at the ground curiously. Laurëel took a deep breath of fresh air as soon as she made it outside.
"What's it like in there?" Ori asked curiously. Laurëel looked at the youngest dwarf startled. She had never really held a conversation with the young scribe before… he seemed a little scared of her actually.
"Stinky." Laurëel answered truthfully, bluntly, and simply.
"Ah." Ori nodded before quickly turning away. Apparently he'd had enough of the smell of troll for one day. Laurëel didn't blame him.
"I can't take this." Laurëel turned to see Bilbo trying to hand a small sword back to Gandalf.
"It is of elvish make. Which means, it will glow blue when orcs or goblins are nearby." Gandalf informed the hobbit, trying to convince him.
"I have never used a sword in my life." Bilbo confessed, looking up at the wizard helplessly.
"And I hope you never have to!" Gandalf nodded. "But remember, true courage is not when to take a life, but when to spare it." Laurëel looked at the wizard, mystified by his words. What did that mean? Then she turned around in alarm as a dwarf shouted out a warning. There was someone coming.
Who could it be? Yeah, I know. Such fake tension since you all know who it's going to be anyway. Soon, I'm going to have to just putting one chapter up a day. I've been getting rather busy. Anyway, please review if you've got a moment! It's really encouraging to my muses.