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.)
A/N: Some what of a filler, but yay for more dwarves antics!
I woke up to something tickling my nose and I opened my mouth to blow a puff of air out, but only succeeding in inhaling a few strands of what I figured to be hair. Slowly I opened my eyes and found myself curled on my side. Someone's foot, I assumed Kili's, was wedged into my spine and Fili's back was to me, his blonde mane in my face. I spit his hair out of my mouth and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.
Fili snorted suddenly and rolled, his face inches away from mine. I pulled a face at his breath and made a noise of disgust. It must have startled Fili because his eyes opened suddenly and his eyes met mine. He let out a very unmanly yelp and jumped back.
"Oi, shut up over there," Someone muttered grumpily. The voice was so muffled I couldn't place who it belonged to.
"Where the blazes did you come from?" Fili hissed, his hand on his chest. "I thought you were in your room!"
"I was," I shrugged as I sat up. Kili grunted and stretched, his foot now digging into my thigh. I gave it a shove and he grumbled.
"S'time to get up?" He asked, yawning.
"If you are going to get up, then go so the rest of us can get more shut eye!" Dwalin snapped from his mat. He had rolled onto his back and threw an arm over his face.
"Whats that matter, Dwalin? Are you feeling a bit hung over this morning?" Bofur asked, sitting up. Dwalin chucked something at his head and Bofur ducked. "I suppose that's a yes,"
I stood up and stretched, looking down to find Bilbo still curled under his cloak, hardly looking to have moved at all during the night. I shook my head.
"I'm going to head on over to the stables. Grey-mane found his way here, and I want to go check him over." I said, stepping gingerly around Fili and Bilbo. "I'll meet up with you guys later."
Fili flung an arm in the air in what I guessed was supposed to be a wave and flopped back over. Kili had already fallen back asleep.
I only got a little lost looking for the stables. Okay, so a lot lost. I ended up having to ask an elf for help, and I was laughed at. A little grumpy after not nearly enough sleep and with a headache to boot, I did not appreciate the elves' humor at that moment.
Grey-mane had greeted me with a snort and a nicker once he saw me. I spent an hour or more with him, brushing him out and talking to him about nothing in particular. Slowly, Elves began to gather and I said my good byes to the horse with one last pat. I promised to smuggle him a treat later.
We spent most of the next two days relaxing and tending to our gear. Kili showed me how to re-string a bow, and Balin showed me the proper way to sharpen a sword. I sat with Oin and we talked about healing. I had taken a simplified combat medic course while in the army and knew the basics. We discussed different techniques of fixing various ailments. The old dwarf surprised me a few times with what he knew.
I spent time with Nori who showed me how to pickpocket. I watched with delight as Bifur made amazing toys and crafts with hardly any effort. Bombur talked of different spices and seasonings. I even sat down with Dori, Gloin, and Dwalin while they discussed different battle techniques. Ori showed me some of his amazingly detailed sketches, and Fili talked about the merits of wielding two weapons versus one. I hardly saw Thorin except for at meal times.
One the third day, Maerwen told me I could use my arm without fear of hurting myself further as long as I didn't push it. Thanks to the amazing healing abilities of the elves, the gash on the back of my arm was healing nicely and, while it was still bruised and tender, it was no longer swollen and the skin had already begun to knit itself almost completely back together.
"Here," Fili said. He tossed a sword in its sheath at me and I made to grab at it. I failed miserably and it clattered to the ground. I grumbled as I bent over to pick it up. I studied it a moment. The pommel was a simple oval shaped piece of metal that was worn and polished with use. The hilt was wrapped tightly with leather in a criss-crossed pattern for grip. I wrapped my hand around it and tugged the sword from its sheath.
The metal glistened in the sunlight and, while I did not know much about blades, it looked beautifully made for all its simplicity.
"Its' a bastard sword, so its not quite as long. It is meant for close quarters fighting. Not too heavy, but, if wielded properly, can still take off a limb or a head if need be." Fili explained as I looked it over.
"And where did you get it from?" I asked, raising an eye brow in his direction. He managed to look a little sheepish. I slipped the sword back into its sheath.
"I may have nicked it from the armory."
"May have. Mhm." He smirked and jerked his head for me to follow him. We walked a short while before we came across what I guessed were the training fields. There were not many elves around, but plenty of dwarves. It seemed like after a few days of idleness, most of the dwarves had begun to feel restless. Dwalin and Bifur were sword fighting. Kili was shooting his bow at targets in the distance. Gloin was hacking at a target with his axe. Others were sharpening their blades, or cleaning them.
"You remember your stances, right?" Fili asked, standing opposite of me. He tugged one of his blades free and swung it a few times. I nodded and tugged my own blade back out and tossed the sheath off to the side. I stretched my shoulders a little, then stood with my knees bent. Fili worked me through some basic thrusts and parries for awhile before giving me a wicked grin. Without warning, he slashed his sword at me and I managed to block it, barely. I took a few steps back and glared at him. He advanced and circled me a moment, then came at me again. I pulled my blade up and met his again. He would thrust his sword at me, and I would attempt to block it the best I could. Fili whirled behind me and I twisted out of the way, bringing up my blade as I did so. Fili had to jerk himself back to avoid being hit. He nodded his head to me.
"Good, good. You are faster then I expected," His breath was only coming a little fast, whereas my chest was heaving with the effort to suck in air. "Your blows lack force, so your speed will be your strength."
He came at me again, faster this time, and it took everything I had to move myself out of the way or to match his strikes. A particularly hard strike caused me to stumble and I fell back on to my ass. I scrambled backwards as Fili advanced and I had to roll to avoid him. I jumped to my feet and whirled around to block his blade and felt myself get pushed backwards despite the fact that I was now using all the force I could muster with two hands to hold him back. I could feel sweat trickling into my eyes and felt my arms begin to waiver.
"Alright, enough," Fili said, easing up.
He dropped his blade and stepped back. I stumbled now that there was no pressure against my sword and fell on my ass again
"You lasted longer then I though you would, that's for sure." He said, slipping his blade back into its place. He reached out a hand to help me up. He pulled me to my feet and I brushed my ass off before glancing up.
I realized then that most of the dwarves had stopped what they were doing to watch us and I groaned to myself. Fili glanced over to Balin and sighed before reaching into his pocket and tossing a small purse at him. Balin caught it and winked at me.
"You bet against me?" I asked, mock insulted. Fili grinned and shrugged. I glared at him and went to pick up the sheath from where I had tossed it. Dwalin offered me a small nod as he walked past me, brandishing his own weapon. I sat down next to Balin and watched as Fili faced off against him. Within seconds, it became painfully obvious just how easy he had been going on me. My eyes could barely follow the flash of the swords and the whirling forms of the two dwarves.
"Remember, lassie. They have had years to learn this. You have had a few short weeks. You are doing a lot better than most expected," Balin said kindly from beside me. "And Fili spoke true. You are small of frame and that makes you quite quick. In time, you will gain strength, too. But do not expect it to come all at once."
"Thank you, Balin. I know it takes time, really. But its just frustrating…" I motioned towards Dwalin and Fili who had now forgone swords and were grappling. Dwalin had Fili in a head lock and appeared to be giving Fili a noogie. I let out a dry laugh and shook my head.
"What is frustrating…?" Balin prompted.
"I am a female. No matter how hard I try, I will never be as strong as a men, and certainly not as strong as a dwarf. In a fair fight between an orc and I… I would lose in a heartbeat."
Balin looked at me seriously for a moment, then his expression softened a little.
"Then the key is to fight dirty." I smiled a little at that. "Besides, lass. You are becoming quite the archer. With practice, no doubt you will be to fight from afar should we need you to. Should the battle come to you… Well, have no doubt that each of us would protect you the best we could."
"That's just it, Balin. I don't want to have to be protected. I want to be able to take care of myself. I don't want to be useless." My voice broke slightly and I clenched my teeth, dropping my head. Balin touched the back of my hand and I looked up at him.
"Have you forgotten that you saved the life of Kili? I doubt that he, his brother, or indeed, Thorin find you useless." I narrowed my eyes and wondered how he knew. Everyone except for Thoin, Kili, and myself had already been down into the cavern when I had taken my shot.
"Did you think Kili did not tell us?" Balin asked. "He practically bragged and claimed it was his teaching that allowed you to make the shot."
I laughed despite the fact that I could feel tears threatening.
"Then I guess I shouldn't tell him I was aiming for the orc." Balin laughed merrily at that and patted my back. He stood up and, offering a small bow, headed off to rescue poor Fili.
Bilbo appeared next to me and handed me a flask. I gratefully accepted it and took a long swig of water. It had begun to get warm and I could still feel the sweat dripping down my face, back, and other more unsavory places.
"You are a lot braver than I," he said after accepting back the flask. "Going against those thick headed brutes."
I laughed and put an arm around his shoulder.
"Bravery has nothing to do with it, dear hobbit. It is one hundred percent pure stubbornness."
We shared a laugh and for awhile we sat in silence as the dwarves took turns knocking each other silly. At midday we stopped for lunch and once we had eaten our fill, the elves offered to show us to the pools. A few of the dwarves glanced at each other and grinned. It seemed as though there was a unanimous decision to spend the afternoon there and I rolled my eyes at the child like excitement that some of the dwarves, particularly the younger bunch, had. I told them I would meet up with them and went to my room to change.
Over the past few days I had accumulated a few sets of clothes. Another set of leggings, a shorter pair of pants that reminded me of capris, two more tunics, much more practical and less feminine then the one I had worn before, a long flowing night gown that I refused to wear, and the dress that Sithiel had brought me that first day. I also had been given clean underwear, socks, and very simplified bras, one of which reminded me of a sports bra at home, except thicker. Thank god, too. If it got too cold, I might poke an eye out.
I had asked Maerwen what was acceptable to wear to the pools and she had laughed mischievously. She implied that, normally, very little was worn to such a place, but if that was not to my comfort level, then anything would do. I thanked her, suddenly fumbling at the thought of being naked in front of the group. Kili, Fili, Nori and Bofur would no doubt flirt endlessly and crack dirty jokes while the others probably wouldn't ever be able to look me in the eye again. I felt an uncomfortable jolt when I thought of Thorin.
I decided on the sports bra and the short pants. It covered up enough for modesty's sake but had little enough fabric that it wouldn't weight me down in the water. After grabbing a fluffy towel from my nightstand, I made my way outside, using the loud yells, laughs, and curses from the dwarves as my guide.
My throat went dry when I reached the pools. It was basically just a huge stream dug out with smaller pools built off to the sides. It was a beautiful area, but that was not why my mouth had gone dry and why I had suddenly ceased being able to think coherently.
Elven men in various stages of dress, or, rather, undress, were laughing merrily as they swam in the stream. Their finely toned, golden bodies slipped through the water easily like otters as their hair fanned out around them, or stuck wetly to their slick bodies.
"You are just about as bad as Gloin!" Dori called out from the pools that him and the rest of the company occupied. I turned away from the elves, embarrassed that I had been caught so blatantly checking them out. Most of the dwarves were down to loose shirts and trousers. A few went shirtless, like Dwalin, who was snoozing in the shade and Ori and Nori, who were riding on the shoulders of Fili and Kili. Bifur was off to the side, cheering them on as the wrestled. The sight didn't bother me, though. We had all, at one point or another, seen each other in our underclothes. It was impossible not to when we had traveled together so long.
After thinking over Dori's comment, I looked over for Gloin, who was sitting in the shallows, re-braiding his hair. I caught him occasionally glancing off into the distance where a bunch of elleths were laughing and swimming. I shook my head and thought of how, much later, his son Gimli would feel the same way about elven women and I grinned.
Some of the others were doing laps. Even Thorin was there, though he was still dressed and had just a bare foot in the stream, watching the antics of his nephews with a smile on his face, puffing on a pipe every once and awhile. I peered over the waters edge, surprised, for some reason, with the perfection of the bank. It looked like one of those man-made 'natural' pools from home. I gingerly stuck a toe in the water and, once I realized that it was not nearly as cold as I was expecting, tossed my towel to the ground and hopped in.
I was adjusting to the water slowly when a wave of water hit my back. I squealed loudly, not expecting the cool water and whipped around. Nori had fallen off of Fili's back and came to the surface, sputtering. Ori cheered and jumped off of Kili's back into the water. I grinned and leaned back against the ledge.
Kili and Fili tugged off their shirts and traded places with Nori and Ori. I tried to keep in mind that they were friends, then said fuck it and admired their toned bodies. Where the elves were willowy and slim with perfect skin and only the hint of muscles, the dwarves were well muscled and sculpted. Each one had scars of varying sizes and shapes that marred their skin I had been surprised to find that the dwarves were not nearly as hairy as I had expected. Some of the older dwarves were fairly well covered with a thick coat, and don't get me started on Nori, who's passion for oddly groomed hair extended past his shoulders, but some of the others were no hairier than some men I had seen. Dwalin, I had been surprised to find, was damn near hairless on his chest and back.
The afternoon passed pleasantly under the sun. Even after this mornings rigorous sword fight with Fili, I was feeling fairly well refreshed. Dori and Bifur and even Balin joined Kili, Fili, Bofur, and Ori in their wrestling match, and the rest of us watched on, laughing at their antics. Even Thorin managed a hearty laugh when Bofur flipped off of Bifurs back, his pants catching on the portion of axe still stuck in Bifur's head. The trousers came clean off and fell over Bifurs eyes and Bofur had fallen quite naked into the water. I shut my eyes tightly and turned away while the others teased him and Dori complained of his bleeding eyes.
We were called to dinner and I choose that night to sit next to Ori, who had promised to show me a sketch he had done of Rivendell. I complimented him on his skills and he had blushed brightly. He had asked me about my hobbies, and that turned into a question-and answer session where we all seemed to talk an awful lot about nothing.
Once dinner was over, I helped carry Bilbo, who had, it seems, spent most of his day at the library, to the sleeping area. Balin and I left him on top of his sleeping mat, snoring away happily and we met back up with the rest of the dwarves who now sat in front of a large bonfire. I listened as stories were told and songs were sung. As the night passed, everyone began to slip away to bed until only Balin, Thorin, and I remained. Yawning sleepily, I bid them good night, and left them softly discussing something in rapid dwarvish.
I made my way back to the tree and was about to settle down when I realized that someone had brought down an extra sleeping roll and cloak down in my now customary spot near Fili, Kili, and Bilbo.