Chapter 43:

The next day passed in a complete blur of fortification of the mountain, brief yelling matches with Thorin, and me blankly refusing to make any preparations for defence of the mountain.

An hour after my protecting of Bilbo, Thorin came up to me and said, "Freya, why did you do that?"

"Do what?" I asked, looking at my hands, feigning innocence.

"Why did you stand up for the hobbit?"

I looked up at him, glaring. "You dick," I snapped. "He didn't do anything wrong."

Thorin looked at me. "Freya, I am afraid to ask this, but what is a dick?"

I resisted the urge to crack up. "What do you use to have children, Thorin?" His face turned a bit red, and I quickly added, "It doesn't necessarily mean that, although that's what it's supposed to mean. Often, it just means you're being an ass."

Thorin slowly shook his head. "Sometimes, Freya, you are both the oddest person I have ever met, and others you are the wisest."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Three guesses as to which it is now. Anyway, Thorin, you can try to kick me out, if you like. But I honestly think that you need my help. And if you try, I'll kick your ass and stay anyway. Because, sorry, you're not my king. I don't owe my allegiance to anybody but those to whom I owe a debt - Bilbo, Gandalf, Kili, Fili. I really do like you, Thorin. I think that somewhere, beneath that majestic, kingly, haughty, clotpole, prat exterior, you can be kind, thoughtful, gentle. But whenever you start to think about this treasure, that Arkenstone - you go mad, Thorin, and I don't know why. I don't like it when you do that, and neither does anybody else. Bilbo was only trying to help, and you can ignore that all you like, but it is quite ridiculous that you even try, because he is your friend, and he would never do anything to harm you. I think you're insane for kicking both him and the Wizard out, because all they want to do is try to bring you to your senses. But if you kick me out, I guarantee you'll have an uprising on your hands, at least with your nephews. So don't try, 'cause I won't go anyway."

With that, I stormed off to find Kili, leaving Thorin standing dumbstruck, as usual.

I decided that I wasn't ready for the Battle of the Five Armies, but I couldn't tell anybody about the problem. Why? Because none of them knew about it. We were getting word from ravens and thrushes that Orcs and Wargs were gathering somewhere nearby, and the elves had come down and joined with the Men sitting around the Mountain's front gate. Dain's dwarves were coming, but wouldn't be here until halfway through the day of the battle.

To be perfectly honest, I was not looking forward to the night after the battle, because it would entail idiotic dwarves - far more than usual. And I felt with a horrible pang that I only had a day left with just me and my dwarves before more people came and ruined it.

If, of course, I survived.

I spent that day in listless anxiety, the butterfly-like feelings in my stomach shooting for increasing Warp Factors, playing my violin and random intervals and coaxing Moonshadow about to update the hawk spell.

At last, on the evening before the battle that only I knew about (my stomach was trying for Warp Nine at this point), I sat next to Kili and stared at the food I was holding.

"Aren't you going to eat?" asked the dwarf next to me, and I suppressed a pang of fear for him.

"No," I muttered, shoving it over where Moonshadow and Rory fell on it hungrily.

"Why not?" asked Kili, looking worriedly at me.

"Kili, do you know what's going to happen, tomorrow?" I asked.

"Dain's coming," Kili said.

I groaned. "That's not what I'm thinking about, but yes, that's going to suck. What I'm actually talking about is the fact that there are Orcs and Wargs in the north, and they're going to attack us - dwarves, elves, humans, we'll have to fight."

Kili's face seemed to drain of blood, and he stared at me with something akin to horror. "You - I mean - book?"

I nodded miserably. "People die, three of you guys'll die."

"Who?"

I shook my head violently. "I can't tell you, Kili. But trust me, if there's something I can do about it, I'll save them - I promise."

He gave me a long, searching look. "Even if it's Uncle?"

I tried for a smile and failed, giving him a horrible shaky thing. "Especially him. If anybody deserves a second chance, it's him."

This one's real short, but the last couple were kinda long, and next one's kinda short, but then the one after that is REALLY LONG. Feels fest a'comin'! GET YOUR TISSUES READY! hehehehhehehhehe :)