Author's Note: Here are three more snippets from Thorin's POV. Hope you enjoy! Apologies if the snippets are shorter than usual. I apologize if I didn't respond to every review for the last chapter. I know I said thank you to a few of you, since many of my reviewers also review "Heroes." I might've forgotten a few people! But thanks so much for taking the time to review this. It means a lot :)

The world was vivid red, blinding red. Thorin clenched underneath the monster's strength, hands stinging He was holding the hilt of his new sword too tight, so tight his knuckles were screaming in pain. But he couldn't bear it. He couldn't bear facing him. Not after all this time. Thorin felt his arms trembling, wanting to give out. Weakness. He was weak.

Then from the corner of his eye, he saw Rue standing by the rock, hesitation in her steps. Her eyes were big in fear, her legs shaking. No. He didn't want her to be afraid. She should not be afraid. Thorin would make sure harm never came upon her. She was under his leadership, under his protection―

Thorin lost his footing, landing on his bottom, elbows scraping against a mix of gravel and grass. He looked up as the deadly weapon came crashing down, one thought reeling in his mind: Rue must have thought him ridiculous.

He was going to die at the hands of a monster. Erebor lost forever.

"What are drugs?" Thorin asked, using the same voice he once used to ease Kili through his first time skinning a rabbit. He didn't understand why he was using a softer voice. All he understood was that he wanted to comfort Rue.

The feel of Rue's hands in his hands started to make Thorin feel…sick. What was this? Without thinking, he grazed her knuckles with his thumbs, wanting to make her feel safe, to feel protected.

"They're these illegal substances that do funny things to your mind and basically take away the person you know, and replace them with this mad stranger."

Thorin tightened his grip, staring Rue in her beautiful eyes. Her eyes were big and brown, and always seemed to persuade Thorin to make decisions he had never planned on making. Were drugs like the Dragon Sickness? Had Rue nursed her mother like Thorin had once nursed Thror through their last days in Erebor? Thorin swallowed hard. Grandfather. The memory of Grandfather brought a world of hurt to his chest.

Then Rue met his eyes, her eyes glistening…

Thorin felt seething rage, felt all these baffling things at once. All he knew was that he wanted to destroy whatever had brought tears to his Rue's eyes. Nothing was allowed to make his Rue cry. Not when Thorin was here.

That woman had spoken maliciously to him, claiming untrue things, things that could never possibly be. Thorin could not rid his head of her lies.

He was at the bottom of a staircase, hoping to seek solitude. He heard a shuffle of noise behind him.

Thorin just knew it was Rue.

"Why do you seek me out?" he asked, unintentionally growling.

"Umm…I was just―" Her voice was so soft, so delicate. The vulnerability behind her words―everything about her―always made Thorin want to shelter her from peril, even if the peril was his temper. Sometimes, he just could not control it. He could not control lashing out at her. And he felt awful for it. Rue was too kind, too caring for the inferiority he was. Thorin was never good enough, he was always―

"Just what?" he snapped foolishly, spinning around to see her. There was no reason for him to speak to her in such a way, but yet he did. For the first time, Thorin noticed how moonlight shone against the curls of her hair, how she stood sheepishly. He remembered the feel of her hands in his own, the feel of her lower back as she had allowed his filthy hands to touch her in such an intimate place.

Rue refused to meet his eyes, whispering timidly, "I just wanted to know if you're okay."

Thorin's heart started to beat erratically, reminding him of days past of the bloody wars he had been in, of the minutes before charging at the enemy. Except there was no enemy. It was only his Rue and him. Thorin mentally chided himself for his ridiculousness. Why was he calling Rue his?

Author's Note: Feel free to review :) You can also follow me on Tumblr at pearlprimrose.