Hiding Myself. A fem!Bilbo Bagginshield fanfic

Chapter 23

So.... I'm about to throw something out the window.
Wattpad wouldn't let me save the last chapter for whatever stupid reason for the fifth time ever.
Someone needs to fix these issues.
Anyways, enjoy this chapter before the battle.

Bella bolted upwards in the bed, a scream cutting through the crisp night air. She gasped for air until she could hear the crickets outside the tent.
Then the tears started. Her small body shook with sobs no matter how much she tried to hold them back. She gripped the blanket as hard as she could, covering her mouth with it to stifle the noise she was making.
The tent flaps rustled open and light footsteps rushed in. She was pulled into someone's chest, a hand running through her messy curls.
"It's alright. Calm down, Bella. " the person murmured. Bella recognised the soft voice of Legolas as she calmed down.
She sat back, sniffling softly. "I'm fine. "
The elf raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "That did not sound fine. " he said. "What happened? "
Bella glanced around her tent, stalling for an answer. She'd been given a tent all to herself. She guessed it was because she was a girl. Fili and Kili had especially resented her being alone.
"J-Just a n-nightmare. I'm fine. "
Legolas didn't even bother to hide his disbelief. Bella forced a smile and walked to the entryway. She stood there, staring at the shadow of the Mountain.
"Do you miss him? " the elf asked in a quiet voice.
She nodded. "As ridiculous as it probably sounds, yes I do miss him. "
Legolas moved to stand beside her. "Even after what he did? "
Bella looked up at the elf prince and smiled. "Even after that. "
"How? "
"Because. I just do. I know what he's really like, not that gold-sickness version you saw. " she said. "I've seen the real Thorin Oakenshield, and I love him. He can be kind, and caring, and someone no one ever thought he could be. I love that side of him, the side he only shows to very few people. I don't think anyone other than myself and his nephews have seen that side. "
Legolas smiled. "I suppose love does that kind of thing to people, even people like Oakenshield. "
The hobbit turned to him, her look questioning. "What do you mean, people like him? "
"Not everyone is lucky enough to know the good side of him. " the elf explained. "To most of us, he's been unfriendly at times and quite honestly, rude. Part of it may be his grudge against my father. Or maybe it stems from his past. Eru knows that has not been exactly what it should've been. "
Bella watched the occasional torch flicker in the elven camp as she listened to the elf. She supposed he did have a point in what he said about Thorin. The dwarf certainly knew how to hold a grudge, that was for sure. Legolas would've seen what Thorin was like because he'd been there to see it.
"Maybe. "
"Do you really still love him? "
Bella smiled. "Of course. I think I always will, no matter what happens. "

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Kili watched the torchlight flicker in Bella's tent next door. He watched as a tall figure ducked out of the tent and into their own. He guessed it to be Legolas, going by the fact that he'd been following Bella like a shadow.
He didn't blame the elf. Kili didn't think the hobbit should be left alone after the catastrophe at the Gate. Not after what his uncle had done.
The young dwarf was distracted by someone tapping lightly at the wooden frame of the tent. He looked up just as a tall, red-haired ellith stepped in, wearing a warming smile.
"Hi Tauriel. " he said, attempting to sound cheerful.
"Mae govannen. Can I come in for a few minutes, Kili? "
The elf sat down next to the dwarf and simply stayed silent for a few moments. Tauriel laid her hand on top of his gently, Kili smiling.
"I see Legolas was visiting Bella again. " he remarked. His usually cheerful voice sounded forced to the elf. "I hope she's alright.... I heard someone scream... "
Tauriel nodded. "Legolas told me Bella had a nightmare. " the elven maiden finished her sentence almost hastily when the young dwarf turned to her with a frantic expression. "She's fine now, he talked with her until she calmed down. "
"Oh. Well.... "
She smiled. "You must care for her. "
Kili looked towards the hobbit's tent for a moment before responding. "She's like a sister to me, and to Fee too. Bella reminds me of Mother. "
"Really? " Tauriel asked. She'd heard people talk about the fierce temper of Lady Dís, a temper that made Thorin seem calm and reasonable by comparison.
"Aye. She stood up to Thorin once when he was being a bit of an idiot. Anyways, someone needs to protect her. That sword of hers is hardly any use if she just swings it around like mad! " Kili said. Tauriel smiled at the description.
The elf looked over at the empty bed opposite where they sat, her glance distasteful at the mess. "How on earth did you two already destroy this tent? "
The dwarf laughed. "It's a talent of ours, just under our talent for pranking. "
Tauriel smiled and leaned into Kili's side. The young dwarf wrapped an arm around her absentmindedly.
"Is something wrong, Kili? "
The Dwarven prince shrugged. "I just have this really bad feeling. I feel like something's going to happen, and it's not going to be good. Everything'll change, I just know it. " he murmured.
"It's going to be fine, Kili. " she reassured.
Kili nodded, but that didn't mean he believed her. He had a feeling in the pit of his stomach that something bad was about to happen, something that no one could prevent.
Between him and his brother, Kili had always been the one who led with his heart rather than his mind. Fili would think things through while Kili would jump straight into it without looking back. That was just how they had always been, and Kili knew without a doubt that not everything was as good as it seemed.

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Fili was just walking back to his tent when he recognised the pointy tip of a grey hat above the camp. He smiled and ran for the familiar person.
"Gandalf! It's nice to see you again! " he exclaimed, for a moment acting like his childish brother.
The wizard smiled tiredly as the dwarf ran up to him. "Fili. It's very nice to see you again. How are things? "
Fili shrugged, no longer smiling. "Okay, I suppose. Kee's been awfully quiet lately after what happened at the Gate. "
"Of course. I wouldn't suspect any other reaction. How is Bella holding up? I've been worried about her. " the wizard questioned. He noted the way Fili's shoulders sagged slightly when he mentioned the well-being of the hobbit.
"Not too good. She's holed herself up in her tent since we got here and... " Fili looked up, his eyes almost pleading. "She's been having nightmares. Pretty bad ones by the sound of it. "
"What do you mean, Fili? "
"Her screams. It's horrible, and there's nothing we do that stops them. Legolas has been managing to calm her down afterwards, but this can't be good. I just wish there was something I could do to help her. " the dwarf prince murmured. He twirled a dagger around, a nervous habit he'd picked up when he was younger and still learning to fight. He looked down and flinched when he realised which dagger it was. Dark blue gems decorated the handle, a small circle of them surrounding the royal seal. Fili could remember when he'd been given this dagger.
He'd just learned to fight when his uncle gave it to him. He remembered that moment clear as day.

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The training arena rang with shouts and the clang of metal on metal. On the far side a middle-aged dwarf with pitch-black hair stood crouched beside a small blond dwarf. The boy held a training dagger in his hands, aiming it towards the practice dummy before him. The older dwarf held the boy's hands in his own to steady them.
"Focus, Fili. You can do this. " he assured the boy.
A few of the surrounding dwarves began to watch the king and the young prince. Fili bit his lip in concentration and threw the dagger at the dummy. The miniature crowd cheered when it stuck straight out from a drawn-on heart.
"I did it! I did it, Uncle, I did it! " he cheered. Thorin smiled down at his nephew.
"That you did. "
As the two were leaving the arena, Thorin stopped suddenly. He once again kneeled down beside Fili.
The boy looked at him for a moment before he spoke. "Can I show Mama that I can fight now? " he said, jumping up and down. Thorin chuckled and ruffled up Fili's hair.
"Of course. You'll show everyone, and you'll blow us all away. "
Fili grinned, pulling his uncle by the hand to where he and his mother lived. He could fight, just like his uncle!

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Fili tucked the precious dagger away in his coat with a sad smile.
He missed the dwarf he used to know as his uncle. That dwarf was still around somewhere. The Thorin that had taught him how to fight, how to act like a prince, how to make a good sword.. The Thorin that had raised him like his own son.
It had to get better.... Right?