DISCLAIMER: DON'T OWN NOTHIN' JUST MY OC'S! :)
X
Leila was running through the trees, she couldn't believe she was actually going to go help people who deliberately put themselves in harms way, but then again that was her job. She was paid to get people out of trouble, to save them from themselves. Leila found herself worrying about if a certain blonde dwarf was ok, and stopped dead in her tracks. Why was she so concerned about him? There was any number of dwarfs out there, if there was anyone she should be worried about it should be Bilbo, the poor hobbit was either dead, or fatally wounded. So why was she thinking about Fili? She shook the thoughts out of her mind and ran to the clearing.
The dwarfs were all screaming their best insults and battle cries, as they fought three of the biggest mountain trolls she had ever seen. She hurriedly scampered up a tree, and crouched on one of the branches. She unsheathed Silencer, and jumped onto the shoulder of a particularly ugly troll, and stabbed him before being thrown off of him and into a tree, and losing consciousness, Silencer still in her hand.
X
Fili was fighting with everything he had. He was putting all of his effort into fighting these big ugly nincompoops. The dwarves had to be nimble and light footed, if they lingered in one place too long the trolls had the opportunity to grab them. Fili could hear his brethren screaming the best battle cry he'd ever heard, he also heard Kili and Bofur shouting insults trying to confuse the hideous buffoons. Fili allowed his mind to wander slightly to Leila, and wonder if she had followed them, or stubbornly stayed at the camp. His questions were answered when he saw a light figure jump from a tree onto the shoulder of a troll and stab him there, before being flung off and into a tree. Fili began to run towards the unmoving body, he began to feel despair creeping into his mind when suddenly the fighting ceased and he looked to the cause of silence. The trolls had Bilbo by his arms and legs, " Drop your arms," one troll said, " Or we'll rip his off." Thorin scowled and looked down as he dropped his sword at his feet. The rest of the company followed suit.
The trolls ordered half of them to get into burlap sacks, and the other half to stirp to their underwear, they were then bound to a spit, and placed over a fire. Fili stole glances over to the place where Leila lay, she still had no tmoved, and he feared she was dead, he feared she would never come to know him, the way he wished to know her. He paused at this thought. In what way DID he wish to know her? Why should he care if she knew him at all? They weren't anything special to each other, they were two strangers in the same company , with the same mission. Yet he still found himself wanting to rush to her, wanting to hold her in his arms to see if she was ok, to know her deeply. He wanted to know her fears, what brought her joy, what weapons she liked best, what she was like as a child. He tried not to think of these things, but in the face of what seemed to be imminate death, he found himself only wanting to think of what they would discuss of they were better aquainted, if they were friends.
Alas, he was pulled out of these thoughts by Bilbo, who was saying, "Well have you smelt them? You're going to need a lot more than sage before you plate this lot up. I have a secret for cooking dwarf." This started to worry Fili, why was Bilbo trying to help the creatures that were trying to kill them.
" What do you know about cooking dwarf." one troll spat.
" Quiet let the Flurrgablurbrerhobbit talk."
" The secret is to skin them first."
Bilbo received an uproar from all the dwarfs, " What the bloody hell are you saying?" yelled Fili.
"Tom get a filitin knife."
" That is rubbish I've eaten plenty with there skins on , and they tasted fine. "
"There can't be nothin wrong with havin a bit o' raw dwarf." one said, picking up Bombur, " Nice and crunchy."
"N-n-n-not that one he's infected."
" You what?"
" He's got worms in his..tubes." Bilbo stammered nervously, "In fact they all have, they're all infested with parasites. I wouldn't risk, it I really wouldn't."
" For heaven sake did he say parasites?"
" We don't have parasites you have parasites."
Thorin kicked Kili in the back and Fili began to see what Bilbo was doing.
"I've got parasites as big as me arm."
"I've got huge parasites, mine are the biggest parasites."
"We're riddled."
"Absolutely riddled."
"What would you have us do then? Let 'em all go?"
"Well.." said Bilbo, with a slight smirk on his face.
" You think I don't know what you're up to? This little ferret is taking us for fools."
"Ferret?" Bilbo said, looking very offeneded.
"Fools?"
"The dawn will take you all." a rather beautiful female voice rang out, and became music to Fili's ears. Leila was alive and well, and Fili was relieved.
X
Leila had been woken up by someone shaking her. She opened her eyes, and immediately felt a throbbing in her head and an ache in her body. Gandalf was leaning over her. She immediately slapped him. He stumbled back surprised and quite frankly confused. " Do not ever leave me alone like that with them again." Gandalf chuckled and said, " It is very nice to see you too. But we must hurry." She noticed that the sun was rising, and knew what that meant. She and Gandalf leapt quietly through the rocks until they came behind a boulder. They could here Bilbo saying outrageous thing to the trolls to stall for time. Leila smiled at the smart little hobbit.
"You must make a distraction for the trolls." Gandalf instructed, as he began to murmur a spell.
Leila jumped up onto the rock right as the trolls said, " This little ferret is taking us for fools."
"Ferret?" said Bilbo in disbelief.
" Fools?"
" The dawn will take you all." Leila shouted.
" Who's that?"
"Can we eat her too?"
Just then the boulder she was standing on split in half, and exposed the trolls to sunlight, and they turned to stone. The dwarfs began to cheer and Gandalf stepped out from behind the boulder, and together they made their way down to the dwarfs. Leila helped Bilbo and Kili out of their sacks while Gandalf helped the rest. She turned around to see what she could do for the ones on the spit, when she finally noticed that they were in their under garments, and she flushed. Fili, who was facing her crimsoned, and shut his eyes as if he was willing it to be undone.
" I'm just going to go...over there." Leila said, and promptly left to join Gandalf and Thorin.
" Since when do mountain trolls venture this far south." Thorin was saying.
"Not for an age-" Gandalf began.
"When a darker power ruled these lands." Leila finished. "Gandalf could this mean what I think it means?"
Gandalf said nothing for a moment and looked at his shoes, " It could just be a coincidence but we have to be on our guard."
"But if it isn't just a coincidence, if he has returned-"
"My dear girl when I say it could just be a coincidence, I mean let us hope it is merely a coincidence." Gandalf snapped, and Leila could see the fear in his eyes.
"They could not have moved in daylight." Leila said changing the subject. "There must be a cave nearby."
X
After everyone had gotten dressed and collected their weapons and collected their camp and ponies, and went to find the suspected troll cave nearby. Getting within a five foot radius of that place made Leila's stomach churn, she made the decision not to enter the horrid looking place and made her way to a tree to sit down. Her head had been in a state of constant throbbing, and it was a little hard to breathe, she had to take short, sporadic breaths to ease the pain. She closed her eyes to get the feeling that her head was swimming to stop, when she heard someone come and stand in front of her. She peeked at the person through her lashes and saw Fili. She stood up, and immediately regretted it the swimming feeling came back more intense, but she shrugged it off, and fought through the pain.
" I saw you fight." Fili said.
"Thank you." A soon as she said it Leila wanted to drop dead. She knew thank you was not the proper response so why had her big fat mouth blurted it out.
" You fight good."
"Ok." Again not the right response, what the hell was wrong with her, why was she getting so mixed up and tongue tied. She wanted to crawl into that Troll Hoard and die.
X
As he walked away Fili was silently cursing himself. "I saw you fight? How creepy is that. You fight good? True, but could it have been anymore awkward?" He thought. Fili was mortified to say the least. He could not for the life of him figure out why he couldn't just talk to her. He had never had trouble before talking to the ladies, both dwarf and human alike. he had wanted to say some many other things. He wanted to tell her that she was unlike any other woman he had ever met. He wanted to tell her he admired her profession, that when he saw he hit that tree his heart lurched out of his body, and he was worried she was dead, when she didn't move. These thoughts made him stop, what did he even know about her other than that she was brave, stubborn, had a fearless turn of phrase, and once had a partner. She was a virtual stranger, and he couldn't find the words to ask her about any of it.
X
After a time, they exited the hoard. Leila could feel a slight rumble in her feet, but it was getting more insistant, and closer. Soon she heard Thorin yell, " Something's coming." they all drew their weapons. Suddenly, a sled pulled by rabbits burst through the trees, and the driver was yelling, " Thieves! Fire! Murder!"
" Radagast." Leila called affectionately, and sheathed her sword.
" It's Radagast the Brown. What on earth are you doing here?"
" I was looking for you Gandalf. Somthing's wrong. Something's terribly wrong."
"Yes?" Gandalf said as he ushered Radagast off.
Leila smiled towards them affectionately.
" It would seem that our Ranger has a soft spot." Kili said jokingly.
" It would seem I do." Leila smiled.
" How do you know him?" Bilbo queried.
" He was my teacher."
"What did he teach you about?" This time it was the timid voice of Ori that asked.
" Herbs. Medicines. Things like that."
"Was that before or after your partner died?" Nori asked, which earned him several nudges, " What? I just want to know."
"Before."
"And what was she to you?" This time it was Dwalin "To my understanding Rangers usually work alone."
A sad smile laid on her face, "She was my twin sister."
" What was her name?" Fili asked softly.
" Celeste. To say she was my better half is an understatement. She was the most humble, kind, and beautiful person I have ever had the pleasure to know."
"How did she die?" she was surprised that Thorin asked this question.
" I killed her."
Everyone was stunned by this answer.
"I beg your pardon."
" I slipped up and made a mistake. A mistake that cost her life."
A warg howl cut there conversation short.
"Are there wolves out here?" Bilbo asked.
"Wolves? No that was not a wolf."
"Kili! Get your bow." Thorin ordered.
A warg pounced on Ori, and every one rushed to kill it.
"Warg scouts." said Thorin disgusted, but Leila detected a hint of fear, "Which means an orc pack is not far behind."
"Who did you tell about your quest beyond your kin?" Gandalf demanded.
"No one."
"Who did you tell!"
"No one I swear. What in Durin's name is going on."
" You are being hunted." Leila told him looking at Gandalf.
"We have to get out of here." said Gloin.
" We can't we have no ponies, they've bolted." Ori informed them.
"I'll draw them off." Radagast volunteered.
" These are Gundabad Wargs. They will out run you."
"These are Rhosgobel rabbits. I'd like to see them try."
Leila smiled, they finally had a plan.
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A/N: Thank you for reading the newest chapter. I am trying to stockpile more chapters but I don't seem to have the time. Just wanted to take a moment to tell all of you that you are awesome, and I really appreciate all of you. You keep me motivated :D