KIli's POV
Fili and I were on the back of a huge eagle, flying away from the cliff we were just on. I quickly did a head count for the company and my eyes fell on my uncle.
"Thorin!" Fili cried. He didn't move, his arm still limp from the talons of the eagle. I looked at all the other eagles and felt my heart stop in my chest.
"Oh, no." I whispered.
"What?" Fi asked, looking at me.
"Ava. She's not here. Where could she be?!" I panicked.
"Kili! Calm down. She's going to be fine." Fili told me, though I could see the worry in his eyes. We flew until past dawn. My worry for Ava ate away at me the whole time. Eventually, the flock of eagles began to circle a large formation. I recognized it from my studies in the Blue Mountains as the Carrock. The eagle holding Thorin gently placed him on the surface. Gandalf ran over to him.
"Thorin!" he called. Fili and I leapt from our eagle and dashed over to our uncle. He was on his back now, his eyes still closed. Gandalf held his hand over his face, muttering under his breath. Thorin's eyes slowly opened midway.
"The Halfling? Ava?" he whispered.
"They're alright. Bilbo is here. He's quite safe." Gandalf assured. I felt a tang of worry again when he mentioned Ava. Dwalin and I helped him to his feet and he all but glared at Bilbo.
"You! What were you doing? You nearly got yourself killed!" He yelled as Bilbo's face fell. "Did I not say that you would be a burden? That you would not survive in the wild? That you had no place amongst us?" He questioned. I was about to stand up for the hobbit before he started again. "I've never been so wrong in all my life." He breathed, embracing Bilbo tightly. I looked to Fili and we both smiled as the rest of the company cheered. "I'm sorry I doubted you." Thorin apologized.
"No, I would have doubted me too. I'm not a hero or a warrior. Not even a burglar." Bilbo stated, glancing at Gandalf. The company watched as the eagles circled us before flying away. Thorin's expression changed to worry as he scanned the other's faces.
"Where's Ava?" He asked, looking at me. The company began to panic, calling out to her.
"Look!" Bofur exclaimed. We all looked to see a lone eagle flying towards us. I saw a limp figure in its talons and my heart stopped in my chest. As it got closer, I recognized the bright red hair. The eagle gently set her down before flying away. I ran to her and fell to my knees beside her. I gently turned her onto her back and I heard gasps around me. There were 4 long, deep cuts in her stomach and chest. Dark crimson blood soaked her shirt and corset. Tears blurred my eyes when I saw how pale she was. I took her wrist in mine and checked her pulse. It was just barely there. I desperately turned to Gandalf.
"Is there any way you can help her?" I begged, my voice cracking. He just glanced at me with a solemn expression before staring down at Ava, muttering again. Gathering her in my arms, I began to cry into her neck. "Please don't leave me, Ava. Please." I pleaded. At that, I broke down into choking sobs. I just cried into her hair for who knows how long. The rest of the company just let me be, though I could hear some of the others sniffling.
Suddenly, a loud gasp echoed through the air. I pulled back to see a pair of beautiful green eyes flutter open.
Ava's POV
I felt as if air was pushed back into my lungs. My eyelids felt like metal and would not open just yet. My abdomen burned as if my torn skin was pulling back together. I felt strong arms holding me and I recognized the musky scent as Kili's. Slowly, I allowed my eyes to open. Kili's red and bloodshot eyes stared down at me in shock.
"A-Ava?" he whispered. I managed a weak smile.
"Miss me?" I croaked. I saw Fili and Thorin kneeling beside me as well. Their faces brightened when they saw that I was alive. Ki and Fi helped me stand and I stared at my stomach. The entire of my chest was covered in blood but long cuts were only thin white lines. I looked over to Gandalf and he had a small smile on his face. He brought me back, I just knew it. I weakly ran to him and threw my arms around him.
"Thank you, Mithrandir." I whispered.
"My pleasure, Avaleigh." He replied. I pulled back and turned to the company. They were all smiling at me. Thorin moved towards me and I felt a wave of guilt.
"I didn't kill him, Thorin. I was too weak." I said quietly, looking down. I heard him move closer to me and he put his hands on my shoulders.
"Ava. You saved me. You stood up against a pack of orcs. You are far from weak. You are one of the bravest warriors I've ever met." He told me, making me look up. "We will avenge our families. I swear to it." He assured me. I smiled, tears budding in my eyes. I flung my arms around him. He hugged me like a father would. After a minute, he let me go and I was pulled into another embrace from Fili.
"I'm so glad you're alive. We need you." He said, hugging me tightly.
"I'm here, Fi. I'm not going anywhere." I told him. When he pulled away, my eyes raked over the company, looking for one dwarf in particular. The company seemed like they knew who I was looking for. They all parted and there he stood. There was something in his brown eyes as we slowly walked closer to each other. Suddenly, he ran to me. He smashed his lips to mine in a burst of passion. I immediately reacted by kissing back and wrapping my arms around his neck. The company cheered and clapped around us. I pulled away with a smile. "I love you, Kili." I told him.
"I love you, too, Ava." He smiled. He kissed my lips again and he took my hand in his. I rested my forehead against his and smiled, closing my eyes.
"Is that what I think it is?" Bilbo piped up. We all looked in that direction and I gasped. In the distance, there was a vague silhouette of a large mountain. Kili squeezed my hand in excitement as the realization overcame the company.
"Erebor. The Lonely Mountain… The last of the great dwarf kingdoms of Middle-Earth." Gandalf explained.
"Our home." Thorin smiled.
"A raven! The birds are returning to the mountain." Oin celebrated.
"That, my dear Oin, is a thrush." Gandalf corrected.
"We'll take it as a sign. A good omen." Thorin told us. Kili wrapped his arm around my waist and I leaned my head on his shoulder.
"I do believe the worst is behind us." Bilbo sighed, his eyes not leaving the mountain. Oh, Bilbo, I do pray you're right.
We've been traveling for months, evading Azog's forces as we made our way through Middle Earth. The morning sky was a beautiful lilac color from the sunrise. Bilbo was at the top of a large rock, looking out for danger. We waited anxiously. I stood with Fili and Kili, my hand in Kili's. I squeezed his hand nervously in mine and he did the same to mine.
"It'll be alright, flower." He assured me. I smiled softly at the nickname and looked at his soft brown eyes. Bilbo scampered down to where we were hiding.
"How close is the pack?" Thorin asked.
"Too close. A couple of leagues, no more. But that's not the worst of it." Bilbo panted.
"Have the wargs picked up our scent?" Dwalin questioned.
"Not yet. But they will. We have another problem." He breathed.
"Did they see you? They saw you." Gandalf assumed.
"No, that's not it." Bilbo argued but just as he was about to explain, Gandalf began speaking again.
"What did I tell you? Quiet as a mouse." He praised and the dwarves began murmuring in agreement.
"Will you just listen? Will you just listen?!" Bilbo exclaimed exasperatedly. "I'm trying to tell you there is something else out there." he told us. I looked at Kili worriedly.
"What form did it take? Like a bear?" Gandalf asked gravely.
"Y-Yes. But bigger. Much bigger." The hobbit stammered.
"You knew about this beast?" Bofur questioned. "I say we double back." He proposed as Gandalf turned away.
"And be run down by a pack of orcs?" Thorin argued.
"There is a house. It's not far from here, where we might take refuge." Gandalf told us.
"Whose house? Are they friend or foe?" I asked.
"Neither. He will help us or… he will kill us." Gandalf explained.
"What choice do we have?" Thorin sighed. A roar echoed in the distance and we all gasped.
"None." Gandalf answered.
"Lead the way." I told him. The company began to run as more roars sounded from behind us. We crossed streams and meadows as fast as we could. "Come on!" Gandalf shouted. We reached a forest and I heard a chilling roar that made my blood run cold as we stopped.
"This way! Quickly!" Gandalf exclaimed. Bombur seemed to be frozen in fear. I ran over to him and grabbed his arm.
"Come on, Bombur! We have to go!" I urged, dragging his large form with me.
"T-Thank you, Ava." He huffed before he began sprinting faster than me. My eyebrows rose at that but I just kept running.
"To the house!" Gandalf ordered as we broke the tree line. I panted as I ran with Kili and Fili. There was a cottage I could see in the distance, just across the field. "Run!" We dashed through an open gate and towards the large doors. Bombur was the first to reach the door and he bounced off of it. If we weren't running for our lives, I would have burst into laughter. Kili and I desperately beat at the door. I looked behind us to see a hulking, black bear charging towards us. I gasped and looked back up at the door as Thorin and Gandalf shouted for us to open it. I noticed a latch and jumped to open it. The doors gave way and we all ran in and tried to shut the door. The beast's massive head blocked the way and we all shoved on the door until it was closed completely. I fell to the ground in exhaustion, trying to catch my breath.
"What the bloody hell was that?!" I exclaimed, still scared out of my mind.
"That is our host," Gandalf stated. We all stared at him, wondering if he had gone insane. Kili moved over to me and pulled me to my feet. "His name is Beorn. And he's a skin-changer. Sometimes he's a huge black bear. Sometimes he's a great strong man. The bear is unpredictable… but the man can be reasoned with. However, he is not overfond of dwarves." He explained. The company murmured amongst themselves as Ori turned to the door.
"He's leaving." He told us, looking back at us.
"Come away from there," Dori ordered, pulling his younger brother away from the door. "It's not natural. None of it! It's obvious. He's under some dark spell." He feared.
"Don't be a fool. He's under no enchantment but his own. All right, now, get some sleep. All of you. You'll be safe here tonight." Gandalf concluded. The company began to search for places to sleep. I heard Gandalf mutter something under his breath before I went to find Kili and Fili. They found a place for the three of us to sleep and were now setting up blankets and pillows. I laid my quiver and bow down beside our sleeping area and did the same with my sword. I kept my daggers in case our host tried to attack in the night. A hand tapped my shoulder and I turned to see Ori, a shy look on his young face, and Bilbo, with a similar attitude.
"A-Ava, we were wondering, if you would sing a song? To help us fall asleep?" Ori asked me, quietly. I smiled at how much he looked like a young child.
"I would be happy to, you two." They crawled under their blankets and I sat beside them. I noticed that the whole company was now watching me. When Ori and Bilbo were comfortable, I took a deep breath and started to sing.
Lay down you head, and I'll sing you a lullaby
Back to the years of loo-li lai-lay
And I'll sing you to sleep
And I'll sing you tomorrow
Bless you with love for the road that you go
May you sail fair to the far fields of fortune
With diamonds and pearls at your head and your feet
And may you need never to banish misfortune
May you find kindness in all that you meet
May there always be angels to watch over you
To guide you each step of the way
To guard you and keep you safe from all harm
Loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay
May you bring love and may you bring happiness
Be loved in return to the ends of your days
Now fall off to sleep,
I'm not meaning to keep you
I'll just sit for a while and sing loo-li, lai-lay
May there always be angels to watch over you
To guide you each step of the way
To guard you and keep you safe from all harm
Loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay
Loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay…
I finished the song and I saw that they were both sound asleep. I smiled softly and kissed both of their foreheads. Getting up, the dwarves still awake clapped softly, not wanting to wake up the ones sleeping. I bowed jokingly before walking to Kili's and my sleeping area. Fili was spread out beside him, snoring loudly. He grinned when I sat down beside him and wrapped an arm around my waist.
"That was beautiful, Ava." He told me, kissing my cheek.
"Thank you. My mother used to sing that to me when I was a child and couldn't sleep." I admitted, smiling sadly. He looked at me with a solemn expression before he took my hand in his.
"She would be proud of you." He said. I leaned up and kissed him before leaning into his warm chest.
"I love you." I whispered. He pulled the blanket over us and planted a kiss on my head.
"I love you, too, my beautiful flower."
The link to the song is there
watch?v=3y_aqqy7Tdk&app=desktop