CHAPTER SIX.
Théodor grew up a small and scrawny young boy before a gaping lake. His eyes shone as wide and blue as the waters on a sunny day and his hair mirrored the dark black-brown of the loamy soil in which his parents grew their vegetables. He possessed no birth right to any lands or any crown, but he paid no mind to the poverty of his family. After all, he was a boy who could speak to the birds.
For months in his free time the young boy would sit on the banks of that great lake waiting for the birds to bring him messages. They would speak to him of the weather, far and distant places, and of a beauty no man had lain eyes on. His fascinations drove his parents into worry while they thought he only made up fantasies about speaking with creatures. They no longer allowed him to sit by the lake.
It was then that he took to reading books about maps and fighting anything that moved with a wooden sword. His dreams never consisted of anything shy of adventure, and this boy turned to man. Handsome and charming he was, but his thirst for the new world and danger caused some to label him foolish.
I watched Bofur with curious wide eyes. The morning sun glimmered radiantly over our fellowship and the crisp hint of summer swirled around us. A week passed since the pony incident and the fog of hopelessness lifted. The woods brought to us foods we were deficient in and the promise of Bofur's story kept my ill at ease mind at bay. Bilbo remained the only one wrought with longing for his own cozy lodgings back in the Shire.
"Oi, why'd you stop?" I took a small bite out of the oats Nori concocted for breakfast. I had become incredibly interested and connected to his tale. For what reason, I couldn't say.
"Calm down little lass," Bofur chuckled, "I've got to eat too. Where was I? Oh..."
As the people grew wary of Théodor, his mother and father insisted that he take up an apprenticeship with a blacksmith to distract him from his wonder. The man named Isaac known for making splendidly beautiful weapons took him under his wing, but what most did not know was that he too had a longing to venture beyond the shores of the lake. Théodor only grew worse.
A few months after his long toils at the anvil he took to the woods, journeying away from the lake town. And all the while the thrush still sat at his shoulder directing him and telling him narratives of a place untouched by any man. He wandered for many a day without direct sunlight or a certain path, only following the words of the birds.
On the fifty-sixth day of the third year, he reached a clearing in the forest bottom, covered in soft leaves and what appeared to be small homes. Tired and smothered in dirt, he thought he half-imagined what lay before him. There were small people, stunning in their stature and lovely faces. Clothed in soft, earthen colors, they fit into their surroundings perfectly.
The first creature of this race he came face-to-face with called herself Florin. Her almond-shaped eyes reflected the colors of the sky and the forest, and her hair golden sun-kissed bronze. She wore a wreath of flowers around her head and a little robin perched himself on her shoulder. At the sight of this girl, he no longer felt the desire to explore the unbounded earth.
She stared up at Théodor timidly, "Many moons have you been searching at the will of the thrush; he speaks of your presence."
Our long hike down into the valley that day finally ended when we reached what appeared to be a dilapidated, burned farm house.
"We'll rest here for the night! It looks like a fine place." Thorin called as he dismounted his pony and leaned up against one of the few planks still intact. Such a dismal, gloomy place didn't appeal greatly to the dwarves, but they were all incredibly tired, and so was I.
"I think it would be wise to continue on, something is not right about this place. We could find comfort in the valley and Elrond would welcome us warmly." Gandalf advised Thorin, and he only received a perturbed look from the dwarf king.
"I would not journey there even on my death bed." His words extended cold and relentless.
"Your stubbornness will never get you into the mountain. We have a map that we cannot read and Elrond could help us." Shooting Thorin a look of irritation, the old wizard hastily made his way for the woods.
"Where are you going?" Thorin boomed after him.
"To seek the company of the only one here who has any sense!"
From over the dusty saddle of Myrtle, Bilbo peeked his eyes. "Who's that?"
"Myself!" And with that, Gandalf disappeared from our vision into the vast abyss. Bilbo instantly grew nervous at the fact the wizard left him with the group of dwarves, asking if he would return.
"Fili, Kili, you two watch the ponies." Thorin ordered, and the others began scrambling about to begin setting up for the night ahead. I decided to follow the two off to the side out into the wood with the pack instead of remaining back at the camp. Bilbo seemed nervous as ever and Thorin's mood was dampened by Gandalf's outburst. Most of the dwarves had taken to silence.
I nestled myself down on a bed of soft pine straw beside a tree in front of Kili, looking up at the first star peeking through the waning light. Fili tied the last of the ponies up and stationed himself lazily at the other side of the wooded area.
Kili's soft brown eyes fell upon my face. "What're you doin' out here?"
"I dunno really. Mostly getting away. Thought I might help with watching the ponies." I let my hair down and frowned at how dirty I had become. Going without a bath for long periods of time wasn't exactly my forte. Neither was going on adventures with strange men.
"You know you don't have to. Fili and I can handle it. You need to rest." A hint of genuine concern washed over his face for a minute.
"I'm fine, really." I sighed and stood up only to plop myself right next to the handsome young dwarf.
"Lizzie if you fall asleep on me again-" He began and I blushed. It was the first time he'd actually made a mention to the first night when I'd fallen asleep with his arm around me. Jesus... I was cuddling him. "I won't really be doing my job."
"I'm not going to, there's just a chill out." I scoffed at him and he put his arm around me as if it were his second nature. I had to hide the fact that the red pigmentation in my face hastily worsened. I wasn't used to having such attractive males willingly touch me. God, that sounded so wrong. A warmth spread over my body and, as cheesy as it sounds, electricity filled his touch at my side.
"Did I ever tell you Fili's next in line to be king after Thorin?" His voice cut through the brisk air. A small cloud of fog appeared in front of his face where his breath met the wind.
"No...? I knew Fili was older but I didn't think of it." I could feel him shift around before his grip on my waist slid me a little closer.
"He's been worried about it ever since we started out on this quest. If anything were to happen to Thorin he'd be in command and he doesn't know what in the world to do with the idea. Most nights he just sits kind of quiet, reading over that book." His gaze shifted to his brother, leaning up against a tall fir with his back facing the ponies. "He'd have to give up everything."
The idea hung daunting in my mind. Really, the fact of the matter was the young dwarf prince would have to stop his life sooner or later to become king, but he had just ventured beyond the Blue Mountains for the first time. In the week I experienced Fili's actions, he and his brother were hardly seasoned.
Fili turned in our direction only to send a wink at his brother, and the conversation diverted quickly. "Next time we stop we'll teach you a thing or two about fighting, Lizzie."
I nodded against his shoulder, and couldn't help but to think back to the book Fili carried around with the letters in it. "Alana- back in the Blue Mountains- what would happen to her?"
I sensed his eyes on the top of my head and he played with the fringe of my cloak. "I don't know. It's hard to say if Erebor is reclaimed and Fili king. It's certain that he will not love another as long as he lives because we bond to those we love forever."
I found myself squirming out of his grasp and watching him with wide eyes. "Forever?"
"It's naturally how dwarves are. Once we meet the one we love there's nothing to stop it, and it will never end." Kili still toyed with the outlining of my cloak before his hand brushed against mine and returned under his arm. "Once we meet that one, we know it."
"That's intense."
Fili's voice suddenly echoed through the trees. "Is that a light over there in the distance?"
Our attention was directed in the area his finger pointed, and indeed, there was a light flickering against its now dark surroundings. It could not have been the rest of the company since they were situated not far beyond us in the clearing. I stood up and peered around the best I could without beginning to approach the foreign sight.
"Quickly Lizzie, go tell the others." Kili whispered, pushing me forward with his hand on the small of my back.
My legs carried me back into the clearing where everyone had deposited themselves, eating dinner. Some sort of stew had been cooking and conversation was deep; clearly no one had been paying too much attention to the lights in the distance.
"Look! There's a light in the distance!" I hissed, trying not to raise my voice so as to alarm whoever had made their camp not far from ours. If it were something or someone who didn't like us much I certainly wasn't ready to fight. It actually terrified me.
"Indeed there is. Who would be in these woods at this time? This is a path not many are willing to travel." Thorin spoke, rising to his feet. The others began to catch on and murmured to each other silently.
"I suppose someone might check it out." Bilbo suggested, holding three bowls of stew which I had supposed were for Fili, Kili and I.
"Yes, someone should go find out who it is. Bilbo, you're our burglar. This should be your first job!" Nori insisted. The others seemed to like the idea.
"But I-" Bilbo started.
"Nori is right. Bilbo, you are small and light-footed, and you will go unrecognized." Thorin stated, and it was decided. Bilbo was given a push out in the direction of the fire and the dwarves stayed back. He was going to get himself killed.
When Bilbo disappeared into the darkness, the company began hurriedly plundering their packs for weapons. Not knowing what to do in the confusion, I found myself dragging Fili and Kili from the ponies and standing among the bustling dwarves.
"It might be your time to fight, little lass." Fili spoke softly, pressing two jeweled blades that looked like small, dangerous knives into my hands. They were beautifully crafted and delicate, with fine ivory handles encrusted with rubies and scrolled with various carvings. My knees buckled under my weight, and I knew. The wind whispered once again in my ear.
I'm kind of really enjoying this Middle Earth back story lore Bofur is telling, so I'm rolling with it (and they're actually relevant to finding out more about Lizzie). It's like a little mini story within a story :) You can probably tell I really love his character too since I include him a little more than the others, but he's just so charming! But let me know if y'all like the stories so I can determine how much I want to include sliced into chapters here and there.
And we get a little intense talk between Kili and Lizzie :) Maybe he feels something she's not catching onto, eh? But no matter, I feel like they're gonna need a little talk in a few chapters!
Love you all for your support and kindness!