Concerning Hobbits

Thranduil smiled down at Pansy after a while. “I do not know w hat you have done” Pansy said to him, holding her leering eyes upon him. “But I do know that Thorin, as judgmental as he may be, always has a reason for it” She said “and how cruelly your people have treated us, reflects on you” she said. Thranduil seemed amused as he chuckled “such a big speaker for just a frail little thing” he said. Pansy glared at him. Had he listened to her at all?

“Oh don’t look at me that way, I am shaking to my core” he mocked playfully. “what is it you want with me?” Pansy asked him. “just to speak with the daughter of Yavanna, as would any of my kind for your Mother is a precious deity to us, I merely wish to make sure that you are held safe” He said. Pansy sighed. “Lady Celebrian too said this, but I will tell you as I did her.” Pansy closed her eyes and sighed “I am not her daughter, you are all mistaken I am a hobbit of the Shire nothing more” Pansy cast her eyes to the ground solemnly as she said this, and she recalled the way The elf woman had fought, the way Kili watch her and then all of her own personal mistakes since the journey’s start. “I am nor will I ever be more than that” she said. Thranduil watched her intrigued. “I think you are the one mistaken, you fit the stories so well that it could be no other” He said getting up from his throne, he came down the wood steps and stood before Pansy.

Cupping her face with his fingers he made her to look at him. “You must be the moon child, your eyes are as starlight and your pale as the moon” he said. Thranduil released her face and picked up a lock of her chair carefully between two fingers and twirled it. “locks like strands of pale shimmering silver, you remember nothing because the part of you that you remember is lost, lost in the moon where half your soul lies sleeping” He said. Pansy watched him cautiously as he released her hair. “what is it you want with me?” she asked. He smiled “to the point then?” he asked, Pansy nodded, she didn’t to much care to be in his presence but the more she looked at him, behind his beauty was a darkness and behind that darkness, was fear and the more she looked at him the more she saw. And with the more she saw she realized, he was not to be feared. “very well, I desire a bride for my son, he is too focused and while I am proud, life is less rewarding, and ruling is not to be done without knowing and surviving love” Thranduil said. “more over” he said quickly walking away from her pacing. “what is it with elves and walking in circles!” Pansy thought.

“Nothing would be more precious, than being tired to Yavanna and the Valar, nothing would be worth more to me and my people than for the prince to be wed to the child of the moon. For we worship the stars. And the protection and power that would befall these woods, might bring them back to their former glory, that this sickness of a shadow has cast upon it” Thranduil said turning back to face her he lowered his gaze “Y-you wish a better life for you people?” she asked. “a safer life” he said softly. “for I have seen what the darkness can do” he added in, in a darker tone. Pansy fell silent as she watched him, “so in the reality of it all...you-you are not much different for Thorin” she said Thranduil gave her a sharp glare. “am I that wrong? She asked you care not for anyone but your own...which is wrong but yet even still you have the best of intentions even still” Pansy said. She side glance “but at least Thorin does care for others as well, he may try to hide it but he does, else I would not be here” she thought. “miserable me” she muttered. Thranduil heard her mutter this and raised his head.

“you sound as if taken, by this would be king?” He asked. Pansy looked up shocked “n-no it just, a great respect...he had a good heart. And I am worthless, I shouldn’t even be here by all rights” Pansy paused and looked down at her hands holding them out, Thranduil looked at them his eyes wide. “your fingers” He said “it was the most useful thing I’ve done this whole journey...and I should bear them proudly and yet” Pansy closed her hands “they have made me even more useless than before, I am weak, I am fearful, and I do not know of things outside of my hole. Yet still” Pansy smiled bitterly “when though I will never be anything, I am still here, because of Thorin, and his Kin, who had stayed by my side and spent countless time trying to make me better, be it in vain” she said turning her gaze to Thranduil a few tears lingered in her eyes. “I burden them, and I asked to be here. I am not this daughter of Yavanna, how could something to cherished and powerful be me? I would give anything, to be useful or to know my place” She said, a tear fell onto her cheek.

Thranduil looked at her with sympathy and shook his head he reached out his hand and flicked away the tear. “come now do not blubber, I am no fool and I know what I speak of.” He said “you are the daughter of Yavanna if you see it or not” he added. “ here you could live safe, you’d not be a burden, My son is more than capable of protecting you, you would have your adventures and here you would have your place” He said. Pansy sniffled and looked away from him “ here is not where I belong” she said slowly. “I can feel it in my bones, the only place I have ever felt at home, was with the dwarves” she said. “though” she breathed searching the ground, searching her thoughts “I do not know why” she said softly.

“because being the daughter of Yavanna you are also the daughter of Aule...creator of the Dwarves and their precious mountains and stones” He said. Pansy shut her eyes and shook her head. “stop you words hurt more knowing they are not true! I could not be made by the same hand as the dwarves” she said. “there is one in your company whom you love” Thranduil said slowly. Pansy looked up at him dazed. “love?” she asked. She thought about it “well they have become my family so yes I-” Pansy stopped as Thranduil sighed and rubbed his temples “no, that is not what I meant, never mind that anymore” he said in frustration. “would you consider my son, and all that I said” He asked.

Pansy thought about it “maybe, if you would do but one thing for me” she said taking on the same tone as he had with Thorin. Thranduil smiled just a bit. “I’m listening” he said. “if I wed your son, will you let my friends go, they are running out of time for something very important” she said looking up into his eyes. If she could be useful, in any way maybe this was her chance. Thranduil looked down at her dully “perhaps, I will need to think on it” He said. Pansy nodded and lowered her head “who is your son?” she asked. Thranduil smiled “You figured that out the moment you were brought here and saw me” He said pausing “he was the one who brought you here and the one who saved you from the spiders” he added. Pansy nodded “his name?” she asked. “Legolas” Thranduil said. Thranduil’s eyes went past Pansy as a figure came up the stairs “The spiders have all been slain mi-lord, no nests were found” she said, Pansy stood rigid. It was her again. Pansy squinted at the ground in front of her. Thranduil watched Pansy’s reactions. “is that so, well very good.” He said turning his attention back to Pansy. “I will need to think about this before we agree, you will be sent to chambers to wait.” he said to her. Pansy looked up at him “Tauriel” he called “show Pansy to a room of her own” He ordered. Tauriel looked shocked but nodded, “The one nearest to the fountains” he added. This time, Tauriel could not hold her shock “but that room, Lady-” Tauriel was hushed as Thranduil raised his hands “that room is vacant, do not question me again Silvan” Thranduil said pointedly. Tauriel nodded and Thranduil waved Pansy away.

Hesitantly she turned to look at Tauriel, and her heartfelt weighed, as all she could remember was they way Kili looked at her. “but why is my heart so troubled” Pansy thought to herself as she followed silently behind her. Pansy’s feet stopped walking and she looked back behind her through the elven halls. “um...Miss Tauriel?” She asked awkwardly. Tauriel turned to face her with a faint smile. “no need for Miss, but what is it?” she asked. “I’d rather you take me back to my company, I am sure they are worried, and” Pansy paused and looked up at Tauriel with resolve “I belong with them” she said. Tauriel gave a nod and lead Pansy a different way.

Meanwhile, back in the dungeons, Thorin was shoved into a cell. “Did he offer you a deal?” Balin asked quickly. “He did” Thorin said walking to the cell bars a bitter smile came to his face “and I told him he could go îsh kakhfê ai’d dur-rugnul on Dol Guldur” Thorin said. “Him and all his kin!” Thorin yelled out loudly, hoping for some elf to hear. Balin sighed and shook his head in disappointment. Well. that's, that then, a deal was our only hope” Balin said turning to sit in his cell. Thorin gripped the bars and gazed up into the higher halls of the elven fortress “not our only hope” he said, Bilbo was still out there, and after all, he had seen the little hobbit do, he knew that he was planning something.

“the elf captain took Pansy to the king, did you see her uncle?” Kili asked coming to the bars. Thorin looked over to him in the distance, and nodded “ she was with me, but he wanted to speak with her longer” Thorin said he recalled the way Thranduil looked at her, and vaguely remembered how the elves had acted around her in the past. “what does he want with her?” Kili asked quickly. “I cannot say” Thorin said darkly, but somewhere he knew the king would not harm her. “If I could just get free of these bars, I would go bring her back” Kili said. Fili scoffed in the cell across from her. “what?” Kili asked. Fili shook his head, “you would go chasing after the she-elf” Fili said adopting a mocking tone “you never know what I might have down my trousers” he said, mocking Kili’s words. Kili scowled “I would not” He said. Thorin looked over to Kili dully that any Kin of his would say something so foolish was beyond him. Everyone fell silent at the sound of footsteps.

Tauriel grabbed a ring of keys “Pansy!” Thorin called as he spotted her. Pansy smiled at him. “its alright he didn’t hurt me” she said, seeing the report between them Tauriel took the keys to open Thorin’s cell to Kili eyed Tauriel, he wanted to ask Pansy if the king had said anything, but at the same time, he’d rather not risk making her mad and instead found himself biting his tongue. “are you sure? You’re not just saying that because of this one?” Fili asked nodding to Tauriel. Pansy shook her head, and stole a glance at Kili, she caught him taking his eyes away from Tauriel and with a huff, Pansy turned her back to him when he looked at her. Tauriel opened Thorin’s cell and allowed Pansy to walk in. Pansy waited for Tauriel to go before giving any information.

Fili shook his head as he watched his brother watch Tauriel leave.

Pansy turned to Thorin with a serious face. “I’ve made a deal with Thranduil, he is thinking it over” She said. Thorin took a step closer to her, “what sort of deal?” he asked with a grim look in his eyes. “He thinks that I am the fabled daughter of Yavanna” She said. Balin went to cell bars to listen better. As did Dori, and Dwalin. “The Daughter of Yavanna?” Thorin asked, her eyes darkened. “I know the tell, the Elves worship her above all others very nearly” He said. Pansy nodded “of course their wrong...I am just a plain hobbit” she said “as I have well proven” she muttered under her breath. “but he thinks otherwise” she added. Thorin nodded. “but what does this have to do with the deal?” he asked.

Pansy hesitated, she didn’t want to tell me, and moreover, she didn’t want to tell him with the others listening. But she sighed and opened her mouth “I wed his son” she said and protests flared “what!” Kili said choking on air in a sudden fit of coughs.”No, that's ridiculous!” Bofur called out, she was surprised he even heard. Thorin looked down at her brows knitted together. “I assume you have your reasons, clearly you have not instantaneously lost your mind” He growled. Pansy nodded “yes, I wed his son, and he lets you all go, to reach the mountain before Durin’s day ends” She said. And everyone fell silent. Thorin deflated. “I cannot let you do this” He said. “but I want to, I’m such a burden, this is the best way I can truly help!” she said to him.

Thorin grabbed Pansy by the arms “ we will find a way out, but I will not doom you to this place” he said. Pansy looked away. And tried not to tear up. “you are not a burden, for all I have said in the past, I was wrong” He said to her give her a light shake to make her look at him. Pansy looking into his eyes “you saved my life, and you’ve helped saved Kili’s for that I am grateful, and would not have any other in your stead, little Baggins” He said. Pansy looked up at him and tried to search to see if he was speaking the truth. Thorin cracked a small smile which seemed out of place for him. But Pansy returned it nonetheless. But soon frowned at the thought of Thranduil “what then do I do if he decides to agree?” she asked. “tell him you’ve change you mind!” Kili shouted out. Pansy frowned a bit at the sound of his voice and nearly ignored him completely. Kili looked to the cell next to him were Gloin was locked up “is she mad at me?” he whispered to him. Gloin just shrugged out of Kili’s line of sight.

Night fell, many of the dwarves were asleep, Thorin had managed to drift off as well. Pansy sat on the ground next to the bars listening to the soft misty sounds of the waterfall, Thorin’s light breathing, and watching Kili throw a stone up into the air, catch it and repeat. He seemed to be in thought. Earlier he had tried to speak with her, but for some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to reply to him. She didn’t hear her arrive but she saw her pass as Tauriel talked by checking the cells. She looked down at Pansy and offered a smile but Pansy looked away leaving the elf confused.

She came to Kili’s cell and stopped. “that stone in your hand what is it?” Pansy heard her ask. It was quiet for a moment. Pansy looked but she could not see Kili beyond Tauriel’s tall frame. “it is a talisman, with a powerful spell upon it, if any but a dwarf she read the runes on this stone” Kili said in a grave tone, looking down at the stone. Pansy despite herself smiled a bit, she could hear it. Hidden in his voice, he was lying through his teeth. And yet, Tauriel seemed to be listening intently as her posture changed. “it will be forever cursed!” he said darkly showing Tauriel the stone. Her eyes grew wide and she went to quickly leave. Pansy chuckled silently “or not” Kili then said quickly, Tauriel stopped and went back to him. Pansy’s inward laughter stop and she sulked at this.

“depending on if you believe in that kind of thing it’s just a token” he said with an airy chuckle. “a rune stone” he said. Pansy looked down at her hands. She’d had thought somewhere in the back of her mind that his playfulness with her was different from his playfulness with others, but here she was being showed that it was one and the same.” It’s just a rune stone” Kili said looking down at the stone he caressed it fondly. “my mother gave it me” he said. “so I would remember my promise” he said, Tauriel took a step closer to the cell “what promise? She asked. “ that I would come back to her” he said, Pansy smiled again very slightly listening to him. “she worries, thinks I’m reckless” he said throwing the stone into the air and catching it again. “are you? Tauriel asked, “nah” he said softly, but in doing so threw the stone back up and failed to catch it, it hit the stone ground, rolled out of the cell and nearly over the ledge, but Tauriel was swift and stepped on it stopping it with her foot. She picked it up and examined it. Kili walked to the bars and could hear joyful sounds coming from the upper levels.

“sounds like quite the party you’re having up there” he said. “it is the feat of starlight, all elves cherish light but what elves love most is the light of the stars.” Tauriel said. “I always thought of it as a cold light, so far way and isolated.” Kili said. “it is memory” Tauriel said turning to him “Precious and Pure” she said, and for a moment, Kili found his gaze flickered to Pansy who was slowly unwrapping her hands. The words Precious and pure echoing in his mind. Tauriel held out her hand, and in it was his stone, Kili looked up at her and the two locked eyes. Tauriel smiled “like your promise” she said holding the stone out for him to take.

Pansy’s heart slowly broke at the sounds of their one on one conversation and she hadn’t the slightest clue why. But Thranduil’s question floated around in her head. “there is one in your company whom you love” Pansy bit her lip. She wasn’t sure how that felt, and she’d never felt these things around Kili before. He was just her friend, he kept her company on the journey, and tried to help her be useful. He was just the same to her as Bilbo was. Wasn’t he?

Kili took his stone from Tauriel, “I have walked there sometimes” she said as if tell a deep secret, up out of the forest and into the night” she said turning to look up, Pansy could see a wide smile on the elf’s face. “ I have seen the world fall away, and the white light forever fill the air” she said. Kili watched her as if mesmerized. “I saw a fire moon once” he said. Tauriel turned to face him. “ it rose over the pass near Dunland, huge” he said looking up into her eyes. “red and gold it was, it filled the sky” He said. Pansy laid down on the stone ground and turned her back to the gates, she’d never seen the fire moon. However, Bilbo says the night before he found her there was a fire moon in the sky. “ we were in Escort, with some merchants and they were silver for furs” Kili said starting up a story. Pansy listened in. And the more she did the more she felt like she was intruding on something special, and this thought made her heart ache all the more.

“we took the green-way south, looked at the mountain to your left and this huge fire moon right in our path, I wish I could show it it was beautiful” he said.

Pansy shut her eyes tightly she couldn't take it anymore. Standing up she went to walk to the back of the cell, there Thorin slept, she watched him but didn’t want to wake him. She she sat down quietly and hid her face in her hands. “what's wrong with you Pansy?” she thought to herself. “why does this hurt?” she murmured softly.