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Author's Note
:
Sorry for the small delay of this chapter.
But here is the continuation!
Enjoy!
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The day they were going to ride back to Ereiabor Nenya was very nervous. She once again had to face Thorin's entourage and spend many days together, and she hoped that they would accept her. She knew that Thorin would never let anyone physically harm her, but he couldn't hinder them from having their own thoughts about her.
Whatever questions they wanted to ask her she would answer truthfully, not hiding anything anymore - there was nothing else she could do at this point. If she were to be at Thorin's side she needed to act like she deserved her place there.
Right now she felt misplaced as she stood there beside Thorin clad in her green linen dress, black cloak and the well used shoes.
He wore his long fur trimmed leather coat above a light chainmail, and around his waist there was a sword belt holding the scabbard. A sword hilt protruded on the left side just below his hip; his underarms had wrist protections with intricate patterns; and the dark leather pants, that fitted his lower body perfect, and on his feet he wore dark leather boots with metal clasps. The crown on his head shone in the light from the morning sun, he looked so majestic that Nenya almost felt like she didn't belong there. But when he gave her a swift look and half a smile she knew that this was exactly where she was supposed to be.

Her hands shook nervously when she covered her head with the hood, before taking the reins of a little brown pony that was handed to her.
"There is no need for that, she rides with me." She heard Thorin's voice right behind her. "I want you close, so you don't disappear again," he quietly said, a lovingly whisper only intended for her ears.
He helped her up on his horse before mounting it himself. Enjoying his warmth she felt safe and hidden from the eyes of the others. He took the reins and ordered their departure from Rivnadahl.

The first part of the trip had been cold and uneventful as they made slow progress towards Ereiabor. Thorin wanted to shortened the journey with at least a day - it would take them more than three weeks to reach their destination - by ordering the men to skip the tents, making it possible for them to travel for a few more hours every day. As they made camp in the evenings the soldiers that was in the squad split into smaller groups to keep guard, surrounding the King and his nearest men that camped close to the biggest campfire. They were laying on furs, to protect them from the coldness and hardness of the ground, while covering their bodies with blankets to stay warm. Thorin and Nenya had their place a little to the side, wanting some privacy, she didn't feel comfortable to be too close to the others just yet.
She had almost always been beside him at the beginning, being a little unsure of how she should behave. But as time went by, and Thorin accepted that those with questions could have them answered, she felt that their attitude towards her was becoming a little more positive. Soon she were able to sit among them, listening to their stories about life, love and war, and she felt safe even though Thorin wasn't right next to her. But she could always see that he had an eye on everyone around her, to make sure that they knew where the boundaries were. They weren't bad men, they were just curious and needed to get to know her.

Nenya, and probably Thorin too she thought, had had a hard time to not do anything that wasn't appropriate in front of others.
A chaste kiss as he had helped her down from the horse; the fully clothed, close body contact when they tried to stay warm under the blanket they shared at night; a stroke on the cheek when waking up in the morning; the tingling sensation in her body when they let their fingers intertwine thinking no one was watching; the looks of hidden craving for the other as they sat around the fire at night - everything led to frustration building up in a steady pace inside her. All she wanted was to be dragged into the woods by Thorin, and let him do whatever he wanted with her. She knew that Thorin had the same thoughts sometimes, seeing the dark desire filled looks he was giving her, but he did nothing about it - and she was too shy to take the first step now when they weren't alone.

They followed the small stream of Andiathyst north, passing a few villages along the way. The rolling hills around them blended in well with the small humps with doors in different colors. Almost every entrance had a little fenced in garden, some with flowers growing in pots or on the ground, some with just grass, bushes or a small trees. Most of them also had a bench or chairs somewhere in the yard. All around the small towns people were going about their usual business, and in the fields around them Nenya saw farmers taking care of their crops.
Everywhere they were met with cautiousness, but some also watched Thorin and Nenya with curious eyes as they rode in the front of the group.

Half way through it had started to rain, drenching them and the horses for five days straight. It seemed as if the dark clouds followed them north, making the journey feel even longer.
Making a fire in the evenings had been impossible, the dry wood they carried with them was soaking wet. A few tents were put up to get away from the rain, but they could not do anything against the cold and the wet clothes. So they spent a few nights freezing in the darkness while the moon was hidden behind the thick cover of clouds.

At the end of the nineteenth day Nenya had had trouble sleeping, even though she laid as close to Thorin as she could. Her whole body shook from the cold and his warm embrace couldn't make it stop. She was so frozen that it took more than half the night until she finally fell into a light slumber.

On the twentieth day they finally saw the misty contours of Ereiabor rise in the horizon as they made camp for the night in the northern outskirts of the forest Norethil. It had been a long day, and Nenya was still freezing, she probably had a slight fever after the days of bad weather. But that didn't stop her from trying to share the others joyous anticipation to return home by tomorrow evening.

As she sat by the fire through that evening with Thorin behind her, him whispering in her ear what he would do as soon as they reached the mountain, all she could think about was that soon she would be alone with him again.

That night was the longest so far for Nenya. She couldn't sleep at all, feeling dizzy and extremely cold. Lying awake she looked up at the stars chasing each other over the night sky, but they didn't move like they usually did. No, they danced around in some random zig-zag pattern in front of her eyes, making her even more woozy.
As they started to become a little blurry she blinked a few times to sharpen her eyesight and sat herself up, and carefully she moved her legs out from under the blanket to not wake Thorin up. She bent her knees so she could wrap her arms around them and looked out over the sleeping group of men that were spread out around them. She wasn't freezing anymore, maybe the fever was starting to lose its grip on her, and she might finally get some sleep.
Then the fire caught her eye. It seemed as if the flames tried to release themselves from the glowing embers, stretching their waves up towards the dark sky.
The flickering and dancing flairs played in her eyes, swirling and twisting over the blackness of the already burnt wood, and she stared mesmerized into the campfire.
For the first time in a while her head was entirely empty - it was just her and the billowing, raging fire. Slowly it grew out of proportions, coming closer, threatening to swallow her - and she started to see images emerging in the inferno.
First she saw Thorin smiling at her, making her feel the love for him in her heart, but then the figure started to change. The warm kind eyes turned into an evil glare; the dark hair and beard lightened to the colors of the flames in the background; the familiar features of Thorin transformed into the smirking face of Dorami in front of her eyes. And then she suddenly heard a booming voice, filling her with fear, "You are mine, Nenya, always and forever!" followed by the sound of Dorami's wicked laughter. The figure started coming closer, grasping after her with its hands. She couldn't move. Her body wasn't responding. Paralyzed out of fear all she could do was scream, an icy-cold cry of terror as the palms moved closer.
In the distant she heard a voice calling her name, but she couldn't concentrate on it. It was just her and the horrific creature in front of her, slowly making its way towards her.
All of a sudden everything started to blur, and she sensed someone beside her, frantically shaking her. The horrible images faded away and she saw Thorin's worried face in front of her.
It had been a dream, caused by the rising fever that raged inside her that now became obvious to her again. She felt like a little child waking up from a nightmare; her whole body shook and tears made their way down her face. Not even when Thorin took her in his arms could she make them stop. She pressed herself against him and let all her fears and despair out into his warm embrace.