Apologies for taking so long to update, I am currently suffering from a particularly difficult bout of flu and have only recently managed to convince myself to leave my bed. Also, this chapter was utterly unplanned, and only happened as a result of me wanting to slow down the story as I have it so far. I do think though that many of the points covered here are going to be good for our characters with regards to their future development. That said, enjoy this chapter and don't hesitate to tell me what you think!
Two days had passed since the battle and I now slept in a little room out back of the healing house, to be close to the recovering patients. As the only accomplished healer, Oin had been happy to get some assistance, and he in turn began to show me all there was to know about healing in this world. Thorin and I had not spoken since I awoke from my strange dream of the gods, and I tried not to let that bother me. I knew he was busy, as was I, and I was unsure how to begin a conversation even though I felt more needed to be said. It could wait, I told myself repeatedly. It was not as though I was going anywhere. I began to think about what my talk with them had truly meant, the finality of never going home. I felt like a small part of myself had died, and with sorrow I tried to bury my past life to grieve over later. There was work to do, helping those in my charge to heal, and cementing my place among these people for better or worse.
For the time being, I turned my focus to tying bandages and smoothing balms, supplementing with my healing ability when I could. I was careful to use only a small amount, spreading it among all the patients to ease their recovery. I tired often, so I saved it mostly for those suffering the most pain, broken limbs and the like. I slowly found myself adjusting to the decrease in power that I would likely be burdened with for the rest of my days, feeling grateful at least that I hadn't lost it entirely. All who had been dragged in with injuries were healing, we had not lost anyone else, and for that I was thankful.
When not busy helping with the wounded I found myself among the children. They never ceased to be fascinated by my stories and my friends, and I soon found myself starting a game. Any one of them would call out a type of animal and I would bring one out for them to see. This had at first made some of the parents nervous (especially when I brought out a large snake, spider, and warg cub), but upon seeing that they were all very tame they quickly admitted that they had never seen the dwarflings so well behaved. I had no trouble keeping them busy for hours, sometimes having to wake them to eat where they had dozed off amidst one of the many furry creatures occupying the room. It put a smile on my face to see Kili sleeping with one grubby hand twined in his brothers hair, the other resting on the flank of the little elekk calf. Fili meanwhile was almost buried under the pile of kittens he had been entertaining, his soft snores mingling with their rumbling purrs. Little Ori to my surprise had been quite taken with the fierce looking warg cub, and now lay with his chubby arms wrapped around it.
"Bless me, what a zoo," Dis whispered quietly as she entered the room after having cleaned away the remains of supper. A grin tugged at the corners of her mouth at the sight of the pile of dwarflings and critters sleeping haphazardly on the floor. "Where did you get them all?" I smiled at her question, thinking of all my travels and the many creatures I had come across.
"The elekk I'm not quite sure, all I was told was that he was orphaned so I took him in, although in truth all their stories more or less end that way. The kittens were given to me by a rather mad woman living alone in the forest outside the main human city. She raised them, but the place constantly seemed to become overcrowded so I was always taking them off her hands and finding them good homes. Those ones I grew rather attached to, so I kept them. The warg...?" My face took a sad turn as I remembered the events leading up to his inclusion in my 'family' such as it was. "I was forced to kill his parents. I hadn't even noticed him in the corner until after, when I heard him whimpering. I never even considered what I was doing until he was already in my arms, and by the time I looked into his eyes... He wasn't yet tainted by the evil of his kind, so I decided to give him a different future." Dis looked sympathetic at the end of my tale, knowing well the horror caused by separating a child from their family.
"Looks like you did the right thing, even if he is a warg. Naught but a puppy now, you'd never know him to be the same species as those vicious killers." I nodded in agreement. I had been well pleased to see how quickly he adapted to a gentler lifestyle with the help of all the other companions I already had. They had shown him care and friendship, and he flourished. Placing a hand on her shoulder I stood, moving to head over the the infirmary while Dis took over watching the children. She gave me a nod before turning to look at her sleeping sons.
It was only a few steps to cross the distance between the inn and infirmary, but I found my pace quickening to a run at the sound of distress from inside. Launching myself through the door, I bore witness to a painful sight. Bifur was awake and desperately trying to make his frantic brothers understand something. He continually attempted to get out of bed, looking for whatever it is he thought should have been there. When he suddenly began gesturing towards his head I knew what it was he wanted and headed quickly for my rooms. Digging into my bag, I brought out the axe that had once been in his skull. It was clean, if slightly dinged up, and safely put aside in case it was needed. I had seen others with injuries like his before, and I remembered well their need to keep the item that had injured them. They never said why, but I figured it was a reminder of the event, something to keep them sane. Hurrying back into the room, I strode over to them and placed the object in the dwarf's hands. He calmed almost immediately, giving me such a look of gratitude that it cut off the objections his brothers had begun to voice at the appearance of the offending article.
"Why...?" Bofur asked in confusion. Bifur was currently too engrossed in examining the tiny weapon to form a reply, so I answered him.
"It will help him understand the injury he has suffered. I have seen this before. It gives them a bit of sanity, maybe even something to blame his pain on. He will doubtless be feeling confused, and this may enable him to find some measure of closure." The two brothers nodded in understanding now, relieved that Bifur seemed to be content, even if he was too busy with the small axe to speak to them. When food came, it took a bit of negotiating to get him to focus on the spoon held to his lips, but he submitted calmly enough to the feeding as long as no one tried to take the weapon from him. While Bombur fed him, Bofur took me aside to ask more questions.
"He's not going to, well, go crazy is he?" He looked almost ashamed for asking this, and I felt a surge of pity for the confused dwarf.
"I don't think so," I answered honestly. "He appears to be quite lucid, and is able to eat and communicate relatively well. Of course he may suffer the usual bout of bad dreams, reliving the battle and such, but with you by his side I see no reason he cannot over come it. You have done well by him and he is strong. I daresay he will be just fine in time." Bofur looked to be holding back tears, and he clasped my arm in thanks before moving back to join his family. I stepped back towards the door, feeling suddenly like an intruder.
"That was a good thing you did," Thorin said as he come up behind me. I nodded, lacking words at the moment. The silence stretched between us, not really painful, but making me a little uncomfortable all the same. It was Thorin who broke it. "Can I speak with you outside?" Not waiting for my answer, and probably expecting I would follow, he headed for the door. I sighed, knowing this was as good a time as any for as to discuss those things that had remained unsaid for the last couple days.
Sitting beside him on the same bench I had once occupied before, I waited for him to speak. I knew he would have questions, as I myself did, but I felt it prudent to allow him to go first.
"You said you dreamed of Mahal," he began, addressing my look of confusion. "That is what we call Aule." I nodded now.
"Yes, though he did not speak. I have been given to understand that he is one of those that will be watching over me from now on."
"You will be staying then?" Thorin asked, looking almost hopeful.
"I will. I have been told that I cannot make the journey home, and tasked with the protection of this world now." I tried to stay composed, but my flat tone must have matched the defeated look in my eyes. Thorin actually seemed sad now, his eyes bright with compassion. I was surprised to find myself examining them, the blue startling me. I remembered them being much darker, as if a storm lay inside them, and I saw now how his emotions shone through. Realizing I was staring rudely, I looked down at my lap.
"I am sorry," he said gruffly.
"Don't be," I replied, the corner of my mouth rising in an ever so slight smile. "I may not enjoy fighting, but I have always craved adventure. This is a whole new land for me to explore, I plan to enjoy every minute of it. My sister will be fine with all our old friends around her, she is not alone, and that is all that matters to me." Accepting my reassurance, he shifted, going back to the topic of my living here.
"If you are going to be staying, we need to sort out a more permanent situation. Dis suggested we use the empty plot of land out back of our house to build a home for you. It will be close to here still, and close to the boys, who seem to have become quite fond of you. That is, if that is alright with you?" I smiled genuinely now, a warmth filling me at the prospect of a home to call my own after so long.
"I'd like that," I said softly.
"It's settled then. Until it is built you can stay where you are now, I don't imagine it will take more than a couple weeks or so." When my eyes widened in surprise he just chuckled. "Dwarves work fast, especially when it comes to stone." We sat quietly now, watching the sun set as Thorin brought out a beautifully carved pipe and began to blow lazy smoke rings into the evening air.
The days following fell into a comfortable routine. Wake, divide my time during the day evenly between infirmary and the children, and sleep. I did not normally sleep this much, but I found it surprisingly easy to get used to. I knew once the injured had returned home in the following days and weeks I would be given new tasks. I had been surprised to find that no one wanted my help building the house that I would be living in. They worked fast, the rhythm of cutting stone and mortaring it together sounding almost like a song. It was a steady beat in the background of my days, and I took a moment each evening to view the substantial progress made in my absence. Walls went up, a roof overhead, and I rejoiced to see glass windows and a solid wooden door marking the end of my wait. All that was left to do was move in my few belongings. I had chuckled at having to submit to being measured so they could get the furniture built the right size, but it was a relief to sleep in a bed that actually fit me for once. The one in the infirmary had been uncomfortable, my legs dangling over the edge even when my head was pressed against the wall. I had given up quickly, dragging the bedding to the floor and using my cloak as a blanket. Gazing around the little home I nodded in satisfaction. In time I would begin to add the small touches that would make it my own, for now I simply settled in for a good nights sleep.
More days passed, until the number of patients in the infirmary was low enough that I found myself with nothing to do. Oin finally shooed me out, telling me to seek other work at present. I headed in search of Dwalin, confident that he would have something for me to do, and grateful when I wasn't wrong. He gathered up a few of his men, introductions were exchanged, and he headed out to do a patrol. This was my first real sense of the land, and I listened carefully to what the men said, taking note of any outstanding landmarks and memorizing my surroundings. The dwarves were on ponies, I paced beside them, choosing not to call on Luna when I was easily able to keep up. I had decided to keep my phasing abilities a secret for now, as many of the soldiers were still uncomfortable around me and I didn't wish to increase this feeling.
The patrol was uneventful, the forest lands around the town calm under the autumn sky. I felt a deep sense of comfort from the trees, taking in their joy of the warm sun and good earth. It set a good note for the weeks to come, walking under their branches in the company of my new allies. They grew slowly more accepting of my presence, some even going so far as to talk to me and tell me of their families. I was fascinated with their culture, asking questions with a friendly curiosity that had my fellows eager to tell me all they could. I leaned of their names, their professions when they weren't soldiers, their customs. Everything was tucked away in my mind, kept safe in my happily infallible memory. One of the days Bofur came along, and I was startled to learn he was a toymaker. He was happy to show off his skills, whittling away at something even as he rode along. By the time we had returned to town the block of wood had turned into a tiny Luna with two dwarves on her back that looked remarkably like Fili and Kili. I grinned at the sight, gushing my thanks when he presented it to me as a gift. It took pride of place on the mantle in my little home, the first trinket to mark this place as mine. I resolved to make him some sort of thank you gift in the days following.
My time came quickly, on a cool evening when we were just about to head back to town. We were walking along when I heard a heavy shuffling in the undergrowth nearby. The bushes parted to reveal a hulking black bear. I jumped to the front of the group quickly, sending out soothing thoughts to the startled animal, but to my surprise it wasn't working. It reared on it's hind legs, opening it's mouth in a roar that revealed the cause of it's rage. The frothing mouth pointed to only one thing. The rabid, diseased animal could not be reasoned with, and I was forced to throw myself out of the way of it's heavy swipe. Behind me the ponies were panicking, eyes rolling in distress and dancing in place as their riders fought to stop them from bucking. Before I could blink, Dwalin was there, his heavy war hammer bringing the beast low with an audible crack.
"Alright there?" he asked, momentarily concerned. When I nodded his gaze hardened. "What exactly were you trying to do? Almost got yourself injured." I took the criticism calmly.
"I apologize, normally I would have been able to calm him. I didn't notice until too late his affliction."
"You can talk to them?" he asked incredulously.
"Oh yes. It's not just my animals that I speak to, I can talk to all. Well, except when they are sick in the mind like that. Such an illness banishes all rational thought, erasing their ability to communicate." He grunted in response, thinking over my words and whether they could be put to use. Meanwhile, I took out a long knife and headed toward the corpse.
"What are you doing? He's already dead lass."
"I know, I just think the skin could be put to use, there's good leather there." Raising a hand to stop his protests I continued. "Don't worry, I won't be keeping the meat, I know we can't eat it. This will only take a minute." Indeed, by the time I had finished speaking, I was over halfway finished with my task. Those watching looked a little awed, causing me to smirk. "I'm an expert at this, been doing it for years." Finishing up, I pulled a small flask out of my bag, along with a flint. Pouring just a drop of the contained liquid on the corpse, I stepped back and set it afire, the strange blue flames licking quickly over the body. The others jumped back in surprise, a few letting out yells of caution.
"What in Mahal's name are you doing?" Dwalin barked.
"Sorry," I grinned apologetically. "The liquid will kill the disease on the corpse, the fire spreading it's magic. That way scavengers cannot get sick from eating from it." He nodded in a mixture of confusion and understanding, looking to have had just about enough of my strangeness for the day. Mounting up, he lead the others off while I followed with the large skin draped over one arm. I had plans for this, part of the leather could be made into fine dagger sheaths and belts, something I was also quite talented at.
I had almost made it back to my house before I was intercepted by Dis. She took one look at the large bundle in my arms and raised a brow, silently demanding the story behind my trophy. I retold it to her, as I had been forced to tell it to Thorin when we had gotten back. She listened with interest, nodding in approval at my intention to make the hide into something useful.
"That's a good plan lass, but leave off for now, we have things to do." She was pushing me towards my door, opening it up and taking the large bundle from me to drape over a chair.
"What things?" I asked, feeling very confused. It was mid afternoon, my usual time to be going to visit some of the children. She hadn't thought I was going to skip out on that had she?
"You'll see," she replied mysteriously, leading me back in the direction of the town center. We were soon at the markets, an area I had not yet visited. Noting my interest, she drew me towards a clothing stall, the colorful fabrics holding my attention.
"These are lovely," I sighed, fingering a deep blue cloth with silver threading, the gold-threaded amethyst beside it holding a close second. The dwarrow maid behind the stall exchanged a look with Dis that I failed to see, seeming pleased with my choices.
"You could use some new clothes," Dis broke in, casually interrupting my thoughts. I was startled, then grinned wryly.
"I suppose you're right about that, this armor is the only thing I own. Hardly a day at the market attire." We laughed, proceeding to order enough for a dress of all things. "You know, the last time I wore a dress I wasn't much older than Fili," I chuckled. I felt nervous and excited at the thought of having such feminine clothing. The dwarrow maid took my measurements, promising the gown would be ready to pick up in just under a week.
"Just in time then," Dis thanked her in satisfaction.
"In time for what?" I asked as she led me away, smiling mysteriously again. She didn't reply, instead heading for a stall bedecked with jewels and metal. I was fascinated by the bright colors, not noticing her watching me as I passed careful fingers over the beautiful works. I gasped when I came across a necklace with a jeweled pendant at the bottom. "It looks like Seraph," I breathed in wonder. Hearing her name, the little bird came fluttering out of nowhere to land on my shoulder, peering curiously at the trinkets laid out on the table. She gave a high series of chirps, hopping around excitedly as I laughed. "She agrees, these are wonderful," I explained to the perplexed shopkeeper and Dis.
"You should get it," Dis suggested. I stared at the beautiful pendant, mind whirling.
"Oh, you really think so? I've never had something like this before." Dis looked amused as she wordlessly pointed to the fire opal hanging around my neck. "Oh, well this is different. It's spelled to protect me against fire. I've never had a gem that was just for show." She looked thoughtful, smiling at my wistful look as I continued to eye the jeweled bird.
"It's about time then, don't you think?" Dis laughed at my enthusiastic reply, keeping the thought to herself that it would surely shock the men when I appeared in such different raiment a week from today.
I stood in the middle of the room, examining myself in the floor length mirror critically as Dis looked on. "It feels a little strange," I finally admitted. "It's been so long since I last wore anything like this."
"You look just fine," she soothed me, motioning towards the door. "Come, we have people to see. We're having a big dinner, all the company that first met you." I followed her outside, taking the short walk to the backdoor of her home. The air was turning crisper with the approach of winter, and I was glad that it didn't have much of an effect on me. Still, I felt more relaxed once we were inside again and my long skirts stopped swirling up with the wind. From the sounds of loud conversation, we were the last to arrive, stepping into the room to a sudden silence.
Thorin choked on the ale he was drinking, the sight of Alanta in a dress shocking him to silence. And in the royal blue of Durin, no less. This had to be the work of Dis, his thoughts quickly confirmed by the broad grin on her face as all the dwarves in the room hurried to jump to their feet in greeting. She had turned the warrior girl into some kind of elven princess, and it left him with a peculiar feeling, like he was unsure suddenly how to speak to her. His face torn between a scowl and a smile, leaving him with a strained grimace that seemed to cause the elf no end of politely covered amusement. She sat, talking and laughing with the others, blushing slightly now and then at their compliments, but with the same friendly attitude she always had. He had almost been worried at first that the clothes would turn her into a copy of her haughty kin, quickly forgetting that they were not, in fact, related at all. It pleased him to find this was not the case.
She was grinning at his nephews and teasing Dwalin about something, then talking with Ori about his drawings, complimenting the stick figures happily. Then she was caught up in a discussion of tea with Dori, and handing a wrapped bundle to Bofur with a quiet thanks. It turned out to be a finely wrought leather belt, and Bofur was quick to praise the skill she showed in it's making. She even spoke with Bifur, signing with the limited amount of iglishmek she had picked up on in the last couple weeks. He had been wary at first of allowing her to learn it, but decided it had been worthwhile in the face of the happiness Bifur showed at being able to speak with her. He was healing remarkably, the only thing he still lacked being the ability to speak westron again. No big loss with everyone around him able to understand his signing. The evening drew on in happy chatter around the warm table, good food and ale in abundance and firm friends sharing their life with a new ally.
Author's note: Well, Alanta is settling in nicely now that she knows she won't be going home. Don't read too much into her 'noticing' Thorin's eyes, or his reaction to her party attire. I wanted them to be aware of one another as something other than just allies, but this is nowhere near leading to anything yet. Yes, yes, I changed canon with Bifur a bit, so I decided to at least let him keep the axe. I figure he is probably suffering from a bit of PTSD, and I know enough about that to know that it can cause victims to act in an unpredictable fashion. Hence, his need to keep the cause of his suffering. Just to balance out the dialogue, you have of course the bit of action with the bear, and a bit of fluff at the end. After this, time is going to jump forward a few years and on to some of their adventures as Fili and Kili grow up. Thanks for reading, and I hope you guys enjoyed this segment!