Curse of the East (Fili/The Hobbit Fanfiction)

Chapter 5 - A Volunteer

Chapter 5 — A Volunteer

"No, no, no." Bilbo tried to say as Balin hands him the contract, briefly explaining what the quest would entail. Jealousy flared up in my stomach, and though I knew I had no right to do so, I wished more than anything that I could go in Bilbo's place. "Funeral arrangements?" I heard him say, and a smile forced itself onto my face. What did he expect? They were going to face down a fire-breathing dragon after all. He opened up the contract and began to read. We all sat silently, amused by the different expressions that crossed his face as he moved through it. My smile widened as he struggled to read some of the longer words. "L-ac-er-at-ions, evisceration? INCINERATION?" He read, his voice gradually growing louder more concerned until he spun back around to face us. I rolled my eyes, and Bofur spoke again.

"Aye, It'll melt the flesh off your bones in the blink of an eye." He answered casually, as though he were speaking about a small bruise and not certain death. Bilbo nodded, and I saw his face turn ashen. He bent at his waist, and I heard him taking deep, but raspy breaths.

"Are you alright Bilbo?" I asked, standing slowly and walking over to him. He nodded

"I feel a bit faint." He admitted quietly. Bofur stood then, moving to the threshold.

"Think furnace, with wings." He continued. I shot him a look which I hoped made it very clear that was he not helping the situation, but he kept talking. "Flash of light, searing pain and then poof. You're nothing more than a pile of ash." His wide smile was infuriating. I closed my eyes, and squeezed the bridge of my nose between my thumb and index finger. That was most definitely the worst thing he could have said. Bilbo took several deep breaths, and his fingers dug into my arm; I hoped he would be able to recover quickly, but my hopes were dashed when his eyes rolled back into his head and he crumpled to the floor.

The faces of the men all fell as Gandalf and I lifted Bilbo into his chair, completely unconscious. Balin turned to Thorin, all hope having faded from his eyes.

"It seems we have lost our burglar Thorin, what now are we to do?" I looked to where Bilbo slept, and I knew there was only one thing I could do to help them.

"May I come with you?" I asked quietly, not daring to turn around and meet any of their eyes, though I felt every one of them staring at my back.

"What did you say Saria?" Gandalf asked, as though he was afraid he had heard me incorrectly. I laughed, forcing myself to turn around. I walked toward him, trying to hide the tremble in my hands. Though my fear was not from the thought of facing a dragon as one might have expected; my fear was of being left behind.

"I said I want to come with you." I replied, my voice still quiet. I shrugged, looking once again to poor Bilbo, and the small red bump forming quickly on his forehead. "You're never going to be able to convince him to help you." I looked at Fili, where he stood unmoving to Thorin's right. "He's in love with the Shire, always has been." My gaze fell once again to my feet. "I don't belong here, never will I wager; so I'm offering you my help, if you'll have me." Gandalf smiled, and I was certain he was going to say something, but once again, Thorin was just a bit faster.

"I will not have some helpless woman on this quest." He said coldly, "I will not allow you to slow us down, and I refuse to be responsible for your fate." He snapped, his harsh eyes meeting mine. Unlike last time however I did not flinch. Nor did I back away. His yelling only served to chase away what remained of my fear.

"How dare you!" I yelled back, earning shocked gasps from the others. "I didn't ask you to be responsible for anything, especially not me. And I am most certainly not helpless. If you had bothered to ask I would have been happy to inform you that my weapon of choice, is a sword." I turned away from him, my anger draining away. I wanted to go with them, but not if they were going to doubt me at every turn. "All my life I've wanted nothing more than to leave the Shire." I continued, turning my attention back to Gandalf, "I've been reading about adventures in books for as long as I can remember. Ever since I was a little girl my father told me stories about the crazy things he did when he left this place." I looked back at Thorin, "Do I not deserve the chance to prove myself? To show the world I'm better than everyone's always believed me to be?" He nodded, taking a step toward me.