The intake of air caught in my throat when I realised that the figure in front of me wasn't a bear, or some other creature. I could see from the sliver of moonlight shining through the window that it was a man. A very, very tall man. Also, a very naked man.
Oh my god.
I quickly rolled back onto my side, moving towards and facing Fili, hoping that he didn't realise that I had seen. By the slight chuckle of laughter I heard, he had obviously noticed that I was awake.
Holy shit, I've never been so embarrassed in my life.
The wood beneath us creaked slightly as I heard his heavy footsteps move away from us. There was a neighing from the other room, and I could hear deep voiced murmurs from the man. I assumed that he was talking to his animals, and I also figured that man was Beorn. I was just thankful that he wasn't in his bear form, despite getting the shock of my life.
I moved closer to the sleeping Fili beside me, but I couldn't get back to sleep myself. It was only a little while before the early morning light began to stream through the windows, and the company started to stir from their slumber.
Fili awoke lazily, stretching his arms above himself before rolling back towards me and slowly opening his eyes. It took him a few moments to register just how close his proximity was to me, and when he did realise he just about jumped backwards. He had moved so suddenly that he had bumped into his still-sleeping brother with a loud 'thwack!'
Kili yelped in surprise and the two began to argue about whose fault it was. It gave me a few seconds to try and collect myself. Truly, his reaction stung and feelings of hurt bubbled around in my stomach once again. His actions and reactions almost showed two different personalities and it was confusing the shit out of me. One minute he was trying to court me, and the next he was scrambling to get away from me as though I had the plague.
When he finally stopped arguing with a now fully awake Kili, he looked again at me. I just glared at him and turned to wake up Josh, who had surprisingly slept through all the noise. Most of the company were already awake by now, moving about the house and finding food.
"Oi, wake up," I said as I shook Josh by the shoulder, and he jerked upright. He looked startled and I didn't really need to question why he reacted that way. We were still restless from the events of the past week.
He calmed down almost immediately though, and we followed the company into the dining area where food had already been laid out on the table. There were several jugs of water and milk, bowls of honey, many loaves of bread and plates full of fruit and vegetables. I couldn't help but smirk at the reactions that I knew the Dwarves would have, but before any of them could say anything, a voice that sounded like a deep rumble came from behind us.
"You will all need some breakfast before you explain to me exactly what your business is here." The entire company just turned around and froze in the sight of Beorn, who was thankfully now dressed. He was so tall, easily a metre taller than even Josh. You can just imagine how he dwarfed- ha ha- the rest of the company.
His hair was dark grey colour and stuck out at all angles. Even his eyebrows and beard were the same colour, though they seemed much more groomed than his hair. Obviously groomed was an odd choice of word for someone who turned into a bear.
The Dwarves still hadn't moved, but I saw Ori and Bilbo slink a little backwards from the towering man. Even I took half a step behind Dwalin, who was standing slightly in front of me; he was just so intimidating, and I remembered the way he had thrown around the Orcs. He must have seen me move, because his eyes darted to mine. I saw his lips turn upwards faintly in a smirk, and I realised he knew exactly who had been awake this morning. Fuck.
I averted my eyes to look at my feet as I felt my cheeks redden, and he suddenly spoke again.
"Come now, eat. I want to hear of your business with the Orcs." The company reluctantly moved to the table to sit down, and I made sure I situated myself away from the head of the table where he had sat. I was sitting in between Dwalin and Josh, with Fili and Kili sitting opposite me.
Despite my loss of appetite, I forced myself to eat large quantities of fruit, bread and milk. Having had the displeasure of not knowing where my next meal would be coming from psychologically allowed me to eat even though my stomach didn't agree.
The only thing that sounded truly appetising was a cheeseburger. Even thinking about the damned thing was making my mouth water.
I realised that I hadn't been paying attention to anything the company or Beorn was saying, though in focusing, they were only recapping everything that we had gone through with the Orcs and Goblins. Beorn roared with laughter when Gandalf told him about how we had basically started throwing fireballs at the Wargs. It was a while before he could truly calm down enough for them to continue telling the story.
All in all, he seemed to be fairly impressed with our journey and the company's hatred for the Orcs and Goblins. He shared this feeling and begun to speak about why he loathed the two species of creatures.
Apparently Azog, the Pale Orc, had imprisoned Beorn and his family a long time ago just for fun, to torture them. He was sullen when he revealed he was the only one of his kind left. I felt for him then. I couldn't imagine it being a good life when you had lost all your family, and the creature that had killed them was still alive.
I realised that Thorin could relate to Beorn in this sense, and I hoped that it would make it easier to get this man's help. We needed food and supplies to keep going onto Erebor, and there was no way we could do it without Beorn's help.
Beorn eyed Thorin intently, and finally replied when no one else spoke.
"It is known that I dislike Dwarves. You are selfish and put your lives above those you deem unimportant. However, I loathe Orcs and Goblins. You and your company have my help with your travels. I will grant you access to my supplies and ponies but stay as long as you need. Your company needs the rest, I daresay." Beorn then stood abruptly, and after a glance in my direction, moved away and left through the large door.
It took but a few seconds for Thorin to turn into the leader again.
"We will leave mid-afternoon."
Without meaning to, I had verbalised a groan so loud that even Thorin snapped his head towards me with his eyebrows raised in vague annoyance
Shit. Everyone was looking at me expectantly, and I cleared my throat to play for a little bit of time while I got my thoughts together coherently.
"I just, uh, think that we should rest for a few days. We are all hungry and tired, and we should be a little more energised if we need to take on those Orcs again."
The company were dead silent. I was almost about to blurt an apology when Thorin replied. His face was a mask and I didn't know what he was going to say until the words came out of his mouth.
"Fine. But only two days. We leave midday, the morrow after next. We will need rest for the journey, as the Mirkwood Forest lies ahead." With that, Thorin stood to leave in the same direction as Beorn. I exhaled, realising that I had been holding my breath.
The company went back to eating the rest of the food, though not with the enthusiasm I had seen when I had first met them at Bilbo's house in The Shire. I felt a little better realising that we had a few days to get our shit together before we left again. The first thing I thought of was how badly I needed a bath. I hadn't cleaned myself properly since leaving Rivendell, almost two weeks ago.
Talk about disgusting.
I didn't really know who to ask about whether Beorn had a bathing room I could use or anything. I wondered if he even had one. I mean, he was a bear, so he could probably just go swimming in the river or something.
Noticing Gandalf had stood to duck away, I jumped up as well to follow. He had reached the separate room when I had caught up.
"Hey Gandalf, is there anywhere I can, um... Wash up?" Gandalf turned around and cleared his throat, looking a little uncomfortable. Why was everyone all touchy when I mentioned bathing? I narrowed my eyes at him until he replied.
"Yes, Miss Amelia. There is the river that runs just behind Beorn's house, and you are free to wash there… Though I would take care. While the Orcs have been cleared from the area, you still have to worry about the company accidently stumbling across you..." He was looking anywhere but at my face while he spoke, and then turned to leave once he had finished.
Great. I had no idea how I was going to manage this, and I groaned even thinking about it.
I went back to the table and sat down next to Josh. I didn't join in any of their conversations, still in thought about how I could go and bathe. After a while, I remembered that Josh had a spare tunic and pants, from when he changed into the Elves clothes and out of Bilbo's. I could use that to change into until my other clothes dried.
Now I just needed someone that I could trust to stand watch while I washed. Fili was the first to pop into my head, though he was being weird with me today, so probably not. I could ask Ori or Bilbo, but I think they would be way too uncomfortable, so that only left Josh that could make sure no one would cop an eyeful. He could just stand watch behind a tree or something.
I figured the best opportunity would be to go now while the company were still eating.
"Josh, can you help me with something?" I spoke quietly, as Josh just nodded with a mouthful of bread.
"I need to go and uh, have a bath, but I need someone to stand watch, so no one sees me in the nude. That would be so embarrassing."
I didn't realise that it couldn't have been more embarrassing than what I had just said, apparently a little louder than I hoped. I heard someone choking on their drink before I turned around to see Nori across the table, spluttering his water everywhere.
Next to him, Ori had turned a bright shade of red, while the rest of the company were looking anywhere but at me. Bofur and Kili, on the other hand, were absolutely enjoying the reaction of the Dwarves around them.
"You alright there Ori!" Kili yelled across at the young Dwarf, who really looked like a tomato now. Bofur and Kili began to roar with laughter, as they threw food at Nori and Ori. Fili just looked across the table at me with his jaw agape, his expression that of utter horror.
"What did I say?" I was so confused; surely that wouldn't have caused the reaction it did! I looked at Josh for help, but he looked as confused as me, though he was finding Kili and Bofur's antics quite amusing. It was Kili who answered me after he had calmed down enough to speak again.
"It is not... Not very lady-like to talk about such matters to men, especially at the dining table!" Some of the company grunted in agreement, most of whom were still avoiding eye-contact.
"Well, I'm sorry I haven't had a bath in two weeks and feel the need to wash myself!" I heard someone else choke on their food, so I continued, not caring anymore.
"Besides, how am I supposed to act like a damn 'lady' when I'm surrounded by smelly, bearded men every moment of every goddamn day!"
That got a better reaction than my previous comments. Bofur and Kili absolutely lost it, their laughter echoing through the house. Even Bombur, Balin and Bilbo had joined in. Nori had begun to argue with Gloin and Ori about who smelt worse, and even Fili had smirked at me.
I stood to leave then, dragging a chuckling Josh behind me. We collected our rucksacks and left the house where the company were still arguing and laughing amongst each other.
Walking out into the fresh morning air was relieving. The sun was shining down on the green grass and forests surrounding the house. I looked to where Beorn had been a bear the day before, but pushed those images aside quickly. That wasn't really what I wanted to think about right now.
We walked outside of the wooden fence and moved around the side of Beorn's home, towards where Gandalf said the river stretched. After a few minutes, and a quick walk through some thick trees that lie just behind his house, we came to the river.
Josh quickly took out his spare clothes from his rucksack, gave them to me and with a quick smile, moved back to the tree line out of view. I looked around me, noticing that I would be well covered under the thick forest around us and the river looked to be deep enough to fully submerse myself. It seemed to be deeper in areas, and I probably would have been able to stand without worrying about flashing anyone.
Without further hesitation, I took my shoes off and stepped into the water. I took off my clothes while in the water, just in the off chance that anyone that came across me. I doubted any of the company would stray back out here after our earlier conversation though.
Rinsing my clothes, I could see the brown and red from the dirt and blood that had stained my shirt and pants. It was truly disgusting. After washing each piece, I laid them out on the rocky ground next to me. Hoping that my underwear and bra didn't take too long to dry, I focused on scrubbing down every inch of myself. Realising I probably still had Goblin blood on me made me feel sick.
I was in the river for probably an hour or so. My hair was an absolute birds nest, so I took special care to scrub it and run the knots and tangles out with my fingers. To say it was mission impossible is an understatement. Josh had called out a few times to make sure I was alright, but besides that it was quiet and peaceful. I could hear birds chirping and singing, and the sound of the water flowing around me was fantastic.
Feeling glad that I had told Thorin we should stay longer, I left the river and quickly put on my now dry lingerie and the clothes that Josh had given me, because my pants and tunic were still damp.
I couldn't even believe how much better I felt in simply being clean. Collecting my belongings, I looked at my surroundings. The sun was shining high in the blue sky; the light green and yellowing leaves on the trees around me rustled in the breeze; the pristine water of the river drifted lazily around the rocks and down the current. Everything just seemed so perfect.
After a few moments of just taking everything in, I moved back into the tree line to Josh. He was leaning against a tree, just looking up into the canopy above him. He seemed to mirror how I currently felt; content.
"Do you want to clean up?" He grinned and jumped up, already moving to the river. I sat where he had just been and leaned my head against the tree at my back. The sunlight streamed through the foliage well above my head. It was beautiful.
My own clothes soon finished drying, so I quickly changed into them and folded Josh's. I had a feeling he wouldn't wear them again though, because they were too small for him.
After about an hour, Josh came back wearing what looked to be now clean and mostly dry clothes.
"Even though that wasn't a hot shower, it was damn good!" The smiling Josh helped me up and we began to walk back. We took our time, not really needing to rush anywhere. It felt good after spending the better part of the last two months running.
"You seem better today," Josh said, turning his head slightly to look at me. I just smiled in return.
"Yeah, and you do too." We continued to walk for a while longer before he spoke again.
"Are you still having nightmares though?" I was slightly taken aback by the suddenness of his question, but I wasn't willing to dwell on it too much.
"I have been, but I'll be fine, I promise." I smiled at him again, honestly trying to convey that I was alright. It's not that the nightmares weren't bad; they were incredibly horrible, and they made me feel terrible if I thought too much about them. It's just that I had Fili to calm me down and I had Josh and the rest of the company to keep my mind off them during the day.
We didn't speak again but were comfortable enough just being in each other's company.
By the time we made our way back, it was lunch time and the company were again eating. We joined them and dug in, listening to their banter and joining in on their various conversations. Bofur winked at me from across the table, and I just threw the nearest bread roll at him.
"Oi!" He yelled as it hit him squarely on the forehead. He began to laugh as Kili threw some other food product at him, and it would have turned into a full-scale food fight if Thorin hadn't stopped us. I think he was less inclined to ruin Beorn's home, though a food fight in Rivendell wouldn't have fazed him at all. Had he been there during that, he probably would have led the assault against Lord Elrond and the other Elves.
That didn't dampen their moods though. Once they finished their food, they all moved outside to go and bathe in the river themselves. Kili dragged Josh along, even though he had already washed. Even Bilbo went along after Bofur convinced to join the group, though he had grown supremely nervous about it. He was someone who barely had social visitors; I could hardly see him jump into a river in the nude with a bunch of hairy Dwarves.
I stayed in the house and started to clean up the dining table of the mess that the Dwarves had created, regretting throwing the food around. Sighing, I cleared the plates, wiped down the enormous table that I was only just able to reach over and picked scraps from the floor. It was when I stood up again that I realised I was being watched.
"Oh fuck," I exclaimed as I jumped about a metre in the air, seeing that Beorn was standing at the end of the table with his arms crossed, watching me.
"I'm sorry to startle you. Amelia, am I right?" I nodded and replied to him.
"Miss Amelia. You scared the hell out of me." He just smirked at me and his answer made my cheeks flame in embarrassment.
"It wouldn't be the first time." He continued to smirk at me as I continued to clean up his dining room. He made me feel a little uncomfortable, but I just tried to relax. There was no point in freaking out just because he intimidated me. When I didn't reply, he asked me a question.
"Where are you from?" I just stared at him. What did he mean by that? Did he know that I wasn't from here?
"Far away from this place." I retorted, unwilling to tell him anything else.
"Why is it you are following those Dwarves around then? They are stubborn and selfish, and do not care for others, such as animals, as you do. My friends here have told me of how you spoke to them when you first arrived, yet the rest of the company did not even give them a second glance. What is it you see in those Dwarves?" He motioned towards his friends- the horses that I had talked to yesterday.
Ignoring what he had said about the company in an attempt to calm myself down from the anger that was starting to creep into my heart, I replied to his questions with one of my own.
"So, you can understand the horses, can you?" My voice was edged with sarcasm and I avoided his gaze by beginning to wipe down the chairs.
"Yes, I can. I am linked to animals due to my... Nature. I can understand and communicate with them. I have answered your question, now you should answer mine."
Okay, that was it. Who was he to question why I was with the company, why I was following them around as if I was their pet? I wasn't a damned child that he could try and chastise as if he was someone who was allowed to tell me what to do.
"I see loyalty, honesty and the willingness to protect their family. You dislike them for looking down on others, but that is exactly what you are doing right now. You don't even personally know them." I had looked at him then, standing with clenched fists by my side.
"But you are not their kin? You should know that it is extremely rare for a Dwarf to see anyone unrelated to themselves, let alone a different race, as kin."
"Don't talk about things that you have no idea about. They have protected me more than you can even scratch the surface of." To my utter frustration, he just simply chuckled, eying me with amusement.
"You are an odd thing, are you not? You are human, yet possess the stubbornness and loyalty of a Dwarf, but the compassion and temper of a skin-changer. I can see that now. If it is your wish to stay here instead of continuing their journey, you are free to do so. The animals here have taken a liking to you." On that note, he left with a small smirk which made me think that the horses weren't the only animals he was talking about.
The anger drained out of my body and I was left feeling slightly deflated. The way that he had said it was their journey, implied that he thought I didn't belong with them. It left doubt in my mind, especially after he had said how unlikely it was that they saw me as family.
Needing to escape and get some fresh air, I quickly moved outside through the back entrance. I sat down against the outside of the wooden fence that encircled the house and closed my eyes.
For fucks sake. I was having a good day too.
I emptied my mind and tried to focus on the sounds around me to calm myself down.
That was when I heard it.
There were yells coming from the direction the river was; I couldn't see anything through the thick trees, but I knew that it was the company. Oh my god, what if the Orcs had come back. A thousand thoughts rushed through my head. They didn't have weapons. They weren't prepared, no, no, no.
I ran back into the house to grab my twin blades and sprinted back out the door and through the woods. The thought of them being defenceless against the Orcs made my stomach churn, but it spurred me to move faster towards the source of the noise.
The yelling was becoming louder, and I could finally see the tree line thinning. I burst through the forest, into the small clearing next to the lake, to see something so horrible that I had to close my eyes. I couldn't believe it.
They were all naked.
They were naked and atop each other's shoulders, trying to topple each other over in some type of game.
What the hell.
I started to make small steps backwards with my eyes closed, hoping beyond hope that they hadn't seen me. It was in vain.
"Oi lass, if you wanted to join us, all you had to do was ask!" I recognised Bofur's voice and excepting the laugh that came from him and Kili, I heard nothing but silence. I didn't dare open my eyes again; I had seen quite enough.
"I, ugh... I heard the yells… I thought that, um, there were Orcs, or…" I trailed off sounding completely and utterly stupid. This was so humiliating.
"And you were going to fight them off by yourself!" Kili yelled, trying to contain the eruption of laughter that I knew was coming. I didn't respond, but I instead turned around, opened my eyes and bolted back through the forest to the house with the howls of laughter following me.
They would never let me live that down, ever. Not to mention that the image of all of them stark naked was going to be scarred in my mind forever didn't make me feel any better. How utterly embarrassing. I felt like it was becoming a running theme today.
I moved into the house and lay down on my blanket and cloak, where I had slept the night before. It was almost evening by now, and I sighed. I had begun to doze off when I heard the noises of the company returning through the front entrance.
Wishing more than anything that there was a rock I could crawl under, I stood up to face the further humiliation that was about to come my way.
Hello everyone :) This chapter is a bit lighter and a bit cheeky! I feel like I want to have one or two chapters of more bonding and more light-hearted interactions between the company, especially because Mirkwood Forest is ahead and it's going to get a bit rough for them from here on out. That is why I've chosen to have them stay at Beorn's house for a few days.
I will probably have one more chapter here before they move on; I also hope to update again by the end of the week!
Thanks to Fleursoh and Shadowsammy for your reviews! :) And thank you to my new followers :D Have a great day!