Chapter 42:

Kili gaped at me for a moment, then said, "Uh, no. I didn't. Sorry."

I gave him a look. "Then how did you know what I was thinking? I was glaring at you, and the thoughts that were running through my head were, 'If you don't take this hand away -'"

"'-You'll regret it for the rest of your life,'" Kili finished, nodding casually.

I turned around and gently hit my head against the wall of the cave. "Wow, you're thick. Okay, genius. Think about it. You had your hand over my mouth, yet you heard me perfectly. It's gotta be fairly obvious, at least it is to me, that a) I spoke into your head with my thoughts, or b) you randomly developed magical telepathic skills. As for me, my money is on the former."

Kili looked stunned, but relieved. "So, you projected your thoughts?"

"Yeah. Moonshadow and Rory and I do it all the time. If you want, we could probably communicate faster that way."

Kili brightened. "That's brilliant! Although - promise it's only when there's nobody else talking to either of us, 'cause that could get pretty distracting."

"Unless it's an emergency," I pointed out, finally bringing my head up off of the wall.

He grinned down at me. "What counts as an emergency?"

I grinned back and reached out to his mind: What would you count?

I heard what sounded like his voice laugh back, but his mouth didn't move. You know when you do that, I can feel your emotions, too.

I can feel yours, Kili. Why?

Another laugh. You can't tell what your own emotional transfers are, can you?

No... I replied slowly, feeling as if I was laying my neck on a chopping block.

Well, I'm sorry, Freya, but we can't do that right now. However, I love you, too.

Heat rushed to my face as I realised what I must have let slip. "Oops," I said out loud.

He chuckled again. "Come on. Uncle's going to get worried."

Suddenly there was a loud yell from the outside hall. "I think he's worried already," I pointed out drily, then sprinted out of the cave, Kili just behind me.

We skidded into the entrance hall to find Thorin leaning over the parapet, shouting at people below, and basically saying things to the effect of "finder's keepers, we had it first, and I'm not sharing, sorry."

I rolled my eyes as we ran up beside him with the other dwarves. I saw a rather tall, handsome-looking fellow who must have been Bard reach inside his pocket and withdraw a shiny, glowing object that looked a hell of a lot like what the Arkenstone was supposed to look like.

I let out a little groan as Thorin began questioning the humans below, and Bard boldly replied that it had been our own small accomplice who had supplied him with the stone.

Thorin looked murderous, and strode quickly over to a cowering and guilty-looking Bilbo, and as he passed me I looked at his face, and what I saw terrified me. Dragon-sickness, I remembered belatedly.

Before the King Under the Mountain could do anything, I moved as quickly as a snake and slid between him and the hobbit. "Don't, Thorin," I growled.

"Freya, he is a traitor," snarled Thorin. "Move."

Fortunately, I happen to have an effective trait of simply disobeying direct orders. "No," I snapped, jutting my chin out and crossing my arms over my chest. "He did what he thought was right."

"Freya, this is no concern of yours!" yelled Thorin, and I had to fight not to back up a step. "Now move, girl!"

My eyes flashed, and I noted all of the other dwarves taking a step back. Even Thorin's eyes widened marginally as I unfolded my arms and took a dangerous step forward. "I think, Your Majesty, that sometimes you can't take a fucking hint. Yeah? That's what I think. I think that you put too much in store by a piece of rock, more than you are willing to stop from murdering a friend, someone who did what he thought was right, someone who just wanted peace! You can't get your brain out of your ass sometimes, Thorin, and I swear by all you find sacred, including that pretty little stone, that if you lay even a finger on Bilbo, I'll turn you into a tree-frog. And if you call me 'girl' or anything else like that again, and I feel that this is the millionth time I've told you not to on this quest, I will turn you into a pile of shit! Now leave Bilbo alone, you fucking clotpole!"

Thorin looked torn between inflating like a bullfrog and killing me or backing off and apologising. One went against his pride, but the other was quite dangerous.

"So what's so important about that rock, anyway?" I asked frustratedly.

"I would love to tell you, Freya, but now it not the time. If I told you now, I might have to kill you," he said, sounding immensely condescending, and perhaps he was joking, but it got under my skin.

I gave him an unimpressed look. "That would be incredibly ambitious of you." I killed Smaug, buddy.

There was a deep chuckle behind me, and I froze as Thorin's face went slack-jawed. "I must say that I agree with Freya's statement. No one can kill her properly. Not even herself."

I swallowed, then turned around. Gandalf was standing on the other side of Bilbo.

"Mithrandir!" I breathed. Then snapped back to my senses: "Where the hell have you been? We almost all got killed at least ten times in that Mirkwood place, it was up to Bilbo to get us out of the Elvenking's palace, I nearly killed Legolas, Kili, Thorin twice, the list could go on forever! Without you, things were a bloody mess! These guys are lucky I can do part of what you can!" Ever conscious of the humans watching from below, I didn't point out specifically the whole magic thing.

Gandalf gave me an odd look. "It would seem, then, that a large portion the problem was not my absence, but rather your presence."

"Well, alright then, Spock," I muttered. "What do you mean, not even I can kill myself properly? I've never tried."

"Precisely that, Freya, and perhaps it was but a metaphor."

"Yeah, well, I don't speak Circle, you two, so Gandalf, just keep Thorin from killing Bilbo, won't you?" I growled, then moved away.

Gandalf immediately took my place between the hobbit and the King, saying something to Thorin in a very low voice. When he was done, Thorin threw Bilbo a look of loathing (I gritted my teeth) and then said, "If you parley with these thieves and scoundrels, perhaps you should join them."

Bilbo stared at him for a moment, then slowly trotted over to a part of the parapet that led down to the ground and jumped over. "Goodbye, and I hope we meet again, on better terms!" he called. "And I find myself thanking you, yet again, Freya! Farewell!"

I swallowed and raised a hand at him, and watched him all the way to the ranks of the men. Then, unable to bear it, I spun on my heel and sprinted into the cavern behind me.

As I spun, my hair hit Kili in the face, and he winced and started after me, but I heard Balin murmur, "Let her go, lad," putting a hand on the prince's shoulder.

I reached my stuff and upset Moonshadow from where he was roosting, still in hawk form, and Rory from his perch on a tiny ledge in the rock. The horse - no, hawk - gave an annoyed squawk, and Rory a squeak, but I ignored them, diving for my violin instead.

I all but ripped it out of its case and lifted it, and began to play with a swiftness that was unpredecented, paying barely any attention to the notes, only knowing that I was making it up as I went. I was so angry and so unhappy and frustrated -

There was the sound of footsteps, but I didn't let up from my frenzied sawing at the strings. I heard Kili's voice over the music: "Freya. Uncle has told Gandalf to leave, as well. And he did."

I pulled the violin down and stared at the dwarf, horrorstruck. "Why?"

"Because he stood up for Bilbo," said Kili, sounding defeated.

I resisted the urge to sic Moonshadow on Thorin, but it was a close thing. I took a huge breath and let it out, staring at a spot near my feet without seeing it. "Oh my god," I murmured.

"Freya -" I looked up at Kili, hearing the worry in his voice. "What if Uncle kicks you out, as well?"

I lifted the violin again with an air of finality. "I'd like to see him try." With that, I started to play a song from the Pixar film Brave, the one called "Touch the Sky."

It began with a fun violin solo, and then I started to sing:

"When the cold wind is calling

and the sky is clear and bright,

Misty Mountains sing and beckon,

'Lead me out into the light.'

I will ride, I will fly,

chase the wind and touch the sky.

I will ride, I will fly,

chase the wind and touch the sky."

Then there was more violin, and then I moved on:

"Where dark woods hide secrets

and mountains are fierce and bold.

Deep waters hold reflections

of times lost long ago.

I will hear their every story,

take hold of my own dream,

be as strong as the seas are stormy

and proud as an eagle's scream.

I will ride, I will fly,

chase the wind and touch the sky.

I will ride, I will fly,

chase the wind and touch the sky."

I let the violin sink down from my shoulder, and I slowly put it away. Then I pulled the bracelets that I had taken from Thorin's personal treasure trove off of my wrist and slid them (with great difficulty and a little magic) onto my ankle.

Kili watched with a perplexed air, then pointed out, "But they haven't got any gems. Why use them?"

"I'm not using them for magical storage, dummy," I replied distractedly. "I'm using them to look badass."

"Nobody'll see them with your boots on," he told me.

I sighed. "I was being sarcastic. I don't want to wear them on my wrist. It's uncomfortable, especially with the gauntlets, which are very useful and I like them. So putting them on my ankle makes sense, because there they'll be out of the way and far more comfortable."

Kili listened without an ounce of understanding, then shrugged. "Whatever. Are you sure Uncle won't try to kick you out?"

I sighed, packing my violin into its case and shoving most everything of my stuff into my knapsack, then directing Moonshadow to fly up and hang both the case and the pack on a natural hook of rock, several feet up.

"He won't, if he has any sense," I replied to Kili's question. "And if he does, I'll kick his ass."

And that, it seems, was that.