Listen while you read: Peter Broderick "Something has changed". Type in youtube and then /watch?v=050RwuzelRk

Chapter 2

Through Kili's eyes

I was grateful not to see boulders anymore and our horses padded through the soft dirt of a forest, which was thick with trees and had very little space to pass through, though it mattered little as we were lining the narrow dirt road.

The sun still shown through the trees overhead, but we were uncomfortable- the passage hadn't been much used and was hemmed in by greenery trying to overtake it, the tendrils of ferns creeping along its edges.

There was, of course, a main road leading out of the Iron Hills which was used more heavily, but this one was pointed in a direction which not many wanted to go. The footmarks of my people had stamped a path through this wilderness when the dragon took our homeland. I deceived myself into thinking I still saw their footprints embedded in the dirt below me and suddenly felt afraid of the forest.

A hanging twig roused me from my thoughts and struck me in the face. My hand touched the scratch and it slightly amused me to find the smallest dab of blood on my fingertips. It amused someone else even more, though. Gren, an arms-length away, let out a snort of a laugh, his body bobbing with the movement of his steed, which crept cautiously around tangles of shrubbery. I do not mind someone laughing at my expense, but this man had already made himself a victim of my resentment.

Gren was an older dwarf with silver and grey hairs swept into a single braid, which rested on his shoulder. His long beard was braided in a similar fashion and his grizzly eyebrows were long enough that they might have been easily braided as well if someone had the time and inclination to do it. Obviously no one did. I'd always thought him to be a bit scrawny and of a weaker build, but his non-threatening visage did nothing to persuade me he wasn't dangerous— I had known the dwarf to have a silver tongue and I was very convinced that he'd used it to position himself as partially betrothed to my friend, Nur.

Part of my aggravation with Gren rose from his idea that he could badger her father into accepting a marriage proposal with the King's daughter, but I reminded myself that each of the dwarven kingdoms had their own unique custom and acceptance from the lady's hand was not always necessary for the Iron Hills folk. At least her father was giving her time to think about it. My lifelong friend, the princess, however had her eye on my brother and that suited me fine. I couldn't help but think of her in a sisterly way, so it made sense that the only acceptable companion for her was Fili.

The forest was not very expansive, though it was thick.
Our trek down the scraggly rocks had taken most of the day and a purple hue fell over us as the sun fell asleep and the moon woke for his watch. We had almost come to the edge of the forest and had discovered an abandoned and broken house. Maybe at one point the forest hadn't been occupied with rumors and danger, but that day had obviously passed. And as marked evidence of my thoughts, there hung on a tree beside the large house a spider's web large enough to wrap myself in.

"Fili, Kili, search the house." Thorin spoke as he eyed the area.

I dismounted quickly, snapping twigs beneath my feet, and yanked at the tip of my bow. It was already strung and I brushed my fingers over the feather of an arrow, sliding the shaft against the arch and pulling the notch into place. I almost could have thanked Thorin; the feel of the bow in my hands made me feel calm.

Fili unsheathed his sword and drew close to the warped doorway, the rotted wood of the porch creaking and whining under his weight. I stood at a distance, watching the upper windows of the second level and the area outside. Fili walked into the house warily, dust falling from where his hair had brushed the scratchy doorframe and I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable at his disappearance.

Warmth returned to my blood when he came out safely and announced that it was empty. I couldn't help but remember my mother's reactions to my own disappearances and if I could have apologized to her in that moment, I would have.

Thorin turned to Varak, our consular. "We'll stop here for the night."

Varak looked around, disgusted by the webs, but nodded. I wondered at what the ambassador dwarf was used to—probably cush lodgings and full meals, judging by the way his belt struggled to support his massive belly.

There was a clearing in front of the house, though it was nestled into large maples as though it was fearful and was guarding its back. What looked to be an old fire pit sat in the middle of the open circle before the porch, surrounded by logs which had served as seating. I was grateful not to have been loaded with the cookware as Gulm, our doctor, retrieved a massive pan which had been tied to his back and set up to make a meal.

"Varak, Karta, and princess Nur will quarter in the house for tonight. Gren, Gulm, Fili, Kili, and myself will share watches." Thorin directed, scratching the nose of his pony and unloading her saddle and burdens pack by pack.

Fili and I were in good enough spirits to take all the shifts, but Thorin insisted on breaking it into as many as he could to give everyone a chance at sleep.

I saw Karta, the map maker, enter the house cautiously and stifled a laugh when he tripped over what looked like a dead mouse.

Gulm made a fire and cooked some sort of pig, but we all realized a few bites into it that someone else would be volunteering to make meals for the rest of our expedition.

After arranging our mats around the fire, everyone had succumbed to sleep except Thorin and myself, as he took the first watch. The black of the forest would have overtaken us had it not been for that small blaze which illuminated our faces in orange. I noted the soft and warm lighting of a candle through the window of the house, but it was quickly snuffed.

"Your shift is next." Thorin commented, lost in thought. He sat on a log in front of the fire with his elbows resting on his knees and stared at the fire while poking it with a log, as though if he prodded it enough, it would yield its secrets to him.

"I won't sleep tonight when excitement is high." I mused, sitting across from him on the other side of the fire-pit with my arms around my knees. Fili slept next to me, softly snoring on his side, his blonde waves splayed behind him like a fire of its own.

Thorin snorted. "High, is it?" He went on thinking, went on poking the fire, and my curiosity got the better of me.

"Uncle…" There were certain rules to obey in his presence because he was a King and I must respect his authority, but he was also my father. Not truly my father, but he took that burden on all the same. I questioned him with my eyes, hoping my expression was enough to prompt him to speak his mind. It was an invasive desire of mine, but he had never scolded me for being so personal.

"I think on Erebor tonight." He spoke in a low tone. His poking of the fire had become boring, and now he clasped his hands together and looked at me. It was not often that he smiled, but he would beam whenever it regarded the halls of his mountain home and I was not opposed to hearing of it.

He stooped down from his seat and sat on the ground against the log, mimicking my position. My Uncle and King, Thorin Oakenshield, laid before me a weaving of images that were part poetry and part memory, intertwining it with the history established within the halls as well as its adornment.

I had heard some of this before, but never in such beauty had he spoken thus. So detailed was his recounting that a surge of longing ran through me.

Our expedition now served to draw us that much closer to going back (our map maker would be charting our eventual coarse toward the mountain, as well as investigate the rumors of an opening in the mountain unknown to Smaug) but it was not enough—I wanted to walk the stone floors and peer above me at the carved ceilings immediately, such a desire overtook me with the words that flowed from Thorin Oakenshield.

Fili stirred beside me, rubbing sleep from his eyes and propping himself on his elbows. I was grateful that he was slow to wake, it gave me time to wipe away a tear that collected in the corner of my eye, so moved was I at my uncle's thoughts.

Thorin nodded at me and seemed to eye me gratefully for my reverence, as though he felt confident I now understood the importance of our mission, both now and on that day when we would step onto the road to overtake the dragon and bring our people back.

I felt sure now that I could sleep, comprehending my need to be ready for the next day, while Thorin or Fili talked more and I might have heard Nur's name mentioned. Either that or my mind was observing the day's events while my eyes rested.

Whatever they had talked about, their whisperings died down with the fire's embers while the night shifted around us. All was peace.

Flames began to lick up from the fire, which had been fed by someone on the night shift.

Or so I thought. T

he smell of thick smoke and a scream roused me from sleep in an instant. Thorin jerked awake, as well, rising to his feet and groping for his weapon.

Before us was a house that had gone up in flames.

Thank you for your patience while I get these out, I promise there won't be such a long pause in between chapters again. My plan is to get out a new chapter every Friday, so keep your eyes peeled for the next one this Friday! Love you! -Cassandrala