A Ruby's Shine (Thorin Oakenshield X OC)

61. The Offer

I ran my thumb along the worn leather wrap around the knife as a sort of calming habit. I used to do the same to the wood grip of my sword. Honestly I felt a bit lost without the sword that has been by my side since I left Rivendell.

I was also worried about Fairfin, there still hasn't been any sign of the raven that I hold dear to my heart and it has me worried. I know I saw him land on my barrel, but then he took off into the forest and I haven't seen him again since. I hope he is alright, but I then realised he is probably starving. He probably flew all the way to the other side of the forest as I asked before something drew him back.

I always knew Fairfin and I had a very unique connection, even more unique than me sensing animals through my gift. It is almost like Fairfin can sense my emotions and where I am no matter how far away he is. I know that, with my ability, Fairfin has a stronger... let's call it an aura, like a bright light in a dark forest. But now I wonder why Fairfin is so unique. I have always guessed, tried to figure it out myself, and come up empty on why. I only know that I feel a much deeper connection to Fairfin than I do any other animal, almost like...

Almost like I gave him a part of my soul or something. A funny way to look at it, but still that is the best way I can describe it. Fairfin is very dear to me, I cannot imagine my life without him in it.

I don't want to imagine it.

I turned back to the others, pulling my mind from the place it wandered off to, seeing the bowman and the dwarves loading the barrels onto his barge as I moved off to the side, leaning against the wood at the front of the boat. Normally I would help, but I am still trying to tamp down my temper, and the fact that I am trying to hide how much I am shivering from the dwarves.

The icy cold water had long since leeched the heat off of my skin and I am not quite used to these cold of temperatures, so I am actively trying to prevent shivering. I grabbed the edges of my cloak, pulling it tighter around me even though it is heavy and soaked. I now see what Thorin means about my coat providing little warmth in these temperatures. The icy bite in the air is not at all like autumn, is it already winter? How does that happen so fast?

Then I remember a book I read somewhere, that winters in the north are far longer and summers are far shorter. Great, well I just need to hide my shivering. As I watched the dwarves and the bowman load all the barrels, I noticed Bilbo also stood off to the side, shivering up a storm as he pulled what furs he had around him tighter, glaring lightly up at the air like he blamed the weather and not the repeated dunking into the river. I smiled a touch at that, the hobbit really has grown on this trip.

Soon we were all on the boat and the bowman moved to the back of the boat, getting it ready to sail across the lake. The dwarves congregated at the front as well, as far from the bowman as possible. I decided to sit on the floor of the barge, leaning up against the hull as I laid my head back, keeping my expression carefully blank as I finally felt the last of my rage and adrenaline leave me.

I was barely even aware of a familiar white raven flying over and landing on my shoulder before crawling down my coat and into an inner pocket in a hope for warmth. No, my mind was smashed face first with the image that hit me on the barrel ride.

The blurry image of a white, gruesome face.

That face... why did it seem like I had seen it somewhere before? What was I missing here? Something important, I know that, but that face... I know I have seen it before, and not in that memory...

It nagged at me as I pulled my heavy soaked hair over my shoulder and got to work twisting it and practically yanking on my hair to drain the water as best I could and get it to stop dripping down my neck. I didn't miss Bilbo looking at me with wide eyes and wincing every time I yanked particularly hard on my hair as I combed my fingers through it. I continued to this from some time till my hair wasn't drenched anymore, but still wet.