Chapter Text
“Oh, it is good to be back,” Lucy said, spinning in place and taking in the forest around her. The others nodded in agreement.
“Travelling by magic like that,” Susan said, bracing one hand against a tree, “always leaves me feeling momentarily muddled.”
“This doesn’t look at all familiar,” Edmund said. “Where do you think we are?”
“I’m not sure,” Peter said, “But Narnia is a big place and although we explored quite a lot of it when we lived here, it’s hard to tell where you are just by being plunked down into the middle of a forest.”
“Yes, well, I wish we had a little more to guide us that just a group of trees. Perhaps if we could see a mountain or find a stream, we could at least work out which direction to head,” Edmund said.
Peter nodded and looked around. They had been playing cricket on the grounds of the Professor's house before being pulled away and so were wearing their play clothes. They didn’t have much with them. At least the boys had stuck their small pocket knives into their trouser pockets that morning before leaving the house.”
“Well, I guess we had just better pick a direction and go,” Susan said. “Peter?”
They all looked to their eldest brother and High King. He looked around. There was no indication as to any direction being a good one and the sun was directly overhead and difficult to see in the thick canopy of trees, so he couldn’t even get his bearings that way. “We’ll just go this way,” he said. It was as good a direction as any. In an hour, or so, once the sun had moved a bit, he would be able to find west and re-evaluate their direction.
They started walking. There was some chatter among them, but mostly, they walked in silence, listening to the birds and the wind in the trees. How wonderful it was to be back in Narnia.
After a while, Peter noticed the sun had moved and he finally knew which way was west. He changed course a bit and followed the sun. They walked on, each speculating as to where they were. They were startled by a loud screeching sound.
“What was that?” Lucy asked with some fear.
“Don’t worry, Lu,” Peter said, “it was just a bird, like a falcon or an eagle.”
“But it sounded so very loud,” Lucy said, looking up into the trees.
Presently they found a rocky cliff face that went straight up three times Peter’s height. They also heard the sounds of a trickling stream.
“Let’s find the stream,” Susan said. “I’m awfully thirsty.”
“Good idea,” Peter agreed.
They quickly found the stream and knelt down to get a drink. Edmund washed his face and neck in the cool water.
“So, does this rock help at all to determine where we are?” Susan asked.
Peter shook his head. “Not really, although my best guess is the northern mountains, where the giants live.”
“Oh, I hope not,” Lucy said.
Peter took out his pocket knife and cleared away a patch of leaves on the ground. Using his knife, he carved out a map of Narnia into the earth and he and Edmund consulted where they might be.
“Well,” Peter said, standing, “I guess our best plan of action now is to see if we can find a way to climb this wall of rock. On higher ground, we might be able to find a landmark.”
It was a sensible plan and so they began their walk again, following the cliff face and as they did, it got lower and lower, until they could climb onto the rock.
“A path!” Peter called out. They started following the path up the hill.
“Peter,” Edmund quietly called to his brother, “do you hear something?”
They all became quite still and listened. Soon they heard voices and large sounding footsteps on the path in front of them. There was nowhere to hide with a cliff wall on one side and a drop off on the other. Peter picked up a large stick off the ground. “Susan, Lucy, stay behind me,” he said, holding the stick like a sword.
Moments later, an imposing figure came around the path’s bend and in a second, a broad, iron sword was pointed at Peter and Edmund.
“Who are you?” the man spoke, in a deep voice. He wore a blue, fur lined, coat, silver and blue armor and his black hair hung long around his shoulders. His face had several large scrapes, but it did nothing to hide the piercing blue eyes that bore into Peter and Edmund now.
“I am High King Peter,” Peter answered, standing up to his full height.
The man chuckled. “A child who calls himself a high king and has nothing but a stick to threaten me with? Get out of the way, boy.”
“You will address the High King of Narnia with respect,” Edmund said.
The man laughed. “High King of Narnia? What is that? Your make believe kingdom?”
“Narnia! This is Narnia and I am king,” Peter said, feeling very upset and flustered.
“Listen, boy, I’m injured and my company is tired. We would like to get off this rock and find some place to rest.” He moved towards Peter, but still kept his sword out.
Lucy came forward. “You’re injured? The hill ends not much further. There is a nice stream where you can rest.”
The man looked startled at the little girl. He was quickly joined by two more men. One had white hair, a huge beard and wore a red coat. The other was bald on the top of his head, which was covered in tattoos, but he also sported a thick beard and long hair.
“Children of men?” the white haired one spoke. “Alone? In the woods?”
“I’ll move them out of the way,” the tall, bald one said.
“Move it, children,” the first man said. “You don’t want Dwalin to get involved.”
“Come on, Peter,” Susan said. “Let them off the cliff.”
“I don’t like turning my back to them,” Peter scowled.
“There’s only one way off this path and you’re blocking it,” the bald one called Dwalin spoke. “So, you either turn around and head down first, or I’ll toss you over the side.”
Peter’s eyes narrowed in anger, but Lucy’s eyes flew open in surprise at the big man’s words.
“We mean you no harm,” Edmund said. “How about weapons away until we reach the stream?” He wasn’t called Edmund the Just for nothing.
The first man put his sword away. “Fine. Let’s move.”
Peter did not like taking orders from the threatening stranger, but they were in a bit of a bind on this path. He lowered his stick and turned. “Edmund, lead us down.”
“What’s the hold up?” another voice called out.
Peter looked back and saw another face poke around the bend. “Come on, let’s move,” Peter called out.
Edmund took the lead; Lucy followed him, then Susan, and then Peter. He wouldn’t let those brutes near his sisters if he could help it. They finally reached flat ground and Edmund led them right to the stream. Peter turned to see the strangers following and he was startled by what he saw. How did he not notice before? They were shorter than he and Susan. They were dwarves.
“Oh, you’re dwarves!” Lucy grinned. “Black dwarves from the north?”
The dwarf in blue looked angry and confused. By now the rest of his company had arrived and stood in a long line behind him. Fourteen, Peter counted.
“We are from the Blue Mountains. I am Thorin, of the noble line of Durin,” the blue dwarf stood proudly. “Now, tell me, King Peter, why you four children are in these forests without any kind of weapons. This place crawls with orcs at night.”
“Orcs?” Edmund asked. He had not heard of these before, but the mere word filled him with fear.
“Goodness, lad,” the white haired one said. “How is it you’ve not heard of orcs before?”
“Well, all our years in Narnia, there has never been mentioned such a creature,” Edmund replied.
“Are they fearsome?” Lucy asked.
The dwarves stood in shock. Orcs? Fearsome?
“Ah, there you are!” A new voice joined them. “Surly you could have waited for an old wiz,” he saw the children in front of him and stopped. “Oh, hello.” The man wore all grey and had a grey beard and hair that matched his clothes. He carried a tall staff. “My name is Gandalf.”
“Peter,” Peter said, looking at the stranger, whose face was wrinkled with years, but his eyes and smile were kind.
“Begging your pardon, Mister Thorin,” young Lucy took a step forward. Thorin and the two dwarves nearest him straightened up. “But didn’t you say you were injured? Why don’t you sit down? There is a nice rock here. Oh, if I only had my cordial, I could fix you right up.”
Thorin looked positively alarmed now.
“The lass is right. Have a seat and let Oin look you over,” the white haired one said.
“I’m fine,” Thorin said.
Lucy took a step forward and held out her hand. “There’s a nice rock over here to sit upon.” He didn’t move, so she took another step and took him gently by his arm. “I promise, I don’t bite.” Lucy smiled at him. She was surprised she could read his emotions by his eyes alone. At first they were angry and a moment later, they were calm and gentle, but sad. He still didn’t move. Two figures came up to him and stood on either side of him. They would either help him sit or provide the support he needed to remain standing.
Lucy looked at the two new dwarves. They both looked young. One had wild, dark hair and wore the same color blue as Thorin. Lucy thought they might be related. Probably father and son. The other was much shorter, had no beard, curly brown hair, no shoes and the biggest feet she had ever seen on so small a being before. Having no shoes was a big surprise to her. How could anyone walk about this forest with no shoes?
“Before anything else happens,” Thorin said, and Lucy backed away, “I want to know who you are, why you children are alone and unarmed and what is this Narnia you speak of?”
“Narnia?” the tall grey fellow named Gandalf said.
“Like I said, I’m Peter, High King of Narnia. This is my brother, Edmund, the Just and my sisters, Queen Susan and Queen Lucy.”
“How can four siblings all be kings and queens?” Another dwarf asked.
“Well, Aslan made it that way,” Peter said.
“Aslan?”
“Oh, don’t tell me you have forgotten who Aslan is?” Peter laughed.
Every dwarf looked at another, each shaking their heads.
Gandalf stepped forward. “This Narnia, is the name of your land?”
The children nodded.
“Is Narnia near Gondor?” one of the dwarves asked.
“I’ve never heard of Gondor,” Edmund said.
“How is it that Narnia is your own land and yet, you are not in it?” the white haired dwarf asked.
The children looked at each other. “Not in Narnia?” Susan said. “Then where are we?”
“Middle Earth,” Gandalf answered. “But this particular place in Middle Earth is called the Carrock.”
Peter shook his head. This made no sense. Why did Aslan send them somewhere else but Narnia? “I don’t know where Middle Earth is. See, we were at home, in England, and then we felt ourselves being pulled by some power. The only other times we’ve felt such power and magic like that was when we were in Narnia.”
“Ahh,” Gandalf smiled, “Magic. Now that is something I have a bit of experience in.” He walked forward. “Do you have wizards in this England or Narnia?”
Peter laughed. “Wizards? No. Wizards only exist in fairy tales.”
“But we have known sorcerers and there was the White Witch,” Susan said. The other children nodded.
“It would seem to me,” Lucy said, “that magic has brought us, but instead of Narnia, we have arrived in Middle Earth.”
“That’s why we are unarmed. We aren’t allowed weapons in England. The grownups would have a fit,” Edmund explained.
Gandalf nodded thoughtfully. “It would seem you have come here by some magical spell. Why shouldn’t other worlds exist and why couldn’t one move between those worlds if a particularly powerful being wishes you to?”
“Oh, I don’t want to be moved to some other world,” a silver haired dwarf fretfully said.
“No worries, I think, Master Dori,” Gandalf said. “The magic is for these children. Not us.”
“So,” Thorin said, “in your world, you children are kings and queens.”
The children nodded their heads. Thorin took a step forward, but his face momentarily twisted in pain.
“Oh, do please sit,” Lucy came up to him again and gently pulled at his arm. “I’ll find a shell, or some hollow wood, or something and bring you a drink.”
Thorin chuckled at the small lass. He would never let these children see his weaknesses, and he had few to speak of, but one weakness he did have was for children. His nephews knew this weakness and exploited it regularly in their young lives. But Thorin love children, especially lasses since their kind had so few of them. He allowed himself to be led to the rock.
Lucy took Thorin by one hand and the younger dwarf, who looked a lot like Thorin, helped him to sit down.
“Kili,” Thorin panted slightly from the exertion, “ask Bombur if he has a cup.”
Kili nodded and walked over to a large, round dwarf with an impressive beard that looked like a braided jump rope. He shook his head at Kili.
“Here you are, take mine,” Gandalf pulled a wooden cup from his robes and handed it to Lucy.
She took it with thanks, filled it in the stream and took it to Thorin. “Here you are, Mister Thorin.”
He took the cup and drank. He was so surprised by this young girl. He was a king, but she didn’t know it. But she was a queen, of sorts, and was serving him, despite not knowing who he was. She was quite extraordinary.
“Thorin,” the white haired dwarf spoke. “We need to get moving. The day is passing.”
“No,” Thorin shook his head. “We make camp here. We all need some rest. Make a fire for us, Gloin.”
“Aye. Kili, Nori, help me with fire wood,” a dwarf with the biggest, bushiest red beard Lucy had ever seen, said.
Immediately, the group set to work, doing various jobs. The white haired dwarf, the big, bald dwarf and the short, shoeless dwarf stayed near Thorin, as if to protect him.
Peter could tell Thorin was important to the company of dwarves, with the way they followed his orders, looked to him for advice and protected him. Obviously, he was their leader. It was almost as if he was a king. He certainly held himself like a king. He had said he was from a noble line. Certainly, things were different here in Middle Earth. In Narnia, the dwarves were separated by the colors of their beards and neither group had a king, other than the King of Narnia.
Susan looked over the company and watched them as they worked. She had seen many dwarves during her years in Narnia. They either belonged to the red beard or black beard clans, but among this company was a blond dwarf. It was odd to see, but what was even more odd was how handsome she found this dwarf to be. She had never found dwarves attractive in Narnia. They were dwarves, she was not. Perhaps it was the novelty of a blond dwarf or those moustache braids with the silver beads at the end. These dwarves also seemed to be a stronger bunch; more muscular and hearty than the ones of Narnia. Of course, like the dwarves of Narnia, these dwarves sported impressive beards.
She looked at them more closely. Well, most of them had beards anyway. Thorin, Kili, the blond dwarf, and a dwarf with a funny hat, all had short beards. The large, round dwarf had no beard, but a huge braid that hung down and gave the impression of a beard. All the dwarves had elaborately decorated hair. Braids, beads and styles unlike she had ever seen. One of them had an impressive three pointed hair. It reminded her of a star fish. The Narnian dwarves never did anything so elaborate with their hair or beards.
Susan was impressed with the way they moved and worked and she watched them closely.
“Oh!” Lucy called out in surprise. Everyone turned around to stare at her.
“What is it, Lu?” Peter asked.
“Well, I felt something heavy just appear in my pocket and when I reached in, I felt this!” She pulled a clear flask with a deep red liquid in it, out of her pocket. “My healing cordial!” She walked up to Thorin. “Now I can take care of those wounds of yours.”
Thorin leaned back and two big dwarves moved to stand in front of him, their weapons drawn and pointed at her.
“I say, now!” Peter jumped up and ran to Lucy’s side. “She only wants to help.”
“We don’t know what that is,” The big, bald dwarf said.
“It’s a healing cordial, made from the juice of a fire flower,” Lucy explained.
An old, grey haired dwarf with an ear trumpet spoke up. “A fire flower? Never heard of those before.”
“It’s quite wonderful. I can show you,” Lucy said, trying to take a step closer to Thorin, but the two dwarves would not move from him. “All right, then,” she took a step back. “Peter, may I have your knife?”
Peter handed Lucy his knife. More of the dwarves pulled their weapons and took a crouched fighting stance. Lucy ignored them and used the knife to cut her own hand. The surrounding company stood in disbelief at the little girl. She inhaled sharply as a few drops of her blood fell from her hand. She put down the knife, unstoppered the flask and carefully put one drop of the cordial onto the cut. Immediately, the cut sealed itself and was gone.
“What dark magic is that?” a dwarf shouted.
“It’s not dark magic. It’s a healing cordial. I’ve save Edmund’s life with this, once,” Lucy explained.
“Lucy,” Peter admonished, “That was a very foolish and wasteful thing to do.”
“One drop is not wasteful, if it gains the trust of our new friends,” Lucy stamped her foot in a childish way.
“Child,” Thorin’s voice was deep, quiet, and strong. “You showed me great honor by spilling your own blood in order to gain my trust, but nothing as pure as your blood should be shed again on my behalf. And, if you still offer, I will prove to you that you have gained my trust by allowing you to tend to one of my wounds.”
The other dwarves backed away from Thorin immediately and Lucy meekly stepped forward. “What wound has the greatest need?”
Thorin turned slightly red. Probably the several puncture wounds in this chest from the warg’s teeth needed the most attention, but those were not for her eyes.
“My nose,” Thorin said.
Lucy approached him and stood quite close. She braced one hand on his shoulder, while she carefully tipped the diamond flask over his nose. One small drop landed in the center of the wound and immediately, the pain was gone and the large gash healed over.
“Thank you,” Thorin smiled.
“You’re welcome, but aren’t there more? A strong dwarf like you would not so be in so much pain if your only injury was on your nose.”
Thorin blushed. “You are right, but my other injuries are not for the eyes of a little girl.”
“I’m not just a little girl. I’ll have you know that I’m a queen and have seen battle. Your wounds will not shock me,” Lucy said.
“And I still say they are not for the eyes of a lass,” Thorin replied.
By now, the fire was burning strongly. Gandalf, Peter, and Edmund moved to sit by Thorin and the white haired dwarf, known as Balin. Feeling angry and defeated by Thorin’s refusal to let her help, Lucy joined Susan by the fire. Susan was talking to the blond dwarf and the shoeless dwarf.
“You’ll have to pardon my uncle,” the blond dwarf said. “He can be right stubborn, but that he allowed you near him at all is pretty unusual. He has shown you a great deal of trust.”
“I just wish he would let me help him more,” Lucy looked back over her shoulder to where Thorin sat with her brother.
“Perhaps in time,” he said. “I’m Fili, by the way, at your service.”
Susan and Lucy introduced themselves. Lucy turned to the other dwarf with no beard and no shoes. “If you don’t mind me asking, what are you? I can see you are not a dwarf and I can tell you are an adult, but you are as tall as I.”
The small man laughed. “I’m a Hobbit, from The Shire. Bilbo Baggins is the name.”
“A hobbit? We certainly don’t have hobbits in Narnia. Are you related to dwarves?” Susan asked.
“No. We are closer to men than dwarves,” Bilbo answered.
“So, what makes a Hobbit a Hobbit and not a dwarf or a man?” Susan asked.
“Well, our size, for one thing. We are smaller than both men and dwarves. We have no beards. We have larger feet than other races and we don’t need shoes, except in extreme winter weather. Even then, it’s more of a comfort to wear stockings than an actual need for them. We love to eat and we don’t ever fight, except for the occasional food fight between terrible relatives. But we don’t often have food fights. Why waste such good food on ridiculous relatives? We love to garden and we live in smials, which are comfortable homes, built into the side of a hill.”
“Sounds like a lovely way to have a home,” Lucy smiled.
“Oh, it is. And so comfortable. Warm in the winter, cool in the summer,” Bilbo smiled, thinking back to his own Bag End. "I have the most wonderful armchair and a whole room full of books."
"You remind me of my friend Mr. Tumnus. He loves to sit and read by the fire," Lucy said, thinking of the dear fawn, who had been her first friend in Narnia.
“So, besides hobbits and dwarves, what other kinds live in Middle Earth?” Susan asked.
“Well,” Bilbo said, “the men and elves make up the other two largest races of the good people of Middle Earth, but if one knows where to look, there are small populations of fairies, gnomes, and Ents.”
“You count elves among the good?” Fili asked, with a sly smile.
“They are and you know it. Just because elves and dwarves have bad blood between them, doesn't mean that elves aren't good.” Bilbo looked to the girls again. “You are a lucky person if you are considered and elf-friend or a dwarf-friend. They are both fierce, loyal races and two such strong races tend to butt-heads, but they are both good.”
Fili gave Bilbo a playful shove, which almost knocked the smaller hobbit off his seat.
“And what about the bad? Who are the creatures we should be wary of?” Lucy asked.
“Well, in the way of unsavory creatures, we have orcs, trolls, goblins, wargs and dragons,” Bilbo explained.
“And elves,” Fili whispered.
Lucy and Susan laughed. “We also have dragons in Narnia,” Susan said, “although I’ve never seen one. Only heard tales of them.”
“Consider yourself lucky then,” Kili said, coming over and sitting down beside Fili. “It was a dragon that chased our people from Erebor.”
“What is Erebor?” Susan asked.
“Our ancestral home,” Fili answered.
“I am sorry to hear about your home,” Lucy said. “That would be perfectly dreadful to be run out of your home by a dragon.”
“But we know a little of what that is like,” Susan looked to Lucy. “We’ve been run out of our home too.”
“Oh, yes,” Lucy whispered. “I hadn’t thought of it quite like that, but it’s true.”
“How?” Fili asked, leaning forward.
“There’s a war going on, back at home. In England, I mean, not Narnia. Well, it’s more than just England, but that would be too much to have to explain. Anyway, the Germans have been flying over our homes, dropping bombs and destroying our city. Many people have been killed.”
“Sounds like a different kind of dragon,” Fili reached out and took Susan’s hand.
“I suppose it is. We were sent away, the four of us, to live out in the country. The Germans don’t attack the country. Not often, anyway. So we are living with an old professor in his big manor. One day, when the war is over, we hope to be able to go back home, to our mother and father.”
“You are alone?” Kili asked.
“We have each other. Peter takes good care of us,” Susan said.
“I’m sorry. I hope your war ends soon and you may return home,” Fili said, still holding Susan’s hand. Lucy leaned into Susan and let her tears fall silently down her face.
“Kili,” Thorin’s deep voice called out. The young dwarf got up and went to Thorin. “Do you still have your bow and arrows?”
“Yes. Some, anyway,” Kili answered.
“See about hunting some dinner. Take some others with you,” Thorin said.
Kili went back to his things and slung his bow over his shoulder.
Fili stood up. “I’ll come.”
“Do you have another bow?” Susan asked.
“No. I’m the only archer,” Kili said.
“That’s too bad,” Edmund walked over to them. “Because Susan’s a good shot.”
“We’ll have to have a little competition later then,” Kili said.
“I’ve got my knife,” Edmund said. “I’ll come with you.”
“I’ll go with the lads,” Gloin said, getting up. “Keep an eye on them.”
Kili looked ready to protest, but a hit on the arm by Fili kept him quiet. “Come on.”
The four of them left.
Lucy looked over to where Peter was. He was still talking with Gandalf but they had moved away from Thorin. Several other dwarves had moved closer to the fire, but still within a few steps of Thorin, should he need them. Lucy stood up and approached him. None of the dwarves stopped her or blocked her way. Thorin’s head was down and he looked like he might be asleep, but it snapped up as Lucy approached. His face relaxed, but he did not smile at her.
“Mister Thorin, won’t you reconsider my offer to help you?”
“Little lady,” he sighed, “As I have told you, I do not wish to show you my wounds, but I thank you.”
She looked over a little ways and saw the gray haired dwarf. “That dwarf there, the one with the ear trumpet,” she pointed to Oin, “He was looking to you earlier and helping you. Is he your healer?”
“Aye.”
“If I gave him my cordial, will you allow him to help you?” Lucy asked.
Thorin sighed again. “Why?” he asked. “Why do you offer us help so easily? We hardly know who you are and you don’t know us. Why waste your precious cordial on me?”
Lucy stepped back and then knelt before Thorin. “Why wouldn’t I? I know we have only just met, but I hate to see you in pain. Especially when I can help.”
“None of your kind are helpful to dwarves out of the goodness of their heart.”
“I am not like the men of your world then. In Narnia, I have known and been friends with many dwarves. We have worked together, fought together and taken meals together. I hold them with the same respect I would anyone in Narnia,” Lucy said.
“Then Narnia must be a good and kind place,” Thorin said with some mirthless humor in his voice.
“It is and I will think no differently just because I’m in Middle Earth now. I can see you are a good person and you are in pain. I can help.” Lucy looked on at the proud, injured dwarf before her. He looked so sad.
“I have nothing to give you in return. All I possess right now is my sword and the clothes on my back.”
“Well, it’s a good thing payment for my help is quite simple.” Lucy stood up and looked at him in her most stern face, which was actually quite comical. “You are required to pay me with a smile.”
Thorin looked at the girl’s grinning face. He couldn’t help but return her bright smile.
“Oh, payment in advance. Excellent choice. What is your healer’s name?” Lucy asked.
“Oin.”
She gave Thorin one more smile before turning to Oin. She approached him from his front, not wishing to startle him. He saw her and put his ear trumpet up.
“Would you please take care of Mister Thorin?” she held out her cordial flask. “Just put one small drop on each wound.”
Oin looked to Thorin, who nodded. He stood and gently took the flask from Lucy then he went to Thorin’s side.
“Lucy,” Peter came up to her, “What are you doing? You never let anyone else touch the cordial. You are the only one to administer it.”
Lucy patted him on the arm. “It will be alright Peter.” She walked over to where Susan, Bilbo and the young scribe, Ori were talking. She was nervous about letting someone else take her flask, but she knew in her heart, she needed to help that dwarf. She didn’t understand why, only that he needed to be well.
Peter watched as Thorin and Oin walked away from the rest of the camp. He didn’t understand Lucy at all. They would misuse her cordial and she would have none left.
It wasn’t long before Edmund, Fili, Kili and Gloin returned to camp with some meat. They had managed to catch two rabbits and several game birds. Bombur, Edmund and Kili sat down to prepare the animals to cook. Bofur and Gloin started preparing spits to roast the meat on.
“Hey, where’s uncle?” Fili asked.
“He’s being treated by Oin,” Balin said.
“Good,” Fili nodded. “Those warg bites couldn’t have been doing him much good.”
Peter walked over to Lucy, “May I have a word with you?”
She followed her brother a little out of the way. By now the sun was almost set and darkness was filling the forest.
“What is it, Peter? Mister Bilbo was telling a most amusing story.”
“Lucy, why did you give that dwarf your flask?”
“Oh, Peter, really. I do believe I’ve already explained this to you. Mister Thorin wouldn’t let me help him, but I could tell he was in great pain. He needed the cordial.”
Peter was frustrated by Lucy’s complete trust in these strangers. “But we don’t know these dwarves at all. How do you know they won’t waste it?”
“I don’t believe Mister Thorin would allow any of the cordial to be wasted. I know we don’t know them at all, but think about it, Peter. We were put in the path of these dwarves and my healing cordial magically appeared in my pocket. I didn’t have it on me at home in England. I left it in Narnia. So why did it suddenly come to me, if not to use to help these dwarves?”
Peter sighed. “Very well. It’s your cordial.”
“Thank you,” Lucy said. “Besides, I like Mister Thorin. He seems so stern and hard, but I’ve seen it in his eyes. There’s sadness there. And have you noticed how the rest of his company follow him, obey him and protect him? He is, obviously, very important to this group.”
“I believe he is, but they have not yet told me who they really are and where they are going,” Peter said. They walked back to the campfire.
Thorin was returning from where he had gone off to be healed. He looked so much better and walked without pain. He came up to Lucy and gave her a slight bow. “Your cordial, little queen. Thank you. It has healed me and I feel better than I have in many weeks.” He held out the flask to her.
Lucy took it and pushed it into her pocket. “I’m glad it worked. You look better, too.”
“If there is ever anything I can do for you, don’t hesitate to ask.”
“That is kind, Mister Thorin, but truly, you owe me nothing,” Lucy was blushing.
“I believe we will have some food to eat soon,” Thorin said.
“Yes, your son said they had some success,” Lucy looked over to where Kili and Edmund sat.
“My son? I have no son,” Thorin looked at her quizzically.
“Oh? I’m sorry. There is one who looks a lot like you, wears your colors, and stood with you when you were injured. I assumed he was your son,” Lucy was red with embarrassment.
“Ah, you speak of Kili. He is my sister’s son. My nephew. He and Fili belong to my younger sister, but there have been many who mistake Kili and I for father and son.”
“I hope you’ll forgive me,” Lucy said.
“There is nothing to forgive. My nephews are my heirs and they are honorable dwarves. I would be happy to call them my sons.”
They rejoined the group around the campfire. There wasn’t much to eat between the nineteen of them, but what they had was delicious. Thorin went about setting up the watch schedule for the night. Peter and Edmund insisted on taking a turn. Since they weren’t far from the Misty Mountains and those horrible goblins, Thorin had two people on watch at all times.
He sighed at the misfortune of having found four lost, unarmed children that he now felt some responsibility for, but he had to admit to himself, he quite like the youngest; Lucy, who had showed him such unrestrained kindness towards him. Without knowing his lineage or position in life as a king, Lucy, a queen in her own way, had served him. She had brought him water to drink and healed his wounds. He had a high respect for the little girl and really, all of the children. They had treated his company no differently because they were dwarves. It was a kindness he was not use to having from outsiders.
That night, before retiring, Thorin checked on everyone in the company. They had nothing to sleep on or blankets to cover themselves with, but they seemed to be resting well. Lucy was curled up next to her sister, but they were shaking in the cooler night air. Thorin removed his own fur lined coat and placed it on top of the girls. He then went and lay out near Fili and Kili, keeping Orcrist at his side. Dwalin and Balin were keeping first watch. He would get some sleep now, before his own turn on watch came around. He fell asleep thinking how interesting it would be to visit this Narnia place and see these children as its rulers. He wouldn't want to live there, under their rule. He was a king himself, after all, but certainly it would be an interesting place to visit.