Chapter 8

Originally posted on: 13th February 2014

Slight Thilbo Bagginshield!

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Kili was sitting on the ground, leaning back against Sybil’s legs. The lass was sitting on the bench and he was watching in awe as Fili was teaching Dorian fighting with two swords.

“One, two. Contra,” the blond commanded. “Three, four. Defend yourself!”

“Just like old times,” Kili said.

Dorian laughed when he heard this and was about to say something, but Fili hit his fingers with a blade. The boy jumped back with a cry, and Kili burst out laughing. Fili was a strict and demanding teacher.

“Dorian, focus!” he exclaimed.

Kili laughed at Dorian mercilessly, but suddenly Sybil tugged at his hair.

“Stop fidgeting, Kee,” she snapped. “I'm almost done.”

She was braiding his hair.

It should be noted that among dwarves this custom was of a great importance: only people being very close were allowed to braid each other’s hair. This ritual tightened the bonds between them very strongly.

“Now, Fili, it’s your turn,” she said after a moment.

Kili stood up quickly, taking one sword from Fili.

“Well, Dorian, ready for a good thrashing?” the young dwarf smirked.  

The boy grinned evilly.

“Will see,” he answered, dropping one of his swords.

While Sybil was combing Fili’s golden hair, the dwarf sitting at her feet, around them there could be heard the steel singing, the leaves rustling lightly, a gentle murmur of the stream and the birds’ music.

Kili had found this place the day after the memorable feast and had shared his discovery with the rest immediately. Since then, the four of them would sit there for hours. They felt safe - they were sure that prying eyes and ears wouldn't reach them there. This place seemed to be hidden - it was on the border of the park surrounding The Last Homely House and no path led there. The clearing was almost perfectly round, and a small stream flowed it over. There was the stone bench and a statue of an elf dressed in armor, holding a sword. The beeches, oaks and pines grew around.

The foursome had been catching up on the eight years of separation over there; they had a lot to explain. And although the stories told then were mostly very sad, they all remembered the time spent in that place as very happy.

Dorian hit the ground, falling on his face spectacularly, stumbling by Kili's leg, not-so-accidentally causing him to fall. The young dwarf pressed the blade into the back of the lying lad.

“Do you yield?” he asked with a triumphant smile.

“Never,” Kili heard in response, and then was thrown into the stream.

“Boys, calm down!” Sybil exclaimed, not even looking in their direction. Now, they were wrestling on the ground, not caring that they were in the water.

“I love to look at them as they're playing like that,” Fili said thoughtfully.

Sybil understood. He knew what it was like to have a younger brother and watch with pride as he had grown, become manly. In addition, she was bursting with joy - despite the fact that they had gone through a lot of bad things, those two were still able to be childish and innocent. What was more, she was astonished when she had noticed that their faces look alike. Dorian and Kili seemed to be real  brothers as they were chasing one another between the trees. They moved away, screaming.

Calm silence reigned on the clearing, but was cut off by Sybil after some time.

“So, you’re leaving tomorrow…?”

Why her hands were shaking? Though she had combed this golden hair so many times before.

“Yes, and you’re going with us,” Fili said haughtily.

“Fee ... I explained it to you! We can't travel together with you! We may be only your shadows and you have to get over it. And, besides, we would be a new burden for Thorin ...”

“Sybbie ... you would never be a burden. What an absurd!”

“What's more, I don’t know if you have any idea what fuss could be caused by a presence of one woman among so many men of three different races ...”

Fili snorted.

“Sybil ...”

“I know that it's all very confusing now, but Thorin REALLY cannot find out about us ...”

“Sybil ...”

“Me and Dorian have dealt with the worse situations, so why shouldn’t we manage this time ...”

“STOP IT!” Fili yelled, jumping to his feet. He faced her with anger, and met a hurt look in her eyes.

“I'm sorry …” he added right away. He took a deep breath, gathering  his courage.

“Sybil, I ... I don’t want to live in constant fear. Ever since I've met you I fear for yours and Dorian’s safety, plus Kili’s, obviously. I want us to be all together again. I refuse to part with you. I don’t want to lose my once-lost siblings again ... and I ... I don’t want to lose you.”

The girl frowned, analyzing his words, then blushed slightly.

She looked up at him uncertainly.

“Fili …?” she whispered.

“Sybil ... I ...” he said softly, gently stroking her cheek . “The thing is that ...”

But this intimate moment was interrupted by their younger brothers, who ran into the clearing with a cry, lots of leaves in their hair. Of course.

Thus, Fili and Sybil quickly returned to their previous activities.

“So, who won?” Fili asked as if nothing had happened.

“A draw, as always,” Dorian laughed.

“Are you coming to today's feast?” Fili asked after a moment of silence.

“We must,” Sybil murmured with discontent.

“How is that - ‘you must’?” Kili was confused.

“Simply,” Dorian replied. “Lord Elrolnd called me for a talk yesterday. He expressed his and his men sadness due to the fact that me and Sybil don’t show up at feasts. I had to tell him about how we had  overacted around Thorin...”

“It was brilliant!” Kili interrupted. “You made fun of him so cruelly! Now he’s like in an amok and he’s looking for you at every feast. He and the Company ask about you. ..”

“And what do you say to that?” Sybil interjected the question.  

“Oh, firstly, me and Kee avoid any contact with them,” Fili explained. “If they ask what we have been doing all day, etc., we get rid of them with some banal excuses. If they ask about you, we say that you are friends. Ordinary friends. We disappear before they could ask for names. I don’t know how long we’ll manage to keep the secret. Knowing Thorin, he’ll do everything to find out the truth ...”

“Hold on as long as possible,” Dorian almost commanded.

“If you spruce up like the last time, it will be difficult,” Kili stated.  

“All the clothes that Lord Elrond gave us are extremely beautiful and ornate,” Sybil said. “Besides, today’s the shortest night of the year, so we'll have to dress up very festively.”  

“It’s going to be a great party,” Dorian winked mischievously.

“Oh indeed,” Fili nodded, his tone quite ominous.

***

Over the water there was a large clearing. On its banks the numerous stone tables were put, and there were lamps shining with a pure, white light, hanging from the trees’ branches. Sweet music was played, and the revelers were admiring the dancing and singing elves.

However, at the table located on the increase, not all lot had fun

.

Gandalf could almost hear the questions and concerns flitting through the mind of Thorin Okaenhield, sitting next to him. And it was not about the moon runes read by Elrond.

“You came just in time, as always, Elrond.”

“This time, I’ve been warned.”

That was how the wizard found out about the children of Brandon and Cora. Everything began to fall into the altogether logically: they were the two who he had seen in the echoes of Kili’s dream. They were the reason for such a sudden change in the sons of Dis behavior. Because of them during entire trip to Rivendell he had sensed someone's near presence. It had bothered him so much that he had left the dwarves to search the area. He had regretted that because he had saved the Company from being eaten by trolls at the last minute. However, the whole story ended happily, and Gadnalf was irritated by watching as the King Under the Mountain was bothered now.

‘Secrets, secrets…’ the wizard thought. ‘Soon, they will tangle in them and disappear.’ He did not agree with Elrond, who wished to maintain a presence Dorian and Sybil in secret. In his opinion, Thorin should find out about their mad defenders. However, Gandalf had decided to respect Elrond’s decision, knowing that he was more enlightened and experienced person.

He glanced at Fili and Kili, impatiently looking round the clearing. He smiled to himself.

The shortest night of the year was going to be very long indeed.

***

They had thought that Dorian and Sybil couldn't have surprised them anymore.

When young people entered the clearing, Fili and Kili understood how wrong they had been.

Not without spilling wine over the faces of outraged Balin and Dwalin.

As Sybil and Dorian were walking between the tables, Fili and Kili were choking and having a coughing fit.

Well, no, this time it was overkill.

They had dressed up some elven princelings.

Dorian was wearing black boots, a tunic tailored similarly to the previous one, the outfit in the color of sapphire. But such an intense sapphire, as if the very material was sewn of these jewels. The tunic was covered by the elven cloak appliqué mithril. He had his hair combed like an elf, and there was a diadem made of mithril on his head, with a teardrop-shaped stone embedded in the middle. Said gem was shinning with a starlight.

Sybil was dressed in a gown belted under the bust, loose and trailing, made of a soft material in the same color as the Dorian’s tunic. Mithril was sewn into the dress in a starry patterns. The gown also had the sleeves reaching the ground and was uncovering the girl’s shoulders. Sybil had combed her hair in a bun, which was covered with a delicate silver mesh with lots of tiny glittering jewels.

As the equilibrium had finally returned to them, Fili and Kili agreed that they awaited a clarification.

Kili looked at the table top, and saw that Thorin was positively gawking at Dorian and Sybil.

It  had to be played properly. Young dwarves did not stirred an inch, only stared in disbelief at their human siblings eating food a few tables away.

They had to wait until some elves came up to the people to talk to them. When Dorian and Sybil began to circulate among the residents of Rivendell, discussing and laughing, Fili and Kili got up from the table and chose a completely roundabout way to get to these two lives and souls of the party. Dorian and Sybil were in demand. They were even engaged to dance.

When the  young people were talking with two elves and they were far enough from the table top, the dwarves interrupted their conversation. As certain Fingwid and Dinendal departed ...

“Whence on earth did you get that diadem, Dorian?”

“Cool hairdo, Sybil."

“You know that Thorin’s staring?”

“You look like elven princelings!”

“Haven’t you crossed the line maybe?”

“ENOUGH!” Dorian cried.

“Dorian got the diadem from Elrond,” Sybil said. “Ireth did my hair as if she were an ordinary servant. As long as he gapes, Thorin is harmless. Yes, we know that we look ruggedly. Maybe we actually have crossed the line, a little. But it's our last night here, you know?”

“You're leaving with us?” Kili’s voice was full of hope.

“On the same day as you, but at the dusk,” Dorian answered.

“Oh, you are so stubborn,” Fili snapped irritably.

“Are we?” Sibyl giggled. “I’ve always thought that dwarves are the most stubborn ones.”

They were wrangling and bantering for a moment.  

“Sybil, I’d like to talk to you, in private,” Fili said.

The girl blushed, and Dorian and Kili exchanged glances.

When Fili went with Sybil to their place, he was wondering if he had drunk enough to say what he wanted to.

***

Kili took his glass of wine and sat down beside Dorian, at Sybil’s seat.

“It was foreseeable,” the dwarf stated.

“But it looks like incest to me!” the boy grimaced.

“Apparently, you'll have to change your point of view,” Kili patted Dorian on the shoulder.

“We’re alone ...” Dorian grunted after a moment of silence. “What do we do now?”

“Well, we’re surrounded by beautiful she-elves ... it would be such a pity not to take the opportunity,” the dwarf winked mischievously.

Dorian nodded with a knowing smirk. He drank a big gulp of wine.

“Lead the way."

As they could not decide, they accosted the nearest she-elves, who turned out to be Ireth and her friend Arien.

The shortest night of the year was going to be very long indeed.  

***

He was looking at them when they entered the clearing and spread a silence around themselves.

As they were dancing, talking and laughing with the elves.

He was sure that he knew them. Maybe ... No, it was silly ...

Brandon and Cora?

Thorin smiled at the memory of his friends. They had been so good and forgiving to him.

And their children ... the warm wave washed over him as he reminded himself as Sybil would sit stubbornly in his forge, badgering him with questions how to make this or that. Or when Dorian had been almost climbing on his head every night when he came home after a hard day of work, wanting to play with him.

No ... these two were definitely not Bradnon and Cora. Even only because Brandon had had raven hair, not brown, and he had been much taller. While Cora  hadn't been so slim and small.

Maybe they were their closest relatives?

He hadn't been to Ettinor for eight years. He had to find out what was going on with his friends.

That was very rude to leave the table before the host, but Thorin didn't care so much about the friendship of Elrond Half-elven.

When he saw that Fili was leaving with the girl, he felt confused and thoughts unworthy of a king flashed through his mind.

“Where are you going, Thorin?” Gandalf  asked, his tone suggesting that he felt slightly offended by his behavior.

“I'm going for an explanations.”

***

Bilbo was watching with amusement as all of the boys' charm was in the turnover. They were gaining a growing crowd of fans. Dorian had the advantage that he knew elven dances, and he was asking a different she-elf to every dance. Kili clearly didn't like it. The Hobbit chuckled.

“What's so funny, Mr. Baggins?” he heard this wonderful, deep voice behind him.

He turned around quickly and looked right into the sapphire eyes of his King.

“N-nothing ... I j-just reminded myself something funny,” he stammered, scared.

Thorin apparently didn't care what he wanted to say, as usual.

He looked in the direction of Dorian and Kili.

“Do you know who is this lad who’s talking to Kili, burglar?” the King asked.

“No ... I only know as much as you - that he’s an ordinary friend,” Hobbit lied.  

Thorin departed without any further word.

After a few seconds, Bilbo realized where the King was going.

Oh no. He had to stop him. Though he had promised. He had promised Sybil a discretion...

“You can’t go there!” he shouted to Thorin.

That  immediately stopped the dwarf. He turned and looked angrily at the Hobbit.

‘’You can’t!’ You can’t?! I have just commanded the King Under the Mountain!’

“Why not?” Thorin hissed, approaching Bilbo slowly.

“Because ... because ...” oh dear, oh dear, what was he supposed to say? “Because ... er ... you’ll spoil their fun!” Bilbo said quickly. “Look ... their talks with she-elves are going very well!”

“If I interrupt, they won’t lose much,” Thorin snorted contemptuously and walked away briskly.

Bilbo looked around frantically, looking for solutions.

He had promised! Though he had promised ... though, though ...

He looked at the increase. Elrond's eyes pierced him through.

“Please ...” he whispered.

Lord of Rivendell rose from the table, announcing with it that the feast was over.

Bilbo sighed with relief loudly. Thorin was so close already!

Now, all the revelers would go to the Hall of Fire in the appropriate order, therefore the King Under the Mountain would leave as one of the first.

When Thorin quit, Bilbo was only thinking about that he had made ​​an idiot of himself.

***

He seated her on the bench. It was quite comfortable for him because then he could look at her face without craning his neck.

He drowned into her warm, dark brown eyes. He would like not to have to explain anything. Just stare into them.

His icy blue eyes were looking at her with tenderness and love. They had been looking like that as she had been little, but ... there was something new in his gaze ... something ...

Why was her heart beating so fast? After all, she trusted him, no matter in what direction he was going, gently removing the mesh from her hair and unwoving the bun ...

It was a pity to destroy such an intricate job, but he loved when her hair was hanging loose. As the waves flowed down her back, his hands sank in them. They were softer than he had expected.

A pleasant shiver rushed through her body. For the love of the Valar, what was he up to? And why she felt that she was burning? Why did she want to do only one thing now? Though he was her brother.

Only now did her bare shoulders drew his attention. He ran his fingertips against them gently. For Mahal’s sake, why was he doing this? Why couldn't he stop himself? Though she was his sister.

“Sybil, something has changed ... in the way which I think of you,” he blurted out quickly. “I remembered you as my little stubborn sister. I didn’t suspect that people grew up so fast. You are a young woman now, mentally we’re at the same age. When I realized this, I was in a huge shock. I wasn’t ready for it and ... Sybil, I'm sorry if what I’m going to do would be repulsive to you, but I have to understand what’s wrong with me.”

As Fili knew for a long time, he was a good seducer. He enjoyed popularity among women not only of his race.

When he kissed Sybil and did not feel the desire normal at this step, he was a little surprised. There was something more ... something ... which meant that he could stop an it and drew pleasure only from a kiss.

Was it disgusting? Not at all. Or should it be? That she didn't know. She only knew that everything was great.

When Sybil threw his hands on his neck, Fili wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

She smiled into the kiss.

The shortest night of the year was going to be very long indeed.

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Oh yeah, that night was very long indeed.
And finally we know what about Gandalf.
As for Fili and Sybil... as Kili said, it was foreseeable.
As for going to the Hall of Fire... since the larger number of people goes there in some imprtant holidays, I thought that the shortest night of the year is one of them.