A/N: Cameron and Thorin keep dancing around each other as they are in Rivendell...
Man, how I loved Rivendell! Everyone had been offered a room of their own. The dwarves, stubborn as always, had refused, camping up together in one big room, even refusing to use the beds. Bilbo and I, however, were happy to take up the offer. So, I'd gotten a huge room, huger than any I'd slept in before, one that even had a separate bathroom attached to it. The female elf who was appointed by Lord Elrond to see to my needs during my stay here, something like a chambermaid, had actually apologized for not giving me a bigger room, but that "Lord Oakenshield" had made a fuss and insisted on me being close to their quarters. I told her it was no problem, unable to hide a smile at it. That stubborn, sweet dwarf.
Right now, I'm taking a well-deserved bath. I was so goddamn dirty, not even having been able to clean up after the troll-slashing and warg-slaying, still covered in blood, and I had to run a second bath to be able to soak in water that wasn't tainted red. Right now, I'm smelling all the different soaps and shampoos that had been placed next to the bath, deciding on one that smelled like roses and vanilla. I scrub my body until it hurts, and when I get out, I finally feel relaxed and clean once more, the warmth of the water soaked into my skin.
I'm busy drying my hair, debating on whether to cut it short or not, since it seemed a lot more handy for me when we continued this journey, when someone knocks on my door.
"Just a second!" I call out, before wrapping a huge towel around my body and walking over to the door. When I open it, I'm surprised to find Thorin standing there, looking nervous. When his eyes land upon me, they grow wide in surprise.
"I-um-you're naked." He stutters, and I have to force back a smile when I see his ears turning red.
"I was taking a bath. I don't like being covered in troll and warg blood too much." I explain with a smile, hugging my towel a bit closer to me.
"Ah, yes, that makes sense. We… should probably take a bath ourselves." Thorin mutters, seeming to become self-aware as he looks down at himself.
"Can't be that bad, let me smell…" I say with a smile, then lean in to smell him.
"Oof, yes, it's that bad. You really should get cleaned up." I bring out, coughing. When I look at him, he scowls at me.
"Oh, don't be insulted. You usually smell wonderful." I say, rolling my eyes at him. Then, I realize what I said, and I can feel my cheeks turn pink, making him smirk.
"Anyways, what did you need me for?" I ask, wondering why he showed up in front of my door.
"Just came to check if you were alright, no elves bothering you…" He trails off, shrugging.
"Really?" I ask, raising an eyebrow at him.
"I'm not jealous, okay?" He exclaims in his defence, making me smile.
"I didn't say you were." I answer, turning him even more flustered.
"I'll get dressed and come find you afterwards, okay?" I suggest, no longer making fun of him.
"Okay." He states, shoulders relaxing slightly, and I watch as his Majesty walks off in that particular way of his.
Closing the door, I smile to myself. I don't really know why, but since we fought the wargs together, he seemed a lot less grumpy or brooding around me. I kind of liked it, even if he was being overprotective of me towards the elves. Relaxed, I walk over to the closet, surprised when I find it full of dresses. I rummage through it, disappointed when I don't find any pants, but grab a blue dress that reminds me of Thorin's eyes. It fits, although I seem to be a bit more curvy than the elf who owned it, but it's soft and fits well. It's long-sleeved, and reaches my feet. There's also a pair of soft brown leather sandals, so I put those on too, really touched by the hospitality the elves gave us. I brush my hair, happy to see it soft and not dirty, then walk out of my room.
The dwarves aren't in their rooms, and when I ask an elf about it, they tell me they're outside. He's kind enough to show me the way, and the sight I see when I turn around the corner is. truly. terrifying.
There they all are, bathing…in the fountain…naked. I'm staring, unable to tear my eyes away from the display, the images of my naked companions already burned onto my retinas forever. I'm positive I even let out a girly squeak, currently watching as Thorin wrestles with Dwalin. NAKED.
"Miss Cameron!" I'm forced to look away, finding a less shocked Elrond standing there.
"I'm so, so sorry! I didn't know about this!" I exclaim apologetically, positive he'll kick us all out now.
"I know. This isn't your fault." He states, moving to stand beside me, Lindir following him.
When I look back at the dwarves, I see that Bilbo too is staring at them in shock from a distance, cheeks bright red, trying to voice how this is inappropriate beyond reason. I swallow harshly, eyes sucked back onto the 13 dwarves. They were truly unbelievable. It's when the two Princes jump from the top of the fountain, their… well, you know, dangling in the air, then tackling Dwalin and Thorin, that I lose it. I giggle. I giggle like a 10 year old who's never seen a naked man before, and I quickly raise my hands to cover my mouth and muffle the sound, but they've already heard. They all freeze up, terror filling their eyes as they turn around to find me looking at them, and I lose it. I begin to laugh so hard that I nearly double over, my stomach hurting so much that I'm not sure whether I'm crying happy tears or I'm just in pain. When I calm down, which takes a long time, I look back up at them, which nearly makes me do the whole thing all over again.
All of them were staring at me in shock, some of them even ashamed, covering themselves with their hands as much as they can. Ori, Dori and Nori were a bright red, covering their junk with their hands, poor Ori looking as if he'd rather be eaten by Smaug than have me see him naked. Bofur was smirking at me, that stupid hat of his still on top of his head, and Bombur was covering his breasts, which made me snort. Balin, Oin and Gloin were red around their ears, probably realizing they were way too old to be caught naked by a girl, whereas Bifur was standing there proudly, giving me a look that said that he thought he was still quite the catch. The Princes were posing and even going as far as flexing their muscles to impress me, but they still covered their stuff, and I saw the red around their ears. Dwalin and Thorin too were red around their ears, but refused to show their shame, standing there proudly, their arms crossed over magnificent chests. I quickly calm down as I stare at Thorin. His gorgeous hair is wet, splayed across a broad chest that's decorated with drops of water. He's more muscled than I thought he'd be, without it being too much, and I find myself staring at him. God, he was truly a sight to behold. I'm pretty sure my heart skips multiple beats. Shit, I was getting distracted!
I force myself to ignore my feelings, and eye each one of them sternly, realizing how disgraceful they were being to our host, who was still standing next to me.
"What do you guys think you're doing?" I ask them, raising an eyebrow as I try to look like a mother scolding her children. From the looks of it, it was working.
"Bathing, like you suggested." Thorin answers brazenly.
"In a normal bathroom!" I exclaim, a glare appearing on my face. Ori flinches at it. I walk down the steps and walk over to the fountain, stopping in front of Thorin. I place my hands in my hips, scowling at him, looking down at the dwarves.
"From the moment we've arrived here, all of you have been nothing but rude and impolite. These elves, who owe us nothing, have given us a roof to sleep under, a table to eat at, and all you do is disrespect them. I'm not even angry at you lot, I'm disappointed. Now get your asses out of this fountain, put some clothes on, and apologize to Lord Elrond." I state calmly, giving them a truly disappointed look. All of them seem to realize their actions then, some lowering their gaze. Thorin's eyes look at me, and I see a flash of guilt in them, but I spin around and walk away without sparing them another glance.
"I apologize for their behaviour, Lord Elrond. It seems that they haven't been taught any manners." I say softly, giving him an apologetic smile.
"You shouldn't apologize for them." He argues, giving me a smile of his own.
"Will you join us for dinner?" He then asks.
"I would be delighted." I answer. He bows towards me, and I return the gesture before leaving the area.
At dinner, Bilbo informs me of how they all apologized to Lord Elrond, still naked, cheeks burning with shame, before they all retreated to their room and got dressed. Right now, though, they're complaining about the lack of meat. Bilbo and I, on the contrary, are happily eating fruits and vegetables, grateful to have something to eat in the first place. Lord Elrond is seated at a different table, Gandalf by his side, and Bilbo told me that the wizard too had gotten mad at the dwarves once he heard of the whole ordeal. At my table, none of the dwarves dare say anything to me, blushes appearing on their cheeks as soon as they see me looking at them.
"Cameron?" Ori finally speaks up, carefully. When I turn to look at him, he turns bright red instantly.
"Yes, Ori?" I ask calmly, trying not to laugh. The poor thing.
"I'm sorry." He says, looking truly ashamed.
"You are forgiven." I state, flashing him a smile. After that, each and every dwarf apologizes to me, except for one: their King. Dinner ends, and the dwarves retreat to their room. I follow them, since my room is not too far away, and say goodbye to them. I'm about to enter my room, when a certain voice calls me.
"Cameron!"
When I turn around, I'm surprised to find Thorin walking over to me, a strange look in his blue eyes.
"Yes, Thorin?" I ask, turning my back to the door to my room.
"I'm-I'm sorry. I should've forbidden the others to jump into that fountain. I'm their leader and I should make sure they're being good guests, yet I'm not being a very good guest towards our hosts myself. I'm sorry if we embarrassed you." He brings out, sounding honest. I'm surprised by the apology, for he didn't seem like one to apologize at all.
"It's fine. I'm glad you realize it." I answer, giving him a smile.
"Only because of you. I realized how… inappropriate we were being when you saw us." He admits, awkwardly coughing. My eyes widen slightly at it, the memory of him naked popping up in my head once more.
"I-It's fine. You-you look great. I mean, you all look great. Healthy. V-Very healthy dwarves." I stutter about, turning bright red. When he smirks at it, I can feel myself turning even redder.
"Good to know. Goodnight, Cameron." He says, turning around and walking away. I stare at him until he's disappeared out of sight, then enter my bedroom, moving to lean against the door with a sigh. Now that he planted that image of him in my head once more, I was never going to be able to sleep. Groaning, I look at my bed. Damned dwarf!