*** Sorry for the prolonged abscence! I have been struggling with the future of this character and if she was turning into a poor-poor-pity-me mary jane. So I have been revising and thinking quite a bit, hopefully this new chapter is what you have been waiting for. 3***
Bilbo awoke early for once, because hobbits tend to sleep late, then have many breakfasts then eat more and more and enjoy the subtle comforts that only a hobbit hole can provide. This morning he awoke and decided that a spot of tea should do him well. Carefully he crept out the room as to not wake his sleeping comrades and he slipped out the door unnoticed. He stretched out his arms as people do when they wake and his hand brushed against the wall. He set his palm on the wood and felt that this truly was a larger Bag End, at least more so than any other place they had been. The elves halls were clean and ornate, and lacking in maps. Caves were damp and full of rocks, rocks that even poked through his blanket. Sometimes as a notch hit his hand he would remember Bag End and with every notch a new sadness formed. This journey had taken longer already than he had planned and he had faced many perils. The thought of entering a dragon occupied mountain weighed on him and compared to trolls it seemed an impossible task. He trudged into the kitchen only to find Asta at the table, one of the light holes opened she sat underneath it, soaking in the sun, a tea cup in her hand, eyes shut and head back. The tea pot rested on the table only a quick reach from her. Light beamed down and steam climbed up and it was as if she was a permanent resident of that scene. Bilbo dared not intrude on her moment, but she opened her eyes as he began to step back. She moved slowly, her eyes opened as if she were waking and when she turned to him, it was as if she were a snail. She looked past Bilbo for a moment then focused on him and smiled, then patted the table next to her. He sat and she poured him tea in the same slow manner.
"They call me the Child of the Mountain." she spoke low and quietly.
"Well, that's a lovely title, if I do say so, and I do. Say so that is." not entirely sure who she was referring to.
"I think so too." she wrapped herself in it, letting them call her that, and absorbing the warmth that came over her, through the sun and the name. "Let's show these dwarves how breakfast should truly be." She smirked with her eyes closed.
Bilbo returned to his childhood mischief for a split moment, and then agreed. Asta still moved slower than usual but acting at a much quicker pace than before, and with teamwork they had the table adorned in fresh ham, bacon, eggs, toast, potatoes, and juice. Bombur was the first to enter the kitchen, eyes shut, letting his nose guide him. He had a cup of tea, as if to give the rest of them a sporting chance. Once one of the sleeping creatures realized that Bombur was gone from bed and the sweet aroma of bacon wafted down the hall, they all awoke in quick succession. Asta served and as each dwarf got their food, she became more mobile. Bifur smiled so big at his plate that it set her face a glow. Fili was grumpy this particular morning and only nodded at her then stuffed his food into his mouth. Stolen glances at Kili only gave her more strength for the coming hunt. Thorin came in and the room didn't change although he did refuse to look at Asta. They were back to square one but Asta could not give up what little amount of friends she had attained for the possibility of none. She ate with haste, then running to her room, emerged with her bow and quiver slung on her back, and Kili, tripping along the way, ran to get his.
Excitement filled the air, they could scarcely breathe for the pressure of the day's events forcing them up the stairs. Gandalf shook his head as he smiled from under his pipe. Thorin and Fili sat grumpily counting their woes as the others awoke lazily, for them the day would be spent much the same. This was not so for Kili and Asta.
He opened the door warily and as he did the sunlight entered the hall, at first it hurt their eyes, arms covering their faces as they came forth. This being Asta's first time on the surface since her soul had been ripped in two, she was completely disorientated. It seemed as if hse had one too many pints and the world was spinning. Voices in her head whispered "Good Morning!" in thousands of tiny voices varying in pitch. She set her hand on the trunk that held the door and a single voice got louder, shocking her to the ground. Both of her hands touched the tree and the voice grew even louder, "Good morning, Child of the Mountains, I am Vestos." She spoke out loud when she said, "Vestos how do I make it stop? So many voices!" A wind blew through the trees, and in a moment all the voices stopped. She found her vision, corrected herself, and Kili sat beside her on his knees looking very frightened. Gandalf soon joined them.
She looked at him, gripping her head, "Voices, voices that are in my head..." He began to take up grasses and strips of bark in his hands, making a ring that was dainty and small. Gandalf whispered words on it and opened his palms to reveal a bracelet. Promptly the searing pain in her head stopped, and all that remained was Vestos' voice.
"Forgive us Child of the mountain, we have long since had a being unlike ourselves to speak to, and excitement gave way to chaos. Your wizard friend has given you a gift, it will suppress us, but until you are ready it is wise to do so."
"That bracelet will help you focus, blocking it's energy for now. But when the forest desperately needs you, the force of nature will out power the force of magic."
"Are you sure you want to come with me?" Kili asked softly and Gandalf too his cue to exit.
"Yes, yes of course." She couldn't miss this opportunity, when would she suppose she would get to hunt with him again?
He helped her up and when they touched hands she noticed how coarse they were, dry and calloused hands, but big and warm as well. She noticed the forest seemed less ill where they were and that the green was crawling back into its rightful places along the floor. The sunlight moved everywhere in the forest when the trees swayed, and the dots that shone through circled and danced. Asta could feel the happiness that the sun brought the leaves and the joy felt by moving in the breeze. Vestos was far behind them now, as they moved further into the wood but she could still hear him. He told them where streams to drink from were and he led them to animal tracks. Asta followed Kili who did not seem to need Vestos' guidance, for he was in his own world. His eyes were searching and his nose smelling as they went. He found a set of tracks and went to work deciphering it. Asta was no good at this type of hunting, she could lay traps for fowl or rabbits, but she could never actually hunt anything. She set her hand on his shoulder and when the heat from his back met her palm she suddenly became conscious of herself. 'Is that too familiar? Am I being too bold?' But he looked at her and smiled that same smile from the training room with his lips in his mouth that made him seem goofy. He pointed at some tracks and said, "Deer."
Asta's heart leaped! A deer! She hadn't had deer in months! Elves were partial to fowl and she could not consume a whole adult deer for herself, so she merely went without. Kili could tell her excitement and it made him happy to see her revitalized.
"Wouldn't that be something?" he asked, "To come back with a deer." The promise of gloating filling his mind, the appreciation of his comrades.
"I can only imagine how delicious the meat will taste." she wet her lips.
He nodded and started off in the direction of the tracks, while looking back with a finger to his lips. It was a time before they reached the young doe who was drinking by a pond. Kili held out a hand, motioning for Asta to stop behind him. His body tensed and he lowered himself while gazing out to her. Asta followed suit, but pulled her bow from her back. She looked at Kili for a sign but he had just begun to pull a bow from his quiver and it was silent like a night after rain. He locked the arrow and pulled back when a fawn came out from behind the doe to gaze in to the water. It had white spots on his abdomen and large eyes that looked about in cautious curiosity. When he spotted his own reflection he was frightened at first, then warmed up to it, dipping his nose in the water, only to jerk it out of the cool pond. Asta looked back to Kili who had unknocked his arrow, and held on with his bow hand loosely as he smiled at the young animal and its mother. A warm, respiteful gaze came from him, and she knew he would not kill the doe. She stood, slow and steady. Both mother and fawn saw her and when they met eyes, nothing happened. Asta stared at the doe and the doe back at her The doe blinked then turned to leave, her fawn close behind. The moment was fleeting but memorable. Asta may have been imagining it but she thought she could connect with that animal on a conscious plane and that in the one moment that their eyes met, the doe was not afraid, and neither was Asta.
She continued to stare at the spot until Kili stood,with the same warmth on his face he now resembled someone older than the goofy, excited boy who left with her that morning. They continued on with short glances that gave a mutual agreement and respect. They found a new set of tracks and followed them deeper into the forest. The deeper they went the more foliage cover they got, and by the time they were hot on the deer's trail, it was past midday. They sat by a brooke to eat buy they ate in silence. The rustle of the leaves and the rush and flow of the water left them no room to speak, nor did they want to. The smell of damp earth and leaves went by in passing as the wind travelled through their picnic.
For Kili the day had already been a success. He felt the bond between himself and Asta was growing and that the comfortable silence she experienced with Thorin the evening before now belonged to him. He recalled when she stood to face the deer and it was a glittering emblem of courage and beauty. That image belonged to him alone and he closed his eyes as he committed it to memory.
They sat beside each other admiring the other and eating for some time. They were so caught up in their thoughts that they did not notice the beady eyes that were gazing out at them from a darker part of the forest. Vestos' voice came to Asta.
"Child of the Mountain, danger watches you, you should not stay long."
She looked around to see this danger and seeing none, made her even more wary. Kili acknowledged this and noticing her behaviour, reached for his bow, They both knocked arrows to the string and stood up to leave. A burst of rustling from beside them caused Kili to swiftly turn, there was a clearing and the deer jumped across it, he cursed in dwarvish.
"There is another, head back west." Vestos spoke again.
"Not a doe." Asta said aloud and plainly.
"What? No are you not a saying doe?" Kili's voice merged with Vestos' so she blocked Kili's out. "No, not a doe."
"Asta?"
"The trees say there is another deer, west, and that we should keep moving."
"Then we should head west." his eyes darted around as he walked past her.
She flushed slightly, because he had taken what she said and chose to listen despite how bizarre it sounded. They found the tracks and this time Kili didn't have to put a hand up to stop her, he merely tensed his body and hid behind a tree. The buck was nipping at grass. They both put up their bows. Asta watched as Kili breathed in through his nose then softly through his slightly parted mouth. He closed his eyes as he breathed in, then opened them slowly as he breathed out. He shut his mouth and locked his gaze. He let loose his arrow that found itself in the side. Asta untrapped herself from gazing at Kili to let her arrow hit the target. By the combination of their arrows the deer came down and when Kili's smiling face looked up at Asta, he never had seen a smile so gracious in all his life.
She ran to the carcass and set down her bow while she examined the animal. It was still breathing, although softly and its eyes found hers. She lay her hand on the considerable beast's head and shushed it while petting its face and neck. It let out a final breath and she leaned down and kissed the buck lightly. Lifting her head she shut its eyes and whispered in its ear, "Thank you."
Kili stood a short distance away watching as she showed that animal the same respect he would give to a fallen friend. He went to her, a heftiness in his chest as he grabbed her shoulder with one hand. Her braid that Ori had rebraided for her, whipped around her face and she looked at Kili sympathetically, "Thank you, too."
All he could do is nod and smile with his lips in his mouth weakly. They carried the buck home together with no words, but grins that would not remove themselves for any given reason. When they reached the house she stopped. "I am going to help you capture Erebor." She was gazing at the ground when he replied.
"I thought you might." They smirked at each other then turned to revel in the glory of their prize. Even the grumpy nephew and uncle were ecstatic at the sight of it. Dwalin rolled up his sleeves and Asta fetched an apron. He took the beast down the hall to a store room and skinned and got the meat ready. Dori prepared for dinner and Asta relayed the events of the day to Bilbo, Ori, Gloin and Oin. They attributed the doe's strange behaviour to Asta's new connection to the forest but Asta wasn't so sure.
They feasted, and decided that they would leave by morning. Asta signed her contract, identical to Bilbo's and all was settled. Gandalf said they should make to his acquaintance Beorn's house. He was a shapeshifter but most commonly known as a bear. Bilbo seemed quite terrified of sharing quarters with a bear and Gandalf cautioned him to keep his mouth shut, after all, he was a Took.
They made ready, packed provisions and prepared their weapons best they could. Asta was in her room gathering belongings trying to hide her excitement. She knew that some would be glad of her; Dwalin, Bofur, Ori, Bilbo, Kili and Dori. The others mostly didn't care, it was Balin and Thorin that she had to avoid. She hoped that by the end she will have earned their acceptance and their kindness.
Before she put down for the night she silently thought she should tell the forest that they were leaving.
"You are leaving, Child of the Mountains?" Vestos' voice came.
"Yes," she thought, "You can hear me?"
"Yes, but only when you wish it. How far will you travel?"
"To the Lonely Mountain, beyond the forest."
"I will keep watch for you then, and if there be any need of concern, I shall notify you as quickly as possible."
"Thank you."
"No, thank you, Child. It is through you that we have a chance to survive."
She set her head on her pillow and relished in comfort for the last time, for a long time.