Serendipity - a Fili Oakenshield Love Story

Chapter 5 - Secrets

Ùsahtiel was ankle deep in mud, her hair drenched and her gown tattered. She was miserable, trying to keep up with the ponies, and had fallen behind. At one point she slipped, falling to her knees, but quickly regained herself.

The dwarves were now suspicious of her, and some even wary. Thorin warned them against her.

“Mr. Gandalf, can you do something about this sudden deluge?” Dori called out to the wizard.

“It is raining, Master Dori, and it will continue raining until the rain stops. If you wish to stop the rain, you’ll have to find another wizard.” Gandalf replied.

Bilbo piped up. “Are there anymore? Any other wizards, I mean?”

“Yes. There is the leader of our council, Saruman the White. There there are the two Blues...and I’ve quite forgotten their names. And then there is Radaghast the Brown.”

“Are they great wizards...or more like you?” Bilbo asked.

Gandalf was utterly offended and just scoffed, “I think they’re great wizards.” He would’ve added “Quite like myself” but it would’ve been too childish.

Unbeknownst to the rest of the group, Ùsahtiel had stopped in the center of the path, looking back the way they came.

“Any moment now...” She whispered to herself, feeding her fear, and frozen in place. She waited to see a wolf black as night come sloshing trough the mud, followed by an unknown number of pack members. She felt the sudden urge to run, but she had become slightly stuck in the mud.

Sloshy hoofbeats caught her attention, and she turned to look up at Fili.

“Are you following, or thinking of running away?” He asked quite harshly.

“I’m sorry, it’s hard to keep up in these conditions.” She apologized.

Fili then extended his hand; “This isn’t a “take-it-or-leave-it” offer.” He added, and grabbed Ùsahtiel and pulled her up behind him. The pony, as sturdy as it was, was not at all troubled, and sloshed back through the mud to catch up with the rest of the group.

Ùsahtiel, having never rode a horse, let alone a pony, was not quite sure what to think of it. She rocked with its steps, making herself queasy, and grabbed onto Fili for balance. He tried not to show how much this pleased him, to have her clinging to him, but Kili saw it written all over his face.

“You may have my hood, if you like.” Fili said over his shoulder.

Ùsahtiel shook her head. “No, I’m...I’m alright.”

“You’ve been dragging yourself through mud for the past hours and you’ve got nothing but that shawl to keep this heavy rain out.” Fili argued. “I insist.”

Seeing this as the only way to please him, Ùsahtiel removed his hood and wrapped it around her, and then what she could, she put around Fili.

“Happy?”

“For the most part.” Fili smirked.

Ùsahtiel rode, her arms around Fili’s waist, her head resting on his back and the hood covering her. She dozed, the sound of rain and hooves lulling her to sleep. That is, until she began to lean, and Fili moved his arm back to keep her from falling.

“Are you alright back there?” He asked.

She just grunted, murmured something, and turned the other way.

* * * *

“We shall camp here, for the night.” Thorin declared. “Fili, Kili, tie up the ponies. You’re on first watch. Oin, Gloin, get a fire going.”