The first two days went by rather easily. They all felt uncomfortable and were hardly able to sleep through the night, but other than that, they were doing well. As of then, it steady but surely started going down. After the fourth nearly sleepless night, everything started to go slower and took longer to get done. Often, the company would be rattled out of the blurred-out trance they were walking in because someone tripped and landed flat on their face. Ori was running out of band-aids to cut apart to stick up the bleeding noses or hold against the bleeding lips. Every time that happened, Andy jolted up. With a groan she'd rub her eyes, trying to get rid of the tiredness that stuck in her brain and started gripping onto her muscles and bones as well.
The fifth night, a few of them managed to pass out from exhaustion get some forced rest. Sadly, it wasn't very restful, since their dreams were haunted by nightmares. During his sleep, Fili cuddled up to Andy, looking for comfort. His face expression showed he was having a bad dream, his eyes moving rapidly under his lids. Andy, also half asleep didn't push him away and buried her head in his coat, blending out the stares of the dark trees. To her surprise the next morning, she had fallen asleep.
The following nights, Fili cuddled up to her again, feeling saver around her. He had been plagued from seeing his father die. Over and over again. He only knew, what the stories told. But since he was small, his mind tried to picture it. Trying to picture the reason why he didn't come home. To him. To little Kili. To his mother. Andy figured, that his nightmares also got the best of him, so she let it happen. She also found it rather comforting and was glad, to feel some warmth of his body in the cold nights of the forest. It only took about two nights, until Kili joined them.
!!!Trigger warning!!! Flashbacks and Self harm!!!! (Disclaimer further down)
Andy bolted up, one hand going to her throat and the other to her mouth, to stop her scream. Panicking, she noticed how close the boys actually were and how badly that could have ended. Silent tears ran down her cheeks, her chest rose in short, shallow breaths. Her hand muffled the little sobs that escaped her mouth. Looking around in the dark she checked who was there. She was grateful, that all the dwarves had somehow fallen asleep, even Dwalin, who was supposed to keep watch. Still hardly getting air, Andy gently pulled her legs out from under Kili, slipped her arms out of her coat, which Fili was halfway lying on and stumbled away from the company. Once she was out of hearing range, she fell to the ground gasping for air. Her face was a mask of concentration and she forced herself to take deep breathes, not letting her lungs flutter. The cold ground under her forehead helped her connect back to the presence, leaving the nightmares and flashbacks behind. Though she managed to separate memory from reality, she still felt the water slowly filling her lungs. The hands of Fëanor's men, as they tried to drown her, to see if she was immortal like Elves, or in fact was undying, like the rumours said. Without thinking, Andy pulled out her dagger and held the cold blade to her lower arm. With a swift cut, the blade split her skin. As the pain in her arm developed, the water in her lungs faded, the grip on her arms and neck let her go. Andy's body collapsed.
End of Trigger warning
As the company woke up the next morning, Andy was sitting in the middle of them, cross-legged and her daggers loosely in her hands. Her body was tense, her back straight and her eyes starred without blinking into the woods. Her senses were on alert, every sound in a radius from almost one hundred feet couldn't go unnoticed by her. She kept watch over the dwarves, getting alarmed every time their breathing pattern slightly changed or they moved. She'd be sitting there for the last six hours, she roughly guessed. Then again, there was no way of telling the time it that godsforsaken forest of misery.
"Andrea?", Balin asked concerned, after finding her like that. She didn't react. He wasn't even sure if she heard him. "Andy?", he called her again and gentil laid a hand on her shoulder. Her stiff pose swerved as she blinked a few timed before turning her head to him.
"I'm okay", she spoke, her voice hoarse. Balin had to push his concern for her to the back of his head, because the whole company felt like they've been run over by the riding army of Rohan and had problems, getting up again.
That day, they finally reached a bridge.
"We found the bridge!", Bofur called out, his voice sluggishly. A little bit of strength returned to the company and they rushed towards it, only to be disappointed. The bridge was broken in half.
"We could swim", one suggested.
"Didn't you hear what Gandalf said? A dark magic lies upon this forest, the waters of this stream are enchanted", Thorin spoke, his pronunciation also blurry.
"And you can't swim", Andy added, making all the dwarves nod in realisation.
"We must find another way to cross", Thorin said. It was probably supposed to sound like a command; however, it came over like a statement. While the dwarves discussed a way over, Andy leaned against a tree and closed her eyes. Her breath was growing heavy. Her head jolted up again, as someone touched her shoulder.
"My apologies, what now?", she asked confused, rubbing her eyes.
"We're using the vines to cross", Fili explained. "The lightest person crosses first. "
Andy nodded in understanding. "Right. "
It took her a few moments to realise, that she was the lighters person of the company. "I'm s'rry, sir. I didn't realise thou art speaking of me", she said and got up. Fili let out a giggle, hearing her speak like that. Andy did not understand, what was so funny.
"What?", she asked confused. He waved it off.
"Andrea, you go first", Thorin said, looking past her. She frowned.
"How malapert of thee. 'T is still misseth Baggins to thee, princess. Now step aside, khuzd [dwarf], I need to get to the vines. "
Thorin stepped aside, to let her through, his head trying to process her words and bring them in order. Andy grabbed hold of the vines and slowly made her way over the enchanted river. As she was about half way there, her hand slipped and she went for a dip. Horrified cries were heard from the dwarves and they all leaped forward in attempt to help her. As they heard Andy's hysterical laugh, they knew she was fine. Her feet were wrapped in a loose vine as she hung there, her hair only just not touching the dark water beneath her.
"Are you alright, Andy?", Kili called. Andy didn't understand him.
"What art thee speaking?", she called over. She felt as if she should be able to understand, what one of her friends was saying. But her head felt foggy and confused so she was unable to follow the words he spoke.
"Let me try, Laddie", Balin spoke and pushed Kili to the side. "Art thee well enow, misseth Baggins?", he called. Andy's face lit up and she gave the old dwarf a wide smile and a thumbs up, that was pointing downwards.
"Aye, I'm well enow. ", she answered and looked around. "I bethink I shouldst keepeth climbing ov'r this enchant'd riv'r. " With a groan she pulled herself back up. As the blood rushed from her head to her feet, she had to close her eyes for a moment. The second half of the way didn't take her as long as the first part, since she now had a little adrenaline kick.
"What is she talking?", Nori asked curiously, not sure if he should think it was funny or silly.
"And old dialect", Balin explained. "I used to study a few books written like that, however, I have now idea, where she picked that up. "
His head spun around, as Andy tripped over her own feet after standing on solid ground again and fell over. Again, she held a thumb up.
"I'm fine. Someone just tilted the world", they could hear her say. A round of sighs left their mouths and one by one they made their way over.
"Are you alright?", Kili asked, as he and his brother helped her get up again.
"No. How about you?" For a moment, they were stunned. Normally people say "Yeah I'm fine" or something similar in such situations. Andy's bluntness surprised them a little.
"We're still alive", Kili tried to joke. His half smile faltered, as Andy looked around with a judging look on her face.
"Are we, though?", she then asked. "This could be the afterlife. " Then her critical looking eyes fell in the boys. «I know why I'm in Hell. But what are you guys doing here?"
As a loud splash was heard from behind them, their heads spun around.
"Bombur fell in!" a dwarf called out. Together the company pulled the heavy Bombur out of the water. His hand was locked around a vine, not letting go. As he finally was at shore, he was a sleep. No matter how hard they tried to wake him up, he didn't.
"What do we do?", Bifur asked, his voice high-pitched in worry for his Brother.
"He's not dead", Andy said. "Just sleeping. And by the amount of water he swallowed, he'll be sleeping for a while. "
Fili leaned closer to her. "How do you know, he'd swallowed so much water?", he asked in a hushed voice.
"I hear the water sloshing around in his empty stomach", she answered loud. The dwarves stared at her as if she was an Elf.
"You hear what?", Gloin asked.
"The water in his stomach", Andy repeated herself slowly and emphasising every syllable.
" Y'know. When it goes Swush-swush and it sounds like glup-glup."
"Andy", Fili ushered, trying to remind her of her situation.
"You can hear that, from over there?", Balin asked curiously. Andy nodded, looking like a drunk doing so.
"'Course I can. Like I heard Nori fart on his way over the river. "
The named dwarf turned red in embarrassment. Kili, walking over to his brother, tripped over a root and fell against Andy. No sound left her mouth and she fell like a stone, no resilience showing. "Sorry about that", Kili said. As he gave Fili a quick glance, his brother knew, that was on purpose. Andy lifted her head and looked at the brother with a grimace on her face.
"Now I know why you are in Hell with me", she said and pointed at Kili. Her voice sounded more like it normally did. Less blurry and with more edge to it. Then she stood up and glared at him, rubbing her bumped head. "What the Hell, Kili."
"Why can you hear so good?", Balin asked catching Andy by surprise. It took her a second, until she recalled their discussion a few moments before. Her eyes slightly gone wide, as she realised what she said.
"Err", she stalled, her eyes flickering to the brothers beside her. "I'm a Hobbit. How do you think, we learned sneaking like that? We hear super good, so we learn to move quiet. "
Satisfied with the answer, Balin nodded and turned back to the problem sleeping on the ground.
"Thanks, Kili", she whispered. "You may leave Hell now. "