Hello everyone. Thank you to all who are following this story. I must apologize in advance for delays on the updates. The Spring/Summer semester is about to start, and I have three classes that will be taking up most of my time. However, I am hoping that this week I can at least get two or three chapters posted. Also, if anyone can help me with where to look for Khuzdul translations, that would be most appreciated. Google hasn't been helpful.
Disclaimer: I don't own the Hobbit or its events or its characters.
It has been four, maybe five hours, since our escape from the Woodland Realm. The current of the river has slowed down tremendously. My motion sickness, thank god, has calmed down a bit. However, the dwarves are still worried about me. I seemed to have passed out a few times during our barrel ride.
Thorin is holding me upright when he shouts to the others. "Anything behind us?"
"Not that I can see." Comes a reply from Balin.
"How is Inara?" Dwalin asks Thorin since his barrel is closest to ours.
"She is weak and tired." Thorin replies to Dwalin.
It is true; all that throwing up has made me weak. Passing out has helped a little with trying to get some rest; but it isn't enough. I know that I am in need of food, and that is what worries Thorin. Dwarves can go longer without food than humans can.
"I think we have out run the orcs." I can hear Bofur say.
"Not for long." Thorin answers. "We've lost the current. Make for the shore."
"Is everyone safe?" I ask softly with a raspy voice. My throat is raw from all the throwing up, and it hurts to speak.
"We will be." Thorin replies. During our trip down river, he had managed to get a hold of a branch; and he is using it to propel our barrel towards the shore.
"Good." I close my eyes and lean forward in Thorin's arm that is holding me to him. I dry heave over the side of our barrel.
"Let's get you to land so that Oin can take a look at you." Thorin says as his arm tightens around me.
"That would be lovely." I answer him as I feel our barrel scrap against the bottom of the shoreline.
"Here we go lassie." Dwalin says to me as he, Thorin, and Fili help me out of the barrel. I am passed to Fili, who helps guide me up onto the rocks. My legs give out, and Fili stumbles under my weight. He quickly helps lay me down on the rocks before calling for Oin.
My body is trembling against the rocks, and I have to close my eyes to keep the world from spinning. I hate feeling weak and useless. But so much of my energy has been drained, that I honestly don't think I can go on.
"Easy lass." I hear Oin say to me as he checks me over. He takes his time, and it isn't long for him to know what is going on. "She needs food. Throwing up like she did, for as long as she did, has taken much of her energy."
"Best check Kili. Fili says he is wounded." Dwalin's voice comes from above me.
"Alright." Oin replies before leaving.
"Bind his leg quickly. You have two minutes." Thorin's voice comes from a distance.
I feel someone lift my head and upper body up from the rocks. Upon opening my eyes, I can see that Bofur is the one holding me.
"Hello beautiful." He says with a cheeky grin on his face.
"Hi."
"Oh now, don't speak. That voice of yours sounds like a male voice. It doesn't suit you."
I am about to reply when I hear a series of arrows fly through the air. Very slowly I turn my head to see a man standing with an arrow trained on the dwarves.
"Do it again, and you're dead." The human male tells the dwarves. His head turns slightly and I know that he has seen Bofur holding me. "What did you do to her? Answer me!" he shouts.
It is Thorin who answers this man. "She is weak from being ill." Thorin moves to stand in front of Bofur and I before continuing. "She is also my wife."
The man lowers his bow, just slightly, as he considers Thorin's words. However, Balin interrupts before either Thorin or the man can speak.
"Excuse me, but um. You're from Laketown, if I am not mistaken." Balin starts to walk towards the man. He has his hands up in a non-violent manner. "That barge over there. It wouldn't be available for hire, by any chance?"
Balin and the man exchange words as the rest of us watch the exchange. As Balin follows after the man, the rest of the company follows also. Bofur tries to help me up, but I am still too weak to pull myself up.
"I will carry her." Thorin says as he bends down to pick me up bridal style.
"Sorry that I am so useless." I whisper into Thorin's ear as my head wobbles against his shoulder.
"You are anything but useless." He replies as he makes his way to where the others are standing.
Bilbo walks up to us before speaking. "I am sorry about you being ill. It is my fault."
"Bilbo. It is no one's fault but mine. I have always had motion sickness when it comes to being on water. If we hadn't used the barrels to escape, then we would still be trapped in those cells." I give Bilbo a small smile, which he half-heartily returns.
It is agreed to that the man will give us passage to Laketown. Thorin carries me aboard the barge and sets me down near the starboard side, near the bow. The man watches with suspicion in his eyes, as Oin checks me over again. Thorin, Dwalin, and Gloin are standing nearby as a kind of guard.
As the barge begins to move, I feel another warmth rising up from my stomach. It isn't long before another round of dry heaves decides to come. Because of feeling weak I lay on my side as each dry heave comes. Oin tries his best to comfort me; but there is nothing he can do that will help.
"Try to give her this." The man says as he hands out something to Thorin. "It should help her."
"What is it?" Thorin asks as he eyes whatever it is that the man has given him.
"It is leaves from a plant that helps with nausea. Pregnant women use it to help with morning sickness." The man replies before walking towards the back of the barge.
Thorin hands the leaves to Oin, who is quick to check the leaves over. He isn't sure about the leaves; but with no other option, Oin has me attempt to chew a few of the leaves.
It takes about an hour of chewing on the leaves before I start to feel a little bit better. The dry heaves have stopped, but the weakness is still there. I am still laying on my side as both Fili, Kili, Bofur, and Bifur come to sit with me. Kili's face is a little pale and his wound is still bleeding slightly.
"What a sorry duo we are, Inara." Kili tells me softly. "You ill, and myself injured."
"Cheer up Kili." Fili says. "At least we are no longer in those cells."
"I don't know boys. Maybe Thorin and Inara enjoyed being in their cell." Bofur says before they all chuckle.
"You are just jealous." I say softly as I am still chewing on two of the leaves.
"Ah. She speaks at last." Fili chuckles. "So, Inara. Should Kili and I be expecting a cousin soon?"
"Don't count on it." I reply to his teasing. "Due to the brutality of the rape, the doctors told me that I may never have another child. Aliena is my one and only child."
Fili, Kili, Bofur and Bifur's chuckles die away at my response. All four of them soon apologize and none of them bring it up again.
I close my eyes and attempt to gain some kind of sleep. Whatever sleep I did get, wasn't a lot. I am woken up by the sound of the dwarves climbing back into the barrels. All except, of course, Thorin.
"What about my wife? I will not leave her out for the world of men to see."
"She will be safe because she is human. The guards will simply think that I have picked her up to give her passage." The man tells Thorin in an irritated voice.
"It will be okay." I call out in a soft, but rough voice.
Both males look at me, before Thorin rushes to my side. "I will not leave you unprotected." Thorin whispers to me as he helps me to sit up.
"But I won't be. You all will be inside the barrels, which are only a few feet away from me." I tell him while trying to give him a smile.
"You must hurry." The man says from where he is standing.
Thorin lets out a low growl before giving me a quick kiss. "I will see you soon." He says before marching his way over towards the barrels.
"He is a moody one." The man says to me as he tries to help me stand up.
"You have no idea. However, I can be just as moody and stubborn as he is." I am gripping the side of the boat as if my life depends on it. My legs are still weak and shaking with effort to keep me standing.
"Here. Eat this." The man hands me a piece of what looks like bread. "It will help for now. It is bland, and should stay down."
"Thanks." I take a small bite of the bread. It is very bland in flavor, and the texture reminds me of sourdough bread.
After heading to the back of the barge, the man continues his steering. It doesn't take long till we reach some kind of guard station. The man steps off of the barge and goes to speak with one of the men before pointing towards the barrels. I can hear Dwalin and a few other dwarves complaining about the man selling us out. When I see what exactly the man has done, I try hard not to laugh.
It is a short wait, so I walk about the deck of the barge. I glance inside a few of the barrels, but try to act as though I am bored. I stop in front of Bilbo's barrel; and with my back turned to the men on the docks, we whisper to each other. When I hear the sound of footsteps, I quickly walk away from Bilbo's barrel.
"They won't be happy about this." I tell the man, whose name is Bard. Or so Bilbo told me when I walked past his barrel earlier. I walk up to him with my arms crossed over my chest.
"It is the only way to sneak them in." Bard replies. "It is good to see you up and about."
We both watch as the fish are dumped into the barrels from the loader trench. I have to bite the inside of my cheek to keep myself from laughing.
"Thank you for the leaves and the bread."
"It is not a problem. Though I am surprised that the leaves worked for you. From what one of the dwarves said, you have a sickness from the motion of being on water." Bard says before walking towards the back of the barge.
I am a little puzzled by Bard's words, but shake it off as him trying to say a joke.
Once the barrels are full of fish, Bard begins to steer us closer to Laketown. As the barge makes it way, both Bard and I have to remind the dwarves to stay silent. It goes on for roughly two hours before we make it to the gate of Laketown.
Bard starts talking to the guard, while I stand at the bow to get a better look of the place. Already, I have had to chew on some more of those leaves to help keep my motion sickness in check.
"What do you have here Bard?" comes a slime filled voice.
I look towards where Bard and a guard are standing on the dock.
"She is no one, Alfrid. Just a traveler visiting someone here in Laketown." Bard says as he moves closer to where this Alfrid is standing.
"Really?" Alfrid says as his eyes roam up and down over me. "And just who is she visiting?"
"It is none of your business." I tell the man from where I am standing at the bow of the barge.
"It is the Master's business, mistress." Alfrid says to me. "Take her." He says to the group of guards he has with him.
"Alfrid, don't do this." Bard says with worry in his voice.
The guards come towards me, and I fear that the dwarves will give themselves away in an attempt to protect me.
"I will not be taken anywhere." I say with an air of authority. The guards all stop just before coming onto the barge. "My father will be most displeased to hear that a group of guards were to take me against my will."
"And just who is your father?" Alfrid says with a little smile on his face.
I think back to when my friends would talk about Middle Earth and pull the first place that comes to mind. "My father is a lord of Rohan." I say quickly. "And he will be most displeased with your Master if he finds out how you treated me. He may, in fact, go to the King of Rohan, and ask for war against Laketown. Is that what your Master wants? A war?"
I watch as the guards all step back in fear, and even Alfrid seems afraid. So I continue on with my lie.
"So I suggest you allow me to pass, with Bard, so that I may a visit to a dear family friend."
Alfrid seems to think a bit before allowing Bard and I to pass through the gate. Bard, gets the barge moving again, and it isn't long before the guard station is behind us.
"Is your father really a lord of Rohan?" Bard asks from the back of the barge.
I walk over to him before giving telling him the truth. "No. My family is from a very distant place. I only know of Rohan by means of a few friends. Besides, if I hadn't lied, the dwarves would have given themselves away. I had to keep them safe."
Bard considers my words before replying. "You will have to be careful then. The Master of Laketown doesn't take kindly to those who disobey or lie to him."
"Well then, he will have to learn to be disappointed. Besides, that Alfrid person looked like he wanted to take something from me that I am not willing to give."
Bard raises an eyebrow in response. "That is exactly what the Master will want to do to you."
One of the barrels topples over, and I can see Thorin poke his head out of it. "Not if I have anything to say about it." He all but growls.
I give Bard a smirk before walking over to Thorin. "You do know that you will be having to take a bath before I allow you anywhere near me." I watch as he gives me a scowl before letting out a little laugh.
The barge finally comes to a complete stop at a dock. I help push some of the barrels over so that the company can climb out. When Kili's barrel is pushed over, I hear him give a muffle cry of pain. I quickly help him dig himself out of the fish. Fili comes up beside me to help Kili stand up.
Thorin comes towards us before taking my arm. Bard is waiting for us on the dock, so we all get off the barge and begin to follow him.
"What is this place?" Bilbo asks as we make our way through this place.
"This, Master Baggins, is the world of men." Thorin answers as he walks past Bilbo while pulling me with him.
We follow Bard through what looks to be a marketplace of some sort. I begin to notice that the people are starting to watch us; and a few of the men are starting to notice me.
"How much longer?" I ask Bard as we keep on following him.
"Not much further." Bard answers back as he keeps leading us to where ever it is he is going.
"Halt!" comes a voice through the noise of the marketplace. "In the name of the Master of Laketown!"
I look to where the voice came from, and can see a guard pointing straight at us.
"Move!" Thorin says as he begins to pull me with him. We run a bit before another guard appears down the alley and shouts for us to halt.
Another guard appears out of nowhere and grabs me from behind. As the guard struggles to get a good grip on me, I quickly kick his shin. I reach up to grab around his neck and bending forward, I use the momentum to throw him over me. As the guard lands on his back in front of me, I feel a sharp pain come from my lower abdomen. I let out a soft, painful moan as I press both of my hands to where the pain is coming from. Dwalin quickly moves to punch the guard in the face.
More guards come, and the dwarves start to fight back. They use anything that they can reach as weapons. Thorin pushes me so that I am behind him since I am now bent over in pain. Not a smart move moving so fast with muscles still sore from all the retching I have done recently.
The guards are subdued easily, and it appears that the people are trying to help us hide.
"What is going on here?" a loud voice comes from the other side of the market place.
The pain in my abdomen worsens to the point where I a need to let out some kind of sound. Before I can release a sound, Thorin presses my face into his shoulder. I grab hold of his arms to stabilize myself as the pain builds again.
"Bite if you need too." He whispers to me, as we all can hear the sound of boots walking across the wood.
I bite into his shoulder and it helps muffles my sounds of pain. My legs start to give way, so Thorin quickly wraps his arms around me to try and keep me from falling. It isn't lost on me when I notice Balin shoot Thorin and I a look. As the pain subsides, I stop biting into Thorin's shoulder. I let out a few shuddering breaths, as Thorin's arm tightens around me.
Bard does a quick glance at us before stepping out towards the other group of guards. Oin quietly slips towards Thorin and I after Balin gestures for him to come. After a few minutes, Bard comes back to lead us somewhere.
"She alright?" Bard asks when he sees Oin checking me over, while Thorin is still holding me upright, but from my side.
"Just some pain from doing something that I shouldn't have done. My stomach muscles decided to protest against me for throwing that guard." I say with a shaky voice.
"She will be fine." Oin replies. "But she needs food and some rest."
"Right then. Follow me." Bard says before starting to walk away.
Thorin helps me walk as we follow Bard through more of Laketown. As we come around a staircase, a boy comes running up to us.
"Da. Our house is being watched." The boy says to Bard.
Bard turns away from his son and I can see that he is thinking of something. He looks at me before asking the one question that I hate the most. "Can you all swim?"
All of the dwarves look at Bard with scowls on their faces. Bard tells us his plan to sneak us into his house. However, when I tell Thorin that I can't swim, it is decided that I will go with Bard and his son. I lean against a wooden pillar as all of the dwarves get into the water. Bard gives them all quick directions towards his house, and soon all of the dwarves have gone under water except Thorin.
"You keep her safe or you will suffer the consequences." Thorin says to Bard before going under water also.
Once I see Thorin go under the water, I feel another sharp pain in my abdomen. I let go of the pillar and almost fall to the wooden walkway. Bard catches me as he helps me to the ground.
"Da?"
"Don't worry, Bain. I will carry her." Bard says as he gently lifts me up as I pass out from the pain.
When I finally awake, I find myself laying in a bed. I attempt to move, but a hand comes to my shoulder to stop me.
"Easy lass." Oin says as he moves from the chair beside the bed. "You have been out for most of the day. Thorin has been worried sick about you."
"I bet he is." I say softly. "I smell food."
"Aye. I have a bowl of broth for you. The young lass brought it in for you." Oin says. "I will let Thorin know that you are awake." He says before leaving the room.
I sit up carefully, using the headboard to lean against. Looking around the room, I notice that there are actually two beds in the small room. It would seem that I have the larger of the two. To my left is a small bedside table and the chair that Oin was sitting in earlier. On that table is the bowl of broth that I can smell. I reach for it, so that I may eat. As I bring the bowl towards me, I notice that I am not wearing the clothes I had on. Someone changed my clothes, so that I am now wearing a shift and nothing else.
"Damn bastards." I whisper to myself before taking a spoonful of the broth.
Once half of the bowl of broth is gone, there is a knock at the makeshift door. It opens to reveal Bilbo.
"I was just coming in to check on you." He says as he quietly walks to the chair sitting next to the bed.
"It is nice to see you too." I reply. "So? What did I miss?"
"Not much really. Thorin almost attacked Bard once he told us of your collapse. Mind you, coming into Bard's house through his toilet would make anyone angry." Bilbo and I both let out a few chuckles. "It is really good to see you better. Everyone has been worried about you. Especially since we all feel guilty for having to leave Aliena behind."
I take a shaky breath at the mention of Aliena. "Well. I can't really help what all has happened. We had no choice but to leave her behind." Tears are starting to form in my eyes, and I brush them away before they can fall.
"I didn't mean to upset you, Inara." Bilbo says as he can see the tears fall.
"I know you didn't." I say as I keep brushing the tears away.
The makeshift door opens to reveal Balin. Bilbo quickly gets up to leave as Balin makes his way towards me. Once Bilbo has left the room Balin sits down in the now empty chair.
"What is the matter lass?" Balin asks as I try to pull myself together.
"Nothing is. I guess the stress of everything has finally caught up to me. Damn tears." I finally wipe the last of the tears away with my free hand.
Balin takes the bowl out of my other hand and places it onto the table. As he takes a deep breath, I believe I know what he is about to say.
"Lass. I know that you have Thorin have been," he pauses before talking again. "with each other. Back when you first joined us, I tried to warn you and Thorin away from each other. However, that hasn't been the case. I know that Thorin sees you as his yâsith, and all of us respect that."
"What is it that you are trying to say Balin? Please, be up front about it." I say to him since he seems to be having trouble saying it.
"With all the illness before and now the pain you have been experiencing. Is it possible that you might be with child?" Balin looks me dead in the face.
I take a deep breath before I speak, "I told Fili, Kili, Bofur, and Bifur that because my rape was so brutal, the doctors told me that I may never be able to have a child. Yet I became pregnant with Aliena, but giving birth to Aliena nearly killed me. So the doctors advised me to never try for anymore. Yes, I know that Thorin and I had been going at it like bunnies, but my moon cycles still came anyways. It even came as we were captured by the elves. I didn't tell anyone about it when it showed up, because it was my business. No one else's."
"I just wanted to know if there was a possibility. The reason why is because for dwarrowdams, they carry the bairns for only 8 months. So they feel the movements inside quicker than most other races. And there have been times where that movement can cause the mother to feel pain. We are a powerful race and strong. Even before we are born to the world. If you say that it isn't possible for you, then I believe you, lass." Balin says before standing up to leave.
I think quickly before asking Balin a question. "If it would have been a possibility, what would you have had me do?"
He looks at me from the end of the bed before answering. "The bairn would be illegitimate in the eyes of the other dwarf lords due to it not being fully dwarf. Also, there is a price on Thorin's head by his enemies. If his enemies were to find out about any child he may have fathered, its life would be at risk. There would also be the chance that Thorin would push harder to reach the mountain, only to succumb to the gold sickness that plagues his family line."
"Thank you for sharing that information with me Balin." I give him a nod of my head as he heads towards the door and leaves the room.
I do a quick calculation in my head before it tells me all that I needed to know. "Looks like the Valar know what they are doing." I look down at my abdomen before speaking again. "Looks like Mahal has blessed your father with super sperm." I whisper to myself. Now I must keep this suspicion to myself and wait to see if my calculations are correct. I just have to wait another month and then I will know without a doubt. Because by then, I will be almost three months into it. Grabbing the pillow that is behind me, I bring it to my face before screaming lightly into it one word.
"Shit!"
There is the chapter my friends.
As to the calculations, if you start from the first day of a moon cycle (or period) before conception that is the start of the first month of a pregnancy. So during the spider attack and the first four days of Inara being in her cell is counted as the first week. So the possible conception date would have been their little "fun" charade in the cell. At this point in the story line, Inara is possibly about two months along.
Since I couldn't find anything on Google about how long a female dwarf pregnancy lasts, I just randomly picked out 8 months. So if Inara is actually with child, she might carry to 8 or 9 months, where a human female carries for 10 months (aka 40 weeks).
Reviews are always welcome. Even the nasty ones are welcome, since I see them as constructive criticism.
Selene
