I do not own any of the characters or The Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC). These are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fanfics would not be in existence.
A reminder- check out my novel Amazing Grace on amazon DOT com! Search "Amazing Grace Amanda Longpre" and it will take you right to it! Only 1.99 on Kindle!
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Bilbo was quite relieved when the company finally stopped to make camp for the night. The flies had been driving him crazy all day long, and the stifling heat did not help matters. The hobbit sighed loudly as he flopped down next to Bofur in a very ungentlemanly way.
"Curse this blasted heat," he muttered grumpily. Bofur's eyebrow raised at the hobbit's uncharacteristic, crude language.
"A little grumpy there, Bilbo?" the miner asked, slight amusement in his gaze. The hobbit glared at him, before swatting away yet another fly.
"I don't understand how you can be so cheery," he replied sourly. "I hate these woods." Bofur snorted.
"You?" he asked even as he swatted his own flying intruders away. "Never thought I'd hear the day a hobbit says he hates the woods!"
"Yes, well," the hobbit in question stated bluntly, "these woods are nothing like the woods back home! Festering, stinking wood and moss, and enough black flies to fill the whole of the Shire!" He stretched his arms over his head, before looking upward at the dark, dense forest canopy above.
"There aren't many trees in the Shire," he said wistfully as he thought of the green rolling hills and never-ending blue skies. "Most of it is just pasture and grassland, dotted here and there with hobbit-holes and roads. But the Old Forest in Buckland has some fine trees and pretty woods. And no bloody flies!" The last word was punctuated by a loud slap to the back of his neck.
"I've been there a few times," the miner replied as he lay out his bedroll. "They're rather pretty, for woods at least." The pair stared out into the dark, ominous forest around them.
"At least, compared to this forest it is," Bofur added. "Can't say anyone would love this dreary place. Don't know why the elves would even want to live here at all!"
"Bofur!" Several pair of eyes turned toward the dwarf king, who was clearly irritated as he scanned the surrounding trees.
"I will hear no more talk of elves," Thorin ordered, looking pointedly at the sheepish-looking miner. "It does not matter why they live here or not. It does not change the fact that they do, and we would do well to not alert these elves to our presence." Bofur's hat flopped up and down as he nodded.
"Aye, Thorin," he replied quickly. "I'm sorry for saying it." The dwarf king huffed, before resuming his conversation with Dwalin. Bilbo looked at his now subdued friend with sympathy and a bit of annoyance.
The elves, as far as he had seen, had been very helpful to them all. The hobbit especially liked Lord Elrond, with whom he'd forged a quick friendship, and he deemed the elves and Rivendell to be absolutely amiable and lovely. But he was wise enough to refrain from telling Thorin anything positive about that particular race, especially in this forest. He had only gleaned bits and snippets from the others, but enough to know that Thorin and the elf king Thranduil were not, nor could ever be accused of being, amicable toward each other.
The fact that Thorin had no choice but to venture across the elf king's lands in pursuit of their quest had only served to further the long-set animosity the dwarf king felt toward Thranduil, and Bilbo did not wish to risk Thorin's ire any more than possible. His attitude toward the hobbit had certainly improved greatly since Bilbo had jumped between the fallen dwarf king and Azog, and he did not wish to jeopardize his newfound friendship toward the leader of their company.
As yet another fly buzzed about his head, the hobbit dearly wished once again that he was back in the Shire in his nice, cozy, and fly-free home.
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Cirashala had just finished rolling out her bedroll when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Fili looked pointedly at her weapons, before back at her. She followed his gaze, realizing what he wanted.
"Training?" she asked. He nodded.
"Aye," the young dwarf replied. "Oin told me on the trail today that he thinks you're ready to resume your training." She nodded, before reaching for her sword and quiver.
"Which one do I need?" she asked, looking back up at the blonde prince, noticing that Kili had joined them.
"Both," they replied at the same time, and Cira frowned.
"Shouldn't I use one and then get the other?" she asked, looking up at the pair in confusion.
"No," Kili replied. "You will have a bow and quiver on you at all times, as well as your sword."
"Also," Fili added, "If you run out of arrows, you will need your sword, and must learn how to fight with both a full and empty quiver on your back." The young woman nodded. Arming herself with both weapons, she followed the two heirs over to the side of their camp.
Kili paused next to his pack, before retrieving a woven rope. She watched curiously as he quickly filled an empty canvas bag full of old leaves and tossed the end of the rope over a high tree branch. Confusion slowly turned to clarity as he tied the rope on the next tree over and the bag swayed in mid-air.
"My target?" she asked, turning toward Fili. He shrugged.
"It would appear so," he stated matter-of-factly. "Though when it comes to your archery training, I defer to Kili." She nodded, realization in her features.
"So I am shooting first," she stated. The elder prince nodded, and she took her hand off the hilt of her sword. A few sticks cracked under the younger dwarf's feet as he made his way back to the group.
"Be careful that you don't shoot too far to the side," he warned as he came within earshot. "The path is very straight here for a good stretch, but if you shoot off to the side, you will have to leave the path and Gandalf—" She cut him off.
"Said not to," she finished, and he nodded. He moved behind her but a little off to the side, and she noticed that Fili and the rest of the camp was behind her as well.
Safety first.
"Now," the dark-haired dwarf instructed. "I want you to try and hit the bag." She looked at him in surprise.
"From here?" she replied with wide eyes. "It's got to be a hundred feet away!" Fili chuckled, as did a few others.
"Lass, it's only about fifty," Balin spoke up from his position next to the supplies. He shook his head, before continuing in his inventory. She looked at him, before her gaze moved back to the young heirs.
"I'm still not sure I can hit it," she said hesitantly. Kili gently laid his hand on her shoulder as he looked directly into her eyes.
"Yes you can," he said quietly. "You threw Fili's knife into the breast of an orc, and you hit the pinecones in the mountains. You can hit this." She stared into his eyes and saw reassurance there. Her stomach suddenly flitted a little, much to her surprise, and she tried to shake it off.
It's just nerves.
Turning around, she took a deep breath, before drawing her bow. It tugged a bit on the fresh scars on her back, but she tried to ignore it as best she could.
"Drop your elbow a little," Kili instructed gently from behind her. "Tilt your left hand upward just a little. No, down a bit. That's it." Cira swallowed heavily.
"Now, take a deep breath," the young dwarf continued. "Let it out slowly, and let go." The arrow flew from her bow, before clattering down on the path. It had missed the bag by over a foot.
"I didn't hit it," Cira said quietly, disappointment in her tone.
"Again," Kili instructed firmly. She nodded, before drawing her bow again. As the second arrow clattered on the stones, the young dwarf repeated the command.
"Again." Arrow after arrow clattered down, until all her arrows were spent. The bag swayed slightly in the air above the arrows, untouched. The young woman swallowed heavily, trying not to allow tears of frustration exit her eyes.
"Go get them," the young dwarf ordered. Cirashala complied. As she bent down to retrieve the arrows, she could not help the frustration well up inside her.
I can't do it! I can't even hit a simple bag! How on earth am I supposed to survive out here?!
The young woman refused to look any of the company in the eye as she returned to the pair. She glanced at Kili, who was eyeing her with his arms crossed in front of him and looking startlingly similar to Thorin in that moment. His face was unreadable, and her shoulders slumped.
He must think me a terrible archer.
"Again," Kili instructed. She turned toward the bag and began to fire again. Each arrow clattered to the path same as before, and frustration and anger began to bubble up within her. As the last one hit the ground, she dropped her left arm at her side.
"I told you I couldn't hit it!" she cried out, mindful of her volume as she turned toward the archer. "It's too far away! Why do you keep making me try to hit something I clearly can't?" Fili's mouth twitched with amusement as he glanced at his younger brother.
"It would appear that our pupil is rather impatient, brother," he stated. "Would you care to explain it?" Kili nodded, before looking at the young woman.
"Yes, you have not hit it yet," he told her, seriousness in his gaze though there was a slight hint of amusement as well. He pointed toward her bow.
"A bow is a rather unique weapon," he explained. "Unlike a sword, it is not only the skill of actually firing the arrow that you must possess." He picked up a dried leaf and let it go. The young woman watched as it fluttered to the side a bit, before landing back on the forest floor.
"You must also possess the skill of reading everything around you," he stated, looking back at Cira. "You need to be aware of everything that can affect the arrow's flight from your bow to your target. The wind, the distance, the movements of your target, even the heat or cold of the air can influence where your arrow lands. You must be able to adjust your aim to compensate for these subtle differences." He pointed to the leaf below.
"Look at the leaf," he instructed. "Did you see how it fluttered off to the one side as it went down?" She looked down at the leaf in question and nodded.
"Yes," she replied. "It moved toward the left a little." He nodded.
"Aye," Kili replied. "That means there is a slight breeze coming from the south, and you must move your left arm toward the south to compensate." He reached out to her shoulder and gently turned her around.
"Now, look at the bag," he said quietly behind her. "Draw your bow, but don't fire just yet." The young woman moved to do as bidden.
"Now, you're pointing the arrow right at the bag," he said. The young woman felt him move closer behind her. He reached around her and placed his left hand over hers on the bow.
"Move it just slightly to the south," he whispered in her ear. "Don't take your eye off the bag, but compensate for the wind." Her brow furrowed in confusion.
"I don't feel any wind," she replied. He chuckled slightly.
"Yes," he agreed, "but the leaf tells me there is the slightest breeze, and it is enough to change the path of your arrow, even if you cannot feel the breeze yourself." She nodded.
"Now," he continued. "You've compensated for the wind." His hand slowly moved off hers.
"Take a deep breath," he instructed. "And let it out as you release the arrow." The young woman breathed in through her nose, nerves fluttering in her stomach.
"You can do it," he said quietly. "I believe in you."
Cirashala closed her eyes for the briefest of moments. In her mind, she envisioned the arrow slowly leaving her bow. It sailed through the air in a gentle arc, before turning slightly and hitting the bag. Her body began to relax a bit, though she did not move her left hand. The blue orbs eased open as the breath slowly left her body as she let go.
As if by magic, the arrow flew through the air, before plunking directly into the bag hanging high in the tree. Her eyes widened as the bag spun around, and she watched in amazement as the movement slowly ceased.
"I hit it!" she cried out, her jaw agape. She looked back at Kili with wide eyes as he grinned.
"Aye," he said, nodding to her. "You did." He looked back at the bag, before looking at her, his expression changing back to that of an instructor.
"Now, do it again." As the young woman began to fire again, she could feel her confidence growing. Some arrows hit the bag, while some clattered to the ground as they completely missed it. She didn't mind the misses as much now, though she was still admittedly a bit annoyed by it. But she was learning, and the young woman was determined to gain as much mastery in her weapons as she possibly could before their journey's end.
Because timeline be damned, there was no way in all of Middle-earth was she going to see Thorin, Fili and Kili die on the slopes of Erebor if she had anything to say about it.
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A response to guest reviewer darkone7142- I am too :D It's really hard to focus at times for me, especially of late. Yes, I have looked into essential oils and supplements, but I have to be careful of ones that interact with my medications. I have 4 prescriptions, and I take vitamin C, biotin, melatonin, and vitamin D. I can't take multivitamins because the iron in them really messes me up, so I try to eat a healthy diet that's vitamin-rich and take the others because those I need higher doses of. Peppermint can help with the IBS, but it has to be done in moderation and I have peppermint oil. I basically tackle them from both sides- conventional medicine and oils/supplements/healthy diet, and most of the time I am ok (more or less- depends on the day). But lately it's been hitting harder, and I actually have some tests I need to do this week. All in all, they don't really know what causes IBS (the anxiety/depression is being treated) so they can just help mitigate it a bit with meds but they can't cure it if they don't know exactly what causes it (current theory is starting to point toward autoimmune, but we'll see. I read journals regularly).
But yeah- I have both oils, supplements, and prescriptions and given that IBS doesn't allow me to eat junk (I am highly intolerant physically to most processed foods in that I can't tolerate the chemistry artificial stuff) I also eat a well-rounded vitamin-rich diet. But if it's autoimmune, there's not a whole lot that can be done with my IBS. As for the ADHD, that (and the depression/anxiety- 4 generations in my family so far, including my daughter) runs in families and has a genetic component and I can only do so much when it's genetic. But I do my best to live my life as best as I can, considering the circumstances.
You are welcome :D Happy reading! And thank you for the review :D