Disclaimer: I own Eva, nothing else. Please don't sue - not making money.
AN: Thank you to my new reviewers. I do appreciate your feedback. Here's another chapter for you to enjoy.
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Chapter 13 - Awakened
They say that when you die, your hearing is the last thing to leave you. It seemed to Eva that the reverse was also true. It was her hearing that first alerted her to something going on, and only after her hearing decided to work did she notice the growing pain in her shoulder.
"What is he saying? Does he offer us insult?"
Eva didn't know who had said it, apart from the fact it would have had to have been one of the dwarves. She couldn't really imagine Bilbo saying it, being too proper and too forward in his eagerness to finally meet an elf of any sort. Gandalf was very well known to the elves of Rivendell, so it couldn't have been him either.
"Miss Eva?" came a voice from very close to her.
Who the hell is carrying me?
She tried to shift in order to turn towards her voice, but her shoulder protested violently and Eva whimpered as pain shot down her arm again.
"Miss Eva?"
"Ow…" she heard herself say hoarsely. "Shoulder."
"Thorin! She needs rest and a Healer." There's Gandalf….
There was a flurry of Khuzdul above her head and she recognised the gruff voice of Bifur in the stream of hissed conversation. She whimpered again, and would have worn her surprised look if she could have when she heard Bifur croon softly to her in his native tongue; no doubt trying to comfort her in the best way he knew how.
"...your Lady to the Healing Halls…."
Who the hell is that?
"...rooms for your stay-"
"-need to look at that shoulder. Lass? Eva, lass? Can ye hear me?"
Eva knew that voice, and she knew that she needed to answer the old Healer, but getting her eyes to open or her mouth to work was proving more difficult than she thought it would be. The best she could do was screw her eyes shut against the sudden bolt of pain that raced down her right arm.
Her world went black again.
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The next time Eva came into consciousness her surroundings were far quieter, and that worried her. She had travelled for about two months around rowdy, noisy, rough dwarves, and to wake to quiet birdsong was not as comforting as she had once thought it would be. She studied her surrounds and found that she appeared to be in some type of infirmary, reminiscent of the ones that she had seen in the Harry Potter film series. She turned slightly and found herself staring at the back of Kili's head.
"H-" she began, but her voice was hoarse from disuse. She swallowed and tried again "Hello?" she whispered.
Kili sat bolt upright, and Eva realised belatedly that he had actually been asleep. "Eva? Oh, thank Mahal you're awake!"
"W-Wha?-" she tried.
"I'll go get the others," Kili began in a rush "if I can find them, that is…"
With that, the young dwarf dashed out. It was quiet for a few moments before…
"Lady Eva?" a light but clearly male voice asked from the door.
Eva tried to sit up in the bed, only to feel a dull ache in her right shoulder. It certainly gained her attention, but the pain was not as sharp as it had been when she had first entered the glade in Rivendell. Looking down, she realised that her shoulder had been tightly wrapped.
She looked up to the male that was approaching her bedside. He was far taller than her, with a light that seemed to radiate from within him. He was dressed in robes of varying shades of brown, but they were very richly detailed. His robes flowed about him, giving the appearance of him almost floating. A delicate circlet adorned his head, framing pointed ears and brown hair that flowed past his shoulder. Lord Elrond?
"There was a crack in your shoulder." the elf began. "Our magic has managed to heal the break in your bone, but it will still be tender for a while."
"Umm…" Eva began hoarsely "Thank you…"
"Forgive me," he began again as he poured her a cup of water "I am Lord Elrond. You are currently in the Healing Halls of Rivendell."
She took the cup slowly, running her fingers through her now loose hair. As she drank, she looked to the bedside table and saw both her ribbon and clasp sitting neatly atop it. "Thank you for your hospitality, Lord Elrond." Eva replied "I hope the dwarves are not being too troublesome for you…."
This seemed to draw a somewhat tight smile from the elven Lord "It is nothing that I have not dealt with before."
Eva surprised Lord Elrond by smirking "Ah, a very diplomatic answer! They are frustrating you?"
Lord Elrond blinked for a moment, then smiled himself "Gandalf said that you were quite special. I'm beginning to see why. Though-" Here, his eyes grew sharper as he studied her "I also sense that there is a lot more to you than even Gandalf is letting on."
Eva looked at him calmly "You're not wrong there. But I do need to be honest with you. I don't know how much I should be disclosing to you without Gandalf's advice, so until he comes, I am unfortunately going to be unwilling to answer questions of those sorts." she stated. Lord Elrond, whilst showing his slight annoyance, nodded in understanding.
Just then, a myriad of dwarven voices echoed up the hallway and Eva smiled. She had, surprisingly enough, been looking forward to their racket after her very quiet awakening. The doors opened and Eva swore the Company almost fell on top of each other. At the very front of the group was a visibly relieved Bifur who raced to her bedside and snatched her hand as if trying to convince himself that she really was alright.
Bifur spoke in rapid-fire Khuzdul with beseeching eyes trained on Eva. She had very little idea of what he actually said until a few members of the Company chimed in with voices all at once. She blinked, slightly bewildered and borderline overwhelmed.
"Eva, nathith"
"-seen your hair loose, lass-"
"-gave ma poor cousin a fright-"
"-what happened to you when you fell?-"
"-never seen Fili so wide-eyed-"
"-Oin could na wake ya-"
"-so glad you're alright-"
"SHAZARA!" bellowed Thorin in frustration. Eva blinked.
The Company went silent.
"Shall we speak when you're feeling a little better?" Thorin inquired, but his voice had a hard edge to it as he glanced at the elf Lord that had moved from her bedside. Eva's eyes widened at the aggression in his voice.
"That may be a wise idea, Master Thorin." Lord Elrond replied.
"Come." Thorin intoned, his voice brooking no argument. He threw a deliberate glance at Lord Elrond before he strode out of the Healing Halls, the entire Company filing out behind him. Nori and Bifur sent her helpless looks as they reluctantly left her. The door snapped shut and Eva looked to Gandalf in shock.
"What in the hell was that about?!" she cried out.
Gandalf sighed heavily "Some of the dwarves believe that you are the reason the Company is in Rivendell." he began "Thorin has no love of elves, and they believe that your presence has brought bad luck to them."
Eva's jaw fell open "Wha- How?! I've been in Middle Earth for two months! How could I possibly-"
Gandalf held a wrinkled hand up to stop Eva "I'm not saying that any of this makes any sense, Lady Eva. Just that this is what Thorin and some of the other dwarves believe."
She fell back into the bed in defeat. She had worked so hard to try and build a rapport with the Company, and to have this distrust flare up in what the dwarves would deem as enemy lines put her attempts to befriend them back at square one. She ran a hand through her loose hair, frustration building. Had she really come this far only to be left alone again?
"Your shoulder needs only another two to three days rest, Lady Eva," Lord Elrond began "so you will not be required to be in the Healing Halls for your entire stay.
Eva frowned "What do you mean? Are we staying longer?"
Gandalf gave Eva a knowing look "Moon Runes."
Eva sighed "The map, right? Something about a stone and a thrush and-"
"Hush!" Gandalf snapped. Eva recoiled from the power in the Wizard's voice, and Gandalf looked immediately remorseful. Lord Elrond's brow rose significantly.
"I can see," Lord Elrond began slowly, choosing his words well "that regardless of what the dwarves may think of you, you are valuable for them." The elven Lord paused "If there is any way that we can be of assistance, then please don't hesitate to ask."
Eva nodded and heard, rather than saw, the two males leave her to rest. She had no idea how she was going to tackle this new speed bump, particularly knowing how stubborn the dwarves could be.
In her misery, she slipped back under the covers and let the wards lull her to sleep.
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"Bloody stubborn khazad!"
Thorin was lying haphazardly on the ground and he looked an absolute mess. Eva could see burning pine trees around them. Her face was stained with dirt and grim from their journey and she could see that Thorin's strength was being sapped from him, just as she could see his blood dripping onto the ground.
"Nononono! You're not going to pass out on me yet, Thorin."
"Bloody stubborn woman." Thorin whispered. Eva smiled weakly.
"We're gonna get your arse outta here, Thorin. Just don't fall asleep on me yet."
"Oh, Eva." he whispered as she took his hand and gently squeezed it. His hand was gritty from the dirt and cold from his sword, but she saw the soft look of relief in his face as she held it. He blinked slowly and Eva noticed his unfocused gaze.
"Getting you outta here, remember?"
Thorin was too weak to reply, so he nodded instead. His injuries had rendered him quiet, so she pressed her cracked lips to his forehead. She could have sworn that she felt him shift beneath her and his breath hitching slightly before a growl brought her back to the present. She turned her attention to the action around her.
Eva stood slowly before him, shielding him from the warg, her body radiating steely determination as she raised a beautifully intricate staff. Pressing a finely carved Khuzdul rune, a lethally sharp blade flicked out from the top of her staff. She lifted her bladed staff in a stance that resembled Dwalin's mentoring and bellowed into the eerie night-
"Baruk Khazâd! Khazâd ai-mênu!"
Eva woke violently and nearly tumbled out of the bed. When she had finally calmed her racing heart, she sat on her bed and thought.
She recognised the scene very well from the movie. This scene was after the Misty Mountains and before the Eagles. She remembered that Gandalf had helped to light pinecones up to be thrown at the wargs and orcs in a bid to keep them at bay. She remembered how Azog had taunted Thorin down and then proceeded to beat him into unconsciousness. Her stomach felt queasy and she desperately needed to talk to somebody, Gandalf if she could get him, but she could feel the press of the wards around her, urging her to sleep again. She fought it for a while as she tried to get her thoughts in order.
She was uncertain if she could tell Thorin directly given that he already regarded her with suspicion, but she knew that she had to tell somebody. If these dreams were glimpses of the future to come, then the Company deserved to know.
Keep your promises, Eva.
Eva swallowed shakily. She was a woman of her word, even if she had Jumped world, she would never break her promise. The Company needed her, even though they didn't know it yet. She had worked so hard to be true to herself in trying to bond with the Company. But this was not her task.
She would not allow them to die. Not on her watch.
But you know well, Eva Chen, that not all battles are fought with axe and sword.
"It wouldn't hurt to try though," she muttered to herself "Would it?"
And with that, she dug through the lid of her bright orange pack and drew out her leather-bound book and her pen.
She had a lot of work to do.
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Nathith - girl that is young/ daughter
Baruk Khazâd! Khazâd ai-mênu! - Axes of the Dwarves! The Dwarves are upon you!
