Chapter Thirty-One: Return to Erebor
They spent another hour happily chatting and gathering plants, Dwalin taking the time to braid her hair in a braid that marked her as a daughter of the line of Fundin, clasping it with one of his own. He told her quietly, "I'll make you one of your own, lass. It's just, I never thought that you'd offer me something like this."
She grinned up at him, feeling happiness in every bit of her being. "I never thought that I would see any of you again, would never be truly happy again. Looks like we were both wrong. Still, we'd better get back before the others come looking for us. How long do you think that it will take the others to notice my new braid?"
He grinned at her, "Want to make a wager?"
She laughed, looping her arm through his. "But of course! Did you learn nothing about hobbits on the quest?"
He grumbled, "Not enough, apparently, too busy trying to keep the blasted company alive. Looks like I have time to fix that though."
Bella nodded happily, "All the time in the world. Now, what's your wager?"
They haggled and argued most of the way back to Bag End, finally settling on acceptable terms. However, they returned to total chaos. Apparently, during their absence, the rest had decided to hold a tournament for some bizarre reason and her garden had become a free for all for all sorts of weapon sparring. They hadn't noticed until it was too late that they had trampled all over her garden and destroyed a couple of pots as well.
The sight that greeted Bella and Dwalin as they reached Bag End was frantic dwarves discussing something in Khuzdul while they tried to figure out how to mend the garden before she returned, a frustrated Tauriel watching them looking like she was on the verge of a full blown migraine. Shoving the basket into Dwalin's hands, she stormed into the garden, her expression undoubtedly furious. She kept her voice low, even though she was tempted to scream at them like a fishmonger's wife, "What have you done to my garden?"
They quailed, cowering away from her, and tried to stammer out an explanation that would make it not as bad as it was. Her expression didn't soften in the least and Bofur had the brilliant idea of shoving Fili forward, surely the lass wouldn't be too mad at him. However, before Fili could even open his mouth to speak, she held her hand up, "Not a word, I don't want to hear whatever explanation or excuse that you are about to offer me. I'm going to go into the house and try to calm down and Tauriel is going to come with me, because I don't think that she had anything to do with this."
Tauriel shook her head grimly, "I was tending my weapons and by the time I realized what happened, it was too late."
Bella nodded, "Myself, Tauriel, and Dwalin are all going to go into the house while the rest of you work on getting this mess back into order. There had better be progress when I return or no one will be getting supper tonight."
Turning on her heel, she stormed into the house, Tauriel and Dwalin trailing after her, Dwalin grumbling about fools that couldn't be trusted on their own for even a moment. The rest of the dwarves looked thoroughly chastised as they slowly started cleaning up the debris.
Inside in the kitchen, Bella motioned for Dwalin to put the basket on the table as she dropped down into a chair, her shoulders shaking. Before Tauriel could apologize or comfort her, Bella's laughter spilled out of her as she gasped, "Did you see their faces? Oh, that was priceless."
Dwalin frowned in confusion and Tauriel ventured slowly, "So, you're not mad?"
Bella shook her head, still laughing. "Slightly miffed, but more amused than anything. Luckily for them, that particular section of garden still needed prepped for Spring planting. No real harm done. However, if that had been done to another hobbit's garden, there would be a mob out for blood. This is what my father liked to refer to as a teaching moment. No, I'll let them fret for a little bit while I through together a picnic lunch and then I'll help them properly prep the area. It's a lovely day to have a picnic anyway and this will hopefully teach them to chose their sparring area with more care next time."
Both Tauriel and Dwalin joined in her laughter. "That's downright sneaky of you, lass. Remind me to not get on your bad side. Don't let them fret too long though, they'll probably do more damage than good trying to fix the damage they did in the first place."
Bella nodded, her laughter finally falling away, "Good point. I'll just get that lunch whipped up really quickly, Tauriel, wanna help?"
Seeing the humor in the situation now, Tauriel eagerly agreed to help out. "Of course, anything that you could teach me would be great. Oh, I can't wait to see Kili's face when he realizes that you weren't truly mad."
Bella laughed at that, "It's always good to keep them guessing, at least that's what my mother always said. Of course, my father was the sweetest, most laid back hobbit that you've ever met, they complimented each other so well."
They chatted about their families while throwing together a quick lunch, then made their way back out to the garden where their dwarves were unsuccessfully trying to right the garden. There was some pouting on the princes parts when they realized the truth, but their girls quickly charmed them into better moods. Once they'd all eaten, Bella showed them how to properly prep a garden.
As they were putting the tools away, Kili said thoughtfully, "This should be your craft."
Bella frowned at him, carefully rearranging her tool shed just so, "What do you mean?"
Kili nodded enthusiastically, "Every dwarf has a craft. For example, you probably know that Bofur's a miner and Dwalin's a royal guard and in charge of the guards. But did you know that Uncle is also a blacksmith? And our mother is one of the finest goldsmith's in existence. Now that we finally have the means, she can start practicing her craft again. But a craft is something that you are passionate and/or knowledgeable about. You seem to be both about growing things and truthfully, both Erebor and Dale could use someone like that. Dwarves have long forgotten how to tend gardens in our wandering and eking out a bare survival and the men of Dale have been fishermen for so long that their memories have faded as well."
She smiled warmly at Kili, "I'll think about it, nadad. It's not something that I've ever truly thought about. But you're right, it's something that I need to consider. Come on, I need some help moving the books I want to take with me."
They worked the rest of the day, stopping only briefly for meals. It wasn't until that evening when Fili went to fix her hair that was coming loose that they actually saw her new braid. The only thing to do after that was properly celebrate the new bond, which lasted long into the night and left all except for the hobbit lass hungover the next morning.
The next few days passed in a blur as she finished up all of her small tasks around the Shire. She sent letters to all of her Took relatives and a few even stopped by and checked out the dwarves themselves before cheekily congratulating her on her catching such a handsome lad and a prince to boot. She didn't know what they said to Fili, but each one of them told her that she had caught a good one.
She also had Ori help her scribe out several of the family recipes that she had promised Lobelia. His calligraphy was second to none and his illumination was second to none. It was actually a sense of relief that filled her when she handed them over to her cousin. Yes, they would never be best friends, but they had reached an understanding, something that she had come to appreciate over the last several months.
Finally everything was seen to and it was the time to leave. She had promised Prim that she would leave the key in the mailbox for her, having said her goodbyes the day before. The others had already headed down to the Green Dragon along with the small pony cart of her belongings that she was taking with her. She took her time locking the door, trying to fight back the tears that she could feel pressing at the back of her eyes.
Strong arms went around her, drawing her into a firm chest. Fili didn't say anything, just held her. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she sighed and leaned her head against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. After several moments, she laughed, the sound thick with tears. "It's just, this is where I grew up, you know? And it's the place where our story began. I'm going to miss it."
He ran his hand gently up and down her back, trying to comfort her. "It all seemed like such a grand adventure, Kili and I were so sure that it was going to be easy, that all that we had needed to do was wait for the right time. We found your Shire difficult to navigate, laid out as it is. But we were both so ecstatic when we saw the mark on the door."
He chuckled quietly, the laughter rumbling through her. "Then you opened the door and my world turned upside down. Your eyes were flashing with green fire, only to flush when you saw us standing there and tried to close the door on us. My heart hit my boots and I knew that I had to get in your house one way or another. I'd never been so glad for Kili's habit of barging in. I was so rattled that I tried to initiate courting right then and there with the weapons. And the rest of my actions that night were foolish as well. I just wanted to get your attention, to get you to look at me. I never meant to distress you so."
He pulled back and smiled down at her, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. "But by far my favorite memory of that evening was sitting quietly with you at the stream, just talking peacefully. You looked ethereal in the moonlight and the flower crown on your curls, Mahal, I'd never seen another lass as pretty as you were. I didn't realize at the time, but I gave my heart to you that night."
She chuckled at the memory, "I thought that all of you had the most dreadful manners, but looking back, I must admit that you were all behaving rather well. I admit, it took me a bit longer to fall in love with you though. It wasn't until I heard all of you singing that night, the longing and need for a home, a true home, that I gave you my heart in return, although it took me much longer to realize what had happened."
He bent down and kissed her softly, allowing his love for her to shine through. When they finally parted, she sighed and smiled up at him. Reluctantly moving away from him, she laced her hand with his and tugged him towards the front gate, stopping only long enough to leave the key. "Let's go home, love."
They met with the caravan at Bree, transferring her belongings quickly to one of the spare wagons, the caravan master promising to watch over her things with utmost diligence. It surprised her the deference the dwarf was showing her until Dwalin explained, "Your beads mark you as a daughter of the line of Fundin and One of the crown prince, not to mention a hero of Erebor. Better get used to it, lass."
She nodded her understanding, having already become accustomed to the beads in her hair. Thanking the caravan master, she left the rest of the details to Dwalin and Fili, Kili accompanying her the livery where she would leave the pony cart for one of her Took cousins to pick up the next time they were in Bree. While they were there, Kili checked to see if their ponies had arrived yet or not.
He was pleased to discover that they were there as promised and Bella had been over the moon to see them. Bouncing from pony to pony, she exclaimed, "Minty! Myrtle! Bungo! Daisy! They all survived, I can't believe it. I thought that the wargs got them for sure."
Kili grinned at her, "If you remember right, the wargs were too busy chasing us to care about the ponies. And this is a far different reception then the last time you first saw these ponies."
She rolled her eyes at him, "That was before I got to know them. They were good little ponies and served us well. It was such a shame to think that they'd been killed and eaten."
He teased her unmercifully about it for the rest of the night until Tauriel finally made him stop. They spent the night in Bree, leaving early the next morning. Fili helped her up into the saddle and then climbed up behind her. He murmured in her ear, "Just until you get used to riding again."
A shiver coursed through her and she knew that her face must be bright red from the way the Bofur, Kili, and Ori were snickering. Dwalin gave them a stern look of warning and then they were off.
It took a bit for her awareness of him to fade into something manageable, but then they started talking, all the little things that they hadn't had a chance to talk about. Truthfully, it reminded her a bit of Mirkwood, not the nasty sick trees and starving part, but the mornings spent talking with Fili and learning about him. When she told him that, he smiled at her and hugged her closer to him briefly before Dwalin cleared his throat pointedly.
After a quick break for lunch and to stretch, she ended up riding with Dwalin that afternoon, wanting to learn more about the dwarf she now called adad. He was happy to regale her with tales from his childhood and his time in Ered Luin as well as stories about the princes when they were pebbles. All together, it was a much merrier group this time around.
Since Bombur had stayed in Erebor, Bella was appointed cook, something that she accepted easily. She had tasted some of the others cooking and it was better all around if she just did the cooking. After dinner, the evening passed easily enough with songs and tales before they all turned in for the night.
This set the tone for the next few weeks and the travel went smoothly. At one point, they took a slight detour because Kili wanted to show Tauriel the trolls and Tauriel was curious to see them for herself, having never encountered any beyond the ones in the battle.
Bella and Fili held back while the others went forward, Kili and Tauriel to look at the trolls and the rest of them to check out the troll horde to see if there was anything worth salvaging. She had admitted that she had taken a chest from the cache and they had just shrugged and nodded.
Bella turned to Fili who had been unusually quiet about the entire thing, "Dear heart, what's wrong?"
He frowned absently at her before shaking his head and pulling himself back to the present, "Nothing, just thinking."
She moved closer to him, laying her head on his shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her. "About what? You seem troubled."
He sighed, pulling her closer into his side, "I still can't believe that I didn't realize how badly you'd been hurt because of mine and Kee's carelessness."
She rolled her eyes, snuggling happily into him, "I didn't even know how badly I was hurt, how in the world could you have known? Besides, this whole thing makes for an excellent story. It will have to be just so, but it will be so much fun to share."
He chuckled slightly at that, "Only you, love. Between you and Bofur, I don't know which one of you takes more delight in storytelling."
Thinking back over the events, she remembered something that she was still curious about. "Fili?"
He hummed thoughtfully as he examined the clearing, much more relaxed than he had been before, "Yes, love?"
"There's something that I'm curious about. Why were you embarrassed when you brought me my pack?" He stiffened, his cheeks coloring, as he remembered the incident. Now she was even more curious.
He took a deep breath, appearing to steel himself, "Do you remember what you were doing when I brought you your pack?"
She had to think carefully back, "Sunning? I think? I was grateful that the rain had cleared up, otherwise we would've been in a lot more trouble."
His voice was soft as he remembered, "You had your face tipped back to the sun, a small smile on your face as you soaked in the sun. I couldn't believe after everything that you could be so relaxed and just happy. Then you reached up and ran your fingers through your curls, fluffing them up, probably in the hopes of them drying out faster. As you know, the tending of hair amongst dwarves is very important. It's also very private. Only a spouse or family member is permitted to see a dam with her hair unbound and being tended. It's very, intimate."
She smiled up at him, even as she felt her cheeks heat up, "Ah, so that's why you were embarrassed. I had wondered, you know. Still, I appreciated you bringing me my pack, so there is that."
She was leaning up to kiss him when Kili came bounding back over, chattering a mile a minute, with Dwalin right behind him. Sighing, she muttered, "One of these days, I'm going to get to kiss you again without being interrupted."
Bofur called for them to come see what they'd found and they moved towards the cave, tucking away an unexpectedly fond memory.
They only stayed at Rivendell for a night, long enough to thank Lord Elrond for his assistance in reaching the Shire and to invite him to their wedding, whenever that would be. They'd also made the acquaintances of his children, Arwen and Bella hit it off immediately. Kili and the twins were never going to be allowed to interact unsupervised ever again, everyone agreed unanimously on that.
When they left Rivendell this time, Bella didn't bother looking back. She had found the place where she truly belonged and nothing else compared anymore.
They were halfway to the Misty Mountains when Bella and Fili had their first serious fight. Bella wasn't even sure what had set it off, only that they were suddenly screaming at each other, neither of them willing to back down on the matter. That had been three days ago and they hadn't spoken since.
Her heart was aching as she rode with Dwalin at the back of the line. It was edging towards evening when she couldn't contain her hurt anymore. Ignoring the tear trickling down her face, she looked pleadingly at Dwalin, "How do I fix this, adad?"
He sighed, gently stroking her hair, "What happened, mizimith? One minute, you two were fine and the next, you were at each other's throats."
She shook her head, bewildered, "I don't know, honestly. We were making plans about when we reached Erebor. When I brought up Thorin, Fili got angry for some reason. I thought that he adored Thorin, did something happen between them? When I asked him, he refused to talk about it. So I started talking to him about our training. I was excited about how much I've been learning, although I'll have to take it a little bit easy where my hand got cut. That really set him off. Something about me not trusting him, and that if I thought so little of him, I should just find someone else. I've been over it again and again and I can't figure out what I did wrong. So what do I do?"
Dwalin sighed, tucking her closer, "S'not you, lass, not this time at least. This is a dwarf thing, this time."
She pleaded, "Then explain it to me, so I can fix this. I miss him."
Dwalin sighed again, "What's between Fili and Thorin, you can't fix, that's up to them."
"What did happen? What did I miss?"
He shook his head, "You didn't miss it, lass. That's the problem. When Thorin attacked you that final morning, dared to lay hands on you, that broke a deep taboo and a deep bond of trust. You are the lad's One, you are to be protected at all costs. The fact that his uncle, his king, someone that he trusted his very life to, laid hands on you and tried to kill you. That is unacceptable, lass. I owe Thorin a few lumps for that myself."
She protested, "He was sick though, it wasn't his fault. Also, he apologized to me and I forgave him, surely that has to count for something."
He smiled down at her, "Aye, it means that you are too forgiving. And yes, you're right, he was sick which gives him a little bit of leeway. But it will take time for Fili to move past his anger and loss of you, to be able to think rationally. It probably won't happen until after he's punched Thorin, several times."
Bella just rolled her eyes at that, a tired chuckle escaping her, "And there's nothing that I can do to help?"
"Nope, just let it take it's course, although you can tell Fili that at least Thorin apologized to you. That might help, a little."
She frowned, "But that doesn't mean that I don't trust him. I thought that he was pleased that you were training me, that I was learning to better defend myself."
Dwalin chuckled at that, "He's pleased as punch about that, trust me, lass. No, it's something else, something I don't think any of us thought about, really."
She said dryly, "Another dwarf thing?"
He shrugged, "Well, we are dwarves, lass."
She sighed, "Well, this hobbit is at a total loss, so if someone could enlighten me, I would really appreciate it."
"I know that we've told you how rare dams are. It's part of who we are, an unbreakable part of who we are, to protect and take care of dams. That covers all areas, feeding, clothing, shelter, and health. Sure, you and I both know that it wasn't a bad cut, but the fact that you didn't even tell him so that he could make sure that you were all right, that was the final rock on the mine cart. Especially after talking about Thorin and he had to remember how he couldn't stop him that day, not to mention all that time that you were apart and he didn't know if you were all right or not. I'm not saying that the lad is right, but I can at least understand where he's coming from."
Bella muttered under her breath for several minutes before grabbing onto her patience with both hands. She said quietly, "I've had worse cuts from cooking. I made it back to the Shire all by myself. I've been taking care of myself for a long time. If all of you are just going to treat me as if I'm something breakable, then I don't know if this will work out."
He immediately shook his head emphatically, "No! Not at all! That's the last thing that any of us would ever do. It's a gift to be allowed to care for a dam. We're not saying that you can't take of yourself, just that you don't have to carry all of the burden by yourself. That it's ok to let someone else share the load and make sure that you're all right. That you don't have to be strong all the time."
She frowned, "But doesn't that just mean that he has to be strong all the time, instead, watching out for me every moment?"
"No, not at all. It's a give and a take." He sighed, running his hand over his head. "How can I say this in a way that will make sense to you?" He thought it over for several minutes and she allowed him to gather his thoughts. Finally he spoke, "It's about trust and vulnerability. You trust him enough to not always be strong, that he won't take advantage of your vulnerability and to watch over you until you can do it on your own again. And he will do the same for you, showing you the softness and tenderness that he can't show the rest of the world. It's about having someone that you trust implicitly to guard your back while you guard theirs. It's a partnership."
She allowed that to sink in while they rode and he permitted her silence. Finally she grumbled about hard headed dwarves and relaxed against Dwalin's chest. "I'm going to rest, I haven't slept well for three days now. If I can ask a favor, adad?"
He rumbled soothingly, "What would you have of me, lass?"
Feeling her eyes droop already, she mumbled, "Could you take over Fili's watch? I wanna talk with 'em when it's quiet, no interruptions, but it's dangerous to leave the camp unguarded."
He nodded, "Of course, mizimith. You two need to get this sorted out." He would've added more, but the sound of a gentle snore met his ears. Tucking her more securely against him, he rode on in silence. He couldn't wait until they reached Erebor and Dis could take over sorting out all this angst.
The camp had fallen silent when Ori came to him to switch watches, heading for his bedroll as soon as Fili sat up. Carefully securing his swords, he made his way over to the edge of camp. Settling on the lookout rock, he stared out into the darkness. In truth, he hadn't been sleeping when Ori had come to wake him. He hadn't slept in more than quick snatches since his fight with Bella.
His heart ached as he thought about the fight. He didn't know how it had all gone wrong so quickly, he only knew that he was to blame. She had come with them, forsaken everything of her old life, had kept his braid and beads all those months apart with no guarantee of ever seeing him again. Why then had he accused her of not trusting him? Why had he told her to find someone else? It would be so easy for her to find another dwarf, one who would properly treasure her, not just accuse her blindly.
His thoughts were interrupted when Bella plopped unceremoniously into his laps, his arms coming up around her reflexively. He stuttered, "Bella, what, I, that is."
She shushed him with a finger on his lips. "I've been talking with adad. He helped me to understand a few things."
Fili felt shame wash through him and hung his head, moving to let her go. She shook her head firmly, "No, no shame between us. Anger and shouting, yes. We are both strong willed people. But I will never turn away from you. Will you turn away from me?"
He crushed her against him, "No, never!"
She sighed, cradling into his chest, "I'm a hobbit, you're a dwarf, there is bound to be misunderstandings. Granted, we need to learn how to talk through them instead of just screaming at each other, but this is all new to me."
She raised an eyebrow at him and he answered hastily, "Me as well, amralime. I regretted my hasty words as soon as they left me, but I did not know how to fix the rent that I caused."
She sighed, "According to Dwalin, the need to care for your One is a deeply ingrained part of dwarves. It is not that you see me as weak, but rather a partnership. That we are each other's safe places, no matter what. The place where we can be totally, utterly ourselves without fear."
He nodded slowly, "That is an apt description. You are the only one that I will ever allow to see me at my most vulnerable, the one that I will come to when I had a hard day and I just need to be Fili, no one else. Not a prince or a dwarf or any of half a dozen other things, just Fili, just yours."
She offered him a crooked smile, "There you go being so sweet again. So here's what we're going to do. You're going to clean and re-bandage my cut, so that you can truly see that it's nothing to worry about. Then I want you to kiss it better for all the angst that you put me through. Then we both need to get some sleep, don't think that I've missed the fact that you haven't been sleeping either. Adad agreed to cover your watch for tonight. And tomorrow, we'll ride together and straighten out this whole mess, understand?"
He huffed out a sigh of relief, burying his face in her shoulder. He mumbled, "I don't deserve you."
She stroked his hair gently, chuckling slightly, "If you'll remember, dear heart, I was doing half of the shouting. We'll both learn. Just know this, I'm not letting you go and you'd better get used to the fact, mister."
He pulled back and pressed a kiss to her knuckles, "Nothing would make me happier, love."
Carefully unwrapping her bandage, he was relieved to see that the cut was as small as she'd said that it was. He gently dabbed ointment on it before neatly re-bandaging it, pressing a kiss to the linen over it once he'd had it sufficiently tied off. Satisfied that her wound was properly tended, he drew her into his arms and just held her for several minutes. She didn't protest, both of them rather unsettled from their recent spat.
Finally Dwalin shooed them off to bed. Fili walked her over to where her bed roll was laid out next to Tauriel's and kissed her briefly before moving over and laying down next to Kili.
Snuggling into her bedroll, Bella vowed that they'd get a kiss soon where they weren't being watched every second.
Everyone was relieved that the two had made up the next morning, although Kili teased them mercilessly until she knocked him off of his pony. He'd sulked for a little bit before finding something else to occupy his endless energy.
Fili and Bella spent the next several days talking about anything and everything, making sure that the other knew exactly what they meant. They'd had several smaller arguments, nothing as grand as the first one, all of them quickly resolved. By the time they crossed the Misty Mountains, (No stone giants, goblin caves, or orc attacks thank goodness), they were much more settled and better understood each other. So much so that Dwalin insisted that Bella start riding her own pony. She had grumbled over that, but since Kili and Tauriel weren't permitted to ride together either, she didn't have anything to argue with.
She couldn't believe it when they actually made it to Beorn's without incident. He had greeted them heartily with his booming laugh and she had been unable to stop her own laughter, running forward and hugging him.
He lifted her up and boomed, "Little bunny! Look at you! Much happier than the last time I saw you in that nasty battle." His eyes widened, "Well, well, well, things have changed. You're courting the young lion and are now the cub of the bear like one. These are good things! We must celebrate!"
Without waiting for her to agree, he carried her into the dining hall and immediately called for his animals to prepare a feast. The rest of the group had trailed after him and he'd welcomed them just as heartily, demanding that they tell him the tale of their time apart. He made a most appreciative audience as they spun their respective tales. He'd been so pleased with their stories that he had invited them to stay as long as they'd wanted.
Knowing that Fili and Kili were needed back at Erebor, Bella had agreed to just stay for the night, but that they'd invite Beorn to their wedding. That had pleased him so much that he'd chosen to bring out his finest ale and before they knew it, the dwarves were embroiled in a drinking contest against the bear man.
Shaking her head in amusement at her kin's antics, (although if she had to chose a winner she was definitely picking Tauriel, she was almost as good as a hobbit when it came to drinking), Bella slipped silently away from the table and out into the garden. She had only wandered for a couple of minutes when Fili joined her, "What are you doing out here alone, love?"
She smiled warmly at him, slipping her hand into his, "Just thinking."
They strolled through the garden contentedly and he eventually asked, "About what? I thought for sure that you'd be the first to line up for a drinking contest."
"Ah, but this is a very special place. I just wanted to see the flowers and remember."
His own smile was tender and content, "Ah, yes. You know, my heart broke when you told me no. I was terrified that I had said something truly unforgivable with that bouquet."
She moved closer to him, laying her head on his shoulder. "It broke my heart just as much. But I was terrified that I would ruin your life. You had brought such joy and laughter into my life, taught me how to live again. I'd been alone for so long. And I knew how much already rested on your shoulders, I didn't want to add to that. It didn't help that your bouquet said everything that I had ever dreamed of hearing from a suitor."
He preened a little bit at that, "Everything you've ever dreamed of, huh?"
"Umhmm. You are my perfect match. Thankfully Kili got us talking, got me to admit what I feared. I still can't believe how incredibly brave you were, to put yourself out there like that."
He drew her over to the bench that she'd sat that first night and swiftly gathered the same bouquet, bringing it over to her. "Everything I said is just as true today as it was then. And I knew that you were a treasure beyond price, one that I would fight to win the privilege of sharing my life with you."
She was just about to kiss him when drunken laughter intruded on the moment, Kili and Tauriel giggling madly as they rounded the corner. Bella was quite frankly impressed that they were even able to walk as drunk as they clearly were. Seeing how close they were, Kili strode, well wobbled, over to them and declared slurringly, "'Ey, no kissy face. Not til yer married. Amad kill me, if you two keep being all kissy face. Dw'lin might kill Fee first, tho, cuz Bella's 'is cub, least that's what Beorn calls her."
Wondering just how strong the ale was, they hadn't been gone that long, Bella teased, "But what about you and Tauriel? You shouldn't kissy face either. What would your amad say about that?"
Kili made exaggerated shushing noises while Tauriel giggled some more, "Don' tell 'er, she'll skin me 'live."
Glancing ruefully at Fili, she rose and made her way over to Tauriel, "Come on, Tari. If I'm not getting any kissy face, neither are you."
Looking over her shoulder at Fili, she winked and blew him a kiss, "Good luck wrangling your brother, love."
They passed a cheerful Beorn headed out to make his normal rounds, so that answered the question of who had won the drinking contest. Going into the hall, she found the rest of the group passed out and left them where they'd fallen. They were much too heavy for her to move anyway and if they were as boneless as Tauriel currently was, they'd be impossible to wrangle.
Oh, she was going to have so much fun with this.
The group had been slow to wake the next morning, all of them terribly hung over except for Fili and Bella. Oh, and Beorn, his booming laughter ringing through the halls. There were several winces and grumbles at this as they slowly forced down the hangover tea that Bella had brewed for them. Because of this, they ended up staying another night at Beorn's, although none of them took Beorn up on his offer to partake in more of his special ale.
Knowing how close they were to Erebor, the group set out eagerly the next morning, waving goodbye to Beorn who promised to attend the wedding when they had it. Unencumbered by injuries, they reached Mirkwood in just two days ride, spending the night camped out outside the forest before entering it fresh the next morning.
While they had been breaking down camp, something had been niggling at the back of Fili's mind, something important. Knowing that it was connected with the soul dreams somehow, he flipped through Bella's first gift to him. It was when he was reading about Mirkwood that it came back to him. The horrible pain that she had felt upon entering the forest.
Tucking the book back into his pack instead of shoving it in roughly like he wanted to, he made his way over to Bella and pulled her aside. Taking three deep breaths in and out, he asked her quietly, "Why didn't you ever say anything?"
She frowned, unsure what he was talking about, "About what?"
He caught her hands in his and squeezed them gently, "About how Mirkwood made you so sick."
Comprehension filled her expression, "Ah, that. I'm guessing that that's something else that the dreams showed you."
"Yes. Why didn't you ever say anything, love? To have to endure that day after day, without ever saying a word."
She sighed, freeing a hand so that she could reach up and cup his face, "If there was any way to reach Erebor in time by going around the mountain, Gandalf and Thorin would have taken it. And there was nothing that you could do to change it, all that knowing would've done would've just upset you. Besides, I don't even know how much was the ring's influence or Smaug's. The forest could be much healthier now for all we know."
He scowled at that, "Well, this time we're not on a strict deadline. We'll go around."
She shook her head pleadingly, "No, Fili. I know that you are ready to be back in Erebor. I won't lie, I'm looking forward to a bed and hot bath myself. We're not going to add weeks on just because it might hurt a little. Besides, we have Tauriel with us, which means that we'll get through much faster this time. Just let me try it and see. If it still really hurts and I'm unable to cope, we'll go around, I give you my word."
He sighed but said firmly, "If it hurts, we're going around. Promise me that you'll be truthful."
A group of elves had arrived at the forest's edge to escort them through and had been talking with Tauriel. She chose that moment to join them, "What would be painful, mellon nin?"
Bella regretfully shared about how the forest had hurt the last time they'd been through there, especially in areas infested by the spider taint. Tauriel had frowned at that, "The reports are that the forest is healthier than it has been in an age, although there is still a small nest of spiders that we have been unable to locate. But should the Green wood still hurt, we will find another way for you."
Bolstered by their reassurances, Bella carefully stepped into the forest, clinging tightly to Fili's hand. She let out a sigh of relief, "Tauriel is right, the wood is healing. There is still just a bit of pain, like an old healing bruise, but nothing unbearable. Also." Clinging tightly still to Fili's hand, she closed her eyes and stretched her senses out as far as she could.
Opening them, she asked Tauriel if she had a map of the forest. Her elven companions protested when Tauriel produced one, but both she and Bella ignored them. Finding the hidden vale on the map, Bella tapped it lightly, "That's where the spiders have retreated to. They are weak and their numbers few, but they are desperate, so handle them with care."
Tauriel and the elves drew off to the side, arguing heatedly with each other in Sindarin. Bella murmured to Fili, "Are we going to bother to tell them that we all pretty much speak it."
His eyes dancing with mirth, Fili shook his head, "Nah, leave them alone. They have a lot on their minds."
Tauriel came back over, "If you don't mind riding quickly, I'll get you through to Erebor as fast as I can and then we can mount an offensive to take out these foul creatures for once and for all."
Bella eyed the excited elleth, one encounter with the creatures having been more than enough for her. "What are we talking about?"
"If we ride at a fast pace and take the elf path, I can get you through the woods in three days. But I would need all of your words to never divulge or use this path unless given specific permission by an elf."
All of them ready to be home and desperately not wanting to spend weeks in Mirkwood once again, the company eagerly agreed to her terms.
True to her word, Tauriel drove them hard, only stopping when it was too dark for the ponies to see and resuming their trek at first light. It was late on the third day when they finally reached the far edge of the trees. They halted at the tree line and Bella carefully dismounted, groaning as her muscles protested. She mumbled to Fili who had come over and offered her his arm to stabilize her while she walked and stretched, "I thought that I was used to riding, but that was intense." She glanced over to see Kili and Tauriel kissing and grumbled, "How come they get to kissy face?"
Fili chortled at that, "You're never going to let him live that down, are you?"
She laughed, "Of course not, it's hilarious. The way his eye twitches every time I say it is priceless."
Tauriel came over and bid them goodbye and gave Bella a brief hug before melting back into the woods. Bella frowned at Kili, "Aren't you going with her?"
He shook his head, his expression despondent for a moment before resuming it's normal cheerfulness, "No, this is part of her duties. She'll meet me at Erebor when she can. Besides, there's no way that I'm missing you and amad meeting."
Bella rolled her eyes but couldn't help the twinge of fear that she felt. "I hope that she'll like me."
Kili swung easily back into his saddle, "Amad's going to adore you. However, when she finds out what happened between Thorin and you, she's going to be fit to be tied."
Reluctantly remounting, Bella frowned at him, "What happened is between Thorin, Fili, and I. It's no one else's business."
Kili just shrugged, "I still want to see you and amad meet. Come on, we might just be able to catch the last barge of the day."
They were too late to catch the barge, so spent the night camped on the shores of the lake, comparing how the this journey had been compared to the quest and all the things that the group was looking forward to in Erebor. Bella carefully pushed down her growing uneasiness, not wanting to worry either Fili or Dwalin. Everything was going to be all right. Instead, she chose to focus on all of the positives. Everyone was alive and well, she wasn't banished, and the company didn't hate her. Also, she was betrothed to Fili and daughter to Dwalin. Everything was going to work out this time.
Notes:
So, I could've written a chapter for each of the stops along the way. However, I know that we're all dying to get back to Erebor and see the reunion (And the wedding, and their eventual family, and the rest of their lives, lol), so I kept each stop fairly brief.
Praying for love, strength, hope, and healing. We are strong together!
Next chapter: A long awaited reunion!