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

ithtir = bright stary one

Chapter Five

Arabelle had slept like a rock, the stars her last sight she remembered fighting off the darkness of slumber to watch them for just a little longer. Though perhaps it had been the company beside her that kept her awake, Fili had made his camp to her right and together they had watched the stars. She would tell him of the constellations, pointing them out he would follow her gaze and he would tell her about the elders who read the stars to divulge stories of both the past, present and future. When the morning sun broke over the horizon and landed directly in Arabelle's eyes it offended her. "Ugh." She moaned and moved to roll over to shield herself from the abusive light, however she rather rolled onto someone.

"Morning." Fili drawled out a sleepy smile across his face, Arabelle jumping up to cover her reddened cheeks.

"Sorry didn't realise you were so close. I think I hear Bilbo call for me. Over there." Arabelle frantically made her way anywhere which wasn't directly in front of Fili, incidentally, walking straight over a still sleeping Bilbo.

Arabelle had found some peace with the horses for the morning, agreeing to help pack up as it kept her mainly to herself, Bifur was helping but given he only spoke in Khuzdul she figured it was as close to peace as she would get. Her head was spinning with thoughts and images and feelings and all of it circling around that cursed handsome dwarf. Fili. How dare he make her feel this way, she wasn't even sure what this feeling was. Arabelle's mind kept replaying the memories of Fili wanting to buy her a drink back in Bree and his first compliment to her and then every other memory she had; days of him appearing next to her, him making her laugh when he would joke and then at night, when they would talk in hushed voices until they would fall asleep. Butterflies began multiplying, fluttering in her stomach as her heart quickened as the memory of those few moments she was on top of him slinked into her mind. He had only been wearing a thin cotton top, she had felt his muscles tense underneath when she landed on him, her face instantly reddened as she wondered if she had hurt him.

"Need a hand?" Fili's smooth voice wrapped around her head as he came to kneel in front of her, his hand held out for a lift onto her horse.

"I'm fine." She huffed out, pulling herself up in one single motion. She didn't need a man, she was strong, she was capable, and she did not have a crush on the dwarven prince. Yet as he saddled his own horse beside her she couldn't help but watch as he pushed his hair out of his face, wiggling back into the saddle as he lazily held the reigns as they awaited the rest of the company.

"Ah!" The scream was heard in the distance, accompanied by a calamity of crashing sounds. Arabelle instantly clicking her tongue and moving as Eryn went at full speed through the trees, she could hear a voice summon her back, but she paid it no attention. It was only a short distance up the road when she came across a toppled cart and frantic man who was looking down the trees, he looked back on her approached. "My horse she spooked!" The man pointed off to where a trail of dust was settling. Arabelle once again began to gallop down the dirt path, the beating of hooves matching with her heart as they pushed and moved in one, even in such a serious chase she couldn't help the smile that pulled at her lips. Finally, her target grew close and now she was grinning ear to ear. The cream coloured horse ahead had ropes flailing behind them and she whispered encouragement to Eryn as they only needed to gain a little bit more and she could grab them.

"Belle watch out!" Fili who had followed after her yelled and she looked up, a ledge was fast approaching but she only pushed further, her hands reaching out; she was so close. "Belle!" Fili screamed as he pulled his own horse up. With outstretched hands she clutched the ropes, feeling them burn across her skin before she grabbed and pulled them all to a sliding stop. While the cream horse put up a little fight they calmed down quickly, obviously not use to running so far and Arabelle's horse seemed more annoyed than anything as she huffed and puffed.

"How close you want to get to that ledge?" Fili huffed out his own annoyance as he trotted up, Arabelle was now dismounted and holding both sets of reigns in her hand that wasn't stinging with rope burn as she spared a look down the steep fall.

"Well, I am mighty glad your Uncle isn't here or I'd be watching my back." Arabelle laughed a little as Fili couldn't help but smile with her, concern crossing his face as he watched her inspect her hand "What happened?" He jumped down to examine it, before Arabelle could protest his large hands encapsulated hers they were rough and yet so gentle as he inspected the wound before tying up the horses and ordering her to stay still as he began rifling through his travel bag.

"It is fine Fili, a bit of rope burn nothing terrible." Arabelle said as she approached the ledge again, overlooking a small valley a little homestead was just visible, so far away the few farm animals that grazed in the fence yard seemed like ants. Smoke pillowed from the chimney and Arabelle wondered if it was the home of the man they were helping. She imagined his wife baking a fresh wild berry pie, the little blurs that ran outside his children that were waiting to see their father's cart roll up the path.

"Watch out." Fili's arm pulled around her waist as she had treaded far too close to the ledge for his liking "You are too reckless."

"If I had a coin for every time I'd heard that." Arabelle laughed as she turned to Fili, their faces had once again ended up so close not more than an inch between them, she felt his inhale and wondered what went through his mind as he closed his eyes; she wondered if she closed the gap between their lips how he would taste.

"Give me your hand." Fili spoke and suddenly put a step between them, Arabelle's heart thumping so hard in her chest she could hardly hear him and so he once again took her hand, splashing water over the burn and earning an appropriate hiss. "Sorry ithtir"

"I'm going to assume that was another reckless comment and I promise I will start charging you soon." Arabelle joked and as Fili started to wrap her hand up she could not stand the proximity. His hands against hers as his eyes fixated on his work she had been engraving every inch of his face to memory as a blush began to develop she diverted her gaze back to the family of the valley. "Do you think that is his home?" Fili asked as he tucked the bandage into itself, his eyes following her gaze.

"I don't know. But it is someone's home. I can smell the pastry, the children are young. There is an older girl and her younger brother, he cannot keep up with her but she will slow down to let him catch her." Arabelle smiled, her eyes watching while her mind created their story "When I was a little girl that is all I ever wanted." She confessed, not that it was much of a confession but then again she had never told another living soul of her dream.

"A little brother? Cause I will sell you mine, no refunds though." Fili joked.

"A home." Arabelle clarified and Fili suddenly realised what she was looking at. She spoke of her life roaming the lands and traveling from town-to-town making it sound so amazing, a life filled with excitement; a never-ending adventure and yet the ranger yearned for a home.

"My Amad would say home is not the walls around you but the people within them." Fili remembered her words to Thorin, she had tried to convince him out of the quest insisting that her home was with them and not in the mountain of her childhood; and yet he saw the small fire that lit in her when the quest was first mentioned.

"I like the sound of that." Arabelle spoke softly and yet Fili had no trouble hearing for once again their bodies had drifted close, Arabelle turning when she felt the fur lining of his coat brush up against her arm. "Fili…" She did not need to think anymore for he had made the move she had been wanting to do, his hand cupping her face as he brought their lips together.

Time seemed to warp in the moment, slowing down as he gently pushed against her and she responded by pushing back as she opened up for him. He tasted exactly how she had imagined, while is actions were soft and sweet, he tasted savoury, full of warmth and comfort. As slow as time had seemed the moment was over far too fast as they pulled apart, both greedily filling their lungs with each other's scent Arabelle breathing in the wood that lingered on his coat and the pipeweed from the night before was sweet as it stained his beard with its fragrance.

"I-I'm sorry…I don't know..." Fili stood back, alarm in his face as his eyes watched her carefully.

"You don't have to apologise." Arabelle spoke suddenly insecure at his abrupt change "It was just a kiss, its fine, I understand." Arabelle did not understand but she knew she wanted to get out of there, of course he would regret this, she quickly mounted Eryn wincing a bit as the bandage compressed her wound.

"Wait!" Fili scrambled to mount his own horse, Arabelle taking a few calming breaths and refusing to look him face on. "Wait for what? More mixed signals? You want to buy me drinks, you want to talk and joke, you look at me with those eyes…And yet when we kiss you look as though I burnt you."

"I am sorry for the confusion. I just-I have...There are expectations on me…Expectations I will find a good dwarven wife of good standing and family. I just…I am not very good at talking to women. So, when I saw you at the bar Kili made me go over and introduce myself, it was just meant to be for practice and then you joined the company and I…I don't find it difficult speaking to you-" Fili had began to rambled to explain how he didn't just find it not difficult to speak with her but how he found it difficult to not look at her every waking hour and how he never found it difficult to sleep when she was beside him; Arabelle did not wait to hear any of this.

"So, you are using me for practice?" Arabelle questioned anger dripping from her voice, Fili stunned into silence "You were right about one thing then. You really don't know how to speak to women." Conversation over Arabelle raced ahead if only for him not to see the water in her eyes.