The Valar Child: The Desolation of Smaug

Chapter 5 - Queer Lodgings

I sat up, clapping my hands. It was the day of my birth into this family! The day Thorin found me and saved me from death. The sun had not yet risen, but I was up and out of my bed. I glanced around quickly. I was still sharing a room with Fili and Kili, so that they would protect me against nightmares. The one wall was pock marked with holes and slices from their arrows and daggers. A very few books were in shelves along the wall, but mostly armor, and weapons. I saw Fili's twin swords, and Kili's bow and arrows. Then, I turned my head and saw their separate beds: Fili's on one wall, and Kili's on the other. I ran to Kili's bed, as he was the hardest to rouse. I jumped on the bed, and began to wiggle his toes beneath the sheets. His legs moved and he almost kicked me off the mattress, but I laid hold of his thighs and began to tickle those. Finally, Kili began to groan, and chuckle. I giggled as I knew he was waking up. The covers shifted, and Kili's head appeared, his dark hair all disheveled. I threw myself forward and pressed my lips to his in the fondest kiss a sister could give her brother. "Bluh! Hildar!" Kili said in exclamation as he wiped his mouth. I kissed him again and my arms encircled his neck.

"It is my birthday today, Kili! We must celebrate to the fullest, and that means we begin now!" I told him. Kili gave me a smirk before he sat up and wrapped me in his arms. A gurgling sound was heard and we turned to see Fili stirring in his bed. When he rolled over, I caught sight of one of his golden braids poking out from underneath the sheets. Kili knew my desires and he placed me carefully on Fili's cot so as not to disturb him. I kneeled up, paused, and fell forward. I landed on his chest and Fili leapt up.

"Hello!" he shouted as he quickly placed his blanket around my head and blocked my eyes from seeing. I giggled and he tickled me.

"No!  Ha, ha!  Fili! Stop!  Ha!  We must wake Thorin!" I said between my laughs. Finally, Fili had enough of torturing me and he put me down. He grabbed a beige jerkin and put it over his head, while Kili took a blue one. I was out of the room and running towards Thorin's room. My brothers followed me, quieter in their approach. I opened the door and saw Thorin lying on his side, his hair swirling on his pillow like a dark river. I had a running start, and I jumped high onto the bed. My landing was hard, and I bounced an extra foot into the air. Thorin grumbled in Durin's language and rolled to face me. Fili and Kili watched with smiles on their faces as I began to twirl his braids in my stubby fingers. I smiled brightly when I saw a blue slit from underneath Thorin's eyelids. I laid down next to him and I gently stroked his beard, the smallest tendrils curling in my hand. Thorin opened his eyes and he smiled when he saw me lying beside him.

"What is it, dearest? Why are you up before the sun is?" Thorin queried.

"It is my day of birth! You found me today!  Five years ago!  Gave me my name! We must celebrate!" I told him. Thorin gave me his blessed smile, and began to kiss me. I giggled and put my hands around his neck. Fili and Kili sat down on the edge of the bed and watched us.

"We celebrate your birth every day, Hildar. Every day is a blessing!" Thorin told me as he sat up, carrying me in his arms. He tossed me into the air and caught me as I laughed. Thorin then threw me at my brothers, and they received me. Fili smothered my face with kisses, and Kili tickled my toes. I laughed and kicked as I desperately tried to escape. Thorin quickly changed and rescued me from their clutches. Throwing me over his shoulder, he carted me out of the room, with Fili and Kili behind him. I pounded his back and laughed as Fili took hold of me hair and began to braid it in his nimble fingers. I giggled and straightened up, capturing Thorin's face in my hands. I bent down and kissed his forehead.

I woke up with a start and beheld the sun shining down on me. The smell of hay filled my nostrils and I remembered. I was not in my bed in the Blue Mountains. I was in a stranger's house, lying on his feed, and taking shelter beneath his roof. I sat up and looked at my arm. Some of the black and blue had disappeared, but my muscles were angry, and my bones stubborn. I looked around and saw the huge bees again. Gently swatting one away, I stood up and saw a huge wooden table at one end of the house. All the dwarves were sitting there, eating breakfast. It smelled like fresh bread, butter, milk, and honey. My stomach rumbled and I walked towards them. Bofur noticed me, and made room at the table, putting a plate in front of me. When I sat down, I heard a raspy, rumbling voice from a few feet away and looked up. A huge man, taller and broader than any I had beheld before, was serving us at the table. "You are the female they spoke of?" he asked. I swallowed and nodded. "You see things before they happen?" he then queried.

"Sometimes," Thorin quickly spoke up for me. I glanced at him, and he shook his head. "They do not always come to pass," he finished.

"The important things do," Fili said into his mug, and I smiled at him. Whenever it was valuable information I had, it always turned out right. Kili was sitting next to me, and he nudged me with his elbow. I smirked again, and that was when Bilbo popped up next to me. I stroked his head with my bad hand and winced.

"How is the limb, lassie?" Oin asked, as he started to get up from his chair. The huge man reached over and took hold of my arm. His hand dwarfed my own, but his grip was surprisingly gentle. Thorin's eyebrow went up at this contact, but when he stroked my bruised skin, Thorin saw that he was not going to harm me.

"Bad bruising. A sprain of her frail arm," he said in his deep voice.

"Excuse me?!" I asked, surprising everybody by challenging our host. "I wield a sword that was once in the possession of a great dragon slayer! Would a frail arm be able to use a weapon as great as that?!" I queried. Gandalf puffed anxiously from his pipe, and I'm sure the entire room became quiet with anticipation.

"A great blade, does not make a great warrior," he told me.

"But only a great warrior can wield a great blade," I returned. The giant rewarded me with a smile.

"Forgive her, Beorn!" Gandalf said quickly. "She is impetuous to say the least!" he defended.

"Being the ward of a dwarf, I would expect nothing less," Beorn, now called, said. He let go of my hand and went to a shelf, taking a stone jar from it, he returned. Kneeling down beside me, he opened it, and the contents smelled of honey. The mixture itself, was golden in color, and it was sticky. Coating his fingers with it, he covered my bruised arm with it, and rewrapped the bandage. A tingling sensation came over my limb, and my fingers twitched as they returned to life. I closed my eyes and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Feeling better?" Bilbo asked as he gave me buttered bread with a dob of honey on it.

"Yes, faithful Halfling, I feel better," I told him.

"Where did the fair child receive such an injury?" Beorn asked as he returned to his seat.

"The mace of a foul orc of Gundabad. Azog the Defiler!" Dwalin said darkly. Beorn's eyes looked up quickly and they focused on me.

"You faced the Defiler, and lived?" he queried.

"He would have taken Thorin from me. It was the least I could do for the man who has been my father," I responded. Thorin smiled as he looked down at the floor.

"I can't tell if that was very brave, or, very foolish," Beorn said. I straightened up, surprised and not knowing whether to accept that as a compliment, or as an insult.

"Are you saying that I am not as my people have trained me?" I posed.

"I'm saying you're either very good or very lucky. A little bit of both never hurt anyone," Beorn responded. "But, back to business. You mean to traverse the woods of the Elven King?" I glanced around at the dwarves and saw the expressions on their faces. They knew we had to travel through Mirkwood, but they were obviously not keen on doing so. "A darkness lies upon that forest," Beorn said. "The elves who live there are not like their woodland kin. Not as wise, and more dangerous."

Great, I thought to myself. At least I won't feel remorse when I kill them, I told myself and a smirk appeared on my lips.

"But I don't like dwarves," he suddenly said, and Beorn stood up. I felt my heart skip a beat. Was he about to get angry and cast us out? "They're greedy. And care little for the lives around them." I saw a mouse clambering across Bofur's arm, and he brushed it off. Beorn took it in his hand, and it looked ten times smaller than it already was. Beorn stared at it for a while, and Thorin watched him closely. "But orcs I hate more. What do you need?"