Chapter XIV: Mixed Emotions

The air above the mountains was much cooler than it was below near the ground. Sophie pressed her body closer against the eagle's body which she was riding on, in order to absorb more of the heat that was radiating out of its feathered back.

It had been a long time since Sophie had been so high up in the air, as she no longer had her broom to fly on. It was both an uplifting and slightly nervous feeling to be able to experience flying again. She still could not believe that they had all escaped from the orcs, alive and in one piece. Sophie felt strangely relaxed and comfortable sitting on the eagle's back, although she could safely bet that the other company members (excluding Gandalf) would think otherwise.

Bilbo, who was sitting next to Sophie, did not seem to be particularly enjoying the ride at all, and he let out an involuntary squeal every time the eagle performed a little dip in the air. As the breeze died down Sophie relaxed even more and she absent-mindedly stroked the magnificent beast's feathers, a single shaft was longer than her entire arm. The eagles reminded Sophie of the Ravenclaw house at Hogwarts which Jesse was in, and she guessed that was the reason why she felt so safe and protected while riding on their backs. It was a comforting thought that her brother was looking over their quest by appearing in different forms. The young witch closed her eyes and peacefully welcomed the next breeze that blew towards them.

(It was her first year at Hogwarts. It was a beautiful April afternoon, and the school grounds flourished with all the fresh vegetation that had bloomed. Sophie was at the Quidditch pitch with Jesse. She was getting some extra broom-flying lessons from her brother who played as the chaser for the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. Despite her brother's careful instructions though, Sophie was still finding it difficult to steer her broom towards the direction she wanted it to fly.

"You've just got to be a bit more confident, sis," Jesse encouraged her patiently as Sophie flew past him at a speed slower than a walking pace, terrified that something wrong will happen if she flew any faster.

"But what if I fall off?"

Jesse laughed, not unkindly, at his sister's innocent question, but he stopped when he saw the expression on Sophie's face indicating that she was being serious. The older wizard flew his broom next to Sophie's and looked her in the eyes, smiling. His blue Quidditch uniform billowed softly against the gentle wind.

"You don't have to worry about that, Sophie. You know I won't ever let you fall."

"I know that. It's just…what if you're not there?"

"I will always be there to catch you, Sophie. Don't you worry about that.")

The flashback hit Sophie so suddenly that the young witch almost let go of the eagle's feathers. Thankfully, Bilbo was there to steady her and stop her from tumbling off its back. The hobbit gently shook Sophie's shoulder, concerned at her sudden change in mood.

"Sophie, are you alright?" He asked and the young witch just nodded.

When Sophie didn't say anything further, Bilbo moved closer and rubbed her arms with his palms comfortingly. He's just like Jesse, Sophie thought to herself silently.

"It's alright. Flying on eagles makes me nervous too," the hobbit whispered kindly, misinterpreting the witch's heavy breathing for aviophobia.

Sophie managed a small smile and nodded again. It was a good thing that the eagles were now preparing to land, for she was starting to get worried that the flashback would come back again without warning.

The eagles dropped the company off at the edge of a high cliff, before flying off into the clouds again. Sophie was grateful for the timing of their rescue, and she felt rather sad to see them leave so soon. But her attention quickly went back to Thorin, who had just been lowered down gently by the eagle that had carried him.

Sophie ran over to the dwarf King who remained unconscious, her heart sinking at the sight of his injuries. Gandalf arrived shortly after and hurried over to Thorin. He knelt down beside him, and placed the tips of his fingers gently over Thorin's forehead. The company members watched, holding their breaths, as the Grey Wizard muttered some spells quietly. Sophie let out a sigh of relief as Thorin's eyes fluttered open, and she silently gave a prayer of thanks to whoever was out there for watching over them.

Thorin was surprised to wake up and find himself on the ground with all the company members staring down at him. At first he wondered why they were all staring at him with so much concern, but then a sharp jab of pain in his ribs brought him back to reality, and the events that had taken prior to his awakening.

"The hobbit? What about Sophie? Is everybody alright?" Thorin asked Gandalf in a ramble.

"Everyone is fine, Thorin. It is you who needs to be looked over," Gandalf answered, relief evident in his voice.

Thorin sat up, rather painfully. He remembered seeing a pair of enormous claws coming towards him before he passed out. It all didn't make sense. One minute he was getting knocked around by Azog, and the next he was on the ground with Bilbo and Sophie standing over him. The events were all in a jumble in his mind. But nonetheless Thorin knew that had it not been for the young witch and the hobbit, he would surely be dead, and he owed each of them an apology. The dwarf King limped over to where Bilbo and Sophie were standing at the back nervously. He cursed the pain in his leg as he did so, but he stood up as straight as he could.

"You!" Thorin began speaking to the hobbit, his voice coming out rougher than he had anticipated.

Bilbo seemed quite taken aback, and he edged further behind Sophie's back.

"What were you doing? You nearly got yourself killed! Did I not say that you would be a burden, that you would not survive in the wild and that you have no place amongst us? But I've never been so wrong in all my life," and with that, Thorin gave Bilbo a tight hug.

Sophie stared along with the rest of the company members, shocked at Thorin's actions. The dwarf King had openly despised Bilbo, and here he was embracing the small hobbit like he was his brother. As soon as Thorin let go of Bilbo, the other dwarves began surrounding their leader, clapping Thorin on the back and joking with him about his near death experience.

"Good to see your head on your shoulders, lad," Dwalin said, and the other dwarves including Thorin laughed.

Sophie felt out of the loop, and so she just stood where she was, fidgeting with her fingers behind her back. She wanted to both run over and give Thorin a huge hug, and kick him in the leg for being foolish enough to take on the pale orc. But Sophie no longer knew if she was even still part of the company according to Thorin, and so she decided to let the original company members rejoice amongst themselves.

Instead, Sophie walked over to where Gandalf was standing and watching the dwarves with a happy expression on his face. But her movements didn't go by completely unnoticed. Thorin hastily left his men (who were still laughing and having a good time) and walked over to Sophie. Gandalf gave a little cough before discreetly walking away. When Thorin arrived in front of Sophie, he stopped, and an awkward pause hung in the air for a few seconds.

"I'm glad you came back," Thorin said eventually, his eyes looking at Sophie softly.

Sophie could feel her pulse quickening, and she could tell the dwarf King was not unhappy to see her again.

"You can't get rid of me that easily," the young witch joked, and Thorin chuckled deeply.

Thorin took another small step towards Sophie and he lifted his hand towards her face. For one crazy moment, Sophie thought he was going to stroke her hair. But the dwarf King hesitantly left his fingers hanging in the air for a split second before laying it down gently on her shoulder. His blue eyes searched her face as he spoke again.

"No, I don't ever want to get rid of you again," Thorin whispered to her softly.

Before Sophie could react, the dwarf King walked back to his men without saying another word. Sophie stood at the same spot, utterly confused with Thorin's words and actions, as well as her own feelings for him. What on earth have you gotten yourself into, Sophie?! A panicked voice yelled in the young witch's mind, and Sophie had no idea how to answer it.