Never Back Again // The Hobbit, Fili X OC

Bullet Bert

Bree wasn't what you would call a charming place, the guard at the gate of town had sneered at them, demanding to know what their business was, saliva flying from his mouth as he spoke. The streets were muddy despite there being no rain for the past days, and even the people looked washed out. The smell was worse than any cattle town she's visited, despite the distinct lack of cattle. The market wasn't any better, with dirty men staring her down behind stalls caked in mud. The lack of atmosphere made her wish she was back in Bywater, at least that place was cozy.

It was late in the afternoon, and some vendors were already packing up for the day. But Balin insisted that they would still be able to find some useful supplies around here. The company would split up, just like they had done in The Shire, their ponies temporarily stalled at a local inn. They would meet with each other again at sundown to continue their journey, much to the dismay of at least half of the company, who had hoped to get to sleep in a bed tonight, and have some drinks at the inn. But until then, everyone -with the exception of Emma- had the complete freedom to go where they pleased. No, instead of choosing her own path, she was stuck following behind Dori and his brothers.

Dori was leading their little group, with Ori eagerly keeping in pace next to him. Nori and Emma lagged a bit behind, both having tuned out Dori's lecture about the importance of honesty and fair trade long ago. It was astounding really, how much one dwarf could nag about other people's habits, and how he hasn't yet grown bored of the sound of his own voice was a mystery to them all.

When she arrived in Bree and was told there was a market, Emma had planned to be on her best behavior; no stealing and no threats. She told herself that she didn't need anything; theft would be senseless. And anyone who would dare to suggest she was trying to prove a point to Thorin would get a warning in the form of a knife sent their way.

She really planned on keeping that promise to herself, preparing for another boring market. But Dori's rambling was starting to get on her nerves, and multiple vendors had been ogling at her like she was a piece of meat. Had these men no respect for themselves?

First it was just a silver necklace that had found its way into her pocket. The vendor had it coming, staring at her like that. Then a simple ring from the neighboring stand. And then a pocket knife from a passerby who bumped into her. She even took a random cup that looked completely useless, just because she could.

Finding out just how much she could get away with while under Dori's watch sounded like the perfect challenge to save herself from an otherwise boring day. And in her defense, she wasn't the only one with light fingers today, from the corner of her eye she saw Nori swipe an entire cutlery set without even slowing his pace. His older brother would be so upset if he found out what the two of them had been doing this entire time, which only made it funnier to them, motivating them to do their worst.

Just as she was about to fill her bag with some free food, she locked eyes with Thorin down the street. A moment of hesitation ran through her, before she made what some would call a stupid decision. She went through with her action, filling her bag to the brim, never breaking eye contact with the king. She swore she could see a vein pop somewhere on his forehead.
You could call it strategic, really, seeing where everyone's limits are and just how far she can push them. Or not, and she was just doing everything out of spite.

She knew he wanted to go over to her, she knew he wanted to do something about her behavior. But she also knew that he would not risk drawing attention to their group in such a public space, there was too much at risk. So instead, she watched as he turned away and nearly dragged poor Bilbo behind him. Maybe she wasn't the only one in need of a chaperone, because she could not imagine anyone voluntarily spending time with Thorin. Especially not Bilbo.