The Halfbreed

Thorin stood looking back at Bard like he had one, which of course he had, and then in our honour the Master through a feast that was wonderful and aweing for she was starving and the dwarves seemed to be right at home. She wondered when was the last time they had eaten like this, the two young brothers both sat by her side as they dug into the ham like it was no one’s business. Even Kili had regained his colour and she started to worry less about his leg.
She laughed at them as they pulled a strip of meat between them right in front of her and she raised her knife and cut it in half, to see their amused smiles. “Now boys don’t fight over your food,”
“Aw but that’s the best part!” Bofur said across the table as they both reached for the same chicken leg, and as he saw the challenge in her eyes as they both pulled it she let loose on it and it hit him in the face. A chorus of laughter presumed this and then everyone went back to their wine and their food.
Kili turned to her and asked with a mouth stuffed with food, “Mhmhm mnhmhmh mhmhmh?”
She looked at him and laughed, “Swallow or I’m afraid I won’t hear you master dwarf.”
He blushed and then tried to swallow very dramatically, to which he then needed to take a gulp of wine. “I meant to say, when did you live in the mountain? You seem so familiar with our home.”
All the dwarves turned to her, she swallowed the bite of chicken, “Um well that’s a good question but um I’m afraid I’m not sure when, I mean I was a child when we first entered the mountain and my mother begged the king Thror to let us work for him I didn’t start till I was 16 myself. And I remember a special date when upon one beautiful morning Thrain announced his son, Thorin.” This then got all of the attention at the table, and Thorin himself cast her a look.
She looked right at Thorin this time and said, “Yes I knew you as a babe, you made your father very proud, he couldn’t help but show you off the all the dwarves in the mountain.” She smiled at him.
“Wait you saw Thorin grow up?” Fili asked gobsmacked, he even had food hanging from his mouth, and many of the other dwarves did too.
She looked at the dwarves smiled and shook her head, “No I only knew him until he was 5 which was when we had to run from Thranduil. But I remember many a thing that Thorin would do around the mountain, as a dwarfling.”
Thorin looked confused, as the others wished to hear but she knew that the embarrassing ones must stay for a later date.
Bifur looked at her, “Well tell us one.”
She looked to Thorin for approval which he seemed to be curious too what she knew of him, so she told one of her favourite memories. “Well you see this was when Thorin was about 2, now Thorin was a slippery little dwarfling always running off, and his father had a hard time keeping up with him. So one morning while Thrain was changing him, the little devil ran out the room and down the stairs in the nude,” all the dwarves laughed and she smiled at him. “He had all the ladies flustered at this little toddler as he proceeded to go into the ladies baths and poor Thrain had to follow him in there, it took him all day before someone could clothe the babe. It was the talk of the mountain, that’s for sure.”
They all howled at the story and she couldn’t help but laugh she saw Thorin getting a bit worked up so she tried to settle the boys down by pointing at the pastries that were coming from the kitchen.
Kili whispered in her ear, “That was a great story,” she felt a shiver pass through her as she felt his breath on her ear. “I’d love to hear more of your tales.” She looked at him sideways and noticed he was very close, too close.
If she looked at him their noses would be touching, so she looked straight as she talked to him, “Then you will master dwarf, I do believe I have a few decent ones left.” He disturbed her, but in a good way, that was the problem, she felt like she wanted nothing more than to be near him. She loved the new feelings she was experiencing, the flip flops her stomach was doing were nerve wracking but comforting all at the same time. She chided herself, she was a mutant being who should not exist and he was a dwarvish princeling, there was no logic to it, then again logic isn’t love.
She shook her head and excused herself to get some air, the Masters balcony was amazing she could see all of Laketown, and Dale in the distance too, this thought made her sad. She ran a hand through her tangles as she sighed, and jumped to a start when a hand appeared on her back.
Whipping around she found Kili looking bashful, “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to scare you, I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
Her heart hammered in her chest it wasn’t just because he scared her but it was also the physical contact the being alone with him, and so close, she wanted to be closer, but she leaned back on the rail to put some distance between her and him. If he had noticed he didn’t say.
“I’m fine I was just a bit dizzy please go eat I understand you haven’t eaten like this in a long time.” She finally got out.
He studied her and raised a hand to her hair, touching a tendril of her long hair and dragging his thumb down to the end. It was extremely intimate, and it sent her a pleasant shiver down her spine. He examined it then let it go blushing and tried to walk to the railing beside her. To which he tripped a little and she surged towards him to help him regain his balance. As he stood she stared at his leg, since the bad one was facing her and she could see the discolouration of the skin, looking up about to scold him she utterly forgot what she was going to say.
His face was so close to hers and he had a look in his eyes that made her want to run away, and at the same time come closer. But she held her body right where it was as he stared at her. She had not known he had raised his hand until he stared tracing her features with his fingers, starting at her eyes and ending at her lips. He looked hard at her lips, he leaned in and his lips just grazed her own, and she regained herself and let go of him backing away a step before it could be called an actual kiss.
She was sure she was blushing and her lips tingled where he had almost kissed her, that moment was too intimate to think about, “We should probably go back inside,” he looked like he had been struck and he opened his mouth to object but just nodded his head. She felt instantly bad about pulling away but it had been the smart thing to do if she had kissed him there would be no going back that’s for sure.
After the dinner they all sat drinking wine and started singing drinking songs, and she could feel the wine starting to get o her but she knew from her days in the mountain and the tavern that she could hold her ale. One of the dwarves who was far gone, Nori, looked at me, “Let the lass sing a song!”
Many of the men laughed at that and Gloin said, “She probably only knows elf songs!”
She turned to look at the drunken dwarves who were laughing at her. “I’ll have you know I have many a pub song I know, Gloin!” She felt a lot of eyes upon her but decided to ignore them.
Gloin looked like he was about to pass out a drunkard, “Then sing it lassie, or I won’t believe ya!” he started laughing.
She put a foot on her chair and hopped up to the table and bowed to Gloin, “If you insist old man.”
Then she turned around started dancing and belted,
“Chorus:
And it's all for me grog, me jolly jolly grog
All gone for beer and tobacco
Well I've spent all me tin with the laddies drinking gin
Far across the western ocean I must wander

Where are me boots, me noggin' noggin' boots
They're all gone for beer and tobacco
For the heels they are worn out
And the toes are kicked about
And the soles are looking up for better weather

Chorus:

Where is me shirt me noggin' noggin' shirt
It's all gone for beer and tobacco
You see the sleeves they got worn out
And the collar was turned about
And the tail is looking out for better weather

Chorus:

Oh, where is me bed me noggin' noggin' bed
It's all gone for beer and tobacco
You see I sold it to the girls
And the springs they all got twirls
And the sheets they're looking out for better weather

Chorus:

Where is me wife me noggin' noggin' wife
She's all gone for beer and tobacco
You see her (pause) it got worn out
And her (pause) been kicked about
And her (pause) is looking out for better weather

Chorus:

I'm sick in me head and I haven't been to bed
Since first I came ashore with me plunder
For I spent all me dough on the laddies don't you know
Far across the western ocean I must wander”

As she finished her song she jumped onto a chair and toppled it over landing on the floor she was perfectly balanced. All the dwarves gave a cheer for her song, as she bowed jokingly. She laughed and bid them all a good night.