All's Far in Love and War

Chapter 12: What it means to be a Mate

Flora's POV:

I sat outside watching the destuction that Smaug was creating. The others stood around me or not that far away.

"What was that?" Nori questioned as the beast went down.

"He went down I saw it." my father exclaimed.

"People will becoming to the mountain when they catch wind of this." Balin sighed. I stood and slowly began to walk down the rocks. I noticed Thorin was starring back at the mountain off by himself. When I moved closer to him I tripped over my own feet and fell face first against the rocks.

"Flora?!? Are you all right?!?" I heard my father's voice, though I did not reply. I could feel blood trinkle down my skin. "Flora?"

I could feel rough, calloused hands make their way around my arms, and picking me up off the ground. When I was off the ground I noticed all the dwarves, except for Thorin was looking at me. And that made me self-consious. Also it made me kind of mad. Thorin was inches away from me, and acted like he could not be bothered to help me up off the ground.

I looked down at the hands that were still on my arms and I look back up to the dwarf they belonged to. Dwalin. Always the protector, this one. My protector. I looked back towards Thorin who has now vanished.

"Would you mind helping me into the mountain?" I ask, looking up at Dwalin. Dwalin put a hand on my lower back and helped down the rest of the rocks. There was a sense of assurance with him, I felt secure.

"I certainly hope Fili, Kili, Bofur and Oin are okay." I state as Dwalin sets me onto the table in the kitchen. He is trying to get the dirt off of my skin. The fall didn't draw blood, but it brought alot of dirt. "I have been meaning to ask you something."

"Well go on then." Dwalin said softly,

I stared down at my hands, "I noticed a tatoo on your arm that was not there before."

"I- I don't remember getting a new one since we began this journey." Dwalin stated, furrowing him brows. I grabbed him left arm and pointed to a spot on his arm that was different than the first time she had meet the dwarf.

"Hmm interesting....."

"Maybe we could ask your brother about it?" I shrugged. Dwalin nodded and helped me off the table. We walked were everyone else was, which happened to be where all the gold was, Dwalin walked over to his brother and the three of us walk into another room.

Third Person POV:

Fili, Kili, Bofur, and Oin climb up the Lonely Mountain. As they approach the gates, they stop in shock and fear as they see the destruction caused by Smaug as he smashed through the front gate to fly out of the mountain. They look at each other, then run into the halls of Erebor. Bofur calls out, his voice echoing in the silence.

"Hello! Bombur? Bifur? Anybody?"

They clamber through the halls, looking for their kin. As they run down a staircase, Bilbo runs up toward them from another part of the city, calling out.

"WAIT! WAIT!"

"It's Bilbo! He's alive!" Oin smiles.

"Stop! Stop! Stop!" Bilbo urges as they meet each other in a corridor. "You need to leave. We all need to leave."

"We only just got here?!" Bofur exclaimed.

"I have tried talking to him, but he won't listen." Bilbo shook his head.