Life among Heroes

Lexi quite liked her pony.

"Here's Bertha for you" had said Dori kindly, handing her the leads.

Bertha was white with brown spots with a unique white haired tail and brown mane. Lexi though she was beautiful.

Having only ridden a few times in Rivendell and then only for pleasure, Lexi was struggling to attach her pack in an efficient manner. She kept giving sidelong glances to the other ponies around her to see how they were kitted out.

"Let me help you with that." Lexi jumped and looked to her left. There was the young dark-haired dwarf.

He bowed "Kíli at your service."

"Thank you Kíli" Lexi gestured at her pack, "I attached it here and here, but it still doesn't feel quite stable."

"See, if you crossed it over here," he unhooked one cross band and stretched it over to another part of the saddle, "and put that over there," he re-hooked the other strap, "then nothing will loosen it."

He grinned at her. She grinned back. "Thanks again."

Kíli nodded over his shoulder, "May I introduce you to my brother, Fíli."

Lexi's breath hitched as the golden-haired Fíli bowed 'Fíli at your service Miss Alexandra.'

Lexi tried to smile normally. She was sure she looked strange. "Please, my friends call me Lexi."

"Lexi." Fíli tried it out. It sounded wonderful. "An unusual name to go with your unusual accent."

"Mount up! It is time to depart." Thorin called from the head of the group.

Lexi turned to climb onto her pony to find Fíli offering an assisting hand up. She took it.

Once they all got the ponies lined up in the same direction, they headed out.

Lexi looked back at the burrow already lonely for Bilbo. After Gandalf and herself had gotten him into his room and back to consciousness, Gandalf had spent a great deal of time trying to convince Bilbo to give up his comforts and routines and join them. Bilbo rejected the idea time and time again, until Gandalf finally gave up and left them alone together.

"Lexi, I just can't. It's not for me. I'm not meant to go on adventures." Bilbo looked at her pleadingly.

"I understand Bilbo. I think you're wise. It seems like it might be terribly dangerous and not a little bit uncomfortable."

Bilbo examined Lexi's face. "You don't have to go, you know. You can have a home here with me for as long as you want."

Lexi pondered that for a while. She and Bilbo sat companionably, like they often did, watching the fire burn, crackle, transform.

"I never told you where I came from Bilbo, not really. And I'm not going to burden you with the story now. But Gandalf believes I have a role to play in this quest, and I...", she sighed, "I must believe that too, or else none of it makes sense to me."

She glanced at Bilbo, who was looking at her with a perplexed expression.

"I'm going Bilbo. Thank you for everything you have done for me. Thank you for being such a great friend. I will miss you. I hope we will meet again one day." Lexi leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Good-bye Bilbo."

Bilbo wordlessly stood up and hugged her.

Lexi left the room to get what little sleep was left to her that night.

Lexi found herself surround by the youngest members of the dwarf company, who were all apparently curious about their only female companion. She was glad about that. Some of the older dwarves looked less than friendly.

"Where were you born?" Ori asked. "Your accent is strange"

"A foreign land, very far away." Lexi answered. "I only learned Westron recently."

"What language did you speak in your homeland?" Kíli wondered.

"Umm, it's called English." Lexi was beginning to feel a little hesitant about where this line of questioning was headed.

"Ing-lish…" While Ori seemed to ponder that, Fíli caught her attention.

"Is your family near here? Or are they in your homeland far away?"

Lexi was surprised at the lump that formed in her throat. She had thought that she was past the worst of the feelings thinking about her family evoked. She cleared her throat a few times to clear the lump.

"They, uh, they…umm." She hemmed. Finally, she decided it was best to be blunt. "I am alone. I no longer have my parents, brothers or sister."

"I'm sorry." Fíli's brows were knitted.

"It's fine. You couldn't know." She answered, giving him a small smile; glad that he was talking to her. Wanting him to continue.

"Wait! WAIT!" shouting in the distance.

Lexi wheeled her horse around. "Bilbo!" she cried happily as he panted his way up to Balin.

"I signed it!" he gasped, handing over his contract.

"Get him a pony." Instructed Thorin and they were off again.

Lexi laid in her bedroll, staring at the night skies, tracing out the constellations. Unused to sleeping outside and anxious about the quest in general, Lexi was impressed that most of the other dwarves appeared to have no problem sleeping on the extremely cold and hard ground. Sleeping and snoring! She was freezing and wide awake.

She saw Bilbo arise from his bedroll and wander around the campsite, paying a visit to the ponies. A screech arose in the distance. Bilbo spun around.

"What is that?" His whispered loudly.

"Orcs." Answered Kíli.

"Throat cutters." Answered Fíli.

Lexi felt fear enter her, terrified at the thought of orcs and getting her throat cut.

The brothers continued with their terrible descriptions of orc defilement until Thorin cut them off.

"You think that's funny?" Thorin berated them.

They both had the decency to look ashamed for trying to scare the hobbit.

Balin stepped in to explain to the brothers why Thorin was annoyed with them. Lexi sat up in her bedroll, to better see Balin's face as he told the terrible tale of the battle of Azanulbizar. It was a horrifying re-telling of a battle where countless dwarves lost their lives and Thorin had lost almost everyone important to him.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as Balin recounted Thorin's grandfather being beheaded, his father missing. He described the fight that left Thorin with only an oak branch in his defense and his final triumphant maiming of the hideous Azog the Defiler.

She saw Fíli watching her as she watched Balin.

As Balin wound up his story about the greatness of the young prince, the rest of the dwarven company rose to their feet to honour Thorin. She rose too, humbled to be in the company of warriors who had survived so much; and especially honoured to be in the company of their great leader.

Thorin walked back to his spot and settled.

The rest of the dwarves went back to sleep.

Lexie climbed back into her bedroll and continued to shiver.

Fíli loomed over her. "You look cold." He knelt and put a hand to her cheek.

Lexi turned her head into it.

Fíli frowned. "You are cold as snow. Come over to the fire with us."

As she crawled tiredly out of her bedroll, he gathered it up for her. She was wearing most of the clothes she owned.

She trailed him around the slumbering dwarves and watched as he reseated himself and tucked her bedroll down between himself and Kíli. Head towards him, feet towards Kíli.

He patted it when done. "Climb in." He handed her over his legs and she crawled down into the bedroll. She could feel the heat of the fire on her face.

"Better?" He asked.

"Much." She agreed sleepily, trying to find a softer spot to rest her head.

"Here." He hauled her towards him, resting her head on his leg. He draped an arm down around her shoulder.

"Ahhh." She smiled with her eyes already closed. Exhausted and beginning to drift.

"Goodnight Amrâlimê." She heard him whisper as she slipped away into dreams.