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27: Limping Down Memory Lane

27: Limping Down Memory Lane

"The Dwarvish Windlands," Thorin whispered.

I had to refrain from saying "huh?"

"You look like you've seen a ghost," Bilbo stood next to Thorin and I looked up at him. He quickly looked away.

Balin walked next to Thorin.

"He has," Balin said gravely, "The last time we saw such a weapon was the day a city was on fire."

Dale. Thorin told me the story once when we were sitting by a fire, and again as we walked through a city on our travels.

"It was the day the dragon came," Thorin was staring at me and I held out my hand; he grabbed it and looked out the window, "The day Smaug destroyed Dale, Gideon - the lord of the city, rallied his bowmen to fire upon the beast. But a dragon's hide is tough - tougher than the strongest armor. Only a black arrow, fire from a windlands, could've pierced the dragon's hide, and only few of those arrows were ever made. The store was running low when Gideon made his last stand," Balin finished.

I looked down at the floor, and ran my thumb over Thorin's calloused cold hand. So much could've been different, but I was sort of glad they weren't. If they had, I never would've met my family, my home. I hated feeling grateful for something as twisted as that.

"If the era of men had been true that day much would be different," Thorin said and looked at Balin.

I was sad because it wasn't fair, none of it. None of the dwarves deserved this.

The boards creaked and my head snapped; it was only Bard.

"You speak as if you were there," Bard said.

Thorin let go of my hand and replied, "All dwarves know the tale."

"Then you would know Gideon hit the dragon," a new voice said, "He loosened the scale under the left wing. One more shot and he would've killed the beast."

Dwalin began to laugh and told the boy, "That's a fairy story lad, nothing more."

He stopped and looked up at Bard.

"What is your name?" I asked the boy.

"Bain," he responded and I slightly nodded.

Thorin walked over to Bard.

"You took our money. Where are the weapons?" Thorin asked him.

Bard looked around and said, "Wait here."

He walked outside, and I let out a cry of pain I had been holding in. I slammed the back of head into the couch, and pressed my palms to my temple.

Kili was by my side in a second and I grabbed his hand.

"It hurts. I'm fucking dying and it hurts," I said as my body tensed in pain.

He brought our foreheads together and I closed my eyes.

Thorin started a group circle talk next to me so he wouldn't leave my side, but I couldn't make out what he was saying. Dwalin and Fili were close to me too. Dwalin was like the father I never had, and Fili was like the brother I never had. For the second time in my life, I didn't want to die. My eyes trailed up and widened when they landed on him. I hadn't seen that face in two whole years, but I still remembered the deep hatred in his eyes when he looked at me. Now, that look was gone, and he seemed like he was waiting for me. He turned, opened a door, and walked inside it.
I slowly got up.

"Andiel?" someone asked, but I ignored them.

What the fuck was he doing here? This was my home, I was finally loved, I was surrounded by people who finally accepted me for being the crazy, bisexual, animal-loving, hugger of a lifetime, and he wanted to show up and ruin it. How did he even get here? I opened the door and found him sitting on the bed, facing away from me.

"You have two seconds to explain yourself before I punch the living daylights out of you," I growled and shut the door.

I could hear him smirk when he spoke, "Is that how you treat old friends?"

"You said it yourself, we were never friends," I spat, "What the hell are you doing here?"

He turned around, stood up, and walked over me. He basically towered over me since he was 5'10, and I was 5'2.

He leaned down and said, "But what if I want to be more."

I backhanded him.

"One, get the fuck out of my face. Two, you had your damn chance when I fucking loved you. I would've done anything for you. And what do you do? You sleep with my best friend, and tell me to go kill myself because 'no would would ever love an abused bitch like me'. Go fuck yourself."

"Aye!" He yelled and massaged his jaw. He turned back to me like it was nothing and smirked, "Damn wow you miss me that much don't you?"

I creased my eyebrows then massaged them with my right hand.

"Did you not just fucking hear me? I hate you. You hear me? Hate. You avoided me, said you hated me, bullied me in the halls, called me names, told me to go to hell. And all the while you and my best friend were flaunting your new relationship in my face. Now I'm finally with someone who fucking loves me, and I don't need you as a shitty reminder of my life back on Earth. How the fuck did you get here?" I asked again.

He didn't say anything, so I rolled my eyes and started opening the door. He slammed the door shut and I raised an eyebrow.

"You look sick." he said in my ear, "Let me help you."

I chuckled, then decked the fuck out of him.

His head rocked back with the force of my elbow and he fell on the floor. I walked out of the room and everyone was staring at me as I came out.

I blinked, "What?"

"What are you doing in there?" Bard asked me.

I was going to answer, but I couldn't remember why I walked in there.

"I-I don't even know. I don't remember," I told him.

My eyes widened, and I ran outside to vomit black blood into the lake. I coughed and leaned on the side.

"That looks bad," Bain said.

"Yeah," I wiped my blood off with my hand, "I know. It feels bad too."

Thorin called, "Come on, get her on the couch."

"I can walk." I stared at my blood mixing into the moving waters.

I'm gonna die.

"We're leaving." Thorin said as I plopped back onto the couch inside Bard's house, "You have no weapons to give us. Do I carry-"

Bard cut him off, "You aren't going anywhere."

I said, "Excuse me?"

"There are guards everywhere. You stay here until the night. The only weapons in this town are in the armory," he mumbled something to Bain and walked out the door.

Everything hurt and I kept seeing people that weren't there. All I wanted was Kili.