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
Kili had walked for no more than two minutes before Cirashala began to moan in his arms. He froze, glancing down at her with concern.
"Cirashala?" he asked, the worry clear in his tone. Her eyes were squeezed shut, her pale face twisting in pain.
"Y-you….can't….carry," she gasped, groaning as she curled into herself. "H-hurts….back…" She trailed off again, groaning loudly. She stuffed her face into his shoulder to muffle the sounds, her grip on his tunic causing her knuckles to turn white.
Kili glanced around quickly, before setting her down. She immediately curled up on her side, trying in vain to keep from crying out. Her breaths came quickly, and the young dwarf racked his mind for a solution as he crouched down beside her, ignoring his own pain as best he could.
She cannot walk in such pain, he thought to himself. I have to carry her, but how?
"Cirashala," he said quietly. "Can you, I mean…if I were to carry you on my back, do you think you could hold on?" She pressed her lips together in an effort to keep from crying out again, before nodding shakily.
Kili reached under her, sitting her up. She cried out in pain, and as soon as she was upright, he released her shoulders. He took her hand gently, moving in front of her and drawing it over his shoulder. He felt behind him for her other hand, pulling it over his injured shoulder with a silent grimace.
He pulled gently until she was nestled up against his back, and brought her hands together. She clasped them, and he began to stand slowly, reaching behind him to draw her legs up and holding her under her knees. He was barely able to keep from crying out in pain himself as her body put pressure on his bruised back and his shoulders supported her weight. His body shook with the effort as his breaths came quickly.
Now is not the time to be weak, he thought to himself as his shoulders and back throbbed in pain. She is injured far worse than you are.
XXX
He set off toward the east again, stumbling over tree roots and loose stones. Feeling her shivering behind him, he once again wished he had some way to start a fire. He would have been content with a pair of spectacles or some other such piece of glass even, but they did not have any glass either.
What are we going to do? He thought to himself as he saw the shadows falling deeper in the waning sunlight. We need a fire, at least.
In the increasing darkness, he stumbled over a large tree root, falling to his knees. His damp hair stuck to his forehead, the water from the river mingling with sweat. He was crouched there, panting, when he heard it. A faint gurgling, but it was definitely the sound of running water.
The exhausted young dwarf shakily rose to his feet and headed towards the faint noise, the sound of splashing water increasing. He pushed through some bushes, Cirashala clenching him tighter with muffled cries as the branch tips poked her wounded back, before stopping and sighing in relief.
There, just visible in the late dusk, was a mountain spring filled with cool, clear water.
XXX
Dwalin groaned from his position on the cold stone floor. Several large pieces of wood were atop him, but as the dead body of the great goblin fell on top of those still trapped between the layers of the broken bridge, he was quite thankful that he had been at least partially away from direct impact.
He bit back a sarcastic remark about how Mahal must be quite amused at their plight right now, and focused on attempting to push the beam off his body. His warrior-trained ears caught the sound of furious goblins coming closer, and he looked upward toward the direction of the loud cries, his eyes widening as far as they would go.
An entire army of goblins were swarming like spiders down the steep rocky slope, their fury bent toward one direction-kill them. Kill them all.
He had seen it before- the warriors maimed beyond recognition, their bodies covered in dried blood that had flowed out of their hundreds of wounds-an indication that they had still been alive at the time the horrific wounds were inflicted. Ears bitten off (in fact, his had been bitten by a goblin during the battle of Azanulbizar, taking off a good chunk of the upper lobe), manhoods removed with jagged weapons, fingers and other appendages missing, and the worst of it was their beards and hair-torn out by the roots.
And now, to see an entire army of rage and hate filled goblins amassing against twelve dwarves, a hobbit and a wizard, filled the always brave dwarf with an unimaginable fear.
"Gandalf!" he cried. The wizard and remaining company members looked upward, before beginning to scramble out of the pile quickly, pain from injuries giving way to sheer terror. Thorin grabbed his nephew, who had thankfully been knocked unconscious at some point during their descent, as Gandalf cried out.
"Follow me!" the wizard cried, "Hurry!"
XXX
Kili dropped to his knees in relief, his back hurting very badly. He heard a moan as Cirashala's grip faltered, the young woman slumping off him onto the ground.
The young woman cried out in pain as her body hit the ground, shivering badly. Kili looked at her with concern, before removing his weapons strap. He set it down within reach next to the base of a tall pine, before removing his sodden coat and laying it out on the grass.
He crawled towards her, the cool air stinging the scrapes on his hands, face, knees and elbows where his trousers and tunic had ripped during the fall.
"Cirashala?" he asked softly. He reached up and moved her hair out of her face, frowning when he saw her jaw clenched. Her blue eyes suddenly snapped open with a gasp, and before Kili could react, she lurched forward and began to heave stomach acid.
Not knowing what else to do, he held her hair back until acid stopped coming up, her body continuing to heave for a few minutes. Whenever he had gotten ill as a child, his mother had also rubbed between his shoulder blades, but given her wounds, he did not dare to try.
She stopped heaving, tears streaming down her cheeks as she slumped back to where she had been before she had gotten sick.
"I-I'm s….sorry," she whispered shakily, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment despite her pale face. Kili shook his head.
"You're hurt," he said quietly. "There is no shame in that." He paused as he saw a small pouch hanging from her belt, a curiously shaped lump in it.
"What is in here?" he asked, gesturing towards the pouch, surprised the goblins hadn't taken it. Cirashala glanced down, before closing her eyes.
"M-my pain tea herbs," she replied shakily through gritted teeth. "T-they're worth….less now, a-after the r-river. A-and my f-flint and steel." Kili started, his eyes widening at the last part of her sentence.
Her flint and steel?!
Not bothering to question just why she had put her flint and steel in her pain tea pouch, he grabbed it, swiftly untying it with his deft archer's fingers. Looking around for some broken off branches and pine cones, he gathered a bundle within seconds and began to rapidly strike the two elements together, tossing aside the soaked herbs.
The sparks flew over the pile at his knees, until a thin trail of smoke rose up from the pinecones and sticks. He set the flint and steel on the ground next to him, crouching down to blow on the small pile. Within a few seconds, an orange flame sprung up, bathing the small area in firelight.
Kili slowly added larger branches, until the fire was big enough to begin warming them. He glanced at his waterlogged coat, before moving to drape it over a bush near the fire to dry.
He glanced at Cirashala, noting her torn tunic, then at the fire. His cheeks turned crimson and he couldn't look at her in shame for the ludicrous idea running through his head, but he realized that he must find a way to clean her wounds and bandage them before they became infected, and figure out how to make a cleansing rag and bandages out of something they already had in order to do so.
But how was a shy, young dwarf warrior, who was vaguely familiar with how to heal injuries but by no means an actual healer, supposed to tell an injured young woman to take off her tunic, cover her front, and convince her to let him shred hers for bandages and clean her wounds, before offering her his own tunic in return so she could be decent?
Kili had absolutely no idea, but it was the only one he could think of, given their circumstances. He could only hope she wouldn't kill him for his suggestion.
XXX
Bilbo was in a rather big pickle. He had managed to slip past being taken with the dwarves after they had first fallen into the goblin trap, only to end up fighting a lone goblin and getting both of them knocked down into what appeared to be giant mushrooms at the bottom of the dank cave.
He had found a golden ring, a strange find under any circumstances, but made even more so by just where he found it, and ended up following a very strange creature to an underground lake. He had heard rushing water faintly sounding from the other side of the lake, but had paid it no mind as the lanky creature had appeared right in front of him unexpectedly, startling the already tense hobbit.
He had been quite grateful for Gandalf's insistence that he take the sword, for the creature had seemed to fear it greatly. He had been quite puzzled by the strange being, who would switch from a pleasant tone to a nasty, grating tone combined with an unusual, throaty cough that sounded like "Gollum".
The creature, which Bilbo dubbed "Gollum" in reference to the cough, seemed to alternate between talking to him and arguing with himself, even screaming, "Shut up!" at his alternate personality. The two personalities warred with each other, and Bilbo saw his opportunity.
He had challenged the creature to a game of riddles, as the nicer of the two personalities had seemed to greatly enjoy them. They bantered back and forth, deciding that if the hobbit won, he would be shown the way out, but if the creature won, the hobbit would be eaten whole. Bilbo had looked at the impossibly thin and spindly creature, wondering just how he would manage such a feat, but shrugged it off, deciding to just win and not worry about it.
The creature was indeed very good at riddles, and had made the poor hobbit panic on several occasions. The last riddle had nearly cost him the game, the hobbit completely flummoxed until the creature unknowingly gave him a hint-time's up. The answer was time, and the hobbit shouted it out, much to the creature's displeasure.
The hobbit could see that the eviler of the two personalities was beginning to prevail, and knew that his time was limited. He spouted off the first thing that came to his mind. What have I got in my pocket?
It was, in all honesty, completely against the rules of the widely renown game of wits, but fortunately for the hobbit, the creature had, in fact, asked him to ask a question, not a riddle.
Gollum, of course, couldn't answer, his guesses being completely incorrect (even throwing in a fourth for good measure, though he only was entitled three). Thus Bilbo won the game, but Gollum wasn't going to lose so easily.
He panicked as he had reached for his belt, searching frantically for something he had lost. Bilbo had asked what he lost (which might not have been the best idea, given the circumstances) but had a feeling he knew. Gollum had seemed to know too, and had glared at him with the most murderous look the hobbit had ever beheld in his life.
And somehow, the hobbit had felt that this creature was far more dangerous than he looked. His suspicion was confirmed when the livid Gollum had thrown a rock at his head, the elvish sword barely deflecting the projectile.
Bilbo had run for his life then, getting stuck at one point and losing his brass buttons, before breaking free. He had stumbled, and the unadorned golden ring had flown up, coming down on his middle finger.
Now, the hobbit looked bewildered at the strange new world he saw. Instead of clear cut clarity, everything was slightly distorted in a whitish grey light. Gollum jumped after him, but the strangest thing was-the creature didn't seem to see him.
"Thief!" Gollum cried, looking around. He looked directly at the hobbit, but his expression didn't seem to even notice him. His eyes not even blinking, he turned and looked around once more. "Baggins!" The hobbit gaped at him, his eyes widening comically.
He-he can't see me, Bilbo thought as realization dawned on his features. He glanced down at his finger, the ring of metal shining brightly atop his finger. The ring- it must be making me invisible.
Gollum scampered off down the passageway, and Bilbo, realizing that the creature was unwittingly leading him out, followed.
It wasn't until Gollum stopped that the hobbit did. To the hobbit's surprise, Gollum jumped back behind a boulder, hiding. Bilbo's keen hobbit ears immediately picked out the company's shouts as the sound of pounding dwarf boots sounded through the tunnel ahead.
He saw the shadowy form of Gandalf pause just on the other side of the rock from Gollum, and the company began to pass him quickly. He raised his hand to call out, but shut his mouth in frustration.
If I call out, Gollum will hear me, the hobbit realized with dismay. At least I have found them again. Though I am still not sure I wish to join them just yet. But anything to get out of this confounded mountain!
He counted the shadowy dwarves as they passed, pausing as he saw what seemed to be Thorin carrying an unconscious blond dwarf.
Fili? Bilbo's eyes widened in realization. He must have gotten hurt.
The hobbit's brow furrowed even further as he came up two short. Seeing the wizard go and follow after them, he waited for a few seconds, watching for the last two of their company to make an appearance. When they didn't, the hobbit began to worry.
Where are Kili and Cirashala?
XXX
Kili swallowed heavily, hearing Cirashala's muffled groans. He trembled as he thought of what he must do, but knew there was no way around it.
"Cirashala?" he asked, glancing in her direction. The young woman opened her eyes slightly, noticing despite her pain that Kili's eyes refused to meet hers. The young dwarf sighed heavily, closing his eyes for a moment and swallowing before looking at her, brown orbs hesitant and fearful.
"I-I need to..." he trailed off, fisting a hand in his tunic as his eyes left hers, gulping. "I…..Ineedtocleanyourwounds." Cirashala's brow furrowed, barely making out the rushed words.
"Wh-what?" she asked, confusion in her whispered voice. Kili was visibly trembling, and his voice echoed his hesitation. He sighed, staring at his lap.
"I need….to clean your wounds," he said more slowly, cheeks and ears turning crimson. "I-it's just….you….I….I am not a healer, though I do know a little bit, but….I….they need to be cleaned and bandaged, otherwise they will get infected, and…" he trailed off, unable to look at her.
Her eyes closed, processing his words as her burning pain emitted from her wounded back.
They need to be cleaned and bandaged, otherwise they will get infected.
She knew that. She had seen the murky, filthy water. She had seen how dirty and filthy Goblintown was. She had no idea whether they cleaned their torture instruments after their last victim, or even if they had ever been cleaned at all. The only question in her mind was…
"B-but we….we don't….have any….bandages," she gasped out, her teeth still gritted. Kili swallowed, looking away.
"Y-yes we do," he said so quietly she almost didn't hear him. Her brow furrowed in confusion.
"W-where?" she asked. The young dwarf flushed even deeper as he ducked his head, his crimson face partially concealed by his still damp locks.
"Your tunic," he whispered. "W-we can c-cut it up, and—" He never finished his sentence, her horrified gasp sounding quite loud through the tiny glade.
"N-no!" she cried, clutching the fabric to herself. Kili let out a frustrated sigh.
"If there were any other way, I would do it in an instant," he said defensively, looking at her. Fear and hesitation swirled in the dark orbs. "But all we have are the clothes on our backs, and my knife." She shivered, her eyes closing as tears threatened to spill.
No! she screamed internally. He-he will see me, and I….no!
She heard Kili sigh, and cracked her eyes open. The young dwarf had turned his face away from her, staring into the fire. His shoulders were slumped in defeat, and she could see him visibly trembling, with a troubled look on his downcast face. He swallowed heavily, before looking up at her, his eyes misty.
"We have no bandages, no food, no supplies," he whispered, and she could hear the barely disguised tremor in his voice. "We have nothing but what we wear, and my knife." He sighed, looking at his lap for a moment, before looking at her.
"Your wounds have to be taken care of," he said, his eyes dead serious. "Goblin whips…they are not clean, and neither was that water. Who knows what diseases are in it? There were dead goblins in it, for Durin's sake!" He sighed, before getting up and grabbing his knife.
He knelt down in front of her, pressing the hilt of it into her hand as he had done earlier. He looked at it, visibly shaking, before looking her in the eye.
"I will give you my tunic after I am done, so you are decent. If you think I am violating you at any point during the time I tend your wounds, you take my knife," he paused, glancing fearfully at the weapon, then back at her. She could see the terrified expression on his face in the firelight.
"And you kill me," he finished, swallowing heavily. Her eyes widened.
"Y-you are s-stronger than me," she whispered, shivering. "I c-cannot fight y-you." He locked eyes with her, and she could see absolutely no hesitation in his words as he spoke.
"I, Kili son of Dis, give you my word, as a Prince of the line of Durin-If you move to kill me because you believe me to be violating you, I will NOT fight you."
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A response to guest reviewer Ri-chan- I am not quite sure I understand your review very well…do you mean when Kili realized that he had received mouth to mouth resuscitation? He was just waking from passing out himself, and still a bit dazed and confused from the knock to his own head. He did run through the prior events first, before realizing the resuscitation. As to what was crossing through his mind, I hope that either this chapter (which I am at the moment still working on) or next chapter will answer that question :) I am glad you find yourself immersed in my story-I remember that I would get so immersed in books I liked when it was reading time in class back when I was in grade school that I would jump nearly out of my seat when the school bell rang-I was so startled! It's nice to hear that my story does that for my readers :D
Thanks to all who review, favorite, and follow- seriously, you guys never cease to amaze me :D :D :D