Curse of the East (Fili/The Hobbit Fanfiction)

Chapter 57 - Familiar Faces

We stayed in Rivendell for four days, relaxing and simply enjoying the company of the elves. I spent some time in the armory, Glorfindel had volunteered to teach my how to shoot long distances after quietly watching me fail miserably for awhile. He taught me the proper stance, and how to move with the bow; using it as an extension of oneself rather than a separate entity. I was grateful for the tips he had given me, and in return I taught him how to spin a blade in his hand as I always did; he noted it was not a terribly useful skill, but he enjoyed the overall aesthetic of the action. I was happy too oblige, and I taught him the move that was much easier than it looked; the same way that Ash had once taught me. I was very fond of our brief lessons, and I made a mental note to include him on the invitation when I did finally get around to sending it.

I also spent some time with Lord Elrond, learning how to use different herbs native to the mountain and surrounding areas to heal wounds and treat illness. He gave me a small, handwritten, book containing most of the things he had taught me; a text I was sure would be enormously helpful in the years to come.

"My wife wrote it all down many years ago, multiple times over. Each of the children have a copy, and there are at least three in the library. Take it." His voice was kind, and I was honored.

"Thank you." I whispered. "I will take excellent care of it. Though I confess I hope I will not have need of it often." He laughed, agreeing wholeheartedly; but before more could be said Lindir had arrived, and he had to leave to take care of something.

We were prepared to leave just after dawn on the fifth day, and after speaking a bit more with Lord Elrond, and promising to bring Bilbo to visit on the way back; we made our way out of Rivendell and toward the Shire.

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The trip between Rivendell and the Shire took about a week, but after about five days things started to look familiar. I had walked these fields dozens of times, gone for days at a time and leaving Bilbo positively out of his mind with worry; despite the fact that I was most certainly older than he was, knew those paths like the back of my hand, and I always left a note.

I saw many familiar faces when we reached Bree, and though not all of them were altogether overly happy to see me, I was embraced a few times as we made our way to the Smithies shop. It was out of our way to be sure, but there were things I needed from there; and it was unlikely I would have many reasons to make the trip much in the years that were to come. We found Alric standing out front, sweeping with his head down, and it took a few moments before he looked up; but when he did, he looked as though he had seen a ghost.

"Saria Baggins." He whispered, dropping the broom and walking up to me; he held me at arms length for a long moment before pulling me into his arms. "Where have you been child?" He asked.

"Killing a Dragon, reclaiming a Kingdom. The usual," I teased as I returned his embrace. "Are my blades still here sir?" He nodded immediately.

"Of course." He assured me.

"I just want my father's." I said quickly. "And the knife Ash made for me for my birthday." I smiled sadly at him as he frowned slightly at the mention of his son. "I'm going to live in Erebor. So you can sell the others." His eyes widened at my offer, indeed it was a generous one; and we both knew it. Though if anyone deserved that kind of generosity, it was Alric.

"Are you sure?" His shock was immediate and lasting. I nodded immediately.

"Yes, absolutely. I have Ringil." I gestured to the sword on my hip. "And so many knives and blades back home now I don't know what I could possibly do with them all. But I need those two, they mean too much to me to leave behind. You can fetch a nice profit for my other blades, and after everything you've done for me I want to do this for you." He hugged me tightly, thanking me over and over again before disappearing inside.

I couldn't make myself follow him. This place seemed so foreign now,and I wasn't ready for the memories that would come with going back into the basement. After all of my training, and learning how to listen for danger I couldn't go to the place Ash had died. Not now that I knew a hundred different ways I could have saved him.

Alric returned after a few minutes carrying the blades I had requested, and I talked to him for a few more minutes; introducing him to Fili and the others and telling him more about our journey before finally saying goodbye and leading the way down the street and toward the gate.

I said nothing as we passed through, but the faces of the men on duty were familiar; though I couldn't for the life of me remember their names. I climbed back onto my pony the moment we were out the gate, and I was silent most of the ride to the Shire. My stomach was a mess of butterflies, and seeing familiar faces again after so long was both strange and bittersweet. I had come back, only to leave again;and I was truly terrified now of what Bilbo would say when I told him. We moved into the part of the forest I recognized the most, and I couldn't help but smile.

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It wasn't until we reached my father's meadow - the same place Fili and I had dueled so many months ago now - that I realized we had taken the long way. It took a moment, but as I dismounted I could tell the others had begun to recognize it too; more difficult considering the absence of fireflies in broad daylight. Fili wrapped his arms around me and lifted me right off of my feet; he spun me in a full circle before setting me down and grinning childishly at me.

"Rematch?" He teased, and I shook my head.

"Not safe." I insisted. "I nearly took Glorfindel's head off back in Rivendell. I seem to forget now that duels are meant to be fun." I shuddered. "Too many Orcs and Goblins and blood." I shrugged, "Perhaps when we get to Bag-End we can arm wrestle." I offered, making everyone laugh and dissolving the serious mood I had accidentally created.

"No, that's alright." He replied, wrapping an arm around me. "Now that you're back, you may decide to stay and not marry me if I win." He said dramatically; placing a hand over his heart as thought the very thought wounded him.

"Maybe I would." I teased. "Perhaps you're right. It's best we don't risk it." I lowered my voice for the last bit, and he laughed, hugging me for a moment as we walked. "We should tie up the ponies." I announced. "Go in on foot." Bofur frowned.

"Why on foot lass?" He asked, his eyebrows drawing in confusion.

"They're Hobbits." I said simply. "They don't get out much. We're in armor. We have swords. No need to give them any more of a reason to sharpen their pitchforks, we're intimidating enough as it is." I said simply. I pulled his hat from his head so quickly he didn't even have time to move and stop me. I tossed it into the air. "At least some of us are." I teased, catching his hat again and dropping it back onto his head. I shoved it down crooked, over his eyes and he stumbled as he attempted to fix it; nearly tripping over a log. "Case in point." I declared, earning loud laughs from the others. Bofur's face was bright red when he finally pushed his hat back into place, but even he was laughing a little.

We tied up the ponies quickly, and as we did I began to count backwards; trying to figure out exactly how long I had been gone. All the days had started to run together in my mind, and I squeezed my eyes shut.

"What is the date today?" I asked finally, and I heard someone approach.

"It's the twenty seventh." Ori informed me. "Of December if you really want to know." My eyes widened as my math suddenly became significantly easier.

"Twenty. Months." I whispered, more to myself than to anyone. "No letter. No nothing. Oh Durin what have I done?" I ran a hand through my hair. Certain Bilbo probably thought me dead by now. I turned to Fili. "I've been gone more than a year and a half with... no word. At all. He's going to kill me. Like, actually, kill me this time." Fili laughed, wrapping an arm around me and pressing a kiss to my forehead, then both cheeks and finally a brief kiss to my lips.

"Well then." He declared. "Let's go do some damage control.