Disclaimer: Anything you recognize is not my own, yadda yadda yadda. I'm not making any money off of this. (Though I wish I could.)
Sithiel left me standing at the top of a few steps. I took a deep breath and started on down. One by one, the voices of the dwarves before me died down. I glanced up to find every last one of them staring at me. Bilbo, Kili, Fili, Ori, Nori, Bifur, and Bofur had looks of astonishment on their faces. Some of the others, Gloin, Oin, and Balin in particular, looked amused by the reaction of the younger dwarves. Dwalin and Dori looked on with their usual stoic faces where I was involved. Bombur had glanced at me, waved a forkful of whatever he was eating at me, and had returned his attention to the food.
Thorin was the last that I noticed to be watching. His look was appraising and I suddenly wished I could disappear into a hole. I could comfortably belch and cuss in front of them, and joke around with them about their masculinity just fine. Put me in some girly clothes and I wanted to die of embarrassment.
Bifur broke the silence first, growling out something in broken dwarvish that suddenly broke the tension. Everyone laughed, except for Bilbo and I, who looked at each other in confusion.
"Do I even want to know what he said?" I asked wryly, coming to stand at the bottom of the steps.
"He wanted to know if you got to see any of those female elves naked and if you did, would you please describe it?" Nori grinned and I shot Bifur a mocking glare. He waggled his bushy eyebrows at me and I couldn't help but join in the laughter. Kili and Fili stood and while Fili rearranged the chairs a bit, Kili pulled up a new chair between the two of them. Bofur walked over to me and dropped a low exaggerated bow.
"May I escort m'lady to her seat?" He held up a hand, smirking. I smacked him in the back of the head.
"Knock that shit off, and get me something to drink."
"Of course, m'lady." He ducked before I could swat him again and moved to the table that held a large barrel. He grabbed a goblet and filled it to the top with a deep red liquid that I was pretty sure was wine.
Kili and Fili motioned for me to sit between them and I obliged. My glass of wine was passed down the table, sloshing as it went. A large splash landed in Gloin's lap and he elbowed Bifur, who had been the one to pass it to him. Nori took a large sip of it, to which I yelled at him indignantly. Finally it made its way to me.
"Elvish wine is strong stuff. Are you sure you can handle it?" Bofur asked from across the table with a grin. As an answer, I took a large swallow and, when I found how smooth it was, downed it in one go. Evidently, I had not learned my lesson with Sgt Piers.
Fili clapped me on my back as I wiped my face with the back of my hand. I tossed the goblet back at Nori.
"Since you stole a sip, you can get me a more," I said as he caught it.
"Oh, no, Talya. That was merely a tax," He shook his head and tossed it to Ori, who happened to be the closest to the barrel. With a shy smile at me, he refilled the glass and brought it to me so that Nori couldn't drink more of it.
"Thank you, Master Ori. Finally a dwarf who knows how to treat a lady."
"Hey now, us dwarves are the epitome of gentlemen when it comes to women-folk. You just have to find us a lady, first." Bofur cracked. I toasted him and downed my glass again.
"Touché,"
Knowing I would be in some serious shit if I continued to drink that way, particularly on an empty stomach, I began to pull food onto my plate. There was a plethora of leafy greens, fruits, and veggies and a very large platter of fish. I helped myself to a large portion of fish and a spoonful of a gravy-and-mushroom concoction.
I felt like I was starving after living off of such meager rations the past few weeks. I ate two huge helpings of fish, three scoops of the mushrooms, a salad with fresh tomatoes, and a few light pastries that had a sweet berry filling.
"Are you sure you are not a hobbit, Talya?" Bilbo asked cheekily, his face rosie from wine.
"I am sure, Bilbo. I think I would have noticed if that particular bit of my anatomy was fuzzy." I winced as soon as the words left my mouth. Kili snorted into his goblet, sloshing wine down the front of himself. Nori and Bofur roared with laughter and even Dwalin managed a snort.
"Oh god, that came out wrong," I said. "I meant my feet, you dirty minded bastards."
Bifur barked something out again and looked at me with wide, innocent eyes.
"Oi, he said 'of course you meant your feet. What other body part could you have possibly meant?"
I flipped him off.
"You know, you keep doing that," Fili said next to me. "What does it mean?"
I winced again and sipped my wine. I was on my third glass now and I could feel the warmth in the pit of my stomach.
"It just means 'fuck you', or 'fuck off." I answered, shrugging.
"And you just say it by doing this?" Kili raised his middle finger to me innocently.
"Yes, you ass," I said slapping his hand away. He snickered.
I sat back and adjusted my belt. I had eaten entirely too much. I looked around at the table and studied my companions. They all cleaned up rather well, particularly Fili and Kili. For the first time, I thought about how handsome they really were, then kicked the thought right back out of my wine-addled head.
They had all bathed and changed into fresh clothes and I chuckled to myself, wondering if anyone had to bribe Bombur to bathe, or if they simply dragged him, kicking and screaming, into the bath houses. The dwarf loved his food and his rest, so his time was spent between those two things. Even when we had the opportunity to wash, it took Dwalin to finally complain of his stench for him to actually clean himself. After a moment, I frowned, realizing that Thorin was not there and had left without eating. It had been a rough day and he should have been there, too, relaxing along with the rest of us.
"Come on, lassie. Sing for us!" Gloin called out suddenly. My eyes widened and I looked in his direction.
"Oh, no no no, Master Dwarf. Talya Conner does not sing. Cats in heat make a better racket." I wasn't lying. I had been kicked out of a karaoke bar once for my terrible drunken rendition of 'Girls just wanna have fun.'
"Surely you must jest. All pretty ladies sing well!" Nori said with a wink.
"Well, then Nori, you should be able to serenade us much better than I."
He drunkenly paused, for the dwarf had to have drank half a barrel to himself, and then said an indignant 'hey!'. I just shook my head and excused myself to find a restroom.
One of the elves who had been helping bring food and wine to and from the dining area showed me where to relieve myself. I answered the call of nature, washed my hands, and, after having a hell of a time pulling my leggings up, adjusted my belt and tugged my tunic back in place.
As I walked back, I noticed Throin standing off in the distance as he so often did. I hesitated for a moment, then let out a long sigh, hoping I wasn't about to regret bugging him. I made my way back to the dining room and piled a bit of everything on a plate. I poured wine into a goblet and carried that and the plate to where Thorin stood, looking out over the now dark valley.
"Master Oakenshield?" I said softly. I felt uncomfortable around him usually, but without my gear and weapons, and after his sincere thanks for the life of his nephew, I felt naked.
He turned slowly to look at me and, just like his nephews, I realized he cleaned up nice. For once, he did not look angry or annoyed. He just looked tired.
"I noticed you didn't eat, and well, I figured I'd bring you something before the rest ate it all." I held out the plate and the goblet. He raised an eyebrow at me, and for a moment I thought he would refuse and tell me to leave.
"Thank you," He said softly, and I was stunned. He took the plate with one hand and the goblet in another. I stood awkwardly as I watched him lean against the fence of the balcony. He placed his goblet down and popped a bite of fish in his mouth. He chewed a moment, then picked up a roll and tossed it to me. I caught it and looked at him questioningly.
"You are thinner then you were," It was a statement.
"Now, Master Oakenshield, did you not realize it was rude to comment on a lady's weight?"
He chewed thoughtfully a moment, and then said something that shocked me.
"I will remember that the next time I come across one." A ghost of a smile passed his lips and I realized he must have heard the banter from before. I let myself smile a little.
"Will you come back to the company?" I asked.
"Not tonight," He answered after taking a long sip of wine. He looked back out over the valley.
"Good night, Talya Conner."
"Good night, Master Oakenshield."
I turned and walked slowly back to the group, contemplating the journey so far. I wondered how long we would stay in Rivendell and hoped that it would be longer than the day or two depicted in the movies. Not that I would admit it to any of the dwarves, but I was beyond exhausted. I had not pushed myself this hard, even during basic training. I needed the time to recuperate and gain back some weight. I hoped, too, that I would have time to work on my shooting, particularly with what I knew was ahead. Maybe I could even borrow a sword from the armory that could 'hold up to my hacking', as Kili had put it.
As I reached the group, I had to laugh and shake my head. Nori was standing on top of the table, belting some dwarvish tune out at the top of his lungs with Bofur, Dori, and a very red-faced Gloin singing back up.
"Oi, there ya are lassie. We thought you might have drowned in those fancy elven toilets." Dori called out, hushing the others as he did so. Obviously, he became much friendlier when he was drunk.
"Come on, Talya. There is still plenty of wine to be had." Bofur shouted, refilling an empty goblet. I let out a long breath and walked back to my newly filled glass.
"Down the 'atch!" Nori yelled, holding his goblet up. I picked up mine and we clicked glasses. He threw back the wine and gulped it down greedily. I made a face, then thought, the hell with it. I downed the wine and let out a loud belch.
"Was that a challenge?" Gloin asked, hiccuping. He made a face, then let out a ridiculously long and low burp. I swear to god, the table shook. Oin, who was sitting next to him, waved his hand in front of his face.
"Gloin, that was in my face!" He complained. Gloin looked at him with one eye shut. He screwed up his face once more and let out another belch, inches away from Oin's face. Oin sighed disgustedly, then belched right back.
Everyone watched the brothers fight with amusement. I rolled my eyes.
"Is the lady offended?" Fili asked cheekily. I shoved him gently.
"I don't know, are you?" Fili pushed me back with a laugh. I glared at him and he held up his hands in mock surrender. I kicked him in the shin and he yelped. Kili grabbed me from behind and held me lightly.
"I will avenge you, Brother!" His fingers were posed at my sides.
"Don't you dare," I snapped. He grinned and wagged his brows mischievously.
"Are you…. Ticklish?" His fingers dove into my sides and I shrieked. It was NOT a pretty sound. Oin winced and pulled his horn away from his ear, and some of the others, despite the fact that they were laughing, put their hands over their ears.
"By Durins beard, is that what your singing is like?" Fili asked, tilting his seat back as he watched Kili tickle the hell out of me. I was gasping for breath, laughing so hard I had tears running down my cheeks. My foot shot out and hit his chair and he lurched backwards. He hit the ground with a thud and was on his feet quicker than I had thought possible for a dwarf.
"I must regain my honor. Have at you, foe!" Kili held my arms gently while Fili pounced, his fingers digging into my sides.
"Stop, no, stop it dammit… I'm warning you…" The brothers ignored my desperate pleas. I was thrashing wildly now, and I flung a fist out. It hit Kili square in the face and he fell back, shocked. Fili stopped what he was doing to stare at his brother, who was now flat on his ass, holding his nose. It was bleeding.
"Kili, are you okay?" I gasped, feeling really guilty that I actually hurt him.
"Mahals' balls, Talya, you have a hell of an arm," Kili said, laughing. He peered at me, still clutching his nose. "All we have to do is get an orc to tickle you, and you'd kick his arse one handed."
I stood up and held out my hand to him. He grasped my forearm with his left hand, his right still holding his nose, and I pulled him to his feet. Fili was still sitting back on his heels, but he quickly fell over when Kili dropped his hands. Suddenly there was a howl of laughter from the dwarves. Kili's nose was bloody and he was supporting a now rapidly bruising eye. I bit back a laugh.
"Kili, really, are you alright?" He mock glared at me.
"Your concern would be much more convincing if you would stop laughing between words." He answered, dryly.
"Wait… till… Uncle hears… that a woman… gave you a black eye!" Fili said, clutching his sides laughing. Kili winked at me, then flipped his brother off. The peals of laughter were renewed. I touched Kilis arm in concern, wincing as I took a closer look at his face.
"I am fine, Talya. My pride is a bit damaged, but this is not the first black eye that I have received. It is not the first and it will not be the last."
"If it makes you feel any better, you have a really hard head." I said. My knuckles were starting to ache where they had connected with what I assumed to be his cheek bone.
After that, the party died down. Gloin, Ori, who apparently held his booze about as well as I did, and Bombur passed out at the tables, leaving the elves to try to clean up around them. Everyone else began heading to a large space in a court yard under a tree to lay their heads. I left, too, after a loud round of goodnights' from the drunken dwarves.
Once I reached my room, I stripped my off my cloak and boots, then crawled into bed. The pillows were feather soft, the sheets and blankets warm and inviting. I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds of the waterfall that the soft breeze carried in. Elf-song came and went and for hours, I lay awake. It felt so odd being there in the room by myself. I had come to miss the sounds of the dwarves snoring, punctuated every now and again with the harsh and rasping dwarvish tongue as they muttered in their sleep.
Midnight had come and gone, and I still couldn't sleep. I sighed heavily and threw back the blankets. I pulled my boots back on and threw my cloak over my shoulders, not bothering to fasten it. I closed my door softly behind me and made my way outside towards the large tree.
"You are still awake?" Thorin's voice came from my left and I looked to find his silhouetted form leaning against a pillar. I pulled my cloak tighter around me and shuffled slightly. His head was turned towards me.
"Yeah. I guess I just got used to sleeping near you all. Its too quiet up there," I nodded my head back towards the guest quarters.
"I heard you gave Kili a black eye." I flinched.
"Uh yeah… about that…" I stammered.
"He deserved it, no doubt," Thorin said dryly. I stared.
"….Kind of. Fili and him wouldn't stop tickling me." My voice sounded childish. He tilted his head back slightly.
"He says you hit hard," Thorin paused. "Even for a girl."
We stood regarding each other for a moment, silent. After a moment, Thorin stood up and dusted himself off.
"I will find my rest, I think. There is space near my nephews and our burglar, if you decide you wish to sleep amongst us."
He inclined his head in a goodnight, and I returned the gesture. I watched him walk a little further off before laying down on his sleeping roll.
I picked my way through the sleeping dwarves, noting that, thankfully, Fili, Kili, and Bilbo had settled well on the other side of Bombur and Bifur, the two brothers notorious for stinking out anyone nearby while they slept. Bilbo was curled up in a ball, his cloak tucked around him. Fili was sprawled on his back, one arm thrown over his chest the other tucked under his shirt. Kili was on his stomach, snoring softly into the crook of his arm. Even in this light, I could see the purple of his bruised eye. I shook my head.
I threw my cloak on the ground in the small triangle-shaped space between the boys and lay down, using my arms as a pillow. With the familiar sound of the companies' night time movements and noises as my lullaby, I closed my eyes and finally drifted off to sleep.
A/N: So, slowly but surely, Talya is building a place for herself within the company. Thorin, still thankful for her saving Kili, is starting to show Talya a little bit of his softer side. We'll see how long that lasts for.