── true courage is knowing not how to take a life, but when to spare one
IN WHICH THE LAST
OF THE DRAGONKIN
JOINS THE COMPANY
OF THORIN OAKENSHIELD
TO RETAKE EREBOR
A FIRE AND GOLD SERIES BOOK
THORIN OAKENSHIELD × OC
AN UNEX...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
As everyone began to set up their things and get settled in, Aninth couldn't help but wonder where they were supposed to go from here, if Thorin even knew. Clearly, he was upset at Gandalf for leading them to the Elves and to Rivendell so he was changing the plan that the Wizard had laid out for them and with what Aninth knew of it, it was a good plan. Gandalf was wise and perhaps he would have known a better alternative path for them when he saw the storm blowing in that would have avoided them almost losing their burglar and their leader, despite how idiotic their leader may be.
But Aninth couldn't focus on that. It was in the past and there was no point wondering how things could have been when there was no hope of changing them. Instead, Aninth and Ygritte found a spot together where they set down their things and began to set up their bedrolls. It was then that Ryvniss crawled out of the Aninth's bag. Relief rolled through her as she forcibly checked him over and found no more wounds on him than the cut they'd gotten previously. He had managed to stay cushioned among the things in her bag that he had buried himself under.
Ygritte met Aninth's eyes and though she could tell that her friend wanted to say something to her, one look around them made it clear that this was not the spot to talk. The Dwarves around them were not the kind of people one wanted around when talking about anything that wasn't fighting or crafting or even cooking. This was especially true considering that Aninth was pretty sure Ygritte wanted to ask about what had happened with Thorin.
When the other woman did approach her, Aninth worried for a moment that she was going to disregard those currently around them and ask her anyway. Luckily, this was not what the other blonde had in mind. Instead, she guided Aninth away from everyone else and into a corner of the cave where they could speak amongst themselves without being heard. Or at least they hoped they wouldn't be heard.
"Ygritte, this isn't necessary," Aninth insisted.
"After everything with those Stone Giants, I'm not taking any chances," Ygritte replied.
Aninth opened her mouth instinctually to argue, but she remembered who she was talking to and realized that it perhaps wasn't the wisest move. Instead, she sighed and stripped down to her tunic, leaning back against the wall of the cave and lifting it so that Ygritte had access to her wound. She didn't look down as Ygritte began working, unwrapping the bandages and examining the wound. Aninth didn't particularly want to see how bad it was, if it was bad at all.
Ordering her to stay put, Ygritte brought her bag over to them and began digging through it. Aninth watched with curiosity and confusion as Ygritte dug around inside for something. After finding what she was looking for, Ygritte pulled her arm out, a balled-up piece of cloth tied off with a strand of leather in her hand. She unbound the knot and opened the clean fabric in her palm, scooping some paste onto her fingers. She advised Aninth to stay still, and the blonde obliged, watching with mild interest as Ygritte spread the paste across her wound.
