Hummingbird Heartbeat

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The next day they paid and left. Gandalf, who had fallen asleep in his own room long before the tavern incident, chuckled as he was told over and over about the kiss. Thorin was in a rage, his Company snickering every time he spoke or caught their eye and he avoided Maranda completely. She was flying, yes flying, in a pair of pants not unlike Bilbo and a shirt worn backwards so her wings could flutter freely. She looked strange and wild, but her warm smile banished any questions. As they camped that night on a high hill where they were out of the way of enemies, Maranda sat fiddling with her guitar.

"Maranda?" Kili said, trying to fit the name in his mouth and Maranda cocked her head to one side.

"What?"

"Who named you?" he demanded and she rolled her eyes.

"My dad. Duh."

"Was he an Elf?" Kili asked and she blinked.

"No. Why?"

"Maranda is an Elf name," Fili explained and she frowned.

"What's a Dwarf name?" she asked and the boys exchanged glanced.

"Well...I had tutoring with a girl named Mara once," Kili said and Maranda nodded.

"Then call me Mara," she said and returned to her instrument. The boys exchanged looks and grinned.

"Mara?" Kili asked looking at her with interest after a while. She glanced up and smiled a bit.

"Yes, Ki?" she said kindly as she strummed a chord.

"What's a democracy? You said that your first night," he said hurriedly and she nodded in thought.

"It's a type of government where people choose their leaders and make choices based on popular vote," she said and strummed again. Kili's eyes were shining.

"Wow. Things must run pretty smoothly," he laughed and her hand still.

"Not really," she said darkly. "We elect people and they're just idiots. They lie to convince us of what they really want and then turn around with their own hidden agenda. It's madness. It got so bad someone wrote a song about and performed it in front of hundreds of people," she shook her head and her hand hovered over the strings.

"Will you play it?" Fili butted in. She looked up in surprise. Then she smiled and nodded.

"Sure, highness," she said and started strumming. The music filtered through the air, now filled with purpose and direction.

"La de da. LA de da de da. La de da. Dear Mr. President, come take a walk with me. Let's pretend we're just two people and you're not better than me. I'd like to ask you some questions if we can speak honestly. What do you feel when you see all the homeless on the street? Who do you pray for at night before you go to sleep? What do you feel when you look in the mirror? Are you proud?" Her dour tones silenced the Company, the crackle of flames the only noise filling the air. She continued even as her eyes locked with Thorin's, not shifting as she continued her song.

"How do you sleep while the rest of us cry? How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye? How do you walk with your head held high? Can you even look me in the eye and tell me why?" She played for a moment, cold silence filling the air.

"Dear Mr. President, Were you a lonely boy? Are you a lonely boy? Are you a lonely boy? How can you say 'No child is left behind'? We're not dumb and we're not blind. They're all sitting in your cells while you pave the road to hell." Her voice took on a venomous tone and her eyes blazed even as they pierced through Thorins soul. "What kind of father would take his own daughter's rights away? And what kind of father might hate his own daughter if she were gay? I can only imagine what the first lady has to say you've come a long way from whiskey and cocaine. How do you sleep while the rest of us cry? How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye? How do you walk with your head held high? Can you even look me in the eye?" Her voice broke slightly but she pushed on as tears streamed down her face.