Flames

2.3

Azalea prepared a spot to sleep that night. She stayed in the corner of the large barn, away from everyone else. She watched as the dwarves set up camp. A few of them hummed melodies foreign to her. She picked out one person singing "Misty Mountains". She listened to the strangely hypnotizing sounds, sitting with her back against the wall. She heard someone sit next to her.

"Hello," Thorin's voice said.

"Hello," Azalea replied.

"How's your arm?" he asked. Azalea glanced at her bandaged arm, having momentarily forgotten it was injured. 

"It's fine," she replied. "Doesn't hurt as much."

"Good, good," he nodded. Awkward silence descended upon them. Azalea had a billion questions bubbling in her mind. She just didn't know which one to ask. Every question she considered asking seemed stupid.

"What is it?" Thorin asked, noticing her silence.

"I'm not sure yet," she answered, staring at her folded hands. 

"How do you mean?" he wondered.

"I'm not sure yet," she repeated.

"Oh."

Another silence ensued. They both stared at their hands, trying to avoid eye contact with each other.

"Look-" Thorin began.

"So-" Azalea said at the same time. They both froze and chuckled.

"What were you going to say?" Thorin asked.

"I had a question, but you might answer it," Azalea said. "What were you going to say?"

"I was going to say I should not have been so harsh towards you," he said. "I don't normally say I was wrong, but this time...yes, I was in the wrong to treat you so horribly. I know I apologized for this last night, but I feel like it needs to be said again."

"Why did you treat me so horribly?" Azalea wondered.

"I mistrusted you," he admitted. "I wondered why you wanted to help us, even though there wouldn't have been anything in it for you."

Azalea opened her mouth to speak, but Thorin held up a hand to silence her.

"I then realized that your heart was as beautiful as the rest of you."

Azalea smiled.

"Poetic, Thorin," a voice said from the sleeping dwarves. "Go to sleep!"

"Well, I suppose it is that time," Thorin said. "Goodnight, Azalea." He got up and began to walk away.

"Goodnight, Thorin," Azalea replied. She paused and added, "We'll get Erebor back. Then, you'll be the king everyone knows you can be."

He nodded and continued to walk.

"I think you'll be a great king," Azalea added. Thorin froze and looked back at her.

"Thank you, Azalea. Sleep well."

"You, too."

They both fell asleep smiling.

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Azalea woke up the next morning a little later than the others. They were having breakfast at a very large table with a very large man. She joined them, taking an open seat next to Bilbo.

"Tell me, dwarf," the tall man said, "how'd you manage to get a Man to join you on your quest?"

"We just ran into her somewhere along the way," Thorin said.

"What's in it for you? Men never work unless they get something from it," the man said. Azalea shrugged.

"I guess I'm just glad to help them try to get home," she said. "These guys mean a lot to me, and if they get home, I'll feel like I've done something good with my life."

The tall man nodded understandingly.

"You don't have a home, do you?" he asked. Azalea shook her head. He nodded.

"It is always those who need the most help who are so willing to give it," he said. She nodded. She began to eat breakfast, and she didn't know Thorin was staring at her.

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"Take the horses. I hope you get your mountain back," the tall man said after breakfast. "There are orcs on their way here. Go soon."

They all packed their things way and left as soon as they could. 

"We have to go through Mirkwood," Bilbo told Azalea, since she'd missed that part of the conversation. "We're taking the Elven road."

"Oh, okay."

Azalea wanted to ride up to talk to Thorin, but decided against it. 

"If you want to talk to him, just go," Bilbo suggested to his friend. 

"No. He's got enough on his mind right now," she replied.

"He really likes you, you know," Bilbo said. "He'll never admit it. He's too proud for that."

Azalea chuckled. Bilbo smiled along with her. She thought back to the previous night, the memory of Thorin calling her beautiful making her smile grow.

What if Bilbo's right? she wondered to herself. What if Thorin actually does like me as much as I like him?

She was lost in thought for the rest of the ride to the forest of Mirkwood.