Chapter Thirteen: Girl Talk
Nim and Arwen, who turned out to be elves, which incidentally turned out to exist, were not what Emelia would have imagined when she pictured elves. She imagined short little fatties eating Santa's cookies and making shoes. Not statuesque model looking people who offered her food, clothes, and hygiene opportunities. Given her overall fatigue and rather noxious body odor, she would have taken the latter any day of the week, despite how much it freaked her out to think that elves were, just like dwarves, very real.
She had decided, at some point into her steamy, soap filled bath, that elves being real wasn't all that surprising. It was actually quite logical for the place that threw all logic out of the window.
Arwen and Nim had been quite delighted to meet her. They had pulled her along behind them, gushing to each other about the redness of her hair and the daintiness of her features. They couldn't stop tittering back and forth about her green eyes, which apparently weren't very common to see, and the smoothness of her skin, which apparently held a tan better than either of them could ever hope for. They had had to stop themselves when they saw the scrunched up look on Emelia's face. She had missed females, but she found that she was far too exhausted to deal with all that came with her gender.
They had quieted down once they saw that Emelia was not as enthusiastic as they were.
Of course, it was hard to be enthusiastic about anything but a bath and sleep when she was as exhausted as she was.
They had pulled her into one of the guest rooms, closing the door behind them with a small snap, before they turned to face her. They had immediately went to work taking all of the clothes, much to Emelia's alarm and embarrassment, before they sent her into the bathroom wearing nothing but an ill-fitting robe. Apparently, elves didn't think much of nudity.
The bath was delightful. There was no other way to describe it. It was warm, not just lukewarm like the river had been, but appetizingly warm. The water covered her sore body like a blanket, inviting her to sink down into the ornately made tube until only her nose and up stuck out of the water. The soaps and lotions, which all smelled too fancy for Emelia to even fathom using in her normal life, covered her sore muscles, instantly relaxing her to the point that she feared she might fall asleep right then and there.
She felt like she had been in the tub for years when Nim poked her head into the bathroom, a smirk on her pretty face.
"You haven't drowned have you?" She asked, moving into the room holding a tray full of little jars and strips of fabric.
Emelia looked down at herself, attempting to cover up her more private bits from the elf. She supposed it wasn't the nudity that bothered her. It was more the fact that she was sure the elves, as beautiful and fair as they were, found her to be appallingly plain and uncomfortable to look at. Especially considering she hadn't shaved, anywhere in six days, and she was quite sure that the elves weren't even capable of growing body hair anywhere besides their heads. Body hair would be too ugly for them.
"I have come to heal some of your wounds." She placed the trey onto a tall stool moving closer to the tub. "Are you done bathing yourself?"
Emelia knew she was staring. Her mouth was open slightly as she looked at the blonde. She hoped at some point during her stay in Rivendell she would find the elves to be less intimidatingly beautiful. They probably wouldn't take too kindly to her constant gawking.
"Is something wrong?" Nim face fell slightly as she looked down at the surprised woman. "Have I done something to upset you?"
Emelia shook her head, immediately feeling bad for her staring. "No. You're just a little intimidating," She paused, looking around uncomfortably. "And I'm kind of naked, so I suppose this is a little weird."
"I can leave until you wrap a dying cloth around yourself, if that would make you more comfortable." Nim immediately reached over to hand her a large, fluffy cloth, before turning around, causing her hair to swing down her back.
Emelia made quick work of standing up in the now almost cold water, despite her bodies vehement protests. She had liked sitting down far too much to enjoy being forced to stand again. She hurriedly wrapped the cloth around herself, before stepping out of the tub and onto to the small carpet that laid next to it. It felt soft underneath her toes. She felt the blisters that had formed from all of the running and walking squeezing painfully underneath her feet, making her wince slightly as she put weight on her bare feet.
"I guess I'm decent."
Nim immediately spun around, moving forward to lead her over to a small bench. She sat her down, being careful not to touch any of her sensitive injured skin. She pulled the cloth away from her back bending down slightly to examine her, before she reached for one of the jars. She unscrewed the lid, dipping her slender fingers into the paste, before she deposited it onto her skin, smiling slightly at Emelia when she hissed at the cooling sensation.
She worked in silence for a moment before she spoke up, breaking the tension in the room.
"I do have to admit, I am slightly curious about you." She said in a light voice, wrapping a bit of fabric around her upper arm. "I always thought she-dwarves had beards."
Emelia had to fight the snort. That was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard. "They have beards? Like the men?"
Nim paused in her work, looking down at Emelia in confusion. "You are not dwarven in nature?"
"No." Emelia said slowly. "I am a human."
Nim mouth fell open in a slight 'o' shape. "You are so tiny for a human." She paused, a thoughtful look on her face before she spoke again. "Although, I suppose I am short for an elf, so it is not so unheard of."
"You're short for an elf?" Emelia found that hard to believe. The woman healing her was at least five foot nine if not taller.
"Of course. It is something that I have always known."
They lapsed into comfortable silence after that, leaving Nim to finish her work in the quiet. She hummed to herself, and Emelia, lulling the red head into a hazy state. Her wounds felt better, thanks to whatever paste Nim was using, and her own body odor wasn't offending even herself. The only thing left before she would completely pass out form exhaustion was a good meal, which she sincerely hoped was coming. Her stomach was practically eating itself as she sat on the wooden bench.
"I wish I was graced with you hair color." Nim said suddenly, sitting back from where she had been bent over Emelia's shoulder. "It looks like fire."
"It's a menace, trust me." Emelia paused, seeing the curious look on the elf's face. "Besides, haven't you ever heard that blondes have more fun?"
"I am not familiar with that particular phrase, although I do like it." Nim smiled at her, despite her confusion. "Your hair would make you very unique amongst elves and men alike."
"I think I stand out enough as it is." Emelia said the last part more to herself than to Nim.
"Are you ready to dress and join you companions for supper?" Nim asked, sensing the young woman desired a change in subject. "I believe Arwen is waiting patiently, and not so patiently, to decide which dress would suit you the best. Shall we join her?"
Emelia nodded, pulling herself into a standing position. She gripped the cloth around herself tightly to avoid showing the two elves more than she wanted to. They moved towards the door, only for Emelia to stop suddenly, turning around to look at the blonde. "Do I smell better?"
"Of course. You will not offend anyone." She shot her a smirk. "Besides, I believe it would be hard to smell worse than a dwarf. I have heard they do not place a particular importance on cleaning themselves."
Emelia had decided, right then and there, that she rather liked Nim. She wasn't pushy or nosy, only asking questions out of genuine curiosity. She humored her with her answers to Emelia's rather stupid questions, and she did not question her need for modesty. She didn't pry into why a human woman was with the dwarves, and she didn't question her odd injuries and the way she spoke, like all of the dwarves had. She merely smiled at her, making Emelia instantly feel more comfortable.
"Ah, there you two are." The elf called Arwen stood up from where she had been sitting on the bed. "I was beginning to wonder if I should call for help." She shot Nim a wink, before moving her serene gaze to Emelia. "You look far better Lady Emelia. I believe we should get you back to your companions." Arwen paused when Emelia's stomach let out a particularly foul growl of hunger. "And supper."
Her laugh was tinkling and musical. Nim pushed Emelia forward with her hands, giving her an amused smile.
Arwen moved to the side, gesturing to the four dressed that were laid out on the bed. A blue one, which looked far too fancy, a green one, which looked appallingly fancy, a purple one, which Emelia was sure was only fit for royalty to wear, and a light pink one, which looked far too much like Pepto Bismal for Emelia's liking. All in all, she couldn't really imagine herself in any of them, yet they seemed to be her only options at the moment, considering the two elves had taken her clothes and not returned them.
"I personally think the green would look fantastic." Nim said, moving forward to lift it up and hold it in front of Emelia. "It would match your eyes."
"Although, perhaps the purple would highlight her skin tone."
"It would clash with her hair."
"The blue would look delightful."
Emelia watched them debating back and forth, noticing that both of their eyes kept glancing at the pale pink with interest.
"I'll wear the green." She said, hoping to put an end to the debate before they decided that the pink would look the best. They both looked over at her for a moment before identical smiles graced their fare faces. Nim immediately grabbed the dress and moved towards Emelia, indicating for Arwen to follow. She made to grab the cloth that covered Emelia, only to stop.
"I forgot, would you like us to leave you to dress?"
"I suppose it's fine. We all have the same baby making parts after all." Emelia said, not entirely sure if she would be able to dress herself in such a fancy garment without falling flat on her face.
"I suppose we do." Nim let out a laugh.
She handed the cloth Arwen before she held the dress out, indicating that Emelia should step into it. Emelia moved gingerly, acutely aware of the bandages covering her body, stepping into the dress with slow movements. The fabric was probably the most delightful thing Emelia had ever felt. It flowed over her skin like water, settling comfortably and covering her completely. It pooled on the floor, making Emelia feel impossibly short, and hung off her shoulders slightly more than it should have, but it covered her up and that was what mattered to her the most.
"We have sent all of your clothing to be washed." Arwen said, moving behind Emelia to tie the smooth bits of string, pulling the dress tight against her hips and waist. Emelia immediately missed the support he bra offered her.
"I should have known you weren't a she-dwarf." Nim said, looking at her with her eyebrow quirked. "You are far too dainty to be a she-dwarf."
"You haven't seen any she-dwarves." Arwen reminded her simply, shaking her head.
"I have read about them and their copious amounts of body hair." Nim said simply. She moved back to in front of Emelia, producing a comb from out of nowhere. She moved her into a sitting position, trying to tame her wild hair into something that the two elves would deem presentable. After what felt like hours of pulling and tugging, Nim and Arwen finally said she was ready to go to supper. She immediately jumped up.
Emelia would have gone to supper in the state she had arrived in Rivendell in. She didn't need to be pretty to eat.
All of the dwarves had not expected her to join them at supper. Only a select few of them had missed her when the two elf women whisked her away to get her cleaned up a little bit. The dwarves, with the exception of Thorin, had all been too preoccupied with the thought of food to really pay too much attention to her absence. Thorin had only paid attention to her lack of presence for the simple fact that he did note trust her not to reveal the purpose of the dwarves to be on the East Road. In fact, he didn't really trust her to not be within his line of vision, now that he knew she was completely aware of their quest to reclaim Erebor.
It was almost as if the vast majority of them had completely forgotten she existed, until she came stumbling onto the balcony, laughing slightly with the two elves that escorted her.
She looked so much better than she had over the past couple of days, she was almost unrecognizable to the dwarves. Her hair, which had been dingy and stringy, was curling down her back and over her ears in smooth waves. Her face was completely clean and well kept, revealing for the first time, the true nature of her skin tone. The dress she wore, while entirely too elven for the dwarves taste, flattered her and made her look feminine for the first time in the time that they had known her.
She wasted no time in hurrying over to the table, first bidding the two elf women farewell with a large smile, and plopping herself down ungracefully in the open seat next to Fili and Kili. She felt all of the dwarves eyes on her for a moment, before they turned back to their meals.
Emelia was not going to pretend to be a lady when she dug into the food in front of her. She piled up her plate with pastas, salads, and more bread than was probably legal, before she settled into her seat. She couldn't slow down her pace as she ate the food. She felt like she hadn't eaten in months. Her stomach had literally hurt from the lack of food and it felt way too good to finally quench her hunger.
"Slow down Emmy." Fili said with a laugh from next to her. "The food isn't going to get up and walk away."
"Stranger things have happened, Fee." Emelia said from behind a mouth full of bread.
"You look well, Lassie." Balin said from across the table, smiling kindly at her.
"Thanks Balin." Emelia wasn't sure if it was a compliment or an observation, but she appreciated it either way. "I feel so clean."
All of the dwarves, much to Emelia's great surprise offered her small smiles before going back to their meals. She could tell it wasn't their favorite by the looks on their faces, but they ate it all the same. Ori looked particularly upset by the lack of meat on the table and took a great amount of coaxing from both of his older brothers in order to eat all of what was on his plate. He reminded Emelia vividly of Eddy and his complete hatred of everything green.
"You know Emmy, you really do look nice." Fili said quietly, leaning over to address her. "I wouldn't normally say so, considering you are wearing a dress made by elves, but it is undeniable."
"Stop trying to be charming, Fee, it doesn't work on you." Emelia said playfully, shoving his shoulder before turning back to her food.
"And here I thought I was finally winning you over."
"Would you two stop?" Kili said suddenly, glaring over at the two of them. "I would prefer not to lose my dinner because of your insistence of flirting with each other incessantly."
"Lighten up, little brother." Fili said with a laugh, slapping Kili on the shoulder. "Even you have to admit, Miss Emelia Kinsington Montgomery looks nice."
Kili looked over at her, shrugging his brother's arm off of his shoulder. He wouldn't admit it, but she did. More than nice actually. It was an odd experience for him, finding a human female attractive, and one who made him go insane at that. Normally he found the lack of body hair to be a put off, but he couldn't really imagine Emelia with a beard. She looked prettier without one. But someone would have to be blind not to see that Emelia look pretty. Her hair, which he still found to be obnoxious, didn't look as pathetic as it had when they had first met. It looked wild and soft the way it curled all around her. Her nose, which was still slightly swollen from his forehead colliding with it, wasn't covered in blood. Nothing on her was covered in blood anymore, in fact. Her hands were clean, and her wrists were bound and tended to.
"She looks like a miniature elf." Kili said simply, turning back to his food.
"Thanks Kili." Emelia said simply, rolling her eyes. "You have me positively swooning with you words."
Fili couldn't hold in his laughter any longer at the two of them. He had never, in all of the years he spent with his brother, seen someone bother him so much. Emelia literally made Kili want to pull out his own hair, and Fili couldn't help but find it terribly amusing. He knew the look of slight amusement on his brother's face when he saw it. Kili was trying desperately to hide it, but Fili could tell he was finding it hard to be terse with Emelia when she was being as funny and snarky with him as she was being. Kili had always found it hard to resist snark. It was part of the reason he and Fili got along so well besides the fact that they were brothers.
"Swoon somewhere else." Dwalin said suddenly. "We're trying to enjoy our meal."
"Of course, I'll try to contain myself." Emelia said with a small smile, before she turned back to her half eaten second helping.
The dwarves were quick to finish their meal and move on to the room the elves had given them. Emelia, now that she had been fed, looked positively exhausted, shuffling along behind all of the dwarves, dragging her green dress along the floor without bothering to pick up the ends. They all had plans of roasting some of the meat Bombur kept in his pack and were eager to get a good night's rest.
Bilbo, who was almost as exhausted as Emelia, fell asleep almost as soon as she had laid down on one of the provided sleeping pallets. He curled up into a tight little ball, pulling his blankets over his head to block out all of the noise from the dwarves. Emelia envied him for a moment. She should have asked Nim and Arwen if she was going to be sharing the space with the dwarves or if she was going to be given her own place to sleep for the night.
She settled herself down on the cold stone of the floor, smiling slightly when Ori finally managed to talk to her again when he offered her some salted pork.
Emelia knew it was a mistake to sit down. She should have just found a spot to sleep for the night and been done with it. She should have, but she didn't, resulting in her falling asleep against the cold stone of the pillars, slumping down to the ground in a small heap, her dress fanning out around her and keeping her warm, despite the chilliness of the summer night. It hadn't been particularly comfortable, but it was sleep either way, and Emelia found herself out like a cold stone for the majority of the night.
She had thought she had managed to sleep the entire night when she felt a hand shaking her awake rather roughly. It tried once, twice, and finally a third time before they finally managed to rouse her from her deep sleep.
She jumped slightly when she saw Kili crouched next to her, a smirk on his face. "Thorin wishes to speak to you." He paused, looking around at the rest of the sleeping dwarves. "You'll have to get your beauty sleep later."
She groaned slumping back into the column even further. "Damn it Kili, what time is it?"
"Early," Was his one word reply. "Now come on, he's already angry enough at you without you making him wait."
"Was that concern I heard in your voice?" Emelia asked, forcing herself into a standing position. "I'm flattered."
"Don't get carried away. He said he wanted to talk to both of us." Kili said, moving aside to allow her to pass through the door that led to their little balcony. "He didn't look happy, so if you could move faster that would be fantastic."
They lapsed into uncomfortable silence all the way up until Kili led her into the room that Thorin had been given separate from them. True to what Kili had said, he did not look happy when he looked over at the two of them standing awkwardly in the entrance. Kili moved towards him, indicating that Emelia should follow behind him. She stumbled slightly over the length of her dress before righting herself in front of the two taller dwarves.
"Miss Montgomery," Emelia assumed that was supposed to be what Thorin considered to be a polite greeting. "There is something of importance that we need to discuss."
"Like why you seem to dislike me sleeping?" Emelia offered, crossing her arms over her chest. Thorin did not look impressed with her little quip. He shot her a dark look before continuing with what he was planning on saying.
"You will accompany us when we leave Rivendell in a few days' time."
Emelia didn't think he was being serious. The entire time she had been with the dwarves he had done nothing but make it abundantly clear that he neither wanted her amongst them or near them. He had indicated, rather vehemently that he would not hesitate to get rid of her if she caused problems for the company. Emelia knew that's all she was capable of. She wasn't as fast as them, or as strong, or nearly as sturdy. She didn't belong with them.
There was also the additional fact that she just plain didn't want to go with them.
"No thanks." Emelia said simply.
"It wasn't a question." Thorin rubbed his nose, seeming to try and hold back his anger. "You know too much, even with the little you do know, to risk you being left here on your own. With your lack of understanding and tact, you are more likely to go blathering about our quest to the first person who asked you. I will not risk that, so you are to come with us."
"You can't just make me go with you." Emelia said, feeling anger and panic rising up in her chest. "I can't do anything to defend myself. I would just get in the way. Not to mention the fact that if the last couple of days are any indication, I would rather be a thousand miles away from you guys. You attract far too much trouble for my liking. So, no, I'm not going."
Thorin gripped his hands at his sides, looking at her with a glare etched so deep into his face, Emelia wasn't sure if it would ever come off. "You act as if I want you amongst us."
Ouch.
"I would much rather have left you where we found you. You are nothing but trouble waiting to happen. I would much prefer you stay as far away as possible, rather than endangering the lives of my men and the sanctity of this quest. However, because of the mistake of Ori, that is no longer an option. You will come with us, just to prevent you from opening your far too liberal mouth, even if I have to drag you away from here myself."
"You can't just act like you have some authority over me. I'm not going to go blabbing about Arbor or whatever, and I'm not going to spill the beans on whatever the hell you have planned. I am however, going to be a complete and utter waste of space if you make me go. I am going to die, because let's be honest, I can't fight worth shit. I was beat up by kids younger than me in my hometown. Younger. What good I am going to be? None."
"You are not a valuable asset, Miss Montgomery. You are only going because I will not risk losing Erebor because of your incompetence and stupidity."
Emelia opened her mouth to respond only to shut it again. She looked over at Kili, hoping that he would help her in some way. She wished it had been Fili or Balin standing there, instead of the one dwarf that hated her more than Thorin did. Kili looked at her briefly, an odd look of pity on his face before he turned back to face Thorin. Emelia felt trapped. Thorin wasn't the type to kid around. He was serious when he said he would drag her along if he had to. He would make sure she was in his sights even if he had to tie a rope around her to keep her there. He would force her, no matter how much she didn't want to go.
"Kili, Fili and Dwalin will make sure you are not a complete waste of supplies and space before we leave in three days."
Kili opened his mouth to protest, only to be silenced by a look from Thorin. He glanced over at the shaking Emelia, feeling bad for her for the briefest of moments. She had sounded desperate as she pleaded with his uncle to be allowed to stay. Her voice had cracked slightly as she had tired over and over to get him to leave her here. He imagined it would be hard for her, considering all that she had been through, to be told that her ordeal wasn't even remotely over. Fili would be delighted to know that she was coming; as much as that irked Kili for some reason he had not figured out yet. Ori would probably pee himself in excitement. Dwalin would probably punch something.
"I swear to god, Thorin Oakenshield, if I die because of you, I'm going to be your personal poltergeist."
With that, she turned on her heel and stormed away, fighting the tears that were prickling at her eyes. She didn't want a quest. She didn't want their adventure. She wanted Alaska and to be able to get a solid night's sleep without being harassed by dwarves. She wanted to wear her bra again and she wanted to hold her family. But perhaps most of all, she wanted to punch Thorin square in his angry face.