Adult-FanFiction.org : Lord of the Rings

Mending the Broken Pieces	By : LadyLaran Category: Lord of the Rings Movies > Het - Male/Female Views: 13613 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own "the Hobbit" nor do I make money from this story. Tolkien and Jackson are the ones who own the characters and world.

Chapter List
- 7
- 8
- 9
Author’s Note – Thank you all for the amazing reviews and responses to this story so far. You are utterly amazing, all of you! I hope you continue enjoying this; things are going to be moving a bit in regards to character and plot.

Disclaimer – I do not own “the Hobbit” nor do I make any money from this story.

Chapter Eight – The First in A Series of Problematic Events

A little more than two weeks had passed since the night they’d heard the orcs, and it was obvious to anyone within the group that the company had become rather fond of the hobbit. They were always quick to share stories or simply converse with her in order to pass time, and she shared what she could. A lot of the time, Hawthorn was a bit too shy to share too much but occasionally, she could be persuaded to share stories or poetry that she’d written over the years.

The hobbit had started to get to know all of the dwarrow, showing remarkable patience and cunning when dealing with Thorin’s sister-sons whenever they tried to prank her as well as sitting through Gloin’s numerous stories about his family. She often sat with Ori, teaching him to crochet in exchange for a few dwarvish knitting patterns that he had shared with her, and the lass would encourage him to speak out whenever the two mischief makers tried to focus their pranks on the scribe. The hobbit didn’t realize it, but she’d earned the loyalty of the scribe’s two brothers for what she was doing with their younger sibling.

More and more of her traits were shown and accepted, but her bravery and selflessness became apparent about a week’s distance from Rivendell.

The company had stopped to make camp and once everything had been set up, Nori and Fili were trying to help Ori learn a bit more regarding knife throwing. Since Hawthorn was busy helping Bombur with supper and wouldn’t be able to crochet with the scribe just then, the two dwarrow had been more than happy to help give Ori more ways to defend himself.

Thorin was jerked to full attention to the actions of the company, pulling him away from his conversation with Balin and Dwalin, when he heard a female voice cry out a warning after an explosive sounding sneeze echoed across the clearing. He looked up in time to see a small form hurtling herself at Oin, knocking the healer off of his feet and out of the way of a badly thrown dagger.

Cries of the healer’s and hobbit’s names were heard as everyone hurried to where the pair were, wanting to ensure neither of them had been injured.

“What happened,” the dwarf lord asked, spotting the dagger buried deep in the tree where Oin’s head would have been had the lass not intervened.

“Kili startled Ori by sneezing just as the lad started to let go of the dagger, and it threw his aim off,” Nori answered, trying to reassure his brother that this hadn’t been his fault.

Thorin watched as Gloin got his brother to his feet, patting him down to ensure nothing was harmed before resting his forehead against the older dwarf’s. The heir of Durin could appreciate just how rattled his cousins must be, and he turned his attention to the hobbit. He turned in time to see Bofur and Dwalin help the lass to her feet, and he spotted the flash of pain that crossed her face when she tried to put weight onto her left leg.

“Miss Baggins, are you injured,” the blue eyed dwarf asked as his cousin and the toymaker helped her to a log.

“I twisted something,” the female answered, looking pale as she sank onto the seat she’d been escorted to. “Is Master Oin all right?”

“Thanks to you, lassie, he is just fine,” Gloin answered, walking with his brother to stand in front of her.

“I’m just glad I spotted it happening before he could get hurt,” Hawthorn said to him, blinking when Oin knelt to examine the leg that was giving her problems.

The company backed away to give the two privacy, and Thorin looked over at Ori and Kili. Given how frightened the pair looked, he knew they needed reassurance. Sneezing couldn’t be helped, and the scribe was still so inexperienced in regards to fighting. The lad needed to learn more, and the blacksmith didn’t want him discouraged or too frightened to continue learning.

“I do not hold either of you to blame; however, I would appreciate it if you held any training that involves throwing or archery further away from camp,” the lord told the group.

“We will,” Fili agreed, rubbing his brother’s shoulder for a moment to help comfort him. “How are Oin and Miss Hawthorn?”

“Our cousin will be all right; I’m sure he was rattled by being thrown to the ground by the hobbit but took no injury. He’s examining Miss Baggins now; I believe her old injury is flaring up due to the joint being twisted.”

Thorin nodded to the group, heading towards his cousins when Gloin gestured for him to come and hear the report. He was brewing a cup of something for Oin, and the king-in-exile turned to the elder cousin to find out what had happened to Hawthorn.

“Miss Baggins will be all right in a few days,” the healer assured the listeners. “She twisted her hip joint, which happened to be part of an old injury, and she’ll need to stay off of it as much as she can for the next two days. I recommend she ride with someone in a sidesaddle position with the right amount of cushioning to keep her hip steady. Riding astride on her own will cause the injury to remain painful and swollen.”

“It’s not necessary,” Hawthorn stated, trying to insist that she could carry her own weight and not be a burden to anyone.

“You’ll find it is, Miss Hawthorn,” Gloin rebutted as he handed her a warm tonic.

“My brother is right,” the healer added. “Drink that tonic now; it’ll help bring the swelling down and won’t interfere with the pain remedy the elf gave you. Until I tell you otherwise, you’re to stay off that leg. Understand, lassie?”

“You will not become a burden because of the injury, Miss Baggins, so do not worry about that. My family owes you a debt for saving our cousin, and I would never speak against you for needing to remain still due to an injury you received while saving his life,” Thorin told her when it looked as if she would argue against Oin’s words.

Hawthorn sighed, looking at the three dwarrow standing in front of her. She’d done it to keep the kind dwarf from being hurt; he’d kept an eye on her whenever he realized she was in pain, and she hadn’t wanted to see anything bad happen to Oin. It seemed she had no choice but to accept their orders for now.

“As you wish,” she replied quietly, downing the tonic and making a sound at the bitter taste of the medicine.

Once she had finished, Oin handed the cup to Bombur to be taken care of with the dinner dishes and then dragged his brother away to have a long chat with him.

“Is Ori all right,” the hobbit asked, drawing Thorin from his thoughts.

“He’s shaken, but I think he will be just fine once he realizes that it was an accident. Kili sneezed at the wrong time and startled him,” the dwarf lord informed her. “Both are taking it a bit hard at the moment.”

“Would my saying anything to them help ease their distress,” she asked, hoping to keep the pair from feeling guilty.

“It might at that,” he replied, getting up to retrieve the pair in question.

Within a few moments, Hawthorn had both Ori and Kili standing in front of her. Nori and Fili were close beside them, looking anxious as well. She spoke before any of them could, sharing what was on their minds.

“No one is angry with you,” the lass reassured them. “Sneezes are annoying at times when they spring up on you, but it’s not something that can be controlled. No one was badly hurt, thank the Valar, and none of you should carry any form of guilt for what happened.”

It took a short while, but the hobbit did eventually get them to relax and stop feeling so guilty for what had happened. Once that had been handled, the younger ones headed back to their practice and Hawthorn gave a soft sigh. She felt better knowing she’d managed to alleviate their concerns and resolved to hide how much her leg was bothering her. This was a pain she was used to and could manage to keep that burden off of the young ones as possible.

Once dinner had been eaten and Bofur collected the plates for cleaning, Oin had prepared another tonic for her and then he and Gandalf had aided to her to the latrine so she could handle her business. It was a bit embarrassing, but the hobbit kept quiet on that since she knew both males simply wanted to make things easier until the injury healed up.

Thanks to Oin’s tonic, Hawthorn was able to sleep the night through with only a few times where the pain of her injury would disturb her. The medication had allowed her to fall right back to sleep, but the only problem was how groggy it had left her when she woke the next morning.

Thorin noticed how quiet and slow the lass was after Oin and Gandalf had brought her back to camp once she’d finished readying herself for the day, and he realized the medicine his cousin had given her was still lingering. He knew from personal experience how strong the healer’s remedies could be, and he’d also seen the look of pain on her face when she’d stirred during his watch.

“Oin,” he called out as the group began striking camp while Bombur fixed breakfast.

The healer headed to the king, sitting beside him with his better ear angled towards him.

“How is Miss Baggins this morning,” Thorin asked. “She seems rather slow to come fully awake.”

Oin nodded, noticing the lass tucking her hair pins safely into her pack. Obviously, she was too groggy to have any form of dexterity this morning and had simply combed out her hair before tying it back with a strip of leather.

“The tonic seemed to help her last night or so she said,” the healer began.

“She stirred twice during my watch,” the dark haired dwarf informed him. “It was obvious she was hurting, but the tonic you gave her pulled her back into sleep before it could fully wake her.”

“I’m glad to hear it worked,” Oin commented. “The swelling is larger than I’d like it to be, and I can tell her pain levels are too high.”

“My only concern is if we are attacked during the night,” Thorin said softly, not liking what he was about to bring up and knowing it was necessary for everyone’s safety. “The lass will have a difficult time as it is with her leg and hip injured, but the medicine will ensure she will not wake in time. I have no wish for her to remain in discomfort, but I would not see her lose her life due to being slow to wake.”

“Thorin, if she does not sleep, she will be slower to heal. Instead of it taking two days, it could take a week,” the older dwarf replied, warning him of that possibility. “I can cut back on the strength of the tonic, but she’ll need to rest during the day while riding with someone. I’ll speak with her on it once she’s alert and also have a chat with Tharkûn about it as well.”

“Surely there is something he can do about her pain,” the dwarf lord asked, frowning when the healer shook his head.

“I asked him that last night, and he said that her leg and hip had already been exposed to a lot of magical healing in the past. Apparently, there’s only so much magic a body can take and he doesn’t want to run the risk of healing something minor then not being able to help her should that area break again. Miss Hawthorn agreed so I think she’s heard this lecture before,” Oin informed him.

Thorin nodded, contemplating what to do with the injured hobbit before reaching a decision.

“We will rotate who Miss Baggins rides with,” the king in exile began. “She’ll ride for an hour or two before switching to another dwarf. It will make it more comfortable for them and for her. The only exception will be Kili.”

“Aye, best not hinder our distance fighter if we’re attacked while she is with him,” the healer agreed, getting up when Bombur called out that breakfast was ready.

Once the meal was eaten and everything cleaned up and packed away, Thorin shared the plan regarding Miss Baggins and her need to ride with someone until the injury healed. Kili understood, and he was rather proud of his sister-son for not needing an explanation as to why the lass would not be riding with him.

Thorin mounted his pony, getting settled before helping position Miss Baggins. Dwalin and Dori got the lass situated in front of him, using a blanket to help provide some stability due to way the saddle was made. Once she was settled, she was leaning against his chest with her head against his shoulder. He had an arm around her to keep her balanced, ignoring the blush on the hobbit’s face.

“All right, Miss Baggins?”

“I’m all right, Master Thorin,” she answered, sounding a little more alert than she had been earlier. “I apologize for this.”

“No need to apologize,” he said quietly. “You were injured saving the life of a companion; that means a great deal to dwarrow.”

“It still feels as if I am inconveniencing everyone,” the hobbit responded, blinking at the stern look he gave her.

“Miss Baggins, you saved my cousin’s life and there is little I would not do to ensure you healed properly and with what comfort we can provide. Helping you by having you ride with me is no inconvenience.”

“If you say so,” she replied, blushing as she did so.

“I do,” he informed her, watching as the others mounted their ponies and giving the order to move out.

They were quiet for a while before she broke the silence, hoping he wouldn’t mind the question.

“Have you given thought as how to we are going to make it through Thranduil’s realm,” the lass asked, sounding worried.

“At the moment, I have not. I believe we should take the quickest path through the woods and hope we do not run into any patrols,” Thorin commented, a bit surprised by her question. “I would rather find another route, but the paths circumventing the elven realm would add weeks if not longer to our journey.”

“The last time I was in Imladris, I overheard Erestor talking to Elladan and Elrohir. Those are Lord Elrond’s twin sons,” Hawthorn informed him before continuing. “This was about two years or so ago, and I heard them discussing how dark the woods had become. There are foul things encroaching on what was once known as the Green Wood. From what I heard, Elladan said that men are now calling it Mirkwood.

“I guess we’ll need to find any fresh news of it when in Imladris, but I can question Erestor or Glorfindel, if he’s in the mood to give me answers and not riddles,” the lass said. “Avoiding the elves will be more difficult as they patrol their lands regularly and never in a pattern that is recognizable. Glorfindel once told me that it made it more difficult for evil to avoid them when trying to sneak into their lands.”

“Which means we shall have difficulty avoiding the patrols of the elvish king as the guards will be moving more frequently if the news of this infestation is true,” the dwarf commented, sounding unhappy.

“When we are in Imladris, I will go to the library and see if Erestor has any recent maps of Mirkwood. I’ll make a copy for us to use; at least we will have less of a chance of getting lost if we have some form of guidance,” Hawthorn offered.

“Ori can assist you in the research,” Thorin told her. “Any news of what we will find once we clear the Misty Mountains will be of use to us.”

“I’ll make the necessary introductions as soon as we’re clean and Lord Elrond has seen me,” the hobbit said, shaking her head. “He’ll insist on my going into the Halls of Healing as soon as we arrive.”

“Does he do that often?”

“Every time I visit Imladris,” she answered dryly. “He and Mithrandir both are very protective when it comes to my health. In truth, I am grateful for it.”

Which meant she had a familial tie in some way to the elf lord and wouldn’t that make things interesting? Thorin hoped it wouldn’t mean there would be trouble once Elrond realized what the company was planning to do; he would have to ensure that the group stayed together so as not to be caught off guard if they needed to leave in a hurry.

“There will be a strong chance the elf lord will not approve of the quest,” Thorin began. “He will do everything he can to stop us once he realizes what we are about to do.”

“I might be able to persuade him to at least not hinder us,” Hawthorn replied. “If not, I know of an exit that will lead us towards the Misty Mountains. Resupplying might not be an issue since the kitchen staff is used to seeing me in their area quite often. With some help, I can sneak out what we’ll need to feed the company.”

“If it comes to that, let me know. I’ll have Nori assist you there since he is good at removing items from certain locations without being caught,” he informed her.

She nodded, silent for a moment as she contemplated the potential issues they might face while in Rivendell. He was quiet as well, still somewhat taken aback by her willingness to put herself between them and the elves to discover what they needed to know.

“Why are you so willing to speak to the elves for us,” he asked, finally breaking his own silence.

“Though the elves of Mirkwood were the ones to cause so much harm by not aiding your people, I can understand the reluctance you and your people might have when interacting with other elves. Lord Elrond is a wise and generous host, kind in his own way, but I am also aware that he and the other elves can be caught up in the feud that developed after the friendship between dwarves and elves unraveled.

“You and the company will not feel at peace or welcome in Imladris because of the animosity that followed the dissolution of the friendship as well as what the elf king of Mirkwood did. There is already so much worry and strain upon you, and I have no wish to add more so I am willing to speak with whoever I must in order to gain the information we need to ensure this quest is successful.”

Startled by her words, Thorin looked down to see her cheeks take on a rosy hue for a long moment and to see the sincerity in her eyes as he met them. All of this caused something in his chest to tighten for several long moments before she looked away, blushing a bit more.

“I am grateful, Miss Baggins,” he told her, seeing the blush darken.

“You and your people deserve a home,” she answered in a sincere tone. “I mean to do all I can to see to it that you reclaim yours.”

How in Mahal’s name was he to answer that one, Thorin thought to himself as he pulled the pony to a stop and waited as Oin and Gloin helped move the lass to Fili’s pony. The hobbit lass was surprising him more often each time he spoke with her, and the dwarf lord was at a loss as to how to interact with her now.

Hawthorn Baggins was proving herself to be a very unique and genuine person, and Thorin knew just how rare people like her were. He wasn’t sure how to handle himself around her since she seemed to disarm him every time they spoke, and he wasn’t certain how to feel about this either.

The sound of Gloin calling his name drew him away from his thoughts to find his two cousins waiting beside him.

“Are we ready to continue,” Thorin asked, blinking when the red headed dwarf answered.

“Aye, we are and my brother and I need to talk with you,” Gloin began, making the dark haired dwarf hide his groan.

What in Mahal’s name could be going on now?!

Author’s End Note - I hope you enjoyed it! Poor Thorin will be going through a series of problematic events for the next few chapters, but I think you’ll agree each one is necessary! Thanks for reading and please, let me know what you thought of the chapter! ~ Laran
- 7
- 8
- 9
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Mending the Broken Pieces