Thank you so much for the response I've had in the last chapter. Over the last month things have gotten increasingly worse for me, though I'm told they tend to get worse before they get better. For the first time in my life I've had to go to A&E which was interesting, but I'm slowly, slowly starting to mend. Uni work hasn't helped. I am so sorry for the wait – if there was anything that I could do to get this up sooner, I promise that I would have done it. To the guest reviewer informing me that it had been one month 'bitch', I completely understand why you're angry, but please believe me when I say that I know to the day how long it's been, and I feel guilty for every one of those days.
Anyway. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed or favourited, in particular I Just One A Free Toaster Oven (I wish I could just fall asleep too!), Hermione Granger (I know it's been so long, I am so sorry and I appreciate your reviews so, so much!) Sorrellkaren and the unnamed guests.
To anyone wondering about the competition prize oneshots, I haven't forgotten, I'm just insanely busy - they will be up at some point!
So, forgive any mistakes I've made, I'm more tired than you can believe haha.
Read. Enjoy. Review.
Chapter Seventy Nine # Here Comes the Sun #
A warm breeze carried the gentle aroma of flowers through Rivendell's halls as the sun rose in the valley, billowing out the soft white curtains of a beautiful, clean room.
Sighing softly, Esme stretched out, her fingers brushing against the light wooden bedpost. She smiled. It seemed an age since she had slept in a bed. The sheets felt so clean and soft that she half felt she had awoken to the life of a princess. Breathing in deeply, she slowly opened her eyes. The ceiling swam into focus, and though she would never tire of waking to see the trees above her it was wonderful to see the inside of a room all the same.
Her smile widened when she turned her head to see her husband beside her, still sleeping peacefully. She pushed the sandy brown curls away from his forehead to reveal his eyes, laughing almost silently when he moaned like a dreaming puppy.
"You need a haircut," she murmured.
Saradoc yawned and batted her hand away, mangling his sleepy retort. "You need a haircut!"
Propping herself up on her elbows, she took a deep breath. "A bath is what I need. Are you coming?"
Without even opening his eyes, her husband shook his head and snuggled further down into the linen blankets. "Haven't had a lie in for nine years."
"And you haven't had a proper bath in a month, so you should get up." She reasoned quietly, kissing him on the forehead. She wrinkled up her nose. "You know I love you, Saradoc, but you stink."
Though he did not open his eyes, Saradoc frowned and placed a finger on his wife's lips.
She laughed, moved his finger away and kissed him. "Come with me?"
Saradoc moaned softly and opened his hazel eyes, stretching out. "Where?"
"To find somewhere to bathe, you silly fool." She grinned, swatting the back of his head gently.
A sleepy smile spread across Saradoc's face and he reached up to brush Esme's curls away from her face. "You're very beautiful when you smile, d'you know that?"
She raised her eyebrows. "Saradoc…"
Those hazel eyes she loved so much blinked in confusion. "What?"
"Are you trying to distract me?"
"No," his eyes lit up warmly as he slowly let his hand drop back to his side. "I just love it when you smile. You get little dimples…"
"Very well, I'll go myself to bathe."
"Are you sure?" Saradoc frowned slightly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "I will get up, if I must, but-"
"Hush," she laughed lightly, kissing his nose. "I am happy to go alone and allow you a few more hours in bed."
Her husband smiled a silly little smile and kissed her, before closing his eyes. By the time she had slipped into her clothes and snuck out of the door, Saradoc was snoring lightly again. She shook her head with a wry smile. While she had always been early to rise and late to bed, Saradoc was quite the opposite and though he rarely complained with any real meaning, Esme knew that her husband dreaded the early mornings brought by their rambunctious son.
Pausing as she left the room, Esme glanced down the corridor to where her son was sleeping – or likely waking – with his cousins. It had been agreed that both sets of parents would take it in turns to stay with the children overnight in Rivendell to allow them all some time to relax themselves, with Paladin and Ellie volunteering to take the first two days.
Taking a deep breath of the crisp, clean air, she walked off in the other direction, trying to recall Elladan's directions to the baths. Light footsteps met her ears from behind her and she smiled slightly as a familiar voice lilted out.
"You wouldn't be searching out a bath, would you?"
She turned and smiled at her sister-in-law. "I certainly am. Care to join me?"
"I would love to!" Ellie sighed, taking Esme's arm. "It feels like forever since I've been properly clean. Your brother was good enough to offer to care for our waking offspring to allow me to seek out the baths."
"Ah, well, there is a little bit of good in him, I suppose." Esme faked a begrudging tone, eliciting a laugh from Ellie.
Ellie sighed softly. "It's so beautiful here…"
"Isn't it?" Esme breathed in slowly. "I wish we could stay here for longer…"
"Any more than four days and we won't make it to Erebor in time for Durin's day," Ellie recited with a faint echo of sadness. "Should we go this way?"
"I have no idea," Esme admitted, looking around. "Perhaps?"
Ellie shrugged. "We may as well try…"
They turned around the corner, picking up on the sound of footsteps a second too late. Esme crashed right into someone's chest and fell backwards towards the floor. The stranger let out an exclamation of shock and grabbed her arm to steady her.
"Nan belain!" he cried, stepping back and bowing deeply. "I'm so sorry; I wasn't looking where I was going!"
"No, no, don't apologise, that was my fault," Esme laughed slightly, taking a step back herself. "I'm easy to miss."
"Nevertheless, I'm sorry," the young man's grey eyes betrayed the curiosity that was hiding behind his sincerity. "My name is Estel."
She immediately remembered the son of man that Kíli had described living among the elves in Rivendell. "It's lovely to meet you, Master Estel. My name is Esmeralda Brandybuck and this is my sister-in-law, Eglantine Took."
"I am pleased to meet you, too, Ms Brandybuck, Ms Took. Forgive my prying, but are you among the Baggins company?"
"There's nothing to forgive, Master Estel," Ellie smiled softly. "We are indeed."
"Then I am at your service," Estel grinned. There was a twinkle in his eye that Esme knew very well – it was a look of mischief and a look of life – a look that told Esme this man would be one she would get along with.
"In that case, would you be able to direct us to the baths please?" Ellie asked.
"Of course," he bowed once more. "Follow me."
It took them less than five minutes to reach the baths. Estel gave them towels, and then passed them bundles of beautiful, silky cloth.
"Here, take these. I'll call an attendant and they'll take your clothes to be washed. You can wear these in the meantime."
"That's very generous, thank you." Ellie smiled, her eyes misted with awe and gratitude.
Within minutes, the two hobbits were alone in a lovely, cream coloured room paved with smooth white tiles. Light streamed into the room through windows lining the top of the walls and sparkled across the surface of a large, deep pool in the middle of the room. It was the most beautiful bath Esme had ever seen, but it was also the deepest.
Barely hesitating for a second, Ellie draped her towel over a nearby stand and sank into the steaming water. Esme stood on the edge warily, tightening her grip on the towel around her.
"Oh my goodness," Ellie breathed as the water closed up over her shoulders. "This water is amazing! Esme, what are you waiting for?"
"It's very deep," she bit her lip.
Ellie smiled that warm, comforting smile that could chase away the nightmares and calm down the hysterics of each and every of the little ones in an instant. "If I can stand with my head above the surface you most definitely can. Come, the water feels wonderful!"
Tentatively, Esme dipped her toe into the water. It did feel warm, but the depth of the pool made her hairs stand on end. She took a deep breath and sighed. "Alright, I'm coming in."
Ellie offered up her hand and Esme slowly lowered herself into the bath. Almost immediately the tension began to recede from her aching limbs and she sighed, closing her eyes.
"You're right, this is good." She breathed, tightening her grip around Ellie's fingers. "The fact that the water lapping against my neck is making my lungs close up is irrelevant."
"It's just a bath," Ellie laughed softly, squeezing Esme's hand. "Nothing terrible is going to happen."
"I know, I know," Esme grumbled, slowly opening her eyes. She had never been comfortable with large bodies of water, and this was certainly not your average bathtub. "I have to admit, it feels incredible."
Soon, Esme built up the confidence to duck her head beneath the water and ease her fingers through her hair, working out the leaves and twigs and dirt caught between the locks of her hair. As the sister-in-laws began to wash properly for the first time in weeks an easy silence developed between them. Only when she was sure that she was as clean as she possibly could be did Esme voice the question that had been weighing on her mind even more than usual over the last couple of days.
"Do you think we're doing the right thing?"
Ellie glanced at her, a light frown on her face. "I'm guessing that you are not questioning our bathing?"
Esme laughed slightly. "No, I am not. Coming with Kíli, bringing the children?"
For a long moment Ellie did not speak. "I honestly do not know. I don't think I've ever known, and after yesterday with the bear and the wolves…"
"Exactly," Esme sighed heavily, the danger that had befallen her little niece yesterday weighing heavily on her mind. "I would follow Kíli to the ends of the earth, I'd take a sword to the heart for him in a heartbeat, but is it right to bring such young children on so dangerous a journey?"
"I've no idea. However, I do not think we could have much greater protection unless we were accompanied by an army. It's not exactly an easy situation, but I'd rather keep the family together as much as possible. We've come so far now that I don't suppose there's any reason to start gathering doubts. It will only weigh us down." Ellie reasoned.
"I suppose you're right," Esme gave her sister-in-law a crooked smile. "As always."
Ellie grimaced. "Oh, shut up."
"I'm serious," Esme insisted. "I don't know how you do it."
"I don't. I'm just very good at pretending that I know what I'm doing and what I'm talking about."
"If you say so."
Ellie rolled her eyes and waded to the stairs at the edge of the pool. "I do say so."
Sighing, Esme allowed the matter to be dropped. She followed Ellie out of the bath and wrapped herself in a soft towel, sighing again – though this time in relief and peaceful joy. It had been an age since she had been pampered properly, and she loved it. As much as she adored her family, Esme also loved her peace.
As she slowly strolled back with Ellie, Esme allowed her feet to drag just a little. She wanted this peace to last.
Erebor was still a long, long way away, and she needed all the rest that she could get.
"Shouldn't we ask to be here?" Nelly wondered, trying to widen her eyes to take even more of the incredible room.
"New rule," replied Nori, "It's better to ask forgiveness than permission."
Nelly grinned in excitement, wiggling into a more comfortable position on the dwarf's back. "It's better to ask forgiveness than permission."
"Exactly," Nori closed the door behind them with a soft click. His footsteps were much quieter than usual, and a hundred times quieter than the other dwarves as he began to sneak through the armoury. "If we were never told that we can't be in here, how could we possibly know that we are doing anything wrong?"
"Ah!" Nelly gasped. "That's genius!"
Nori chuckled, jogging her up and down for a second. "So, what sort of weapon do you like the look of the best?"
Running her hand down the braid she now wore to keep her hair out of her face, Nelly looked around. "Hmm… I don't know. Not a bow and arrow, they're too fiddly."
"Oh, I definitely agree with that." Nori nodded, prowling up the first row of weapons – all of which were bows.
"They're pretty, though." Nelly conceded.
"Aye, and if you're into that sort of thing then they can be incredibly useful. Kíli, for example, is good at the fiddly, twirly-whirly stuff. He likes it. For you, I'm thinking a little simpler, more straightforward."
Nelly frowned. "Are you saying that you think I'm stupid? That I can't handle anything that's a bit complicated?"
Nori snorted. "Always one step ahead of me, aren't you uzbadnâtha? O' course I'm not suggesting that."
"Uz-bad-nâ-tha." Nelly repeated, concentrating as hard as she could. "That one means… Princess?"
"That's right!" Nori cheered quietly. "You're getting the hang of this Khuzdul much quicker than the others."
A sudden thrill of pride made Nelly's heart swell and she beamed. "Thank you. What sort of weapon d'ya think I should have?"
"A little one, for now." Nori said firmly. "But I'm thinking maybe a short curved sword or a long knife, something small and discreet. I'll tell you what – we'll get one forged for you special when we get to Erebor. That said you're not training with anything other than wooden weapons until you're at least fifteen years old. Probably older."
"What?" Nelly cried. "That's not fair!"
"Hey, hey, quieten down a bit, kid, we're not supposed to be here, remember?"
"I thought we didn't know whether or not we were allowed to be here?" Nelly narrowed her eyes.
"You're learning," Nori's smile was audible in his voice. "Good girl."
Nelly grinned. They turned around the corner and began to walk down a row of knives. There were all sorts of blades on the shelves – long knives, short knives, curved knives and straight lives. Nori narrated quietly as they strolled, explaining to her what the different functions of each knife were.
"This one is for throwing…" Nori breathed, lifting a small knife from its stand. "These are beautiful, I have to admit."
"It's so shiny," she whispered, reaching down hesitantly.
"Give me your hand," Nori took her fingers and ran them carefully over the blade's side, carefully keeping them away from the razor sharp edge. As Nori started walking again, Nelly hesitated.
"Nori?"
"Mm?"
Nelly tightened her grip on the dwarf's shirt as she hesitantly asked, "Are you stealing?"
"What?" Nori sounded a little flustered, and for a moment he did not do anything. Then, he put the blade back in place. "Of course not!"
She said nothing. They continued exploring.
Nelly bit her lip. "Nori?"
"Mm?"
"How come you don't like talking about yourself?" she asked quietly.
"What are you talking about?" Nori's nonchalant tone was fake – she could tell. "I brag all the time."
"But you don't talk about yourself," she insisted. "You never talk about what it was like growing up, or what you like and don't like. You don't talk about you, you just talk about the things you've done that make good stories."
Nori was quiet for a long moment. "There's just not all that much to say."
"Is that really true?"
Again, Nori paused. "People want to hear good stories. They don't want to know all about me and I don't want them to know."
"Not even your family?" Nelly pressed.
"Not even my family." Nori repeated sadly.
"Why don't you want them to know?"
Nori stopped walking, his voice sharp. "Look, let's stop talking about this, alright?"
Cringing down closer to the dwarf, Nelly whispered. "Alright. I'm sorry, Nori."
Nori sighed. "Nah, Nelly. I'm sorry. Let's get out of here."
"Alright, Nori." Nelly agreed in a whisper, though she did not want to leave. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Nori huffed, shifting her weight slightly. "Nothing to be sorry for. Curiosity is a wonderful thing."
Still, Nori's voice lacked a little of its usual life, and Nelly knew that she was to blame. They left the armoury undetected and began to walk through the other halls.
"Where're we going?" she dared to ask after a while.
"No idea," Nori admitted in his usual cheerful tone. "I've never been to this part of Rivendell before. Oh, look – there's Pippin!"
Nelly frowned. "What? Where?"
"Over there, in the fountain." Nori pointed and Nelly looked.
Sure enough, there was her little brother, toddling as fast as his little legs could carry him through one of Rivendell's beautiful fountains – completely and utterly naked.
"Oh! He looks… happy." She noted, watching as Fíli came running around the corner.
"Aha!" the dwarf cried, swiping a squealing Pippin out of the water. "Got ya!"
"Hello, Fíli!" Nori called, walking down some nearby steps into the courtyard Fíli and Pippin were in. "Hullo, Pippin."
"Hello," Fíli grinned as he tried to force a kicking, giggling Pippin into his trousers.
"Where's your brother? Your hip is looking strangely empty – he's usually joined to it." Nori commented.
"Kíli is spending the day with the older children so they can have some Sindarin lessons from the elves. Pippin and I decided our time would be better spent elsewhere." Fíli explained. "What've you two been up to?"
"Nothing," Nelly and Nori chimed in unison, smiling identical smiles of innocence.
Fíli raised his eyebrow and smirked. "I'm not going to ask. The less I know the better."
"Aye, that's true. Mister Prince here never gets his hands dirty. His mischief making days are long since over." Nori said sagely, and Fíli jolted.
"Excuse me? I think you'll find my mischief making days are in their prime!" the prince cried, making Pippin giggle.
"Oh? What mayhem have you caused today?" Nori questioned, grinning like a tom cat at Fíli's hesitance. "That's what I thought."
"You don't know the marzipan though!" Pippin piped up as he finally wiggled into his trousers. All of a sudden his green eyes popped wide open and he looked up at Fíli with worry on his face. "I shouldn't have said that, Fíli."
"Marzipan?" Nelly wracked her brain to try and translate her brother's obvious mispronunciation. "Marzipan… Mar-zee-pan… Hmm. Master plan? You have a master plan!"
Pippin's face flushed the colour of a beetroot as Nori cheered, bouncing her up and down for a moment.
"Nothing gets past you, does it?"
"I've the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox!" she recited gleefully.
"So, your highness, care to cut us in on this master plan of yours?" Nori raised his eyebrows.
Fíli grinned. "Follow me."
"We're gonna do it now?" Pippin gasped, his eyes lighting up in glee.
"Aye, right now. Let's go!"
The young dwarf turned tail and began to walk out of the courtyard towards the bushes. Nori followed, and soon they had ducked between two tall trees and were following a small, half hidden path away from the buildings of Rivendell.
"Where're we going?" Nelly called curiously.
"You'll see," Fíli replied cryptically.
They walked for a good half hour, before they stopped face to face with a great big slab of rock.
"We're here," announced Fíli proudly.
"Well," Nelly said dryly. "That was fun."
Fíli winked at her. "The fun is yet to start, Nelly."
Nelly narrowed her eyes, though excitement was starting to build. "Oh?"
Fíli turned away to face the rock and slung Pippin over his shoulder and onto his back. Then the dwarf took a hold of part of the rock and hoisted himself up. Nelly gasped. Fíli was climbing up the rock!
"What're you doing?" she cried.
"How is this any different from tree climbing?" Fíli replied, though it sounded as though he was gritting his teeth as he made his way up the face of the wall.
"Looks trickier…" Nelly bit her lip. "I wanna try!"
Nori laughed. "Let Fíli finish first."
Impatient, Nelly fidgeted on Nori's back, watching in awe as Fíli swung his legs over the top of the rock and disappeared over the other side.
"Fíli?"
"Just a second!" his disembodied voice replied, and then he appeared at the top of the rock again, this time without Pippin. "Alright, Nelly. Do you want to try?"
She nodded eagerly, scrambling down off of Nori's back and racing to the rock face.
"Now, the key to rock climbing is that it requires just a little more concentration than tree climbing. More chance of falling. Now, up you go."
Nelly grinned fiercely in concentration, finding what looked like it should be a good handhold. Slowly, she began to pull herself up the rock, moving hand by hand, foot by foot. It was agonizingly slow progress – every time she looked up Fíli looked even further away and every time she looked down Nori looked even further than Fíli.
Panting, she dropped her forehead onto the cold stone and tried to catch her breath.
"Are you alright, Nelly?" Fíli called in concern. "You're nearly there, sweetheart."
"Fall back if you have to," Nori called, sounding as though he could not care less. "I'll catch you – if you can't do it."
Nelly scowled and gritted her teeth. She could do it. She was strong girl; she could do anything she wanted to do. Throwing her arm up, she caught a hold of the next available handhold and dragged herself up higher. Breathing as deeply as she could, she pretended that she was a squirrel climbing a tree so much bigger than itself.
She was not scared. She was a Took. She was brave, brave as a lion, brave as a dwarf!
Nelly grabbed the next handhold and her toes slipped out of place. She squeaked involuntarily as she swung in mid-air, her feet frantically scrapping at the wall to try and get a grip. Suddenly the rock felt as smooth as marble – there was nowhere to hold on, no way of staying strong, she was going to fall –
"Nori!" she spluttered through frantic gasps and incontrollable squeaks, trying not to let the fear shine through. "Can you catch me?"
"If you fall." The dwarf still sounded indifferent.
"It's alright, Nelly!" Fíli called warmly, offering her his hand. "I won't let you fall."
Nelly swallowed and looked down. It was a very long way. "I… I can do it. I can do it, Fíli."
"Are you sure?" Fíli met her eyes.
No, she thought.
"Yes," she said.
Fíli took his hand away.
Nelly took the deepest breath she could and let her feet stay still. Then, glancing down, she slowly brought her foot upwards to a tiny nearby ledge. Pushing up on that foot, she managed to grasp another handhold, and then another and another and another and then she reached the top.
Crying out in relief, Nelly flopped down into Fíli's lap, giggling between gasps for air as the dwarf rubbed her arm.
"Are you alright, mizimith?"
She nodded and gave him a thumbs-up as she regained her breath.
"Now all we have to do is get down that side!" Fíli pointed to where Pippin was sitting patiently on a boulder beneath them. "See this smooth rock here? It makes a great slide."
"Really?" Nelly narrowed her eyes. Nori was beginning to climb up the rock himself now – he was a lot quicker than she was. "You first."
"Of course, m'lady!" Fíli winked, easing her out of his lap and then pushing himself down the 'slide'. He flew into the air and landed promptly on his feet and she pursed her lips. "Come on, Nelly. It's not that bad."
"Fíli?" she called.
"Yes?"
Nelly flung herself into the air with a squeal of excitement. "Catch me!"
Letting out a startled yell, Fíli plucked her out of the sky, depositing her onto the floor in the same motion. "Pimpernel Took that was not a very sensible thing to do."
"I love you, Fíli." She beamed, kissing the prince's cheek.
Fíli rolled his eyes and swatted the back of her head. "Be careful, alright?"
"Yes, sir!"
Nori jumped down beside them and brushed himself off, before ruffling Nelly's hair. "Nice work."
She grinned.
"Now, this is what I want to show you." Fíli pulled away the low hanging leaves of a nearby tree and ushered them underneath.
Nelly's eyes widened as her mouth fell open. She was speechless. The most wonderful flowers she had ever seen in her life spilled out beneath her, their petals as white as snow with tips as red as blood. They covered the soft, mossy grass and led down to the most magical stream she could imagine. The water sparkled in the afternoon sun, tumbling over rocks to create a beautiful waterfall that poured into a small natural pool. Dark rocks jutted around the cliff on one side of the water and old, gnarled trees swooped low over the stream in several places, giving it a vibe that was almost dangerous.
It Nelly's idea of a perfect little haven – everything looked as though it had been scaled down especially for dwarves and hobbits.
"I like this place…" Pippin murmured.
Fíli smiled softly. "Do you like it?"
"It's beautiful," Nelly breathed. "It's so, so perfect."
"I thought you'd like it," Fíli chuckled.
Nelly grinned. "How'd you find it?"
"I ran into Estel earlier and he told us where it was." Fíli explained. "He said that it might be a nice place to explore."
"Looks like a good place for a swim…" said Nori, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Then, without another moment's pause he darted forward, swooped Nelly into his arms and tossed her into the pool.
She screamed as she fell through the air and then into the cool, crystal clear water. Bursting out of the water she took a deep gulp of air and sent her most ferocious scowl to Nori as she thrashed around.
"What're you going to do, splash me?" Nori mocked.
Nelly's face slipped into an expression of pure fear. "I can't…I can't touch the bottom!"
"Ha, ha, ha." Nori rolled his eyes.
Nelly began to flail desperately, slipping under the water every few seconds. "Help! Help me!"
"Nelly!" Pippin wailed.
Fíli started to move forward and Nelly sank beneath the water, falling right to the bottom. She saw the bubbles flying around as someone else – Nori – dove into the water. She grinned evilly and swam subtly out of his grasp. Breaking the surface, she winked at Fíli and Pippin and then pounced on the surfacing Nori.
"You little sneak!" Nori spluttered, narrowing his eyes at her even as he settled her on his hip. "I knew you could swim!"
"You wouldn't let me drown though, would you?" she batted her eyelashes innocently.
He splashed water in her face. "No, I wouldn't."
"Good," she replied, splashing him back. "I wouldn't let you drown either."
"Fíli?" Pippin toddled over to the water's edge, dipping his toe in hesitantly. "Can I get in?"
"Of course you can," Nelly answered cheerfully, holding out her arms. "Come on!"
Pippin slipped into the water, trousers and all this time. Nelly grabbed him instantly, making sure that she kept him afloat, because Pippin was not old enough to stay up alone and drowning was definitely not fun when it was real.
Fíli lingered on dry ground for a moment longer so that he could pull his tunic off ("Show off," snickered Nori) and then jumped right in himself, splashing them all. He swam to the other side of the pool, maybe four feet away, and held out his hands.
"So, how's your swimming, Pippin?"
"Not that good," the boy mourned.
"Aw, that's not fair!" Nelly frowned, bobbing him up and down gently in the water. "He's good for a toddler."
"Can you doggy paddle over to me?" said Fíli softly. "Do you think you can do that Pippin?"
Pippin shook his head, tightening his grip around Nelly's neck. "I can't!"
"Yes you can," Nelly encouraged him, loosening her own grip.
"We're all here, Pippin." Nori said calmly. "If you go under we'll bring you up. Just kick, kick, kick all the way over to Fíli."
"You can do it, Pippin." Fíli met the child's eyes. "I promise you can do it."
Biting his lip, Pippin launched himself into the water with more splashes than Nelly and Nori combined.
"Go on, Pippin!" Nelly cheered. "You can do it!"
"Come on, Pippin!" Fíli clapped his hands.
Mere seconds later, a gasping, gulping Pippin crashed into the dwarf with a grin the size of the moon. "Again, again!"
"Hey, come over here this time!" Nori called, slapping the water beside him gently.
Needing no further encouragement the baby hobbit flung himself towards Nori, and then after that towards Nelly and back to Fíli. Nori soon produced a small ball from his bag and they began to throw it around in the water, laughing and playing for so long that even Fíli lost track of the time.
Eventually, though, Pippin began to shiver and it was decided that now was the time to go back. Thoroughly worn out after a whole day of exploring and no full meals since lunchtime, Nelly agreed to allow Nori to carry her over the rock face on his back. As they began to walk back to the halls she began to doze and dream on the dwarf's back.
When they reached the others, Nelly was still fast asleep, and Nori managed to keep her that way as he pulled her off his back and eased her into her father's arms.
"What've you done to them?" Paladin hissed, looking between Nelly and Pippin then back to Nori. "They look exhausted – they never look exhausted!"
"That's an adventure for them to tell you, if they want to." he winked, leaving Fíli to elaborate so that Nori could sneak off and get some privacy.
The sun was sinking down low as Nori lit his pipe and leaned over one of Rivendell's many balconies. Solitude was something that Nori valued more than most people did – before the quest for Erebor he was likely to go for weeks at a time slinking about alone in the shadows without really talking to anyone.
The quest had changed that somewhat. Being forced to be around people every day had broken down some of the barriers he had built around his heart, to the point where he actually enjoyed the company of others. However, he still found it exhausting.
Somehow, though, Nelly was a little different. For some completely incomprehensible reason, the little girl seemed to idolise him, and strongest first effect it seemed to have had on him was guilt.
Nori had not felt truly guilty in years – being a thief it was useful to turn that side of his brain off. He had never wanted to be a parent and he had never wanted to be a role model. That was Dori's job, and Nori had never wanted to be like Dori.
With Nelly, however, he felt like a fraud for not giving her something to idolise. He was happy with his lifestyle, but he did not want any of the little children he had become so fond of to follow in his footsteps. Especially not Nelly.
Nori took a long, deep breath and closed his eyes. He hated soul searching.
So, there it ends for today. I'll endeavour to get the next chapter up as soon as possible, but I've got two deadlines over the next two weeks, which will be tough. However, after that it's the Easter holidays and my workload is significantly decreased – Yay!
Thank you for your patience and for continuing to read this story – it means the world to me. Please review if you can, it is so encouraging!
Also, another note: One of the major uni projects that has kept me away from Strangers Like Me will be officially finished on Friday – it's a satirical guide to surviving an apocalypse called "Tea and Toilet Paper: The British Guide to Surviving A Zombie Apocalypse." It would mean the world to me if you could check out the website and the trailer to get the views up.
Just go any of these three links if you have a spare minute (remove the spaces each side of the dots to make them work) or search for 'Tea and Toilet Paper' on YouTube or Facebook.
teaandtoiletpaper . wordpress . com
www . facebook pages/Tea-and-Toilet-Paper-The-British-Guide-to-Surviving-a-Zombie-Apocalypse/1563318053942885
www . youtube watch?v=aICSgZ10Dr0
Thank you so much!
I promise to make the update less than a month, and I promise that I will try to make it as quick as is humanely possible.
Thank you so much!
