Fandom: The Hobbit
Summary: A stubborn headed ranger joins the company unaware of the treasure she is about to find.
Pairings: FilixOC ThorinxBilbo
Chapter warnings: none
Chapter Three
The company of dwarves had not wasted any time the morning they left Bree, though Bilbo was distressed Arabelle had not been with them Thorin seemed rather pleased she had not shown up and wasted no time in leaving her behind. By the time the sun was bearing down on them the town was far in the distance and Thorin had made his third comment about the ineptitude of mankind and their inability to keep their word; Bilbo had been preparing to leap from his horse and tackle the rude dwarf when Fili spoke up.
"You can barely blame her you had us leaving before the sun had even crossed the horizon. She didn't even have the full night to pack."
"You would slow down this company to wait on a human?" Thorin raised an eyebrow to his young heir but before Fili could answer an arrow flew, hitting the ground in front of Thorin's horse and startling the whole company.
"This company does not need my help in being slow." The bowman, or rather bow-woman trotted out from the forest lining, a smirk on her face as she came up alongside the group.
"Miss Arabelle!" Fili's whole face seemed to light up.
"Was hoping you had forgotten us." Thorin grumbled. "Balin has a contract for you." Thorin spoke and a white-haired dwarf appeared, said document in hand.
"How could I ever forget such a ray of sunshine." Arabelle sneered a little before turning to the white-haired dwarf that approached "I do not need a contract with you." Arabelle politely rejected the papers, clearly offending the dwarf who she figured had been the one to write it all up in a singular night "I am here to protect Bilbo. Nothing more."
"Here I was thinking you came for our company." Kili grinned "Or perhaps you wished to buy Fili that drink back?"
"Kili." Thorin warned the younger dwarf whose smile only grew "You need not sign the contract, but I expect you to participate, and we will not be held responsible for your fate."
"Good, I'd never entrust my fate to a man anyway." Arabelle quipped.
"You really should read the contract, know what you are getting yourself into lass." Balin tried again, he seemed sweet with worry though if it was for her or for the legality of needing a contract, she was uncertain.
"Balin is right, we could be heading to fight a legion of orcs!" Kili's arms drew up to add to his dramatic facial expression in a bad attempt to appear scary. "Or a monster of the seas." A hatted dwarf added while his larger friend beside him interjected "Or evil elven witches" Arabelle now laughed as she wondered which elf they had in mind "This sounds like a song that belongs in taverns or a bedtime story to scare children." That seemed to be all the encouragement the group needed, as one dwarf pulled out a fiddle and the group broke up into song telling the tales of beasts and horrors that could be encountered on their journey.
"Danger is danger Master Balin. I care not to know what comes next." Arabelle smiled as the dwarf finally put away his paper "I think I am going to like this journey though." Arabelle couldn't help but smile as the men laughed and continued to bounce the tune around, each adding to it as Thorin simply rolled his eyes and continued the slow trot forward.
The day of travel was otherwise uneventful, Thorin led the group with Balin and the bald dwarf which Arabelle learnt was known as Dwalin and she could see why they were friends as she had yet to determine which had a firmer scowl. She rode with Gandalf and Bilbo at the back of the group, a perfect opportunity to catch up with her old friend but to also observe the company they were now entangled with. The dwarves were as much the same as when she had first seen them at the bar, jovial and loud. They talked in a language that was rough, birds fluttering out of trees when booming laughter would erupt (which was often), for when the dwarves were not talking, they were joking and when they did neither they sang. Arabelle had heard many things of dwarves, their stubbornness stronger than any metal, pride bigger than the largest of mountains and the greed of dragons. She had also been told that they held hearts bigger than any other and are loyal almost to a fault. As she watched the company ahead of them, she wondered which stories were true.
By the time the others had already set up Arabelle and Bilbo pulled up into camp, her face srunching up at Fili as he held her bridle as she dismounted. Trust a man not to think her capable to handle a horse, Arabelle pushed him to the side "Maer roch" She cooed as she patted the chestnut's coat.
"What was that?" Fili's brows furrowed.
"Huh?" Arabelle asked as she pulled out an apple, feeding it to the horse before heading over to the main camp area.
"What did you call your horse? Maroch?" Fili clarified, fumbling over the words Arabelle giggled a little.
"Maer. Roch." She repeated slowly "It is Sindarin for good horse." She smiled as she sat beside Bilbo who was setting up his pipe. Only when she looked up did she realise the full attention of the company was now on her and they did not seem happy. "You speak elvish?" Dwalin's face distorted.
"How very observant of you." Arabelle spoke back in Sindarin and watched as half the dwarves looked as though she had slapped them across the face.
"What business you have with elves?" Thorin questioned sternly.
"Oh well since you asked so nicely." Arabelle grinned "My business is none of yours. Though I enjoy the fact that I can say whatever insult I wish upon you and your thick head, and you'd be none the wiser." Gandalf seemed to smirk into his pipe while all the dwarves began a heated discussion in Khuzdul "Hypocrites." She hissed under her breath.
"What?" Thorin boomed and Arabelle's hair flung into her face as she stood up fast to meet him eye to eye.
"You all have been speaking your language all day and you don't see me or Bilbo acting like a hoard of goblin children. I can speak what I like, when I like and in whatever language I like." Arabelle watched him with steady eyes as Thorin stared back.
"I think everyone is just a bit tired from a day of travel." Bilbo spoke up to break the tension "Now the two of you sit down so we can all enjoy dinner. It smells delicious Bombur."
The company all agreeing as dinner was handed out, Thorin breaking the staring contest and backing down as Arabelle drew a hand through her hair to pull it off her face. She sat back down next to Bilbo and pulled out a small blade, she had not noticed the length it had grown during her time in Bree, she measured up a rough handful and placed her dagger ready to slice when a collective gasp stopped her.
"What now?" She exhaled.
"You cannot tell us you mean to cut yourself." Fili's voice was soft, as though hurt and even though he was across the fire Arabelle could see the alarm on his face.
"It's in my way."
"It just…It's not really in our custom to cut hair. In fact, it is only done in great shame." Balin explained, Arabelle nodded re-sheathing her blade and the whole company let out a collective breath.
"Well not all of us can braid as well as you lot." Arabelle huffed as she started to pull her fingers through the tangled nest, still not convinced she wouldn't cut the damned thing. "I mean honestly Fili how long does it take you to get them that nice?" Arabelle asked as her fingers found a knot at the back of her head, her teeth biting down on her lip in frustration. So focused on her own hair she didn't even notice the blush that now stained Fili's cheeks or the massive grin that was on his brothers.
"Sit down and let me, you're making a mess of it." Bilbo swatted Arabelle's hands down as though she was a child, shooing her to the ground as he perched himself on the fallen log they had been using as a seat. He used a bit of water to help soften the knot, his hands picking at it till eventually his fingers glided through, he began a simple plait which his mother had taught him. Arabelle was enjoying the motion quietly, she had always been hopeless at doing her own hair as her father would always do it for her, he use to make the most intricate braids and patterns. Thinking of the company they finally were not looking at her, in fact they were looking in every direction but hers; Thorin was even more broody as he stalked off away from the fire.
"What's up his arse now?" Arabelle asked Kili who was beside her poking the fire with a stick.
"Oh...Ah…Nothing." Kili responded, suspiciously un-chatty.
"Is this the elvish thing because I will not apologise for knowing another language." Arabelle grew irritated again, the stubbornness of dwarves was apparently true.
"Not that." Kili replied, even more focused on the fire now as Fili who had been sharpening his sword began doing so at such a rate, he would be able to slice mithril if he kept going "Why'd you not tell us about you and Bilbo?"
"What?" The accused pair said in unison.
"I mean we had our suspicions in Bree but if you are together you could have at least told us before you joined the company." Kili spoke but was interrupted by Dwalin "You should have told us. Ain't right to have a married lass here." Dwalin's glare was intense at Bilbo, clearly dissatisfied with Bilbo allowing his 'wife' to join such a dangerous quest.
Arabelle looked to a now horrified Bilbo and back at the rest of the company whose faces confirmed they all thought the same and for lack of any better reaction she laughed. Cackled even, snorting a bit right as her lungs began to give way, for Bilbo's face mirrored that of the ripest tomato.
"We can address the extremely misogynistic, no married women allowed later. But you think Bilbo and I together? Why?" Arabelle spoke between her giggles.
"Well… In Bree Bilbo went into your room with his clothes on and came out in a robe, and now with the hair and you both seem so friendly and…" Kili rambled and Arabelle's giggles finally died out.
"Bilbo was bathing in my room, that is when you wash yourself with water and soap; you ought to try it some time. It is true Bilbo and I are friendly because we are in fact friends." Arabelle looked back to Bilbo with a smile and he nodded "Besides Bilbo would hardly find me attractive." She smiled, remembering the day her friend had told her about his like for his own sex, he had been so nervous for her reaction.
"But you are-" Fili began before shying at the sudden attention to his words "You are…desirable."
"You'd be the only man to think so." Arabelle huffed, wondering if that was in fact a compliment or not.
"I think you are pretty." Ori piped up and Arabelle smiled now, the sweet young dwarf blushing "Thank you Ori."
"I think you are prettier." Kili spoke as though it were competition and Arabelle laughed "You are also very pretty Kili."
"Don't encourage him Miss, we will never hear the end of it." Dori shook his head as Kili's smile tried to outshine the stars as he danced around the fire proclaiming himself to be the prettiest of them all.
The group settled in for the night all regretting Kili's new (self-appointed) title of The Pretty Prince. Arabelle enjoyed asking more about the dwarves culture finding it all rather interesting. While she nearly started a brawl when learning women dwarves, or dwarrowdams, only ever left their mountain keeps under heavy protection. She calmed as they explained how women were cherished in their culture, held at a very high social standing and respected above all else. She was impressed Thorin's own sister ruled in his absence, none of them blinking an eye at it and even joking that she did not exactly give him a choice in the matter. They each showed off their bedazzled belts and accessories most of which had been handcrafted specifically for each dwarf. Arabelle could have listened to their stories and songs all night but slowly the dwarves began to fall like flies to their cushioned bed rolls.
"Thank you, for the compliment." Arabelle scrunched up her nose in confusion as Fili had shifted to be beside her by the fire "Earlier...uh… When you said you liked my braids…Thanks..."
"You're welcome." She smiled, not even realising he had thought on it "Perhaps I should have gotten you to do mine, though from the reaction to me and Bilbo I'm assuming that would make us married?"
"Or extremely scandalous." Fili smirked "I think Thorin's head might explode if he was to catch us."
"Well with such a narrow mind at least it would be a small explosion." Arabelle commented with a smile and Fili chuckled.
"So what do the braids mean?" Arabelle had not known such a short question could have such a long answer, but she loved it. Fili started with explaining how one earned a braid, how they were only ever given by family or as a sign of courting or marriage, to even touch a non-family members hair seemed to either be a crime or act of true love. Fili then began showing her his beads, intricately carved they clasped around the braids to give them strength, his first one given to him by his mother on his name day; he smiled at her mention. He then showed her the large one that ran behind his ear, his fingers lingered on the bead which signified his status and then his eyes grew sad as he talked of a smaller braid that was held in by a bead handed down to him from his father who had died before Kili was even born.
"I am sorry about your father." She put a hand over his forearm feeling his tense muscle "It is a beautiful way to carry him with you…This belonged to my father." She rolled up her sleeve to show him the Ranger's pin that was on her leather cuff, when she had left, she hadn't the heart to part with it. Arabelle leant up against the rock behind, her eyes floating to the stars above them "I've missed falling asleep under the stars." Her eyes fixated on the clear skies above, Fili followed her gaze up finding himself also leaning against the stone for a better view.
"My father use to say the stars are the purest light of creation, untouched by the evils of the world."
"They say my ancestor Durin founded Khazad-dûm when he saw a crown of stars above his head in Mirromere." Fili turned his head to look at Arabelle, a small smile graced her face as her eyes continued to search the stars which reflected in her green orbs, sparkling like emeralds his breath caught.
"There it is." She pointed to the Crown of Durin, off in the distance the seven points defined and strong as they sparkled against the darkened sky.
"Beautiful." Fili whispered though his eyes had yet to glance back at the night sky.