Hummingbird Heartbeat

Chapter 24

Chapter 24

The rest of the day moved faster than she would have expected, since they didn't have a sleeping Bombur to carry. Soon Bilbo begged for a stop and she shrugged.

"Bilbo do me a favor and don't touch anything," she said and he nodded. "You know, I think Pip will take after you," she said and he blinked at her. "Fool of a Took," she said with a smile and ruffled Bilbo's hair. She kicked at the stones that was their path and closed her eyes. She could see the sloping stairwell that would lead them along but there was something else.

"What do you see?" said a soft voice in her ear.

"A choice. Mine," she mumbled. "I can follow the path destiny has chosen for the Company or try and save us the trouble....but..."

"But?"

"It will cost me my flight. If I stray from the path I will fly but if I speed our journey I will never fly again. Not ever." The voice didn't answer and Maranda opened her eyes. "Who are you?" she mumbled and turned but she was alone. Everyone else was a ways back, panting and leaning on stones and trees. "Hello?" she mumbled.

"What's that?" someone said faintly and she tensed.

"No wait!"

"Come on!" Thorin called and the whole lot of them charged off the path.

"NO COME BACK YOU IMBECILES! YOU IDIOTS! Don't they want to reach the Mountain?" She demanded of thin air. "Oh this is fine. I can lose my Company or I can stay on the path. I'm fucked either way. Oh...Who said the choice was mine anyway," she grumbled and ran after the Dwarves. She ran in a straight line and jumped in front of Thorin first chance she got. "We need to go back," she insisted.

"But-"

"No buts, turn and march," she snapped. He blinked at her blankly, a small smile on his face. She tensed. "You idiot, why?" He shrugged.

"You deserve to fly, and if destiny had chosen this path then who are we to fight it?"

"Me!" she said in anguish. "Me, Thorin. I'm fighting destiny with every moment I breathe because I refuse to let you be-" She gagged and buckled, eyes halting their mission to send images to her brain. Thorin caught her and lifted her from the ground.

"Maranda?"

"I'm fine...I can't see," she muttered. "It's like I stood up too fast. I'll be fine in a minute. You're an idiot."

"You, more than anyone, deserve to fly," he said softly.

"Lead on, idiot," she retorted and he chuckled as they moved on. She followed now, the path gone from her Sight, although she felt a bit happy, she refused to acknowledge why. Soon everyone was panicking and moaning, following Thorin aimlessly. Eventually they stopped as the light faded and sat to rest. Maranda flopped down next to Thorin and punched his arm.

"Great job, stupid. Now I have no clue how to get out," she mumbled.

"You said destiny," Thorin pointed out and she snorted.

"Well yeah, but since Bilbo didn't -do that!" she shouted a Bilbo picked at a spider web by his seat. He glanced at her and put his hand in his lap guiltily. She sighed and leaned against Thorin's shoulder. "Clearly you and destiny have the same mind," she mumbled and he laughed softly.

"Here." He offered her the earring and she quickly pt it back in her ear. He reached out to touch it and she grabbed his hand and looped it around her.

"Don't," she said softly. "Or you'll do something else stupid."

"Maybe," he mumbled pressing his nose into her hair. She wiggled slightly and he nuzzled (yes nuzzled it's gross) into her hair. "Maranda, tell me about New Orleans."

"Eh?" she mumbled.

"You're mother..."

"Right I grew up there. But it was nice. First just out of town and then in the Old Part. Old buildings and cobblestone streets. People are so colorful so real. Or maybe that was just my part of town. It was like living in a circus. Perfect." She chuckled. "And kind of scary. Gives you courage, growing up with a strong man next door and a sword swallower downstairs. He's the one who taught me to fight, me and my brothers. Mom loved it, dad was worried. Always worried for me."

"He's not the only one," Thorin mumbled playing with her hair. She shifted again and he tugged her closer. "I worry as well," he continued. "You take such needless risks and don't think about yourself."

"That's selflessness," she pointed out.

"But refusing to take care of yourself is just as bad a habit," he mumbled as he tried to weave together her hair, to little success. "I worry that one day you will push yourself too far in your quest for others and die."

"I'm not an idiot, like some Dwarrow I know, and I'm not about to get myself killed on this quest, I want to see your glory days not die before them. I'll be a citizen not a martyr thanks and-what are you even doing?" she asked finally and turned around. His fingers raked through her hair and connected with the tip of her ear. She whimpered and grabbed the front of his tunic with wide eyes.

"Maranda," Thorin mumbled, but his eyes were misty and far away, focused on something that wasn't there and half closed.

"Thorin, wake up," she muttered, but his fingers were dancing along her chin and brushing her ears. She whined again and shook him through the wild emotions in the pit of her stomach. "Th-Thorin," she begged. He was so far gone and she hadn't even noticed! But then he was closer and his nose was pressed to her cheek and his lips-

SLAP

The sound of skin hitting skin echoed through the woods and jolted awake the Company in a state of panic and curiosity. Thorin was blinking in surprise and Maranda's single wing was buzzing furiously, dragging her away from the King across the camp. She was shouting in fear when Kili tackled her to the ground and pinned her wing against her back.

"What happened?" he asked and she waved a hand wildly.

"Nightmare, I must have-I didn't-Ki." She sobbed hysterically and he pulled her into a hug. Thorin had no memory of anything besides pulling her closer to his side and suddenly being slapped across the face. Clearly he had missed something. "I can't-We can't s-stay here," she said through her tears, she struggled to her feet and slumped against a tree, knees shaking. "W-we have to move...p-please," she begged.

"It's too dark to-"

"Thorin please?" she wailed and he rose carefully to his feet.

"How will we see?" There was soft glow coming from Maranda's hands. A hundred little light rose up from her palms and filled the air, little dancing lights in the darkness.

"Fairy lights," breathed Bilbo.

"We can go now. They'll follow me," she said. Kili helped her walk as they continued through the woods. Maranda didn't look at Thorin and when Kili asked if she was okay she only whimpered and hunched over herself, as if protecting some poor lost child hidden away in her chest. They walked through the night and well into the next day. The fairy lights faded with the dawn and Bilbo begged for a stop.

"I-I'll scout ahead," Maranda mumbled and stumbled away into the trees. It was a long time before they saw her again.

Maranda knew Thorin would never actually try to kiss her, or have sex with her, but when he touched her ear she felt-well she didn't like it at all and she just needed to run from it. The only hope she saw was finding the Elf Path and following it out again, even though she knew deep down it was hopeless. She didn't realize how far from her friends she had wandered until she bumped into a tree. She yelped and fell over, looking around. She froze. These trees weren't familiar, and she couldn't hear Gloin complaining anymore either. She was lost.

"FUCK!" she screamed.

"Such a foul mouth from one so regal," said a soft voice. Maranda stood and stared at her salvation.