Return to Me (Kili)

Chapter Thirteen: The Skinchanger

Priscilla woke early the next morning on a hard wooden floor. She sat up slowly, looking around. She was inside the house. The light of the dawning sun shone through the window, just barely peeking over the horizon. It was early. Everyone else lay sleeping nearby. It must have gotten too cold to sleep outside, so they'd gone inside, she presumed.

She glanced around on the floor near her. She was close to the door, which was closed now, and Kili was closest nearby, and the rest of the Company was scattered around the house. She felt a smile tug at the corners of her mouth when she thought he must've carried her in.

Bilbo slept over in the corner, and she couldn't see Gandalf, but she assumed he was nearby. The wizard slept with his eyes open, and she was at least glad it wasn't the first thing she'd woken up to like the night she'd discovered that. It had startled her quite a bit before she woke up all the way and realized he was really asleep. It still kind of made her uneasy.

She got up quietly, and tiptoed through the house. Everything was huge. The chairs, the mugs, the doorknobs... even down to the molding on the walls. There were massive shoes by the door that she could've fit her entire forearm into if she tried. She remembered the huge bear, the skinchanger, that had chased them the night before and wondered what the man he turned into looked like.

She went outside, careful not to let the door make any noise as she went out. It seemed that the stealth of a hobbit had still been passed to her, she thought. Outside, now that she could see more clearly in the dusky light, she could see gardens and stables all around her. Giant bumblebees flew lazily past her, and a large cow grazed a few yards off.

She heard a noise behind her, and turned. There was a tall man behind her, and though she could call nearly everyone taller than her, he was taller than anyone she'd ever seen, and towered over her. He wore a brown tunic and had bushy hair and eyebrows. She stared in shock, eyes wide, and he inclined his head towards her, politely, then continued making his way around the house to one of the stables, a stool in his hand.

Priscilla paused for a moment, then slowly stepped over to where he'd gone. He sat on the stool by another cow, milking it. She stood at a distance and watched.

"You are not like the other." He said suddenly, without looking back, voice low and gruff.

"Ah... no. I'm no dwarf." She said, a little nervous, stepping closer.

"Not others. Other. The other halfling." He said as she came over. She didn't say anything then, next to him now. He glanced at her, then continued his work. "I knew your people. Once." He said.

"You- you did?" She asked.

"A small people. They lived in the same mountains my people did. I recognized your scent." He said, without looking up.

"And your people?" Priscilla asked.

"Gone now, like yours." He shifted, and said, "I am called Beorn."

"Priscilla. Pleased to meet you, Beorn." She said, dropping into a quick curtsy. Then she paused. He raised his eyebrows at her, and she swallowed. "Did you perhaps know anyone by the name of Alanneo?" She asked, hoping she pronounced it right.

He looked at her for a moment, as if studying her. "Your father?" He guessed. She nodded, but didn't say anything. He studied her for a few more seconds, then turned back to his work. "He was good-hearted. A strong leader." He said simply.

She was quiet. She looked at her feet, then nodded, turning away to go back to the house. Beorn's voice stopped her.

"We talked little, but he had a sharp eye for the future. He told me to tell you he loved you, if we ever crossed paths." Beorn said without turning his head.