Inflamed (Harry Potter & The Hobbit/LOTR Crossover) (LegolasxOC)

13- Finish Line

When Thorin gently woke me up, it felt as if he had given me five minutes to sleep. I groaned and rolled on my side, the early sunrise blinding me. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and sat up, fighting back a yawn and the exhaustion I still felt. "How long have I been asleep for?" I asked, my voice deep from sleep. I stretched, feeling pain in my back from sleeping on the stone.

The corner of Thorin's mouth quirked as he replied, "No more than two hours." I nodded, running a hand over my hair which probably looked a bit crazy even though it was pulled back in a braid. "Lemme check on your wounds and we'll head out. Did you already eat?" He nodded, starting to take off his ridiculous amount of clothing.

The wounds must have become inflamed from the rough ground because they did not look much better. I frowned slightly as I applied the salve, asking, "How do you feel?" Thorin tensed as I gently prodded his skin. "Fine." he replied curtly. I narrowed my eyes at him, but didn't say anything, bandaging him back up.

As he tried to get up himself, I thrust the bottle of lily tea in his face. "Drink." He raised his eyebrows, but complied. I looked away and out at the scenery, because the clenching of my stomach muscles was starting to ache badly. We started our descent again, silence all around us except for the gentle breeze.

"Wait, did you eat breakfast?" Thorin asked out of nowhere. I shook my head. "Nope." I could hear the frown in his voice as he suggested, "You should eat. I know you didn't escape the Misty Mountains unscathed." I shrugged, not really in the mood to argue over me eating. "Nah, we have to keep moving." "Miss Paige." Thorin protested. I held my hand up, saying, "Now's not the time, Thorin!" I heard him grumble something incoherent, but ignored it. Grumpy Drwaves were the least of my worries.

However, I was worried about Thorin's injuries. What if there was something seriously wrong with him and I was oblivious to it because I was not a very good healer? Óin should've gone with Thorin, not an amateur! I felt Thorin's hand on my shoulder and I turned, seeing a small pouch of dried fruit in his other hand. "You should really eat something, Miss Paige. Don't pretend that you ate supper last night, I know you didn't."

I opened my mouth to protest, but was interrupted by the sound of my stomach growling very loudly. My cheeks heated up as I sheepishly looked to the Dwarf, who was eye level because of the stair he was on. He thrust the pouch at me. I sighed, taking it, and turning back around. I popped a few in my mouth, surprised at how good it was. "Thank you." I mumbled, trying to pace myself. He hummed, seeming to be deep in thought.

As I continued down the steps, regaining some of my strength from the food, I realized that maybe Thorin wasn't so bad.

~

By late afternoon, I was actually able to see the ground. I looked up at Thorin, who watched me while keeping a hand on the Carrock beside us. A small grin broke out on my face. "I can see the ground. I want to say we have about five more flights of stairs." The Dwarf sighed deeply, leaning his head against the rock beside him. "Alright."

We trudged on with minimal breaks per Thorin's request. I think he had had enough of me and was anxious for the company of his kin. By five in the evening, there were only two flights of steps left and we caught a glimspe of the others camped out a few feet away from the beginning of the staircase. Kíli was the first to notice us.

His tense expression immediately melted away into his usual cheerful face. "Thorin! Paige!" Everyone else's heads snapped straight to the stairs, all of them looking relieved. Slowly, the two of us made our way to the ground. Once we reached the last couple steps, I jumped down and sunk to the ground, feeling the grass between my fingers. "Oh, I've never been so happy to see the ground in my life." I moaned.

Fíli stood over me, chuckling. "It's good to see the two of you still in one piece." I stood up, only to have him crush me in a hug. I flinched in surprise, but hugged him back. Imagine my surprise when Kíli jumped on me and hugged me from behind, smushing me in a Fíli/Kíli sandwich. I yelped, refraining from reaching for a dagger. "What's with the hug? I'm fine." I asked when they pulled away and allowed me to breathe.

"We were worried! We were able to get down the stairs in a whole day, but you and Thorin took two!" Kíli explained, a lazy grin on his face. It brought a smile on my own face. Óin came over and clapped a hand on both boys' shoulder. "Not botherin' you are they, Paige?" Both looked from the older Dwarf to me with wide eyes.

"Of course we're not bothering her! What a perposterous thing to accuse us of! I am hurt, Óin!" Fíli exclaimed, shooting his brother a devious look. "Exactly, dear brother! We are never a bother! Paige here loves us!" Kíli protested, wearing a charming smirk. Óin rolled his eyes, obviously used to the boys' shenanigans. "Well, if you mind, I would like to borrow the lass from you for a moment."

I waved to the pair and walked off in the direction Óin was leading us in. I smiled and waved to a few of the Company members as we passed by them, Gandalf shooting me a wink. Finally, the Dwarf stopped us at the edges of the forest. I stopped finally and watched he studied me before his face broke out into a wide grin.

"You did a wonderful job, lass! You're a natural healer!" he crowed. My eyes widened. "Really? Thanks." My cheeks flushed as he continued on about how my method of bandage-wrapping was some of the best he'd ever seen and that the way I spread the salve was very efficient. I wasn't really sure if I should care about those sorts of things, but the praise was very flattering.

When we returned to the camp, Bombur sat me down between Nori and Bofur and shoved a bowl of stew in my hands. "Thorin tells me you've barely eaten." I tried to protest, but the cook would not have it. "I will not have you starving yourself for the sake of others, regardless of how selfless that is." Reluctantly, though I wasn't going to complain because the stew was really good, I ate, almost spitting my food out whem Bombur turned to Kíli and ordered, "You cannot have any of Paige's food, no matter what she says. Is that clear?"

He pouted, looking like a sad puppy, but nodded. I snorted, taking another bite of food. With a full stomach, warmth, and some rest, I was feeling a bit better. After about thirty minutes, Thorin finally decided that it was time to move out. As we started off, I found myself next to Bilbo. I didn't even realize it until I looked over and saw the Hobbit thinking deeply.

"Bilbo!" I laughed, surprised. He jumped, his hand seeking his pocket, before seeing me. His face broke out into a smile. "Paige!" I bent down and gave the Hobbit a quick hug before walking, sending Nori a glare for his snickering. "It feels like it's been an age since we've spoken."

He chuckled, nodding. "Well, we've both been busy what with escaping from Goblins and Wargs and Orcs and making sure everyone is still alive. How do you feel?" I blinked in surprise. "I'm fine, thanks for asking. How are you?" Bilbo grinned. "I'm well. I was just asking because Thorin mentioned that you had been doing so much and not eating and barely sleeping...I was just making sure you're okay."

I smiled, appreciative of his concern. Never before had I had friends like Thorin and the Company. Sure, I had friends at Hogwarts, but we weren't as close as my mum was to hers or how I was with the Company. "I'm okay. Thanks, Bilbo." I squeezed his hand, smiling a little wider when he squeezed back. "What are friends for?"

Friends. This was certainly turning out to be a very interesting adventure.