The Hobbit Imagines

2. Fili x Reader

Your eyelids felt heavy as you perched on a log situated in front of the fire. You watched the wood shrivel and burn, disappearing into the flames. Fire, you had always thought, was a dangerous light; one which devoured and destroyed. It was red with anger. But then, you grew up with stories of fire-breathing dragons, and their evil way of nature. So, maybe it was just that you were scared of it- what could be done with it. Warily, you eyed the smoke rising beneath the stars, captivated in your tired state. You rested your head on your hand and shut your eyes. The quest to Erebor was taking its toll on you- mentally and physically. Not only had you obtained many cuts and bruises from fighting, but you broke a rib when you fell from a tree trying to fend off spiders. And you had been arguing with Fili; you had been courting for only a year and it was going perfectly until you were disrupted by this godforsaken quest. He tried to convince you time and time again to go home, back to the Blue Mountains. He said the battlefield was no place for a woman. You told him to stop looking at you as a woman and start seeing you as a warrior. You felt you had as much right as him to fight for your home. Many of the other dwarves in the company were proud of you for defending yourself, so you didn't back down. You still loved Fili, despite his protective nature. That's all it was really, he wanted you to be safe- he knew you were just as good a fighter as he or his brother. And he loved you, for your passionate heart and strong will.

But earlier that day, when you and the group were setting up camp on a clearing on the edge of the trees, you heard some noises from deep in the forest. You figured there was no need to worry the dwarves, and so decided to investigate yourself. As you clambered over roots and branches, you spied a creature moving in the distance. Hearing vile screams come from that area, you crept closer, hiding behind trees. All of a sudden, a goblin leapt out in front of you and grabbed you by the neck, throwing you back against the tree. The air was forced out of your lungs and you slumped to the floor, writhing in pain. The goblin stomped towards you but was tackled onto the ground before he could reach you. You blinked and watched a flood of dwarves rampage through the orc camp. You tucked your legs into your body and remained still, trying to compose yourself after your initial shock. Bofur, who you were very good friends with, knelt down by your side and checked if you were okay. He took your hands and helped you up. Fili came over too, concern carved into his strong features. After making sure you hadn't been hurt badly, stared at you intensely. You noticed, beneath the concern, a shadow of anger filled his eyes. He pursed his lips and turned away without saying anything. All of you headed back to your camp, Bofur assisting you all the way. Soon, the dwarves were sat around the fire, but they were all silent. Fili paced back and forth, rubbing his temples with one of his hands. Nobody looked at you, their eyes were fixated on the floor, or the fire, or their hands. When the tension became unbearable, Fili whipped his head round to look at you and hissed "What would you have done if we hadn't come after you?" You widened your eyes, not expecting him to say something like that in front of the others. You didn't get the chance to reply before he asked another question "What if I hadn't seen you run off into the woods? You could have died, Y/N. There were more than a dozen orcs in that camp- they would have eaten you alive if they'd gotten the chance. And we would have been here, none-the-wiser about where you had disappeared to. What if I'd lost you?" Fili sighed, clearly frustrated with you. You mumbled "But none of that stuff happened, so it's not that bad right?" He glared at you "How could you be so careless? I'm so tired of this. I told you, you should have never come!" He shouted. You laughed, but there was nothing funny about the situation. You stood, shaking your head as you retorted "You are just looking for excuses for me to go home. You can't stand the fact that you might lose me. Well, have you ever thought about the fact that I might lose you?" The dwarves' eyes flicked between the two of you as you argued. Fili marched towards you "I don't have to look very hard for an excuse do I? You are on a suicide mission! Maybe I'm supposed to die on this quest, but you... I'm not ready." Scoffing, you squinted at him "We will never be ready for the other to die. How can you be so selfish? I'm only here to help!" He growled at you "And who have you helped exactly? We're no closer to Erebor than we would be without you. And I am no more in love with you than I would be if you weren't here. In fact, I may be even less so. Do you know how hard it is to love someone so reckless?" You gulped and sniffed, how could he say that to you? A few of the others audibly gasped when he said this. Fili realised what he had said and bit his lip, guilt taking over his movements. Thorin interrupted the argument "Come, now is not the time for your domestic disputes. Fili, we are going to scout out the land ahead. Bofur, Dwalin, Gloin, you will come with us." Casting a despairing glance at you, he sulked as he walked away with a few of the others. Those who remained in the camp went about things as casually as they could, while you stumbled to a seat around the fire.

And you were back to where this story began; hunched over, watching the flames engulf the firewood. Aching and irritated, you felt you needed some alone time, which was very hard to get with this group. They always had something to say, some questions that needed answering. And this time was no different. Balin coughed, and you jolted to attention. He sat down beside you, and placed an arm around your shoulders. Balin had been much like a grandfather to you on this journey, telling you tales of old adventures, always being there to comfort you. Just like he was this time. "Lass, Fili didn't mean what he said, he just scared to lose you, the thought tears him apart." He patted your back. "He can't be scared forever. He can't live life like I'm already dead, because that's what he's doing." You felt tears escape your eyes. Balin wiped one away and smiled "He doesn't mean to. Fili promised to keep you safe, so that one day he could marry you, and you could have a family." You rolled your eyes "Why should I believe in his promises? He promised he loved me, look at us now." Balin thought about this for a minute before saying "Y/N, Fili doesn't promise things very often, because he knows how hard they are to keep." You shrugged "So?" He continued "Promises are like pennies. If a person gives you one, it is precious and significant. If they give you two, the first one loses its importance. The more they give away, the less valuable they become. And they give more and more and more. Until they reach their final penny and without it they have nothing. They may give it to you thinking it means the world because it is special and it is their last one. But to you it is worthless, because they wasted so many pennies trying to impress you. And they are left poor- no pennies and no one to help them. If they save their pennies, and their promises, you have every reason to believe that they gave you one because you were worth it. You are worth his promises. Few as they are, he will give his everything to honour his word." You gazed at the stars which twinkled while he spoke. Balin was wise and understanding. You rested your head on his shoulder and whispered "Thank you." He hugged you and smiled.

After a couple of hours, you heard footsteps approaching from the trees. It was the boys returning to the camp. Relieved, you stood and hurried to them. Fili lit up when he saw you, his whole demeanour changing. Running to each other, you jumped into his arms. He spun you around before placing you down, and kissing you passionately. When you pulled away, he looked at you apologetically "I'm so sorry for what I said, I didn't mean it! I love you so much I fear for you. This quest is dangerous, but you're right- I'll never be ready for you to die, so why shouldn't you get to die by my side?" He caressed your cheek and you caught his hand, stroking his palm gently "I'm sorry I ran off by myself. I should be more careful. I want so badly to make it to Erebor, where we can have a family and live a happy life. I love you." Fili pulled you into his warm embrace and you giggled into his shirt. The dwarves watched on happily. Things weren't over yet, they were just getting started.

Promises are like pennies; you only need one to understand the value it has to the person who gave it to you.

Hey dudes! I loved writing this one and I hope you loved reading it. If you did, don't forget to tell me in the comments, I would really love to hear what you guys thought. Also, please vote on any of the stories from this collection that you've liked because it really helps me out and I appreciate it so much! See you for the next one <3

~Niamh~