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
The dwarves moved ahead a little bit until they found a good drift that had not been trampled, and got to work. Fili and Kili dug their blankets out of their packs and Cirashala sat off to the side along with Bilbo, the brother's blankets on Cirashala and Bilbo's blanket on himself.
Bilbo would have liked to help, but his hands were now so cold he would be surprised if he didn't catch frostbite by the end of the evening. The dwarves debated back and forth as they worked to pack the snow along the top and sides of their improvised "cave", before bringing a few torches into the mix to start freezing the walls.
Cirashala heard Bofur mention to Thorin that the ceiling would surely collapse under the weight of the snow if they didn't find some way to shore it up, and let out a sigh as her shoulders slumped.
Of course, she thought to herself with a grimace as her head dropped onto her knees. Wet snow is so heavy, and our company is so big! Why didn't I think of that earlier? Probably because I am not a dwarf, hobbit, or miner.
She looked up, noticing how the low doorway they had reminded her a bit of an igloo. Her eyes widened. She glanced down at the slightly loose snow at her feet, and reached out and began to shape the snow into tiny bricks no longer than her thumb. She made several of these "bricks" and began to stack them in a circle.
Bilbo watched her with confusion at first, but when she began to build her igloo his interest was piqued. As she stacked the bricks, tightening the circle bit by bit until the top was just a tiny circle and being sure to leave a space for the doorway, his eyes got bigger until a wide grin went across his face. They heard a shout and saw that Dwalin had been under the doorway when the ceiling finally fell down.
The burly dwarf was quickly dug up out of the snow, muttering curses as he glared in Cirashala's direction. Bofur argued with Gloin about how he had said they needed to shore up the ceiling, and Gloin argued back that it wasn't his idea to build a cavern out of snow in the first place. Cirashala withered a bit at the glares that came in her direction, and sunk lower into her blanket nest.
Bilbo looked between her and the now wet and angry dwarves, and laid a hand on her shoulder.
"What is that, exactly?" he asked, gesturing toward her igloo.
"It's called an igloo," she replied, choosing her words carefully so she didn't give away her secret. "It will need no shoring and should be big enough to hold us all, albeit tightly. Plus when a fire is lit, it will be warm." Bilbo looked at her in confusion.
"How can a house made of ice be warm?" he asked, and she shrugged.
"Not many ways for the heat to escape, and snow is a pretty good insulator," she replied. The hobbit nodded.
"Are you sure this won't need shoring?" he asked, and she nodded.
"I have known of people who lived where it was snowy most of the year, and this is how they build their homes in the winter," she replied. Of course, she was speaking of Eskimos, but she couldn't very well say that without Kili's theory of her weather induced insanity becoming more plausible. Bilbo nodded.
"Thorin!" the hobbit called over his shoulder, waving the dwarf king over.
"What is it?" the king asked grumpily, moving over toward them. He nearly stepped on her little igloo, and the hobbit stepped in front of him quickly to keep it from being smashed.
"Cirashala built something that might help solve our problem," Bilbo replied, pointing down to the tiny igloo. Thorin's eyebrow raised as he gave Bilbo an exasperated stare.
"Unless the company can magically shrink, I seriously doubt that will be of any use to us," he replied sarcastically, and Bofur behind him chuckled a bit.
"Aye, lad, we'd have to be wee little ants to fit in that," he added. Cirashala groaned and put her palm on her forehead.
"It's a smaller model," she replied testily, glaring at Bofur. "I didn't think even my foot will fit in there, let alone the whole company!" Bofur hummed and squatted down in front of the little igloo.
"Snow bricks, eh?" he muttered to himself, moving toward the side to get a better look at the door. He glanced up at Cirashala.
"You say it's hollow inside?" he asked her, and she nodded.
"I have heard of people who live where there is lots of snow and ice most of the year, and this is how they build their homes," she replied. "They stack the bricks with each row just slightly over the last, and they don't need wood to shore it up, since where they live there are no forests because it is too cold."
"And where is this?" Thorin asked her skeptically, eyebrow raised.
Please don't let them figure it out, she thought to herself, before replying, "Up in the far north." Thorin exchanged glances with Balin.
"We have never heard of such dwellings," the elder dwarf replied, eyeing her curiously. Cirashala could feel her heart begin to pound, when Bofur stood up and nodded.
"Aye, that would work," he replied, turning toward Thorin. "We dig out the bottom, shore up the sides, and then build the roof like this here ice house. Shouldn't need shoring if done right." Thorin glanced at her again, before turning and barking orders at the company. Several of the company members began to fashion sturdy bricks of snow, while the rest of them worked on digging out and fashioning the base.
That was close, Cirashala thought to herself. I need to shut up before I spill my secret, or I will ruin everything.
Cirashala let out the breath she was holding, and with one final sigh stepped out of the blankets and began to move toward the group.
XXX
She dropped to her knees and, after a quick glance at the dwarves, began to fashion a snow brick that was as close in size to what they were doing as she could figure.
She glanced up when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye, and watched as Balin knelt down and began to help her with her brick. She refused to make eye contact with the old dwarf, focusing on her hands as they scooped and patted snow.
"Ice houses?" Balin asked her, and she felt her face flush.
"It's what I have heard," she replied quietly, hoping the older dwarf wouldn't ask more questions. Balin hummed as he scooped more, not taking his eyes off of her.
"You aren't a very good liar, lass," he said softly so the others wouldn't hear, and her head shot up, eyes wide with fright. She looked about ready to bolt, and Balin held up his hand. He glanced over at Thorin, who was busy helping Dwalin place a brick on the now two bricks high circle, before looking back at her.
"Where are you from, lassie?" the old dwarf asked, and she swallowed heavily as she looked down.
"It doesn't matter," she said quietly. "It's gone- all of it." She was trembling and fighting tears, and Balin saw it. He reached out and placed his hand under her chin, lifting her head up so she would look at him.
"You're grieving your family far more than you let on," he said with a knowing look. She glanced fearfully at Thorin, before looking back at the kind dwarf and nodding slightly.
"P-please don't tell Thorin," she whispered, "I-I swore I wouldn't let it hinder me." Balin could see the fear in her eyes, and he sighed.
"Thing is, you have," he replied gently. "That is why you make reckless decisions, and seem to care little for your own well-being." Tears welled up in her eyes, but she brushed them quickly away, sniffing slightly.
"I-I don't know how I can live without them, without him," she replied, her voice wavering as the grief she had buried became raw again. "They-they were my world." She looked at Balin, tears filling up her eyes.
"They-they were just babies- only 1 and 4. And, if only I had been paying attention more as I drove, that drunk wouldn't have h-hit us, and….I wish I had died instead of them….I…." Her hand flew over her mouth as she choked down a sob, and she quickly wiped her tears away as she fought for composure.
The old dwarf's eyes softened, and he placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, wiping her nose with the back of her hand as her eyes refused to meet his.
"I am sorry for being so weak," she whispered. "I-I'm just trying to help." She quickly resumed packing down the last of the snow, and Balin shook his head in wonder.
She is trying so hard to be strong, he thought. And yet she is breaking inside.
They finished that brick, and Balin called Fili and Kili over. The two set down the brick they had just placed on the halfway done wall and approached the two.
"Lads, take this one and set it on the wall," Balin ordered, and the two immediately did as asked. The elder dwarf turned toward the young woman, smiling.
"You are not weak, lassie," he said softly as he patted her shoulder. "You are far stronger than you know."
XXX
The igloo was quickly taking shape. There were only a few rows left, and the dwarves had moved inside the structure to place the last three rows on from the inside. Several on the outside grabbed handfuls of snow to block what few gaps there were, and took a torch to the outside to aid in making a layer of ice to protect it.
Fili knelt on all fours as his lighter brother stood on top of him, using his brother as a stool to finish the last layer. He looked up at the small hole above, then at the snow brick in his hand.
"How am I supposed to block the hole?" he asked, and Bofur shook his head.
"You need to keep that hole there to let out the smoke from the fire," the miner stated, and Kili nodded. He glanced down at his brother, and then at the block of snow, smirking.
Fili glanced up just as Kili raised the brick, seeing the glint in his brother's eye.
"Don't you da—" Kili fell off of his elder brother with a yelp as Fili jumped out from under him, causing the younger to land in an undignified heap, the snow brick smacking him right on the chest.
Several of the dwarves laughed as Kili spit out the mouthful of snow and sat up, glaring at Fili. The blonde dwarf smirked.
"You forget- I taught you everything you knew, little brother," he said with a wink. Kili glared and got up with a huff, brushing the chunks of snow off of him. Thorin eyed their shelter, noting that the roof seemed to be holding up, and that the body heat emanating off the dwarves was already warming up the enclosed space.
"Gloin, get a fire going," he ordered. "Bombur, get supper. The rest of you, get your packs. We will shelter here tonight."
The dwarves who were inside the sunken igloo moved out and gathered their things, which by now had over two inches of snow on them. Thorin approached Cirashala and Bilbo, who had huddled again under their blankets once the bricks had been finished, neither having the strength to maneuver them.
"Get inside the shelter," he ordered, before glancing at Cirashala. She swallowed nervously, and looked up at the dwarf king. He inclined his head at her, then turned around to gather his things without another word, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
She stood up and shook out the brother's blankets, before moving toward the low door and crawling down into their shelter.
XXX
The company glanced around their strange shelter as they laid out their bedrolls. Several still looked a bit skeptically at their domed white roof, expecting it to collapse, but as the heat from the fire began to warm the cozy shelter, they gradually began to relax.
They hadn't been willing to try and tempt gravity, so the shelter ended up being very cramped. Most of them were sitting on folded in half bedrolls with their backs against the walls, and Bombur had so much difficulty trying to maneuver around the fire without running into the others that Bilbo stepped in and offered to finish supper. The rotund dwarf handed his ladle over to the small hobbit gladly, before perching on his bedroll, much to the relief of the rest of the company.
Cirashala was sitting with her knees drawn up between Fili and Kili, watching as Oin unwrapped Bofur's head wound and proceeded to examine it. He looked at Bofur's eyes, shielding them from the light and drawing his hand away, and frowned.
"Looks like you have a concussion, laddie," Oin declared, and Bofur rolled his eyes. He gestured over his shoulder toward Bifur, who was on the other side of him.
"So? He has an axe to the head," Bofur replied. "Isn't slowing him down." Oin scowled as he rewrapped the miner's head, chiding him about his apparent lack of seriousness regarding his injury and reminding him that his cousin was very lucky to be alive at all. To which Bofur candidly replied, "Yes, mother." As he rolled his eyes.
Several of the dwarves snickered, and Oin glared at him before smacking the errant dwarf on a large bruise on his arm. The healer sat down smugly on his bedroll as curses emanated from the usually cheerful dwarf, who had replaced his mischievous look with a glare aimed in the healer's direction as he gripped his arm.
"'Tis only a bruise," the healer retorted, "It shouldn't slow ye down." Bofur stopped cursing and shot the healer a death glare, but didn't protest further.
Fili and Kili chuckled, and Fili pulled out one of the knives from his bracer and began to sharpen it as Kili pulled out his pipe. Just as he went to light it, he felt Cirashala tense beside him. He looked at her, noticing her staring at his pipe.
"Do you have yours?" he asked her quietly. She shook her head. Kili looked at it for a second, before holding it towards her.
"Y-you can have it, if you'd like," he said, flushing slightly. It got a bit quiet as Bofur and Bilbo, the two nearest them, stopped their conversation and eyed the two curiously.
"I-it's all right," she replied. "It's not something I…ever wanted to try. Women don't use pipes, at least from what I know." Kili's eyes widened and he pulled it quickly away from her, settling his hands in his lap.
"S-sorry," he stammered, cheeks flushing redder. "I-I didn't know. I-I thought that's why you were staring at it." She shook her head.
"I-I'm just not used to being around them," she whispered. Kili's eyes widened, and he went to dump it. She immediately reached out her hand to grasp his before he could. The young dwarf froze, swallowing as his eyes met hers. They now had nearly everyone's attention.
"I didn't say you couldn't," she said, removing her hand, and Gloin huffed.
"And we wouldn't listen to you if you did," he said, glaring at her. "Ain't none of your business how we spend our time." He looked pointedly at Kili.
"You shouldn't let a human girl tell you what to do, lad," he said, casting a cold glance at her. "Just because she's weak and can't handle pipeweed smoke doesn't mean you can't enjoy life's comforts."
"She didn't tell him what to do," Fili growled, glaring at Gloin. "My brother was just trying to be respectful of someone who isn't used to our customs." Gloin glared back.
"She's the one who asked to join us," he replied. "She shouldn't have done it if she thought us vulgar and uncouth." He drew in a full mouthful of his pipe, before blowing it directly towards her, causing her to cough and her eyes to water.
"That's what you think of us, isn't it, girl?" he continued. "That we are just homeless greedy beggars with no manners who are only good for forging your horseshoes and cleaning up after your animals? I've seen how you humans look at us! You believe us to be beneath you! And when any of your people commit a crime, we get blamed for it! We are nothing but halfwitted heathens to you!"
Fili and Kili went to jump up, but she grabbed both their shoulders, before standing to her feet. Around the fire, several of the dwarves who had begun to accept her glared daggers at Gloin, but he didn't heed them.
Her eyes sparked fire at the red haired dwarf, but she said nothing, fists clenched at her sides. Gloin stood up as well, hand on the hilt of his axe. She heard Fili and Kili stand up behind her, and Kili placed his hand on her shoulder just to have it shrugged angrily off. The two glared at each other for a second or two, when Gloin spoke again.
"Do you have something you wish to tell me, human?" the dwarf sneered. The tension hung thick in the room as the company waited to see what she would do. Balin eyed the girl, and noticed her light blue eyes had changed to steel gray. But when she spoke, her voice remained even and low.
"If I have ever done or said any of those things against you, then I am the one lacking in manners, and I apologize," she said slowly, her voice edged with steel as she nodded at the dwarf. "I would also apologize for my race, but unfortunately it is not within my power to control the words and deeds of others. I would not dare to treat anyone that way, regardless of what or who they are. I am truly sorry for what other humans have done to you." With that, she sat back down, drawing her knees up again to keep her feet out of reach of the sparks from the fire.
"Do what you wish," she continued. "It is not my place to tell anyone what to do. Never was." With that, she laid down on her bedroll and curled up into a tight ball, and closed her eyes.
XXX
The dwarves stared at her in astonishment. It had been clear that Gloin's comments angered her, but she had held her temper in check with a control they couldn't understand.
Gloin sat back down, eyeing her suspiciously as he drew on his pipe. Several minutes passed in silence, the dwarves busying their hands with sharpening tools. Bofur grunted, shooting a glare at Gloin before sitting in the doorway. He continued to puff on his pipe, being sure to blow the smoky air outside the doorway.
Fili and Kili had both emptied their pipe's contents into the fire, Kili's still unlit, before settling them back in their packs. Balin saw them, and winked at the two heirs. He looked toward Cirashala's form, her breathing even, before turning to Gloin.
"You should not be questioning the lass's manners, Gloin," he said, his voice quiet but firm as he glared at his cousin. "If anything, your manners should be called into question. I cannot believe how rude you were to blow the smoke in her face when she had said she wasn't used to it!"
"All humans think the same about us," Gloin retorted. "Don't tell me you haven't heard them in the marketplaces and in Dunland! And I seem to recall you receiving your fair share of floggings by humans for stealing things you never even saw!" Kili scoffed openly.
"She has been nothing except kind to us!" the young dwarf stated, staring at his cousin. "She saved my life, she saved Fili's, she rescued Bofur, and if it weren't for her, we would be sitting in the middle of a blizzard right now!" Gloin huffed.
"She's after the gold," he retorted. "She thinks that if she's nice, we will reward her for her help!"
"She didn't want any gold!" Fili countered. "She said so herself when she swore loyalty to Thorin!"
"And do you really believe that?" Gloin asked, regarding Fili as one would an errant child. "No human would ever help a dwarf, unless there was something in it for them." The heirs bristled, and Kili opened his mouth to retort, but Thorin spoke first.
"Enough!" he growled, eyes roaming over the group. "We are all tired. We best get some sleep, as we have a long day tomorrow. And rest assured, she won't be getting any gold from our quest. I said we would see her as far as Laketown, and that is where she and our company part ways." He glared at the company, and those who were not on watch settled down and curled up as best they could to sleep in the tight quarters.