It had been many weeks since the confrontation with Azog. Many of the dwarves have forgiven Urzoth for her lie, and some even began to trust her. Thorin was one of the few of them who still didn't trust the she-orc. He worried she was somehow related to Azog; Though Gandalf constantly told him otherwise. He couldn't help the shiver that went down his spine whenever he looked into her pale blue eyes.
Urzoth and Kili had grown especially close. They spent most of the journey talking to each other and causing mischief with Fili. Urzoth had grown to care for all of the dwarves deeply, Kili especially. Though she would never admit it, she was falling for the young scruffy dwarf prince.
Kili was even more infatuated with Urzoth than before. The more he learned about her, the more interesting she became. He never imagined it possible to feel the way he felt for her. Every second he spent with her made him feel alive. Whenever she touched him, he felt a jolt of electricity shoot through him. Whenever she looked at him with her icy blue eyes, he felt weak. This is a feeling he could only describe as love.
Fili knew his brother liked the she orc and he worried. He feared Urzoth would break his heart, seeing as she is an orc. Fili had voiced his opinion, but Kili got angry and ended up ignoring him the rest of the day. He hasn't brought it up since. Despite his worries, Fili was happy for his brother and couldn't help but smirk whenever they fluster each other.
"We'll camp here for tonight," Thorin announced as the company walked into a small clearing. The sun was just starting to set, and the thick red and orange trees above illuminated the clearing in the most beautiful way.
Fili and Kili set their packs down on the roots of a large tree on the edge of the clearing. Urzoth untied her sword from her belt and laid it amongst their pile. Kili and Fili set up their sleeping bags while Urzoth made a makeshift nest out of the few fallen leaves. Kili had felt bad that she didn't get a proper bed, but she didn't mind. She was used to sleeping on hard rock, so a leafy ground was an upgrade to her.
"Fili, Kili! Take first watch!" Thorin calls to the group. He very much disapproved of their closeness with Urzoth. He couldn't shake the feeling that she was up to something no good.
"Is it just me or do we always get first watch," Kili comments as soon as Thorin takes his gaze from them.
Urzoth cracks a smile while Fili shakes his head in disapproval "Stop your whining, brother," He scolds playfully.
"I'll complain all I want," Kili argues.
Fili rolls his eyes and Urzoth bursts out laughing. "Buffoons," she comments, a wide smirk plastered on her face.
"Would you stop calling us that!" Fili groans.
"Yeah! We cant understand black speech!" Kili complains.
"Which makes it all the more funny!" Urzoth replies with a loud cackle.
"That's very rude of you, Uzfakuh" Kili says, which makes Urzoth stop. Fili shoots his brother a surprised glance.
"What does that mean?" Urzoth growls, crossing her arms across her chest.
"Nothing," Kili says with a mischievous smirk.
Urzoth turns her gaze to Fili, "What does it mean?" She asks.
Fili just stares back at her. He couldn't believe what Kili had called her. It was a very common profession of love. Fili knew Kili fancied her, but he hadn't thought it could possibly become love. He was in utter shock. Fili glanced at Kili who was beaming, proud of the pet name he'd given her.
"He won't tell you," Kili says confidently.
Urzoth narrows her eyes and growls. "You're very rude," She grumbles.
"You started it!" Kili retorts.
"Buffoon!"
"Uzfakuh!"
The two are now standing inches from each other. Kili stares down at Urzoth. It's at this moment that he notices how short she is. She just barely reaches to his nose. Most orcs are his height or taller. Urzoth had been considered the runt in her pack, just as her mother had been. However, this did not make her any weaker than the rest. In fact, she was the strongest after her father and brother. Her height often gave her advantages when it came to fighting. What many would consider a weakness, she turned into a strength.
Kili was mesmerized by the girl that stood in front of him. Her icy hard eyes sent a shiver up his spine. She was so strong and beautiful; it made his knees feel weak. Her hard features seemed softer in the golden light from the setting sun. Her lips were full and looked soft. Kili wanted to kiss her. It took every ounce of strength he had to resist the urge.
A grunt from Fili breaks their trance and they both step away, a soft blush coming across their cheeks. Fili smirks and begins to laugh. Kili and Urzoth both join in, though their laughs were of embarrassment.
A few hours later, most of the company had fallen asleep. The sun had set long ago and the moon shone high in the sky. They had built a fire in the center of the clearing and the sleeping dwarves lay scattered around it. The only ones still awake were Fili and Kili, who were on first watch, Urzoth, Thorin, and Bofur. Fili, Kili, Bofur and Urzoth sat close to the fire while Thorin lay amongst some roots near the outskirts of the clearing. The group roared in laughter as Bofur told another joke.
"Okay, okay! I got one!" Kili announces. "So two Elves walk into a bar. Then the dwarf laughed and walked under it!"
Bofur is in hysterics. Fili is laughing, not at the joke, but at Bofur. Kili is beaming brightly, proud of his joke, and Urzoth cracks a smile. She quite enjoys the jokes. She's never laughed so much in her life. Her joy faded quickly, however, when she picked up the scent of her father. He couldn't be more than a mile away.
Thorin noticed her sudden change of mood. The sudden worried look upon her scarred face made his stomach churn. He wanted to ask her what was wrong, but he also didn't want to disturb Bofur and his nephews. He reached for his sword and brought it to his side. Clutching the weapon tightly in his hand calmed him slightly, and he was able to drift to sleep, though his dreams weren't pleasant ones.
Bofur had also decided to call it quits. He got up and went over to his sleeping bag. With one last good night joke, he lied down and fell asleep. Fili, Kili, and Urzoth were the only ones left awake around the fire. They were silent for a while, watching the flames of the fire dance.
"You should get some sleep, Uzfakuh," Kili says after a while.
She looks up, slightly taken aback by what he called her. "What did you just call me?" She says, ignoring his command to sleep.
"I called you Uzfakuh," He answers nonchalantly.
She rolls her eyes in response, "Buffoon."
"Don't start this again!" Fili groans.
"Curmudgeon," Kili mumbles.
Fili throws a rock at his brother in reply. A surprised Kili just barely dodges the rock before he launches a pile of leaves at his brother. The pile floats to the ground, landing far away from their target. Fili laughs triumphantly and throws a stick at Kili. Kili catches the stick and throws it back, hitting Fili in the arm. Urzoth just laughs at their antics.
"Seriously though, Urzoth, you should get some rest," Fili continues when they settle down.
"I'm an orc. We can go many hours without sleep," she replies stubbornly.
"Yeah, and you haven't slept for many days. There are bags growing under your eyes," Kili retorts.
It is true, Urzoth hasn't slept in nearly a week. Whenever she sleeps, she dreams of her mission being complete. She watches helplessly as her father beheads Thorin. She can do nothing as poor Bilbo gets torn to shreds by wargs. The look of pure betrayal in Kili's eyes as she watches uncaringly as her brother stabbed him in the chest. She would wake up in a cold sweat, feeling sick to her stomach. After many weeks, she decided to stop sleeping altogether, and Kili had noticed this.
"I'm fine," She repeats.
"Urzoth please, just sleep. For me?" Kili pleads.
She studies him for a moment, his warm brown eyes are full of concern for her. After many moments, she begrudgingly gets up from her seat by the fire and goes over to the nest she had made amongst the roots. She lays down and reluctantly shuts her eyes. Sleep engulfs her quickly, as she had been very tired.
"Uzfakuh?" Fili asks, a short while after Urzoth had fallen asleep.
A soft blush dusts Kili's cheeks. "Yes," He replies shortly.
"You shouldn't be getting attached to her, brother," Fili says, concerned.
"I cant help it Fi," Kili sighs, "It's something about her! She makes me feel so alive!"
Fili sighs. He was afraid this would happen. "You've fallen in love with her," he states.
Kili looks at his brother and nods. Fili's features are contorted into a frown. His forehead is taught with concern, and his eyes are full of fear. Kili's heart cracks slightly. He cant understand why his brother is so upset over this. He thought Fili would be happy for him.
"I think she's my One," Kili says, his voice quivering slightly.
Fili stares at his brother. His eyes glow with passion, and Fili understands that what his brother says is real. This isn't a foolish and childish love, but a real and genuine one. She is most definitely his One, and it broke Fili's heart. His brother had fallen so deeply in love with a being that will undoubtedly destroy him.
"Just be careful, Ki. I don't want you to get hurt," Fili finally says after many long minutes of silence.
A small smile spreads across Kili's lips. "I wont get hurt," He says confidently.
Fili smiles back. He hopes Kili is right. If something where to happen to him, he would never forgive himself. He had promised his mother he would protect Kili. Fili knew he could never keep Kili from his love, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to stop protecting him.
"Lets wake up Oin and Gloin. It's about time for their watch, don't you think?" Kili announces after a few more hours.
Fili agrees, and they wake up the two dwarves before going over to their sleeping bags by Urzoth. Fili quickly falls asleep, but Kili doesn't. His attention is drawn to Urzoth. She is shaking in her sleep, sweat shines on her forehead, and a frown is etched across her face. Kili scoots his sleeping bag closer to her and gently puts a hand on her shoulder. He feels her tense underneath his touch and she stops shaking. She slowly begins to relax and he pulls her closer to him, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. She rolls toward him and snuggles into his chest, completely relaxed; though, there is still a small frown across her lips. Kili lets his hands fall to her waist and he tightens his grip as he slowly drifts to sleep.