✓ | Forget-Me-Not ~ Fili FanFiction / Hobbit FanFiction / Fili FF

「 Chapter 17 」

"Ilèyn."
A little nudge in the side.
"Ilèyn, wake up."
Grumbling, the dwarf forced herself to open one eye. Bofur stood next to her, nudging her over and over again.
"It's okay..." Ilèyn grumbled "It's okay, Bofur... I'm awake."
The dwarf sat up with a pained expression. It smelled of the cold smoke from the little fire and of the damp earth beneath her. She rubbed her eyes and stretched.
Obviously she was the last one who got up. The others were getting ready to travel, some of them were not to be seen. Ilèyn got up.
"Balin." she said as she approached the white-bearded dwarf "Why did you wake me up so late?"
The old dwarf smiled warmly at her. "Oh, Ilèyn. Good morning! Fili said we should let you sleep as long as possible. Yesterday was particularly hard for you."
"Like for everyone of you. I'm not made of sugar." Ilèyn said, kindly but firmly.
"We know that, lad." Balin replied conciliatory "Fili wanted to wake you himself, but Thorin, he and a few others have sent Bilbo to explore our surroundings. We are now on our way to them, we will soon no longer have enough head start over Azog and his band . "
Ilèyn frowned.
"The Hobbit?" she asked. Balin nodded in response.
The stragglers reached Gandalf, Thorin, Dwalin, Fili and Kili, who stood waiting and protected between high rocks. Gandalf greeted the rest of the group when it cracked above them. On another narrow path, Bilbo Baggins came running down to them, careful not to trip over any of the stones protruding from the ground.
"How close is the pack ?" Thorin asked.
"Too close." Bilbo answered and came to a stop between the others. "A couple of leagues, no more!"
The Hobbit breathed briefly. "But that's not the worst of it."
"Have the wargs picked up our scent?" Dwalin asked.
"Not yet, but they will do." replied Bilbo "We have another problem."
Ilèyn and Bofur exchanged a concerned look.
"Did they see you?" Gandalf asked softly.
Before the hobbit could answer, the wizard continued.
"They saw you!"
Just as the first panicked faces looked at Bilbo, he said: "No, that's not it."
Immediately the bystanders relaxed and Gandalf nodded satisfied.
"What did I tell you?" he said proudly, "Quiet as a mouse! Excellent burglar material!"
The dwarves broke out in chattering and looked at Bilbo appreciatively. Ilèyn watched the whole thing quietly.
"Will you listen? Will you just listen?" the Hobbit cried over the murmur and talk. Immediately the dwarfs fell silent and looked at each other in uncertainty.
"I'm trying to tell you there is something else out there!" Bilbo pointed up the path from which he had just joined the group.
Ilèyn frowned, Thorin and Dwalin looked at each other seriously.
"What form did it take?" Gandalf asked carefully "Like a bear?"
Bofur immediately looked up at the wizard in shock and Ilèyn also felt quite uncomfortable at the idea that, in addition to a whole pack of orcs and wargs, they could also be chased by a bear.
"Y-yes..." Bilbo replied directly, slightly confused about how the wizard could have known. "But bigger, much bigger."
Perplexed silence. The dwarfs looked at each other, exchanging fearful and uncertain looks. Ilèyn turned to the path from which Bilbo had come.
"You knew about this beast?" Bofur asked, intimidated.
Without an answer, Gandalf turned his back on the dwarf and took a few steps.
"I say we double back!" announced Bofur.
"And be run down by a pack of Orcs?" Thorin replied.
"There is a house." Gandalf interrupted the rising rumble between the dwarfs. They now looked at him uneasily.
"It's not far from here, where we might take refuge."
"Whose house?" Thorin asked suspiciously "Are they friend or foe?"
"Neither." Gandalf replied "He will help us or ..." The wizard looked around "He will kill us." he ended.
"What choice do we have?" Thorin asked.
Suddenly there was a roar so loud that Ilèyn winced and stepped away from the path. Everyone present jerked their heads around and looked in the direction from which the long, powerful roar was coming.
"None." Gandalf only said.
"Come on then, we have to get out of here!" ordered Thorin, and hurried to Gandalf's side. Together the two started moving, everyone else behind them, the mountains down, the beast and the pack behind them.

The sun quickly climbed the sky and in the meantime the company had left the Misty Mountains behind and was now on the run in the open.
They crossed large meadows, stumbled through shallow river beds.
"Come on!" Gandalf shouted, when they reached the next great expanse, a mountain belt rose on the horizon and a forest in front of them. They took shelter among the trees, but did not stop moving.
The group stayed together, hard as it was, the longer they ran. Ilèyn was used to running away, but so far she has been pursued by comparatively less terrifying figures.
Another roar shook the forest.
Much louder. And much closer.
The group turned around, frightened.
"This way! Quickly!" Gandalf ordered and picked up the pace.
"Run!" Thorin shouted in panic and sprinted after the wizard.
Ilèyn noticed how Bombur, rigid with shock, looked back and did not move.
"Bombur, come on!" she roared, pulling his long beard behind her. The dwarf awoke from his stupor and suddenly began to rush past Ilèyn with all the strength reserves he seemed to have.
He passed her and one by one from the company. Ilèyn really hadn't seen that coming.
She now constituted the end of the group and followed the others out of the forest. In front of them a rather large house could be made out, built in the shade of a few trees. It was surrounded by dry tall grass.
Bombur had almost reached Gandalf at the head of the group when a huge monster broke out of the undergrowth behind Ilèyn. She threw a quick look over her shoulder and her eyes widened in panic. She mobilized her last strength and reached the front garden of the house through a large entrance gate. The dwarves struggled to open the door, and Ilèyn couldn't see what exactly failed. She ran straight towards them, growing roars right behind her. Suddenly she saw how the door was pushed open and the dwarfs rushed in, followed by Bilbo, who had run a little ahead of her. Gandalf was already with them and the dwarf now also reached the crack in the door. She threw herself inward and landed on the stony ground, behind her a huge bear's snout pressed against the door, roaring and growling. The dwarves pushed from the other side and as more and more helped, they actually managed to push the beast off the door and lock it.
Ilèyn was lying on her back on the floor and had just watched in shock. Now that the burden of the chase was off her, she let her head drop to the floor, breathing heavily. She took two deep breaths until she pushed herself up and brushed the dust from her coat and body.
"What is that?" Ori asked at that moment, completely out of breath.
Gandalf looked around seriously.
Ilèyn, the dwarves, and the hobbit stood close together and looked up at him, waiting.
"That is our host." answered the wizard. No response from the company.
"His name is Beorn." continued the old man. "And he's a skin-changer."
Ilèyn met Fili's gaze when she looked around briefly. The blonde was still standing with his brother facing the heavy wooden door, behind which the bear's rumbling continued to penetrate. The wizard continued.
"Sometimes he's a huge black bear." he explained, "Sometimes a great strong man."
The wizard went further back into the house. A few oxen stood side by side on the straw floor.
"The bear is unpredictable." Gandalf continued, "But the man can be reasoned with."
Gandalf turned back to the group.
"However..." he began cautiously, "he is not overfond of dwarfs." he said with a slightly cautionary undertone.
Ori had heard at the door and now announced that the beast would apparently disappear again.
His brother Dori pulled him to him.
"Come away from there!" he ordered the youngest, "It's not natural. None of it! It's obvious. He's under some dark spell." Dori looked up at Gandalf, who had approached the two of them.
"Don't be a fool!" the bearded man scolded the gray-haired dwarf, "He's under no enchantment but his own."

The dwarves began to look around the big house. It was furnished quite comfortably. A dining table with lots of seating options. A store for groceries, a living area. Very homely.
Fili hurried over to Ilèyn.
"Are you all right?" he whispered to her. Her heart jumped a little at the worried look he gave her.
That... felt extremely strange.
She quickly waved it off.
"Don't always worry about me, Fili." she replied "It's all right."
Despite the little scolding that was contained in her testimony, Fili couldn't help but look relieved. Without another word, Ilèyn passed him and eyed the new surroundings.
"All right, now." Gandalf took off his hat. "Get some sleep. All of you. You'll be safe her tonight."
Ilèyn approached one of the oxen and stroked the shaggy fur of the brown animal. She looked around the stable part. This would probably have the most space to sleep.
Oin and Gloin started lighting some of the candles they found around the house, even if it was still bright outside. The other of the dwarfs started talks or were already preparing their night camps.
Kili and Nori found another door. It led out into a kind of garden. The two dwarfs stepped out of the door curiously and looked around between well-tended beds and fruit trees. Nori picked a handful of berries from the bushes and began to nibble them with relish. Fili, Bofur and Gloin also came out into the garden.
"Kili, don't do that." Fili sighed somewhat annoyed, but also amused, when he stopped his brother from trying to lift an oversized axe. The younger laughed out loud, and Bofur got on with.
"Let him try it, Fili!" Bofur shouted, who had sat down on the stone steps and was quietly smoking his pipe "He can't do it anyway!" Loud laughter from Bofur and Nori.
Kili contradicted laughing and wanted to try again, his brother stopped him again.
"What's the matter with you, brother?" Kili asked disappointed.
"We're not here to have fun, Kili. How do you know that this monster out there won't tear you to pieces if it finds out you've touched something here?"
At this statement, Nori spat out the berries with a start and let the rest of them fall to the ground.
"You didn't see anything!" he called and stumbled back into the house. Bofur looked after him, puzzled.
"Great." he said.
"Since Ilèyn came back you've been getting weird and strange." Kili said in a lowered voice "Or do you think I don't notice?"
Fili looked blankly at his brother.
"I don't know what you mean." he said confused.
Kili sighed.
"Just tell her that you like her and you might get a little more normal again." he replied dryly.
"I beg your pardon?" Fili asked indignantly. How could his brother be so bold and say such things?

"Who likes who?" it suddenly came next to the brothers. Both turned their heads in the direction of the voice and saw their uncle approaching.
"Great." Fili hissed at the younger one, who looked down at the ground.
"What are you arguing about?" Thorin asked as he came to a stop next to his nephews.
"We don't argue, uncle." Fili contradicted immediately.
"Fili was just saying that... it wouldn't be very smart to touch the monster's things out here." Kili added.
Thorin's gaze flicked back and forth between the two brothers.
"Hmm..." he mumbled thoughtfully "Your brother is right, Kili."
The young dwarves couldn't really read the expression on their uncle's face.
"Go inside. The sun has almost set." he said to his nephews and pushed them towards the door. Both obeyed without a reply and went to the house.
Thorin grabbed Fili's arm and pulled him back a little when Kili was already walking inside.
"Are you all right, nephew?" he asked seriously.
Fili looked at him slightly confused.
"It's all good, uncle. Don't worry about me." he answered just as quietly as his uncle had asked.
"You're behaving different than usual." it came from Thorin "What's that with this... this stranger?" Thorin's voice took on a somber tone.
"There's nothing, believe me." Fili said seriously, writhing out of his uncle's tight grip. He stood up to Oakenshield's suspicious look.
"You are one of my most talented warriors, Fili." Thorin said emphatically, "And you are the next king. I need all your strength that you can muster."
Fili nodded briefly.
"You have it. I'll give everything for this venture, uncle! You know that!"
"Don't waste your strength and your thoughts on an walked along archer." Thorin added in a lowered voice, turned away from him and quickly entered the house. Fili watched him go and then looked down.
"Of course." he muttered, then followed his uncle inside.