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Chapter 71 - A Paralyzing Realization

~~ Elena ~~

"How long do you think we have before he notices?" Elena asked quietly, sifting through various pieces of armor in the room. Not really knowing what to look for, she just idly shifted things around to pass the time. Fíli had brought her to the armory shortly after they woke up, insisting that they needed to arm themselves for the upcoming battle. Everything was dusty, and there were pieces of broken or rusty armor everywhere. 

Even though Smaug had never entered the room, his touch had gone far.

"If the Valar have truly blessed us, he won't notice until the armies arrive," Fíli muttered, sorting through a small pile. "If it's anything like the rest of this week has been going, he'll wake up and immediately search for it, notice it's missing, and go mad." He paused. "Well. Madder. Either way, we need to get this done. We should have done it as soon as we found out what was coming. I doubt the elves will have armor that will fit any of us, and we're going to need as much help as we can get."

"Yeah, but doesn't armor change the way you fight?" Elena asked uncertainly, pulling out an armor breastplate that was at least twice the size she was. She put it back. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I know our chances of not dying increase exponentially if we wear it, but doesn't its size and weight and whatnot affect you if you're not used to wearing it?"

Fíli shrugged, pulling out a leather jerkin and holding it up to her experimentally. "It may be a little heavier than you're used to, but it's not going to make that much of a difference. It's designed to not impede your movement very much. Because, you know, the whole moving your sword or shield in a battle is usually considered pretty important. I think this is about your size. Wanna try it on?"

Elena took the sleeveless vest and looked it over. "Not to sound ungrateful, but it doesn't look like it's gonna protect a whole lot," she observed dryly, raising an eyebrow at him. Gingerly navigating her left arm through the bottom of the vest and into the hole for the sleeve, she tugged it on over her head and coat, grateful that it didn't rub up against her wound and aggravate it. It was still a little big for her, but there were strings tying it together down the front that she could use to tighten it, so it at least had potential. 

Fíli rolled his eyes. "It's meant to go under your armor, oh wise one. It's supposed to provide an extra bit of padding underneath your chain mail. That way if something hits the mail, there's less chance of the metal pressing into your skin. It also helps keep in some warmth, and keep the metal from touching your skin. The metal will get cold, Elena. I'm speaking from personal experience here. It's not a pleasant experience when it's cold outside; although like I said, its main function is to provide additional padding and protection to your torso."

Elena tugged on the bottom of the thick vest, trying to get it to shift so that it sat more comfortably. "Well, far be it from me to argue with the guy who actually knows what he's talking about. Does this look right?" she asked, holding her arms out from her side for him to see.

Fíli stepped back and studied her critically. "It's a bit looser than it should be. You want it to be tight so that it's not constantly shifting. It'd be a distraction, and could even affect how the rest of your armor rests on you.  May I?" She nodded and he stepped forward, fiddling with the strings until the vest pulled back snugly against her chest. "Is that comfortable? I don't want to pull it too tight either and cause pain."

Elena nodded easily, shifting the vest again as he stepped back. "It's fine, thanks. So what's next? Chain mail, I suppose?"

Fíli nodded, bending over and searching through more piles in the armory. "If I could, I'd get us all mithril armor. Bilbo actually has one, I think. Unc - Thorin gave it to him last night, but I don't know if there are any more around. I know there definitely used to be mithril here. It could only be mined in Moria, but there were great amounts of it brought here before Moria, and then Erebor, fell. Both the raw ore, and whatever ornaments or armor was fashioned out of it."