A/N: I am so sorry to anyone who's favorited and followed this story so far! I knew my updates would be infrequent due to work and life and other writing projects, but I never expected it to take me a year to update! Anyway, I hope that there are still people interested in reading this, but if not, I'll at least keep writing it for my own amusement - and because the plot bunnies won't leave ;). I think I've gotten my life together enough now that I can do monthly updates, but I promise never to abandon the story completely - or take a year again!
This chapter is solely from Fili's POV - next chapter will likely be a mix of the two POVs, and more than likely we'll get to the start of the troll scene too. I just wanted to show some length of travel and getting to know one another in this chapter. For now, I'll be following the movie scenes, but later I'll start mixing up book and movie scenes and changing things around. This will probably happen after Goblin-Town. I hope you all enjoy!
PLEASE REVIEW EVERYONE - IT WILL INSPIRE ME TO WRITE FASTER!
Disclaimer: I of course don't own any of the characters or lines you recognize from the Hobbit, just the rest of the story. Oh, and I don't own that one Easter Egg I popped in there ;).
Chapter 3: What Sort of Favour?
Fili was humming cheerfully to himself as he moved through the hallways towards the kitchen, looking to find a bit more food before he retired for the night. He was really quite pleased with the way things were going; he'd always wanted adventure and a chance to prove that he deserved the role of being Thorin's heir. The quest for Erebor offered both, and even better yet, he would have the company of a lovely lass to enjoy along the way.
Alison, he thought, smiling to himself. Her presence, and that of her sister, had been an unexpected bit of good fortune, as Kili had pointed out. And just like his younger brother, Fili loved women. Not just dwarven women, either; he'd had his fair share of dalliances with human women, generally barmaids, on his travels as well. So he did not find the fact that Alison was half-human, or lacked a beard, off-putting at all. Indeed, he found her very attractive; he thought she was one of the most beautiful women he'd ever met, in spite of – or perhaps because of – her unusual clothing. He'd never seen a woman wear such formfitting and revealing trousers – or tunic – before, but he couldn't deny he liked it, and all that fiery red hair of hers, too.
So, too, did he quite like her bold nature. The way she was so willing to help them, just because she could; the fierceness in her expression when his Uncle or Dwalin had doubted her ability to help; the way she looked at him with such heat in her green eyes; he liked all of it. And he had immensely enjoyed her climbing over his lap, particularly when she had brushed against him; she really had a lovely bosom, after all. He'd been afforded quite an excellent glimpse of it due to the low cut of her tunic when she'd climbed over him. Besides which, the attraction he felt for her was electric; the lust that had shot through him at the brush of their bodies together was more intense than anything he'd ever felt. He was more than willing – nay, he was eager - to answer 'yes' to the invitation he'd seen in her eyes.
Of course, it might be quite some time before he was able to act on that invitation; who knew when they'd have any time or privacy on their journey, after all? Still, he was nothing if not patient; he was more than willing to wait to find out just how intense being with her could be. These were the rather pleasant thoughts he was occupied with when he passed by a door that was slightly ajar and heard the faint sounds of a woman crying.
He froze in temporary shock before he crept closer to the door, peering carefully around the edge of it into the room beyond, not wishing to disturb whichever of the sisters was so upset. The light of the low-burning oil lamp in the room illuminated it just enough for him to see that it was Alison that cried; she was sitting up slightly in the bed, her sister asleep next to her, and she was sobbing as though her heart was breaking.
Fili nearly gasped with the sudden, wrenching pain in his own heart at the sight. It felt like his heart was slowly being torn to pieces as he listened to the heartbroken sounds she made. Why was she crying so? Was she merely homesick, or was she remembering the person she had lost that she had referred to earlier that night? He didn't know, but he ached to comfort her, to find out what was wrong and hold her until she stopped crying. He didn't know why he should react so to the sight of her sorrow; he'd only just met her, after all. Still, he couldn't seem to help the intensity of his reaction, and he almost pushed his way into the room, the desire to comfort her was so strong; but he stopped himself just before he did.
Instinct told him she wouldn't tell him, wouldn't appreciate him seeing her cry, at least not right now. She had clearly waited until she was alone, even until her sister was asleep; she had not wanted an audience. They did not know each other well enough yet for him to comfort her as he wished to; he would need to gain her trust first. Then, perhaps one day, he could find out the reason for her sadness, her despair, and he could make it better for her. So, though it pained him more deeply than he ever would have expected, he walked away from the sound of her crying. He'd speak to her in the morning and begin to earn her trust, he decided with sudden resolve. And then, over the course of their journey, he would accomplish both of the tasks that he now wished to fulfill; to gain both her trust and admittance into her bed. He was unable to shake the feeling that he didn't just want to do both of those things; he needed to. And thus, failure was not an option; he would do whatever he had to, in order to accomplish his goals.
"Good morning, Miss Alison, Miss Lily," he called cheerfully as Alison exited Bilbo's house the next morning, her sister Lily following closely behind. He was in the process of readying his pony, Bungo, for their journey, strapping his pack to the pony's back and tightening his saddle and bridle. Kili was several feet away, doing the same for his pony, and called out his own greetings, as well. Most of the other dwarves were bustling about the clearing, readying their own supplies, though a few were still in the house getting ready.
Alison frowned, planting her hands on her hips as she stopped only a few feet away, showing no signs of the sorrow he'd overheard last night as her green eyes flashed up at him. "I thought we talked about this last night, Fili?"
He blinked at her in surprise, wondering what precisely she was referring to, until she raised her eyebrows and repeated, "Miss Alison?"
His confusion cleared as he remembered the multiple times yesterday that she'd insisted upon him addressing her as "just Alison", and he dipped his head in agreement. "Aye, lass, you're right, I'd forgotten." Secretly he was pleased that she wished to dispense with formalities so soon as he went on, "Alison, then, how are you this morning?"
"Fine, thank you," she said, tilting her head quizzically as she looked at him. He could see over her shoulder that Kili had already monopolized her sister's attention, and appeared to be explaining what he was about to; they didn't have enough ponies for everyone, at least, not if they were to keep one ready for Bilbo as Gandalf had insisted. Therefore, he and Kili had volunteered (quite enthusiastically, really, though he'd at least tried to veil his feelings, unlike Kili) to have the girls ride with them. "How are you?" she asked in turn.
"I'm having a fine morning," he told her, "especially as I've learned I get to share it with a lovely lass." When she only looked confused, he explained, "There aren't enough ponies. I volunteered to share mine with you, if you don't mind, that is? Your sister will be riding with Kili, unless she wishes to share with someone else."
Alison grinned. "No, I'm sure she'll be fine with that." She glanced over her shoulder, seeing, as Fili did, that Kili was lifting a red-faced Lily onto his pony. Alison turned back to him with that wickedly inviting smile of hers that had so heated his blood the night before. "And I definitely would not mind a ride with you."
"And glad I am to hear it, lass," he told her, trying to control his body's reaction to that smile of hers. He needed to control himself better if he was to share a pony all day with her, no matter how difficult it might be with the intensity of the attraction he felt for her. "Give me your supplies, then, and we'll be on our way."
Her smile faded a little. "I don't have any," she confessed. "We were attacked by bandits just before we met up with Gandalf, and only just managed to escape. This is all I have." She gestured to the unusual clothes that she'd worn last night and had donned again this morning, which hugged so closely the lovely curves of her body.
Fili frowned. As much as he liked to see her in that outfit, he did not like to hear that she'd been attacked, and thus possessed no additional clothing or provisions. "We will have to remedy that as soon as we can. I have an extra cloak you can borrow until then." He gestured over his shoulder at his pack.
"Oh, no thanks," she shook her head, waving her hands. "At least, not right now. It's so nice out, I don't really need it."
Fili raised his eyebrows. It was a fine morning, but it was still very early after dawn, and thus the air was a bit chill, for all the sun shone brightly out of a cloudless sky. "It's a lot colder where I come from," she explained, seeing his expression. "This is nothing. Besides, you'll keep me warm while we ride, right?"
That wicked smile of hers was back, and he could not help but return it. "Indeed I will, lass," he vowed. "Shall we go, then?"
"Sure." She moved over to the pony, glancing up at Bungo's back. The pony was a fair size, and Fili could only barely mount him himself. Alison was shorter than he was, and he had a feeling she wasn't entirely certain she could get up on the pony without falling.
Somehow he knew she wouldn't ask for help, and so he moved up behind her as she went to boost herself up, catching her and lifting her the rest of the way when she would have fallen just short of making it onto Bungo's back. She turned to look back at him once she was seated safely on the pony, an embarrassed flush passing across her freckled face. "Thank you," she muttered.
"You are most welcome, Alison," he said quietly, not wanting the rest of the company to hear, as he knew it would only further embarrass her. "I would not wish to see a lady fall, after all."
The flush on her face deepened, as if she didn't want to be reminded of the fact that she'd nearly fallen at all. She lightly patted the saddle behind her, for Fili had put her to the front of the saddle, intending to ride behind her so he could keep her safe while still controlling the pony. "Are you joining me up here, or what?"
"Of course." He mounted the pony behind her, not bothering to keep much space between them as he slipped his arms past her to grasp the reins. It was likely to be torture, having her essentially in his arms the whole way, but it would be the most pleasing torture he could think of. And Mahal, but she smelled incredible, he thought, lightly inhaling the flowery scent that rose from the waves of her hair. Yes, he was certainly not about to pass up this opportunity, no matter how difficult it might be to manage the desire twining through his body.
"Get moving, lads, or we'll leave you behind!" Dwalin bellowed at that moment.
Fili looked up to see that the rest of the company had already begun to leave, steering their ponies down the path away from Bilbo's home. He nudged his heels to Bungo's sides to get him moving, and directed the pony after the others, Kili falling in beside him with Lily seated in front of him, the path being wide enough to ride two abreast.
"We're not even going to wake Bilbo up before we go?" Lily asked, glancing behind them at the round green door as they left.
Kili snorted. "Why? Mr. Boggins made it clear he did not wish to come last night."
"It's Baggins," Lily said severely, and Fili could feel Alison shaking with near-silent laughter at her tone. "I told you that before. And he is coming."
"No, he isn't." Kili sounded confused, and he glanced over to Fili, who simply shrugged. How was he supposed to know? "He refused to come last night."
"He'll change his mind this morning," Lily told him primly. "You'll see."
"How do you know?" Kili asked in fascination. "Did you see it? You know, with your abilities?"
"I might have seen him come running after us, waving the contract," Lily replied slowly, looking straight ahead so that Fili couldn't read her expression. He frowned, wondering if Alison's sister really was capable of seeing visions of their quest as Gandalf had said. Certainly her knowledge of his uncle's meeting last night had been quite convincing, but how was it possible for her to know so exactly what had occurred?
Before he could voice his doubts, however, Kili was already prattling on, "Really? Are you certain? We should make a bet on it, then. The rest of us have already made bets on whether he'd come; this one would be just between us!"
"Why would you bet against someone who could see the future?" Alison sounded amused, as well as confident in her sister's abilities, Fili noted.
Kili grinned over at her. "Well it's a good way to find out if she really can see the future, isn't it? And if I'm wrong, I don't mind losing to a pretty lass so much."
Lily blushed, not saying anything, while Alison countered, "What do you want to bet, then? We don't have any money."
Kili's face lit up. "That's fine." He looked over to Fili, who smiled and nodded, well able to guess what Kili was about to suggest, and not opposed to the idea at all. "If we win, you each have to give us a kiss!"
"And what if we win?" Alison glanced over her shoulder at Fili, and the slow smile she gave him led him to believe she wasn't all that interested in winning the bet, which sent slow tendrils of heat through his veins.
"What do you want?" He couldn't help the question, or the suggestive tone of his voice as he asked it.
"Hmm." She looked him over, those green eyes blazing. "What an excellent question. What do you think, Lil?" she called across to her sister.
Lily had turned bright red by now, clearly not oblivious to the way Fili had been looking at her sister, or how Alison had returned his gaze, but she eventually answered, "Well, what about a favour? You know, if we win, we each get to ask you two a favour?"
Fili could see the gleam of interest in his little brother's eyes as he asked eagerly, "What sort of favour?"
"Yes," Fili murmured in Alison's ear, loving that he could feel her shiver, "what sort of favour?"
She tossed him a saucy glance before turning to face forward again. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
Yes, yes he really would, Fili thought even as Lily was saying, "Well, we'd have to think about it, of course. I guess, whatever we decided we want, but we'd keep it simple. If that's okay?"
She'd glanced over her shoulder at Kili, who nodded emphatically, making Fili grin. His little brother had already confessed to an interest in Lily, insisting that she be the one to share his pony, not that Fili had minded at all, of course. He was quite certain that Kee would say yes to nearly anything that Alison's sister asked as a result of said interest, especially as she appeared more reserved than her sister. "I think we can accept those terms," Kili agreed. "Right, Fee?"
Fili nodded. "They sound most agreeable." He had a feeling that whichever way the bet ended up, he'd still manage to benefit from it, and he was most certainly looking forward to finding out. "We have ourselves a bet, then."
After that, the conversation drifted to other things as the four of them began to get to know each other; Fili was quick to notice that the girls were rather vague about where exactly it was that they were from, and would often direct the conversation back to himself and Kili instead of giving details about themselves. Not that he exactly minded; he did wish for Alison to know more about him, so that she might come to trust him, and they both seemed genuinely interested in his and Kili's tales of their home and childhood, but he still found it curious. What exactly were they hiding?
The question had occurred to him for the second time in the span of the hour they'd been talking when Fili caught the sound of Dori complaining loudly ahead of them about what a waste of time it had been to ask the hobbit for help. Fili found that he couldn't really agree, as it was at Mr. Baggins' home that he'd met Alison, after all, although admittedly asking the hobbit for help had been a ridiculous notion, as Dori was loudly informing the group. Fili felt Alison stiffen a little in his arms at the words, and saw the quick glance she exchanged with her sister, but before he could ask what bothered her, he heard a shout behind them.
"Wait! Wait!" Fili turned his head to look at the path behind them, and gaped in astonishment as he saw the hobbit in question come running up the path, the contract they'd left behind for him just in case flapping in his hand as he went. Fili could hear his uncle call the company to a halt as Bilbo skirted around them, heading for the front of their group, where Balin rode just behind Thorin. Fili reined Bungo to a stop, turning to stare at Lily on Kili's pony as he stopped next to them, grinning broadly.
"Did you see that, brother? It happened exactly like she said!"
"Yes," Fili replied slowly, attempting to study Lily, who was refusing to look in his direction. "I saw it." And it had happened precisely as she had stated it, right down to the waving of the contract. How had she known so exactly what would occur?
He felt a poke in his chest, and looked down to see Alison smirking at him. "That means you lost the bet. No kiss for you," she teased, even as Fili could hear Balin welcoming Bilbo to the company ahead of them.
"Not ever?" Fili asked with mock hurt, drawn into her teasing.
"Well, I didn't say that," she drawled, her eyes sparkling at him. "Just not right now, since you two lost."
"We did lose, didn't we?" Kili sounded disappointed, and Fili smiled over at his brother, seeing the crestfallen look on his face and the blush on Lily's.
"Aye, brother, I'm afraid we now owe the lasses a favour." Noticing that the company had started moving again, and Uncle had called for Bilbo to have a pony, Fili nudged Bungo into movement again, nodding at Kili as they rode forward to the sound of Bilbo loudly protesting that he could simply walk.
Kili, having guessed exactly what Fili intended to do, split his pony a bit further away as they rode up to Bilbo, and they both reached down simultaneously as they came up to the still spluttering hobbit, lifting him by the shoulders of his coat and depositing him on the back of the pack pony that had been trailing behind them and now came trotting between them. Though the pony was mostly laden down with the company's extra supplies, they had left just enough room on the saddle for the hobbit to ride, at Gandalf's insistence.
Fili couldn't help chuckling at the frozen way Bilbo sat on the pony, gripping the reins like a lifeline, as they continued along the path. "Have you thought of what your favour is yet?" he asked Alison as they drew abreast with Kili and her sister again, Bilbo's pony having moved ahead of them quite of its own volition.
"Not yet." She smiled over her shoulder at him. "I wouldn't want to waste on it just anything, after all."
At that moment, Oin called from the line of ponies ahead of them, "Come on, Nori. Pay up."
Fili watched with a grin as Nori grumbled, but dug out a sack of coins anyway and flung it to Oin, who caught it neatly. Kili, in turn, called out, "One more," causing both sisters to look at him with astonishment as he neatly caught the second sack of coins.
"Hold on," Lily said in disbelief. "You bet for Bilbo coming with the other dwarves and against him coming with me?"
Kili shrugged, smiling. "That way I would be certain to win at least once. I would much rather have won our bet, however."
Fili smirked at his brother's flirting, as Lily snapped her mouth shut, spinning back around with a red face again and Alison laughed softly. Bilbo, meanwhile, was asking Gandalf what the coin-tossing was about ahead of them, causing Gandalf to explain the bet and how he'd never doubted the hobbit would come with them. Fili could not say the same, however; he'd bet against it both times, unlike Kee.
"No, wait, wait, stop. Stop!" Bilbo shouted from ahead of them, where he'd managed to keep his pony next to Gandalf, although he'd now brought it to a halt just after he'd sneezed, and was frantically patting at his coat pockets. "We have to turn around."
Gandalf frowned at him as the whole company halted. "What on earth is the matter?"
Fili suddenly noticed that Lily had whispered something to Kili, and now their pony was moving forward, drawing up next to Bilbo as the hobbit declared, "I forgot my handkerchief."
"Don't worry, Bilbo," Lily said, digging into the pocket of her unusual trousers and pulling out a square of white cloth. "I brought you one."
Bilbo beamed at her, taking the square of cloth and blowing his nose before tucking it away. "Thank you, Miss Lily. I appreciate it."
"You're welcome," Lily smiled at him in return as Thorin shouted from the head of the group for them to move on, and the ponies began to wind their way along the path again.
Gandalf began scolding the hobbit as the two of them moved on ahead, telling him that he was lucky Lily had thought to bring a handkerchief, while Fili turned to regard her again with no little astonishment as they moved along behind. "How did you know he would need the handkerchief?"
Lily shrugged, looking uncomfortable. "I might have seen this whole . . . interaction," she confessed at last. "Bilbo catching up to the company and forgetting his handkerchief, the whole thing."
Kili frowned. "Then you knew what we would say to you the whole time?"
"No." Lily shook her head emphatically. "I just saw Bilbo and the rest of you. I can't . . . I don't, that is, see Alison and me. That's . . . not how it works."
"Then how does it work?" Fili demanded, feeling suspicion creep through at him at how precise her visions were, down to the last detail. It just didn't seem right that she could know so much.
Alison poked him again, a good deal harder this time. "Don't be so suspicious. She's going to use these visions to help all of you, not hurt you."
He looked down at her, seeing the sincerity – and the flash of anger in her eyes – before he looked to Lily, who nodded firmly. "I only want to help," she declared, equal sincerity ringing through her tone. "I have . . . visions, sometimes at night while I'm dreaming, sometimes when I'm awake, of things that happen to all of you. I can't seem to see anyone else, though. And not when happens to Alison or I when we travel with you. But we still want to come and help."
"And we appreciate the help very much," Kili replied, sending Fili a significant look. "Don't we, Fee?"
"Of course we do," Fili agreed, feeling sudden guilt weighing him down. He hadn't meant to doubt their intentions, only the visions themselves. "I apologize, I did not mean to doubt you. Either of you." He nodded formally to them both, and both sisters accepted his apology graciously as they moved on, the conversation turning back to lighter matters again. Still, Fili couldn't quite shake the doubt that they were lying about the visions, despite the fact that they were sincere in their desire to help. He'd seen that sincerity fade in Lily's expression as soon as she started to describe the visions, and he couldn't stop wondering what it meant. Well, perhaps he would find out once he gained Alison's trust, he thought. And one thing was for certain, this journey would not be a dull one.
Two weeks of travelling each day and camping each night had gone by, and Fili had been right; none of it had been dull. In fact, it was likely the most enjoyable journey he'd ever been on, even if it was also the most torturous. For he'd been absolutely correct; having Alison in his arms each day on the pony was a torment to his body, which reacted with desire every time she was near, desire he had so far been unable to act upon.
As much as he wanted her and enjoyed the company of women, he was still a gentleman, and he would not take liberties with Alison unless she asked him to do so. She flirted with him, certainly, and he knew she desired his company as much as he did hers, but she had yet to invite him to do so much as kiss her, and until she did, he would simply continue their flirting banter. And, of course, take the opportunity to adjust her stance as often as possible while they trained each night at camp, or any other excuse he could think of to touch her. He was a gentleman, and he was patient, but he was not completely above using a situation to his advantage.
And neither, he suspected, was she. He'd become fairly certain that she was deliberately torturing him, especially this past week. She took the opportunity to wriggle that delectable bottom of hers against his aching groin several times a day on the pony, and she brushed up against him whenever she could. Then, of course, there had been the time the other night when she'd asked him to keep watch for her while she took her turn bathing in the river. He'd agreed, of course, staying nearby but keeping his back turned, until she'd shrieked, that is. He'd run to her aid, only to discover that she'd shrieked from the coldness of the water – and that she was completely nude and dripping wet. Furthermore, she'd made no attempt to hide herself when he'd come running, and he'd been so frozen when he'd seen her that he had not immediately turned away. She wasn't just beautiful, he'd discovered then; she was utterly breathtaking. It had taken every ounce of his will to turn his back on her again and not touch her. It was only later, when he'd been able to think properly again, that he'd remembered the sly grin on her face when she'd said the water was cold, and he'd become certain she'd done it on purpose.
He found that he didn't mind, however; the torture was incredibly pleasant, as was the building tension between them both. Besides, he felt certain that had he taken her up on that unspoken invitation, she wouldn't have minded at all; indeed, she'd almost seemed a little disappointed, later. Perhaps, he thought, he would have to ask her to actually issue him the invitation he waited for in words, so that there could be no mistake; when they next had a private moment where he did not fear the others would hear them, he would do so, he decided. In the meantime, so long as she enjoyed herself, he was happy.
And it was true, he realized; when she was happy, he could not help feeling the same. Every time she laughed, it made him smile, and he'd greatly enjoyed every moment spent in her company, even when she was dodging his questions of her homeland. He liked when she sang under her breath whenever the conversation lagged when they rode, even if the words were odd; he liked when she laughed at a joke he or Kili had made; he even liked it when she made some joke he didn't understand, but that sent her sister into a fit of giggles, like when she'd commented about knowing how "the pointy end goes in the other man" during their first night of sword training. One day, he thought with a smile, he'd find out what had been so amusing about that statement.
Tonight, though, she'd seemed subdued; in fact, both girls had seemed strangely quiet while the other dwarves had talked merrily about their families, he remembered as he returned to camp from relieving himself. It was the middle of the night, and Balin was on watch while the others were all sleeping. At least, he'd thought that they were, but just as he'd waved to Balin that he was back, he thought he heard a muffled sob off in the distance, back in the trees.
He instantly looked to the corner of the camp where Alison had lain down next to her sister earlier, only to see the bedroll he'd loaned her was empty, and Lily slept next to it alone. He frowned, creeping in the direction of the trees. If she'd gone off into the trees to have privacy, he couldn't just leave her there; it was simply too dangerous, no matter how much she might wish to be alone. He eventually caught the sound of another muffled sob, and quietly made his way through the trees, following the sound of her sorrow.
He eventually found her in a clearing, sitting on a log, her face buried in her hands as she cried in the exact fashion she had the night they'd stayed at Bilbo's home. And just as it had then, the sound shredded his heart, the pain of seeing her cry ripping it into tiny little pieces. He'd only meant to stand watch over her, and hadn't really even meant to let her know he was there, knowing that she probably didn't want him there, but he couldn't help himself this time. He was already moving towards her before he'd quite realized he'd made the decision, and her head snapped up when he was only a few yards away. He'd stepped on a twig in his haste to get to her, forgetting to be quiet.
"Fili?" She choked out, looking alarmed, though the tears kept streaking down her face. "What are you doing here?!"
"You shouldn't be alone out here," he told her quietly as he reached her side, sitting down on the log next to her. "It's too dangerous." After a moment's hesitation, he put an arm around her, hoping she wouldn't push him away.
She stiffened for a second, staring up at him, her green eyes so full of sorrow that his heart gave another painful lurch at the sight. But then, without warning, she turned into his embrace, burying her face against his chest, and went right on crying. He wrapped his other arm around her, murmuring to her in Khuzdul, knowing that she wouldn't understand but hoping the sound of his voice itself was soothing for her. Somehow, holding her eased the pain in his heart from seeing her cry, though not entirely. Only finding out why she was crying would do that, he suspected, but he didn't think she was ready to tell him yet.
After several moments, her crying began to slow, and eventually it stopped altogether. She pulled back when it did, though she didn't pull away entirely, and began wiping at her face with her sleeve, looking embarrassed. After a long moment, she looked up at him, her expression carefully blank. "Aren't you going to ask why?"
Fili considered her for a moment before he followed his gut instinct. "Do you want me to ask you why?"
She shook her head emphatically, and he smiled slightly. "Then I won't," he said simply. "I won't tell anyone, either. But if you need to do this again, at least let me come to keep watch, will you? I would not wish anything to happen to you, nor would anyone else, I'm sure."
She was blushing at his words as she nodded, he realized in sudden delight; it was the first time he'd ever seen her blush, as flirting with her had never caused such a reaction. Apparently concern for her well-being did, however. "Okay," she said softly. "If I need to do this again, I will. We should probably go back now."
"We should," he agreed, though he was reluctant to let her go. It felt so right to have in her in his arms. Still, it was late, and this was most definitely not the time to ask her if she wanted to be alone for other reasons. Not when she'd just been so upset. So, he got to his feet, helping her up, and they began to walk back to the camp.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly after a moment, and he looked at her in confusion until she nodded at the damp patch on the front of his tunic. "For using you as a handkerchief," she clarified.
He smiled. "You may use me any way you would like, Alison."
She grinned, and he could see the relief on her face at being able to fall back into their teasing banter as she said, "Is that so? I'll have to keep that in mind; I'm sure I can find all sorts of uses for you."
He laughed, feeling relieved himself at seeing a smile on her face again, marvelling at the way it lightened his heart with joy. "I'm certain you can, and I hope that you will take me up on the offer soon."
"Oh, I will, believe me." By this point, they had reached the edge of the campsite again, and she turned to him with a small smile as she whispered, "Good night, Fili. And thank you. For being there, and for not asking."
"You are most welcome." He smiled at her in return. "Good night, Alison."
"You can call me Ali, if you want," she offered, before heading over to her bedroll and joining her sister once more.
Ali. He had heard her sister call her such, a few times, though no one else did, and he couldn't help but feel the offer was a victory of trust, however small. And the surge of elation he felt at the thought gave him momentary pause. Why did he react so to her? Was she – could she be - ? He didn't know what it was like when a dwarf found their One, but he did know who would. He resolved he would ask Gloin as soon as he could.
He found the opportunity the very next morning, in fact, when he awoke just as dawn broke the horizon. Neither Alison nor Lily was up yet; he'd noticed the sisters were not exactly early risers over the last couple of weeks. In fact, quite a few of the company were not, and most of them were still asleep, with the exception of Bombur, who was making breakfast, and Gloin, who had clearly taken the last watch. He sat perched on the boulder Balin had occupied last night, and Fili decided there was no time like the present.
He made his way over to the boulder, bringing out his pipe and puffing on it casually as he stopped next to Gloin.
Gloin looked over at him and nodded. "Good morning, lad."
"Good morning, Gloin." Fili let out one more puff of smoke. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?"
"Of course not, lad. Ask away."
He briefly decided how best to put the question, but eventually decided there was no point in stalling. "How did you know when you met your wife that she was your One?"
Gloin gave him a shrewd look, and Fili couldn't quite prevent the blush that passed over his face at the realization that Gloin likely knew exactly why he was asking. Mercifully, however, the older dwarf didn't press the issue as he replied, "It was simple, laddie, once I realized that I felt for her as I had felt for no other lass that I had ever met before. She sparkled more than any jewel, and shone brighter than any gold; her smiles were worth more to me than mithril. Her laughter gave me joy, and her tears pained me more than my own sorrows. She shone like the sun among stars, and I was a good deal more . . . eager to be in her company than I had been with any other lass." He gave a reminiscent smile at this point, before adding, "Does that answer your question, lad?"
"Yes, I believe it does. Thank you, Gloin." Fili nodded to the older dwarf before he wandered away, feeling suddenly dazed. Everything Gloin had described seemed to match his feelings for Alison exactly. It was precisely as he'd suspected, yet the realization still hit him like a blow to the stomach; Alison was his One. And yet, he had no idea how he would ever convince her of that fact, or how he would find out if she could ever feel the same way about him.