Originally posted on: 11th February 2014
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Her head was spinning and she almost fell over.
‘We can’t stop…’ she thought.
“We must... We must protect them,” she whispered.
She heard a thud behind her. Her brother must have had tripped over the damn roots. In addition, he wept quietly.
‘It was only a few days ago that he laughed at the fact that I had no strength,’ she thought. However, to make mock of her younger brother’s exhaustion seemed cruel to her; she had always had a milder nature.
“Come on, we should catch up a little," she said with a forced enthusiasm, kneeling beside her brother. "They're moving much faster than us, riding the ponies."
“And what have we been doing for the last 15 miles?!” he moaned. “I really can’t go on like this any longer.”
“Very well, then. Let's take a short break.”
Her brother breathed a sigh of relief while she took out a skin of water. She drank a little of the liquid, most of it giving to the boy. He was still lying on the ground.
“They are going to stop for tonight, that's for certain. As soon as we'll be at a right distance away from their camp, we also will build a fire... I'll try to hunt and cook something.”
“I promise…” she added quickly at the sight of disbelief on her brother's face.
His eyes brightened with indescribable happiness, he even managed to smile weakly, and she returned that smile with the same weariness.
If she and her brother were supposed to fulfill their insane, oh indeed, absolutely insane mission, they needed to relax, eat and recharge properly sometime.
***
Their watch was coming to an end. The night was calm, like many previous ones. They listened to the sounds around them, sitting in front of dying fire, when Kílii suddenly sprang to his feet.
“Fee... there, on that slope, in the woods, on the other side of the valley... what is it?” the dark-haired dwarf asked.
“I'm not sure, Kee..." the blond muttered. "Maybe... a fire."
Kíli smiled knowingly.
“We're on guard duty, so we must check it out,” he said.
“But what about the rest? And sholudn't we tell uncle?” Fíli questioned hesitantly. The younger of brothers shuddered at the last words.
“I'd rather face Smaug than wake Thorin because of such a trifle. Bilbo and Bofur are next. Let's wake them and tell them about it.”
“We may be just imagining things, right?” he added, seeing doubts appearing on his older brother's face. “Nothing bad will happen.”
They stared at that place for a moment longer, and then they quickly woke grumbling Bilbo and Bofur. Before the sleepy watchers became awake enough to understand what Fíli and Kíli were talking to them, the brothers disappeared .
When Fíli i Kíli found themselves in the middle of the valley, they slowed down. They needed to be especially careful from now on. They crept up as quietly as dwarves can to that place. As they approached cautiously, they saw an unusual sight .
There were two people sitting near the little fire. A boy and a girl, about the same age, looking almost like twins. They were clothed in clean, tight and simple dark-green attires The lass wore pants, high boots and a sweatshirt with leather vest, like the lad.
Fíli and Kíli got dangerously close, and so they could hear the strangers' conversation. They were speaking in Common Speech with a barely audible accent. Thus, it wasn't easy to guess where did they come from - possibly from the East, because they pronounced words in a slightly harsh manner, just how it was typical in that part of the Middle Earth.
“Your today's rabbit stew was quite bearable,” the boy said.
There were two people sitting near the little fire. A boy and a girl, about the same age, looking almost like twins. They were clothed in clean, tight and simple dark-green attires The lass wore pants, high boots and a sweatshirt with leather vest, like the lad.
Fíli and Kíli got dangerously close, and so they could hear the strangers' conversation. They were speaking in Common Speech with a barely audible accent. Thus, it wasn't easy to guess where did they come from - possibly from the East, because they pronounced words in a slightly harsh manner, just how it was typical in that part of the Middle Earth.
“Your today's rabbit stew was quite bearable,” the boy said.
“Quite bearable!” the girl snapped. “Next time you try to cook something tasty out of nothing, then we'll talk.”
Suddenly, she sprang to her feet, instantly pulling an arrow from the quiver on her back on the bow string. The bow seemed to be surprisingly solid, in addistion beautifully finished, deceivingly similar to bows used by the Wood-elves
Fíli and Kíli looked at each other with a fear. 'Mahal! Did she hear us?' they both thought.
“What was that?” she whispered. The boy looked around intently.
“You're so skittish!”
“I'm just wary.”
“There's nothing out there.”
”But I've heard...”
“Sit down! There's nothing out there!”
“What if they saw us?”
“Come on! Dwarves don’t have such a good eye!”
“The Hobbit and the wizard are among them.”
Fíli and Kíli exchanged shocked glances. 'What does that mean?' they asked each other without words.
“Try to relax, just once,” the boy complained and laid down on the ground near the fire, stretching.
“You wanted it yourself,” she replied with a sinister smile. She pulled a comb out of her backpack.
At the sight of her expression, the boy immediately stood up and took his sword out of its sheath.
Fíli and Kíli gasped in awe. Beautiful work... that weapon must have been forged by an excellent dwarven blacksmith... in addition, they thought that they had seen this particular sword somewhere before... Fili and Kili were nearly dying of curiosity! Where those simple and young people had got such a good weapon from?
“What the hell are you doing?” the girl hissed.
“You know how I hate combing.”
“Put your weapon down…”
“No!”
“I’ve said… PUT YOUR WEAPON DOWN!”
Fíli and Kíli almost would have jumped. How loudly she had yelled! Unbelievable that someone of her small stature could have such a strong voice.
“You idiot!" the boy drawled out furiously. "Now they certainly heard us!"
She just stood motionlessly, her face like a thunder.
“All right,” he grunted after a minute of tense silence. He dropped the sword and sat down cross-legged with a rebellious expression, his arms crossed.
Fíli smiled to himself. 'Just like Kíli,' he thought.
The girl sat behind her brother and began to comb his light brown, shoulder-length hair.
“I’ve explained it to you so many times... Pick up your weapon only at the last resort!” she said angrily. “Is it so difficult? I expect of you only that much. What kind of behavior is that - to threaten your own sister with a sword?!”
“I’ve explained it to you so many times... Pick up your weapon only at the last resort!” she said angrily. “Is it so difficult? I expect of you only that much. What kind of behavior is that - to threaten your own sister with a sword?!”
Dwarves exchanged glances again. So what has been fairly obvious had become confirmed - those two were siblings.
“Have I aimed at you with my bow even once?” she demanded. “Hm?”
“I'm sorry,” he whispered apologetically.
There was a moment of quiet and then, the girl started to sing with a sweet, pure voice:
Her brother continued the song with the same crystalline but deep voice:
After that, they sang together:
A Elbereth Gilthoniel,
silivren penna míriel
Her brother continued the song with the same crystalline but deep voice:
o menel aglar elenath!
After that, they sang together:
Na-chaered palan-díriel
o galadhremmin ennorath,
Fanuilos, le linnathon
nef aear, sí nef aearon!
A Elbereth Gilthoniel
o menel palan-díriel,
le nallon sí di'-nguruthos!
A tíro nin, Fanuilos!
A! Elbereth Gilthoniel!
silivren penna míriel
o menel aglar elenath,
Gilthoniel, A! Elbereth!
So they were not ordinary, simple people, if they knew the sacred song of the Eldar. Blessed was the power of the elven songs which spread around, and Fíli, as well as Kíli, wanted nothing more than to listen to their etheral voices, so rare among men. Those two looked like a children of the Wood-elves at that moment. Beautiful, innocent and vulnerable.
“Your turn,” the sister said after the end of the song and finishing combing her brother’s hair. Now he held her hair, in the same shade of brown, but much longer, and braided it.
“I was thinking...” the boy began hesitantly. “About if what we do. Does it make any sense? At least two, maybe three dozen of orcs will take part in the chase. And there’s just the two of us. How are we supposed to protect them?”
“I share your concerns,” the girl sighed. “However, a quiet and clever killer is sometimes more effective than dozens of knights.”
“But shouldn’t we simply reveal ourselves? And fight together with Thorin and his Company?”
“It's been eight years... Perhaps in the life of a dwarf it’s not much, but I think that the King Under the Mountain could have difficulties in recognizing us. We’ve grown since the last time he saw us, haven’t we? He'll probably mistake us for some spies.”
“Maybe... But I’ve always thought that we do hold some piece of his noble heart.”
“I've also always had such hope. Unfortunately, what's in the heart of the King Under the Mountain, except the Arkenstone of course, is not likely to be known. But of one thing I’m certain: we must do everything in our power to repay the debt which we have to Thorin Oakenshield.”
“A life for a life,” her brother muttered as he fnished plaiting the braid.
This was too much.
Fíli and Kíli simultaneously stood up and quickly ran into the circle of light.
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Here is a note from me. I must comment on some things in this chapter.
#Thus, it wasn't easy to guess where did they come from - possibly from the East, because they pronounced words in a slightly harsh manner, just how it was typical in that part of the Middle Earth. - this statement has been made up by me. I have no idea id ut's true.
# As for the hymn to Elbereth - how on earth those two know it?
You'll find out in the book two.
# Ah, and the plot starts somewhere between Shire and Rivendell.
#Thus, it wasn't easy to guess where did they come from - possibly from the East, because they pronounced words in a slightly harsh manner, just how it was typical in that part of the Middle Earth. - this statement has been made up by me. I have no idea id ut's true.
# As for the hymn to Elbereth - how on earth those two know it?
You'll find out in the book two.
# Ah, and the plot starts somewhere between Shire and Rivendell.
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