Chapter Six
Warning: This chapter talks about abuse! I'll put a *~* over when it starts to talk about it and one when it ends.
The group was walking around in the woods. The horses all ran away because of the incident that happened with the trolls. To Mariah, it sucked.
Mariah carried her own things and even helped carry some of the groups stuff.
"Hey, Kili…mind if I ask you questions?" Mariah asked as she turned her head towards him.
"Sure." Kili said.
"What, you don't want to ask me anything?" Fili teased.
"Well, you can answer them too. They are nothing personal." She said with a smile and then thought for a moment. "So, what do dwarf women look like?" She asked.
"They look like men." Fili answered without hesitation.
"And this is why I went to ask Kili first." Mariah joked and stuck a bit of her tongue out at him.
Kili laughed as he ran a hand over her side. "They really do though. They have beards like us."
"Well, can you tell me more about them?" She asked. "I'm very interested in knowing."
"Us men like our dwarf women to be protected from other races." Bofur pitched in. "We usually conceal them inside the mountain halls. They rarely travel outside."
"They dress like men and even have similar voices to males." Fili added.
"Their appearances are the same as well." Kili said.
"How can someone tell the women and men apart then?" Mariah asked.
"It's easy for us because we can tell between genders, but there are some people who see them and think they are males." Bofur said.
"Many people have never heard of dwarf women, so they made up a legend. They believe that dwarves are only men and are born by growing out of stone." Kili informed.
"That's silly." She giggled. "So, your mother…she's Thorin's sister." She said as she tried to understand the relations. "What about your father? Who is he?"
"Yes. Her name is Dis." Fili said. "We don't really know much about our father."
"That's a pretty name." Mariah smiled. "It's very unique. I'm sorry if bringing him up disturbed you."
"Don't worry. It's fine." Fili said.
"What is your mother and fathers name?" Kili asked. "If you don't mind me asking."
"My mother and father are divorced…they separated when I was a baby. My mom's name is Robin and my father's name is Mark. My mother remarried when I was two. My step father's name is Travis. Since my mom remarried she and I have different last names. In a way…it's sad but it's been like that basically my whole life. I have a little brother, who is my half-brother. Him and I have the same mother but different dads. His name is Nicholas. We all call him Nick for short. My sister, who is older than me, her name is Alexis." Mariah explained while she talked with her hands, imagining the family tree in front of her.
"Why did your father and mother separate?" Fili asked.
"Because, he is not a very nice man..." She said with a sigh. "He is mostly malicious towards women." Mariah put a hand over her belly where her scar is.
She felt Kili tense his muscles. Mariah looked over to him and noticed he was thinking hard. When Kili would think about something, Mariah would imagine a loading bar above his head. She giggled to herself.
The sound of her giggle made Kili come back to reality and turn towards her. He smiled sweetly at her before walking closer to her side.
"What did he do?" Fili asked in his not so happy voice.
"What do you mean?" Mariah asked, trying to seem dumb but it didn't work.
Fili met her eyes and she knew he wasn't going to buy it. Mariah shook her head before speaking again.
"Please, don't make me tell you…not yet. I don't want you to think cruel of me." Mariah bit her bottom lip as she felt a lump in her throat.
"We wouldn't think that way, Mariah. We just want to know…" Kili said softly, trying to convince her.
She looked over and saw that everyone stopped what they were doing, and were looking at her with concern etched on their faces. Even Thorin looked unhappy. What made him unhappy? The subject or that they all stopped walking? Mariah looked to Kili before speaking
"Just keep in mind; I had no idea what to do. I was just a small child when this happened. My father…abuses and manipulates women." She admitted softly and looked down. Mariah felt Kili rub her back to comfort her. "He hurt my mother all the time. It's what my sister said anyways. She's a few years older than me. She remembered the abuse. I was way too young to remember. However, my father had some parental rights. When my mother and he divorced he had custody over me for every other weekend. My mom had full custody over us though. If he paid child support, which is money the parent without full custody would give the one who does, to help support the child or children…" She sighed. "Sorry I am rambling. Anyway, he's always told me how I'll never find a love and that I would be alone for the rest of my life." The sound of Dwalin's voice had her turn to look at him.
"He sounds like such a good man…" Dwalin said with no tone of amusement.
"Oh yes, he is the best. He deserves the father of the year award." Her tone made it clear that she was being sarcastic. She looked over at Fili, whose eyes were looking at the ground. The way he looked at the ground made it seem like the ground did something that disgusted him. "There was one day, my sister was at softball practice, and I was home alone with my dad. He brought over some of his guy friends and planned on leaving me alone at home. At the time, I was around…five or six? I didn't want him to go. So, I took his car keys and hid them so he wouldn't leave. He found out that I hid them. I'm such a horrible liar."
"You are." Kili teased and gave her a playful wink. She could tell he was trying to lighten up the mood.
"Shut it." She said playfully and then bit her bottom lip. "Well, long story short…he took me to my bedroom and burnt me with a cigarette."
"Is that why you touched your stomach?" Bofur asked. "Is that where he burnt you?"
"Yeah…he burnt me there." She poked at the spot. "I don't remember much of what happened. All I remember is being in pain."
Everyone was silent and Thorin looked around before ordering. "Okay, let's start moving."
Everyone followed his command. Mariah turned towards Kili when he started to speak.
"I'll never let him hurt you…" Kili whispered. "I'll never let anyone hurt you." His voice became cold as he spoke.
Mariah touched his cheek and smiled. "I know you won't."
Kili took her hand in his, kissing it gently before holding it to their sides and walking along with the group. They walked a few more feet before Mariah asked another question.
"So, can you tell me more about your race? Like…anything really. I don't know much about any race but my own. It's probably because there are only humans in my time…"
"We were created by Aule. We are strong, resistant to fire and the evils of Morgoth." Bofur said.
"We are stubborn but our loyalty is great." Fili said with pride, puffing out his chest.
"Our lifespan is around two hundred and fifty years." Kili added and looked to his brother. He mocked his older brother's actions, making Mariah laugh.
"So then you stop aging around a certain time then. How old are you?" Mariah asked.
"Seventy-seven." He answered.
"Se…how?!" She asked, not understanding why he looked so young but yet he is in his seventies. "You look to be in your twenties or early thirties."
He chuckled before answering. "Around the age of forty, dwarves stop aging. Until we reach around our lifespan is when we start to age again."
"Wow…that's amazing. I get around eighty years if I'm lucky." She joked.
"You'll live beyond that. You're strong." He said with a smile.
"I'm not strong enough to fight age, Kili."
"True…" He trailed off in thought.
"And you," Mariah poked Fili's arm. "How old are you?"
"Guess." Fili looked towards Bofur with a hint of playfulness in his eyes.
"Let's see…you say you are the older brother which can't be true because judging by your personality and knowledge…" She paused for a moment and Fili turned to look at her. "You are three years old."
Most of the company burst out laughing. Fili found it amusing and he poked her in the forehead, making her head tilt back a bit.
"I am eighty-two." Fili smirked.
"You're such an old man." Mariah teased. "Would you like me to get you a walking stick?"
Fili laughed and leaned over on her. "Why do that when I can use you as one?"
Mariah tried to hold his body weight, which was nearly impossible if it wasn't for Kili helping her a little bit. Fili got off her and put his hand on her head.
"Any more questions?" He asked.
"Tell me about marriage."
"What about marriage?" Kili asked.
"Are you hinting something?" Fili joked. "Because I don't know if I'm ready for that kind of commitment. I know I'm perfect and all but it seems too soon."
Mariah blushed scarlet before answering back. "No! I…just wanted to know and stuff…forget I asked." She hid her face in her hands, embarrassed.
"Not very men actually get married." Kili answered. "Men prefer to craft."
"Are you the type of man who prefers that over women?" She asked.
Kili, Fili and Bofur laughed.
"Are you kidding, Lass? Kili, here is so far more into women and love that we wouldn't have thought he'd be a dwarf if he wasn't Thorin's nephew." Bofur said.
"Well, I like his beard. I can see his lovely face better." Mariah fired back, but she was being playful.
Fili laughed. "Hah, you think he's better lookin' than me? You must be going blind."
"I see perfectly fine, thank you." She started to laugh along with them. "Also, by women I hope you don't mean a lot of them."
Kili was even laughing with them. "No, there are not a lot of women who I have an interest in."
"When a dwarf falls in love, that person is the only one for them. I guess if ya need a name for it, it would be called a soul mate. But if that person doesn't wish to be theirs then that dwarf is left alone for the rest of his life. Being in love is huge for our kind, nothing to be taken for granted." Bofur explained.
"Well, that's romantic in a way." Mariah said with a smile. "Have you ever been in love Fili?" She asked.
Fili chuckled and shook his head. "No, I haven't. I do want a woman in the future…just not right now. You women are a handful." He joked and nudged her with his elbow.
"And you men aren't?" Mariah teased back and nudged him.
"You women have them mood changes all the time. Sometimes it's scary." Fili said and pretended to shiver.
"Well, we wouldn't be moody all the time if you men would listen to us." Mariah laughed.
Fili grabbed her and ran his knuckles on the top of her head, making them both laugh.
"You messed up my hair!" Mariah scolded playfully and took her hair out of the ponytail she had.
Her hair swayed in the wind and she felt a pair of hand taking the hair tie from her. She turned and seen it was Kili. He smiled and ran a hand through her hair.
"May I?" He asked.
"Sure…" She said with her cheeks a tint of pink.
Mariah felt her hair being tugged here and there, nothing painful.
"So, what about you? Have you ever been in love?" Bofur asked.
"I wouldn't say I was in love…more like I think I had a crush on him. I don't know. I fancied him but I wasn't wanting to marry him or anything." Mariah thought for a second.
"What happened with him?" Kili asked as he still fixed her hair.
"…It's a long story. The men in my life, back in my time, haven't been pleasant." She trailed off. "Every heart has a story, I guess. Right now isn't the time for it. It still haunts me just as much as my father."
Fili and Kili exchanged looks before looking to Bofur. Bofur shook his head and sighed.
"Lass, I'm sorry that you were treated so badly." Bofur said.
"It's not your fault." Mariah thought for a moment. "I like this world a lot better than my world. You all have been so nice to me, even if you don't want me in your group. Back in my world I was tired. I wanted to stop trying and not care about anything. Since then I have changed a bit. Although, I am a little tired of being a failure."
"And what makes you think ya are one?" Balin asked, looking to have an interest in this conversation.
"I feel like I can't save anyone. I feel like I burden everyone and…" She looked over at Thorin who looked away when they made eye contact. "I hate letting someone down."
There was some silence before Fili spoke up. "Well stop thinking that way. You aren't a failure and you aren't a bother."
"Says the one who picks on me all the time." She playfully added and it made Fili smile.
"There you go." Kili said as he finished.
"What did you do?" She asked as she reached back to feel what he did.
"I braided your hair. I hope you don't mind the style I did it with." He said and put his hand on her waist.
To her it felt like he did a fishtail braid. It was very nice and strong.
"Of course he would know how to braid...he's a dwarf." She thought for a moment. "Why don't you have a braid?" She asked and then touched his scruffy chin. "Or a long beard?"
He took her hand that was touching his face. Kili kissed her knuckles before he tried to answer.
Suddenly they all heard shouting coming from the woods. Kili and Fili put Mariah between them so she was protected on either side. Bofur was even there beside her too. To her Fili was like a big brother and Bofur was more of an uncle figure. It was hard for her to see anyone being a father figure. As for Kili, she did admit she found him very attractive. She may have even developed a crush on the young prince.
"Something is coming!" Thorin shouted and drew his blade just like everyone else.
"Gandalf…" Bilbo muttered.
"Stay together!" Gandalf shouted and drew his sword.
Mariah looked around but saw nothing. She didn't feel like she was in danger, however. It was like a sixth sense she came by during her adventure. Mariah grabbed her necklace and ran her thumb over it. It became a nervous tick for her. Just because she didn't feel threatened doesn't mean she wasn't nervous.
"Thieves! Fire! Murder!" A voice shouted and out came some old man who wore very strange clothing.
"Radagast…it's Radagast the Brown!" Gandalf greeted as he put his sword away.
None of the dwarves put their weapons away but Mariah put her dagger away. Gandalf approached Radagast and greeted him like he was an old friend. This must be one of the wizards he spoke of.
The two were talking and she seen Radagast stick his tongue out and a stick incest was right on his tongue. It was disgusting to Mariah. Gandalf removed the insect gently and gave it to Radagast. Radagast started to tell Gandalf about something. Mariah couldn't hear anything because they were whispering to each other.
There was a loud howling noise that made everyone freeze. Kili grabbed a hold of Mariah tightly as he looked around the forest. Mariah looked over at Thorin and saw his face contort into anger and fright.
"Was that a wolf?" Asked Bilbo.
"And don't tell me it's Orcs, Kili…" Mariah warned.
Kili looked down at her with a sad expression. Did she say something wrong?
"No, that is not a wolf…" Bofur said.
Suddenly something growled from behind them and they all turn to see the warg scouts. The warg scouts started to attack. Kili pushed Mariah over to Bilbo so she was out of the way and somewhat safe. Bilbo held her tightly, having his dagger out. Kili and Thorin managed to kill two of the warg scouts.
Blood splattered everywhere as the wargs dropped to the ground dead. Mariah felt her heart become heavy. She hated the idea of creatures dying. In this case she was glad it was the wargs dying and not any of the company.
Thorin shouted to his company. "Warg scouts! Which means an Orc pack is not far behind!"
"Orc pack?!" Mariah squeaked out.
"Who did you tell about your quest, beyond your kin?" Gandalf shouted at Thorin.
"No one." Thorin replied in a calm tone.
"Who did you tell?!" Gandalf repeated.
"No one, I swear!" Thorin repeated. "What in Durin's name is going on?"
"You are being hunted."
"We have to get out of here!" Dwalin shouted.
"We can't! We don't have ponies!" Ori shouted in reply.
"I'll draw them off." Radagast said with a smirk.
"These are Gundabad wargs. They will outrun you!" Gandalf scolded.
"These are Rhosgobel rabbits. I'd like to see them try." Radagast replied with a thoughtful look.
Kili went over to Bilbo and took Mariah's hand in his. She looked into his eyes when he began to speak. Some words registered in her brain but others seemed to become gibberish.
"Darling, we are going to be running soon. You must try to keep up. It's going to be exhausting." He said. "Got that?" He asked in a rushed tone.
Mariah nodded and Kiligrabbed her head between his hands, and kissed her forehead. She felt him breathe as if he was praying for something. He removed his lips and grabbed her hand again.
"Kili…" She said and squeezed his hand. "I'm scared."
"Don't be. I told you…I will protect you." He smiled warmly.
His smile calmed her a bit but the danger she felt never left her. Fili tapped his brother's arm, telling him to hurry up.
Mariah and the company took off running through rocks and hills. There were a lot of rocks that were taller than she was. All of the boulders colors reminded her of salt and pepper. The grass was very green too.
Over to the far hill Radagast was being chased by the Orc pack. He swerved and dodged the enemies. The company ran between rocks and stopped at some of them to hide.
"Where are you leading us?" Thorin asked Gandalf.
Gandalf looked over at Thorin but made no reply. They all ran to another large rock and hid behind it. Mariah could hear the sniffing of the Orc. She put a hand over her mouth, trying to muffle her wheezing. The warg and orc was trying to smell them.
Mariah held onto Kili with all her strength but had to let go. She didn't want to but Thorin ordered Kili to use his bow and take out the Orc. Kili kissed her forehead before taking out an arrow and pulling back the string; he leaped out and shot at the Orc, hitting him.
The Orc fell and the rest of the dwarves used it to their advantage to kill it. But they were too late. The Orc pack heard their companion and was now charging after the company.
"Move! Run!" Gandalf shouted.
Kili grabbed Mariah's hand and took her with them as they ran. The group was in a grassy area that was surrounded by trees. Soon enough they were also encircled by the Orc pack.
"There's more coming!" Kili shouted.
"Kili, shoot them!" Thorin ordered.
Mariah let go of Kili so he could shoot his arrows at the pack. She looked around and saw one Orc that didn't have a warg to ride on and it was coming after Bilbo. Unknowingly why and where the thought came from, Mariah took her dagger out and threw it at the Orc that charged at Bilbo. The dagger hit him in the head, immediately killing the Orc.
Bilbo was on the ground, stunned and he looked over to see where the dagger came from. He smiled when he saw it was Mariah. Mariah smiled back but then she seen Bilbo's face drop. Mariah turned around and an arrow skimmed her left arm. It hit the ground next to her, but it cut through the cloth and her arm started to bleed. She felt no pain, due to her adrenaline running throughout her body.
"Mariah!" Bilbo shouted.
Mariah saw a sword swing in front of her, effectively blocking another arrow from hitting Mariah. It was Fili's sword.
"Are you alright?" Fili asked as he stood in front of her, guarding her.
When Kili heard Bilbo call out for Mariah and ran over to her. He looked down at her arm and his face was a look of torment.
"You're hurt…" He mumbled and turned to the beast that hurt her.
"Where's Gandalf?!" Fili shouted as he guarded Mariah.
"He's abandoned us!" Dwalin shouted as an answer.
The Orc pack slowly crept near them, ready to attack them.
"Hold your ground!" Thorin shouted as a command.
Mariah yanked the dagger out of the dead Orc's head and saw there was no blood on the blade. Do Orcs not bleed?
Gandalf appeared from behind a large rock, shouting at the company. "This way, you fools!"
They all turn and saw Gandalf. Mariah saw their expressions and they showed a glint of hope.
"Come on, move! Quickly! All of you!" Thorin commanded as he and the company runs to Gandalf.
They all slid into a hole. When she landed in the hole Mariah went to hug Kili and wanted to see if he was alright but he wasn't there.
"K…Kili?!" She yelled out. "Kili!" She started to panic.
Mariah felt a pair of hands hold onto her. She turned and saw it was Fili.
"Kili is still up there. He's fine." He said, trying to calm her.
"He's not fine until he's here with me and I see that he is!" She shouted as a tear leaked from her eye. She still felt no pain in her arm. The panic and thoughts of Kili not being there were too much for her to handle.
Fili remained quiet but still had a firm hold on her. He knew then that she felt the same way Kili did about her. His little brother finally found a woman who would go back into danger just to save him.
Mariah heard Thorin shout out to Kili, hearing the impact of the arrow hitting the skull of Orcs.
"Kili! Run!" Thorin shouted.
Soon enough, Mariah had seen Kili slide down the tunnel and landing on his feet. Thorin followed after. Mariah ran to Kili and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, burying her face into his neck. She couldn't hold back the tears of relief.
"He's alive!" Was all she thought, "My Kili is alive…"
Mariah looked up at Kili with furrowed eyebrows. "Don't you ever do that again!"
"Do what?" Kili asked and ran a hand over her cheek.
"Leave me…" She croaked out before burying her face into him again.
"Darling, I needed to kill the Orcs…" Kili whispered softly into her ear.
"You could have…told me. Or warned me…or something…" She mumbled out. "You have no idea what was going through my head, Kili." She said more clearly. "I thought you-…" She was stopped by his smile. "Why are you smiling? If it wasn't for Fili holding me back I would have went back up there to drag your dumbass into the hole"
"You worry so much about me…it's cute." He said and ran a hand over her face. "How many times do I have to tell you to stop worrying?"
"Stop worrying? How the hell am I supposed to-…"
Again she was interrupted but this time by and Orc's dead body that fell down the hole. An arrow was wedged in his head and Thorin pulled it out.
"Elves." Thorin said in a menacing tone.
"I cannot see where the pathway leads. Do we follow it or not?" Dwalin asked.
Bofur looked at him as if he were stupid. "We follow it, of course!"
"I think it would be wise…" Gandalf whispered and lead them down the pathway.
The path inside the tunnel directed them to beautiful scenery. Mariah observed the place and saw, what looked to be, a castle. Mariah felt a warm sensation on her chest and noticed it was her necklace. It was glowing brighter than ever.
Gandalf walked over to her and smiled down at her. "Your necklace is Elvish…maybe here we will find answered to why you are here."
Mariah looked up at him and smiled. "Really? That would be awesome!" She turned to Fili and Kili but frowned when she seen Kili wasn't happy. Fili had a small smile, but it didn't meet his eyes.
They gathered in Rivendell and were encountered by some elves. This one elf that greeted them was very pretty and had brown, long hair.
"Mithrandir." Said the brunette elf.
"Man or woman…" Mariah thought to herself. She examined the tall elf and then nodded when she found out the gender. "Male."
"Ah, Lindir." Greeted Gandalf.
Mariah heard Thorin whisper to Dwalin. "Stay sharp."
Lindir, the brunette elf, started to speak Elvish to Gandalf.
Gandalf replied. "I must speak with Lord Elrond."
"My Lord Elrond is not here."
"Not here? Where is he?" Gandalf asked.
At that moment everyone heard a hunting horn. They turned to see a returning elf party.
"Close ranks!" Ordered Thorin.
Everyone circled Mariah and Bilbo, guarding them from the Elves. Mariah grabbed Kili's shoulder and shook her head.
"Don't! They won't hurt us!" She said.
"You know nothing about Elves, Human." Thorin snapped at her. "So, keep quiet."
Elrond got down off his horse and smiled over to Gandalf, greeting him like old friends do.
"Gandalf!"
"Lord Elrond."
"He's pretty too…" Mariah thought to herself.
Then both of them started to speak Elvish. Mariah had no idea what they were saying and it made her uneasy. She knew that the dwarves wouldn't take a liking to them speaking in another language.
"Strange for Orcs to come so close to our boarders. Something…or someone has drawn them near." Elrond said and looked over at the company.
"Ah, that may have been us…" Gandalf said with an apologetic look.
Elrond noticed Thorin and slowly came towards him.
"Welcome Thorin, son of Thrain." Greeted Elrond.
"I do not believe we have met." Thorin said in a slightly hard voice.
"Geez, calm down…" Mariah thought to herself. She grabbed Kili's arm and held it against her, almost hugging it. Mariah looked over at Kili and seen he had a little smile on his face.
Mariah imagined that his smile was from her holding onto him. She also imagined that he must have felt his inner male ego and pride boost up. Being the youngest dwarf must be hard on Kili. Everyone looks at him as the baby in the group. Perhaps her looking up to him made him feel less of the youngest and more of a man.
"You have your Grandfather's bearing. I knew Thror when he ruled under the mountain," said Elrond.
"Indeed? He made no mention of you." Thorin said, only slightly more politely.
Elrond then said something in Elvish, which caused the dwarves to get a little upset.
Gloin spoke first. "What is he saying? Does he offer us insult?"
Gandalf sighed and shook his head. "No, Master Gloin, he's offering you food.
The dwarves turn, like they were huddling, and discussed among themselves.
"Really? Are you guys seriously going to turn down food? I swear if you do Thorin, I'll shove that pride of yours so far up your king ass…" Mariah thought.
"The dwarves ended the discussion and turned back to Gandalf.
"Ah, well…in that case, lead on." Gloin said.
Mariah was lead to a room and was told she could sleep there. She could wash up and change clothes too. She did that right away. Her arm was treated very carefully and it was magically healed within minutes with elf magic. The bath felt so amazing. Her sweaty, dirt covered hair was now clean and soft.
She changed into a beautiful Elven dress, which fit her so perfectly. It was light blue, the sleeves were see through. There was embroidery on the dress which was silver colored leaves. Under her breasts, a sash was there so it showed off her curve there. The dress made it all the way to the floor, but it wasn't enough to trip her. Her shoes were silver colored flats.
A female elf came in and started to braid her hair, first asking if it was alright. Mariah didn't care. She enjoyed having her hair being played with. Besides, being around men all the time was very strenuous.
The braid was big and went from the top of her head all the way down to the end. It was like a huge loose French braid. Some of her hair on both sides of her face was left loose around her face. The woman stuck pearls in her hair, making it look absolutely breath taking.
"Why are you making me look so…amazing?" She asked.
"I've seen the connection you have with the young dwarf. I had a feeling you wanted to feel like a princess, am I wrong?"
"Oh…no! You're not wrong…I just was wondering…" Mariah looked down at her fingers. "What do you think he'll feel about this?"
"Breathtaking." She said simply. "Would you like circlet?"
"Sure!" She said happily.
The circlet was silver and had a light blue stone in the middle. The stone matched her dress color.
Mariah smiled as she stared in the mirror. She twirled around and giggled. She had never felt so beautiful in her life. Mariah thanked the lady and made her way to the dining room. She took a deep breath before she walked in the room further.
Gandalf was the first to see her and smiled. "My, you look absolutely beautiful!"
Mariah blushed and smiled lightly. She looked over the group of dwarves and saw Kili talking to Fili. Fili and her made eye contact and he looked so surprised that Kili looked over to see where he was looking. Kili's mouth hung open, like he just seen a goddess. All the other dwarves smiled at her.
She looked towards Thorin and he had a small smile on his face. Thorin bowed his head to her before he went back to his food. Sometimes the man had a very kind side to him. She walked over to where Kili and Fili were. Kili and Fili stood up for her to sit. The brunette man took her hand and kissed it lovingly.
"My dear…" He spoke and kissed her knuckled again before looking back up at her. "You're stunning. No, actually I have no words on how you look right now."
"A princess?" She giggled out.
Kili chuckled and helped her sit down as he spoke. "You look even more beautiful than a princess."
"Well, thank you…" She curtsied. "Prince, Kili." Mariah giggled.
"You're calling me that now?" He asked with a grin. "It sounds nice when you say it."
She sat between the two brothers and looked at the food. They all were eating salad, not too bad. It could be worse. There was also loafs of bread and even some fruit on the table. Mariah grabbed her fork and began eating her salad. The dwarves looked at her in amazement. Mariah blushed and looked around.
"Is something the matter?" She asked.
"How are you eating that?" Ori asked.
Mariah shrugged. "I'm hungry…I'm not going to turn down free food." She stated as if it were obvious.
"This isn't real food." Ori said in disgust.
"Have you even tried it?" She asked, taking another fork full of salad in her mouth.
"There's no meat." Dwalin said.
"Pretend there is then…" Mariah felt Kili's gaze on her and she turned to look at him. "What is it?"
"I can't take my eyes off of you, Mariah. I…have never seen someone so…" Kili smiled and looked away, seeming embarrassed.
"Are you blushing, Prince Kili?" Mariah teased.
Kili looked over at her and raised an eyebrow. "Your beauty puts me in awe and I can't help but gaze into your eyes…"
Mariah opened her mouth slightly. "He can be a romantic too…oh no! He's perfect!" She thought to herself. Mariah turned back to her food, blush still on her cheeks. "Sir, I'm hungry and you are being a distraction." She said and took another bite of her salad.
She peeked over to Kili and saw he had a small smile on his lips. Mariah also saw that he tried a bite of his food and then pushed his bowl away. Of course he didn't like it. Fili even tried his food, but just like his brother he pushed his bowl away.
A few minutes went by and Mariah caught Bofur looking at Kili. She turned and saw Kili staring at a beautiful female elf. Mariah couldn't help but feel a small pain of jealously in her heart. She saw him wink at her too!
"How…dare he!" Mariah thought to herself. "Even after he was being so nice to me! Maybe he doesn't like me in that way."
Kili looked over and saw Dwalin and the rest looking at him. He bit the inside of his cheek and then shrugged. "I can't say I fancy Elves, too thin. They're all high cheekbones and creamy skin." He motioned to an elf that walked behind him. "Although, that one there's not bad."
"That's not an Elf Maid." Dwalin said, trying to not laugh.
The elf turned around and revealed it was a male. The dwarves and Mariah burst out laughing.
"That's funny…" Kili trailed off while looking embarrassed, nibbling on some bread.
"Mariah has creamy skin and beautiful cheek bones. Is she not your type, Brother?" Fili said with a grin. Fili leaned over and put an arm around Mariah's shoulder. "I'll take her then." He teased.
Mariah knew Fili was trying to cheer her up, so she played along. Mariah put an arm around Fili as well and gave Fili a wink.
Kili made a pout with his bottom lip and went to put his hand on her waist. She tapped his hand and pointed at him.
"No." She said sternly and turned her head away from Kili, still slightly fuming about the whole elf thing.
The dwarves hated the music that the elves were playing. Mariah liked it. The music was calm and soothing.
Bofur decided to change up the music and sing to everyone. He stood up and started to sing this very catchy song while stomping his feet. While he sang, the dwarves threw food at each other and at the elves.
"There's an inn,
There's an inn,
There's a merry old inn
Beneath an old grey hill,
And there they brew a beer so brown
That the Man in the Moon himself came down
One night to drink his fill.
The ostler has a tipsy cat
That plays a five stringed fiddle.
And up and down he saws his bow
Now squeaking high,
Now purring low,
Now sawing in the middle.
So the cat on the fiddle played hey diddle diddle,
A jig that would wake the dead.
He squeaked and sawed and quickened the tune,
While the landlord shook the Man in the Moon:
'It's after three!' he said."
Everyone, but the elves, Gandalf, Bilbo, and Thorin clapped at Bofur's performance. He bowed to each table and went back to his seat.
Later that night the dwarves, Bilbo, and her all had a small little party. Somehow the dwarves ended up with meat. Everyone had their armor off and just wore their loose clothes. The dwarves sang and danced. They even told stories about their lives.
"How's your wound?" Kili asked in a soft tone.
"It's healed. Don't worry." She replied with a harsh tone.
"What's wrong with you?" Kili asked with a small frown.
Mariah sat up and scooted away from Kili. Kili scooted close to her and grabbed her shoulder.
"You know what…" She whispered at him.
"…Is it because of what happened at dinner?"
"With what happened with the Elf Maid, yes."
"Are you jealous?" He asked with a small grin.
"…Nope." She crossed her arms and looked away from him.
"Alright, if you say so." He bit back a grin. "I guess since you aren't jealous…then I can go flirt with more Elves."
Mariah looked over at him with a glare. "Fine…I don't care." She thought to herself. "We aren't dating so why should it matter?"
Kili smiled and laid down, putting his head on her lap. "Eh, I'm too lazy. Besides, you're more fun to bug."
Mariah huffed and grabbed his nose, plugging it. "Look here…I don't care if you are a prince or not, I will kick your ass if you decide to play with a woman's emotions like that again."
"You mean your emotions." Kili said with a nasally voice.
Mariah furrowed her eyebrows. "And the Elf Maid's feelings."
Kili looked up at her with moved his face away to make her let go, which she did. "You do care don't you?" Kili said and looked up at her.
"Of course I do." She admitted and looked down at him. "You should already know that. Hell, I'm sure everyone knows that."
"You are such a woman…" Kili frowned and sat up. He barely touched her arm where the wound was. "I…should have been there to stop it. I'm so thankful for my brother to have been there when I wasn't. If you would have died…"
"Don't, Kili…please." She said. "You were protecting me to the best of your abilities; it was just an accident. Don't think of it too much." Mariah paused for a moment before adding. "If you do…I will make you shut up."
"Sounds very tempting…but not tonight." He teased and kissed her temple. "I have a feeling that if we were to have kids…we'd be in for one hell of a journey." Kili whispered in Mariah's ear.
"Kids?" She thought to herself. "What? They'd have my problems with fighting and your troublesome ways?" She teased.
"Not to mention…our sons would have my handsome looks." Kili said with an eyebrow raised.
"Oh no, the ladies better watch out. Poor girls…they wouldn't know what to do with themselves." Mariah teased and nudged his arm with her elbow.
He chuckled. "Our daughters would be such beauties, just like their mother."
Mariah smiled and poked his nose. "Stop…if you keep this up I might have you ask me to marry now." She was joking of course and could tell Kili knew. She looked around to see if any of the dwarves were looking at them and no one was. They were all enjoying their food.
Kili pressed a kiss to her hand. "Not yet…I need to be your sweetheart first." He paused for a moment. "Do…you want to be sweethearts?"
Mariah blushed and hid her face in his chest. "I would love to be…but is this too soon?"
"I don't think so. We are going in our speed." He frowned slightly. "Do you feel like I'm rushing you?"
"No…I just wanted to make sure you're okay with this." Mariah blushed a bit. "I mean, I just hope everyone will be okay with us."
"Of course I am." Kili patted her back gently. "Then it's settled…you are mine and I am yours."
"Kili…what if-…"
"What are you two whispering about?" Fili asked and nudged his brother.
"Mariah just agreed to be my sweetheart." Kili admitted.
Mariah saw everyone smiling at each other before they clapped. Mariah looked up at Kili who looked to Thorin. Thorin's eyes were not cold like they normally were, but they weren't as warm as they were a moment ago.
"Does he not approve?" Mariah thought.
They all started to sing and dance again. Kili was quiet and then looked over at Mariah.
"Would…you sing another song?" Kili asked.
"A song from my world?" She looked a little puzzled, not knowing what to sing.
Kili nodded and ran a hand over her cheek. "I want to know more about your world…and hearing songs from it helps."
"Hmm, okay. I don't know what to sing though. Let me think…" She trailed off in thought.
"I could sing Come What May, but would that be too cheesy?" She thought to herself and frowned. "He wouldn't mind that. Gah! All I can think of are love songs!"
"Have you thought of one yet?" Fili asked
"I think so. It's a love song…I can try to think of another one though." She said to her sweetheart's brother.
"No." Kili shook his head. "Sing it please, Love."
Mariah blushed and sat up straight so she could sing properly. She didn't have a strong voice; it was more of a softer tone voice.
"I heard this song from a movie called 'Moulin Rouge'. It's a sad love story of a woman who sells herself and a writer. They fall in love and later on she finds out she's sick. Long story short she dies of her illness and the writer was never the same. The song is a duet between the writer and his love." She said and cleared her throat before she started to sing.
"Never knew I could feel like this,
It's like I've never seen the sky before.
Want to vanish inside your kiss;
Every day I love you more and more.
Listen to my heart, can you hear it sing?
Telling me to give you everything.
Seasons may change, winter to spring;
But I love you until the end of time.
Come what may, come what may,
I will love you until my dying day."
The dwarves gathered around closer to listen to her sing. She noticed Kili was looking up at her in awe and it made her a bit more nervous. She closed her eyes and took a breath before continuing, calming her nerves.
"Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place.
Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace.
Suddenly my life doesn't seem such a waste.
It all revolves around you.
And there's no mountain too high,
No river too wide.
Sing out in song and I'll be there by your side.
Storm clouds may gather and stars may collide…"
She glanced over at Kili but looked away from him after she sang this part, embarrassed that he still had that look of awe on his face.
"But I love you
Until the end of time.
Come what may,
Come what may.
I will love you until my dying day."
She ended the song and smiled at everyone. All the dwarves and Bilbo were smiling and clapping for her. Kili stood up and went over to her, cupping her cheeks in his hands.
"That was amazing, Mariah." He grinned. "What made you think of that song?"
"I wonder…" She teased and giggled a bit.
"Well, it was beautiful. Thank you." He kissed her forehead and brought her in for a hug.
Mariah stood there, hugging him back. She wondered why he never kissed her lips yet. Maybe it's a dwarf thing, wait until the wedding and then kiss?
It was bed time and Mariah had to leave for bed. She felt bad if she turned down a nice, cozy bed and wished Kili would join her. Kili denied with a puckered brow. He explained to her that it would look as if they copulated when morning arrived. Mariah didn't care if people thought that, but Kili knew she would care later. He was right.
Mariah laid down in bed, staring at the ceiling. Her life had become this wonderful adventure. She found friends and a lover. They all accepted her. No one gave her any doubts that she wasn't meant to be there. A knock on the door had Mariah out of her thoughts.
"Come in…" She said sleepy.
"My dear, I'm sorry if I woke you…" Gandalf said as he came in. "I found someone who can help you understand your reason for being here. Also, she can help you find your way home."
"Home? But, I belong here now." Mariah said and started to get anxious. "I…I'm with Kili. I can't just leave him."
"Shh, she's not going to tell you to leave. I have found out that there's a way for you to travel from our world to yours, back and forth. Come." He led out a hand for Mariah.
Mariah grabbed his hand and followed him to an open area. There was a round table in the middle with Elrond sitting at it. She looked over and seen a beautiful, tall woman who glowed.
"Mariah…this is Lady of Lorien, Galadriel." Gandalf greeted and walked her to the stunning woman.
"Hello." Galadriel spoke with a very warming smile.
Mariah bowed and started to fidget with her hands.
"I was told you have questions as to how you can get back to your home and why you are here. I will answer those questions, but first may I see your necklace?" She asked and held out her pale hand.
Mariah nodded and started to undo her necklace. The woman stopped her and shook her head.
"Don't take it off…I have no knowledge about what would happen if you did." She slowly took the pendent in her hand and smiled. "This necklace…used to belong to a woman I once knew." She smiled and then frowned. "How did you come of this?"
"My grandmother gave this to me…for my birthday." She explained and looked down at it.
Galadriel looked to Gandalf and Elrond. "Would you two please leave us? I need to speak to her alone."
The two men nodded and bowed before leaving. Mariah looked up at her and blushed when she saw her staring back at her.
"Ask away, Mariah. I will answer all questions you have…"
"Why am I here?" She asked.
"You are here to bring an end to the war. You are here to help these dwarves find their homeland. You are here to help save them." She answered in a gentle voice.
"Save them?" Mariah looked down and walked over to the table. She sat down and looked over to Galadriel. "Why me?"
"Why you?" She asked and smiled. "Because, you belong here, I'm sure you of all people realize that. You've grown fond of a certain Prince dwarf."
"I have…" She admitted.
"Gandalf told me you wished to go home. Would you mind telling me why if you love Kili so much?"
"That was before I knew my feelings. Now, I'm not so sure on leaving." Mariah sighed. "I do miss my family."
"Well, I do know you can travel back to your world and then here." She said. "Would you like to know how?"
Mariah looked at her. "It's been days or weeks since I've been here…they probably already have me on a missing persons list."
"Time there goes by slower when you are here. If you were to return, however, one day there is a day here. One day here is…not even a minute there. It's very hard to explain."
"Can you show me?" Mariah asked and stood up.
"I can tell you how to do it." Galadriel said. "You need to be at a relaxed state of mind. You need to wish nothing more than to be where you once were." She frowned slightly. "If you wish to come back, you need to wish to be by them. If it helps, wish to be beside Kili."
"Will I be beside him?"
"No…but you will be in an area around him. Not far." She answered.
"Before, you said save them…" Mariah trailed off.
"You'll know when the time comes as to what I mean by that. I can't tell you when this happens. I can tell you this, you will have to choose. It's going to be one of the most difficult challenges you will face. I apologize in advance for what your journey will come to. Fate hasn't been decided yet. Only you can. Once you've made your choice, your journey will end."
"I'll go home?" Mariah asked with a frown, her heart started to pound.
"You already are home, Mariah."
"You're right…I'm sorry I meant…"
"I know." Galadriel smiled and held out her hand.
Mariah touched it gently and smiled. "Lady Galadriel…I have a question. It's more of…a stupid girl question."
The woman couldn't help but smile, knowing what she was going to ask. "Yes, he does."
"Really?" Mariah asked.
"He thinks of nothing else but you. He thinks about the future. He thinks about your past, only what you've told him. I will not lie, he thinks about how he would purpose to you a lot in his head. Even now as he dreams, it's of you."
"Thank you." Mariah said with a smile.
"You're welcome. You must be tired, though. Please, get some rest."
Mariah left after saying bye to her. She walked to her room and into her bedroom. She laid there and thought of her old world.
"Maybe, I should try it…" She mumbled and then closed her eyes.
Mariah followed Galadriel's directions and soon enough she was floating in the purple and black mist again. She was going back to her world.
A/N: Would you all be okay with me bringing Mariah's older sister, Alexis, into the story? I was thinking about her having a female in the party. Because, let's be honest…men can be a handful when you're around them 24/7. Perhaps Alexis can maybe be with Fili? Who knows? Let me know what you think!