Bard of Laketown

Part Twenty-Four

PART TWENTY-FOUR

BARD'S POV
Sigrid runs to the cupboard and pulls out some of our medicine. I want to tell her not to bother even trying to save Kili, but I don't have the heart to.
She kneels beside me and Fili and spoons some of the pasty medicine into Kili's mouth. He is too weak to gag at the awful smell (or taste), and he swallows it immediately.
Sigrid looks up at me. Her eyes look too old for her age, for she has seen more than any child should. "I know it will not save his life," she whispers, "but it will ease his pain."
Fili smiles brokenly at her. "Thank you, lass."
Night has fallen now. The rest of the Company is sitting on the floor, their eyes weary, watching Kili.
"Get some sleep," Thorin says gruffly.
I feel myself getting sleepy, but force my eyes to remain open.

The next morning, the dwarves rise early. "We must leave now," Balin says. "The Lonely Mountain waits for us." I nod.
"I will come to see you off."
They gather their things, then look at me expectantly.
"Well.." Balin draws the word out.
I mimic him. "Well... what?"
"Where are the weapons you promised us?"
I force myself to remain nonchalant. "Ah. Of course. The weapons."
I look around my home. The only weapons I have here are my bow and a spear, and I am not going to give those to the dwarves.
I move to the drawers and pull out some sharp kitchen knives, including a long blade used for gutting fish. I add some more tools to the pile. None of them are desirable weapons, but they will do if nothing else is available.
The dwarves look at me skeptically, then move to the pile of weapons. Fili has moved away from his brother. There are dark circles ringing his eyes, and it is clear that he did not sleep at all.
"You expect us to fight with these?" Thorin asks angrily.
I feel a twinge of annoyance. "Seeing as that's all I've got here, then yes."
They whisper quietly to themselves.
"Thank you for your help," Balin says. "We will be going now. We don't need the weapons."
There is something in his eyes that makes me unsure. They are planning to get weapons elsewhere.
"Are we going now?" says a weak, hoarse voice. We all turn to find Kili standing up slowly. Fili runs to him and hugs him tightly. "You are well!" he says.
I look over at Thorin, and he meets my eye. It is clear that Kili is not healed, only well rested. The dwarves thank me with undercurrents of anger in their voices, then walk out the door. It is as if they had never been there at all. I open my small pantry and find it more bare than it was before. So they had already eaten. I grab a quick bite of bread, then go out the door, eager to bid those dwarves farewell.