"That's valerian root, and that's poppy seed extract," Kili informed through a sip of tea, squinting at the Dwarvish labels on the vials as Brisies hastily jotted down the information on an ever growing inventory.
She could definitely use the latter for pain, and if they could find some hemp leaf she'd be able to brew her own sedative.
The young Healer went to grab the next phial which was filled with an enchanting blue liquid when the dark haired dwarf grabbed her wrist.
"Not so fast, I require payment first," Kili teased, pulling her into him again as he planted his lips over hers once more.
The past two hours had been spent bartering translations for kisses - a system the prince had come up with almost immediately after she'd asked for his help. She was unsure of the idea since their first kiss ended with both participants panting and in need of a cold shower.
Kili had instead disappeared for a half hour, returning with two piping hot cups filled to the brim with tea.
And now, as the inexperienced dwarf lapped the inside of her mouth with his overzealous use of tongue, she wished he'd picked something other than the bitter black pekoe to drink.
He relinquished his grasp and Briseis stepped back, wiping her chin with her sleeve while trying not to grimace as she thought of a delicate way to tell Kili he needed to use a lot less tongue and a lot more swallowing before they locked lips again.
Just then, the sound of thudding boots filled the air before Fili burst into the room, frightened and frazzled as he carried in his arms a young woman with golden hair.
"Sigrid?" Kili asked incredulously while Briseis ran towards the newcomers, quickly checking them over for any visible ailments.
"Fili, what's the matter?" The Healer asked, trying to remain calm. She had no idea who Sigrid was or what was going on, but the blonde dwarf held onto the strange woman as though his life depended on it.
Selene's words regarding the dwarf's "straw haired chit" rang through her head as Briseis quickly connected the dots. A fleeting pang of envy shot through the Healer as she looked over the fair, pretty girl with bright blue eyes, wondering if Fili would have taken the same interest in her if her hair were the same colour as spun gold.
The Healer from Norwoth Dale nearly rolled her eyes at herself, disappointed in her mundane jealousy over someone else's affections.
"She's pregnant, and bleeding," Fili explained hastily, his eyes brimming with tears as the woman in his arms began to sob uncontrollably.
Briseis' grey eyes widened in shock as the full extent of their relationship revealed itself, wondering if Fili was the type of person who did this kind of thing regularly.
Was there an entire line of bastard children with royal blood?
Shaking her head, the healer tried focusing on the issue at hand.
"Okay, I need you both to take a deep breath," she coached, throwing a comforting smile at the other woman before looking at her friend.
The handsome dwarf's sea green eyes were red and watery, his hair an absolute mess and his tunic half open. Seeing him in such distress made her truly hope that there was something she could do to help. Unfortunately, in most cases involving miscarriage, all she could do was offer comfort and herbs to relieve the pain.
"In here," she led them through the chambers and pointed towards one of the beds as Fili laid his partner down gingerly.
Briseis ripped a piece of white cloth from the bedding with her teeth, folding it up before handing it to Sigrid with a gentle smile.
"I need you to wipe as you would after using the bathroom," the healer explained, giving Kili a pointed glare as he sheepishly ducked out of the area to stand guard where they had left their list of supplies.
The timid young woman did as she was told, all the while a stream of fresh tears poured down her cheeks while she tried to keep her hands steady.
Fili was hovering over her shoulder, gently stroking her frizzy hair and whispering soothingly into her ear. The look of sheer dedication and love on the blonde dwarf's face made Briseis wonder if she would find someone who stared at her the same way.
Sigrid removed the cloth from her between her legs and with trembling hands held it out for the Healer.
A faint blotch of pink had stained the fabric, something which Bri had seen numerous times before. But the inexperienced couple balked at the sight, going two shades paler than they already were.
"You're okay." Briseis assured, taking the soiled cotton from the girl's trembling fingers. "You're fine and I'm willing to bet the baby is too."
Fili nearly collapsed with relief, but Sigrid wasn't so easily sold on her opinion.
"How do you know that? I'm still bleeding!"
"You're spotting, I've seen it many times before. It's pretty usual to bleed lightly - like this - when you're pregnant after lots of exercise or rigorous sex…"
She registered the harsh blush in both of their faces and nearly laughed, choosing instead to hide her smile by leaving the area to grab the listening device she had seen earlier.
The dark haired dwarf was standing at the table they'd been working on, clutching himself around the waist as though trying to give himself a hug. The member of the Privileged smiled at him, grabbing his hand in one of her own while snatching the odd looking instrument off the table.
"Is she okay? Is the baby…?"
"She's fine, and I'm about to make sure the baby is too," Briseis stated, brandishing the listening device at a very confused dwarf.
The two entered the bedded area and were greeted with anxious stares.
"I'm going to try and find the baby's heartbeat," the Healer explained, showing them the pinard.
It was a simple yet effective tool for listening to fetal movements that looked like a very tall, very thin water goblet. One end was flat with a hole leading to a tube that went straight through to the flared lip on the other side.
When she elaborated to the three in the room who looked as though she had just described an act of witchcraft, she smiled and beckoned Sigrid to sit up.
"I'm going to place this flared end onto your belly and I'll listen from this other end, okay?"
The young woman nodded, her face still anxious and stern as though she'd been told the baby was arriving this instant.
Briseis took a wild guess and planted the end of the pinard onto Sigrid's firm stomach, her ear instantly met with a wild cacophony of sounds. The Healer screwed her face up trying to move the device around slowly until she heard the telltale sound of life, thumping along like a horse galloping at full speed.
Her face instantly broke into a huge grin and she noted the same expression on the pair of dwarves who were watching her like a hawk.
The heartbeat was strong and steady, confirming her previous assumption.
"Sounds great in there," she smiled, trying to be as sweet as possible with the fragile woman who began smiling then sobbing hysterically once more at the sound of good news. Fili instantly dropped down by her side, comforting her in his huge arms while kissing the top of her head.
Briseis was about to offer the soon to be father a chance to hear the heartbeat when a deafening scream filled the night air.
Everyone in the room stood stock still for a split second before she and the two brothers exchanged worried glances.
As if on cue, she and her kissing partner bolted out of the room and into the corridor, ignoring Fili who was shouting questions at them, torn between following and staying behind with the mother of his child.
"Which way?" Kili asked frantically, glancing around as though the path would suddenly light up for them.
The hall was obscenely quiet for a moment, interrupted only by the sound of their breathless panting before another series of shrieks rang through the old stone fortress, a deep knot in the pit of her stomach telling her to head towards Thorin.
Without a second thought, she was bounding towards the King's location with Kili hot on her trail.
Briseis' heart was hammering uncontrollably as she rounded the final corner, hoping beyond hope that her hunch was wrong, but when she heard the commotion coming from his chambers up ahead she knew it was going to be bad.
Finally arriving at the scene, the girl stumbled at the door, scanning the mess of blood and people with wide, unblinking eyes.
There were four massive guards, each hanging onto one of Thorin's limbs for dear life as the hysterical King flailed and thrashed, shrieking at the top of his lungs as blood stemmed from his neck.
Was this another assassination attempt? Where was the attacker?
The young woman looked around, her eyes finally flitting over the blood which stained Thorin's own hands and the crimson soaked shard of glass which laid on the ground a few feet away.
Kili caught up, freezing to the spot before rushing into the room, shouting in Khuzdul at the others before crashing into his uncle with a resounding thud as he tried to use body weight and momentum to bring the other dwarf down.
Briseis' mind was uncomfortably numb, unable to process what was happening when one of the guards stumbled, losing his grip on Thorin's shoulder.
The King roared again, shoving the other guard with his elbow while trying to sit up, his wild, tear streaked eyes trained on the long, jagged weapon which he was desperate to return to his flesh.
"Thorin!" The eldest daughter of Alex Ocherfell screamed at the top of her lungs, the sound somehow drowned out by the surrounding chaos. "Thorin! Thorin, look at me!"
Her senses finally having returned, she jumped into the fray, helping Kili and the others push the dwarf back onto the unceremonious slab of stone he'd been sleeping on for the past few days.
"Thorin! Look at me, look!" Briseis shoved herself in front of the madman before turning to Kili, screaming even though she was less than a foot away.
"Poppy seed!"
Kili looked dazed at first, then slowly realized what she had said, quickly nodding before sprinting out of the chamber.
The girl's heart fell out of her stomach at the sheer agony on the King's face as he blindly thrashed about, tears coming to her own eyes as she struggled to cradle his face in her hands, all the while desperately screaming his name.
"THORIN!" The Healer fought with all her strength to turn his face toward her. "Thorin, It's me, Briseis!"
At the sound of her name, the King suddenly stopped thrashing, the guards nearly toppling over as they adjusted their weight. The Dwarf King's icy blue eyes found her own and for a split second she recognized him through the madness.
"Hey, hey, Thorin look, look - I'm right here," she whispered fervently, caressing the side of his face as she nearly straddled the King in an attempt to further subdue him.
The member of the Privileged fought back the waves of nausea as she remembered that this was the same person who had chained her to a bed just last week, the one who violated and hit her repeatedly for nothing more than his own twisted pleasure. For one brief moment, Briseis nearly got up to grab the broken piece of glass and finish the job once and for all.
But then she reminded herself that this was in fact, not the same man. She could tell instantly by his eyes; the golden hue behind his blue orbs had vanished and he looked at her now with the broken will of a beaten dog. He was exhausted and ill. He was fighting for his life and she needed to overcome her own fear of the King if she was ever going to help.
"I'm right here, you're safe with me," she whispered soothingly, forgetting all about his neck and nearly fainting when she saw the streaks of scarlet which she had inadvertently smeared all over his cheeks.
Afraid to break eye contact with the abruptly still dwarf, she tried positioning her fingers over the wound, firmly applying pressure while using her free hand to stroke his face, like she was comforting a wild animal that had suddenly been lulled to sleep.
"B-briseis?" His voice was raspy and hoarse, his breath reeked worse than a toilet but the girl was ecstatic to hear him utter anything other than unintelligible shrieks.
She nodded enthusiastically, smiling while his eyes - still wild and frightened - found her own.
She motioned for the guards to stand down, waving emphatically until they hesitantly released the dwarf.
The King paid no attention, but searched her features over and over again, absolutely absorbed by every inch of her face as though truly seeing her for the first time. All the while she whispered soothingly, confirming her presence and trying to keep even pressure on the fresh wound. Finally, his gaze lingered on the remnants of the bruise on her forehead, his expression dark as he reached over to trace his thumb across the mark.
"I'm so sorry," Thorin croaked, swallowing a mouthful of dryness.
The girl's stomach was in knots, a strange queasiness filling her insides at the apology. A part of her could never forgive him for what he'd done, but she was now slowly starting to realize that he may not have had a choice in the matter. That this version of him was innocent.
"I'm so sorry," Thorin repeated, stroking her cheek with his clammy, calloused hands. "I can see and hear everything through a fog, but I...there's nothing I can do to stop any of it." He hung his head, hulking shoulders suddenly heaving as his entire body was overcome with wracking sobs.
Briseis was completely taken aback by his abrupt emotional breakdown, letting go of him entirely as though he had sprouted a third eye. She looked over at the four guards who were staring with wide, unbelieving eyes, each of them shrugging at her in bewilderment.
The Healer bit her lip, momentarily at a loss for what to do.
"I deserve to die," Thorin spat, utterly shattered as he looked over his scarlet stained hands which were shaking like trees caught in a storm.
"Is that why you did this?" Briseis asked, stroking his neck gently while quickly scanning the wound.
The cut was deep but less than an inch long, thanking the stars the guards had stopped him before he'd done any more damage. Bleeding had already slowed and he was a few stitches away from the road to recovery, but it was the intent behind the wound which was more troubling.
"You shouldn't have saved me, the things that I've done…"
"Are not your fault," Briseis countered sternly, grabbing both of his arms and bringing them close to her chest. "That wasn't you," she echoed flatly, unsure of her own words.
"The people I've tormented, the women I've…" Thorin's expression contorted in anguish again as the young woman visibly recoiled from him.
She was one of those women, and the fact he so blatantly remembered all of his actions made her feel sick all over again.
But she had to get through it. She had to be strong.
Just then she saw out the corner of her eye, the shadowy figure of Kili return. He was frazzled, his brown hair windblown from racing back and forth and as his almond eyes settled upon the two in the centre of the room, a deep frown formed across his handsome features.
Briseis motioned at him to relax, wordlessly letting him know that she was alright before scooping Thorin's face up in her hands again, wiping the tears which spilled forth from his tortured blue eyes.
"I'm going to put you to sleep-"
"NO!" Thorin bellowed, suddenly terrified as he grabbed her by the shoulders with a grip that could crush iron. His nephew and the others in the room lunged forward to restrain the unstable man once more before she raised her hand to stop them.
"Okay, we can stay awake," the Healer agreed carefully, flexing her arms in order to break his hold. He eased his grip but clutched at her as though she were a lifeline.
"I can feel him climbing his way back to the surface, If I go to sleep I don't know which one of us will wake up…"
"Okay, it's alright, we'll figure it out," Briseis soothed, pushing him into her arms as he gently laid his head on her chest like a frightened child confessing his nightmares.
The Healer glanced over at Kili, both exchanging looks of utter confusion at what had transpired. The prince held up the bottle of poppy extract, taking a step forward before Briseis shook her head - there was no way she could betray the fragile trust they had newly established by knocking him out now. She would have to get him to take it on his own.
Instead, the girl motioned to her mouth, signaling for food and water. The King's nephew nodded once, pocketed the vial of creamy, white extract and left the chambers again inadvertently bringing into full view the unwelcome audience which had gathered to observe the late night spectacle.
She grit her teeth in annoyance, feeling the heat of anger rush to her cheeks as she waved at the guard nearest the door to close it. Briseis had half a mind to tell the unneeded dwarves bedecked in golden armour to take their leave as well, but part of her was still terrified at the prospect of being alone in a room with Thorin.
So the four servants of Erebor stood uselessly in the far corner of the room, awkwardly watching their King nuzzle a stranger until Kili returned with an enormous tray of food and a large pitcher of water.
She grabbed the pewter goblet and pushed the massive Dwarf off her chest, nudging the water towards him. He immediately snatched it, the cool liquid splashing all over his arms as he unsteadily drank the beverage with the fervor of a traveler who had been trapped in the desert.
Everyone in the room silently watched Thorin eat his way through the entire contents of the tray his nephew had provided, a few of the guards taking seats on the floor while the others shifted their weight from one foot to the other.
It was awkward and tense;they were all too afraid to move, lest the interruption cause Thorin to descend into madness once more, but tired enough to wonder how much longer their presence would be needed.
The first few rays of sunlight were filtering into the chamber, the strange night now officially over as dawn proclaimed itself, making Briseis yawn hugely.
She noticed Kili do the same, covering his mouth with his sleeve in order to muffle the sound. He had watched in perturbed silence as Thorin ate his food with one hand and held onto the Healer with the other, the scowl having yet to leave his usually carefree features.
Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime of chewing and swallowing, the King finished his meal and was wiping the remnants of roast pheasant onto his breeches.
The girl from Norwoth Dale decided she may as well change the bandages on his chest while she patched up his neck and made a move to find the white cotton strips she kept in the dresser, but as soon as she took a step, the King tightened his grip on her hand.
"Don't go," he said flatly, pulling her back with enough force that she stumbled ungracefully into his lap, freezing when his arms wrapped around her tightly.
The healer felt a small balloon of panic swell inside her chest at their proximity; he had her back pinned against his body and the feel of her arse against the slight bump of his manhood nearly made her begin hyperventilating. However, after a few moments of stillness it was clear that the King was simply seeking comfort as his hands had yet to travel from hers and the area under her seat remained soft.
Briseis' heart slowed, and she turned around to look at the dwarf.
He was covered in blood, and had the air of an unstable madman as he sat unblinking while staring off into the distance, seemingly unperturbed by her movement.
"Thorin?" The girl whispered timidly, afraid to speak louder in case it triggered another breakdown. The King slowly met her gaze, his handsome features breaking into the first genuine smile she had ever seen on his face. It was small, and sad but it nearly made Briseis forget what she had started to ask him. "I-I need to get some bandages to patch you up."
The dwarf king nodded, letting her go as he turned to watch her retrieve the cotton strips, his icy gaze inadvertently falling upon Kili.
The prince's eyes went wide, his face suddenly much paler as his uncle languidly pulled himself off the makeshift stretcher, slowly walking over to his nephew who was now flattened against the wall. The one guard who was still awake stepped forward to intervene, but Thorin threw himself at Kili, scooping him up in a bone crushing embrace faster than the blink of an eye.
The younger dwarf stood shell shocked for a few seconds, his arms dangling limply by his sides until he timidly reached around his uncle and returned the hug unsurely.
Kili's brown eyes peered over the King's shoulder as he stared at Briseis, suspicion painting his features.
If this was the real Thorin, the one whom everyone had spoken so highly of in his day, then it was clear it was going to take a lot of convincing. After spending nearly the last decade dealing with the monster within him, she didn't blame Kili for his lack of trust.
Briseis watched them, clutching the stack of cotton like it gave her strength, and when the King finally pulled away with fresh tears spilling down his bloodied face, she decided that this was a moment she didn't want to encroach upon. After all, his wounds weren't going anywhere.
She beckoned to the guards, each of them exchanging worried glances before following the girl out of the chamber as Thorin's deep baritone could be heard within the room. She was already anxious to ask Kili what he'd said when she opened the door and nearly jumped in surprise.
Fili was standing a foot away from her, his face contorted with anger and his sea green eyes bloodshot as he glared at the slab of stone which hid the rest of his kin from view.
"Are you alright?" Briseis asked carefully, unsure as to why the blonde prince seemed absolutely livid. Whatever the reason for his anger, the woman did not enjoy the expression on him.
The soon to be father clenched his jaw, audibly swallowing the bile at the back of his throat before he spoke through gritted teeth.
"Is it true?" He asked, voice trembling while his eyes remained glued to the door.
The Healer screwed her face up at him in confusion, looking around to see if she had missed a vital piece of information that might bring more clarity about his question.
"Fili, what are you talking about?" She inquired, trying not to seem too impatient.
"Is it...him?"
Briseis let his words swish around in her mind for a moment before answering.
"Your uncle is awake," she replied carefully, measuring his reaction which seemed to go from hostile to hopeful to positively murderous.
The eldest nephew of Thorin shook his head in disgust. "No. My uncle died long ago, that thing-" he pointed a finger accusingly toward the room- "is trying to trick us. Get us to put our guard down."
She stared at the dwarf long and hard - a part of her suspecting the same thing, but something told her this was no farce. She could tell that he was...different.
"I think you should go to talk to-"
"No. No, whatever that monster is selling, I'm not buying it."
"Fili-"
"I've spent the past nine and a half, miserable years under his thumb, hoping beyond hope that one day my uncle would wake up in place of that animal. But I slowly, agonizingly realized that the Thorin Oakenshield I knew and loved was never coming back."
Silence filled the unusually still corridor as the girl bit her tongue, words for the situation having escaped her completely.
"I mourned Thorin, spent months grieving his loss, and now you're telling me that one stab to the chest was all it took to magically bring my uncle back?"
"Fili, he's sick. I don't know how-"
"Yes, he is sick. He's forced himself upon nearly every woman in this fortress, he's killed innocent people, and he was about to force my brother and I to rape you five days ago in front of all of Erebor - and you want me to go in there and talk to him?"
The prince's words made her lightheaded, the harrowing memories of that night resurfacing like a putrid smoke in her mind as she recalled the look of absolute satisfaction on Thorin's face when he ordered them to undress her. A shudder went down her spine as her own anger surfaced.
"Do what you want, I'm just a useless whore in this Kingdom as far as anyone else is concerned," she snapped, completely despondent at this point. She'd been up all night and was too exhausted to even care anymore. All she wanted to do was curl up in her own bed at home, pull the sheets over her head and fall asleep for the next three days.
Fili's expression immediately changed into one of chagrin as he realized the effect of his words.
Briseis was about to step past him and walk away, afraid she might hit him over the head with something if he continued speaking, when the door behind them creaked open.
Both of them whipped around to see the weary figure of Thorin hobbling out of the room, supported under the arm of an extremely perturbed Kili.
The Healer went to escort them back inside, clearly the King had been exerted for too long and needed to lie down.
Before she could move, Fili stepped in front of her, shouting at his uncle at the top of his lungs in Khuzdul.
Kili intervened, pushing his brother back with one arm and trying to support the weight of Thorin with the other while the two yelled at each other.
The King took it all in, never opening his mouth to defend or accuse or explain. He simply watched sadly as the two fought, neither one convincing the other to back off.
Finally, Briseis moved between her two friends, pushing the blonde away with as much strength as she could muster.
Fili's jaw was clenched tightly, his nostrils flaring in anger as he stepped back glaring poisonous daggers at the oldest dwarf.
"Everyone just calm down," the girl advised, keeping her gaze fixed on the blonde who stroked his chin and turned his back to them, seemingly having regained a fraction of composure.
After a minute of silence, Fili spoke.
"Is it really you?"
Thorin shifted his weight, pulling his arm away from the youngest of their kin to stand trial.
"It is, for now."
"Good. Then this is for pissing the last nine years of our lives down the drain."
And before anyone could stop him, Fili turned around with one fell swoop and punched the King in the face.