Estel had woken up to a terrible, sharp pain, and she flung her eyes open as a pained whimper escaped her lips. Her head began to throb and a wave of uncomfortable heat swept over her. Her lungs were filled with fire with every breath. Her ears were met with talking and the banging of a few pots, and her vision had cleared to see the old dwarf from the night before and the kind wizard above her.
"Apologies, lass," Oin had said, and he had taken his hands back from her abdomen. "Didn't mean to startle you."
She frowned, and another wave of sickness flooded her. She swallowed thickly and clenched her teeth, the pain becoming an insistent stabbing. Estel couldn't remember anything as horrific as the pain she was in, at least not physically. It felt like the weight of a huge boulder crushing her and all she could do was lay there. Sweat had glistened her forehead as the torridity of her skin left her flushed. Oin had set the back of his hand against her forehead, pulling away with a look of worry implanted on his face.
"Her fever has risen," he said to the bearded wizard. "I fear it may get worse at this rate."
The old man let out a sigh, and knelt down beside the girl, putting a large, wrinkled hand against her cheek. Estel felt something tingle, expecting whatever he had did for her the night before to take effect, but nothing had happened. She still felt quite ill.
"Strange…" he muttered.
"What is it, Gandalf?" Oin asked quickly.
"Not a drop of my magic will ease her pain or that fever of hers," Gandalf frowned. "Strange. It had worked last night."
"What does this mean?"
The urgency of his voice had caught the attention of dwarves around them. Thorin, too, had craned his head away from the sword he was sharpening and listened. Kili, standing some feet away with Bofur and Bilbo, frowned and glanced from Estel's paling face to the wizard.
"This wound," he said. "Show it to me."
Oin hesitated a moment before moving to remove the cloak off her small frame. Estel had watched with frightened eyes after listening to the worry in Gandalf's voice. Oin had been kind enough to only tear a hole wide enough in her dress for him to tend to the wound, wrapping the dressing around her waist and keeping her decent. Carefully, he unwrapped it until the wound had been exposed to the air and the dwarf's eyes widened in apprehension.
"As I thought," Gandalf had said.
Estel couldn't bear to look at what had the dwarf and wizard so troubled. The place where the arrow had pierced her had turned the surrounding skin a dark, festering black. The area was the size of a fist and had spidery veins of darkness branching out. There was no doubt that it would spread over her torso.
"Who attacked you?" Gandalf asked the girl, whose fever left cold chills run through her.
Estel frowned, averting her gaze as her lip began to quiver. She could feel the emotion run through her when her mind took her back to the day before, the screams and fear paralyzing her.
"My dear girl, we must know," Gandalf told her. The persistent yet calm voice and forced her eyes back to him.
Her throat moved when she swallowed and in a shaking voice, she answered, "The Orcs... my caravan… they're all gone."
Stunned murmurs were exchanged between the company. Kili's dark eyes burned with enmity upon hearing the name of the vile creatures.
"I see," Gandalf had let his palm hover over her wound, his brows furrowed. "This arrow that had pierced you was laced with something dark."
"Poison?" Oin suggested. "Perhaps it was nightshade?"
Gandalf shook his head. "No... I fear it may be a dark, dark magic. But how this came by the Orcs, is the question."
Thorin had stepped forward and Estel had unconsciously shrunk under the cloak, feeling unsettled by his cold, hard features.
"What business do the Orcs have with you?" He asked. "What would they want with a half-breed?"
"Uncle..." Kili stepped forward.
Estel had turned her face away from his gaze. The intensity of his stare could have burned holes into her skin. Gandalf cleared his throat, shooting the dwarf king a stern look.
"Now, Thorin, we know not if she was a target-"
"Orcs may be relentless monsters, but they always have a purpose," Thorin snapped, and diverted his attention back to the dark haired girl before him. "Now, I ask you again. Why would the Orcs attack your caravan?"
Estel's eyes glistened with unshed tears, and she closed her eyes. No matter how many intakes of air she took, she could not rid the feeling of despair and dread within her. Her uncle's words haunted her, and whatever the Orcs wanted must hold some purpose. There was something they wanted, and any creature of evil that sought out a girl such as herself… Well, then she was a creature that trailed danger behind her.
"I...I cannot tell you," she murmured.
This angered Thorin greatly, and he took a step closer to her saying, "I demand to know why-"
"I urge you to stop, Thorin," Gandalf said as he rose from the ground, placing himself between the dwarf and the sick girl. "This is not the time nor place for such matters. What does matter, at the moment, is aiding the young lady."
He sent a hard look to the dwarf and the company watched the two stare each other down. With a huff, Thorin turned away, calling out, "We head out now. I will not lose this light of day."
Gandalf watched the stubborn dwarf walk away and he couldn't help but sigh. The heir to Erebor was hard headed, impulsive, and so keen on keeping the blood of Estel in mind. Gandalf could not help but feel hopeless in coaxing the dwarf king into being kinder as well having an open minded. The dwarf, however, had other priorities than opening up his heart to misfits.
"What will happen to me?" Gandalf pulled his eyes away from Thorin's back and down to Estel's tear-filled eyes. Her voice had quivered and he knew not if was because of her fever or the fear of an immediate death.
He tried to offer her a kind, reassuring smile as he knelt back down and set a hand atop her head of dark hair. "Do not worry. You will recover in time. For now, I am afraid there is nothing I can do to lessen the pain. I can, however, keep you asleep for some hours."
Her face fell and she sniffed, blinking away the tears. At last she nodded, choosing to trust the gray wizard, seeing that she had no other choice. Estel, with Gandalf standing at her side, watched the dwarves pack their bed rolls and stamped out the remainder of the burning embers. They had readied the ponies and Kili had come to stop at Estel side.
"You have been riding with me," he said. "I trust that is all right?"
Estel had given him a nod, not bothered by the this. Perhaps it was his kindness that swayed her to bestow whatever trust she had onto him.
She let Kili place his hands on her waist and above her elbow, his grip gentle yet firm as he lifted her from the ground. She gritted her teeth and gripped the dwarf's shoulders, trying not to double over. Discomfort had flashed across her pale face, and it was clearly evident how much it pained her to move. Kili had reached down and gripped the back of her legs as he swept Estel off the ground, and she took a startled intake of breath. The dark-haired girl knew she would have blushed at his suddenness, but she was too tired and weak to have reacted, and simply rested her head against his shoulder.
He carried her to his pony, feeling the gazes of some dwarves following him as he carefully had Estel mounted at the front before swinging on top behind her. Even through the layers of clothing, Kili could feel the heat radiating off of her; the closer he looked, he could see sweat beading at her hairline. She rested against his chest with her eyes closed, even though she was awake.
Gandalf appeared at the pony's side, and Estel rolled her head to gaze up at him. He gave her a friendly smile before passing his hand over her head, and her face slacked and her body relaxed against Kili. She was fast asleep.
"Watch her, Kili," Gandalf told him with a stern look.
Kili retorted with a smirk on his face, "I won't let Miss Estel fall off."
The wizard cocked a bushy brow. "Estel?"
"That is her name. You didn't know?"
Gandalf had an unidentifiable look in his eye and Kili couldn't tell what was stirring in the wizard's mind. Gandalf let out a little huff and a small smile and walked away to mount his horse.
Hope, the wizard thought to himself. We will be needing much of it.
Estel had shown no signs of getting better, causing Kili to worry. As their ponies trotted through the forest, the dwarrowdam had gone a shade paler and had chills running through her. Despite her unconscious state, she had a look of discomfort. Kili's cloak could not keep her warm and no matter how many times Oin would place a wet cloth upon her forehead, her skin would still be on fire. Fili would sometimes have the girl riding with him to let his brother have a short break, even if the dark-haired dwarf protested. The older brother noticed the frown on Kili's face when he pulled Estel onto his pony, and it was clearly obvious that Kili had grown protective and concerned.
When they had stopped for a brief rest, Gandalf had approached the sleeping girl. All knew that the girl wouldn't have much time left, even though the wizard, the healer and the young brothers wouldn't admit it to themselves. It just seemed that death was all too real if they had. Oin had run out of options; no herbal remedy could heal something so dark. The others had expected Gandalf to lose hope as well, but the wizard had a trick up his sleeve, one that he wasn't quite sure would work.
They had her lay under the shade of a tree, and Kili thought she looked so small beneath his cloak. Oin was wiping her brow with a wet rag when the wizard approached him. He had knelt beside the girl and the healer watched with curious eyes and had not uttered a word. Gandalf had placed his hand against Estel's abdomen, closing his eyes as his brows came together in concentration. He had muttered under his breath, a chant, and his voice slowly grew louder and the dwarves and the hobbit had craned their heads to watch. Kili moved to take a closer look but Fili held him back to give Gandalf room.
The wizard looked pale as he pulled away, but the color returned to his face after a few moments. Fili had finally released his brother's arm and Kili was by Oin's side. He peered over his shoulder to see that Estel did not look as sickly as before, and her breathing seemed to be easier.
"What did you do?" Kili turned to Gandalf.
Gandalf brought his eyes from Estel to the young dwarf. "I simply shared the darkness within her," he said as if it were so common. "I gave her some strength to hold on to."
"But what about you, Gandalf?" Oin frowned. "You will become ill; what if it manifests within you?" The wizard waved his hand, "I am fine; light magic will always triumph against darkness. Now we must move on from this place."
Gandalf steadied himself upon his staff, wobbling a bit, and returned to his horse. Kili and Oin shared a look before Kili lifted her off the grass and back to his pony. Her fever had come down some, and, although her face still looked a bit pained, her pale cheeks were glowing with a pale pink. Kili was relieved as the company rode on, and thanked Mahal that there was still hope for the dwarrowdam.
The forest had thinned somewhat and the sun shined over the trees. The air had cooled some, blowing through the leaves and Kili's hair. He spit out the strands that got caught in his mouth and pulled his cloak up to Estel's neck. He shifted his eyes from the path down to her sleeping face; her dark hair lightly blew around and reach up to tickle his chin. He brought a hand to brush her hair down and framed her face; his hand had lingered until her expression shifted and she stirred. Kili quickly pulled his hand away and held onto the reign again. His face flushed and Estel carefully opened her eyes. She blinked the weariness away and groaned.
Kili thought it best to speak up, "How do you feel?"
She stiffened up in surprise and looked up at him. She frowned, sighing and craning her head to look around the forest before back to Kili. "Tired."
"And your wound?"
"The pain has lessened, but…" she trailed off and her brows furrowed in confusion. Kili sent her a questioning look before answering again. "I do not understand…"
Kili seemed to realize what she meant. "Gandalf has shared the dark magic that makes you so ill. With some hope, it may give you more time."
She nodded, closing her eyes once more and resting her head back against Kili's lower chest. The dwarf had thought her asleep again before she quietly asked him a question.
"How long till the sun sets?" Her quiet voice met his ears.
Kili looked up to the sky, catching a glimpse of the sun through the tree branches. The light blue had growing streaks of orange. "Soon."
She had a thoughtful look on her face as she nodded. She breathed in and released it slowly, closing her eyes again. Her shoulders and muscles relaxed against Kili, and he could feel her heat and breath. A strange feeling had warmed his belly, spreading over him and up to the back of his neck. He tried to focus on the path, but his gaze would trail over to her face. Her dark hair framed her face and a light sweat made her pale skin glisten; he noticed that she had the longest eyelashes he'd ever seen, reminding him of butterflies.
"I feel so very tired," she murmured.
Kili's lips turned up in a smirk. "Reasonably so. You can go back to sleep if you want to."
She shook her head, eyes still shut. "No... No, I've slept this whole day..."
"I think it'd be best if you do, in my honest opinion," he said. "You should rest."
"We'll be stopping soon, though." Estel opened her eyes, and Kili noticed that they were red from weariness, framed by the dark circles under her eyes.
Kili sighed. "When we make camp, you are to rest."
Her smile was small and she nodded. Instead of closing of her eyes, she kept them open and watched the scenery pass by. Kili watched Estel's eyes move about slowly, taking in the dwarves, lingering for a moment on Bilbo. It must've been odd to see the hobbit with a company of dwarves. She moved on to the trees and the ponies, accidentally catching Fili's eyes. The blond dwarf smiled and gave her a nod of his head. Estel's face burned and she shrunk shyly into Kili; the younger brother would've chuckled had she not been pressed against him. The girl, he noticed, seemed to be shy as a fawn. Apart from Oin and Gandalf, and Kili himself, of course, she seemed to feel comfortable.
They had approached a small piece of green land, surrounded by the thicket of the trees; the ruins of a barn made a shadow over the expanse. At the head of the company, Thorin slowed his pony to a stop and got off. The rest of the dwarves followed suit; Fili hopped down from his pony and went around to help Estel down. Fili offered her a warm smile and his hand to take.
"Fili," he said. "At your service."
Estel looked to Kili who simply nodded his head; she turned back to the blond dwarf and hesitantly took his hand as he carefully set her on her feet. Her knees nearly buckled and she gripped the dwarf's forearms, gritting her teeth. Kili had jumped down from Daisy and immediately took her from his brother.
"Can you stand?" He said.
She bit her tongue, shifting her weight to her left side away from the wound. After a moment, she nodded, holding onto Kili's shoulder.
"Are you able to walk?" Fili asked from beside her. She looked up at the dwarf and then to the ground, taking a slow, careful step; once she did, however, her knees had almost given out from the pain of moving. Even though Gandalf had aided her, Estel was still terribly weak.
"Here," Kili had scooped her up in his arms like he had done earlier before they had left. She held tight to his neck, heart jumping. Kili sensed her discomfort as she held tight to him. "Relax, I won't drop you."
Her eyes searched his face, and found it in her to trust him, loosening her arms, but keeping them around his neck in case he tripped or some other scenario met her fall. He carried her over to where the company stretched out their legs and set their belongings and supplies down. Kili gave set her down carefully onto the ground, crouching beside her to keep her up. Oin had placed a pack behind her to keep her steady. Estel sent a grateful smile to the two dwarves and let her muscles relax.
"We'll camp here for the night," Thorin had called out. "Fili, Kili, look after the ponies. Make sure you stay with them."
The brothers nodded. Fili walked off to herd the ponies to graze in the forest, Kili turning to follow only to pause and shoot Estel a smile.
"Rest well," he said before catching up with Fili.
Gandalf had wandered around the ruins of the farmhouse, a deep frown set on his face. He pushed a stone over with his foot and said, "A farmer and his family used to live here."
Thorin had ignored the wizard, calling out to Oin and Gloin to start a fire for the night. The wizard had continued on, "I think it would be wiser to move on. We could make for the Hidden Valley."
The leader of the company turned to Gandalf with a cold look on his face. "I have told you already, I will not go near that place," he spat out.
"Why not? The elves could help us," the gray haired man protested, waving his hand about to make his point. "We could get food, rest, advice. That girl is in need of help and healing."
"I do not need their advice," Thorin said, before getting close and adding through locked teeth, "And as for the girl's fate... She will succumb to her wound. You and I both know it. She has no chance."
Gandalf glared at the dwarf's words, shaking his head at his arrogance. He pushed the words spoken of the girl's fate aside before speaking again. "We have a map that we cannot read. Lord Elrond could help us..."
While Oin cleaned her wound and changed the dressings, Estel quietly watched the dwarf and wizard argue. She was suddenly nervous upon seeing the dark look that had flashed across Thorin's eyes. In fact, all had dropped what they were doing to watch the two bicker.
Gandalf had stormed away from Thorin and grumbled under his breath, his stride making his robes billow out behind him. Bilbo had taken a few steps forward, forehead wrinkled in worry.
"Everything alright?" The hobbit asked. "Gandalf, where are you going?"
"To seek the company of the only one around here who's got any sense," the wizard replied.
"Who's that?"
"Myself, Mr. Baggins! I've had enough of dwarves for one day."
And with that, Gandalf walked away angrily and disappeared into the forest. Estel's lips turned down in a frown and worry had laced with her exhaustion. She only hoped for the kind wizard to return soon. Thorin had bitterly demanded Bombur to start making supper and he, too, stomped off. The air around them was so thick that it was possible for it to be sliced with a knife.
Bilbo asked Balin if their wizard would return, and the white haired dwarf only shrugged. Like Estel, Bilbo also hoped that Gandalf would come back soon.