Author Note
HorrorFan13- An excellent question but not one I've actually thought about exploring. I may have to reconsider and do a bit of reworking on my later chapters.
Kelwtim2spar- I know there are a lot of writers who portray Thorin a bit gruffer and mistrusting and he will have his moment but it won't be too long. I like the idea of him being more caring towards Akiko than anything else.
dragonegyptianblue- I'm happy you're enjoying the story so far. And apparently, my notations for POV change were lost when I moved it here. I think I've fixed that now.
Story
Shortly before dawn, Akiko fell asleep in his arms. Thorin took care to gently wrap both her thighs in clean strips of linen before tucking her into his bed. He would have returned her to her own room but was uncertain where it was. Once sure she was resting comfortably he went in search of the wizard there were questions to be answered. Thorin found him sitting on a bench facing out over the valley.
"You don't look like you have slept a wink Thorin." He was blowing smoke rings into the predawn air.
"I need you to answer some questions."
"Oh? What about?"
"Akiko."
"Ah yes, Miss Morris. I'm afraid there isn't much I can tell you about her. I dare say you have probably interacted with her more than I."
"I spent the night trying to comfort her after finding her distraught in the gardens." Thorin left out the part about the cuts on purpose not wanting to make things more difficult for the poor girl then they already were. "Once I finally managed to calm her she told me some female elf showed her some sort of vision in which she died."
Gandalf froze for the briefest moment before slowly standing.
"Was this a vision of her future? A warning perhaps?"
"I'm not sure. All she would say was she was dead like it had already happened." None of it made a lick of sense to Thorin. If she was already dead she wouldn't be here. But the way she kept repeating the words sounded like she really believed she had died.
"It would explain much about her." The wizard murmured to himself. "But could she truly be one?"
"Explain." The word was clipped and the wizard seemed to remember Thorin with a start.
"There are those that have passed beyond the Vail into other worlds. I'm sure you have heard the stories."
"I have. Are you saying those are more than just stories?"
"Oh a good many of them are just stories. But in every story, there is a glimmer of truth. It is rare and the one to pass between worlds has always been chosen by the Valar for a purpose. There are only two similarities between those chosen, however. The only way for them to get here is to die in their previous life. And They each seem to have a unique gift, some kind of latent magic."
"Then the vision was true." It was a statement, one he was unhappy to make. "She has been taken from everything she's ever known and dropped here with no warning no preparation! Without her consent!" His temper was flaring. He didn't care if she had some magic about her, this wasn't right.
"She was sent to you and your company Thorin Oakenshield. You would do well to accept her as the gift she is. The Valar would not have brought her here if she wasn't important to your quest."
"She is a living being, not some object to gifted away! I will not use her in such a way nor will I allow anyone else to do so." He stormed away seething. Thorin Oakenshield was as devout as any dwarf when it came to Mahal but that didn't stop the swell of anger at the Valar for ripping Akiko from her former life. Surely she would have been happier living out her life where ever she had come from?
Doubt chose that moment to make itself known. If she had been happy then why had she hurt herself before? If her life had been good why was she so angry all the time? Similar thoughts raced through his head as he walked back to his room. The need to assure himself she was still safe was too great to ignore right now. Thorin knew he was forming an unwise attachment but couldn't resist. She was still sleeping soundly.
She looked so young while she slept. The tiny frown that was always between her eyebrows smoothed away, her lips didn't hold their usual downturn at the corners. He softly brushed a few strands of blue and purple hair away from her face. He noticed her eyebrows were a pale blond that contrasted nicely with her darker complexion. She was so different then the women he was used to seeing in the villages of men. Exotic was the only word that came to mind. A thought suddenly occurred to him. He didn't know how old she really was. She looked so very young. He knew the race of men aged differently then Dwarves but could she really be an adult? He would speak to her of it and of the conversation with Gandalf. She needed to know and after that, he would offer to take her with them. He didn't like the idea of leaving her with the elves not when they could try and use her. Thorin sat back in a chair next to the bed and drifted off to sleep she shouldn't wake alone, not after what she had been through he thought.
"Fucking hell!" Akiko yelped as the bright sunlight seared her retinas through the open curtains. She had only cracked her eyelids slightly but it was enough to leave her seeing spots. There was a thud and a string of what she could only assume were curse words in another language. Who the hell was in her apartment with her? She never brought anyone home. She cracked one eye open again and saw unfamiliar surroundings. OK not her apartment, had she gotten drunk enough to finally give it up? The person whom she had apparently startled stood up. Thorin.
"SHIT!" Her shout made Thorin jump again but she ignored him. "It's real. I wasn't dreaming. Well, fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck FUCK!" The memories of last night all came rushing back and she hid her face behind her hands. The elf, the vision… thing… whatever it was, the knife, the blood, and Thorin. Thorin finding her in that state, Thorin cleaning the cuts, Thorin holding her while whispering words of comfort as she cried. It was real it was all real. She really had died and she was never going to see Krista again. A hand on her shoulder made Akiko jump.
"You have a very strange way of speaking. I am not entirely comfortable with it since such language is frowned upon here especially from a female, but as I am not from your world I do not know your customs." She peeked up at him through her fingers slightly confused.
"My world?"
"Yes, I spoke with the wizard while you slept. I told him of the vision the elf showed you. I did not tell him of your injury."
"Thank you." She was sincerely grateful that he didn't reveal that bit of information.
"We all have our demons to fight Akiko. Should you need it I will not hesitate to aid you in fighting yours. Nor will I judge you if you give in again like you did last night. I hope you will come to me before it reaches that point but if not then I will be here to help you recover."
His lack of judgment was almost overwhelming. No one who saw the scars was ever understanding. Akiko felt tears in her eyes again and gave him a watery smile. It took everything in her to resist the urge to hug the dwarf in front of her.
Even with the tears, Akiko's smile was beautiful. Thorin slowly brushed a few strands of colored hair behind her ear. He felt caught in her shimmering eyes, the color he had only seen rarely even in his extensive travels. The exiled king sat next to the young woman, he wouldn't think of her as a girl anymore, whispering her name. Thorin cupped her cheek gently. Age didn't matter to him at this moment, her world didn't matter. Nothing mattered but this moment for Thorin. He could feel a strange pull to her and right now he just didn't want to question it.
His lips met hers. Akiko was tentative waiting for him to lead. He could feel by her reaction she was inexperienced in this. Thorin slowly moved his lips against her coaxing her to react. His hand moving from her cheek to cup the back of her head. His tongue lightly traced her bottom lip asking, almost pleading, for entrance. Akiko gasped parting her lips inviting him in. Thorin's tongue delved deeper drawing a plaintive moan from the young female in his arms.
He resisted the call of his body to do more than kiss her. She was already trembling in his arms and any more and he feared she would retreat. Thorin kept his hands on her shoulders and arms or cradling the back of her neck refusing to push her too far. After a time he slowly pulled back and tucked her in close to his chest her head under his chin. She was still shaking slightly warm breath ghosting over his throat. Thorin squeezed his eyes closed and gently ran his fingertips over her upper arm.
"I should go get dressed."
Thorin tightened his hold for a moment before releasing her. He nodded murmuring his agreement and kissed the back of her hand.
"I will see you at dinner Akiko." She gave him that shy smile again. He brushed his fingers along her arm as she slipped away.
Akiko frowned at her reflection. Nobody here had any strange colored hair. The young woman had hated her blond hair from the moment one of her classmates had started calling her names. She didn't look like the other Japanese girls. She bit her lip then made up her mind. She caught an elf out in the hall and asked for some vinegar and oil. Once she had the items Akiko started mixing them and wet her hair. She worked the mixture into her hair and rinsed it clean. It took several repeats to fully clean the dye out but once she was finished and dried her hair and yanked a comb through it.
At some point, someone had dropped off different clothing. The pants were a soft dark blue sued and the top was black with a belt that matched the pants. She kept her own boots. Fishing around in her bag she pulled out her black eyeliner and mascara. Akiko had to force herself to ignore the little voice suggesting she was doing it for Thorin. Taking a deep breath she headed for the dining hall feeling nervous. She barely knew these people but Thorin had pulled her in the moment she locked eyes with him. She took one last calming breath before entering the dining hall holding her head high.
Thorin was mid sip on some wine when a short slim blond figure walked through the doors into the hall. The glint of metal from her face and ears gave away her identity. Akiko. Instead of swallowing he managed to inhale the chilled liquid and started choking. Once he had managed to get himself under control, Thorin glanced back up to find his nephews had Akiko sitting between them again. Part of him felt like a selfish jealous fool, she deserved someone younger. But another part of him wanted to be selfish.
After dinner was over Thorin slipped away to think. He needed to figure out why he was so drawn to this one female. Certainly, she was pretty, no pretty didn't do her justice. She was exotic and beautiful. He sat on a bench and took out his pipe. The Shire really did have excellent pipeweed.
"Hey."
Thorin jumped in surprise. He hadn't heard Akiko approach he was so caught up in his thoughts.
"Mind if I join you?" She was playing with one of her lip piercings watching him almost shyly.
"Of course," he made room for her to sit with him. She sat in silence looking up at the stars. The look in her eyes was one of wonder. The way she lined her eyes made the silver glitter in the moonlight. Dwarves had always loved gold but in this instances he found silver to be the far more appealing color. Her voice suddenly interrupted his musings.
"I've never seen stars like this before."
Does your world not have them?"
"No, we do. But there are so many lights all the time. They just disappear." She glanced at him and offered a small smile.
"Tell me about your world," Thorin inched closer to her.
"I lived in a huge city. Over three million people. There was always noise and pollution. My apartment wasn't exactly in the best area. But I know how to defend myself at least enough to get away and I made friends with those who would watch out for me." She sighed and looked away. Thorin had a hard time imagining her world.
"That night," her words really caught his attention now. "I was heading home. Someone not caring to look where he was going knocked into me. Being half Japanese I'm small and women in my mothers family are smaller than most Japanese women even. It didn't take much for him to knock me into the street. The driver that hit me didn't have a chance to even stop. That lady showed it to me. All I actually remember from that night after getting my hair done is the impact of someone running into me. Then bright lights as I fell into street followed by pain. It felt like I was burning and freezing all at once. It only lasted for a moment but I don't think I can ever forget that moment."
Thorin shrugged off his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders before holding her tightly to his side. There wasn't much he felt he could say so he just held her.
"I thought I was dreaming when I first met you. In my world, you're a story. I know that probably sounds crazy but its true."
He was quiet for a few minutes just watching the sky. It was a bit odd but he had always known this world and had a hard time imagining a different one. If their places were reversed he would think he was dreaming as well.
"Then you know how this ends?"
"I know how it ends in the story. But I wasn't in the story so I don't know how it will change now. And being chase then ending up here wasn't in it either. In the book, you came willingly needing supplies to continue."
Thorin kissed the top of her head. Most of the night passed with them just watching the stars and occasionally asking the other questions about their lives. She told him of her friend Krista and he was amused by the situations the two would get into. It was near dawn again when they both drifted off to sleep leaning on each other.
The next afternoon found Akiko watching the dwarves training. Dwalin being the ever-gruff warrior tossed her a dagger.
"This ain't a show, girl. Either get in here and spar or move along and quit being a distraction."
Thorin expected her to leave since her legs and ribs were still healing but she didn't. Instead, she gave the large dwarf a particularly rude hand gesture and squared off with him. She was quick Thorin gave her that but Dwalin had experience on his side. Soon her dagger was gone and he had her trapped against him. She brought her elbow back winding him slightly before stomping on the instep of his boot. Dwalin's grip loosened slightly and she smashed her elbow into his face before swinging her fist down into his groin. Every male in the vicinity winced as the warrior went down with a groan.
"Well, I'm not fighting her." Was Bofur's statement after a moment.
Dwalin clambered to his feet still holding his abused lower bits a bit of blood leaking from his nose and upper lip.
"Where did you learn how to do that lass?" His voice was strained.
"My job was to help teach people how to defend themselves back home. I'm not strong or big but I am fast and if I can get myself out of a situation and get away then I'll probably survive."
"Fili you're up. I need to sit for a moment. That one smarted. You've got a good arm for someone so skinny."
Fili was far warier then Dwalin had been but range wasn't his best attack and as long as she kept her distance he couldn't get an advantage but even up close she was dangerous. Thorin could see that her strength was defense, her ability to attack would need improvement.
That was how the next couple weeks were spent. Other then the time Thorin found to spare at the forges. He helped train Akiko in knife fighting as well as hand to hand. She spent mealtimes with his nephews. But in the evenings after the rest had gone to bed she would seek him out. They would talk about the differences in their worlds and almost always fall asleep leaning on each other. Soon he would ask her to go with them. With him.
The two-week wait was almost at an end and Thorin had yet to ask Akiko to go with them when they left. He felt nervous having come to the realization that she was his One. It was rare for a dwarf to find there One in a different race and as the future King Under the Mountain, he wasn't sure it would even be possible for him to take her as his Queen. The thorn was secure through Fili but would that be enough?
He glanced at the set of knives in his hand. After learning Akiko could defend herself he had both his nephews and Dwalin working with her on knife fighting. She had some experience in it but not enough. He had also had them teach her how to use throwing knives. She was progressing nicely however her strengths would always lie in being able to stay out of the enemies grasp.
Lord Elrond had allowed Thorin to use one of the forges to craft the weapons he now carried towards Akiko's room. It had taken all of his skill to make them light enough for her to use without compromising their durability. Akiko was just too slight for traditional dwarven weapons so Thorin took his time in creating the ones he held now. As the dwarf rounded the last corner to Akiko's room he saw her stepping out the door.
"Thorin!"
"My Lady," he smirked at the face she made when he or anybody greeted her like that. "I have a gift for you lass, and a question."
"Oh?"
"Yes, I was hoping you would accept these," he held out the knives to her. "And go with us when we leave here."
"Thorin. they're beautiful!" the appreciation in her eyes warmed his heart. "And if you had tried to leave me here alone I would have followed you." Oh, how he loved that mischievous glint in her eye.
"Be ready to leave soon. Once the elf lord has read the map I intend to leave before we can be stopped."
***
Akiko went to pack quickly right after dinner that night. Thorin went off with the wizard, Elrond, Balin, and Bilbo to read the map. After closing the door to her room Akiko turned to find the same elf lady from the gardens so many nights ago sitting on the edge of her bed.
"Hello, Akiko."
"What are you doing here?" Akiko was instantly on the defensive. She didn't want to see anything else.
"I came to give you a warning now that you have chosen your path."
"You're not going to force me to see another vision are you?"
"No child. I know that Thorin Oakenshield has told you of his conversation with Mithrandir."
"So?"
"You have a truly unique gift Akiko. Within you lies the ability to heal others. But this gift does come at a price. While you won't take on the injuries of those you heal your body will provide the energy it would take for the wounds to heal naturally. At such an accelerated rate you could be left weak or even dead if you give too much."
"While this is all very fascinating but I don't fucking know how to even access this power so I don't think your warning is very useful."
The elf held out a pendant of some kind. The jewel, a deep blue-green, was set in some silvery metal.
"This will work as a focus. When the time comes, with this, your instincts will guide you."
The woman laid the pendant on top of Akiko's already packed bag.
"I wish you luck Akiko Morris. My granddaughter packed your bag for you try to rest before Oakenshield comes for you. It will be a long hike out of the valley. And an even longer journey after."
Akiko tucked the pendant away and tried to get some rest. Thorin was distance when he came to wake her but she attributed that to having been given a timeline in which to get to his mountain.
That had been three days ago and Thorin's mood hadn't improved much. It was nearing sundown when Thorin called for camp. Akiko huffed a sigh of relief and sat to rest her feet for a moment. She noticed Thorin had been in a worsening mood since they left the valley but didn't think sitting for a moment would be the final straw to make him snap.
"I did not bring you along so you could lay about while the others set up camp girl."
"Excuse me? I barely sat down! What the fuck is your problem?"
"Do not use that language with me."
"I'll use whatever fucking language I damn well want to and if you have a problem with that then you can piss off asshole!"
"You need to start acting like a lady Akiko. I will not suffer your tongue much longer!"
She felt like he had knocked the wind out of her. It couldn't have hurt more if he actually hit her. She didn't have any response. Turning away from him Akiko willed herself not to cry and went to help Bombur fix dinner.
That night she made her bed away from the rest. Over the next couple days, she kept her distance and stayed quiet not wanting to set anyone else off. She didn't know how things could have changed from when they were in the valley until now. Thorin had been so caring and the sudden switch scared her. She just didn't know what to do. She really felt like she didn't know anything anymore.