Author's Note: I hope all of Rue's crying isn't super annoying. But I feel like it's true to her character. I thought about not having her cry in this chapter, but then it didn't feel right. I do promise to make her cry less, though. Especially in the upcoming chapters. Thanks DwarvenWarrior, Ogregal, uno mega, jorja85, Lady Izel, THE WALKING sexy AMC, oninhagb, faithful poet, WannaBeNinja, Just4Me, chibichibi98, TheTwinStorytellers, cauldron-of-ceridwen, anna. pantelarou, Miss RaeFox, house of the falling sun, obsessed reader, Tulipa Negra, jaoosa2, SwanInProgress, and MNRD for reviewing. Seriously, you guys are the coolest crowd of readers any reviewer can ask and hope for. Cheers to you guys for reading my mumbo-jumbo ;) Realized I haven't been giving out thanks to the follows, favorites, and reviews going to "Ace of Hearts." So here is one big thanks. Thank you :) Answer to the anon review will be below.
Disclaimer: I do not own "Stand by Me." All the versions are not mine. But for this version, I'm going with John Lennon's. John Lennon was king :)
Chapter Fifteen: Stand by Me
She felt like a hot mess. Her eyes were red and puffy, nose covered in snot, and hair even bushier than normal. Rue had said goodbye to the entire company―except for Kili and Gimli of course. They had been forced to stay behind, too. She was face down on her bed―well, it wasn't really her bed since it was a guest bedroom. Rue looked like those people from commercials for energy drink advertisements during the before. Bleh. She felt like crap. Never again would she see the company. Never again would she see―oh, gosh. She couldn't even think it. Worst of all, home was gone…No ghetto Stockton, college, Wal-Mart, or Nat.
Rue lethargically picked herself up, moving so she sat on her bottom. She blinked at the window. Moonlight flooded the room, so much damn moonlight, which only made her think of moon runes, and then The Lonely Mountain, which made her think of―
Rue hiccupped, reaching for her backpack thrown on the bed. She unzipped her big pocket, hand digging inside for a few seconds before she found her diary. Tigger looked at her, blood smudges coating his big smile.
She gave a little pathetic sob, covering her mouth. Earlier today, Elrond had talked to her about her―well, uh―feelings. Rue had been walking―more like moping around Rivendell, and Elrond had come up to her, wondering why she was so sad. Her depression was that obvious. It had made Rue feel even lamer than usual.
Rue flipped through the pages, finding a blank one, and started writing everything out without his name in it. It was too painful to write the T-H-O, let alone the rest of Thorin's name. So she used only he.
Dear Nat,
It's been four hours since they've left, but I miss him like crazy. I can't stop thinking about him. Now I sound like a stalker. Every time I shut my eyes, I see his eyes. They're so beautiful. He's so beautiful. I don't think he realizes how attractive he is, though. Don't want to sound shallow here, Nat. Even if he wasn't beautiful (or maybe it's everything about him that makes him beautiful to me), I would still have feelings for him. He's brave. So brave. All the choices he makes aren't always the most sensible, but they're always brave choices. He has honor and morals, something men from our world don't have all the time. He's loyal. He's so determined, NOTHING will stop him. I just feel so awed by him. Like I wish, I could be as brave and tough and determined as him. Is it weird that I want to be like him? Are those the telltale signs you're really into a guy? I've never felt this strongly about a guy before. He smells like spring, so fresh and natural. It must be pheromones. He's so strong and manly. Nat, if you saw the size of his hands, you would be cracking hella dirty jokes. Gosh, he's rugged and it's really endearing. I've never met such…a MAN before. Like the kind of man, that is just complete man. The few things he says during our conversations (he can be really quiet at times) are meaningful. He doesn't waste his breath. I like to know what he's thinking. I think this is puppy love. I miss the rest of the Dwarves. Can't imagine not eating something Bombur made or not getting those pointed looks from Balin. I'll miss Dwalin's laugh. It's painful to think about all of them, especially about him.
Love Rue
She shut her diary loudly, wiping her eyes. All this crying had tired her out. Rue felt like she had eaten her feelings. Tired. Really tired.
Gently, she pushed her backpack and diary on the floor, preparing to lie down and curl up in a ball all Bella in New Moon style. Okay, not really. Because that was lame. Rue would be okay. She would. She always bounced back from going through crappy stages in her life.
She went to lie down, and then―
Creak.
Her eyes flew to the bedroom door. Oh, no. The door was open an inch. It wasn't before. Did the ghost from the Prancing Pony follow her here? Was her life about to go all Paranormal Activity?
Rue forced herself to stand up, pulling the dagger out of her flannel jacket's pocket. Her severing dagger tip was pointed toward the door. Hey. Rue peered down at the dagger. Severus. She would call her dagger Severus.
The door opened again. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Rue bent her knees in anticipation like she had once seen Fili do. Then―
A familiar tousle of dark hair poked its way through the door: Kili. He was all wide-eyed, seeming uncertain by the way he stood uncharacteristically rigid.
"Kili?" Rue sputtered in disbelief. What was he doing here?
He nodded, turning to say something to someone standing behind him.
"Hurry."
Suddenly, the door opened wider, revealing Gimli. Within seconds, they raced into her room frantically, Gimli shutting the door behind them with a quiet squeak. Their arms were collectively flailing as they skidded to a halt in front of Rue. Eh?
Kili's hands were behind his back as he sucked in a sharp breath. "Tonight we must leave."
Rue opened her mouth to protest, but was cut-off by Gimli.
"No buts, lass. We are going again," he grumbled. He leaned closer and Rue closed the distance between them, Gimli bringing his mouth to her ear. "We cannot live out the days until Durin's Day here. Not with Elves."
Kili rolled his eyes. "Why do you whisper as if we had not discussed the reasons for our abrupt departure?"
Gimli waved a hand at Kili that translated to, "Shut the hell up." Kili was open-mouthed.
Rue sniveled, "But, but, what if―"
Gimli pointed at the ground. "No buts, lass. We leave now." Rue blinked in surprise. She had never seen Gimli so…firm.
Despite the incessant voice in her head―her conscience that told her to say, "Hell no," Rue nodded in agreement. Even though she knew it was wrong, she said yes. Because deep down inside, she wanted to have a reason to leave, just like Kili and Gimli did. The feeling of having been left behind was just…awful. Rue didn't know any of these Elves like she knew the Dwarves of Thorin's company or―now she really sounded lame―her Dwarves. She couldn't imagine living out the rest of her days here. Elves were just so…odd. They didn't feel human. They felt above humans.
"Okay, okay," she squeaked. "Let me get my things."
Kili grinned. "Dude."
Rue threw her head back, laughing softly.
"But―" She pointed an index finger at Gimli and Kili― "If we run into Azog, we're turning around. And I don't want to hear any protests. Sorry, but I'm not going to risk your guys' safety for anything."
Gimli and Kili grumbled a few responses, both sounding close to saying, "Awe, man. Come on. No fair."
Rue slipped her diary inside her backpack, lugging it over her shoulder. Then their gazes were whipping to the window.
"Goodbye, Rivendell," she murmured. Damn. A goodbye had never felt so good before.
"Goodbye, indeed." Kili smiled toothily.
Indeed.
"I told you I know these paths!" Gimli shouted, red in the face.
"Know these paths?" Kili repeated scathingly. "We should have never listened to you, Dwarfling." He folded his arms, turning his head away from Gimli with a harrumph.
"Guys, come on," Rue squeaked, sweeping the blowing strands of hair out her face. Walking on the narrow ledge of the mountainside sucked big time. For one, the ledge was narrow. She felt like she was seconds away from pummeling to her death every time she moved an inch. Down the mountainside was nothing but endless forest, jagged rocks at the very bottom, winking at her teasingly. Damn rocks. Maybe this had been a bad idea.
Rue grabbed Kili roughly by his tunic, shoving him against the rocky wall when she saw the tips of his boots get dangerously close to the edge.
"Keep going!" she shouted.
Gimli grumbled several insults about Kili, leading the way, Kili following along warily, eyes big as he peeked over the edge. Rue hurried behind them, casting nonstop glimpses over her shoulder. Sure, it was the day and an attack from Azog on a narrow mountainside seemed pretty unlikely, but she couldn't help but think him and his crew of Orcs would somehow sneak up on them. Maybe they had Orc versions of firebolts that could get them up on the mountain within seconds?
Rue's big toes ached from the climb, a stitch in her side forming as they continued. Two more hours they went, most of the two hours spent in silence except for the occasional bickering between Gimli and Kili.
Kili wiped beads of sweat from his forehead, pushing his long strands of hair aside, the last of the waning daylight blinking up at them from over another mountain in the distance. They descended the rest of the path, the path widening as they finally left the mountainside, making way through thick, lush trees: forest.
Rue felt better in the forest. Tons better. Was it weird that months ago, the thought of trees, insects, and no human population nearby, scared the crap out of her? Now she felt more at home in the woods than in places with people, places like Rivendell.
She threw up her hands, whooping. "Thank goodness we're off that mountain! Thought I was so gonna die."
Gimli scowled at her while Kili grinned like a kid on Christmas morning. They skirted past trees, ducking one at a time to avoid one particularly gaunt branch.
"Do not speak too loudly," Gimli warned, holding a finger to his mouth to emphasize hush.
Rue blinked at him.
"There is no need to be so―" Kili leered down at him from his nose, stopping to stand with his back against a tree― "Rude."
Rue instinctively froze, standing inches away from Kili. Well, Gimli must have sounded rude if Kili was pointing it out. He wasn't exactly well-known for being polite himself. Not that she should be judging anyone here.
Gimli faced Rue, clearly irritated by his huffing and puffing.
"We are close. I can feel it." Gimli jerked a thumb toward the forest, whispering, "It is much easier for three to travel than thirteen. We must stay quiet, for they will hear us."
"So…we have to sneak up on the likes of Thorin, Dwalin, Fili, and―" Basically, Rue meant the Dwarves who were like Bloodhounds― "Uh, is that possible, Gims? When we find them, how are we going to be all sneaky? I just―" She shook her head, sighing― "Maybe this was a bad idea."
"Nonsense," Gimli deadpanned. "We are here, are we not?"
"The Dwarfling is making sense for once." Kili nodded.
Rue crossed her arms over her chest, pacing impatiently, putting into practice sneaking around Foxface style. She muttered to herself, "All right, all right. I'll just pretend that we're in The Hunger Games. We have to be able to sneak around or else we'll die. And Thorin can be Cato and Dwalin can be―oh, wait, shouldn't Dwalin be Cato?"
Kili and Gimli both stared at her for a long time, open-mouthed, looking confused as hell, like Rue had just ran up to a random tree, hugged it, and called it, "Cousin It."
"Are we going to keep going?" Rue asked quietly.
Kili and Gimli wordlessly nodded, giving each other these looks that spelled out, "This chick is crazy."
Kili cocked his head to the side. "What is The Hunger Games?"
They ventured through the forest, meticulously stepping over splintered branches, Rue telling Kili and Gimli what The Hunger Games was in quiet explanation. Their reactions were priceless, since for several hilarious seconds, they thought The Hunger Games was real. Well, uh, Rue couldn't exactly blame them for thinking it might be real. Humans were pretty barbaric.
Gimli had said something like, "They make human Dwarflings kill each other?"
"It is supposed to be for…entertainment?" Kili had sputtered, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Yes, did you not hear her the first time?" Gimli had snapped a little loudly. Wasn't he the one who had said they should stay quiet?
Sometimes, Gims just didn't make much sense.
They fell silent now, conversation dying as they spotted a faint glow in the distance, glittering at them in the ever-increasing darkness. The glow was firelight, which meant―
Gimli stopped, standing motionless; one arm clung around a tree trunk as he pointed ahead with his free hand. "There they are."
Rue nodded, sliding past Gimli's still form, worming her way past a bush, toward a nearby rock that was fortunately near the firelight. The more she inched closer, the more crazy nervous she was. How were they supposed to go about this? Were they supposed to walk into camp, proclaiming their arrival? Or should they be more discreet about it? Rue suddenly ducked, landing on her knees out of fear of being seen. The darkness―the cobalt blue sky―did nothing to help her. It only made seeing a pain in the butt.
From her vantage point, she could see Gimli and Kili standing behind the nearest tree, watching her with owlish eyes. It seemed they had wordlessly decided to make Rue the guinea pig. She crawled for the rock now, knees scraping against scraggly, thorny weeds. Ignoring the little pricks against her trousers, Rue halted against the rock, slowly climbing to her feet. She remained in an awkward squat position, which kind of reminded her of her days on her high school's track team, doing wall sits and squats. Behind the rock was a clearing swamped by shrubs and tangles of yellow grass. In the distance―beyond the clutter of forest―Rue could make out snowcapped mountains: The Misty Mountains. Earlier today, Gimli and Kili had both explained Thorin was taking the High Pass through the Misty Mountains.
For a moment, Rue was scared shitless. Maybe the firelight was from a fire created by Orcs, bandits, or death eaters―
The familiar shine of a baldhead caught her eye: Dwalin. He was scouting the area, coming dangerously close to Rue and her rock. Oh, shit. Again, she flew to the ground, knees crashing against grass. Ouch. Thanks to the firelight in the distance, she could see Dwalin's shadow on her rock, moving about. She peeked over her shoulder, half-expecting Gimli and Kili to be hiding, but they weren't. They were suddenly inches behind her, also sitting on their knees. Without warning, Dwalin's shadow disappeared from her rock. As one, they let out a writhing breath.
"So what do we do?" Rue whispered.
Kili peeped out from behind the rock, head springing back like a coil seconds later. He spoke in a breathy murmur, "The company is readying for sleep. It appears Dwalin is keeping watch. They have a fire going, Bombur is cooking, and Uncle is―" His words were interrupted by a deep throaty growl in the distance.
Rue warily stood on her feet, glimpsing over the rock, following the deep throaty growl toward the far side of the clearing.
Holy shit.
Thorin was swinging his sword, battling against the brute of Gloin's axe. Steel against steel created a deafening crack. Thorin's hair flew everywhere, strands of it plastered against his sweaty face. His tunic sleeves were pushed up, revealing his muscly forearms. He gritted his teeth, looking so―so―
Kili was staring at her, mouth open in disgust. He pointed an accusatory finger at her. "Do not think I did not see the way you just looked at Uncle."
She blushed furiously, shaking her head. "Uh―uh, I don't understand what you mean. I was just―" Rue shrugged innocently― "Hey, I smell―" She sniffed the air― "Chicken."
Kili blinked in surprise, sniffing the air, nearly grinning. "You think they have found a wild chicken to eat? I have not had chicken since I left home."
Gimli nodded. "Aye, lad, it does smell like chicken." He patted his stomach.
Sure, Rue may have not been the sharpest tool in the shed, but she knew the prospect of food distracted Kili and Gimli like nude magazines distracted twelve-year-old boys.
They sat on their rears for fifteen minutes, listening to the sounds of the company slopping away, and then eventually laying down to snooze. That was when they decided to enact plan "Innocently head into camp, all doe-eyed and just go to sleep like they had been there the entire time." The plan wasn't the smartest plan, but it did keep them from having a confrontation with Thorin, which was agreed on to be the biggest no-no.
Gimli peeked over the rock, and as coyly as he could, motioned for Rue and Kili to follow him. They were up on their feet, stepping out from behind the safety of the rock, tiptoeing into the clearing, Dwalin's dangerous scowl on them within moments from his seat against a tree. Behind Dwalin was the company rolled up in their bedrolls like soundless burritos. All right, not really soundless since Gloin and Bifur combined, had the world's loudest snores.
Dwalin chided, "I knew we were not alone." He crossed his arms over his chest, making known his silent disapproval, but did nothing to stop them from coming into camp.
Rue, Gimli, and Kili reluctantly lumbered on, halting once they were standing by the rest of the company.
Kili pointed at the ground, mumbling, "All we do is fall asleep now. We just tuck ourselves in our bedrolls. How can Uncle yell at us when we are simply sleeping?" Good point.
Rue nodded, collapsing on her bottom, shoving her backpack next to Ori's dozing form to use as a makeshift pillow. She lay down on her side, bringing her knees to her chest, wondering what in the hell kind of plan was this?
"Do what the lass is doing," Gimli grumbled impatiently, going to sleep on Rue's other side.
Kili rolled his eyes, dropping down like a burlap sack, quietly shrugging his boots off.
The last thing Rue saw was Fili blink awake, sitting up to greet Kili with a shit-eating grin on his face. And then she was sleeping.
Voices roused her. An argument. Rue's eyes flew open, meeting early pinkish light. Dawn.
Thorin towered over her, Kili, and Gimli, glaring down at them, hands curled into fists, his fists resting on his sides as he argued with―Kili. His nostrils were flaring, the anger in his eyes flashing brilliantly with his thunderous voice.
"What were you thinking?" he spat. "I told you to stay in Rivendell, did I not?" Thorin's jaw was clenched in a firm line, a twitch throbbing in his left cheek. Oh, no. Every time any part of Thorin's face twitched, it meant he was really, really mad.
Rue sat up groggily, wiping her eyes.
Kili awkwardly cleared his throat, sitting on his knees as he peered up at Thorin. "But I was going to stay Uncle―" He ventured fleeting glimpses from Gimli to Rue― "They wanted to leave Rivendell. I could not let them leave on their own, a Dwarfling and a woman."
What a liar.
Rue opened her mouth to say something, interrupted by Thorin.
"Ruby," he spoke warningly, raising his eyebrows, giving her this look that demanded nothing but the truth. Strangely enough, when he spoke to Kili, his voice was rougher, but with her, it was…softer. Eh?
Rue blinked stupidly. Um. Well.
"I'm really, really sorry―" She practically pleaded, crawling on her knees as she brought her hands together― "I just, I had this crazy idea that―" A genius idea suddenly struck Rue as she pulled Severus out of her cloak― "I thought you could use Severus's help. Hey, by the way, do you like the name Severus for my dagger? I like it and I wanted to get your opinion before I officially stuck to the name."
Thorin was staring down at her with big eyes; mouth parted in shock, probably having no clue how to react to her and Severus. His eyes flew to Kili accusingly.
"You are the oldest, are you not?" he barked. Well, actually, Rue might be older than Kili since she was a human and he was a Dwarf, but it would be completely irrelevant to bring it up at this point in the conversation.
Kili nodded, hanging his head low in shame.
"GIMLI!"
Thorin turned, watching Gloin as he entered the picture, one beefy arm swinging out toward Gimli's head. Gimli's eyes doubled in size, and he looked ready to dive under blankets and bedrolls for protection. Gloin literally pulled Gimli up to his feet by the ear.
"Father, stop it!" Gimli groused, being dragged by Gloin toward the nearest trees. "I proved I can go on this quest! I have traveled on my own!" He kicked his feet rather bratty, earning a rumble of responses from Gloin. They disappeared behind thickets of trees, out of sight, but voices loud enough for the rest of the company to figure out what was going on.
"I said you will turn back!"
"I will not!"
"GIMLI!"
Awkwardly, Rue and Kili stood up, Rue hunched forward, scared shitless to face Thorin's wrath. She peeked at Thorin. One hand was on his forehead now as he sighed in exasperation. Rue felt…awful. She didn't mean to stress him out even more, she just―well, it had just been impossible to imagine herself living in Rivendell. But still, she shouldn't have been so selfish to think that she could just barge her way on a quest.
"Thorin."
Rue ventured a glance, surprised as Dwalin joined them. He jerked his head toward the other side of the clearing, visibly beckoning Thorin to follow him.
Seconds later, Thorin pointed a thick index finger at Kili and Rue. "Do not think this is finished."
Then him and Dwalin were walking away from the prying eyes of the company. Mostly everybody was awake; watching everything unfold with shit-eating grins like this was a soap opera. Bofur and Bombur were the only ones who remained asleep, nearly cuddling together. Rue caught Nori's eye, who was smirking deviously for some reason. Fili elbowed Nori, the both of them pointing and laughing at Kili. Kili scowled in retort.
Rue kept her eyes trained on Thorin and Dwalin's forms, watching them closely as they stood face-to-face, having a quiet discussion. Vaguely, Rue whipped her head back and forth, wondering why Gandalf wasn't here yet. He was supposed to have caught up with the company by now, right?
Dwalin and Thorin were probably trying to decide what to do with a liability like her. Rue's gaze was on the ground, her entire body hunched forward in defeat.
"Miss Rue." It was Thorin.
Rue looked up from the ground, a little startled to find Thorin and Dwalin standing in front of her. Dwalin simply nodded his head, playfully smirking out of the corner of Rue's eye. What was that smirk about?
"Yes?" Rue perked up, instinctively bowing since Thorin was a king and this was her final plea. "Yes, King Under the Mountain."
Dwalin guffawed.
Thorin stood taller, puffing out his chest. "You do not need to bow. Gather your things, we leave now."
Rue stood straight, mouth hung open in a silent O. What the hell had just happened?
Swallows of yellow grass tickled Rue's boots as she ran alongside Kili and Fili. It had been one week since they had left Rivendell, and the second day Rue had been allowed to scout with Fili and Kili. Snowcapped mountain peaks were beyond the yellow grass, at least twenty more minutes away according to Fili. Rue had been bugging Thorin about the possibility of scouting for the last five days. At first, he had flat out refused to let her, but then Rue had brought up the Orc incident before they'd arrived to the Shire, saying, "I'm a good runner, Thorin. Please, please, pretty please?"
And now Fili and Kili were teaching her exactly how to scout, well mostly Fili was doing the teaching.
"You must keep your eyes wide-open," he said, grinding to a halt, pointing at the scant trees in the distance and parts of oncoming rocky terrain. "Anything that seems unusual, we must report it back to Uncle."
Rue nodded, grinning. "Okay."
Kili impatiently lingered by them, looking like there were ants in his pants.
"Scouting is about observation," Fili spoke airily, sprinting again. Kili was quickly on his heels, Rue following them.
Running underneath open sky and sweating like crazy, somehow made everything feel right. Rue's life was starting to feel topsy-turvy. Middle-earth, the quest, and everything here was starting to feel real, while life back at home in Stockton, everything in the real world, was not so real anymore. Had she always been in Middle-earth? Was she just crazy?
Kili stopped ahead, bending down, reaching for several sticks in the tangle of grass. He then sprinted for one of the giant, nearby boulders in the field, placing the sticks in a triangle on the rock face. This was marking where you had already been, according to Fili.
Kili and Fili nodded at each other, their silent nods indicating they were finished with scouting. They whirled back around as one, racing back to the campsite minutes away.
Rue breathed through her nose, her footsteps meticulous, her surroundings suddenly in more vivid detail than they usually were. She liked to think running transformed her into a superhero or something, as lame as that sounded.
What felt like ten minutes or maybe nine minutes later―Rue didn't know, especially since she had her own private adventure going to take a pee, she stumbled into camp by herself abruptly, coming out from behind several trees. Silence fell. Rue knew something wasn't right. Oh, no. Who had pissed off Thorin? Or what had Gimli done now? Or maybe they were mad at Bilbo again?
Bilbo was sitting on a smallish rock, his gaze awkwardly traveling from a guffawing Nori, Dwalin, and Fili huddled together, to her. The majority of the company was sitting in a circle, motionless with their mouths open. Bombur stopped mid-stir, also open-mouthed. Okay…what were Nori, Dwalin and Fili laughing about?
Clumsily, Rue ambled into camp, stopping mid-step when Nori's eyes flew to her. He smirked. She then noticed something off…Thorin wasn't here. Maybe he had gone to the bathroom?
"Hello, lassie," Nori said a little too sprightly.
"Hey." Rue nodded in greeting. "Uh…where's Thorin? I was just wondering since he was here when I left…" Don't sound too caring. She didn't want them to know she had a thing for King Under the Mountain.
Dwalin nodded earnestly. "Oh, he was here all right, minutes before your arrival."
Nori faced Rue, grinning. "You know that book you always carry around?"
She nodded, not saying a word. Her gut was twisting. Oh, no. Oh, crap.
"Yeah," Rue squeaked pathetically, staring at her feet in shame.
"It fell out of your pack and well―" Nori cast a mischievous grin at Fili― "Before we could finish reading such an intriguing entry about one of our male companions and your heart's desire, Thorin took it upon himself to snatch the diary away."
Rue looked up from the grass in horror, mouth wide-open. She shook her head in denial, meeting Fili's eyes. A naughty twinkle was in his eyes.
Suddenly, her legs were like cinder blocks, knees feeling ready to give out. She remembered, she really remembered what was in that diary. Rue had written that stupid entry all about Thorin, but―but she had just used he. Still, there were other entries of her swooning over Thorin like Lavender Brown swooning over Ron. What the fuck had she been thinking? Wait. Had he even read it?
From the corner of Rue's eye, she saw Balin shake his head and roll his eyes. "Do not worry, lassie."
Rue's bottom lip was quivering; the need to cry so damn overwhelming, but the sound of Balin's voice somehow calmed her. She stared down, where Balin was peering up at her.
"But I―I―"
"From reading your...book, Thorin has gathered you have―" Balin ventured an awkward glimpse at her, looking torn between rolling his eyes and laughing― "Developed affections for a mysterious male." So Thorin had read her diary and―and―this was turning into Rue's worst nightmare.
Nori, Fili, and Dwalin started chuckling. Why were they laughing? And then she realized why. They knew who the mysterious male was. Was it that obvious?
Dwalin cleared his throat, most of the laughter dying. "Miss Rue, go after him. Tell him he is a fool―" He gave her a small smile― "If I know my king, then he is under the waterfall we passed an hour ago." The waterfall? She knew where that was. Rue could do this. Not really.
Rue shakily nodded, walking backwards. Did they really expect her to go after Thorin? But―but if she didn't, she would feel bad because…well…Rue felt like she had to explain herself to him.
On trembling legs, she staggered for the rocky terrain behind the plethora of scraggly trees.
"Wish you well!" Nori hollered at her like she was going out to compete on Dancing with the Stars. Bad analogy. You had to be a star first to compete on that show.
She folded her arms, rubbing her forearms, traipsing past one tree, ducking underneath a branch. The farther away Rue got from camp, the slower she walked. A part of her wanted to delay the inevitable for as long as possible, but the other part of her said that she was being an immature jerk. Minutes passed of walking through what seemed like endless yellow grass. The rocky terrain kept getting closer and closer, and then…she was standing on the edge of the rock face, staring down at the waterfall. The water cascaded over another rock, hitting the stony ground, inches away from…Thorin. It turned out Dwalin did know Thorin well. He was standing underneath the waterfall, hands in front, as he peered into the distance.
Rue sucked in a deep breath, awkwardly climbing downwards. Thorin saw her―more like heard her―long before she arrived at the bottom. By the time she reached the bottom of the waterfall, Rue was panting, stumbling her way toward Thorin, her shoulder getting sprayed by water as she accidentally walked through the waterfall.
Thorin faced her, glaring, his blue eyes brighter than usual.
Rue blinked stupidly, holding a hand out to―she didn't know to do what exactly―maybe apologize for her stupid feelings. It was like Thorin knew her well, answering her question before she even asked.
"I had to make sure you were not harboring any secrets that would impair this quest." He was snarling, then not snarling. It was weird, like Thorin was battling his own combative feelings. "It was not my intent to invade your privacy. I saw my kin reading your book, so I―" He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down― "Your book has been returned to your pack."
Rue shook her head, swallowing hard, taking several steps closer, her gaze falling to the ground. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to―"
"Who were you speaking of?"
Rue looked up, suddenly frightened by the alarming intensity in Thorin's eyes. He was sneering, hands in fists as he widened his stance. But the question had been quiet, a complete contrast to the anger he was displaying.
She blinked. "Speaking of? Do you mean…" All right, how was she supposed to phrase that question?
"The man you missed so dearly, who you spoke of being beautiful, honorable, and loyal," Thorin said heatedly. Then his teeth were clenched, Thorin nearly closing the distance between them. "Who is it?"
That was a very good question. What the hell was Rue supposed to say? Lamely, she shook her head.
He spun around, hands behind his back as he uttered one sentence, "It is Nori." Thorin's voice was even gruffer, heavy with…dejection. Nori? Well, they were friends, but that was it. The thought of Nori romantically…was just awkward. Not that there was anything wrong with him. Rue just didn't see him that way.
Again, she shook her head, looking like deer-caught-in-the-headlights. "N―no."
"If it is not him, then who is it?" he barked.
Why had a stupid diary entry suddenly become the most important topic of the day?
"Uh, no one." She shrugged even though Thorin couldn't see her.
"Dwalin perhaps?" he asked quietly, crestfallen and…bitter. "He would make a good husband. A protector and a provider."
"You would, too."
Rue gasped, covering her mouth. What in the hell did she just say? Must recover. Recover fast. She stumbled backwards. Thorin turned around, wide-eyed, his intent gaze searching Rue's eyes.
She stumbled back again, afraid of Thorin going all Big Bad King Under the Mountain.
"Do not speak lies," he said harshly, leering. For several seconds, Rue thought Thorin's eyes could give Smaug's fire a run for its money. He was that angry, that intense.
"I'm not. I think you would, Thorin," she murmured, interlacing her hands, peering down at her boots. "You're really, really great. And strong. You make people feel all kinds of safe."
All Rue could hear was the waterfall crashing softly against the ground and Thorin's sudden, raggedy breaths. Then a soft scuffle. Thorin coming closer…
Rue forced herself to meet Thorin's eyes. He was standing only inches from her, alarmingly intense all over again.
"Do I make you feel safe?" he whispered hotly, gaze unflinching.
Rue nodded, swallowing hard. "Y―yeah."
Without warning, Rue was grabbing his hands, caressing his calloused knuckles like a weirdo. She half-expected Thorin to pull away from her touch, but he didn't. His lips were pursed, eyes betraying the shock he clearly felt. Maybe Dwarves didn't usually hold Thorin's hand since he was a king and kind of intimidating.
Rue shook her head. "What I wrote in there, it just was me being dumb, trying to imagine what it would feel like to you know...have affection for someone." She felt like shit lying to Thorin's face, but how could she admit to liking him? Rue would only embarrass herself and probably piss Thorin off if she said anything about how she really felt.
Thorin watched her skeptically, closely. "So you do not desire another man?"
"No," Rue piped up. She stuttered, gazing in his eyes longingly. "I m―missed you a lot when you left."
Thorin's face grew strangely softer, the intensity in his eyes more potent than ever.
"Do you believe this quest is foolish?" he asked intently, going rigid beneath Rue's touch.
Rue peered in his eyes, shaking her head. "Honestly, Thorin, at first I thought it wasn't the smartest idea in the world―"
He tensed, scowling, opening his mouth to say something.
"Wait, wait, Thorin. Don't get mad, please?" she sputtered gawkily, forcing herself not to flinch away from his penetrating gaze. His silence was prodding, pushing her to elaborate. Rue took in a deep, shaky breath. "I think the quest; this whole idea that you and the other Dwarves are willing to risk everything for Erebor, for your home―it's so beautiful." She was becoming annoyingly emotional. "You guys might die. I mean, we could die if―if you don't leave me somewhere that is―" Her gaze was downcast now, Thorin's fingers tensing even more― "I think it's so amazing, your determination and bravery. And what you're willing to do for your―"
Thorin closed the distance between them, his arms swinging around her waist, crushing her against him. All she could feel was fur and his hair beneath her hands as she returned the―hug? She breathed in his spring-like scent, chin resting on his strong shoulder. Hugging him felt like paradise as cliché as that sounded. Wait. Did Thorin actually hug her? His arms tightened around her even more, protective, strong, and warm. He was really, really warm. Like some creeper, Rue slid her arms around Thorin's shoulders, feeling strands of his beautiful hair beneath her fingertips. She was trembling, so damn nervous. His hair felt soft, felt really, really nice.
Because Rue was a dork, she giggled.
Thorin's arms tensed around her waist as he pulled away to gaze at her. He looked…hurt.
He shook his head, this odd vulnerability on his face. "I did not mean. If you feel uncomfortable―I did not mean to touch you. Rue―"
She unintentionally cut him off with her own hug, wrapping her arms around his waist, resting her forehead on his shoulder. He was hugging her back, pulling her even closer, the feel of his forehead on her shoulder leaving Rue nearly winded. They were so close, bodies pressed against each other, nothing separating them but Thorin's fur coat and tons of layers.
"I'm sorry for giggling," Rue apologized sheepishly from the crook of his shoulder. "I giggle when I'm nervous."
"I have noticed," he rumbled a response, big, strong hands gently stroking her upper back. The feel of him touching her back…his touches tender…wow. Rue felt dizzy.
Rue grinned from ear to ear.
He pulled away to steady his eyes on hers, expression deadly serious. "I swear I will not ever leave you again," Thorin said huskily, passionately. She felt butterflies in her stomach, every inch of her skin on fire.
"Thank you," she squeaked, squeezing him tighter, enjoying Thorin's warmth.
"Do not thank me." His grip was somehow even tighter. Rue could feel her boobs were awkwardly pressed against his chest, but he didn't seem to care. "Rue, do not ever venture on your own again. Not with―" Azog out there. He didn't have to say it, his tone pretty much yelled it, the feel of his hands tensing on her waist saying it.
"I won't."
The night air tore at Rue's face viciously. She pulled the hood of her cloak even tighter, following close behind Bilbo. They were in some chain formation, holding onto the person in front of them as they climbed a mountainside during freaking Hurricane Katrina. The wind was blowing like crazy, rain coming down faster and faster. At first, it had been sprinkling. For the last few days, it'd been sprinkling on and off. But now this was happening.
Rue felt Bombur tugging on her sleeve from behind. She slowed her pace, boots scuffing awkwardly against the rocky ground. Her fingers clutched Bilbo's sleeve for dear life. She hoped she wasn't coming off annoying, though there were more important things to think about. Yep, Rue had to sort out her priorities.
Up ahead, she could see glimpses of Thorin's strong silhouette leading them on, his diamond-shaped axe at the ready, one of the new weapons he'd picked up in Rivendell two weeks ago. Still no sign of Gandalf. Rue was starting to suspect he decided to get crunk with the Elves instead of risk getting blasted by hell fire from Smaug. Why couldn't Gandalf be Dumbledore? If he were Dumbledore, he'd be here, getting them through the High Pass by apparating. Maybe even to Erebor.
Unexpectedly, she crashed into Bilbo's back, stumbling backwards out of fear of knocking Mr. Hobbitkins over. She blinked. Hey, nobody was moving. Small clouds were following each person's breath.
In front, Thorin turned around, motioning for them to go backwards.
"What is it?" Balin yelled, trying to be heard over the windstorm.
"There is no more path!" Thorin bellowed, water droplets traveling down his beard.
Rue realized one thing: the path had disappeared, as in, there had been nowhere left to go. Millions of fears reeled through her head. What were they going to do now? How long would it take them to turn back? What if there wasn't another pass through the Misty Mountains? What about Azog? What if the…quest was over?
Thorin seemed like a zombie, his mouth open in a silent O as he was forced to turn around, as he watched Erebor possibly be crushed by a lack-of-path. Rue really hated Mother Nature right now. Suddenly, Dwalin and Balin formed some kind of huddle with Thorin. From back here, Rue could only hear bits and pieces of their conversation.
"I saw a big crack in the mountainside!" That was Dwalin, the wind carrying his words.
"We do not have another choice!" Balin shouted over the wind.
More talking, more words Rue couldn't make out. But through the blurriness of the rain, she could see Thorin furrow his eyebrows in the utmost determination.
"Then we will go inside the mountain," he deadpanned.
Thorin continued motioning for the company to move backwards. "MOVE BACK!"
Rue sluggishly spun around, carefully watching her feet, shit-face scared of how close the edge was. But going inside the mountain was a whole other story. The possibility of spiders, of things that would live in the Forbidden Forest crept into her mind. What if there was some kind of vampire nest or werewolf breeding ground or Orcs? Rue didn't know what the heck existed in Middle-earth. It seemed like everything existed here.
Fourteen minutes later―well, it seemed like fourteen minutes―they were squeezing through a crack in the mountainside one at a time. Kili pretty much shimmied his way in since he was so scrawny.
Now they were walking in darkness, glimmers of firelight leading them thanks to the torches Thorin, Dwalin, and Fili carried. Luckily, Nori had been hoarding broken furniture from Rivendell that was now being used as makeshift torches. Rue noticed only the important Dwarves got to carry the torches. No fair. They were marching in a straight line, the rocky walls pressed close on both sides, making Rue feel increasingly claustrophobic.
Minutes ago, Dwalin and Thorin had a little dispute that had gone something like this.
"It is cold, Thorin. Should we not stop for the night?"
Thorin had cast a sympathetic glance at―out of all people―Rue, and then had said, "It does not feel safe here. We will search out another area to make camp."
So that was what they were doing: searching for another place to make camp.
The tunnel felt narrow, too damn narrow. Everything was dimly lit, rocky ceiling high above them one second, and then only one-foot higher the next. If Gandalf were here, he might have had to crawl at certain points.
Ahead, Rue saw one of the torches slow down―Thorin's―as he turned to talk to someone. It was hard to tell who was who in the dark. Rue could hear everything, though: shallow breaths, the thud thuds from walking, and nearly noiseless chatter between some of the Dwarves. Without warning, Rue felt her knees collide with something―a head? She stopped walking at once, freaked the hell out. Okay, Dwarves and Hobbits were short, but they weren't that short. Someone bumped into her from behind, probably Ori if he was still behind her. What the hell was that?
But―but―
And then one shrilly voice echoed in the tunnel inside the mountain.
"We likes it. We likes it. Shut up. We feels too many knees all arounds us. Can we eats it?"
Author's Note: I think everyone can guess who it is! From now on, I'm pretty much taking an entirely different path. This chapter took me a week and a half to write. The longest I've spent on one chapter so far :) My beta forced (not really) to do a lot of edits, so I changed up a few things and added more words in, thus the explanation for my super-duper-monster chapter! Please review and let me know what you think (not that I haven't been spoiled enough from your awesome reviews). I will eventually be getting around to writing a one-shot of what Galadriel said to Thorin in chapter fourteen. So be on the lookout. As always, feel free to follow me on Tumblr at pearlprimrose.
Obsessed reader: Thanks so much for reviewing! An emotional chapter? Reading and writing it I didn't feel like it was that emotional. Not sure why. Yep, that is definitely why they were so defensive. Especially on Thorin's part. I guess now I feel like the all-powerful Lady Galadriel thanks to your review. But since it's me, I'm more of the Maleficent type ;)
Thanks again for the review :)