Guys, I know it has been too long, and there is no excuse. I've been excruciatingly busy with three jobs and my lack of motivation has been a killer. I won't make promises of quick updates, but I can promise that I'll try. Enjoy the newest chapter my lovelies!
Disclaimer: I only own Piper. Piper is mine.
Piper had a hard time sleeping due to her mind running a thousand miles a minute as she ran detail after detail to ensure the safety of every member of the company. She had to be sure that almost everyone would make it out alive and that everything followed the book as close as possible. The young woman sat up and stretched to ease her stiff muscles; tossing and turning never did her any good. 'Time to get up...best finish packing and making sure I have everything I need...' she thought to herself.
She put on her pants and cream colored blouse before washing her face and putting the remaining items into either her backpack that Bilbo bought her or her messenger bag. The twenty-three year old ran her hand through her hair s she chewed on her lip. Everything she owned was presently in her bags with the exception of her room decor and furniture (obviously). Finally, Piper exited the room with her bags, placed said items on the floor by the door, and then made her way to the kitchen to start making breakfast for the group of Dwarves who would soon wake up. Sure enough, as soon as the scent of breakfast drifted from the kitchen the Dwarves began filing in to eat quickly before the journey. It wasn't long before dishes were piled in the kitchen and the company along with Piper made their way to the Green Dragon Inn. The company was mostly silent as they made their way to Bywater; Piper spent the trip mostly zoned out as she ran everything through her head. So many details had to be mulled over just so things stayed on track, and to make sure she didn't forget anything. Though, the girl did notice a few of the Dwarves throw glances her way. She had a few theories as to why that was, but she didn't voice anything. She knew that being a girl and going on an adventure in this time period was rather bizarre. It wasn't what women did. She didn't take offense to it but it made her self-conscious.
It wasn't long before they made it to the inn, and Piper silently cursed her knee for aching like it was. She had little patience when it came to dealing with pain, and she fiddled with her knee brace for a bit to make sure it was still in place. As Thorin went inside to see about the ponies, the young woman crossed her legs then sat on the ground outside of the building. "I'll wait out here in case Bilbo shows up," she said even though she knew very well he'd show up at the last minute.
She saw the Dwarves look at her from the corner of their eyes as they followed Thorin inside, but none of them said anything; soon all were inside with the exception of one. Piper hadn't really noticed until a shadow seemed to linger over her. The twenty-three year old furrowed her eyebrows before looking up at none other than Balin. The two stared at each other before the Dwarf got too uncomfortable of the awkward atmosphere. "So what makes you want to go on this journey?" he asked.
Piper shrugged her shoulders and began playing with the dirt on the ground; she never could look at someone while talking to them. "Well, I know what it's like to lose a home, and you have the opportunity to get yours back... I want to help where I can because I know it'll be such a great accomplishment for you guys to do so. To be a part of that kind of adventure isn't something I would willingly pass up," she finally replied. "I know it seems a bit ridiculous, but this is all I have, and not to mention Bilbo is my only friend... I swore I'd help him since he was kind enough to take me in when everyone else turned me away..."
Balin was slightly taken aback by her answer. He was completely unaware that her reasoning would be what it was. He, like the others, thought she was doing this for selfish reasons or something else along those lines. "Most women don't really care for adventures," the older Dwarf stated, "It's just peculiar."
Piper moved a bit on the ground to readjust herself, "Maybe, but where I'm from it's not so unusual. Just about everyone traveled if they could afford it. Definitely not a cheap opportunity. My sister was lucky though. Her college paid for her to study abroad in South Korea for two semesters, and-" she froze as she looked up at the Dwarf's confused face. "Sorry, I tend to ramble," she muttered.
Balin shook his head. He had no idea what a 'college' was or where this 'South Korea' was. It even sounded foreign to him. He decided to gloss over it and ask something else instead. "You have a sister?"
Piper went stiff and swallowed a lump that formed in her throat at the thought of her family. "Well, I had a sister along with two brothers.. We were very close for the most part... always had each others' backs... Now... Hey, looks like they're finishing up!" she quickly changed the subject as she stood up and went to the stable with the company. Without delay they all began saddling and packing the ponies with all of their supplies. Once Piper finished with her few items, she helped the others where she could. It wasn't long before everyone was on the ponies with the exception of Balin (he was still at the inn door).
The twenty-three year old rubbed her left knee a bit since she aggravated it while mounting on her pony. "You won't have any problems, will you?" Piper heard one of the Dwarves ask. She looked up in the direction of the voice to see Kili looking at her for an answer. Next to him was his brother Fili.
The young woman looked down at her hands before shaking her head. "No, I'm familiar with horseback. The only thing I may end up having issues with would be me knee; had a bad injury a few months back. I'm mostly recovered, but it doesn't stop the occasional pain," she replied.
"What did you do?" Fili asked growing curious.
"I landed on my foot wrong during a form of fighting and my kneecap popped out of place. I couldn't walk for a couple of months," she stated.
"What kind of fighting can you do?" it was Fili this time to ask.
"It's a form of martial arts called Kung Fu. It's a kind of physical fighting used for defense. My specific Kung Fu style is Wu Xing Shan Fa, or five animal style. In martial arts you have different forms called Kata within each style. I was working on my Leopard form when it happened," Piper explained. "Being accident prone runs in the family."
The two brothers just stared at her after her explanation. They've never heard of anything like that, and it was absolutely different. "You're very different for a human," Kili pointed out.
Piper hummed thought as the group began moving their ponies (the smallest one was saved for Bilbo). "That's a fair statement," she began, "I'm very different. I've been called peculiar by many people. Hell, my best friend even called me 'Weirdo' before..." She had to stop herself. "I'll save that story for another time..."
Pretty soon the company were out of the stable to see Bilbo standing there talking to Balin. Before long, all were officially heading towards the Misty Mountains. Gandalf met them not long after and gave Bilbo his pipe, tobacco, and handkerchief that he had forgotten at home. Now, Piper wasn't one to sit still for very long, and her attention span wasn't the best, no not even an hour into the journey and she began fidgeting and trying to keep herself entertained. Sure the company was sharking stories and even playing music on their instruments, but she just felt left out. The twenty-three year old sighed and looked up at the sky; she wondered how it would feel to be a cloud. No worries, just drifting in the wind and carrying water. It seemed like such a simple life in comparison to being a human.
Piper chose to remain silent as the company talked and sang. She didn't care about being noticed at the moment; she'd rather be invisible than deal with the possibilities that her past would be brought up; she wasn't quite ready to open up to everyone yet. With a sigh, she readjusted herself on the saddle so that she was riding side saddle o ease her butt from going numb. The young woman then decided to pull out Dragon Rider to do reading along the journey. That was how most of the day went other than stopping to eat along the way. Piper stopped paying attention to the time of day as she started to nod off a couple of times thanks to only getting a few hours of sleep. During that time, Gandalf slowed his horse down so he was right next to their female companion. "I wouldn't say it wise to fall asleep on a horse," the wizard stated.
Piper jumped slightly at being addressed and she quickly rubbed her eyes to fight the sleep. "I know, I just didn't get much sleep. I have issues falling and staying asleep," she replied.
"That does sound like a problem," Gandalf hummed.
"You get used to it after a while. I don't like it, but it's an issue I'm all too familiar with."
"Maybe you just have a lot on your mind."
Piper looked at the wizard before looking down at her horse. She knew what he was trying to do, but she was aware she shouldn't keep everything a secret. "That is part of it... I've never been able to handle stress well," she sighed. "Let's just say these last two months have been extremely rough for me..."
"Would you like to share?" Gandalf pressed.
The young female shook her head, "No...at least not right now... I'm not sure if you guys would believe me if I told you anyways."
"Well, you shouldn't hold on to anything that'll weigh you down."
"I know... just let me find the right time and place to tell everyone... my secrets are not meant to be known just yet..."
"Your secrets are yours to tell."
Piper nodded before patting her horse's neck, "I will tell, but when I know the time is right."
Gandalf seemed to accept this answer as he headed back to the front of the group. Piper put her book in her bag as she stretched some; riding for hours sure made one stiff.
The group traveled overnight, and by morning the sky looked ready to start pouring at any given moment. The group's singing had long since stopped as everyone became grouchy from the long night; Piper wearily glanced at the sky as the gray clouds seemed to grow darker. As the company continued on, it wasn't long before raindrops started falling from the sky. It was in that moment that the twenty-three year old pulled out her collapsible umbrella that was always on her person. When she did open it up, the Dwarves looked at her strangely; they never saw anything like it before. When Bilbo pulled out something similar (he saw Piper in the garden with the umbrella one rainy day last month and tried to make one himself) they all were just curious.
"What is that?" Fili questioned.
"It's called an umbrella; it helps repel rain to keep me dry. No matter the amount of rain I will not get wet," Piper answered with a yawn. "I don't like the idea of my books getting wet..."
"Rain is something that usually happens when traveling," Balin put in.
"I figured as much," the young female muttered in English; her exhaustion was finally setting in. "The rain makes me so sleepy..."
Piper got extremely self conscious when the company all looked at her curiously. She stared at them blankly as she thought about what just took place. It took a second, but it finally clicked; she realized she spoke English. "I'm sorry, where I'm from that's the common language... I didn't meant to let it slip..."
"No need to apologize, we've just never heard it before," Balin stated.
The twenty-three year old nodded before silence once again fell over the group. Due to the now pouring rain, everyone's moods turned grouchy. They were also no longer on horseback so the tired horses could get some relief. As the day went on, the weather grew cold, and that was something Piper had a huge issue with; she never could handle the cold well. The wind and rain remained relentless in the Lone-Lands, and despite trying to stay warm and ignore her aching joints, Piper was having no such luck. While her left knee was indeed recovering, it wasn't ready for this kind of journey. The company ignored Bilbo's complaints as they marched on, and hours began to pass as the sun started to set. Finally, the rain began to stop as the moon shown through the clouds and everyone agreed to set up camp.
The company found a spot under some trees where the ground was mostly dry. Just before setting up camp the group did take notice that Gandalf had wondered off at some point. Piper was too tired to really think about what was next, but the feeling that something was going to happen nagged at her. She wanted to ignore it; she was cold, tired, and aching. She sat down as the Dwarves attempted to light a fire and chase a pony that spooked for some reason. Piper frowned as the group began to argue, and once again it started to pour causing her to reopen her umbrella. That's when the company decided to investigate a nearby fire; needless to say, this caused Piper to sigh since that meant more walking (though she wasn't too surprised considering just how far the company had to travel to get to their destination).
The company cautiously made their way up the hill, and that's when it clicked for Piper: the trolls. This was important to the story because of the weapons that were in the troll cave. A wave of nerves hit Piper and she immediately began chewing her lip. What should she do in this situation? Should she join the fight, or try to distract the trolls like Gandalf? As these thoughts continued in her mind, they grew closer to the campfire and the young woman began to anxiously glancing around. This caught the attention of Bilbo who was well aware of what that meant. Anytime he saw her deep in thought when a problem came up that required a careful approach she would chew on her bottom lip; she looked worried about what will happen.
In the month that Bilbo got to know Piper, the Hobbit learned many things about her; one was that she was a problem solver. She thought things through before acting if the situation called for it, and her telltale sign was her lip chewing. When it came to simple things she'd just act on impulse, but she knew when to think before acting. That was what she was currently doing. This was also confirmed by her face randomly scrunching up and longer blinking of the eyes. Soon they passed by an old farm house, and when they were close enough as a group, Thorin said something that Bilbo was not looking forward to. "Now it's the Burglar's turn," the Dwarf had said referring to the Hobbit. It was time for Bilbo to scout ahead.
"Be careful," Piper said as her friend scurried off.
That was when she decided to sneak off after the Hobbit when the Dwarves tied the horses to the nearby trees. Living with Bilbo taught Piper to walk quieter than most humans. Sure she wasn't quite as stealthy as a Hobbit, but it was just enough to get her campsite where she watched Bilbo stick his hand in one of the troll's pockets. "'Ere, 'oo are you?" the coin purse that Bilbo had grabbed squeaked.
That was when the troll who the Hobbit was trying to pick pocket grabbed poor Bilbo by the neck before he could escape into the woods. Piper hid behind the trees as they tried to figure out who it was they just caught. She took a deep breath as the trolls began to bicker: she needed to decide on what she was going to do. The moment came too soon for two of the trolls to start wrestling one another and for the third to smack them with a branch which allowed Bilbo to escape. That was when Balin entered the clearing which caused the trolls to howl with disgust. One by one the Dwarves arrived, and one by one the trolls (who were hiding at that point with sacks after stuffing Balin into one) took the company by surprise and stuffed each into an individual sack. Piper had finally decided to act. As cautiously as she could, she entered the clearing. She tried to focus on the sounds of the forest instead of the pounding in her ears caused by her heart that reminded her of how scared she was. It was in that moment a troll revealed itself and tried to catch her in a sack; however, Piper was ready and managed to get out of the way and proceeded to dart towards the sacks stuffed with Dwarves to try to free them. That was when Thorin also came into the clearing. The Dwarf grabbed a branch that was on fire and managed to hit one of the trolls in one of his eyes. Piper continued to dodge while also trying to let the Dwarves out of their makeshift prison; she came close to a couple different ones, but she wasn't successful. Piper thought she was doing good, well, until she heard Bilbo get kicked as the sound of his grunt filled the area. Concerned for her friend, she looked in his direction which was a mistake. At that same time a sack was forced over her head, and after a howl of pain from a troll, all went silent; this meant Thorin had also been stuffed into a sack.
It wasn't long until the rolls were one again bickering, but this time of how to cook the captured company. Piper deep down knew that Gandalf was the one who was causing them to bicker, but it didn't ease her rising panic. She tried to ignore the fact that the trolls were talking about the best way to kill/eat them, but it was near impossible even though the young woman knew they would be fine. It didn't help that she had a fear of her entire head being covered because it made her feel like she was losing oxygen. This caused her heart to pound even more from fear. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of bickering about what socks Thorin was wearing to squash him into jelly first, in a voice that sounded like one of the troll's came the words 'Dawn take you al, and be stone to you'!
After a short moment, Piper finally recognized Gandalf's voice. "Excellent!" he exclaimed.
The twenty-three year old listened to the wizard's footsteps to try to distract herself from the noticeable lack of air. There was rustling as Gandalf helped Bilbo out of the tree, and soon the enough the two began helping the others out of the sacks. When Piper was finally let out she immediately darted to the nearest tree and climbed as high as she could before hugging her knees close to her body, closed her eyes, and started to actively breathe. She had been scared; being close to death yet again? The thought frightened her. Sure, she knew she'd be fine, but in the moment? It seemed she really was about to die.
The company watched as she darted off and climbed. Thorin was about to say something snarky when Bilbo spoke. "Leave her alone right now," he started. "This is what she does when 'she's trying to control her anxiety' as she explains it..."
"She shouldn't have come if it was going to do this," Thorin stated.
Bilbo shook his head, "It wasn't her coming along that started it. Something specific caused it... I only know this because I've seen this happen more than once when I first took her in..."
The company watched her for a second before Thorin turned to Bilbo. "Why didn't you return when you saw the trolls, or hoot like an owl?" the Dwarf prince asked.
That was when Bilbo tried to explain what happened. After the Dwarves were satisfied with their answer and Bomber questioned as to why the Hobbit would consider pick-pocketing, Gandalf pointed out that there would be a hidden cave for the trolls to hide during the day. The company decided to follow the trail up the hill, and that was when Piper finally gained control of her emotions and she slowly began to climb down. When she was finally on the ground, she dusted herself off before she followed the footprints to catch up to the company. By the look of it, the company just opened the cave up with the key that Bilbo had found as Piper arrived. The Hobbit caught sight of the young woman, and concern washed over him. "Are you alright?" he asked.
Piper forced a small smile, "Yeah, I just have a fear of suffocating. I don't particularly like things being forced over my head."
Bilbo nodded in acceptance before the company entered the cave. They glanced around for a moment before they grabbed all they could and left before they got too much stink on them; trolls didn't smell too pleasant. Once they all settled around the campfire, they made dinner (or rather breakfast since it was now morning) and they finally were able to fall asleep much to Piper's delight.