Hey all~ And now..Chapter Nine~

An Unexpected Companion

Chapter Nine: Enjoying the Rain

For the first time in three days Kestrel sat comfortably among the company of dwarves. Dwalin, having never dreamed of leaving the reclaimed home-land of Erebor, remained in the mountain regardless of his elder brother's departure and was seated at the Durin's dining table. Bofur, brow sweat slicked and still dusted from his hard days mining, was invited to the party as well. Laughter drifted through the space as stories of their travels were regaled to the young woman who was seated in the place of honor to the right of the king. She ate politely, utilizing the few utensils provided unlike the rowdy bunch. A few more dwarves had joined the unruly dinner gathering as well, all from the original company of Thorin Oakensheild as Kestrel was now learning.

There was Nori, a cunning thief who seemed to take great pride not only in his braids and beard like the majority of dwarves she had met so far, but the intricate way it was done-up as well. Dori, his incredibly polite brother, had poured her a mug of tea when she refused his proposal for mead or wine. Bifur and Bombur were both related to the sweet and thoughtful Bofur. Bifur seldom spoke, and only in the language of his kind, while it was clear that Bombur had quite the healthy appeteit. Bilbo Baggins, shorter than the rest of the company with his over-sized hair feet, was not at all a dwarf, but a Hobbit. He had remained in Erebor, nervous to make the journey back to his home alone.

Kestrel found herself eventually in deep conversation with Bilbo Baggins, about his home called the Shire, about the green rolling hills and his garden and doilies. She couldn't keep the smile from her face. It sounded like heaven. A place where your only real worry was what to prepare for mealtime and tend your own harvest, it was the kind of life that Kestrel pined after. Regardless of all the raucousness around them they carried on their conversation, both enthralled with Bilbo's musings.

"Do all Hobbit's have such large families?", she inquired, her smile soft after Bilbo began to list off his numerous siblings and cousins.

"Oh yes, yes most do. Though that is not always a blessing." He turned his eyes skyward as he thought of Lobelia Sackfeild-Baggins, scowling as he took a healthy swig of ale. Kestrel's mind was elsewhere. Something had made her chest tighten, thoughts of home and family. She couldn't put her finger on the exact cause of the tension, but she willed the thoughts to the back of her mind, to be pondered later. She had relaxed comfortably in her chair, settling back as Bilbo was pulled into the flurry of storytelling.

"And then, you'll never believe it lass", Bofur broke into her meditation, pausing only to take a swig of his mead, choking on laughter. "An then they all turned to stone, before our very eyes! We surely thought we were goners tha' time!" A round of boisterous laughter and back-slapping ensued, the young woman entirely lost at this point, but smiling none-the-less.

All the voices mingled again, vying to be the loudest as they told the stories from their own perspectives, save a few. Watching all of the whole-hearted comradery between the men, even the gruff Dwalin, caused a gentle laugh to bubble up from Kestrel. Thorin looked to her with interest, this being the first he had ever heard from the jade clad human.

"I think that's the first you've laughed under my mountain.", the king mused as he drank his mead, settling back in his seat at the head of the table. The others continued their tales and occasionally even broke into song briefly before falling again to booming laughter.

"Is it?" Kestrel cooed, giving him a bright smile that spread easily into her emerald eyes. She was positively beaming.

"It suits me well to see you so at ease." He admitted. The brunettes head canted to the side, one corner of her mouth tugging up into an inquisitive smirk. Thorin seemed to read her mind as she didn't have to pose her question.

"You have seemed quite ill at ease since you have arrived." Kestrel hummed gently her response, the rich sound emitting from the back of her throat. She couldn't help but be slightly perturbed by the statement however. Of course she had been 'ill-at-ease' since she had arrived! No one asked if she had wanted to go, she had been strong-armed and crowded the moment she awoke, everyone was calling her a thief or a liar, and she had no way of going home. It had all become so abundantly clear that this was not a dream and that she hadn't wandered onto some sci-fi movie set. This was as real as the air she was breathing.

She quieted her mind once more, the soft tone in the king's voice revealing his true intentions with his statement. She leaned forward in her seat and rested her hands on the table.

"Don't you worry about me.", she whispered as she motioned back to the rowdy men, the majority of whom had engaged in some kind of intoxicated head-butting contest. The youngest of Thorin's nephews seemed the most keen to participate, having just stepped up to the muscular Dwalin. The dwarven lord just sighed, a lopsided smirk on his face as he watched on.

In all the excitement Kestrel excused herself from the table, slipping out of the room unnoticed, save for Bilbo, Fili and Thorin. The air in the space had become stifling, worse then she could ever recall experiencing. She stretched her arms above her head, arching her back against the bodice's will, her muscles aching from what would have normally been a very active day. She decided a walk was in order.

With her finger-tips gliding over the smooth, cool stone Kestrel wandered the corridors. She found it funny now, how a simple meal and shared seat at a table could make someone feel so very welcome. It had certainly been accomplished this evening.

She had found her way to the palace entryway and looked out into the kingdom, the market still bustling and the lines of pubs all busy serving food and drink. She could see the gates of the kingdom, lined by towering pyres, and a familiar scent wafted to her. Through all the muddled odors of beer and mutton that drifted to her, clean and pure. She dared to follow the sloped staircase down, taking the makeshift ally-ways between the markets stalls so she wouldn't draw as much attention. She could hear it now, the soft familiar soothing patter of rain on the ground. The guards stood at attention, all giving her sideways glances as she stood on the wide threshold of the expansive city. The heavens had opened, the sky was falling, and moonbeams illuminated the slick stone. The sound behind her seemed to fade away as she let the peacefulness of the moment wash over her. This place was beautiful and clean, untouched by any sort of police siren or street-lamp.

She slowly took a step over, feeling the first few cool droplets hit her upturned face, her eyes closing as she lost herself to the rain. The bruise on her cheek had nearly vanished now, the chilled soothing rain comforting what little pain still remained there. Then her thoughts returned to her, the thoughts that had scared her so thoroughly during her conversation with the Hobbit.

She had no desire to leave. Even if this place meant no family or friends, she had very few of both. And she could only imagine what she would return to, to the beau that betrayed her more and more with each passing day. If it had been three days, she was sure all of her possessions had been thrown out and the 'little-secret' he had been seeing had taken up all of her drawers and closet space. Her chest ached at this thought, a lump rising in her throat, and she gasped for air at the sudden sting of pain.

She had once loved him.

She wondered where those feelings had gone. She remembered all the times he had frightened, had locked her in, had taken her phone so she couldn't call for help, or had hurt her. How many times he had lied, or how many times they shared their bed after he had been with another. She opened her emerald eyes to the night sky, the droplets blurring her vision uncomfortably as she pressed her fingertips to the wound. She would do anything to escape that empty life back in New York, a life where she simply did what was expected of her. She didn't want to go back. And that frightened her.

Fili was uneasy. He had watched Kestrel slip away, presumably unnoticed by the rest of the party, and she had not returned since. The first thoughts that drifted through his mind were perhaps the human had simply gone to wash up, but she had been absent for far too long. The party was still running at full tilt, shouting songs and laugher echoing about the space, the band of brothers all arms and pints. Thorin now sat, watching the group bemused with his pipe lit, Bilbo having followed suit and taking Kestrel's seat beside the king as they shared occasional conversation.

Kili was too caught up in all the fun to have noticed anything of the sort. Fili took the opportunity, during a particularly loud rendition of a favorite human drinking song, to slip from the group. He followed all the halls from the dining room, the basin room, her sleeping-quarters, even the kitchens and the brunette was nowhere to be found.

It was several minutes before it occurred to him that perhaps she had wandered out of the safety of the palace. He rushed to the entryway, his sapphire eyes scanning the bustling crowd below for his lost charge, the panic building in him as he could see no sign of her in the rambunctious crowd.

"She's a strange one, if ye' don' mind me sayin m'lord." One of the stout, armour clad dwarves at the door remarked as the prince looked in vain.

"You've seen the human?", he asked quizzically, taking a step towards the guard. He returned the question with an easy nod.

"Oh ye', sure I have." He darwled lazily as he pointed to the city gates. "She's jus' standin' out in the rain. Right strange, tha' one is."

Fili bristled at the remarks, but held his tongue as he searched for her. She was barely visible between the pyres and columns from where he stood, but he knew where she was none-the-less. He left the guard without a word, catching a chuckle as he made his way down the palace steps and into the crowd. He had little trouble maneuvering through the masses, dodging drunkard and bar-maid alike as he made his way for the gates.

Sure enough, there she was, illuminated by the silvery moon and dancing torch light, soaked through by the rain and staring at the sky. He was a good few paces behind her but he could make out her shoulders quivering ever so slightly. Cautiously he strode forward, one hand outstretched to the drenched young woman.

"Miss Kestrel." His voice was soft, but the skittish human still jumped. He was not at all prepared for the sight before him. She turned around, giving him a smile like sunshine, looking entirely peaceful yet anguished. The gown and bodice clung to her frame more so, slicked by the rain that fell. Her deep brunette locks were plastered to the sides of her face. She was shivering cold and looked a mess, yet the smile she was giving him was enough to warm them both in this deluge. It left him speechless.

"Sorry.", she said softly as she turned to face the world again, taking a step back until she was flush with one of the pillars that framed the gateway. Her smile only grew as thunder rolled in the distance, a contented sigh escaping her as she finished her thought. "I was just enjoying this."

"Enjoying the rain?", Fili asked incredulously, regaining enough of his composure to search for his pipe in the folds of his tunic.

She nodded, giggling as the dwarf gave her the most curious look from under his golden eye brows. He clearly thought she was mad.

"It's amazing what you take for granted.", she said with a huff, stepping back under the shelter of the arch, watching Fili with mild interest as he packed and lit his pipe. She didn't quite realize just how soaked she was until the flowing water from her body pooled around her feet. In hind-sight she decided it might have been the best choice, wondering what little there was in the way of modern medicine in the medieval world.

Fili looked to her now, still slightly amazed that this young woman who was drenched to the bone could be smiling so brightly. Then the faint mark on her cheek caught his eye once more. He had seen it when they first staved off the kings guard, and had noticed it again when she was being consoled by Bofur in the hallway. He had kept the thought to himself, but as they were alone and sharing in comfortable silence he decided to satisfy his curiosity.

"How'd ye' come by that battle scar?" He teased, giving her a small wink as she glanced to him, her head canting to the side at the puzzling question. Fili nodded to her, Kestrel's hand rising to her cheek and she jumped at the realization. That little bruise that refused to go away.

"Oh, this? Well, ya know, I'm just a certified badass, like Patrick Swayze in Roadhouse." She folded her arms over her chest as she spun her tale, a telling grin spreading on her lovely face. She caught his gaze with a side-ways glance, a bit of confusion lingering on his face, but his deep sapphire eyes glinted mischievously in the torch light. Fili had no idea what the human was saying. He wondered briefly if even she knew what she was saying, perhaps caught a fever from all the cold rain. But then she folded, a warm laugh erupting from the generally quiet maiden much to Fili's surprise.

"No, no, you're right. I'm not nearly handsome enough to be Patrick Swayze.", she crooned as she returned her gaze to the sky. Kestrel had the dwarf thoroughly confused, but he paid it no mind. He felt as though she were finally coming into her own around him. The thought not only brought a smile to his face but warmed him against the cold of the stormy night.

"Well I'm sure this man's beauty pales in comparison to your own m'lady.", the prince hummed, lips clamped around the stem of his copper capped pipe, his gaze also settling now on the waning moon. The human turned to him, her lips parting slightly to reply, but her voice failed her in that moment. She wasn't sure if it was merely the way the language was used or if the compliment was genuine, but she pushed either thought from her mind, deeming it unimportant.

Fili took note that the young woman had dodged his question, but took it as a cue to drop the subject. He wasn't going to pressure her into anything she didn't feel him worthy to share with. The storm was picking up, the droplets falling harder, the wind whipping about, and the thunder in the distance had seemed to creep up on the unlikely pair. The jolted as thunder crashed, Kestrel going so far as to let out a surprised yelp, her hand flying to her mouth to silence herself in her embarrassment.

Fili took her gently, leading with his broad hand on the small of her back just inside the city gates as the guardsmen tromped forward to seal the mountain for the night. The crowd was still going strong, the sounds of laughter, song, and clashing tankards echoed about the great space. Kestrel noted that though the bodice was still sodden, the silk dress had shed nearly all the water from the few minutes she had spent within the threshold. The rest of her was still sopping wet, but at least she was in dry clothes. She counted the blessing.

Fili looked to Kestrel, smiling to see her eyes alight as she scanned the population before her. You would have thought she was a child who'd stumbled into a fairy-tale with the expression she wore. Then a thought crossed his mind, his eyes glowing at the prospect before him, and he offered Kestrel his arm with a slight bow.

"Would you care to spend a night on the town, m'lady?", he inquired, a golden eyebrow arching, and a playful glint dancing in his sapphire eyes. Kestrel positively beamed at the dapper prince, her hands flying to her mouth to stifle the giddy hum that she couldn't seem to keep inside, before she accepted his invitation and took his arm.

And off they went to stroll down the market street.

Alright! What did ya think? Please let me know. Chapter ten to come!~