The Dwarf Prince

Chapter 5: The Night Before

As the night went on, the dwarves found ways to entertain themselves. They would sing their dwarvish songs and play the harp or whatever instrument that was available (a dwarf had used a teapot as a flute!)

It was very entertaining for Alithia and she found herself smiling as the dwarves sang. She still sat beside Fili and Kili. She had only spent a couple of hours with them and she could already tell that their sibling bond was strong. Kili would make dirty jokes or try to flirt with Alithia while Fili would roll his eyes or smack the back of Kili's head if he was being too crude.

When the last song had been sung, Alithia was surprised when the dwarves (with the exception of Thorin, that is) had turned to her and asked if she played any instrument.

"Well, I play the flute...but it's not that good," she said shyly, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"Well, let's hear it then," Bofur said with a nod. Alithia opened her mouth to protest but the other dwarves nodded in agreement, looking at her expectantly. "No, I don't think I can..." she mumbled, feeling pressured.

"Yeah, sure you can," Fili said with a smirk and riled up the dwarves with a supportive whoop. Alithia playfully glared at him. Fili grinned and winked knowingly.

"Come on, lass. There's no need to be shy here," Bofur coaxed and the dwarves cheered. Alithia glanced at Fili for help but he just smugly grinned back at her. Alithia finally gave in and went to take her flute from her bag while the others cheered. She sat by the fire place although keeping a safe distance from Thorin who was brooding while tending to his pipe.

Taking a deep breath, Alithia then started to play an old Elvish song she had learned when she was an elfling.
The room fell silent as she played, the flute's melodic sound echoing throughout the hobbit hole. The song was a sad one, one that spoke of loss and ruin. It was a familiar feeling amongst the dwarves for they had lost their home long ago along with their loved ones.

Fili stared at Alithia, mesmerized by her in every way. She moved with grace and her eyes were closed as she focused on playing the instrument. Her body was stiff at first because of her nerves but as the song went on, she relaxed and looked almost at peace. Fili had never seen such beauty in his life. And he was sure no one would compare to her.

When Alithia had finished her song, there was a small pause from the dwarves before they all burst in applause and wolf whistles. Alithia bowed with a grin on her slightly red face. Kili, who had noticed where Fili's gaze had been directed to this whole time, whacked his brother upside the head. Fili snapped out of his trance and glared at his brother. "What was that for?" He asked as he rubbed his head.

"You're staring, you idiot," Kili said, a hint of amusement in his voice. Fili opened his mouth to defend himself but just then, Alithia walked back to them and sat back down.

"You were fantastic, Thia," Fili said with a distracted smile. Alithia's eyebrows rose at the nickname that only her brother had ever called her. After her initial shock, she just beamed back at him with a word of thanks.

Once the dwarves had somewhat settled down and the last of the flames had died down in the fireplace, Thorin told everyone to find a spot to sleep and get some rest before the start of their long journey tomorrow morning. The dwarves dispersed to find the best spot to sleep and put out their sleepings bags and whatnot to get ready for bed. Alithia joined Fili and Kili in their venture of finding the right spot and they soon found a nice spot beside a window. The moon beamed down at them, casting shadows around the hobbit hole. Speaking of hobbit, Alithia realised that she hadn't seen Bilbo in quite some time. Deciding to seek him out, she excused herself from Fili and Kili and went to find Bilbo.