Hello! Not dead! anyway, here is the next chapter! Finally got around to posting it. Thanks for all the reviews and please enjoy!
Emi could not help but feel refreshed in the quiet hush of the next morning. Though very little sleep had been gotten by any of the company that night, something about the tale renewed their sense of purpose. Only Thorin seemed worse off. As they rode the fourth day, Emi could not help but notice the frown on his face whenever, she could catch a glimpse of anything but his back. She could only assume that his thoughts were filled with memories, mostly unhappy ones. Balin seemed to notice it as well.
Kili and Fili, however, were on their best behavior. They were being unusually helpful and courteous to the rest of the company. Most of the dwarves grew suspicious of them of course, and the two brothers found that only the hobbit seemed not to doubt their motives. Which she shouldn't have, for the truth of it is, Kili and Fili were feeling a bit of shame after their, uncle's upbraiding.
"Do you have any siblings Emilie?" Kili's voice spoke up. Emi looked over at the young archer and his brother, who were both looking at her expectantly.
"Oh, no not really." The hobbit replied. "My mother died in child birth, so there wasn't really an opportunity. But I have lots of cousins." She thought back. "And second cousins, third cousins, nieces, nephews… I don't really know many of them very well. But most hobbits are related to one another somehow." Fili nodded, urging her to continue. "The esteemed Mister Baggins himself the grandson of the second cousin of my great grandfather on my father's side." Both dwarves laughed at this.
"How do you keep it all straight?" Kili asked, chuckling.
"Honestly, I have no idea." Emi snorted. "But the more relations you can name, the higher people think of you… to some degree at least. Oh!" The hobbit let out a yelp of surprise as a drop of water landed directly on her nose.
"Balin said it would rain later." Fili commented, looking up at the sky, from which water drops had begun to drip from slowly.
"Just what we need." Kili grumbled, pulling out his cloak from one of the saddlebags on his mount. Several more hoods were produced by the other dwarves, which immediately donned them. Emi looked around in disappointment as the water began to frequent more often.
They were all soaked with in minutes. The noise of the rain made it much to hard to converse easily, so the company traveled in silence through the sparse forest as the heavens pelted them relentlessly. Emi could do nothing but hunker down as much as possible and deal with it.
"Here, Mr. Gandalf?" Dori called out through the drumming of rain. "Can't you do something about this deluge?"
"It is raining Master dwarf!" Gandalf replied back. "And it will continue to rain until the rain is done! If you wish to change the weather of the world, I suggest you find yourself another wizard." This comment was met with silence.
"How many other wizards are there?" Emi asked at last, eyes squinting through the rain. Gandalf looked back at the shivering hobbit briefly.
"There are five of us. The greatest of our order is Saruman, the white. Then there are the two Blue wizards… you know I've quite forgotten their names… and the fifth would be Radagast, the Brown." Gandalf replied.
"And is he a great wizard? Or is he… more like you?" Emi asked bitterly. Gandalf glanced back at her again, slightly offended.
"I think he's a very great wizard!" the bearded man replied. "In his own way. He's a gentle soul who prefers the company of animals to others. He keeps a watchful eye over the vast forestlands to the east. And a good thing too. For always evil will look to find a foot hold in this world…"
"What about that Saruman folk?" Emi interrupted.
"Hm?" Gandalf grunted.
"Does he look over the forests too?"
"No, Saruman the white resides in Isenguard, a tall tower at the southern most point of the misty mountains… by the gap of Rohan." The wizard informed. "He watches over the people there."
"What about you then?" Emi asked further. "What do you watch over?"
"Oh, here, there." The wizard answered vaguely.
"That's why he's called the wandering wizard, lass." Bofur said from behind the hobbit. "Never stays in one place for too long."
"I've also heard him called Gandalf Storm crow." Gloin added from just behind Bofur.
"Why's that?" Emi asked curiously.
"Because if he comes by, there's certain to be trouble not too far behind." Oin explained for his brother. Emi did not reply to this, but instead peered through the haze of rain at the tall wizard riding far ahead of them. Storm crow…
The rain continued well into the evening, and the company had to search out some sort of shelter to camp in. It was already dark when they at last came upon a shallow, unoccupied cave. A few bones were scattered about in the corners, as though a large animal had used this cave long ago, but they were too cold and wet to care. It was a break from the rain, that's all that mattered.
The group had split up in search, and Emi had found herself with Balin, Kili, and Fili. It had been Fili who spotted it through the dark. How, Emi still wasn't sure. After searching it and determining it safe, Balin went back to tell the others while Kili and Fili went scouting the immediate area for danger. Emi stayed at the cave to wait for the others.
"No reason for two people to go back out in that downpour." Balin said before turning his pony around and heading out.
The rest of the company arrived at the cave soon enough and began settling down. Emi sat, unnoticed while they did so until Thorin came up to her.
"Why didn't you start a fire?" he demanded.
"Burglars don't start fires." She snapped back, forcing her teeth to stop chattering for a moment. The two glared at each other for a moment before Thorin turned away angrily.
"Oin, Gloin, see if you can get a fire going." The dwarf leader instructed.
"We'll try our best lad." Oin nodded, looking around for any dry wood. Kili and Fili returned shortly dripping heavily as they ducked into the cave.
"Well?" Thorin asked, looking at them expectantly.
"Nothing to report." Fili replied as Kili shook his locks out next to him. Fili raised his arms to block most of the spray before continuing. "The forest is quiet. Nothing would want to be out in this weather." Thorin nodded appreciatively before turning away.
"Bombur, get some food cooking as soon as there's a fire to use." He instructed to the large dwarf, who nodded before turning to unpack his cooking supplies. Nori and Dori came back in with the last of their packs after they had finished tying up the ponies outside. They would have brought their mounts in as well, but there wasn't enough room. Thorin turned to another dwarf. "Bofur, lend the hobbit a dry blanket if we have any." Emi looked up in slight surprise when she heard this. "It'll slow us down if she catches cold." Her face dropped again. Of course, always the burden.
"Here you go lass." Bofur smiled, handing her his own blanket which was only wet on the edges.
"Thank you." Emi smiled back, accepting the dry cloth. A few moments later, cries of excitement erupted as a fire blazed to life. Many of the dwarves stripped off their many top layers and left them to try, leaving them in a basic covering that reminded Emi of sleepwear.
The demeanor of the dwarves was unusually cheery considering the circumstances. Emi could not help but sit back and smile as the rest of the company carried on merrily in front of her. A contented look graced her face as the hobbit drifted into a peaceful slumber.
So, I tried to take some of the suggestions and give Thorin and Emi a bit more face to face communication... but they're both just... rgh! They don't wan to talk to each other!
Anyway, please review! Ideas are ALWAYS appreciated!(if not necessarily used :\)