Note: Italics is thoughts, unless specified otherwise i.e flashbacks or visions. / is timeskip
THIRD POV
Two months had passed since that night. Since she had dreamt of him. That morning after the very vivid dream - or whatever it was, she couldn't even look in Dwalin's direction without her cheeks growing warm. This behaviour, however, did not even last the day.
Dwalin had been short with her all day, never talking, just grunting. It had driven her insane. Naturally, it hadn't taken her long to confront the Dwarf, which proved to be a big mistake. No sooner had she, a massive screaming match had gone down between them, it looked as if they were ready to start throwing punches before Thorin and Nori had stepped in. Ever since Alexa hadn't been alone with him, much less talked to him and when they did it's either disgruntled noises or spitting venom at each other.
Which to some extent Alexa was eternally grateful for. She had joined the company to prevent her premonition from happening, to save the line of Durin and with-it Middle Earth, she can't afford to be distracted. Besides, it was bad enough that the dream had affected her so, making her look like a babbling fool, no matter how short it was, it was bad. She's a Jedi for crying out loud! If the council could see her now, she'd be banished! Sent away to live out her life as a nerf herder of all things! They are all counting on her and she can't afford to think of anything else. She's here on a mission.
/
Now, two months later, twelve since the journey began; the company were all either standing about or crouched uncomfortably in a confined crevice in a mountain. All apart from Bilbo – who was yet again tasked to scope out how many leagues away Azog and his forces were from finding them. So, there they stood or in some cases, crouched. Waiting.
Alexa had argued that with being a Jedi – she can literally just sense where the group of Orcs are at and be done with it. But ever the protective company she was told to stay put and to let Bilbo, the official burglar – someone without any powers of any kind – sneak up on Azog's forces and report back when sighted.
Before Bilbo had left to do his daily lookout, he had quickly padded off in the direction of an annoyed, hunched over Alexa. "I'm going to be just fine Alexa," he had whispered,
"I know Bilbo, I just don't like putting you in unnecessary danger. I don't understand why Thorin is making you do this when I could..." she trailed off, a wistful expression on her face. A soft exhale and a sharp nod was all she received before he was gone.
/
Waiting was excruciating, it held uncertainty and was painful to sit through. If her leg wasn't bouncing, then her fingers were flexing, twitching; It had gotten to the point that she no longer needed to file her nails because she had bitten them all off. Even though Alexa could sense that Bilbo was in no danger whatsoever, it didn't stop her from worrying that something would happen to her friend.
Bilbo and her had grown somewhat close on the journey to Erebor, bonding over the fact that they were both outcasts of the company – not including Gandalf of course, but he's a Wizard sooo… While the Dwarfs had warmed up rather quickly to Alexa, it had taken them a while to include Bilbo in both their conversations and secluded groups at supper etc.
Alexa held high respect towards the Hobbit. He had come all this way when he wasn't obliged to do anything; he could've just stayed in Hobbiton, sat in his armchair, read his books, cared for his garden and just gone on with life. But he didn't. He had joined the company, pledging his services to help. He had no experience outside of the Shire, no weapons training, no survival skills, nothing. But he had come along to help the lost dwarves of Durin reclaim their home, that took courage and Alexa recognized that, respected that.
ALEXA'S POV
Alexa took in the starry night before her, so many stars. Counting them was impossible, a futile task, but it helped pass the time as she waited for her friend to return.
It had been a decently long while when she sensed another life form. This one being much bigger and closer to Bilbo. Closing her eyes momentarily, she scoped out the form. It was a bear, bigger than anyone she had ever seen; it was about the size of an XJ-6 speeder. Snapping her eyes back open, she launched to her feet, startling the two Dwarfs beside her.
"Mahal Alexa! What is it?" Nori quipped, on alert
"It's Bilbo, he's in danger,"
"Danger?" Bofur breathed, a horrified look forming on his face.
A curt nod was all he received before she turned head, taking quick strides in the direction Bilbo had left. The two exchanged worried looks and without much encouragement, Nori and Bofur followed after Alexa's lead. The trio didn't make it that far as Dwalin had stopped them before they had gone down the same path as their Hobbit.
"Wha' do yer think yer doing?" Dwalin angrily whispered, gaining the attention of the rest of the company.
"Saving Bilbo," Alexa spat back in a hushed tone, giving Dwalin a harsh glare.
At that all the Dwarves simultaneously groaned and rolled their eyes; this had been going on for months now. No one knows what had caused it, but they all knew a wedge had come between the two. The change between the two hadn't gone unseen by any of the company.
Before they were once more at each other's throats, Nori and Bofur pulled Alexa away whilst Thorin and Balin shot an annoyed look at Dwalin, who just huffed in response. No sooner had they pulled Alexa away, the pitter-patter of feet alerted the company of Bilbo's arrival. Thorin didn't even let him suck in a breath before the onslaught of questions came.
"How close is the pack?" he had asked,
"Too close. A couple of leagues no more. But that's not the worst of it," Bilbo replied, sucking in a deep breath while the breath got stuck in Alexa's throat. The Bear
"Teh warg's picked up our scent?" Dwalin muttered, gripping Keeper firmly in his hand.
"Not yet but they will do. We have another problem," Bilbo remarked, a look of anxiety and fear plastered on his face.
"Did they see you? They saw you!" Gandalf speculated, panicking.
"No, that's not it," Bilbo huffed, causing a knowing smile to form on Gandalf's lips as he turned towards the company, spirits lifted.
"What did I tell you? Quiet as a mouse. Excellent burglar material," Gandalf remarked, sparking noises of agreement throughout the company.
Whilst this was happening Bilbo was getting more and more annoyed by the second. Seeing his struggle to speak over the Dwarves, Alexa placed a hand on his shoulder in comfort, before raising her own voice.
"Oi! Stop your damn chatting and for force, sake listen!" Now that got them to be quiet.
"Thank you, Alexa... Now I'm trying to tell you there's something else out there," Bilbo enlightened, pointing out towards the woods; his words made the smiles fall from the companies faces as worried looks took their place.
"What form did it take? Like a bear?" Gandalf asked, causing Alexa to stare at him suspiciously, Now, how does he know about the bear?
"Ye-Yes Yes but bigger much bigger," Bilbo uttered, baffled as to how the Wizard knew.
"You knew about this beast?" Bofur stated, eyes wide; Gandalf's silence spoke loud enough for him.
"I say we double back," Bofur spoke, promoting another round of agreement.
"And be run down by a pack of orcs?" Thorin reasoned,
"There is a house. It's not far from here, where we might take refuge," Gandalf informs,
"Whose house? Are they friend or foe?" Thorin exasperated, done with the Wizard's games and riddles.
"Neither, he will help us or he will kill us," Gandalf spoke, a serious look on his face.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Alexa muttered, as the feeling of DeJa'Vu swept through her.
"What choice do we have?" Thorin questioned; not soon after a loud roar echoed around them.
"None," Gandalf admitted.
/
And more running. This time through rivers and out in the open.
At least this time I'm not about to pass out from blood loss Alexa reasoned as she ran with the rest of the company; following Gandalf to the home of someone who will potentially kill them upon arrival. Which is just fantastic!
"Come on!" Gandalf yelled.
Puffing, Alexa looked down at her legs pumping through the grass beneath them.I'm running as fast as I can damn Wizard! Is what she wanted to yell when a soothing voice interrupted her thoughts.
"I think we both know that isn't true Alexa," the voice said,
"What in the force," Alexa muttered out loud, gaining a few odd looks from her companions.
Not much later, Gandalf led them into a forest woodland, which provided a lot of more needed coverage and protection than the field. Adrenaline pumped through Alexa as she ran near the back of the company with Nori and Bilbo; branches whipped at her face and arms, not having the time nor the energy to avoid them as she ran down the slope in the woodland.
With every roar from the beast, the company ran seemingly faster, adrenaline and the will to live fueling their quickening pace. After one particularly loud roar, the whole company came to a stop, peering behind them towards the sound. During this time of panic, Alexa leant up against a nearby tree, momentarily resting as her shoulder had started to ache – her action caught the eye of a concerned Thorin. When he had made to walk over to check up on her, she had merely waved him off with a slight grimace.
"This way, quickly!" Shouts Gandalf, his attempt of encouragement makes a brief smile form on Alexa's face. Not soon after she felt eyes on her; looking up to see what it was, her face instantly hardened as her eyes met with Dwalin and his particularly harsh glare. Ass!
"Bombur, come on!" Bofur yells at his brother, as he ran past him. But Bombur just stood there, a scared look etched on his round face. Thorin, however, managed to grab Bombur by the beard, dragging him along. A little while after it seemed, the woodland forest was coming to an end, and opening up into a field with the house not too far away.
"To the house! RUN!" Gandalf bellowed, causing a sigh of relief to come from Alexa. Thank the force!
Soon the thumping of paws behind the company got louder as the distance between the company and the beast rapidly decreases. Alexa was sprinting right behind Bofur with Bilbo on her left and Nori to her right. With the house in sight, Alexa let a glimmer of hope settle in her stomach, we're going to make it she thought.
Suddenly a thud sounded beside her, her eyes flickered over the form of a collapsed Bilbo – who had tripped over a rabbit hole in the ground. "Bilbo," she breathed, slowing down.
Without hesitation, Alexa ran back towards Bilbo's prone form and helped him up. Just as she lifted him onto his feet, a roar sounded from the forest woodland they had just previously exited. Snapping her eyes back towards the sound, she watched as a big black bear reared its head from within the forest and made a break for it straight towards them.
"Oh force," Shoving Bilbo – rather roughly – in front of her, she pushed him to run faster as the beast was gaining ground and fast. A pulse of pain shot through her injured shoulder with every step she took, she couldn't take this for much longer.
"Hurry up lass!" a gruff voice called from beside her; looking to her left she saw the one Dwarf she had been avoiding; Dwalin.
"I'm going as fast as I can!" she panted from exertion.
"Well, run faster!" he bellowed, pushing her roughly near her injured shoulder, causing a whimper to escape her.
"Trust in the force," the soothing voice sounded in her head once more, startling her. Trust in the force? Alexa thought confused when it came to her.
With newfound energy, she lunged towards Bilbo and grabbed the scruff of his cloak. "See ya later Dwalin," Alexa quipped; a cocky smile etched on her lips. Said Dwarf barely had time to open his mouth before she was gone, along with the Hobbit.
/
Alexa huffed a laugh as she watched from the gate of the house as the usually stoic Dwalin became panic-stricken, blown wide eyes searching for her and Bilbo's form. After hearing her booming laughter, his eyes snapped to her convulsing form, a wicked glare glazing over his eyes.
The sound of vomiting caused Alexa to break her stare, she turned back around towards the noise. A sigh escaped her lips as she watched Bilbo heave up what little he had for breakfast that morning. Patting him on the shoulder softly, she stared at him with an apologetic look in her eyes.
"Sorry Bilbo, I forgot what it's like for first-timers," Alexa said, a regretful tone in her voice.
Wiping his mouth with his dull, worn jacket, Bilbo raised a hand in forgiveness. "It is fine Alexa, just a little warning next time please," he jested, making a soft laugh escape her lips.
"You got it, Bilbo," she joked, whacking him quite enthusiastically in a spark of happiness on his back; which wasn't a good idea, as no sooner had she, Bilbo was back to throwing up his insides.
Not able to watch him, Alexa turned her attention back to the company at hand, who were still a wee way away with the bear on their tail. What Alexa saw next; she would never forget; her jaw went slack. How he was doing it, she had no clue but holy mother of force.
At first, she reasoned that the adrenaline was making her delirious. But no. There Bombur was tearing up the trail, running past everyone; and soon ran past her and a heaving Bilbo and into the massive wooden door of the house. Alexa flinched at the sound. Now that's gotta hurt!
"Come on, get inside!" Gandalf yelled as he stood beside Alexa, the pair remained at the gate, ushering the rest of the Dwarves towards the house. By this time, Bilbo had – thankfully – seized vomiting and was now being squashed by rowdy and panicked Dwarves.
As soon as the last Dwarf had passed, Alexa and Gandalf approached the large door which was currently being unsuccessfully bashed into by the rest of the company. All squabbling about to try open the door. Alexa kept her eyes focused on the large bear running towards them, ready to take it down - if necessary.
"Open the door!" Gandalf yelled,
"Quickly!" Thorin bellowed, hastily backing up towards the door before finally turning around and rushing to lift the latch.
With the door now open, the Dwarves along with Bilbo, Gandalf and Alexa all desperately ran inside, away from the bear. Once inside, they had almost no time to gain their breaths as the bear was upon them. Yelling out, the Dwarves struggled to push the bear out as its snout stuck through the gap between the two doors.
"Dwalin!" Thorin yelled, pushing on the door with all his might.
"Come on!" Dwalin blared,
Beside her, Bilbo unsheathed his Elvish letter opener and pointed it towards the beast, while Gandalf had a knowing look in his eye. After a few more seconds of watching the Dwarfs struggle and a rather sharp jab and pointed look from Gandalf, Alexa huffed and waved her hand slightly through the air. Her action sent the bear back a few meters, giving the Dwarves enough time to slam the door shut and barricade it.
"What is that?" Ori asked, a scared look present in his eyes.
"That is our host," Gandalf answered, bewildering the company.
"He's what?" Alexa huffed, glaring at Gandalf's form.
"His name is Beron and he's a skin-changer. Sometimes he's a huge bear, sometimes he's a great strong man. The bear is unpredictable but the man can be reasoned with. However, he is not overly fond of Dwarves," Gandalf finished, wary.
"Great, just great," Alexa breathed, holding the bridge of her nose with her thumb and index finger, quietly seething.
"He's leaving," a wide-eyed Ori updated, causing his mother hen of a brother to jump into action.
"Come away from there, it's not natural none of it. It's obvious, he's under some dark spell," Dori reasoned, holding his younger brother in his arms.
"Don't be a fool, he's under no enchantment but his own," Gandalf tutted disapprovingly, before continuing.
"Alright now, get some sleep, all of you. You'll be safe here tonight – I hope," Gandalf finished, in a whisper.
AN: XJ-6 speeder is the yellow speeder Anakin then Obi-Wan pilots in the Star Wars prequels (AOTC) during the chase scene after the bounty hunter (changeling) in the first part of the film.
For those of you who didn't know/understand: Alexa did a force jump, that's how she managed to get to the house so quickly [As shown in The Phantom Menance and The Clone Wars]
