a/n: A big thank you and welcome to the new favoriters and followers. majda01, Cookie Eating Pandax2, .Cullen Fan

The EarthSong, they needed a chill chapter, I think we did too.

princesaangelbebe, oh yes, they'll be fine... I hope...

Kelwtim2spar, yes, they'll be there soon... eventually... maybe... (no, they'll find Beorn, don't worry).


Holly woke late the next morning. It seemed everyone was doing something, or just coming back from hunting. She was still tired, and she wondered how Thorin was doing. He hadn't seemed at all well the night before.

Breakfast was still on the fire, or maybe it was lunch. She wasn't sure. What she was sure of was that she missed her morning bowls of cereal. Rice Krispies, Fruity Pebbles or even a bowl of oatmeal would be nice right now.

She sighed and pulled off a piece of meat from whatever unfortunate creature that had happened to die under one of the dwarves' hands. She skewered up some mushrooms on a stick that was left near the fire for that purpose. As the mushrooms cooked, she turned to the only other resident of the fire.

Bofur.

He sat with his knees tucked up near his chest. An object balanced on one of his knees. He was focused on that thing and had not noticed Holly come to the fire.

"What do you have there?" she asked softly, breaking the silence.

Bofur gasped and looked up at her. He smiled his cheeky grin at her. He always seemed glad to see her. Not that any of the dwarves were unhappy to see her, but he always seemed more pleased than most.

"Good morning, lass," he greeted first, then looked back at his knee. "This is... a songbird." He picked the object up and held it out to Holly. He placed it in her outstretched palm.

"Just turn the wee crank," he said as Holly looked at the bird. It was a small thing, the base of it only a couple inches across. The whole thing was maybe four inches tall.

Holly frowned but did as she was bid. The little mechanical bird opened its mouth and chirped at her. Then it dipped and bobbed on its singular leg, a perch, Holly thought it was supposed to be. It stopped singing and bobbing when she stopped turning the crank.

"Oh, that's wonderful," she said and smiled past the bird at Bofur. Bofur blushed and smiled. "Did you make it?"

"Aye," he said and nodded.

"Oh, it's even more wonderful," she said. "Though it should be blue."

"I haven't any paint," he said and shrugged as he smiled.

"Why did you think to make him?" she asked. It seemed like a random thing to make, especially while on the road to kill a dragon.

"This is what I do," he said. "In Ered Luin. I... I make toys."

"Oh," she said and nodded. So it wasn't all that random.

"Before..." he swallowed hard. "Before Smaug... we made them in Erebor. Sold them in Dale."

"We?" she asked, feeling Bofur needed to talk to someone about what was on his mind.

"Yes, Bifur and I," he said. "He's my cousin, you know."

"No, I didn't know," she said.

"But... it was said, our toys were greatly prized in Dale," he said and sighed.

Holly nodded. "Are you worried they won't be any longer?" she hedged. "When everything is settled in Erebor?"

Bofur sighed. "Aye," he said and nodded.

"If you make toys like this, you don't have anything to worry about," she said and twirled the tiny crank again.

Bofur chuckled and watched her play with the bird. "But Dale isn't there any longer," he said.

"No?" she asked as she looked up at him from the bird.

"Smaug," he said and shrugged. "Your mushrooms are done."

"Oh, yes," she said and handed Bofur back the little bird. "You keep making those."

"And I'll have things to give your wee ones," he said. "When the time comes, of course."

"Of course," she said and smiled.

As she ate, she thought about Bofur and his little singing bird. She frowned, wondering.

"Bofur... have you made many more of those?" she asked. She wondered if he had made many more different things, also.

"Nay, lass," he said and shook his head. "Tis the first one. In a long while, at least."

"What other things did you used to make?" she asked.

"Well... horses and carts," he said and smiled, remembering. "Windmills. Mmmm, once we made a little village, with horses and people that moved." He smiled.

"That must have been amazing," she said and smiled. She could only imagine what the little village would have looked like. "Have you ever made a music box?"

Bofur frowned. "No, I haven't," he said. "What is it?"

"Well... it's a small box that makes music," she said and shrugged.

"Aye? And how does it work?" he asked, curious.

"Oh... there's a little... round metal piece with tiny spikes on it that turns slowly," she said and tried to remember the ones she'd seen the insides of years ago. "And the little spikes pluck a... fine metal comb to make the notes."

Bofur frowned but nodded.

"It's just a tinny little sound," she said. "Not like a full company of dwarves playing fiddles and flutes."

Bofur grinned and nodded. "That would be a feat, to make something like that," he said. Lost in his musings, he sighed and stood.


Thorin was better than his word. He made no move to leave the carrock and stream that day. They rested and restored their food supplies as best they could. But it was still meager and would only last a few days.

Fili was pleased with the amount of dried apples they carried away in their packs. He munched on a handful of slices as they moved out.

"When will we cross that river?" Holly asked to anyone that would answer.

"Oh, probably late today or the next," Bofur said cheerily.

"Lovely," Holly said under her breath. Fili squeezed her hand.

"I promise I'll be careful," he said, his eyes twinkled with mischief.

"You mean you promise you won't go chasing after any stray pack ponies," she said.

Fili chuckled. "Aye," he said and squeezed her hand again.

The walking was slow going and Holly wished for the ponies again. She tried not to think of the fates of the ones they had before. But it didn't work. She sighed.

Fili pulled her close and made to kiss her temple, but couldn't reach it. He jumped while he made kissy lips at her, his mustache braids swinging wildly about. Holly chuckled and shook her head. Fili grinned up at her.

It was during sunset when they came to the River Anduin. Thorin stood majestically at the bank with Dwalin and Balin, a breeze had picked up his hair, making it a banner whipping to the side. Gandalf was some feet away, assessing the situation in his own way.

"What do you think?" Dwalin asked when Thorin said nothing for what seemed like an eternity.

"I think it best we wait until morning to cross," he said. The way across was wide. There was a rope strung high over the river with a raft on the other side for crossing at the road. They only had to pull the secondary rope to bring the raft back to their side.

There was no more discussion of crossing the river that night.

"What are we doing?" Holly whispered to Fili. After dinner he had grabbed her hand and dragged her away from camp. There wasn't any privacy near camp, so he sought refuge behind a row of trees and tall grass a little ways off.

"I want to be alone with you," he said, but slowed. "Do you mind?"

Holly chuckled and shook her head. "No, I don't mind," she said. "I think I need a break from everyone anyway." Fili grinned up at her.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"I'm feeling good," she said. "Why?"

Fili chuckled and shook his head. They stopped among the tall grass. "Come and sit with me," he said. She joined him in the grass.

"What do you have in mind?" she asked and looked at him, his knees were tucked up to his chest and he rested his cheek on them.

"Nothing," he said and looked at her. "I just wanted to be alone with you for a while."

She smiled at him and tucked a stray lock of hair behind his ear.

They said nothing to each other for a long time. Then Holly sighed and looked up at the black sky.

"It's so quiet here," she said.

Fili frowned. "No quieter than any other place," he said.

"Well, I meant here as in... this place that isn't my home," she said and Fili nodded.

"Tell me about the place you call home," he said. "Of what I didn't see that day."

Holly sighed and lay back in the grass. Fili lay back too, but lay on his side and propped up on his elbow and watched her.

She looked at him and frowned. "Don't you want to look at the stars tonight?" she asked softly and stroked his chin with the backs of her fingers.

He smiled softly at her. "I've seen the stars before," he said softly.

"But you've seen me before, too," she said and bit her lip.

"Aye," he said. "But I've seen the stars for many years. I've seen all the stars there are to see. But I've only seen you for a handful of weeks. And I've not seen nearly enough of you yet to fill a lifetime."

Holly sighed. "Are you a poet?" she asked. "A writer?"

Fili chuckled. "No," he said. "I'm merely a prince of a forgotten mountain realm."

"Merely," she said and sighed. "Merely the prince of my heart."

Fili chuffed softly and leaned down to kiss her. She cupped his cheek.

He looked at her as he withdrew. "You didn't tell me of your home," he said.

"My former home," she said. Fili smiled again and nodded.

She sighed and looked back up at the stars. "It's very noisy and very bright," she said. "Too many people."

"Why did you live there?" he asked.

"I had no choice," she said and shrugged. "Sometimes we don't always live in the place we want or need to be."

Fili nodded.

"Even though... I've come close to death more times than I want to count, I don't want to go back home," she said softly.

"Why is that?" he asked.

"Because you're here," she said and turned her head to look at him again.

"I would want to live where you would live," he said. "I would be happy no matter where you choose."

Holly chuckled softly and cupped his cheek. "Even if it's in this field?" she asked. "Forever living in the grass?"

"Aye," he said and sighed. "I would hunt, we could bathe every morning in the river. Nap under the trees. Sleep under the stars. It would only matter that we are together."

"Yes," she said and sighed.

"I would give up all the gold and gems in Erebor for that," he said softly. His chubby fingers stole to her cheek.

She turned her face and kissed his fingertips.

"It's hard for me to be happy, on this quest," he said softly. "But knowing I will have you at the end of it, makes me want to go on."

Holly could feel the prickle of tears. "Enough talk for now," she said softly and trapped his hand against her cheek.

"Aye," he said and allowed himself to be pulled down to lay beside her. Her fingers tangled in his hair and he rested his cheek on her shoulder. "We'll go back to camp in a while, aye?"

"Aye," she said softly and kissed his forehead. Fili chuffed.

"Amrali astî," he said, barely a whisper.

"Amrali astû," Holly replied. She felt Fili smile against her shoulder. They were quiet for a very long time afterwards.

Holly woke with a start. Opening her eyes, she looked up expecting to see the sky above, but saw only a golden mane.

"Fili? What are you doing?" she asked.

"Watching you," he said softly.

Holly chuckled softly and put her hand in the middle of his chest. She pushed him back off of her and down, down to the grass until he was on his back below her. He grinned up at her, his arms spread wide.

"It's going to be like that, eh?" she asked.

Fili nodded. "You were so peaceful," he said. "I didn't wish to wake you."

"I felt you looking at me," she confessed, realizing that she could tell he was thinking about her while she slept. Her eyebrows knit together a moment before she erased the confusion from her face. She lowered herself to Fili and kissed him lightly.

"Mmm, yes," he said against her lips. He teased her mouth with his, nipping with teeth in quick little nibbles on lips and chin.

Giggling, Holly moved from his face to his neck. She scraped his skin with her teeth. Fili moaned and squirmed under her.

Her hands slid down his front to the bottom of his tunic. She slid her hands underneath and slid back up, his crisp golden hair curling around her fingers. "My hairy dwarf," she muttered softly. Fili's eyes twinkled and he smirked, one corner of his mouth tilting up.

Bending down as she raised his tunic, she placed a kiss on his stomach above his bellybutton. His muscles quivered under the attention. She bit her lip as she looked up at him, a mischievous twinkle in her own eyes now.

Her hands went to the ties of his trousers. Fili gasped, realizing what she was about. He watched as she pulled his trousers down, freeing his stiff length. He moaned when she touched him, stroking his length. Then she bent and kissed the tip and Fili squirmed.

Raising up on his elbows, he watched as Holly took his whole length in her mouth. She hummed a bit and it sent shivers all down to the base of his fasl and into his legs, up his spine and out to his arms.

The wet heat of her mouth did wild wonderful things to him. He gasped and was compelled to lift his hips into her. He moaned and bit his lip, he muttered incomprehensible things.

And then he shot long and hard into her mouth as she sucked and moved on him. He moaned and grunted, his hips still moving. And then he fell back into the grass, gasping for air.

He stared up at the stars, eyes wide, mouth open. Holly moved up, kissing along his heated flesh as she went. She covered him with her body. She lay half on him, one leg nestled between both of his. His now limp member rested against her thigh.

She stroked his side and nuzzled his cheek. "My sweet Love," she said softly, her lips brushing his cheek as she spoke.

"Asti zi amsumul," he said softly. She looked up at him and Fili chuckled. "You are wonderful."

"You're not so bad yourself," she said and kissed his nose.

It was a long time before Holly fixed his trousers back and pulled him up out of the grass where he had melted. He leaned against her heavily as they walked back to camp and finally lay down in their blanket bed. Only Bifur witnessed their late arrival back at camp, he nodded at them and smiled, then turned back to guard the camp while it slept.


hopefully no one's forgotten what a 'fasl' is.


a/n: And another touchy, feely, talky chapter.