CHAPTER 53

Ringil's blade glittered a glorious icy blue, stark even against the pale background of the sky as she whipped through the air. My muscles knew no tiredness, no wear. I was a shield-maiden. I cut down orc after orc like they were nothing, my armour dripping with their blood.

I threw myself down an embankment, into the thick of an orc mob attempting to ladder their way in to Erebor. One raised a dirty scimitar to strike me, but I was quicker, and I plunged Ringil into its chest. It dropped to its knees, and I pulled my sword out, the blade now appearing purple. Purple?

Its arms shook as it raised them, pulling its helmet off and letting it clatter to the ground. Fili. It was Fili. His blue eyes betrayed his shock and his pain, and he coughed, blood gurgling and dripping from his mouth. My heart seemed to burst into a gallop and fragment into a million pieces all at once, and the sky became thick with ravens, flapping and cawing all around me. I started screaming.

My heart continued to pound as my eyes flew open. I gazed wildly around, reorientating myself to the dark room where I fell asleep not long ago. Fili was sitting to the side of me, looking quite unharmed, but he looked at me, his face creased with concern.

He wiped my sweaty hair off my forehead while I continued to stare at him, horrified at what I'd just dreamed.

Brain, why the fuck would you do that?

'Another bad dream?' He asked me, brushing through my hair with his fingers.

'I don't really want to talk about it,' I said, dropping my gaze. Keep it together, girl.

'Maybe you should,' he suggested. 'How you act in your sleep will always tell me how you really are.'

He couldn't quite keep the accusatory tone out of his voice. I thought I'd been honest about how I felt? Maybe not honest enough. Either way, I felt angry about the whole thing, then. Anger was probably far more use to me at that moment than sadness, so I went with it, teeth pressed firmly together, eyes down, jaw tense.

He sighed, rubbing his eyelids with his free hand.

'Come,' he said, taking my hand. 'We're expected at the armoury.'

I swigged some water quickly and shoved my feet back into my boots. I gave Ringil a dirty look as I buckled her around me. I know it was just a stupid dream, but she felt heavier than she ever had. I took a deep, steadying breath and we left the room.

The armoury was deep within the mountain, not as deep as the mines and the vaults, but deep enough to be a dark, safe place. The rest of the Company were there, and the braziers were lit, warm light casting through the halls of the armoury and allowing me to see the place clearly. Cobwebby suits of armour, endless swords, axes, tomahawks, daggers, every other weapon you could think of lined the halls, supported by sharply angled structural arches every few metres.

Ye olde department store.

Fili gave my arm a squeeze and went off to join Kili. I wandered through, greeting the others, and finding Ori, who looked just as lost as I was.

I looped my arm through his and we walked, looking at the armour. 'I like that one,' I announced, coming to a halt in front of a mannequin bearing a suit of armour that looked oddly like dragon scales.

'Oh, Bonnie, you know I am about as much of a warrior as Bilbo.' He lamented.

'I know, which is why you need to look fierce. Fake it til you make it, friend.' I smiled widely, and he returned it, reaching for the helmet and pulling it off, brushing the cobwebs off with his gloved hand.

As I helped him into it, my heart sank a little. He was a scribe, a writer, the size of me - definitely no warrior - and he didn't have a warrior lover forbidding him from participating in the battle. He'd make it through by luck alone. I swallowed the massive lump and put the brave face back on.

'Now, weapons,' I said, pulling him over to the racks. 'Time to say goodbye to that sling shot.'

'I think I'll keep it on me, just for luck.' He said, patting his hip pocket.

He found a large rectangular shield, a spear and an axe. 'I'm better with an axe than anything else,' he explained. He certainly looked the part.

'You do look fierce,' I complimented him. 'Are you feeling ok?'

'I'm a little scared, but Dwalin and Dori said they'll look out for me.' He said, and I felt a relieved that there would be someone there for him.

I looked over to my left, where Fili and Kili were sifting through the offerings. Fili tossed a black and silver shield to Kili, who caught it like it was nothing. I could barely even lift Ori's shield. Some shield-maiden, I thought darkly.

Fili held up a suit of chain mail, considering it for a moment, then cast it aside. Oh, hell no.

'I think you should put the mail on, Fili.' I said.

'No, I don't think I will. It will just slow me down with all the other armour.'

'Put the fucking mail on, Fili!'

It sounded so much louder and angrier than I meant it to, in these echo-friendly halls. Everyone in the vicinity stopped and stared, before laughing lightly and turning back to what they were doing. Fili and I, however, were locked in an intense and deadly staring battle.

Kili leaned toward him. 'I'd do as she says, brother. That look is not your friend, and she is a seer, after all.'

What does being a seer have to do with it? I blinked confusedly at Kili, but Fili, to his credit, gnashed his teeth and picked up the mail, pulling it over his head. It clinked and fell to his knees.

'Happy now, woman?'

'Not at all,' I snapped, and walked back down to the deserted end of the armoury, but not before I saw him roll his eyes and whisper 'oh, Mahal'. How many times had I wanted to punch him in the throat? We must be up to three or four now, surely.

I was still reeling about it, even though I'd got what I wanted, as I looked at the armour. My eyes came upon a breastplate, beautifully made with leather and steel, with a short mail skirt and mail sleeves. It didn't look like it was made for a man, so I pulled it down from its mannequin, dusting it off. It was beautiful. I shrugged out of my cloak and unbuckled Ringil, lifting the breastplate across me and starting to buckle it, but I heard footsteps.

It was Fili. I was momentarily stunned. Despite my own beliefs about the abhorrence of war, he looked glorious in his armour, kingly, even. 'What are you doing?' He asked, shocked.

'Look what I found!' I was so excited by it, that I didn't pause to think about what he thought.

'What is it for?' His voice was low and falsely calm.

'Um…tomorrow.'

Wrong answer, apparently. He shook his head and strode forward, wrenching the breastplate from my body and throwing it violently against the wall. It clanged and clattered, and I covered my ears.

'I forbid it, Bonnie,' he snarled, 'and I won't say it again.'

I recoiled, frightened of him for the first time. That large hot lump in my throat, my nearly constant companion these days, sat heavy in my neck. I felt like I was choking. I wanted to look away from him, but I couldn't.

The look on his face became sad, and his eyes softened. Oh my god, don't tell me I'm going to make him cry.

'If, by some impossible reason you came with me tomorrow, you would be in head to toe mithril, but since Bilbo has just been given the last piece of mithril armour by Thorin, that isn't going to happen. I can't have you out there, Bonnie.' He said quietly, and he took a deep breath, turned and walked away.

I stood, thoughtful. I didn't want to betray him. Honest to Mahal. But I picked up the breastplate anyway, tucked my cloak and Ringil under my arm, and followed them out of the armoury.

Bonnie's going a bit cray. Sorry for the nearly month-long lack of updates. I'm embarrassed to say that moving countries is far more work than I imagined. One month left!
And here's another smutty instalment, if you will head to Lose Yourself: Pure M-rated PWP. /s/10777395/5/Lose-Yourself-Pure-M-rated-PWP
Enjoy! The battle's coming!