Artemis turned a corner and found a wall to lean on so she could get her racing heart and unsteady breath under control. Tracey had always thought she wasn't afraid of confrontation and she wasn't, not exactly but her adrenaline always rose, her heartbeat always raced when she was in a tense argument or discussion with someone, even when she knew she was right. She had worked hard to learn to control her voice so it didn't shake, her impulse to lash out when someone was being difficult. She could appear totally calm and in control on the outside but on the inside her adrenaline roared making the blood pound in her ears and her stomach would twist into nervous knots. She didn't immediately notice Gandalf standing a few feet away watching her until he spoke. "In this world you would have been born a Queen of the Rohirrim and the bravery you show would be sung in the Halls of Gondor."
Artemis looked up at him and snorted. "I'd have been born a peasant without a stick to my name, just like I was in my world. Bravery is learned."
He came closer and inclined his head. "Just so. I take it he wanted you to tell Adessa that you do not need her to go with you."
"Oh yeah, as if I could do such a thing, even if it were possible to flout the will of Whatever, Whoever, brought us here if Tracey set her mind to a thing there was no telling her different. I can't imagine she's changed that much as Adessa." Artemis played with the ribbon that stuck out of the book and Gandalf reached over to touch her wrist.
"I wondered what you would do when he grabbed you. The last lout that manhandled you probably still can't walk erect."
Artemis pulled her sleeve down over the darkening bruise. "He's under the influence of the Bonding and his head's not on straight. I'm not going to hurt him for having a broken heart unless he becomes a real threat."
He nodded and pulled out his pipe, he lit it and puffed in contemplation as Artemis's heart finally settled back to its usual rate and she straightened. "I want you to meet someone. I think I know why you were brought here but I won't know for sure until you've met them."
He led her to a rough wooden building similar to the one she was staying in and ducking under the low door frame he stood to the side as she entered and stared at the occupants of three beds. All three were dwarves, two dark haired and one fair haired. Two of them were awake but she could see they were still weak, they looked gaunt, as if healing had used up every reserve they had ever had. The third, a dwarf with long dark hair and a beard to match with silver streaks in his tangled hair lay still. She could smell old sickness on all of them, and a sense that death hovered close to the one still unconscious. The two younger dwarves looked at her curiously then at Gandalf but before they could speak Artemis looked up at Gandalf her eyes hard as steel and jerked her head towards the door before stalking out and waiting arm crossed.
He joined her and closed the door, Artemis made a gesture and he felt a faint pop as a shield of some sort went up, to keep their conversation private he surmised, she really was a lot stronger than he was comfortable with, if she remained she could potentially grow to rival Saruman.
"They are supposed to be dead." She hissed and he was mildly surprised that her hair did not fluff up like an angry cat. "They died during the Battle of Five Armies."
"And yet here they are, alive and recovering." He mused placidly.
"Recovering?!" She snarled then stopped and took a deep breath. "Death is hovering over Thorin like a ghost. Jesus does Tauriel know that Kili is still alive? Do the rest of the dwarves from the Company?"
He puffed his pipe again waiting for her to calm a little more before he answered. "She does not know, nor do any but a few Elves here, Galadriel, Celeborn, myself and now you. And the rest of the Company certainly does not know. I was drawn to the tombs of these three by a magic I did not understand and found them not dead but not precisely alive either. I brought them here for healing and was on my way to Rivendell to consult with Master Elrond when I met you."
Artemis scrubbed her face with her hands muttering something under her breath before she propped a fist on her hip. "Well this explains why we were brought here, if they're alive this throws everything that is supposed to follow out of whack."
"I thought since you seem to know our future that you might understand what best to do about this. Kili and Fili are still too weak to leave their beds and Thorin still lays unconscious but this will not always remain the case. In time they will wish to return to their lives and the elves of Lothlorien will not hold them captive, it is not their way." Gandalf tapped the ashes out of his pipe and refilled it.
Artemis scowled at the ground trying to think her way through this mess, Gandalf waited patiently but after a while Artemis shook her head in frustration. "Dammit, there is no way to fix this so the future isn't impacted, at least no way I'm willing to entertain. We can't just kill them again, they haven't done anything wrong and they didn't ask for this anymore than I asked to be thrown from world to world. And I know Thorin won't consent to stay on the sidelines, he fought too hard to win back Erebor he's not just going to sit by and let someone else rule it. I think Kili would be content to stay with Tauriel but he's so damned honorable that if Kili or Thorin asked he'd join them. I need to think about this for a while."
Gandalf nodded though internally he was relieved that the burden of this was not longer just on himself. He'd been debating whether to tell Artemis for days but it had been Galadriel's comment earlier that day about how Artemis knew more about their destiny than she would say that decided him. Artemis looked back at the door and sighed. "But until I can think of something it would be irresponsible to let Death hover like that over Thorin." She let the shield fall and walked back into the building Gandalf following quickly.
"So… this is our new babysitter?" Fili grumbled when she stood at the end of their beds looking them over.
"Oh you wish." Artemis replied and turned to Thorin's bed running her hands over his chest mere inches above the skin. "I'm trying to figure out how you three are even alive when by rights you should be dead."
"You don't believe in miracles?" Kili asked sitting up a little more to watch her.
She looked over at him and he felt his stomach tighten at the look in her dark eyes, it was a mixture of painful experience and knowledge of things no mortal had any business knowing. "I've seen miracles Kili. And I've seen the meddlings of Gods and Demons and other powers in between. Whatever brought you three back was no miracle."
She turned back to Thorin and began murmuring under her breath leaning in towards him, Gandalf wasn't sure of what she was doing but he could feel her power building in her hands and when she rested them on his chest he felt a jolt, like lightening striking a tree just feet away from him and Thorin's body spasmed. Kili and Fili yelled and tried to get out of bed to protect their King but neither of them had any strength and fell out of the beds to lay on the floor. The power ebbed and she straightened her face pale and drawn. She turned to look at them and then with Gandalf's help she got them back into the beds. "What did you do to him?" Fili demanded.
"Gave him some of my strength." Artemis replied shortly.
Gandalf was examining Thorin and was only a little surprised to see that the dwarf was breath more easily, his heartbeat was stronger and there wasn't the sense that death could reclaim him at any minute. Fili looked skeptical. "How?" He demanded.
Artemis sat down on a chair at the end of the beds her legs shaking, her hands shook when she pressed her palms against her temples, she had a murderous headache now. "How?!" Fili demanded again and Gandalf straightened up and rounded on him.
"Hold your fool tongue Fili. She has traded a year of her life to strengthen his. It is no mean feat and a hard price to pay, especially to a dwarf she has never met. A human's years number fewer than a dwarfs and far fewer than an Elves but neither race could have done as she did. Until she has recovered be silent."
He moved to Artemis and touched her head wincing as he got echoes of the pain she was feeling. He went to the small braiser with its kettle and poured out a measure of strong tea. Reaching into his sleeve he pulled out a packet of powder which he sprinkled in the tea, he'd begun keeping a small packet of powdered Athelas leaf with him. He handed her the tea and she gratefully swallowed every drop despite the bitter taste, she felt some of the pain ebbing away to tolerable levels but she was bone tired. When she spoke her voice was squeezed down but everyone could understand her. "It was the only way to drive death away. He was fading and probably would have been dead by tomorrow morning. I just meant to boost his own reserves but he had none left and there was so much emptiness to fill."
Kili and Fili looked over at Thorin then back at her stunned, Kili recovered first. "Thank you, we know you did not have to do that and we are eternally grateful that you did. Our house is ever at your service, you have only to ask and we will do all in our power to see it happen." He gave an awkward bow still sitting in bed and Fili matched him.
Artemis set the cup down gently and stood steadily. "Gandalf, I am going back to my room to lay down. Can you find me in say three hours? I need to talk to Galadriel as well as you, Legolas and Adessa but I desperately need sleep now."
He nodded. "Of course. You should eat something as well."
She nodded absently and left, leaving the two conscious dwarves and Gandalf watching after her. Kili spoke first. "Who is she?"
Gandalf leaned down and picked up the cup before looking at them. "She sets things right." He replied. "Pray that she can set this to rights before the fabric of Middle Earth unravels itself."
He left as well to some private place he knew to think on all the puzzles Artemis had given him.