Chapter 18 –Forced Realisations
After cutting the bonds on the bagged dwarves, levitating and freeing the dwarves from the spit, Hermione went around behind one of the trolls and sat on its calf as this particular troll was frozen in the pose of one about to run, allowing the dwarves some privacy as they looked for their stolen weapons and clothes. Although Hermione did see that Bofur & Bombur had to help poor Bifur back into his pants out of the corner of her eye.
Gandalf was walking towards Hermione when Thorin stalked over stopping him. "Where did you go if I may ask?" He asked, hand resting on his blade.
"To look ahead." Gandalf lied easily. He had actually intended on going to Rivendell but Hermione had the brains to sit him down to make sure he was calm before making such a rash decision.
"What brought you back?"
"Someone looking behind." They both glanced over at Hermione who was currently admiring an orange butterfly that had landed on her finger. "Nasty business trolls. Still, it's good you're all in one piece."
"No thanks to your burglar."
Gandalf sighed at Thorin's discontent towards Bilbo. "He had the thought to play for time when none of you did."
Gandalf watched as Thorin took a few deep breaths in relation to his comment, before he caught Thorin subtly glance over at Hermione again under his lashes.
"You should talk to her," Gandalf suggested as he tapped one of the stone trolls with his staff. "She was very worried about you, all of you."
"Why would she need to worry about us? We don't need her concern." Thorin said harshly, unsure why he felt bad as he said it. It caused him to have a bitter taste in his mouth.
"She sensed it, the danger to your company. One minute she was staring at the stars and the next she just bolted towards the camp without a single word. I caught up to her and as we ran she explain that she believed that you were in danger. She asked me to run ahead, and protect you but as you saw she ended up being the one doing the protecting."
Thorin didn't know how to take this information. His mind began to race with questions about why and how she could feel that they were in danger. He looked to her again but seeing the Halfling sitting by her side laughing away as she cast spell after spell on him until he was totally clean of snot and his clothing was no longer tattered and torn, frustration began to fill him the longer he watched the two sit so comfortably together, so as a distraction he decided to ask a question that was in the back of his mind.
"Since when did Mountain Trolls venture this far south?"
"Not for an age. Not since a darker power ruled these lands." Gandalf said but it was more to himself than an answer to Thorin's question. "They could not have moved in daylight."
"There must be a cave nearby!" Thorin exclaimed before looking behind him to see if his men were ready to move out, that was when he noticed troll tracks headed in the opposite direction of their campsite. Gandalf noticed Thorin's gaze and preceded to follow it. Thorin informed his company of this new side mission and once they were ready, in small groups they followed Gandalf. Thorin hung back to make sure everyone was together when he noticed Hermione walking at the very back alone.
"Why do you not walk with my nephews and the hobbit?" Hermione glanced up from the ground as she walked passed Thorin.
"I thought you didn't want me near them, being such as distraction." Although Hermione was being cheeky there was a slight edge to her voice and Thorin picked it up immediately.
"I did not mean offence, but they are young and any form of distraction on this quest could mean the difference between life and death." Thorin stated bluntly, not liking that he was once again giving explanations for his words. He had never felt he was required to do so before Hermione came along. Something in the back of Thorin's mind whispered to him, warning him to be wary of her and the danger of her magic. She seemed so young and relatively content but there were times that Thorin caught the dark looks that entered her eyes every now and then, causing him to be cautious of her for his company because she might be more unstable and dangerous than they realise.
"Oh look! It's Lissuin. Oin was telling me about this flower, it smells of honey and is wonderful for colds." Hermione almost skipped off the path to the nestle of yellow flowers.
"Elven flowers," Thorin grunted with disgust. "How can you be so sure this is it? There are many yellow flowers in this land."
"Oin and I have discussed them at length. Ori even drew me a picture that looked identical to these." Brushing her hands over the petals.
"Might I borrow you knife?" Her hand out-stretched expecting him to comply. Slowly he hands her his knife, hand on the hilt of his blade, still not trusting her and her magic, especially seeing as they were now alone.
Thorin watched Hermione expertly trim the flowers and wrap them in a cloth before placing them in her little bag. "Of course I shall give them to Oin for he is the expert in this world. In fact I shall also give him the kingsfoil Gandalf and I crossed when we…"
Hermione looked up only to face a smoldering glare from the drawf, not wanting to further anger him she handed him his knife back and continued along the path.
"I'm sorry. I understand that distractions are dangerous believe me, I know. But I never intended to be one myself. I was only trying to make friends not only with them but all of you." As she said this Hermione looked up from the path again staring pointedly at Thorin. Her stare was so intense that he couldn't look away. He felt as though her big brown eyes were boring into his soul and stripping him bare, for fear letting his defenses down he looked ahead seeing the back of Bombur disappear around a bend in the path.
"Why would you want to make friends in this world when you will only be leaving?" he grunted, still in a foul mood.
"Because you cannot complete this quest on your own. Though you are surrounded by your kin, you are still alone Thorin." Hermione heard Thorin's foot-steps cease, turning slowly she looked at his brow furrow deep into the bridge of his nose.
"What's that supposed to mean, witch?" his voice was low and steady, offended by his tone of voice, she could feel her body instinctually preparing herself for any type of attack.
"Don't be so touchy. All I'm saying is that I have seen another try to carry the burden with which he was bequeathed alone, and it almost destroyed him. The person I once knew was but a shadow, that was until we helped him carry the burden and slowly he can back to us and together we vanquished the darkness in our land."
"The company are here to help carry this burden as you so call it." Thorin refused to admit to what she was implying.
"Don't act naïve Thorin you are better than that. You know that they would die for you, their king, but would they die for you, Thorin their friend?" She watched as his head dropped slightly, both of them knowing that few of the company would truly consider Thorin as a friend. "If I am to die in this world Thorin, then I am going to do it fighting side by side friends, not alone without cause."
Hermione's response made Thorin think about all the little things he had witnessed Hermione do for his men like 'talking' with Bifur and somehow winning over Dwalin the toughest and most critical member of this company. These little acts always brought a smile to her face and he truly believed that she genuinely wanted to gain his men's trust and knew that despite what she said he could never have that for there was too much at stake.
"How did you know?"
Hermione looked over to Thorin not sure to what he was referring to.
He caught her questioning stare, "How did you know the company were in danger?"
She hesitated not quite sure how to answer, "Well, I can't say for sure. I just had this feeling, one that has occurred before. Always when darkness is drawing near."
He watched as that dark look entered her eyes once more, deciding it to be wise to question her no longer.
They continued to follow the group in a comfortable silence until they heard a shout not too far ahead claiming that they had found the cave. Thorin and Hermione jogged ahead until they reached the group. But as Hermione made it to Gandalf's side the most revolting stench assaulted her nasal cavities. To her left, Bilbo was backing up rubbing his face trying to hide the fact that he was gagging at the decaying smell surrounding him. There were skeletal remains scattered about the entrance as Thorin Gandalf and Dwalin walked towards the entrance Hermione cringed each time she heard the bones crunch and snap under their weight.
"Bofur, Nori, Gloin, you come with us." Thorin followed Gandalf into the darkness, with Dwalin taking the rear. Dwalin stopped where he had a viewpoint on those outside and still watch over those inside.
Bilbo and Hermione nodded glad they were not going any closer to that god awful stench. Bilbo made his way over to Ori and Dori who were going through some silverware that was laying a few metres to the left of the entrance while Hermione ventured over to Oin, presenting him with the Kingsfoil and Sissuin plants.
"I know its not much," she said, "but I too have some medicinal supplies from my land that in time may be useful."
Hermione crossed to the edge of the trees and propped herself up against a boulder amongst some more Cow Vetch flowers. Feeling the exhaustion hit her from the sleepless night. She slid sideways until her hair splayed about her body on the dew dampened grass.
Here you are 2 chapters in 1 day :) (also not beta'd, sorry)
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