Fool for u

Rivendell rendezvous

Periwinkle faced herself in the mirror, leaning in to carefully paint another intricate pattern underneath her eyes. She once again wore the leather attire she had on to distract the trolls, her arms and face lightly glimmering with golden powder as she moved in the candlelight. Her hair was clipped back and fell down her back in unruly curls, almost mimicking the colour of the flames.

When Bofur stated his condition; for her to make fire dance, she was reluctant to say yes. It only took three more spins on his back for her to give in, with the blood rushing to her head and all, she grew desperate.

Although she said yes to save her own behind, she would still give the Company and elves the performance of their lives and insisted on getting dressed up. It was the smart thing to do, just in case she burned a hole through her travel clothes.

Meanwhile, the dwarves were all waiting for her on the balcony where they enjoyed their food fight moments ago. The elven servants have cleared the tables and cleaned the mess they made, thus leaving the place spotless.

Bilbo had joined them after they settled down. He was curious about Periwinkle making ‘fire dance’, as Bofur called it. She had never told him she could do that. It made the hobbit wonder about everything she didn’t tell him in all the years they’ve been friends. Honestly, he has learned more about his best friend during the few days of the quest than the days she visited him at Bag End.

“What do ye think it means, makin’ fire dance?” The dwarves muttered to each other.

“You think she’s a wizard as well?”

“I’ve heard of magical creatures that can make fire obey ‘em.”

Gandalf chuckled heartily at the few comments he heard, happily smoking his pipe and blowing smoke rings into the air.

But the Company began growing impatient. Gloin even threatened to go look for the lass in case the elves captured her and held her prisoner. The mere mentioning of her being held captive caused the dwarves to stir and glance towards their weapons. They were more than willing to fight their way through Rivendell if it meant rescuing the lass. They all grew fond of her in the little time they’ve known each other.

“Alright, I’m going to look for her.” Fili was the first to stand with Kili following him like a shadow.

The rest were well on their way to follow the princes when she appeared. They paused and Dwalin pulled the princes back down as if they weren’t planning a rescue mission a second ago.

“Sorry, it took so long.” Periwinkle apologized without making eye contact, “I might have gotten lost in these vast halls. Twice.”

Dwalin snorted and stole a peek at Thorin, who only rolled his eyes at her ‘subtle’ joke about him.

Although she didn’t notice, the dwarves were all in awe of her attire, despite already having seen it earlier. This time it seemed she went through a bit more effort with the designs on her arms and face. She glimmered in the rays of the setting sun and the golden decorations dangling from her belt chimed as she moved.

Bofur nearly forgot how to breathe as he took her in. There was no comparing her to anything. Not even to the elves. She was otherworldly. And if he had half the courage he was gifted with, he would have told her right then and there how utterly beautiful she looked - how beautiful she always looked. He would give her the trinket he found in the troll hoard himself, explain to her about their customs, promise to make her something decent once they reclaimed Erebor, and finally, capture those lips to make her realize what she meant to him.

The funny-hatted dwarf blinked once the daydream ended, not allowing himself to hope. They had a good relationship as it is; she called him her ‘favourite dwarf’ - whether she meant it or not he’ll never know, but it brought him joy nonetheless. They had something she didn’t have with the other dwarves, and if keeping his mouth shut about his feelings would guarantee their friendship as it is now, then by Mahal he’ll never utter a peep.