Here's a short chapter for the time being. With the superbowl weekend, we were busy with family and friends and I wanted to get this out. Chapters should be uploaded a bit faster now that things are actually starting to progress!
Howls echoed distantly into the night. Éla jumped awake as she heard movement outside the heavy wooden door. Eyes scanned the dark room for possible dangers. She caught a glimpse of the hobbit's mattress; blankets quivering. He was afraid. She couldn't help but smile. Moonlight bathed the hall in a dim, blue glow from the opening in the roof. It was a high moon.
Éla drew back the covers and eased herself off the bed. She tested her full weight on her left foot. Satisfied, she quietly took a few steps forward. The pain had died down, but her ribs were still very sore and muscles stiff. It would take weeks for it to completely heal, but only a few days would be required before returning to physical activities.
"What are you doing?"
The unexpected question caused the maiden to jump, hand over mouth in an attempt not to awaken the others by her subtle squeal. She turned, already knowing who had startled her.
"Don't scare me like that!" She said in a hushed whisper.
Thorin was propped up on an arm, still resting on his bed. He eyed her suspiciously a moment longer before getting up.
The truth was Éla couldn't sleep; it was uncomfortable.
"You should be resting."
Éla was beginning to feel anxious but it had no connection to the lively body now beside her.
"That's all I've been doing for Durin knows how long!" She hissed, trying to keep quiet. Guilt spread over her after realizing the tone she had used towards their leader. "I couldn't sleep."
Thorin studied her. There would be no more hidden lies. "Has the pain worsened?"
She said nothing, still afraid to admit any form of weakness. They had all done so much for her in such a short time span; she did not want to remain a burden. She questioned herself whether or not she was being stubborn or flat out stupid. The maiden dropped her gaze in defeat. There was no winning this battle tonight.
A slight smirk tugged at Thorin's features but remained concealed under the darkness. He motioned for her to follow him back to her mattress. There, he handed her the flask from earlier.
She sighed out of frustration. "It's not that."
"Then what is it?" He placed the item back where it was.
Where had this act of kindness come from all of a sudden? She wasn't use to being on the receiving end of so much attention. Her thoughts stopped as a gentle hand guided her to bed. She thought it best to do as she was told. Éla contemplated in telling him. It was a fool's excuse, but they were both awake.
"When someone sustains an injury such as this and has time to recover, reality starts setting in. Now that the adrenaline rush is over, I feel more uneasy. I feel every pang, every movement. My subconscious keeps telling me that something is wrong, when it is already fixed. I don't know how else to explain it."
She fumbled with a blanket, eyes downcast as the body next to her vanished without a word. Thorin had moved and gently leaned her down.
"You are no burden to this company." He said quietly.
Surprised, she met his eyes. "I didn't say-"
The dwarf held up a hand.
"You don't have to do this." Éla protested.
His grip on her shoulder tightened a little as he pulled the blanket over her. "You didn't have to lie."
If the fire was bright with flames, Thorin would have seen her blush. She suspected the truth was written in her eyes from their close proximity, because he quickly drew back.
"Get some rest."
Éla made sure the dwarf was back in his own bed before hiding her head under the blankets. She felt childish for having so many stray emotions creep up on her in such an unexpected fashion. Young maids were often naive and only cared for the attention of others. Those years have come and gone for Éla, but she never expected this.
She tried to break down Thorin's actions in search of an answer. Yes, he was showing a side of himself that he did not portray during daylight. He was concerned for her safety and well being, but Éla had made it very clear that no one would be held responsible for herself.
Perhaps she really was over thinking everything.
Éla awoke early next morning to the sounds of pitter-patter and delicious smells of food. She stretched stiff muscles, almost forgetting about her side. The warmth of the sun splashed over the halls in a golden glow. The sunlight was comforting. Her body felt refreshed despite the events that took place the day before.
"Good morning!"
Éla rubbed the sleep from her eyes as Fili walked by, stretching his arms above his shoulders.
"Good morning to you, too."
A new weight sunk her mattress.
"How do you feel today?" Kili asked while sprawling out over her bed, still tired.
Fili grabbed his younger brother by the foot and dragged him off with a thud.
Éla laughed in answering point blank. "Starved."
"Us too, but you barely ate anything in two days." Fili said, lifting his brother to his feet.
"They already started eating without us so we better hurry before it's all gone!" Kili added.
Éla looked around the room and noticed some of the empty beds. She gave the young princes a questionable look as Thorin's bed was also vacant. Kili only flashed a mischievous smile before following his brother outside. The maiden got herself up with no troubles, but stopped upon hearing a thump.
"Ow! Sorry!"
Bofur had fallen off his bed, right on top of the hobbit. Both grumbled from the rude awakening. They proceeded outside on the veranda where breakfast awaited. The sweet aromas made Éla's mouth water and stomach growl. She forgot how hungry she was and eagerly took a seat between Fili and Dori.
"Glad to see you're up and walking again." Dori noted, passing her some bread and cheese.
"Thank you, although it hasn't been that long."
The dwarf chuckled. "It was long enough to make us worry."
The rest of the company soon joined and started piling food on their plates. The first several minutes passed in silence as they enjoyed the bright morning, especially the food. There was a honey spread which Éla found addictive. She put it on (almost) everything she grabbed. Although it was rather filling in itself, it did make one rather thirsty from its viscous texture. That might have explained the excessive amounts of water canisters they drank.
Conversations erupted across the table on the second servings, but Éla was oblivious to them. Her primary focus was on the food. With thirteen loud dwarves and a hobbit, it was challenging at times to understand any given discussion. It was only when she overheard a mention of her name, did she search for the source.
Nori was laughing and talking across to the young dwarf princes. Kili appeared a bit flustered by the argument.
"What's going on?" Éla asked.
Nori faced her all too amused. "We were just discussing who jumped from your scream the other day."
She raised a brow. "Oh?"
"Kili here denies it, but we all saw him."
"Spilled mead all over the floor! Nearly dropped his mug too." Ori added, laughing.
"You were no better holding onto Dori!"
Fili placed a hand on his brother's shoulder to calm him down.
The dwarf maiden couldn't help but giggle in guilt, trying not to choke on the mouthful of food.
"I don't think it matters who jumped or not. I would have if I were in your shoes. It was a pretty scary scenario though, wasn't it?"
"I'll admit, I jumped a little on the inside." Bofur said, attempting to calm the tension between the younger members.
Balin spoke up from the other end of the table. "If anything, you certainly have a voice to be heard, Élarinya."
He winked at her and continued talking to his own brother and Thorin.
The boys settled in agreement and resumed a lighter conversation. Éla met Thorin's gaze before returning to her own plate. She refused to think about last night, so took part in listening to the talks.
Mid-afternoon rolled around and the dwarves were getting bored. Their wizard was absent that morning and they grew tired of waiting. There was also no sign of Beorn. To relieve their chagrin, they decided to hone their fighting skills.
Bilbo and Éla sat on a rock behind the skin-changer's house. There was a small clearing a good hundred meters back where the dwarves picked as a good place to train. The grass was thick and green, with the trees almost forming a serrated halo around the area.
As the dwarves began to battle each other, Éla began to wonder about the skin-changer's reaction when he sees the mess they were making of his forest. The turf was turned over in no time with large patches of brown soil and dirt. What was once a beautiful, natural sight quickly turned into a sparring arena.
Éla looked at the hobbit, who quietly observed the training but kept eyeing his own small sword. From the stories Bilbo told her about his people, it wasn't hard to figure out that they didn't take the luxury of teaching themselves how to fight. She guessed that hobbits didn't know how to wield a weapon.
"Bilbo, would you like to practice with me?"
His face was etched in surprise. The hobbit shifted his gaze from the maiden to the others. Éla slid off the rock and unsheathed her ten-inch dagger.
"Are you sure you're able to?" He seemed concerned. "You did suffer, I mean you are...I don't want to hurt you. Well I'm not even that good!"
Bilbo laughed nervously. The female dwarf nodded in utmost surety.
"You don't need to worry. I know my limits."
"Alright then."
Bilbo took out his small, elvish sword and the two began their own short session. Éla gave him some pointers on foot-work and how to properly defend himself. It wasn't long after they started when the two heard shouts from the others to join them. The hobbit still seemed a bit insecure, but they followed nonetheless.
Dwalin was wrestling with Thorin on one end of the clearing while Dori was swinging his bolas at a dual-wielding Fili. The latter two stopped after noticing the additions.
"Éla! Bilbo! You were missing all the fun!" Kili said, moving next to them.
Fili and Dori joined them. The brothers swapped grins, hinting that they were yet again, up to something. The rest of the group gathered together, deciding who should be paired up for the next round.
Kili looked at the maiden. "I'd like to go against Éla seeing as she was just training with our burglar."
"No one will be fighting her." Thorin said strictly.
"A couple broken ribs will not hinder my ability to fight, Thorin."
The sudden backlash took the leader by surprise, but only momentarily. That was the second time the female was aversive to his words.
"Very well, if you're so inclined to train then we will treat you as an equal. All injuries put aside." He stated.
Éla willingly accepted the challenge as she redrew her weapon with a smile.
Kili withdrew his own sword. "Alright, let's do this!"
The young dwarf paused, realizing something important he almost forgot to ask. "You're not going to try and do that move again, are you?"
"It's only fair, brother. She did it to me; you should have a turn at getting knocked to the ground." Fili claimed.
"On second thought," Kili scanned the dwarves, "maybe Éla could fight someone like Dwalin or Thorin? She needs practice, and what better way to see if her moves are flawless than to go up against the best."
The company awaited a response from their leader. Dwalin was almost repulsed at the idea of fighting a woman, not for her gender but due to her injuries. Despite his leader's statement, he did not want to be held responsible for more damage if he could avoid it. Éla watched them, unsure of what to do.
"One small skirmish shouldn't hurt." Balin said at long last.
Thorin shot Dwalin a nod before turning back into the clearing which was now destroyed.
"Then it's decided." Éla mumbled. She followed her leader as the others circled them.
Thorin drew out Orcrist, getting into position. "I will not go easy on you. Fight as if I am your enemy."
Éla prepared herself in confidence. Loosely holding on to the black handle, her dagger had the same thickness as the elven sword. She would not have to worry about it shattering. The others eagerly waited for the match to begin.
"Fair enough."
Thorin made the first move and swung at her. Their blades collided. The first few strikes left Éla dealing with defensive blows. The dwarf was trying to disarm her but there were many advantages with having a smaller sword. A simple bend of the wrist and she could maneuver the dagger so the blade was facing the length of her arm, allowing for more freestyle movements.
As Éla tried to get behind him she twisted her torso too far right, straining the muscles. Her footing staggered a few paces but she was able to regain balance just as Thorin grabbed her wrist. He pulled her to him, back against his chest as he easily disarmed her other hand. Without wasting any time, she swiftly dug her boot into the dirt and pushed backwards. They stumbled, but Thorin never lost hold.
Some cheer erupted around them.
"That's not going to work on me." He huffed, trying to maintain a grip on her.
Éla noticed he still had Orcrist in his hand. She knew she needed to get rid of that blade. A final push and the maiden placed her foot behind Thorin's as they backed up once more. This time, both toppled to the ground. Éla smiled in success as he dropped his sword and loosened his grasped. She tried lunging for it as hers was farther away. The key word there was tried. The female dwarf barely grazed the end of the handle before she was dragged back by her leg. Éla made one more attempt in standing up but was quickly pinned on her back. Thorin held both her wrists to either side of her shoulders as he was kneeling on top of her.
Both were panting from the struggle. Éla gave up, heart racing as his body was so close to hers. She would have kicked him from behind, but that just would have made the situation extremely awkward considering their current position.
"That move is useless." Thorin said aloud for everyone to hear.
"It works on unexpected enemies."
"Orcs who lack intelligence." He declared. "You were lucky."
"Then I'll take any luck sent my way." She glared hard while keeping the atmosphere calm between them.
Thorin released his hold and stood, helping her to her feet. They retrieved their weapons before heading back inside. Kili and Fili kept nudging each other, lost in a whispering conversation while eyeballing their uncle and shooting glances at Éla from behind.
The sun was nearly set when Gandalf returned. He refused to answer questions until he had something to eat. The dwarves waited as patiently as they could before he explained his journey following bear tracks past The Carrock, leading straight towards the Misty Mountains. There had been several meetings outside Beorn's home, for there were many bear tracks of different sizes. Éla figured that might have been the source of scratching on the door the previous night and poor Bilbo huddled under his blankets.
The sounds of their voices soon drowned out as Éla grew tired. She heard concern in a question Bilbo had asked, but it was followed by grumbling and minor complaints as Gandalf ushered them to bed. Éla lifted her head from resting on the wall and made her way to her sleeping area. She passed Thorin, too tired to make any eye contact. Even with his arm brushing against hers as everyone stumbled by, she couldn't have cared less. Plunking herself down, she allowed sleep to overtake her body and mind.
The latter would soon not be so consoling, for not every dream is peaceful.
I don't intend to rush through their relationship but with Valentine's Day being just around the corner, I have a plan for an intriguing scene that will (hopefully) be released that day. (If I can get that far by then. Optimism shall prevail!)