****This one is a doozie! So long, and so much happens! I'm excited to start to really delve into some of these relationships we are building in the next few chapters. I had written all the way up to when the company escapes Thranduil's kingdom, but I scraped it. She was becoming a Mary Jane, and so I have struggled with this and the events in the coming film, the way they will pan out, (anyone else see that Billy Boyd song and bawl their eyes out?!) and the ending I have designed. I also began watching some videos on writing and wondering if my story was becoming less of a story and more of a bunch of words on the internet. So, I hope in the future, there will be merit beyond that of only a love story, as there are many battle scenes coming up, and plenty of opportunity to expand into something perhaps with a little more theme to it. Enjoy!****
The next morning brought on many small things to do and many of our company ran while eating, and when they were finally ready to leave, they filed up the staircase, Asta trailing at the end. She checked no candles were left burning, no light holes left opened and no cupboards left unstocked. Before she left she looked back at the empty room. The only light came from the stairwell and as each dwarf left, it blackened making it even harder to see what was left. She grasped the door frame at the bottom and squeezed, thinking to herself, 'I'll be back.' Asta turned and each dwarf nodded to her as she came up to the surface.
The morning was foggy and dark, making them question if it was truly morning at all. Bilbo was nervous about leaving the house and annoyed everyone with questions like, "Did you forget anything?" "Do we have enough food?" "What if we run out of food?" Bofur took it upon himself to comfort his friend.
"My dear hobbit, if we run out of food we will simply have to eat the loudest of us all." with a stifled crowd of gigglers at his heels Bilbo remained silent for quite sometime.
As with most places, the forest thickened as they carried on. The trees touched at the tops blocking the sun and increasing the level of darkness, which allowed for more ugly things to slow themselves. Insects were hanging from the trees, spiders and caterpillars; bright spots, harry legs and backs that stuck to clothes. There was even a patch of dead animal that had crawled by their last breath to a hole. A family of rabbits had their fate handed to them in that place. Asta's heart sunk and she wanted to stop but they pressed on. The sounds the forest made were irregular. The ever present crunch of boots through turf, a sniffle, cough or laugh from the company, but there was no extraneous noise. There were no birds, no rustling brush far in the distance. The only noise made was by the dwarves and as that revelation came upon an intuitive few, the morale of the group dropped.
The days were hot and muggy, humidity bearing down like a blanket to smother with. The nights were cool and swarm infested. To avoid bites they had to put their coloured hoods up over their eyes and cover themselves up all elsewhere. Dwalin had the worst of it, his beard was thick but his head so bare that he had many bites by the morning. One evening when tensions were especially high, Dwalin agitated by the bites on his head, his brother agitated at him and general discomfort, Balin had a word or two to say to Asta.
Asta helped Bofur with the food that evening and while helping clean up the two brothers were in a heated argument.
"You stubborn old fool!" yelled Balin.
"Stubborn am I? Why don't you pick up your mace and we'll find out how stubborn I can be!"
"If you would have put up that hood you wouldn't be in this state."
"It's this accursed forest! Argh!" he furiously scratched at his head and stomped about.
Balin with his eyes and nostrils wide to Asta screamed "This is your forest, isn't it? Do something!"
Asta hadn't ever seen him in such a fit, always he had kept his dignity and control of his emotions, and she was in shock.
"What? You can't? Ridiculous. What is the point in having you?"
Everyone did as Asta had, merely let it happen, but when she threw down the pot she was washing, no one was surprised. She walked up to him, clomping each foot into the ground. She got so close to him he could see the veins in her eyes and parts of his beard rested on her chest.
"I am tired of this Lord Balin. I have signed the contract like everyone else. I have helped around camp, carried my share. If you have an issue with me being here, perhaps you should say so. My mother was human. Her parents were human. Her mother's mother was a human. Her grandfather was human. If I have given you a reason to resent me beyond my very lightly elvish heritage say it now."
He looked down at her scrunching his nose while his face turned a dreadful red, "Once an elf, always an elf. How can you be one of us if you don't abandon them?"
"Is that so?" her eyes narrowed. She turned to Thorin, who looked up form his seat, that same angry, pent up, stubborn look he always had. "I'm glad to know there is some confidentiality between us." She abandoned him to his lonely log and turned back to Balin.
"They saved me when I was beyond saving. You had that opportunity and instead showed me dust. Forgive me for choosing those who taught me compassion and happiness instead of those who left me to rot. I saved your King. I want you back in Erebor and since the measly number of thirteen are attempting to get into a dragon occupied city, I am willing to throw my life in with yours, despite your resentment Lord Balin. Perhaps weigh on that next time you feel the need to criticize my choices." She turned and grabbed her sack.
"Where are you going?" Bilbo called after her.
"A bath!"
"Balin." Thorin spoke once she was gone, "You will keep your opinion of Asta to yourself. She will carry out as promised, and if she doesn't then, and only then, will your anger be warranted."
"Yes your majesty."
"Oin, get something for Dwalin's head. I'll have no more of this squabbling." A few whispered, "Yes Thorin"s came from the company as Kili slipped after Asta.
He tracked her down to an open pond surrounded by full green trees. His steps were dead and soundless, so when he came across the lake it was only her. The moon came from the sky like a blue sun and she looked so sad and alone in the water. She would pull one hand up and rub her shoulder. Sometimes she would dip herself in the water and push her wet hair behind her head. He decided it wise to back up out of the wood and there by hold onto his innocent impression. "Asta?" he called. She splashed around and he called again, "Asta, I can't see you."
"I can see that." she was displeased and it was in her voice, thick.
"I thought someone should keep watch, incase."
"I can keep watch for myself."
"I should stay, I won't turn around."
"Not very good at keeping watch if you aren't watching." she sighed deeply, "You don't need to hide, I am clothed."
He slowly turned and she stood in the water, hands at her sides, beads dripping off her fingertips and traveling down her torso. She wore a pair of pants and her same grey chest garment, her body showing the chill of the water. She pulled her arms to her chest and slipped back into the water. Even though she had said she didn't mind, the way he looked at her made her want to hide in a deep recess of the lake.
He sat next to her things and looked to the sky. You could see the stars perfectly and every single one he saw made him smile. They blazed across the dark, bright and hopeful, reminding them that there was so much more than just one, and they all still managed to stay in the sky with each other. "Doesn't it make you feel small?" He looked down to see her head poking out of the water.
"I don't think so. It makes me feel glad, all those lights are there for us, little torches."
"Torches? I wonder who it is that lights them."
"The sun of course. When it slips below the horizon, that last flash."
"What about a spirit who lights them? Perhaps one of guidance."
"Is that a dwarvish myth they tell you when you are yearlings?"
"No, only a theory of mine. A fairytale."
"My mother told me a fairytale once, about the Sun and the Moon. They were lovers." She stayed in the water, hiding from him.
"Lovers? Tell me the tale."
"The sun is the man, so bold and bright. The moon is the woman and his wife, subtle and beautiful."
He leaned back on his hands, "Is that what you imagine a wife to be?"
She looked at him, "I am not certain what a wife should be, but I imagine a man would want a woman like that."
"Not always." he said firmly.
They kept making stories about the origins of the stars until Kili heard something unfamiliar. Asta swam on her back, kicking with her legs while Kili found what he was looking for. He started slowly for the lake as Asta continued to hum a tune. She stood and dipped her body down before she heard him reach the water. He heart stopped a moment, not sure what he was doing.
"Kili?" she murmured.
"Asta, turn to me." She turned her body, her hands on her shoulders and frightful look in her eyes. He had a blank look on his face that was unreadable and his arms to his sides. She had no reason to fear him, but she did. "Trust me, Asta."
When he said her name it was almost a whisper and she felt like recoiling, but her feet were rooted and when he reached her, it took all she had to look at his chest and not his feet. He pulled his hands out of the water, quietly and slowly. She could hear the droplets as they found their way back to their source. He put one hand on either side of her face which she jolted back because of, but he held her head firm in his hands. Using his thumbs at the base of her neck he tipped her head up to look at his. When he looked at her she was shaking and her mouth opened slightly, eyes like a child's, frightened. In the moment before he leaned down to her, he searched her eyes trying to communicate that everything was going to be just fine. His eyes darted to her lips a moment and she wanted to hide again, she tried to turn her head down. He let her jaw slip through his fingers, and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.
"Kili..." she breathed.
"Shh." he leaned his head towards her ear, "I'm sorry to frighten you, listen to me." She breathed in, "There is a pack of orcs in the woods behind you. They haven't found us yet, but I needed to get to you quietly."
She gazed up at him now and she felt ashamed the moment she did. His smile was false and forced, but his eyebrows were arched inward to meet at the centre as if to say she had wounded him.
"Kili..." she muttered again, and again he shushed her.
He looked at her fingers then, when taking them in his he looked back to her face with the same look. He led her to shore, as quietly as possbile, and all she could think was that she didn't understand. Why was it that she felt hurt, like her heart were heavy and stone. It was hard and unmoving as if when she told it to pump it's not that it wouldn't, but it couldn't for fear of breaking apart. When they reached land she tore off her wet pants, then threw on the dry pair, she wouldn't be able to run in wet pants. She was putting her shirt over he head when Klii screamed her name. Then she was on the ground, the wind knocked out of her, a numbness on her back. She struggled and ripped at air with her lungs, she tried and clawed at it, but she could not get it, she could not. Kili's arms were around her, under hers and he was half dragging her, half carrying her. Arrows were flying around them, hitting the ground and through a ringing in her ears she could hear the orc's cries.
The other dwarves arrived, their weapons out as they ran from the forest. With the help of Fili, Asta was on Kili's back, while they ran towards Gandalf, who was trailing the last of the dwarves.
"Her wounds are too grievous, I know where we can take her."
"Where?" Thorin demanded amongst falling arrows and dying orcs.
"Lady Galadriel has a summer home not far from here, we can take her there."
"Another elf..."
"An elf who promised us help should we need it." They glanced at each other a while then the others joined them. Oin came and took Asta's face in her hands, her eyes were hard to keep open, and there was a wet heat that came from her back, she knew that much, but she couldn't make out what they were saying.
"There are more coming." Dwalin came last, "They have travelled towards the camp."
The wizard was loosing patience with the dwarf King's stubborn hatred for the elves when Thorin said, "Let's go then." And Gandalf led the way. Bilbo grabbed her swords, bow and arrows from the ground, his sword blazing blue. Dwarves have short legs in comparison to their torsos which means running is not their best trick, and running through a forest with high roots and other such phenomenon makes for an easy fall. The wind howled through the boughs and leaves as they went, and in one moment of realization for Asta, she lazily raised her hand and swiped to the left.
"Child of the Mountains, I know where you are headed, I will send for help!" Vestos' voice cascaded across her mind, resounding as if off a hundred thousand rocks.
The branches and roots of the trees ahead of them began to part, creating an easier path for them, and closing as they went, obstructing the orc's way. They were gaining ground when the sound of hooves came. The dwarves pressed themselves to trees as horses of all colours bounded past, with sweeping manes and grace in the night. Their riders wore armour of gilded steel, tremendous leaves and vines across their chests. They rode with purpose and a lack of hesitance followed closely by precision, cutting down every orc their swords would touch. Once the elves had passed, the dwarves continued their run, the parting branches their guide. Asta shifted her head once she knew she could no longer stay awake, allowing it to bounce on Kili's shoulder as he ran. The warm wetness continued down her spine, and the last she could remember was the sound of dying orcs and the star-filled sky.
Asta had been rushed by King Celeborn to a place where they could remove the arrows from her back. The others were being introduced to the King and Queen and welcomed to the court. Thorin was at the forefront, Bilbo at the rear, Gandalf was making good talk with Queen Galadriel who seemed to be in high spirits.
Noise is a strange thing. It is said that smell is often the most memorable of the senses, but that is incorrect. When you remember a child's laugh, you can dream about that laugh, it will always be imprinted on your memory, even if only in the farthest reaches. So it stands to reason that when they first heard her scream, not a one of them would ever forget it. It wasn't a scream that implied she needed help, those are far more high pitched. This was more of a deep wail, a sound that came from her stomach, one that made yours drop and your blood turn cold. Bilbo and many other's faces paled as they all seemed to clamber out of the room down the hall as each new terrible scream left them more and more desperate. Thorin stopped outside a door and was going to turn the handle when the handle turned itself. An elf glanced up at them, but he blocked the entrance.
"Allasë!" Gandalf who towered above the dwarves called out.
"Mithandir! You're just in time, I need someone to hold her down." he said calmly without care or worry.
"Tell me, what is happening?"
The elf sighed, "The arrrow heads are loose, so we can not rip them out, and they did not puncture shallow enough for us to cut her from the wound. We have to cut her chest and pull them through."
"Is there nothing you can do for her pain?" Thorin demanded.
"No, Master dwarf, anything we give her will thin her blood and bleed her out. Gandalf you are as close to family as she has, come now." he turned and was about to go into the room.
"I am not the closest." The elf looked at him, expecting an answer, "She has a half brother."
"Send for him then, we don't have much time."
"He is in front of you." The elf looked around at the dwarves, who also had no idea who the wizard was talking about, "Name him, then. Make haste!"
Gandalf looked at the dwarves, gauging their reactions. When he reached the appropriate party, their eyes spoke where words could not, and he nodded at Gandalf, then moved to join the elf.
"If she is your sister, she's mine too." Dori said with strength that was unusual for him.
"And mine." Nori surprisingly moved forward towards the door.
"That will be plenty now, it would be wise to not crowd the door." Alassë stated as he let Ori, Nori and Dori into the room. This moment also allowed for them to see into the dark space. Asta was turned on her side, nothing on her torso but blood and three arrow shafts. She faced away from the door, but they could hear her whimper before it closed.
The dwarves looked at each other and when she let out the next horrific cry, they jumped and Dwalin tried to get through his friends to the door. They held him back and Thorin on his shoulder told him, "There is nothing we can do now." Balin took his brother from that place, the rest dissipating or crouching down along the railing to wait. Those who could bear the sound stayed, and those who could not disappeared into the twists of vines, trees and leaves. Amongst those who stayed, Bilbo sat beside Kili, who with his head in his hands, covered his ears, yet they remained. As time went on they heard less and less but more and more bloody cloths and bandages were brought out, while pristine white ones were brought in. Gloin would give updates, as the door opened and closed, "First arrow's out." "She's making a fuss." such things.
Thorin came down the hall as the third arrow was the only one left. He sat next to his nephew, who told him the story of how she managed to get three arrows to the back. When Kili spoke of her he spoke of more than her bravery, or how she had saved his life, he spoke of his guilt and how it should have been him protecting her. Thorin had no words of comfort for his nephew, but he knew that something more had happened while he had not been looking.
Alassë came out of the room, clean as perfection itself, and he seemed aglow. Gandalf read this as a good sign and decided to let her rest. Dori and Nori emerged from the room dishevelled, if at all possible to be more so from their previous state, exhausted but pleased. Thorin told Kili that he should show the others to their rooms, he resisted, but Thorin gave that look, and Kili, with great reluctance left his saviour to his Uncle.
Thorin approached the door with caution, and he hesitated as he was turning the knob, he let go, wondering how they had gotten to this point. She was a member of their family, but that changed nothing, she would not succumb to his demands, and what use was a subject who would not remain loyal to him? He knocked, then entered, because Thorin, despite his incertitude, knew when credit was due.
The room was dark, even though it was now day. It was a room filled with books, the dusty smell of disuse was pungent and mixed with the fresh iron of blood that he could taste. She was turned over on her side, her hair brushed out behind her, but falling on her face and shoulder still. Her breathing was shallow; white bandages that were being soiled by small traces of blood were wrapped around her body. Ori sat in a chair next to her, moving her hair bit by bit behind her face. He looked on her with admiration, sincere trust, and pity; love. There were blankets on the bed, but pulled back to her hip, the room was warm and when he moved across it to the pair, he didn't make a sound, still, Ori looked up at him.
"She's going to be fine. She'll need a few weeks to fully recover, but she could travel in a few days, they said."
"She won't be able to come with us, Ori." Thorin's low voice was stern, but not without care.
"But, we can't leave her now." He pleaded.
Thorin took up a chair next to him, and put a hand on his shoulder, "She would become a burden to us with her injuries. The wargs that are chasing us, would smell the blood on her and we would be easier to track. Not only this, but do you think that this woman," he gestured to her with his hands, "would ever allow herself to be a burden on this company?"
Ori hung his head, for he knew the answer. Asta's stubborn pride was well cloaked by abstract heroism but she would never allow any one the second guess her contribution. That is why she had left Rivendell in the first place; she hadn't out stayed her welcome, she had become useless.
She was beautiful and silent, when she entered the room. Her golden hair resembled fields ready for harvest and her smile was kind and generous but a tinge of mischief existed there as well. She stood at the door, her gown reaching the floor as she stood tall in the frame. When Ori noticed her he stood and bowed, Thorin turned to her, then back to Ori, "Go and rest now, I'll watch her." Ori glanced from one Queen to his King and he nodded, but looked back to Thorin as he shut the door.
When she walked it was as if there were no feet to carry her, that the floor itself did move on her command. She neither seemed bothered by the heat or the smell of the room, which caused Thorin to question if she had ever seen a battlefield, for there was a power behind her graces and charms. A strength that resounded with every effortless step, every silent movement and each sly smile. He waited, watching her move slowly in his direction, waiting for her to say what she would.
"How do you like her?" She asked, as she sat on the bed next to Asta's feet.
"I don't know what you mean." He gruffed out a predictable answer.
This only made her smile more broadly. "She is a good dwarf girl, young, and yet so old. She will live only two thirds the life of a dwarf and longer than most humans. She will have lived through much more than either race could in her time and she will be met with much pain." her smile faded as she pulled the rest of Asta's hair behind her face, "But still, she will have lived."
Thorin sat, and looked at Asta, but said nothing. The Queen was trying to get something from him, and he would not let her have it.
"She is bound to this forest now, and she can not stay in Ere-
"I know this." he interrupted her.
"But you will try and make her stay." He ripped his eyes from Asta's unconscious body to meet the steel blue eyes of the Queen, "You must decide, King Under the Mountain, what kind of King you will be, forceful and dutiful, or kind and merciful. This girl, will teach you the limits of your power and height of your potential, but you can not make her stay."
"Why do you want her to be with your people so badly?" his blood began to boil at the presumptions this elf was making, Queen or not, powerful or not. "Was it not your people who invited her in with false hospitality and then left her as an outcast? We can give her a home and a family. How dare you try and suppress her wishes!"
Asta's face scrunched and she made a small noise in her sleep. The two leaders looked from one to the other, their voices softening.
"I only wish for her happiness." Queen Galadriel spoke with sincerity and wanting in her voice.
"As do I." he spat with a sharpness that did not convince the Queen. "What if her happiness lies in Erebor?"
"Then I will release her bond." She said it as if it was something to be said at afternoon tea, simple, straightforward and without abandon. "On one condition."
His eyebrows furrowed and he awaited her condition knowing all too well that it would be sacrifice from him and his people; a solemn promise, that he did not know he could keep.
"She must decide to be with your people of her own free will, and with the promise that you will not treat her with injustice, as the elves have."
He looked down at Asta, had she not given them enough? Had she not proven herself, by throwing her life away to save not only himself, but his kin as well? And had the thought of a life with her living in Erebor not been filled with pleasant events? Why now would he hesitate at making that promise? His people could make her happy; he could make her happy.
"If she should decide to reside in Erebor, with my people, I will ensure that no injustice will be served to her." He said it softly, but authoritatively, finally assured in his decision.
****Wasn't kidding was I? LOTS but, finally a push forward for Thorin, who is starting to see the merit in not only Asta, but the relationship he has with the elves, and his reliance on them. Of course Thranduil basically throws that out the window, but hey we need some groundwork. Update again soon! Comments are always welcome.****