LOTR & The Hobbit Oneshots

A Dying Wish (BofurXReader) Part 1

You never thought Bofur was capable of being sad.

Of course, everyone gets upset at some point or another but it was easy to forget that with him. The silly-hatted, jovial guy was always so upbeat and optimistic with a smile that seemed permanently etched onto his face; no one would have ever known if he had been struggling with personal issues nor have any true inkling as to what really went on inside that whimsical mind of his that wasn't anything other than rainbows and sunshine.

It was one of those endearing qualities of his that had you easily overlooking those sort of things, and that fact never would have occurred to you at all if you hadn't happened to truly take notice of him when he thought nobody was looking. It happened just after Mirkwood and you couldn't help but keep noticing ever since.

To the casual observer, it would appear that this worry-free dwarf lived his life without qualms and had achieved total zenness. But in the few moments where you happened to catch him alone, the big smile had evolved into a frown. His twinkling eyes turned downcast and distant. The inner darkness that he kept locked inside was kept very close to the chest -- or maybe under his hat with how often he wore the thing.

With having to deal with Thorin's dragon sickness and now the impending battle, it only seemed to amplify Bofur's troubles to the point where you knew it wasn't just a passing issue because it began to creep in to how he interacted with the others.

You meant to bring it up to him, but there was never an opportune moment to do so and you didn't want to put in the trouble if it truly turned out to be nothing.

But just in case, you asked Bombur if Bofur confided in him about it but the rotund dwarf offered you no solace on the matter. Whether he knew and just chose not to tell you out of the bonds of brotherhood, or if he truly had no idea, you weren't certain.

But it was beginning to eat away at you. You had to know what was up.

There was no denying it. You had grown quite fond of the guy over the course of the journey. Bofur was one of the first friends that you made in the group and it nearly killed you seeing him so down and he never once came to you about it regardless of your close friendship to one another, which stung a little if you were to be honest.

Even now as you watched him sitting beside you wrapped up in tales of times long since passed, you wondered what was really going on behind those big brown eyes of his that he was keeping to himself.

Just then, Gloin clumped his way down the stairs with haste, eager to get out of the climate outside. "It's colder than a snowman's arse out there! Mind the fire, laddie," he said, nodding at Bofur.

"Well," Bofur winked as he turned to you and gave your knee an affectionate clap. "Looks like it's my watch. Have a good night, lass."

He stood and bid everyone else goodnight and your eyes followed after him as he departed up the stone stairs until he was out of sight.

The next few hours you and a couple others remained huddled by the warmth indulging in light conversation and tended to the fire. It wasn't long before they started nodding off. And while they could find rest easily, you couldn't. The fire pit was warm and inviting and your ears were able to tune out the sound of sawed logs -- after growing accustomed to the noise over the course of the year together -- but your thoughts kept wandering up the stairs to where Bofur was, robbing you of any hope of sleep.

As you stared into the flames, you recalled all the times you shared with the Company up to now and how much your friendship and bond has grown with them even with your differing races.

There was an unspoken oddity in there being a human female joining an all-male quest of 13 dwarves, a wizard, and a hobbit. Though you've proved yourself in combat and earned your place amongst them, it was still a strange sight and admittedly challenging for just about everyone to adapt when it came to living and traveling together at first.