AN: Yay, update. School starts in January, but so does frequent intake of Caffeine, so maybe nightly updates? Or weekly? Don't expect anything though.
Review anwers:
Vognar-The Legendkeep: I think that's more due to the fact that I'm a bad writer, and less than that I intentionally streamlined it. Glad you appreciate it though!
tekktek13: You should totally read the original. Demon-Kagetsuki is much better than I am, but I couldn't stand to let something this great go unfinished. The part you have taken issue with, with the "fight the dragon souls within her" is not mine though. The other issue, with Braenna being multiple centuries old, rather than just 100, is because I am not an elf, and I don't know how to write someone that's 1000 years old! Apparently neither did Tolkien, because Elrond seems pretty freaking normal-ish to me. So unless you have the unique perspective of being over a millennium old, please allow me to write my character how I write her? Thanks, though.
The soulform body of Brænna flew through the air and landed with a crash, as a Serpentine dragon batted at her with its tail. The other soulform Dovah surrounded the battling pair taunted the fallen Elf as she lifted herself to her feet, a bound blade forming in her hands as she stood on shaky legs. Battered and bruised, she swung weakly at the Dragon, who simply sidestepped her attack before knocking her feet out from under her once again, with its tail.
As Brænna fell yet again, having taken injury after injury over the course of her battle, the Dragon chuffed, laughing at her. "What a pathetic excuse of a Dovahkiin. To think that you would be able to fell one as great as me is a laughable event, like a mere flea felling a bear."
Brænna took the time during the Dragon's monologue to stretch, popping joints back into place, loosening her shoulders, before sighing, and wiping the blood from under her (likely) broken nose.
"It's funny how this 'flea' has killed countless of your ilk, including your so-called king. Come at me you witless worm!"
Enraged, the Dragons roared at her, before rushing forward all at once, clambering over each other, only to be blown backwards by a tsunami of energy that emanated from the small elf that stood against them.
"I HAVE PROVEN MY WORTH. I HAVE PROVEN MY MASTERY," she bellowed, standing tall on the endless plain. "I HAVE SLAIN EACH OF YOU BOTH IN MUNDUS AND HERE. YOU ARE WEAK, AND YOU WILL ACKNOWLEDGE MY THU'UM!"
The dragons, startled by this sudden show of strength, backed off, thinking twice about their approach as her words sank in, but many rushed forwards, unperturbed, her serpentine foe screeching, "We will never serve a flea like you. Moro Alduin!"
Drawing in a deep breath, Brænna knew what she had to do, though she risked longer entrapment here in this realm.
"GOL HAH DOV!" she bellowed, right in the face of the serpentine dragon, the words rippling and echoing, encompassing the other Dovah that stood against her. Cowed, the serpentine dragon, and many others bowed their heads, but malice still shone in its eyes.
"Alduin is dead, and gone," she growled as she planted a boot on its head. She drove her soulbound Daedric blade between the Dovah's eyes, and once again its soul energy was absorbed, strengthening her and healing her superficial wounds. She fought back a wince as she felt her nose snap back into place, and she banished the blade, but was prepared to re-summon it.
An old, decrepit looking Blood Dragon with a frill torn and pockmarked with age fought against her Thu'um, to say, "Is that what you think?" it asked, raising its head above the others. "You are mistaken if you believe Alduin is truly gone. He will fulfill his destiny as World Eater and Destroyer of Nirn. He will return no matter what bump on his path may slow him." It paused for a moment, and chuckled darkly. "In fact, you are doing nothing but speeding his return."
"Explain, now," she snarled, stepping forward.
"She does not remember!" the Dragon coughed. "Alduin fed on the souls of Honoured warriors in Sovngarde in order to regain power to rule Mundus. And you, for all of these centuries, whenever you can, have been doing nothing but…" it trailed off, waiting for her to understand.
"Collecting souls," Brænna finished, feeling sick to her stomach. She summoned her blade again, pointing it at the Blood Dragon. "Well, I'll be long dead before he ever returns. I will slay all Dovah before he rises again," she said out loud, leaving out that she'd probably be killed by Smaug, or rather, Sahthuriyol, long before then.
"Foolish Fahliil," the Dovah replied. "Do you not understand? The more Dovah you kill, the more power Alduin gains! Should you kill all Dovah, he will have the full power of Akatosh, enough to escape and destroy all of Nirn, and all of us will be released!"
It was her turn to laugh. "Alduin is trapped until another Time-Wound occurs. He cannot, will not be released until then, and will never have access to that power."
From behind her, a different Dovah spoke. "Do you not remember Miraak? The only other Dovahkiin who showed what he truly was on the inside?"
She spun to face the new threat, a Revered Dovah, keeping low to the ground, remembering her horror at the green scales and draconic eyes of the First Dragonborn. "No doubt Hermaes Mora's doing," she replied.
"While Hermaes Mora may have contained Miraak, the Daedric Prince did not create what you faced in Apocrypha. Neither the blood nor soul causes Dovahkiin to develop the features of a Dovah, but rather the gradual escape from the inside out," the Blood Dragon answered her unasked question, and she whipped around again to face the green-grey beast. "Miraak agreed to host the great Dovah Vedlokroniid in an attempt to become the greatest being in Nirn, second only to Alduin himself. As you know, Miraak was imprisoned by his promise to Hermaes Mora, driven mad by his immortality, Vedlokroniid's rage, and the unknowable secrets he had learned in Apocrypha."
The beast seemed amused, and tacked on, "Similarly to your own experiences."
That feeling of nausea solidified in her stomach as she felt her world collapse around her.
"I never agreed to become a vessel!"
"Pahlok Kiir, you already were, Konahrik," a deep voice answered, and a chill slithered down her spine. She turned toward that Death-knell voice as old as time itself, to face none else but the firstborn of Akatosh, Alduin, the World-Eater himself.
Her scream followed her all the way back to Mundus.
Brænna, still recovering from her terror, saw a figure falling past her, and snagged it just as it flew by. When she was finally able to focus, she saw that it was Kíli, who looked at her with naught but fear. She was about to ask why, when a resounding snap echoed throughout the cavern, and the small, wood and rope bridge they had been laying on fell out from underneath them and they both fell into the darkness below.
Brænna yanked hard on Kíli's wrist, wrapping her arms around him, shielding him just in time to crash hard into a slant in the abyssal wall, driving the breath from her lungs. Despite the fact that her scales would protect her against any slashing, magical, or elemental damage, she felt one of her ribs crack under the impact.
She wrapped her larger frame around the young Dwemer, cradling his head with her hand and in the crook of her neck to protect it from the jagged rocks. She would keep her promise to keep him safe, even if it cost her everything.
Closing her eyes tightly, she wondered if it was her horror at the World-Eater's return, or her protectiveness of the young Dwarf that made her so willing to protect the Dwemer, even at the expense of her own life.
It may have been only seconds, but each subsequent crash into the chasm walls seemed to go on for minutes before they finally hit the bottom, crashing through thin ice into an underground river.
Her Bosmer eyes flew open, able to see just barely in the dark, enough to see the surface. Frightened, Kíli struggled, unable to see, and unable to tell which way was up.
He's terrified, she thought, remembering that he had almost drowned only a few weeks earlier. Please, Mara, Kynareth, Talos, Akatosh, let there be air.
With several powerful kicks, and wishing repeatedly that she had been born Argonian, their heads breached the surface of the water, breaking through the thin layer of ice and both gasping in the ice-cold air. As soon as they reached the surface, though, Kíli pushed her away, kicking her squarely in the stomach and almost driving her back underwater, and she remembered what had happened just minutes prior, though to her it was long hours in the… other place.
"Kíli! Kíli, it's all right, I've got you," she said, as she finally grabbed hold of him, kicking towards the shore, breaking through the ice.
"Brænna? Is it really… really you?" he asked, panic in his voice.
"Ye-" she began, and then her voice died, remembering Alduin's own possible return. "Yes, it's me," she eventually said, brought back to the present by Kíli going stiff in her arms. "There's a shore this way," she said eventually, and they swam until they touched the ground.
They heaved themselves onto the shore, and she mumbled all of the way, reassuring herself that she was back, that she was OK, that she was… not Alduin.
Coughing up water, Kíli finally asked, "Are you…"
Brænna was about to say "all right," but was interrupted by Kíli finishing "...Out of your mind? You knew what your powers would do to you! Why did you use them if you knew it was dangerous?"
"I had to!" she defended. "Thorin would've been killed if I hadn't. I promised to protect this company, no matter what it takes."
"You lost control!" he hissed. "You almost killed us. Almost killed Fí!" he said, then paused. "Fí! He thinks that I'm dead, that we're dead. We have to get back to the company!"
"S-sorry," she said, and tried to stand, but as soon as she put weight on one of her legs, she screamed in pain, falling to the ground and clutching the wounded limb.
"Brænna!" Kíli cried, the accusation forgotten.
She groaned in pain as she gently felt down along her leg, until she grunted at what she dreaded most.
"I must've broken it on the way down," she said, then felt along her side, finding which rib, and where she had cracked it while cushioning Kíli's fall. "Adrenaline kept me from feeling it until just now," she said, and groaned. "And I don't have enough magicka to heal myself. It'll take too long before I could even attempt to mend this."
"We don't have a week," Kíli said, resolve in his voice. "We have no food, and the water down here…" they both shuddered, remembering the taste from their impromptu swim. "The company could be leagues away. If they got out of the tunnels… I'd carry you out, but a goblin got me in the shoulder with an arrow.
Brænna perked up at the news. "I can heal that. Once we get out of this cave, I could even call Odahviing to help catch us up!"
Kíli looked at her dubiously. "It's worth a shot," he finally relented.
She patted the ground next to her, a silent request for him to sit down. He did so, and she inspected the wound in the near-darkness, snarling as she realized her vision wouldn't make out the details.
Silently, she magicked up a small magelight over the pair of them, and almost gagged at the oily slick on top of the water and ice they had just been in. She scrunched up her nose at the small, regrettably not glowing, cave mushrooms on the walls, and turned her attention back to her work.
"You're going to have to take your top off. I need to make sure the arrowhead is out before I seal the wound, not to mention clearing out poisons, and whatever in Oblivion is in the water," she ordered, in full doctor mode.
"A medic too? You're a woman of many hats," Kíli quipped as he took his top off, not seeing her cheeks warm slightly at the sight.
"Oh? How so?"
"Dragonslayer, Mage, Historian, Linguist,"
"Many years, a lot of time to learn," she answered, as she peered closely at the now bare wound.
"You never told me how many years, though."
"Like I said, don't ask a lady her age," she answered, remembering their first real conversation, right after the young Dwemer had met Odahviing.
"You weren't very ladylike a few minutes ago," he answered, and fell silent, immediately regretting his words.
Trying not to be too rough, she fell silent as well, hurt, but knowing the young Dwarf was right. Changing the subject, she said, "The arrowhead is still in there, and it seems to be inflamed, and infected. I need to remove it quickly, but I don't have anything for you to bite on. Goblins might be nearby, so please try not to scream too loudly."
He nodded, and grit his teeth as she used her long, calloused, Elven fingers to dig into the flesh, prying out the sharpened stone. Instead of screaming though, he managed to merely whimper as she pulled it out. The sheer relief, though, as she placed her warm hand over the wound and golden magick glowed underneath nearly caused him to pass out, until there was little more than a scar to show for the injury.
Brænna gasped; she could feel her magick reserves were well and truly empty, now, and she tumbled toward the ground. Kíli caught her head before it could smack on the stone, and she said, "Sorry, I must've used more than I thought…"
"Don't be. You did just fine. Now it's my turn," he said, and he set her down on the pebbled "beach," pulling his clothes back on. He felt at the hole the arrow had made, hoping he could catch up so he could have one of the elder Dwarves stitch it up for him.
As soon as he was clothed, he lifted the ancient Bosmer up, marveling at how light she seemed, knowing the power within her. As she wrapped her arms around his collar, he felt how warm she was, and worried that, after the icy cold of the water, that she might be feverish.
"It's the dragon blood," she said, having read his expression, and when she saw his startled expression, she explained, "A lot of people who touch me wonder why I am so warm, despite the frigid temperatures of Skyrim."
Kíli gave an "Ah," of understanding, before walking along the shoreline, reasoning that the river must empty somewhere.
He felt Brænna's head rest against his collar, and glanced down to see her heavy-lidded eyes as she fought to stay awake. She hadn't slept in the cave before they fell into the Goblin Kingdom, not to mention her exhaustion from healing him and fighting off the dragons within her.
"Get some sleep," he whispered. "I'll wake you if anything changes."
She murmured in agreement, but just as the wave of sleep overtook her, she mumbled something that Kíli couldn't quite hear.
"Hm?" he asked, not really paying attention.
"Fourteen hundred and twenty six," she murmured. "That's how old I think I am," she said, before succumbing to sleep, nuzzling underneath his chin, and breathing heavily.
Kíli froze abruptly, face coloring at the slightly intimate action, but… of course, she is an Elf, he thought, and with a slight stutter in his step, continued walking. Soon, the magelight above the pair dimmed, then fizzled out, and he paused for a moment, letting his eyes adjust, keeping his ears peeled to warn them of anything on the winding path.
He'd been carrying her for little more than half an hour, when he heard a whimper, and felt her twitch in his arms. In the dim light, he could just make out that her face was contorted in fear, and she made little whimpering noises.
Setting her down gently, he saw tears track down from the corners of her eyes, before a small sob, followed by what sounded like whimpers and begging. He shook her slightly trying to wake her up, and she exploded into motion, screaming, "Don't let him kill me!"
"Brænna! It's all right, it's just me. It's just Kíli," he comforted as he grabbed her shoulders. "It's just Kíli."
"Kíli," Brænna whimpered, then pulled him into a tight hug, and sobbed into his shoulder. He held her in his arms, watching the ever-confident, normally stoic warrior break down, slowly stroking her hair and murmuring the same Khuzdul words of comfort his mother Dís had when he and Fíli were young.
When she finally stopped sobbing, (though she continued to hang on to him as if he were a lifeline in a storm,) he asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"
She refused to meet his eyes, blankly staring at the wall. "You'd think me a monster."
He laughed dryly, asking, "Would I?"
It took a moment before she responded, saying, "Unbeknownst to me, I've been aiding an ancient enemy I thought that I had defeated. Less than a year after I woke up, I defeated the greatest threat to all life in our world. His name was Alduin, the World-Eater."
"World Eater?" he asked, feeling her nod against his shoulder.
"I thought he was gone. Completely defeated, and banished to return no more, but I was wrong. I was very wrong."
She pulled away in her shame, and she clutched her hands against her chest. "He's in here, somehow. Like the spirits of all the other Dovah I have killed. And he's found a way to return. He's taken a host to do all of his dirty work for him, collecting power while he rests until he is ready. His host is me, and every time I kill a Dovah, he only grows stronger."
"Well…" he began, not certain how to respond. "No matter what, I want to help you. You can't blame yourself for things you could not control. I will help you find a way to stop this 'Alduin' from escaping, and help you be rid of him once and for all."
She laughed humuorlessly, before letting her head fall against his shoulder again, though for a moment, she decided to believe his words, that they would banish Alduin forever, and she would live the remainder of her life… however long that was, free of the responsibilities of a Dovahkiin. For that moment of belief, she felt mortal for the first time in centuries, felt wanted.
Through silent agreement, they resumed travelling, though she was now able to somewhat walk for herself, supported by Kíli under her arm. She attempted another magelight, or even a simple candlelight spell, but couldn't muster up the Magicka. In the distance, though she noticed the growing brightness of the cave, until not fifty paces before them was daylight.
"Kíli! Look!" she cried, doubling their pace. "We did it! We got out!"
Kíli laughed, and as they exited the cave, picked her up to spin her around.
"Let me down," she said, laughing along with him, and as he did, said, "Let me call Odahviing, the company couldn't have gotten far!"
They carefully made their way down the face of the mountain to a small clearing, where she called for her Dovah friend, and awaited his arrival. As they waited, night began to fall, and Kíli commented on the beautiful colors that the sun painted on the clouds.
"You would love Skyrim, then," she said. "Some nights, it seems that Kynareth paints the sky, with greens, blues, and sometimes oranges that dance under the moonslight. Every single night that I see them, it takes my breath away," she said, remembering the nights atop the College, just gazing at the lights. "The Nords call it 'Aurora,' and say it is their ancestors, looking down on them, protecting them and reminding them that they are never alone in the world. Others theorize that it is the interplay of pure Magicka from Aetherius, and the mortal world."
"I saw a fire moon once," Kíli replied, smiling at her when she turned toward him. "It rose over the Dunland pass. Huge, red and gold it was, filling the sky. We were an escort for some merchants from Ered Luin trading in Silverbuck for furs. We took the Greenway south, keeping the mountain to our left, and then this huge fire moon, right in our path. I wish I could show you…" he said trailing off.
The Wood Elf smiled back saying, "Well then, it's settled. After this journey's over, we'll take some time off so you can show me this 'fire moon,' and in return, Odahviing and I will take you to Skyrim to see the Aurora."
Kíli was about answer, when a terrible, screeching howl echoed around the mountain. Brænna recognized the sound from the plains before Rivendell, and a chill went down her spine.
"Those were Wargs!" Kíli said, looking around for a weapon he didn't have.
"That sound came from up there," Brænna replied, pointing to the cliff above them. "The company must've gotten out of the Goblin tunnels, but… that little goblin!" she cried, remembering the small goblin the King managed to send off to Azog.
"All right. Quick lesson," she said, and concentrated on the last of her Magicka reserves.
"What?" he asked, turning away from the light above.
She held out her hand, and flickers of blue lightning appeared in her palm. "You need weapons, right?" she asked.
"Yes?" he replied, still panicking, though he thought he understood what she was trying to do.
She gave him a crash course in conjuration, and though for now his magicka pool was small, soon he had a pair of conjured swords in his hands. "Well… that's… handy, I guess," he said, before banishing them and running up toward the rest of the company, Brænna hot on his heels.
As they crested a small rise, they could only look on in terror, separated by an impassable gap, rendering Brænna's quick conjuration lesson useless. They saw a blaze start, no doubt created by Gandalf to keep the Wargs and Orcs away from a pine tree that barely held the entire Company perched in its boughs.
"That tree isn't going to stay there for-" she was cut off, as the roots of the tree began to give way, and it tipped over the edge, the company barely managing to hold on.
"They need help!" Kíli cried. "Where is Odahviing?!"
"I am here, Dilfahliil! I have spotted their leader, a great White beast," the Dovah said as he landed.
"Azog…" Kíli groaned in fear. "Thorin won't be rational, and he'll try to attack him!"
"We need to get up there now!" Brænna said, enraged by the thought that one of the Company could possibly be injured, even one as mulish and foolhardy as their leader.
Bilbo had done many bone-headed things in his life, including, but not limited to, not picking up his laundry before a storm, leaving his kettle on the stove, and even forgetting his handkerchiefs back at Bag End, but this… this trumped all of those combined. Thorin had decided to face Azog one-on-one, and had been struck down quickly. He would have lost his head, quite literally, had Bilbo not mustered up his courage and tackled the repulsive Orc, stabbing it in the gut and ending its miserable existence. As it was, Azog rode up on his terrifying White Warg, and stared at the Hobbit hatefully as Bilbo defended an unconscious Thorin, protecting his body with the small sword he had received from the troll hoard. He gripped it as Brænna had taught him, and with his small stature, showed he would defend Thorin from what, or whoever approached. Azog laughed mockingly, before ordering his Orcs in Black Speech. A handful of Wargs and Riders approached the halfling, snarling defiantly before all stopped as an unknown sound filled the air.
A noise like a hurricane, that made the pines on the mountain creak and crack in a hot, dry wind.
A shadow fell over the clearing, and for the first time in his life, Azog felt fear as a crimson and white dragon flapped its great wings, rising above the leaning pine tree. Upon its back sat an Elf whose eyes blazed with fury, and whose darkened countenance was made all the more ominous by the fire flickering below, inspiring fear and awe in Orc, Dwarf, and Hobbit alike.
"Brænna…" Bilbo whispered, relieved, yet with a knot of fear growing in his stomach.
Unknown words from the Dragon Slayer were heard over the roaring of the fire and the wingbeats of the Dragon. "Hi krilon kora hi vis ahraan daar Zu'u faan fahdon?" she said, half-snarling the Draconic words. "Hi los folaas! Odahviing! Al daar dahstiin!"
"Gladly," replied the Dragon in the common tongue, before bellowing out its own words, blasting fire onto the Orcs below.
Some were immolated instantly, others screeched in pain as the flames licked at their flesh. Chaos only increased as great Eagles swooped in out of nowhere, and began casually tossing Orcs and Wargs off the cliff face alike, though none came near the Dragon or its fearsome rider. Some eagles even knocked down the flaming trees, crushing their already terrified foes underneath the flaming boughs, and Dragon and Eagle alike only fanned the flames with powerful wings, setting flammable Warg fur alight.
Azog seeing that the battle was lost, snarled in rage, bellowing something in Black Speech at the dragon, who had picked up Thorin and Bilbo to show he was a friend to the Company, and followed the Eagles.
The eagles, used to being the largest thing in the sky, were fearful of the Dragon that followed them, though trusted Gandalf, whose seemingly unlimited composure was beginning to fray at the seams. Still, keeping even with the Eagles allowed the company to see who rode alongside them.
"Kíli!" cried Fíli, "I can't believe it! You're alive!"
"You can't get rid of me that easily!" cried the raven-haired brother as he clutched onto the Elf.
The lighter-haired Durin turned his attention to the Bosmer and Dragon, who merely concentrated on staying in the air. "I didn't think that I'd ever meet you… like this," he said warily.
Kíli looked nervous, but said, "I'll explain everything later!"
"What about Thorin?" cried Bilbo, who Odahviing had gently dropped onto the back of one of the Eagles, looking fearfully at Thorin's pale complexion in the Dovah's talons.
"He is asleep, Mal Kendov," Odahviing replied. "His heart beats against my talons, though he needs attention quickly."
The Halfling whimpered at being addressed by the Dragon directly, and tried to hide between the Eagle's feathers. He peeked out only to see a range of snow-covered peaks and forests, which they passed over to land on a rock structure shaped like a bear. Odahviing landed gently, setting down the Dwarven Lord on a flat area, stepping back and allowing Brænna and Kíli to dismount, the young Dwarf sliding off of the Dragon's back, rushing to his uncle's side.
Gandalf was next to land, and jumped off the Eagle's neck, a quick nod of respect and gratitude to the Eagles, before rushing off to inspect Thorin's health. The wizard glanced worriedly toward Kili, before bending down and whispering a short incantation. Thorin's eyes fluttered open soon after, and he gasped for air, Gandalf sighing in relief.
"The Halfling?" Thorin asked, still weak.
"It's all right. Bilbo is here. He's quite safe. In fact, as are those we thought lost," Gandalf replied.
Thorin followed the Wizard's gaze, shocked to find a smiling Kíli looking down at him. "Kí? How? I saw you fall?"
"I'm back now," Kíli responded as he lifted Thorin up, with the help of Dwalin. Fíli, who had just dismounted his own Eagle nearly tackled Kíli with the force of his hug.
Thorin turned toward an ecstatic, but nervous, Bilbo, his eyes turning dark. "You! What were you doing? You nearly got yourself killed! Did I not say that you would be a burden? That you would not survive in the wild and that you had no place amongst us?"
Bilbo's face fell, and his already small stature seamed to shrink at the Dwarvish prince's words. Kíli glanced nervously towards Brænna, whose eyes darkened, and whose clenched fists crackled with blue electricity.
Still, any foul play was avoided by Thorin's next words; "I've never been so wrong in all of my life!"
He embraced the Hobbit roughly, the Dwarves cheering loudly, and Brænna relaxing.
"I am sorry I doubted you," Thorin said by way of apology.
"No, I would've doubted me too. I'm not a hero, or a warrior. Not even a Burglar," Bilbo joked, earning some chuckles.
Brænna, relieved, yet still angered by the Orcs hubris in attacking the Company, said quietly, "And here I almost thought it was a mistake to rescue him for insulting the bravest person I've ever known."
Apparently though, she hadn't said it quietly enough, and Thorin whirled on her, only to catch sight of Odahviing, memories of Smaug surfacing. He grabbed his blade and jumped in front of Bilbo ready to attack the Dragon, who responded in kind, puffing himself up and snarling loudly.
"No! Wait,! Stop!" Kíli cried out, jumping between Thorin and the Dovah. "Odahviing means you no harm!"
"You dare defend this Traitor?!" Thorin spat, his face turning red with rage.
"It is this 'traitor,' who saved your life, and mine. It is because of them that I am even here at all, and why we're not dead at the hands of an Orc pack!" Kíli answered, as he stepped backwards toward the Dovah and his rider, who had not dismounted due to her own injury. He helped her off the saddle, and she stumbled, hissing in pain, placing a palm on Odahviing's cheek to calm the dragon down.
"I'm sorry I couldn't share Odahviing's existence with all of you from the beginning, but I was afraid I would receive this very same reaction, and not have had a chance to explain myself."
"Explain quickly," Dwalin ordered, raising his mattock menacingly.
"You would die 'ere your first stroke fell," Odahviing snarled as he curled his tail protectively around Brænna and Kíli.
"Odahviing! Please! Enough," Brænna said, before turning to the others. "I wouldn't have made it in time for the journey had he not taken me across the sea. He is invaluable and my closest friend and ally. I would give you my word a hundred times over that he would never bring any harm to the Company, unless it was an act of self-defense. If I am to kill Smaug, I need him."
Thorin's eyes snapped to Kíli, who the Dwarven Prince had noticed was looking guilty. "How long have you known about this?!"
"Since the night she saved me from drowning, when we went out hunting."
"And you didn't think to tell anyone?" Thorin asked, voice almost a snarl.
"It was not my secret to tell!" Kíli defended. "I promised to stay silent, unless I found reason to believe that they were lying."
"Anything else? You are part dragon, you are allied with a dragon, is there any more information you 'neglected' to tell us?" Thorin growled. "Kíli!" he called, jerking his head toward the rest of the company. "I don't want you anywhere near it," he said, his glare making it clear he was not talking about Odahviing.
Kíli was about to argue, but Brænna squeezed his shoulder, who simply said, "Go. You belong with your friends and family."
"But you are also my friend," he said quietly. "It's unfair to you that they treat you this way."
"I expected this. You would've been the same if you hadn't met Odahviing before. Don't allow me to ruin what you have," she said sadly.
Heartbroken, Kíli nodded before walking over toward Balin, who looked the least offended by the presence of the Dragon.
"And keep that damned Dragon away from us. If I find it poking among all of our things, I will not hesitate to behead it," Thorin said, flashing Orcrist.
Odahviing snarled in return. Bilbo, wary but looking for a way to defuse the situation, cast his eyes about before they settled on an object in the distance.
"Is that what I think it is?" he asked, and everyone turned toward what he was looking at.
"Erebor- the Lonely Mountain," Gandalf said, seeing what Bilbo was trying to do. "The last of the Great Dwarf Kingdoms of Middle-Earth."
"Our home," Thorin added, some of the harshness taken out of his voice by the sight of the peak.
A small bird flew by, and Oin called out, "A raven! The birds are returning to the mountain!"
"That, my dear Oin, is a thrush," Gandalf clarified, eyesight better than the aging Dwarf.
"But we'll take it as a sign, a good omen in this terrible situation," Thorin said, pointedly keeping Brænna and Odahviing out of his sight.
"You're right," Bilbo answered, "I do believe the worst is behind us."
Oh Bilbo, Brænna thought. This is far from the worst.
Aaaaand... that's An Unexpected Journey done! Hope y'all stick around for the other two-thirds of this story, much of a train wreck as it has become.
Secondly, I have delved into TES "Deep(er) Lore" and have discoered: The reason behind the Apotheosis of Talos, (A)Numidium, Dragon Breaks, and most significantly, CHIM. Be prepared for insanity in the distant future.
CALIGINOUS OUT!