NOTE: Hey guys been a long time lol. For those of you new to the story, basically I'm trying to create a love interest for Thorin. Frankly the hobbit lacks a little romance haha. For those who have already read this story I thank you for your continued patience. I know it's been a long haul. As you can see I have restructured the story a little bit to make longer chapters. There is a new one at the end. REMEMBER: any and all reviews are greatly appreciated.
I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS CREATED BY J.R. TOLKEIN
"Can you teach us how you did that?!" Fili and Kili exclaimed.
"It's really easy; you have to hit your target in the exact center of the forehead…" Nola went on to explain.
After Thorin was pulled up from and ground and dusted off, the company was on the move once again. He felt his pride bruise even further when it seemed that his nephews had found a new dwarf to idolize.
"Why didn't you just use a sword to take him down?" Fili asked.
"Brute force isn't always necessary." She replied with a smile.
"Yeah Fili!" Kili shot at his brother. "Didn't you see how quickly uncle Thorin was defeated?"
The boys cast grins over their shoulders towards their uncle before they were entranced once again by the she-dwarf.
"We should have left her with the elves" Thorin muttered to Balin.
"Thorin my lad you made an agreement." Balin scolded. "No stop pouting and get on with it."
As they trudge along, little by little the rest of the group was fascinated by their newest companion. She impressed them with her knowledge of weapons and battle strategy techniques. Nola even managed to mention a recipe Bilbo or Bomber hadn't even heard of.
"So how long do you cook it for?" He asked with wide eyes.
"About ten minutes over the fire should do it." She instructed. "Bomber I assume you're tripling the recipe?"
The whole group burst into laughter before the conversation took a dark turn.
"Nola is it true you've seen the pale orc?" Kili asked.
"What was he like?" Fili added.
Nola looked away from them and lowered her head saying; "He's a monster."
"Kili! Fili!" Thorin shouted suddenly from behind them. "Go scout ahead."
The two brothers shared an alarmed look, knowing maybe they had gone too far. They hiked their bags over their shoulders and quickly ran ahead of the group.
"I'm sorry about them." Thorin told Nola quietly as he took their place beside her. "They're young. Sometimes they don't know when to quit."
"No it's ok." She assured them. "It's good to be curious; it's the best way to learn."
They walked in silence for a moment before Thorin spoke again.
"So where did you learn that trick?" He asked reservedly causing Nola to laugh.
"What a beautiful sound." Thorin thought to himself.
"Nalar had hidden my sword and we had an accident." She told him.
"An accident?" Thorin replied skeptically.
"Ok, I lost my temper and started throwing rocks at him." She admitted. "But in my defense he should've known I would kick his butt, one way or another."
This time it was Thorin's turn to chuckle. They smiled at each, enjoying their first real conversation in over a year.
"I've missed you…" She said suddenly.
He was about to say something before Fili and Kili came running back.
"The mountains are just over that hill uncle!" Fili informed them.
"Excellent, we're making progress!" Dwalin said rubbing his hands together.
Little did he know, there was still a rough night a head of them.
…
The howling wind combined with freezing rain did not make for a pleasant experience. The ultimate combination threatened to throw the company off the mountain. They slipped and slid, unable to keep their footing for more than three steps. It didn't help when they walked straight into a rock giant battle.
"Giants… stone giants!" Bofur screamed above the wind.
"Thank you for pointing out the obvious!" Nola thought to herself as she tried to grip to the rock wall.
She thought that they might be able to make it as they ran forward. That was until she realized she was standing on a giant rock knee. Half the company managed to jump of before the Giants got up. Unfortunately, Nola wasn't one of them.
The only thing keeping her from panicking was the pain of Bilbo's nails digging into her arm.
"We're going to die." He shouted on the verge of tears.
If she wasn't holding on for dear life, Nola would've smacked him. "Get ahold of yourself!"
Suddenly, they were jerked back as the giants began their battle. To their horror, the knee they were standing on was headed straight for the Cliffside.
"When I say jump, jump." Nola ordered as the rest of the dwarves nodded vigorously.
"3… 2… 1… JUMP!"
…
Thorin's heart feel into in his stomach as the knee shot straight into the wall.
"NO!" He cried at the top of his lungs.
SMASH! The sound of rock hitting rock was deafening. Thorin felt his knees go week as the giant felt to the floor between the two mountains. His companions had vanished. Dwalin pushed him forward, trying to see if anyone had survived.
As soon as Thorin rounded the corner, he let out a huge sigh of relief the moment he saw Balin lying on top of the rest of the company.
"We're alright! We're alive!" He reassured them as he was shoved off the top.
"Wait- where's Bilbo?" Bofur said suddenly. The dwarves cast around a quick panicked look.
"A little help would be nice!" Nola said a little away from them.
Bilbo was hanging over the side of the mountain with Nola holding onto his wrists. As she began to slip, Ori rushed forward and grabbed her legs. Thorin could see the combined look of concentration and pain as Nola struggled to hold onto the hobbit.
"I'm slipping!" He shouted in panic.
Thorin rushed forward and swung down beside Bilbo and shoved him up back onto the ledge. He tried to follow him up but the handhold he was holding himself up with was just as slippery as the rest of the mountain. Thank Mahal for Dwalin, who managed to pull him back up with great effort.
"I thought we'd lost our burglar." Dwalin said after a few labored breaths, trying to lighten the mood.
"He's been lost ever since he left home." Thorin corrected him darkly.
Nola shot him a dirty look. She was tired of all his put downs and condescension and decided to do something about it.
The dwarves almost immediately found a cave where they could dry off. Once Dwalin deemed it clear, they began to take their packs off their backs.
"Everyone get back!" Nola shouted.
The company quickly rushed back and attempted to draw their weapons in the cramped space, thinking they were being warned of a threat.
"Not you Bilbo." Nola said pointing her sword at the hobbit. "Come at me."