A/N: Short chapter this time, but I've already started on the next chapter. Can't say when I'll have it done, though.
As always, if you recognize it, I don't own it.
When Gwyn woke up, her entire body HURT. Opening her eyes slowly, Gwyn saw a cloth ceiling above her head – she was in a tent. A small whine slipped from her lips when she tried to shift on the hard cot she was laying on. In a moment, Bilbo's face appeared in her line of vision.
"Oh! You're awake! Do you need water?" When she nodded weakly Bilbo helped her take a couple of careful sips from a nearby cup. "Fili and Kili will be so relieved that you're awake! Oin finally had to send them to their own tent to get some rest. Those boys wouldn't leave your side, Dwalin had to practically clobber them unconscious to get them to go rest. You gave us all quite a scare, Fili and Kili most of all, collapsing like you did." Bilbo was fussing over her, making sure she had enough blankets, that there was fresh water in the pitcher near her cot, and scolding her all the while. After a few minutes of his puttering, Bilbo poked his head out of the tent, and told whomever was standing guard to go fetch Fili and Kili and tell them that Gwyn was awake.
While she waited for her princes to arrive, so that they could take Bilbo's place fussing over her, Gwyn took stock of her body. Her left arm was in a sling and held tightly to her ribs, which were also bandaged tightly, she could feel a splint wrapped around her right knee, and she had various superficial cuts, scrapes, and bruises littering her body. In addition to those injuries, Gwyn's muscles ached from overuse.
"How long have I been asleep, Bilbo?" Gwyn asked, voice hoarse.
"Four days. Fili and Kili have been beside themselves worrying about if you would wake up. I only managed to chase them away this morning," the hobbit said.
"What of the others? Was anyone injured?" she asked.
"You were the worst. I don't think your armor will ever be clean of all the blood from your injuries. Most of us took a few bumps and bruises, and some great brute knocked me on the head, which is still a bit bothersome, but by and large we're all fine," Bilbo replied. Upon hearing this news Gwyn sank back into the pillows in relief. Before she could get too comfortable though, Fili and Kili burst into the tent, looking a bit wild until they saw that Gwyn was, in fact, awake.
The two princes looked exhausted, dark smudges under their eyes. They rushed over to Gwyn's bedside, Fili sitting down gingerly beside her, a broad smile on his face. Kili on the other hand, stood behind his brother, arms crossed across his chest, frowning angrily. Kili spoke first.
"What in Mahal's name were you thinking? Azog could have killed you! That was, by far, the stupidest thing you've ever done, and that's including taunting the Goblin King!" Kili fumed.
"Kili's right, mizimel. Do you have any idea how difficult it was for us to watch you fighting the Defiler alone? And no matter what we did, we couldn't move to help you. When you collapsed, Kili and I didn't know what we were going to do if we lost you. Why did you fight him, Gwyn? Why couldn't you leave him to us?" Fili asked, taking her right hand in both of his.
"I couldn't let either of you, or Thorin, fight Azog because he would have killed you, and I couldn't let that happen. So right before the battle I spoke with Gandalf. When he heard me give a certain signal, he was to cast a spell that would keep you safe. I only did that because I wanted to protect you, my loves." Gwyn answered, refusing to let them make her feel guilty.
"You could have told us that, pundurith," Kili said, "rather than having Gandalf magick us and making us watch as you fought Azog alone."
"Would you have listened? Would you have been able to stay away if Gandalf hadn't magicked you? I couldn't take that chance," Gwyn said, shaking her head. Although Fili and Kili knew in their hearts that Gwyn was right, and they wouldn't have been able to resist fighting alongside her, they couldn't help but feel hurt that she hadn't at least told them of her plan.
"You're probably right, mizimel. We likely wouldn't have been able to stay away, but do you have any idea how helpless we felt when we saw you get hit by Azog's mace? When you were knocked flying we were powerless to protect you. It was horrible," Fili said.
"I would have felt the same if you had been fighting Azog," Gwyn answered, "you know how I just know things, like I knew about the trolls and the goblins, and how I knew to have the athelas paste? I knew that if I let anyone from the line of Durin fight Azog, the Defiler would have ended the Durin's line and Dain would be king and the Company would be preparing for yours and your uncle's funerals. I couldn't let that happen. Not when I had the means to prevent it," Gwyn insisted, before groaning at the pain in her various injuries.
"Would you like me to fetch Oin for something to help with the pain, pundurith?" Kili asked anxiously.
"No, I'll be fine. Although I do rather feel like I've been run over by a stampede," Gwyn said wryly.
"I don't doubt it, pundurith. Your left shoulder was dislocated, your right knee was wrenched, your ribs are cracked, and you're absolutely covered in cuts, scrapes, and bruises," Kili said, helping her sit up. Bilbo returned then with a bowl of thin porridge and Oin in tow.
"So you're finally awake, eh? Took you long enough," Oin said gruffly as he began his examination of his patient, "how's the pain?"
"Reminding me that taking on Azog by myself was an idiotic idea. I feel like a few of Dain's boars have been tossing me around," Gwyn said, grimacing.
"It was stupid to take on that brute by yourself," Bilbo sniffed, "but Gandalf has been spreading a rumor that if you hadn't, then something awful would have happened to the Durin line. They're calling you Orcsbane, now," he said as he passed the bowl to Fili. Relieved of his errand, Bilbo left the tent.
"A few of the royal suites managed to escape the worst of Smaug's wrath, so if you feel up to it, lassie, I'd like to get you moved inside the Mountain, where it's warmer than these damned tents," Oin said as a gust of winter wind rattled the tent.
"We'll move her after she eats something," Fili said. As if on cue, Gwyn's stomach gave a loud growl.
"That's a good sign that you're hungry, lassie. Aye, you eat, and then we'll get you inside," Oin said before he left.
"Do you want to try feeding yourself or would you like one of us to feed you, pundurith?" Kili asked.
"I'd like to try myself first, and if I can't manage it I'd appreciate the help," Gwyn said, as she used her good arm to prop herself up further in the bed and rearrange her other limbs into a better position for eating. Once she was situated comfortably, Fili set the bowl of porridge on her lap, and she began to awkwardly spoon the porridge with her right hand. Several times her princes looked like they wanted to step in and help her, but Gwyn was determined to feed herself. Before long, the bowl was almost empty, and Fili went to get Oin to help transfer Gwyn into the Mountain, leaving Gwyn alone with Kili.
"My love, I truly am sorry that I worried you by fighting Azog, but please believe me when I say that it was something I needed to do. I had to protect you, Fili, and Thorin from Azog, and that meant I couldn't let you fight him. Do you understand? It would have killed me if something had happened to you or your brother, or Thorin," Gwyn pleaded, tears in her eyes.
"Why couldn't you have told us?" Kili asked
"I already told you. I couldn't risk you not listening to me. I couldn't risk losing you," she said, "I love you and your brother too much to risk that, and Thorin has already come so far and achieved so much in reclaiming the Mountain that I could risk him losing that. I did it to protect all of you," she said. Before Kili could reply though, Fili and Oin returned, with a couple of Iron Hills dwarves bearing a stretcher.
"It would be easiest, lass, if these dwarves carried you into Erebor," Oin said before producing a crutch from somewhere behind him, "but if you're anything like anyone else from the Company, you'll want to make it inside under your own power."
"I'll take the crutch, thanks," Gwyn said, as she navigated getting out of bed for the first time since she was put in it.
"I figured. As stone-headed as any dwarf I've known," the healer said, handing her the crutch, which she took in her right hand.
"No need to worry about having to teach me how to use this thing. I've had to use crutches before," Gwyn said as she took a few steps around the tent to get used to the crutch. Soon, Gwyn was familiar enough with the tool that she nodded her readiness to make the trek into Erebor. Oin held open the tent flap for her, and with Fili and Kili at her sides, Gwyn took her first steps out of the tent and into the bright winter sunshine.
As Gwyn and the others made their slow progress toward Erebor, whispers began to spread amongst the milling dwarves, Men, and elves. Orcsbane was awake! She was walking! The word spread, and the crowd swelled, everyone anxious to catch their glimpse of the heroine who turned the tide of the great battle. Then, someone bowed, then another person, and it spread, like a ripple, until everyone was bowing before Gwyn and her retinue. This continued all the way into Erebor, and up to the royal suite that was to be her new home with her husbands, her princes.
After the doors to the chambers shut behind Gwyn and the dwarves, she managed to hobble over to the bed and all but collapse into it. She had used up her small reserve of energy to make it into Erebor, and now she was exhausted. As she fell asleep in the first proper bed she'd seen since Laketown, she could dimly hear Fili and Kili talking quietly amongst themselves.