Chapter 27

2.1K 34 1
                                    

Something was terribly wrong. Bella knew that the instant she opened her eyes.
Her head throbbed painfully as she sat up. She looked around, the crumbling walls and icy ground hitting a familiar note.
The ruins of Ravenhill seemed colder now than they had before. A part of her brain told her that this couldn't be real, that it must be a dream.
Bella shook her head and stood, wobbling uncertainly. Her gaze traveled over the icy surface to a throwing knife she knew all too well. She reached out towards the object that Fili must have discarded.
Then she made the mistake of looking up.
"Fili. " she murmured. When he didn't move, she shouted his name.
Racing towards the dwarf prince, she skidded across the surface. Her squeak of alarm didn't seem to catch Fili's attention. She shook his shoulder.
Then she realised what was wrong this time.
Fili was completely still. His light blue eyes stared blankly at the sky. A red line trailed from the corner of his mouth.
"No. No no no. "
Bella darted away, up the stairs that she'd seen Kili race up before.
The next level was even worse. Traces of a fight were scattered all over the clearing. Arrows stuck onto the snow, of both Elvish and Dwarvish make.
They lay not far from where she stood. Kili was sitting against the wall as if he'd decided to rest. His bow was broken, just beyond his reach. Tauriel was reaching out towards Kili's hand.
Bella's voice cracked as she stepped back. She tore her gaze away from them, stumbling on something in her path.
One look at Legolas laying still on the ground sent her reeling.
"This c-can't be real. It can't be. "
She darted up to where she knew Thorin had been. The quiet was suffocating after the chaos of the battle and of the camp.
It was exactly as she remembered it. Azog lay on the edge, Orcrist was on its own on the ground. Just like before, Thorin was there, laying on his back, hair spread out behind him. And just like the others, he was completely still.
"Thorin! " she screamed. She'd began to run before she noticed it. Before she could reach the fallen dwarf king, she felt someone shake her shoulder, and then nothingness.

-----------------------------

Bella screamed, punching wildly. Whatever had a hold on her shoulder gripped her harder.
"Get off! "
Her 'captor' shook her shoulder gently. "Bella. Calm down! "
Opening her eyes revealed a rather worried Legolas crouched in front of her. He removed his hand slowly, as if thinking the hobbit might attack.
"What happened? " she asked softly. The elf prince handed her a warm stone cup of what seemed like tea. Bella had time to admire the ingenious contraption that kept the cup warm, hot coals under a metal grate. Dwarves, it seemed, were much more creative than people knew.
Legolas perched on the edge of the armchair footrest as he spoke in hushed tones. "I couldn't rest, and I'd thought that tea might help. Oin had asked me to make sure you got a cup of medicinal tea when you woke up. " he gestured to the cup in her hands and continued. "When I got back you were yelling... something. Was it a nightmare? "
"I-I suppose it was. It seemed so real, Legolas. " she took a shuddering breath. "I was back on Ravenhill, a-and everyone.... everyone was dead... "
The elf sat in silence. When tears leaked out of Bella's eyes, he laid an arm around her shoulder.
"We are all alive and well, Bella. Don't worry about your dream. "
She wiped her tears on the sleeve of her tattered coat. "You don't understand. I was terrified. I thought I'd lost everyone I care about. "
Legolas nodded. "Go back to sleep. "
Bella buried herself in the borrowed blanket as the elf rested the tea cups on a small table. The only sound in the room seemed to be her own breathing.
Not a single sound came from Thorin.
The small hobbit sprang up and across the room. She tripped, landing on the edge of the bed. She rested a hand at the base of his throat. Her breath unhitched once the panic left her mind and she realised Thorin was indeed still breathing.
"It's fine. He's alright. " she mumbled, half to herself.
Legolas stood to leave as she pressed a light kiss to the dwarf's cheek and stumbled back to the chair.
Her sleep the rest of that night was blessedly empty.

Hiding Myself. A fem!Bilbo Bagginshield fanficWhere stories live. Discover now