Faith

Shadows and Flames

The remaining of the day was spent riding at a good pace, putting as much distance between them and New Lake Town as possible. Short gallops allowed Broda to spend his stamina, yet the rohirrim stallion cut them shorter than needed to wait for Kíli's pony, who followed him restless and proud. Stretches of slower pace granted them all time to rest while still traveling, and the dwarf and the woman used that time to talk, sharing stories from those ten years apart.

"Da has always been a leader of sorts, even if he didn't pursue it. That's why the former major didn't like him. He always questioned things and fought for what was right, so people sought him to help with disputes and quarrels with the major. He never told us about our forefathers having being kings of Dale! We only found out when you party came and was brought before the major for your invasion of the town's armoury."

"It was entirely my fault. That we were caught in the armoury, I mean, not that your father never said anything."

Tilda giggled.

"I imagined as much, Kíli!"

"I shouldn't have gone to the... invasion, as you put it. My leg was a mess and my stubbornness almost cost us the quest."

"You were trying to do your best. I think we all do stupid things when trying to impress our parents, or, in your case, your uncle."

"Thank you for the compliment! It's been a while since I was called stupid last time..."

"No! It's not like..." She tried to apologize.

"I know, I know, I'm just teasing. It was stupid enough, I must reckon."

"Right!" She laughed. "I threw a plate to that orc before Sigrid pulled me under the table, as if it would do anything but enrage it. It was more than stupid, I think."

"No, no way, Tilda! It was... brave. Very brave, indeed."

"Do you think so?" She was dubious about his statement. "I was just a brat acting out of fear, and impulse. I don't see any bravery in it."

"No?" He questioned, looking at her with more attention. "Fear freezes people, just like a rabbit or a deer freeze at the sight of a predator. That orc was definitely a predator. Even if you and your sister were not its primary target, you would be a collateral it would enjoy to kill, in the best case scenario. You didn't freeze. You reacted. Of course you were afraid, but fear wasn't your main drive. It was courage."

The woman silenced after what he said, lost for a while in what it could mean. She spent the last several years hearing now and then that it was a stupid thing she did, throwing a plate at an orc, being even used as example of what should notbe done in certain circumstances. Like in her training as a healer: if someone is bleeding, don't throw a plate at an orc, just stanch the haemorrhage.

"I... I don't know if it was really courage. People tend to say it was just stupid. But then..." Tilda looked at the dwarf riding beside her, someone she acknowledged as a weathered warrior and, as such, his opinion was important to her. "Do you really believe it was courage?"

Kíli considered her for more than she questioned. What little he knew of her from ten years before, mostly during his long recovery from the battle, and now, in the not-quite one day long of talking, sharing stories of their lives. Strange, he deemed, it was like they'd never been apart, yet this adult Tilda was so much more than he would expect any person to be. She was the same spirited being he knew then, now seasoned with experience and persistence in pursuing her goals. She had told him how her training as a healer had been, starting in the aftermath form the battle even if only because more experienced hands were tending to more serious wounds. But after that the adults were driven to the rebuilding of Dale and Erebor, yet diseases and minor accidents continued to happen as always, and not so many hands were willing to help Óin amongst the dwarves and Hilda amongst Men. So Tilda helped them both, learning the hard way, following her heart.