a/n: i am still alive -u-
The evening was beautiful and serene. The sky was full of stars, the breeze was cool, and the sound of the nearby river and the crackling of the bonfire was calming. Coats, gauntlets, and gloves hung over ropes tied on the tree trunks letting it dry for the night. Everyone was gathered quietly around the bonfire eating the meal prepared by Bombur in the exception of Thorin who was already asleep, still trying to recuperate completely after his duel with the pale orc.
Since the start of their journey, it was Harriet's first time to finally eat a meal made by the dwarves. She was astounded to know that Bombur was a great cook. His stew was thick and flavourful with chunks of lamb meat and different types of vegetables. Dori had just finished his second bowl of stew when he caught a glimpse of the only female in the group. She was eating heartily in her grimy dress that had a huge tear, exposing her bandaged knee.
"You should at least have that washed and sewn, Miss" the dwarf said respectfully.
Harriet just finished the last spoonful of her stew when she blinked at Dori, looking down at her dress. It was pretty worn out, almost reminding her of that scene when Cinderella's evil step sisters tore her pink dress. "I can't possibly have it washed and sewn"
"Sure you can" Bofur said as a matter-of-factly, scooping his second batch of soup. "Dori knows a thing or two about sewing. And all you have to do is toss your dress off and have it washed in the river then hang it along with our clothes"
"I-I beg your pardon?" her cheeks turned crimson and covered herself with her hands as if she was naked. "I don't have any other clothes aside from the one I'm wearing and, w-well, you're all males"
"Oh dear, you're quite right" Bofur hummed, thinking of a solution. "Well, you can take a dip in the river while we mend your dress. Don't worry, it's not that cold. We took a bath over there earlier"
"I do think that plan is quite reasonable" Balin added in, giving Harriet a fatherly smile. "You are still a lady, lassie. And even if you're out here in our company towards a challenging quest, it is still good to look your best" he patted her shoulder. "You're tired. I think you deserve some time to pamper yourself and relax"
"Fine" Harriet mumbled and got up, although she thought it wasn't practical to bathe when she was surrounded by men.
"But don't wander off too far. We don't want you getting into any danger" Bofur added.
"Kili, you better keep an eye on her" Dwalin suggested while he sharpened his axe.
Fili sounded angry when he spoke in Khuzdul, probably cussed, when his younger brother spat a good amount of stew on his trousers. Kili looked utterly confused that out of all of them, it was him that got picked to keep an eye on Harriet as she bathed. He got up and cleared his throat, pretending it wasn't much of a big deal, then walked away from the campsite with Harriet as the others that stayed behind snickered.
Not too far from where they were camping was a good spot for Harriet to take a dip. The young girl stood behind a thick bush and turned around squinting at Kili. "I have a dagger with me" she warned. "If you ever try to peek, I will it use it against you"
"Do you think of me as a perverted dwarf?" Kili sounded offended.
"I'm just taking precautions" Harriet scrunched her nose. "You're still a male after all"
With a sigh and a roll of his eyes, the young dwarf prince held his hands up in surrender and turned around from the bush. "Will this make you feel better?" he asked.
"That'll do"
Kili remained still with his eyes looking ahead at the glowing light from their campsite. The bush behind him rustled as Harriet pulled her dress off over her head and tossed it on the ground along with her underwear and leather belt which carried her Wizard's Stone and dagger. She took a quick peek at Kili and when she saw that he was looking at the opposite direction, she darted towards the water. An involuntary squeak escaped Harriet's lips when she submerged her body into the water. She didn't know what Bofur meant as not too cold because it was freezing but still felt rejuvenating after all that they've been through.
"Is it safe to turn around now?" Kili asked right after hearing the soft splash of the water.
Harriet kept her body submerged in the water when she replied, "Yes, you can turn around now"
The view of Harriet bathing in the river under the moonlight left Kili breathless. Of course he couldn't see anything other than Harriet's face but, she still looked mesmerizing. Her milky white skin seemed to glow under the moonlit sky she almost looked like a goddess or even a mermaid. Kili snapped back to his senses and picked up the worn out dress from behind the bush.
"I'll bring this to Dori to have it sewn" Kili said, holding up the dress. "Don't go too far"
"I won't" Harriet replied. She dipped her head underwater and resurfaced to gasp for fresh air. The longer she stayed in the water the lesser it felt cold that she started to swim around, enjoying it. She looked up the sky and admired the beauty of the starry sky. There were thousands of stars, probably a million, that the sky looked like a black velvety paper that got sprinkled with a bottle of glitters. It was something she barely saw back at home with all of the lights coming from the city. Then she took a deep breath. She never expected she would feel that way but, she was starting to like life in middle earth despite the fact she almost got killed several times by orgs, goblins, trolls, and stone giants.
It was strange, indeed, living every day without knowing the specific day or time and depended on the changes of season. And not too long ago, she was a complete outsider. An alien, even, in a mysterious world. She was scared of the dwarves but was now enjoying their company as if they were old friends. But there were still times she felt homesick. She didn't miss her house or the work she did at the local coffee shop. But she missed her brothers dearly, often wondering how they were doing. She looked at the bank of the river when she heard footsteps walking over the gravel and saw that Kili was back. He was armed with his bow and quiver in case any sign of trouble appeared then sat down by the edge of the water with arms resting on his knees.
"Aren't you getting cold?" he asked, throwing a small pebble into the water until it made a small ripple.
"It's alright. It doesn't feel that cold after a while" Harriet answered, swimming around the shallow area not too far from shore then found a rock she could lean on.
"Would it be alright if you tell me about your world?"
"What would you like to know?"
Kili shrugged. "Anything. About your life, what you do there, your brothers"
"Hmm, my life?" she looked up the moon and wondered. There was nothing interesting about her life back in Suffolk. "Well, I live in a small town by the river" she started. "I live there with my older brother, George, and three younger brothers namely Louis, Billy, and Charlie. When we were growing up, people in our town used to think I was adopted" she chuckled. "You see, everyone in my family have lemon coloured hair. I am the only one that looked different. But my parents reassured me that I was of the same blood. My father once said that I look more like my grandfather more than anyone. But, I never saw photos of him so I wasn't exactly sure how true it was. I am close to everyone in my family. Amongst my siblings, I'm closest to George since he's only two years older than me. In my opinion, he's a lot like Fili"
"Annoying then" Kili added.
Harriet laughed. "No, a protective brother. I don't get myself into any trouble but because I'm the only girl amongst us, he often keeps an eye on me. When I go out with friends he has to know who I'm with, where I'm going, and what time I'll be home" she sighed, thinking how strict George was compared to their own parents. "Sometimes he even goes to my workplace just to see how I'm doing"
"What kind of work is it that you do?"
"Nothing special" she chuckled. "I work at a local shop serving coffee"
"Like a barmaid?"
Harriet giggled. "Like a barmaid"
"It must've been hard for you and your siblings when your parents passed away"
"It was" her voice was soft, looking up at the stars again. "It was so sudden. We were all at home when burglars came into our home. George locked the bedroom door and told us to keep quiet. We didn't know that our parents were killed until after the culprits left. The two youngest, Billy and Charlie, were asleep that they didn't know what happened. But George, Louis and I saw what became of our parents"
From where he was sitting, Kili could see Harriet wiping her face and heard her sniffling. She was probably in tears and he felt guilty for bringing up such a sensitive topic. "Do you…have men that are courting you back home?" he asked, changing the topic to something lighter.
"Hmm, not really" she answered, resting her chin on top of the rock.
"Come on, don't be modest"
"But it's the truth" she insisted. "No man can come near me with George around. He's completely overprotective. Besides, I'm too focused taking care of my brothers that I barely entertain any suitors" she played with the water and realized that her fingers have become wrinkly. "How about you? Isn't it like a tradition for people of royal blood to be fixed in some sort of arranged marriage? I'm sure you and Fili have quite a list"
Kili snickered, falling back on the gravel with his arms flexed under his head, admiring the beauty of the twinkling stars and the full moon. "We did have quite a number of dwarf maidens coming from distant relatives or close allies" he admitted. "But Fili and I are quite the rebel. We don't want being dictated what to do or who we should marry. So every time our mother had a maiden introduced to us, we'd cause all sorts of mischief. Eventually, our mother gave up setting arrangements for us"
"You'll grow old and alone if you keep doing that" Harriet teased.
Kili sat back up, giving her a crooked smile. "I'm capable of finding love on my own, Miss Harriet" he said with a wink. "Get out of there already. You might catch a cold"
"Is Dori done with my dress already?"
"Probably" he shrugged. "But it still needs to be dried along with the other clothes"
"Then how do you expect me to get out of here without my clothes?"
Kili got up on his feet, leaving his bow and quiver on the ground then unbuttoned his leather coat. He took it off, tossing it on top of the bush where Harriet hid to undress. "You can use that for the meantime"
And just like earlier, Kili turned around facing the direction of their campsite while Harriet emerged from the water and quickly ran behind the bush. She squeezed her dripping wet hair tightly and slipped on her underwear then huffed when she grabbed the coat from on top of the bush. It was rather heavy but was better than staying naked in the cold open. Because the dwarf prince was a few inches taller than Harriet, the leather coat looked like a dress on her. She buttoned it up to her chest and smiled at its warmth and had a whiff of the familiar scent of cinnamon and eucalyptus, realizing it was now a scent she enjoyed.
"That was a refreshing bath" Harriet admitted, tapping Kili on the back to let him know it was safe to turn around.
Kili faced her and couldn't believe she still looked beautiful even with only a leather coat as clothing. He felt his cheeks heat up as it was unusual for him to see a woman showing off too much skin. Her scarred legs were fair and slender and so were her arms. Slowly, he brushed his callous hand against her smooth arm where the Khuzdul tattoo was written. "You look really beautiful"
Harriet looked down on Kili's soiled boots, unable to face him eye to eye. Her cheeks were flaring crimson as it was the second time Kili told her that. It wasn't the first time someone actually complimented her but, it was a first that it came from someone she thought was appealing. She never showed any interest in anyone but, she would be lying if she didn't think that Kili was handsome. She stood still but flinched a little when the warm hand on her arm moved higher to her shoulder, neck, and then to her cheek before it came down to tilt her chin up. She glanced up shyly, feeling him stroke her cheek with his thumb. He was really handsome with eyes that sparkled and a smile that often made her want to melt. Her heart rate began to race again when her eyes landed on the dwarf prince's lips. They were pink and looked so soft she was tempted to reach out and feel them with her fingers.
"Should we" Kili sounded rather nervous when he whispered, his thumb trailing down to touch her plump lips and felt her warm breath. "Should we pick up where we left off back in the Mountain's cave?"
"P-pick up what?" she whispered back even though she knew too well what he was talking about.
Kili cracked a beautiful smile and continued to stroke her cheek. "You've forgotten already"
"Hmm, we've battled goblins and orcs the past hours that I couldn't remember anything else"
"Should I help you remember?"
"Maybe"
"I'm taking that as a permission granted"
Harriet was stiff and nervous when Kili's hand held onto her nape. She wasn't sure what to do but deep inside, she was anticipating to feel the dwarf prince's lips against hers. The tip of their noses touched as Kili leaned closer, his soft lips brushing lightly against her upper lip. Kili was already parting his lips when the sound of howling filled the air. Kili quickly pulled away from Harriet, muttering angrily in Khuzdul, and reached for an arrow in his quiver.
"Orcs?" Harriet asked, quickly picking up her leather belt and pulled out her dagger from its sheath.
Kili looked around the premises with his nocked arrow ready to be released anytime. "I'm not sure" he lowered his weapon down. "But let's go. Whatever it is it's not far behind" he said and ran back to camp with her.
ooOoo
Bombur already killed the bonfire with a bowl of water when Harriet and Kili re-joined the group. Everyone was up, including Thorin, after they've heard the continuous howling that filled the air and was getting ready to flee the area. Harriet got a hold of her nearly dried dress and hid behind a nearby bush to put it back on whilst Bilbo re-joined them after scouting the premises. According to him, Azog and his minions were not far behind and that there was something else they had to worry about.
"A bear?" Fili repeated after hearing what Bilbo said.
"Much bigger than a bear" Bilbo corrected, still out of breath.
"Come on, there is a house nearby we can seek refuge" Gandalf suggested.
Whether it was a friend's or a foe's, Thorin's company really didn't have any other choice unless they wanted to be slaughtered by a pack of orcs or a gigantic bear that was lurking in the dark. Armed with weapons, the group ran for their lives until dawn. They passed through the woods and fields with two groups pursuing them. By daylight, they could finally see the house Gandalf was referring to just straight ahead. Harriet was almost out of breath from the continuous running but did everything she could to keep up as the thundering roar of the beast got louder.
They have reached the premises of the house and everyone ran inside the moment Thorin unlocked the door. Harriet squealed and fell back on a pile of hay when she saw the dwarves trying to close the door as the black bear was forcefully trying to get in. Lucky for them, they were able to shut the door close and the beast left. Gandalf referred to him as Beorn, a skin changer, and also the owner of the house they were in. Since the group barely had any rest in the woods, the Grey Wizard suggested them to get a good amount of sleep whilst their host was still away.