Renacida || Fili x MGIME OC ||

Exhale

I came out of my room three days later, because whoo, I had been in a fucking coma. Turns out, when you spend a month only getting an hour of sleep at a time, die, get chased by orcs down a river, evacuate a whole town, fend off a dragon, fall a few hundred feet into a lake, relocate that whole town, and see a dwarven king raging with dragon-sickness, you get pretty tired.

"Ho, she lives!" Bombur cried heartily when I shuffled into the common area they resided in. Though the Company had an entire mountain to themselves, it was almost as if they feared it would infect them with its disease like it had their king.

I yawned and smiled, then bowed slightly with my arms spread out. "Your lady has returned."

"The lady looks like shite!" Nori exclaimed, which got a laugh from most of the Company. Then Fili punched him in the shoulder before he stood to walk over to me. My arrival seemed to ease their restlessness, pausing absentminded card games, coin counting, and weapon cleaning.

"How do you fare?" Fili asked me.

I gave a hefty stretch, rubbed the back of my matted and greasy hair, and replied, "I'm starving."

"I'll put some stew on!" Bombur announced almost too excitedly, ready to jump on any excuse to keep himself from boredom and worry. "Should only be a couple hours, ready in time for supper!" He then rambled off listing the spices and vegetables from Lake-town he'd use. Pots and cooking utensils clanged loudly in the room.

"Best have a snack while you wait, my lady," said Dori, handing me a bundle of cloth, which had a good amount of sliced cheese, dried apples, and fresh mushrooms. He also gave me a flagon of tame wine.

I inhaled the contents, and while I chewed poorly enough to present a choking hazard, I scanned the area. Kili, Balin, and Dwalin were gone. Thorin was, too, but I expected it.

"You slept for a long time," Fili said matter-of-factly. I rolled my eyes, but it was done with a huff and a smile. "Some of us were worried you had finally passed on."

"I wasn't!" Bilbo had to pipe up. "I wasn't."

"Thank you, Baggins."

"It was the dreams, honestly, that affirmed your state," said Fili as he led me to a spot where I could sit beside him. "You would toss and turn sometimes."

It sounded like he meant to say something more on the subject but thought better of it.

If I had dreams, I didn't remember them, which was a blessing. Thinking hard enough about them brought up vague and hazy memories of scales and fire, darkness and loss, but they slipped through my fingers like sand. I wouldn't chase after them.

Instead, I asked questions so I could get caught up on what I missed the past three days. Aside from Thorin's state of worsening madness, nothing much had gone on. Kili visited Dale every day to "help with reparations and for trade," but really it was just to be with Tauriel. She and Legolas were still there, and Legolas constantly reminded them that their father would be at the mountain's door demanding what he was owed very soon.

They also had a proper burial service for the dead who hadn't made it out of Erebor when Smaug invaded. I was almost glad I missed it. The sight would have just conjured wearied memories of loss.

The armory had been cleaned out, and braziers were regularly relit and replaced to provide some light to the mountain. The water system also worked—it never stopped working, apparently. Everything in Erebor had been designed to last until the days of Dagor Dagorath. So. A very long time.

Dwalin spent most of his time watching over Thorin to make sure he ate what little food he did and wouldn't turn violent. It turned his demeanor even more sour, so the Company avoided conversation with him most of the time. Balin busied himself with tidying the archives, but really he hid from who Thorin had become and the pain of watching another king succumb to the sickness. Only Bilbo visited Balin. The rest would only despair if they stayed too long.