Zoor Se Dovahruth
Eleven

-Dovahro Zin-
A Dragon's Honor

Thorin Oakenshield was not one that liked to stay in one spot, especially when it came to staying in the halls of Elves. The first night had been rough, the only female in their company saw too that. But things had smoothed over and she apologized to the Dwarf King profusely the next morning after a decent nights rest. But now after the second and third night, Thorin was ready to leave. Waiting any longer and he might as well just turn back around and head home.

Thorin's mind wandered away from his thoughts of the journey ahead and back to the only girl in their misfit of warriors. She had changed only a little bit after her little outburst. There were subtle changes in her demeanor; she was careful and calculating – sometimes even foreboding. The dwarves of the company would often help by easing a smile here and there. But there was no doubt that something had changed and Thorin wasn't sure if it was all for the better or not.

His eldest nephew though, seemed to take on their female companion as a new responsibility. And though Thorin would have seen that as a good thing, he couldn't help but feel as though there was more to Fili's actions. Thorin would silently watch as the golden haired dwarf would insist upon the girl sleeping next to him so that if her nightmares crept up into the night he would be able to wake her from its clutches. And for the past few nights she would begin her struggles and Fili would wake her with soft cresses that Thorin knew should only be reserved for the most intimate of settings.

Fili was a Durin and, yes, he was his sister's son. He grew up in the Blue Mountains, living a very happy and exciting childhood that Thorin could remember just like his own. Fili was very charming when he wanted to be, very smug when sparing and fiercely loyal on the battlefield. But he was Thorin's heir and he worried deeply about the choices Fili was making.

"Thorin," Gandalf called from behind, Bilbo at his side and Balin following not too far behind. "Lord Elrond is ready."

Thorin prayed this Elf Lord knew what he was doing and even if he did, he wasn't going to stop Thorin and his company from the quest that was laid before them.

…

Keeva stared off into the distance of the valley as the moon raised high above the sky, smiling upon her. Keeva let nostalgia wash over her as she could remember spending many a night watching the stars and both moons, Secunda and Masser, float high in the sky with her mother. Often her mother would tell her tall tales of the stars in the sky and more often than not, Keeva found she would dream about them.

"The ache for home lives in all of us, child," a soft voice called from the shadows behind Keeva. The small half breed turned around only to find the figure still lingering within the shadows.

"There is no home for me," Keeva countered quietly, her eyes drifting to the floor in a dazed and saddened state. Keeva silently wondered if she had been that obvious to others that passed by.

The figure moved forth from the shadows, a glow about her as she entered the soft light of the moon. Keeva's eyes, however, still remained at her feet but the smooth touch of the figures hands lifted Keeva's chin and forcing her eyes to see the woman that stood before her, "No matter what, no matter where, it's always home if love is there."

Keeva stared into the deep blue irises of this elven woman, searching for the truth in her statement. And with a surprise, Keeva did find genuine honesty. "Then truly, I will never see the skies of my home again?"

The pure and white adorned elf nodded, her features not expressing happiness or sadness. They remained bare, truthful, and simple. That allowed Keeva to feel a little better but she couldn't help but feel a sting of fresh tears waiting in the corners of her eyes from the thought of being trapped. The woman smiled softly, "Do not fret child. For it is most certain you have already found your home."

Keeva's brows furrowed with some concern at the elf's words but she couldn't help but feel like she knew what the elf maiden was referring to. Silently, the woman walked away, the glow of the moon following after her. Keeva thanked her in a whisper many minutes later before returning to her pallet next to a golden haired dwarf.

…

"Keeva…"

The fiery spirited companion mumbled in her sleep as she heard her name being called from the depths of her dark dreams. Her name was called one more time before Keeva felt herself being torn out of that liquid abyss, where she felt nothing but the frost of Morning Star and the cold calculating scales of a drake that she knew was waiting in the dark.

The fire within the confines of their quarters was burning brightly in the wee hours of the morn. Keeva's ocean colored eyes locked onto a fair pair just above her, the man smiling happily now that she was awake. "I apologize for waking you so early, Miss Keeva," Fili said while helping her to set up from her bedding. "But Thorin has requested that we pack quickly. We're to set out before dawn breaks."

Keeva nodded, noting the urgency in the Prince's words. "Is everything alright?"

"Uncle had mentioned we need to make it to the Lonely Mountain before Durin's Day, which fast approaches. We must catch up or we will never make it," he told her, rolling up his bedding and packing it with the rest of his belongings. "Don't worry Mi'lady. I believe we have a chance at reaching our destination if we're swift."

Keeva nodded in agreement but silently she wished they still had their ponies. Even when Keeva would travel from Hold to Hold within Skyrim she travelled on a very hardy and durable horse by the name of Ulfric, which of course was named after her Jarl of Windhelm. Ulfric had been a wonderful horse and he proved that not even mountains or snow would stop him from getting to the destination that had been set for him.

This was going to be a challenge, not that challenges were a bad thing – in fact her father was very adamant that Keeva would never take the easy route in any sort of important decision in her life. Fili and even sometimes Kili helped Keeva pack the rest of her belongings before Thorin had come back for the company and ushered them through the halls of Rivendell quietly. It was their mission to get out of the homely house undetected and that was something Keeva was quite talented at. Often Ori would double take just to make sure he wasn't seeing things only to find that Keeva was actually beside him when she hadn't been just a second earlier. It was evidence enough to most of the company that this was her skill, her talent, and her mother had taught her well.

By the time the sun was rising just above the peeks of the mountains, Thorin turned from the head of the company to warn them before leaving the valley, "Be on your guard; we're about to step over the edge of the Wild. Balin, you know these paths; lead on."

Keeva stood keenly alert next to Bilbo, whom she coaxed to follow her as they began their journey on the small and winding path. She felt some sort of responsibility since Gandalf was not there to watch over his friend. So she took up the charge and smiled at him often – mainly because she could see the uncertainty in his eyes. He was longing to stay, much like the look Keeva had been giving the stars earlier that night.

"Master Baggins, I suggest you keep up," came a dark comment from Thorin. Keeva glanced up to the front of the line where Thorin was watching the pair closely. She didn't smile for him, not like she used to. Keeva had a sudden seriousness about her as if she were watching over her own children and it would be no surprise how the dwarves of the company could be that for her, as well as Bilbo. But he was not going to allow her to challenge him.

It was that sudden change that made Thorin realize that Keeva had finally moved on from some of her haunting memories. She was now able to focus on the people within the company – to put herself fully into the line of battle without a second thought. He didn't feel so concerned for her anymore then. Sure he still saw her as one of his own kin at times, but now she was grown up, taking on the world like a true adult.

Their journey took them from the base of the Misty Mountains and into the heart of them. For the most part, the journey through the forest was quiet and sparse of any to no other travelers. That was how everyone preferred it. Their first night of camping went well, no Trolls, Wargs, or anything else that dreamed to haunt them.

Keeva kept to her promise for Fili's sake, taking up her post at his side during the night, and when he was forced to take watch Kili would stand in, coaxing her awake if a fit of murmurs stared to trouble her. But on this night Keeva found herself staring up at the stars next to Fili. She remained on her back, her eyes focused on the constellations and Fili lay on his side gazing at the half breed.

"What is it that you see?" he asked, curious now that she wasn't falling asleep, thus relieving him of his duty to her.

Keeva didn't utter a word for quite a while and silently she wondered to herself what she saw as well. But the only answer she could keep coming up with was, "Home."

"Home?" he questioned, sitting up onto his elbows so that he too could gaze at the stars, perhaps he was hoping to get a glimpse of this home of hers as well.

Keeva hummed contently, "Aye, home. Where ever I will be, where ever I will go, all I have to do is just look up and I'm home."

Fili smiled quietly thinking of his own home back in the Blue Mountains, "I know I'm home when I have my brother. Where ever he is and I'm with him, I know I'm home."

Keeva turned over, her eyes shining up into Fili, and they were glossy, but not with sadness, "You truly love your brother, don't you?"

Fili returned her gaze and nodded with that sweet smile, "Do you not have someone like Kili? Or even one you truly love through the heart and soul?"

Keeva could feel her cheeks tingle with life and an odd twist in the pit of her stomach with the way Fili had stared back at her. Did she? She wasn't sure. Her parents would have been her Kili, clearly. But one she truly loved through the heart and soul? Keeva shook her head, "My parents had been what Kili is to you. But one that I deeply love, I do not believe I have found that one yet. But someday, I may find him. Someday."

Fili's eyes remained on her for a while longer, and Keeva so deeply wanted to know what was going through that dwarf's mind. It really killed her to even think about what it could be. But when he smiled, picked up her hand and placed a soft kiss on her knuckle she sighed. "Get some rest Mi'lady."

Fili placed her hand back on her chest, cupped her cheek and leaned in to kiss her hair line before lying back down and gazing into the sky himself – as if he had more to think about in the oncoming hours of the night.

Keeva shut her eyes, the last image in her mind being Fili's profile and wondering what the taste of his lips might be like.

…

There was a sudden reluctant-ness trembling in Keeva's heart as she stared down at the sheer drop from the cliff she now found herself clinging to next to Bilbo and Dwalin. The rain from the oncoming thunderstorm was not helping her in this climb through the mountains, but it seemed Bilbo was even worse than she as she reached out, snatching the back of his collar and hoisting him back onto the ledge next to her before he fell.

"You alright?" Keeva asked, patting the poor hobbit on the shoulder and giving him a tight squeeze for comfort.

"Aye, he's alright lass," Dwalin nodded, urging her to push forward so that they could get out of this mess sooner rather than later. Keeva eyed Dwalin warningly, though she couldn't help but agree to want to be in a shelter as much as the next dwarf, but she was truly concerned about Bilbo. The little hobbit could see the sudden uncertainty in her eyes and he gave her a small smile, "I'll be fine, Miss Keeva. Don't you worry."

His answer seemed to do the trick and eventually the line was moving once again. Thorin had called out to the company that they needed to find shelter. But before anyone of them could begin to look, Dwalin was shouting at them to "Look out!"

Keeva's eyes turned up into the sky where Dwalin had been looking and she felt her heart drop into the pit of her stomach as a large – no gargantuan - piece of the mountain was falling right into their direction. The rock collided with the mountain top above and shattered into hundreds and thousands of pieces, descending upon the company with no mercy. Keeva pressed Bilbo further into the shelter of the mountains, in hopes that all the falling debris would miss them. Most of the company had a similar reaction and before long the rock was gone and below them. But that wasn't the end of their problems.

"Miss Keeva," Bilbo stared up at her in bewilderment, "You're bleeding!"

The last thing on Keeva's mind was what was wrong with her but before she could say anything, Bilbo had a cloth rag pulled from his pocket and pressed it to the stinging injury on her head. Keeva quickly pulled Bilbo's hand from her head and urged him to follow the others ahead of him. "We must not stop. Do not worry about me!"

She had to shout above the claps of thunder for him to hear and he seemed to understand her as he quickly turned on his heels and began to follow the dwarf in front of him. Balin had shouted something ahead to Thorin but it was lost on the rest of the dwarves in the back of the company. Keeva's good ears had heard something about a battle. And when she turned her gaze back out into the valleys of the mountains she could finally see what was transpiring within the storm.

She'd never seen anything like it. Not even in Tamriel. Sure there were dragons popping up like daisies all over Skyrim and even in the tales of the Second Era there were Daedric Anchors that had been somewhat of a phenomenon – their ruined and humungous circular contraptions that chained themselves into the soil of Tamriel from the sky, releasing the most malicious of Daedric Deities - such as this. But what was before her eyes right then and there was downright unbelievable. These creatures, or beings, were made of solid stone – created from the faces of the mountains surrounding them. Stone Giants Bofur called them. They were massive and they were clearly not happy as they ripped of boulders from the mountain tops and chucking them at opposing Stone Giants.

Thorin was giving them orders from the front while these giants began to brawl with each other, getting dangerously close to their company upon the wall. Kili and Fili were just ahead of Bilbo. A ominous lurch from the mountain had Kili asking what was going on and before anyone knew it, there was a thick gaping crack splitting up the mountain side, clearly dividing the company on Fili's side and Kili's side. As they realized that they were beginning to split up, unwillingly due to the fact that half of their company was standing on the knee cap of one of these Stone Giants, Keeva gripped onto Bilbo and grabbed what she could of the giant beneath her feet in hopes to save their lives.

"Kili! Grab my hand! Ki-"

Fili was quickly cut off once his brother was out of reach. Keeva slipped her fingers around the back of his collar to bring him closer to her and Bilbo before the dwarf decided to chance his escape for his brother on the other side. They were going to have to ride this out whether they liked it or not.

Thorin watched as half of his company was separated from him and the rest of the group that was on a safer portion of the mountain. He watched Fili desperately reach out for his brother but Keeva had pulled him back into their reach before he slipped off the edge. His heart had nearly dropped into his stomach but Keeva always seemed to manage saving him from such a condition. The Stone Giant began to tumble forward, the company holding on for dear life as one fist collided with another's face. But a boulder out of nowhere takes out the head of the other and the company upon that giant began to fall forward into the stone face of the mountain. The knee cap of the giant collided so hard that Thorin screamed for his nephew's demise, finding it hopeless that they could have survived the collision.

But he trudged through the mountain's ledge, rushing over to the spot he saw them disappear only to find hope ignite into his heart and lungs at the sight of the rest of his company safe and sound. Balin stood - a broad smile on his face as he proclaimed that they were alive and well.

Keeva took in a sharp breath, the spot on her head pounding now with the insistence that it needed to be tended to, but she panicked when she couldn't spot her charge. "Bilbo?"

Bofur too realized the absence of the Hobbit that was being dutifully watched over by their half breed companion, "Where's Bilbo? Where's the hobbit?"

"There!" Ori cried out as Keeva scurried over on hands and knees to the hobbit hanging over the ledge of the mountain. Dwalin rushed behind her, grabbing ahold of her foot before she clambered over the edge to reach the hobbit. Her insistence to fling herself over the edge had most of the dwarves watching on edge and in shock.

"Bilbo, take my hand!" she cried, the strain of Dwalin pulling on her leg beginning to hurt. Ori dived down next to her and held out his other hand so that he could also help. "Common Bilbo!"

Bilbo reached out, catching Keeva's arm but slipped a few feet further, causing Dwalin's grip to falter. Bilbo watched as Keeva's eyes grew as wide as the saucers he used for tea parties. He could tell she was nearly at her limit, having taken action that she might have never done before. Though his terrified him a bit, it also warmed his heart that she would have done anything to save him.

Ori was lowered a little further by another dwarf to help catch Bilbo's other arm. He was able to grasp the poor hobbit's hand and they many of them began to pull upward to safe their burglar and their two other companions hanging over the ledge. Successful this time, they manage to pull Bilbo over and into the safety of Keeva's arms.

Standing up and brushing themselves off, Bilbo smiled up at his new friends, "Thank you."

Keeva and Ori grinned from ear to ear and Dwalin chuckled, "I thought we'd lost our burglar."

"He's been lost ever since he left home," came Thorin's retort from further up the ledge. His stormy grey eyes were dark and brooding. It was clear he was not happy with the danger Bilbo had put most of the company in to save his hide. "He should never have come. He has no place amongst us. Dwalin!"

The broad dwarf followed Thorin into a cave not too far off from where they stood. Keeva eyed Thorin unhappily with the way he had spoken so crossly with Bilbo. She turned to the hobbit with a soft smile, "Don't take it to heart, my friend. We all miss home."

Bilbo had parted his lips to say something on the matter but he found his gaze catching the sight of Keeva's blood pouring down the side of her face a little more freely. "Miss Keeva, we must hurry and get you inside. Bofur!"

The hatted dwarf turned around after hearing his name on the wind, finding Bilbo pulling Keeva behind him. "Help her please. She's bleeding very badly."

Keeva looked from Bilbo with some confusion, her head pounding just a little harder than minutes earlier. Bofur's usually happy face turned concerned and he took hold of the Bosmer's elbow, "Common, lass. Get inside. We'll have Oin patch you up."

…

Thorin watched the company's healer turn his attentions to Keeva. The small wound on her hair line was being cleaned carefully, her blood being removed only to reveal the red and angry looking skin beneath. Thorin walked over, standing behind Oin as he crushed a herb from his pack to help with the healing process. Keeva's eyes wandered slowly up to the grey one's she knew were watching her. They seemed uncertain when Thorin met them but she slowly gave him a small smile, and it was the smallest he'd ever seen.

"Will she be alright?" Thorin asked, glancing over at Oin for a brief moment.

"Aye, she should," he admitted with a nod while leaning forward to dab the ointment onto the wound, "Had Bilbo not said anything sooner, I wouldn't have been able to catch the infection that was setting in."

"Infection?" Keeva asked displeased. The two dwarves eyed her with some confusion.

"Aye…"

"But we Bosmer are known to resist disease and poisons, I do not understand?" She argued, but Oin patted her cheek and continued to dress the wound. "I wouldn't worry too much about it Miss Keeva."

Thorin watched her a bit longer, noticing the worry she would bite upon her bottom lip. When Oin told her to go and rest after he'd finished, Keeva stood, eyed Thorin and then turned to find Fili for the night. Oin stood, after packing his supplies and placed a firm grip on his leader's shoulder, "Don't worry. She may be a little put off now, but she'll understand sooner or later."

"I can't have one of our strongest questioning my leadership," Thorin explained, eyeing the dwarf that stood before him.

"I don't think it's so much as questioning you as it is the morality of the situation," Oin said trying to dowse the situation.

As Oin walked away from Thorin, the dwarf leader muttered the word upon his lips. Morality, just how much longer could one use that philosophy to successfully complete this quest. How much longer could one continue that belief? Honor. It was honor that Keeva continued to use against him. It was honor Keeva was trying to instill within him yet again. It was her honor that would prove to pull them all through this.

…

A/N: Sorry this came out so late. I've been a bit busy the past few weeks but I was also slowly writing this out as well, with small bits of laziness keeping me from finishing it. But here it is and I hope its enough. It's a shorter chapter but I wanted to confront the small rift in Thorin's and Keeva's friendship as well as where Fili and Keeva are in their blooming relationship.

Next chapter we'll be hitting up the Goblins and possibly the pale orc may make an appearance as well as a familiar Dovah.

Disclaimer: I don't own The Hobbit or Elder Scrolls. Any character that is not familiar is of my own creation.