Author's Note: "The tiger in the cage" description came out of lathalea's mind :) I apologize for last weekend if you noticed my summary was all tweaked out, missing periods. Blame the website for eating my periods and words. Thanks so much for the reviews. Eleven more makes me really, really happy. Responses for the anonymous ones will be below. Thanks Adeleidhis, lillalil, creepyLotRfangirl55, JJ, Um. Hi, Guest, DwarvenWarrior, house of the falling sun, SiaSaySomeday, anna. pantelarou, and UKReader for taking the time to review. Also, thanks for the favorites and follows :)
Disclaimer: I do not own "This Fire Burns" by Killswitch Engage. I can't believe I'm using a scream-o song, but I really like these lyrics. Sorry, CM Punk, D-Bry is the best in the world :) And most of my readers probably won't know what I'm talking about.
Chapter Five: This Fire Burns
Rue drew backwards, eyes darting around frantically. Gee, she was a dumbass galore. Now she had to cover her tracks of "I'm so obviously from another world."
"I'm sorry," she apologized to Gimli, clasping her hands together. "I know you think I'm crazy, but it's just in my realm―Stockton―you're well-known, Gimli. I didn't mean to weird you out. I swear I'm not Edward Cullen creepy." Yep, like he knew what that meant.
Gimli wrinkled his eyebrows in confusion.
"They speak of you in another realm," Kili blurted. "But what for?"
"Maybe because they are impressed by the length of his beard," Fili said jokingly.
Kili scowled, ranting in what Rue assumed to be a bunch of insults in another language, probably the Dwarf language.
"Oh, my, brother, now that is rude," Fili spoke teasingly, giving a tsk tsk sound.
Gimli's eyes widened. "In front of a lass?"
Rue was open-mouthed, having the feeling Kili might be talking about her. He was probably making fun of her hair. It was like a bird's nest gone wild.
Kili frowned some more, spinning around and stomping away from the training grounds overdramatically. A whistle of wind blew softly by the campfire, making Rue shiver.
Gimli and Fili gave each other a long, wary look.
"What troubles him?" Gimli asked grouchily, eyes narrowing in the direction Kili took off.
Fili explained in all simplicity, "Kili is jealous that you have a beard, and he does not take too kindly to strangers." That was obvious. In some weird sense, Kili not liking Rue made her want to know more about him. He reminded her of Thorin in some ways, but then not so much.
"Well, she is a woman from the race of Men," Gimli pointed out bluntly. "And a strange one, indeed."
"Indeed." Fili nodded.
"Hey, uh, I'm right here," Rue said pathetically.
"She is Uncle's guest, though, so there must be a reason."
"You don't say?" Gimli raised one eyebrow curiously.
"He's supposed to take me to the Shire to meet Frodo," Rue piped up awkwardly, noticing how chapped her lips were. It was really cold here. She wasn't used to this kind of weather, since Stockton was usually warm, and the coldest it got was like thirty degrees in the dead of winter.
"You keep speaking of this Frodo." Fili smirked. "You know of Hobbits from the Shire?"
She shrugged, half-lying. "Uh, yeah, people from my realm know about Hobbits." There was Pippin, Frodo, Terry, and Pam―wait, it was Sam!
They spent a few more minutes lingering by the training grounds, Gimli inching farther and farther away from Rue, obviously freaked out. Fili chuckled softly, clearly enjoying how uncomfortable Rue made Gimli. They spoke of the quest briefly, Fili talking about how he was going and how there was nothing Thorin could do to stop him. Rue had felt like saying, "Reminder: Thorin is scary. I'm sure he can lasso you up and keep you here against your will," but she remained silent.
After she apologized to Gimli for the hundredth time, they left the training grounds, winding their way through the village and back to Dis's house. Rue had anticipated this was going to be the moment when Dis said, "I'm sorry, but we just can't accommodate another person right now," but it turned out, things were still crazy.
They paused in front of the stone path leading to the cute, sleepy home, Thorin and Dis's livid shouts still audible from outside.
Fili seemed pretty passive over the whole thing, where if Rue had been in his shoes, she would've been frantic and panicking.
"Come, Miss Rue," Fili ended the profuse silence between them. "I would bargain a wager that my little brother is peeking through the kitchen window. He's been an eavesdropper since he was a babe."
Rue followed Fili as they went around the house, her steps more hesitant when she saw the glowing light from the kitchen window. Kili was sitting on his knees, the tip of his hairline brushing across the window's small ledge. His eyes were big, open-mouthed.
Fili walked right up to the window with all the confidence in the world, dropping down on his knees. Rue wondered how Thorin and Dis hadn't spotted them yet. She was about to turn tail and go stand in front of the house, or maybe even return to the training grounds to hang out with Gimli just as Fili spoke.
"Come on, Miss Rue," Fili beckoned her.
Kili spun on his knees, shooting her a glare. Rue stumbled back, ducking as Thorin faced the window briefly before turning back to argue with Dis.
"Stop looking at her like that, Kili," Fili said in annoyance.
"Like what?" Kili faced Fili, spitting his words out defensively.
"Scowling."
Kili didn't deny the obvious, huffing and puffing as he returned his attention to the window again.
Fili started irritably, "She's Uncle's guest and Uncle is already mad―"
He was cut-off as Dis roared like the dragon breaking out from Gringotts in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Rue flew to her knees, crawling closer to the window so Dis wouldn't see her.
"You promised them that if they trained hard, you would take them on your 'quest.' Do you not recall, brother? And now you intend to go back on your word! I do not wish for them to go, but it is mistaken to break your word!" Dis bellowed.
"YOUR QUEST?" Thorin sputtered in disbelief, face twisted in rage. "Are you not of the line of Durin? Does the chance to seize back Erebor mean nothing to you!"
"IF IT MEANS MY SONS AND OUR FRIENDS MIGHT BE HARMED, THEN IT DOES MEAN NOTHING! WHAT OF BALIN AND DWALIN? THEY WILL GO OUT OF LOYALTY TO YOU, EVEN IF THEY DO NOT AGREE!"
"Mom fancies Dwalin, Uncle's most loyal friend," Fili said to Rue informatively. He then faced the window again.
Rue brushed her hair down, trying to be discreet as she sat next to Fili, completely in shock. Kili seemed more affected by the arguing, his eyes wandering from Dis's bellowing form to Thorin's crazy-mad one. Fili, on the other hand, took everything in stride, as though he had been expecting this all along.
Thorin spun around, his coat billowing around his knees, fists clenched, jaw shut tight. He was about to leave the kitchen, but then Dis continued.
"Do not walk away from me!" She pointed at herself wildly. "WHAT DO YOU PLAN TO DO, THORIN? TAKE THIRTEEN―THIRTEEN DWARVES―TO FORM A LINE AND CHARGE AT SMAUG, AND HOPE ONE OF YOU GETS THROUGH? IT IS RIDICULOUS―"
"RIDICULOUS?" Thorin turned around, thundering across the kitchen, yelling in Dis's face.
Dis suddenly sent her hand flying across the table, wooden cups going airborne and touching down on the floor. Kili's eyebrows traveled up his forehead, lips slightly trembling.
"IS WHAT WE HAVE HERE NOT GOOD ENOUGH? A LIFE OF PEACE? WE ARE FED AND TAKEN CARE OF, BUT THAT MEANS NOTHING BECAUSE THERE IS NOT ENOUGH GOLD!" She was growling, looking completely ferocious. "IS IT THE GOLD OR IS IT THE TRUTH THAT YOU ARE LIVING IN THE PAST. YOU DO NOT SEE ME MOURNING OVER MY DEAD HUSBAND EVERY DAY, DO YOU? IT IS A LOST DREAM, A LOST CAUSE!"
Heavy silence ensued. The hairs on the back of Rue's neck stood up. The expression on Thorin's face was disbelief, hurt, and wallowing wrath. She didn't know exactly what was going on, but she knew enough to see that was a low blow. A lost cause? A lost dream?
Thorin was shaking in scalding rage, his angry silence even worse than his shouting.
Fili muttered, "Hmm, I did not expect for that to happen." Rue felt like Fili might as well have been providing commentary for a soap opera. She didn't like the hurt screaming off every inch of Thorin's being, bending down to peer at the grass, which now seemed so much more interesting than what was going on inside the house.
She heard deafening stomps throughout the house, and then one booming slam. Oh, crap. The front door. Just as Rue, Fili, and Kili scrambled away from the window, trying to look innocent, Thorin's brilliant blue eyes blinked at them, his expression completely irate. He was standing by the corner of the house, fuming.
He opened his mouth to say something, but then Dis could be heard barreling out the front door, and yelling, "YOU CAN SLEEP OUTSIDE!"
Thorin's eyes grew dark like a storm was raging. He was sneering with the utmost ferocity.
Lamely, Kili said, "It is not what it appears to be." If Thorin possibly thought they hadn't heard a thing, Kili had just given them away.
In one quick movement, Thorin turned, stomping away from the house, continuing down the rocky path that winded past houses in the village. They stood up hurriedly, ambling toward the house carefully. They met Dis, who stood on the stone pathway, hands on her hips. She was breathing fire, but when she saw Rue, her body slackened.
"Oh, hello, dear. Do not worry, you will certainly not being sleeping outside. Just my imbecile brother." Now she sounded like…Molly Weasley.
Rue cast a glance over her shoulder, gazing in the direction Thorin went, tempted to go talk to him. She thought better of it. Right now he would be too freaking angry. And she didn't blame him completely. First, he had to deal with unnecessary problems because of her, and now he'd gotten in a screaming match with his sister. Not to mention, "Erebor is a lost cause, lost dream," had been said to him.
She nodded in response. "Thank you…would you like me to call you Dis or Miss Dis or―"
"Just Dis is fine," she said, forcing a smile on her face. Seconds later, all of them had gone inside, Dis lecturing Kili and Fili on the merits of eavesdropping.
Rue had slept in the guest room. Dis had told her it was where Thorin usually slept when he stayed there. The bed smelled like Thorin: a mix of musky and springtime scents. She really liked Thorin's scent, but―yeah. Thorin still hadn't come back after last night. His absence was weird, especially after seeing Thorin every single day, hour, minute, and second for two weeks straight. It was lame, but she missed him.
Dis had been unbelievably kind ever since the shouting match. Rue had put the pieces together when Dis had a woman-to-woman talk with her last night. Their conversation had gone something like this:
"My brother told me of that Man who treated you poorly. It is a shame human men know nothing of how to treat a woman. Perhaps you will learn the ways of how Dwarf men treat women, with respect and care. Even the Elves treat women well."
"Men from my realm are kinda worse in some ways. They don't discipline their wives, but they cheat, manipulate, say mean things, and abandon."
Dis's eyes had grown big in disbelief. "The race of Men disciplines their wives?"
Yep, Rue had figured out Dis thought she was an abuse victim. What had Thorin exactly said? Was it the picture Thorin had painted of her or Rue herself that made Dis think victim? She guessed the latter.
She was standing outside the bathroom, bouncing on the tips of her toes. Rue needed to pee like a racehorse.
She hugged herself, the biting cold in the Blue Mountains impossible to get used to. How did Dwarves live out here?
"Are you waiting to use the bathroom?" Fili's voice broke through her thoughts.
Rue spun around in the narrow hallway, spotting a grinning Fili.
"Oh, yeah, but I can wait," she assured, not wanting to impose even more than she was already. Rue knew what happened to guests who imposed too much or who were too comfortable too fast. They were ass out in a week tops.
Fili laughed softly, walking past her. He banged on the bathroom door thunderously, eyes brightening.
"Oh, little brother, if you keep searching for your beard, it will never grow in," he teased, smirking.
There was a muffled outcry on the other side of the door.
"Be quiet! You know nothing! I am not watching my beard grow!"
"Then what are you doing?"
"It's no business of yours!"
"Our guest needs to use the bathroom."
"Our guest?" Kili spoke tartly. "You mean Uncle's guest."
"I am seconds away from going inside that bathroom to teach you proper respect," Fili warned, pressing his ear against the door now, eyes gleaming.
"Oh, you know so much respect, Heir, do you not?"
Fili peered at Rue, blinking, and then shrugged. "Little brother is asking for it."
She was horrified as Fili opened the bathroom door. He said in all nonchalance, "You better be decent," and then went inside, the door slamming shut behind him.
"Get out!" Kili yelped from the other side of the door before it was silent for a few moments.
All of a sudden, several loud thunks, bumps, and thuds could be heard from the bathroom, along with Kili's shouts.
"IT IS ONLY BECAUSE YOU ARE HEAVIER―YOU ARE FAT!"
Fili responded coolly, "Is that it, brother? Or is it that I am just the better fighter?"
"ARE NOT!"
"Then why have I ended up on top again?"
Kili grunted several insults in retort.
Rue covered her mouth, wondering what the heck was going on. Then Dis was suddenly right there, banging on the door angrily.
"YOU HAVE BETTER NOT BROKEN ANYTHING!" she bellowed. "Fili, stop goading your brother! And Kili, stop watching your beard. It won't make it grow any faster!"
"I AM NOT WATCHING IT GROW!" Kili yelled like some teenager denying looking in the mirror for some pimples. Rue had been there, done that. You know, the last time she had checked for pimples was probably her last morning on earth, so…
Ten minutes later, after Rue had finally gotten the chance to pee, she entered the kitchen alongside Fili, who was looking pretty smug and proud of himself. She didn't know what she was expecting, but not the scenario in front of her. Dis was sitting on one side of the kitchen table, while Thorin―when had Thorin arrived?―sat on the opposite side. Their gazes were murderous, a tangible tension so heavy in the room, Rue found it hard to force her limbs onwards.
Fili took a seat next to Kili, who was picking at his food. Rue noticed Kili's hair was messy. She wasn't sure if it was bedhead hair or from Fili getting one over on him in the bathroom.
Coyly, she inched closer to the only available chair, realizing the only seat left was nearest to Thorin. Well, at this point, she thought her safest bet was staying near Fili and Dis, but she didn't have a choice.
Rue plopped down, wondering if she should offer to do dishes, clean, or cook. Last night, she had told Dis she would attempt to chop wood that needed chopping in the back. Dis had snorted and said, "Oh, dear, do not worry about that. I have two strong sons and an idiot, but very capable brother. Do Men make you chop wood? That's horrendous."
Rue had never chopped wood in her life, but she was willing to give it a go. Awkwardly, she grabbed a fork and knife, and started digging into a plate already set-up in front of her. Just as she went to take her third bite of eggs, Thorin's voice resembling a whip cracking down, rang out.
"Why are you not eating?"
For a second, Rue thought he was talking to her, becoming frantic. Her gaze traveled from the plate of food, to the faces surrounding the kitchen table.
"I do not like it," Kili sneered.
Thorin's eyes grew furious. "Your mother cooked it. You will eat it." He clenched the fork in his hand, as if tempted to stab Kili with it. Run Kili, run far away.
This couldn't go good.
Suddenly, Kili's dark eyes were flashing with insurgency. Rue wanted to ask, "What are you thinking? Thorin will kill you." It was too late as he leaned back in his chair, kicking his feet up on the table, and shoved his plate of food off the table with his heel, eggs and bacon sliding off it and creating a splat on the floor. Seconds later, the fight left Kili's eyes, panic taking place, and his feet dropping off the table. His gaze whipped back and forth from Dis to Thorin in horror.
Fili gave an inconspicuous, little chuckle.
"Do you know how many people go hungry?" Thorin said heatedly, his voice deathly quiet.
Kili shook his head. "But―but―"
"Pick it up."
Kili stood up, his chair making a squeaking noise, the fight returning to him. "No."
"What?"
"Pick it up, Kili," Dis growled.
"Why?" Kili waved his arms in anger. "Why should I? What about Fili, your precious Heir?"
"What of me?" Fili asked quietly, no longer smiling.
Dis shook her head, giving Thorin a pointed look.
"If you will not pick it up, you will go chop wood outside," Thorin hissed obstinately, nostrils flaring.
Kili was about to open his mouth to protest, but thought better of it. He glared at Fili, making a dramatic exit out the kitchen as he stomped loudly, shouting, "THIS IS NOT FAIR!"
Rue busied herself with eating, pretending for―well, if anyone was embarrassed―their benefit that she didn't have much of an opinion. Actually, in her eyes, this wasn't humiliating at all. The arguments Mom got in with her numerous boyfriends, flings, cops, relatives, and ex-friends were insane to the point that she felt impervious to "normal" family matters. Whatever normal was.
Several, awkward minutes later, after listening to Kili loudly chop the wood from outside and small talk between Dis and Fili, Thorin broke the silence.
"Miss Rue, you will accompany me after breakfast," he said uncomfortably, eyes flashing to hers for a brief second before returning to his food.
Dis gave a little snort between mouthfuls of eggs.
"Okay." She nodded elatedly in spite of being nervous. Rue had wanted to talk to Thorin alone, so they could discuss if she was supposed to keep quiet about her big secret: being from another world. And there was the whole Gimli incident, too, which led her to believe this wasn't Lord of the Rings. It was The Hobbit. Was Frodo even alive? Most of all, she wanted to know if Thorin was okay after last night's screaming match. Maybe Rue could give him a friendly pat on the back or―who was she kidding? He was King Under the Mountain, grouchy extraordinaire. Gosh, she wished she could get him the Elder Wand so he could go all demolition on Smaug's ass.
Rue and Thorin were standing in the sloping forest minutes outside the Blue Mountains, entirely alone. Nothing but chilly wind kissed the air, fleeting sunlight splintering through the breaks between branches shrouding their heads.
"So, uh," Rue started the conversation awkwardly, intimidated by the wrath screaming off Thorin. His tense body language spoke volumes. She continued lamely, "I was wondering if I'm supposed to keep quiet around Dis, Fili, and Kili about being from another world―" Rue held up her hands in assurance― "Which I have. I wanted to hear from you first before I did anything stupid." Like nearly tackle Gimli to the ground, going on about Lord of the Rings.
Thorin gave a terse nod. "I believe it would be wise for you to remain in silence of the truth, until we arrive in the Shire that is."
Rue was about to tell Thorin that maybe Frodo didn't exist yet, since this was The Hobbit and all, but he started speaking gruffly before she got the chance.
"I will be leaving for a meeting in Ered Luin in two days' time. You will stay with my sister and nephews until I return. Is that understood?" He was gritting his teeth, staring at a point in the distance.
Rue nodded. "Yeah, that's understood, I just―" She shifted closer to a tree trunk behind her― "Uh, when will you be back? Do you think you'll be okay? What if they are Orcs and dementors or something?" All right, Rue had no clue why she kept saying uh and then mentioned dementors as though they existed in Middle-earth. Maybe it was because she really wished this were Harry Potter. Then again, if it were, she would have never met Thorin and all these interesting Dwarves. The thought of never meeting Thorin made her feel all emo.
"I will be fine," he growled softly. "They are no Orcs in these lands, Miss Rue." Thorin furrowed his eyebrows curiously. "What are dementors?"
Rue flapped her arms excitedly. "These creatures with scaly hands that dress in black and suck away all your happiness. Their fictional creatures in this series called Harry Potter from back home." When she saw Thorin raise his eyebrow in question as she said "series," she explained, "They're books and I gotta tell you about them when we have the time. I love them so much. Before I ended up here, I was going home to grab some sleeping clothes so I could head over to Natalie's house. That's why I have my backpack. I was totally thinking about grabbing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, but I didn't. Maybe you could've read it if I had grabbed it."
Genuine interest flashed in Thorin's eyes.
"It's rude to talk about Harry Potter," she said regretfully. "Sorry. I mean after last night―" Rue stopped talking all at once. Oh, no, word vomit. She made a choking noise, horrified.
Thorin leered at her, puffing out his chest. "What of it?" he growled defensively. Suddenly, Rue wished somebody else were here, even if it was Kili.
"Nothing." She shook her head, crazy hair bouncing. "I just―I'm not exactly an expert on what's going on―but about Erebor. I can understand why a Dragon sitting in your home with everything that belongs to you would really really get to you. I don't understand exactly, but my mom still has a lot of my things at home, even though I moved out months ago. She's kinda like a Dragon, where it's hard to get my things."
Thorin seemed perplexed by her words, gaze lowering to the bed of leaves underneath their feet.
Deep silence echoed in the forest surrounding them. Rue really wished some bird would fly over, chirping to make this less awkward. She had said too much; spoke about things that were not her business. While thinking over an apology, eyes honing in on the twigs scattered about her shoes, she didn't hear Thorin take a step-forward. But when she looked up, she saw him.
He was standing one-step closer; jaw clenched tightly, intensity probing his eyes.
"Do you believe the entirety of Erebor is foolish?" Thorin asked, half-grunting his words defensively. "I have not seen my cousin Dain in years, but it is clear he shares my sister's opinion." Bitterness seeped his words, so much of it that it pained Rue.
Honestly, Rue thought only taking thirteen Dwarves to fight one Dragon that had destroyed an entire kingdom was a little…not the smartest plan ever. On the other hand, it was cool; it was downright fearless and inspiring. So she stuck to her second thoughts.
"It's not, Thorin," Rue whispered, gazing at him.
Thorin's eyes froze on hers, penetrating, as if exploring her eyes for any signs of deceit.
His shoulders tensed, expression changing dramatically seconds later, the bitterness diminishing. "I have the time if you wish to tell me of this Harry Potter."
Rue smiled, stepping closer eagerly. "Really?"
"Yes."
Suddenly, Thorin's eyes widened in alarm, his mouth parting, and then shutting. Rue stopped mid-step. Oh, crap.
Rue feared the worst, thinking she would turn around to find a freaking bear or mountain lion ready to gobble her up.
She mouthed, "What is it?"
Thorin raced past her, peering at something. Rue turned around to find Thorin looking past trees, hand clenching on the tree bark. Throughout the forest, she could hear soft thuds and the wind carrying a multitude of voices.
After several seconds of pulsing rage in Thorin's eyes, he whirled back around. "Come, we must return."
Rue started to run after him, Thorin ushering for her to go ahead of him.
"What is it?" she squeaked fearfully.
"Men of Bree."
They were standing in front of the bridge that led to the village, soft gusts of wind hissing in Rue's ears. Fili and Kili were there, along with several Dwarf guards. Thorin had insisted Rue return to the house with Dis, but after Fili had learned what happened in Bree from Rue between her frantic apologies, he had insisted Rue stay there.
She had wanted to remain there, too, since she felt this was all her fault. The Men of Bree were probably searching for her anyway, so why run? Thorin had reluctantly caved in, pissed off.
The Men of Bree arrived not-so dramatically. Rue had been half-expecting them to come barreling out the forest, giving battles cries, ready to kill like they were Hatfields butchering McCoys.
She was squeamish, frightened as she saw Naji riding one of the horses, the tenth rider out of eleven. Eleven freaking Men? Rue didn't think she was that special. Judging from knowing Naji for one-month, it was probably the fact that a Dwarf had bested him that was eating him up inside.
The Dwarven guards stood erect behind Thorin, Fili, and Kili, swaying their war hammers and axes casually in not-so subtle warning. Rue stood next to Kili, surprised when he suddenly stepped in front of her.
"Is that him?" Kili said loudly, pointing at Naji bluntly. Was Naji's arrogance and cockiness that obvious? The Draco Malfoy and Gaston vibes must have given him away.
Rue nodded. "How did you know?"
"He seems to be the type of Man that treats women poorly," Kili crowed, puffing out his chest as he swung his bow outwards for a better position. "Do not worry, Miss Rue, we will not let him near you." Quite the change of heart from yesterday.
Fili's eyes were squinted, millions of unsaid thoughts swimming in his mind.
Thorin stood in front of all of them, his entire body tense in anticipation.
Unfortunately, Naji galloped ahead of the ten men that formed a line behind him. The men didn't seem exactly battle-ready. They were dressed in tunics, wearing weak armor. Most had swords, but one had a pitchfork. Eh?
"You thought you would outwit me, Dwarf," Naji sneered.
Thorin stood taller, completely furious in his menacing silence.
"That is my betrothed." Naji jerked his head at Rue, black ponytail shifting. "You stole her."
"Stole?" Rue sputtered in disbelief. She went unheard, several of the Dwarf guards giving outcries of denial.
"Or was it that she chose to leave with you," Naji started angrily, gingerly sliding off his horse, landing on a mix of grass and dirt with a thud. "It would not surprise me. She seemed so enamored by you when you waltzed into the Prancing Pony, when she first laid eyes on you." Enamored? It was more like intimidated by Thorin's majestic swag.
"Liar!" Kili yelled between one Dwarf deeming Naji a "Filthy man" and another calling him a "Spoiled Man-child."
Thorin took several long strides toward Naji, the gesture shutting up every Dwarf.
"This is my realm and I say leave," he growled cuttingly.
Naji shook his head, making it a point to stand as tall as he could to demonstrate their height difference. This got a stupid chuckle from the Men lined up behind him. "You have what is mine," Naji hissed, glowering at Thorin. "It is time Dwarves such as yourself, 'King Under the Mountain,' have been dealt with in fairness to their offenses." What offenses? Because Thorin went all Chuck Norris on Naji?
Thorin shot a leer right back. "She is not yours. Her agreement to marry you was verbal, nothing more. She lives in the Blue Mountains now, under my leadership."
The Dwarves seemed completely at odds with that accusation, their eyes landing on Rue critically. She couldn't handle the attention without feeling flustered, sidestepping away from Kili, feeling overwhelmed. She realized her mistake too late.
"Oh, there is my whore with the ugly hair," Naji cooed, grinning. Rue looked up from the ground, wide-eyed, cheeks becoming hot in humiliation. She backed up, torn between hiding behind Kili or letting Naji take her so the Dwarves of the Blue Mountains wouldn't have this drama.
Kili bellowed, "THE NERVE―" He was cut-off as he tried to sprint forward, Fili catching him by the shoulders.
Thorin clenched his fists, nearly roaring, "Do not speak to her that way. I told you before and will not repeat myself; this is my land, human." Thorin seemed seconds away from spitting on the ground in front of Naji all cowboy style.
"I had to see this for myself," Naji spoke in disbelief, watching Rue. "What woman chooses a Dwarf over her own kin? Especially one of the likes of you, Thorin son of Thrain―" He started laughing boisterously and Rue knew he was just getting started― "Are these the Heirs others have spoken of? Look at the rags they wear! I am not royalty, but I am dressed finer. And shall I get started with the stories I have heard of your sister? Is it true she has been desperate enough to bed Men for money, since you could not provide for her? It is my belief Ruby will take over where your sister left off in the taverns―"
He was interrupted as Thorin lunged like a crazed animal, fists outstretched. Fili and Kili raced onwards, the guards of Dwarven men forming a barricade in front of Thorin, bristling Naji and his Men backwards. Fili had stopped Thorin from punching the daylights out of Naji, holding onto Thorin's arms with silent force. Fili's arms were doing all the work, while his gaze was fixated on Naji like a madman planning someone's murder.
Rue desperately sprinted past Dwarf guards, ready to give herself back if―if―all these problems would go away. She heard Fili growl to Kili, who insisted he let Thorin hit Naji.
"Vengeance will be ours, little brother," Fili murmured darkly. "We must wait for the right moment and this is not it."
Thorin grunted savagely, trying to break free from Fili's stealthy grip. Rue heard Fili mutter to Thorin in the Dwarf language.
"I DO NOT CARE!" Thorin bellowed wildly. Strangely enough, he jerked away from Fili, huffing and puffing, but the fight leaving him. He was livid, pacing back and forth like a tiger in a cage that wanted nothing more than to tear Naji's jugular into bloody fragments.
Rue skidded to a halt in front of Naji, several Dwarf guards lunging forward in an attempt to grab her.
"It's okay!" she squealed, raising her hands. "I'll go back with him if it means you guys don't have any problems!"
The Dwarf guards backed away, their gazes landing on Thorin for direction. Thorin was bristling impatiently, snarling while glaring murderously at Naji.
"Oh, you will, will you?" Naji asked hotly, bending down to say it in her ear. Rue didn't think. She reacted instinctively, timidly pulling her ear away from his mouth. This dark frown plagued his face.
Thorin grimaced, lips curling even more than they already were. Now he really resembled a tiger in a cage. It seemed like it took all the effort in the world for him to compose himself as he marched forward, Kili and Fili loyally by his side. Rue never could forget the scheming, devious stare Fili gave Naji. It reminded her of Nori in some ways. She hoped the Ri brothers were all right.
Jerkily in rage, Thorin lifted a finger, pointing to the forest. "You will leave here. There has never been difficult relations between the Blue Mountains and Bree―" Thorin's eyes were challenging in anger― "Or would you revel in starting bad relations?" He was grinding his teeth.
Naji slowly nodded. "Well, I see then." He walked backwards, gradually rolling on the balls of his feet. "Remember Thorin son of Thrain, you will not always have the safety of your Blue Mountains and your people to protect you." His warning was ominous, complete bullshit. Now Rue was getting pissed.
In an unpredictable act, which confused the hell out of Rue, he turned tail, climbing back up on his horse. This wasn't supposed to be that simple. Why travel two-weeks just for this confrontation? It didn't make any sense.
Naji set-off on his horse, the Men following him relentlessly while casting glares over their shoulders. Rue exhaled softly, shaking.
Crazy tension doused the air. The Dwarves probably wanted to throw her in the river below the Blue Mountains right about now.
Then Kili broke the ice, yelling victoriously, "He was frightened! That is why he surrendered!" All the tension was zapped from the air. Thank goodness for Kili.
His words encouraged the other Dwarves to rally in triumphant excitement. Only Fili and Thorin remained deathly quiet, their eyes following the path Naji and crew had just gone. Their silence said plenty of enough: this wasn't over.
Rue sat in the guest room, sitting cross legged on the bed, gazing longingly outside the window hovering above the bed's place against the wall. It had been almost one-month since Thorin had left for Ered Luin.
In her lap was her Tigger diary. She wrote furiously, too anxious, too nervous.
Dear Nat,
It's been one-month since Thorin left. I'm worried sick about him. What about Naji's warning? Did that punk do something when Thorin was all alone? I think it's about time I've left. Dis has been really nice to me, so has Fili, and strangely Kili. But of course like I told you two weeks ago, Kili and Fili left in the middle of the night for the Shire. Dis had a cow the next day. Her and Thorin never exactly gave them "permission" to go on the quest, but they had seemed so gung ho about it and left before Thorin could get back. I keep thinking about what Thorin said about his cousin, Dain. It seems like Dain doesn't have his back, like by the look on Thorin's face, that was what he was implying. It makes me miss you even more, boo. I know you would have my back 200 %. I've come up with the theory that since Dwarves live a long time, Hobbits probably do, too, which means Frodo might be alive! I haven't lost my hope. Anyway, I've been spending my last few days with Gimli when I'm not helping Dis around the house. He's even cooler in person. I've watched his dad, Gloin, train him in axes. Gimli's A LOT better with axes than with swords. I think he's found his groove thang. It's weird, but I miss Thorin. I know I've said this in every entry since he left, but I do. The last day before he left, we walked around the village a little bit and I asked Thorin why there isn't that many kiddies and women. He told me about the small population of she-Dwarves. Dis is one of the only Dwarven ladies out of ten in the entire Blue Mountains I think. Those are some crazy numbers. I think that's why Dwarf men are more respectful to women, because they don't have a bunch of them around, you know? Right when Thorin and me were going to talk about Harry Potter, we were interrupted again. I think some force doesn't want us to talk about Ha―
A clunk sounded at the window. Rue jerked upwards. She gulped, gaze whipping to the window in horror. Oh, crap, a burglar! Time to go Stockton on their ass. What she found instead was an impatient Gimli at her window, looking irritated standing there. Rue crawled toward the window, pushing it up.
Gimli let out a big gulp of breath. She noticed he had a bedroll and a medieval backpack on his shoulders. He kept glimpsing over his shoulder in fear, as if expecting someone to catch him. It wouldn't be Gloin since he'd left yesterday for the Shire. He had told Gimli, "Now you listen here. You will not be going on the quest, do you understand? Do not argue. You are too young and that is final."
"What are you doing? It's the middle of the night. Your mom is going to go ham on you," Rue muttered. Gimli's mom was super-protective of him, even worse than Gloin, which was saying a lot.
"Do you want to go to the Shire or not?" Gimli growled irritably. "Hurry up, lass. I cannot let you travel alone in the Wild."
Rue was confused, scratching her head. "Wait―what?"
"You heard me."
Rue started tentatively, "But I'll be helping a kiddie sneak out―"
"I am not a Dwarfling, I am a Dwarf," Gimli grunted, pointedly yanking up his ax for Rue to see. Huh.
Rue swallowed hard, deciding this was probably one of her hardest decisions in Middle-earth yet, besides from, "Do I want Dis to make cheese or that elaborate Dwarf bread?" If she stayed, Thorin might be―she just had a bad feeling something went wrong. And then there was Gimli, who seemed pretty dead-set on going on the quest. She couldn't let him go alone. According to everyone in the village, Gimli was still considered a Dwarfling―and they were sort of friends in spite of their awkward first meeting. Dis had said Thorin would be just fine, but―
Reluctantly, she whispered, "Okay, I'm coming with, but only so you don't get hurt and only if we travel to Ered Luin first to see if Thorin's okay―" Gimli raised his eyebrows. Rue murmured, "Uh, I'll get my backpack. Leave a thank-you note for Dis first."
Author's Note: Gimli is *whoop whoop* going on the quest! You will see why in the upcoming chapters. I think I have one more chapter or one more and a half before Bag End. Sorry for the unexpected monster chapter. And―sorry I can't resist―did you guys see the official trailer?! Oh. My. God. I'm speechless!
JJ: Gimli is here to stay…or is he? Couldn't resist including him. And of course Fili and Kili, too. Thanks for the review :)
Um. Hi: Interesting story anon. I don't know if you noticed, but last weekend, the summaries for fics and the PMing system went all bonkers. So I went to go fix my summary, but the periods were nonexistent. I was forced to use commas and a shorter summary, but I think it's been a good thing. Thanks for taking the time to review :) especially since you don't read OC stories.
Guest: You said you want to see Rue, not Thorin! That's a huge compliment. I'm glad my character is holding her own through her "Uhs" and complete social awkwardness. Thanks for the review :)