Part 1

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Every quest comes with the possibility of danger, injury or even death.

It was drilled into you by your parents, but that didn't stop you from joining your two friends Fíli and Kíli on their quest to reclaim their home. It wasn't like you had anything else to do and besides, you never went on an adventure before. How could you say no to such an opportunity?
Not even the prospect of traveling with 13 male dwarves could stop you. You liked them, they liked you. This would be like one giant sleepover!

There was some small protest from your future companions, mainly Thorin and Dwalin, who didn't want to take you with them. A tiny woman like yourself on this dangerous quest? You would only slow them down. That's what they said to you, but the main reason was they only wanted to protect you; keep you safe from all the dangers of the quest.
After you asked them again and again - maybe even begged, but you'd never admit it to anyone - and you promised them you could take care of yourself and they needed your skills, and after both Fíli and Kíli had promised to keep an eye on you and keep you safe, Thorin reluctantly agreed.

The journey had only been going on for a few weeks, when the two brothers broke their promise.
It was the umpteenth day of constant hiking, climbing and trudging through mud, water and dirt. Gandalf had left the company, and it had affected everyone's mood for the worst.
You kept yourself at the back of the group the entire day, feet and legs sore from the constant walking, but unwilling to say something about it. You had promised you wouldn't be a burden, so you weren't going to be one.

In the late afternoon you reached a gully with a rickety looking bridge. On the other side, about 100 yards from the edge was a thickly wooded forest that seemed to go on forever. You didn't know why but it gave you the creeps. A shiver ran across your spine, making you shake your shoulders and Kíli raised an eyebrow at you. He and Fíli took turns walking next to you to keep you company, and today it was his turn.
You gestured to him it was nothing, but he kept an eye on you just in case. It wasn't like you to be this quiet and he was starting to get worried. Maybe this quest was too much for you after all.

"We will cross the bridge, and take our rest for the night at the edge of the forest," Thorin ordered. It wasn't even near supper time yet, but the dwarven King had noticed his company was getting tired. An extra few hours of rest would do them good, and hopefully lift up their spirits.
The otherwise rambunctious and loud group of dwarves were too quiet for his liking.

"You've been awfully quiet today, Y/N," Fíli asked you with a worried look, noticing you had been walking slower than before. He had been trying to talk to you before, but Thorin took his constant attention. Now that they were rearranging the weight in their packs in preparation to cross the bridge - that didn't seem like they could hold their weight, Fíli thought - he had a few minutes to himself.
You smirked at him. "I could say the same thing about you, Fee."
He gave you a wide smile.
When you were done repacking your bag under the watchful eye of the two brothers, you waited for further instructions from Thorin.

Dwalin had to go first, and Bombur second. If they could make it to the other side, the bridge would be safe for all of you.
The bridge was in ruin, but seemed solid enough. It creaked and groaned when Dwalin slowly crossed it, and everyone thought it would break under Bombur's weight but it surprisingly held on.

Fíli had to go next, and he looked back at you.
"See you on the other side, mimûna," he teased. (little one)
You rolled your eyes at the nickname, but couldn't stop the blood rising in your cheeks. Even though you were 4 inches taller than him, he still called you little. For a human you were on the small side, true, but what you lacked in height you'd like to think you made up for in fierceness.
You hated and loved the nickname. You were the only one fortunate enough to get one - aside from his brother of course - and it made you feel important. Like you mattered.

The others of the company slowly made their way over the bridge, one by one. It took some time because they couldn't rush, carefully taking every step, testing the remaining strength of the next log. It seemed to you the ropes of the bridge were making more noise, and most of the logs were creaking so loud you expected them to break at any moment. Every crack made you flinch.
Kíli noticed your discomfort. He was about to make the crossing, but decided he would stay with you. Ori shook his head before he took Kíli's place.

When everyone else had crossed the gully, only you and Kíli were left.
"You go ahead, Kee, I'll be right behind you," you said to him.
He watched you for a few seconds, before turning his head to the forest, where Fíli was. His brother would kick him into next week if he would let anything happen to you.
"You sure?"
"Yes! Go on, I'll be fine," you assured him.

You took a few deep breaths when Kíli was halfway down the bridge, knowing it was almost your turn. The others didn't wait for you, all of them eager to reach the forest so they could rest their feet and have a nice hot meal.
When Kíli finally reached the end, one of the logs broke off and he could barely hold himself up on the tattered rope. He jumped over the hole and landed on the edge with a thump.
He immediately threw his pack aside and turned around, gesturing at you to start walking.

"Just go slow," he yelled. I'd rather just start running and get it over with, you thought but decided against it.
You carefully put one foot over the other, hands clamped over the ropes. The logs started groaning heavily under your weight and you didn't know whether to be terrified or insulted. You decided to freeze instead.
"Y/N?" Kíli asked. "It's okay to be scared! Just look at me alright?"
"I'm not scared," you yelled back. "I just don't trust this bridge!"
Against your better judgment, you looked down. The gully seemed a lot deeper from up here!
"No, look at me! Keep your eyes locked in mine, I know you want to!" Kíli laughed, his joking nature never too far gone.
You did as he asked, and he guided you over the bridge one step at a time.

Kíli was relieved he had been able to calm you down. He didn't like how the bridge moved and protested against your movements, his goal was to get you off as quickly as possible.
He kept gesturing at you to keep moving, speaking encouraging words now and then.
But the closer you got to the missing log, the heavier the creaks got. The wood had endured too much with a full company of dwarves with heavy loaded packs running over it moments before.
He noticed your face twisting in fear.

"Hey, Y/N, don't worry. It's going to be okay!"
It was not going to be okay, and he knew. He looked behind him, but the other members of the company were too far off except for Nori and Dori.
"Throw me your bag, you're close enough," he said, trying to think of ways to make it safer. But he shouldn't have asked you that.
The minute you threw your pack, you placed your foot on another log for support. The log broke off under the sudden weight, and your foot fell through, sending the broken log pieces into the river below.
In an attempt to keep your balance, you took a step forward with your other foot on the next log only for it to break as well.

"Y/N!" Kíli cried, his eyes wide in horror.
You frantically clawed at the remaining parts of the bridge, but it all started to crumble down, taking you with it.

A/N Please let me know what you think! I live for comments :)

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