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
They found another, safer campsite fairly quickly. The company quickly set it up on a slight hill in the valley, their small fire hidden behind large rocks. There was one opening in the natural, offset ring of tall rocks, facing the east. They were still shielded a bit by tall pine trees, but it afforded enough of a view to see any potential enemy that might approach, including the clearing where their first campsite had been.
As they had climbed the hill, Fili and Kili had sheathed their weapons and begun to gather very dry wood that would not smoke much. This wood was used to build their campfire, and the spare wood was set off to the side. Cirashala went to help them, but a sharp look from the brothers immediately stopped it.
"You need to keep pressure on your cut," Fili admonished sternly. She sighed loudly in frustration.
"For the last time, it is only a scratch," she muttered under her breath, starting a bit at the glare Kili sent her way.
"It is not a scratch," he hissed quietly. "Keep your hand on it!" She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to keep her temper in check. Tensions were running quite high after the unexpected orc attack, and she was trying unsuccessfully to banish the horrible images out of her mind. Kili looked at her hand, then back at her, glaring again, and she sighed loudly and put her hand on the cut.
For heaven's sake, it isn't even bleeding anymore, she thought to herself, wisely choosing to not continue arguing with the young prince.
Why is he so concerned? She thought to herself, not sure what to make of it. It's almost as if…he is afraid I am going to die. Am I really that bad of a fighter?
She thought back to the several times she had nearly been injured or killed during the brief skirmish, and her face drained of color.
Yes, yes I am.
XXX
The watches were quickly organized, two to a watch as per Thorin's instruction. Bombur quickly finished their supper, having carried the half cooked pot up the hill with him. The company ate in quick silence, before pulling out their pipes, many of them needing to calm their nerves and adrenaline before attempting to sleep.
Thorin sat smoking his pipe silently, eyes and ears open for anything out of the ordinary. He gazed across the fire at his nephews, who were once again sitting together closely. There still seemed to be some unexplained tension between them that he didn't understand, but despite that it was clear that they needed each other.
He sighed, replaying the events of the evening in his head, and the terror he had felt when the orc's screech had reached his ears. He had been very proud of his nephews for holding their own until the company arrived, despite the presence of the inexperienced young woman. However, he could not help the feeling of worry that the next time such a thing would happen, one or both of them might not be so fortunate.
He remembered Cirashala's oath when she begged to accompany them quite well. She had sworn to protect them all with her life, and, despite his constant doubts about accepting the word of a human, he felt inclined to believe her. He wasn't quite sure why he did (perhaps her actions on the plain when she had saved Kili's life was an indication), but something told him that she would at least attempt to protect them, skilled or not.
However, he wasn't stupid by any means, and knew that, if it came down to it, no self-respecting dwarf man, his nephews included, would hide behind a woman and allow her to be hurt or killed in their defense. Not if said dwarf man could prevent it. Men were supposed to protect women-not the other way around, something that had been drilled into dwarf men from the time they were young dwarflings.
Thorin sighed. Once again, he found himself deeply regretting that he had allowed her to come.
XXX
Fili was relieved to see the invisible wall go down around his brother, even if only a little. They sat next to each other, and if one would get up to get more supper, the other's eyes would track him, fearing that if they took their eyes off each other for even a second they would disappear.
He knew it was a slightly irrational fear, but the night's events had made it seem just a little less irrational and far more realistic. His mind replayed the moments 12 days before where he had thought his little brother was going to die, and he had decided, wall or no, that he was going to sit next to his brother, realizing that any moment could be the last on this quest. One or the other of them could very well die before the quest was over, and Fili was determined to make sure that, should that be their fate, they would not die with an unspoken offense between them.
Feeling more than seeing Kili rise, he looked up at his brother, a question in his gaze. Kili's brown eyes glanced down at him, before he made a quick yet discreet gesture.
Need to visit a tree, the younger signed, and Fili nodded. He rose too, paying little mind to the confused glance of Kili.
You shouldn't leave camp alone, not if there is a possibility of orcs out there, Fili signed, and Kili sighed and nodded. Shouldering his sword sheath, Fili followed his brother to the trees just outside the rocky ring that made up their campsite.
XXX
Cirashala sat and watched as Oin looked at her cut. The healer hummed matter of factly, before reaching into the bowl of hot water next to him and began to scrub vigorously at the wound. She nearly whimpered at the unexpected onslaught, but, not wanting to appear weak and pathetic, held it in, though her face still bore the traces of a grimace.
Oin scrubbed until the wound had lost all the scab over it, causing it to bleed freely again. She looked up in slight confusion as Oin simply watched and let it bleed for a few minutes.
"M-Mister Oin?" she asked. The old healer looked at her.
"Aye, lass?" he replied, and she swallowed nervously.
"W-why are you just making it bleed?" she asked, gesturing toward her arm. The healer glanced down at her arm, then back at her.
"To remove the poison, should there have been any," he replied. Her brow furrowed, wondering if Oin was at the stage of practicing bleeding as a medical technique. She remembered that, as late as the mid 19th century, many people still believed the body to be made up of four things, and if one was ill the thought was that they should be bled in order to regain a "balance" of the four elements.
It was, of course, later found to be quite different as medicine advanced, but she knew that she could not afford to lose any more blood. She had felt the effects of anemia caused by the blood loss after her injury quite well after she had awakened in Rivendell, having had difficulty breathing and avoiding lightheadedness as they had climbed the mountains and after all the mishaps she had had so far. She had encountered anemia a few times growing up, and knew what it felt like.
"Mister Oin," she began, not quite sure how to avoid insulting the healer but at the same time determined to not make herself any more of a risk than she already was, "A-are you bleeding me?" The healer looked up in surprise.
"No, lass," he replied, looking at her oddly. "That is quite ineffective, and frankly a bit crude and outdated as a 'healing' method. When it comes to the sorts of poisons orcs use, allowing the tainted blood to push out the poison that congregates in the surrounding tissue for a few moments aids in the healing process." With that, he washed her wound once more, before applying a healing ointment and wrapping a bandage around her forearm.
Her mind tried to wrap around Oin's reasoning. She knew, of course, based on her anatomy class in college, that the blood stream coursed throughout the body, and should any poison enter the bloodstream, it would take only a minute before it reached the heart and the brain. She had a good feeling that, had she been poisoned, it would have taken effect long before now, or at least she would have begun having symptoms.
She decided that she would watch Oin carefully to see how to do things like stitching and setting bones (although she dearly hoped that they would not have need of such services), but as far as tending small cuts and scrapes, she would do it herself.
At least, as long as the elvish medicine holds out, she thought to herself. I wish I could remember what athelas looks like. She resolved to do whatever she could to try and remember the appearance of this healing plant from Tolkien's lore, for if she could, it may aid greatly in the future.
XXX
Oin cleared his throat, and she started a bit. He glanced at her now bandaged arm, then back up at her, one eyebrow raised. She flushed a bit, realizing that, in her musings, she hadn't paid attention, and didn't notice that he had finished his task.
She stood up quickly, and begun to head out of camp. Balin's voice stopped her.
"Where are you going, lassie?" he asked her. Several pairs of eyes turned toward her, and she blushed to the roots of her hair.
"Erm, I just need to…..step out of camp for-for a minute," she stuttered, biting her lip and looking at the ground. Balin glanced to Thorin, before looking back at her.
"As much as I regret to have to say this, lass," he said, sighing heavily, "You need to take someone with you. It is not safe to be alone at all right now, especially if there are orcs around." Her eyes widened comically, but before she could protest, Bilbo sighed and stood up.
"M-miss Cirashala," he stuttered, turning bright red. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "G-Gandalf said my sword is elvish," here a few of the dwarves suspiciously coughed as they rolled their eyes, but Bilbo paid them no mind. "Which apparently means it will glow blue when orcs are nearby. At least, it did when we fought the orcs. Why don't you take it with you? If it begins to glow, you can come back here right away." The hobbit was not expecting the tight hug that he received, and reeled a bit with eyes wide as she released him half a second later.
"Thank you, Mr. Baggins," she said to the poor hobbit, who was as red as a tomato. She shuffled her feet nervously as she glanced at Balin, awaiting him (or Thorin) to decide if that solution was acceptable. The two glanced at each other, before Thorin sighed and nodded slightly. She sighed in relief, grasping the unsheathed Sting (or what would become Sting, she thought to herself) from Bilbo, noting that it was not glowing blue at all, before heading into the trees.
XXX
Kili found a spot near the camp yet private enough to take care of his business, and Fili respectfully leaned up against the opposite side of the tree, eyes averted but yet still near enough to his brother to speak without the company overhearing them. He sighed loudly.
"Brother, what is wrong?" he asked him quietly, so to prevent the company (or anything else) from overhearing. Receiving no answer in reply, he sighed again, this time in exasperation. "I know something is wrong. You have never shut me out before. Why now? Please, tell me what it is I have done!"
The desperate, hurt tone in his voice cut through Kili like a knife through butter, and he squeezed his eyes shut as he leaned into the tree, forehead resting against the rough bark as his left arm curved over his head. He let out a shuddering sigh.
"I-I'm sorry, brother," he whispered. "I-I don't think you did anything wrong." There was a moment of silence, before his elder brother replied in a small voice, "Then why won't you talk to me?" Kili, having finished his task, pushed away from the tree and moved to lean against the rock in front of Fili, sliding down until he was sitting with his knees drawn up and his head in his hands.
"I-I don't know what is wrong," Kili whispered, feeling his brother sit down next to him. "T-there is something wrong with me, not you…I…" he trailed off, feeling Fili's hand rest on his shoulder. The younger dwarf swallowed nervously, before whispering, "I-you….your arm was wrapped around her this morning….and….I don't know, I don't know!" He fisted his hands in his hair above his temples, still not able to look at his brother as a stunned silence filled the air.
"What?" Fili said, his tone completely shocked. The elder paused for a moment, staring at his brother with wide eyes. "Kee, I didn't mean to wake up with her like that! She must have gotten cold, and in all honesty I am so used to sleeping next to you that I thought….I thought she was you!" Kili lifted his head slightly, looking at his brother in surprise.
"Y-you thought she was me?" he asked, and Fili nodded, his expression still bewildered.
"Aye," he replied, "though I did wonder how you had gotten so skinny, and smelled better." He winked at Kili, but the playful sparkle left his blue eyes as he saw that his brother didn't respond to the joke, and his expression turned serious again.
"Kee," he asked slowly. "Why did that bother you so much?" Kili swallowed, and looked down at the toes of his boots. He sighed, before standing up restlessly and turning away from his brother, his head lowered.
"Kee?" Fili asked, when Kili didn't respond. The younger's shoulders slumped.
"L-last night, I…" he trailed off, taking a deep breath. "I-she was crying, after what you said about Gloin's wife being his One, and….I-I wasn't thinking, I…I didn't mean to….to…." The younger dwarf tensed, breath hitching, and Fili's brow furrowed in concern as he stood as well.
"What happened?" he whispered, and Kili didn't speak for a moment. When he finally did, the shame in his voice was very apparent.
"I wiped her tears," he whispered. "I-I touched her face."
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A response to guest reviewer Ari- I do not think you are required to write a story to get an account :D Thank you for your review- it actually made me blush! I am seriously thinking about writing an actual self published novel very loosely based on my fan fiction, as well as a couple other plot bunnies in my head. But, they might have to wait until I get this one done-otherwise updates will be more infrequent the more my limited writing time is divided…but I am seriously thinking about it. Always wanted to be an author :D I wanted to provide that depth because I always enjoyed novels that one could sink one's teeth into, if you know what I mean (hence why I love Tolkien ;) I am glad you think my writing is amazing- after posting some chapters, I notice a few typos, but trying to unpost and repost chapters is a pain, so after it is all done I might polish it up and repost…but again, not sure. Might just live with the typos…Regarding the thing you can't wait to read about- read the part in the last chapter after the orcs are all killed- he does tell her-sort of. He apologizes for it, and she knows what he is apologizing for, but she doesn't understand yet just how embarrassed he is, nor does she fully understand exactly why, because it hasn't dawned on her that he touched her "beard". Once she realizes both that, and the significance of beards and beard touching, she will understand better why he thinks he violated her, though she won't think he went quite that far. I am so glad you are enjoying the story! I love it when I see that readers are enjoying it :D
Thanks to all who review, favorite, and follow (and those who have been patient with me as life strikes with computer issues and cranky, growing toddler and preschooler who, for some reason, are absolutely bound and determined to NOT sleep or let mommy write….sigh….)
You guys have been fantastic! I had 115 reviews and had my story up for nearly 2 months before I got any flames (meaning nitpicky criticism that wasn't constructive at all and seemed more derogatory than anything else), and since it's technically my attempt at a rare "good" sue story, I find that incredibly astonishing! You guys have made me very happy indeed :D :D :D