𝘼 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝 𝙁𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙁𝙤𝙧 || 𝐊𝐢𝐥𝐢 𝐃𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧

Chapter 4: The Harrowing Howl & War Stories

After a while, the rest of the company gathered in the living room, a disappointing silence lingered from the news of Mr. Baggins's answer... The silence was broken when Bofur began humming a song that I nor the boys knew. We looked at each other in curiosity and listened as the others joined...

Thorin walked over to the fireplace and started to quietly sing the song...

♩ Far over the Misty Mountains cold
To dungeons deep and caverns old
We must await, ere break of day,
To find our long forgotten gold. ♩

♩ The pines were roaring on the height,
The winds were moaning in the night.
The fire was red, it flaming spread;
The trees like torches blazed with light ♩

Another wave of silence washed over the room until Thorin looked to all of us and spoke, "We will rest here for the night. Then at sunrise, we will clean up whatever messes we left and leave on horseback, with or without Bilbo Baggins. " The company nodded as we all looked around to find a spot to sleep.

Most of the company fell asleep in the room we were just in, but I already knew that sleeping there would be difficult with the snoring and I wanted to have my last comfortable night's rest in peace... So I moved into the room where Mr. Baggins and Gandalf spoke earlier, laid on the sofa in front of the fireplace, and watched the flames until I fell asleep.

I predict that I was about five minutes into a pleasant night's sleep, then I felt a wave of added warmth over my cloak... My eyes fluttered open and I saw a green quilt laid over me, a figure was sitting on the floor beside me with his cloak wrapped around him while watching the fire. 

"Kili? " 

His gaze turned to me as he whispered, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you, you were shivering so I laid a blanket over you... I can leave you be if you want. " 

"No, it's alright... Where are you sleeping? " I asked.

He shrugged "Right against this wall I suppose. There wasn't any room where the others are so I found my way in here. " 

I shook my head and patted the floor next to me, "At least lay down so your neck doesn't hurt in the morning. " 

Ki raised an eyebrow and asked, "Are you sure? Is that not too close to you? " 

I smirked at his modesty and asked, "We used to have sleepovers all the time as children, it's alright. " 

He chuckled and said, "Yes, but as you said, we were children. You're a young lady now and I don't want to be improper. " 

I smiled, patted the floor again, and said, "As much as I admire your kindness, I really don't mind. Sleeping in a horse stall gets you used to the lack of personal space." 

Kili raised an eyebrow, "You slept in a horse stall? " 

"Yep, I was a Pub Watcher in Bree for a year or so and the housing rates were too expensive, so I asked one of my friends if I could sleep in a stall with his horse and he agreed... " 

He gave me a slightly confused look, "Where did you lay your head? " 

"On a hay bale, they aren't as uncomfortable as they sound... And I had another friend that let me clean up at her house when I babysat her children. " 

The black-haired dwarf smiled at me, "You've always had a heart for taking care of kids. " 

I nodded, "Yeah, I suppose so... " Memories of me playing with the children in our village when I was younger flooded my mind and I softly smiled. "Are you going to lie down anytime soon? "