DISCLAIMER: Let's get this out of the way. I do not own or have any hope of ever owning the characters or happenings of middle earth. They belong to Tolkien and as far as I'm concerned he can keep them. For now. I do however, own my OC, Kidhuzel! So don't steal her. Please, feel free to leave any comments and/or questions that you may have. Follow the story in which ever way you would like, but make your thoughts known but be polite while you do it. Thank you!
~~~~~~~~~~Shishi~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 5
Bofur, usually known as an exceptionally jolly and all around helpful dwarf by most, could not honestly say he enjoyed handing his beloved hat over to a dragon child. The day had started as early as any with Thorin not wanting to waste any more time in Hobbiton when their burglar would not be joining them. It surprised most of the company when he decided that the little girl, who literally stepped out of the flames last night, would be accompanying them until further notice. The formally hatted dwarf had not expected to deal with possible death by fire so soon into the quest. Yet, there she stands beside the king, gazing around at them with Bofur's hat covering the dual obsidian colored horns upon her head. Something about her seems different than before but just what the toy making dwarrow cannot be sure.
"Was she that… big… yesterday?" All but reading his brother's mind, Bombur murmurs under his breath so only Bofur and their half crazed cousin, Bifur, can hear "She looks a bit older, doesn't she?"
"Can't be sure." the usually joyful male returns, still slightly sour about his hat being commandeered for someone who could very well be an enemy. What would he wear if she decided to run off with it? He's had the hat for years and misses it fiercely but a king's request is as good as a king's order "I was tryin' NOT to look at her, what with the lass bein' naked and all yester's eve."
"Aye. You may be right." the rotund dwarrow shrugs his meaty shoulders before looking towards the hobbit hole "Do you think Master Baggins will come?"
"Ah, he might ever." Bofur answers in return, some of his mirth coming back to him. He's seen stranger things in his life than someone leaving home for the first time "We already have a wizard and a half drake with us; I wouldn't be surprised if he did."
"You want to make a bet?" the low voice suddenly by his shoulder does not startle Bofur as much as it used to. Years of friendship with Nori the thief have led to a sort of desensitization to his sudden appearances. Bofur turns to his comrade with a dip of his head in acknowledgement, causing his pigtails to curve higher without the weight of his hat "His staying in his hearth is 5 to 1 at the moment if you're in for adding to the pot."
Further conversation is temporarily cut off as the King orders the company to move out. Bombur's aging suspicions are not unfounded as the little girl has indeed grown since the night before. The change has not gone unnoticed by the miniature council of four but what is to be done about it is not much under their control. They cannot very well stop her growth, as is nature's way. She will mature at her own pace and when she is done, she will stop. Shedding her toddler fat, Kidhuzel has grown into a child roughly the age of seven if she were a man, thirteen if she were a dwarf, and most likely many years older if she were a dragon. As she is a mixture of the last two, yet only a day out of her shell but years older in existence than many elves, her aging cycle is unknown to the dwarves or the wizard accompanying them.
Undisturbed by her growth or the borderline aggressive looks from the company, El walks briskly after Thorin as he makes his way up the road to the field where the company left their ponies last night. Her bare feet kick lightly at loose rocks until she must shift the hat, which is much too big for her, as it slides over her eyes periodically. The cape around her shoulders, a spare borrowed from Bilbo's closet, is only slightly better; trailing the ground behind her to cover her tail and wings. Her tiny hands were at first fitted into a pair of gloves but were soon removed after they slipped off too many times. Kidhuzel takes in the world with her large eyes, greatly enjoying the breeze in the air and the grass between her bare toes, but never venturing far from her bearer.
"What will you do now that Master Baggins will not come?" she asks, reaching out and clasping Thorin's larger hand as they walk. He looks down at the child in bewilderment that she would be so bold. Not that he should, as she slept wrapped around him the whole night. He momentarily entertains the thought of shaking her off but knows she will only hold tighter "How will you retrieve the Arkenstone now?"
"That is none of your concern, Kidhuzel."
"But Erebor-"
"Do not speak so openly about our business, dragon." Dwalin grumbles from beside them but keeps his eyes on the road as they walk along. Glaring at the girl does not seem to have the effect it usually does on people, hence the dwarf has decided to save them for more useful situations if possible. That does not mean he has come to like Kidhuzel in the least. If anything, after her aging trick, he trusts her less "It was a mistake to enlist the help of a Halfling in the first place. We wasted precious time with this useless endeavor."
"That does not answer my question, Master Dwalin."
"Nor have I any intention to do so." Unable to resist any longer, the dwarf scowls down at the joined appendages of the king and half dwarf "Release his hand."
"Why?"
"It is his sword arm." Balin can easily tell that his brother is quickly becoming irritated with the child and that Thorin is finding too much amusement in that irritation to stop it. Though not even a glimpse of a smile graces the king's face, his eyes are not as cold as would be expected after the night they have had "Thorin wields his sword with that arm and if you hold on to it, it may delay him if trouble arises."
"Trouble or no, I will protect him." puffing out her thin chest, Kidhuzel tightens her grip on Thorin's hand as much as she can. Despite her draconic heritage, the child knows she is no strong than any other dwarfling. That being said, she estimates that her durability is of a much higher caliber as proven by years of being shaken within her egg without succumbing to a broken neck. Though she is not be able to physically harm an enemy greater than any her age would be able to, neither can she be hurt easily. That being said, she is not invincible, simply nearly indestructable and she will use that to her advantage "Thorin is mine to protect, after all."
Arriving at the clearing, the company immediately saddles up. There is some conflict when the horses catch the dragon scent but the longer they are in contact with her, the less excitable they become. Because of this, Kidhuzel is unable to ride right away and is thus left to trot alongside the company, not that she minds. It gives her time to further survey her surroundings. In them she finds trees with leaves so plentiful that autumn must look like a brown winter in the Shire. The open sky calls to her but she delays answering because she instinctively knows her wings are not yet strong enough to hold her for long. Most of all, she focuses on the sun. The heat is so pure and perfect, just like that of her carrier, and she could bask in it all day.
"Do keep up, young lady!" the wizard calls back at the child much to her displeasure, as she ignores the pony hooves that nearly trample her. Gandalf cannot feel even the slightest bit of ease when the anomaly is out of his sight for long. He does not expect El to destroy the village of hobbits they have left behind, but it is that she could which worries him. Turning to the aloof dwarf king, he admonishes his neglect "Do not let that girl out your sight, Thorin Oakenshield. We do not know enough about her yet to leave her to her own devices."
"Aye." Dwalin adds, eyeing El critically as she runs around the ponies' legs giggling in glee. The beasts just flick their heads before ignoring the girl even as she hangs off their necks; a strange occurrence being that they will not allow her on their backs "And when we do, we'll wish we'd ended her before she got a thirst for blood."
"Master dwarf," Gandalf sighs in exasperation at the dwarrow. It is clear as day that the burly dwarrow does not like the newest addition but the quest will be extremely long if he continues to be so aggressive toward her. The consequences are unknown should she retaliates "I did not mean-"
"Wait! Wait!" a rapidly approaching voice interrupts the wizard before he can correct the dwarf. The unit turns in their saddles to watch as Bilbo hustles down the road like a madman. On his back is pack that looks to have been hastily stuffed with odds and ends but thankfully includes a blanket rolled on top. Upon reaching the middle of the group, the out of breath hobbit presents his contract to Balin "I signed it."
"Everything appears to be in order." Pleasantly surprised that the hobbit decided to attend, Balin eyes Bilbo with a welcoming grin. He had not expected the Shireling to join their merry quest but as much as he thought it best last night, the elder can feel his mind changing. Perhaps with Bilbo's addition, some of the tension will ease around Thorin's pet dragon "Welcome, Master Baggins, to the company of Thorin Oakenshield."
"Hello there, Bilbo." Kidhuzel greets from beneath Ori's pony. Both jump in shock at her appearance, Bilbo more so from her unsightly smorgasbord of clothing, and gape at her. The small dwarf child all but swims in her collection of clothes; the deep blue dress given to her by Bilbo last night is still much too large but is a perfect fit compared to the ghastly hat and cloak that are meant to hide her features. They are wasted efforts the moment anyone looks at her face, for the gleaming golden eyes could never be mistaken for anything but peculiar. Not to mention that as she flashes a smile, her teeth give a flash of their own "I am glad to see you have decided to join us."
"Yes, well-"
"Kidhuzel. Come." Without a second glance, the little girl bounds over to Thorin. The group watches as the dwarf reaches out a cautious hand, retracts it, only to reach forward again and pat the child lightly on the head. She hums contently at the contact, relishing in it while it lasts. Gandalf watches the exchange wearily, as the dwarf treats the potentially deadly creature like an overactive puppy. Once El has settled by his side again, Thorin nods in the hobbit's general direction with an order to any available body "Give him a pony."
"No, no, no, no. That… that won't be necessary." he dodges Fili and Kili's grasping hands, unintentionally ending up beside Kidhuzel and unfortunately, Thorin. Smiling at the child he continues to chatter "Thank you but I'm sure I can keep up on foot. You are without a pony as well, Miss Kidhuzel."
"Yes but Thorin told you to ride." watching the hobbit in confusion, Kidhuzel wonders what type of creature he must be to ignore her bearer's orders. Everyone else usually jumps to do Thorin's bidding, whether they know he is king or not. His voice commands obedience. Perhaps hobbits contain some type of magic but taking in how Bilbo slowly drifts to the back of the precession, the half dwarf doubts it "It will be a long journey on foot for you."
"Yeah, I… I've done my fair share of walking holidays, you know?" Already he must speak loudly in order for his voice to carry over the ever growing distance. The hobbit does not notice the hands coming to grab him once again and El is not inclined to tell him. That would interfere with Thorin's orders; something she has no reason to do "Even got to Frog Morton once-"
The two princes snatch up the wiggling hobbit without a bit of trouble, much to his embarrassment and Kidhuzel's amusement. She does not dwell on it long, instead keeping an eye on her favorite dwarf. Thorin leads the group forward with Dwalin at his side, as the wizard drifts back to commune with the burglar. The two dwarrow converse lowly and soon El is lulled into her own mind. She has no fire, of this she is sure. Yes, within her chest she feels… something… but it is not fire. Fire warms things but the essence in her chest has never offered her that comfort. All her attempts to draw fire within her egg home were for naught and she fears that her lack of a proper flame will lead to Thorin's anger with her. Not desiring to earn his ire so early since their first true meeting, the little half drake determines that she will do all she can to be of use to her bearer. Her reverie is broken by the half deaf healer, Oin, shouting about coins.
"Come on, Nori!" his hollering can be heard by the entire company and then some, not that they mind. It is enough to watch the thief groan and gripe as he attempts to talk his way out of handing over his coin pouch "Pay up!"
"Why did you not play?" the child asks her carrier, uncaring that she has interrupted Dwalin. Her dwarf does not deem to answer her but El is not dissuaded by his silence "A good thing you did not, I suppose. You would have lost, as your choice would have no doubt been against Bilbo."
"Hn."
"Are you-"
"Be silent, drake." growing more and more annoyed with her prattling, Dwalin extends his axe and pushes the child behind his pony. Having seen her fall many times this afternoon beneath the hooves of the ponies only to leap up unharmed, the dwarf suspects striking her down will take more than a nudge from his weapon. Still, he is not rough but he is firm in his action; if he is forced to listen to her any longer he may do something volatile "Go speak with someone else."
"But Thorin called-"
"You may go but do not stray. The Halfling will not last long, so do not grow attached to-" the sudden sneeze that tears through the line makes the dwarf king sneer as if the spittle had hit him in the face "…Master Baggins."
"Stop! Stop!" El pauses in her movements as do the dwarves, a few raising their weapons in search of an enemy. Upon finding none, they turn their questioning gazes to the red nosed hobbit. His face is flushed and his eyes slightly swollen from his obvious reaction to the pony hair. The child is happy she is not in his place "We have to turn around."
"What on earth is the matter?" Gandalf, who has been beside the hobbit the entire time, questions in frustration
"I forgot my handkerchief." he responds stuffily, looking thoroughly prepared to turn around
"Here! Use this." The dwarf beside her, Bofur it turns out, rips a piece of his tunic off and tosses it to the Shireling. El makes a mental note of his kindness as well as the hobbits disgusted expression even as the company laughs around them
"When one offers you the clothing off their back for your bodily fluids, Bilbo," the girl whispers to the hobbit softly as Thorin calls the group back into motion "appreciation is the correct response."
"Uh…" The golden eyes peering up at him in reprimand nearly send the hobbit running for his hills. There is no threat in the youthful and oddly wise orbs but they are frightening even so. Unable to do anything but agree, the hobbit nods quickly "I will do so when we stop for a rest."
"Do not forget." and just as quickly as the moment began, it is over and the girl is all smiles once more. Though her eyes shift to Thorin's back often, El appears content to play with Gandalf's horse; curling her fingers into his mane playfully. It is more fun to hang from his neck than the shorter ponies' "We should all get along if we can, especially with the road ahead."
"Young Kidhuzel is correct. You'll have to manage without pocket handkerchiefs, and a good many other things, Bilbo Baggins, before we reach our journey's end." Even as he speaks, the world around them seems to change and morph into less friendly territory. Even without having reached sight of Bree yet, the land looks less welcoming than the little town of Hobbiton "You were born to the rolling hills and little rivers of the Shire. But home is behind you. The world is ahead.
"Ye expect her to be with us longer than the hobbit?"
"Kidhuzel has more means of surviving the wild than that would be burglar, Dwalin."
"Maybe so but I doubt he could bathe us in flames in a whim."
"She is but a child. Do you fear that young children can defeat you?"
"Be serious Thorin. She is growin' faster than she should… It's somethin' to look out for."
"And so we shall, though how fast she SHOULD grow is not something any of us can guess. Do not worry so."
"But I am worried. For ye, the company, Erebor. Why have ye let her come? This is unlike ye; surely ye know how dangerous she is? That thing-"
"-will serve a purpose. She is growing and can be trained to whatever I need her to be. If you find a better weapon than a loyal dragon, tell me of it."
"Why are ye so sure that she is loyal?"
"Why are you so sure that she is not?"
"Because she is a dragon!"
"And a dwarf."
"Thorin-"
"Enough, Dwalin! I will hear nothing more of it. If she becomes a problem, I will deal with her. Until then, leave her be."
"Just… be careful… and take yer own advice, Thorin. Don't get attached to that creature. Nothing good will come of it."
~~~~~~~~~~Shishi~~~~~~~~~~
Greetings all! How does everyone like the story so far? Any suggestins or questions that you are burning to say? I'd love to hear them. Live4dancing, Bleeding Blue Kunoichi, watergoddesskasey, and YMR are the best reviewers of life. Thank you guys so much for your reviews. I appreciate them from the bottom of my heart. ~Shishi