Chapter 17: Stage set and action.
I woke in the night, feeling strangely restless, I sat up, swinging my legs out of bed and hissing at the cold floor. I slipped into my boots and pulled on my coat, it was slightly long in the arm, it covered my hands comfortably. The halls were dead, my steps echoing around like claps of thunder, I was increasingly aware of the noise I made. The night outside was clear, I stood on the ramparts, looking out over the shifting gold armour of the Elves filtering into the ruins of Dale. I wasn't ready for this war to arrive, I wasn't ready to die or let my family die.
There was a lot I wasn't ready for.
Oin was on duty, he hadn't seen me yet, I glanced over and looked at him, no, I studied him.
"What're you doing out of bed Lass?" Oin said once he noticed me, staring at him blindly. I blinked and rocked back and forth on my heels, clasping my hands in front of me.
"Fee wanted me to ask you to check on the baby... He's obsessed with it being a boy, but he's also worried... As am I." I said thoughtfully, kind of spaced out.
"Can it wait until morning?" He asked, I nodded and then turned around, a thought resting on the edge of my mind, like I couldn't grasp it... Like it was going to be a bother. I wandered around the Mountain some more, looking at the firm, geometric lines carved into the pillars, Bilbo was stood at the front gate, staring down at Dale.
"Are you going tonight then? To give it to them?" I asked, Bilbo nodded and then sighed, showing me the Arkenstone. I felt no connection to it, it was just a rock to me, a shiny piece of rock.
"I am, might I wish you good luck on your journey Miss Reynolds." He replied sincerely, I smiled and wrapped my arms around the Hobbit tightly, choking back emotional tears.
"I'll see you again soon, that I can promise... Be back before the sun rises." I whispered, pulling back and wrapping my arms around myself, comforting. "I miss him already." I thought, watching the Hobbit throwing down the rope and disappearing.
"So? Speed it up!" A gruff voice shouted irritably, slamming their fist down on a table. I moved around a corner and saw a group of Dwarves stood around a mirror, I found the scenario hilarious, seeing four fully grown Dwarves crowding a single hand mirror, trying to watch whatever was on it.
"Excuse me? We can't do that! Just because the Lass has some dream doesn't mean we should steal this experiance from her!" Another said, this one was golden blonde.
"Steal what from who?" I asked, they all turned around, the blonde hiding the mirror behind himself.
"Uh, nothing Lass... Come here won't you?" The elderly one said, motioning me towards him with a single finger. "Do you know who we are?" I shook my head. "I am King Thròr. This is my son, Thràin and his son Frerin and my granddaughter's husband." I nodded slowly and then smiled.
"We've been watching you for a while! Your jokes are the best!" Frerin said happily, bouncing on his heels.
"I wasn't aware I was that funny." I replied, he burst out laughing again.
"There it is!" He laughed, pointing at me as I rolled my eyes.
"You are, luckily, dreaming." Thràin said gruffly, smacking his son upside the head. "You know of the end?"
"Yeah I do, it won't happen that way if I can help it though."
"Then you know Thorin has sent for Dain?" I nodded again.
"Oh my boy, always held his head high, promised not to fall to the gold like I did." Thròr sighed, shaking his head as he remembered the old Thorin. "Whatever you do... Name your child after me."
"Nuh uh! She'll name the Lad after me!" Frerin argued, Vili rolling his eyes.
"Name her after the brightest star in the night sky." He said, I grinned and shook the Dwarf's hand.
"Finally! Someone who also thinks it's a girl! All of you sided with the Husband." They chuckled, Thràin glancing at the mirror before sighing.
"The husband who is tearing apart my Mountain looking for you. You'd better be going back Lass." Thròr said, rubbing his face as the smiling. "Good luck my girl."
"Little sister! There you are, Fee's been so worried! You weren't there when he woke up." Kili said, his warm hands on my cold arms as he pulled me off the ground, a gasp hitting my face as he jumped backwards.
"What? Is it the morning breath?" I asked, feeling a bubble of nausea pitting in my stomach.
"Uh, tell me, can you see your feet?" Kili replied, I gave him a death glare and looked down, seeing that those dead bastards had indeed been arguing over speeding something up.
"Those dead pricks are going to pay for this when I get my hands on them." I hissed, hand on my swollen stomach. "This is the work of your side of the family... But that was a dream, how has this happened?!" I shouted, Kili jumped at the sudden increase of volume. His arms wrapped around me as best they could given the obstacle between us.
"You're sure you were dreaming?" He breathed, showing me a piece of torn paper with two names written on it.
Frerin. Vega.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure people don't just see their husband's dead family in day to day life." I rolled my eyes as I said this, Kili gave me a worried look before tucking the paper under his sleeve.
"We'd better get you to Oin and Balin, maybe they'll know something about this."