The Dragon Girl

Chapter 13

The next morning, I was awoken by Bilbo stirring me awake, "Wisteria, everyone is getting ready to leave." I nodded alertly and rose from the small sleeping space in the corner of the room that all of the activity took place last night. I gathered my bow and quiver at my side as I prepared to board along with the hobbit that I had made friends with throughout the journey. I sighed and muttered to myself, "Just a few months ago I had no idea that I would be going on this quest. And now I may see people I love die because of it..." Bilbo didn't register what I said as he muttered to Thorin, "You do know we're one short? Where's Bofur?" Thorin shrugged as the company finished loading the barge with weapons supplied by the town. It was quite ironic to me because these were the weapons that we had tried to steal the previous night. Thorin responded, "If he's not here, we leave him behind." Balin nodded in agreement, "We'll have to, if we're to find the door before nightfall. We can risk no more delays." As Fili, Kili, and Oin began to board the barge, Thorin stopped Kili but let the other two board, "Not you. We must travel at speed, you will slow us down." Kili gawked surprised, "What are you talking about? I'm coming with you." Thorin shook his head, "No, no." Kili's eyes widened as he realized that he was going to be left behind, "I'm going to be there when that door's opened. When we first look upon the halls of our fathers, Thorin..." Thorin then placed a hand on Kili's shoulder as Fili looked at me with worry, "Kili, stay here. Rest. Join us when you're healed." I could see the look of devastation as Thorin turned to board the barge. Oin then stepped off the barge and stood with Kili, "I'll stay with the lad. My duty lies with the wounded." Fili then turned to Thorin as Thorin boarded the barge, "Uncle, we grew up on tales of the mountain. Tales you told us. You cannot take that away from him!" Kili shook his head and looked like he almost wanted to tell his brother something, but was too weak to say it, "Fili." The dwarf ignored his brother as he continued to argue with Thorin, "I will carry him if I must!" As Thorin spoke, I saw the confirmation of his next move appear on Fili's face, "One day you will be King and you will understand. I cannot risk the fate of this quest for the sake of one dwarf. Not even my own kin." Fili then stepped off the barge, with Thorin grabbing his arm to stop his nephew, "Fili, don't be a fool. You belong with the company." Fili met the dwarf lord's gaze and responded confidently, "I belong with my brother." As he turned away from Thorin and went to join his brother and Oin, I too got up from the barge and got similar treatment from Thorin, "Wisteria no! We need you on this quest. You belong with Balin and me." I shook my head as I faced Thorin, "I belong with my courtiers. Unlike you, I will not risk myself being worried about him and being distracted from this quest. It is for the best Thorin." Seeing that he couldn't persuade me, Thorin boarded the barge with the rest of the remaining company as trumpets announced the arrival of the Master as he yelled over the crowd, "Go now with our good will." I could hear the faint cries of Bofur behind us as the barge set off with the Master's last words, "And may your return bring fortune to all!" The crowd started to cheer as Bofur caught up with us and asked while panting, "Did you miss the boat as well?" I shook my head as I realized Kili looked extremely pale and close to passing out. As he began to fall over, Fili and I caught him, "Kili? Kili!" I panicked as I caught him mostly. Oin and Bofur looked to me, "Where do we go?" I couldn't think of anyone person but Bard, "To Bard's house, hurry!"

~Time Skip~

As we arrived at Bard's front porch, Bofur knocked on the door to have Bard open the door a split second afterward. Once he noticed Bofur, but not me, he growled, "No. I'm done with dwarves, go away!" Bofur stopped the door as I tried to explain to Bard, "No! Bard, no one will help us. Kili's sick." Bard then noticed me practically carrying Kili as he looked close to passing out again, "He's very sick." He thought for a moment and hesitated before I groaned, "Oh for the love of Mahal! Bard, let us in!" He then snapped out of his thoughts and nodded, allowing us through the front door. As Bofur and Fili hoisted Kili onto the kitchen table, Sigrid tended to prepare his wound for treatment. Bofur groaned as Oin ran through his minimal herb storage, "Can you not do something?" Oin muttered, "I need herbs, something to bring down his fever." Bard then looked through his own cabinet as I thought of what herb my mother may have taught me to use ages ago, "We have nightshade, feverfew..." Oin shook his head, "They're no use to me." Before Oin could go on, I blurted out, "Do you have any Kingsfoil?" Bard shook his head, "No, it's a weed. We feed it to the pigs." Bofur then seemed to look like he had an idea, "Pigs? Weed? Right." He then turned to Kili who was riddled with pain and lying on the table as he left the house, "Don't move." Kili shot him a glare as he left the house but was silenced once I came to his side. Oin turned to me, "Is there anything you can do lassie?" I bit my lip as I concentrated, "I can numb the pain some, but I need the Kingsfoil to do any good," I then turned to Oin and Fili, "Hold him for a moment while I look at it." Kili braced himself as he yelped in pain once I touched the wound, "What are you going to-ACKKK!" I then ripped some of Kili's pant leg to get a better look at the wound. It was infected beyond measure, it was going to take a lot of Kingsfoil to get rid of it, and a shard of the arrow still remained outside his flesh. I took a deep breath as I made eye contact with Fili and Oin, "I am going to rip the shard of the arrow that is still in his leg, but I need him to be still as possible." Once they nodded, I reached into the wound and grabbed hold of the shard as Kili writhed in pain. I let go once I felt a rumble from the ground almost like an earthquake. Bain noticed this and muttered, "It's coming from the mountain." Fili turned to Bard, "You should leave us. Take your children and get out of here." Bard shrugged hopelessly, "And go where? There is nowhere to go." Tilda then appeared from the corner of the room, "Are we going to die, Da?" Bard shook his head as I finally got the shard out, "No, darling." Tilda suddenly had tears welling in her eyes, "The dragon, it's going to kill us." As I turned around, I saw Bard take out the last Black Arrow of Girion, "Not if I kill it first."

~Short Time Skip~

It hadn't been long since Bard had left that Sigrid went onto the balcony claiming that she heard a noise out there. I heard her ask into the darkness, "Da? Is that you, Da?" It took me less than a second to realize that the noise wasn't Bard, but the orcs that had been chasing us since day one. Sigrid let out a scream and ran inside the house as they all attempted to ward the orcs off. I grabbed my long sword from my back and started slicing each orc that would come my way. At one point, two orcs cornered me but were shot in the head by the two arrows that belonged to Tauriel and Legolas. I saw one orc leave unnoticed by everyone else but thought nothing of it at the time. Legolas also noticed the pack begin to retreat as Bain remarked, "You killed them all." Legolas shook his head as he exited the house, "There are others. Tauriel, Wisteria, come." Tauriel didn't hesitate to follow Legolas, but they stopped at the door for me as Oin whined, "We're losing him!" Legolas looked to me and ordered, "Wisteria, come." I shook my head, and with that Tauriel and Legolas went to chase after the orcs. Bofur arrived with the Kingsfoil just as they left and I muttered, "Athelas." I then took it from Bofur and felt the tiny little flowers that had the so much medical remedy in them as Bofur asked, "What are you doing?" I took my attention off of the Athelas and smiled, "I'm going to save him." 

I gestured to Tilda and Sigrid to hand me ingredients as Bofur, Fili, and Oin carried Kili back onto the table as he writhed in pain from the poison protruding from his leg. I gestured to Kili as they placed him on the table, "Hold him down." I took a deep breath as I held and applied the Kingsfoil to my hands whilst reciting an elvish incantation for healing. Kili screamed with pain as I applied the mixture to his wound which only made me increase my volume and intensity of the incantation. At some point, Sigrid and Tilda ran to help keep Kili held down but I didn't notice as all I wanted to do was save Kili. Once I finished the incantation, Kili calmed down and looked deliriously at me as I said the last words, "May this herb cleanse the wound from the flesh." Everyone backed away once I finished the incantation and left me to finish dressing Kili's wound. From behind me, I heard Oin mutter to Fili, "I've heard tale of the wonders of elvish medicine. That was a privilege to witness. You have chosen well to court her Fili." I smirked slightly as I finished wrapping Kili's leg. What caught me off guard was Kili whispering to me, "Wisteria..." I shook my head as I didn't match his gaze, "Lie still." Even with my command, the delirious Kili kept on mumbling, "You cannot be her. She is far away. She...she is far, far away from me. She walks in starlight in another world with lions and wolves at her side. She runs and hunts as one of them. It was just a dream." I stepped back to observe my work, only to have Kili grasp my hand weakly, "Do you think she could've loved me?" I smiled softly as I crouched down to his eye level, "She does Kili. She does with all of her heart, and she will never stop loving you." As I finished saying this, I placed a longing kiss on Kili's dry lips, secretly wanting to wash all of his sicknesses away. 

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A/N:

Two chapters in one day? Whoot! Whoot! 

Sorry about the lack of updates... I have been busy preparing for finals and course exams, preparing for one act plays at my school, and just the fact that I have so many stories I want to write and hopefully finish. Thanks for baring with me!