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.)
AN: Some fluffy goodness between Talya and some of the dwarves before they start on their travels to Mirkwood, where shit gets heavy again.
I spent a few minutes starring off in the direction that Thorin had left in. I didn't understand what the hell his problem was. Its not like he had never seen me in wet clothes before. Granted, I was usually wearing a bra, at least, but it still didn't explain his very sudden shift in mood. I was beginning to think he had the dwarven equivalent of bi-polar disorder.
I tugged his cloak around my shoulders and headed back to the house, dogs in tow. I stopped and hung my drying clothes up in a low hanging tree, and set off towards the dwarves, most of whom had settled outside in small groups.
"There you are lassie. We were beginning to get worried." Balin called out, waving once he saw me. I smiled and made my way over to the old dwarf.
"Sorry. I was enjoying the water. Its warm and so refreshing." I answered.
"Obviously, you were enjoying the water a little too much," Nori said, motioning with a piece of bread in his hand.
"Yeah, well, Thorin scared the shit out of me and I fell back in the water. He was gracious enough to lend me his cloak." I replied tightly.
"Thorin, a peeper? Never thought the old dwarf had it in him!" Bofur called out.
"He just came by to check on me." I snapped. I sat down on the ground and began to pull my fingers through my hair. It was, to my frustration, snarled beyond belief despite the fact that I had washed it.
"Come here, Talya," Kili said, waving to me from his spot on a log they had dragged over. "I'll sort it out."
I turned to look at him with narrowed eyes. He held his hands up in a gesture of peace.
"No tricks, I promise."
I looked down at a hopelessly tangled knot and decided there was nothing for it. I sighed heavily, stood, and made my way over to him. I plopped down between his legs and crossed my own, resting my hands in my lap.
"Alright… But don't be doing anything weird to it."
"I would never! That would be sacrilege!" He gasped, mock-offended. "We have much pride in our hair. We only cut it off when we are in mourning, or when we have suffered a serious loss in battle."
Kili gently pushed my head forward and with a gentleness that surprised me, began to carefully tug the snarls out of my hair.
"You wear it down now." Fili said, coming to sit down next to us. "When first we met, you always had it up. I was surprised to finally see how long it really is."
I shrugged, and Kili tapped the top of my head, as if to say 'don't move'.
"It was force of habit, really. In the army, we had to keep our hair either up, or at the very least, off of our shoulders. I've always liked my hair, though. It reminds me of my mom."
Kili continued to tug at my hair, apologizing when he would pull particularly hard.
"I wonder how you would look in braids." Balin said suddenly. I looked up at him.
"I've had my hair braided before." I replied, looking at him up through my lashes. Kili had pushed my head forward further to better reach my hair. It was true. I had done a single long braid down my back before, though it didn't stay very long. I had never been very talented at fixing my own hair.
"Bah. That was an elf-lock," Nori piped in. "A messy elf lock, but one all the same."
"I was talking about dwarven braids, lass." Balin answered.
"Isn't that something special to you guys?"
"I suppose you could consider them special to us. We have our own way of braiding and twisting our hair that you do not find amongst any other race. It is rare to find any but a dwarf wearing their hair as we do." Balin shifted in his seat and looked me over.
"If you would allow me, Talya, I would very much like to plait your hair." Kili said from behind me, having finished smoothing it out. Despite the casual way they were talking about it, I felt like it meant something more than what they were implying. A small lump formed in my throat and I cleared it hastily.
"I'd be honored, Kili."
I sat in silence with my head bowed and my eyes lowered as Kili's quick fingers began to shape my hair. After plaiting a long braid in the back of my head and some fidgeting on his part, he had me turn to face him.
He began to braid my hair into sections from there. While his eye never left the hair in his hands, he would smirk every once and awhile, making faces at me while he worked. After awhile, Fili began to join in, and I began to laugh.
"Hey, now. Don't be moving around so much." Kili chided.
"Then stop making faces at me!"
"Making faces? Me? Now, Fili, would I do such a thing?" Kili asked, glancing at Fili out of the corner of his eye.
"Of course not!" Fili said, his eyes glinting. Careful not to move too much, I brought my hand up and flicked him off.
Kili was nearly done when I felt someone behind me.
"Here, lad," Bofur said, holding something out to Kili. Kili took the small object, and quickly began to fix it into my hair. I glanced down at the braid Kili held and noticed a small silver bead there that looked very familiar.
"And here," Nori said, coming to stand just to my right. Another bead, another braid.
"One more," Ori said softly. I had not even heard him join us.
"And the last," Said Fili. I watched him carefully detach one of the beads from a braid on the side of his head and hand it out to his brother.
My mouth was dry as Kili fixed the last bead in my hair. He sat back and admired his handy work. I reached up to touch the braids, playing with each bead very gently. I furrowed my brows when I felt a clasp on the back of my head and I realized, when Kili turned to look at those who had gathered around us, that it was the one that had been on the back of Kili's head. I turned to look at Bofur, Nori, and Ori and realized that, just like Fili, they had all removed one of the many beads in their own hair and had offered them up to me. I remembered what Thorin had said about such gifts being a symbol of affection, and I smiled warmly at them, thinking to myself Don't cry!
"Thank you," I said softly. Balin approached me finally and held up a small silver plate so that I could look.
My hair style was done very similarly to Fili's, with a braid down my back, and two on either side of my head. I tilted my head first one way, and then the other. I beamed at Kili and, without warning, hugged him tightly, then turned to hug each dwarf in turn. Surprisingly, it was Nori who blushed the most. He muttered an awkward your welcome before claiming that he heard Dori calling for him. Balin shook his head and clasped me on the shoulder before walking away. One by one, the dwarves left until it was just Fili, Kili, and I.
"I don't know how to thank you guys. I have nothing of mine to give you." I said softly after awhile.
"You don't have to," Fili answered. "We have offered you these things with no intent on getting anything in return. Think of them merely as our gestures of gratitude. You joined on this quest despite not having any claim in it. You have risked your life for us and have fought along side of us."
"Besides," Kili said softly. "You are the only one I have ever seen speak to Uncle so and yet you still stand. That alone is commendable."
I laughed despite myself.
"Yeah, well, I think he'd still much rather if I hadn't come along at all."
Fili turned his head slightly to the side as he looked at me, unusually serious.
"I think he appreciates having you along more than you think. He has changed since you have accepted a place here amongst us. I do not know what you have said to him in the past.. But he is much more light-hearted then I have ever remembered him being."
"Of course he is. You guys are well on your way to claiming your home land."
"Don't sell your self so short, Talya," Kili said. "You have become important to all of us."
The heartfelt statement from the normally very playful and teasing Kili had me nearly choking back tears. The two coughed and turned away so I could wipe my eyes and save my dignity.
Once my clothes had dried, I spent some time mending them the way Oin had done with his own. Once the tears were fixed, I pulled them on and set Bilbo's things out to dry next. I spent the rest of the afternoon sharpening my sword and polishing my bow. The arrows I had given to Bifur, who had insisted of re-fletching and re-tipping the most damaged ones, while crafting more to replace the ones I had lost.
As night fell, Beorn called us in for dinner. I was the last one to finally make my way inside.
I was greeted by all manner of animals as I came in and I had to fight to reach the table. I patted the head of my last obstacle, a large black ram, and was head-butted for my efforts. I fell on my ass, much to the amusement of my companions, and I watched the ram trot off with his head held high.
"Do not take offense. He only does that to those he is fond of." Beorn said from across the room. I rubbed my now sore backside.
"I'd hate to see what he does to those that he doesn't like," I muttered darkly.
Beorn came over to me and, before I could argue, he had picked me up and carried me to the table, where he plopped me down next to Bilbo. A little bewildered, I brushed a braid behind my shoulder and adjusted my clothes. Bilbo grinned at me, and, when I picked up my mug, he clanked his glass against mine.
As we started eating, there was much mention of the braids I now sported. Nearly everyone complimented me, even Dwalin saying it was nice to see me wearing my hair in a proper style for a change. Thorin's eyes had even softened when he looked over my braids, but when he noticed I was looking at him, he hastily turned his head and continued whatever conversation he had been having with Gandalf.
"The animals like you, little lamb." Beorn said, once he had taken a seat at the head of the table. "Do you think I could persuade you to stay here? Together, we can build a mighty clan of skin-changers. Our sons will be as fierce as I, and our daughters as beautiful as you. Together, we could rule this wood." He wagged his eye brows at me and laughed heartily. I choked on the sip of milk I had just taken and Bilbo pounded me hard on the back. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and cleared my throat.
"I thank you for the offer, Beorn, but uh.." I had to clear my throat again. "I'm afraid that I am bound by contract to finish this quest. That, and I have become quite attached to my dwarven family. I don't think I could bear to part with them."
Gandalf eyed me sharply and it was only then that I realized I had called the dwarves my family. I ducked my head and was suddenly very interested in the cream, honey, and sweet rolls before me.
"Alas, then. I shall wander my days alone." Beorn let out another booming laugh. I waited for the teasing laughter from my companions, but when I looked up, found that most of them were smiling warmly at me. Only Dwalin and Thorin did not look my way.
We finished eating and for awhile, a discussion started on what supplies we needed. It seemed as though it had been decided we would be leaving in the morning. Beorn offered the use of his ponies, and Gandalf the use of a horse, though he admitted he only had ten ponies for us to split amongst us.
Thorin, Dwalin, Gandalf, and Beorn spoke well into the night while the rest of us began to set out to find our rest while we could. I settled down near the wall, a shorn sheep offering itself up as a pillow. I pet her for awhile, my mind drifting off. The great black ram from earlier settled at my feet and once more I was surrounded by dogs. Once the shuffling of the animals had finally ceased, I pulled my cloak over my shoulder and inhaled deeply. Smoke and a comforting smell I could not quite put my finger on drifted over me and I snuggled deeper under the cloak, sighing contentedly. It wasn't until I was nearly asleep that I realized I was still wearing Thorin's cloak.