I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.
Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J
After Cirashala's wound was tended, Oin handed her the now warm tea and busied himself packing up the medical supplies. He glanced over to Kili, and was pleased to note the lad no longer seemed to be shivering.
Cirashala brought the tea up to her mouth, and carefully went to sip in case it was too hot again. Her hands still felt like ice, and she cupped both of them around the warm cup. She watched as Oin moved toward the young archer, her mind a flurry of thoughts as she tried to sort out what Kili had said in the argument with Thorin.
I owe her a blood debt! She was nearly killed trying to protect me! If she hadn't jumped in front of that warg, I would be dead, and you know it! Are you saying that I should dishonor myself and the line of Durin by letting her drown?!"
The young dwarf had looked absolutely furious that Thorin would even suggest such a thing, and she had been completely shocked that he had yelled at his uncle in such a way. She remembered from both the book and movie that Kili held a deep respect for Thorin, and always sought his approval.
What did he mean by blood debt? She wondered. It must be something very important for him to be so angry with the person he looks up to the most.
She resolved to ask Balin about it when they camped for the night. If it was something so important that Kili would risk his uncle's wrath for it, it would be a good idea for her to know just what it was and what it entailed. Especially since it obviously had something to do with her.
She had thought that when she told them they didn't owe her anything that they would dismiss it. She knew that dwarves did not trust other races, and it had been her fault Kili had tripped anyway. Either the movie and the book were both wrong, or things were indeed changing because of her presence.
She thought about the stories of Middle-earth that sat on her bookshelf. The quest for Erebor, the White Council, Goblintown and Gollum's cave, Bilbo finding the ring, the journey through Mirkwood, and finally the dragon and the battle. Her mind flashed forward eighty years, to the War of the Ring, and finally, to the knowledge that the "Necromancer" in Dol Guldur was none other than Sauron himself, and the blood drained from her face.
Things cannot change! She thought desperately. We MUST get to Goblintown before the Ring abandons Gollum. Bilbo MUST find it before the goblins! Because of her injury, the company was now four and a half days behind on their journey. Four and a half days-for the goblins to find the Ring before Bilbo. Her hands began to shake uncontrollably as the full realization of the consequences of her presence was inflicting upon Middle-earth.
The entire fate of Middle-earth rested on her shoulders. And she couldn't even pull an arrow out of a tree without nearly drowning!
"By Eru above, what have I done?" she whispered, too low for the others to hear.
XXX
Oin approached Kili, bandages in hand, and the young dwarf looked up.
"Let me see your hands, laddie. Those look like some nasty scrapes," Oin ordered, and Kili sighed loudly.
"Mister Oin, they are just scratches," he replied, trying hard to not sound like he was whining. Oin raised an eyebrow and looked at him incredulously, his expression indicating that Kili had failed miserably.
"Now don't be a stubborn lad," the healer admonished. "I need to make sure they don't get infected." Kili groaned, but held out his hand obediently.
"They're fine," he muttered, cheeks reddening as he remembered the young woman sitting across from the fire.
She has a bloody warg bite, and here Oin is demanding to clean mere scratches, he thought to himself angrily, as though I am nothing more than a child crying over a scraped knee.
The young prince scowled at the healer, and tried to pull his hand away, but Oin gripped his wrist tightly and glared at him.
"Stop your fidgeting laddie! How in Mahal's name am I supposed to clean this up if you won't hold still?" the healer growled. Kili glared back at him.
"It's not like I am a child, Oin. You don't need to bandage up every little scrape I get," he muttered angrily.
"Child or no, you are certainly acting like one!" Oin bit back, and Kili's pride had enough. He yanked his hand out of the healer's grasp, crying out as the movement ripped open the cut on his arm. He fell backward, landing on his right side. He gripped his right elbow before he could stop himself, eyes flitting back to the healer's with fear as Oin's eyes widened.
"Laddie, what's wrong with your arm?" he asked, his voice demanding answers.
"N-nothing," Kili replied, averting his eyes. Oin huffed.
"You expect me to believe that?" the healer replied angrily. "Kili, let me see your arm. Now."
Kili looked up at the healer, his eyes wide. He pulled his arm closer to his trembling body, before shaking his head no. Oin glared at him, before looking over his shoulder.
"Thorin!" the healer called, and Kili visibly paled as the company came back into view. There were several quick and discreet glances toward Cirashala, and Kili could see them breathe a sigh of relief that she was clothed.
"What is it Oin?" the dwarf king asked, and Oin gestured toward Kili.
"I was tending the lad's scrapes on his hands, and when he pulled away from me, he cried out and grabbed his arm. But he didn't fall on it," Oin said, and Thorin and Fili's gaze darted to Kili, their eyes widened. Fili immediately rushed toward Kili and placed his hand on Kili's upper arm as Thorin looked back at the healer.
"Well, what's wrong with it?" the king asked the healer impatiently. Oin shrugged, shaking his head.
"I don't know," the healer replied. "Stubborn lad won't let me look at it." Thorin turned toward Kili.
"Kili, show Oin your arm," Thorin ordered. Kili's pale face turned toward Fili, a look of panic in his eyes as he swallowed nervously. Fili gripped his shoulder gently.
"Kee, please," he pleaded. Kili nodded, before sitting up with Fili's help. He hesitated as he placed his hand on his sleeve, before pulling it up. Several members of the company gasped, and Thorin's eyes widened at the sight of the blood soaked bandage, bright red blood mingling with the old, black dried bloodstains. Oin cursed loudly and grabbed his bag.
"Mahalu-me turg, lad! Why didn't you tell me you got hurt? That's likely infected!" the healer growled angrily, throwing a pot at the cluster of dwarves. It hit poor Ori in the face, before clattering on the ground.
"Ow!" Ori cried, rubbing his nose.
"Get me some hot water!" the healer yelled, ignoring the looks Dori and Nori were giving him, and the scribe rushed toward the river. Ori filled the pot with water and quickly set it by the fire, spilling some into the orange flames with a hiss in his haste. Oin pushed Fili out of the way, and began to cut the old bandage off. Thorin looked at Kili, who returned his gaze with fear.
"Kili, how did this happen?" Thorin asked darkly. Kili's eyes flashed toward Cirashala, who had stood and joined the group of Dwarves, and Thorin followed his gaze. He turned and grabbed the girl by the arm, fury in his face.
"What did you do to him?" he yelled, and the girl's blue eyes widened in fear.
"Answer me!" Thorin shouted, his grip tightening. She cried out in pain.
"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean—" Kili's eyes widened as Thorin grabbed the front of her shirt with his other hand, bringing her face within inches of his. Her face paled and tears filled her eyes as her eyes widened even further in terror. The dwarf prince paled.
"Uncle, stop!" he shouted. "I-it wasn't her fault! It was mine, I swear!" Thorin looked over his shoulder at Kili, and Balin rushed forward and grabbed the arm that held the front of the terrified girl's shirt.
"My lord!" Balin said. The king didn't respond. "Thorin!"
Thorin turned, and looked hard at Cirashala, before releasing her. She fell to her knees, and Balin knelt beside the shaking girl, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She hastily wiped her eyes, sniffling a bit. Kili paled as Thorin approached him.
"Kili, how did this happen?" Thorin asked, voice edged with steel. Kili swallowed, before meeting Thorin's gaze.
"When I woke up yesterday, it was nearly noon. I thought the company would be in the dining hall," he began, and explained what happened, including the part about Cirashala bandaging his wound. He then glanced at Bilbo, who gave him a hard look.
"After I left her room, I went to get a clean tunic, and Bilbo was there. I-I made him promise not to tell, because I knew you would blame the elves, a-and I didn't want to start a war," Kili finished. He looked up at his uncle, his eyes fearful.
"I-I'm sorry, uncle," he whispered, looking down at his lap. He hissed as Oin began to scrub the cut vigorously in an attempt to get the infection out. Fili, who had crawled on the other side of Oin after being toppled over, laid his hand on Kili's shoulder, before the two looked up at their uncle.
XXX
There was silence for a good while, the only sounds being Oin scrubbing and Kili's occasional hiss. The company looked from one to the other, unsure about what to do. Ori stopped rubbing his nose, and looked to Dori, who just shook his head at him. Bofur and Bombur exchanged glances, and Balin and Dwalin both glanced to Thorin, who hadn't said anything since Kili's apology.
Oin sighed, and reached for the bandages, before breaking the silence.
"It's infected," he stated, "But not badly. Hopefully it should go away on its own, if properly taken care of." He said the last part with a pointed look at Kili, who nodded meekly, not meeting anyone's eyes.
"Alcohol will help keep the infection at bay," a soft voice whispered. Fourteen pairs of eyes looked toward Cirashala, who was still huddled down on the ground. Oin looked at her skeptically.
"And what makes you say that, lass?" he replied, eyebrow raised. She cast a fearful glance at Thorin, before ducking her head.
"Nothing," she replied loudly so the healer would hear her, eyes downcast as she hugged herself tighter. "I am sorry I interfered. It was not my place," she whispered, before getting up quickly and going to her things. She donned the quiver and her pack, and set off upstream toward the path silently, not meeting anyone's eyes.
It would not do to let the company see her cry.
XXX
Balin stared at the retreating figure, before looking back at Thorin, his eyes hard.
"My lord, a word?" Balin asked Thorin. The words sounded friendly, but those who knew Balin well knew that he was seething. Thorin nodded, before stepping aside with his old friend.
Once they were out of earshot, Balin turned toward Thorin, his face angry.
"Was that really necessary?" he growled. "You frightened the poor girl half to death! I am sure she thought you were going to kill her!"
"And I was!" Thorin replied, angry as well. "At the time she had said nothing about Kili having injured himself. For all I know, she had harmed him, and her apology supported it. And if she had harmed a prince of the line of Durin, the penalty would have been death, and you know it!" Balin held up his hands.
"If you had been held by the throat by a king whose kin had been harmed, would you have apologized as well?" Balin pointed out. "I know that the penalty is death, but haven't you noticed something? The girl apologizes for everything, even if it is not her fault! Which, in this case, it wasn't."
"She did break the bowl in the first place," Thorin retorted. "The glass would not have been on the floor if it were not for her careless actions!"
"Because she tried to stand up on her own right after losing a great deal of blood, nearly dying after saving the life of your nephew, and having been unconscious for three days!" Balin snapped back. "I'm surprised she was even able to get herself to the edge of the bed as is!"
"She should not have attempted it!" Thorin spat. "It was foolish of her to even try!" Balin glared at him.
"And she would not have had to, had someone been in her room with her!" he growled.
"Gandalf was supposed to be in her room with her!" Thorin howled, before stopping suddenly as it dawned on him what he had said. Balin's eyes widened, before he began to chuckle. The exasperated look Thorin gave him would have made someone else cower, if that someone had not changed his diapers at one point.
"Therefore, it was not young Kili's, or Cirashala's fault at all," Balin said, his chuckles dissipating as he shook his head. "It was Gandalf's, for leaving her unattended. I should like to see you try to strangle a wizard, though I doubt he would have let you off so easily." He gave Thorin an amused look, his eyes twinkling a bit at the look Thorin gave him in return.
"Then why would she apologize for something she didn't even do?" Thorin retorted, and Balin shook his head.
"Maybe in her mind it was her fault," he replied, shrugging his shoulders. "I can see how she would think it was, especially with the way you reacted." He fixed Thorin with a hard look as the dwarf king averted his gaze, sighing loudly.
"I should think an apology is in order," Balin said sternly. "You really terrified the lass, and she has done nothing to deserve your wrath. Quite the opposite, in fact."
Thorin's jaw tightened, and he let out a loud sigh, gritting his teeth. He crossed his arms in front of him and leaned up against a tree, looking down at the ground.
"Thorin, you owe her your nephew's life," Balin said quietly.
"Don't you think I know that?" Thorin snapped back. "Don't you think I know that Kili would have died out there, and I would have been unable to stop it?" He stood to his full height, glaring at Balin. "Don't you think I know that, if it weren't for her, my nephew's blood would have been on my hands?!"
Thorin felt a hand grip his shoulder from behind, and turned to see Dwalin. His throat tightened as he finally let the emotions he had been guarding out. In front of the company, he was their king. But, this time, he knew he was in front of his closest friends, and had the freedom to let down the mask. He shuddered as he shut his eyes tight, unwilling to let the tears fall just yet.
"Kili's tripping was no one's fault," Dwalin said softly, his usual gruffness giving way in front of his friend's pain. "It was an accident. I don't know how she did it, but all we can do is thank Mahal she was able to reach him in time." Thorin nodded, sucking in a few breaths as he blinked his tears away, gaining strength from his friends next to him. He looked at the two brothers before him.
"Should I have left them at home?" he whispered, his voice sounding small even to himself. Dwalin started chuckling, and Balin shook his head.
"Those two knuckleheads would have followed us anyway, and you know it," the burly warrior stated. "I don't think even Dis could have kept them from coming, though she certainly tried, I hear." He shared a knowing glance with Balin, and despite his inner turmoil Thorin couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped his lips.
His sister had tried all right, and he was very lucky to still have all his body parts intact (and that Dwalin had the foresight to hide all the weapons in the house including her axe before Thorin discussed it with her). She made it very clear in no uncertain terms that if her boys were to have any harm befall them, there would be absolutely nowhere in Middle-earth that Thorin could hide. Not even Valinor, he remembered her saying. And, if harm did befall them, even Thorin in all honesty would rather seek refuge in a land full of elves rather than risk his sister's wrath.
They heard Oin call out to them that Kili's wound had been taken care of, and the two brother's clasped each of Thorin's forearms in a warrior's shake, before returning to the company.
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Ok, I know I said this chapter would continue on their journey, but the muses had different ideas and I thought it was a good time to let the emotional stress finally get to Thorin. Though he has a very stern visage in both the book and the movie, I can imagine that when he is with his closest friends he is no longer king but rather friend. And with him so close to his nephews, especially Kili, that he would not be the exception when it came to feeling the strong emotions at nearly seeing his nephew killed. So, I promise, the next chapter will have them setting out on the path once more leading into the mountains, and they will finally begin to make headway.
Thanks for all the reviews, favorites, and follows! You guys have been fantastic! J