To The Ends of The Earth

Chapter 11: Delicate

Thorin was up before dawn the following morning. We were all awakened by his pounding relentlessly on our doors, insisting that we be off by sunup. I groaned as I sat up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. It felt as though I'd barely laid down and fallen asleep before the pounding at the door had awakened me. After we'd returned from the tavern Kili & Fili had helped to sneak me upstairs and past the watchful eye of Thorin, to avoid any questions about my bloodied nose. Neither of them had asked any questions themselves, beyond checking to make sure I was alright. I appreciated that they didn't try to coddle or hover over me. Once we made it back to the inn and turned in for the night, they'd not brought it up again.

I looked over from my spot on the edge of the bed to the two sleeping brothers. They had tried to sleep on the floor, but given the bed was larger than what would have been a king size mattress back home I'd refused to let them. It was plenty big enough for three, and we'd all piled comfortably in for the evening. Fili lay on the opposite side, facing the wall. Kili had taken the middle, his back pressed against Fili's so that he was facing me. Neither had stirred despite Thorin's ruthless banging at the door. My eyes remained on Kili as he slept; his gentle breathing in and out caused the stray hairs across his face to flutter. I caught myself wanting to reach forward and brush them away, and I scolded myself silently as I resisted the urge.

There was no denying the growing affection I had for the young dwarf. I didn't quite know yet in what capacity I felt for him. It had been years since I'd truly made a good friend, and even longer since I'd allowed myself to feel for anyone beyond that. The growing feelings in my gut felt unfamiliar and frightening, but in spite of my best efforts to ignore them they blossomed regardless. I'd grown incredibly fond of Kili. Not just Kili; the entire company had worked their way into my heart. The thought of leaving Middle Earth once the journey was over already pained me.

I inspected my face in the mirror as I braided my hair back out of the way, as usual. The slight darkening around my eyes from the evening before had faded and my nose was no longer swollen. I pressed lightly against it, relieved that it was not tender. Fully healed, just as I'd expected. It was one of the more convenient aspects of the serum.

A loud snore from behind caught my attention. I turned around to see the brothers still splayed across the bed, both still wrapped tightly in the blankets. I shook my head as I crossed the room and grasped the covers in my hands, ripping in one motion and uncovering them both. They both moaned their displeasure aloud as I left the room and headed downstairs to join the others.

We set off just as the sun was cresting over the town's horizon. There were no clouds in the sky, and it appeared that we would be in for a day of sunshine. It was a welcome change after the past few dismal days. As the road wove back out of the town and into the countryside I noticed the villages and houses become fewer and farther between the longer we rode. I had a feeling we were heading away from civilization, and I wondered what the next leg of the journey would bring.

The first hour was silent, pierced only by the early morning calls of birds and the breeze that rustled the treetops. We set out early most days, but not typically before sunrise. It was clear most of the company was still waking up, given that most of us had gone out the night before. I rode towards the back of the pack, and as I watched the winding trail I noticed Thorin drop back to ride beside me. He kept his eyes focused forward as he began to speak.

"Dare I ask why you came back with a bloodied face last night?" He asked, finally breaking the silence.

I felt a smirk tug at the corners of my lips, in spite of my fear that Thorin would be angry with me for breaking the one rule he'd given us. There was something in his tone that told me he wasn't upset; he sounded curious.