And yet again, Harriet felt like she'd eaten the weird biscuit or mushroom Alice had in Wonderland that shrunk her size. Everything in Beorn's house was enormous even for Gandalf who was the average size of a human. The house strongly smelled of hay and barn animals but it was organized and clean, almost hard to believe that it belonged to a fierce black bear. A few of the dwarves inspected every corner of the house to make sure it was safe and secure while others settled on a pile of hay, setting their blankets and got a good shut eye. Harriet was petting one of the cows resting on the barn when she heard a deep sigh coming from the corner. She looked at her left and saw Kili sitting by the window, looking annoyed as he kept a watchful eye for any enemy.
Kili was rather quiet than his usual cheeky self since they arrived at the skin changer's home, fiddling with a piece of grass while looking at the distant. Harriet looked around, thinking of what to do. Deep inside, she wanted to approach him and ask what was wrong but she was feeling a bit awkward remembering the situation she and Kili were in back by the river. For a short while, she actually felt the dwarf's soft lips brushed against hers before they got disturbed again. She gave the cow one last pat on its back before making her way to where the sleeping dwarves were when she accidentally made eye contact with Kili. The young dwarf prince's once annoyed look softened with his lips curving into a smile which made Harriet walk to him instead.
"You seem troubled, your highness" Harriet teased just to see if he would play along then leaned back against the window with her hands clasped behind her back.
Kili suppressed his laughter, looking out and watched a few horses gallop through the field. "I am quite troubled, indeed"
"What is it that's troubling you?"
"I can't seem to have the fruit I've been longing to have"
"A fruit?" she slightly tilted her head, looking at him curiously.
Kili nodded. "Aye, a fruit. They're as red as an apple and I assume they're just as sweet" he smiled. "Anyway, I've been trying to get my hands on this fruit but" he sighed, pretending to look very disheartened. "Every time I'm so close to having a taste of it, there's always a disturbance" he glanced at Harriet, flashing her a playful smile.
Harriet blushed after realizing what fruit he was talking about. It made her heart race, surprised at her own feelings that she too was as eager to have a taste of it as well. "W-well, why don't you try it now?"
The smile on Kili's face seemed to be permanent as he got up from where he was sitting and took a step forward until there was barely any space between them. "Believe me when I say I want to but, I can't right now. I don't want to get you in any trouble"
"Why would I be in any trouble?"
"Kili"
Oh, Harriet thought as soon as she heard Thorin calling for his nephew all the way from the kitchen. The young dwarf prince smiled and secretly gave her hand a squeeze before walking away to attend to whatever his uncle needed. Taking a deep breath, Harriet walked away from the window and joined the others who were resting on a pile of haystack. She sat down next to Bilbo and set her bow and quiver aside, taking quick glances at the kitchen area. She could barely see Kili from where she was sitting but she couldn't help but smile just having a peek of at least his hair or his clothing. But she quickly wiped the smile off her face when she saw Bofur looking at her direction with a grin.
"He's quite good looking, don't you think?" Bofur asked, pulling out his wooden pipe from his bag.
"I suppose so" she answered plainly, pretending not to care. "Probably the reason why he's so cheeky"
Bofur laughed, huffing on his pipe. "That lad has been pretty much cheeky all his life"
"Have you known each other long?"
"Aye, known him since he and his brother were wee lads" he shared. "Even as a child he was already good looking. The lassies in the kingdom took a fancy on him but he showed little to no interest. The only woman that mattered to him is his mother. But I guess things are quite different now"
"What do you mean?"
"Oho, I think you know well what I mean" Bofur winked before tipping his hat to cover his eyes and nap.
Harriet found the possibility of Kili liking her preposterous. She was a nobody—a clumsy girl from a different realm who often got herself injured like a damsel in distress while he was of royal lineage, a future king. She knew that Kili's actions towards her was nothing but mere harmless flirting but, there was a strange part of her that wished it could be more than that. She shook her head, sighing. She was confused. She never fancied a man before but there was something about Kili that made her heart race or filled her stomach with butterflies. His smile was enough to make her cheeks turn crimson. Pushing aside the thought about the young dwarf prince, she shifted her attention towards the hobbit next to her. Like the first time they met, she noticed that he was the only one in the group who wore something normal. She spent a lot of time asking about the dwarves but, she never really found the time to know about hobbits.
"I really like your jacket" Harriet pointed out.
Bilbo looked at her with a smile, "Why thank you. It's my favorite, actually. But it's rather worn out now with all the things we've been through"
"What are hobbits like?" she asked curiously. "Do you also live under a mountain like dwarves?"
"Oh no, not at all" he chuckled. "I live at the Shire in a hole in the ground"
"In a hole? Like a rabbit?"
Bilbo laughed again. "No, uh, it's a house in the ground. Let me show you" the young hobbit reached for his backpack and pulled out a notebook, a quill pen, and a small bottle of blank ink. "We call this a hobbit hole" he explained, drawing the exterior of a small hill with a beautiful picket fence on the front garden and a round door that looked like a porthole. "It is very cozy inside with a fireplace, bathroom, bedroom, kitchen…"
"So it's like a normal house, except in a hole in the ground?" Harriet asked again.
"Indeed"
"What do you usually do at home?"
"Hmm, let me think" he crinkled his nose. "Most of the time I spend the day sitting on my armchair reading a few of my books. If not, I'm outside watering my garden. Sometimes I go into town to meet up with a few friends and have afternoon tea"
Harriet looked at the hobbit with awe. "That sounds exactly how I spend my time back at home" she said happily. "Your home sounds lovely, the type of home that'll make me comfortable"
"Oh but it is lovely" Balin butted in when he heard their conversation from where he was lying. "With a pantry full of delicious food too"
Bilbo sighed heavily, remembering the first night the unexpected visitors came and raided his kitchen. "Yes, they had quite a fun time messing my entire house" he mumbled but smiled at Harriet. "But you're welcome to come visit my home"
Harriet's caramel brown eyes sparked with excitement. "Really?"
The hobbit nodded. "After all of this is done, it will be quite relaxing to have company at home over a cup of tea"
ooOoo
By nightfall, everyone was lying comfortably on the haystacks. For once, it felt good to sleep indoors without worrying about a pack of orcs ready to attack. Harriet was curled in one corner, wishing it was like that every day. Her eyes were starting to get drowsy after spending hours talking to Bilbo about the Shire and hobbits and just as she was about to get some sleep, she felt someone lie behind her. Her heartbeat quickened when she smelled the familiar scent of cinnamon and eucalyptus then slowly shifted her position to see the smiling face of the young dwarf prince inches away from her.
"Are you going to sneak up on me every time I try to sleep?" she asked in a whisper only they could hear.
Kili snickered, tucking loose strands of Harriet's hair behind her ear. "If my uncle is nearby, yes, that's exactly what I'm going to do"
"You're scared of him?" she teased.
"No but, I don't want him to hurt you"
"Does he still think of me as a threat?"
"Kind of"
They fell silent. Harriet studied the handsome prince's features through the faint glow of the moonlight seeping through the window. He was really good looking with the gentlest pair of eyes and the sweetest smile it was hard for Harriet to believe that such a man existed. A part of her wanted to ask if he feels anything special towards her but another part of her thought it was foolish to even think of it. Suddenly, she felt his callous hand holding hers. It was warm, almost making her feel safe knowing that he was holding her.
"Maybe your tattoo has something to do with us reclaiming Erebor" he whispered.
"Possibly" she whispered back, looking into his chocolate brown eyes.
"If we reclaim it, does that mean you're going back to your own land?"
Harriet didn't know what to say. True, the only reason she stayed in their company was that she had no idea on how to get back home. She thought that maybe after helping the dwarves get their home back, that's the only time the Wizard's Stone will transport her back to Suffolk. But the thing she didn't expect was that she'd enjoy the company of the dwarves. She loved listening to Bofur's jokes and songs, listening to Bifur talk randomly in Khuzdul, the fatherly wisdom of Balin, the brotherly protectiveness of Fili, and everyone else who became good friends to her. And then there was Kili. There was a mutual attraction between the both of them they couldn't express in words but it was rather obvious that they grew fond of one another.
To her surprise, Kili pulled her closer in a hug with her head resting on his firm chest, hearing the beat of his heart. It was comforting and warm to be locked in his embrace that she closed her eyes. She felt the dwarf prince plant a soft kiss on top of her head, making her blush, whilst stroking her back. "You don't have to answer" he spoke with a gentle voice, twirling his finger around Harriet's hair. "Let's just enjoy while we have each other's company, hmm?"
Harriet replied with a nod, slithering her arms around Kili to hug him back. They didn't think about the kiss that kept getting disturbed and just enjoyed the night locked in each other's arms. Almost in an instant, Harriet already drifted to sleep and was visited by a dark premonition. She found herself on top of a snow covered hill with old ruins of some sort of building. No one was there but her until she found figures walking on top of the three story ruins. Orcs, probably more than ten, emerged followed by Azog the Defiler carrying a wounded Fili on one hand. The pale orc spoke in black speech and almost in an instant, the sword on his left arm plunged into Fili's back and onto his chest before dropping him from high above then onto the ground right in front of Harriet.
Fili's clear blue eyes stared directly at Harriet, with his lifeless broken body swimming in his own pool of blood. Harriet's feet seemed to be rooted on the ground that she couldn't move. Her body trembled in fear and tears fell from her eyes as the blood finally reached the hem of her dress. Just as she was going to take a step closer towards Fili's lifeless body, the setting changed. She was still on the snowy hill but in a different area away from the three story ruin where Azog killed Fili. She wiped her tears with the sleeve of her dress and stayed alert in case someone came to attack. She saw new figures appear just at the end of an alleyway. She slowly entered the dark alleyway and saw a female elf being thrown aside by a vicious looking orc. It was ready to kill the elf when Kili jumped from the top and landed behind the orc. The young dwarf prince gave a good fight but was tossed on top of a flight of stairs. The orc got a hold on Kili and impaled him, leaving him on the ground, lifeless.
Harriet's face turned as white as the snow and fell down on her knees right after what she'd witnessed. Pain filled her chest, almost making it hard for her to breath. Tears continued to trickle down her cheeks whilst her lips quivered as the snow Kili was lying on got tainted with his own blood. Just like Fili, Kili was nothing more but a dead body. Filled with so much grieve, no words came out of Harriet's lips but an agonizing shrill cry. She crawled towards Kili but before she could reach him, the setting changed again. She continued to cry but she saw herself kneeling on top of a thin ice where Thorin was facing his nemesis for the third time. Thorin stabbed Azog with his sword until he was dead but unfortunately, the king of Erebor was mortally wounded and died with the pale orc. Harriet was sobbing uncontrollably, feeling the cold sting of the wind as she watched the line of Durin fall in one day.
ooOoo
The tranquility of the skin changer's house in the middle of the night was disturbed by a startling wail. The dwarves, Gandalf, and Bilbo all sprang up from their slumber due to the shrill cry of Harriet. Balin lit a lantern and hurried to see what was going on. Almost everyone was up on their feet, standing in a circle, looking down at the young girl. Harriet was still asleep, having a violent fit followed by her continuous wailing. Some dwarves stayed by the window to be on the lookout in case someone heard her cries while some were worried something bad was happening to her.
"What is happening to her?" Thorin asked, quite concerned that her cry might attract unwanted visitors.
"We don't know" Ori said, standing next to Dori. "She just started to scream and cry"
Thorin looked up at the Grey wizard. "What is happening?"
"I think she'd seen something very dark" Gandalf pointed out.
"Harriet, wake up!" Kili shouted, shaking the young girl repeatedly to bring her back to her senses. He avoided her punches and kicks and when he got a hold of her arms, he pinned them down on the haystack. "Harriet!"
With a sharp gasp, Harriet's eyes snapped open. She was covered with sweat and tears, heaving heavily as if she just escaped a pack of orcs. Her head and chest throbbed in pain that she couldn't focus on the figures looking down at her. Their faces were distorted and so was their voices like she was hearing them from under the water. Slowly, her vision became clearer seeing the worried face of Kili asking her if she was alright. But before she could say a word, she passed out.
"Harriet" Kili pulled the young girl into his arms, gently patting her cheeks. "Why won't she wake up?"
"Don't worry, I think she's just too exhausted with whatever she'd seen in her dream" Gandalf said as he stood up, looking down at each one of them. "It would be best if all of you go back to sleep"
Thorin made his way back to the spot he was lying on when he turned around. He saw the youngest of his nephews reclining on a haystack with the unconscious girl in his arms, cradling her whilst wiping the tears that stained her cheeks. He'd never seen him worry about a woman other than his mother before and Thorin wasn't entirely sure if he was alright with that. He closed his eyes and turned the other direction, insisting himself that what his nephew was doing was an act of sympathy and nothing else.
Kili's exhaustion dissipated that evening. He didn't want to go back to sleep and just kept a watchful eye on Harriet. Thankfully, the young girl in his arms was already calm. Her eyelashes glistened with tears and the tip of her nose and cheeks were rosy from all the hysterical crying that she did. He was pushing her hair back gently when he looked up and saw his brother approaching quietly.
"Here" Fili handed him a damp washcloth. "I think it'll help soothe her"
"Thank you, brother" Kili said, dabbing the cool washcloth on Harriet's cheeks and forehead.
Fili sat down next to his brother and gave a worried look at Harriet, "Do you think what she saw is related to the tattoo on her arm?"
"I don't know, probably?" Kili answered with a sigh. He wasn't worried about the premonition at all, he just wanted to make sure that Harriet was alright. "Whatever it is, it scared her a lot"
"Indeed, there must be something big awaiting us"
"It doesn't matter" Kili said boldly, "Whatever we face, I'll fight and I'll protect her"
Fili was surprised with what his brother said. Not in a bad way. He took a deep breath and smiled, folding his arms over his chest. "You've changed a lot brother" he pointed out. "You used to be the kind of man that would make women cry with all your mischievous antics. And here you are being delicate to a half human half wizard girl"
"At least mother won't be tired anymore of me chasing away women" Kili answered cheekily before looking down at the peaceful face of Harriet. "Brother, I…I think I'm in love with her"
Fili snickered. "I think everyone here knows about it already"
"Am I that obvious?"
"Quite so"
Kili sighed, stroking Harriet's cheek with his thumb. "She's different compared to all the maidens we've met. I mean, her beauty itself is outstanding"
"True and she's also good with archery. Not your typical damsel in distress"
"What if she doesn't feel the same way about me? What if she likes someone else? What if after we get to Erebor she goes back to her home?" so many what ifs filled his head.
"You worry too much" Fili squeezed his brother's shoulder. "If you love her, then tell her. Be forward. Let her know what you truly feel so she would open up to you too"