The company had taken refuge in the skin-changer's home, choosing area's in giant house to their comfort. Honoria was standing by the back door under the moon light, scratching at her wound. She had removed the cloth that protected the fragile area's, it was uncomfortable and irritating. "You need to stop, scratching at that Honor, it's just going to get worse." Thorin softly spoke as he joined beside her, not wanting to disturb the others.
"It's annoying." She grumbled as she went to itch it again when the dwarf grabbed both her hands and held them in front of her.
" I know, it's hard to get used to, it takes time..but if you keep picking at it, it won't heal properly and if I catch you scratching at it one more, so help me I will tie both your wrist together," Thorin stated in a whisper and she raised her eyebrow at him. "Now please, let me re-wrap that and you need to get some rest." he continued on, ignoring her obvious annoyed look.
"We have no supplies, Oin already used what he had available weeks ago." She pointed out.
"I'm sure the skin-changer wont mind us, using some of his supplies here." Thorin pressed, not going to let her talk him out of it that easily. He pulled her by the arm and barely whispered under his breath but she caught it.
"I heard that, grumpy." She accused
" Well, it's true." He muttered at her.
"Says you."
Thorin made her sit on the ground as he grabbed the supplies he found that would be suitable to clean the laceration. "Honor, I swear you act like a child...like my nephews." He spat out, looking at her and noticed she still had a calm face on, clearly not insulted by this.
"Yeah, I think you've mentioned that a few times, along this journey." She joked as she recalled a few times she had heard him call her that. He sudden slammed his hands on the ground and two of them saw a few of the dwarves in the hair groaned when they heard the noise but fell quickly back to sleep.
" Is, their no part of you, that can for once be serious...at all?"
" There is, I just choose not to allow it, except on necessary occasions." She flat out answered with a smirk. And he rolled his eyes, expecting her to say something like this. Knowing he wasn't going to get any further with her, he moved closer to her and began using the items around Beorn's house he had found. He opened a jar that contained some kind ointment. Using the knowledge he gained from all the times Oin had to heal him, he had become an expert himself.
Thorin took a small amount on his finger, and gently traced his finger along the wound with the stuff. His touch was not as rough as she had anticipated it would be. As he put the stuff on and saw just how deep it really was, it was just a painful reminded that this was his fault. Honoria noticed his head slightly shaking. "What?"
"I'm sorry I let this happen to you." He mumbled and cursing himself as if he deserved her forgiveness. He had wished sometimes, she had hated him for it.
"Thorin, this is not your fault, what happened to me." She stated in a serious tone and instantly placed her fingers against his lips, to prevent him from arguing any further. "I would do it again... if I had too."
"I just, don't want you in that sort of danger again." He stated, part of it was to himself. He then cleaned off his hands with a rag and wrapped a clean cloth around her head, to cover the injury to protect it, from getting anymore infected. "Now, was that so hard." Thorin sarcastically asked.
"Shut up..." She growled at him as he helped her up.
"Now, you need to get some sleep-" He stopped mid-sentence when he noticed the strange mark that was on her shoulder. He had never seen it before, because her long sleeve was always covering it, it just happened to move slightly out of position when she got up, revealing part of it.
"What?" She asked, when she noticed his intense stare.
"Where did you get that?" He pointed at the mark in question, she looked down at her shoulder and fixed her sweater and looked at the prince.
"I don't know. I've had it since I was born...I asked my mother about it once, but she never did tell me. Why?" She questioned, getting a little defensive. Thorin could recall seeing it before, a long time ago but he decided to not say anything until he knew for certain if it even had anything to do with her. "Thorin?"
"I was just curious, I've never seen a birthmark like that." He lied. "Come, we have a long day tomorrow, let's get some rest." He quickly said. He took her hand and led her over to his spot he had chosen. She laid down beside him, with her back to him, he was clearly hiding something from her, he knew something about her birthmark and he wasn't saying what. Thorin laid down beside her, he could feel the tension coming from her and he leaned over. "I have one other question. " He proclaimed to her.
She turned back to look at him. "And what is that?"
"Why, do you hate being called 'Honoria' so much?" He dared to ask, it had been bothering him from the start, when she would snap at anyone who called her by her full name. He thought it was a beautiful name, so he knew their had to be a more serious reason for why she hated it.
"The same reason you don't like anyone calling you 'grumpy'" she replied turning on her side again." Besides me." she added.
"I highly doubt that, for a fact." He stated, wondering what the real reason was.
"I don't want to talk about it Thorin," She growled as she turned to look at him. "It's something I wish not to discuss. Please accept that!" She snapped at him and she instantly wish she hadn't it wasn't his fault. "Sorry...I didn't mean to yell at you like that...I just don't talk about this to anyone."
Thorin felt sorry for even asking, he had no idea how much this question would effect her." It's alright..." He said, as he pulled her closer to him. "Just get some sleep." He said as he kissed her forehead. The elf rested her head against his chest and she slowly closed her eyes and fell asleep. The dwarf, drifted into a sleep much later. His mind was somewhere else as he stroked her hair. He was running the possibility in his mind of the odds he knew where that birthmark came from and he was determined to figure out the reason for her not wanting to be called by her full name, even if it meant going to the hobbit for answers.
Morning came quickly. Thorin was one of the first to be awake along with the wizard. He didn't bother to wake the elf as he carefully removed himself from her without disturbing her peaceful sleep she was in. He discussed things with the wizard until the others got up and began gathering in the kitchen. Honoria sat up, stretching and letting out a yawn as she looked around to see no one was around. She got up and stumbled her way towards the kitchen and walked over to Thorin who was standing alone, rubbing his forehead like he was in deep thought about something.
"What's going on?" She asked him.
" Nothing, waiting for your cousin to get up. Gandalf believes it would be best just him and hobbit introduce themselves first before he learns that he has dwarves in his home." Thorin explained.
"You sure that's a good idea? Didn't Gandalf say, he was not fond of dwarves?"
"That is correct." Thorin admitted. On the other side of the room Fili, and Kili were standing by Dwalin muttering to themselves.
"Awe, look at 'grumpy' and 'Auntie', not arguing with each other." Kili joked.
" I think it's more entertaining when their arguing." Fili insisted as Dwalin snorted and rolled his eyes at their foolishness. Honoria's head slightly turned to her left, hearing the boys conversation loud and clear and she reached to her side for an apple that was laying on a stool, not leaving Thorin's confused face.
"What are you doing Honor?"
"I'm going to teach those boy's a lesson." She pressed as she turned around threw the fruit right in Kili's direction, hitting him in the chest and he jumped from being startled and the two brother's looked at her. The half-breed pointed to her ears, and the two boy's gave her embarrassing smiles, that they had forgotten her hearing was more heightened than there's. Dwalin chuckled at the boy's, realizing the elf had caught them and he slapped kili on the back and grumbled under his breath.
"What did they say?" Thorin question, but she just smiled and came closer to him.
"Nothing you need to worry about." She assured as she kissed him on the cheek.
" Well, I say we should leg it." Nori, interrupted everyone. "Slip out the back way." He added, when he was grabbed by the fearless warrior.
"I'm not running from anyone, beast or no." Dwalin hissed at Nori.
"There is no point in arguing." Gandalf growled at them. "We cannot pass through the wilderland without Beorn's help. " The wizard pressed, "We'll be hunted down before we ever get to the forest."
Fili and Kili had moved over to stand by their uncle who was glaring at them over the elf's head and they knew he was saying he would deal with them later in his mind.
"Bilbo. There you are. Now, this will require some delicate handling. " The wizard stated, as he walked through the dwarves, over to the back door where the giant man was chopping wood. "We must tread very carefully. The last person to have startled him was torn to shreds."
The dwarves all shared a look at one another, as Honor's eyes widened at the thought of possibly being torn to shred's should their meeting with the skin changer go terribly wrong.
"I will go first and-Bilbo? You come with me." Gandalf commanded not giving the hobbit a choice.
"I-is this a good idea?" Bilbo asked, hesitantly as he gave his cousin a weary look.
"Yes," the wizard was quick to answer. "Now, the rest of you, you just wait here...and don't come out until I give the signal." Gandalf instructed.
"Right wait for the signal." Bofur agreed as he perched himself on the window ledge, peering outside at their host that continued to chop through the wood violently.
"And no sudden moves or loud noises and don't overcrowd him." Gandalf added. "And only come out in pairs. Right," He was about to head out when he re thought about what he had just said. " No, actually, Bombur. You count as two so you should come out alone." the dwarf in question nodded at this. "Remember; wait for the signal."
"The signal, right." The dwarves grumbled as they paced around anxiously.
"What signal would that be?" Bofur questioned, not recalling he had heard what signal the wizard planned on using to inform them when it was time for them to come out. Bofur continued to watch out the window until he saw what would be a signal from the wizard.
"There it is! Go! Go! Go!" Bofur urged to the first pair and Dwalin and Balin were the first to go out.
"Dwalin and Balin." The fearless dwarf introduced as Balin smiled at the giant man who was holding his axe.
"I must confess that several of our group are, in fact, dwarves." He admitted
"Do you call two...'Several' " Beorn hissed at the wizard.
"Well, now you put it that way...no. Yes, there could be more than two." Gandalf stuttered.
"Go. Go!" Bofur hinted to the next pair.
"Wait, that's us." Gloin stated, as he pushed his brother out the door in front of him and they went out and joined the first group.
"And here are some more of our happy troop." The wizard exclaimed.
"And do you call six a 'Troop'? What are you, a traveling circus?" Beorn continued to growl, fuming as more dwarves appeared out of his home. Dori and Ori were the next to go out.
"Go, go, go."
"Dori and Ori. At your service." The older one spoke nervously.
"I don't want your service."
"Absolutely understandable." Gandalf pressed, putting his hand up to indicate there was no need to argue.
"Go! Go!" Fili and Kili followed to join the others.
"Oh, Fili and Kili. I'd quite forgotten. Yes." The wizard joked. " Yes, and Nori, Bofur...Bifur...and Bombur" He continued as he watched the skin-changer's angered expression, still fuming on his face.
" Is that it?" He question "Are there any more?" Honor walked out of the house first. The man's face suddenly less tense when he noticed she was not a dwarf, but an elf and Thorin came out behind her and his attention went to him, as he looked at him in recognition by the crest he wore.