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 Reuel Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.
Yay! An update! Just a reminder to my readers- please don't expect frequent/regular updates until January due to real life craziness (explained in responses below). Thanks to all!
The smell of biscuits, bacon and eggs wafted through the small room, and Cirashala's stomach rumbled hungrily. Loose tendrils of hair had fallen out of the small braids on either side of her head sticking to her damp face.
She had started with Kili's bloody tunic first, the dark stains making her sick to her stomach. Cirashala frantically scrubbed the teal cloth, determined to get the blood out as best she could. Memories of the lynx attack assaulted her- Kili's screams, his pleas for her to get his knife, her terror as the lynx charged Freida. She was deeply grateful that Meril had come along when she did and killed the animal, and shuddered to think of what could have happened had she not done so.
She inwardly cursed as the washboard slipped again with a loud splash, her throbbing right hand unable to hold it steady. The pain had been numbed in the terror of the attack, but once the adrenaline had worn off, Cirashala was painfully aware that wielding the branch with two hands had caused her break to become offset again. Muffling a cry as she bit back tears, she glanced over to see Meril looking up at her, the old woman's gaze falling toward the swelling appendage.
"Does it need to be set again?" she asked, straightening up from where she had been bent over the skillet next to the fireplace. The young woman glanced down toward her hand, now straining the bandages wrapped around it, then at the young prince.
Kili's breathing had stabilized, though it still sounded thick and forced. Beads of sweat dripped down the side of his flushed cheeks as he lay on the straw tick. The dark circles under his eyes were a stark contrast to his pale face, and his brow furrowed in pain. A whimper escaped his lips as he shifted, and the young woman made her decision.
"I-It's fine," she gasped out, her lips tight as she picked up the soap bar again, avoiding the old woman's gaze. "I-I need to get the washing done."
I have to work. If I don't, she'll kick us out, and Kili is too sick to go anywhere.
Meril followed her gaze, then turned back toward Cirashala, frowning. Setting her wooden spoon down, she wiped her hands on her apron and approached the young woman. Cirashala looked up in surprise as a wrinkled hand suddenly grasped her wrist, and jumped backwards with a cry. Tugging her arm only served to tighten Meril's grip, and frightened eyes looked up into stern old ones.
"Please, ma'am," she begged, heart racing. "Let me go." Meril's gaze did not meet hers as she examined the injured hand.
"Easy, child," she admonished, gently probing the younger's right hand. "I'm not going to bite it. I'm just going to look at it."
Cirashala swallowed heavily, eyes moving toward the elder's task. She could feel her whole body trembling, and glanced worriedly at the young prince. A cry left her lips as Meril found the break, and old blue eyes met hers.
"It does need to be reset," she stated, looking at the young woman in slight confusion. A swift, unexpected movement snapped the broken bone back into place, eliciting a loud cry from Cirashala. "Why did you say it was fine?"
"I," she paused, swallowing nervously as she gasped in pain. "I was afraid you-you would kick us out, if I couldn't work."
"Kick you out?" Meril asked, confusion in her tone, and Cirashala realized that she may not understand the phrase.
Remember, you're in Middle-earth now.
"Make us leave," she whispered, and recognition dawned in the old woman's eyes. Meril glanced down at her hand, then at the young dwarf in the corner, not speaking for a moment. Cirashala tensed, praying that the elder would not change her mind about helping them.
"What can you do with one hand?" Meril asked after a moment, questioning gaze moving back toward her. Cirashala's brow furrowed, trying to think of something, and she was relieved she was ambidextrous at most things.
"Um, well, I-I can knead bread with one hand," she said, looking around the room. "I can sweep, I think. I can milk a cow too, and feed chickens, and fold clothes, and scrub the floor." Her gaze fell on Freida, and a thought entered her mind.
"I can read and write too, if you need me to," she said, "As long as it's in Westron and using the Shire letters. And I can do numbers and draw."
Meril's eyes widened at this, and she released her hand, staring at her in surprise.
"You know how to read and write?" she asked, eyeing her strangely. Cirashala nodded, wondering at the unexpected change in Meril's countenance.
"Yes," she said. "I- I don't know how your people write your language, but I can write in Westron at least." Meril shook her head.
"My people cannot read and write," she replied slowly. "In fact, the only people I've ever heard of who can are great lords." Cirashala's eyes widened as Meril's astonished gaze moved between Kili and her.
Crap. I was trying to hide Kili's lineage, not give it away!
"We-we're not lords," she said quickly, drawing Meril's gaze back to her. Her thoughts went to Ori, the enthusiastic scribe who loved to journal and was by no means a dwarvish lord. "All dwarf children learn how to read and write, as far as I know."
Meril looked at her curiously, before glancing to Freida.
"Are you offering to teach Freida how to read and write?" she asked slowly, eyes meeting Cirashala's. The younger's eyes widened.
"Um, well….I-it's not really something that can be learned in a day," she said quickly. "It usually takes a few months at least to learn letter sounds and master writing them, and even longer to learn how to recognize and read most words. I- I don't think we'll be here that long." Meril nodded, sighing.
"If you were, then it would be possible," she agreed. "But what use would reading and writing be here? She does not need to read to learn how to farm and gather and sew and cook." Cirashala nodded.
"You can still sweep and scrub the floor, milk the cows, feed the chickens, and when the bread is ready, you can knead it," Meril continued, nodding to her. "I will do the washing since you cannot."Her gaze moved toward the injured dwarf.
"And you will be responsible for tending your brother," she finished, and Cirashala nodded. "Put three pinches of willow bark into warm water for the tea, and give it to him every four hours for the fever. I will get you some rags and cool water as well." Cirashala glanced toward the mint lying next to Kili's bed.
"Do you have a mortar and pestle?" she asked. "So that I can make a paste from the mint for his chest?"
Meril glanced at the mint, and nodded, reaching up to grab the tool off the tin shelf.
"Make sure you rinse it out afterward."
XXX
The food finished cooking within minutes after Meril reset the broken bone. Freida set the table, placing three plates and tin cups on it, along with a two tined fork and a knife and spoon, and Meril poured milk out of a large flagon into each cup, before nodding to Cirashala.
"Come eat, child," she said, gesturing toward the third place setting. Cirashala nodded, setting down the mortar and pestle and settling herself on the crude bench next to Freida. The young woman waited until Meril and the child began to eat before reaching for the jar of jam on the table, not wishing to appear overeager and rude. Her eyes widened in surprise at the coolness of the stone crock, until she remembered stories of pioneers keeping their butter and other perishables cool in creeks and rivers.
Are we close to the Anduin? I didn't think we walked that far already.
"Excuse me, ma'am," she asked, looking up at the older woman. "Is your village near the Anduin?" Meril looked at her in surprise, then shook her head.
"The Anduin is about six and a half leagues from here," she replied. "It is a day's journey at least." Cirashala's heart sank.
So we still have about twenty miles or so to go…
As Cirashala began to clumsily spread the jam onto her biscuit with her left hand, a loud groan sounded from across the room, and all eyes turned toward the young dwarf as the dark orbs flew open in panic.
XXX
Kili did not know when he blacked out. He remembered steam, strange voices, and breathing in a sweet smell, but that was it.
His entire torso felt like it was on fire. Pain swept through his shoulder, as well as his broken ribs. His face felt so hot, yet he was so cold. The lynx attack kept going through his mind as he fitfully slept, and images of Cirashala's terrified face floated through his memory in a haze.
Cira!
His eyes flew open, panic settling in as he remembered the strange voices before he passed out. He fought to sit up, only to have hands try to push him down.
"Cira!" he cried, his voice raspy from not being used. "Cira, where are you?!"
"Shh," a soft voice sounded, and the young woman's face came into view. A cool hand brushed his bangs back, soothing the heat emanating off his brow. "I'm right here, it's all right."
The young dwarf relaxed a little bit as she spoke, and fell back against the soft surface he was lying on in exhaustion. Relief washed over him at knowing she was alive, and that the lynx had not harmed her. Kili felt a cup pressed to his lips as someone tilted his head, and a familiar earthy scent wafted into his nostrils.
"Gisli, I need you to drink," Cirashala said softly, "It's medicine, and it will help lower your fever."
Dark eyes met blue, and the young dwarf's hazy eyes were able to recognize the deep concern in Cirashala's gaze. His brow furrowed in confusion at the name she called him, but it was quickly forgotten as he glanced up and noticed a wood floor above him.
This isn't the forest.
"W-where…"he began, but the young woman cut him off.
"Don't worry," she reassured. "We're safe. Drink, please."
His gaze moved back toward hers, and the young prince nodded, swallowing the bitter drought. Feeling its effect quickly settle in, Kili found his lids growing very heavy.
"I'm glad you're safe," he whispered as he reached for her left hand. The young dwarf gently grasped it, comforted by her presence even as darkness claimed him once more.
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A response to guest reviewer theLord'ssparrow: Exactly! Getting to know a person as friends first always works out better, and that's how true love starts, not superficial lust ;) The introduction in the movie was skipped, though there are rumors of it being in the DOS EE. I'm glad you liked that part- I really liked the chapter myself when I read through it again after posting it :) I was hoping some book fans would appreciate it. Yes he does- that's the little tidbit I was hoping people caught ;)
A response to guest reviewer Skywolf42: I am so, so, so busy right now- small farm, harvest season (canning, freezing, drying, etc), plus need to sew fall/autumn clothing for myself and my children, take care of some home repair projects, and I have less than three months to finish a quilt for my sister in law's wedding present and am not even ¼ of the way done with the piecing on the top ;( had sewing machine trouble). And I started homeschooling, so that's taking a fair chunk of the week. Plus I've been struggling with some health issues on top of it all. Updates will be sporadic until January (I'm hosting Christmas this year for about 25-30 family members because the wedding is less than two weeks before Christmas so I offered to take that burden off my mother in law) then I will be sure to make up for lost time :) Our dryer also died (third appliance to die since we bought our house four years ago, and fourth major costly repair this year), so now we're in the process of building a clothesline until we have the funds to replace it. So don't expect many, if any, updates til then, though I will try to squeak a few in as rare moments allow :) Thanks for the compliments- the reunion will happen soon (story time) though I cannot promise soon chapter wise- I am hoping to get there as soon as possible, but it depends on my ability (or lack thereof) to update…
A response to guest reviewer Kaia: Thanks! That's not entirely me though- Beorn calls Bilbo a bunny in the book ;) The mouse thing was mine though…and yes I think it's true (have you seen how MF twitches his nose a lot in the movie, especially when nervous? ;)
Thanks to all who review, favorite, and follow- you guys are all so patient with me as real life takes me for a crazy loop! :D :D :D