We are honey and the bee
Backyard of butterflies surrounded me
I fell in love with you
Like bees to honey
-Honey & the Bee, Owl City
Sona woke the next morning to a chorus of snoring dwarves and the fresh smell of hay feeling well rested and at peace.
She sat up, immediately seeking out Thorin and saw him sleeping slightly apart from the others as always, head pillowed on his arm. She frowned. Why had he not set out his bedroll? Or had he fallen asleep in that corner too exhausted to do anything else? He was still fully dressed too. Though, come to think of it, she'd never seen him with his boots off.
Except for in that first dream…
Seeing that everyone was still asleep, Sona quietly got to her feet and tiptoed over to him. She spread her sleeping bag over him, carefully tucking it under his chin, her fingers lightly grazing his soft beard in the process. It was just silky as his hair, though the individual strands were thicker and more wiry. She paused a moment to inhale the spicy scent of cardamom and freshness of pine, and had to resist the urge to kiss his forehead. She quickly straightened and backed away.
Ugh, what's wrong with me? This crush is ridiculous. We are friends!
Her heart soared as she recalled his words from the night before.
No, not just friends, close friends!
Then her smile melted into a slight frown.
Friends. Just friends. Close friends, but still… just friends.
She pressed her lips close together, suddenly needing fresh air to clear her head and quietly left the room.
"Good morning, my dear."
"Oh my gosh, Gandalf, you startled me." Sona clutched at her chest, heart racing, as the wizard eyed her from the table he was perched at, puffing away on his pipe.
"Hmmm," he rumbled. "You're up early."
"I couldn't sleep." She walked toward the main door to Beorn's home, and then paused. "Is it…?"
"Oh yes, it's quite safe… for you." He eyed her bare feet and then smiled before resuming his pipe.
Wizards are weird, Sona thought as she pulled the door open and went outside just in time to catch the stunning vista before her, brilliantly lit by the purple and orange sunrise.
Gorgeous horses in mottled colors galloped by on the open field within the protected space of Beorn's farm as enormous bees buzzed in the air. The Misty Mountains framed everything quite perfectly, and Sona was struck with how beautifully idyllic and peaceful the setting was.
Like that time David and I took Mat and Vera to the pumpkin patch and they got a pony ride. She inhaled deeply through her nose, feeling rejuvenated by the crisp air. A part of me could stay here forever.
Just then Sasha ran by, barking loudly as she was playfully pursued by the same golden retriever from the night before. They bounded into a massive sunflower field abuzz with bees, and Sona jogged after them.
"Sasha!" The flowers loomed overhead as Sona's bare feet sank into the warm soil below. "Come back you silly…"
The words died on her lips as Sona emerged on the other side of the field of flowers into a small clearing filled with dozens of beehives and the largest man she'd ever seen in her life.
He was in profile to her as he bent over a hive, filling a ceramic crock with honeycomb. He had to be well over seven feet in height, and though he wore trousers and boots, his torso was bare, revealing horrid puckering scars from all manner of old injuries nearly everywhere. He was fit and muscular, but not in a "weight-lifter gym-rat" kind of way, but in a "daily physical labor" kind of way. His hair ran down his head and back in a wild manner, and when he straightened and turned to her, his intense dark eyes framed by huge eyebrows, Sona could see the wild bear inside the man.
"Good morning." Sona forced a smile on her face and walked directly toward him, hand extended, praying it wasn't shaking and betraying her fear. "You must be Beorn. I'm—"
"Honey, yes I know." Beorn looked at her extended hand with one quizzical eyebrow, and then, shrugging, placed the full crock of honey in it before retrieving another empty container and moving off to another hive.
"P…pardon?" Sona clutched at the honey, nearly tripping in her surprise. "Did… did you just call me Honey, or were you talking about…"
She trailed off as she watched him expertly remove more honeycomb, the massive bees still flying around them, and she swallowed hard. If even one of them stung her, she would probably die. They were that big!
"Do not worry, Honey. The bees will not harm you." He turned and gave her a broad smile, the long whiskers on his cheeks moving with his mouth. "They know you are a friend."
"Well…" she held the crock of honey even tighter to her chest. "…that's good, I suppose. But, uh, how do they know that? Not that I'm complaining," she added hastily while eying one massive bee in particular as it hovered hear her head, buzzing merrily.
"I told them." He handed her a second crock of honey and moved onto another hive.
"Okay…" Sona bit her lip considering how to phrase her next question. The fact that he could talk to bees was… not something she wanted to consider at the moment. "But…well, how do you know? We've only just met."
"Hmmm, yes." He scooped out more honeycomb and licked the residual off his finger before putting the dripping honeycomb under her nose. "Try that."
"Uhhh…" Sona blinked, but quickly dipped a finger in the viscous golden liquid and stuck it in her mouth. A smooth sweetness hit her tongue and she couldn't help but give a sigh of delight over the taste. "That is amazing… I've never had honey fresh from the hive. That's… amazing." She could find no better word.
Beorn's smile broadened and Sona couldn't help but smile back up at him. His simple joy was infectious and for a moment she had a hard time imagining this towering man as anything but gentle. But then he quickly eyed the perimeter of his farm, eyes narrowed and shoulders tensed as if he'd heard something, and the gentleness was gone in a flash. Beorn was barely contained raw power, and there was a wildness about him that hovered just under the surface of it all.
He seemed to relax after a moment and returned to his hives.
"Chases Butterflies told me all about you, Honey, and dogs are incapable of lying." He handed her a third crock, and Sona shifted them awkwardly in her arms as they moved toward the last hive in the row. "That is how I know you are a friend."
"Chases Butterflies?" Sona looked around, who in the world was Chases Butterflies?
"Yes." Beorn nodded toward Sasha as the chocolate lab bounded by, this time chasing the golden retriever. "She and Smells the Flowers have become fast friends."
"Wait… do you mean Sasha?" Sona looked down as the lab skidded to a halt by her and then proceeded to scratch behind her ear as if nothing odd was happening.
"Ah yes, she said you called her that."
"You can talk to dogs?" Sona tried to keep the incredulity out of her voice.
Beorn merely raised one fierce eyebrow. "You talk to dogs all the time. Peanut told me you were very kind to him and gave him cuddles when you met, even naming him correctly." He canted his head to the side as if evaluating her. "Why does it surprise you that dogs talk back?"
"I…oh…" Sona bit her lower lip, unsure of how to proceed. "…did Sasha—I mean Chases Butterflies—tell you my name is Honey?"
Beorn looked down at the lab and the dog barked and gave a few high pitched whines, then looked back up at Sona, tongue lolling out to side.
"Ah…" The massive man nodded, and then looked at Sona. "Golden, she said your name is Golden like Honey."
"Uhhh… well," Sona chewed on her lip trying to sort out how to unsnarl this. "She's not wrong, per se…"
"And she also says you may continue to call her by the name you have always used for her," Beorn continued right on, headless of Sona's attempts at correcting her name with him. "She does not mind as it is what her beloved called her." Then with one last bark Sasha was off again, fast in pursuit of… something. "Squirrel," he added.
"Pardon?" Sona's eyes were wide, and she was taken aback by the entire conversation.
"Oh, she found a squirrel and left." Beorn gave Sona a bemused look. "I thought that was obvious. Dogs are not known for long attention spans, Honey."
"No… I suppose they aren't." Sona decided now was not the time to correct the name issue with her gracious host, especially as he seemed rather determined to go with what Sasha had told him it was.
Beorn reached down and lifted two of the honey crocks from her arms, and slowly guided them back toward his house. "Come, let us break our fast. You must be hungry. I certainly am." He gave her a sidelong glance. "A night of hunting orcs will do that."
Sona paused and took a deep breath, remembering Gandalf's words from last night: he is not overly fond of dwarves.
"Yes, about that…"
He stopped and turned to look down at her, face openly curious and waiting for what she had to say.
"I want to apologize for bringing the orcs to your doorstep. My escort and I had nowhere else to go…" She blinked against the bright sun as she looked up at his backlit form. "Your hospitality saved us. Thank you."
Beorn nodded and turned back to the sunflowers. "Think nothing of it. I hate orcs and take great pleasure in reducing their numbers." Then he flashed her another full smile—it seemed this massive man did nothing by halves. "That you and your escort are safe is an added gift. Chases Butterflies spoke of another among your companions that is very dear to her."
"Ah yes, that would be Fíli." Sona filed in behind him as they entered in the row of flowers. "She loves him very much."
"He must be a good man indeed."
Sona did not feel it necessary to correct his assumption that Fíli was a man. He would know the truth soon enough, and hopefully by that time…
"Is this Fíli your mate?" Beorn asked rather bluntly, and Sona nearly tripped again, barely catching her one remaining crock in time as Beorn's hand shot out to steady her.
"No. No, definitely not. He's more like a…nephew if anything." Sona blinked in surprise at her response, and then realized that despite their vast age difference, Fíli did feel like a much younger nephew to her in many ways.
It definitely has nothing to do with his uncle. Nope nope nope.
"That is good." Beorn continued on after steadying her.
Why is that good? What does it matter to him?
"How many escorts do you have?" he continued. "Just this Fíli?
"No, there are many." Sona thought quickly, deciding that giving him an exact number would not be the wisest at this point, and chose her next words carefully. Since he already seemed quite inclined to like her and treat her as a friend… "They are helping me find my way home, and given the perils of the road, I believe a larger company is safer than a small one, so…"
He nodded his agreement as they emerged from the flowers and walked across the lawn the horses had been galloping across before, back toward the house.
Yeah, Mat and Vera would love it here.
The chimney was smoking and Sona thought she could smell food cooking.
"Looks like Bombur is already preparing breakfast." She smiled up at Beorn. "He's an excellent cook—you're in for a treat!"
He grinned back down at her, eyes taking in all of her, and chuckled. "I believe I have already had a treat this morning." He then indicated the jars of honey in his arms as Sona's face flushed from his nakedly appreciative look over her form.
I wish Thorin would look at me like that.
That thought only made her blush all the more, so she quickly banished it.
Beorn's smile only widened at her deepening flush, and he waggled his eyebrows in such an over the top way that it was clear he was teasing her, and Sona could not help but giggle.
"Yes, I suppose we did already have a treat this morning." She shifted the crock in her arms. "The honey was delicious—I can't wait to have more."
The teasing look left his face though the smile remained as he looked down at her and rumbled, "Neither can I."
Sona got the distinct impression that the honey he was talking about was not the golden liquid she currently carried in her arms, and her blush was back even hotter than before.
She had not been this shamelessly flirted with in a very long time. Not since Priya dragged me out for a girl's night last year. His name had been Joe and he had the most beautiful southern twang to go with his adorable dimpled grin. He was also far too young for her—just out of college—though Sona almost took him up on his offer of "a night of fun"… but she had not been looking for a one-night stand.
"Now," Beorn continued bringing Sona back into the present, "will you please introduce me to your escort so I may properly welcome them to my home?"
"Yes…," and finally looking away from her towering companion to the main doorway to the house she saw… Thorin.
Of course it was Thorin.
Of course he'd witnessed her interaction with Beorn.
Of course.
But why should that bother me? It's not like we're dating or anything. We're friends. Just friends…
Though judging from the slight frown on Thorin's face it… bothered him too. He tried to hide it beneath his "diplomat mask" but Sona could see it by the turn of his lips and flatness of his eyes. He was not happy. Not at all.
What does that mean?
Beorn stiffened next to her as Bofur and Bifur walked out to join Thorin.
"Dwarves," he rumbled, clearly agitated.
"Yes." Sona shifted her honey to one side and laid a hand on his forearm as she looked up at him. "Is that a problem?"
The bear-man's eyes focused on her hand as he asked through gritted teeth, "Are they your escort?"
"Yes," she said with an innocent smile.
He let out a slow breath. "Then no, it is not a problem."
Sona brightened and patted his arm as she walked forward. "Come; let me introduce you to my friends."
They stopped before the now gathering dwarves as Sona named them all (including Gandalf, who hovered at the back of the group with a frustratingly knowing smile) to Beorn, who was rapidly becoming more and more agitated with each additional member of her "escort."
"And this the leader of our Company," Sona finished with a smile toward the dwarf, "Thorin Oakenshield."
The grump-muffin was practically glaring daggers up at the bear-man, and Beorn was not helping matters as he eyed Thorin with open contempt.
Sona wanted to smack them both. Why can't they play nice? They have literally just met. They don't even know each other!
"Leader of your Company?" Beorn settled a hand on Sona's shoulder—much to her discomfort—as he looked down at Thorin. "Do you mean he is your lead escort?"
"Uhh…well…that is to say…"
"Aye." Thorin extended his hand toward Sona the same way he had every night when he'd escorted her to dinner in Rivendell. "I am." He gave her the barest hint of a smile and Sona thought she would melt right there on the spot.
She placed her hand in his, relishing the warmth of his touch as he led her inside to breakfast.
