The Ravens of Erebor

by akdogdriver

In this Warrior and The King story Thorin's past comes back to haunt him. This story started out as a straight adventure and ended up becoming a rather dark fable. I have always wanted to write about Thorin's association with ravens, they are such fascinating birds.

I.

The wolves were chasing ravens across the rocky ground. The canny birds would watch them closely, taking off as their pursuers approached and flying ahead to land and watch again; they were clearly enjoying the game. The birds misjudged when Vuko put on a burst of speed at the last minute, she jumped high into the air and came down with a mouthful of black feathers.

"Easy there, girl!" Thorin Oakenshield called to her. "Do not eat the ravens! That would be very bad luck."

The white wolf looked around at him, then turned and trotted over beside his horse while Ajax continued the game. He was getting older now, he could not match Vuko's youthful speed. This time he slowed as he neared the birds, suddenly absorbed in an interesting smell. Always curious, one of the ravens watching hopped closer, wanting to see what the wolf had found. Ajax ignored the bird, turning his tail toward it and digging at the ground. Now another raven approached, tilting his head. This one hopped ahead of the other and in a flash Ajax wheeled and pinned the bird to the ground with his paw. It let out a loud cry, the other birds launched themselves into the air.

Kaylea Wolf gave a piercing whistle and her wolf immediately let the raven go and loped over beside her horse. He looked up at her, his golden eyes shining with amusement.

"Enough of that, old man," Kaylea said. "You heard the King." She chuckled at his expression, shaking her head.

Vuko came over beside him, nipping his neck playfully, then trotted ahead. Kaylea looked over at Thorin with a thoughtful expression.

"It seems like there are far less ravens than usual."

Thorin nodded. "I was thinking the same thing. At least there are a few, they have not abandoned Erebor."

He looked up at the gates of his kingdom, already in shadow as the late afternoon sun had moved behind the mountain. They were still a ways off, but he could see the braziers were lit, light from the Hall streaming out the open gate. It was good to be home. He had been King of Erebor for a hundred years, the city had been expanded and improved and was now more prosperous then it had been even in the days of his grandfather. This was the first time he had left his kingdom in the hands of his eldest son for a number of years, he was curious to see how he had fared. Thror was more thoughtful and careful than his father, but he would one day be a good king. For so long Thorin had listened to Kaylea talk about how special his planet was, now that he had spent years training and traveling the Empire he knew the truth of her words. There was nowhere else the air tasted this sweet, the sense of magic that seemed to emanate from the ground, the clean, unspoiled landscape. Much as he disliked Kaylea's lord personally, he had only admiration for how he protected this unique place. Now that Thorin had seen what the rest of the Empire looked like, it almost made the years he had waited for Kaylea seem worth it. Almost.

Thorin and Kaylea crossed the bridge and dismounted before the gate. A company of guards had come out to greet them, all taking a knee before the King. A woman came hurrying between them, Thorin was overjoyed to see it was his daughter Freya. She ran up throwing her arms around him.

"Father!" Thorin hugged her back, then heard her gasp. He quickly loosened his arms, so much time on high gravity planets had made him forget the strength his enhancements would give him here now.

"My girl!" He said. "What a welcome surprise! I did not expect to see you!"

"I am here visiting," Freya replied. "I am lucky to be here to welcome you!" She looked up at her father curiously. "What have you been doing? You feel like a slab of steel."

Thorin chuckled. "Training with the Dorsai."

Freya felt something nudge her elbow and turned to see the white wolf who had come with Thorin. "Who is this?" She asked, scratching the wolf's ruff. Ajax came over and she petted him too, the big grey wolf licked her face happily. The two of them were old friends.

"This is Vuko," Thorin said, frowning at Ajax. At least Vuko was being polite. "On Dorsai, the wolves choose their companions. She decided on me."

"She is beautiful," Freya said. Vuko was smaller than Ajax and almost entirely white with dark grey hairs scattered over her back, many Dorsai had admired her and were a bit disappointed she had chosen Thorin. Freya looked up from petting the wolf to see Kaylea walking over to join them. She curtsied properly, smiling because she knew Kaylea hated it. "My Queen."

"Enough of that," Kaylea said shortly. "It is good to see you, your majesty. You are looking well."

"I am so glad to see you both!" Freya looked from one to the other of them. They seemed somehow much more alike now, beyond just the clothes, the black horses and the wolves. She had always been able to see her father's softer side under his hard exterior, but now like Kaylea he was steel all the way through. And he had the same piercing gaze as his wife, the same soldierly bearing.

"I have a surprise for you, father," Freya said excitedly. "You have a new granddaughter."

Thorin laughed, sweeping his daughter into his arms again. "That is such good news! I cannot wait to meet her!" He looked over at Kaylea, who was picking up the reins of his horse.

"You go ahead," she said with a smile. "I will take care of the horses and see you upstairs."

Thorin stepped over and gave his wife a kiss on the cheek then turned to take his daughter's hand. Together they walked hand in hand into Erebor. Kaylea followed, motioning curtly for the guards to stand up.

"As you were," Thorin heard Kaylea say, annoyance plain in her voice. "I hope I will not have to retrain everyone again."

Thorin smiled to himself, he knew Kaylea hated the obeisance. As a soldier she had spent her life serving her lord and her Emperor, she was accustomed to being the one doing the bowing and was uncomfortable being on the other side. She had warned Thorin many times before they were married the role of queen was one she was ill-suited to play. She had never said so, but he knew she felt she disappointed him in some ways. Not as an advisor or partner of course, but in all the little things that were expected of a queen. Kaylea refused any handmaids and they had decided from the first to sleep in the same bed and share Thorin's apartments. This was mildly scandalous, not that either of them cared. The queen's lavish apartments had belonged to Thorin's sister Dis while she was alive. It had been Dis who took over most of the tasks required of the queen, the planning of celebrations, greeting visiting dignitaries, presiding at state dinners. Princess Siann, Thror's wife, performed those duties now and used the queen's apartments. Despite all this, or perhaps because of it, Kaylea was hugely popular. You would never see her shopping for clothes but she was often found giving weapons instruction to young Dwarves after school, helping in the mines or sharing a drink with members of the Erebor guard. Since she had joined the King's Council the kingdom had prospered like never before and many believed it was her influence. The only things Thorin wished he could change was the fact that her clothes still filled only a corner of his closet and all her jewelry sat in a small box on his dresser. She was so beautiful he loved to see her dressed in fine silks and adorned with the jewels he had made for her, but he always had to remind her to wear them. The consequences of falling in love with a warrior.

Thorin spent the next few hours catching up with his family, Thror seemed genuinely relieved to see him and peppered him with questions about decisions he had made as Thorin played with his new granddaughter. Freya was queen in the Iron Hills now, but still visited Erebor whenever she could. It was strange for Thorin to see his family through the lens of his Sardaukar training, to find himself studying their body language, the subtle signs they gave away with their speech. On Dorsai everyone was hyper-aware of these signals and were careful to reveal very little in conversation. Thorin was almost embarrassed how easy it was for him to read his own family. He could see Freya's passion for her husband had waned, Thror's apprehension that he would disprove of how he had taken care of the kingdom, Fili was bothered by some kind of pain in his side. All around him the halls of Erebor bustled with activity, the city seemed to have grown in his absence, and after being gone for so long he could hear the sounds that usually faded into the background, the hum of the forges, the rhythm of the stamp mill. A few hours later, at the sound of six bells he was in his apartments already changed for dinner when Kaylea came in. Thorin was looking over the clothes in his closet, deciding what he needed to replace. Kaylea smiled at him as she pulled a dress off the rack, seemingly at random. For some reason she had always found it particularly amusing that he had so many clothes.

"Do you think we could install a replicator in here?" He asked her, adjusting the collar on his red shirt. "I never thought my clothes were uncomfortable until I started wearing fabrics from the Empire."

Kaylea laughed. "I think the answer is no, but there is nothing stopping you from replicating everything on the Ship."

"Mmmm…," Thorin slid an arm around her waist and kissed her neck. He looked at the dress she was holding, then up at her. "Can you wear your red one?"

"Your wish is my command, husband," Kaylea said mischievously.

"I do like the sound of that!" Thorin pulled her mouth down to his, stepping back a bit reluctantly. "I probably should let you get changed."

After Kaylea had showered and dressed she was standing in front of the mirror fixing her hair when Thorin came up and put a necklace around her neck, the one with all the tiny rubies that he had made for her several years ago. She smiled over her shoulder at him as he fastened it.

"I will get you trained one of these days," Thorin said, reaching into her jewel chest for bracelets and a golden circlet. "So, were you catching up on business this afternoon?"

"Yes. The banking enterprise has been incredibly successful. Your chancelor says you could give up mining and double the treasury every year."

"Of course," Thorin said, not hiding the disgust in his voice. "I would just prefer not to be known as a banker."

"I am sure no one thinks of you that way. And we had to try something to keep ahead of Durin," Kaylea said. Thorin's son had been so successful in Moria that a friendly rivalry had developed between the two kingdoms. "Besides, you are the guarantor, not the lender."

"I do not know if that is a distinction the average citizen of Middle Earth will make." Thorin looked over her shoulder, straightening the circlet in the mirror. He rested his hands on her shoulders, admiring his beautiful wife. She put her hand on his, smiling softly.

"It is good to be home," she said.

After dinner the family adjourned to one of the small common rooms. It was a merry gathering, Prince Thror and his wife and two sons, Fili with his wife and children, Freya and her daughter. Thorin pulled his harp out of the corner and sat down to tune it as the servants came around with refreshments. Kaylea stood beside the fire one hand on the mantle, it was always cool in Erebor no matter the weather outside. Thorin's new granddaughter crawled over beside him, fascinated by the leather straps on his boots. Thorin had just started to play a melody when a servant came in with a soft satchel, he started to take it to Thror then saw Thorin and hesitated. Thorin held out a hand for it, guessing it contained correspondence for the King.

"Why are we not using the ravens for this?" Thorin asked as he looked over the letters.

"There are very few of them around now," Thror replied. "And none who know our speech. They started disappearing a few years ago."

Thorin looked up at him, frowning. "Where have they gone? Has there been some disease amongst them?" Thror shook his head and shrugged, obviously he had given it little thought.

"I think they are all in the Blue Mountains," Freya said. "I visited there a couple years ago and they were everywhere."

Thorin and Kaylea exchanged glances. They would talk about this later, it needed looking into. Birds did not travel to new homes for no reason. Thorin put the satchel down, there was nothing in it that could not wait until morning. He put his fingers to his harp again, he always missed playing when he was away. As he strummed a few chords Kaylea came to stand beside him, her jewels shining in the lamplight, and began to sing in her clear voice.

Far over the Misty Mountains cold

To dungeons deep and caverns old

Thorin smiled at her, picking up the melody. He sang the next two lines.

We must away ere break of day

To seek the pale enchanted gold.

Together they sang the next verse.

The dwarves of yore made mighty spells,

While hammers fell like ringing bells

In places deep, where dark things sleep,

In hollow halls beneath the fells.

They each sang part of the next verse, and then together again.

For ancient king and elvish lord

There many a gleaming golden hoard

They shaped and wrought, and light they caught

To hide in gems on hilt of sword.

On silver necklaces they strung

The flowering stars, on crowns they hung

The dragon-fire, in twisted wire

They meshed the light of moon and sun.

Thorin and Kaylea had sung the song together at their wedding on Dorsai, it had become very popular and people were always asking them to sing it. Thorin could never make out whether it was because they liked the melody or for the chance to hear Kaylea sing. Over the years they had become quite good at it and now Thorin's family listened entranced, never having heard it sung as a duet before. Kaylea's strong voice made a lovely harmony with Thorin's deep baritone, even Thorin's new granddaughter sat spellbound. When they were finished everyone called for it again.

Some hours later, near midnight, Thorin walked out along the parapet over the gate. He had been too long away in the Empire, it was going to take time to adjust to living underground again. He had always loved this view, he stood looking out over the moonlit landscape enjoying the slight breeze, waiting for Kaylea. As he stood there he became aware of subtle motion at the edge of his vision, turning he saw a great many ravens sitting silently on the parapet. Odd that they should be out after dark, and sitting so quietly. There were more of them than he and Kaylea had seen when they rode in that afternoon. He took a step towards them when suddenly there was a disturbance among them, he could not tell if it was a large group of ravens or a single huge bird. It seemed to shake itself and became a woman, white skin, long black hair, eyes like dark pools, lips red as rose petals. She was wearing a sheer garment that concealed nothing of her body, a necklace with a large yellow stone sparkled around her neck. She looked up at Thorin and smiled.

"There you are. I have been waiting for you."

Thorin watched her approach, astonished. His eyes wandered to her full breasts, the flawless white skin of her belly, the curve of her hips. Too late Thorin realized he should not have met her eyes, she had bewitched him. He shook his head, remembering his training. He concentrated on his breathing, struggling to clear his mind, but his body was already awake with desire. Flush her out, he told himself.

"I remember you are strong," the woman said, coming up before him. What was she doing to him? The woman put a hand on the back of his head, he could not stop himself from meeting her eyes.

"There now, do not fight," she said softly. She smiled again, holding his gaze, and kissed him. Thorin felt his need intense for her through his whole body, her lips tasted like honey, she smelled of flowers and fir trees. Suddenly they were knocked apart, the woman went sprawling, Thorin down on one knee. It was Vuko, hackles raised and snarling. The woman came up on her feet, turning a look of pure hatred on the big white wolf. She made a warding gesture and Thorin saw her shocked face as Vuko blasted through it to close her jaws on her arm. There was that odd blurring sensation of black feathers again and the woman was gone, the ravens followed her silently. Vuko spat out the hand and bounded to put her front feet up on the parapet, looking to see where her enemy had gone.

Thorin felt Kaylea beside him, her hand under his arm lifting him up. She was shaking her head. "I cannot leave you alone for five minutes," she said. Her tone was light but even through the fog in his head he could hear she was deeply concerned.

Thorin put his hands to his temples. What had just happened? He kept trying to clear his head but it was full of the taste and smell of the strange woman, his body was on fire. He grabbed Kaylea, pulling her close and kissing her passionately. He was not seeing her, only white skin and ruby lips. He pushed her back under an archway, his hands pulling up her dress. His need was so intense he barely knew what he was doing.

Kaylea caught his wrists, staring into his eyes. "Get her out," she ordered him. The command in her voice reached through his haze of desire, his training started to reassert itself. He knew the techniques but had little real practice and this was witchcraft, not telepathy. He knew how to transfer his desire to Kaylea, but he would still have to play it out, he was already too far gone down that path. Would she ever forgive him? Kaylea was watching him closely, she saw him make the transition then let go of his hands and kissed him, knowing what was coming. Thorin had to let the passion consume him. He was soon finished, with his climax the hold of the other woman on his mind evaporated.

Thorin leaned against her, gasping. He slowly put his arms around her, almost afraid of holding her. "My love...I am so sorry. Forgive me." Kaylea held him against her.

"I am alright. That was not you."

Thorin looked up at her, his face anguished. "Yes, it was. What did she do to me?" He bent down to pick up his trousers and saw drops of blood on Kaylea's thigh. Thorin felt as angry as he had ever been in his life, and getting angrier. That woman had made him hurt his beloved wife, it filled him with such fury it was only when Kaylea put her hands on his shoulders that he remembered where he was.

"You were not in control of your actions," she told him. "You made the right choice to transfer that desire to me, she cannot catch you again that way. Do you know who she was?"

Thorin closed his eyes, trying to calm himself. He pulled Kaylea's head forward to rest her forehead on his. "My love...my love, I know you are strong but I do not know how you can ever forgive me for this."

He released her and quickly turned away to walk off down the parapet, Vuko got up to follow him.

Kaylea straightened her dress and watched him go. Her heart went out to him, she knew none of what had happened was his fault. He had made the only possible choice, and he had been able to displace the attack, which was quite a feat with his limited experience. Hopefully after he had thought it over he would see that. Ajax brought her the hand as she stooped to pick up the large black feathers. Good thing Vuko had been there, without her this could have been much worse. What was going on? Kaylea could feel a cold fury rising in her. Thorin belonged to her alone, who was this woman who thought she could take him from her? She looked for her husband, but he had disappeared into the city. She wanted desperately to run after him, to hold him in her arms and comfort him, but she knew he needed to be alone right now. When he came back they would hunt this woman down together.

II.

Hours later when Kaylea was laying in bed, she heard Thorin come into their bedroom. She had hoped he would come back tonight, she needed so badly to be with him. She listened to him undress, wanting to turn over but making herself stay still. Kaylea knew he felt terrible about hurting her, though she had known it was coming and had been prepared for it. She heard him throw a couple more logs on the fire and then felt his weight on the bed. Thorin moved over slowly, when she felt his hand on her side she took it and brought it up to her chest, drawing him tight against her. She leaned back, feeling so in love with him that she felt her body must be glowing.

"You forgive me?" Thorin's breath was warm on her ear, he shifted against her, their naked bodies intertwined.

"There is nothing to forgive," Kaylea replied softly. Thorin started to speak, but she shushed him. "Just hold me."

They lay together in silence for a long time, the logs popping in the fireplace, the soft breathing of the wolves, the only sounds in the room.

"Do you know who she is?" Kaylea asked softly.

Thorin drew a long breath. "No. But there was something familiar about her…," his voice trailed off. Kaylea could feel his hesitation. "When she...when we were close…" He stopped, then started again. "There is a tree that grows in the Blue Mountains, you do not find them here. That is what she smelled like." Thorin pulled her against him. "My love, I am so sorry."

"Shhhh…," Kaylea brought his hand up to her lips and kissed it. "You did what you had to. You flushed her out, that is what is important."

Thorin kissed her neck softly. "I owe Vuko," he took a deep breath, remembering. "That witch was surprised she could not ward her off."

Kaylea chuckled. "She expected a wolf from Middle Earth."

Thorin was quiet for a moment. He gently stroked Kaylea's stomach, enjoying the feel of her skin under his fingers, though he felt faintly guilty about it. He asked. "Did you analyze that hand?"

"She is some kind of Human. Her genetics were very unusual, but to get an answer for that we will have to access a different database."

Thorin snorted. There was no way they were asking Blackwolf. "I think we can track her down without talking to him," he said. "We should start with the ravens."

"I agree," Kaylea said.

"Though Thror said there are none now that know our speech."

"And we know someone who talks to animals. He may also know who she is."

Thorin frowned. "Has not the wizard sailed with the rest?"

Kaylea chuckled softly. "What is there in the West to interest Radagast?"

Now it was Thorin's turn to smile. "Good point. Let us go and see him. We should leave tomorrow."

Kaylea started to roll over, but Thorin held her tight. He was not ready to face her yet. She relaxed against him, sighing. "Yes. Tomorrow." She ran her fingers down his arm thoughtfully. "I do not think it is possible to love anyone more than I love you in this moment."

"I do not feel worthy of such love right now, my wife." Thorin smoothed her hair away from her neck, then rested his head against hers. "Though it was because of my love for you that I was able to get that witch out of my head...had you not been there…" His voice trailed off again.

"She tried to take you from me, I will not stand for that," Kaylea said evenly. "We must put what happened tonight behind us. Now we hunt her down and kill her."

Three days later Thorin and Kaylea approached the ford of the Celduin in the late afternoon, making for the inn that stood on the river's south bank. They had at least another day's ride before they turned into the forest of Mirkwood and were looking forward to a comfortable night. The road between the Lonely Mountain and Gondor was a major trade route these days and a number of inns had sprung up to serve the many travellers. This was the first inn they had come to where it was convenient to stop.

As they approached Thorin could see there was some kind of commotion going on around the inn, people milling around outside, several riders headed hastily south. It looked like a hornet's nest that had been poked with a stick.

The crowd parted as Thorin and Kaylea rode up, people stared at them curiously.

Thorin had not thought much about it until now but the two of them must be quite a sight. Dressed alike in black garments bearing the sigil of the House of Durin, heavily armed and riding black horses, two dire wolves trailing behind. Kaylea with her flawless beauty and mithril beads shining in her golden hair, Thorin too tall now to be taken for a Dwarf, with his unlined face and refined features. He was still growing his hair out after that training incident, but it was already past his shoulders. As they reined in their horses a Southron merchant Thorin recognised from the Dale market came hurrying up. He bowed low to the King.

"What is happening here, Amir?" Thorin asked.

"A group of highwaymen, your majesties," the merchant replied. "Decided they wanted the inn to themselves. They kept my two daughters to serve them." The man looked nervously from Thorin to Kaylea and back.

"Is this what happens on the roads now?" Kaylea asked. The merchant shrugged.

"Sometimes," he said. "Normally you do not see them so far north." He gestured to the riders who had headed south. "I have sent men to fetch my guards, they are behind us with the wagons."

"I was quite looking forward to staying here tonight," Kaylea said, smiling. She looked at her husband. "You want the front or the back?"

"The front."

Kaylea nodded and quickly disappeared around the side of the inn. Thorin put a hand on the merchant's shoulder. "Your daughters will be out presently."

Thorin walked up to the front door and tried the latch. It felt like the door was barred. He put a hand on it and shoved, the door groaned and the heavy timber across the back split with a loud crack. He walked in.

"What does it take to get a meal in this place?" He said, eyes sweeping the room. There were eight of them, sitting around one of the long tables. With the benefit of his recent training Thorin saw not just eight opponents but two left-handed, one fast with his bow, the two who were going to attack first, the leader with one of the barmaids sitting on his lap, the two slow ones who would only attack after the others. The merchant's daughters in their long robes and veils were sitting among them, keeping their eyes down. The innkeeper was behind the bar with another girl, shaking his head and motioning Thorin to leave. There was an archway leading to the kitchens, Kaylea would be coming that way.

"This place is closed!" One of the bandits called. "This is a private party!"

Thorin sat down at one of the tables. "If this is a party, it is not a very good one."

Two of the men got up and came over to stand beside him, the two eager attackers. Thorin saw the leader remained seated and watching him closely.

"You have a hearing problem? The inn is closed." One of the bandits said, then noticed Thorin was armed. "You can leave that sword."

"This one is from the Lonely Mountain," the other bandit said, pointing at the insignia on Thorin's coat. "Bet he has a purse full of Dwarf gold. Hand it over!"

Thorin looked from one to the other of them. "I have a better idea, I will keep them and both of you can piss off." Then he moved, drawing his sword and striking in the same motion. His first stroke took the nearest one's head off, the upstroke took care of the other. Thorin rolled forward over the table just as the one he had marked put an arrow in his bow, the shot landing in the empty chair. He came up next to the men sitting at the table, his sword when through the back of the nearest ones neck, then he pivoted drawing a knife. The bandit sitting across the table fell backwards with the knife in his throat. The other four were already up running for the side door and met Kaylea, now standing in the archway. She buried her knife in the nearest ones chest, ducking under the other's sword stroke to wrap an arm around his neck and break it. The leader and the last bandit were a few steps behind, both went down with knives in their throats.

"I had that last one!" Thorin said with a grin, flicking the blood off his sword and sheathing it.

"Four for you, Four for me," Kaylea smiled back at him. The innkeeper poked his head up over the bar to look at them in awe. The two Southern girls had already run out the door while the barmaids were staring in astonishment.

"We were hoping to get a room for the night," Thorin leaned on the bar.

"Of course! Of course! You shall have my finest rooms, free of charge!" The innkeeper said. "Just give me a little time to clean up!"

A few hours later Thorin and Kaylea were enjoying a meal at a corner table of the inn. The place was already back to normal, full of conversation. The innkeeper and his two serving girls were kept busy, as curious travelers arrived wanting to hear all that had happened. Word was travelling fast. Kaylea Wolf was known to some of the older residents of the area, but nobody quite believed the man with her was the 300 year old King of Erebor. He had not aged at all since being exposed to the life-extending boosterspice that Kaylea had used on him after the Battle of the Five Armies. The Dorsai used it primarily to heal serious wounds, they were resistant to it but it turned out Thorin was hypersensitive and it had made him not only younger but taller. Many curious glances were aimed at the couple in black. Thorin took a long draw on his ale and looked at his wife. He used to be so in awe of her fighting skill. After the years of Sardaukar training his opponents now seemed to all be moving in slow motion, to defeat them was absurdly easy.

"We have a couple more days ride before we turn into Mirkwood," Kaylea was saying. "This will be the last night we sleep in a bed for awhile."

Thorin nodded, looking down at his hands. It had only been four nights since the raven-woman, he was still struggling with what he had done to his wife. Though he wanted to, he felt he could not trust himself to touch her intimately again. They still shared a bedroll, but he could not let himself go further than holding her as they slept.

Kaylea looked at him questioningly. "If you do not come back to me, you are giving her what she wants."

"I know," he replied, shaking his head. He knew some part of that woman was still between them. "I am sorry, my love."

Kaylea reached across the table and squeezed his hand. "When you are ready, I am here."

It was just a little over a day later that Thorin and Kaylea were leading their horses through Mirkwood. The forest was a much different place now than when Thorin and his company had traveled through it so many years ago. The many dark things that had made their home there were gone, the canopy was still thick but light and air now filtered through it to the ground. In past times Mirkwood had been known as Greenwood and it was now almost returned to that forest of old. The Elves of the Woodland Realm still dwelt in the north of the forest. After the defeat of Sauron many of the Fair Folk had sailed to the West, but there were some who remained. There were still Elves in the lands of Lothlorien and Rivendell and very few of the residents of the Woodland Realm had left. There was a sort of uneasy truce between Erebor and the Elves but Kaylea and Thorin gave their land a wide berth for caution's sake, entering the forest far south of the River Running.

They had followed well-worn game trails for much of the day, in places the forest grew too thick to ride and they went forward leading their horses. As the afternoon was wearing on the trail opened out into a little meadow, a stream happily bubbling along the side. The perfect level spot for their camp and running water was too good to pass up so they decided to stop for the night.

"This looks like a good place to meet a wizard," Kaylea observed as she unsaddled the horses.

"If we are close, can we not go knock on his door?" Thorin asked. He was gathering stones for a fire ring.

Kaylea smiled. "That would be very rude. One must always let the wizard decide if he wants to speak to you."

Thorin shook his head. Dealing with wizards always gave him a fearful headache.

III.

The twilight was deepening when Kaylea saw the black shapes of ravens in the trees around them. She had stepped away from the fire to check on the horses when she saw them. The air suddenly felt close, the temperature dropping. Both wolves immediately came up on their feet, noses twitching. Thorin felt it too, he got to his feet turning slowly around, watching to see where she would come from this time. The birds all began flying at once, in fast circles around Thorin. From out of the flock the dark-haired woman appeared, stepping forward to stand before the King. Tonight she was wearing a close-fitted dress of what looked like black feathers, the hand Vuko had taken replaced with a glove also of feathers.

"What are you doing here?" She asked Thorin, her voice husky, her ruby lips curled into a smile. "Why are you not coming to me? It is time to fulfill your promise."

Thorin could feel her trying to bewitch him again, but she no longer had that power. It was easy for him to keep her out. "I have no idea what you are talking about," he replied. He could see the wolves pacing around the wall of flying birds and Kaylea standing close by, sword at the ready. He wondered why she was smiling. "Who are you?"

"You do not remember me?" The woman's eyes flashed, Thorin could see her confusion that she could not glamour him as she had before. She turned coy and seductive. "Let me help you." Thorin felt a change in the air, that closeness again, he felt a door open in his mind and he remembered. He stepped back involuntarily, his hand on his knife but suddenly the strange woman cried out and collapsed, her hands on either side of her head.

Thorin looked up to see a tall robed figure emerge from the trees, holding his staff high.

"You are in my home now, little girl," the figure said. "You think you have any power here?"

Just at that moment a huge white bear burst out of the woods and headed for the raven woman. Scattering the circling birds, it grabbed the woman in its jaws and loped off into the trees. The ravens started to follow her but then doubled back to the meadow. Radagast was walking across the clearing, holding his arms out as the birds circled him. He was smiling, his eyes shining in the twilight. He looked younger than the last time Thorin had seen him, but of course it was early summer. His beard was shorter, his hair not as grey. The stem of some yellow flower and a couple of ferns were stuck in the band of his narrow-brimmed felt hat. The ravens circled him a few more times and then flew away to the north, except for two that alighted on the wizard's shoulders. Radagast stood silently watching the birds for a few moments, then he turned to Thorin and Kaylea.

"You two had better come with me."

Kaylea saddled the horses while Thorin picked up the camp, they were ready to move in a few minutes. Radagast had been walking around the meadow muttering to himself in a low voice, sweeping the ground with his staff. He looked up as Thorin and Kaylea approached, leading their horses.

"Can you impress on your wolves not to eat any creature we may come across tonight?" The wizard asked. "I cannot figure out what language they speak."

"They are not from around here," Kaylea said, sending a mental image to the wolves.

"Aha!" The wizard said, as if he had heard her thoughts. "That is quite convenient! Are you ready?"

He led the way further into the forest, humming softly to himself. They had been walking for about half an hour when the white bear appeared out of the trees and stopped before the wizard. They had a brief conversation of some kind then the bear turned back and vanished.

"Where did you take her?" Thorin asked.

"Threw her in the river," the wizard replied. "It will take her some time to recover her strength, but to be safe you should stay with me." He chuckled to himself. "She will have a hard time without her birds." He reached up and stroked the head of one of the ravens that was sitting on his shoulder.

"So, she does have some hold over them," Kaylea said.

"Yes. A very nasty business. You will be glad to know I sent those ravens back to the Lonely Mountain, they are safe from her now."

The walked in silence the rest of the way. Kaylea could see Thorin was troubled, had he remembered who this woman was? After they had been walking for more than an hour they came to a moonlit clearing, a wall of moss covered rock rising up on the far side.

"You can leave the horses, they will be quite safe," Radagast paused in front of the rock face. "The wolves also must stay outside, do come along as soon as you are ready. I will put some water on for tea. Unless you happen to have any of that excellent coffee?"

"Of course," Kaylea replied, taking a small package out of her saddlebag. She handed it to the wizard and turned to unsaddle her horse. Radagast pulled a thick piece of hanging moss aside and disappeared into what looked like a natural tunnel. A few minutes later Thorin and Kaylea followed him, after a short distance it opened up into a large room, Kaylea was amazed. The room was like a huge geode, made entirely of rough crystal. The crystals of the ceiling glowed softly, bathing the room in soft white light. The floor had been leveled but natural crystals stood out on the walls and ceiling. This was obviously the wizards study as there were stacks of books and wide workbenches, rows of small bottles and herbs drying from the ceiling. A tiny fawn with a splinted leg looked at them curiously from beneath its mother's legs, as did the mother puma with two sneezing cubs. There was a mink with a swollen eye swimming in a kind of natural basin and a goshawk with a drooping wing.

"Come on through!" They heard the wizard call and continued down another short passage to a similar crystal room. This one had a kitchen, table and chairs, a kettle whistling on the wood stove. The light was stronger here, the room warm and cozy. Radagast was just pouring coffee into mugs, shooing away the two lizards that were on the small table. He nodded to one of the openings across the room.

"You can put your things in there."

Kaylea went through to another irregularly shaped crystal room, this one with a bed and soft chairs. She put her saddle and bags down, Thorin followed. Kaylea watched him run his hand over the walls, no doubt assessing their value. She knew crystals like these were not common, it was a house any Dwarf would envy. When they returned to the kitchen Radagast motioned for them to sit and handed them each a mug. The warm light made him look even younger. Having only met the wizard once Thorin could not get over how different he was from Gandalf. He had an air of physical strength the other wizard lacked, his features sharper, his brown robes lighter and closer-fitted than the ones Gandalf had always worn. His brown hair was tied back with a piece of leather, the braided rope belt around his waist had a number of different sized pouches hanging from it. He did not look at all like someone who spent his days studying tomes of arcane lore.

"So, I assume this sorceress is the reason you are in Mirkwood," he said, taking a seat across the table. "Tell me about her."

"We first saw her in Erebor a few days ago…" Kaylea began, but Radagast held up a hand.

"I was talking to the King."

Kaylea looked at her husband curiously. Thorin was sitting with his elbows on his knees, looking thoughtfully at the fire through the window of the stove. He gave the wizard a sideways glance.

"After the dragon, when we came to the Blue Mountains we went first to Belegost and while we were welcomed there by our kin we wished always for a place of our own. I did much scouting around and one day, quite by accident, I found a series of natural caverns. The entrance was very small and easily overlooked. I could see they looked very promising so I brought a number of my people there and we started some works. It went well and soon we were carving out new halls and homes. I was out walking alone one day, I still do that quite a lot, and that was when I first saw her standing in a stream." He took a deep breath. "Topaz, she called herself, like the stone she wears around her neck. She said she knew the mountains well and could tell me their secrets. Her knowledge did much to make us successful there. I do not know where she lived or where she came from. I always found her when I was out walking, but she also disappeared for days at a time."

"And you lay with her." Radagast said, smiling.

Thorin looked up at the ceiling, then down at his hands, clearly uncomfortable. "I was young, she was a pretty girl."

"And you did not think in her mind that might constitute a contract?" The wizard asked. Thorin looked up at him sharply.

Kaylea sat back, crossing her arms. "And you just now happened to remember all this?'

Thorin looked at her sheepishly. "I did not recognise her," he said. "This was long ago, and she was just a young girl." He shifted in his seat. "She is completely changed, I did not know her until tonight."

"And the rest of the story?" Radagast petted the grey squirrel that had just run up in his lap, sipping his coffee.

Thorin continued to look uncomfortable. "She came and went for a time and then I did not see her again. One day after we had been in the Ered Luin for a few years she appeared, demanding that I fulfill my promise to marry her. I had given her no such promise and told her so. She flew into a fury and threatened me with consequences if I did not do as she bade me." He frowned at the memory. "I told her she had no claim on me and sent her away. A few days later there was a shaking deep in the earth, several were killed in the mines. A week later, the same thing." Thorin shook his head at the memory, Radagast and Kaylea waited for him to go on.

"After the accidents the loremasters came to see me," the King continued. "They said this woman possessed some kind of dark magic. They discovered she had been contained in that first cavern we had found, somehow with our works we had loosed her and we needed to return her there before she grew any stronger. We made a plan to lure her into the cavern so they could bind her there with spells. This is what we did." Thorin looked down at the floor, chewing his lip. "After it was done we walled up the caverns, my people made a fair living and I have thought no more about her. Until tonight."

"You will not catch her so easily again," Radagast said. "Goodness, where are my manners!" He got up and retrieved bowls of fresh berries and nuts from the sideboard and placed them on the table, then refreshed their coffee.

"And this Topaz has appeared to you before tonight," he said.

Now Kaylea took up the story, relating the events in Erebor that had brought them to Mirkwood, though she left out all the details to spare her husband. She handed the wizard one of the black feathers the sorceress had left behind. Radagast turned it over in his hands thoughtfully.

"You were able to undo her spell? Where did you learn this?" He asked Thorin.

"The last few years I have been training with the Dorsai," Thorin replied. "They have techniques for defeating such attacks." He looked up at Radagast. "Now, what can you tell us about this woman?"

"Ah, that is why you are so changed!" The wizard said. "It is not only that you are much taller and younger than you should be, there is something about you now that is not of Middle Earth. You are like her," he nodded to Kaylea. "How much longer will you be content as King of Erebor, I wonder?" Radagast paused as if he had just thought of something and looked at the King closely. "You are not yet entirely free from this woman's spell."

"Radagast, what can you tell us about this sorceress?" Kaylea asked, gently trying to steer the wizard back to the subject at hand.

Radagast sat back, drawing a long breath. "This is so much more Gandalf's area than mine," he said. He was silent for a moment. "You know that though the Elves are called Firstborn, really the Dwarves were the first to walk the land of Middle Earth?"

Thorin smiled, he had always treated such stories with a healthy skepticism. "That is the story."

"In this case, it happens to be a true story," the wizard said crossly. "But the Elves were neither the first nor the second, for as Aule made his children so also did Yavanna. She loved her creation and had no wish to wait on the whim of Illuvatar. But she was more careful than Aule, she made few, all in her image, and her works were not discovered. Not by Illuvatar anyway, they were found by Melkor who began to corrupt them and turn them to his purposes. When Yavanna found what had happened to her children she imprisoned them in stone, deep in the earth. It was there this one slept until your people awoke her." Radagast absently cracked open a couple of nuts and gave them to the squirrel. He continued speaking quietly, as if talking to himself. "I wonder if when she disappeared she had been discovered by Sauron, or one of his servants. They would be attracted to such power, and may have helped shape what she has become. Sauron had always tried to ensnare the Dwarves but was never successful, even with his rings"

"But how has she escaped her prison again? And what does she want?" Thorin asked, exasperated.

The wizard looked at Thorin thoughtfully. "How long has it been since you were in the Blue Mountains?"

Thorin shrugged. "A hundred years."

"You must go there, then the first of your questions may be answered. As for what this woman wants, it is clear she wants you. She may not have been your first, but I think you may have been hers. She chose you, perhaps because she saw that you would one day become the greatest Dwarf king."

"I am hardly that," Thorin shook his head, looking embarrassed.

"Are you not?" Radagast looked amused. "You lead your people out of Erebor to prosperity in the Blue Mountains, then retake the Lonely Mountain from the dragon. You lead the Dwarves in the last battle against Sauron and then reclaim the greatest Dwarf city in Middle Earth. You have built one homeland, reclaimed two others and restored the reputation of your folk among the other races of Middle Earth. I do not claim to understand your people but is there another who has done as much?"

Kaylea was laughing softly, never having heard her husband's accomplishments laid out so succinctly before. Thorin scowled at her and shrugged. "Well, I suppose if you put it that way…"

The squirrel had climbed down off the wizard's lap, now the mink from the other room came trotting in and stopped beside Radagast. The wizard picked him up and inspected the swollen eye. He reached into one of his pouches and took our a small vial, spreading some kind of oil on the animal's wound.

"It is late," the wizard said. "Let us take this up in the morning." He stood up, putting the mink under his arm and stepped over to take a glass container off one of the shelves. He inspected the contents then put it back and selected a different one. He reached in and took out a small square of something that looked almost like a piece of chocolate, he put it down in front of Thorin with a glass of water. "Eat this," he said. "It will make you feel better." Then without another word he disappeared into a passage off the back of the kitchen.

Thorin put his head in his hands, sighing deeply. "What you must think of me, my love."

Kaylea smiled. "You made the right decision to protect your people. There is nothing you could have done different."

"Except left that woman alone in the first place," Thorin said ruefully. "This brings it all back, the Dwarves that lost their lives, the way I had to lure her into that cave to trap her."

"It is not in the nature of young men to leave pretty girls alone," Kaylea said, smiling. "We all have regrets in our past."

"You are more forgiving than I would be," Thorin said, looking down at his hands.

She put her hand on his beard, turning his head to look in his eyes. "Do not mistake me, my king. I am as jealous as you are. I hating having to share you with your wife, but I understood the necessity. Now you are what this woman wants and it is you we must use to bait the trap, but it will be like putting a knife in my heart."

Thorin put his hand on hers, closing his eyes. "After the pain I have already caused you."

"The physical pain was slight and easily healed," Kaylea said evenly. "What wounds me to my core is she is still between us, will she still be even if we kill her?"

Thorin got to his feet, pulling her to him. They embraced each other for a long moment, Thorin holding her head against his shoulder. As Kaylea relaxed into his arms, she felt something shift, like the chasm that had separated them was starting to close.

"We will face her together and be rid of her, my love," Thorin said at last. "Now I am going to take a handful of headache pills and get some sleep."

Kaylea nodded to the thing Radagast had given him. "Why not eat that?"

"Radagast might think I will feel better if I am a moose," Thorin replied, only half joking. He picked it up and sniffed at it, it looked like a fancy chocolate and smelled of cocoa and maple.

Kaylea laughed. "Suit yourself. I am going out to check on the horses."

As soon as she left Thorin decided he might as well eat it, if he was a moose at least ancient sorceresses would leave him alone. It was very dense and sweet, it almost melted in his mouth. Then came the kick, a spicy hot afterburn that made his eyes water. Thorin gulped down the water, not that it helped much. Shaking his head he got up and went into the bedroom. Wizards.

The next morning there was no sign of Radagast. Thorin stirred up the embers in the stove and made coffee while Kaylea hunted through their field rations for breakfast. They made their way past a new group of patients waiting in the wizard's study to sit outside in the early morning sun. Their horses were grazing quietly across the meadow, the cloudless sky promising another warm day. There was a natural stone bench in the rock wall where they sat to eat breakfast. They had just got settled when a large brown bear trotted out of the forest and stopped in front of them. She stood up on her back feet, rubbing her forefeet together, looking from side to side. There were two arrows in her shoulder.

"Radagast is not here," Kaylea said. She had no idea if the animal understood her speech, and bears are very hard to read in any case. The bear dropped down on four feet again and swayed side to side, making a whining sound.

"She is very upset. I do not think it is those arrows, they look like they are barely under her skin," Kaylea said to Thorin, who was watching the bear nervously. He had never been very comfortable around animals, he was still getting used to having a wolf following him around. The bear walked towards the center of the meadow and sat down heavily, still making the sad whining sound.

"This probably means the wizard is not far off," Kaylea observed.

Thorin went back to his breakfast, watching the bear warily. "Any thoughts on how we are going to do this?"

Kaylea sipped at her coffee. "A few. We have to get to the Blue Mountains, see the lay of the land. She must have some kind of base there."

"Our advantage is we know she will come to us. Well, to me," Thorin said. "The problem is we have already tipped part of our hand."

Kaylea nodded. The woman already knew she could not easily glamor Thorin and the wolves were resistant to her spells, but they still had cards to play. "She does not know all of it yet," she said, then added with a smile. "And you should stick to Khuzdul or Common Speech while we are here."

Thorin shook his head, he had not realized he had been speaking Standard. Radagast was right, he was changed. The wizard's words played themselves over in his mind, how long would he remain King of Erebor? He had been thinking lately the time might be right to hand the throne over to his son permanently. Now that he had become used to the technology and variety of the Empire it would be hard to stay in Middle Earth for years at a time, and he was going to outlive even his grandchildren. Thror deserved the chance to build his legacy to pass on to his own children. He shook his head to clear it, that was a decision for another day.

"How long has it been since you were in the Ered Luin?" Thorin asked.

Kaylea looked thoughtful. "I was there before we were married, so forty years. But I have never journeyed far into the Northern Blue Mountains. There are many Men living there now, you may find it quite changed."

"It has been a very long time since I thought about those mountains, or my kin who still reside there," Thorin replied. "I think we need to get there as soon as we can." He smiled at his wife. "Any chance we can call the Ship?"

Kaylea chuckled. "Rules. Besides, there is much we may learn on the ride there."

After breakfast was finished they decided to get the horses saddled and ready to depart. The sun was rising in the sky and they knew where they had to go. There was no sign of the wolves, but they could easily track them through the forest. They were about to leave when Radagast appeared out of the trees across the meadow. The wolves were following him and he was carrying two bear cubs. The mother bear got up and rushed toward him but hesitated when she saw the dire wolves. Ajax and Vuko moved back and headed around the meadow as Radagast set the cubs on the ground. They ran to their mother, who nuzzled and licked them, sniffing them all over. The wizard walked up beside her and carefully removed the arrows, as Kaylea had seen they had been stopped by her shoulder blade. Radagast applied some kind of salve on the wounds, packed them carefully and put some kind of sticky leaves over the cuts. He stood back to watch as the grateful bear herded her cubs into the woods.

"Who hunts bears this time of year? Barbarians." The wizard said as Kaylea and Thorin came up beside him. "They could not kill the mother so they thought to take the cubs. Those wolves of yours gave them the fright of their lives. I wonder if you could leave them with me? We could do some good work together!"

"I think we will be needing them," Kaylea replied.

The wizard looked from one to the other of them. "You are off to the Blue Mountains, then?"

"Any chance you want to come and help?"

Radagast shook his head. "I will come if there is a need, but I think you may have an ally in this who has not yet revealed himself. You have a plan to trap her?"

"We are not going to trap her," Thorin answered, scowling. "We are going to kill her."

The wizard looked surprised, giving the King a sharp look. "Why would you do that?"

Thorin did not answer, looking away. Kaylea spoke. "She has come between us in a way we cannot forgive."

"I am sorry to hear this," Radagast said. "She is a very rare thing, the only one of her kind I have ever seen, and it may be she is not beyond redemption." He looked at Kaylea, then at the scabbard under her saddle. "You have the means to do it with that black sword, though she will see it coming." He turned to look at Thorin closely. "Feeling better?"

The King shrugged. "I had a good night's sleep and did not wake up as a badger."

Radagast laughed. "It may take longer to have an effect with you, Dwarves are always so difficult. A badger! Well, do call on me if you find yourself being short-tempered, or wanting to dig holes in the ground," he laughed again at Thorin's scowl. "Or if you grow very long claws."

"Thank you for your hospitality and all your help," Kaylea said politely, wanting to change the subject before Thorin knocked the wizard out. "Now, can you tell us the fastest way to the old Forest Road?"

Thorin and Kaylea spent the day travelling fast, they wanted to reach the Anduin before sundown. Following the wizard's directions they reached the old road through the forest just after midday. Once on the road they gave the Nihrain their heads and fairly flew to the western edge of the forest, arriving at the river in the late afternoon. There was still good light left but it had been a warm day and the water looked very inviting. They headed south of the road and came to a sheltered spot along the river, a meadow of rich grass leading down to the water. Ajax waded into the water to look for fish, Vuko beside him.

Thorin loosened the girths on the horses and turned them loose to graze, after they had taken a break they would be on their way again, there was still good light left. Kaylea spread out a blanket near the river and soon they were both scrubbing the sweat and dust of the day off in the cool water. Kaylea came out first, laying down to dry herself in the last of the afternoon sun. She watched Thorin walk out of the water, throwing his hair back, his wet skin glistening. His years in the Sardaukar had left him lean and hard, his muscles like bundled wire under his skin. The tattoo that covered the old wound on his shoulder stood out against his skin, now tanned by many suns. Thorin came up beside her, shaking his hair out. Kaylea held her hand up to him, he took it with a soft smile and lay down beside her. The sight of her husband like this, naked and gorgeous, made her intimately aware of how badly she wanted him, it was like a physical pain low in her body. She could feel there had been some change in him since last night, had whatever Radagast had given him helped to shake off the last of that sorceresses influence? Kaylea tried to put her desire aside and closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of the warm sun on her skin, the clean smell of Thorin next to her. She felt him roll onto his side and after a moment she felt his lips on her shoulder, then her neck, the electric sensation of his hand moving down the side of her body. She shifted slightly towards him, her whole body coming alive as his lips met hers. Kaylea forced herself to go slow, kissing him softly, running her fingers lightly up his back. Thorin kissed her lightly at first, then more deeply, his hand running over her thigh and between her legs. It was clear he was not stopping himself this time. As they made love on the grass Kaylea felt as if the earth were shifting around them. Thorin had finally found his way across the gulf that had separated them, her beloved had come back to her at last.

Some time later as the sun disappeared behind the mountains, Thorin and Kaylea were cleaning up their meal and getting ready to ride again when a large raven alighted on the ground in front of the King. A second raven landed behind the first. Both birds carefully held their heads low and parallel to the ground, as a sort of bow.

"Thorin, son of Thrain, greatest of kings, we wish to accompany you help free the rest of our people," said the first bird, standing up. "I am Kagit, my companion is Kageen, we have long been in your service carrying messages to the Iron Hills. If I may say, you have been too long away from the Lonely Mountain."

Thorin bowed slightly to the birds. "Thank you for your service, noble birds," he said politely. "I am glad to have your help on this quest, it has been many years since I was in the Blue Mountains." He knelt down to be closer to Kagit. "I have been away a bit of late, but surely this is not why you now serve a different master?"

The black bird ruffled his wings, looking from side to side. "She calls us in a voice we cannot ignore. And she has taken the blood of many of my people. If you had been here you would have seen our plight, your son is not the friend to us that you are."

Thorin scowled, getting to his feet. "Perhaps there are some things my son has yet to learn, but I am here now and will end this woman's schemes. Do you know where she is in the Ered Luin?"

Kageen bobbed her head. "We can no longer hear her but we can show you where she called us, your majesty." The bird inclined her head to one side, than the other. "It is very far from here."

The two birds bowed again and took off, flying towards the mountains. The King watched them for a moment, then turned to pick up the reins of his horse, feeling hopeful for the first time that they might be successful in this. The Misty Mountains loomed up ahead of them, their peaks still crowned with snow. They had a very long ride ahead of them.

IV.

It was the best time to be travelling in Middle Earth. Spring was just turning to summer, the days were warm and the nights cool. There were occasional rain showers but they blew over quickly, leaving the air clear and the land clean in the bright sun. Their path lay across of the lands of the west, over the High Pass of the Misty Mountains where they were slowed by the remaining snow, down the western slope to the Bruinen and the Great East Road, then across the green downs to Bree where they would turn north. They rode day and night, as both felt the need for haste. The Nihrain horses and the wolves could run for days with only brief rests. Of all the company Thorin needed the most sleep, but he had become used to that in his years with the Sardaukar. When they stopped to eat and rest the horses he would take short naps, they were enough to get him through to the nights they stopped for longer when Kaylea also needed to sleep. Thorin was completely free of Topaz's influence now and the easy intimacy that had long existed between them was restored. For both of them it was very much like the trips they had taken when they first knew each other, sitting together talking by the campfire and making love under the stars.

Thorin had always made fun of Kaylea's black clothes, but after his years in the same uniform he found it the most practical and comfortable clothing he had ever travelled in. Cool in the sun, warm at night, waterproof and easy to move in, impervious to the weapons of Middle Earth, and when they got dirty you could just rinse them in a stream and they were clean and dry in minutes. Of course, Thorin had also packed some of his regular clothes, just in case.

As they rode along the East Road Kaylea would always stop to talk to any travellers they encountered, she was particularly interested in anything the merchants had to say. She and Thorin got many curious looks, and were recognised occasionally. Older residents remembered Kaylea from the days before the Great War, when she had been often seen in these lands with the Rangers. Thorin had not been on this side of the mountains for a great many years, he was only known to those who travelled to Dale. From the tales they heard and the quantities of steel on the wagons it seemed the Dwarves in the Blue Mountains were prospering.

Six days after leaving the forest of Mirkwood Thorin and Kaylea had crossed the Downs and arrived in Bree. The town had grown since the last time Thorin was there, now it boasted three inns to choose from. The Prancing Pony was the oldest and still the best in town, it was there they stopped to find a room for the night. They had been riding almost non-stop since they had left the Anduin and were looking forward to a night indoors. The innkeeper was a heavy-set older man, he recognised Kaylea at once.

"Kaylea Wolf! I have not seen you in an age!" He said, turning around to select a key. "Would you like your regular room? And who is your companion?"

Kaylea smiled. "That will be fine, Harry. This is Thorin Oakenshield."

The innkeeper looked at Thorin thoughtfully. "Thorin. That name seems familiar."

"It should. He is the King of Erebor," the speaker was a young Dwarf woman who had just come in from the kitchen, holding a mop and bucket of sudsy water. She curtsied low to the King. "Your majesty."

"The King of Erebor!" The innkeeper exclaimed, giving Thorin a shocked look. "Well, I never! I hope my rooms are grand enough for a king."

Kaylea waved her hand dismissively. "We have just spent the last seven days sleeping on the ground, an ordinary room will suffice."

The innkeep started to hand Kaylea a key, then hesitated. "Do you need two rooms?"

"No, they are married," said the Dwarf woman over her shoulder, she had set her bucket down and was mopping the floor in the bar. She was plainly dressed and wore her beard in the style of the Dwarves of the Blue Mountains.

The man looked from Thorin to Kaylea and then back at the woman working on the floor. "Why is the King of Erebor not married to a Dwarf?"

The woman straightened up and gave him an exasperated look. "He was, and she bore him three children but they never loved each other. Kaylea Wolf has been his mistress forever and when his wife died he married her. Honestly, do you never listen to the travellers?"

Thorin and Kaylea were smiling at each other, they got about halfway up the stairs before they both broke out laughing. Thorin looked at his wife, he reached to brush her hair back over her shoulder, running his fingers down one of her braids that matched his.

"It is good to know our secrets were so well kept," he said, still laughing.

"We could not have kept it secret, even if we wanted to," Kaylea said. "I remember hearing Dain and Balin talking about us right after the Battle of the Five Armies."

Thorin gave her a curious look. "You never told me that."

Kaylea smiled broadly at him. "Dain was worried you would ask me to marry you."

"And he was the one who married us in the end!" Thorin grinned. He leaned forward and kissed her. Even after all these years Kaylea still loved the way it felt to kiss her husband. The way it made everything right in the world, the earthy, rain on hot earth taste of him. She lost herself to it as she always did, it was a long moment before he drew back. "I suppose we should find that room," he said.

That evening they were having dinner downstairs, listening to the conversations around them. Thorin had changed into the green tunic he had brought, Kaylea wore her blue one with the square neckline that Thorin had always liked. They got more than a few curious looks from the villagers, but no one gave any sign they recognized them. They had just finished their meal when two Dwarves came into the room, the older one's eyes went wide when he saw Thorin and they came over to stand beside the table.

"Your majesties," said the old Dwarf quietly, guessing they were trying not to draw attention. "This is quite a surprise!"

"Please join us," Kaylea said, indicating the empty chairs. "Let us not stand on ceremony."

The Dwarf nodded and they both sat down. They were clearly a father and son as they looked much alike. The younger one wore his hair in a series of elaborate braids and they were both dressed in worn working clothes.

"I am Hori, son of Nori, and this is my son Jhori," said the father. "We are at your service your majesty."

"If you are of that family, then we are kinsmen," Thorin said, acknowledging him with a nod. "This is a fine chance! What brings two Dwarves from the Blue Mountains to Bree?"

"We are on our way to Moria," said Hori. "We wish to see the great kingdom with our own eyes, and we hear there is much work there for skilled miners."

"Indeed, Khazad-dum is a great city and my son Durin has done much to restore it to its former glory. But is there no work for you in the Ered Luin? We have seen many loads of Dwarven steel on the roads headed south."

"They do not need skill for what they do there," Jhori said, disgust in his voice. "Only strong backs."

Thorin put a hand on Hori's shoulder. "Tell me."

"Above your city there was a lake high in the mountains, wide and deep. Blaismirre it was called," Hori began. Thorin nodded, he remembered. "A shaft was run too close under it and it collapsed, drained through the mine into some caverns and out like a flood. Destroyed a good bit of the old city and tore off the face of the mountain on its way. After that there was so much good ore exposed there was no point in digging shafts for it, just chip off the rock and send it to the crusher."

Kaylea and Thorin exchanged glances, now they knew how the sorceress had been freed, and that the Dwarves had discovered a new and destructive way to mine.

"How long ago did this happen?" Kaylea asked. "And were there any other changes that came at the same time?"

The father and son looked at each other. Hori turned to address Kaylea, he had heard the King's new wife was the fairest woman in Middle Earth but he had not believed it until today. She was so beautiful he found it hard to meet her gaze. "It is strange you should ask that, your majesty," he said. "After this happened, it was about six years ago now, I heard there was a woman who came to see the King. They sent her away but she kept coming back. I remember hearing about her because all those who saw her said she was very beautiful and sad. After she was finally able to see the King she went away and did not return."

"It was about that time we started seeing the birds," Jhori said. "There were always crows around the Ered Luin, but all of a sudden we started to see ravens. Lots of them."

"Yes, that is right," Hori said. "It was about that time, the crows left and the ravens came."

After that the conversation turned to other matters. The Dwarves were a fountain of information about the goings on in the Blue Mountains, Thorin was much better with the names and relationships than Kaylea so she let him ask the questions. When Erebor was reclaimed most of Thorin's people had returned to the Lonely Mountain, but there were many who remained behind. They were those who had come to love the Blue Mountains, or who had kin in the Dwarf kingdoms there. The Ered Luin was never as rich in gold and silver as the Misty Mountains, though they were the source of many precious stones. Thorin's people had found wealth in the great quantities of iron ore and other metals. In his travels across the land he could see that the appetite of Men for steel was almost limitless and much trade could be done in its manufacture. They had developed a process for creating a high grade steel, and it had been the chief source of wealth for his kingdom there. After Erebor was retaken the city that Thorin and his people had built had become part of Nogrod and was now ruled by its king. Now the open mine there was producing great quantities of ore, so much that new forges had to be constructed to keep up and a number of Men employed. There was a new settlement of Men along the Northern Luhn river and they had just started barging the steel down the river to the bay of Forochel where it could be easily shipped south. Thorin shook his head at all this, of course he knew that Middle Earth would not always remain the same but it sounded as though it was rapidly on its way to industrialization, it made him rather sad.

When the two Dwarves had left Thorin and Kaylea sat in silence for a time, considering all they had heard. "I had thought to look for the sorceress in the old caverns," Thorin said at last. "Now we must look elsewhere."

Kaylea nodded. "I am hoping we will see your raven friends soon, perhaps they can show us where to start."

They headed north on the road from Bree the next morning and rode through the settlement of Fornost that evening. They still had a long journey ahead of them. The ancient Dwarf kingdoms of Nogrod and Belegost were in the Northern Blue Mountains, across the land of Arnor, past the edge of the Mountains of Angmar and across the plain of Forodwaith. Their path lay across many leagues of wild and uninhabited country, their first days in a land of treeless hills covered with long grass and low scrub, sheer canyons opening up unexpectedly in the hillsides, revealing walls of exposed rock. On their second evening when they stopped to rest the horses and make a meal they saw several flocks of ravens flying high overhead. Thorin watched the birds as they wheeled in the sky to swoop lower.

"I wonder if we will have company tonight," he mused. Kaylea followed his gaze. She went over to her horse and pulled her black sword from its scabbard, driving it into the ground next to their fire.

"We might. We do not know how badly Radagast hurt her," she said.

Thorin frowned at the black blade, there was something about it's aspect he did not like. A long bastard sword with a simple handle and guard, made of a black metal and covered with strange runes. "What is the story of that blade?"

Kaylea shrugged. "I do not know it's history. Lord Blackwolf gave it to me many years ago, after the Ringwraiths first appeared in Middle Earth. He said it can kill anything, even gods. I know it has some kind of magical origin, Gandalf always hated it."

Thorin picked the sword up, inspecting it closely. The edge was so keen it looked like it could cut stone, he did not recognise the metal. As he turned it in his hand to look at the runes the sword seemed to vibrate and wanted to turn of its own accord. Thorin stuck it back in the ground hastily. Kaylea smiled at him.

"It does that," she said. "It seems to have a bloodlust of its own, that is why I keep it tied down in its scabbard." She looked up to watch a flock of ravens fly by, lower this time, and smiled. "Just need to make sure she sees it."

After more long days of travel Thorin and Kaylea reached the Northern Blue Mountains. Crossing the empty plains of Forodwaith, where the only signs of life they saw were herds of deer and elk, they came to the Northern Luhn river and the forested slopes of the mountain foothills. Now they started to see signs of habitation, settlements of Men along the river, barges of logs headed south to Ice Bay, a few roads. None of these had been there when Thorin lived in the Ered Luin. Kaylea had not travelled much in this part of Middle Earth, so they relied on Thorin's memory. As they travelled north they came to another river flowing into the Luhn, much clouded with silt and wondered at the cause, it was too late in the year for it to be runoff from the mountains. There was a new road running along the river up into the foothills. Thorin said this was the Eastern Thalos and would lead them to his old city of Nihadros, but they decided to continue overland, heading generally towards Nogrod. Their first night in the foothills they found a hidden campsite close to a clear stream with trees and rocks to shelter it and good grass for the horses. It was a good place to stop until they could decide on their next move.

In the morning as the sun was rising Kaylea and Thorin were sitting by the fire enjoying a second cup of coffee when they heard someone approaching along the stream. They got to their feet drawing their swords and after a few minutes a strange little brown-skinned man appeared. The wolves were following him, watching him closely but they did not seem agitated, just curious. He was dressed in a very haphazard fashion, like several different people had loaned him clothing. He wore Dwarvish breeches with their characteristic embroidery, a Man's shirt several sizes too big, a long black coat that looked as though it was made for a woman and a knitted hat. The only thing that seemed to fit him were his shoes, leather moccasins with long canvas tops, the laces that wrapped around his legs decorated with tiny seashells. He walked right up and stood beside the fire, holding out his hands to warm them. The man had almond-shaped eyes with pupils as black as night, his hair was straight and black and he was quite small. He looked from Kaylea to Thorin and back, his smile showing perfect white teeth.

"Do those horses of yours have wings? I heard you two were on the Anduin not a fortnight ago," he had an odd accent, not one Kaylea had heard before.

"You appear to have the advantage of us," Thorin said, looking the man up and down.

Kaylea was wondering if this was the ally Radagast had spoken of. Long ago she had met Tom Bombadil in the downs east of the Shire and wondered at the time if there were others like him in Middle Earth. This man had a similar aspect, there was something about him that made her feel he was not what he seemed.

The little man looked at Thorin slyly. "My friends told me you were coming." As if on cue the two ravens they had spoken with outside of Mirkwood flew in and landed next to him. "I must thank you for freeing them from that woman's influence."

"That was not our doing," Thorin said with a frown. "And what is your name, if I may ask? And how do you come to be in these lands?"

The man smiled at him, showing white teeth. "I am called Yeil. And you are the ones who do not belong in these lands."

Kaylea decided on the direct approach. "If you have spoken to the ravens then you know why we are here. We seek the sorceress who calls herself Topaz. Can you help us?"

The little man nodded, though he did not speak at once. "Yes, yes, I know where she is," he said at last. "You have come too far north, she makes her home in the old fortress at the edge of the mountains that overlook the bay of Forochel."

Thorin gave Kaylea a quick glance, that was more than 100 miles to the south. "The fortress that was built by the Witch King?" Kaylea asked.

Yeil gave her a startled look. "You know it?"

She nodded. "I know of it."

"Can you show us the way in?" Thorin asked. "How is it guarded?"

The man smiled. "The guards are Men that are under her thrall. But do not worry about them, I can take you in to see her," he looked from one to the other of them. "She knows me."

"If you are a friend to her, you are no friend of ours," Kaylea said raising her sword.

Yeil looked offended. "This woman and her magic are a plague on this land. To say she knows me is not to say I am her friend. If you are here to cleanse her from this place, I offer you my help." He started to walk away, then turned and looked over his shoulder. "Are you coming?"

"Coming where?" Kaylea asked. "You just said we must turn back south."

Yeil turned around, walking backward. "First you must come to see what used to be Nihadros."

"Why would we do that?" Thorin asked, irritated. Suddenly Radagast was looking downright conventional.

"Because that is where you need to go next," Yeil replied, continuing back the way he had come.

Thorin frowned at the man's back. One of the ravens flew after him, but the second one hesitated, looking at the King.

"Do not trust him, your majesty" the bird said. "Yeil serves only himself, if he takes you to see the sorceress it is only for his own advantage."

Thorin nodded. "Thank you, Kageen. That was also my impression of him. Is it true this woman is in the old fortress?"

"I do not know," the bird bobbed her head. "But that is where she first called us." With that the raven took wing and flew after her companion.

Kaylea stood scratching Ajax's ruff thoughtfully. She looked at Thorin with a slight smile.

"Now we have our way in," she said. "Though we will have to alter the plan."

"Surely you not suggesting we trust this man?"

"Of course not," Kaylea shook her head. "But it is always easier to go in the front door, and a trap can be avoided if you know where it is. Although I am curious about who or what this Yeil is."

"That makes two of us," Thorin replied. "What he said about her being a plague on the land, I wonder if she is somehow involved in this new pit mine. Hori said she came and went for several months after the cave in."

Kaylea nodded. "Could be. I wonder if that is what he wants to show us. Better get the horses saddled."

They caught up to Yeil a half hour later, he was sitting on a rock beside the stream eating what looked like a crayfish. As soon as he saw them approaching on their horses he got up and started walking towards the mountains. They were quite a bit north of the road but there seemed to be a fairly straight path through the forest. The trees here were very different from those of the Misty Mountains, they grew high and straight with little underbrush beneath them. The party travelled between them on a carpet of fallen pine needles and ferns. Yeil seemed to have no trouble staying ahead of the horses, he moved with an effortless gliding sort of gait, whistling to himself. After they had been walking for some time Kaylea could see the forest seemed to open up before them, but she was not prepared for the sight that greeted them when they reached to edge of the trees. The land sloped up ahead of them, a series of low hills climbing to the mountains, but what should have been covered with tall trees was now a barren wasteland covered with stumps and burned piles of slash. Beyond that they could see the mountains, the one before them had a huge scar on its side like it had been chiseled away by giant hands. They could see a cloud of smoke rising over the barren hills and a good-sized settlement along a wide bend in the river. Seldom had Kaylea seen such destruction in Middle Earth, it reminded her of the the lands before the Black Gate in Sauron's time. She glanced at Thorin, his expression was unreadable but he had to be horrified at what had become of his old home.

"See what you have wrought, great king!" Yeil said, gesturing at the ruined landscape.

"This is not my doing, little man," Thorin's voice was dark with anger. He had not been in these lands in a hundred years.

"Is is not?" Yeil's eyes narrowed, he stepped over to Thorin's horse. "You woke the sorceress with your burrowing then tried to hide your mistake, you decreed where the tunnels would be laid, you saw the worth of the metals that others did not. Those who work here now only follow your footsteps."

"That is unfair," Kaylea said flatly. "Thorin Oakenshield has always followed the traditional ways of his people, which this clearly is not. If you have seen his great city of Erebor you would not deride the works of this King. This destruction is the work of Men."

"Dwarves and Men," Yeil said.

"Why bring us here?" Thorin asked. "What does this have to do with the sorceress?"

"It was she that put these ideas into their heads. Why tunnel when you can just chip away the mountain? Why not make charcoal from the trees? Why not hire Men?" Yeil spat on the ground. "And it was you who woke her."

Thorin got down off his horse to face the little man. "Tell me why you have brought us here," he said. Kaylea could hear he was using voice command, a Sardaukar interrogation technique that used vocal pressure points to make a subject speak without thinking.

"She has not yet recovered her strength, she asked me to delay...," Yeil stopped speaking and smiled widely. "How did you just do that?"

Thorin grinned crookedly. "I knew there was I reason I did not trust you."

The little man shrugged. "You want to kill her, she has something I want. Where is the harm in playing both sides?"

"At least now we understand each other," Thorin said. He looked up a Kaylea, who was smiling at him.

"I am impressed," she said, switching to Standard. "You are very early in your training to have mastered voice."

Thorin winked at her. "And you thought I only graduated at the top of my class because I was married to my commanding officer."

Yeil was looking from one to the other of them with a puzzled expression, Standard was very different from the languages of Middle Earth. Thorin looked out at the hills in front of them, Kaylea could see he was weighing a decision in his mind.

"I am thinking we are so close, perhaps it is worth taking a look," he said thoughtfully, then looked back at Yeil. "We will be at the fortress in the south in two days, better start walking."

The little man smiled again and bowed. "I will meet you there, King Under the Mountain," he said, then turned and walked back the way they had come, whistling to himself.

"Are you sure you want to go ahead?" Kaylea asked as Thorin swung up on his horse. "She is bound to have spies in this camp."

Thorin shrugged, nodding towards Yeil's retreating back. "She already knows we are coming, and I doubt a day will make much difference. If this Yeil is some kind of guardian he must have an another purpose for showing us this, perhaps there is a way this damage can be reversed."

Kaylea looked at the barren lands ahead. "It can be. It was at Isengard, and in the Shire, even Mordor is a more pleasant place these days."

Thorin and Kaylea continued to the new mining works, the wolves stayed behind in the forest. There was a large mill, smoke pouring from it's forges, a row of cone-shaped kilns for making charcoal, two large crushers and a long line of stamps. They saw now the source of the silt in the river as the ore was washed after going through the stamps to better separate the ore. Everything seemed newly built, the cleared land raw around the buildings and equipment. It would have shocked Thorin more had he not seen similar boom towns in his journeys with Kaylea. It seemed to be mostly Men working, they could see them chipping away at the mountain face, dumping ore carts, loading wagons with bars of steel. And everywhere there were ravens, perched on the equipment, walking among the workers, drinking from the sluices. They led their horses through the camp unchallenged, though Kaylea got many stares from the workers. As they approached the large mill a group of three Dwarves came out, deep in conversation. One of them looked up and saw Thorin, a wide smile came to his face and he rushed forward to embrace him.

"Thorin Oakenshield! This is quite a surprise! What brings you to the Blue Mountains, cousin?"

Thorin embraced the Dwarf warmly, smiling. "Borin! I had not expected to see a familiar face in this strange place!" Borin was the son of a cousin of Gloin, who had accompanied Thorin on his quest to reclaim Erebor. In Dwarvish terms this made them close relatives, which made the questions Thorin wanted to ask much easier.

Borin stepped back, giving the King a critical look. "Still not grown a proper beard, I see," he said teasingly. "And what are you eating over there in Erebor, I think you are a foot taller!" He looked over at Kaylea, who stood back behind her husband. "And is this your new wife, whose beauty is spoken of far and wide? I must say the descriptions I have heard far fall short." He bowed low to her, Kaylea bowed back in response.

The Dwarf turned and introduced his companions Rost and Bodor, who bowed low to the King. "I wish I had known you were coming, I could have prepared a proper welcome," Borin said. "We were just going to lunch, it is simple fare but we would be honored if you would join us."

Thorin accepted gladly and Borin led the way to a long building down the hill from the mill. There was a large dining hall, and a smaller more private room where they all sat down. The meal was already laid out on the table, meats and cheeses and fresh baked bread, accompanied as all Dwarf meals were by tall tankards of ale. Borin explained that the three of them were foremen at the mill, since most of the work did not require skilled labor they were only there to supervise. As they ate Thorin asked a number of pointed questions about the new works, trying to discern if all the destruction was due to the influence of Topaz or if the Dwarves had taken this course on their own. From what Borin and the others said it seemed clear the sorceress definitely had a hand in it as it had all started after she appeared.

"It was after she came the King announced we were going to try this new way of mining," Bodor shook his head. "We have done well with it, that I will not deny, but it is not our way. Always we have looked after ourselves, keeping our works hidden and not needing to employ Men. There are few who are happy with the loss of the forest, but we must do as our king commands."

Thorin looked grave as he heard all this, it was as he had feared. The question now was, would the Dwarves be able to go back to their old ways or was the damage done? The first task was to take care of the sorceress. Though he had been long away from the Blue Mountains it angered him to see them come to such ruin. Yeil did have a point, in a way this was his fault in a way for angering Topaz in the first place.

As they took their leave Thorin deflected the questions about why he and Kaylea were travelling in the Ered Luin. He told Borin and the others only that they had business in the north, knowing he would think they were headed to Nogrod or Belegost. There were a number of ravens close around as they were talking, hopefully they would take the word to their mistress that he and Kaylea were heading to the Dwarf kingdoms.

"When our task is done we will come back and see if we can persuade your king to return to our old ways," Thorin told them. "They still serve us well enough in the Misty Mountains."

V.

At the southern tip of the Northern Blue Mountains there was an ancient fortress, its name none alive now remembered. It was built on the slopes above the sea commanding a view not only of the bay of Forochel but also of the wide lands of Arnor stretching to the western end of the Grey Mountains. It had been constructed as an outpost of the lands of a great king of the north, the one who was later called the Witch King. The fortress was abandoned and allowed to fall into disrepair after that king had gone east to Mordor. The Dwarves of the Ered Luin had left it alone, it was not near to their kingdoms and they had little use for the abodes of Men in any case.

A day and a half after leaving the mining camp at Nihadros Thorin and Kaylea had turned their horses loose and were stowing their gear in an old bear den, the plan was to approach the fortress on foot. They had parted ways with Ajax and Vuko that morning, the wolves would come by a different path, staying close enough they could be called. Vuko had not wanted to leave Thorin, she could feel his apprehension and wanted to stay by his side. Ajax finally convinced her to follow him, he was older and had been through many battles with Kaylea. She had hugged her grey wolf and gave him careful instructions before letting him go.

"Are you ready for this, my king?" Kaylea asked as she tightened the scabbard of her black sword. She was wearing her fighting sword as well, the two swords crossed over her back. She moved to put a hand on Thorin's shoulder. "I do not have to tell you it is not going to be easy."

Thorin took her hand and kissed her palm, holding it to his cheek. "I am as ready as I will ever be." He searched her face. "And you, my love?"

"If all goes as planned, mine will be the easier task. But we must be prepared to improvise, we do not know what Topaz has promised this Yeil if he delivers you to her."

Thorin nodded. "Improvising is what I do best."

They followed what appeared to be an old footpath towards the fortress, the trees were sparse here and clustered in small groves. There were several places the path all but disappeared amid jumbled rocks and scree. As they walked they would sometimes get a clear view of the old tower and glassed it carefully, they could see no sign of movement or any sign of life except what looked like great flocks of ravens circling the towers. It was quite a large keep and must have housed many men at one time. It was built out on a point of rock overlooking the Ice Bay, two of its towers had fallen in but the others looked undamaged. The sun was just down when they came to a large grove of trees with an open space underneath to find Yeil sitting there with his back to a tree. He hopped to his feet and smiled at them.

"There you are!" He looked around. "Where are your horses and those funny wolves?"

"Safe," Kaylea replied. The little man gave her a curious look, then shrugged.

"The old road to the fortress is just ahead, we still have a ways to go. Hope you can see in the dark."

The road Yeil brought them to was little more than two parallel lines in the dirt, though occasionally there were places where it became stone under their feet and they could see hints of low walls and old guard posts. As the light faded Thorin and Kaylea put on their tactical glasses, adjusting them to see as well in the dark as they did in the day. They followed the little man for some time before the road made a turn and the ruined keep loomed ahead of them. Something drew Kaylea's attention to the side of the road and she saw a huge pile of dead ravens, thousands of them. The bodies looked mummified, as if all moisture had been sucked from them. She stopped to pick one up and examine it. Topaz was using blood magic to fuel her spells, and deliberately using ravens, the animal most closely connected to Thorin. Yeil looked back at her, his face grim.

"I told you this woman was a plague on this land," he said. Just then a group of four Men appeared in the road, they were in mail, arrows already notched in their bows. Yeil held his hands up, jogging towards them.

"Hey, no need for that! We are all friends here!" He said as he approached them. The men lowered their weapons, and held their torches forward to inspect the faces of Thorin and Kaylea.

"Who are these two?" One of them asked.

"These are the ones the mistress has been looking for," Yeil said conspiratorialy, leaning close to the man. "She will not want to hear you have delayed us."

It was obvious that Yeil was known to these men, though they looked at his companions skeptically. The man who had spoken nodded and the four of them fell in behind Kaylea who was walking at the back. The men all stared at her, giving her a wide berth, Thorin they barely gave a second glance.

The ramparts and outer walls of the old fortress had mostly fallen to ruin, but the center of the keep was still mostly intact. As they walked in Kaylea saw a number of guards, she had counted thirty two when they came into a wide high-ceiling hall. It was bare of furniture, torches lit along the walls and a fire in the hearth. Even with its air of decay it was an impressive room, inlaid stone floor and fine, decorated arches meeting at the center of the ceiling. The guards that had followed them moved closer behind Thorin and Kaylea and others came in to form a wall to either side of them. Thorin looked at Kaylea with a slight smile, no one had bothered to take their weapons, the two of them could take out the lot in less than a minute, but that was not the plan.

Yeil had gone over to warm himself by the fire, whistling away as always. After a moment a cloaked figure came into the room, as she threw her hood back Kaylea could see a wide bruise on the side of her face before she quickly brushed her hair forward to cover it. Her hand was still a glove of black feathers, the single large stone on her necklace flashing in the torchlight. She was wearing a sleeveless sheer dress that left little to the imagination. Kaylea was tempted to make a remark about her lack of fashion sense but thought better of it. Topaz looked at the two of them for a moment before moving over to stand in front of Thorin, he met her gaze keeping his face unreadable.

"I told you I could bring them to you," Yeil said, coming over to stand beside her. As he spoke some kind of tendrils shot out of the stone around Kaylea's's feet and caught her arms and legs, holding her fast. The woman looked over at her with a smile, then back at Thorin. She reached her hands up on either side of his face.

"You think you are free from my influence, but I have planted my seeds deep," she said. Kaylea could feel a change in the energy of the room. Thorin grimaced, a series of emotions played across his face as he fought to keep her out, then suddenly his face went blank and he smiled at her. "Ah, there you are!" The sorceress said, smiling wickedly. "That Ishtari thinks he knows so much more than I do."

"What are you going to do with him?" Yeil asked, putting his hands in his pockets. She glanced at him, then back at Thorin.

"I loved him once," she said, a hint of sadness in her voice. "Maybe I still do. He once promised me I would be his wife, but then he imprisoned me. I have taken his birds, destroyed his old kingdom, all I have done was only to bring him here to fulfill his promise. But then I saw this!" She strode over to Kaylea and drew the black sword from the scabbard on her back. The blade glinted in the light of the torches, the runes covering it seemed to be glowing with yellow light, the stone on the sorceress's necklace glowed bright. The woman ran her hand up the sword, her desire plain on her face. "With this and the pure blood of a King I can rule this whole land!"

Yeil frowned at her. "That is your business. You said if I brought him you would give me the stone. You gave me your word."

Topaz gave him a sideways glance. "Did I really?" With a speed that startled even Kaylea she flipped the sword over and stabbed him, but the sword met only air. There was a cloud of smoke where Yeil had been standing, the little man was gone. Topaz looked at the smoke with a puzzled expression then shrugged and turned to her guards.

"Lock the woman up. Make sure you take her weapons. Be careful, I hear she is very strong." She smiled pointedly at Kaylea, walking over to unbuckle the scabbard for the sword. "I will keep the other one with me, he can entertain me this evening."

Kaylea lunged against her restraints, the sorceress had come too close and she sunk her teeth into Topaz's shoulder. She spat the piece of flesh out, it hit the sorceress in the chest and fell to the floor.

"You touch him and I will skin you," Kaylea said, the tone of her voice made the guards take a step back.

"You are not in a position to make threats!" Topaz cried, furious now. She swung the black sword at Kaylea, but her stroke was wild and Kaylea was able to twist her body away so that it only grazed her collarbone.

"That was not a threat," Kaylea stared at her coldly.

Topaz started to swing the sword again, then paused looking at Kaylea curiously. She reached down to the blood on the blade and wiped it off with her finger, then put it in her mouth. Her eyes narrowed in concentration then she looked at Kaylea again, this time with a sly smile.

"I think I will have a use for you after all," she said. "Your blood may be even more powerful than the King's."

Before Kaylea could respond another tendril shot out of the floor and around her neck, covering her mouth. Through this whole exchange Thorin had been standing still, smiling vacantly at Topaz, like she was the only thing in the world. Now the sorceress turned back to him, taking his hand and leading him through the doorway where she had come. The tendrils holding Kaylea detached themselves from the floor and wrapped themselves around her wrists and legs, the guards picked her up to carry her to the dungeons giving each other surprised looks at how heavy she was.

As soon as the door closed on her cell Kaylea started working to get herself loose. She tested her bonds, the stone was tight around her wrists but her hands were free. She twisted her body through her arms so her hands were in front of her then carefully felt through her hair. It took her a few moments to find the strand she was looking for. She detached it and carefully slid the cover back to expose the molecule wire inside, her bonds may have been forged by magic but they were still made of matter and nothing could stop wire made from a single molecule. She had to be very careful cutting loose the one around her neck as the wire went through matter with no resistance, as soon as she was finished she resheathed the wire and replaced it in her hair. As she worked her mind kept going back to Thorin and what Topaz might be doing with him. They had gone into this thinking she was after Thorin to make him her husband, not as a blood sacrifice. Kaylea knew the sword would attract her attention, that was part of the reason for bringing it, however she had not foreseen the woman would forsake Thorin for it. At least Topaz would have to spend some time binding that wound on her shoulder before she started preparing her spells.

Her hands and legs loose Kaylea was on her feet, peering out through the bars of her cell. She did not see any guards, but they could not be far off. They had been too frightened of her to search her thoroughly, she still had one set of throwing knives and the other knife she wore against her skin. She was in such a hurry to get to Thorin she nearly kicked the door open before she remembered to stop herself. The original plan had been to wait for dawn. This sorceress only seemed to ever appear at night, they had theorized that she must be at her strongest then and since they really did not know how powerful she was the plan was to wait for the sun. They had talked the plan through in many variations, Thorin knew what he might have to do to delay Topaz until dawn. Kaylea forced herself to take a deep breath and turned away from the cell door. She squatted down with her back against the wall, forcing herself to take a series of deep breaths. She was very good at compartmentalizing her emotions, it was an essential skill in her line of work. It served no purpose to be in a panic to get to Thorin but try as she might, she could not set her thoughts about her husband aside. Did she go now or wait? What had that woman seen in the sword? Or, the worse case, what if Topaz had really taken control of him again? Kaylea wished they had been able to use one of their communication devices but they had decided it was too risky. She desperately needed more information before making a decision. Looking around she noticed a small barred window high up in her cell. The walls were not particularly smooth and it was easy for her to climb up to it. She studied the stars, it was not yet midnight, she had at least seven hours to dawn.

As she was about to climb down she saw movement outside the window. There was a raven perched there, looking in at her.

"My lady, are you alright?" The bird asked, it was one of the two that had come with them from Mirkwood, though Kaylea could not tell which one.

"Yes, I am not injured," she replied. "Kageen, is it? Do you know where the King is?"

The bird bobbed its head. "Yes, the evil woman has taken him to a place where she does her spells. I was able to watch among the others. The King does not look like himself, I am glad to find you."

"What did you see?" Kaylea asked, her heart sinking.

"The King seems to desire her very much," Kageen said. "He was embracing and kissing her for a time. Then the woman drew back and made him stand still, took off his shirt and cut his arm with that black sword. She added some of her blood from her shoulder, and now she draws designs on the floor. I am very worried for my King."

This last had Kaylea very worried as well. Apparently Topaz could not wait to play with her new toys, it was time to go. "Kageen, I need you to go back to watch. If you see those designs change you need to come tell me. I am going to call the wolves and…" She stopped, there was a sound behind her in the corridor. Kaylea jumped down from the window to see Ajax and Vuko appear outside her cell door, in full armor and covered with blood. She had to smile, Vuko must have felt that woman take control of Thorin and come running at once. She reached through the bars to give Ajax a scratch under his chin as he apologized, he had tried to stop Vuko but she would not listen.

"It's alright, old man," Kaylea told him. "You did good, the plans have changed."

The wolves backed up as Kaylea kicked the door to her cell open, there were no longer any guards alive to hear. She made her way quickly to the guardroom and picked up her weapons, then started up the stairs. They made short work of the few guards they encountered on the way to the hall, mostly all the wolves had left were bodies.

The scene Kaylea saw when she went through the door to the sorceress's study was something she would never forget. The room was in one of the towers attached to the hall, round and high-ceiling with many windows looking out over the bay. Ravens sat silently, crowded together on every windowsill. Topaz was already starting her cast, the energy in the room was crackling, the black sword in her hand sending off long blue sparks that struck the intricate design on the floor. The yellow gem on her breast glowing as if on fire. Kaylea could just see Thorin, shirtless and standing motionless at the edge of the circle, the long cut on his arm dripping blood that was slowly finding its way to the sorceress's feet. The wolves came through the door behind Kaylea, moving along the walls to either side. Topaz turned to face her, giving the wolves an appraising glance. She smiled and laughed humorlessly.

"You are too late! The gateway is open," she said. As she spoke she ran her palm against the blade of the sword, her blood dripping onto the floor to join Thorin's. As she did this Kaylea could see a figure start to take shape, drifting up off the floor in a kind of blue mist. A tall, man-like figure wearing a pointed crown. What was the woman summoning? The Witch King, or someone even worse?

Then the blue mist stopped moving and dropped into the marks on the floor. Standing there was a little man in a long fringed coat, decorated with seashells and bold black and red designs. It looked like Yeil, but also not like him. Without his mismatched clothes he looked very different, there was a definite sense of power about him now. He smiled at Topaz's shocked look and put his hand on top of the little wooden box he was carrying. "You should have kept your word," he said and opened the box. A great shaft of light shone from it, like the sun itself was inside. Topaz cried out, shielding her eyes. She looked suddenly small and wane in the bright light. In that moment Thorin moved, in a flash he was behind her knocking the black sword out of her grip and holding Kaylea's crysknife to her throat.

"You picked the wrong Dwarf, bitch," he said into her ear. Topaz gasped, but then tilted her head to look at Thorin out of the corner of her eye.

"You forgot to pick up the sword," she said, holding out her hand. Blue sparks crackled over it as it started to rise from the floor. "Your knife cannot hurt me."

"Wrong again," Thorin said, drawing the knife across her throat. Topaz tried to cry out but it came out as a gurgle, she put her hands to her throat giving Thorin a shocked, agonized glance as the blood poured between her fingers. As she staggered away from him the ravens launched themselves from their perches to swarm around her, striking her with their beaks and claws. She crumpled to the floor, covered in black birds.

Thorin looked down at the moving mass without pity, then up at his wife. Kaylea ran across the room and into his arms, they held each other tight for a long moment. The wolves came up and pressed against them.

Kaylea drew back, looking into his eyes. "You had me convinced, I thought she had you," she said with a relieved smile. She took his arm and inspected the long cut.

"Knowing it was coming made it easier. It was hard to let her in again but thinking about you drove her out," Thorin said, scratching Vuko's head as Kaylea put some salve on his wound. "It is not deep. I think she was just testing her power."

"When Kageen told me she was drawing designs on the floor I knew I had to move," Kaylea said. "But Vuko was ahead of me, they had already taken out the guards."

Thorin gave her a startled look. "Kageen saw?"

Kaylea smiled softly, looking up from his arm. "We talked about this. I knew what you were going to have to do. And how far you might have to go."

Thorin closed his eyes. "Thank Odin, it did not come to that."

Yeil meanwhile had closed his box. He walked through the ravens to poke what was left of the sorceress with his toe, rolling her over he took the yellow stone from her neck and put it in his pocket.

"What kind of knife it that?" He asked, looking sideways at Thorin. Both Thorin and Kaylea looked at him, it was Kaylea that answered.

"It is made from the tooth of a desert god," she said. "There is no magic that can touch it." She turned to face the little man with his box of sunlight and bowed slightly. "Thank you for your help, but why did you not just take care of her yourself?"

Yeil smiled widely, showing his even white teeth. "Why do it myself when you were going to do it for me? We all got what we wanted."

"And who are you, exactly?" Thorin asked. Yeil only smiled again.

"I better put this back where it belongs," he said. As he spoke his coat turned completely black and shifted around him, his nose became a long black beak. He picked up the box in his claws and flew out the window, followed by all his fellow ravens.

Thorin looked at his wife with a smile. "Do you suppose he actually has the sun in that box?"

Kaylea was watching the ravens fly away thoughtfully. "Do you think he would have told us if he did?"

Thorin laughed. "I knew that man was more than he seemed."

Kaylea put her arm around her husband. "Let's go home."

Thorin nodded. "Yes, home. But let us ride more slowly, I would like to see the Shire again and some of the country I travelled through so long ago."

"We can visit your old trolls."

Thorin chuckled. "I had forgotten about them. But first let us go to Nogrod and see if we can talk the king into closing that mine. Just let me find my shirt."

VI.

They walked out of the fortress that night and arrived at the place they had left their horses at dawn. As they were saddling them Thorin dug in one of his bags and took out what looked like another of Radagast's chocolates.

Kaylea gave him a curious look. "Where did you get that?"

"From the same jar he got the other one. I wanted it just in case." Thorin stuck it in his mouth and grabbed his canteen. He took a long draw on it, gasping. "That was definitely the same one."

Kaylea laughed at him. "I certainly hope so! I do not want to spend the rest of my life with a moose!"

Soon they were in Nogrod, one of the oldest of the Dwarf kingdoms in Middle Earth. Word had reached King Hammar that the King and Queen of Erebor were in the Blue Mountains, and they were given a royal reception. Nogrod was constructed differently from the kingdoms in the Misty Mountains, its halls and dwellings had a delicately carved style that gave the place an airy, outdoor feel. The main gates were so cleverly made they all but disappeared on the face of the mountain and the detail of the carvings and stonework of the city was breathtaking. Kaylea had never before been in the city and marveled at the streets of colored stone, the great halls of pale marble with unsupported ceilings that seemed to float overhead. The suite of rooms they were given had a central courtyard with a bubbling fountain surrounded by a pool filled with colorful fish. The wolves had each eaten two before Thorin and Kaylea convinced them to stop. Thorin still had many kinsmen here, including the King, and he was warmly welcomed but Nogrod was a more conservative city than Erebor. Many frowned at the King of Erebor's human wife who dressed like a man, his short beard, the dire wolves that followed him. There was much whispering about how young he looked, many wondered privately if it was witchcraft.

As they were getting changed for dinner Thorin was shocked to find Kaylea had brought her silver dress and the multi-stranded chain with tiny sapphires that was the second piece of jewelry he had given her. The silver dress was one of his favorites, with the bare arms, low cut back and plunging neckline Kaylea was probably showing more skin than was customary in this conservative kingdom, but the light, draped silk highlighted the feminine side she so rarely showed. Thorin always enjoyed showing her off, and the eye of every man in the room would be on her tonight. He gave her an approving look as he took her arm.

"You still find ways to surprise me," he told her, running a hand over her necklace and down the neckline of her dress.

Kaylea smiled. "I knew we might visit your kin, I thought I should look the part."

"Nogrod is very different from Erebor, my love," Thorin said. "I will be the envy of every man but the women will not approve of you here, try not to start any fights."

"I never start a fight I cannot win."

Thorin chuckled. "That is what I am worried about."

The welcoming feast was very grand, held in the great dining hall with its intricately carved walls and statues of past kings looking down on them. King Hammar had no wife, his sister sat at the far end of the table. He was a very distinguished looking Dwarf, dressed in jewel-studded clothes with a grey beard that grazed his wide belt. The Dwarves of his court were dressed in all their finery for the feast, Kaylea the only woman not dripping in jewels. Thorin and Kaylea were seated across from each other at the middle of the table but once the meal got underway and many of the Dwarves got up to talk they were able to move to sit together at the king's left hand. Thorin could sense there was something going on, there was a sort of buzz of quiet conversations among the guests and King Hammar seemed troubled. When Thorin asked if there was anything he could do to help the King looked down at his plate.

"Two nights ago I woke suddenly in my bed in great confusion. I feel as if I have been wandering about in a fog for the last few years, unaware of what I was doing."

"I hope this means you will stop work at that new mine at Nihadros," Thorin said, as he had surmised the sorceress did have the king under her spell.

The King nodded. "Yes, I have already ordered it. I cannot imagine what I was thinking."

"Stopping the works there will be hard on the Men you employ, your majesty," Kaylea said.

Hammar frowned at her. "What do I care about the feelings of Men?"

"It is always better to have friends as neighbors than enemies," Thorin said. He caught Kaylea smiling out of the corner of his eye, she had told him exactly the same thing many years ago, but he could see where her thoughts were going. "Why not continue to employ them? They know the work."

"I understand this mine has been very profitable for you," Kaylea said. "Why deprive yourself of the income when you can use your traditional methods to extract the ore and keep the Men on to do the less skilled work? Or set them to mine the coal that lies to the South."

"Surely you are not suggesting we become coal miners," said the Dwarf sitting across from her, who was King Hammar's chancellor. Dwarves considered coal mining the lowliest kind of work.

"Of course not," Kaylea replied. "But there is no reason you cannot hire men to dig it. You have already seen the appetite of Men for steel, I assure you their desire for coal is even greater. And you already have a place to load barges to take it south." She went on to outline a plan to use the existing works. Thorin almost stopped her but then decided to let her talk, he was curious about her ideas. Hammar looked skeptical at first but then started to listen attentively. She seemed to have thought a bit about it and once Thorin started asking questions they were soon discussing the details and finishing each other's sentences, as they usually did when they were working on a project. It was a few moments before Thorin looked up to see King Hammar and his chancellor both staring at them with a combination of admiration and amusement. Kaylea stopped talking and sat back, realizing she had probably far overstepped the bounds of a visiting queen. But then Hammar started chuckling softly.

"When we heard the news we all wondered why Thorin Oakenshield would marry a human woman, now I understand," he said. He raised his glass in a toast to her. "Here's to the Queen of Erebor, would that we all had such a wise and beautiful counselor!"

Thorin raised his glass, smiling at his wife. Wise and beautiful indeed.

Thorin and Kaylea stayed for a week in Nogrod, it felt good to relax and take their ease after all that had happened. They spent a good bit of time exploring the many wonders of the city. It made Thorin sad to see how empty it was, the halls and dwellings were barely half full and he saw very few children. He remembered Gandalf's words that after the defeat of Sauron the world had passed into a new age, this was the age of Men. Both Erebor and his son's kingdom of Moria had grown strong through alliances with Men, but the Dwarves of the Blue Mountains had not pursued that path. How long would it be before the few remaining here would join their kin in Moria and this great kingdom would fade away into memory? Thorin met several times with Hammar and his council, it seemed they were warming to the idea of continuing to work with the Men who now lived on their southern border, though they would now mine the ore differently. Privately he hoped the alliance would help the kingdom endure.

After leaving the Ered Luin, Thorin and Kaylea took their time returning to Erebor. They rode through the Shire, which seemed little changed and one look at the wolves sent the inhabitants running for their doors. They paid a visit to Thorin's trolls before stopping at Rivendell. The sons of Elrond still made their home there, along with others of their people who had decided to remain in Middle Earth. Elrohir was out travelling the Empire but Elladan was there to welcome them. It was the first time Thorin and Kaylea had been there together since they first met on the road to Elrond's house so many years ago. Thorin made sure to take her up to the gallery where they had almost shared a first kiss before being interrupted, he had always wondered if she would have let him do it. Kaylea laughed and said she would have, though it was against her better judgement. She told Thorin he had no idea how badly she had wanted to tear his clothes off that evening.

From Rivendell they passed through the western doors of Moria, rebuilt and as beautiful as the original. This was only the second time since the city had been reclaimed that Thorin had visited, he and Kaylea had a grand welcome from his son Durin, who was more than living up to his name in the great kingdom. The city and the mines were bustling with activity, the sounds of industry and manufacture echoed through the halls. Thorin was surprised to see a great many Men living in the city but Durin explained there were not enough Dwarves to do the work and otherwise large areas of the city would be unoccupied. Things were changing everywhere, it seemed.

Thorin and Kaylea spent several weeks in Moria before setting out on the final leg of their journey home. It was summer now and the days were warmer, the grass turning brown, the streams flowing slower. When they rode around the city of Dale and saw at last the gates of Erebor in the morning sun, Thorin suggested they take a ride up to Ravenhill before going into the city.

It was a beautiful clear morning, a few wispy clouds in the sky. There had been rain overnight and the air was clear, the land rolled away before them to the horizon. There were quite a number of ravens flying around the old watchtower, which had not been used since Thorin's grandfather's time. As they led their horses to the tower's base where there was a wide platform overlooking the plain a number of ravens landed as if to greet them. Two stepped forward, holding their heads low to the ground.

Thorin smiled at the birds. "Kagit and Kageen! I am glad to see you safely returned!"

"We are glad to see you had a safe journey as well, your majesty," Kagit said politely. He looked at the birds around him. "We wish to thank you for freeing us. We once again offer you our service."

"Thank you, and thanks to all your kind," Thorin said. "May you once again fly free around the Lonely Mountain, and never have cause to abandon it again!"

As he spoke all the birds suddenly took wing, soaring away over the cliff as Vuko bounded up, she watched them go with a disappointed look.

"You must learn to leave the ravens alone, girl," Thorin told her sternly. "They are not for eating." The white wolf shook her head and leaned against him, Thorin scratched her shoulder absently, looking out over the crumbling rampart at the land spread out before him, the Iron Hills in the far distance, the Long Lake, the plains to the south. This had always been one of his favorite views.

"What is on your mind, husband?" Kaylea asked.

Thorin took a deep breath. "Radagast's words keep echoing in my head," he said. "This journey across Middle Earth has brought home to me how much it has changed. How much I have changed. I have been King of Erebor for a hundred years now and I have accomplished more than I ever dreamed possible. I do not know how much longer I will live, 500 years? A thousand? I have a whole new life ahead of me, one filled with many marvels and great adventure. Perhaps it is time for my son to become King. The reason that I married Shurri and raised a family was so I could pass my legacy on to my son, is it fair that he should wear only the title of Prince Regent his whole life? He should have a chance to rule his own kingdom and pass it on to his son. Erebor will always be my home, but I do not know that I need to remain its King."

"This is not something I can advise you on," Kaylea said. "You are a King to the marrow of your bones. This decision has to be yours alone."

Thorin smiled at her. "I know I will get no argument from you."

"I warned you from the first I was not destined to be a queen. Still, Erebor has become like a second home to me, and I have been your queen for thirty years."

Thorin slid his arms around her waist, looking into her eyes. "You will always be my Queen," he said. He reached a hand up behind her neck and drew her mouth down to his, their kiss as sweet as the first one they shared so many years ago on the road to the Lonely Mountain.