Andréa's dream started pleasantly enough.
She sat at a long, sturdy wooden table covered in all manner of foods. The company filled the stools around it, laughing and talking indistinctly.
Bilbo passed her a buttered scone. Bofur started to play a flute. She looked over to see Kíli leaning in close to Ori, telling him a joke that made Ori blush. Fíli brought several ales over to the other end of the table.
She felt warm, and safe, her heart full at the sight of unwearied faces. They must have taken the mountain back, she thought. She looked over to see Thorin with a delicate golden crown on his head; too Elven, maybe.
Gandalf was standing behind their King Under the Mountain, and gave an ominous nod to Andréa.
She tried to stand up as he slowly turned away, but she was stuck in place. Her voice betrayed her, silent mouth movements barely mustered as he slipped into the shadows that surrounded them. Her attempt to cry out only died as a yawn caught in her throat.
The dark edges of the room crept closer, engulfing the company and table until all was black.
She woke in a start, eyes needing a moment to parse the sight of Kíli sleeping soundly before her. He was snoring a little, and she felt a pang of envy toward his easy slumber.
She sat up slowly and looked around the camp.
Thorin was sitting on a log, looking up at the night sky peppered with stars. Everyone else appeared to be sleeping soundly, only she didn't see her mentor where he'd laid down for the night. She quietly slipped out of her bedroll to investigate.
His effects were gone, and she looked out into the treeline, feeling a magnetic pull. Staff in hand, she moved instinctively into the unknown dark until she saw the pale silhouette of his cloak and hat.
"Gandalf?"
He stopped at the whisper, wincing at having been caught. He turned to see Andréa gazing up at him with fearful eyes.
"Where are you going?"
He sighed. "I am just going to get some information, look in on something." he explained, trying to convey a light-heartedness in his tone despite the whispering.
"No, Gandalf," she hissed, not wanting to wake the others back at camp, though they may well have been out of earshot anyway. "You can't just leave."
"I will find you all on the road. Continue on with the party."
"But what if we need you-"
"Andréa, listen to me." He put his weathered hand on her shoulder, his face suddenly deadly serious. "I must go. And you must protect Durin's sons."
She felt a deep sense of foreboding, her chest heaving as she looked up at her mentor. "Of course I will. But you will return, won't you?"
"Of course."
The fear bubbled up into her voice. "Because I had dreams of you leaving, and I-"
His face and voice turned reassuring. "I will return, Peony Andréa, don't be alarmed."
Her heart ached at the use of her childhood name. "Then I will believe you," she whispered in Sindarin. "Stay safe, Mithrandir."
He nodded and squeezed her shoulder, smiling as he turned to leave.
She stood where she'd found him and watched as he disappeared deeper into the woods. She gripped her staff, trying to calm her nerves. She recalled the last time he'd left; how they'd almost been eaten by trolls.
I have to protect the company, she reminded herself.
When she turned to go back to her bedroll, she walked straight into Thorin's chest, letting out a tiny yelp.
"Where has he gone?" Thorin asked, his low voice angry despite being barely a whisper.
He noted the fear in her eyes when she stared up at him; not fear of Thorin himself, thankfully, but something had her spooked.
"I know not," she admitted, seeming to look to him for guidance. "He said he would find us on the road."
Thorin took a deep breath, mulling this over. "Very well. Get back to bed. We've short hours before sunrise."
She nodded and followed him back to the camp, shoulders hunched slightly.
When she made it to her bedroll, she looked over at Kíli's sleeping form. His hair was a mess in his face, and she briefly considered moving it out of the way before remembering that Thorin or the others might see.
She wished he was awake, to tease her or make her laugh; anything to ease the weight on her chest. She pulled her covers up to her nose and stared at him in the dim light of pre-dawn, until at last sleep found her again.
The party had been quite upset in the morning to learn that Gandalf had left again, with both Thorin and Andréa getting asked about it several times once it became clear that they'd both known about it when it had happened.
Eventually Kíli noticed the way she was wincing whenever it came up, and knew she must have been more upset than the rest of them, though she seemed to be trying to hide it. He recalled how she'd tried to speak with him about her dream, when he was teasing her and she had gotten upset. It sounded now like her premonitions had come true, and he regretted not listening better to her, to get more of the story at the time.
After their day's travel, he invited her to go practice archery with him. She was relieved for the distraction, her mind having been on her mentor most of the day.
As they walked out into the woods, she followed him blindly, grateful to listen as he told a story about a prank he'd pulled on Thorin when he was small.
Eventually Kíli stopped walking, having led her to a small secluded clearing that backed onto a sheer stone wall. She looked around in confusion, wondering what they would shoot as he turned to face her.
"Peony."
She flushed at the change of tone in his voice, looking up to see him smoldering down at her.
"Kíli?"
He reached a hand up to cup her face, his coarse thumb smoothing over her bottom lip. "We were interrupted the other night, in the rain."
Her breath hitched and she felt an ache in her core. Her mind was blank as she stared up at him, unable to form a reply.
His free hand took one of hers and he held it to his lips, giving her a sweet, chaste kiss. "I hope I didn't overstep, or upset you."
She shook her head. "N-no. You didn't."
He smirked, amused by how shy she was under his advances. When they'd flirted before around the others, she would roll her eyes at him, or tease him in reply. But alone with his hands on her, she was all nerves.
She looked away, her cheeks turning red. "I can't think straight when you look at me like that."
He licked his lips and leaned in to kiss her exposed neck. She closed her eyes and shivered.
"What is there to think about?"
"If w-we should really be doing this?"
"I have spent much time thinking of only this."
"Kíli… you don't truly know me."
He caressed her cheek, standing straighter. "I know you well enough to want your affection."
She looked up at him. "You have it," she admitted.
He leaned closer. "Then tell me… everything I don't know about you." He kissed her tentatively.
Plied by his sweetness, she kissed back readily. He held her carefully, a patience behind his actions that had been lacking the night they were caught in the rain.
When they pulled apart, she looked up at him with the same hesitant longing expression.
"There is much to say, but…" she shook her head, at a loss for words.
The truth was there were things she felt she simply couldn't tell him. Things Gandalf had told her to keep secret.
Like that her father had been a dwarf.
"We have time," he reminded her. "Erebor is not yet upon us."
"But… why would you want my affection?"
He let out a silent laugh, finding her surprise at his interest charming. "You are… So unlike anyone I have known. Full of magic and surprises. Mighty in battle, but a warm light upon the hearts of the company." His eyes traced the shape of her lips. "The only treasure I have ever coveted."
She felt her insecurities rising in her throat. "But I have pointed ears," she began, as though confessing something he'd overlooked. Her voice sped as she continued. "And I can't grow a beard, and I'll never be as strong as a dwarf woman, or-"
"You are perfect, Peony. Dwarf or no."
She swallowed and looked up at him. "You think so?"
He smiled and nodded. He gently stroked her side, his eyes vulnerable. "Is my being a dwarf something that gives you pause?"
"No, not in that way. I prefer- Or that is, I- like that you're a dwarf."
He grinned crookedly. "Then there's no issue."
She glanced back in the direction of their camp. "But what would the others say?"
"I don't care," he laughed. "These feelings are our own. Are they not?"
"Then… For now, can they be known only to us?"
"If that is what you wish." He moved closer, their noses touching as he met her gaze. "So long as your thoughts remain with me."
She ran her lithe fingers over his prickly cheek. "They are rarely elsewhere."
He chewed his lower lip, then leaned down again to speak in a low voice in her ear. "And, when you think of me…" He kissed her neck again. "What does that entail?"
She felt her cheeks burning from his forward actions. "I-I don't know what you-"
"What do you want with me, Peony?" he clarified, his short beard tickling her skin as he moved down toward her collarbone.
She shivered at his touch and closed her eyes, finding it hard to focus enough to reply. "Kíli…"
"As for me…" He stopped teasing her with kisses and took her cheek in his calloused hand, staring at her parted lips.
His voice turned soft and sweet. "I want to protect you, and fight by your side. I want to make you laugh. I want… your hands on me again. And," he leveled his gaze at her, his dark eyes burning as his voice lowered. "I want to make you look at me with desire."
Her chest heaved as she stared back at him.
A smile returned to his face. "Yes, just like that," he breathed, then leaned down to claim her lips with his.
When Kíli and Andréa returned to camp, dinner was just being served. They hadn't managed to do any shooting, but neither had complained about it.
Andréa avoided making eye contact with anyone. Though all they'd done was kiss and hold each other, she felt certain everyone back at camp would be able to tell they had done so just by looking at them.
Kíli called out to Fíli and jogged over to him, leaving her to walk slowly over to her things, which were set up near Bilbo's. She carefully set down her bow and quiver, then rummaged in her bag until she found what she was looking for.
Kíli sat down with Fíli and looked around, realizing suddenly that Andréa hadn't actually followed him as he'd assumed she would. He caught sight of her across the camp, holding something wooden in her hands that he didn't recognize.
She was sitting cross-legged and holding the wooden Gandalf figure that Bofur had carved. She stared down at it, as if willing it to tell her that he was alright. She could have used her staff to send him a message - and hoped for a reply - but she didn't want to appear foolish or impatient. He'd said he'd find them on the road. She'd said she trusted him.
Bofur walked over and stopped before her, nodding at the little doll. "Ah, ye kept that, did ya?"
She looked up at him with alarm and held it to her chest. "Should I not have?"
He laughed. "Aye, if you like." He crouched down and patted her head. "I'm certain he's alright."
"Of course he is." She quickly put the statue back in her pack.
Bofur snorted, but took this as a sign to leave her be, not wanting to make her any more uncomfortable than she already seemed to be.
While she closed up her pack, Kíli jogged over. "Come sit with us!"
"Mm, alright."
In the morning, Andréa declined the usual scouting invitation and instead snuck away from the company to the nearby river. She found a shallow looking spot and stripped down to her long linen shirt to wade into the rushing water. She found a large submerged boulder and sat on it, letting the river flow past her, nearly up to her shoulders.
She closed her eyes and started a meditation, gently coaxing her fëa to help release her anxieties.
When Fíli and Kíli returned to camp, Kíli immediately set out to find their backup wizard. He was sure he'd find her sitting by a big rock clutching her necklace. Instead he was alarmed to find some of her clothing and her staff laying abandoned at the water's edge. He felt panic rise in his throat until he spotted her sitting calmly in the current.
"What are you doing?" His voice was a mix of amusement, confusion and annoyance.
Andréa opened her eyes and raised a brow at him.
"You should join me. The water washes away weariness."
"I should think not," he replied, though he smiled crookedly at the invitation.
"Oh, my apologies. Do dwarrow sink to the bottom like a stone?"
He shook his head, narrowing his eyes at her. Is she insulting me, or teasing me?
"Then perhaps it's that you never learned to swim?"
"I do well enough in the water, thank you."
"You say that, but… you are there and I am here." She used one hand to plug her nose and sank beneath the rolling surface.
He lost sight of her, and after several seconds, began to worry.
Suddenly a small jet of water splashed his face from his right side. Andréa had popped up nearer to the shore to get to him.
He tried to sound annoyed, but could not hide his grin. "You think yourself funny."
"I do," she laughed, then disappeared under the water again.
At this, he began to remove his boots.
Fíli came upon them some time later.
"So this is where you two wandered off to. Breakfast is about to be served."
Kíli grinned, his wet hair sticking to his face. "Come in brother! The water is fine."
"Not on your life." Fíli shook his head. "You're soaked to the bone."
"True, but at the very least he no longer smells of the back end of a pony."
Fíli let out a hearty laugh at her comment as Kíli splashed water across her front.
"I shall hear no complaints from you puddles as we make our way."
"It will be alright," Andréa winked.
Fíli shrugged, not convinced, but turned to go back to camp. "Make haste. Thorin won't want to wait for you."
Andréa left the river first, making for her effects. Kíli watched subtly, noting the way the wet linen of her shirt clung to her body. He couldn't help but think she was too lean to be a dwarf after all. Shaking the thought of her figure from his mind, he made for his own pile of clothes at the edge of the river.
He turned around after a moment and was shocked to see her completely dry, and nearly fully re-dressed. "How is it that you're bone dry, and yet I could water a garden?"
She smirked and picked up her staff, walking closer to him. She gave him an obvious once-over. "Have a guess."
Kíli licked his lips and glanced at hers before meeting her gaze again. "Well that's a clever trick. Don't suppose you could help me in kind?"
"But then you'd put your trousers back on," she pouted teasingly.
Kíli grinned, and made to move closer, but she put her staff firmly on the ground between them. Just as he was about to say something in confusion, it emitted a warm light and he felt a rush of hot wind that seemed to blow through him. He closed his eyes as it washed over him, hearing strange words echo across his mind.
When it stopped, he looked down to see that he'd completely dried off. "Ah."
She turned to walk back up the hill toward camp. "I look forward to more archery lessons," she called behind her.
He smiled to himself as he pulled his trousers and boots back on. "As do I."
Back at camp, Fíli tilted his head in confusion when he saw that Andréa was dry. She had sat down to eat with Bilbo, her long brown hair loose and now brushed; the only evidence left of her dip in the river. He looked over to see Kíli returning, just as dry, and approached his brother.
"I see you're not a puddle after all."
Kíli laughed. "The backup wizard has some uses."
Fíli raised a brow, wondering what other uses Kíli had in mind. He patted Kíli's shoulder. "Let's have breakfast."
Once they grabbed their portions, Kíli was pleased to see that Fíli was headed over to where Bilbo and Andréa were sitting.
"You should tie your hair before we get going," Fíli recommended to her in greeting.
"I was just going to," she smiled. She put her empty plate down and pulled a long ribbon out of her pack.
"That's a shame, it looks nice," Bilbo remarked.
She grinned. "Thank you. But it will tangle," she gestured, "like Kíli's does."
Kíli laughed. "There's nothing wrong with my hair."
"Hmm." She closed her eyes and reached up to comb her hair into a high ponytail, tying the ribbon around it before starting to braid the ribbon down through her hair.
Kíli stared a moment, noting her chest and the way her back arched as her hands were up in her hair.
When she was done, she tied the ribbon at the bottom of her braid and looked up, happening to catch Kíli looking her way. She smiled easily and then focused on making sure her pack was secure for the day's travel.
He quickly focused back on his food, hoping Fíli and Bilbo hadn't noticed his staring.
The next morning as the group was packing up and getting ready to eat breakfast, Fíli tapped Kíli's shoulder.
"We should scout ahead a bit. Do you think Andréa will want to come?"
Kíli tried not to seem excited by the idea. "Possibly." He spotted her sitting on the far edge of their camp, eyes closed and meditating even as a dozen dwarves clanged about in front of her. "Seems bored," he joked.
Fíli laughed, and made his way in her direction, Kíli in tow.
As if on command, she sighed and opened her eyes as they approached. "Good morning, trouble makers."
Kíli grinned. "We're going scouting."
"Come along." Fíli gestured with his head for her to follow, his statement more of a command than an invitation.
She took the direction and soon fell into step with the dwarf brothers.
Kíli glanced at Andréa. "Why do you sit alone in the morning?"
"To ground myself and strengthen my fëa."
"Your fëa?"
"Mm. So I can be a proper wizard. That's where my power comes from."
"I thought it came from your staff?"
She let out a soft snort. "No. It comes from…" She pursed her lips for a moment. "If you think of your body as a physical space, the fëa is the living thing inside it. Your essence that will dwell in the Halls of Mandos after your body perishes."
Kíli let out an uncomfortable breath. He didn't like thinking on such topics.
Fíli raised his brows. He'd never truly contemplated where magic came from, but he supposed that made sense.
Kíli turned to walk backward and hooked his hands behind his neck. "So you just sit with your eyes shut and that gives your fëa strength?"
"No, that's not it exactly." She looked past him, wishing he wouldn't walk like that. "I focus my intention inward and-"
She suddenly lunged out, trying to stop him before he tripped over a root jutting out of the forest floor.
Instead, they both fell, tumbling over each other into the nearby brush.
Andréa winced and sucked in a breath as she sat up. "Kíli! You need to watch where you're going!"
Kíli groaned, but didn't argue as he righted himself.
She pushed herself up off the forest floor using her staff as leverage, and started dusting herself off.
"You're bleeding!" Kíli took her staff from her and grabbed her forearm in alarm, examining the long shallow scrapes that ran from her knuckles up her wrist.
"Bleeding?" Fíli raised a brow and came closer to give it a look. Blood mixed with dirt from the ground where the jagged cuts broke her skin. "Best get her to Óin."
"It's nothing," Andréa pulled her arm free from Kíli's grip defensively. "Just some scratches."
"Oh, it'll be nothing until it's infected," Fíli scolded. "Get it cleaned up, let's go." He gestured toward camp with his head.
She stared up at him. "I'm fine."
He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her until she was facing the right direction. Then he pushed on her back. "Walk."
She turned around in annoyance. "We're not done scouting ahead."
"We've done enough."
"I told you, I'm fi- Hey!"
Fíli suddenly picked her up in his arms, tossing her over his shoulder.
"Fíli!? Put me down!" She wriggled and pounded her fists against his back to no avail. Fíli was much stronger than her, and was tromping easily back toward camp despite her flailing limbs. If anything, the extra force he had to use to keep her in place as she struggled was only making things more uncomfortable for her.
She gave a close-mouthed scream in frustration, then went limp, resigned to the indignation of being carried back to the company over a tiny injury.
Kíli followed with her staff in hand, a slight pout on his face and brows raised in concern.
When they got back to camp, the rest of the company was still sitting around awaiting breakfast. They all turned at the sight of the young dwarf prince carrying their backup wizard.
Fíli put her down on the ground at last, and she immediately smacked his chest with both her hands as hard as she could. "You are insufferable!"
He raised his brow, unmoved. "And you are injured," he scolded. He pointed at Óin while staring her down. "Go get cleaned up."
Thorin approached, raising a brow. "Injured?"
"It's nothing." She held her arm up to show the scratches, as though to prove it wasn't anything worth making a fuss over. "It doesn't even hurt."
Thorin frowned. "You're bleeding."
"Yes, that happens from time to time. It'll heal." She looked over to see Kíli's face contorted into such deep concern that she found it comical. "It's nothing."
"Óin, patch up the wizard." Thorin put his hand on her shoulder, and his tone was soft but resolute. "Let him treat you. The last thing we need is you falling ill on the road."
She sighed heavily and rolled her eyes, but couldn't bring herself to defy his order. "Very well. If it will appease you dwarves." She openly glared at Fíli as she walked past him toward Óin, who was already digging in his pack.
Fíli raised his brows. Apparently they were no longer dwarrow when she was annoyed with them.
She sat down beside Óin, pouting somewhat. "Sorry to bother you."
"It's no bother. That's my job after all!" He pulled out a glass jar of something green and set it aside, seeming happy to be of use.
"Let's see, then." He took her arm gently in his large hands, looking over the lacerations with a neutral curiosity. "Doesn't look too bad."
"I've had it worse," she agreed. She looked over to Fíli and made a face at him. He only smiled smugly in return.
Soon a pot of boiled water and bleached cotton rags was brought over to Óin. He took one of the cloths out and carefully pressed it to Andréa's skin, making her wince and look back over to her hand. Fíli frowned somewhat, but stayed on the other end of camp, knowing she was probably going to be cross with him for a bit. He gestured for Kíli to follow him.
As Óin cleared the blood and debris from her wounds, she silently willed her fëa to mend her skin. It would have been easier with her staff, and she didn't want to offend Óin by speaking Quenya spells while he did his work, so she wasn't sure it would even make a difference. But it felt better than doing nothing.
After he cleaned everything up, Óin started applying the herbal salve, letting it form a thick layer over her cuts. Once he'd gotten it to his liking, he wrapped her hand and wrist carefully in long thin strips of grey cloth. The cloth smelled vaguely floral and she wondered if it had some healing properties beyond covering the wound.
He grinned, quite satisfied by his work. "There ye be. All patched up."
She took her arm back and flexed her fingers. She still had full use of her hand and arm despite the bandages and she smiled up at the old dwarf. "Thank you very much, Óin."
He patted her head. "You be more careful, lassie."
She rolled her eyes, but snickered. "Alright, I will." She got up and looked around the camp to see that Fíli and Kíli were gone.
Of course they went back to finish scouting without me.
She locked eyes with Thorin, raised her brows and called out loudly. "Where is my staff? Kíli had it."
Thorin gestured with his chin toward the sitting dwarves.
Bofur jumped up from where he was and carried it over to her. "Ah, I've got it."
"Oh good." She took it from him and visibly relaxed.
His eyes glanced from her face to her bandaged hand, then back to her face again.
"I'm fine," she insisted.
He put his hands up. "I didn't say a thing."
"Thank you for taking care of my staff."
"Can't have our backup wizard out of use while Gandalf's gone," he teased.
"Mm." She shook her head. "No, don't want that."
"Come have breakfast," he gestured. Bombur was just starting to dole it out and Bilbo was taking portions to each of the dwarves.
"Alright," she smiled.
She settled down to their morning meal between Bofur and Bifur. Bofur noted when Bifur mumbled a few things in Khuzdul, gesturing, and she nodded along.
"Bifur says you should always clean up a cut." Bofur offered by way of explanation.
Andréa smiled in spite of herself. "I suppose that's true." She put a hand on Bifur's shoulder. She tried to convey affection in her tone, unsure if he understood Westron. "Thanks for your concern."
Bifur put his hand over hers and slowly leaned his head to press gently against hers, careful the axe didn't hit her. She closed her eyes and leaned into him a moment.
Bofur pursed his lips, touched by the simple gesture between them.
When Bifur pulled away, Andréa focused on her plate. "I'm not used to having so many people worrying over me. I'll have to be more careful."
Bofur rubbed her back. "Please do, sweet pea."
She looked over her shoulder at him with rosy cheeks and a wide smile, then started to eat. While she chewed some potato, she noticed a familiar feeling in her chest and tried to identify it. A memory of her father played briefly in her mind.
Feels like home, she thought.
Thorin watched from the other side of the camp as their backup wizard hunched over her meal, eating and smiling while silent tears rolled down her cheeks.
Bilbo stopped in front of him. "And Thorin," he said, holding out one of the two plates of food he had in his hands.
"Ah, thank you." He took the plate, then gestured meaningfully with his chin toward Andréa. "What do you make of that?" he asked quietly.
Bilbo turned to follow his gaze and his face broke into a wide grin, cheeks turning rosy. "Aww, that's cute," he whispered.
"Cute?"
He sat beside their leader. "You know, I think Bofur always wanted a child."
Thorin raised a brow and looked over at the hobbit. "Oh?"
Bilbo nodded, smiling as he looked over to them again. "He's really doted on Andréa since the farmhouse. He made this little Gandalf doll that she took a liking to, and he's always watching her interactions with your nephews, like an overprotective father," he chuckled.
Thorin sighed. "Those two can certainly be trouble." He started eating. "No doubt her injury was Kíli's fault."
Bilbo shook with a stifled laugh. "You've so much confidence in them, hm?"
"I know my kin."
"You've done well with them," Bilbo said lightly, his attention on his meal now. "They've got good hearts, which is the most important thing."
"But not enough to keep them safe. I wish they would take things a bit more seriously."
"They're young."
Thorin snorted. "They're older than you."
Bilbo hummed, frowning slightly. "But… hobbits age differently." He had been surprised to learn that Thorin was nearly three times his age. Older than any hobbit that had ever lived in the shire, and yet he was so strong, virile.
Thorin noted the color in Bilbo's face. Had he offended their burglar by calling him young?
"And besides, Fíli and Kíli are skilled warriors." Bilbo continued. "They take care of the company in their own ways."
Thorin let out a soft huff, considering Bilbo's assertions. It wasn't as though he had no pride in his nephews, but it was hard not to fear for them when they got reckless. Especially Kíli. He had hoped that their backup wizard would be a better influence on Kíli, but it seemed she was instead the subject of his antics.
He shuddered to think what Gandalf would have said if the blue wizard fell while her mentor was away.
Andréa pointedly avoided Fíli as they rode along that day. Fíli found the entire affair quite amusing, and flashed their backup wizard a smug grin any time she looked his way. Kíli, on the other hand, was morose, and stayed with his brother out of guilt for his own actions.
Bilbo pulled up beside Andréa late in the day.
"How's your hand doing?" he asked lightly.
Andréa's face soured. "It's just fine."
He raised his brows. "Sorry. Sore subject?"
She sighed, guilt softening her expression. "It just wasn't worth the fuss that was made."
"Mm, I'm not sure they quite understood that," he laughed. "Bofur said dwarves don't get injured easily, so they're always sure to have it looked at."
"That's fine, but-" She furrowed her brow. "How would you feel to be carried back to camp like a child?"
Bilbo raised his brows, considering it. He pictured Thorin picking him up and taking him someplace, and got distracted by where his imagination led him.
"It would be nice if the dwarves listened to me a bit more, that's all," she sighed.
"I don't think there's much chance of that," Bilbo smirked. "They're quite stubborn, you know."
"Evidently."
"Oh, come now. You're not really cross, though, are you?" He tilted his head at her, smiling.
She gaped. "Yes! I am!"
"Fíli was only worried about you. He wouldn't have forced you back to camp unless he truly cared about your wellbeing."
She pouted, looking away. He was probably right. She scanned the group and saw Fíli and Kíli riding side by side, behind them a ways. Kíli was leaning toward Fíli, gesturing emphatically, face quite serious. Fíli looked amused, nodding along and trying not to smile too widely. She recognized his slightly patronizing look as being similar to the ones he'd flashed her all day.
"Like a sister," she murmured.
"Hm?"
She realized she'd said it out loud and turned back around to Bilbo. "Oh, Fíli, he- He said I would be as a sister to him."
"Ah, see? What did I tell you?" Bilbo grinned. He wondered if Fíli had meant because of the obvious chemistry between Andréa and Kíli, or if Fíli was just being kind.
Andréa smiled, letting out a small laugh. "You think he'd pick Kíli up like that?"
Bilbo looked back at the brothers, scrunching his face as he considered it. "Kíli might be too big."
She laughed some more, her irritation with Fíli fading from her mind. "Don't let Kíli hear you say that. He'll think you're calling him fat."
"Nothing wrong with a bit of roundness," Bilbo smirked, patting his gut.
When the company stopped to make camp for the night, Fíli and Andréa continued to avoid each other. When he was done gathering firewood, Kíli asked her to join him for a short walk.
Away from the curious ears of the rest of the company, Kíli finally turned to her, wringing his hands.
"Are you still cross with Fí?"
When Andréa turned to look at Kíli in surprise, his face was twisted in concern.
"I promise he was only trying to help you."
Although no longer cross, she folded her arms over her chest and raised a brow. "By not listening to me? And manhandling me? And forcing me, against my will, back to camp-"
"He just wanted to make sure you got treated! But you wouldn't go, even though he told you to."
She narrowed her eyes, unsure she wanted to let Fíli off the hook just yet.
Kíli looked sick. "Please, Peony, I can't bear it if you think ill of him for wanting you to be safe."
She let out a sigh, her body language relaxing completely. His puppy dog eyes were too much for her to bear.
"Of course I'm not cross with Fíli."
"Truly?"
"Yes, truly."
Kíli's shoulders lowered somewhat and his face softened in relief.
He gestured to her bandages. "Does it hurt?"
Andréa shook her head. "Not at all." She moved her arm around freely as though to prove it.
Kíli pursed his lips, still looking beside himself with guilt. "I'm sorry. This is all my fault."
"It was just an accident. It wasn't your fault."
"It was. If I hadn't been walking like that, I wouldn't have tripped, and you wouldn't have gotten hurt trying to catch me. And you wouldn't have fought with Fí."
"Kíli, I'm prepared to die for you. Getting a cut is noth-"
Kíli pulled Andréa into a sudden hug, surprising her.
"Don't."
"Kíli?"
"Don't die, Peony." He trembled against her.
She scoffed. "I'm not going to die from a little scrape."
His voice was more somber than she'd heard it before. "Don't be thick, you know what I mean."
She sighed and wrapped her arms around him in return. Her voice was soft and reassuring. "It's alright, Kíli. I'm fine. Nothing's going to happen."
"Do you promise?"
She didn't necessarily believe she could make that promise, but she nodded to appease him. "We protect each other, right?"
He squeezed her tightly in reply, and she winced at how strong he was.
"I won't let any harm come to you," he vowed.
"Same to you."
She pulled back and smiled as she reached up to run her fingertip over his eyebrow in a soothing fashion. "Worry doesn't suit you, Kíli. Let's go back now."
"Just a moment longer." He pressed his forehead to hers and shut his eyes tightly.
She closed her eyes as well, though she listened for any sounds around them.
When he pulled back, he brushed her lips with a gentle kiss. "I'll be more careful," he promised.
She nodded. "As will I."
When they got back to camp, they split up, Kíli heading for Andréa's pack that was sitting with Bilbo's.
Andréa walked straight over to where Fíli was seated beside Ori, and sat down on his other side. She leaned her head on Fíli's shoulder, staring into the fire wordlessly.
Fíli raised a brow as he looked over to her, then grinned and moved the shoulder she was leaning against to wrap his arm around her and pull her against his chest.
Thorin noticed Kíli dropping Andréa's pack next to his and Fíli's, then looked over to see Fíli saying something to their backup wizard. He watched as she laughed and wrapped her arms around his nephew, and breathed a small sigh of relief to see that their tiff seemed to be over. Dwarves had a tendency not to let go of disagreements, and the last thing he needed was one of their wizards having a gripe with a company member for the length of the journey.
Ori was telling Fíli and Andréa a story about his brothers when Kíli walked up to join them. He sat on the other side of Andréa and feigned interest, a relaxed smile plastered onto his face. Underneath it all, though, he couldn't shake the anxiety still simmering in his gut. He glanced down at the bandage on Andréa's arm and felt the twist in his stomach as he replayed their tumble for the millionth time that day.
Reckless, he thought.