A Ruby's Shine (Thorin Oakenshield X OC)

89. Reunited With The Company

After getting lost twice in the vastness that is Erebor, even my great sense of direction getting turned around, we found Bofur and the others also on their way to the hall the rest of the Company had taken up residence in. Leading us farther into Erebor, where the halls become small and less open and the rooms become more simple and separate, Gloin, Dwalin, Bifur, and Oin directed us into a rather small hall. Still rather magnificent like all of Erebor. These walls of green marble like stone with gold lines running through them make this entire mountain look like in is just one giant thing for humans to try stealing. I never knew a mountain could have so much gold and wealth under it, not that I really cared.

Gold was just good for getting what is needed, as well as a few things for myself. It's not worth the greed humans put into it. And dwarves, as I have come to learn recently, something I still am struggling to accept. This room was rather simple though. Several lanterns hung from the roof, there is a staircase right in front of us and off to the side is a table covered in dusty mugs and a single dusty pitcher, a depressed looking Balin sitting at the table, staring sadly at the stone table.

"Balin!" Bofur called, being his usual goofy self once more as he raised his arms in a funny way, making me smile slightly, though I did not feel like smiling. Balin turned and stared at the three dwarves in shock as I hung back my the door, leaning against it and watching their interactions as Nori ran down off the steps from somewhere.

"Kili! Fili! Bofur!" Nori called out with joy as he hugged Kili, thumbing him on the back. I watched as Bombur and the rest of the company came out, hugging eachother as I counted, sighing quietly with relief is a counted twelve dwarves. Everyone survived Smaug, good, that worried me strongly. I let the dwarves have their merriment, thumping each other on the back as they called out happily in greeting to each other, Bofur and Bombur knocked their foreheads together in a way the made me wince but I knew it was a traditional greeting between family members, even if it makes my head hurt just watching it.

I stayed in the shadows as I glanced back the way we came.

We still are one dwarf short, and I do not know what I can do for Thorin... but this Company isn't complete without him. Also, where is Bilbo?

"Wait, there is only three of you, where is Philomena?" I heard Balin ask as I stayed in the shadows, glancing at them all, seeing every single dwarf of the Company turn and stare at me in the shadows. I sighed as Bofur stepped forward.

"Come on, Philomena, come join us and stop worryin' about things you can't help." Bofur said as I grumbled walking forward, grimacing as several pairs of eyes when straight to my new bandages. I crossed my arms in annoyance, leaning on Bilbo's stick. Honestly I was so exhausted I could collapse right then and there but I knew I needed to eat something first but I wasn't about to ask for food and show I am starving.

"Lass... what happened to you head?!" Balin asked as he stared at me in worried horror I shrugged.

"Tricked a dragon." I said simply, like it was no big deal, because I did not want them suddenly praising me like the people of Laketown started. I don't like my new name among the men and women of Laketown as 'Philomena The Fearless'. I am not fearless, I have much I do fear. I fear for Fairfin, whom I still have not seen or heard. I feared for Thorin, who is clearly in a bad place in his mind. I fear for this company, their leader, the one they followed is now sick with the greed of Gold Sickness.

I fear for the family I have found, but was not born into. I fear I will loose it all.

Silence fell as the dwarves just stared at me. Kili stepped forward, rolling his eyes as he faced the group of dwarves.

"Mena isn't telling the full truth of what happened. She was amazing! She threatened the Master of Laketown and got the whole town to evacuate not long after you all left, had that greedy Master of Laketown and his puppet at this side shaking in their boots! Then she went and concocted a plan so crazy that she didn't tell us and stood there, alone! On a tower! Talking to Smaug!" Kili said excitedly as I grimaced more at his words. This was exactly what I was try to avoid.

Bofur stepped forward excitedly as well, "You should have seen it, lads, she talked calmly to Smaug like there wasn't a massive fire breathing dragon approaching her, it was quite the sight to see. She made this crazy machine that made loud high pitched noise from pots, pans, and spoons! It disoriented the beast so she could keep talking to him before she launched a ball of metal from a catapult right into Smaug's face! Knocked his head back enough that the bargeman, that Bard fellow, could take the shot at Smaug's heart!" Bofur said proudly, making me want to blush but I held it down. I was quite uncomfortable with all this sudden praise at something I just did to protect lives, not for fame or the glory, I don't really care for those things, I just care for lives.

In my mind no one person is different, no matter if they are dwarf, elf, hobbit, or human. It doesn't matter if they are famous or poor, if they are royalty or a simple peasant. Everyone to me is the same, we are all just living our lives. I have stood by that belief for many years and not had many people praise me like this so I felt very uncomfortable under their awed looks as I looked just above their heads, my expression neutral.

I spoke in a calm tone, "They make it out to sound like I did something great, when all I did was save every life I could. I took an oath upon leaving Rivendell to not harm others and to always help people in a situation of need, I just stood by my oath." I said simply, keeping my arms crossed.

Fili snorted, making me look at him as he spoke in on this conversation, as the only one of our small group that had yet to say a word, "Don't let her play down her achievement, she save many lives standing up against a dragon alone. The people of Laketown basically praise her now as much as they do Bard. They have taken to calling her 'Philomena The Fearless'." Fili said as I grimaced at the nickname.

I decided a distraction as needed from this conversation.

"How about food though? I am starving." I said, stopping all muttered conversations as many eyes looked to me before Bombur grinned, gesturing up the stairs to a hall into another room.

"Come on, lass, I have been cooking a nice hearty stew all afternoon!" Bombur said, gesturing for me to follow up the steps, Fili, Kili, and Bofur right behind me. All four of us were starving as we went into the other room, which it looks like the dwarves of the Company have turned into a shared area to sleep. I glanced around as Bombur held out a bowl of stew which I gratefully accepted, the taste was amazing but my stomach responded not so happily to food from being empty for too long. I sat in the far corner and ate slowly, my mind far away as the dwarves of the Company talked among each other in the other corner.

I stared at the roof as I ate the stew slowly, my free hand reaching up and playing with the edge of the ring Thorin gifted me as I pulled my necklace free. I felt a pair of eye on me as I looked away from the ceiling and met Balin's grave eyes as I smiled sadly, yet showed Balin my determination in my eyes as he nodded before returning to the conversation of the dwarves with Fili, Kili, and Bofur.

Once I finished my stew, I slipped away out the door as they were focused on their conversation.

EDIT: Whew! Okay, a lot, and I mean A LOT, was changed in this chapter. I spent hours looking up what Erebor looked like exactly, even went through Erebor minecraft maps for some help before realizing that, even in the movies, the dwarf fortress is not shown very well in it's layout. So, I kind of made my own layout in my mind for it. I like how this chapter turned out, a lot better than I liked the original. I kind of started paying more attention to Philomena and Thorin alone at the end of the original set of chapters so I have been trying to remedy that. I think it's been working quite well so far. Also I have been watching the last movie, since the original of this was going off of my very vague memory of it's end. Hopefully a bit closer to the storyline now. Also decided to throw in a little of Thorin coming around, as he did so in the movie a few times as well when speaking to Bilbo.

Well, don't have much else to add here so... enjoy!

Original word count: 1570 New word count: 13,796