In which there is lots and lots of rain.
Something was tickling Sara's nose and blearily she swatted at it. Someone snickered and the tickling resumed. She rolled over hiding her face but the tickling only moved to her ear. She growled and swatted at the offender again.
"Sara," called Kili teasingly. "Wake up little sister." She groaned and pulled the blanket higher over her head.
"It can't be morning yet," she said croakily. Kili moved to unzip the bottom of her sleeping bag allowing him access to her socked feet. She pulled them further up and away from his searching fingers.
"Actually," came Fili's voice, "It's mid-morning, about two hours to noon." Sara pulled the blanket off her face and squinted up at the blond sitting beside her. Something was a bit off about his face but she could not pinpoint it. His and Kili's bags sat to the side packed and ready to go.
"No way," she said disbelievingly. "We are always moving by seven in the morning." Fili nodded and Kili thrust his arm further inside her sleeping bag searching for her feet. She kicked out at one of his hands which came too close to her toes.
"True," said Fili. "But not today. Uncle said to let you sleep." She sat up at that.
"Why?" she asked skeptically. Fili shrugged.
"He and Dwalin said you haven't been sleeping well, so uncle said to leave you be," said Kili, sitting up, having apparently given up trying to get her feet. "He's been in a funny mood all morning," he added as an afterthought. She watched him begin to trace a heart in the dirt beside her but she reached out and brushed it away. He scowled at her but it gave way to a grin soon enough.
"What? Is he extra grumpy today or something?" asked Sara Fili as she unzipped her sleeping bag and pulled on her boots. Kili moved to talk to Bofur and Nori who were once again trying to play poker.
"No," said Fili frowning slightly. "He has actually been in a good mood," he said rubbing his chin with a hand, thinking. Sara finally realized what was off about Fili's face. She pulled the braid from behind her ear and scrutinized the bead on the end. As she suspected it was the bead missing from the left side of Fili's mustache which was now tied off with a small cord of leather.
"Fili, your mustache," she said, fingering the bead in her hair.
He looked up at her and grinned. "You found it! I was wondering when you would notice," he said.
"Actually I found it last night, I just couldn't tell which bead it was. But your face?" she insisted. "Your lopsided now."
"It's okay," he said tugging gently at the remaining bead. "I wanted you to have that one."
"Why this one and not one of the others from your hair?" she asked crawling out of her sleeping bag and beginning to roll it up.
"Because I made these. They are a matching set," he said, letting his hand drop from his face and grabbing her pack so she could tie on her bedding. "Besides, they have my name engraved on them." She inspected the bead once again when her pack was ready. He watched her, biting his lip. "Is it okay?" he asked finally when she had said nothing for some minutes. She looked up startled and saw a trace of worry in his eyes.
"Oh yes!" she quickly reassured. "Sorry I was just thinking. I love it. Thank you Fili," she said reaching to put her hand on his forearm.
"You are my sister," he said placing his hand atop hers and squeezing it. "My kin."
She smiled softly. "And you are mine," she replied. "Thank you brother."
They left camp shortly after Sara was up. Knowing her phone to be dead and hoping to collect to charge she strapped her solar battery to her pack. She knew she could not read and walk at the same time, but she hoped that she would be able to find some quiet time to read when they had stopped for the day. Recently she had used her phone less and less. In all practical uses it was at this point really only a glorified media player, without service or internet and she found she was not as attached to it as she had once been. But now she felt antsy waiting for the day's march to be over. Though the day proved sunny enough and she achieved a sufficient charge, the evening was decidedly less than ideal. About the time they made camp the sky began to cloud over and before they had finished dinner the rain was drizzling down, effectively putting out the fire they had made with the last of the wood they had carried with them. She was forced to store her phone in the box from Bifur and Bofur. She wrapped it in a large piece of her rain slicker, which had long since bit the dust, the thin plastic acquiring so many holes that it no longer kept the rain off her. They had slept in the lee of some great stones, which had not altogether served to keep them dry and they woke in the morning quite damp. It drizzled off and on all day as they began their descent in elevation and Balin said that they were would be out of the mountains in about two days if they made good time. The path was high and narrow once again and as the day wore on they found no place to make camp. To make matters worse, the drizzle had increased to a positive shower of constant water, and they were forced to find shelter along the path as the sun began to set and the dim light faded from the sky.
They had found some places where the path had been carved into the towering rock walls, though none of them were large enough to shelter the entire company. Sara sat huddled under an outcropping of rock which offered her Fili and Kili some amount of protection from the rain when the wind didn't blow too hard. The others had also found shelter behind them on the path. Oin, Gloin and Balin were under a shelf some way back up the trail, Bilbo, Bofur and Bombur under another. Nori and Bifur had the ponies under a larger outcropping, and Dori, Ori, and Dwalin were together at the end. Thorin had continued on down the path hoping to find a more suitable place for them to spend the night, but had come back a while later apparently having found nothing, for he hunkered down beneath the small shelf some distance down the path. The rain came down in sheets and Sara was grateful that the shelter they were under kept out kept much of it, and even sloped away from them allowing the water to run off the edge. She looked at Thorin from her place beside Fili and Kili and she could tell the despite the shelf above him he was still getting wet.
"Fili," she called. He looked up at her. "Why doesn't your uncle stay here with us. He's getting soaked."
"He has not slept near Kili and I since the warg scout," he said. "Not since you started sleeping near us."
"Is he really going to stay out there and get rained on?" she asked incredulously.
"Probably," said Kili on her other side. She shook her head.
"That's so stupid," she said, pulling her arms out of her pack and drawing her hood up again.
"Where are you going?" called Fili grabbing her wrist.
"To get him," she answered simply pulling her arm free. "There's enough room here for him." The rain poured down on her as she made her way to words Thorin along the narrow ledge. When she reached him she crouched down to face him. She had just opened her mouth to speak but he beat her to it.
"What is it Ms. Sara?" he asked drolly from behind his wet hair.
"Look, I told you and the others before," she said, scowling. "You can just call me Sara. You've told me that use your name, but if you are not going to use mine I'll go back to calling you Mr. Oakenshield."
He sighed. "What is it Sara? Why are you here?"
"To ask you why you're here?" she answered, gesturing to his poor shelter. "You're getting soaked."
"I'm already wet," he answered dryly. "I can hardly get wetter."
"True," she admitted. "But you don't have to stay this saturated," she pointed out. He just stared back at her.
"What would you suggest I do?" he asked finally.
"There's room for another with Fili, Kili, and I. Come shelter with us." He shook his head looking away from her. "Thorin," she insisted. "Come on, you're sitting in a puddle for pity sake. Come back with us." He didn't move. "Look, if I'm what's bothering you, I'll go back to Dwalin, Ori and Dori, they might have room, but you should not have to sit here and an inch of water because of me." She was about to give up and go back without him when he turned to her.
"You do not object?" He asked.
"I would not have come over here if I did," she replied standing. "By rights, you should be with Fili and Kili, not me. They are your nephews." He did not respond but got to his feet shouldering his pack. She turned and began her way back towards the boys, Thorin behind her. There was a very narrow stretch on the path that required Sara to cling to the wall and shuffle sideways across. She was about halfway across when her foot slipped off the wet stone, but a strong hand caught her elbow steadying her. She looked back at Thorin.
"Thank you," she said, once her heart had stopped racing. He nodded pulling her hood back over her head for it had fallen. His hand remained on her elbow until they came dripping back into the meager shelter, Fili and Kili watching them. Sara took off her coat and tried to ring it out as much as she could before putting it back on. Thorin placed his pack down and removed his furred cloak doing the same. Fili scooted over gesturing for Sara to sit between he and Kili and she came eagerly. She had come to learn that dwarves were powerhouses of heat and that little seemed to really chill them. She sat nestled under Fili's arm her head resting on his shoulder and Kili leaned over onto her lap folding his arms resting them and his chin on top of her crooked knees. Sara played idly with his dark hair as they listened to the rain come down. Thorin draped his soggy coat over a rock and came to sit on Kili's other side, folding his arms over his chest as he leaned back against the stone wall behind them. They sat there many long minutes not speaking and Sara began to feel heat seep into her from Fili and Kili despite the wet.
The night was a restless one and Sara found herself drifting in and out of sleep many times. Late into the night she had woken once again. She was curled on her side, her head resting on her pack. She was chilled despite Fili's leg resting against her back. He sat behind her, his arms crossed across his chest; his head had fallen forward and he was snoring softly. She peered into the gloom and could make out Kili, just out of reach, asleep with his head in his uncle's lap. Thorin's eyes met and held her gaze and a shiver wriggled down her spine and she was not entirely sure it was the cold that caused it. He nudged Kili awake whispering something to him in dwarvish and the brunette prince rolled over coming closer to Sara. Kili drew her into his side shoving her pack aside so she could lay her head on his shoulder and keep her back against Fili's leg. She had nearly dozed off again when she felt a weight settle over her and soft fur brushed her cheek. She lifted her head slightly to see Thorin standing, looking out into the rain, his back to them. Laying her head back on Kili's shoulder she rubbed idly at the damp fur of Thorin's coat. She turned her face and took a deep quiet breath of the familiar and heady scent in the material. She felt more than heard Kili's soft chuckle and seconds later his fingers found her face and he traced a small heart on her cheek. She turned her heated cheeks back to his shoulder and jabbed him in the ribs. She did not need to see his face to know he wore a smug grin.
They moved with the dawn, continuing their decent out of the mountains. The clouds had cleared away and it was sunny for a large portion of the day and finally the company found themselves mostly dry. This fair weather unfortunately did not last past mid-afternoon as dark rolling clouds began to cover the sky.
"I do wish this sky would decide if it wants to drown or dry us," complained Bilbo as fat drops of rain began to fall once again.
"I agree," said Sara as she followed after Dwalin along the trail.
"Come now Bilbo," called Bofur jovially from behind them. "Weren't you wishing for the chance of a bath a couple of days ago? At least we'll all smell better for it."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that," scoffed Sara drawing her hood up over her head as the drops came faster. Ahead of them Dwalin chuckled. Fili and Kili were near Balin and Thorin at the head of the line leading the unpacked ponies once again. The rest of the company was strung out behind them; Dori, Ori, and Bombur clustered together and behind them Oin and Gloin. Nori and Bifur were a bit further back along the trail bringing up the rear. Sara had seen Nori and Bifur together a lot in the past two days and she wondered what they talked about when they were apart for the others. She had often seen them glance at her while they spoke.
More black clouds gathered and the rain turned into a torrential downpour, far surpassing the two previous days. The sky was soon so dark Sara could not tell if it was day or night. Despite this, she could almost always see the ground at her feet as the sky was forked with lightning so often she felt as though she were under a strobe light. The wind howled around them trying to tear them from the mountain side as they crept along trying to shield their eyes from the driving rain. Sara kept close to Dwalin's side often resting a hand on him for support or guidance. The others of the company were also pressed close to each other keeping within arms reach of those around them.
Just when it seemed the storm could get not worse Sara heard a rumble deeper and louder than any thunder she had ever experienced before and out of the gloom and rain flew a chunk of rock the size of a house. It crashed into the mountain side above them, raining rocks and boulders down on them as they pressed closer to the cliff beside them. A rock at least the size of Sara crashed down on Kili's pony knocking it off the cliff narrowly avoiding Kili himself. Already flighty from the storm, Fili's pony startled and bolted past him down the path and Fili would have fallen had Thorin not grabbed him slamming him back against the cliff side as rubble continued to rain down around them.
"This is no thunder storm!" shouted Balin, hauling Kili back against the rocks at their back. "It's a thunder battle! Look!" He pointed to the mountain across from them and Sara stomach gave away as she watched the mountain shrug and stand up. There stood a figure of a stone at least as tall as the mountains peaks it stood between. It pulled off a chunk of the mountain as easily as a child would pick up a handful of mud and hurled it past them down the canyon to strike another giant that had peeled away from the mountain behind them.
Bofur took a few steps towards the edge leaning out to get a better view. "Well bless me," he shouted looking to Bilbo and Sara who were cowering against the cliff. "The legends are true! Giants! Stone giants!"
"Bofur you fool," thundered Thorin. "Take cover!" A lightning bolt struck the mountain above them and Sara could not see for several moments as rock fell past them once again. Dwalin pulled her toward him pinning her between him and the cliff, sheltering her from the deluge of stone and rock.
"Are ya alright lass?" he asked yelling over the wind. He grabbed her chin forcing her to look at him and in a few moments the light faded and she could see again. "Sara are you alright?" he repeated. She could see his lips move but her ears were ringing and she shook her head. The stone beneath their feet began to move and Dwalin pressed her closer to the rock. Under his arm she could see Bofur collar Bilbo pulling him closer to wall behind them clinging for dear life as a mountain beneath them came to life. Sara looked up to see that the cliff they clung to was actually the shin of one of the stone giants and as it stood, shrugging out of the stone surrounding it, she felt her world tip and sway. Even though she still could not hear anything she could feel the sound in the air reverberating in her chest, rattling her bones as the giant took several lumbering steps out into the canyon.
She saw Bombur, Dori, and Ori swing past them on the giants other leg and she looked back to the cliff where Thorin, Fili, Kili and Balin were watching in horror as the giant strode past. Their giant took a swing at the one further up the canyon who had thrown the bolder. Sara felt she was in some terrible version of a Rock'em Sock'em Robot fight as the stone figures threw punches at each other. Her heart stopped when she saw their giants head fall past them and the monolith began to sway and fall. They were careening towards the mountainside and Sara was sure that they would be crushed in a tomb of rock. Dwalin raised his head grabbing Sara and braced for impact as Bofur did the same for Bilbo next to them. The rocks loomed in front of them and she closed her eyes burying her face in Dwalin's chest as they struck. There was a tremendous impact and they were thrown forward… further forward than she had expected. Dwalin's arms around her and over her head probably saved her life protecting her from much of the force of the impact. When the movement stopped she cautiously opened her eyes to blackness.
"Sara are you hurt lass?" asked Dwalin as his grip around her loosened. She tried to take stock of her body. She could hear again, that was good.
"I don't think so, at least no more than scrapes and bruises thanks to you," she said. "Where are the others? Are they okay?"
"I don't know lass." He got to his feet pulling her with him and she turned her head around trying to see.
"Where are we Dwalin?"
"A cave," he answer drawing her quickly towards the entrance where she could see Bofur looking frantically for something.
"Bilbo!" came the toymaker's panicked voice as they came out into the rain. " Bilbo, where are ya!" Sara's heart stopped. Bilbo was missing! She looked down the path and saw Dori and Ori helping Bombur to his feet, the rest of the company were coming down from the other direction but had to shift some debris to get by. Nowhere along the path could she find Bilbo.
"Biblo!" she screamed, looking for her friend as her eyes began to sting, fear for him coursing through her veins. Thorin and several of the others had almost cleared away the rubble on the path.
"I'm... I'm here," came a faint cry from below. Sara looked down and saw hands clinging to the cliff side. "I'm here!" called Bilbo stronger this time.
"Bilbo!" she cried, dropping her pack and lunging forward on her stomach to grab his wrists as his fingers lost their grip. She felt herself begin to slide on the wet rock as Bilbo's weight pulled her forward and she saw the canyon yawn open before her. Just as her chest was pulled over the edge and she began to feel herself slip, rough hands gripped her ankles.
"Hang on Bilbo," she called, as he looked up at her his wide brown eyes filled with terror. "Don't let go." Dwalin and Bofur began to drag her back over the edge but Bilbo's right hand slipped from her grip and he dangled over the chasm looking down to what he was sure would be his grave. Suddenly Thorin was there swinging over the edge of the cliff gripping it with one hand and grabbing Bilbo with the other, hauling him back over the edge as Dwalin pulled Sara back from the brink. She looked to the edge to see Bilbo getting to his feet but as she watched Thorin's grip on the wet stone slipped.
"Thorin," she screamed lunging once again for the ledge. He had caught himself on other grip and she reached for him.
"Get back!" he snapped, glaring up at her as he struggled to find another grip. Dwalin pulled her away and reached for Thorin grunting as he pulled the dwarf king back over the ledge. Regaining his feet Thorin stomped to her and gripped her shoulders shaking her slightly.
"You!" he growled. "What do you think you were doing?" She stood shocked in his grip as he glowered down to her. "Look to yourself first!" he shouted. "If you can't do that then you're better off back on Earth!" She opened her mouth to protest but he had already turned bearing down on Bilbo who flinched back. "As for you," he seethed pointing at the hobbit. "If you can't keep from endangering others, return to your garden and books where you belong." Thorin stormed past them into the cave and Dwalin followed him arguing in dwarvish. Still surprised and stung by Thorin's harsh words, Sara came to stand by Bilbo who looked up at her his wet curls plastered to his cheeks and brow.
"Are you okay Bilbo?" she asked. He nodded quietly, looking at the ground gripping his pack straps so tightly his knuckles were white. "Bilbo?"
"In here," called Dwalin "The cave is empty." The company to follow eagerly and Fili and Kili took her by the arms dragging her with them and away from Bilbo.
"Sara are you okay?" asked Fili grabbing her face.
"I'll be fine," she assured. "A bit knocked about but I'm okay."
"Thank Mahal," sighed Fili hugging her tightly. "I about lost my mind when that thing stomped by with you on it's leg." He released her and she was drawn in by Kili now.
"You must be more careful little sister," he said releasing her.
"Are you two okay?" she asked looking them over.
"We are well enough," replied Fili.
"Remember," said Kili rapping his head with his knuckles. "Dwarves are made denser than humans." She smiled but caught sight of Bilbo just inside the mouth of the cave staring morosely at the ground. She looked around at the company checking each other over, reassuring themselves that their kin and friends were well. Bilbo stood alone. She pushed Fili and Kili towards the others telling them to go check on Thorin. At first they protested but she gave Fili a pointed look and nodded towards Bilbo who is now sitting on the ground his head in his hands. Fili collared Kili dragging his brother away with him. Sara approached Bilbo slowly and sat down beside him.
"Bilbo," she asked, tentatively placing her hand on his arm. "Bilbo, are you okay?" He raised his head and she saw his eyes were red and bloodshot. He had been crying. "Bilbo, what's wrong?" He was quiet for a long moment before he replied.
"Thorin is right. It would be better if I went home. I'm nothing but a hindrance, a liability like Fili said." Bilbo buried his face in his arms again. Sara looked toward the dwarves and saw Fili watching her. His face paled.
"Bilbo, you're not a liability or hindrance," she said moving to sit in front of him.
"I almost got you killed today," he said quietly into his arms. "And Thorin."
"That was not your fault," she assured grabbing his hand so he had to look at her. "It could have just as easily been any one of us hanging from that ledge."
"But it was me," he said. "And you almost paid for it whether I intended for it to happen or not."
"Have you forgotten how you saved me?" she asked. "I would not have been here to save you if you hadn't saved me first. Twice," she added. "Once from the river and then again when you attacked that warg." He shrugged. "No don't just shrug it off," she insisted shaking his hand. "I would have been long since dead if you were not here." He looked up at her now. "You may not be a dwarf," she said. "But you are a very quick and clever hobbit. You are my friend. I want you here."
"I want you here too," said Fili coming to sit beside Sara. "You are not a liability. I am sorry I ever called you such. I was wrong. Don't let my uncle's words get to you. He spoke in the heat of the moment, though it is still no excuse."
"Yeah," said Kili plopping down beside Bilbo. "Uncle's just grouchy, everyone knows that." Bilbo looked between the three of them. Watching Bilbo, Sara had something unpleasant occur to her. She had not been a very good friend to Bilbo, at least not as good as he had been to her. She had been so caught up in her own problems lately that she had failed to see how disheartened Bilbo had become. She had been so engrossed in her friendships with the dwarves that she had taken him for granted. She remembered all the times he had been quietly by her side and she felt riddled with guilt and promised herself she would do better. Fili and Kili moved off soon after to get food and Sara turned to Bilbo confused.
"Bilbo?" she asked. "How did you know that Fili called you a liability?"
He smiled sadly up at her. "Dwarves are not the only ones with good ears Sara," he replied.
They stayed in the cave that night waiting out the storm. After they ate, Oin looked them all over and besides a nasty gash on Dwalin's arm and shallow cut above Dori's right eye they seemed to have gotten through the ordeal with only scrapes and bruises. Thorin had not said much and was still in a sullen mood but the others seemed cheered to have found a cave to spend the night in. Sara lay still in her sleeping bag waiting for Fili, Kili, and Bilbo snores to join the others. When she was sure they were asleep she sat up rummaging quietly in her pack until she felt her fingers close around her puzzle box. Checking once again to see that those around her were still sleeping, and finding only Nori awake on watch at the mouth of the cave she withdrew her phone and began to read.
She frowned as she scrolled, the book and reality were not matching up. The core elements were the same, there was still three trolls and the company stopped in Rivendell and went though the mountains, but much was missing or glossed over. It was as if Tolkien's book had been scrubbed clean, like a version of the story one may have told to their mother, downplaying or altogether excluding the more dangerous parts. She was astounded to see the ordeal at the river had barely been graced with three sentences in which it was briefly mentioned that Fili and Kili had almost drowned. There was absolutely no mention of Radagast or the Orcs that had chased them into Rivendell. There seemed to be no enmity between the elves and dwarves of the book and she noted that there was no mention of the White Council. What was more, in the book the dwarves and Bilbo had left Rivendell in the company of Gandalf. Sara worried over this. They had all assumed that Gandalf would join them when he could get away, but that had been eleven days ago and they had neither seen nor heard from the Gray Wizard. Where could he be? What was keeping him away? She had begun to read the fourth chapter and she was gratified to see that at least here Tolkien had given a brief description of a thunder battle, though she felt it didn't hold a candle to living through it. She had read about how they found the cave and was just reading about Bilbo having a bad dream. She looked beside her and indeed the Bilbo beside her did seem to be having some kind of nightmare.
Her phone give a little beep and power down, the battery having died. She cursed under her breath as she returned her phone to the puzzle box, tucking inside with the solar charger. She was glad that Bifur and Bofur had given her the box, for her tour rain poncho had done a poor job at protecting her headphones and she feared they were broken. She was attempting to return the box to her pack when the urgency in her bladder grew to great and she left it on her bed and made her way to the mouth of the cave and Nori who was looking out into the night. She was happy to see that the clouds had blown over and the rain had stopped.
After assuring Nori she would be back shortly, she made her way down the path, perhaps a bit further than she would have otherwise gone, having been recently reminded that dwarf and apparently hobbit ears were sharper than hers. She was on her way back and had just passed a cluster of boulders when she felt rather than heard a rumble. She looked around expecting to see a stone giant lumber into sight, but there was nothing. The startled and collective shouts of the company reached her ears and then fell silent and she hurried back along the narrow path towards the cave. So intent was she on discovering the source of the companies dismay, that she did not hear or see the figure that slipped out of the shadows after her.