Note: Italics is thoughts, unless specified otherwise i.e flashbacks or visions. / is timeskip
"You can't be serious Thorin. I can't wear this, I won't!" Alexa scoffed, holding the dress before her, a look of disgust on her face.
"You can and you will! The Master has invited us into his home and has requested for you to wear it," Thorin demanded his voice growing in volume the longer he spoke.
"Thorin, please I don't underst-" she sighed; a pleading look in her eyes as she looked at him.
"You are wearing that dress miss Alexa; I command you to!" he growled, interrupting her.
A shocked expression was on Alexa's face as she stared at the glowering Dwarf. Where in force did that come from? She thought as she looked at his dark expression, his Durin blue eyes almost black.
/
"Come now we are already running late, and as a Baggins, I must insist we leave soon," Bilbo said, bouncing on the spot with his hands clasped behind his back; making a sigh escape Alexa as she looked at herself in the mirror.
"It'll be okay," he said softly, stopping his jigging to look up reassuringly at Alexa. Though his words were meant to cheer the young woman up, they didn't even convince himself, let alone her.
"You're not the one in the slutty dress Bilbo!" Alexa muttered, not bothering to hide her distaste at the outfit. It reminded her of the time she had to dress as a slave on the Ryloth system to complete her mission. Though unlike that outfit, this one was more modest and covered her back and stomach; showcasing only her arms, legs and cleavage. So, that was something… I guess?
"I can't believe Thorin made me wear this," she grumbled, unable to pace back and forth like she wanted since it was physically too tight to move her legs properly. At this rate, she wouldn't be surprised if one deep breath would rip the dress in half.
"Speaking of Thorin, have you noticed he's been a bit… Off lately? " she added as she fingered at the emblem around her neck; wanting Bilbo's opinion on the matter.
"I know, but it is only for dinner. I'll be with you the whole time, and off? Can't say I've noticed, perhaps he's just stressed? we are almost there after all," Bilbo assured,
Alexa nodded with his words, "Thank you, Bilbo, you're a good friend. I believe you are right; we are close to Erebor. Thorin just wants to get there as soon as possible, it's only natural he's stressed,"
Releasing a breath, Alexa moved her hair to cover as much of her cleavage as possible. "Okay, I'm ready," Alexa breathed, grasping Bilbo's offered hand gladly.
The wooden door opened with a rather loud squeak, unfortunately alerting everyone of their arrival. Though to be fair, the dress she was wearing was bound to gain attention anyways. Feeling all their eyes on her, the dress suddenly felt tighter, constricting her ability to breathe. Her face heated up, was it hot in here? Or was it just her?
A squeeze on her hand brought her back. Peering down at her Hobbit friend, she smiled at him in thanks. It was then she realized that they must look rather comical, with the height difference and all. Poor Bilbo must look like a child holding onto his mother's hand. The thought made a lump form in her throat, Seren used to hold her hand like this when she was alive.
Blinking away her tears before they could fall, she walked with Bilbo towards the long wooden table. Peering over it, she noticed that all the company par herself and Bilbo had already arrived. Thorin and Balin sat at the top of the table with the Master of Laketown and Alfrid. The latter of the two, looked her up and down before their eyes settled on her cleavage.
Alexa barely held back a shiver at the leery looks, this was one of the many reasons why she didn't want to wear this damned dress.
Moving down the table, hand in hand with Bilbo; they finally made it to the two available spots left. Releasing Bilbo's hand, Alexa tucked the dress under her bottom and sat down in-between him and Dwalin on the long bench.
Glancing around the table, Alexa sighed as she noticed that the Dwarves had already plundered most of the food. That's what I get for being late, she thought.
As she was about to take the offered plate from Bilbo to begin filling it with what was left. A filled plate with all sorts of food was placed in front of her. Her green-grey eyes ran over the slabs of steak, fat sausages, cheeses, slices of bread, potatoes and other delicious looking kinds of foods; all on the plate before her.
"There, yer go lass," a gruff voice sounded in her ear. Instantly recognizing the rough voice, her eyes snapped from the filled plate to the Dwarf beside her.
"You saved me some food?" she asked, the shock clear in her tone.
"Aye, gotta make sure ya keep yer strength up," he grunted, avoiding her gaze as he felt the rest of the company stare at him; all previous conversations having seized.
"Thank you Dwalin," Alexa breathed, a thankful expression on her face as she looked at the burly Dwarf.
"Na problem lass," he grunted, brushing off her thanks as he went back to his meal.
Looking from Dwalin back to her plate, she missed the nudges and wide-eyed looks from the surrounding company as she dug into the meal before her. Biting into the thick sausage, a pleased moan left her lips as she chewed the juicy meat. It had been too long since she had eaten such delicious food. She didn't hesitate to dig into the mashed potatoes, quickly cramming it down her throat like a starved man.
"Yer look nice," Dwalin coughed, his voice a low rumble. At his words, Alexa paused, holding the mountain full of potato on her spoon before her lips. Her eyes flickered towards the Dwarf as she placed the spoon back on her plate.
"Uh, thanks…? Honestly, I can't wait to be out of it," Alexa huffed, pulling at the revealing dress in an attempt to make it more modest; a red tint forming on her cheeks.
"If yer need any assistance with tha' lass, I'd be happy ta help," Bofur said across from her, his voice husky; gaining several laughs and hollers.
Alexa frowned at his comment, not understanding why everyone was laughing. The joke wasn't that funny, was it? She had needed help to get into the overwhelmingly tight dress, so of course, she'd need help getting out of it.
Her confusion only grew as Dwalin stiffened beside her. Sparing the burly Dwarf a glance, she was shocked to see a dark look on his face. She studied the Dwarf, taking note of his protective body language and his glower expression. As she observed him, she briefly wondered what had happened to make him act like that.
Shrugging, she went back to the meal before her; filling up on those delicious foods. All the while, missing the way Bofur paled and the company seized laughing under Dwalin's fierce glare.
/
While the company were eating and drinking to their heart's content, Bofur had decided to sing a song. Not the one from Rivendell, but it was just as good; if not better as the ale provided by the maids made them extra merry. The booming sound of their bellowing laughter echoed through the halls, as they threw food around and chugged down the ale in their tankards.
During the dinner in Thorin's honour, the Dwarves had told stories of glorious battles, life in Erebor pre-Smaug, childhood antics, and in Nori's case: the number of times he had invaded the law – which was a lot – he was certainly one slippery bugger.
After coming down from laughing, after another one of Nori's interesting escape routes, Bifur had slapped his arm, grunts of words falling from his lips. Alexa stared intently at the Dwarf, as even though she couldn't understand him, she had known him long enough to know he was talking to her – that and the intense eye contact. Bofur who sat beside his cousin, nodded along with the Dwarf's words; taking them in before he turned his body towards Alexa.
"He asked if there wa' any battle stories tha' yer might want te share lass," Bofur translated; the words making the company perk up, all eager to hear more about the lass's life.
"Oh, yes of course. Just let me think…" Alexa said, biting her lip. There were so many to choose from. The beginning of The Clone Wars: the battle of Geonosis, then there was the battle of Teth and confronting Ventress, and the second battle of Geonosis, oh and the raid on Kamino. Those were the major battles she could think of that she was thrust into, and not just overseeing.
"If I may Miss Alexa, how about the execution arena on Geonosis," Ori suggested, his words startling the rest of the company.
"Execution what?!" They bellowed; they couldn't believe what they were hearing. With all their bickering, it made it impossible for Alexa to tell the story.
"Ex-execution arena?" Bilbo stuttered; oh, he did not like where this was going.
"Not to worry Bilbo, I escaped. I am here aren't I?" Alexa assured the Hobbit, well tried to at least.
"Wha' he talkin' about lass?" Dwalin grunted, his voice a low rumble; that she would've missed had she not been sitting so close to the Dwarf. Twisting her body to look at the stoic Dwarf, she gazed into his dark blue eyes.
"Well in one particular mission gone wrong, I ended up chained to a pillar where three beasts tried to kill me and three of my associates for entertainment," she told him matter-of-factly, a smile twitching at her lips as she watched his eyes grow wide and his eyebrows rise higher than she had ever seen.
"Ori how did you know about this?" Nori questioned; somehow having heard everything Alexa had said to Dwalin over the bickering.
"I asked her for my book on the journey, as a background for her page," he replied, his voice barely sounded over the rowdy Dwarves.
"Guess I won't get to tell the story," Alexa muttered sadly. The story about being chained to a pillar in the execution arena being one of her favourite missions.
Hard to believe right? Since the battle after was the beginning of The Clone Wars. But just being tied to that pillar, with an Acklay after her was one adventure she could look back on with Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Padme and just laugh.
Hearing the quiet words, Dwalin observed the woman's crestfallen expression then looked to the bickering Dwarves; anger growing within him. Not liking to see the lass upset, he stood to his feet and slammed his fists on the wooden table. A loud, sharp bang erupting from the table as it cracked beneath the Dwarf's fists.
"ENOUGH!" he roared, his gruff voice making Alexa and Bilbo jump and instantly rendering the rowdy Dwarves silent; as well as gaining some strange looks from Thorin and Balin, and irritated ones from the Master and Alfrid at the top of the table.
"Let teh lass speak," he grunted, his muscled arms crossed over his chest as he glared at the lot of them; almost egging them on to resume their bickering. Once he was certain that another word would not be spoken, he sat back down in his seat.
"Go on lass," he grunted, making Alexa smile happily. Clasping her hands together, she addressed everyone willing to listen.
"Okay so, the execution arena. Now, before I get started, please leave all questions to the end," she said, looking directly at a select bunch of Dwarves who always butted in when she tried to tell a story. After getting visual confirmation that they would not cut in, she continued.
"So, this was all before The Clone Wars which was a war that lasted for three years," she informed, sparing a glance at Dwalin; knowing that he was the only one who knew about The Clone Wars from what she had told him in that cell.
"I'll get into that whole mess later if we have time," she assured, as she saw some of the company perk up; Ori, and Bilbo in particular.
"So, myself, and erm, another fellow Jedi; Knight Kenobi," she began, a sadness ensnaring her eyes as she spoke his name. Sniffing lightly, she scratched at her nose briefly before continuing with the tale.
"We were on a mission to capture this bounty hunter and bring him back to the Jedi Council for questioning. Anyway, we ended up following him to a desert planet in the outer rim, called Geonosis,"
"Unfortunately, not long after we landed, we were captured," Alexa continued,
"Landed?" Bilbo asked, confused at her wording.
"Oh, sorry Alexa. I know you said no questions till the end," he quickly stammered, as he recalled what her conditions were at the start.
"It's okay Bilbo. This is a one-off though," she said stubbornly, her eyes scoping the company in a warning.
"Okay, I know it's going to sound insane but bear with me here. When I said landed, I mean we flew there. Now, before you, all start yelling and asking more questions. My world, my universe has aircraft. Now to but this as simply as I can; you've all seen a butterfly yes?" she asked, gaining some confused nods. Oh, may the force be with me
"Okay, so like that butterfly could fly using its wings. We had machines made from steel and other metals that could fly like a butterfly. But not by flapping, no we had generators, engines," she explained, which got her only more confused looks in return.
"Erm… Let me think. So, um an example is like how you lot use water to power a mill or a forge to make the gears turn. But instead of water we used an engine to power the machine and its thrusters which gave it the ability to fly," she explained further, wringing her hands as she thought of the words to say. They had never heard or seen such a thing, so how could they even comprehend a Jedi Starfighter?
"Just continue with the story Miss Alexa," Dori said, encouragingly. Still not quite understanding what in Mahal she was on about, but wanting to hear more about the arena she had been in; as other than the Jedi Purge they had little to no knowledge of her past.
"Now where was I?" she said aloud, thinking.
"You had been captured," Ori piped up, reminding Alexa.
"Oh, yes. Thank you, Ori. So, we were held in force binding cuffs as well as a force shield which stopped us from using the force. After a lengthy interrogation, we were led out to four pillars and were chained up, with the iron chains clasped around our wrists and the chains locked at the top of the pillar. Not too soon after we had arrived, another colleague of mine and his charge, a senator called Padme was chained to the remaining two pillars,"
"Then Count Dooku, who was a Sith Lord; a dark force wielder, released three creatures to 'execute' us. A Reek, a Nexu, and of course, an Acklay," She finished a soft look on her face; reminiscent of her past.
"Did she say, Reek? Haven't heard of such a thing," Oin spoke, looking into his hearing trumpet to see if there was anything that could be blocking the pipe.
"I do not doubt that Oin as they do not exist here," Alexa stated, taking the book and quill from Ori's hands - that had somehow survived Mirkwood and their escape - as it would be easier to explain the creatures if they had a drawing to go along with it.
"So, imagine the biggest Warg you've ever seen, now imagine one that's the height of that bookshelf, and twice as long. That's about the size of a Reek," she said, sketching the outline of the ferocious beast.
"By Durin," they muttered, eyes blown wide as they imagined what a beast that size could do.
"Though unlike a Warg, Reek's do not have fur; it's more of tough leathery skin. They also have three horns on its head; one on the sides of each jaw and one on the top of its head," she added, as she roughly sketched what one looked like from memory.
"This is a rough drawing of their appearance," she said, turning the parchment to show the company whose eyes grew round in apprehension; Bilbo who had been watching the drawing come to life had paled. Once Alexa was satisfied that they had all had a decent look, she turned the page and started on the next drawing.
"Now the Nexu is smaller and more agile than a Reek. Now imagine a cat, and a Warg decided to consummate," She told them, a grin on her face as she heard comments ranging from 'ucks', 'abomination' and, 'poor cat,'.
"Doesn't sound like much of a threat lass," Gloin commented. Alexa smiled at his words, knowing that he was no doubt imagining a tiny mutant rat.
"Nexu are catlike predators, with four red eyes and sharp quills along its back. They were about a meter in length, but with the forked tail about four. They also have razor-sharp teeth and claws – now because of its size and agility it is very difficult to hit, but if you do, they are very easy to injure and kill. One well-aimed blow with enough force could easily kill it, so overall not much of a threat, but chained up? Well, that's another story," she spoke, showing the company the sketch, she had done of the creature.
"Well isn't tha' jus' the stuff of nightmares," Bofur gulped, getting some hums in agreement.
"You have no idea," Ori shivered, remembering the drawing of the Acklay creature.
"Finally, there was the Acklay," Alexa said, flicking back through the pages in Ori's book for the sketch she had drawn back at Beorn's. Upon finding it, she turned the book in hand to show the company.
"Mahal! I take it back! Tha' is the stuff of nightmares!" Bofur corrected, wanting to tear his eyes away from the scary drawing but unable.
"Yes, it is Bofur, however, it is not the worst creature I've seen," Alexa replied, a slight shiver going through her as she thought of the Rathtar she and her Master had unfortunately come across on one of their missions.
"You've got to be kidding," Kili spoke up for the first time that night, his tired eyes glued to the drawing.
"Unfortunately, not Kili. Now for some description," she finished with a wicked grin, remembering how Ori almost passed out.
"These creatures are bigger than a Reek, much, much bigger," Oh, this will be interesting, they're already paling. Alexa thought to herself, feeling slightly bad for the Hobbit beside her who looked like he was about to soil himself.
"Out of the three, the Acklay is the deadliest. With the ability to emit loud shrills that can make your ears bleed as well as sense the body electricity of its victims – so there is no hiding from this one," she told them,
"As shown, they have three eyes and six skin covered claws with grabbling hands," she said, pointing to each component on the drawing as she went.
"If their sharp teeth don't bite your head off, their claws would pierce through your hind like a spear – but much bigger and thicker," she continued, repeating the words she had told Ori.
"They are incredibly hard to kill, as they are protected by a hard shell on its back. Spears are useless against them; I've seen it firsthand, it just ripped it out and snapped it with its teeth - a lightsaber did do the trick though," she added, a nostalgic expression momentarily passing her features as she remembered how she and Ben had cut off two of its front legs before stabbing it right through its shell; killing it.
"Yer were up against this thing lass?" Dwalin coughed, averting his eyes from the drawing to look at the young woman.
"Unfortunately yes, the bugger almost skewered me with its damn claws," she chuckled, remembering how she had rolled around on the ground, trying to avoid them.
"So, uh erm. How-how di-did you-you get out?" Bilbo stuttered,
"Well, Padme - the senator climbed the pillar and dispatched of the Nexu by using the chain to swing down and hit it. The Acklay almost took my head off, but I ducked just in time and it broke my chain and Knight Kenobi's. The Reek proved rather useful, and killed the guards and the Nexu while we all rode it like a pony," Alexa replied, laughing at the companies astounded expressions.
"Then hundreds of other Jedi revealed themselves to be watching in the stands and they came down and gave me and my fellow Knights a lightsaber. The Reek was shot down by the Bounty Hunter that myself and Knight Kenobi was following. Then we were fighting against battle droids for a while - I'll explain later - During this time, the Acklay had yet again tried to kill me and Knight Kenobi; though with a lightsaber each, the two of us easily took down the beast. Soon, the remaining Jedi were surrounded and just as we were about to be annihilated Yoda - who was a great Jedi Master, the greatest in fact. Flew in with countless of battle Clones, and saved those of us that were left," she finished, leaving out the part where herself, Ben, and Anakin had duelled Count Dooku.
To put it simply, the Dwarves' and Bilbo had developed a deeper admiration for Alexa; who they were glad had opened up more about her Jedi past.
"So, any questions?"
Surprisingly they were not all squabbling to ask any, hell as soon as Alexa had put down the book, Nori had taken it and looked over the sketches. With this, several of the other Dwarves surrounded the star-haired Dwarf for a closer look. During this time, Bifur had spoken some words in Khuzadul.
"He wants te know wha' ya meant by 'Jedi Knight'," Bofur told her,
"Oh, right. So, Bifur. There are four main ranks of a Jedi: Youngling, Padawan, Knight, and Master. A Youngling is a title given to a force-sensitive child who is in training to be a possible Jedi apprentice. After a Youngling has reached a certain age or skill they must successfully pass the Initiate trials to become a Padawan. If successful, they are chosen by a Jedi Master or Knight who takes them under their wing and trains them in the ways of the Jedi like a mentor. One can be a Padawan for decades until their Master and The Council deems them ready for The Trials. The Trials are a series of tests that a Padawan must go through to prove that they are ready to become a fully realized Jedi. Each trial is different and focuses on a particular area, such as; skill, courage, flesh, spirit, and insight. Saying this, if a Padawan performs a heroic deed, like killing a Sith Lord; they can be granted the title of Jedi Knight. As a Jedi Knight, they are expected to uphold the peace of the galaxy and the ideals of the Jedi Code; of which I have mentioned before,there is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no emotion, there is peace, so no attachments etc. They also no longer have a Master and/or mentor, and go on missions alone unless they are assigned a partner. The title of Master is given to a Knight who has successfully trained an apprentice to become a Jedi Knight and has demonstrated incredible skill and knowledge of the ways of the Jedi. Though like the rank of Jedi Knight, Jedi Master can also be given to honour the actions of an individual; if The Jedi High Council unanimously agrees," Alexa explained, the words leaving her mouth like a running river.
"And what are you, Alexa? A Master?" Bilbo asked, listening intently to her every word.
"Er not quite. By default, I am a Jedi Knight. However, after The Clone Wars was supposed to end I was to become a Master," she answered, a silence falling over the pair; the only sound being the voices of Dori, Bofur, Nori, Gloin, Fili, Dwalin, and a few others who were all discussing how they would 'takedown' the three creatures Alexa had drawn.
"Did you have a Padawan?" Ori asked; assuming that she was going to be granted the rank of Master through successfully training a Padawan to the rank of Jedi Knight.
"No. I mean, there was one Youngling that I was hoping to train once she was old enough. But no, I was going to be given the rank of Master for my achievements as a General in The Clone Wars," Alexa spoke wistfully; Seren's beautiful smile flashing before her eyes as she thought of the young Twi'lek.
"General?" Balin asked, hearing most of what Alexa had said about the ranks of the Jedi; after leaving Thorin's side to join the company.
"It is not a rank usually granted to a Jedi, as we are keepers of the peace, not soldiers. But with The Clone Wars, those who were Guardians became the leaders of a battalion of Clones, and therefore given the rank of General," she replied, answering his question.
Balin murmured incoherent words, thinking over the lass's words. Patting the woman on the shoulder gently, he gave her a sympathetic smile then walked over to the group of wrangling Dwarves surrounding Ori's book detailing the journey.
"Alexa, I was wondering if I may…" Ori began, his tone faltering as the young woman turned her gaze towards him. Swallowing his nerves, he continued.
"I mean I don't want to intrude, but can I take a closer look at your necklace?" he asked, gesturing to the emblem around her neck; his question instantly gaining the attention of the bickering Dwarves' who had all seen the pendant around the lass's neck.
At his words, Alexa's hand went to grasp her necklace, her fingers curling around the cool metal. When she had changed into the emerald dress, she had not thought to take it off, as she carried it with her always. As a reminder of what she had been through, what she had lost, and the little girl she couldn't save.
"Alexa are you alright?" Bilbo spoke cautiously, breaking her out of her daydream.
"Huh? Oh yes, Ori give me a moment," she breathed, moving her fingers to the cord around the back of her neck.
Undoing the clasp, her fingers glided over the wings engraved on the metal. Giving it one last look, she lifted her other hand, her fingers slowly curling. With her movements, the necklace levitated from her hand and made its way to Ori, who took it gingerly.
"I've never seen anything like it before," he breathed, his eyes wide with curiosity and wonder.
"It is the crest of the Jedi Order. The wings encircle the star which represents a lightsaber. It serves as a bright light in the darkness, and a beacon of hope for all those that follow the light side of the force," she informed him, a small smile appearing on her face as she watched him admire the pendant.
The company all leaned forward to get a better look at the piece, with Dori taking the pendant gently from Ori to hold it up to the light. It was passed around a bit, with each Dwarf offering something to say.
"Would look good in gold,"
"Give me a few days in the forge, could fix this right up,"
"Interesting piece this is,"
"Has a nice feel to it, good dense metal,"
"So, Al. Where did ya get that necklace from?" Nori piped up beside Ori, his eyes glazing over the necklace that was now in his hands.
"Not going to steal it are you Nori?" Alexa teased, gaining a 'hey' from the Dwarf.
"Of course not! How could you think that?" he said, his tone dropping drastically from offence to sadness. At his words, everyone in the company, even Balin and Thorin gave the Dwarf a 'are you serious?' look.
"Fine, fine. But I wouldn't, thief's honour!" he promised, the hand not holding the necklace moving to make a cross over his heart.
"Did you make it Alexa?" Bilbo asked, his question getting lots of comments from the Dwarves' who were all about craft and were excited to learn if their female companion had one.
Alexa sighed at the innocent question. "No, I didn't," she uttered, taking the necklace from Nori's outstretched hand.
Her eyes ran over the pendant; its edges worn from rubbing it and age. "A Youngling called Seren made it," she said quietly, her eyes wistful.
"Seren? Who's tha' lass?" Dwalin asked, his gruff tone making her flick her eyes from the necklace to the Dwarf; who had finally piped in on the conversation.
"She was a force-sensitive girl that I had rescued from slavery on the planet Ryloth. She was only seven at the time, and so, so afraid. I told her that I would keep her safe and that I would always protect her no matter what. Since then, there was never a time that she wasn't smiling or laughing, even during The Clone Wars; which was saying something," Alexa laughed softly, remembering the young girl's broad smile and the sound of her giggling echoing around the halls of the temple as she chased her.
"She sounds lovely lass," Bofur said softly, his whiskey brown eyes sympathetic. The Dwarves all cast their eyes away, they all knew how this one ended.
"She had turned ten just a few days prior to… To when it happened. She was like a daughter to me," she whispered the last bit, her eyes glossing over. Coughing lightly, she blinked away her tears.
"Well, that's me. So, does anyone have any other stories they want to tell?" Alexa asked, brushing off her emotions as she clasped the necklace back around her neck; a grin replacing her sadness.
/
After dinner, the slimy weasel of a man; Alfrid. Had tried to get close to Alexa, unfortunately, she had left her lightsaber in her room. Fortunately, some of the Dwarves had also noticed the man's creepy behaviour and stuck to Alexa's side, with several of them offering some rather choice words to him; scaring him off. Surprisingly of the lot, Ori had the most tasteful words to say. Though then again it wasn't. The Dwarf could be timid at times, but he could certainly hold his own.
Which brought us to now.
Alexa stood in a corner, a smile on her lips as she watched her companions cheer and laugh and just be downright jolly. It had been a while since she had seen them this way after all. She held a tankard in her hand; the ale swooshed around in the cup as she brought it to her lips. It was only her second and would be her last as she knew what was coming the following afternoon. And with that knowledge, she knew she had to remain sober and not be hungover in the morning.
Chugging what was left in her tankard, she placed it down on a small side table nearby. Glancing over at the laughing Dwarves, a soft laugh of her own escaped her lips as she saw a rosy-cheeked Bilbo wedged in between a cheery Bofur and Gloin. The latter of which was once again passionately speaking of his wife and son Gimli. Though to be fair, when did he not?
Her eyes trailed over Fili who was next to a sickly looking Kili. A frown made its way onto her face and a pained twang shot through her as she thought back to their conversation after they had escaped Mirkwood.
— Flashback Begins —
"Bind his leg, quickly. You have two minutes," Thorin growled,
"Alexa, can you heal him?" Fili asked, looking down at his brother; worried.
Alexa sighed; she could not get involved. If she did, it would change too much; the consequences would be too much.
"No," she whispered, a forlorn expression on her face.
" Than -wait what? Why not?" Fili faltered, shocked. His head snapped back towards Alexa,
"I can't," she breathed,
"But you healed Dwalin ! And his injury was worse than an arrow!" Fili countered, adamant on getting his brother healed.
" Dwalin was different, I'm sorry Fili but I cannot," She sighed,
"Yeah right," Fili muttered, shaking his head.
"Fili," Alexa breathed,
"Go, Alexa. Just go," Fili sighed, turning back to his brother and Oin who was currently ripping some loose fabric to make a bandage.
Holding her breath, Alexa nodded at the blonde Dwarf; accepting his wish and walked away from the three. Only stopping when she got to the edge of the rocks and sat down; blatantly ignoring Nori and Bofur's concerned looks. They wouldn't understand, none of them could.
— End of Flashback —
Coming back from the memory of their fight, she spared one last look at the brothers before leaving the room; unaware of the dark blue eyes watching her leave. Walking along the corridor, she came to her room on the left and opened the door. As soon as the door was shut, she tugged at the dress, not caring as she ripped the seams. Once the awful thing was off, she grabbed her clean Jedi clothes that Bard's girls had generously washed.
Without a word, she tugged the familiar tunic over her head, which was shortly followed by her pants. Leaving the rest of her gear on the chest at the foot of the bed, she pulled the covers up; the material covering her body till only her head was visible. A depressed feeling engulfed her as she lay alone in the king-sized bed. Memories of better times playing in her head. What she wouldn't give to turn back time.
Turning on her side, she tucked the sheets under her chin. After shifting around for a while, she closed her eyes and gave into the darkness.
/
ALEXA'S POV
Alexa's heart thudded against her chest wildly as she sat in the darkness of the room. Her blood pumped loudly over the silence in the room. Breathing deeply, her hands slowly stopped shaking as the aftermaths of her vision wore away.
"Well that's a new one," she whispered as she ran her fingers through her hair.
"Do not be afraid my old friend," a familiar voice sounded as a blue light materialized in the room; showing an old man with a beard and long hair tied back in a ponytail.
"I am not afraid," Alexa said, sitting up against the backboard of the bed.
Qui-Gon chuckled at her answer and sat on the edge of the bed. "I do not doubt that. However, if you were, I would not think less of you,"
"I know Master," she replied, a sigh leaving her. Looking back at the blue form of Qui-Gon, a frown fell on her features as she pondered telling him about her conflicting emotions surrounding Kili.
As if knowing what she was thinking, he spoke. "You had no other choice. The young Dwarf had to be hit by the poisoned arrow. You did well Knight Alexa," he assured,
"Thank you, Master, I just-I… I don't like the way he looks at me – Fili I mean, ever since Kili got hit he just," sigh "I wish that I could've at least explained myself so he wouldn't be so mad at me," she muttered as she played with her fingers; a nervous tick she has never shaken off.
"You did the right thing, Alexa. They cannot know about your visions," he replied, his blue eyes boring into hers.
"I know Master, I should not be complaining," she sighed, averting her gaze from him and back to her hands.
"It is fine young Jedi. They are your friends, it is only natural you feel this way," he told her, his warm tone soothing her.
"Master?" she asked, confused at his words.
"Do not belittle yourself for having emotions my young friend," he said as his wise eyes bored into hers; silencing her.
"Now, if you are going to complete this mission. You're going to have to train," the man chuckled, knowing that the woman was not going to enjoy what he had in store.
Next thing Alexa knew, she was leaping over objects in the room and dodged others. Flipping over the dresser, she grasped onto one of the posts of the bed frame and swung over the mattress making her shoulder ache. Landing heavily on her feet, sweat poured down her forehead and all over her body. They had been at this for hours.
Unfortunately, Qui-Gon had decided to train her in lightsaber form four, Ataro. This specific form relies on flips and unpredictable movements, which helps give shorter Jedi such as herself even ground. In that perspective it was useful, but it was tiring her fast. Her muscles burned and her breaths came out in heavy puffs. She couldn't do this for much longer.
"Master, please. Break," she puffed as she leaned against a wall to catch her breath.
"There are no breaks in a battle young one. Remember, concentrate on the moment. Feel, don't think. Use your instincts," he remarked, his voice full of wisdom. The very same wisdom that Alexa was quickly getting annoyed of, but she followed his silent order nonetheless.
And so, it went on. She hadn't trained this hard for about five years, and it was showing. Her hair stuck to her sweaty face uncomfortably, but she had no time to brush it to the side as she did yet another flip. At one point she had spun a wooden staff around in her hands as a training lightsaber. Twisting this way and that, flowing with the movements she had practised earlier. She was so absorbed in the form and getting her movements correct she had completely missed Dwalin's entrance.
"Lass wha' re yer doing?" he grunted, startling her.
Turning sharply, she swung the wooden staff, hitting the Dwarf across the abdomen; making him grunt. Her eyes grew wide as she realized what she had done. She had hit Dwalin. Well shit . She watched as he stalked towards her; still panting from exertion at her intense workout. Without a word, Dwalin snatched the staff out of her hands and snapped it in half as if it were a twig.
"Hey! I was using that," Alexa said, looking wistfully at the broken staff. Dwalin remained silent, the only sound being the clatter of the now two sticks hitting the wooden floorboards after he had thrown them to the side.
"Dammit, Dwalin! Why can't you lot wait for me to answer," she muttered, breaking the tense silence.
"I hear' a thud, though' somethun' migh' be wrong," he said, gruffly. Not at all remorseful for snapping her staff.
"Yeah, well nothing is wrong. I was just uh practising," Alexa defended, turning and sitting down on the edge of the bed.
His dark eyes shifted from her to look at the broken stick for several seconds before settling on her again. "Practicing?" he asked, his arms stiffly crossed over his chest; not believing a word.
"Yes, practising Dwalin," she huffed; her hands placed firmly on her hips. Was it so hard to believe she was training with a staff?
"At tis time?" he asked, gesturing towards the window.
Following his direction, Alexa looked out the window. From the position of the moon, it must be about an hour from dawn. How long exactly had Qui-Gon been making her train? At that, she quickly looked around the room. After seeing no sign of his blue form, a relieved sigh left her. He must have left when Dwalin appeared,
"You're telling me you've never stayed up to train?" she tutted, knowing she couldn't tell him the real reason.
I mean could you imagine? What can I say Dwalin? My associate, Master Qui-Gon who died about pfft eighteen years ago give or take is training me in this lightsaber form so I'll be ready when Orcs, Wargs, Ogres, and all sorts of evil come up through holes in the ground and attack Erebor and try to kill Thorin, Fili and Kili. Yeah, like she could say that.
"Aye, I 'ave but tha's nah excuse. Why'd yer leave lass, did tha' slimy bugger do somethin'?" he grunted, his voice a low grumble.
Averting her gaze from Dwalin, she sighed and scratched the back of her neck, "No, no. I erm I just wanted to clear my head and training helps do that," she whispered; not exactly lying. A breath left her as she felt the bed dip.
"Then wha' are yer afraid of lass?" he asked, getting straight to the point.
"Nothing Dwalin… It's not important," she mumbled; her gaze set on the fireplace where Qui-Gon stood just minutes prior.
THIRD POV
A silence settled between the two, with Alexa not wanting to talk about such things and Dwalin trying to figure out what to say. Fiddling around with his tunic that had since dried from their escapades, his thick fingers wandered over the object at his hip.
"'ere," Alexa heard Dwalin grunt before something heavy landed on her lap.
Looking down, she noticed a curved object on her lap. Lifting the rather hefty object with some strain, she looked at Dwalin confused. What was she supposed to do with this? An irritated huff left the burly Dwarf and before she could so much as breathe, he had reached over and snatched it out of her hand.
Alexa soon had her answer, as she watched Dwalin pull on one end of the object revealing a shiny blade. After pulling the blade from what Alexa now realized was a sheath, Dwalin had grabbed the end of the blade with the handle facing her.
Hesitantly, Alexa grabbed the knife from him. She instantly took note of the loss of weight since the sheath was removed. She could now lift and wave it around with ease, the blade was perfectly balanced.
"Where did you get this?" Alexa breathed, her eyes ghosting over the knife in her hands; having not seen this particular knife at all during their journey. Holding it up close to her face, she could see intricate markings carved into the blade and handle.
"I made it," Dwalin said, his voice coming out as a raspy whisper.
"You made this?" Alexa asked, almost dropping the blade in her shock. Her impressed tone made Dwalin physically puff out his chest.
"Aye, lass," He asserted, pride clear in his tone.
"Dwalin, I can't take this. I-I don't even know how to use it," she whispered; her voice full of disbelief.
"I'll teach ya. Yer cannot jus' depend on a laser sword ta do teh job," he said, making Alexa roll her eyes at his 'laser sword' jab.
"It's a lightsaber," she corrected, a deadpanned look on her face as she stared at the burly Dwarf, who huffed at her expression.
"Tis yers if ya will 'ave it lass," he softly murmured, shifting uneasily as he awaited her next words.
"I'll treat it well; it will never leave my person," she promised, her green-grey eyes full of wonderment as they ran over the engraved handle. At her words, Dwalin released a breath he didn't know he was holding and a soft smile grew on his face, his chest suddenly warm.
"Yanâd Durinul," Dwalin said lowly, taking note of how her fingers ran over the Dwarven ruins.
"What?" Alexa asked, peering up at the Dwarf under her lashes.
"Yanâd Durinul. It means 'Sons of Durin'," he repeated, pointing at the ruins on the handle.
"Yanâd Durinul… Was that right?" Alexa asked timidly; not wanting to offend the Dwarf by saying it wrong. She had done horribly when Ori was teaching her some basic phrases. A relieved sigh left her as she gained a nod from the burly Dwarf, thank force she hadn't botched it.
"And this?" Alexa asked, having turned the knife revealing more ruins on the blade.
"Du Bekâr! 'Te arms!'" Dwalin translated as he watched the young woman admire his craftsmanship.
"Du Bekâr!" Alexa said slowly, tasting the words on her tongue.
"Aye," Dwalin grunted, satisfied with her pronunciation.
"Du Bekâr!" Alexa repeated, thrusting the knife out and slashing the blade through the air as she grunted the words.
Her nose crinkled and her lips twitched upwards as she stared at a dumbfounded Dwalin, before she burst into laughter. "Sorry, I could-ah I couldn't help myself," she giggled.
Recovering from his shock, Dwalin took in the laughing woman next to him; watching as the mirth convulsed through her, a small smile twitching on his lips.
Exhaling deeply, Alexa tried to stifle her laughter with it dying down to the odd chuckle and huff. Once she had controlled her giggles, she glanced at Dwalin, mirth still present in her green-grey eyes.
Not breaking eye contact, Dwalin reached over and gently took the knife out of her hands; turning the blade in his meaty hands.
"Wha' do yer know about knives an' how ta use em'?" Dwalin asked, needing to know what experience and knowledge she had about the weapon in his hands.
"Stick 'em with the pointy end?" Alexa mumbled, a grimace on her face. Dwalin huffed at her answer. She had a lot to learn.
For the next thirty minutes, Dwalin had shown Alexa how to hold and grip the knife; with the burly Dwarf correcting her hold now and then. Being a reasonably quick learner, Alexa had picked up everything he had put down.
Soon she was standing in a basic attack position with Dwalin behind her, his hands on her hips as he motioned for her to squat more and twist her body; correcting her stance. Once he was happy enough with that, he moved onto her arms. He made quick work, shifting her right which held the knife a little higher. Once that was done, he had told her to show him her thrust. Which she did, and he had given her points and feedback about what to do to improve and get a better strike. They practised that for a while, just getting Alexa familiar with the movements. Once Dwalin was satisfied with her progress he had called it a night.
"Yer will 'ave ta train every night, but yer'll get there won day," he told her, a chuckle reverberating in his chest as he watched her collapse onto the king's sized bed.
"One day Merlin, one day," she groaned to herself, pulling at the sheets beneath her.
"Wha'?" Dwalin asked, not catching her words.
"Nothing. Uh, we better get some rest. It'll be dawn in a few hours," she yawned, rubbing her eyes sleepily.
"Aye," he grunted as he placed the knife on the bedside table.
Alexa watched as the Dwarf went to leave, his hand reaching out to grasp the doorknob. Turning the handle, a squeak echoed through the darkness of the room.
"Wait," Alexa whispered, not wanting to be left alone in the cold, dark room.
Dwalin paused, half in-half out of the room; shocked. A thrum of involuntary excitement erupted in his chest, as his mind went blank. He strained his ears, waiting for the lass to continue; as he wasn't quite sure if he had heard it or imagined it.
"Can you stay with me?" She asked, her voice louder this time.
Peering back towards the woman, Dwalin gazed at her shy form in-amongst the sheets. "Alrigh' lass," he murmured once his thought had returned; quietly closing the door behind him.
Dwalin moved towards the other side of the bed and sat on the edge; bending over to remove his boots. Once that was done, he gripped the top of his tunic and peeled it off his body.
Alexa's face heated as she came face-to-face with his bareback; her flush only intensified when he turned around. Seeing the aforementioned, Dwalin clasped the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Erm… If it makes yer uncomfortable lass, I can put me shirt back on," he grunted; but his words fell on deaf ears.
Her eyes were glued to his naked chest. Of course, she had seen it before at Rivendell when the Dwarves were roughhousing in the Elvish fountain; but not this close.
With the darkness, it was hard to see much, but she could make out two thick lines which contrasted against his dark chest hair. The two lines started at his broad shoulders and cut in diagonally to make a complex arrangement with arrow shapes over his pecks then ran down his muscular abdomen and disappeared into his trousers.
"Lass?" Dwalin coughed, staring down at her; a flush growing up his neck at seeing her wandering gaze.
"No! Erm no, it-it's okay," Alexa stammered, snapping her gaze from his trousers to his eyes; her heart beating wildly in her chest, and a dark blush stained her cheeks at being caught staring.
Nodding at her words, Dwalin lifted the blankets, without a word. Seeing this, Alexa scooted over to give him more room; her cheeks still burning with embarrassment.
The entire thing was rather awkward. As the two lay beneath the blankets, side-by-side, about a foot apart. Even though they had slept in one another's embrace in the Mirkwood dungeons during the companies capture; this felt almost like a step up. They were in a bed, together, and Alexa had only shared a bed with two men, and that was with her Master Ki-Adi Mundi who was like her father, and Obi-Wan, the man she loved.
Taking a deep breath in, she swallowed her nerves and closed the gap between them; thankful that it was dark so he couldn't see the embarrassing red tint on her cheeks. She felt him stiffen as she rested her head on his hairy chest; continuing on she draped an arm across his stomach. A satisfied hum leaving her as she felt the heat emit from the Dwarf's bare chest beneath her.
Once Dwalin's mind had caught up with him, he moved a brawny arm around the back of her head, whilst the other moved to lie across her arm on his chest.
Alexa found herself instinctively curling further into the gruff Dwarf's embrace; the steady thump of his heartbeat calming her. She felt him shiver as she shifted her head on his burly chest; the arm over hers moved to wrap around her waist, pulling her closer.
A sigh left her as he stroked her hair, his calloused fingers burying themselves within the auburn waves. A reminiscent pang hit Alexa as she experienced a feeling, she hadn't felt in years. Safety.
