Different Sense

Different Sense: 09

Thorin was struck slightly by Lothiriel's odd sense of loyalty. It is a trait which is hard to find in most companions, along with honesty. And here was someone who had both traits, standing before him.

Her amber eyes softened, yet there was still an edge to them. It was clear that she was still highly unhappy about this situation. Nodding slowly Thorin passed her slowly, not before lightly putting a hand on her shoulder. Giving it a light squeeze he walked away.

Lothiriel believed that that was Thorin's way of saying – without actually using words – “It'll be fine. We have your back.” She turned slowly and watched him walk away, looking briefly at the ground she too walked back over to the group.

Bilbo pointed to a bag which Gandalf had placed on the leafy ground. “What's in that?” His words naturally caught everyone else's attention. There were rushed footsteps to gather around and see what Gandalf had been carrying.

“Ah,” Gandalf said in a tone which made it clear that he had forgotten that he even had the bag in his possession. “Yes, these,” he reached into the bag and pulled out some weapons. Not just any weapons, but swords. The wizard reached across and gave one to Thorin, Bilbo got one passed to him too as did Lothiriel. She looked confused, as far as she could tell her own sword was sufficient enough.

“Elfish blades; before you throw yours away Thorin Oakenshield, you should know that they are the very best blades to ever be forged. They never grow blunt, and they glow blue when orcs are near.” Thorin gave the blade in his hand a begrudging look, yet laid the weapon down in front of him. Gandalf turned to Bilbo after slightly lecturing Thorin. “Yours, Bilbo,” Gandalf paused to look at the hobbit with a kind look. Bilbo looked utterly confused by the concept of a sword, let alone how to properly hold one, yet he looked up upon hearing his name. Gandalf rethought over his words before putting a hand on his shoulder. “All you need to know is that true courage is not knowing when to take a life, but when to spare it.” He smiled.

The gently spoken statement made everyone stop admiring the new weapons and look up in thought.

Gandalf turned to look at Lothiriel. “I noticed you were minus one sword.”

“It got stolen.” Lothiriel said while looking down at the sword in her hands. Truth be told she usually had twin swords, one wasn't so much as stolen but rather taken away from her. “Thank you, Gandalf.” She smiled earnestly up at him.

“How did you let your weapon get stolen?” Bilbo asked while appearing by her side.

Lothiriel let out a thoughtful noise while tucking her new sword into her belt. She glanced around trying to think of a explanation. She gave a shrug and trotted off. Much like Thorin, Bilbo looked slightly unamused by not receiving an answer.

With the new wonders of the elfish weapons over with, the group commenced travelling again. The further they got the more anxious and withdrawn Lothiriel became. Like most times she was travelling beside Bilbo, he could see she was in no state to talk so he rode beside her in silence. He did try a few times to bring her into a conversation he was having with Oin, but it failed she merely looked away.

It seemed like Bilbo was not the only one who was picking up on her sudden character change. The group had rested by a stream to let the ponies rest and drink. At this time Lothiriel was sitting on a fallen tree. She stroked the bark and frowned before leaning her chin in her hands. Thorin stood nearby keeping an eye on everything, he watched as a mixture of emotions seem to travel across her face.

One minute she was calm, then she was anxious, then there was a hardened determination sparking in her eyes as she stared ahead of her. Her shoulders raised and lowered as she let out a deep worried sigh.

Everyone else was seemingly giving her space, but Thorin opted for the opposite. He had decided that perhaps what she didn't need was her own company and her own thoughts. Pushing away from the tree he was leaning against, Thorin walked slowly over.

He sat down hesitantly beside her, just in case she'd tell him to go away. He highly doubted her to voice such words, but one could never tell. Much like he did previously, he reached up and placed a hand on her shoulder. He kept his gaze ahead and raised a eyebrow as one of the ponies decided to stray away from the group and Kili and Bilbo darted after it while waving their arms.

Thorin's attention quickly turned back to Lothiriel as she shifted. He was expecting her to stand up and walk off, perhaps she really did just need her own company. The last thing he was expecting the nymph to do was to lean against him, there was a light thump from her head landing against his shoulder. Her face momentarily disappeared into the fur of his cloak. She said nothing to him, but Thorin didn't mind that.