A Ruby's Shine (Thorin Oakenshield X OC)

40. Memories and Thinking

Thorin's POV

I looked around the wood house with hay covered floors, some of the company laying out what blankets and cloth they had left from Goblin Town. I leaned against a beam, thinking, till i realised a familiar head of fiery red hair was not moving about to find her own place to rest.

"Where is Philomena?" I voiced aloud, everyone freezing and looking around in horror, wondering if we left her out there to be eaten by wargs or the giant bear.

"Where is the lass?" Bofur said, spinning and looking around along with all of us.

"Search the house." I ordered, beginning to move away to look and see if Philomena went to find any food inside the house. I was just about to step out the door and into the next room when Bilbo spoke up.

"Found her!" He called. I looked in his direction to find him pushing a bale of hay out of the way next to the door, revealing the slumped figure of Philomena with her signature brilliantly red hair.

She looked awful. Her head is slack against the wood wall, an uncomfortable frown on her unconscious face. Dark bags lingered under her eyes that I did not notice before, earlier today, when we spoke on the spire. This stubborn woman seems exceptionally good at hiding what she truly feels, which makes me both annoyed and admiring of her strength. Not just in wielding a sword, but her strength of will.

Her arms were slack in her lap, one hand flipped over, revealing the healing cuts and scrapes on her hands from the rocks of the mountain. Her jaw was even slightly slack. It was... interesting, to see the profound difference between her being awake and asleep. Even on the road, I do not think I, or anyone of the company for that matter, have seen her sleep soundly.

When awake, she has such a stubborn and prideful way about her that she seems much larger and tougher than she actually is. Now that she is actually asleep, not lightly sleeping like she did on the road, it made such a drastic difference in her looks. Now she looked... small, fragile, vulnerable.

I am sure if she was awake she would punch me for such thoughts. I have seen enough of her character to understand that weakness is just not something she accepts. Which can be both good and bad. Mostly bad, in this case.

I stepped around the others of the company and over to Bilbo's side. I can see why we didn't notice her, this corner she found is quite dark and with the door right beside her and a bale of hay blocking our sight, she could have stayed hidden there and we might have not found her. I can see why Bilbo noticed where she is though.

Her tight curls of her vibrant red hair were bursting out of her loosely done braid, the water from the river having dried out but seems to have made her hair all the more amusing. I knelt down beside Bilbo ad waved my hand in front of her face. Oin warned me after the first night at Bilbo's hobbit hole that Philomena does not react well to others waking her up.

Philomena did not even react to the air fanning her face. She is really out of it. I looked behind me at Bofur and Bombur, who have sort of secretly taken Philomena under their wing, and the two brothers nodded, laying out blankets on the floor. I am sure this uncomfortable position would only make Philomena more unhappy if she were to wake up like this.

Carefully, doing my best not to wake her, I put my arms under her legs and her back, lifting her up from the floor. For as strong as she seems, she really is as light as a feather. The hood of my cloak, which was partially over her head, feel away, revealing more of her exhausted looking face to the sun still streaming through the windows.

I knew she was wearing my cloak. Back in Goblin Town, I handed it to Balin, knowing Philomena had lost her cloak when we were captured. Her vibrant hair was too much of a torch in those tunnels, the goblins would have picked her out immediately. I decided not to comment on how she hasn't tried returning the cloak to its owner. Plus, her thin coat was more designed for the end of summer and not going this far north, so I let her keep it. Internally, I hated that my mind moved to keeping her healthy and safe in any way I could. I was finding it harder and harder to deny the pull I feel towards the unique female.