Chapter Two

Before Thorin could reach his chamber he caught sight of a silvery fabric out of the corner of his eye. With a sharp turn of his head he watched it travel down a distant corridor and out of sight. He ran to catch it before it turned any of the other numerous corridors and stairwells losing him. Though he knew these halls as well as the back of his hand, the place was massive and easy to get lost in for any unfamiliar with it. It also made it incredibly difficult at times to find someone when they wished not to be found.

The silvery bit of cloth led him on a worthy chase through the mountain, but eventually he caught up with it and its bearer. "Stop!" he shouted down the darkened corridor, and was pleased when the person stopped and turned to him with hesitancy. Still they would not step into the light and reveal them self. "Come into the light and remove your hood," Thorin commanded, his voice deepening with his resolve to identify the intruder within his domain. It was a puzzle to him how any stranger might be able to slip passed the guards unseen.

With halting movements, the figure stepped into the light and removed the hood, but keeping their head downcast. All that could be seen was a mass of wavy hair. It shined in the torchlight with shades of gold, copper, and sparse thin threads of silver. With a deep sigh the intruder slowly raised its face to the light, eyes closed on a face that did not match the silver of hair. It was young, expressionless and pale. The features he saw where delicate, female, and not dwarven. Generous pink lips, a slender nose, thin arched brows over eyes that only now opened.

Thorin's breath caught for a moment and believed his eyes were being tricked by the dim light. Within the stone grey of her gaze sparked all the jewels he had ever laid eyes upon, in flecks of blues, greens, yellows, and reds flashing in the flickering light. He blinked, and asked just above a whisper, "What is your name?"

The beat of his heart skipped in his chest as a smile spread across her face and pure joy flashed in her enchanting eyes. Her voice was soft and musical to his ears, "You have spoken to me," she whispered with surprise taking a small step toward him but still an arm's length away, "I am called Amarien."

"Are you an elf then?" Thorin asked, his hand reaching of its own accord for a wisp of her hair within his reach. She pulled away with a nervous movement, but stilled herself allowing him the moment to explore his curiosity. It was not as coarse or thick as he thought it might have been, indeed it was as the softest thread he ever felt.

There was a shy smirk on her face when she answered, "I am too stout and have not the ears for it."

Thorin moved the hair in his hand to reveal delicate rounded ears before she pulled away from him. "Human?"

She smiled with indulgence, "Nay. I am much too short," she said. It was true she was shorter than he, coming only to his shoulders, though he was tall for a dwarf as many of Durin's line had been.

"Halfling perhaps because you are not of dwarf-kind," he said matter-of-factly.

There was a small tinkling of laughter as she folded her hands in front of her. It was a pleasant sound that he would not mind hearing again. "I have neither the temperament nor appetite to be a Halfling. I would call myself closer to Durin's folk than one might think."

"Then perhaps I should call you witch or sorceress for you have certainly spelled me…" Thorin left the rest of the flowery statement unsaid before a frown crossed his brow, "How else would you travel these halls unnoticed by the guards?"

"Nothing as grand as all that," she said with a nervous laugh. "I have ever dwelled in this mountain except for a brief time spent with your kin in the Grey Mountains," her smile faded then and a deep chilling sorrow started to fill her eyes, "I go unnoticed by most should I choose as some would see me as an ill omen."

"The Grey Mountains were overrun with dragons long ago," Thorin said, suspicion was growing in his mind but so was a sense of awe. "Surely you were not there," his awe was creeping into his voice and he gave up trying to hide it once considering all the tales she could tell if it were true. "You would have to be well over five hundred winters!"

With a sad smile, she replied, "You are you still, my lord prince," there was a brief sound of amusement from her before she finished her statement; "you will learn not to accuse a woman of her age."

"Forgive me then as I have my doubts," Thorin said with what he hoped was a kind smile.

"I care not," she said with a wave of her hand and no offence taken. "I am ageless and you do well to doubt me. I must say I would rather have your doubts than your scorn."

The spell was broken as Thorin remembered why he chased her, though there was no anger in his voice when he asked, "It was you at market today. You are the one that angered my father."

"That was not my intent," she said stepping back from him. She was quiet for a moment as if determining what to say. "I seek only to warn those I can." She turned and started to walk down the corridors, leaving Thorin with no choice but to follow her.

"Warn of what?" Thorin asked. The kingdom was prosperous and living in peace. "Is it my grandfather? He has been strange of late. It is as if he cannot determine what is more precious to him his ring, his stone or his treasure. It did not used to be so," Thorin said thoughtfully keeping stride with her but stopped when she suddenly did.

The full force of her gaze was on him, "You are observant, but no. I cannot deny that my king has weighed heavily on my mind for the reasons you say. As if a slow growing weed, taking root in my heart. I fear it will need to be dealt with soon, but that is not the cause of my warning. This is sudden and swift in coming and utterly unlike anything I have felt before." Amarien continued down the corridor then.

"What is it, if not that?" Thorin asked there were no reports from anywhere of anything out of the ordinary that he was aware.

Amarien gripped his offered arm as they climbed steps leading closer to his chambers, her voice was just above a whisper now and he had to strain to hear all she said. "I cannot name this dread for I do not know it. It is deep and chilling. Not the chill you feel from a winter about to set in or even that of the wind in the middle of a snow storm. It is a chill that freezes my heart and takes my breath as if reaching to my very soul." Her voice caught a little as if it was doing so at that moment.

Thorin looked away and gathered himself, questioning whether or not to believe the strange woman, beauty though she was. He felt deep down he should, but his mind was arguing with him. "And what is there to be done about this unknown threat?"

Amarien stopped in front of his door, "Be vigilant and wary. I fear it will be known soon." Her gaze captured him again, her hands reaching up to his cheeks though barley touching him. "Keep close to your kin, and sharp eye on your brother and sister. Dis is so young she will need you."

"There is protection within the mountain. We are safe here," Thorin found himself saying, trying to ease the sorrow and fear in her eyes as he gently gripped her wrist. He did not want to lose her company as of yet.

With a sad smile she looked up at him, "That is my hope, my lord prince." She glanced at his father's door for a moment before looking back at him. She closed her eyes and rose up on her toes. Without thought Thorin closed his eyes and dropped his head to hers. There was a pang of disappointment in his chest as she brushed her lips delicately across his cheek in a chaste almost motherly kiss. She whispered while pulling away from him, "Keep safe."

When he opened his eyes she was gone. It happened so fast he wondered if perhaps she vanished into thin air. Before he could ponder it any further his father's door opened. Thrain looked as if sleep had eluded him for too long. "Father?"

Thrain shook his head as if to clear the fog of sleep, or lack thereof from it before looking at Thorin, "Aye, I need to look in on Dis," Thrain mumbled.

Thorin stopped him, "I will do it. Rest, you will need your wits about you to deal with Girion."

Thorin heard his father mumble something about the grim old man before his chamber door shut. With a smile Thorin turned for his sister's room and entered quietly wishing not to disturb her sound slumber. He sat in the chair near her bed going over the events of the day. Soon sleep took him but his dreams were of screams and fire.

Authors Note: Thank you for all the follows, favorites, and reviews! I hope you enjoyed and I look foward toany comments or questions.