There was something about the "lion warrior" that invited her in; she liked calling him they because he had the heart of a lion. Fili was kind and caring, yet scary when he had to be. She'd watched him, as the Company carried on; during the fight with trolls, she'd seed the fury become unleashed within him. She'd witnessed the fire behind his blades, and the lion behind his eyes. It was both terrifying and beautiful, all at the same time.
They were settling down for the night; the trolls encounter had happened the night before. The Company was tired after the trolls, and the days itself seemed to have taken forever. Exhaustion was shared amongst the dwarves, the hobbit, and the human.
Lullaby had brushed her pony, and wandered over to help Kili and Fili with the rest of the ponies. Half had been brushed; she continued brushing the ponies, standing beside the one that Fili was working on.
She felt eyes on her, and looked up to see the lion warrior himself watching her.
"Is everything alright?" she asked him; her voice sounded tired to her own ears. It matched how she felt.
Fili said nothing, for what felt like a long time. "I'm not sure."
"What seems to be the problem?" Lullaby continued.
"I...." Fili exhaled then; as she watched him, she noticed he seemed to be having trouble finding the words. Deciding it was best to talk without additional thought, he suddenly said, "I've been watching you."
She could feel blush in her cheeks. "Have you?"
"Yes." He took a slow breath. "You're a human, not of this world. I saw how you fought against the trolls, alongside us. We are warriors. It is in our blood. But you, you have no reason to fight like us."
Lullany pondered his words; he dodnt spund like he was kneeling her, just baffled that somebody so unlike himself would fight alongside him. She smiled softly. "The first night we stopped for the night, both you and Kili assured me I was a part of this Company."
Fili nodded immediately. "Aye," he agreed.
"If the Company is to battle trolls, then I will be beside them, battling trolls," she explained. "I will do as the Company does, regardless of how different our upbringings have been. I can learn to swing a sword or an axe as you have. I may not be a warrior like you, but I will fight as though I could be."
Fili let her words soak in. Slowly lowering the pony brush, he stepped away from the pony and was soon standing in front of Lullaby. Before she could react much, his arms were around her, pulling her in a bear hug against his chest.
As her arms hugged him back, he whispered to her, "You are of dwarven heart, though you are human. Remember that: that you will always belong amongst dwarves, amongst us, Lullaby."
Her heart began to swell. She finally had a place where she could belong.
YOU ARE READING
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Non-FictionI had this idea last night after a few drinks, a pounding headache, and an excessive amount of throat lozenges. In order to inspire me to write more often than I currently do, I am planning to write a new post every day and publish it, allowing me t...