Iolite had been traveling with the company of Thorin Oakensheild for months now. It seemed that every time they would get some good luck, bad would inevitably follow.
Right now, she and the company seemed to have achieved a new low. They were literally trapped in a dungeon, and not just any dungeon; they were trapped in Mirkwood's dungeon. Thorin just couldn't keep his mouth shut. Sometimes the king under the mountain could be such a dunderhead. Now thanks to his articulate speech he gave to Thranduil, Iolite and the rest of the company would never make it to the lonely mountain.
It was cold and dark in her cell. The hours passed slowly as she stared into the shadows, reflecting on how they had come to be here. The journey had been grueling, having almost constantly been chased by orcs and other dark creatures. If nothing else, at least while Iolite was in her cell she could rest without having to worry about being chased by something.
Not all of the journey had been terrible though.
Fili made it bearable, and at times, even enjoyable with his quick wit and humor. He was also an excellent warrior, and anytime they both had extra time they would spar together. Often they would also walk together, passing the long hours with friendly conversation.
There were, however, some... behaviors displayed by both of them that suggested the possibility that Fili and Iolite were more than just friends. Now that she had time to sit and think, Iolite thought about what exactly the relationship between her and Fili was.
She felt a deep attachment to him - much more than to anyone else in the company. Could it be possible that this deep attachment was a manifestation that Fili could be her One? Iolite didn't know - she had never really been much of a romantic and so to her this line of thought was ridiculous.
At that moment, Iolite met Fili's eyes in the cell across from hers and he gave her a smile which caused an abrupt change in her thought process.
Maybe romance wasn't so ridiculous after all.
Right then Bilbo appeared with the keys. Everyone was very happy to see him, Iolite included. She wanted to do more with her life than become a permanent resident of Mirkwood. Bilbo opened her door and she got to her feet. As she was leaving her cell, she stumbled and nearly fell, but luckily Fili caught her before she could go tumbling down the rest of the stairs.
"Thank you,'' she said as Fili righted her.
"You're welcome, Iolite." His touch had sent shivers through her body.
Iolite followed the rest of the company down to the cellars. Everything was going great... until Bilbo told them to climb into the barrels.
There were not enough barrels for everyone, so Iolite and Fili had to share. It was a tight squeeze and it made her blush to have Fili's body pressed up against her. All of the sudden, their barrel started to roll. Startled, Iolite grabbed on to Fili as they fell into darkness. There was a loud splash and they both were sprayed with freezing cold water. Immediately their barrel was pulled along in the strong current.
It was actually a fun ride for about a minute, until horns began to sound, announcing the dwarves' escape and the gate was shut, barring any way out. Just when she thought their luck couldn't get any worse, orcs started to attack.
Iolite looked around to see if there was any way to open the gate so they could get away from the orcs and elves. She saw a lever and went to climb out of the barrel to pull it, but Fili grabbed her before she climbed out.
"No," he shouted, "it's too dangerous!"
Kili pulled the lever instead; soon afterwards, he was shot with an arrow. Iolite felt Fili tense when he saw Kili being injured. Thankfully they were all able to start moving again, escaping orcs and elves for a few minutes. That respite was short-lived as the orcs began to follow them down the river.
The company had managed to pick up weapons from fallen orcs, and they were now battling other orcs while floating down the river. Weapons were being passed from hand to hand. They were all soaked to the bone.
An orc ran up a log to attack Iolite and Fili, but neither of them had managed to grab a weapon yet to defend themselves. Luckily, Thorin threw back a sword to Fili and he was able to throw the sword into the orc. However, with the force of the motion Iolite were thrown out of the barrel and into the churning water. She grasped the side of the barrel, clinging for dear life as they continued to float on.
The dwarves began to cut a log that was over the river to prevent the orcs from being able to attack any more. Fili delivered the final blow, and the log fell into the river along with many orc bodies. It sent a huge wave crashing into the barrel, causing Iolite to lose her grip. She floundered in the angry water; Iolite had never been a good swimmer but she tried her best to keep her head above the surface. She managed for a few minutes but her strength started to give out, and a falling orc body smashed into her, pushing her under the water. Iolite fought to get back to the surface, but the orc body combined with her exhaustion were too much.
She blacked out from lack of oxygen.
The next sensation Iolite registered was pain.
Her chest was being pushed on painfully and it caused her to expel water from her mouth. It burned her throat and caused Iolite to gasp and open her eyes. Fili was looking down at her.
When he saw that she was awake he pulled her into an embrace.
"Iolite, oh Iolite, are you all right? I was so worried you would not come back to me." He pulled back and she looked up into his concerned filled eyes.
She tried to answer him back, but her voice would not work, so Iolite reached up and stroked his cheek and smiled at him. He caught her hand and kissed her knuckles.
"Does anything feel broken?" He asked. Iolite shook your head no.
The only thing the dam could feel now was the cold. It was biting cold; the water had been freezing and now there was an icy wind blowing. Involuntarily, her teeth started to chatter and violent shivers racked her body.
"Iolite, oh you are freezing. Hold on - I will be back with something to warm you with."
Fili ran over to a man - a human man. Iolite did not know who he was, but after talking with Fili for a moment, he procured what looked to be a very warm blanket. Fili jogged back over to her and knelt down in front of her.
"Iolite, you have to sit up and take off your wet outer clothes."
Iolite knew he was right, but she was not about to strip down to her underthings in front of the whole company. She opened her mouth to protest but Fili interrupted.
"Please, Iolite, I will hold up the blanket for you so no one can see you."
Still not being able to speak Iolite just nodded her consent. Fili wrapped an arm around her to help her sit up. While attempting to stand, she stumbled causing Fili to wrap both of his arms around her. He was so warm; Iolite wanted to sink into his embrace and stay there forever, but she knew that she had to get out of her wet clothes. She pulled back and waited for Fili to hold up the blanket. Iolite peeled off her wet clothing quickly, feeling the biting sting of the cold wind hit her bare skin. Luckily, her under clothes were dry.
Once she was done, Iolite tapped Fili on the shoulder and he wrapped the blanket around her. Then he scooped her up in his arms and carried her onto the barge, setting her down in the back of the boat. Abruptly, Fili removed his shirt. Iolite's eyes were riveted on his well sculpted torso and she could not look away even if she had wanted to. He was glorious, but why was he undressing?
Remembering herself, she looked away, feeling her cheeks flush.
"Sorry, Iolite," Fili said, "but we have to keep you warm."
He walked toward her still missing a shirt and his outer layer of pants. Iolite knew he was right, and she continued looking away as she opened the blanket for him to enter. Fili wrapped his arms around the dam and pulled her close, looking at her and adjusting the blanket so they were both covered. He was so warm, and Iolite snuggled into his embrace. A few moments passed in silence.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Fili looked down at her and smiled. "Anything for you amralime."
At that moment, the realization came crashing down on Iolite: he was her One. Fili leaned in closer and pressed his mouth to hers. The kiss was warm and tender, just like everything about him.
When he broke the kiss he said breathlessly, "I was so scared when I could not find you. I am so glad you are all right."
Before the company's destination was reached, Bard - that was the man's name - was able to find Iolite new clothes. She felt clean and fresh in her clothes. That moment was short-lived when they were covered by raw fish and then forced to enter Bard's house through his toilet. They had fresh clothes for her inside and a bath, thankfully. Once she was clean and warm again, Iolite went outside to look at the lonely mountain. She and the company were so excited to be so close to their destination. However, with that excitement there came trepidation. Smaug was waiting for them in that mountain. No, the journey was far from over.
Iolite was so deep in thought, she did not notice Fili approaching her from behind until a pair of strong, warm arms wrapped around her. She turned to face him and smiled.
"I hoped I would find you here Iolite."
"I am glad you did."
"I have something for you."
From his pocket Fili pulled out a bead with the most beautiful carvings on it.
"Oh, Fili, it is beautiful." she breathed.
Fili smiled and then turned Iolite around again so he could reach her hair. Once he was finished braiding the bead into her hair, he kissed the top of her head. Iolite turned around and wrapped her arms around him.
"I love you, Fili," she said.
"I will always love you, amralime."