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marvelhead17 · 3 years

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The Tale of Eossimar (Original Female Character x Bofur Fic)

Chapter 9

Word Count: 7.8k

Warnings to cover the whole fic: Fake relationships, half-blood children, mild violence, fight scenes, male/male relationships, Dwarf gender concepts, battle of five armies fix-it, pre-battle of five armies, near death incidents, talking to dead people, mentions of paradise/heaven.

As the sun rose that morning, Bofur and the others began to gear up without argument in the dimly lit rooms deep inside Erebor, fixing their braiding to ensure it was tight for the battle to come and securing their armour properly.

Out of habit Bofur scanned over his shoulder for Bilbo, for a moment he had worried but he relaxed when he found him standing with Thorin, he was being handed chain armour. Bofur swallowed as he understood that Thorin was meaning that the poor hobbit was to fight alongside them, even though he had no personal ties to Erebor.

They approached the rampart only to discover that they were faced with hundreds upon hundreds of Elves at their gate, King Thranduil rode confidently on his stag followed closely by Bard on his horse, and they easily passed in the middle of them.

Bofur was amazed by how uniform the soldiers were, as they stepped aside to let their King pass through without even turning their heads, before they fell back into place once again. As the two stopped in front of their armies Thorin raised his bow and arrow in hand, firing a quick warning shot at the feet of Thranduil’s stag.

“I will put the next one between your eyes,” he warned and the company laughed confidently, even Bofur found himself laughing at the sudden surprise in the Elf King’s eyes.

He felt his laughter die as soon as he recalled Nari saying the same threat to Prince Legolas not so long ago and his amusement quickly became dampened.

King Thranduil barely bobbed his head when his troops moved in synchronisation, and all readied their arrows at the dwarves, the company ducked down behind the ridges of the wall in panic, while their leader remained standing as he stared at Thranduil. The dwarves remained silent as they held their breaths, Thranduil raised his hand in the air and his men lowered their weapons.

“We have come to tell you, payment of your debt has been offered, and accepted.” Thranduil informed him, and the members slowly raised their heads over the wall in confusion.

“What payment? I gave you nothing, you have nothing.” He still held his next arrow at the ready.

Thranduil’s brows pricked up and he swept his gaze to Bard on his left briefly, the man dug into his inner coat and pulled out something that glistened in the sunlight, before raising it in the air for them to see it clearly.

“We have this,” Bard said, Thorin’s eyes widened and he lowered his weapon.

“They have the Arkenstone, thieves!” Kíli shouted, “How came you by the heirloom of our house? That belongs to the King!”

“And the King may have it,” he tossed the precious stone in the air playfully as it had no value to him, “With our good will,” and then tucked it back safely in his pocket. “But first, he must honour his word.”

Thorin shook his head as he whispered, “They are taking us for fools. This is a ruse, a filthy lie,” he spoke louder in spite of the dwarves’ disbelief, “The Arkenstone is in this Mountain! It is a trick!”

“It’s no trick, the stone is real, I gave it to them,” Bilbo informed him; the King froze for a moment and then faced the hobbit with a mad look in his eyes.

“You?” he questioned in disbelief.

“I took it as my fourteenth share,” Bilbo blinked several times as he tried to maintain his eye contact.

“You would steal from me?” His voice was harsh as he spoke.

“Steal from you? No, no,” he shook his head, “I may be a burglar, but I like to think I’m an honest one.” He stifled a little laugh through his nose, rocking nervously on the balls of his feet. “I’m willing to let it stand against my claim,”

“Against your claim? Your claim.” He gave Bilbo a mocking smile, “You have no claim over me, you miserable rat!” he threw down the bow and arrow, stepping closer to Bilbo as he did.

“I was going to tell you. Many times I wanted to, but-”

“But what, thief?” he growled.

“You are changed,Thorin.” He spoke sternly, “The dwarf I met in Bag-End would never have gone back on his word, would never have doubted the loyalty of his kin!”

“Do not speak to me of loyalty,” Thorin’s eyes began to well up, and he edged even closer to Bilbo, making Bofur’s heart pound relentlessly. “Throw him from the rampart!” he pointed at him, his eyes roamed over the rest of the group as nobody made to move to the fearful hobbit.

Thorin frowned back at them, grabbing Fíli by his chest plate, “Did you not hear me?!” he yelled and was taken aback when Fíli fought against him and pushed away, stepping back next to Balin. He looked around desperately, and then turned to face Bilbo, “I will do it myself. Curse you!” he seized him and forced him towards the edge of the wall.

Fíli, Bifur and Bofur all reached out in an attempt to rescue the hobbit as he struggled against the King’s grasp. “Cursed be the Wizard that forced you on this company!” he shoved Bilbo against the wall and the hobbit let out a scream.

“If you don’t like my burglar then please, don’t damage him.” Gandalf’s voice boomed over the panic and they all looked down, “Return him to me,” Thorin only stared blankly at the wizard who settled next to Bard and Thranduil, while Bilbo panted anxiously away. “You’re not making a very splendid figure as King under the Mountain are you, Thorin, son of Thráin?”

Thorin released the hobbit from his grasp and he nearly dropped face first into the ground, had it not been for Fíli and Bofur helping him, Bofur took him by the arm and guided him away while the King was distracted.

“Never again will I have dealings with Wizards!”

“Go,” Bofur whispered, encouraging Bilbo to leave with a gentle nudge.

“Or Shire rats!”

Bilbo tossed the rope that was attached to the wall over the edge, hastily climbing over and making a quick escape down the rope.

“Are we resolved, the return of the Arkenstone, for what was promised?” Bard asked, Thorin took uneven breaths as he stared out to the hills on the left, which were empty as far as Bofur could tell. “Give us your answer, will you have peace, or war?”

A raven landed in front of Thorin, cawing away as it eyed him, he faced them and without hesitation said, “I will have war.”

The guard had already bid their families goodbye as the sun shone over the mountain and cast a glow down on them, Callon led them through the tunnel that had once been abandoned and Nari watched as they walked on, she nodded at the more familiar faces that passed her way.

As the last of them went through Nari looked behind to ensure that no villager strayed their way, and she placed the warning sign back down where it had been for many years before, and then followed behind them. She raised her hand to cover her eyes as the sun was much brighter once they reached the opening of the tunnel. They gathered formally and she walked around to stand in front of them, a little surprised by the sheer number that were among them for a small village.

She was about to address them when a shadow flew over her head, she squinted up and raised her arm to let the owl land. She nipped at her owner’s ear and chirped; Nari listened carefully and smiled at Screech, raising her arm to let the owl roam free, and then facing her people once more.

“It’s good to see so many of us are here this morning, in actual fact I’m quite surprised by the number of ye,” some let out a little chuckle, “Those of ye who know of my little pet will know that she often brings me news from the outside, and I’ve just learned that the people of Lake-Town have made settlement within the old City of Dale,” a few people now muttered and she cleared her throat.

“And for many of ye, it was once the home to previous generations of yer families, and for others it was where yer parents were able to make a living from their craft.” They nodded their agreements, “Since there are so many of us, I’d like at least half of ye to go to Dale, the people there have suffered enough grievances these past days and they are essentially defenceless.”

Callon walked up next to his sister, “Now we have no idea what we may be facing out there today, it could be the usual orc scum or something much worse. What we do know is, we must protect the line of Durin so that the Kingdom may be opened and thrive once again. Now who’s with me?” he raised his fist in the air and they cheered enthusiastically.

Nari couldn’t help the grin that grew on her face as she looked to the Eossimarians, she walked down to a familiar face and placed a hand on the elf’s shoulder, and she turned around in surprise, smiling at Nari when she caught sight of her.

“Elanor, I’d like ye to lead the troop to Dale, if ye don’t mind,”

Her mouth fell open slightly, “Are you certain Nari?”

“Very, ye’re our best archer, and a good leader, take the archers and others to Dale,” she nodded, “I know they’ll be safe in yer hands,” she patted her on the arm lightly and smiled, and Elanor returned the gesture, Nari looked around, “I want the archers to follow Elanor, and I’ll need a few who can fight on the ground to go with her as well,” she instructed.

After a few moments of indecision they split into two groups, with Elanor waving her half on to head towards Dale, she gave a final nod to Nari before they vanished into the trees.

“What about the rest of us?”

“We are going to defend Erebor,” Nari moved to brush some low-hanging branches out of the way, “Callon, lead on,” they followed immediately after him as he moved hurriedly, and Nari made sure the last people were through before she ran around to catch up with her brother.

She turned to face the guard while walking backward continuously, “I want ye to be on high alert, look out for each other, ye all have families that want yer safe return. Are we understood?”

“Aye!” they chanted and marched forward steadily upon catching the Mountain in their line of sight.

There was clanking and stomping resonating suddenly on the hills to the left as a new army made an approach to the scene, Dwalin noticed Bofur’s puzzlement and he leaned over, speaking quietly, “Dáin, of the Iron Hills, Thorin’s cousin,” the dwarf nodded in understanding and stared at the army, his cousin Bifur roared triumphantly just behind him with a few other members.

The Elves immediately turned their stance away from Erebor, and marched right on to meet the Dwarven army, before bringing themselves to a standstill as the Dwarves also made their stop behind their leader.

“Good morning, how are we all?” A fiery red headed dwarf, Dáin, Bofur assumed addressed the masses rather sarcastically. “I have a wee proposition, if ye wouldn’t mind giving me a few moments of yer time.” He leaned forward on his war pig, “Would ye consider, just… sodding off?!” he yelled the last words out, unsettling the Men so much that they stepped back in fear.

“All of ye! Right now!” he barked.

“Stand fast!” Bard ordered his men.

“Come now, Lord Dáin,” Gandalf approached the Dwarves through the crowds.

“Gandalf the Grey,” Dáin greeted coldly, “Tell this rabble to leave, or I’ll water the ground with their blood!”

“There is no need for war between Dwarves, Men and Elves,” Gandalf insisted as he moved closer, in hopes of reasoning with the dwarf, “A legion of Orcs march on the Mountain. Stand your army down.”

“I will not stand down before any Elf, not least this faithless Woodland sprite,” he glared as he pointed to the King Thranduil with his large hammer, “He wishes nothing but ill upon my people, if he chooses to stand between me and my kin… I’ll split his pretty head open! See if he’s still smirking then!”

Bofur looked over and confirmed that Thranduil was indeed smirking at the dwarf Lord, the other members cheered on their kin defending them, and Bofur looked to his brother and saw that he too looked uneasy about it all.

“He’s clearly mad, like his cousin,” the elf king responded coolly.

“Ye hear that, lads? We’re on!” Dáin turned around on his pig to face his army, waving his hammer as he moved along, “Let’s give these bastards a good hammering!” His commander gave orders in Khuzdul and the army yelled out their response, raising their weapons to prepare themselves.

A rumbling echoed from underground near another mountain range, the cracking of breaking earth sounded thunderous as the ground burst open, enormous Earth-eaters roared as they crushed the chunks of land in their mouths.

“Oh, come on!” Dáin yelled.

Bofur couldn’t believe his eyes as the worms receded into the ground from whence they came, a horn drew his attention away as his eyes fell upon Azog on top of an abandoned watch tower; his arms were raised as he yelled out his commands and his armies marched forward.

“The hordes of Hell are upon us. To battle! To battle, sons of Durin!” Dáin yelled as he led his army forward to the swells of orcs.

“I’m going over the wall, who’s coming with me?” Fíli asked as he raised his sword in the air.

“Aye!”

“Yes!”

“Come on, let’s go!” Dwalin yelled eagerly.

“Stand down.” Thorin ordered.

“What? Are we to do nothing?” Fíli questioned his Uncle.

“I said, stand down!” he yelled at his nephew, and then he moved down the stairs without looking back at them, Fíli looked over to Balin whose gaze grew anxious as he looked at the dwarves charging forward. “I want all of you inside, now!”

They moved slowly down from the rampart, Bofur decidedly taking his time as best as he could, he stopped when he realised that the Elves had not moved from their position and watched Gandalf move to the Elf King.

“Thranduil, this is madness!” he insisted, as the Dwarves formed a barricade with their shields while the orcs stormed forward without fear.

Their commander announced that their duties were to Erebor and the King, and that they were to hold their positions, the soldiers reaffirmed their pledges with a cry. Bofur swore that he had barely blinked when he realised that the Elven army had used the Dwarves as a ramp to glide over them weightlessly, and even before they landed on the ground had begun slaying some of the orc army down.

The dwarves stood up soon after and the two races fought side by side against the orcs, the figures all swarmed together into one chaotic mess, had it not been for the golden coloured armour it would have been impossible to set the Elves apart from the Dwarves.

“Bofur,” a rough voice called and he cleared his head with a shake, rushing down the stairs quickly, he came to a standstill as he came face to face with Thorin; the King glared daggers at him. “You think I have not seen how distracted you’ve become? Your little friend Nari has left long ago, I would not expect her to be returning any time soon,” he growled.

“It would be best for you not to pursue whatever interests you think you have with her, if you wish to stay in these grounds, am I being clear?”

“A-Aye, Thorin, very,” he swallowed nervously, walking carefully around him to join the others as they gathered further away.

“What was that about?” Bombur asked, Bofur shook his head and avoided looking at him.

“It’s nothing; don’t worry yerself about it,”

Nari and the guard arrived in time to see the Elves and Dwarves merge together in battle, much to her surprise, and she faced her people as she raised her sword in the air. “[For Erebor!]”

“Erebor!” they yelled, and sprinted forward to the battle, they easily blended in amongst the chaos and began aiding in the killing of the orcs with the rest.

Nari and Callon fought side by side, watching each other’s backs and killing off orcs easily as a team, it seemed to be going well so far and yet, something was nagging her in the back of her mind.

Another section of Thranduil’s army moved into position and fired arrows at the orcs to the back on their King’s command; she briefly lost her focus when a horn sounded in the distance; she traced the noise to its origin and spotted Azog standing high above the battle almost cockily. A flag pole changed its signal, and the orc leader belted out his orders, the cries of another army sounded not too far away and they marched in the direction of Dale.

Her brother slayed an orc that had been approaching her from behind and moved to her line of vision, “Good thing ye sent half the guard to Dale,” he remarked and she nodded as she saw the people of Lake-Town back away from the battle slowly.

She hadn’t even realised that they were fighting between all the soldiers, “All of you, fall back to Dale. Now!” Bard ordered and she smiled to herself, knowing he was making good decisions for his people already; she killed a few more orcs and looked over her shoulder every so often to see what was happening near the ruined city.

Giant trolls with catapults strapped to their backsides raced towards Dale, stopping not too far off and launched boulders that crumbled the walls beneath them, and an even larger one with a stone tied down to his head ran straight into a solid wall and fell dead into the ground. The orcs charged into the city as the citizens screamed in terror, and Nari silently thanked Mahal that she had made the right decision by sending some of her people there.

“Ye buggers!” a dwarf cursed behind them as he leaped off of his war pig which had been stabbed, “I’ll show ye!” he used his head to knock down several orcs with ease, attacking with even more fury than he had before, “Where’s Thorin? We need him, where is he?”

She looked at her brother, “Seems the King has become cowardly in the face of war,”

“What do ye mean?” Callon asked as he took down another orc next to him.

“I think they’re all still pent up inside Erebor, I have yet to see any of the company out here,” she kicked down an orc that tried to approach and stabbed it in the back of its head.

“That’s a relief, they’ve not been found then,” he quickly sliced the throat of an orc that snuck up behind him.

“They’ll be trapped if they find a way in though,” Nari informed him.

“Should we go in then?”

“Aye,” she moved forward through the mess and took down a few more orcs as she went along, her brother following closely behind.

Dwalin approached Thorin angrily while he was brooding on his throne. “Since when do we forsake our own people? Thorin, they are dying out there.” But Thorin seemed distracted as his eyes wandered around the room.

“There are halls beneath halls within this Mountain. Places we can fortify… shore up make safe. Yes,” he stood from his throne and reached out to Dwalin as he walked forward a little unsteadily. “Yes, that is it. We must move the gold further underground to safety.”

He turned away to look down to where the gold was down below in the caverns, and Dwalin found that his eyes were tearing up as his anger only grew, he grabbed Thorin by the shoulder.

“Did ye not hear me? Dáin is surrounded. They’re being slaughtered, Thorin.” He stepped back as Thorin searched his face, as if almost looking at a stranger.

“Many die in war, life is cheap. But a treasure such as this, cannot be counted in lives lost,” he waved his friends' concerns away, “It is worth all the blood we can spend.”

Dwalin scoffed, “Ye sit here in these vast halls with a crown upon yer head, and yet ye are lesser now than ye have ever been.”

“Do not speak to me as if I were some lowly Dwarf Lord, as if,” his voice quivered as he spoke, “I were still, Thorin Oakenshield,” his voice cracked as he turned away and he bent over to the side, Dwalin remained at a distance and stepped back when Thorin swung out his sword haphazardly and missed his target. “I am your King!”

“Ye were always my King, ye used to know that once. Ye cannot see what ye have become. Nari was right, ye’re sick Thorin.”

“Go. Get out. Before I kill you.” His voice remained steady as he spoke this time; they locked eyes for a moment before Dwalin walked away in disappointment.

He reached the others and they looked up in hope but Dwalin’s face made it clear to them, “I fear that we’ve lost him for good, he threatened my life.”

“That is not the sign we needed,” Balin shook his head.

“Can’t we do something, anything, to make him see?” Fíli stood.

“No laddie, I’m afraid not,” Balin placed his hand on the young dwarf’s shoulder.

The group sat in silence, staring at the ground as the screams from the battle ensued; Bofur remained on the rampart as he tried to scan the scene to ease the twisting in his gut. He was soon joined by Dwalin and Balin who stood on either side of him, they all nodded at one another.

Kíli pricked his head as he noticed movement ahead of them, he recognised his Uncle’s form and stood up from his spot, the fury boiling in his blood encouraged him to approach Thorin fearlessly.

“I will not hide behind a wall of stone while others fight our battles for us!” he yelled, though Thorin moved forward wordlessly. “It is not in my blood, Thorin.”

“No. It is not,” Thorin agreed, stopping before his nephew, “We are sons of Durin, and Durin’s Folk do not flee from a fight.” He smiled slowly as he met Kíli’s gaze, his lip was twitching beyond his control.

They pressed their foreheads together before Thorin patted him on the shoulder and moved to stand in front of the others, and his nephew raised his fist in success behind his back.

“I have no right to ask this of any of you. But will you follow me, one last time?” he asked them, and they all smiled and raised their weapons wordlessly.

The Eossimarian guard fell in between Dain and his troops, for the Elves had left for Dale, and they now realised that they were severely outnumbered. Dain’s dwarves began chanting in unison and the guard joined in while the orc army began to line up in front of them, even larger orcs made their way to the frontlines with clubs in hand, unmistakably weaponised to clear buildings.

Just as Azog gave the order a trumpet sounded clearly above them, Nari glanced up and saw Bombur blowing into the instrument and felt a laugh bubble up inside with a mix of relief, a bell rang out and she frowned before the enormous object burst through the barricade and collapsed it.

The company emerged from wreckage crying out as they ran directly towards the orcs, and Dain’s army moved aside to let them pass through.

“To the King, to the King!” the dwarf they had seen earlier cried out, rallying his troops forward.

Nari and Callon looked at each other and smiled, before joining in the attack against the orcs and really giving their all as they swung their blades. She managed to get close enough to Thorin in time before they were surrounded.

“Thorin, it’s good to see ye!” she called out and he killed off an orc before turning around to speak with her.

“You came back, after everything I said to you?”

“Course I did, I was keeping my word,”

“Thank you.” He placed a hand on her shoulder, and the two of them bowed their heads briefly before returning to the fight. “Dáin!” Thorin yelled out.

“Thorin! Hold on, I’m coming!” He rode on the backside of an orc while killing others, they hugged for a moment and he frowned for a moment when his eyes landed on Nari, but he decided it wasn’t the time to question it. “Hey Cousin, what took ye so long?”

“Admittedly I was under duress,”

“No matter, there’s too many of these buggers, Thorin,” he gestured around them, “I hope ye’ve got a plan…”

Nari and Callon had drifted further down into the fight, working alongside members of the company as they struggled against what seemed to be an endless wave of the creatures.

“Aye, we’re going to take out their leader.” He stared up to where Azog stood proudly on the old tower.

“Azog?” Dáin’s jaw slackened as he stared wide-eyed at his cousin, who managed to get hold of a war ram and sat confidently.

“I’m going to kill that piece of filth,” he promised, and then rode towards the rocky hillside, taking off the heads of orcs along the path with him.

As if Dwalin, Fíli and Kíli had read their King’s mind, they followed him on their own rams. “Lead on!” Dwalin said as they raced on with speed.

“Callon, let’s go!” Nari called.

“Where?”

“That peak,” she pointed to where Azog stood, “Azog must have planned for every move we’ve made here so far, and I don’t like that they’ll be isolated up there.”

He agreed and they ran on, quickly passing behind Bofur and his brother, Nari took out an orc that had tried to attack Bofur from behind, and the dwarf turned just in time to see her vanish before he could thank or even question her. He grunted as he swung another deadly blow to an enemy.

They ran up the rocky hills as fast as they could on foot, Thorin and the others were already at the top for some time before them and she worried that they may be in danger.

“I’ll bet my life that he’s set something up there.”

“Ye’re probably right, but on a day like this, I would not be wagering my life about as if it were nothing sister,”

“Don’t fret brother, we both know I can take care of myself,” they reached the top and were assaulted by hordes of goblins, and had to fight their way through.

“We must hurry!”

“These goblins won’t kill themselves ye know!” she grunted as she killed off a few more of the creatures.

“Something is wrong, I feel it,” he helped to kill off more of them, and then grabbed her hand and pulled her along after him.

They reached a broken down tower that curved slightly over the frozen river, giving them quicker access across the way if they needed it, Callon climbed further up to get a better view as the area was covered.

“Damn this fog, I can’t see much of anything,”

“Do ye hear that?” she raised a hand to silence him, “Below somewhere… I think reinforcements are coming,”

Callon nodded, reaching behind his back and readying his bow and arrow, slowly raising it to the buildings across the way, “I see the others, but not the princes, and… Bilbo?”

“Bilbo?” She looked passed him curiously, and realised that they were staring across the frozen river to where Azog had stood not long ago.

There was a sudden thumping of drums and the fog dissipated to reveal Azog dragging Fíli by the scruff alongside himself, his feet dangling in the air as the orc leader was much larger than him; Callon stiffened as he raised the prince higher up.

“This one dies first, then the brother.” Azog smirked.

The others stepped forward to the rocky edges nervously as Fíli stared back at them in absolute fear, Callon aimed his arrow at the orc’s weaponised arm, and Nari observed her brother.

“Ye should aim for his head,” she suggested, but Callon disagreed.

“I want him to face a slow death,”

“Then you, Oakenshield… You will die last.” Azog grinned, raising his arm to strike.

“Go!” Fíli yelled to them but Thorin shook his head, “Run!”

“On my life,” Callon whispered as he released his arrow, it whizzed through the air quickly and struck the orc leader in his arm as he had intended.

The orc dropped Fíli with the unexpected attack, and the poor dwarf hit the ground at an awkward angle, causing him to roll towards the edge of the cliff they were on. As he reached the edge his body fell upright, and he managed to reach out and grab hold of the edge to keep himself from plummeting to his death.

Azog backed away, “Finish them,” he ordered, then disappeared from sight, not realising that the dwarf was still clinging on for his life.

The others assessed the area and were surprised to see the siblings already sprinting across the frozen water to the other side, and Thorin called out for his nephews as Kíli roared in outrage, not knowing his brother was still alive as he ran out from his hiding space and made after them. Thorin made no hesitation in chasing after him.

“Thorin,” Dwalin reached out, “Thorin, no!” he ran after his King, leaving Bilbo behind.

Nari worked at fighting off the goblin armies that had now circled the area to let her brother get to Fíli, he bent down on his knee and held his hand out for him.

“Take my hand,” the prince gladly took hold of it and was lifted to his feet, for a moment they seemed to forget the surroundings as their eyes met.

“Cal, a little assistance if ye would be so kind-” she called out and he jerked his head in surprise, before quickly taking out a dagger and handing it to Fíli, who took it with a smile; and they both moved out into the fight to aid Nari.

EEEEEEEEH!

They ducked down for a moment, covering their ears as they looked to the sky which was now filled with hefty bats flying overhead. They passed over the river and swooped over Dwalin and Bilbo who were being swarmed by another goblin army.

She stood up, “I’m going to help them,” she told Callon as she moved away, he gave a quick nod and worked side by side with Fíli at killing the goblins that still tried to attack them. As she darted across the ice she noticed Kíli not too far off, slaying a few orcs on his own but she realised that he would soon be overwhelmed, as the number of orcs never seemed to be wavering no matter how many kills they all made.

Nari jumped in and slayed an orc just as a larger one travelled passed Bilbo, knocking him down with the handle of his weapon, she stabbed another orc in the chest and watched the leading orc disappear, wondering if that was the infamous Bolg of the North, spawn of Azog.

She knelt over the hobbit in concern, and her shoulders slumped as she saw the rise and fall of his chest, “Thank Mahal, brave Master Baggins,” she breathed out.

“Kíli!”

Nari stood on her feet and frowned, somewhat recognising the voice that called his name.

“Kíli!”

It called again and she squinted to where she had last seen the prince.

“Tauriel!” he cried out, making Nari bolt to where their voices came from, only to find Bolg was attacking Tauriel and it seemed she was not winning.

She had no time to try and help the elf-maid as she became surrounded by more enemies herself, leaving her no choice but to defend herself against their constant attacks.

“Ah!” Tauriel grunted as Bolg raised her into the air by the throat, she kicked him swiftly in the gut and he dropped her immediately, only to return the gesture and force her against the wall with a thud.

Kíli leapt out from Nari’s right with his sword raised high into the air, landing promptly on the orc’s shoulders and sinking his weapon down, just missing his head by a whisker as the orc raised his own to block the attack. He launched Kíli over his head and into the nearby stone stairs, with a grunt the prince was on his feet again, and he charged at the orc; both went at each other relentlessly evading and striking where they could.

Nari finished off the hordes on her side and soared down, just at the orc held Kíli in place to strike him in the chest, with her dagger already drawn she came down on his exposed backside and Bolg dropped Kíli as he staggered sideways and distracting him from his kill; she buried it deep into his shoulder and neck as she was also thrown off her target.

Tauriel screamed as she grabbed the orc’s arm, making him lose grip of his sword, Nari hopped off and stood on the ground as Tauriel then rushed over to Kíli. Bolg reached down for his sword and faced Nari with a grunt; her breathing was heavy as she addressed the orc.

“I will see yer head mounted as a trophy before ye lay another hand on him,” the orc grinned, raising his sword and charging at her, she ducked as he narrowly missed her head. “Kíli, Tauriel, go!” she insisted, drawing her sword and facing the orc as the elf-maid struggled to help Kíli to his feet.

She managed to stab him in the leg and avoided another attack, moving further away from the two, “Are ye deaf?” she asked as she saw them watching her, “Run!” They seemed startled by her words and moved along as quickly as they could; it seemed that he had been disorientated from his fight against Bolg.

In her moment of distraction she had barely faced the orc when her head struck against something hard, causing her to gasp out and close her eyes for a second, when she opened them she froze in place, and Bolg’s sword impaled her torso firmly. She choked as she glanced down, the sword holding her in place against the stone; she looked over to the stairs and knew they were headed to safety.

Nari’s ears were ringing with the deafening scream that escaped her as the orc leaned over her and pressed the blade further in, but she fought against every nerve in her body telling her to give in, instead focusing on the heat that she felt coursing through her. Something in the back of her mind told her to grab Bolg by the wrists and she clasped them firmly, holding her gaze as he leaned back in surprise; the heat centred to her palms and a horrible odour wafted to her nose.

Bolg jerked back roaring in agony, taking his weapon with him and stepping backwards, and Nari gasped as she collapsed onto the ground, she closed her eyes for a moment as she pressed her burning hands into the bleeding wound, tears falling out her eyes as the skin seemed to bubble and scorch under the pressure. She opened her eyes glancing above her, and saw Kíli peering over the edge and then a hand swiftly pulling him away; she struggled to turn her attention back to Bolg.

Her vision started growing dark, but there was one last relief as she saw her brother approaching the orc, her breathing was shaky as Fíli leaned over her, and she watched as his mouth moved but she could not hear what he was saying.

His hands touched her shoulders to get her attention back on him as her head rolled back and her eyes seemed to glaze over steadily, he moved the lower edge of her tunic to examine her wound and frowned deeply as he saw the damage done by a sword, but also burned flesh that seemed to seal it somehow. Despite this, there was still a lot of blood slowly pooling underneath her, and he discovered the smaller opening on her backside.

“Nari, can you hear me?” he asked in concern, she met his eyes with a blank stare as her head rolled heavily.

She whispered hoarsely, “Keep my Callon safe for me,”

“Don’t you talk like that, you’ll be alright,” Fíli insisted, taking her hand and squeezing it hard, at least she assumed as she couldn’t feel her fingers; there was a grunt not far off as Bolg fell to his knees, and Callon removed the dagger from the orc’s head with satisfaction. “He’s right here Nari, right here,”

Her brother kneeled down next to Fíli, “Sister- what happened?” his eyes widened as he looked her over, her breathing was becoming even slower and her eyes barely remained open.

“Thorin… Kíli,” she mumbled out before her eyes shut, and she fell into the darkness; Fíli pressed his ear to her chest and heard her heart beat sluggishly.

“Nari?” Callon’s voice broke as he spoke her name.

“She is still with us,” Fíli assured him and Callon let out a shaky breath as a tear fell across his cheek, “I’ll stay with her, go find them,” he insisted, Callon nodded and took one last uncertain look at his sister as he left them.

He did not venture too far when he found Tauriel sitting with Kíli on a rock, “Thank Mahal, ye’re alive Kíli!”

“Is she alright?” Kíli spoke heavily, as if he had a lump in his throat.

“For now,” he bowed his head slightly, ignoring the burning of his eyes, “Where is Thorin?” he asked.

“Azog.” Kíli whispered and shot to his feet, he walked passed Callon who then followed him; they stood on another wall above the others and saw Dwalin down below battling some orcs.

They moved hurriedly when they saw more heading his way until they stumbled upon Bilbo laying between rubble, Kíli leaned over the hobbit immediately and gave him a once over, he moved back when Bilbo’s eyes suddenly flicked open and he stared at the skies above.

“The Eagles… they’ve come,” he said almost dreamily; Callon and Kíli both glanced up and realised that he wasn’t imagining things, the prince then helped Bilbo to his feet.

Callon ran over to aid Dwalin in his burst of hope, Kíli joined them and Bilbo did his best at fighting at a distance by throwing rocks at the assailants as they approached them, Dwalin moved further up the frozen river to kill off the smaller troop, and with the Eagles now helping their side the numbers seemed to begin to dwindle and as they killed the last of their enemies they could finally rest for a moment.

Callon breathed deeply, still feeling uncertain that all was right, and his eyes landed on Thorin who stood facing Azog on the ice just across from them.

The King picked up the stone that had slammed in front of him seconds ago, quickly tossing it over to Azog who caught it in his grasp, Thorin stepped back carefully as he kept his eyes on the orc, the cracked ice underneath Azog’s feet tilted into the air. He dropped the stone next to him and it slid into the water, it dragged the chain still attached and pulled the pale orc down with it despite his screams, and he slipped underneath the ice.

Silence.

“He’s done it,” Callon muttered, “He’s done it!” he cheered as he looked at the others; they smiled in relief before laughing.

He frowned when Thorin walked slowly along the ice, looking down with a wary gaze at something below, and his blade still firmly held in his hand. Callon started as the King cried out suddenly, the tip of a blade piercing through his foot from underneath, it vanished and Azog erupted out with a roar.

They all froze as he swung his sword at Thorin, knocking him down onto his backside, he was barely able to deflect the pale orc’s tireless blows against him; he stabbed his sword down and Thorin was lucky enough to raise his sword across his chest in time to protect himself.

Callon reached behind himself to retrieve his bow and arrow, aiming it at the Orc leader’s head, Kíli swallowed nervously and glanced down to Bilbo, only to find the hobbit had disappeared entirely.

The unique fork in Azog’s weapon was now the only thing keeping him from death, he grunted as the orc forced his sword further down upon him; it was a breath away from his heart now.

Callon shot his arrow and cursed as it moved off course with the breeze, hitting the orc in the shoulder and distracting him from his task at hand for a moment, he snorted at them and pushed his sword further down. It pricked Thorin’s chest and the dwarf King yelled out, Azog smirked with satisfaction and made to push further, when out of thin air Bilbo leapt down onto his backside; he plunged his little sword deep into the neck of the orc, Azog staggered to the side, giving Bilbo the opportunity to hop off.

The sword remained in his neck as he collapsed onto the ice with a final grunt, and Thorin, having gotten to his feet in seconds, grabbed the hobbit by the shoulders, moving them both away in fear. Callon lowered his bow and nodded at Bilbo, though he seemed too shaken to respond in the moment.

Kíli heard Dwalin shouting incoherently about an orc as he approached them at speed, he frowned and tried to ask him to be clear when there was a loud thud next to him, he turned to see Callon laying on the icy ground unconscious, a small boulder planted next to him that had not been there earlier and he quickly grabbed the bow and an arrow from the dwarf.

He scanned the area just behind them and spotted his target, one orc that was preparing to throw another stone, he swiftly shot him dead and kept his eyes peeled for any more signs of movement; he threw down the weapon and kneeled down to examine the injury to Callon’s head. He was bleeding a bit from the roughness of the stone, but seemed otherwise unharmed, Kíli moved his hand in front of Callon’s face and felt the warm breath against it.

He looked across the river and saw that Azog’s body lay still, his black blood seeping into the icy water, Thorin was leaning over him and then he walked away, Bilbo took to his side; he put an arm over the hobbit’s shoulder and held him tightly, Bilbo chuckled a little nervously until he saw the others.

They approached worriedly and Kíli spoke to his uncle, “He’s still breathing, only just, I think,”

Dwalin was panting loudly as he finally reached them, his exhaustion was evident as he approached tiredly, and his eyes welled up as he inspected Callon.

“Is he-?”

“What’s happened here?” Fíli’s voice spoke softer than usual and they diverted their attention to him, he carried Nari in his arms and she hung limply, still unconscious.

“He’s alive,” Kíli assured him.

“Mahal,” Dwalin whispered when his eyes fell onto Nari and darted back to Callon.

“She’s worse for wear I admit, but she’s fighting,” Fíli promised him.

“We must get them to the healers, quickly,” Thorin ordered, the princes agreed and Kíli moved to lift Callon from the ground but Dwalin raised a hand to stop him, picking his nephew up into his arms instead.

Once they were ready they moved down along the old paths as fast as they could, at some point along the way Kíli had taken Nari from his brother as his arms grew tired, and they continued without much fuss. Tauriel fell in step behind them, not wanting to invade in what felt like a very personal matter to the dwarves. A sense of guilt overwhelmed her as she registered that Nari had saved Kíli, and she swallowed the lump in her throat down at the concept of a life without him.

Thorin was the first to break the long silence they had fallen into, “Azog is finally dead, had it not been for these two… it could’ve been all of us,” his nephews only looked at him, “I was foolish for sending you there alone, it was clearly a trap, I hope you can forgive me, my nephews,”

“Of course Uncle,” they said together.

“You couldn’t have known Thorin, you know that.” Bilbo placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“Aye,” Dwalin agreed, “We were ambushed and outnumbered by the bastards,” he gritted his teeth angrily.

To their relief the battle seemed to have ended, the Eagles flew away as the sun started to dip into the horizon, and they arrived at a gathering of those who had survived. Dwarves from the Iron Hills and the company, among the guards of Eossimar, were all mixed together; some were already tending to the injuries of their comrades, while others sat in silence as they mourned their losses.

From the left they saw more of the guard come out from the direction of Dale, with a large man walking somewhat alongside them, when Thorin met his gaze he bowed his head as a gesture of thanks, and Beorn returned it.

Bofur had just finished covering his brother’s leg wound when he looked around and saw Thorin and the others making their return, at first he was relieved as he stood up and made his way to them, but his smile faded as he saw how sombre they were. His eyes hovered over them and his heart pounded heavily in his chest as he saw Nari being carried in Kíli’s arms, he felt the air in his chest leave and he couldn’t breathe as they stilled in front of them.

Thorin waved Óin over to them and he examined them immediately, Bofur’s knees felt as though they were about to crumple under the sudden weight he felt as watched the healer look them over, a hand clapping down on his shoulder startled him and he turned to see Bombur trying to comfort him.

____________________________________________________________

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marvelhead17 · 3 years

Text

The Tale of Eossimar (Original Female Character x Bofur Fic)

Chapter 4

Word Count: 7k

Callon’s clothing was piled in a corner of the room, long forgotten during Bombur’s rescue. He had already asked Fíli to remove Kíli’s clothing along with the bind, so that it wouldn’t need to be removed in the water, and they complied. He jumped into the spring below, raising his hands above his head, as Fíli lowered his brother down slowly to him, he held the dwarf under his arms and kept a firm hold on him.

“Now grab his legs so we don’t strain them, I’ll step back and he can be lowered in on his own terms,” Callon instructed, Fíli followed his orders without argument, “Easy now, good.” Kíli huffed and puffed anxiously during the process, “Relax,”

“You expect me to relax when a strange man holds me from behind while I’m naked, and he’s almost naked as well?” Kíli quipped.

“Kee, he’s trying to help,” Fíli looked at his brother with a serious face.

Kíli relaxed a bit and gradually went from floating on his backside to standing upright, the water taking any pressure on his leg off of him and providing some relief.

“Besides, we’re all the same here, there’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Callon added.

“Right,” Fíli nodded, resting his hands on his hips.

“So come on Fee, the water’s lovely,” Kíli smirked.

A young lady villager made her way to the group with a determined step, catching the eyes of the company, one of the dwarves reckoned she had passed by earlier worriedly compared to the relief she seemed to express now.

“Lady Nari!” she exhaled, “I’ve been looking for you all over-”

“Please Elva, I’ve told ye not to call me by that,” Nari rested her hands on her shoulders and leaned in, speaking quietly, “What is it?”

Both Thorin and Bofur were intrigued to hear the conversation, especially in the way that Nari had been addressed, and tried to listen in without appearing to be, which was proving difficult given the distance between them and the softness in which they spoke.

The rest of the group was engaged in conversation with their other members, and some had not even noticed the dwarrow passing through them.

“You may not wish to hear this, but it’s Cáleb,”

“Really? I thought I told him time and time again that I’m not having it-”

“You did,” she glanced at the dwarves and back to Nari, “{But he wishes to see you tomorrow at noon, the usual place},” Elva informed her.

“Alright, tell him I’ll meet him,” Nari said, she glanced over the elf’s shoulder and saw the two watching and quickly averting their gazes, she spoke in Elven to her, “{But tell him that it will be the last time that he can see me, the very last,}”

“Yes Nari,” Elva agreed and quickly ran off, leaving Thorin and Bofur in a complete state of confusion.

“May I ask what that was concerning?” Thorin inquired.

“It’s nothing to worry about,” Nari responded with a shrug, “Nothing concerning the company anyway,”

“I see,” Thorin looked at her as if he wanted to say something more, but then dropped the matter.

“Pardon?” Fíli’s eyes widened.

“If you agree that there’s nothing to be ashamed of, then come on in,” Kíli grinned wickedly, not that Callon could see.

“Ye are here to bathe, are ye not?” Callon asked, frowning.

“Join us brother,” Kíli waved his hand.

“I can leave, if that’s what’s bothering ye-” he made to move out the spring.

“No don’t leave, of course it won’t bother us,” Kíli raised his hand and blew the idea away, “Besides Fíli will need help in getting me out again, won’t he?” he gave his brother another devilish grin.

“Alright Kíli, you’ve made your point,” Fíli sighed at his brother.

Fíli removed his boots, followed in succession by the rest of his clothing; Kíli tried and failed to hold back his chuckles as he watched his brother stumble nervously as he did so, all the while Callon decided to have a bath himself and was paying no attention to either of them. He went so far as to dunk his whole head under the water and had popped back to the surface just as Fíli leaped into the water, making an enormous splash that hit the pair as he did so.

They all bathed separately and made no conversation throughout their time, and then they proceeded to help Kíli from the water in the same manner in which they had got him in. The brothers pat themselves dry and changed into fresh clothes they hadn’t seen being placed down, while Callon simply put on his clothes in the corner of the room.

Fíli gave his best attempts to avoid staring at Callon while they waited for him, even going as far as staring at the ceiling for a brief moment, however, something about the dwarf was drawing his attention.

His body appeared lithe, yet muscular, being as tall as the Elf Prince Legolas they had encountered, but his overall appearance was more dwarvish. His ears were large and round and he had much more hair on just his torso than the elves had on their heads he had thought.

Callon looked up and caught Fíli’s warm gaze, but said nothing as he finished the last of the buttons on the coat he pulled on, “Kíli, do ye think ye can walk?”

“Aye, that much I can do, thank you,” he nodded, Callon returned the gesture and walked out of the building, Kíli glanced at his brother who was now pink in his face. “I think the steam from the springs is getting to you brother,”

“Aye, let’s go,” Fíli agreed, a little too quickly much to Kíli’s amusement, and they walked out.

“Took ye long enough in there,” Nari commented, “Right, the last of ye should get going.” She looked to the others who wordlessly made their way into the building, “Did ye take a bath as well?” she looked at her brother in confusion.

“Aye, I was in the water so I took the opportunity,” Callon shrugged.

She narrowed her eyes at the sight of his hair, “Sit,”

“Why?”

“Yer braiding’s come loose, I want to fix it, now sit.” She instructed, and he sat on a nearby rock, she quickly loosened his braids from his head, combing through his wet hair tenderly with her fingers.

Bofur looked on at the unexpected affectionate moment, and found that he was being shoved from behind, he turned in surprise and quickly started walking as his eyes met Thorin’s intense gaze.

“I take it that ye enjoyed the view?” she asked absentmindedly, untangling a small knot that had formed in his hair, and carefully placing any beads that came free next to him on the rock.

“Nari, mind what ye say,” Callon turned to meet her eyes with a scowl, though his cheeks had flushed slightly.

“Fine,” she sighed, “{But I think the golden haired dwarf has eyes for you},”

“{I have my doubts, he stared at me while I put on my clothes; he must think little of me},”

“{Don’t speak to soon brother, here he comes},”

Fíli approached the pair and cleared his throat nervously, “I just wanted to thank you for your help with my brother,”

“It wasn’t any trouble,” Callon gave him a smile, “I’d help ye out anytime,”

“Right,” he rocked on his heels and nodded, “Well, I’ll be getting back to my brother then,” Fíli bit his lip and quickly turned on his heel, walking back to his brother hurriedly.

“{I may not have known him long, but he doesn’t seem one to get shy fast, I do believe he’s smitten with you brother},” she grinned as she finished forming one of the braids. “This is looking better already,” she grabbed another part of his hair and started plaiting it together.

“Are ye braiding my hair up?” he asked in alarm.

“Aye, ye have such a handsome face; ye need to stop hiding it with this wild hair,” she hummed happily as she managed to quickly finish off the braid, “And don’t dare argue with me, {any man of any creed, or race, would be lucky to have you as a husband},”

“Alright,” he sighed, “I do appreciate ye braiding my hair in the meanwhile,”

She finished off the braids and clipped in all the beads, “Perfect.” She patted his face, “Smile brother.” He gave her a small smile as he stood up, “We’ll work on that,” she grinned and gave him a quick hug which he returned.

The last of them returned from their bath and Nari and Callon led the group on towards the mess hall, not far off from where they were.

“Where are you taking us now?” Thorin queried, he glanced back at the company to make sure everyone was accounted for, and found that Bofur had jogged up behind them, and he shook his head at the dwarf receiving a sheepish rub of the neck in return.

“To the mess hall, for supper,” Nari answered.

“I think it’ll be a feast tonight, {among other things that is},” Callon looked to his sister, “I heard Elanor shot down a large stag today,”

“A mess hall, I’m surprised you have a guard here,” Dwalin sounded surprised.

“I fail to see why, even the most peaceful of creatures have enemies that they must defend themselves from,” she said, “Why else would a rabbit have such large ears and feet, if not to hear and run from the fox?” she quipped with a cheeky smile.

“We only patrol twice a day, just to ensure no enemies are settling nearby, and a lot of the guards tend to eat at home with their families if they prefer to,” Callon added.

They walked up to the hall, with the siblings opening the doors and stepping in without another word, expecting the company to follow them inside. They didn’t know where to look first, the hall was decorated along some of the walls with taxidermied animal heads and was well lit with chandeliers and candles. A fireplace and piano located to the right gave the place a homier feel like a tavern.

To their left was a set up much like a bar, with a long table and stools to sit, while large barrels with taps sat on the other side. Further along was what appeared to be a buffet with meats, vegetables and fresh breads were set up in trays of two each and were piled high, underneath a metal pipe connected from underneath the tray to the fireplace, presumably this is how the food was retaining its heat; next to them lay crockery and cutlery, just itching to be used.

They spotted Nari talking to some of the guards, a mix of men and women by the looks of it, and they all seemed to be in agreement of sorts before she returned to the group.

“I’m sure the lot of ye are starving, so help yerselves to whatever ye fancy, we can take the table nearest to the fireplace,” she gestured, and they glanced at the long empty table and then to the buffet that awaited them. “Callon and I will bring drinks,” they signalled their agreements and made no hesitation in making their way to the food.

“Mind if I give ye a hand?” Nari turned, smiling when she saw the familiar hat on Bofur’s head, and saw the dwarf standing behind her eagerly.

“Aye if ye wish, although yer meant to be the guests here,” she looked at him and he shrugged. “Alright, come along,” the three of them walked together and she walked behind the counter to the barrels.

She bent down and collected the glass mugs together on the table, her brother and Bofur waiting as she filled them up carefully, not wanting them to spill over. She set them on the table and her brother took four in his hands, before making his way over to the table that was slowly being filled up by the company with their plates heaped with food.

“Bofur?” Nari asked to get the dwarf’s attention that had drifted off; he quickly turned to her apologetically. “Won’t ye ask Bilbo if he’d prefer something else? I’m not sure if hobbits like the same drink as dwarves,”

“Aye will do,” he nodded, taking the four mugs in front of him and heading towards the table, he set them down by his companions who were already scoffing down their meals hungrily. He walked over to where Bilbo had settled himself, “Bilbo, lad,”

“Yes Bofur?” he looked up with a warm smile.

“Nari would like to know if ye’d want something other than the ale,”

“Oh,” he sat up in surprise, “Oh, my. Well I wouldn’t mind a red wine if they have,” he said, “And pass on my thanks!” he added as Bofur began walking back.

He leaned against the table with crossed arms and spoke to her, “Nari, Bilbo said he’d like a red wine if ye have?”

“That I can do indeed,” she poured the deep red liquid into a fancier glass from a different barrel, and passed the glass over to Bofur, he took the glass along with two more ales and turned around.

“Oh, wait,” Bofur caught himself and turned around, “I mustn’t forget he extends his thanks!” Bofur raised the red wine in a salute making her smile.

“Alright, thank ye Bofur, now go on, my brother is already beating ye to dinner!” she encouraged him to move on and he did so quickly.

The spaces available were limited now as Bofur and Nari dished up some food before heading to the group, Nari chose her seat by Thorin, the young dwarf princes, Dwalin and Balin, along with her brother; leaving Bofur with no choice but to find seating opposite his little companion Bilbo on the other end of the table.

The company, with Nari and Callon, simply ate their meals and drank for some time, letting the discussion flow, and allowing them to settle in without fear of being attacked by a pack of Orcs. The guard gave no heed to the ruckus caused by them; in fact there were moments that the guard were louder than the group, which made it easier for the dwarves to feel at home.

The dwarf next to Dwalin looked to Nari, “So those children are they related to you?”

“Aye,” Nari said after swallowing another bite of food, “The little rascal that accidentally ambushed Bilbo is my niece Maethríen, the taller lad was my oldest nephew Lumlin and the smaller is my other nephew Lorin, they’re our sister’s bairns,”

Kíli whispered to his brother, “So he is unmarried,” and Fíli quickly stomped on his brother’s foot, making him hold back a yelp.

Dwalin growled, “Behave yourselves you two,”

Fíli immediately lowered his head, “Sorry Dwalin,”

“You better be,” he scolded. “We are guests, so don’t play your childish games here,”

“Yes, Dwalin,” they said rather deflated.

“What do ye think they’re talking about over there?” Bofur asked Bilbo, the hobbit peered over as best as he could at the other side and shrugged his shoulders.

“I’m not sure, could be anything really,” he looked to Bofur and frowned, “Did you fix your braids?”

“Aye I did, do they look alright?”

“Yes, they look fine,” he assured him, “But I’m curious as to why, we’ve travelled for months and I haven’t seen you groom yourself so carefully before,”

“No reason.” Bofur shrugged the subject off, he banged his fist lightly on the table as he watched the group continue their discussions, alarming Bilbo; but he didn’t press the subject further.

“So Nari, you said you’d tell us about your ear?” Kíli asked, taking another swig of his ale while waiting for her answer, the dwarves suddenly quietened down and looked to her.

“Oh that’s right, I’d promised to tell ye,” she sat up a little, “I was practically a pebble when it happened… I lived with my father at the time, in Erebor. A lot of the dwarflings used to stare at me because I was clearly different to them,” she flicked her ears as an example.

“I wish I could’ve been there to stop them,” Callon muttered.

“Well ye couldn’t Cal, ye weren’t even conceived yet.” She shook her head, “Anyway, there were two older dwarves that decided that they had had enough of seeing me around, I was walking by myself just outside in the fields when they came up from nowhere,” she glanced at the eyes all watching her as she spoke and swallowed slightly.

“I hadn’t seen them at first, but then one of them grabbed me by my hair, it was a lot longer at the time, and he threw me on the ground. They started cursing at me in Khuzdul, and then one of them kneeled on my shoulder to pin me down, and I wasn’t strong enough to fight back then. His friend brought out a small dagger and started cutting my left ear,”

There was a moment of silence before Dwalin’s companion spoke up, “That’s truly awful, I’m very sorry to hear our kin had treated you so poorly,”

“Thank ye,” she nodded, “Thankfully my father had been searching for me, he heard my screams, and he chased them away before they could do away with my whole ear,” she took a gulp from her ale and set the drink down. “Ever since then, I’ve been keeping my hair short, and that’s when my father decided to train me to defend myself,”

“That explains how ye know yer way around a weapon,” Dwalin inclined his head in agreement, she nodded as well.

“But I know where that hatred was coming from; King Thrór wasn’t particularly trusting of the elves when they had come to seek gems from the mountain, almost as if he thought the Elves would have stooped to thievery,”

Thorin tensed up next to Nari and glared at her, “What say you of my grandfather?”

“I met him not long after I was attacked, and he was different from what I’d been told about him, he was incredibly tense, and quite terrifying if I’m honest,”

“Of course he was, he was strained from his duties as King,” Thorin defended.

“Ye don’t understand… the moment he laid eyes on me, it was as if dragon-fire erupted from him. He knew my blood wasn’t pure, wasn’t all dwarf,” she glanced at her brother briefly, “He lashed out at my father while I stood next to him, called me an abomination in front of hundreds of dwarves and he banished my father and me. And then, he threatened to behead us, and anyone like us, if we ever dared to enter Erebor again.” The company remained silent.

“That was the first time I truly understood fear. It was the kind that makes yer heart thump out of yer chest and a lump form in yer throat, leaving ye unable to breathe, that deadly look he gave was enough to shake my soul from my body.” She stared into the distance at nothing in particular.

Thorin almost whispered as he spoke, “I had no idea that such things were happening under his rule.”

“Ye couldn’t know everything that goes on,” Nari cocked her head to the side.

“As the new King I apologise on behalf of the heirs of Erebor for what he said to you, you have been nothing but kind and welcoming to us thus far,”

She shrugged, “After a few years I learned not to take his words to heart, I came to realise that gold-sickness was slowing consuming him, and was likely the reason for his anger,”

“There was no gold sickness-”

“Everyone knows of it, even the Elves and Men,” she gave him a look that made him hold back his tongue. “Look, I know ye bear yer own hatred to Elves because of Thranduil’s decision not to aid Erebor during Smaug’s Desolation, but ye don’t even know of those who did-”

“There were none.” Thorin stated.

Nari laughed, “Really? Because we have plenty of Elves living here that will tell ye otherwise, they’ve never returned to their woodland realm because of their ever so wonderful King Thranduil.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, looking at his advisor, but the dwarf shrugged and shook his head.

“King Thranduil warned the Elves that if they dared to help the Dwarves that they’d be banished from Mirkwood,” she looked at them and they all seemed confused, “Believe me or don’t, but ye can ask anyone here, most of the villagers are half-dwarf and half-elf. The elves who were banished settled here and, well they fell in love,” she took another sip of ale.

“A few years passed by and they had children of their own, more outcasts came from far to settle with us, and the village went from a handful to hundreds, and now we have generations growing and learning mixed cultures together. That’s why Thranduil was so displeased seeing me, knowing that we are real must’ve sickened him,”

“Ye were face to face with Thranduil?” Callon asked in astonishment. “I’m surprised he didn’t try to smite ye on the spot,”

“I do believe he was tempted,” Thorin spoke up, “Though, Nari did not aid her chances by speaking back to him,” Nari chuckled at that.

Kíli piped in, “So what’s it like, growing up with both Dwarven and Elvish cultures?”

“Oh, it’s interesting to say the least. At first I lived mostly with my father in Erebor, so I knew Khuzdul and picked up his thick accent before I learned Sindarin from my mother. Though when I had to learn how to fight I was better with Elven weapons, mostly because they were lighter than the Dwarven for my age,”

“I’ve been curious,” Fíli looked between her and Callon with a slight frown, “Why does your sister seem completely different from both of you?”

They looked between each other and Callon decided to answer, “Our sister took a greater liking to Elven culture-”

“In other words she decided she was somehow better than us,” Nari scoffed and Callon looked at her, “It’s true Callon, ye saw how she acted today,”

“And how does it work with your names?” Fíli asked, still clearly confused.

“It’s actually quite simple,” Nari raised her finger, “Daughters tend to be given Elven names, while sons are given Dwarven names, but I’m not sure when that started happening... I suppose it makes it easier to distinguish between the sexes?” she shrugged. “And before ye ask, my full name makes me sound like a fairy so I prefer not to use it,”

“Even though its meaning is perfectly suited,” Callon smirked, making Nari stick out her tongue. “Translated, it means ‘a narrator of stories’, mine means ‘a hero’,”

“And ironically, Lúthrien’s means ‘to enchant’,” Nari rolled her eyes and shook her head.

“Ye shouldn’t talk so little of yer older siblings; sometimes they mean the best for ye,” Dwalin’s companion spoke up and looked to his left, “Right, Dwalin?”

“Aye, Balin, this is true,” Dwalin agreed.

“Older?” Nari’s brows furrowed, “I’m the eldest.”

“Oh, well, uh…” they both faltered.

“Whatever, I won’t argue, everyone always thinks she’s the oldest anyways,” she shook her head, “She likes to appear level-headed when she knows people are watching, but she can have a temper worse than me when she’s angry. And she just happens to have my mother’s height on her side,”

“Don’t worry about it,” Callon assured her with a small smile.

“Ye know, talking of families… I’d like to tell you what I want in return for this favour of ours,” she turned to Thorin.

“Go on,” he said, readying himself for the worst.

“Most of the dwarves who reside here came from Erebor and a lot of their children, such as myself, grew up on tales of the Kingdom. Only, I was lucky enough to have experienced life there for a short while, and well… since yer on yer way to reclaim the Kingdom as a descendant of the line of Durin, and they are also children of Durin, they were hoping to return to their home.” She paused to let the information sink in, he opened his mouth to speak but she continued.

“There’s great heartache among some of the villagers, to a lot of them this doesn’t feel like home, it was meant to serve as a temporary settlement until they could be welcomed back. The worst part of it being that Erebor is so close, but yet it feels worlds away, but I’m sure ye understand what that feels like, that’s why ye’re on this journey. To return home.”

“It is,” Thorin said slowly. “Though I’d perhaps need some time to process how it would all work,”

“It is a lot, but I’d like ye to at least consider it,” she looked up at him and searched his gaze, but could not make anything of it.

“I will,” he nodded shortly.

At the other end of the table Bofur and Bilbo noticed a guard had taken to the piano and was beginning to play the keys in a melancholic tune; Bilbo looked at Bofur, he shrugged and looked at the other end of the table, the group was still talking and had not noticed anything, the guard was then joined by another who stood and began to sing in a low deep voice.

“I saw the sun begin to dim, and felt that winter wind blow cold. A dwarf learns who is there for him, when the glitter fades and the walls won’t hold.”

The pianist began to sing with him, “’Cause from then, rubble one remains, can only be what’s true. If all was lost, there’s more I gained. ‘Cause it led me back… to you.”

At this point Nari and the group near the head of the table had stopped conversing; her brother moved from his seat and approached the men, leaning against the fireplace to watch them.

“From now on, these eyes will not be hidden from the lights, from now on. What’s waited ‘til tomorrow starts tonight, tonight.” The tune slowly picked up, “Let this promise in me start, like an anthem in my heart, from now on, from now on.” The piano started playing more light-heartedly.

Suddenly Callon joined in, his voice was warm in comparison to the others, “We drank champagne as King and Queen, the village people praised our name!” he looked up to the guard and company, “But those were someone else’s dreams, the pitfalls of the dwarf I became… For years and years, I chased their cheers, the crazy speed of always needing more-”

Nari joined her brother’s side, placing a hand on his shoulder and faced the guard that was now gathering around them. “But when I stop, and see you here- I remember who all this was for!”

She wrapped an arm around Callon’s shoulder and he did the same to her waist, they leaned into each other and continued with their song. “And from now on, these eyes will not be hidden from the lights.”

Some of the guards had gathered by the bar, filling mugs with ale, some had gone as far as climbing and sitting on each other’s shoulders, passing the drinks along to the rest. “From now on, what’s waited ‘til tomorrow starts tonight, it starts tonight!”

“Hey!” The guard cheered loudly, clinking their ales together, while the company stepped back to give them room.

Bilbo pressed himself firmly against the wall in alarm, having already experienced the wildness upon meeting the company and not wanting it again. The company was not familiar with the song, but they watched on; Bofur’s gaze was fixed to Nari, and Fíli’s fell onto her brother.

“And let this promise in me start, like an anthem in my heart; from now on… from now on!”

“Hey!” The guard cheers once more.

Callon belted out, “From now on…!”

Suddenly the guard joined in, “And we will come back home, and we will come back home… home, again!” they stomped their feet, some linked arms and swung each other around enthusiastically, others simply enjoyed jumping around and stepped onto the tables.

“And we will come back home, and we will come back home, home, again! And we will come back home, and we will come back home… home, again!

Callon sang out, “From now on…!”

“And we will come back home and we will come back home, home, again! And we will come back home, and we will come back home, home, again! And we will come back home, and we will come back home-”

“Yes!” Nari cheered happily.

“- Home, again! And we will come back home, and we will come back home, home, again! From now on…”

The siblings sang together, “These eyes will not be hidden from the lights!” The crowd started stomping on the wooden floors and tables together.

“From now on!”

“What’s waited ‘til tomorrow starts tonight! It starts tonight! Let this promise in me start, like an anthem in my heart. From now on… from now on… from now on…!”

Everyone sang out together, “And we will come back home, and we will come back home, home, again! And we will come back home and we will come back home, home, again! And we will come back home, and we will come back home, home again!”

The song began to slow down now, with some of the softer voices singing the final chorus, “From now on… from now on… home, again! Ooooh. From now on… From now on… home, again.”

The dwarves remained where they stood as the guard disbanded from their sudden outburst of song, most leaving the mess hall with their companions and hanging onto each other, chattering away eagerly while making their way back to their homes. The company felt a sudden emptiness in their chest that could only be described as longing and homesickness; it was weighing heavy on them now that soon they would set foot once again in the place that they could call home.

Thorin watched on but was in deep thought, assessing his options in the situation; his men needed to get whatever supplies they could get hold of to reach the mountain and reclaim it, however, there was still an uncertainty pressing in the back of his mind. His father and grandfather would certainly not have wanted half-elves living in Erebor, no matter if they were half-dwarf; though… Nari’s efforts in helping them were not something he could ignore.

He had not noticed Nari standing next to him until she spoke up and waved her hand in front of his face, “Thorin?”

He cleared his throat, “Apologies,”

“I was just saying that ye can settle in one of the old bunkers for the night, it might be slightly cramped but I reckon it’s a lot better than sleeping on the ground.”

“Thank you,” he glanced at Balin and gave him a sure nod, “And I’d like to offer our home to your people, however many there may be, it’s about time we start filling the halls of Erebor with life once again.”

The company was stunned by the sudden revelation, even Nari and Callon were surprised, and she caught sight of Bofur who was grinning cheerfully.

“If that’s yer final decision, I can certainly live with it,” Nari smiled, as if the news had given her the sudden relief she had needed, she extended her hand to Thorin and they shook in agreement; the company cheered.

“Now let’s end the night on an even better note, sleep,” Callon said, “It’ll be dawn before ye know it,” he cocked his head and Nari nodded, leading the way out, followed by the company.

Callon kept his eye on the group as they walked on and he noticed that Fíli and Kíli had started falling behind, he turned around and made his way to them, while Nari continued to lead the way to the bunkers.

“Is he alright?” he nodded to Fíli.

“I’m fine; I can still walk by myself!” Kíli argued irritably, “I wish everyone would stop making a fuss- Ah!” he stumbled slightly and grabbed for his injured leg, Fíli immediately tucked himself under his arm to support him.

“He told me his leg had been feeling a bit numb during supper,” Fíli admitted, making Kíli glare at him. “Brother, you need help. Don’t look at me with those eyes.”

Bofur had finally caught up with Nari, her eyes crinkled slightly as she smiled at him, and she looked him over once more. “Ye clean up nicely Bofur, yer braiding is very nice,” she noted.

“I try,” he shrugged with a cheeky grin, “I have to tone it down otherwise I’ll outshine the others ye know,”

“Oh I bet the ladies can’t keep their hands from ye.” She laughed, just ahead there were several bunker buildings. “We’re almost there now,”

Kíli grimaced and stopped in his tracks, the pain was becoming unbearable, “Okay, I’ll admit- I’m not in peak condition,”

“Is there something we can do for him?” Fíli looked up to Callon worriedly, the dwarf nodded.

“Nari!” he yelled out, making her stop and turn her attention to the call, “We need help,” he informed, gesturing to Kíli.

“Alright, I’ll be right there!” she looked to the rest of the company, “It’s just this building here,” she pointed in front of her, “Rest well, all of ye, the days to come will surely be a lot more challenging than the rest has been.”

They walked on without complaint to the bunkers, some waited for the others to enter first as Nari began walking to Callon, Fíli and Kíli who had remained behind.

“Nari, thank ye lass,” Bofur called out with a wave, she turned to look at him. “Ye have a good night.”

“Aye, ye too Bofur, thank ye,” she waved and gave him a smile, and continued walking with Thorin striding up to her side.

“Will he be alright?” he asked with a straight face.

“I’ll try my best to make sure he’ll heal. He will be safe.” She assured him; she placed a hand on his shoulder, “Thorin, rest. Tomorrow ye’ll be travelling again and ye need all the strength ye can get,”

“Take care of him,” he gave her a serious look. “Lads, take care of each other,” he instructed the brothers.

“Of course Uncle,” Fíli nodded, as did Kíli, he inclined his head and turned back around, heading into the bunker.

“Right, let’s have a look at ye,” Nari said as she approached them, she bent down to examine the wound quickly, “Let’s get him into the bunker next door,” she suggested, the boys didn’t hesitate in carrying Kíli in as he had begun to pale slightly.

They rested him onto one of the beds and Nari rested her palm on his forehead, she frowned and shook her head, “Cal, get my healer’s kit from my house, quickly,” she didn’t even look up at him as she spoke; her attention was focused on Kíli’s leg, her fingers tracing the outer areas where the skin had blackened terribly.

“How is it looking?” Fíli asked nervously, he paced for a bit before sitting at the end of the bed, holding Kíli’s lower leg gently.

“Well he’s got a fever, which means he’s battling the poison, but he’s also paling which isn’t good,” she looked over his face, checking his eyes, “Kíli, how clearly can ye see me?”

“Very clearly,” he swallowed almost nervously, “Did you know you have turquoise and honeycomb eyes?” he asked, looking dreamily at her.

She stared at him for a moment with raised brows, before looking down at his leg, “Wait, what happened to his bindings?” she asked, forgetting his delirious question.

“We took it off so he could bathe,” Fíli explained.

“Why didn’t ye replace it?” she asked with a frown, her brother returned with a small bag in hand and handed it to her, she didn’t wait for Fíli’s response. “Callon, why didn’t ye replace the bind on him?”

“It wasn’t a bleeding wound, I assumed it wasn’t necessary,” he shrugged, “Why?”

“He was shot with an orc arrow, that’s why,” she huffed, digging into her bag for something; she pulled out a small box and set it down on the table. “Hold him down, he’s not going to like this,” she ordered, opening it and scooping a vibrant pink ointment with her fingers, they did as she told, with Callon holding his legs and Fíli moving up to hold his shoulders as he sat next to him.

She rubbed the ointment into the wound and Kíli hissed in pain, she ignored his complaints and scooped more of the ointment and rubbed it all in, Kíli started writhing and wriggling trying to loosen their grasp.

“It burns!” he yelled out, balling his hands into fists, his eyes closing as he struggled to take on the pain.

“Aye, it’s an open wound, and that’s the worst of it done with, so stop whining,” she packed the box away and looked at Callon, “I need hot water,” he nodded and left quickly.

“What did you put on him?” Fíli asked, rubbing his brother’s shoulder to soothe him, Kíli settled back down again.

“It’s for wounds that don’t heal well; it should stop the numbness and encourage the skin to regrow… if it can that is,” she sat on the bed and touched Kíli’s forehead again, “The fever is settling slightly, but I have a feeling that he won’t be able to rest comfortably tonight,”

Callon returned with a bucket steaming with hot water, and a small bowl, he set them down next to Nari. “Are ye planning to brew tea?” he asked her.

“Aye, one that will help him sleep,”

“I’ll get to work on brewing it,” he said without second thought, opening another box and plucking out dried leaves, placing them into a small clothed bag. Fíli watched as he then put the small clothed bag into the bowl and poured the hot water over it.

Nari leaned over and placed her right ear against Kíli’s chest and listened carefully to the thumping heart, for a few moments it sounded very slow, but eventually it started picking up a steady rhythm again and she moved back.

“His heart sounds better than I thought it would,” she told Fíli, “Now I’m no expert, so I do suggest that in the morning we have a healer examine him properly-”

“I’m fine,” Kíli spoke up, “There’s no need,” he waved her suggestion off. Callon handed Nari the brewed tea and she leaned over to Kíli to let him drink, but he shook his head. “I said I’m fine, really,”

“Give it to me,” Fíli lifted his hands, she placed the small bowl in his hand and stood up and he held it to his brother’s mouth. “Drink Kíli, it’s for your own health,”

“But Fee-”

“Please,” he pleaded, staring at his younger brother.

“Alright, alright, but I can do it myself,” Kíli resolved and took the bowl from his hands, he took a sip and scrunched his nose up, “This tastes awful,”

“It’s medicine, and it’s said that the worst tasting medicine will heal ye the best, so drink up,” Nari suggested, “Besides, it’ll take away yer fever and pain, and help ye sleep better tonight,”

“Fine,” Kíli looked at the bowl uncertainly, but then he decided to take it down in one big gulp, and another, until it was empty. “Retched stuff,” he coughed and sniffled.

Fíli stood up and walked around to the other two and whispered, “Thank you, both of you.” He glanced at Kíli and spoke quietly, “Kee can be a bit of a stubborn dwarf sometimes, I think he learned that from Uncle,” he admitted in embarrassment.

“It’s no trouble, I’ve dealt with far worse,” Nari glanced at her brother with a cheeky grin and he rolled his eyes but returned the smile. “I couldn’t stand seeing another dwarf die because of an orc arrow,” she looked at Kíli.

“Another dwarf?” he asked, he glanced at his brother who was beginning to dose off and frowned at her.

“I suggest ye keep an eye on him, if he’s as stubborn as ye say he’s going to play down his pain. But the most important thing for him is plenty of rest, keep his leg elevated as much as ye can,” she informed him.

“I will keep an eye on him,” he agreed.

“We should get some rest,” she looked to her brother, “It’ll be easier if we stay here for the night; once they wake we can make further arrangements,”

“Aye, sounds good,” Callon agreed.

They spread out onto some of the other beds not too far away, Fíli decidedly taking the bed nearest to his brother, while the other siblings settled a little further away. Nari stared at the ceiling, her eyes moving around to look at nothing in particular as if she was going through her thoughts, and Callon frowned softly at her, wondering what was troubling her.

He whispered, “Nari?”

“Mm?”

“What’s on yer mind?”

She spoke quietly, “{Tomorrow I duel with Cáleb},”

“{That’s nothing new},”

“{I informed him that this is the last fight, for good},” she turned her head slightly to look at him, “{I’ll go mad if I lose tomorrow of all days},”

“{But you will not, we both know this},” he assured her, “{Tomorrow, you will finally be rid of him. And we will be able make a start to our resettlement into Erebor, once we send the company on their way},”

“{I hope so},” she breathed out and stared up at the ceiling once more.

He chuckled lightly, “A million dreams are keeping me awake,”

“A million dreams is all it’s gonna take,” she gave him a soft smile before turning over in her bed, “Goodnight Callon.”

“Goodnight Nari,” he closed his eyes with a grin still on his face.

____________________________________________________________

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marvelhead17 · 3 years

Text

The Tale of Eossimar (Original Female Character x Bofur Fic)

Chapter 10

Word Count: 7.2k

Nari squinted as her eyes fluttered open, the bright light making it difficult to make sense of where she was for a moment, she raised her hand to give them some relief and after some time her eyes adjusted to her surroundings. A clear stream trickled calmly just ahead of her, flowing over small pebbles and gently nudging lily pads, she frowned and cautiously walked towards it; the green grass underneath her boots was soft and as green as the first signs of spring, there was no sign of the winter they had been in as she glanced around, wherever she was it was certainly not familiar to her.

She was about to take another step forward when a voice called her by her full name, for a second she froze before looking in the direction she thought it came from, her mouth fell open as she gawked at the figure.

“Father… what are ye doing here?”

“I was about to ask ye the same thing, lass, and… Callon, son?” his arms fell at his sides and he jogged over to them.

“I... don't understand?” Nari’s eyes widened as she saw her brother standing just next to her, he must’ve been quiet the whole time. “Cal, ye’re here as well?”

“Come here, both of ye,” Kalin held his arms out and they didn’t hesitate to move into them, clinging onto him and he squeezed back even harder; they let the tears they had fall down their faces, crying silently in the embrace. “My son, ye’ve grown so much!” he released them and smiled, “And Nari, my fighting champion!” he laughed and pressed his forehead into hers carefully for a moment.

“I’m glad ye’ve ended that Cáleb’s nonsense, that boy was never yer One, no… Ye’ve only just met him now,”

“What do ye mean by that?” her brows furrowed.

“Father, it’s been so long- We’ve missed ye so much,”

“I know son, I’ve been watching over ye all. And I wish I had been strong enough to fight that ruddy orc arrow-”

Nari interrupted him, “Ye did yer best adad, I wish we could’ve helped ye more-”

Kalin shook his head, “It’s not yer fault Nari, and I have to tell ye, it wasn’t Cáleb’s either. I let myself get surrounded, and I was outnumbered,”

“But Father,”

“Ye must let go of all this anger and guilt, my daughter,” he placed his hand on her shoulder gently, “It’s not doing any good for yer soul,” she lowered her tense shoulders and nodded reluctantly.

“Soul…” Callon repeated, “Is that what we are right now adad?” Are we, are we… dead?”

“I don’t know son, I think so, but I’m not sure how ye ended up here,”

“Nari fought Bolg of the North, and, well I’m not sure what happened to me, but my head still seems to be hurting,” he rubbed the back of his head and frowned slightly.

“Orcs, are ye both mad? Ye’re far too young-”

“We’re not pebbles anymore adad, it’s like ye said, we’ve grown,” Nari argued.

“Not enough if ye’ve been making daft decisions to get yerselves killed!” he looked between them and took a breath, “I hope that it was worth the risk?”

“I hope so; we were protecting the heirs of Thrór,”

“I see, chasing down the million dreams then… So ye’ve kept my visions close to heart, have ye?” he smiled a little.

“Of course adad,” she smiled at him.

“I can only hope that Thorin revokes his word and lets the people reside in Erebor,”

“Ye struck a bargain with the lad?” he asked in surprise, “Last I saw of him, he was obsessing over the treasure hoards, even making Callon search for the Arkenstone for him. That fool was dragon-sick,”

“He’s recovered since then,” Nari explained as her father wrapped an arm over his son’s shoulder with a chuckle.

“Callon my lad, last I held ye, ye were running round my ankles like a wild thing!”

“I’ve missed ye,” he admitted, his head bowing as he looked at the grass, his father pulled him into a hug and patted his backside firmly and stood back as he stared up at him.

“Mahal ye’re tall… And I know ye have laddie, I’ve heard when ye talk to me in the night,”

Callon’s eyes widened, “Ye have?”

“Oh aye, but we can’t interact with the physical world here,”

“Oh…”

“Father… what did ye mean when he said I’ve only now met my One?” she asked, her father smiled at her and chuckled.

“Oh I’m sure ye have more important questions than that to ask daughter,”

“Most certainly,” Callon grinned as he looked around them, and then it waned as he noticed the new figures appearing in the surrounding area, some familiar faces of the guard caught his attention; and he swallowed as he understood that they must have passed during the battle as well, a few reunited with lost loved ones while others ambled along in solitude.

“Follow me, my children,” Kalin stepped ahead of them towards the border of the land, and the siblings raised a brow to each other before following him quietly, as they came to a stop the sun ducked into the waters but there was no darkness as they had anticipated.

Gradual warmth spread across their backsides, they glimpsed the sun rising up behind them and frowned at the strangeness of their new homeland.

“In this place, the sun may set but the land will never fall into darkness, it’s an eternal paradise if ye will,”

“It’s breath-taking,” Callon whispered, closing his eyes and enjoying the heat that woke his muscles.

Nari felt her impatience growing as she eyeballed her father, “So adad, our questions that ye said ye’d answer-?”

“Enjoy the peace for a moment Nari, take some time,” Kalin spoke calmly and she sighed irritably, closing her eyes and then taking a few deep breaths in and out to ease her. “And Callon, son,” he looked to him as Callon opened his eyes, “I’ve known ye were different since ye were a pebble, and I’m proud of who ye’ve become.”

“And it saddens me greatly that I haven’t been around to comfort yer worries earlier for ye,”

Callon's eyes welled up and his voice cracked, “Adad,” he embraced him.

“I know that Fíli suits ye well, ye were right to follow yer heart lad,”

He nodded miserably, “If only I could’ve told him my feelings sooner,” Nari cleared her throat loudly and scowled at her father.

“Nari, I fear it may still be a tricky road ahead until ye unite with yer One, but I can tell ye… He’s closer than ye realise,”

“’Still’, Father we’re in… Heaven, I suppose? There’s no chance of that happening,” she shook her head, Kalin wordlessly pulled both of them into a hug, squeezing them tightly as he could manage.

“Oh I will miss ye both, however, now is not yer time…” he let them go, “I’m sorry to do this.”

“Father, what are ye talking-” she screamed as he shoved her and Callon over the cliff side and they fell down towards the waters. They expected their bodies to hit the ocean with a splash, but were shocked by the whirlwind that nearly ruptured their ears instead.

They both shot up from their beds gasping desperately in the dim light, a pair of rough hands rested on her shoulders and held her still briefly, and she struggled against them angrily.

“Adad?!” Nari cried out, and winced at the sudden stinging near her stomach, she put her hand over it to try and ease it.

“Hey now lass, ye’ll be alright, we’re in Erebor,” Bofur’s voice spoke patiently to her, she started sobbing as she grasped the reality of her surroundings, and she welcomed the warm arms that embraced her cautiously; burying her head into his shoulder as the hot tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Ye don’t understand Fíli! We saw, we saw our father,” Bofur watched as Callon bawled against the prince’s chest, Nari was shaking against him and he rubbed her back soothingly, “He, he forced us to come back,”

She hissed unexpectedly and he moved back in concern, she lifted her hand and it was covered in a thin layer of fresh blood, the white tunic she had been given was soaked through. She grumbled and pressed her hand back on her wound.

“Lad, we need Óin, she’s bleeding again,” he told Fíli and the dwarf was quick to run out the door and out of sight, a few words were heard exchanging in brief conversation and the healer entered their room, Bofur rose from his position to let the healer sit in his place.

“Right let’s have a look then,” the healer moved her hand away and she cursed at him, “Fíli, I need your assistance again lad,”

“I can help too-”

“It’s alright laddie, wait outside,” Óin waved him away as he persuaded her to lay on her back, Bofur huffed and begrudgingly left the room, standing near the entrance so that he could still listen to what was happening.

Fíli moved her tunic up to settle it just under her chest and she squirmed uncomfortably as the healer cleaned the blood away, “Don’t worry, I won’t be looking,” the young dwarf assured her when he noticed that she had moved the tunic slightly, she gritted her teeth as Óin became rougher in his handling.

“You’ve opened it somehow Nari,” he tutted, “Hold her down laddie,” he instructed as the dwarf pressed one hand firmly onto her shoulder, pressing her further into the mattress, “Now this’ll sting a bit lass,”

“Hey!” she grunted as something sharp pierced her skin, Óin pulled the needle through without even acknowledging her, and she felt another prick as he pushed it through again. “Ow!”

“Here, take my hand,” Fíli offered and before she could pass it over, she uttered another curse as the thread tugged against her delicate flesh; Nari grabbed his hand firmly and shut her eyes tightly.

As Óin continued threading the wound closed she let a few more curses fall from her mouth, some Elvish ones thrown in the mix, Fíli patted her shoulder.

“He’s nearly done, just take a few breaths,” Fíli gave her a small smile as she scowled at him, she did as he suggested, waiting impatiently for the healer to finish his work. She scrutinised the prince’s face in the meanwhile and noticed how swollen and red they were, presumably he’d been crying, but she couldn’t be sure why.

“All done lass,” Óin announced after checking her underside as well, “And don’t you dare think about sitting up now,” he warned her sternly with a pointed finger, “You should be thankful that you’re alive at all,”

“Thank ye Óin,” she tried to look down at the stitching but felt like she might get sick from the sight; he only hummed as he started dressing the wound with a covering to protect it.

“Just doing my part dear… There we are,” he smiled, “Now, there’s something I must ask you lassie,”

“Aye?”

“When did you come into contact with fire?”

“Fire?” she frowned, thinking hard for a moment, before she raised her hands slowly, examining them in fascination. “My hands.”

“Your hands are fine lass; it’s just from touching your injury,”

“No, I mean… the fire, it came from my hands,” she looked between them as they stared at her in concern, “I don’t know how- but my hands were burning,”

“Sure they were dear,” Óin patted her shoulder before standing up, “Make sure that she gets plenty of rest, and some food,” he then whispered to Fíli, “I think she’s hit her head a bit too hard somewhere along the line,” he moved over to give Callon a quick check.

“Ye have to believe me,” Nari insisted, trying to sit up and Fíli kept her down with a shake of his head, he leaned closer to her.

“I believe you, Kíli told me what he saw,” he whispered, “And there were no torches or flames nearby to explain otherwise. Don’t you stress yourself over it right now,” he suggested as he stood up.

Bofur walked back into the room and settled back next to her, and Kíli stood next to his brother as he fussed over Callon in the adjacent bed. Kíli’s features were darker in this light, which matched the mood he seemed to be in, the usual cheery and childish energy nowhere to be seen in his concerned eyes.

“Ye had me worried there Nari,” Bofur smiled as he leaned in to her, and she started a little, before returning the smile slowly.

“Sorry for thrashing about like that earlier,” she mumbled sheepishly.

“That’s alright, ye were scared and all, I understand,” his eyes locked with hers and they sat in silence for a good few moments, before she cleared her throat and started coughing.

“Mahal, my throat is dry,”

“I’ll get ye some water,” he said and he hurriedly went to get it; Kíli stalked over to her side and sat down on the mattress.

“You saved my life yesterday,” he briefly looked at her, before focusing on pulling the loose thread he had discovered on the blanket that covered her. “I’m not quite sure how to properly thank you,”

“I couldn’t let that filth get away with murder, not again,”

“You’d seen him before?”

“Up close I didn’t recognise him, but the back of his head I remembered well enough, he’s why I know of orc arrows,”

“So Bolg killed your father?” Fíli asked; Bofur returned and passed on a water-skin to him, and handed the other to Nari, the siblings chugged the water down eagerly.

“And I killed him,” Callon grinned, “Seems just,”

“I’m missing something here,” Bofur looked at everyone in confusion, “Who has Callon killed?”

“He killed Bolg, and it appears that Bolg had been the reason for their father’s death,” Fíli explained and he nodded, mouthing an ‘oh’ as he sat on the edge of Nari’s bed.

“It’s good to see you two awake,” Thorin’s voice came from the doorway, he walked over to stand next to Fíli and looked between the siblings, “I don’t know whether I should be calling you both courageous, or foolish, for what you’ve done for us. Risking your lives for us is not something we’ll take light to heart,” his eyes met Nari’s and he shook his head.

“And you, you came back to aid us, despite that I went back on my word. And you very nearly died saving my Kíli in the process; there are not enough words to express how grateful I am to be able to let my sister know that her children are safe,”

She raised her hand, “I was keeping my word, a promise is a promise and I like to know that I can uphold them… Well most of them my sister might argue,” She forced a chuckle, “What’s important, is that the line of Durin endures,”

“Your mother is correct to call you modest Nari,” Thorin smiled, “And we will be sure to properly honour the two of you once you’ve made your recoveries,”

“Well, thank ye Thorin, it’s very kind of ye,”

“It’s the least I can do,” he glanced between them and turned to Fíli, “I’m sure these two would be grateful for a hot meal, and then rest,”

“Oh, yes Uncle,” he moved and hooked Kíli by the arm, dragging him towards the door, “Come along Kee,”

“Alright, alright, I can walk myself,” the younger brother shook his arm out and shoved his brother lightly to the side, they left the room and their voices still travelled as they bickered down the hallway.

Thorin chuckled, “I knew it wouldn’t have been long for those two to start at each other, if you had known them since they could walk you would understand how they’ve matured in their age,” he sat on a nearby chair in the room, making himself comfortable for what seemed like the first in a long time.

“They must’ve been a wicked team when they were pebbles,” Bofur agreed, as he manoeuvred into a more comfortable position.

“Most definitely,” Thorin smiled as he reminisced, “And to this day Kíli is still the instigator behind all their pranks and mischief, for some reason beyond my understanding Fíli goes along with his little brother’s schemes,”

“Oh I can believe that,” Nari nodded, “My youngest nephew Lorin has gotten Lumlin into trouble many times,”

“And yet ye’d always get me in trouble,” Callon quipped and she looked at him with mock surprise.

“How dare ye!” she threw her spare pillow at him and he laughed as he knocked it aside, it landed at Thorin’s feet.

“It’s true!”

“What’s true?” Fíli queried as he and his brother walked in cautiously with steaming bowls of food, the smell made their stomachs growl loudly and they both bit their lips in embarrassment, Fíli and Kíli sniggered and handed them the meals.

“We were just discussing how Nari was undoubtedly the unruly child in her family,” Thorin’s mouth twisted to a smirk as her mouth fell open at his words.

“And just like that I’m no longer the hero,” she dug into her food and spooned the heap into her mouth, after chewing and swallowing she spoke again. “My moment of fame and fortune was taken away from me so cruelly,” she placed a hand dramatically on her head and moved it to the side in fake shock. “Where oh where did I go wrong?”

Callon hummed as he swallowed down his helping, “Perhaps it was when ye were trying to get Cáleb’s attention as a dwarfling-”

“Shut yer mouth right now,” Nari’s cheeks flushed pink as she tried to glare at him.

“Go on, what did she do then?” Bofur grinned as he asked him.

“She wore a dress and climbed the little windmill so that he would notice her, and decided to show off by flipping off the thing and down onto the ground,” he covered his mouth as he started to snicker already.

“Callon-”

“But her dress blew over her head and she ended up showing everyone in the village her undergarments instead,” he cracked up and her face flushed even deeper as the others also joined in.

“Hey, it’s not as if ye didn’t do anything daft ye know,” she shot back as his face went red from laughing, he wiped the few tears he had and looked at her.

“I’ve done nothing as daft as that though,” he grinned as he continued to eat his meal.

“Oh no,” She agreed, “Ye’ve done much worse,” the corner of her mouth turned as he faced her.

“Name one thing,”

“How about when ye wore Mother’s dress, and pranced about the house pretending to be her then?” she asked, and he played with his food ignoring her gaze.

“I did that once, once, Nari,”

“No, no I definitely found ye doing that on more than one occasion,” she teased, “Ye forget I’ve watched ye since yer birth brother, I’ve a lot more dirt on ye than ye imagine,”

“Well- whatever,” Callon shrugged and continued to eat his meal, and Nari grinned knowing she had beaten him.

The rest of the evening they spent chatting away with their friends, Thorin had been the first to leave as he had to start organising the plans to reconstruct Erebor, Kíli left a while later and it was just the four of them in the dim room. Bofur listened enthusiastically as Nari spoke to him about how the Dwarf Kingdom had been before the dragon-fire and death; and in turn he told her of what it was like to grow up among Men and Dwarves in the Blue Mountains, never knowing the expectations that were held in the Kingdom.

The conversation seemed to flow naturally between the pairs, sometimes there was laughter, other times there was near silence, but it was comfortable nonetheless; the time was passing by without much notice to anyone, as nobody was prepared to leave.

Bofur was struggling to make sure he that he didn’t hold eye contact for too long at a time with her, as he would seemingly become deaf when he lost himself in them, and there were a few times where she had snapped her fingers in front of him to draw his attention back and he had to apologise to her.

It was only when there was a dull chiming of a clock in the distance that Fíli and Bofur realised how late it was, they bid the siblings a good night’s rest and left together in silence. When they were reaching their own sleeping quarters Bofur let the burning question he had slip out.

“Callon and ye seem pretty close, especially after tonight,”

“Well, I, I suppose we might be,” Fíli shrugged, keeping his attention away from the older dwarf.

“It doesn’t matter to me, ye should know,” Bofur assured him, his hands resting behind him as he walked on, “I just couldn’t help but notice the way he was with ye. He seems to take great interest in ye is all,” he shrugged back.

“You think?” he asked hopefully and Bofur nodded with a smile.

“Course, ye’re a good lad,”

“What about you, and Nari?”

“Oh I don’t know about that Fíli,” he looked at the ground and kicked his foot into it, “I don’t believe she’s looking for love at the moment, let alone a dwarf like me,”

“And what’s wrong with a dwarf like you?”

“Well, ye know, I’m just a toy craftsman and a miner, ye don’t see dwarrows breaking down doors for that, do ye?”

“No I suppose not,” he agreed, “But they do love a dwarf who can bring a smile to their face, and who makes them laugh, and has a good heart. And I do believe you bring that to the table tenfold Master Bofur,”

He chuckled, “Thank ye Fíli, ye’re not so bad yerself,” he patted him on the shoulder, “Even if ye haven’t got much of a beard in just yet,”

“Hey,” Fíli detested but still grinned, they reached their rooms and Bofur rocked on his heels.

“I’ll see ye in the morning lad,”

“Yes, good night Bofur,”

“Good night Fíli,”

They parted ways and went to sleep in their beds that night with wide smiles and warm hearts, the both of them anticipating the next day greatly.

Weeks had passed by since the Battle of the Five Armies, and with her brother already declared fit in his health just days after, Nari was growing more irritable by the day as she was still told to rest. The princes visited almost daily along with Bofur to keep the siblings company, keeping up light conversation or sharing stories of their pasts, sometimes staying for hours on end and forgetting they had duties to attend to.

Callon soon enough noticed the way his sister’s face would light up on sight of Kíli, especially the days between when he had not accompanied his brother, his stomach twisted when he saw that it was the same way that Bofur looked at her; and he worried that Nari would unintentionally hurt his feelings.

“Callon?” Fíli repeated his name once more, and the dwarf blinked for a moment and looked at the prince.

“Sorry Fíli, I have a lot on my mind,” he apologised, giving once last frown to his sister, and then returning his attention to the conversation.

He sat crossed-legged on his bed, waiting patiently as the others left with Bofur closing the door behind him, he leaned forward and she raised a brow at him.

“What?”

“I’m trying to think my next words carefully,” he pursed his lips for a moment, twisting his hands together and tapping his index fingers together.

“And why do ye need to do that?” she crossed her legs and tucked her hands into her lap, still raising a brow at him quizzically.

“Because, this is a delicate situation at hand,” He sighed at her, twisting his mouth and then raised a finger, before lowering it.

“Cal, what are ye on about now? Just come out with it,”

“Have ye developed feelings for Kíli?”

“I, well,” she stuttered for a moment, her cheeks flushing pink as she stared down at her hands, “Am I that obvious?”

“To me, yes,”

“What do ye mean to ye, who else thinks this?”

“Nobody, at least not Bofur anyway,”

“What does Bofur have to do with my feelings towards Kíli?”

“I fear he may have interest in ye the way ye have interest in Kíli,”

“Come off it then,” she scoffed, “Bofur and I got trapped together in a cell back in Mirkwood a few weeks back, he asked me a few questions and I answered them, and we’ve just hit it off since then. There’s nothing more to it Callon,”

“I’m serious Nari, I worry that he feels more for ye than ye believe,”

“Even if he did Callon, and I said ‘if’ mind ye, what am I to do? Ask him about it outright?” she fidgeted with her hands irritably, “Then it turns out he was just being friendly and I make our friendship awkward, no, I’d rather not even consider it, thank ye. If he has feelings for me, then he shouldn’t be holding them back,” she threw herself back onto her bed and sighed loudly.

“Well maybe he’s just been too shy to confront his feelings, if I were in his position I’d find ye a bit intimidating if I’m honest,”

“Bofur, being shy? Let’s be a little more realistic brother,” she laughed and dismissed the idea, “And for yer information, I’m notintimidating,”

“That’s not what a lot of the guards say,” he mumbled and she turned her head, raising it a little.

“They really say that about me?” she asked, seeming a little hurt, but then turned away and stared up at the ceiling. “Well, it makes me a better Captain, so it doesn’t matter anyway,”

“I didn’t mean to upset ye sister,” he apologised quietly, “I just… want ye to understand that there may be others who have interest in ye, and to ignore their affections so willingly while pursuing another, it might hurt them more than telling them from the start that ye don’t feel that way.”

“I know what ye meant Callon, thank ye for yer concerns, I’ll keep them in mind.” She gave him a small smile. “Ye’ve always been considerate of others, ye know that? Fíli is an excellent match for ye,” she added thoughtfully, changing the subject as she stared at the ceiling again.

“I think I might tell him soon, I can only hope he feels the same way,”

“I know he will,” Nari reassured him, “But if there’s any chance he doesn’t, I’ll punch him in the gob,” she offered with a cheeky grin.

“I don’t think that’ll be necessary,” he chuckled and settled onto his bed. “Do ye think ye might tell Kíli?”

“Maybe soon, I don’t know if I should rush into it,”

He nodded, and put his hands behind his head, “The days are beginning to feel shorter to me,”

“That’s because Fíli’s been there to consume most of yer time,” she teased, “Ye don’t notice the hours passing by when ye’re with someone ye love Callon, it’s as though time stands still between ye two while the rest of the world moves about their day,”

“Yes, I suppose ye’re right,” his smile broadened, “I wish to wake up to those stormy eyes every morning, and the way the sun shone on him in the afternoon, he looked like an angel from the heavens…” he sighed dreamily.

“Alright lover boy, save those thoughts for him will ye?” she chuckled.

“Sorry, I just can't stop thinking about him even though he’s only just left,”

“I know how ye feel,” she agreed, “But for now, I’m calling it another day brother, and hopefully Óin will finally take me from bed rest tomorrow,”

“Rest well sister,” he nodded as he got up to leave the room, and then closed the door quietly after him.

The sun had just risen when Óin came in to do his routine check on Nari, he tutted her every time she rolled her eyes and wiggled about in annoyance as he examined the healing wound for some time. He moved back and removed the wrap entirely, though for the first time not replacing it with a new dressing and she looked at him eagerly.

He stood after packing away his things, and turned to her, “Alright, I’m sure you’re anxious to come off bed rest, and I can finally say that I’m satisfied with the condition of your injury,” she scrambled out of bed immediately, stumbling as she slipped on her boots and headed towards the door, “However, I advise that you- take it easy!” he yelled as she darted out the room.

She ran down the passages of Erebor eagerly, and after a few wrong turns had managed to find an exit to the main hall, it was dirtier than she remembered as a dwarfling, but the sight still made her grin widely. She took a few steps to face the throne, and shuddered slightly, recalling King Thrór and his troubles with dragon-sickness, and moved backwards.

“Hey, watch where ye’re going!” a male voice reprimanded, she spun around and raised her hands apologetically, “Oh Nari, it’s ye!” the elf smiled, “Good to see ye finally off bedrest,”

“Yes, thank ye Elrohir, I’ll let ye continue yer work,” she bowed and walked around them as he and his companion pushed along a large wheelbarrow of stone, she found herself looking at the floor and watched as the light reflected and danced on its surface.

Nari slowly inclined her head to see the morning was now in its full glory, she ran towards the entrance, itching to breathe in the air from outside after being cooped up for so long. Along the way she ducked and slid under more of her people carrying things across the way, and those who did not recognise her muttered a few choice curses as they nearly dropped their load; she ignored them and took pride in the fact that she was still nimble under the circumstances.

Dwalin and Balin stood in the centre of the hall, deep in discussion when she rushed between them, she hugged Dwalin who yelped as she squeezed him, before taking Balin’s hand and spinning him around once and laughing gaily. She released him and he wobbled as he tried to regain his posture, she was gone as quickly as she had arrived, and running steadily towards the entrance once more.

She hopped over the broken stones with ease and leaped onto the patchy grasses of the outside, as soon as the sun touched her skin she felt gooseflesh bubble up her arms, and she continued further on still. Once she was satisfied with the distance, she turned to take in the full view of the Kingdom under the Mountain, her hands rested on her hips as she panted.

The stone sculptures of Dwarves from history still stood for the most part, and aside from the front wall being destroyed the image resonated with her; she stared in awe, wondering if any of it was real, and as a test she pinched one of her arms and bit her lip over her mistake and shook her arm out to relieve some of the sting.

Nari closed her eyes, embracing the comfort of the sun that came along with the new season, the winter was slowly creeping away as plants grew once more, and the days were steadily becoming warmer and sunnier from what Callon had described to her. She took in a deep breath, opening her eyes to take it all in again; and then she suddenly yelled out triumphantly and laughed.

Bofur had been out on the rampart to take in the lovely weather, and to avoid smoking inside in case it bothered someone, when he’d heard someone cheering from down below; he leaned over to see who it was and chuckled when he found Nari laughing in front of the gates. He smiled as he took another puff at his pipe, watching her as she seemed to be in awe of the building before her.

She whispered though nobody was around, “We did it Father, we reclaimed our home, for all,” she glanced up at the clear sky, “I hope ye’re proud of us adad, I miss ye so much,” her eyes welled up and she blinked to fight them back, she held her gaze to Erebor.

She closed her hands and ran inside determinedly, searching for her brother among the others, she noted the changes the Eossimarians have slowly been helping with on the grounds and smiled, and a sense of pride coursed through her. Between rooms and corridors she happened upon one of the old weaponries, and walked inside curiously, she found some dusty swords and picked them up.

She carefully blew the dust away and examined the blades, old Khuzdul was inscribed at the edge towards the hilt, she frowned being unfamiliar with the terms and she lowered them to her sides. She swayed her hands to determine if they were of the same weight, and once she was satisfied with her checks she left the room, taking the swords with her.

She felt as though she’d been walking for hours when she finally heard her brother’s voice from around a corner and she smiled to herself, she pressed her back to the wall and waited patiently, holding one sword firmly at face level while the other was held below.

“-We should see if your sister has still been held back for bed rest, I’m sure Óin has visited her by now,” Fíli suggested.

“Hopefully she can get out, I’m sure she wants to see the progress we’ve made so far on the grounds,” Callon agreed.

She took a breath and rounded the corner, taking a purposefully loud step behind them, and Callon quickly turned around in time to catch the sword she had thrown at him, before holding it firmly to block a strike.

“Nari!” he laughed and swatted her sword away, “Ye’re back.” He grinned.

“Of course I’m back, and good thing too, had I been an orc ye’d have been gone for certain,” she smirked, lifting her sword and raising a brow at him.

“Nari, it’s good to see you,” Fíli greeted through his confusion as he looked between the siblings.

“It’s good to see ye as well Fíli,” she semi-bowed her head, keeping an eye on her brother. “So what say ye brother?” she pointed her sword at him and he stepped back a little.

“First to the throne is the winner!” he knocked her sword quickly and she nearly dropped it to the ground, when she stood upright again he had run ahead, and she darted after him, leaving Fíli behind to do as he pleased.

“Hey, that’s not fair! Fíli’s probably been showing ye the grounds!” she called out at him.

She nearly caught up when he turned and she met his strike with a block, moving it away and nearly making it hit into a wall. He moved back and took another swing and she deflected it with ease, he stepped further back and she had to move forward to reach him, and he extended his foot and swiped underneath her. She stumbled and he took the opportunity to move further ahead, she laughed as she righted herself.

“Clever Callon, I’ll get ye for that!” She followed him, frowning when she rounded a corner as she could no longer hear his footsteps against the stone floor, she walked cautiously on with her sword in hand and made sure to check behind her every so often.

“Damn it, I’ve lost him, and now… I’m lost,” she muttered when she seemed to enter the same passageway for the third time in a row, her shoulders dropped and she lowered her sword, letting it rest at her side.

She walked aimlessly, knowing Callon must have already made it to the throne by now and would hopefully find her soon, in the meanwhile she admired the colours of the stone that melded together to somehow become one. She touched the stone, dragging her hand along to feel it brush on her skin, to her surprise it was completely smooth as if someone had pressed it flat.

Her hand slipped through a doorway that she hadn’t noticed before and she decided to wander inside, she took a quick scope of the room and realised it must have been where all the instruments were stored, a layer of cobwebs and dust now covered them and she went further into the room.

Nari put her sword down and replaced it with a lute, being careful not to let the strings catch on anything she raised it up to eye level, after another quick look around she found a cloth and took her time in cleaning the instrument off carefully.

She tweaked the tuning pegs for a while, pulling at some of the strings as she went along to see if she could get the pitch somewhat correct, and once she was satisfied she took a seat on a chair and set the lute on her lap carefully.

She started plucking at the strings absentmindedly, letting her fingers get used to the burn of the strings on the soft skin, before realising that she was actually playing a song very familiar to her.

“Anything I know?” Callon’s voice disturbed her, her eyes blinking for a moment as he smiled at her, before shaking her head at him.

“Probably not brother, adad sang it to amad when they wedded… Lúthrien was only a few months old,” she smiled, “I thought I’d learn it for someone special someday,”

“I see,” he nodded, and took a seat near to her, “And uh, not that it matters but I’m the King now,” he grinned wickedly and she rolled her eyes.

“Ye cheated and ye know it,” she stuck out her tongue and ignored him, instead plucking at the strings again and enjoying the good memories that came back to her.

“You look so wonderful in your dress; I love your hair like that, the way it falls on the side of your neck, down your shoulders and back. We are surrounded by all of these lies, and people that talk too much, you got that kind of look in your eyes, as if no one knows anything but us…”

“Should this be the last thing I see, I want you to know it's enough for me, ‘cause all that you are is all that I'll ever need… I'm so in love, so in love, so in love, so in love…You look so beautiful in this light, your silhouette over me. The way it brings out the blue in your eyes, is the Tenerife sea.”

Her eyes closed as she recalled her father’s loving gaze at her mother, and how big her smile had been that day, and the words felt more meaningful to her in the moment. And unbeknownst to her, her voice had travelled through the halls and a small crowd of curious people gathered around the doorway.

Only a few looked into the room while others whispered and explained what was happening, among them were her uncles Balin and Dwalin, along with the princes and Bofur, all of whom were mesmerised by her secret talents.

“And all of the voices surrounding us here, they just fade out when you take a breath, just say the word and I will disappear, into the wilderness. Should this be the last thing I see, I want you to know it's enough for me, ‘cause all that you are is all that I'll ever need. I'm so in love, so in love, so in love, so in love…”

“{Lumiere}, darling, {Lumiere} over me… {Lumiere}, darling, {Lumiere} over me…” Her voice went higher as she sang out, “{Lumiere},darling, {Lumiere} over me…”

“Should this be the last thing I see, I want you to know it's enough for me, ‘cause all that you are is all that I'll ever need…” her strumming slowed down to silence, and when she looked up her face reddened when she saw her audience watching her, she cleared her throat.

“No, no don’t let us bother ye lass,” Bofur winked and they all chuckled.

She stood up and cleared her throat, waving her hand, “Go on the lot of ye, nothing to see here,” she spoke to her fellow villagers, and they laughed and moved away, heading back to their tasks they had been doing.

“Ye’ve a lovely singing voice,” he complimented, as she walked out of the room with her brother behind her.

“I agree,” Kíli nodded, “Though I’m surprised to hear how delicate it is,”

“I’m a dwarrow of many talents Prince Kíli, and I’ll be sure to best ye with the bow and arrow any time ye’d like,” she countered, giving him a smile.

“I’ll take you up on that,” he accepted, “But I must warn you I’ve trained for years,”

“Oh I don’t doubt that,”

“That was a beautiful song Nari,” Balin spoke up, and she turned to him, “Where did you learn it?”

“Oh, well my Father sang it my Mother when they married, he wrote it himself,”

“Ah Kalin,” Dwalin sighed, “That little runt used to practice into the late hours in his youth, kept us up for a lot of nights, right Balin?”

“Oh yes I remember very well brother, he was convinced that he’d win a lady’s heart if he could serenade her, a strange dwarf he was,”

“The fool,” Dwalin chuckled.

“It worked though,” Callon said in amusement, “A Dwarf guard, winning the heart of a royal Elf-maid no less, through the mysterious and enchanting influence of music and dance,”

“That’s right lad,” Dwalin patted him hard on the shoulder, “You bear much resemblance to your father, you know that?”

“Nari has told me countless times, but I hardly remember what he looks like,” he looked down for a moment.

“I believe we still have portraits of him somewhere…” Balin smiled, “Why don’t we go through them together?” he looked at him and Nari and their eyes lit up as they nodded in agreement. “Alright then, let’s get going,” he led the way, his brother fell in next to him, with Callon, Fíli and Kíli walking just after them, leaving Nari and Bofur to fall in behind.

Nari frowned as the princes whispered furiously between each other, with mention of her name somewhere along the way, and it ended abruptly when the dark-haired prince shoved his brother irritably.

“Stop being so childish, Fee, this isn’t a joke,” he hissed.

“Oi, what’s going on there?” Dwalin’s grumpiness returned quickly as he heard their bickering; only turning his head slightly over his shoulder.

“Nothing Dwalin,” Fíli answered, and the older dwarf grunted.

“That’s what I thought,”

She glanced over to Bofur who only shrugged, looking just as confused as she was, her brows furrowed and she wondered what they could be talking about her for. Boys. She rolled her eyes.

____________________________________________________________

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marvelhead17 · 3 years

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The Tale of Eossimar (Original Female Character x Bofur Fic)

Chapter 7

Word Count: 5.1k Warnings to cover the whole fic: Fake relationships, half-blood children, mild violence, fight scenes, male/male relationships, Dwarf gender concepts, battle of five armies fix-it, pre-battle of five armies, near death incidents, talking to dead people, mentions of paradise/heaven.

The company froze realising they were outnumbered by the guards, “C’mon then, off with the lot of you,” their leader ordered and the dwarves climbed off begrudgingly, being forced to walk forward as people began to peak out their windows and talk amongst themselves.

“Dwarves, in Lake-Town?”

“How?”

“Impossible!”

“Must be from the Iron Hills-”

“Or the Blue Mountains.”

“They’re hairier than I expected,”

“And fatter,”

“Certainly uglier,”

The insults and confusion came from all directions as they were lead towards the centre of Lake-Town, and were now surrounded by a large crowd of Men, with their supplies abandoned in the boat they were defenceless, and by all means had no way to escape without being stopped by someone.

A large unpleasant looking man suddenly burst out from the large home before them onto his balcony, with a snivelling man sauntering in behind him, they both stared down at the encircled dwarves in disgust.

“And what is the meaning of this?” the large man asked angrily, flinging his arms in the air as he spoke.

“We caught them stealing boats, sire,” the lead guard answered.

“Ah, enemies of the state, eh?” the Master, Thorin presumed, scrunched his nose down at them.

“A desperate bunch of mercenaries, if ever there was, sire.” The sickly man, who must’ve been Alfrid, added.

Dwalin stepped forward, “Hold your tongue!” he pointed angrily up at them, “You do not know to whom you speak, this is no common criminal. This is Thorin, son of Thráin, son of Thrór!”

Thorin stepped forward and lowered Dwalin’s arm, patting the dwarf on the shoulder, “We are the dwarves of Erebor,” he addressed the Master, the crowd murmured in shock, “And we have come to reclaim our homeland.” He turned around to address the unsettling crowds around them.

“I remember this town in the great days of old. Fleets of boats lay at harbour filled with silks and fine gems. This was no forsaken town on a lake.” He clenched his fist upward, “This, was the centre of all trade in the North. I would see those days return. I would relight the great forges of the Dwarves and send wealth and riches flowing once more from the Halls of Erebor!” He raised his fist triumphantly and the crowd seemed to lose their calm as they cheered wildly, and Thorin glanced at the Master expectedly.

“Death!” Thorin turned to see Bard had turned up, “That is what you’ll bring upon us! Dragon fire and ruin, if you waken that beast it will destroy us all.” He said bitterly.

“You can listen to this naysayer,” he gestured to Bard with a shake of his head, “But I promise you this: if we succeed, all will share in the wealth of the mountain. You will have enough gold to rebuild Esgaroth ten times over!” He raised his fist again, causing the crowds to cheer once again.

“All of you listen to me! You must listen,” Bard spoke over the noise anxiously, “Have you forgotten what happened to Dale? Have you forgotten those who died in the firestorm?!” the crowd quietened down immediately and chattered anxiously, “And for what purpose? The blind ambition of a Mountain King, so driven by greed he could not see beyond his own desire!”

“Now, now! We must not, any of us, be too quick to lay blame.” Master interjected, “Let us not forget that it was Girion, Lord of Dale,” he pointed at Bard with a shaky hand, “Your ancestor, who failed to kill the beast! Mh!” making Thorin and the company stare in disbelief at Bard.

“It’s true sire, we all know the story.” Alfrid agreed with Master, stepping forward, “Arrow after arrow he shot, each one missing its mark,” he said, making the crowd chatter uncertainly again.

Bard approached Thorin furiously, leaning lower to address him more directly, “You have no right, no right to enter that mountain.”

Thorin stared him down without blinking and spoke lowly, “I have the only right.” He turned his attention back to Master, “I speak to the Master of the Men of the lake; will you see the prophecy fulfilled? Will you share, in the great wealth of our people? What say you?”

“I say unto you…” Master paused dramatically, “Welcome, welcome and thrice welcome! King under the Mountain!” he raised his arms in the air and the crowds went mad with joy once again.

Bard walked away as the crowds surrounded the company, now eager to provide the dwarves as they had promised them salvation from their current state, and they were lead off into a nearby home to celebrate.

“Well that couldn’t have gone smoother,” Bofur spoke to Bilbo, raising his drink and gulping it down.

“Yes,” Bilbo looked at all the food displayed across the long table, unable to make a decision, “Though I might think we have been very lucky,” he added and finally picked a few things to eat. “But it doesn’t ease my mind that they were eager to help after the promise of gold,”

“Why’s that?” Bofur looked up as his drink was refilled by a servant, and happily acknowledged his thanks by lifting the mug and then drinking from it.

“Because who knows what might’ve happened had they not been promised it to aid us,” Bilbo drank slowly as he watched the others eat and drink excessively and loudly, “And what might happen if we cannot uphold their promise?” he wondered.

“Ye need to relax laddie, not everything should be deemed suspicious, ye’re starting to sound like Dwalin now,” he finished his drink and ate more of the meat on his plate.

“Shouldn’t you slow down on the drinks, Bofur?” Bilbo asked in concern as he watched him start on his fourth drink.

“It’s alright,” he shook his head, “Dwarves have a strong tolerance to alcohol, and this isn’t the hard stuff,” he grinned, taking a bite from his meal and downing it with the remainder of his drink.

“Still, I do think it’s wise to pace yourself,” Bilbo frowned, “Considering that we need to be up early to travel tomorrow,”

“Loosen up lad,” Bofur leaned over, nearly knocking things from the table causing the hobbit to jump in concern, and patted Bilbo’s shoulder roughly, and they sat down again. “We’re a day away from home now, it’s time to celebrate,”

“I do believe the time to celebrate is after succeeding and not before,” Bilbo slowly finished his drink, and placed his cutlery neatly on the plate, dabbing his mouth lightly with a napkin. “But whatever pleases you,”

“Cheers,” Bofur grinned and they tapped their mugs together, “To a new home,” he chugged the drink cheerily.

“It won’t be much longer now sister,” Callon assured Nari as she clearly grew more agitated by the minute, especially in the last hour or so, she glanced at him and looked back at the mist behind her warily.

“Rest while you can,” he shook his head, and she crossed her arms, slumping further into the boat with a sigh.

As he rowed on, the mist dissipated and he could see Lake-Town not too far off and the sun peaked over the hills, casting a golden glow onto the lake.

“Dawn should be breaking soon,” she told him, he agreed, “I hope we have not missed them,”

He continued his strides in silence, and cast his attention around the land nearby the town, hoping to catch any signs of them.

He hoped that they had already left if the orcs had managed to track them down, then at least they were safe for a few more hours. He swallowed nervously as he felt his own fear beginning to bubble inside of him, despite telling Nari to calm her own fears.

The sun peered over the mountains as the dwarves gathered themselves to the large boat, the crowd excitedly waving their goodbyes, and Bilbo found himself looking around for someone.

“You do know we’re one short, where’s Bofur?” he asked.

“If he’s not here, we leave him behind,” Thorin stated, looking at Balin, and his advisor nodded.

“We’ll have to, if we’re to find the door before nightfall, we can risk no more delays.” Balin insisted.

Kíli was about to board the vessel but Thorin raised his hand to hold him back, “Not you, we must travel at speed, you will slow us down,” he shook his head at his nephew.

“What are you talking about?” Kíli cracked an awkward smile and shook his head as if he were being told a bad joke, “I’m coming with you.”

“Not now.” Thorin was adamant.

Fíli walked up next to his brother in concern, Kíli still argued, “I’m going to be there when that door is opened, when we first look upon the halls of our fathers, Thorin.”

“Kíli, stay here, rest, join us when you’re healed,” Thorin patted his shoulder carefully, his face softening slightly.

“I’ll stay with the lad. My duty lies with the wounded,” Óin insisted, climbing off the boat and onto the dock, standing himself behind Kíli as the rest of the group gathered into the boat.

“Uncle, we grew up on the tales of the mountain, tales you told us, you cannot take that away from him!” Fíli protested, staring his uncle down.

“Fíli!” Thorin was beginning to lose his patience.

“I will carry him if I must!”

“One day, you will be King and you will understand. I cannot risk the fate of this quest for the sake of one dwarf. Not even my own kin.” Thorin told him gently, Kíli seemed distressed making Fíli hop off the boat defiantly, “Fíli, don’t be a fool. You belong with the company.”

“I belong with my brother,” he spat back, his anger getting the best of him.

The sudden blaring of trumpets in the distance startled Bofur from his sleep; he raised his head slightly, examining the mess of food and drink all around from their celebrations the previous night.

“By my beard, is that the time?!” he jerked up and promptly hit his head against the underside of the table, “Ah! Oh…” he clambered out, making his way around the mess, and then decidedly taking a quick swig from a mug that was on the table to wake him up.

He ran out of the building as fast as he could, using the cheering of the crowds as a means of a guide, he hoped that he had arrived in time.

“Go now with our good will, and good wishes, and may your return bring good fortune to all!” the Master bid them farewell with a wave, as the dwarves set off onto the lake.

“Wait!” Bofur yelled out, pushing his way through the crowds as they also waved their goodbyes at the dock, “No, no!” he reached his hand out and dropped it just as quickly.

He turned to see Kíli watching him through closing eyes and Fíli frowning heavily at him, “Ha, so you missed the boat as well?” he smiled at them, his eyes creasing as he did.

“Kíli?” Fíli asked in panic as his brother suddenly collapsed under his own weight.

“We need to get him on a bed, quickly,” Óin instructed.

The four of them made quickly to reach the nearest homes, but most of them were unoccupied as the people were at the docks, and the few doors that had opened had shaken their heads and closed their doors on them. Bofur realised there was only one person who would help them, and he would not be pleased to see them.

“Come along lads,” he walked ahead of them; once they reached the door he frantically knocked on it, Bard answered to meet them with a disappointed face.

“No,” he said sternly before Bofur could even speak, “I’m done with you Dwarves. Go away.” He started closing the door when Bofur raised his hands with widened eyes.

“No, no, no!” he grabbed hold of the door desperately.

“Please!” Fíli begged, fear shaking his core.

“No one will help us, Kíli’s sick,” he turned to let Bard have a look for himself, “He’s very sick.” He sees Bard’s features become concerned at the paleness of the young dwarf and he let them inside immediately.

Callon had barely reached the dock when Nari made to climb out of the boat; they had arrived quicker than expected as the town seemed eerily deserted, and so instead of taking a longer route to avoid unwanted attention they had rowed straight ahead.

Her brother made to tie the boat to the dock when she grabbed his arm, “There’s no time for that, let’s go,” she cocked her head and he nodded, he followed as she lead the way into the town.

She ran along the familiar paths, concerned at the lack of people, she peered around every corner and down paths to see if she could catch sight of any orcs, but there were none.

“I don’t like this,” Nari grunted. “It’s far too quiet,”

“Then there’s a chance that the orcs have not arrived,” Callon said and she shrugged.

“I suppose,” she paused, “Unless the orcs slaughtered everyone in their path, which is more than likely-”

An unexpected shriek close by interrupted her and sent chills through them, and Nari quickened her pace and her brother kept close by. Soon enough they reached Bard’s home from the lower side, and she slowed down, not wanting to let any potential intruders know of their presence.

Kíli was now settled into a bed, but he was groaning in pain and only caused more concern as he became louder as time went on. Everyone in the room felt a sudden discomfort as a shift in the air unsettled them, nearby buildings creaked and moaned in the quiet night.

“Da?” Sigrid stepped closer to her father, clearly scared; her sister Tilda wrapped her arm around hers.

“It’s coming from the mountain,” Bard assured them.

“You should leave us,” Fíli told them, noticing the fear in the children, “Take your children and get out of here!”

“And go where? There is nowhere to go,” he said irritably, not meaning to be aggressive, but knowing his children might be in danger was making him uneasy.

“Bard!” Nari called in relief and he nearly fell over, “What in Mahal’s good name is going on here?” she asked in alarm as she noticed Kíli laying on the makeshift bed in the far side of the house.

“What’s happened to him?” Callon approached Kíli and Fíli moved to stand next to him.

“His wound is festering up,” Óin informed them.

“I knew he needed a healer to look at him!” she shook her head; “So much for bed rest then?” she asked Fíli sighing loudly.

“I may be to blame on that, however, your dear Bard had us moving about in the sewers just yesterday, for all we know he got infected from something else,” Fíli told her.

“Bard! Of all the things- ye could’ve gone round as I’ve done before!”

“I had my orders on this end to follow, Nari. If I appeared as if from thin air the Master would have had word of it, and the dwarves could’ve been imprisoned! And your appearances in the past have my family under constant scrutiny as is,”

“Ye know I didn’t intend for that to happen!” she argued and then stopped, realising that there were few members in sight, “Speaking of appearances, where are the others?”

“They’re off to the mountain already, we stayed behind to attend to Kíli,” Fíli told her; he brushed his brother’s sweaty hair carefully as the poor dwarf whimpered.

“Only the three of ye?” Callon asked.

“No, Bofur went to collect some King’s Foil not long ago, he should return soon.”

“We must have missed him coming from below,”

“Aye,” Nari nodded.

“Are we going to die, Da?” Tilda looked up at her father, her lip quivering slightly.

Bard smiled at her, “No, darling,” he brushed her hair carefully.

“The dragon, it’s going to kill us,” Sigrid shook her head.

“Is that what that was? I thought it might’ve been orcs,” Nari said in surprise.

“Orcs, are there orcs?!” Óin yelled in surprise and Callon quickly placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head.

“No, they were following yer trail, but we’re not sure where they might be,”

“I can assure you it won’t my darling,” Bard spoke softly and held her close.

“How can you be so certain?” Sigrid asked.

“Because, I’m going to kill it first,” Bard informed them, releasing Tilda and reaching up to a cluttered net hanging from a support beam in his home, he yanked out a single black arrow and everyone stared at him in awe.

“I’ve been visiting for years, and yet I don’t know about that?” Nari’s jaw hung in amazement.

“I’m sure there’s a lot I have yet to learn about you,” he said and she shrugged with a nod, “Besides, there was never a dragon that needed slaying. Bain come with me,” he glanced at his son and they began to walk out.

“Where are you going, Da?” Tilda asked them.

“To kill a dragon,” he informed her, “You stay here with Sigrid, look after each other.” He pulled them both into a tight hug and whispered, “I love you both.”

He turned to leave when he felt a hand on his shoulder, “Bard!” he saw Nari standing behind him, “May the wind be on yer side,” they both nodded and she let go, giving his shoulder a final pat, and he left with his son.

“What can we do to help?” Callon asked Fíli.

“For starters we need to locate Bofur, I’m concerned as to why he’s taking so long-”

“Nari, we need ye to find Bofur, remember we may have orcs hiding in the shadows,”

“Aye, he can’t have strayed too far,” she agreed and moved downstairs.

“I’ll get some more water,” Callon got a bowl of water and returned quickly to Kíli’s side, “Can ye not press something onto the wound?” he asked, and Óin unravelled the injury, the skin was still black and was oozing out a thick yellow substance.

Sigrid decided to get some fresh air and stood on the balcony, letting the cool night air calm her down; a nearby creak made her lean forward and look around, “Da? Is that you, Da?”

“What’s that sound?” Óin asked, lifting his gaze from cleaning Kíli’s wound.

Callon stood to attention immediately, looking to Fíli, “Orcs!” he pulled out his sword, waiting, “Get back inside Sigrid!” he called out, she ran inside without hesitation, screaming loudly, as orcs began to enter the home behind her.

Bain had returned to chaos, moving to protect his younger sister immediately, though stiffening in fear as the orcs neared them. Callon made work of attacking the orcs with several swings of his sword, and Óin grabbed the nearest pots and chucked them at the orcs to throw them off guard momentarily, and Callon cut the throat of an orc swiftly before stabbing another through the chest.

He heard more screams and turned to see the girls surrounded by orcs, Sigrid was pushed backwards and fell onto the bench of the dining table and saw Fíli charge without hesitation to slam the creature into the nearest wall, and then he was thrown across the room himself. He ran to the kitchen, finding the girls cowering under the table together, and he swiftly kicked the bench to its side to act as a shield over them.

“Stay down!” Sigrid yelled.

Bain managed to kick the other bench into an orc, Fíli came running and lifted the bench to shove the orcs back, while his brother was scrambling in the bed attempting to sit up and see what he might be able to do to help them, and fighting against the pains.

“Fíli, stick close to Óin, they’re the most vulnerable right now!” Callon ordered. Seconds later several orcs crashed down through the ceilings, making the children scream louder, “I’ve got this!” he swiftly kicked an orc, sliced another’s throat and decapitated a third in succession.

Where are they? Surely they’d be back by now? He worried, but he had no time to think as more orcs moved in. There’s too many of them in here!

Nari caught sight of Bofur running back towards the home, with the weed clutched tightly in his hand; she stepped across a few boats and stopped a few metres behind him.

“Bofur!”

“Wha-?” he stopped so quickly he almost tripped. “Lass, what are ye doing here? I thought ye were back home-”

“There are orcs tracking ye down, we must hurry, go!” she tugged him by the arm and as if taken from a daze he shook his head and nodded, they ran on with Nari leading them.

After they rounded a corner there was a roar above them and two orcs jumped down from the rooftops with weapons drawn, Nari was forced the other way and barely had time to withdraw her sword in time to stop a blow, and Bofur stumbled backwards and fell on his backside as an orc swung at him, dropping the plant next to him accidentally.

She struggled against the orc as it was much larger than her and not relenting; she caught sight of Bofur trying to crawl away as he was without a weapon and the orc grabbed his legs.

“Ohh!” he tried to grab the walkway but could not, and was swung by his feet like he was a doll, he hit the nearby wall and slid down onto a bench. He ended up slipping comically to the side, making the bench and all its good topple over onto him, making him moan in annoyance and surprise.

She stabbed the orc in front of her and ran forward as the other orc raised its axe above its head to kill Bofur, she threw her dagger and stood in surprise as an arrow struck through its chest first, and she looked around to find Legolas not too far away chasing down other orcs.

Nari moved quickly and removed the dagger from the orc’s backside, “Are ye alright Bofur?” she asked, moving the bags and nets off of him, he sat up and adjusted his hat slightly.

“Aye I’m fine,” he nodded, she gave him a hand to stand up and he gladly took it, “Thanks for saving me,”

She shook her head, “It wasn’t me,” making Bofur frown, “Legolas.”

“There must be dozens more of these foul things,” he glanced down at the orc before he walked over and picked the King’s Foil up.

“No doubting that, we have to get a move on,” she tugged him by the arm and they ran on together, “Kíli needs us.”

Tauriel burst through the front door and started slashing some orcs off, and Callon accidentally found himself stabbing an orc at the same time as her through its chest.

“I had him!” they spoke together.

“Ah!” Kíli yelped as an orc approached him and his brother, Tauriel spun around and caught sight of them, she quickly threw a dagger to kill it and Kíli rolled off his bed with a thud.

“Callon, any eyes on Bofur?!” Fíli shouted from across the room, he shoved Bain under the open end of the table, “Get down!”

Out of nowhere, Legolas killed an orc right behind Fíli and Bain, and turned his onslaught to the rest of the orcs. Kíli somehow managed to stand on his feet, grabbing a nearby dagger that had fallen in the fight and gripping the orc by the shoulder, before stabbing it in the neck. But he quickly fell to the ground screaming in overwhelming pain.

Tauriel froze, her eyes staring at Kíli in concern; while Callon chased down an orc that jumped out through the nearby window yelling out to its companions, he threw a dagger killing it, but obviously the message had gone through as there was a roaring from the distance.

The orcs suddenly started retreating, “They’re leaving!” Legolas told Tauriel from the balcony, managing to decapitate and orc with flair and following their path with his eyes.

“You killed them all,” Bain said stunned, he looked at the rest of their home that now stood as a wreck.

“There are others,” Legolas spoke up, heading towards the front door, “Tauriel, come.” But Tauriel stood motionless as she stared at him with watery eyes.

“We’re losing him!” Óin looked up desperately, and Fíli hurried over to his brother’s side, she looked down at them.

“Tauriel.” Legolas called once more, and then exited without looking behind him.

She walked uncertainly after him, stopping just before the door, until a low grunting came from Kíli once again and she glanced at him worriedly.

Nari let Bofur in front of her and kept her sword drawn in case another orc decided to surprise them, and as they neared Bard’s home she noticed a familiar blond head running after some orcs in the distance, to her confusion they seemed to be retreating despite outnumbering the elf.

Bofur yelped as he nearly collided into Tauriel, she only looked down at him, noticing the weed and a small smile of relief spread on her face. Nari moved herself between them and used her sword to separate them.

“What are ye doing here?” Nari demanded.

“We were taking care of the orcs for you,” Tauriel said coolly, “And if you don’t mind, I’d like to take the Athelas now,”

“Nari-” Callon poked his head out the doorway, “She’s on our side.”

“Alright,” she huffed and lowered her sword.

Tauriel leaned forward to Bofur, and she carefully took the weed from his hand, whispering, “Athelas,”

“What are ye doing?” he asked in confusion and worry, looking at Callon who shrugged.

Tauriel spoke softly, “I’m going to save him,” Callon moved out the way as she entered the house, with both Nari and Bofur following closely behind.

She started rubbing the herbs in her palms and then let the broken leaves fall into the dish of water, while in the meanwhile Callon, Fíli and Bofur took hold of Kíli to raise him onto the dining room table, and Óin looked him over once more

“Hold him down,” she instructed as Kíli began to writhe about.

Callon and Óin took his legs, Bofur stood to his left and Fíli to his right and supported his brother’s head as best as he could, Nari moved over to Tauriel’s side in case she was in need of assistance.

The elf examined Kíli’s wound, touching it briefly before scooping up some of herb paste in her palms, she pressed the remedy into his wound and starting chanting, “{Look upon me with eyes of mercy, provide for me a healing hand and may your life-giving powers flow into my body and the depths of my soul, to cleanse, purify and restore this dwarf’s wholeness and strength to serve for your kingdom again},”

Fíli watched her chant words which he did not understand and wrapped his hands around Kíli’s, allowing the sickly dwarf to squeeze his hand and ease his suffering, Bofur glanced around and placed a bowl of walnuts under Kíli’s head to act as a makeshift head rest, and Óin stared in amazement at her.

After a few moments Kíli eventually started closing his eyes a bit, and his body began to relax as he let the elf do her healing, she repeated a particular line from the ritual over once more.

“{To cleanse, purify and restore this dwarf’s wholeness and strength to serve for your kingdom again},”

Nari had never seen this kind of healing before, but she wanted to help and knew that more hands would help the healing process work better, so she placed her hands over Tauriel’s and began chanting the phrase with her.

The men seemed to be holding their breaths as they watched over Kíli, while the dwarf seemed mesmerised with the two women hovering over him, he did not understand the words they were saying but they were beautiful to him nonetheless.

They finished healing him and Kíli dozed off, the memory of pain washed away with exhaustion, and the dwarves relocated themselves to give him space and allow the women to do what they needed to do.

“That was an honour to witness, Elven healing,” Óin breathed out, “Your brother is mighty lucky that she stayed,”

“Yes, it would seem so,” Fíli frowned as he watched Nari, something in the way she looked at his brother nagged him in his gut.

“We should be lucky that Nari came looking for me,” Bofur spoke up, “Those orcs nearly took me out back there.” He shook his head in disbelief, “I could’ve been dead.”

“All we can hope is that the worst may be over with,” Callon said to them, “With the orcs mucking about the place we’ll be lucky if the people don’t try to chase us out,”

“Yes,” Fíli nodded seriously, “Yes, we must remain positive, Kíli is alive and that’s more than I could ever ask for right now,” the others murmured their agreements.

Nari had just finished cleaning the dead skin from the wound and was now binding his wound carefully, while Tauriel cleaned his face with a wetted cloth and gently dabbing away the stubborn dirt and sweat.

Nari spoke quietly to Tauriel, “I hadn’t known of that treatment when I first tried to mend his wound, I knew he should’ve seen a healer before leaving,” she shook her head, looking at Kíli’s sleepy face, happier than what he had been at Eossimar.

“At least he will heal now, that’s all that matters,” she looked at her and gave her a small nod, “No one could blame you for helping him,”

“-iel,” they caught the end of Kíli’s muttering, and he stared at the two of them, clearly dazed.

“Lie still,” Tauriel carefully brushed away the hair that had fallen to his face.

“You cannot be her,” he continued, “She is far away… She is far, far away from me. She walks in starlight in another world; it was just a dream,” he shook his head; Nari leaned over and patted his twitching hand tenderly. “Do you think she could have loved me?”

They looked at each other and stared at Kíli in confusion, both uncertain if he was referring to either of them.

A sudden whirl of wind blew through the town, causing some dust from what remained of the roof to fall down into the house, making everyone look up in confusion. Nari and Tauriel looked back to Kíli and him at them.

Fíli and Óin glanced at each other, shaking their heads and looking to the sky once more; Callon noticed Fíli become stressed all over again and Bofur found himself instinctively looking to Nari.

____________________________________________________________

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marvelhead17 · 3 years

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The Tale of Eossimar (Original Female Character x Bofur Fic)

Chapter 6

Word Count: 5.7k

Callon opened the entrance and they walked on down the path that Bofur had taken them on the day before, though this time it was more leisurely instead of running for their lives. They were close enough to the lake to see a man with a barge, he was retrieving the barrels that they had escaped in and he hadn’t noticed them approaching.

Nari stopped walking and she held her finger to her mouth for them to remain silent, they waited in confusion as she began to walk along the shrubbery, still hidden.

Bilbo whispered loudly, “What is she doing, she can’t just steal his barge can she?” he gestured in disbelief.

“Don’t worry yerself Master Baggins,” Callon assured him quietly, a smirk forming on his features.

She climbed onto the boulder and leaped onto the barge, making a loud thud as she did, the bargeman dropped the barrel he was rolling and turned around in fear, appearing ready to assault whatever was threatening him.

He immediately relaxed, shaking his head but still giving her a light chuckle. She laughed and they exchanged pleasantries for a short time, the company tried to listen in but they were too far, though they seemed familiar enough with each other. They edged closer and finally caught on to the conversation.

“Ye know, ye still owe me a visit to Lake Town,”

“That won’t be so easy now, the people are becoming suspicious that you are not of Man, and I do not blame them for it,” he crossed his arms.

“What if I told ye, it wasn’t for me?” she asked and he raised a brow, “Ye see, I have some dwarf friends, they’re merchants from the Blue Mountains, and they’re needing to visit their kin in the Iron Hills…”

“Could they not go around?” he insisted.

“They’ve had a long journey Bard; they cannot delay their arrival any further than they have,” she countered.

“I know where those barrels came from,” Bard gestured to the battered barrels.

“Aye, and what of them?”

“My gut tells me that these dwarves you speak of had previous business with the Elves, and clearly it did not end on good terms. You know the Master’s wealth comes from trade with the Woodland Realm, and he would rather see them all in irons before risking the wrath of King Thranduil,”

“I’m not asking for ye to hide them from the Master, just to hold them indoors until nightfall, and let them on their merry way on a few of yer smaller boats, and then they’ll be off yer hands.”

“Nari, it would be incredibly risky of me to, I’m on thin ice as is-” he argued.

“But the risk is certainly worth the reward,”

“I’m listening,” he raises a brow.

“I know yer children will be in need of food and clothes, especially during these difficult times. And I’ll pay ye everything I’ve got,” she held out a bag full of coins, “Ye can’t say no to providing for yer bairns, now can ye Bard?”

He sighed, but agreed with her, “This is the last time I can do this; you understand do you not?”

“Aye, I do,” she nodded seriously, tossing him the bag, “Tell the children I said hello, would ye?”

“Aye, I will, the girls miss you dearly,” he tucked the bag away on his person.

She turned to leave but stopped herself, “Oh and one last thing- if anything is to happen to them I will not hesitate in coming for ye, understood? They’re my kin too,”

“Aye,” he nodded seriously, and continued loading the last of the barrels onto his barge.

She hopped off the barge and stood in front of the company, her hands triumphantly resting on her hips, “My friend Bard is going to escort ye to Lake Town, once yer there ye can get some boats and travel across the waters to Erebor on the other side,”

“How do we know we can trust him?” Thorin asked, looking at the man sceptically.

“I’ve visited that man’s home for years; I know him and his family well enough. He is one of the few ye can trust.” She spoke seriously, “And I gave him a good enough warning for him to heed, so ye will all be safe there,”

“We’re not going with them?” Callon asked, taking the words right from Bofur’s mouth.

“Aye Callon, they’ll have enough trouble with their numbers trying to sneak in and out without us tripping them up, and this is their quest,” she nodded to Thorin, Callon glanced at Fili before staring at her again.

“And yer to listen to Bard because he knows his town better than the lot of ye, he would not tell ye to do something unless it was for yer safety.”

Callon tried to argue, “But I’m sure they could use the extra hands-”

“If they could travel from the Blue Mountains across Middle Earth to Mirkwood without us, I think they’ll be capable of travelling the rest of the way,” she told her brother firmly.

“Nari, we must thank you for everything you’ve done, you’ve been a great help to us.” Balin smiled encouragingly.

“Yes, we will be sure to come back for you once we’ve reclaimed our home,” Dwalin added, patting her shoulder.

“It was nothing, you are our kin after all,” she waved the thanks away, “We will be waiting anxiously for the news,” she agreed with a smile. “Ye should get going; time is catching up with ye.” She turned to see Bard waiting almost impatiently for the company, and they moved on to the barge.

“Thank ye again lass, we’ll see ye soon!” Bofur waved his goodbye, she waved back.

“Keep safe, the lot of ye!” she called back, “And Fili, keep an eye on yer brother!” the golden hair dwarf nodded, rubbing his brother’s hair playfully much to his annoyance and then waving his goodbye.

Soon enough the barge set off from the small dock, most of the company turning their attention to the other side of it to watch the waters ahead of them, while a few kept their eyes on the shore. Nari and Callon stayed watching until they drifted out of sight; once they were gone she turned and marched on towards the village wordlessly, with Callon slowly following her.

The dwarves stared across the lake in wonder, through the mist the peaks of Erebor revealed themselves, and for most this was the moment that made them realise that everything they had gone through was very real, and their home was almost tangible now.

Suddenly Bard yelled out, disturbing them from their day dreaming, “You must hide!”

“We will hide when we are sure of danger,” Thorin spat back.

“If you value your freedom, you’ll do as I say.” Bard frowned angrily at him. “There are guards ahead, get in the barrels, quickly now!” Despite the initial argument the company scattered immediately and settled into the barrels, the barge swiftly drifted up to the dock, and Bard climbed off towards a man that stood on the end of it.

“What’s he doing?” Dwalin asked irritably, unable to see where the bargeman had gone.

“He’s talking to someone…” Bilbo spoke up, using the hole in the barrel to peep through, he could make out Bard chatting to a man; and noticed him pointing casually towards the barrels, “And, oh, he’s pointing at us...” He watched as he shook hands with the man, and dropped some coins into a waiting hand. “Now they’re shaking hands.”

“What?” Thorin grunted in disbelief. “I thought Nari said we could trust him!”

Bofur spoke up, “Aye, we can Thorin, have some faith in Nari’s words lads-”

“The villain!” Another dwarf called out.

“He’s selling us out,” Dwalin growled.

“Lads, be reasonable and think-” Bofur was cut short when bucket-loads of fish flopped down on top of them all, and their fear of being caught turning into that of disgust, as the smell of fish overwhelmed their senses.

They continued on from the docks, with plenty of groans and complaints of the smells, and of being cramped in such small spaces for what felt like hours.

“Quiet,” Bard muttered, now irritated with the dwarves, he kicked one of barrels nearest to him, “We’re approaching the toll gate now,”

“I’m not mad at you Narriel, I’m simply disappointed. And to be throwing about another person is not welcome behaviour, especially as a princess- you have expectations to meet,” Misteth chided as she paced before her throne, shaking her head in disapproval.

“Aye, mother, I, I understand,” Nari bowed her head, and slowly lifted it up again.

“I insist that you apologise to Cáleb, it is the least that you can do for him,”

“But, mother I-”

“I will not hear any arguments out of you,” she snapped, “The healer tells me that he shall be on bedrest for at least a week to recover from his injuries,”

“Aye mother,” she bowed her head, gritting her teeth slightly.

“And Callon, my dear son, I do wish you had put a stop to that nonsense before it ended the way it had,” Misteth tutted.

“A- aye mother,” Callon mumbled, not thinking he would be scolded as well, and bowed his head.

“Now both of you go, and Narriel, I will know if Cáleb did not receive his apology, so I suggest you don’t avoid doing so,”

“Aye mother,” she nodded.

Without another word to their mother, Nari and Callon left the hall, with Nari muttering angrily to herself about their mother, and they walked towards Cáleb’s home.

“Nari, why don’t ye take a breather first, before ye go ahead with this?” Callon asked, and she shook her head.

“I’d rather get this over with now,” she muttered.

“Then I’ll come with ye,” he matched her pace easily with his long legs.

“Alright,” she didn't argue further.

They entered his home and a familiar voice caught her attention, “Haven’t you done enough to him, Nari?” she glanced to the right and locked eyes with the young elf maid Elva.

“I came to apologise to him.” Nari stated.

“All of a sudden, why?”

“Let her in Elva, it’s alright,” Cáleb spoke from the other room, they all walked in to find him sitting slightly elevated on his bed, with several ointments clearly anointed over his wounds.

“Listen, Cáleb, I apologise for what happened earlier today, I may have taken things too far…” Nari rubbed the back of her neck uneasily, standing as far as she could from the bed.

He shook his head, “No I apologise,” Nari frowned, “I should have realised when to stop making advances when you clearly did not return them, you deserve better than that…” Cáleb continued, “You were angry, I understand that now,”

“Well… thank ye,” she shuffled on her feet awkwardly, “I, I wasn’t expecting ye to apologise to me,”

“It’s the least I can do for causing you the heartache I did. I only wish it hadn’t taken me so long to realise the pain I’d caused, but the look in your eyes told me everything today,”

“Still, I am sorry for half-murdering you, it wasn’t very fair.”

“Well, look, I’d been selfish, you’d been angry, and I accept your apology, it’s water under the bridge,” he waved his hand, “We were simply not meant to be.”

“Thank ye,” Nari nodded, feeling a huge relief fall from her shoulders, “I- I hope the best for ye Cáleb,”

“Thank you, to you as well Nari,” he bowed his head, and she did as well.

Nari and Callon stepped out quietly, and walked on with no destination in mind. “That went… surprisingly well, thank Mahal. Mother won’t be able to bother me about it now,” she chuckled lightly, Callon only nodded.

“Why is it that ye didn’t jump at the opportunity to join the Company?” he suddenly asked, making Nari look at him in surprise, “I mean, ye’ve wanted to return to Erebor for so long, it’s all we’ve ever talked about, dreamed about in fact,”

“Well… as much as I wish to return home, I still fear that we may not be accepted, and it was painful enough the first time around,”

“But once Thorin becomes King we’ll be welcomed,” he reminded her, “And it’s only right that out of all of us ye should be the first to return home, ye aided the company when they needed it most, and ye were likely the first to be cast out,”

“Perhaps ye’re right,” she stopped walking and stared at him. “Will ye come with me, brother?” he nodded, “Right, we’ll need a boat, and some supplies.”

They quickly ran to their homes and collected their own supplies in small backpacks, and met where a collection of small paddling boats were kept, they used to be used for the occasional trip to the waters, which had long since been collecting cobwebs.

They lifted one above their heads and carried it out beyond their borders without being noticed by any villagers; they made quick work of heading towards the lake and settled it into the water just by the dock. The memory of the dwarves’ departure was still fresh in their minds, they left barely a few hours ago and it was well past noon now, her brother stepped into the boat and waited for her.

Nari glanced down towards the area that she had found the dwarves in the day before, and stopped as she noticed a large form that had not been there earlier, she sprinted closer and froze at the scene before her.

“Nari, what is it?” Callon called out, she darted back wordlessly to the dock and practically leapt into the small boat, causing it to wobble unsteadily. “Nari?”

“Deer carcass, scattered everywhere,” she informed him, taking the oars into her hands, “The orcs must have somehow tracked them down,” she immediately set out to row the small boat by herself.

“How?” he asked, “Surely it can’t be from Kíli’s wound?”

“I’m not sure, but they have Wargs as well, who knows how close those bastards are to catching up with them,” she huffed worriedly. “I just hope we won’t be too late,”

“They wouldn’t have boats like us,”

“But if they’re determined, which they have been, they’ll have run halfway around the lake by now,” she insisted, “They could be killing them as we speak,”

“We cannot be certain, but we cannot only think the worst of the situation,” he tried to reassure her. “We will get there in time.”

If the fish hadn’t been enough of a problem then the task of moving passed the toll gate was even greater, after some words with a man Alfrid who had attempted to empty the barrels out into the lake they were relieved to be in the clear, at least for the time being.

They drifted further along and Bard finally deemed it safe for the dwarves to reveal themselves, walking over calmly and knocking over some of the barrels, making them crawl out in a mess of fish.

Bard approached another barrel and was met with a growl as Dwalin burst his head through, “Get your hands off me,” he and the others soon climbed out the barrels, grumbling and slimy, but relieved that they might be gaining foot on Erebor now more than ever.

A man on the dock stared with his jaw hanging open, and Bard swiftly approached him, opening his hands and placing a handful of coins and closing them. “You didn’t see them,” he looked at the elderly man, “The fish you can have for nothing,” he added, and the man was only able to nod in response, still staring at the company.

The company looked around to take in the so-called Lake Town, only to be greeted with a scene that could only be named as miserable, everything was wooden and seemed filthy, the clothing that hung on lines had minimal colours. A sure sign that the town was poor and suffering, and yet they seemed to be making the most of their situation.

Bard marched passed the dwarves and peeked around the corner, examining both sides and then turned to them, “Follow me,” he walked on.

The company were sceptical as they glanced at one another, but under Nari’s word understood that they needed to trust him, and so they followed him through the shadows of some of the taller homes. The planks creaked and groaned under their feet, making them weary of the instability and being more cautious with their steps.

Out of the blue a boy ran up to Bard, his voice speaking unevenly from his sudden exertion, “Da! Our house, it’s being watched,” Bard looked to the dwarves as did the boy, his eyes widening in surprise. “Friends of Nari?”

“Indeed,” he thought for a moment and frowned, “We’ll have to get you in through the sewers-”

“The sewers?” Dwalin asked in outrage, “Are you mad, we’re not going in the sewers!”

“You don’t have a choice; it’s the only way I can get you through unseen,”

“This better be worth it bargeman,” Thorin muttered, and the dwarves murmured in disgust.

Bard led them to a sewer cover used for maintenance purposes, but by the state of it, it hadn’t been touched for years, he opened it up and Thorin peered in, trying hard to hide the disgust that spread on his face.

He jumped in, followed one by one by each member of the company, with Bombur being the last to follow and having to be yanked down as he nearly became stuck in the crusty hole. He fell in with a massive splash causing them to yell out in disgust.

“Quiet, we don’t need to draw attention to ourselves,” Thorin scolded, he turned to look at the pipes ahead, “We’ll have to go on our hands and knees, Mahal help you if you get lost,” he added with a huff, before crouching down and crawling forward on all fours.

The others did the same, moving straight ahead until they reached their first turning point that Bard had mentioned, a sudden flush of water gushed from a nearby opening and ran underneath them, raising the level of waste slightly. The smell was rancid; a mix of food that had clearly rotten and partially digested foods, their noses stung and a few dwarves complained that they might become sick.

“Well I’ve dealt with a lot worse, ye lads clearly have yet to smell the worst of Bombur’s farts, this is nothing by comparison,” Bofur joked, only the younger dwarves let out a chuckle, while the others groaned and shook their heads.

They continued on, turning another two corners before hopefully reaching their allocated destination, they waited in the darkness silently. It felt long, too long, and Thorin only hoped that they had made it to the right spot, otherwise an unsuspecting stranger was about to receive the worst surprise of their life.

Finally they heard the signalling knocks above them, and Dwalin offered to be the first to exit to ensure it was safe, Thorin made no arguments. The dwarf raised his hand above his head and he slowly stood up, pushing the lid of what he now understood to be the toilet, out of his way; he relaxed knowing that they were in the right place, but it improved his mood no less.

His eyes met the bargeman’s son with a glare, “If you speak of this to anyone, I’ll rip your arms off,” he reached his hand over the bowl and started pulling himself out, the boy tried to offer him a hand in help and he immediately swatted it away irritably, “Get off.”

Although slightly scared by the dwarf’s gruffness, the boy pointed further down the walkway to a set of stairs, “Up there,” he waited as the others climbed out, keeping a look out just in case they were still being watched.

An older girl peered at the stairs from the main house and called out uncertainly, “Da… why are there dwarves climbing out our toilet?”

“Will they bring us luck?” a younger girl asked hopefully, looking up at Bard excitedly.

“Well, we can only hope so Tilda,” he gave her a warm smile, “But they won’t be staying for long, they’re friends of Nari’s simply passing through,”

“Oh Nari! How is she Da?” the older girl asked.

“She is well, and wishes she could’ve visited as well,” Bard smiled, though a little sadly.

“Are you also half elf?” Tilda asked, peering up at Bofur, he smiled down at her making his hat flop in an awkward manner.

“No lass, we’re all dwarves,” he crouched down, “So ye’re friends with Nari are ye?” she nodded, “Do ye think ye can tell me more about her then?”

“I can, but only if you can tell me something about dwarves,” she smiled mischievously.

“It’s a deal then,” Bofur grinned and shook her hand gently, she bounded off to Bard after being called over and he stood up once again.

The dwarves gave themselves a quick scrub down with buckets of warm water and cloths before putting on their now tainted clothes that Nari had provided for them, and they settled inside the main room near the fireplace, having blankets passed to them and given warm beverages to heat themselves against the winter chill.

“They may not be the best comfort, but they’ll keep you warm for now,” Bard said to the company.

Bofur nodded in agreement and curled the blanket a little tighter around his shoulder, wishing he could cosy up in the armchair by the fireplace and sleep for at least a day, realising how sore his muscles truly were after resting in Eossimar the night before. He took a good long sip of his drink and sighed as the warmth spread inside and gave his body life once more.

“Thank you very much,” he heard Bilbo speak politely to Bard.

He smiled, the Hobbit never ceased to amaze him with maintaining his manners over the course of their journey, it was a wonder he had survived the unruly dwarves for nearly a year.

He watched as Bard’s children, who he’d learned were Bain, Sigrid and little Tilda, spoke excitedly to each other. Tilda seemed a little shy to return to him with conversation about Nari, as she stayed nervously by her sister’s side.

He noticed that the girls had braiding in their hair tied off with ribbons, not the usual styles worn by Man, and reckons that Nari had probably taught them how to do different styles, perhaps a mix of Elvish and Dwarvish.

He was disturbed from his thoughts when Thorin unexpectedly muttered in fascination at something beyond the window catching his attention, “A Dwarvish windlance,”

Bilbo walked up next to Thorin, his beverage clutched tightly and his blanket draped over him like a gown, “You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” he peered at Thorin and then at the windlance.

Balin, having decidedly left his blanket and finished drink walked up behind them, “He has, the last time we saw such a weapon,” he nodded to the window, “A city was on fire, it was when the dragon came,”

Thorin stared out the window, pain clouding his features as the memories came flooding back to him, as if they had happened just yesterday. Bofur leaned closer to listen in, as his family had lived in the Blue Mountains years before the attack on Erebor and he was curious.

Balin spoke on, placing a hand on Thorin’s shoulder gently, “That day, Smaug destroyed the City of Dale. Girion, the Lord of the City rallied his bowman to fire upon the beast, but a dragon’s hide is tough, tougher than the strongest armour – only a black arrow fired from a wind lance could have pierced the dragon’s hide – and few of those arrows were ever made. The store was running low when Girion made his last stand.” He shook his head sadly.

Thorin spoke with disappointment, “And had the aim of Men been true that day, much would have been different,” he shook his head.

Bard stepped up, adding himself into the conversation, “You speak as if you were there,”

“All dwarves know the tale,” Thorin told him.

“Then you would know that Girion hit the dragon,” Bain walked up next to his father, “He loosened his scale under the left wing,” he added, making Thorin scoff in disbelief. “One more shot and he would have killed the beast.” He insisted, making Dwalin laugh from behind him.

“That’s a fairy-story lad, nothing more.” Dwalin shook his head.

Thorin’s impatience bubbled up and he looked at Bard seriously, “You took Nari’s money, now where are our promised boats?”

“Wait here,” Bard instructed with a huff, and hurriedly left the house, leaving his son to re-join with his sisters.

Bofur finished off his drink and hummed to himself at the pleasant warmth that lulled him into comfort, he peaked out of one of the windows and could see Bard, and he found himself feeling thankful for the help that Nari had brought to them.

He glanced at the young brothers and eased up as he saw Kíli resting his leg up and reclining on an armchair; he was certain that the young prince would have been on the verge of death had it not been for Nari healing him.

He looked out the window and watched as Bard finalised his arrangements with another man, they shook hands and Bard disappeared out of view. He turned to find Thorin and some of the other members in worried discussion privately, and wondered what they might be on about now, so he took a few steps closer.

“We must reach the Mountain before then,” Balin informed them.

“And if we do not, if we fail to find the hidden door before that time?” Kíli looked up at them from his seat.

“Then this quest has been for nothing,” Fili gritted his teeth slightly, looking down at his brother and still clearly concerned with his condition.

Bard returned suddenly which drew the company’s attention, they all gathered around a large table, waiting for him to speak.

“I have three boats available for you to use, four including my own, that you can use to travel across the lake,”

“Then we should get moving, we’re burning daylight,” Thorin said, about to walk away.

“You’re not going anywhere.” Bard ordered, making the soon-to-be King stop and stare at the bargeman.

“What did you say?” Dwalin asked angrily, stepping forward.

“There are spies watching this house, and probably every dock and wharf in the town.” He locked eyes on Dwalin and then addressed the others, “You must wait till nightfall.” Several members muttered displeased about the idea, “Unless you wish to be caught and jailed by the master, and his wretched helper Alfrid?” he asked them.

The dwarves discussed the matter for a bit before Thorin spoke, “We will stay,” he announced, though Bofur caught the quick glance at Dwalin which made him believe otherwise.

Bard nodded, satisfied with the answer and spoke to Bain, “Watch them” and once again left the house.

Dwalin muttered about having to be ordered around by a Man, and they each returned to their seats around the house and waited, albeit impatiently. Bofur had decided he preferred looking out the window, only to be disturbed by a light tug on his trousers; he frowned and saw Tilda staring up at him with a shy smile.

“Oh, hello lass, thought ye’d forgotten about me,” Bofur smiled and she giggled shaking her head, “How about we have a seat then?” he asked, taking a seat on the floor, and waited for her to sit as well.

“How do you know Nari?” Tilda asked, settling her hands on her laps neatly.

“Well, promise ye won’t tell yer Da first?” he raised a brow and she agreed, he spoke quietly, “We only met her a short time ago, but she helped us after we escaped the Elf dungeons,”

“Elf dungeons?” Her eyes widened, “Did you go to Mirkwood?”

“Aye, we did, and they didn’t fancy the idea of Dwarves walking through their territory,”

“That is mean of them,” she shook her head, “Did you meet Prince Legolas?”

“Ye know of Legolas?” he asked in surprise.

“Mhm, Nari told me that she courted him, but only for a short time,”

“Courted?” he raised his eyebrows and thought for a moment… Oh, so ye care about feelings all of a sudden do ye? The words echoed in the back of his mind and her behaviour suddenly made sense now.

“Yes, but she ended it when she found that he did not actually care about her,” Tilda added, “She told me to be wary if a boy asks to court me, but I’m not very worried, Da and Bain are very protective over me, besides I’m much too young…”

The girl babbled on for some time but the words were drowned out by Bofur’s thoughts. He wondered how long ago this courtship happened, then he wondered how it began in the first place, and then his mind raced with the possibilities of what may have happened intimately within the time of courtship-

“Are you even listening to me?” She asked, crossing her arms.

“Oh, sorry lass,” Bofur gave her a sheepish grin and then pointed to her hair, “Did Nari teach ye girls how to braid that?”

“Oh yes! My sister Sigrid did this for me, a Dwarvish braiding,” she showed off her hair, “She likes to wear the Elvish ones more,”

“They’re lovely, truly,” Bofur grinned, Nari had indeed taught them well.

“Now tell me something about Dwarves!” she asked excitedly, and Bofur thought for a moment when a carved horse caught his attention.

“Do ye see that little horse over there?” he asked, and she frowned as she turned around, taking the object from the windowsill and settling in her lap. “Aye that one,”

“What about it?” she asked, passing it to him carefully as he reached out for it.

“I carved this beauty myself,” his chest puffed out a little, “Ye know how I know that?” she shook her head, “Ye see these little curves here? These are how I signed my pieces,”

“Really?” she asked, taking the item back and staring at it in amazement, tracing her fingers over the newly discovered markings. “I thought Dwarves only mined and forged,”

He shook his head, “My family stays in the Blue Mountains, we cook, we mine, but we also dabble in toy-making,” he told her, “And somehow this little fella ended up in yer home,”

“My Da gave it to me when I was little, it's the only thing I have of my Ma's,” she ran her fingers over the figure, her eyes threatening to spill tears and Bofur felt a pain in his chest, she quickly sprung up and hugged him; he was surprised but did not move away, and then she whispered in his ear, “Thank you for making this,”

“Oh- of course lass,” he patted her gently on the back, she released him and wiped away her tears, “That’s why I make them ye see, to bring a little joy,” he smiled, “Now don’t be crying for too long, yer mother would want ye to be smiling,”

“Tilda!” Sigrid called for her younger sister and the girl glanced over her shoulder.

“I have to go, thank you…” she frowned, not knowing his name.

“Bofur.”

“Thank you, Bofur,” she grinned and held the horse close to her heart, before running over to her sister.

Bofur smiled and stood up, taking his time to stretch out, and walking over to the princes who were seated by the fireplace. He glimpsed at the window to see the sun setting down, marking the end of another day, and wondered what the people of Eossimar would be up to that evening.

He caught Fili fussing over Kíli as he was shuffling about uncomfortably in his seat, and Kíli swatted away his brother’s hand irritably, making Fili move back into the other chair and cross his arms in annoyance.

“Ye alright there lads?” Bofur asked, looking between them with a raised brow.

“Yes Bofur, Kee’s just a bit tired is all,” Fili responded, shaking his head at his brother.

He knew better but didn’t wish to get between the brother’s little quarrel and moved on around the house a little. He could see for himself that Kíli was still far from recovering fully, but he had yet to follow Nari’s instructions to rest as much as possible, for they were still constantly on the move to reach Erebor.

The silence was promptly disturbed as Thorin addressed the company making Bofur jump in his skin, “Let’s go, we are not waiting for nightfall. We’ve wasted enough time as is, on your feet, now.” He stalked out of the room, followed closely by Dwalin and Balin, while the others gathered slowly by comparison.

Bain attempted to block the door but ducked away without hesitation under Dwalin’s intense gaze, and Bofur stood in the home for a moment. So much for listening to Bard as Nari advised us to do. He sighed and ran after the others, not wanting to be left behind.

They walked the paths for a bit before finding four small boats, it was very likely not the ones that they were provided but it didn’t matter to Thorin, who was adamant that they were leaving now. The dwarves quickly put their small packs of goods in the boats, and a few had climbed inside, others made to untie the boats from the docks.

Kíli, who had stayed aside for the most part, stepped forward and hissed at the unexpected pain that shot through his leg. He grabbed his leg, not only dropping his belongings with a loud clang, but then leaning against a stand nearby. It swayed under the unexpected force of Kíli’s weight and creaked sideways, falling into another table next to it, and causing crockery, fruits and other titbits to bang against the wooden planks beneath them.

The company winced in surprise at the sudden noise and all looked to Kíli, who promptly stood himself upright and winced again, Fili ran to his brother’s side in alarm.

Within moments they were surrounded by guards and held-up with swords, “Dwarves!”

____________________________________________________________

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marvelhead17 · 3 years

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The Tale of Eossimar (Original Female Character x Bofur Fic)

Chapter 5

Word Count: 6.4k

The sunlight casting through the front door was what alerted Thorin to the start of the new day; he immediately got up and started to wake the rest of the company from their sleep. Soon they were all up and they wandered out into the sunny day, most of them raised their hands to cover their eyes as they adjusted to the sudden brightness, and they found Nari, Callon and the princes already standing outside.

“Morning, I was just about to come wake ye up,” Nari greeted them, “Thought ye might need the rest,”

“Yes, well, we’re rested now,” Thorin nodded.

“Callon suggested visiting the market so we can get some supplies if ye need,”

“By all means,”

The group walked on towards the marketplace, it was near the entrance they had entered through the day before, and bustling with activities already considering it was only the start of the day.

“For a small village your people don’t seem short of busyness,” he noted.

“One has to keep busy if ye can’t live a life outside of these walls,” she glanced back at him and his wandering gaze turned to that of shame, she stopped walking and stood in what seemed to be the centre of the marketplace, “Now I’m sure ye’d like to get yer hands on some supplies whatever they may be, so explore what we have to offer, and tell the owners that I sent ye, if they give you grief then find Callon or me,”

“What about the weapons you promised us?” Dwalin asked.

“Ye’ll get them later, we’ll meet up back here sometime passed noon,”

The company didn’t argue and disbanded into smaller groups, each moving to a different stall of their choosing, the only remaining were Nari, and Bofur.

He walked over to Nari with his hands behind his back and a big grin on his face, she raised her brow, “Ye wouldn’t happen to know where I could acquire a musical instrument would ye?”

She smiled, “Aye I would, come along,” she cocked her head and started walking towards the furthest side of the marketplace.

The stall was set up with a variety of instruments displayed on a beautiful red cloth, and they approached it just as a young family finished up their purchase, their young child jumping in tow of their guiding hand while clutching a lute in their own small hand. Bofur looked across the entire table, to his amazement there were some instruments he’d never seen before, and some were so large that they had to be displayed from the ground up.

“Got a big enough selection have ye?” he asked the stall owner, he stared longer than intended as he tried to recall where he had seen the face before.

“Ye remember Nikolas, don’t ye?” Nari asked.

“Oh, yer brother-in-law, I thought I recognised him,” he stuck out his hand to shake. “It’s a pleasure to meet ye, officially,”

“You must be part of the company that has my poor wife fretting,” Nikolas chuckled and took his hand giving it a firm shake before releasing it, “What’s yer name?”

“Bofur,”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He gave a genuine smile, “So what do you have your heart set out for?” He looked him over, “Perhaps a flute?”

“Oh ye’re a right clever lad, how did ye figure that out?” Bofur asked in amazement.

“You have an old one hanging from your side,” he nodded his head and Bofur touched the dangling instrument and laughed.

“I must’ve put it there out of habit,” he untied it and held it in his hands, “Though I do believe that this one has seen better days…” he sighed.

“How did I not notice that?” Nari asked out loud, “Ye know, I didn’t think ye to be the kind to play something so delicate,”

“Really, and why’s that lass?”

She shrugged, “I just thought ye’d play the drums or perhaps a lute, something more accustomed to yer personality I suppose,”

“There’s plenty about me I could surprise ye with,” he winked at her.

“Well I have plenty of selection for you among the flutes,” he gestured to the ivory, ebony, metal and honey coloured options, “Oak, maple, brass, silver, even bone; have a look,”

Bofur looked down at all the variations, seemingly overwhelmed by the sudden need to choose, to him they were all beautiful, and then his eyes fell upon it. He carefully picked up a white flute, examining the intricate carvings of flowers that were well planned and etched with care, something about it made him desire it.

“This one, it’s perfect,” he almost whispered.

“Ah, the stag-bone flute, it took me over a year to carve that one,” Nikolas said, “It’s best suited for upbeat music, and it’s the strongest material I’ve encountered, it will last a lifetime,”

“Is that so?” Bofur asked, becoming deflated, he moved to place it back onto the table, “It must cost a fortune-”

“Then I shall pay for it,” Nari stopped him, “How much Nikolas?”

“Nari, you’re family, I could not-”

“Ye said it yerself, it took a year for ye to carve, and I will not have my nephews and niece suffer because their father may struggle to make ends meet,” she retrieved a pouch of coins, leaving him no room to argue. “How much?”

“Two hundred and fifty,” he said, she looked at him with a small glare, “Alright it's three hundred and fifty,” he sighed, she smiled and dumped the bag of coins on the table.

“That should be enough, thank ye Nikolas,”

“You’re welcome, thank you.” Nikolas nodded with slightly widened eyes, he cleared his throat, “And don’t worry about Lúthrien, she just needs time to calm down, you know how she gets,”

“Aye, I know,” she nodded. “Let’s go,” she looked to Bofur and walked on, he followed after her.

“I can’t thank ye enough for this,” Bofur beamed, “Truly, I owe ye,”

“Consider it a gift, ye did almost die following my instructions after all,” she looked at him and gave him a lopsided smile, “Probably the least I can do to make up for it,”

“Still, that was a great deal of money,” he glanced at the instrument and carefully tied it to his side.

“Really, it was nothing Bofur.” She waved her hand, “Now, is there anything else ye might need?” Nari looked around at the other stalls and raised a brow to him, he shook his head, Callon and the princes were examining knives with the craftsmen not too far off and her brother was eagerly speaking with Fíli while Kíli seemed distracted.

“Nothing more I could need,”

“A dwarf of simple needs I see,”

“Aye, ye have to be when ye move about from town to town,”

Nari glanced up at the sky, “Let’s take the opportunity to enjoy the sun while we’re here,” she suggested, Bofur agreed and they walked side by side until they reached a sitting area.

They found that Bombur was seated further away with a large pile of food before him, Bofur laughed at the expression on Nari’s face as he sat on a bench, she sat next to him and looked at him with concern.

“Does he always eat that much food?” she asked, noting a wheel of cheese, fresh fruits, bread rolls and some cooked meats all piled together.

“Aye,” he leaned back and looked to the sky before returning his gaze to her, “Ever since I could remember Bombur’s always eaten hordes of food, mind ye, he can cook about as well as he eats,”

“I’ve heard ye should never trust a slender cook, so I would believe ye,” Bofur laughed and she looked at Bombur in wonder. “How do ye know him?”

He rested his hands behind his head and stretched his back out, “He’s my older brother,”

“Really?” she asked in surprise.

“Aye, the resemblance is uncanny, I know,” he grinned with a familiar cheek. “And that dwarf who wears the decorative axe in his head is our cousin, Bifur, we’re not quite sure how it got stuck there, but he was never much for words to begin with,”

“Well I certainly see the resemblance between ye and Bifur,” she chuckled lightly, “Ye both like to adorn yer heads with funny things,”

“Ooh that was a low-blow,” he pretended to wince and grab his side.

“So who else is related? I gather Fíli and Kíli must be related, and Fíli addressed Thorin as ‘uncle’?”

“Aye, Fíli is Kíli’s older brother, and Thorin is their Uncle by blood,”

“That explains why he’s been so protective of them,” she nodded, “I take it he has no bairns of his own?”

Bofur shook his head, “I don’t think he ever looked to find love, but he treats his sister’s sons as if they were his own,”

“I understand that,” she looked around the marketplace absentmindedly.

“Aye, ye seem close to yer nephews and niece,”

“What? Oh yes,” she caught sight of her brother, “Them too. But I’ve been keeping an eye over my brother since he was a pebble,”

“He must think the world of ye for that,” Bofur said, Nari looked to see that his face was serious, she glanced back at Callon.

“I could only hope so,”

Bofur didn’t press the subject further, so he continued speaking about the company, “And then ye have Dori, Nori and Ori, they’re all brothers, different fathers and in that order by birth,” he pointed to the three that stood together near a crockery stand, “Dori is the grey-haired mother hen of the lot, Nori the pointy-haired lad likes to make bets and does the occasional theft now and then, and young Ori is an artist and writer, and I heard that he’s hoping to document our journey someday,”

“Dori, Nori and Ori, alright, that’s not at all confusing,” Nari scrunched her nose and pointed to Balin and Dwalin, “And they are brothers as well? At least that’s what I gathered based on dinner last night,”

“Aye, Balin is Dwalin’s older brother, they may not seem like it but they’re thick as thieves, and our healer Óin along with his brother Glóin are their cousins as well,” he pointed out the two older dwarves.

“Balin and Dwalin, those names continue to sound so familiar…” she thought for a moment and then shrugged it off, “Never mind.” She nodded to Bilbo who had found himself in conversation with Thorin. “What of Master Baggins?”

“Bilbo? Oh, he’s on his own, poor lad, there’s no family I know of waiting for his return back to the Shire either,”

“Oh, that is a bit sad,” she rubbed her hands awkwardly together, “But what I meant was, why did he join the company?”

“Oh! Well we needed a burglar to get inside the mountain and get the Arkenstone, he’s lighter than a feather when he wants to be that Bilbo,”

“Burglar?” she frowned, “He doesn’t seem the type... but who am I to be judging?” she leaned back on the bench and stretched her arms out behind her, “Well I’m certainly glad to know more about the famous company. Thank ye,”

He smiled at her, “Anytime… though if ye wanted to be alone with me all ye had to do was ask ye know, ye didn’t have to single me out,”

She laughed and smacked him playfully on the shoulder and pointed at him, “Ye were the one who sought me out, playing daft the way ye were,”

He chuckled and rubbed his arm where she had hit him, “Caught on to that, did ye?”

“Of course I did, ye’re a right cheeky dwarf, and it’s easy to tell when ye’re up to something,” she smiled at him and rested her arm on the bench, “So, tell me more about yerself,”

“About, about me?” Bofur almost stuttered, “What about me?”

“Anything really,” she rested her chin on her hand and looked at him, “It’s not often that we meet people from outside of our village anymore,”

Bofur was about to speak when he was interrupted, “Nari, I’m sorry to disturb you,” it was the young elf maid from the evening before, Elva, he recalled, “But it’s nearly noon and-”

“Already?” she asked, looking up at the sky, “My how the time flies… I’m sorry to leave ye on such short notice Bofur but I have something I need to attend to, tell the others I’ll meet them shortly,” she excused herself and got up, jogging away from the marketplace and out of sight, with Elva following not far behind.

Bofur closed his mouth and lowered his hand, he was joined by Fíli and Kíli who seated themselves happily next to him, the youngest brother decided to prop his leg over Fíli’s lap while munching on a sweet treat in hand, with Callon standing nearby and looking to where she had gone.

“Must you put your leg on my lap?” Fíli sighed.

“What?” Kíli asked through a mouthful of food, “Nari said to keep it elevated,” he grinned and took another bite of his food.

“The only time you decide to listen to someone, and you decide to use me for a footrest,” Fíli sighed, shaking his head, he looked over to Bofur and frowned. “Where did Nari run off to?”

Kíli bent his head back to look at Bofur upside-down, “Yes, she seemed eager to leave,” he munched at his food again.

“Kee,” Fíli hissed, making the young brother move back upright and shrug.

“What? You saw it with your own eyes-”

“Sometimes there are things you just can’t say-”

“Well I wish I knew lads, she just pardoned herself and then ran off down that way,” Bofur pointed in the direction. “I think it had to do with whatever that Elva lass told her yesterday while we were waiting to bathe,”

“Bofur, where is Nari?” Thorin asked as he approached them, the other members had gathered to the bench and some looked around muttering to each other.

“What time is it?” Callon asked, causing everyone to look at him.

“That lass Elva said it was nearly noon, why?”

“I know where she went, and it’s not good,” he tensed slightly, he looked at the others, “I don’t suppose it’s anything to hide, so ye may as well come along,” he nodded his head and walked off.

“Are you certain we should be going to wherever she is?” Thorin asked him.

“Well, most of the village will likely be there to watch, it’s no secret,”

The company all glanced at one another and shrugged, they tried to bounce ideas around quietly about what it could possibly be, but none of them were close. They stopped their chattering when they heard a loud whistling noise from nearby.

“Seems that we’re just in time,” he stopped walking and the dwarfs nearly walked straight into him, grumbling they dispersed and looked ahead.

Nari was facing a dwarf not too far from herself, in an open clearing that was surrounded by a crowd; they kept their distance as they waited. He removed his sword from its sheath and Nari did the same, neither moving from where they stood, holding each other’s gaze.

“What’s going on?” Kíli asked Callon, seating himself on the ground to rest his leg.

“Cáleb’s trying to win my sister’s hand in marriage,”

“Marriage?” Bilbo asked surprised, “It looks like they’re about to dual-” he said in disbelief, “Is this normal Dwarf custom?”

“Certainly not,” Balin shook his head.

“Right, so who’s betting that Nari shall beat the lad?” Nori asked, not hesitating in making money out of the situation.

“My money is on the lass, if she can nearly get Thranduil then she can certainly handle this dwarf,” Bofur said confidently, “How much are we talking?”

“A hundred coins,” Nori said.

“I agree with Bofur, I’m certain the lass can handle her own,” Dwalin agreed.

“Really? I don’t think she’d be able to,” Kíli shook his head, “I wager that she won’t win,”

“I might not be agreeable with the violence of the situation, but I’d put my money on her,” Bilbo nodded.

“I’ll wager that she might teach him a good lesson,” Fíli smirked, “She doesn’t seem the type of dwarrow to be objectified as a trophy, I’m in,”

And soon enough the others had placed their bets; Bofur, Dwalin, Bilbo, Fíli, Dori, Nori and even Callon had made the wager for her to win, while Kíli, Bombur, Bifur, Ori, Óin and Glóin otherwise disagreed, the winners would divide the money amongst one another; Thorin and Balin wanted nothing to do with it as they watched on in concern.

As if they had been waiting for the bets to be placed they started to move, with Cáleb making the first swing towards her, she lifted her sword and swiftly blocked the attack, and taking a strike at him in return. They continue their back and forth assaults, with Cáleb seemingly taking the lead, the company muttering among one another that Nari was holding back against him while the others waved it off.

Nari was returning the swings with ease, until Cáleb’s foot slipped underneath her unnoticed and tripped her up, she stumbled backwards onto the ground with a grunt and he took the opportunity to try and pin her arms down, kneeling heavily over her.

She wriggled underneath him, both of them panting slightly from the exertion; he looked her dead in the eyes.

“Yield,” he growled, she freed her arms from his grip and grabbed her sword that lay next to her.

“Never,” she quickly slid her sword between their chests as a barrier, and grasped the other end of the blade with her other hand, she shoved him off of her with excessive force and he immediately moved back to retrieve his sword.

They fought again with their swords clanging away, but the company could sense that Nari’s swings were becoming more aggressive than needed; in fact to their surprise she missed a few chances to strike him. Cáleb swung hard enough to spin Nari on her heel, momentarily disorientating her direction of attack, and he came up behind her speedily, pressing his free arm across her chest into him and held his sword to her throat.

She didn’t hesitate in elbowing him in the gut, breaking free from his hold and then turning to strike him with her sword again; however, he had raised his sword in the nick of time as the weapons made a loud ringing as they scraped against each other.

Neither of them backed down, and as a result their swords were reaching dangerously close to their hands, Cáleb struck his sword against her hand to disarm her of her weapon; she dropped it with a yelp, shaking her hand but not slowing down when reaching to pick it up once again.

Cáleb’s sword to her throat made her fall short, she looked up at him as he eyed her, he pressed the cool metal to her neck and she didn’t give him the satisfaction of expressing her fear, simply staring at him.

“After all this time and you still hold on?” He asked, moving the blade slowly to the single braid that dangled from her face, with a flick of his wrist he cut it from her hair and it fell to the ground softly.

“I reckon she might just kill him now,” Callon muttered, pressing a hand to his head with a deep sigh.

“Why would ye say that?” Bofur asked.

“Our father braided that some time before he died, that was sixty years passed,”

Nari briefly glanced down at the braid; before she ducked under the sword that Cáleb now hovered carelessly by her, he stepped back in surprise at her sudden movement, clearly believing that he had won the match. She grabbed for her sword and swung hers hard enough to knock his from his grasp, it landed just in front of the crowd that had now gathered, he looked at her with widened eyes and started stepping backwards as she stomped towards him.

The most unforeseen events followed as she threw her own sword to the ground in rage, “Ye dare to dishonour the memory of my father?” She charged forward and grabbed him by the tunic, raising him from the ground slightly and pulling him close to her face, she used her free fist to punch him squarely underneath his jaw.

The crowd including the dwarves winced as he tumbled onto the ground stomach first, and he looked back almost helplessly as she came up behind him. She grabbed the scruff of his tunic using both hands, plucking him off the ground without effort; she walked backwards and then ran forwards, releasing him towards an empty hay-wain.

Feathers, hay and a few loose chickens flew into the air at the sudden collision, she brushed her hands off and watched him as he struggled, the company staring at her and astounded by her strength. He coughed heavily and discarded some of the mess that now covered him, wobbling to stand himself up once again, and he was clearly dazed and struggling to make sense of where he was.

His face was dirty from the mess of the hay-wain, and the drying blood that had bled out and dripped down to his mouth.

“C’mon! Ye wanted a fight and now ye’ve got one,” Nari gestured for him to come closer and he hesitated, “{Fight me!}” she yelled, causing some of the crowd to be startled, he walked forward slowly and raised his fists to protect his face.

She made a few low blows to his abdomen which winded him, and he tried his best to get a few hits but missed on every attempt, his vision getting the best of him as he tried to focus himself. She hit him hard in the stomach and he dropped his hands to hold himself, she immediately punched him in the face and he crumpled to the ground with a spin.

Some of the crowd cheered while others gasped and talked in fear, only a handful booed their dislike. She moved back and retrieved Cáleb’s sword in her hand, Nari hovered over him and raised the sword, the crowd panicked as she stabbed downward, and the sword sunk firmly into the dirt next to his face. The company themselves let out their held breaths as they stared at the scene.

She leaned down to address him, “It’s over,” she hissed, and stood up quickly, marching away from the fight to the opposite direction of where the company stood, not having seen them.

The company fumbled for their coin sacks as they made their exchanges, those who lost admitting that they had clearly underestimated her capabilities, while the others roared in triumph at their winnings.

“Narriel.” A female voice called out sternly, making her halt and shrink a little, she glimpsed up at the elf that stood tall on the side of the hay-wain, and bowed her head to look at the ground when she saw the look on her face.

Nari immediately walked passed the elf, appearing shameful as she avoided further eye contact, the company watched in confusion and took in the features of the new figure, wearing a long flowing powder blue dress that seemed to shimmer in the sunlight.

“I suggest you come along, Thorin Oakenshield and Company,” she spoke calmly but the command behind it was clear, and she didn’t even look back to see if they were following.

Nari and the mysterious elf maid had disappeared from sight as Callon led the company onward after them, they didn’t even make conversation as they walked, as an uneasy feeling began to settle for all of them.

Nari waited impatiently for her, and she was met with an equally frustrated face from the elf maid as she entered and climbed the small steps towards her throne, looking back at Nari.

“You should apologise for humiliating Cáleb in such a way, what you did was unreasonable and unladylike to say the least, especially in front of all those villagers,” Nari rolled her eyes and sighed.

Lúthrien smirked at Nari from where she stood next to the throne, clearly satisfied that her sister was about to be punished for her actions; causing Nari to glare and cross her arms indignantly; she looked to the elf once again.

“I will not apologise for my actions, he has been pestering me for the last sixty years wanting courtship where he had no chance, not after what he did,”

“I really wish you’d give him a chance dear,” she frowned deeply as she looked at her.

“He betrayed my trust; I cannot simply let that pass by-”

“He played no part-”

“I wish ye would stop making excuses for him!” The company stopped by the entrance, unnoticed by the bickering women, and they shifted on their feet uncomfortably.

“And I wish you didn’t have the same stubbornness as your father,” she said curtly, Nari glared at her for some time, before Thorin cleared his throat loudly and revealed their presence.

“Apologies Thorin and Master Dwarves,” the elf maid shot a look at Nari and waved her hand, “Please come inside, I’m sure you must have some questions,”

“Yes indeed, thank you,” Thorin entered, followed by the company, and Callon took his place next to his sister, standing with his hands behind his back.

“I am Misteth, Eossimar’s ruling Queen,” she introduced herself, “And also mother to the three standing here with you,”

The company’s jaws dropped collectively as they looked to Nari and Callon, Kíli and Fíli looked to each other and back to the siblings, and the group chatted excitedly.

“So… ye’re a, a princess then?” Bofur asked Nari in amazement.

“By birth I might be, but I’m not above anyone,” she briefly met his gaze but quickly returned it to her mother.

Misteth chuckled, “My oldest being ever so humble,” she shook her head, “Now as much as I’d like to give you time to process all this new information, I think it’s best to get to why you have come here. I’m sure Narriel and Callon have already helped you somewhat, but I’m certain you would like to get your hands on some weapons?”

“Yes,” Thorin nodded, “And your children have been very welcoming to us,”

“I am glad to hear that my daughter still has some manners, considering the ruckus and madness I stumbled upon not too long ago,” Misteth said, looking at Nari with disappointment, and she bowed her head down irritably at her mother’s remark. “I’ll let the Captain of the Guard show you to the weaponry and armoury before you leave,”

“Thank you, we will be sure to return our thanks to the people of Eossimar once we’ve reached Erebor,” he assured her, and then he looked around with a frown, “So where is this Captain of yours?”

Misteth looked to Nari, “I believe you’re already acquainted with her,”

Dwalin was the first to speak, “Princess and Captain of the Guard?”

Nari crossed her arms, “Aye, don’t be so surprised. I’m the best fighter in the village, as I’m sure ye’ve just witnessed,”

“It’s best that you go on your way Master Dwarves, and Master Hobbit,” Misteth suggested, “And I wish you the best of luck on the rest of your quest.” She paused as Callon led the company out of the hall, “And Narriel, I’ll have a word with you in private once you’ve finished,” she nodded her head with a serious gaze, before turning around and walking on to Lúthrien.

“Yes, Mother,” she mumbled and followed them out.

Nari walked tensely next to her brother on the way to the armoury, her hands now balled into fists as she focused her attention ahead of her.

Kíli popped up next to her and she frowned at him irritably, “You know, sometimes my mother would get angry at me sometimes,”

“Kíli-” Fíli stepped up and placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder to pull him back.

He ignored his brother and continued despite her lack of response, “But as much as it would anger or sadden me, I knew she would only say those things out of love,”

“Aye?” she asked stopping still, tightening her fists, “And I’m sure yer mother wished for ye to be prim and proper like yer sister, with long flowing hair and pretty pink dresses instead of-”

“{Sister, breathe},” Callon touched her shoulder gently, she let out a shaky breath and let her hands fall open, he looked at her and she nodded.

“Sorry Kíli,” she mumbled, “I know ye were only trying to help,” she sighed and carried on walking. “Ever since my father passed it’s been hard to maintain a relationship with those two,”

“Why is that?” Kíli asked.

“Because… well…” she couldn’t think of an explanation.

“Because our sister and mother are very similar, and they’re both, a bit snobbish if I’m to be honest,” Callon answered, “Our father was the one who brought out the fun in them, at least that’s what I remember of him,”

“Besides that… my father decided to toughen me up since the assault from those dwarf boys, and started to treat me as if I were a lad instead,” Nari added, “She’d never admit to it, but I’m certain she’s disappointed that her daughter acts as a son,”

“Well I would think that a lass that could hold her own would be a relief for her parents,” Dwalin spoke up, “I would certainly be at ease if I had a daughter who could punch off any cheeky admirers the way you just did,”

“Aye and it was a sight to see,” Bofur agreed, taking to Nari’s side, making Kíli and Fíli fall back easily with the others.

“Aye, I heard ye all placing yer bets,” she smirked making Bofur grin sheepishly, “Ye really need to work on lowering yer voices,”

“About that lad-”

“Here we are,” Callon announced, he held his hand out to her, “Do ye have the key?”

“Oh damn, it’s back in the mess hall,” she shook her head after feeling her pockets, he waved his hand.

“No matter,” he pulled a hair pin from under his braiding and slid it into the lock, he wiggled it until it clicked and popped open, “Been meaning to practice my lock-picking,” he grinned, removing the lock and pushing the doors open.

“Does everyone in yer family know how to pick locks?” Bofur asked as they walked inside.

“Well my nephews and niece have nearly perfected it too,” she gave him a cheeky smile. “Can’t see a reason not to know,”

The company walked around the large room to take everything in, Callon taking pride in showing Fíli the multitude of swords and pointing out the arrows for Kíli, Nari smiled as they wondered in fascination. All of them touched and examined what interested them, finding variations that they did not expect, and trying to determine what they’d like best for themselves.

Bofur was among the first to finish his choice and stood next to Nari outside, “Erm, if ye don’t mind me coming back to my question, about the lad?” he propped himself against the other side of the entrance.

“I suppose it’s best to ease yer curiosity,” she chuckled, “Cáleb… hmm, well, he’s roughly my age, his family was one of the first to live here in Eossimar, we sort of grew up together, and he was with my father when he got injured and later died,”

“Why had he been with yer father?”

“I told my father that it was more than likely that the dwarves would fall back to Moria, the old kingdom he’d told me about, after Smaug desolated Erebor; so he, Cáleb and several others went on to help them fight and have a place to claim as home. My father had ordered me to stay home,” she looked around before looking back to Bofur.

“But ye didn’t, did ye?” he asked solemnly, she shook her head.

“If Cáleb hadn’t been so fearful, he could have prevented the injury from ever happening, he could’ve been alive,” she spoke softly, “I watched him freeze as my father got held by some orcs as a target, they shot him with one of their arrows, and then left him to die.”

“An arrow, like Kíli’s?” he asked, she nodded.

“I’d managed to kill off a few orcs but then the fight suddenly ended when Azog fled, I believe from Thorin’s assault. We managed to bring my father back home, but he died from the poison,” she took a deep breath, “He promised to protect my father, and I trusted him to bring him back home safely, and not only did he fail, but he tried to tell me it was beyond his control,”

“That must’ve been terrible, watching yer father become sick like that,” Bofur spoke quietly.

“Believe me, it was. We had no understanding of how to heal him at the time,”

“But now, what does this all have to do with yer fight and… marriage?”

Nari laughed derisively, “Cáleb had been trying to court me, and he was trying to ask my father for his blessing while he was on his deathbed,” she shook her head in disgust, “My father was likely mad from the poison, or very confident in my abilities,”

“I don’t understand,” Bofur frowned.

“He told Cáleb, that if he wanted my hand in marriage he’d have to duel me and win, little did he know that my father informed me to never let ‘that idiot’ beat me, and so for the past sixty years he’d been persisting,”

“For sixty years? I’d say I was sorry for the lad but it seems a bit excessive to keep trying,” Bofur shook his head, “He should’ve learned when to quit years ago,”

“I agree,” she nodded, “Which is why this was the last duel,” she smiled at him.

“Well that explains why ye kicked his arse so hard,” Bofur chuckled, “It was both impressive and terrifying to see yer strength ye know.”

She laughed, “Aye, it goes to show ye that looks don’t mean everything, yer companion Dwalin might be built like an ox, but I’m certain he can be soft hearted and compassionate like any of us,”

“What did you say about me being soft?” Dwalin barked from inside the room, he nearly dropped the axe he was wielding.

“Nothing Dwalin,” Nari called back and he huffed, moving out of the room to stand in the fresh air.

“That’s what I thought,” he grumbled irritably.

Soon the others made their way out, and Balin stopped near them, “And this father of yours, who was he then?”

“He was a member of the guard back in Erebor, Kalin, son of-”

“Fundin?” Dwalin walked up to them.

“Aye, did ye know him?” she frowned, looking at both of them as they looked to each other in surprise.

“Are you certain that was his name?” Dwalin stared at her.

“Of course I am, why?” she looked between them again.

“He was our…” Balin started.

“Brother,” he and Dwalin finished, they looked at each other in disbelief.

“Brother? But that means…” She scanned their faces and connected the dots.

“Hold still for a moment,” Balin asked as he moved forward, he raised his hand to cover half of her face, showing mostly her eye and damaged ear. “Dwalin, I told you he’d had a daughter, this is her,” he lowered his hand and lightly grabbed her shoulders, taking in her features, and she froze as she looked at him.

“Kalin was the youngest of us three,” Dwalin spoke up, “We’d heard that he’d had words with Thrór, but we never saw him again… I, I trained him myself,” his mind began racing.

“The only time I managed to see you, you were hiding behind your father’s legs, you were shy, and perhaps a little scared,” Balin’s eyes sparkled and he hugged Nari tightly and stepped back. “I knew he’d run off after a maiden but… an elf?”

“And I never even met you, until now,” Dwalin stared at her, “You resemble so much of your father now that I think about it,” he almost choked, “A part of our brother still lives on Balin,” he stepped forward and hugged Nari tightly, she rubbed his back gently, still slightly shocked.

“I remember why yer names were so familiar now,” she stepped back and looked at them, “Balin the Wise and Dwalin the Fierce, he used to tell us stories about ye.”

“‘Us’?” Dwalin asked.

“Aye, us,” Callon walked up to them. “Though Lúthrien always thought they were fairy tales,” he said.

“So we have… two nieces and a nephew that Kalin hid from us,” Balin stared at the siblings. “This is very overwhelming indeed,”

“I think it's wonderful,” Nari laughed lightly, “Callon and I certainly would welcome ye with open arms to the family…” she looked at him and he nodded with a smile.

“As much as I am glad to witness this reunion of families,” Thorin interrupted the gathering, “We are running short on time,”

Nari cleared her throat, “Of course, and everyone is ready?” She scanned the company and they all gave their agreements. “Then we’ll be on our way,”

Nari and Callon led the way towards the main entrance once again, and the dwarves took one more look at their surroundings as they walked; families conversing together, children playing loudly, the marketplace coming to a slow, the ponies that hadn’t been seen before whinnying in the distance, along with other farm animals getting their say in.

It was all too familiar for them, Erebor had been much the same before the dragon had fallen upon them like a curse, and they so longed for home to be theirs once more; to bring their own families joy once again.

Bofur noticed three little heads not too far away staring in curiosity, he grinned as he recognised the children, Nari’s family; and he gave them a wave, they all waved back eagerly and he even heard the girl yelling a goodbye for them. He chuckled, a few dwarves looked at him and he shook his head, deciding to keep this as a memory for himself.

____________________________________________________________

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marvelhead17 · 3 years

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The Tale of Eossimar (Original Female Character x Bofur Fic)

Chapter 2

Word Count: 4.8k

For what seemed like an hour at the least they had been walking, they finally exited the forests leading from Mirkwood’s grand entrance, and the two guards that stood next to the doors followed behind and proceeded to slam them shut after the group. She realised it was going to take a lot more effort than she initially thought to escape from the Elven Kingdom, especially when there were so many to help escape against the vast number of elves by comparison.

They were led along long winding branches inside what felt like the heart of an enormous tree from ancient times; above and below went on to pitch blackness for what looked to be an eternity, but thankfully the path that they walked did have an end. The group stood now before one of the most pretentious beings Nari had ever laid eyes upon, his hands were decorated with large precious rocks and intricate golden rings, and on his head a crown adorned with inspirations from nature rested, being almost twice as big as his head.

“Well, what do we have here?” the Elven King stood from his throne and twisted his hand with a flourish in the air, he stepped forward to walk down the steps, his delicate and elaborate robes flowing behind him on the ground.

They had been made to stand in a row and Thranduil now walked along the line, eyeing them all from the youngest up to Thorin who stood the furthest away, “Thirteen dwarves and a…” he scrutinized Nari who stood left of Thorin, “My word, the rumours are true,” he lowered himself to her level.

“I wouldn’t get too close,” she sneered.

“Feisty little thing aren’t we?” he chuckled, “My how unnatural you people are,” he stood upright and stepped back, “I’ve never had the unfortunate business of meeting one of you in the flesh,” she glared at him, Thorin frowned heavily between them, “It just proves that dwarves will be awfully horrible looking creatures even if they have elf-blood coursing through them,”

She laughed derisively, “That’s funny ye see, seeing I’ve this mug of a face becauseof the elf-blood,”

“And she holds the temper of a dwarf as well,” Thranduil let a smirk reach the corner of his lip, but before he could continue his ridicule his breath hitched as he noticed something on her. He moved closer and took hold of the leather that was hung around her neck, as he lifted it the white crystal he had glimpsed was now in full view and glittering, and Thranduil’s amused look had all but disappeared. “Where did you happen upon this?” he demanded, eyeing her.

“My mother gave it to me as a babe, what’s it to ye?”

“Your mother must have been a common thief,” he tugged sharply at the crystal and the worn leather snapped under the sudden pressure, “This belongs to me!” he hissed and clutched the crystal tightly in his hand, and then moved his hand to his chest, letting it rest against his heart.

“Ye should not talk so poorly of yer kin, yer Majesty,” she spoke through gritted teeth and a heavy glare.

“I can assure you, half-breed, no kin of mine would steal from their own,” he whipped his head back to his throne and made a slow walk back to it.

“Mark my words: I will get my necklace back,” she warned him, moving her loosened cuffs ever so slightly in her hands.

Thorin glanced down and wondered when and how she had made the efforts at removing them, and he looked back up without saying a word.

“I would rather enjoy seeing you attempt such a feat,” Thranduil snickered, still walking towards his throne unknowingly.

“That may be sooner than ye wish...” her voice lilted as she spoke, as she dropped her cuffs to the floor with a clang; the dwarves who had not been aware had dropped their jaws in awe as she miraculously freed herself.

Two elves made for her immediately, and she was grabbed by both arms, she glanced at both of them before taking a quick step back and pulling both her arms to herself quickly. The elves jerked forward from the sudden motion and knocked their helmetless heads together hard, making them stumble and lose their footing, she grabbed the nearest one’s sword from its sheath and approached Thranduil who had turned to witness the commotion from behind him, with a smug look plastered on him.

Once he deemed her close enough he drew out his own sword from his person, but she was evidently speedier as she swung her sword and knocked his from his grasp to the floor, she had managed to latch onto it and spun on her feet before Thranduil could even make a motion to grab for it. She raised both swords to his exposed throat, enjoying the sudden surprise that now covered his features, a definite fear flashing behind the somewhat familiar blue eyes.

“Legolas, {bring the youngest forward},” Thranduil choked out slightly, he did as he was told and held his dagger to the youngest dwarf’s naked throat, the poor thing had already whimpered when he had suddenly been pushed forward, and now he shook in his boots as the blade was held so close to his skin.

“Nari for the love of Mahal put the swords down!” a voice practically shrieked, she turned to see a dwarf with neatly braided grey hair beside himself and staring in distress at the young dwarf.

“Ye just couldn’t stand being beaten could ye?” she muttered and threw the weapons to the ground angrily, the two elves from earlier secured her in new cuffs while Thranduil regained his composure and brushed his robes flat; he gazed over her features as if looking for something.

“{Devil child},” he murmured, “Remove that pin from her hair at once, we cannot risk her breaking free again,” he ordered, “{And give her the collar as well},”

She remained still as they placed a heavy metal collar around her throat, it had a small chain which they attached to the cuffs, and she was led back to the dwarves.

“Take them to their cells, I must still speak with the would-be King,” Thranduil instructed.

“Ye’re pettyye know that?” Nari called out as they were about to be taken away.

“Lass, ye’ve seriously got to stop running yer mouth like that,” the balding dwarf muttered disapprovingly.

“Wait.” Thranduil called out, the elves stopped in their tracks, and the Elven King strode forward to stand in front of her. “I’ve had quite enough of your insolence, child,” he grabbed her face with one hand and squeezed her cheeks hard, her eyes widened slightly at the sudden menace he showed, “If pettyis what you want, then petty is what you shall have-” he let her face go and suddenly the back of his adorned hand met her cheek with a hard slap, she gasped as the thin skin teared in a line and bleed a little. “May this be a lesson for you,” he hissed, before waving his hand in the air.

She made no sound in response, only glared at the Elven King as he floated away.

The elves led Nari and the rest of the company deep down the kingdom of Mirkwood to their dingy cells, she remained silent for the walk as she looked around at the defeated faces of the dwarves that were being shoved into the barred cells, and felt her own mood deflating.

Her cuffs were promptly removed but her collar remained in place, the chain left dangling in the air wildly, she hadn’t even noticed the dwarf that she was now sharing the cell with; instead she had faced her jailers with a huff as they had shoved her inside much more aggressively than was necessary.

One with chestnut hair bent down to look her over and chuckled smugly, “Our King is correct in saying that the half-breed is short on looks, and perhaps intelligence,” she held onto the bars of the cell and spat in the elf’s face, and he stepped back in surprise at the unexpected assault.

The other elf leaned forward and grabbed the collar of her tunic, “How dare you spit in the face of my-”

Nari grabbed his own collar and pulled him forcefully so that his head banged hard into the thick metal bars of the cell, he cursed multiple different elvish phrases as he stumbled back to his companion, his forehead now reddened from the impact, and the pair promptly left the dwarves alone huffing angrily.

“Are ye alright lass?” a concerned voice called from behind her and she nearly jumped out of her skin, “Sorry, didn’t mean to frighten ye,” she turned around, noticing the dwarf with the hat that her owl had favoured earlier that day.

“Aye, I’m alright, thank ye,” she nodded and stared up out of their cell and sighed, she touched her neck and her hand jerked away at the unfamiliar cold of the collar that now sat around it.

“I’m sure we can find a way to get that necklace back for ye lass,” he gave her a sympathetic smile and she returned a smaller one.

“What’s yer name?” she asked, leaning against the cell wall and slowly sinking down so that she sat on the floor, he raised a brow and she shrugged. “May as well get comfortable, who knows how long we’ll be here,” he nodded in understanding.

“Bofur, at yer service,” he bowed and raised his hat briefly from his head, before taking his own seat across from her on the floor, and she acknowledged his introduction.

“I cannot believe he took my mother’s necklace, claiming it belonged to him,” she half-groaned, and leaned her head back against the stone wall, closing her eyes briefly.

“Is yer ma still…” he paused, wondering if he should press the subject, fumbling and crossing his legs awkwardly as he thought.

“Alive? Aye she is,” she looked at Bofur and sat upright, crossing her legs and tucking her hands in the space between them and making herself more comfortable.

“And yer da?” he asked, she eyed him for a moment, as if to make certain he was genuine in wanting conversation and then cleared her throat lightly.

“No, he-” she averted her gaze briefly before turning it to him with a saddened smile, “He passed a long time ago, rather nobly really,” she chuckled a bit forcefully, “He was a good dwarf he was,” she stared down at her hands in her lap.

“Ye miss him, don’t ye?” Bofur asked quietly, playing with his fingers absentmindedly, she nodded.

“Ye know, there’s something about ye I can’t put my finger on,” they both frowned and then she shrugged, “I’m not normally one to just open up to the first person to listen, but something about ye makes me believe I can trust ye,” she smiled more openly now, “Perhaps it’s the funny hat and moustache that makes ye so approachable,” she giggled, giving the front of his hat a light flick with her finger.

“Perhaps,” he gave her a cheeky wink, “Ye know, Thorin will probably never admit this to ye, so I may as well be the first to thank ye,” he started and she creased her brow slightly, “For ye know, trying to save us from the capture of the Elves,”

She laughed, “Well, fat good that did ye, didn’t it?” she gestured to their cell and then closed her eyes, briefly rubbing her neck, as best she could with the collar weighing on her shoulders.

“Still, it was mighty good of ye- is that thing hurting ye?” he asked in concern.

“Aye, only a little though- oh right, how daft of me,” she shook her head and reached down under her tunic to her lap, Bofur shifted awkwardly in his seat and tried to avert his gaze in vain, his eyes widened as she pulled out a small dagger.

“Yer just full of surprises aren’t ye lass?” he chuckled in relief and then moved to his hands, crawling forward to her and sitting on his knees next to her, holding his hand out. “Let me give ye a hand, it’s the least I can do for yer favours to us,”

She placed the dagger delicately in his hand and he carefully worked the sharp tip of the blade in the key hole of the collar, after a few scraping sounds he held out his fist in success at the final clicking of the collar, he removed it slowly from her neck and tossed it onto the floor with a clink.

“Thank ye kindly, Bofur,” she smiled, and he settled himself next to her, smiling as well.

“Not a problem lass,” he examined the thin line of dried blood on her cheek, “Is that cut of yers stinging at-”

“Again!” they whipped their attention to the bars as they heard one of their companions yell out, and the loud clunking of bodies against metal could be heard, as they obviously tried to fight their way out. Bofur and Nari glanced at each other a little worriedly before looking out again.

“Leave it!” another called out, louder than the rest, it sounded like the snowy haired dwarf, “There's no way out!” he sounded tired, “This is no Orc dungeon; these are the Halls of the Woodland Realm.” He informed, “No one leaves here, but by the King’s consent.” There were loud grumblings and mutterings as the dwarves settled themselves down for the time being.

After a pregnant pause, another question finally came tumbling from Bofur’s mouth, “Why is it ye came to our aid?” he searched her face for an answer.

“Well, I wasn’t lying when I said I had heard about Thorin and the company,”

“Aye, I believe ye on that lass,” he agreed.

“Well, ye see, where I live, we’re all considered… outcasts, or as others would prefer, half-breeds,”

“And what exactly does that mean?”

“It means,” she took a deep breath and then breathed out, “It means our blood is not pure, that it’s tainted,”

“Tainted how?” he frowned.

“Well… for me, my mother is an elf-maid, I know not from which Elven territory, and my father is a Dwarf from Erebor,” he stared at her as if trying to determine which parts of her was clearly elf or dwarf. “It’s not as simple as that,” she smiled as she shook her head.

“Well I mean, yer ears are clearly Elven,” he noted, staring at them directly, noting the damaged one with the piercing in it.

“Aye, but they are also a little larger than a normal elf’s ears, much like a Dwarf,” she flicked her ears playfully, bobbing her head to the side as she looked at him. “And I’m not nearly as tall as an elf is meant to be, but not nearly as short as I’m meant to be as a dwarrow,”

“Well I do believe ye’re a perfectly reasonable height, it certainly doesn’t hold ye back from fighting so well,”

“Ye’re very kind Bofur,” she smiled, “And very optimistic, I do believe I ended up jailed with one of the perkiest Dwarves in all of Middle Earth,” she laughed, “And one of the best nests for my lovely Screech as well, so perhaps ye should stick around for her, she would appreciate it greatly,” she flicked the flap on the side of his hat teasingly.

“That was right cheeky of her that was, ruffling my hat up like that,” he patted the top of it, fondly remembering the panic he had earlier, though it seemed rather silly in comparison to their current situation.

He thought for a moment and then looked at her, “So where were ye taking us…?”

“Oh, to my home, it’s called Eossimar,”

“I’ve never heard that name before,” Bofur frowned.

“Well, unless ye live there ye don’t know of it, it’s where we undesirables now live ye see,” she looked down briefly, “That tunnel would have lead us to a pathway straight to it, we were almost there had it not been for-”

“Did he offer you a deal?” the reprimanding voice from earlier asked in a hopeful manner and they both stood up eagerly, moving closer to the bars to listen in.

“He did.” Thorin’s deep baritone responded, “I told him he could go [pour my shit all over his family’s heads!]” Bofur’s jaw dropped slightly, he looked to her almost apologetically, and Nari rubbed her hands over her face in defeat.

“Him and all his kin!” Thorin yelled, his voice echoing into the caverns.

“Well, that's that, then. A deal was our only hope.” The other voice muttered.

“Damn that stubborn dwarf,” she muttered and sat back down on the floor again, “I know he probably bears ill-will to Thranduil- but striking a bargain with him wouldn’t have killed him, who knows how long we’ll be stuck here now?”

“Not to sound insensitive but you seemed to bear ill-will to that lad, Legless, was it?” he asked, returning to his seat next to her. “Seems a bit contradictory, if ye ask me,”

She chuckled and corrected him, “Legolas,” he shrugged with a wave of the hand, “And that’s due to his being an arse, what he did to me was not right and he knew it,” she paused, “And as for Thorin and Thranduil, he could easily have made the deal so that we could be let out, it’s not as if Thranduil could force him to stick to his deal,”

“Aye, that could be true, but say he did make the deal and we are set free, if Thorin did not follow his end then perhaps Thranduil would send his people to us, and I’m certain Erebor has seen enough bloodshed in its lifetime,”

“I see yer point,” she nodded in agreement, “But I still don’t think it’s wise for Thorin to hold such a grudge, it’s been sixty years since that day, and we could’ve used the extra hands to fight the dragon, if he still lives that is,”

“Aye, that’s true,” he nodded, “Yer a right clever lass, ye know that?” Bofur smiled widely, she returned it.

“It’s a gift and a curse,” she chuckled, then her face became more serious, “Ye know, if we ever do get out of here, I’d still wish for ye all to take shelter in Eossimar, at least ye could lay low for a few days and regather yer strength,”

“Ye’ve a very optimistic spirit, lass, but I’m not quite sure we will get out of this place,” he surveyed their stone-walled cell, and set his eyes on the thick metal bars serving as a door, and the only exit point for them.

“Call it a gut feeling then, but say we do- and hear me out on this,” she raised her hands to stop him from interrupting, “The first thing I’m going to be doing is getting back my necklace, in the meanwhile ye should lead the rest to Eossimar,”

“I thought it was a big secret of sorts that ye were keeping it from everyone, since yer were making it to be so mysterious and all?” he frowned.

“Aye it is, well, it’s as I said earlier, there’s something about ye that I can trust...” she shrugged and he only nodded. “So if ye manage to get out of the main grounds to the back, there is a big river that flows from underneath and leads to an enormous lake. Just opposite that lake is a forest of birch, ye should be able to find a clear path no matter which side ye enter from, and it’ll be a bit of a trek but it’ll eventually lead to a dark tunnel that sinks low into the ground, ye’ll knows it’s one of the entrances when ye see all the creeper vines at the end of the tunnel,”

“Birch forest, pathway, tunnel, creeper vines, got it,” he repeated the important bits, his knees now sitting near his chest with his hands resting on them, his attention solely on her.

“Now, this part might sound a bit strange, but once ye enter the tunnel, ye need to touch the wall,” she said and he frowned, “It’ll feel odd at first but ye’ll just have to get over that, then ye need to say these words: {Drive away all harm and fear, only good may enter here},”

He stared at her for some time before opening his mouth, “I’m sorry, could ye repeat that?”

“{Drive away all harm and fear, only good may enter here},” she reiterated slowly, he focused on the way her mouth moved as the words tumbled from her mouth.

“{Derive all from harm and fear, only God may enter here},” He recited the words and Nari bit her lip, she leaned forward and held his face in one hand.

“Yer meant to open yer mouth a bit more,” his attention wandered to her eyes, and found himself lost in teal oceans surrounded by dark pools of honey, “{Drive away all harm and fear, only good may enter here},” she said again and waited for him to speak, he blinked several times before realising she had already repeated the words.

He cleared his throat harshly, “{Drive away all harm and fear, only good may enter here?}”he raised a brow and then she gave him an approving smile, releasing his face, which he swore was turning red as he swallowed.

“Now ye’ve got it, so once ye’ve said that, the vines should pull away and open up to the village, then ye can simply walk in and ye’ll be safe, if anyone there asks who sent ye, ye can just tell them it was Nari and they should be more than happy to help ye out,”

He nodded, “It’s mighty kind of ye to be helping us out like this, Nari,”

“Of course, yer kin after all, at least half anyway,” she gave a side smile with a shrug, rubbing the back of her neck somewhat sheepishly.

“Ye’ve a good heart lass,” he patted her leg, but abruptly turned his attention away as a beam of sunlight entered from an unknown source; it hit his face and made him glow slightly in the darkness of the cell.

He leaned back against the wall, melancholic suddenly, “I’ll wager the sun is on the rise, must be nearly dawn.” He looked over to her and forced a smile.

“We're never gonna reach the mountain, are we?” a softer despondent voice spoke out from another cell.

“Not stuck in here, you’re not,” an unfamiliar voice spoke up with a jangling of keys, making Bofur swiftly jump to his feet and grab the bars of the cell, Nari followed him in curiosity and stood at his side.

“Bilbo!” a voice called out.

“What?” another called in disbelief.

“Shh! There are guards nearby!” he reprimanded in a loud whisper, relieved laughter echoed in the cavern and soon excited voices were speaking out, finally their own door was opened and Bofur gently encouraged her forward.

“Close the doors, it’ll buy us more time,”

“All right, Nori,”

“Up the stairs.”

“You first-”

“Ori-”

“Not that way, down here. Follow me,” Bilbo waved his hand for them to follow.

The dwarves frowned from the stairs that they had just begun climbing, but seeing as how Bilbo had found his way to them they reckoned he knew what he was doing and decided it was best to follow him.

She watched as the group started descending deeper into the poorly lit caverns and made no move to follow them, Bofur turned around in search of her and walked back to her quickly with a frown on his face.

“This is where we part ways dear Bofur, my necklace will not retrieve itself,” she patted his shoulder roughly and he nodded his head in understanding, but something still nagged inside him.

“What if ye run into that Legolas fella?”

“Then I’ll just kick his arse again, won’t I?” she gave him a wicked grin and he returned it, she turned and headed for the stairs, stepping impossibly light on her feet as she did.

“And where is she going? Isn’t she meant to lead us to this ‘safe place’ of hers?” one of the dwarves asked.

“Go,” another spoke.

“Easy, now,”

“I’ll explain everything soon enough,” Bofur said to him, hoping that there would be no argument; the dwarf turned around with a grunt and continued to tail the group. Bofur took one last look behind him to see her disappear from sight. “Good luck lass,” he whispered and followed the group.

____________________________________________________________

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marvelhead17 · 3 years

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The Tale of Eossimar (Original Female Character x Bofur Fic)

Chapter 1

Word Count: 4.8k

She walked along the thick branches and observed The Company down below; they had just narrowly escaped the giant spiders that had planned for them to be their dinner, having been caught just moments before in their tough webbing and struggling to regain their consciousness. She admired their determination to live and how they fought so fiercely, albeit ungracefully, but that was to be expected of dwarves.

A familiar soft screech sounded overhead and she turned her attention farther behind them, witnessing a group of Elves approaching with weapons ready in hand towards them, she tensed briefly as she saw the shadow of a figure running along the branch just above her own, and recognised the blond hair instantly.

“We’re clear!” a dwarf with a neatly trimmed beard called out, appearing to be leading the dwarves.

Within seconds the last of the spiders had been dispersed or killed off, and the elves had surrounded the dwarves with their arrows at the ready, the blond had made his grand entrance by crushing a spider and gliding down the slope using its dead body to slide under the belly of another and slicing it open, killing it instantly.

He raised his own arrow to the leading dwarf with a piercing gaze, “Do not think I won’t kill you, dwarf- it would be my pleasure,” the elf must have squinted at him, for she knew him well enough to recognise the tone he gave, and the dwarves lowered their weapons hesitantly.

She made a light clicking sound with her tongue and her barn owl flew to her side, perching on her outstretched arm, “This may be my only chance girl,” she rubbed under the owl’s beak carefully and gave a lopsided smile before sighing, “Could ye be a dear and drop these for me on my call?” the owl made a short yelp and reached her claw out to grab at the small grey pouches resting in her open palm. “Go,” she gently moved her arm forward to encourage the owl to fly away and smirked to herself.

“Help!” a voice called out from a short distance away, she glanced just further ahead and noticed a younger dwarf with ebony hair had been separated from the main group and appeared to be in trouble, she leaned forward and returned her attention back to the group below her, torn between who she should aid first.

“Kíli!” a young dwarf with honey hair turned around in the group, alarm clear in his features, the other lad, was facing a handful of spiders all on his own, without weapon nor thought to what may be of use.

Thwick.

An arrow struck a spider down and a elf-maid appeared out of the shadows, and pursued her onslaught of the creatures, the dwarf was desperate to be a part of the action, and she seemed to take no notice of the dwarf as he tried to gain her attention.

“Throw me a dagger! Quick!” he called out to the red-headed elf as a spider rapidly approached him.

“If you think I'm giving you-” she shot an arrow and struck down a spider, “A weapon, dwarf,” she turned her assault to her backside as one tried to sneak up behind her, “You’re mistaken!” she slashed at it and threw her dagger into the eyes of the spider behind the dwarf, and it curled up into a lifeless corpse.

The dwarf was completely stunned by the elf-maid’s skill, as she easily nudged him along to the rest of the group without argument on his side. She shoved him with the others and turned away from his staring, and she spoke quietly to the leading elf and he nodded, she then returned to the forest, disappearing from view.

“Search them.” the elf ordered, and the elves lowered their weapons to gather closer round the dwarves and inspect them for any hidden weapons.

She took a breath before standing and yelling loudly in Khuzdul, “[Hold yer breath!]” And before anyone could question what was happening, she raised two fingers to her mouth and whistled at full volume, and within seconds her barn owl flew overhead, screeching out eagerly, releasing the pouches from her grasp.

Once they hit the ground a puff of lilac dust filled the air around the dwarves, a few of the elves coughed and waved their hands in front of their faces to clear it away, before falling unconscious to the forest floor. She sighed in relief, upon realising the dwarves had heeded her order to hold their breaths as none of them lay with the elves.

She then leaped down from her branch and rolled effortlessly onto her feet, making the dwarves jump in their skins, and stare in awe at the stranger who had come to their aid. She performed a mock bow and paused upon hearing a grunt from behind her, she turned on her feet to see the blond elf was still standing and very clearly vexed with the situation that had just ensued.

“You again,” he huffed and stepped forward, pulling out his set of long twin daggers from his side to swing at her, she ducked easily having anticipated it.

She struck him in the stomach to send him off balance, and it had worked briefly before he had made another step forward to continue his assault, his stabbing motions were haphazard at best, as his fighting was fuelled by outrage. She gave another punch to his face this time and stunned him enough to make him stagger backwards, shaking his head, but was too slow to counteract and she seized her opportunity to take hold of one of the daggers he held.

She forced it from his grip and made a quick cut to his cheek, a warning, and it alarmed him enough to release the twin dagger and it sunk into the forest floor. He stepped back, touching the drop of blood that came from the wound, before regaining his thoughts and deciding the problem could be dealt with later. He reached behind his back for his bow and arrow and was quick to draw it back, the string becoming taut with his pull on it.

She dropped the other dagger to sit with its twin and smirked at the elf, he only squinted at her, she stepped forward and the dwarves held the breaths, they had remained motionless throughout the brief fight and were now uncertainly anticipating what may come next.

“Now, now, let’s be adults about this and put the toys away, shall we?” she nudged the arrow from her face with one finger, not breaking his intense gaze and he narrowed his eyes further.

“It seems very unlikely that you would not act as a child,”

“{Humorous as always},” she rolled her eyes and leaned forward a little more, “{I think it would be best if you were to leave, the Dwarves are not of your concern},”

“Last I was aware this was Elven territory and therefore they are trespassing, which makes it all the more my concern,” he retorted, “And yet again, your terrible accent ruins the elegance of our Elvish tongue,”

“Ye still understood what I was saying, now get lost,” she spat back, she turned on her heel to face the dwarves, and they finally had a first real look at their helper.

They could not help their staring, as she was truly a rare being; her clothing was not in any way feminine, save for the tunic almost acting as a short dress, which was worn over brown tights. The tunic she wore was a rich maroon; it was lined around the edges with traces of shimmering gold. However, it was not made to size and gave plenty of room, had it not been for the subtle curve of her chest or the softness of her beardless face, she could have easily been mistaken as a man.

Her hair was short and messy, unlike any dwarrow or even dwarf would keep for cultural purposes, though she had somehow managed a tightly woven braid on her head and a loose braid ending with a single bead on her left side. Her hair allowed her ears to be in full view- they were pointed just like an elf’s, at least one was- as the other seemed to be deformed from damage and had a small piercing on the outer ear.

She opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted, “You cannot still be harbouring hard feelings-” he started, and she immediately turned around to confront him.

“Oh- so ye care about feelings all of a sudden do ye?” she flicked her wrist in the air quickly, snapping her fingers in quick succession, and they heard yet another screech, this time round more noticeable than the first, and a small barn owl appeared from the shadows of the trees.

It whizzed by at great speed towards the elf and gripped his bow in its talons, the arrow fell to the ground, becoming useless without its partner, and having stepped forward already she then threw the strap of his bag of arrows from his shoulder, she tossed it to the side out of reach and gave him a swift kick in his gut, making him stumble and fall to his knees. He had no choice but to look up to her from the ground as he spoke.

“I did not mean-”

“Ye’re full of it, and ye know what Legolas? It’s said that actions speak louder than words, perhaps then ye will understand how I am feeling,” she threatened, jabbing a finger at him angrily.

“Do you really wish to do this?” He pleaded with her suddenly, but she was not having it.

“Aye, I do,” she moved nearer and hovered over his now smaller form, and then promptly kicked him in the groin, he whimpered with a squeak and his hands moved over to protect the area from further damage, and to somewhat comfort himself.

The dwarves all winced empathetically, they might not get along with the Elves from generations ago, but they do share the knowledge of the agony he must be feeling now, and they stood still in fear as they watched him collapse to the ground; tears brimming in his eyes.

She turned to face the dwarves once again, a smirk of satisfaction clearly written on her features, “Where was I?” she wondered aloud.

Behind her, Legolas, apparently recovered from his brief injury, was crawling quietly on the floor to reach out for his daggers that were not far from him. His efforts were rewarded as he managed to clasp one of the closer of the two; he raised it in his hand, preparing to throw it at her when Kíli pointed out in alarm.

“Behind-!” She took her dagger that was resting in its sheath on her side and turned blindingly fast, throwing the blade at the elf’s arm and successfully pinning it by his tunic to the roots that were escaping the ground next to him. “-you.” The dwarf finished, his jaw dropping at her remarkable speed, and the elf’s eyes widened as he gaped at her

“Try that again, and the next one will be between yer eyes,” she warned him irritably, gesturing with her index finger as if chiding a child, she was about to turn around again when Legolas spoke up.

“Next time I’ll get you, Nari, I swear by it,” he meant it to be a threat, but somehow it did not come out that way to her as she simply smirked at him.

“Ye said that on our last encounter and look where we are again,” she gestured wildly with her hands to the open space around her, “Now, why don’t ye go home and cry to daddy about it, Princess?” she hissed at him.

He grunted and huffed as he gathered his weapons and left the dwarves and her, taking what dignity he may have left along with him. She picked up her dagger from the ground and returned it to its sheath.

“Who are you?” she swivelled around to find the dwarf with honey hair enquiring, still dazzled by the bravery he just witnessed, and she shook her head with a smile.

“Right-” she bowed down dramatically instead of curtseying as would be expected, “Nari, at yer service,” they hear a screech above their heads and flinched before relaxing as she made no movement, and the barn owl from earlier swooped down to the dwarf wearing the hat, she nestled herself onto it and made a satisfied screech and ruffled her feathers.

Some of the dwarves chuckled, others laughed, Nari included, while the dwarf in the hat yelled out, “Oi- yer a right cheeky thing ye are-” he waved his hands above his head to chase the owl away; she stayed where she was and nipped at the fingers that came too close to her, the largest dwarf with copper hair was nearly crying from laughter at the scene.

Nari made a brief whistle and the owl immediately pricked up and flew over to her handler, landing on her outstretched arm, “There’s a good girl,” she spoke softly and rubbed the owl’s face gently with two fingers, it chirruped enthusiastically and nipped softly at her fingers. She reached into a small pouch on her tights and pulled out a small pellet, she lifted it to the owl and it grabbed for it, swallowing it whole before nudging her handler’s cheek affectionately. “Ye’ve done well today my dear,”

There was a loud clearing of the throat from the leading dwarf, and she lowered her hand briefly from the owl before giving her attention to his piercing gaze. “And ye must Thorin, son of Thráin, son of Thrór,” she rolled her free hand in front of her recalling the title from memory, and he tensed upon hearing his identity being known, “I have to tell ye, that’s a bit of a mouthful every time I’ve heard it, and this…” she briefly glanced to the rest of the dwarves surrounding him, “Must be the rest of yer company, and ye’re headed to Erebor, to reclaim the mountain?”

“You seem to know a lot about us, but we know nothing of you,” Thorin stepped forward, trying to intimidate her somewhat, though it clearly was having no effect on her as she remained where she stood, his eyes narrowed as he tried to make sense of anything about her.

“What Thorin means is, how come this information to you… Nari?” an older dwarf with snowy hair stepped forward, raising a hand slowly in front of Thorin, as if he would be able to prevent the dwarf King from racing forward and starting an unnecessary brawl.

“Well as the world would have it, whispers of a group of dwarves seen in the Shire turned to talk, talk became gossip in wildly inns of nearby villages, and gossip never misses the chance of meeting someone’s ears, even those not part of the conversation,” she explained with a shrug. It was the truth, for the most part.

Thorin shook his head in disbelief at the information, and cursed lowly in Khuzdul before speaking clearly, “Of course word spread from the Shire, Hobbits can’t seem to keep to themselves,” he growled.

“It was bound to happen Thorin, beings have eyes ye know,” the dwarf with the hat spoke up suddenly, he rested a hand on Thorin’s shoulder before removing it on the glare that he received, “And speaking of Hobbits, where is little Bilbo at?”

“We seemed to have lost our hobbit yet again; does anyone care to look for him?” Thorin asked the company, slightly annoyed, some of the others scanned the area around them and shrugged or raised the brows in confusion, and Bilbo seemed nowhere to be found.

Nari cleared her throat quietly and raised the arm with her owl still perched on it, “I also had Screech here to be my eyes and ears,” she admitted, “For some of yer journey at least,”

“Now how does an owl work as your eyes and ears?” the golden haired dwarf asked in wonder.

“Ye’d be surprised what we’re capable of,” she simply looked at him.

“Screech, what kind of name is that for an owl?” the younger dwarf, Kíli, asked from next to the dwarf with honey hair.

“A perfectly reasonable one considering that’s what she does,” Nari shot back confidently, “I was younger when I named her,” she stroked the owl’s head and she chirruped keenly. “And, I didn’t see any Hobbit when I was on my way here,” she informed them, “Also not to sound ungracious or anything, but a ‘thank ye’ would’ve been nice, I didn’t necessarily haveto stop and help ye out,”

Thorin huffed angrily, “We did not need your help-”

“Oh right, that’s why the elves had ye surrounded, were ye having a party then?” she asked sarcastically while staring him down.

“I do not care for your tone young lady-”

“Well let me assure ye, I’m no lady, and likewise yer Majesty,” she snapped back, “And I’m sure yer company are all exhausted from yer journey- I know a place where ye can stay for the night, eat some good food, sleep without having to watch over yer shoulders, and most importantly get yerselves a proper scrub down,”

The dwarf with snowy hair smiled warmly, seemingly grateful to the invitation, “What a wonderful offer-”

“How can we trust you, if we do not know you?” Thorin cut him off, not as willing to trust a complete stranger as his friend.

“Oh, don’t be such a stubborn dwarf, I’m offering ye help,” Nari crossed her arms irritably, making Screech flap her wings wildly as she lost her purchase, she flew behind them and settled on a low-hanging branch.

“Thorin please, a word?” the dwarf asked Thorin calmly, he nodded begrudgingly and they moved to the side lines and spoke quietly to each other, the leader sighed and faced her with a defeated expression.

“What is the catch?” he asked with a raised brow, as the offer seemed suspicious.

“Oh, no catch,” she waved her hand and Thorin seemed relieved momentarily, “However,” she paused, making him hold his breath, “I would request a favour for a favour,”

“A ‘favour’ would indeed be what one might call a catch, and if you are seeking gold-”

“Not gold, nor jewels, nor riches of any kind,” she assured him.

“Then what could you possibly be asking for?” his brows creased in a frown.

“Let’s just leave it at the fact that, it’s something so simple and possibly yet also, impossibly difficult to give,”

“Why must you women circle around the point of the conversation, and not just get right to it?” he muttered.

“Well, I do think that it’s best to discuss this when we reach our destination, the forest tends to have ears that listen in,” she glanced around, causing some of the other dwarves to do the same out of fear, “Screech isn’t the only trained animal out here,”

“Fine, then we shall take you on your offer, but if I so much as find cause to believe you intend us harm-”

“Alright, alright, enough with the speeches,” she raised her hand wanting him to stop talking, “Let’s get moving, we’re burning daylight,”

Thorin nodded begrudgingly before motioning his hand before him, “Lead the way, Nari.”

She nodded her head to an arched treeline that made for an entryway of sorts, and the dwarves hurriedly gathered their things before following diligently, Thorin leading them with his sword firmly in hand. It was not long before they reached a darker part of the forest, and they followed cautiously, becoming wary as the forest had already tricked their minds and could do so again.

Screech took to Nari’s shoulder and rubbed her head affectionately against the pierced and damaged ear; she simply chuckled and then spoke quietly to the creature, before sending it off ahead of them into the darkness.

She spoke almost impossibly soft in a language that sounded like Elvish but was somewhat more beautiful, perhaps ancient, as she walked ahead and the forest seemed to shift around them slightly. Thorin’s grip tightened on his Elven sword and some of the others tensed as well, and they stopped before a pathway leading to a quietly babbling brook that had not been there moments before.

The entrance tunnel was lined with toadstools and unfamiliar plants that were all glowing a faint blue, it seemed uninhabited from any other life; giant lily pads of deep purple bobbed ever so slightly on the surface of the stream, forming a makeshift stepping stone by their understanding.

She rested her hands on her waist and nodded to the tunnel, “So this is it,” she smiled and looked at them.

“Where does this lead to?” Thorin asked in suspicion, “How do we know you are not simply leading us further into the depths of Mirkwood?”

“If ye did not trust me, why would ye follow me?” she asked impatiently, “And I assure ye I would not dare to lead ye further into the Elven territories-”

“Thorin, please be reasonable,” the snowy haired dwarf begged.

“It’s hard to be reasonable when someone who clearly has elven blood is leading you through their territory,” he glared at his friend and gestured wildly to Nari.

“Ooh, ye dwarves can be so pig-headed-” she balled her fists and stepped forward towards Thorin.

He gritted his teeth, glaring at her, “Your kin stood by and watched mine, as they ran for their lives when that beast came down on us-”

“My kin had nothing to do with it! Whatever actions that were taken on by King Thranduil were followed by his guard, and by Durin’s beard I cannot believe ye would still be holding onto a grudge all these years later-”

“Aye, I do!” he stepped closer.

She matched his movements as the words spilled from their tongues, each becoming louder than the next, “Yer a stubborn-”

“Pretentious-”

“Daft-”

“Selfish-”

“Unruly-”

“Arrogant-”

“Move!” she gasped and shoved him to the side with wide eyes and he yelled out at her.

She removed her dagger from her side and swung it just in time to cast the arrow to the side, making it stick into the ground. The others turned around in alarm at the sudden attack, looking for their assailant.

“You Dwarves are always so loud,” the red-headed elf-maid appeared from the shadows behind the company and approached them; they dispersed to the sides of the clearing. “And what are you?” she eyed Nari and cocked her head slightly to the side, and she only glared at her in response. “No matter, you’ll have to answer to King Thranduil soon enough,”

“Ye’ll have to get through me if ye want to lay a hand on any of them,” Nari stepped forward, her dagger still in hand.

“That should be easy enough to do, half-breed,” she put her bow back into its sling and removed her own dagger from its sheath, stepping forward as well.

“Oh, I’m so hurt by yer words,” she mocked and placed a hand over her heart, “Whatever insults ye have to say I’ve heard ‘em all before, but forgive me, for thinking a lowly Silvan-elf would be clever enough to think on their own,”

Nari’s words seemed to have hit a sore spot as the elf-maid charged forward and made to stab her, but Nari was faster, and she elbowed the elf-maid’s arm that held the dagger in hand and caused her to lose her balance, and Nari moved her hand behind to grab at the long, loose hair on her head. She yanked at it, causing the elf-maid to drop her weapon and Nari held her own to her throat, holding her hair in a tight grip.

“Ye have such pretty hair dear, it’s a pity that I can use that against ye,” she pulled harder, making the elf-maid bend backwards in an awkward manner as, being an elf, she was much taller than Nari.

“No wait! Don’t hurt her!” Kíli ran forward, his hand reaching out to them.

“Ye are aware; she almost killed Thorin, right?” Nari asked, looking at him quizzically, the elf-maid stared at him, her expression softening upon meeting his eyes. She moved her blade a little further away, but still pulled her hair to hold her in place, seeing the worry in the young dwarf’s face.

“{Release Tauriel},” Legolas’s voice demanded from behind her, she immediately tensed and brought her attention back to the elf-maid in her grip.

“And if I don’t?” she asked, pressing the blade against the elf-maid’s throat once again, making her swallow uncomfortably.

“Then we’ll see to it that the dwarves are no longer standing,” he threatened, ensuring that he spoke in common tongue so that the dwarves understood as well, and she stole a glance to her surroundings, realising that each dwarf had at least two or more elves behind them awaiting orders, and the company gazed around uneasily.

“[Damn it],” she cursed in Khuzdul before dropping the dagger to the ground and releasing the elf-maid from her tight grip.

“Her first,” Legolas ordered, stopping an elf-maid that was preparing to cuff the dwarf with snowy hair, a smirk creeping into his features as he picked up her dagger from the ground.

“Well, that went well,” the dwarf with the hat quipped sarcastically as he and the others were handcuffed, and the elves shoved them along to get them moving slowly out of the clearing, the entrance disappeared from sight just as Legolas had noticed the unfamiliar path in the forest; he turned to Nari and lowered his head to meet her eyes.

“What was that?” he nodded his head to the area.

“None of yer damned business, Greenleaf,” she spat back.

“If you won’t talk, no matter, my father has wanted to meet the elusive Nari for years, he will be most pleased to see you,” he patted her cheek and stood tall once again. “{We walk},”

They trekked back through the forest, passing the clearing they had been in earlier, with Thorin being made to lead his companions to meet their fate with the Elven King of Mirkwood. Nari walked not too far behind him just behind the two younger dwarfs, and between the dwarf with snowy hair and a large balding dwarf.

The bald one was quite stoic in his manner, not looking anywhere but forward as he marched on, while his companion seemed to lose the optimistic hope he had had when Nari had offered them sanctuary, but he tried to muster a smile as she looked over at him.

She returned the smile, and raised a finger to her lips, he watched and frowned as she ducked her head slightly; removing a thick hair pin from her hair and turned her hands in the cuffs so that her palms faced the ground.

“[I may need someone to make a noise to distract the elves, but only on my signal],” she mumbled to the dwarves, Kíli and his companion turned their heads at this and smiled mischievously at each other, then glancing at her and nodded.

“What did she say to you?” one of the elves asked, having noticed their movements and getting a suspicious feeling from them.

“She was just describing how feminine all you Elves look,” said Kíli’s companion.

“Aye,” Kíli nodded with a smile, “And that you all probably wear lacy gowns during tea time,” he chuckled, making the elf snort and turn his attention ahead. He winked at her and Nari’s lip twitched in a smile with thanks.

She made quick to work at her handcuffs with the hair pin tightly gripped between her finger tips, and soon enough she felt the pin lock into the correct spot, she peered up to make sure the other elves were not watching, and caught the snowy haired dwarf glancing at her. He simply gave her an approving nod and smile, something about him was familiar and assuring, she nodded and turned her attention back ahead.

“[Now],” she said. Kíli took immediate action and stepped on his companion’s foot, making him yell out in pain, his companion shoved him in return with a glare.

“You big oaf, you stood on my foot!” he shook his cuffed fists in the air, “How would you like the favour returned?” he grabbed hold of Kíli by his front and in turn stomped on his foot.

“Hey! That hurt!” Kíli cried out louder than was necessary, had the snowy haired dwarf on her side not nudged her side gently Nari would have continued to watch the young dwarves perform in front of her, she focused her attention on her cuffs.

There was a sudden loud clink of metal unhinging, but thanks to the dwarves now causing a scene, it had gone unnoticed. Very few of the dwarves had caught the sound themselves, but they kept silent and pretended as if nothing odd had happened, unsure what she might do as she was now free.

____________________________________________________________

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marvelhead17 · 3 years

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The Tale of Eossimar (Original Female Character x Bofur Fic)

Prologue

Word Count: 5k

The eldest of the boys perched his little sister onto his lap, the thick woollen blanket draping over his shoulders and providing an extra layer of warmth from the brisk winter just outside closed doors, his younger brother was pressed close to his side, and sharing the blanket by curling the remains over his brother’s smaller frame. The girl tightly gripped the blanket to her chest as she stared in awe at their aunt sitting on a chair before them, and they hung onto every word she uttered, despite having heard the tale a hundred times over, the way it was told never ceased to stop their enjoyment of it.

Her hands gestured in the air as she leaned forward to recount the legend of Erebor, the silver flecks that adorned her short brunette hair shimmering in the firelight; it was the Erebor she knew of before the great destruction that had fallen upon The Lonely Mountain.

“It was a great land ruled by Thrór, the King of the Dwarves, nearly a century ago, and their riches came from the mountain in which they dwelled– glistening streams of gold travelled down the walls inside of the great mountain, and the deeper the dwarf miners travelled within it, the more valuable and precious the gems and jewels were to be found. And as more gold was mined over the years, the dwarves continued their path further down, into the very heart of the mountain, where only the most dedicated, fearless and strongest miners would dare to search-” she paused to see if the children were paying attention.

The young girl rested her chin on her palms as she hung onto the words, enthralled by the tale although knowing it by heart already, the boys were listening intently and nodding ever so slightly as to encourage their aunt to carry on.

“Until, one day… a large precious stone that blazed a pure white light was discovered by a dreadfully worn-out dwarf, and Thrór had eagerly claimed it as a sign of his right to rule over Erebor, the Arkenstone as all know it to be called in this age, the very heart of the mountain.” She let the information sink in,

“And soon after that, is when the dragon-sickness began to stir from inside the King; he soon began to grow suspicious of those who worked the chambers containing the vast wealth, believing that he had thieves amongst him. He became wary, and constantly appeared to be watching over his shoulders for a traitor; it transformed the King into someone the Dwarven people no longer recognised…”

She lowered her voice to that no louder than a harsh whispering, ensuring that the children leaned forward to hear her words clearly; “Not long after, word travelled across Middle-Earth of the countless treasures inside Erebor, to the ears of one of the Great Dragons of the North, Smaug the Terrible, as he was so aptly named. And that fiend laid waste to the City of Dale, the bustling trade centre inhabited by Men, before he continued his onslaught onto Erebor just north of the city.

“And the beast’s only desire was to claim the gold that lay inside the mountain, he blew enormous flames that singed everything in their path, engulfing delicate silks and turning them into worthless ash, the tall stone buildings that had stood for over two centuries crumbled and crashed from the unbearable heat-” Standing from her seat, she spoke quicker and louder, “The people of Dale grabbed only the essentials as they fled their homes lived in by the generations before them, mothers clutched to their children, while fathers and sons guided them to the docks so that they could make a safe escape, the city was in panic – save for one man.” She kneeled down to them, raising one digit on her hand to emphasise the significance of one being facing a great dragon, the youngest boy sucked in a deep breath in anticipation.

She sprung to her feet, “His name was Girion, the Lord of Dale… and he’d found purchase on one of the watchtowers of the city, he planted himself firmly as he readied the mounted Dwarven wind-lance. And then, he loaded a specially made black arrow into place, forged strong enough to pierce the tough hides of dragon-kind, and those few arrows that the Lord possessed were the very last of their kind, as their makers had long since passed, their method of forging taken with them to their graves.”

“And what did Lord Girion do next?” the younger boy asked and she smiled.

“Lord Girion fired the first arrow right at the beast and it flicked off of the dragon’s scaly skin like a smooth rock over calm water… unable to leave a mark on Smaug- the second followed suit and successfully hit the monster under his left wing, exposing a tiny patch of soft flesh for a final blow that would surely have taken him down-

“However, before the third and final arrow was even lifted by the brave Lord, the dragon had taken his chance to strike his enormous tale and destroy the building from underneath Girion’s feet swiftly. Leaving no hope for the City, only ruins,” she seated herself back into the chair with a shake of her head, her disappointment evident.

“And what of the Dwarves, Auntie?” the little girl turned to her with wide eyes, “Were they injured?”

She nodded solemnly and patted her lap gently, the girl clambered from her elder brother’s lap and moved to sit on her aunt’s, her arms wrapping around the girl carefully.

“Aye, many of the Dwarves were injured lass, mostly during the panic that the attack had caused; and plenty had barely escaped with their lives; my father, yer grandfather, being among the few to escape with his life,” she told her, the girl nodded, staring down at her hands and twining them together in discomfort.

“And what of the King, Thrór, what came of him?” asked the boy.

“We know exactly what happened to the King, we’ve but heard the tale a hundred times over,” the eldest elbowed his brother in his side and rolled his eyes to meet the ceiling, “Thrór had to be dragged out by his grandson, Thorin, with much effort, and the next in line Thráin, Thrór’s son, followed them closely behind as they watched their birth home being taken from them and their people.”

“That’s right Lumlin,” she nodded, “And can ye tell us what happened after, Maethríen?” she turned her head to the girl and smiled.

“Yes, Auntie!” she leaped off of her aunt’s lap and mimicked the stance she had seen her aunt do earlier, “Debris rained down from the heavens around the Dwarves, all the while they tried to reach safety in the expanse of empty lands that lay ahead,” she proudly announced as she perched herself back onto her older brother’s lap.

“That’s right,” she nodded, “And Lorin?”

“Fire consumed the lands that once thrived in people and wealth, happier days. That’s what ugmil ‘adad used to say, according to amal,” the younger boy added, eager to be a part of the story telling.

“Aye, and he of all Dwarves would know, as that was where he was born,” the children bowed their heads for a silent moment, never having met their grandfather but having grown fond of him through memories shared by their aunt.

“Auntie, can I tell the rest of the tale, please?” Lorin begged, she nodded and waited for him to continue speaking. “With their home now lost to them, the Dwarves set out into the wilderness to return to the ancient Dwarf kingdom of Moria, but the cunning orcs had beaten them to it!” he jumped up from his seated position and raised a fist in the air, shaking it about, “And the worst of the lot was there, Azog the Defiler, he swore that he would end the line of Durin-”

“Ooh- I do not care for this part,” Maethríen squirmed in her brother’s lap, burying her face into his chest as protective arms encircled her and stroked her back tenderly.

“Mae, please,” Lorin whined at his sister, he cleared his throat and shuffled his shoulders, continuing, “The foul thing started his reign of terror by killing Thrór, beheading him and raising his head as a claim to victory; and instead of running away in horror, Thorin mustered all of his courage and his might and wielded his weapon to face the Orc leader,” he took a quick breath, “Azog was powerful yes; however, Thorin was resourceful and quick on his feet, when disarmed of his shield he grabbed for an oak branch he’d found on the ground, and fought with great heart, earning him his name… Oakenshield,”

Lumlin at this point had gently nudged his sister from his lap and set her aside, she pouted but watched as her elder brother stood to his feet, “Thorin Oakenshield swung his sword and cut Azog the Defiler’s left arm clean in half, he was blindsided and dragged away by his army of orcs… presumed to have died from his fatal wounds,”

“Aye lads, and since that fateful day Thorin Oakenshield had the grave task of becoming King to the surviving dwarves, as his father Thráin had become mad from grief and disappeared without a trace,” they remained in silent awe, “Thorin became a great king at a terribly young age, and for the next few months he led his people across Middle Earth, finding and making do with places for them to live, eventually settling in Ered Luin for temporary dwelling, at least that is what they had thought. And so, for the next sixty years Thorin strived to work hard for his people and sought work from Men,”

The children settled down in their original positions on the floor and waited patiently for their aunt to finish recalling the endeavours that Thorin went on to do for his people, and how he would never forget the day that Smaug had changed their lives for the worst. Never forgiven and never forgotten.

“Auntie, is there more news of the travelling Company?” Lumlin asked, shifting to sit more upright in full attention.

“Aye dear,” she nodded, delighted to hear that he wants to know more.

“I told you Lorin,” Lumlin pushed the shoulder of his brother playfully, whose response was merely sticking out of his tongue and crossing his arms. “You owe me five gold coins,” he held out his hand expectantly.

“Alright Lumlin, I’ll give you your five coins tomorrow, I haven’t got anything on me just yet-”

“Brothers, please! We came here to listen to Auntie tell us more stories and you’re spoiling it!” Maethríen threw her hands in the air with a huff of annoyance; they stared at her in surprise before bowing their heads down guiltily.

“Sorry Auntie,” they apologised in unison.

“Thank ye laddies,” she nodded appreciatively.

“So tell us Auntie, what is the latest word?” Lorin asked, resting his head on his palms, his elbows resting on his knees as he looked up to his aunt.

“Let me see… I did tell ye of the first whisperings that told of dwarves entering the Shire, the dwellings belonging to Hobbits, specifically to a home in Bag End?” she asked, though already knowing the answer.

“Yes, that’s correct Auntie,” Lorin nodded.

“And I did tell ye about Thorin Oakenshield, along with his company of twelve dwarves, also accompanied by an unexpected fourteenth member, a Hobbit from the very same Bag End?”

“Yes, Auntie,” Maethríen piped up, nodding her head.

“What about the trolls who attempted to roast the dwarves for a feast?”

“Yes Auntie,” Lumlin nodded.

“And, I did tell ye about the rumours of the Dwarven Company, and Hobbit, dining among the Elves in Rivendell, and causing a little ruckus?”

“Yes Auntie,” they said together in an annoyed tone.

“Auntie, can you please continue the story?” Lumlin sighed as he stared at her.

“Alright, alright Lumlin, just ensuring the details were clear to yer minds still, yer Auntie is getting old ye see?” she winked and laughed, earning a giggle from her niece. “Now, have I told ye about what happens after Rivendell?”

“No Auntie!” Lorin sat up, leaning forward to now listen more carefully.

“I see, then that is where I shall continue,” she smiled, “Well, the word is that the dwarves continued onward from the lushness and safety amongst the Elves in Rivendell, to continue their perilous journey along the Misty Mountains, where they faced rough storms, and where they nearly fell to their deaths as Stone-Giants fought to win territories,”

“Stone-Giants? But Auntie, those are just myths told to scare dwarflings from straying whilst walking mountain passes,” Lumlin shook his head in disbelief.

“Aye, that’s what I thought to be true as well dear, but Middle-Earth has ears and eyes everywhere, so there is nothing untruthful with the words that I am sharing with ye on this night,”

“Remarkable,” Lorin whispered in awe.

“There is more,” she waited as they edged closer once again, “They managed to find safety within the caves of the mountain, and as they rested they did not know that they were soon going to be facing hideous Goblins, like moths to a flame, an alluring idea to sleep without watching over their shoulders during the night, and it had clouded their better judgement,”

“Did the Goblins capture them?” Maethríen gasped.

“Aye, and they too nearly took the lives of the dwarves,” they stared at her with widened eyes, “Thankfully Gandalf the Grey, the wizard who had been the one to arrange the company for the journey to begin with, came to their aid and saved them from the awful Goblin King,”

“But then, are the Orcs with their pack of Wargs still hunting down Thorin and the company during this time?” Lumlin asked worriedly.

“Aye, they are,” she nodded, “Both exhausted and terrified, the dwarves had reached the outside of the caves to a slowly setting sun, and the Goblins dared not follow lest they wished to die from the sunlight touching their skin,” her face became serious as she spoke her next words.

“However, their peace did not last very long, as the Wargs had caught on to their scent and led the Orcs straight to them, the dwarves and poor Hobbit so far away from home clung to dangling trees on a cliff’s edge, fearing that this is where their journey, and their lives were to end…”

“They cannot have met their ends!” Lorin practically yelled, his excitement becoming hard to contain, “Not Thorin Oakenshield, he is a fighter, a warrior, a King amongst Dwarves,” he insisted with wide eyes, his jaw slacking slightly.

“Yer absolutely right Lorin, and the King indeed fought hard against Azog once more, and he almost perished, had it not been for the wit and bravery of one Bilbo Baggins…”

“But Auntie, aren’t Hobbits much smaller than Dwarves?” Lorin asked

“Aye dear, as I said, he is a very brave hobbit to take on an orc,” Lorin nodded in amazement, “He wasn’t strong, but he distracted the Orcs long enough for The Company to escape, and I do absolutely believe that Gandalf had something to do with that, as they were rescued by The Giant Eagles of Legend,”

“They rode with The Giant Eagles?”

“Aye, they were carried to safety further away; Thorin was on the brink of death by the time they had reached the flat peak,”

“But surely Gandalf wouldn’t let the King die, right Auntie?” Lumlin asked in concern.

“Certainly not,” she assured them, “He used a touch of his magic to bring Thorin’s soul back from the heavens to Middle-Earth…”

“And then what happened Auntie?” Maethríen asked.

“And then-” she jumped up unexpectedly, making them all startle in their seats, “The lot of ye had to go to bed!”

“Ah, no!” Lorin groaned.

“Aye, ye young ones need yer rest if ye ever want to be strong warriors someday,” she nodded sternly.

“So that’s all?” Lumlin asked, “They made it to a mountain top, where are they now? Surely there must be more!”

“That’s all I know laddie, now off to bed, the lot of ye.” She chased them out and laughed, standing at the doorway to her small home as she watched them run off to their home just across the way from hers.

A familiar face stood just outside the entrance with a shaking head, and she looked to them with a raised brow, “What?”

“You know I don’t appreciate you exciting them before their bedtime,” the woman crossed her arms and sighed. “And when are you going to give up this silly dream of yours?”

“I’ll hold onto it till I take my very last breath if I must,” she said very seriously. “And if it matters at all to ye, it was also our father’s dream,”

“Well, I wish you wouldn’t put ideas in their heads, they’ve been unruly these past months. Besides, Father is long gone, you need to wake up and realise that he’s never coming back.”

She narrowed her eyes, “It’s not my fault that they crave adventure Lúthrien, I too grow tired of seeing these walls that protect us, and they’re still young; ye can’t blame their curiosities on me,”

“Alright, alright you’ve made your point.” The woman sighed, shifting in her stance, “Can I still ask for you to watch them tomorrow? That is, unless you wish to do your duties yourself, they are yours after all-”

“I’ll watch over them, don’t ye fret,”

Lúthrien nodded and spoke in her preferred tongue, Elvish, “{Thank you, goodnight sister},”

“{Goodnight, sister},” she nodded and closed her door quietly; she sighed to herself as she entered her bedroom.

Perhaps I should visit Lake-Town soon, I’m sure they miss me there. She thought to herself as she changed swiftly into her sleepwear and climbed into bed.

She stared at the stars that twinkled in the blackness, wondering if any news of the company would come soon. After minutes or hours she did not know, but sleep overcame her followed by a dreamless night.

Dawn broke through the window and alerted the start of the new day; she rolled from her bed and changed from her sleepwear, before washing her face hurriedly with some cold water to waken her for the day ahead.

As she exited her room she was assaulted by a pair of arms circling around her waist, she laughed and grabbed around the figure to lift her niece into her arms, and placed her against her hip with ease.

“What’s this, a Goblin attacking me from below?” she nuzzled her head against her niece’s. “Ye caught me off guard lass,”

“Auntie you’re so strong,” the girl giggled in surprise.

“Of course, ye have to be when ye’re a warrior,” she grinned and scanned the room briefly, “Where are those pesky brothers of yers?”

“Hey- we’re not pesky!” Lorin whined from just behind her front door, he stuck his head out and revealed his hiding spot, crossing his arms with a wooden practice sword in hand and pouting slightly.

“Well that’s one of ye,” Nari nodded. “Where’s yer brother?” she asked and the boy shrugged. “Don’t play with me now, I know ye know,” she rolled her eyes as he denied yet again, and ambled towards the front door with Maethríen still on her hip.

“Aha!” Lumlin jumped from the left where she couldn’t see, he startled Nari momentarily, but she still managed to grab a hold of his wooden sword with her free hand. “Ugh no, Auntie!” he tried to tug it back but she had a firm grip on it. “Lorin this is all your fault! You were supposed to distract her- not get caught out immediately!”

Nari let go of the mock weapon and he stumbled backwards and regained his footing, neatening his clothing as he glared at his younger brother, she lowered her niece to the ground once again.

“Now, now lads, ye can only blame yerselves for what happened,” she chided, “But ye also seem to forget that yer Auntie is unstoppable,” she brushed Lorin’s hair wildly and he swatted her hand away.

“Auntie will always beat you, silly boys,” Maethríen stuck her tongue out at her brothers, as she rested her hands on her hips, impersonating her mother.

“As soon as Mother allows us to train with Auntie, then we’ll get better,” Lorin said determinedly.

“You mean if Mother allows us to train with Auntie,” Lumlin sighed, “We should be grateful that she thinks these are just toys and not for practice,” he gestured to his battered wooden sword.

Nari felt her stomach grumble and she looked at them, “Have ye all eaten breakfast then?” they all nodded, “Well maybe I can get ye something else while we’re there, I’m starving,”

“We’re going to the market?” Maethríen asked, Nari nodded, “Oh maybe we can say hello to atarwhile we’re there! He’s always busy,”

“That’s because he’s working Mae,” Lumlin shook his head, “How else will he feed us?”

“Come on, it’s a beautiful day and we can’t be standing about doing nothing about it,” Nari gathered them and walked behind them as they quickened their pace.

A few of the stall owners that had noticed them gave their usual greetings, while others busied themselves marketing off their products with other villagers, and Nari found herself drawn to a stand selling freshly baked breads. The smell nearly made her mouth water, and she happily purchased her favourite bread, the stall owner smiled and then stiffened as his eyes caught something behind her.

“Is something wrong?” she asked.

“It’s that lad of yers again,” he told her, “’suppose he didn’t expect to see ye here,

“Thank ye, keep well,” she closed his hands around the money and looked around the marketplace in search of the children, and spotted them standing at their father’s stall.

She walked on, barely glimpsing at the dwarf that seemed to be staring holes into her head, and tore some of the fresh bread off to eat. By the time she reached the stall she had finished it and wiped her hands together, before briefly brushing away any rogue crumbs from her clothing.

“Morning Nikolas,”

“Ah there you are Nari,” he smiled, “I thought these rascals were with you today,” he bent over and kissed his daughter on her head, making her giggle, “Are you keeping well?” he asked, looking up at Nari.

“Aye, thank ye, and yerself?”

“Yes,” he stood up, catching sight of the dwarf from earlier, “I suppose you haven’t spoken to him today?”

“Not yet, I’ll get round to it once I’m done with yer little menaces,” she said and he nodded.

He leaned forward, “Lúthrien said she’s helping yer mother today, and they’ll be indoors all day. Make of that what you will,” he winked and she smirked.

“Thank ye, come on children,” they walked on, after waving their goodbyes, and she looked down at her niece, “So what do ye want to do, mm?” she brushed the girl’s hair.

“What if we want to do something Auntie?” Lorin asked.

“We’re always doing what you want,” Maethríen pouted and then perked up, “I want to go see the animals!”

“Of all things, you have to choose the smelliest?” Lumlin wrinkled his nose in disgust.

“If that’s what Mae wants that’s what we’re doing lads, I don’t want to hear any complaints,” Nari scolded, “Besides, I heard that the sow has given birth just a few days ago,”

Maethríen gasped, “So they’ve got little piglets? They’re so cute, and pink!” she squealed.

“You’re a piglet,” Lorin rolled his eyes, “You even squeal like one,”

“Hey,” Nari tugged his ear quickly.

“Ow!” he wriggled and she let go.

“That’s not how ye talk to yer sister, apologise,”

“Sorry for calling you a piglet, Mae,” he spoke quietly, barely making any eye contact as his foot brushed across the floor.

“Now, is that how we apologise?” she asked, crossing her arms and looking down at him.

“No Auntie,” he cleared his throat and spoke louder, “I’m sorry for calling you a piglet Mae,” he gazed down at his sister and she grinned at him.

“I forgive you Lorin,”

“See? Look how easy that was. Now…” she paused, a grin spreading on her own face, “I’ll race ye to the farm, last one there is a rotten troll!” she ran on as she finished her sentence, and the children yelled out in surprise, immediately giving chase to try and catch up with their Auntie. She beat them and they stood panting for a few minutes to catch their breath.

“That wasn’t fair Auntie,” Lumlin said, “You didn’t give us any chance to prepare for that,”

“You’re only upset because you’re the troll now,” Lorin teased, a cheeky grin spreading across his face as his older brother glowered at him.

“Well next time we’ll make a more formal race, how about that?” Nari asked and he agreed, “Good, then I’ll have witnesses to prove that I’m faster than the lot of ye,”

“Ooh- I can hear the piglets!” Maethríen shrieked, “Just over there!” she climbed onto the first beam of the wooden fence, pointing in the direction of excited squeals inside the barn. “Auntie, can I go see them? Please?”

“If Haga says it’s alright,” the girl ran around to enter the main barn, “Just try not to get your dress dirty!” she called as the girl disappeared from sight, and she resigned, looking to her nephews.

“So who’s telling her that we get our breakfast sausages from the pigs?” Lorin asked, hanging on the fence.

“Nobody,” Nari said sternly, “Ye know very well that that would upset her, that’s cruel Lorin,”

He rolled his eyes, “She’ll get over it, I had to,” he leaned over the fence to pet the calf that had wandered over to them. “It’s a wonder that animals can be cute, but also tasty,”

“It’s when you start talking that way, that makes me wonder if you’re really my brother sometimes,” Lumlin shook his head at his brother, scratching the calf’s chin gently, it closed its eyes and leaned forward. “Besides, it’s not a lump of meat; it’s a living, breathing creature, just like you or me,”

“I’m glad one of ye is taking to heart what I say,” Nari sighed and looked down at the calf, its big brown eyes stared blankly at her and it gave a little moo, she gave it a soft pat on the snout and it licked her hand. “Ye are quite cute, ye know,”

“There ye are!” a familiar voice spoke and she smiled as she turned to see her brother.

“Callon,” she greeted.

“I heard ye have the children for the day, and wanted to join ye,” Callon smiled as the boys acknowledged him, and surveyed the area, “Where’s Mae?”

“Torturing the piglets,” Lorin answered, “I do hope she doesn’t try to bring one of them home,”

“We’ve already got a family pig,” Lumlin shoved his brotherly lightly on the shoulder.

“I am not a pig!” he shoved his brother back harder.

“Hey, don’t push me!” he jumped off the fence and used both hands to push his brother off as well, and soon enough they were having a shoving match with each other, that was getting more aggressive as it progressed.

“Boys,” Callon shook his head and they stopped bickering.

“He started it,” Lorin muttered.

“I don’t care, I’m finishing it,” he glanced to the sky in silent prayer, before looking between the two clearly bored and irritated boys. “Tell ye what, why don’t we go see if old Haga has his little gallery set up then?”

“Now that sounds like an idea,” Nari agreed.

“I bet you can’t even hit down one can,” Lumlin looked at his brother as they ran off to the barn.

She was about to follow when Callon stopped her with a gentle hand on the shoulder, “I saw Cáleb lurking around, has he bothered ye today?” he asked quietly.

“Not yet, but I’ll speak to him when the day is over,”

He moved his hand away, “I think that’s fair enough,”

“Ye’d think after this many years he’d learnt his lesson,” she started to walk on when a shadow flew over her head, she instinctively stretched out her arm and the owl landed gently on it. “I didn’t expect to see ye for a few more days at least,” she gently rubbed its head and it nuzzled against her.

“Maybe they’re closer than we expected?” he asked as she frowned at the owl.

“Perhaps,” she retrieved a few pellets from her pouch and fed it to the owl, “That’s for being such a clever girl,” the owl made a content clicking and walking onto her shoulder, nuzzling under her ear and settling down, “Do ye have any word for me girl?”

As the owl squeaked and clicked into Nari’s ear, her eyes widened as she looked at her brother, then it cosied up comfortably against her head.

“What is it, bad news?” Callon asked.

“They’ve just made their way into Mirkwood,”

“On their own… Isn’t the forest growing ill there?”

“It is,” she thought for a moment and her eyes lit up.

“Nari, I know that look in yer eyes, what are ye thinking?”

“I have to go after them,”

“Nari-”

“Callon, there’s a fair chance that they’ll get lost there, besides, what if the Elves capture them? Then our chances of returning home will be gone, King Thranduil will not take lightly to them being there,”

“Alright,” he sighed, “Do what ye must, but for Durin’s sake be careful,” he pulled her in for a hug, forcing the owl to move away with a surprised chirp, and fly above them. “I’ll keep an eye on the three of them,”

“Thank ye,” they let go of each other before pressing their foreheads together, “I’ll be back soon, promise,”

“Stay safe,” he said as she walked away, he watched as her owl flew just above her, before she started running and disappeared out of sight.

The few moments of silence were disturbed, “Uncle? Where’s Auntie?” Maethríen asked from behind him, he looked down at her and smiled, kneeling down.

“Auntie will be back soon,” He looked at the path she had vanished along, “She’s just gone on an adventure.”

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