Hey, y'all!
I am super excited right now. Today's my third day of work and I'm doing turn down.
I don't go in until 3 so I thought I'd go ahead and give you this chapter.
I just want to say that I am super excited about this story.
I know some people think it's boring, but it is my first attempt.
On my profile I have a question.
I want to post another story but I don't know which one to post.
I have two started and I am working with them, but this one is still my priority.
One is a Hobbit FF and the other is a Captain America BuckyxOC FF.
Which do you think I should post?
Also, this chapter has a little more of Tosur's POV at the beginning.
It was requested so I went in and made a few changes.
Hope y'all enjoy.
Have a great weekend!
~ Rachel
Back in Mirkwood, things were only slightly better for the company. They had awakened the next morning and set out further into the dark woods. The air was heavy with sickness and none of the company was able to resist it. Their minds began to become heavy and clouded. After only one day of walking, they had somehow managed to wander off the path. Each member had become frantic and began to search for the path, but this only caused them to become lost deeper within the forest.
During the whole day, Tosur was replaying the events of the previous night over in his mind. He kept an eye on Eraveth constantly and noticed how reserved she had become. After the path had been lost, Tosur saw his sister become more and more aggitated. When is worry finally got the best of him, he approached her cautiously.
"Eraveth," he began hesitantly, "are you all right?"
Eraveth glanced back at Tosur and tried her best to smile. The forest was weighing on her mind and continued to replay the nightmare in her head. "I'll be fine," she said gently as she rested her hand on brother's arm. "You don't have to worry about me."
Tosur shook his head and pressed, "It's because I do worry about you that I ask. You have been drawing in on yourself again. I don't want to see you like this. Was the dream really so bad?"
"Just leave me be, Tosur," Eraveth said as she tried to move past her brother.
"No!" Tosur exclaimed as he grabbed his sister's arm to stop her. "I have seen you like this before. What was your dream about, Era?"
When Eraveth refused to answer, Tosur pressed harder, all thoughts of caution thrown to the wind. "Tell me!" he demanded.
Eraveth whirled around and Tosur saw the tears that were streaming down her cheeks. "You were dead!" she yelled as she wrenched her arm from his grasp. Every dwarf stopped walking then and turned to face the siblings in stunned silence. Everyone had noticed the way Eraveth was acting even in their slightly confused state.
"There were thousands of bodies," Eraveth cried in anguish. "Men, elves, dwarves, orcs, all around me was nothing but death. You were there, Tosur. I sat in a pool of blood and you lay beside me with cold and glassy eyes. I was covered in your blood!"
Eraveth raked her right hand across her eyes and demanded, "Are you happy now? Now you know why I am upset about the dream. Everyone I know and love died in that dream!"
Suddenly, Eraveth shoved Tosur away from her and ran. She did not know where she was going but she did not care. She ran until she tripped over a root and fell to the ground. Yelling in anger and frustration, Eraveth drew her dagger from the boot and slammed its tip into the offending root. Stabbing the wood over and over again, she let out all of her pent up frustration and anger. She yelled and cried every time the dagger sunk into the root.
Back at the company, every eye was pinned on Tosur. Balin was the first to speak. He gently placed a hand on Tosurs back and said, "You shouldn't have pushed her, lad."
"I know," Tosur sighed as he raked a hand through his hair. "I just can't stand to see her hurting like this. She never has nightmares. I just wanted to help. I need to go after her."
Tosur turned to follow Eraveth but was stopped by Fili. "I'll go," he said. "I'll bring her back." He waited long enough for the company to tie a rope around his waist before heading in the direction Eraveth had run. The farther he went, the more he could hear her cries. He followed the sounds until he found her trying to cut a root to pieces with her dagger.
Fili waited patiently until her movement grew slow with exhaustion. He moved slowly and sat down beside her. He gently pulled the dagger from Eraveth's hand and laid it beside them.
As Eraveth's sobs turned to hiccups, Fili wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a firm hug. Eraveth stiffened at his touch but relaxed after a few minutes. As she listened to the steady beat of his heart, so much like his uncle's, she softly began to tell him everything about her dream. She told him about finding all the bodies of the Company, watching Thorin fight Azog, having to watch him die, pleading with Azog, Azog plunging his claw into her own chest.
As she spoke, her voice grew softer and her tears flowed freely down her cheeks. Fili held her until her tears subsided and her breathing became even. He glanced down to find her asleep. He gently picked her up and carried her like a babe back to the company. They had set up camp as they waited for them to return.
"It's all right," he said gently to Tosur. "She's just asleep."
Bofur moved then and made a spot for Fili to lay her down. She stirred slightly when she was placed on the ground, but did not wake up. The company waited for a moment to make sure before bombaring Fili with questions.
"Enough!" Dwalin whispered harshly. Every eye turned to him in surprise. "If you wake her, you'll have me to deal with," he said and every dwarf moved to their own places with extra caution. Fili waited until everyone was settled before softly telling them what Eraveth had told him.
Thorin listened quietly and kept his eyes glued on Eraveth's sleeping form. He looked to Fili just as he finished and sighed. He glanced back at Eraveth before lying down on his roll. Dwalin took watch, but no one found sleep easily that night.