Chapter Eight – Responsibility

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"Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armour yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you." ― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

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The following week off Lyra was to visit her sister; having two days off to take an over night trip to Dale. Lyra and Moe's shift came to an end on Thursday evening and so Moe invited her to share a drink in a local tavern in celebration of a week well done. Lyra felt like a good drink would go down well and asked if she might bring along her friend Thomas who Moe had yet to meet. El and Fel took over from them with a smile and the pair set out to grab Thomas from the mess hall.

Before they could take two steps however, the doors to Kili's chamber were slammed open and out tripped the young Prince who was buttoning up his shirt in a panicked manor.

"But my Prince!" announced a squeaky voice from inside the room. Kili slammed the door and swallowed heavily. Earlier that day Kili had taken a questionable choice of bedmate from court; one whose laugh echoed off the wall in an annoying shrill and it seemed the young prince was regretting his choice.

"Where are you two going?" asked the Prince, looking over his shoulder in apprehension, and catching up to his two guards with gusto. El and Fel fell into step behind the Prince, officially having taken over roll of protector. "Mind if I come along?"

One could not simply say no to a prince.

"We're grabbing a drink lad, at the Sunken Jewel, in celebration of the end of the week," Moe explained with a chuckle.

"Is working tirelessly for me all day not all the celebration you need?" Kili asked with mock offence.

"What of your lass?" Lyra asked, laughing.

"Where?" Kili's eyes were wide with fear as he looked over his shoulder again, not seeing anybody behind him but his night guards. "Oh, she'll get the hint and leave… hopefully."

They reached the corner of the hall and Lyra told the unlikely duo that she would meet them there. Over the past two weeks she had learnt her way to and from the mass hall to Kili's chambers and to the main areas of the mountain. Lyra and Thomas had visited the Sunken Jewel not three nights past and thus she felt confident in her announcement that she would find the tavern.

Lyra found Thomas seated in the hall with a mouthful of bread, but he was more than happy to abandon his meal with promise of good ale.

They made their way up and down stair cases and through low ceiled corridors until they came upon the pub. Pushing the door to they were greeted with a loud uproar of noise and song. The breath and bodies of many dwarfs and the odd Dale soldier made the air a particular warmth that could only be replicated by a bunch of sweating males in a confined space; dwarf and human alike.

Thomas gave a loud laugh as he heard the music to a particularly rude song. "I'll grab us some drinks," Thomas announced over the noise, but Lyra grabbed his arm and pointed over to the corner where Kili was waving at them with two large tankards in his hand. "Luke over here!"

Thomas froze beside her. "Is that the…prince?" Thomas asked, his voice becoming high. "You didn't tell me the prince would be here!" Her friend looked at her with wide eyes.

Lyra just laughed and pushed him to the corner to where Moe and Kili had evidently found a booth to sit. As they got closer they noticed that their commanding officer Dwalin was amongst them. The on-duty guards for the prince stood to either side of the booth and as Lyra approach El nodded to her as if to indicate she could be seated.

Lyra sat down into the booth and dragged Thomas down with her. Kili passed them both a large tankard and Lyra laughed as Thomas took a long drag.

"Your majesty," Thomas said as way of introduction, before taking another drink.

"This is Thomas Halder," Lyra introduced for her friend to those at the table who did not know him.

Moe reached around Lyra and presented a hand to the frightened young boy. "Moe, son of Merl, at your service." Thomas look the offered hand with a smile, having heard about Moe from myself.

Dwalin looked upon Thomas with a frown. "Halder, aye? That's not a dwarf name," stated the gruff dwarf, eyeing Thomas with a fierce look. The half-dwarf clearly did not like what their commanding officer may be implying.

"No, it is my mothers name," Thomas stated in a defensive tone.

"Alright lad, keep your nickers on. I was only asking." Dwalin grumbled under his breath. The disfigured dwarf pulled an unhappy expression as if shaking away a memory that reared its ugly head.

"You didn't know your father then?" Kili asked innocently, merely curious. "That's very unusual, isn't it Dwalin? To have a bastard dwarf. I don't think I've ever met one."

Thomas kept quiet at this comment, either from anger or awkwardness Lyra couldn't tell.

"So I hear you're to be married lad," Moe questioned Kili in a rapid change of subject and the prince in turn stuck his tongue out in disgust.

"I don't want to get married." The prince slouched back in his chair.

"Maybe you'll like the girl and fall madly in love and have lots of tiny Kili's wondering around," Lyra suggested with a raise eyebrow.

"Or maybe I'll be unhappy for the rest of my days," said the boy in return grumpily.

"Marriage is a wonderful thing, lad," Moe interjected. "And if you are blessed with children then all the better."

"But at the moment she's some random human girl miles from any mountain range."

Dwalin rolled his eyes. "Urbem isn't that far."

"And she's also a princess, no?" Lyra added.

"Yes yes, shut up all of you," Kili huffed, folding his arms over his chest. "I came here to hide from women, not talk about them."

Moe and Lyra laughed at this; Lyra found the irony of his comment even more amusing considering they all unknowingly had a female in their mist.

Lyra was near the end of her drink and as a rule didn't ever buy a second, lest she lost some control and reveal her secret. As she stood to wish the party good night she noticed Dwalin and Thomas in light conversation and was glad that her young friend hadn't been too offended with the questions earlier.

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The following day found Lyra walking down the mountain and past Dale to the little house on the outskirts of the city. There she was greeted with loving arms and smiles of happiness.

"Aunty Lyra!" Jacob shouted in joy running to his aunt who held her arms open widely to receive a hug.

"Aunty Lyra!" Martha echoed happily, stumbling a bit but making it to Lyra with equal enthusiasm.

Freya met her sister at the door and hugged her tightly. "We've missed you these past weeks," she told her sister, bringing her inside and helping her with her bag. Lyra went to change out of the male clothes, happy to put on a cotton, green dress and wrap her head in a bandanna to hide her short hair. The feel of being feminine made Lyra sigh happily and she walked with exaggerated swaying over to her sister so to make the dress spin around her ankles.

They sat to have a cup of tea, her niece and nephew playing in the garden happier than they were before now that Lyra had returned. The aunt in question sat with Murphy on her lap, rocking him up and down gently while his mother prepared warm drinks.

"Has old man Philips been giving you the wool still to spin?" Lyra asked idly, handing Murphy back to Freya in exchange for the tea.

"Yes of course," she told her sister. "I have even begun to learn how to use a loon!" Freya proudly picked up a small piece of cloth and presented it to her sister. "This is from my first lesson with Lavender Jenner."

"They have a loon?" asked Lyra, remembering Lavender from her youth as a quiet girl from a poor family.

"They do now since her older sister, Mary, was married to a dwarf," spoke Freya, smiling with wide eyed interest and sat at the table. Freya had always enjoyed gossip, not for the malicious nature of the sport but simply for a way to spend her time.

"I have noticed more marriages between dwarfs and humans." The conversation with the kings the previous week sprung to Lyra's mind but she squashed it down.

"I have noticed that to," Freya acknowledged, "but so have the attacks."

"Attacks?" Lyra asked, not remembering any such instance in her time as a guard in Dale.

"Aye, two last week and one this week. Mary's husband was one of those attacked." The idea of interracial marriages being a target for attacks unsettled Lyra and she resolved to look into the matter in the mountain to see if anyone might know the reasoning.

As Lyra sat there contemplating her sister's words, Freya fidgeted on the edge of her seat, fussing with Murphy. Lyra knew her sister had something to say.

"Freya, what is it?" Lyra asked, raising an eyebrow in question.

"Well," began her sister, looking up through her lashes. "There has been some talk about town about you." Freya bit her lip hesitantly.

Lyra was surprised. She hadn't thought anyone would even remember her as she hadn't had many friends, but she had worked in the Hogarth household for many years so she was somewhat known amongst the servant's circles.

"Come of Freya, just tell me," Lyra insisted.

"They are saying you are a whore in Lake Town." The words tumbled out of Freya mouth and Lyra was sat stumped for words. How had this come about?

"Well I was considering it at one point…" Lyra mused somberly, thinking of how her reputation was surely destroyed. Were she to leave the guard now she would have little hope of finding any job apart from that of a whore. She wondered how this had effected Freya's reputation but dismissed the thought for unhelpful; Freya had many friends and was loved by all those who met her, she was not in any danger.

"Oh please, you're far too much of a prude!" Freya suddenly announced, breaking the tension in the air that was mounting by the moment, and the two girls laughed freely at the idea. When they had calmed down Freya spoke again. "Lady Fiona has been spreading these stories. She was saying how she dismissed a maid, oh she said some awful things about you! Anyway, she said that the only work you could find was that of a whore and since you haven't dared show your face in town…"

The last part of true; she hadn't gone into town as 'Lyra' in a long time. Luke was better known amongst the guards and she couldn't risk being seen or recognized. Lyra just shrugged.

"Maybe we'll run away when Murphy gets old enough," Lyra announced suddenly. "We'll run away to Rohan and become street performers!" Lyra smiled cheekily at her sister. "Think you could learn to juggle fire?"

The sisters laughed together, the tension Lyra hadn't noticed in Freya's shoulders released, and the rest of the evening and the next day was spent happily completing chores, tending the vegetables and playing with the children.

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Soon enough a month had passed since Lyra started working in the mountain. She was sending money down to her family weekly and in that time little Murphy grew bigger and stronger by the day. Things in the mountain fell into a harmonious rhythm for Lyra but she felt as if she was being lulled into a false sense of security.

This was confirmed when, in one of the council meetings upon the balcony, it was announced that the diplomacy mission to Urbem-upon-Celdium was to be brought forward and that they were to leave before the week was out.

"But uncle, that is a two-week journey," complained Kili.

Thorin ignored his youngest nephew and continued, "Fili, you speak in my name and I trust you will do it justice." Fili nodded seriously at his uncle. Thorin looked to Kili and his expression softened but the look he gave the younger dwarf was one of significance.

"I am told that Princess Ilithia is as beautiful as she is lovely, and I trust you will be able to use your diplomacy to win over the ruling house of Urbem to our side." Kili nodded stiffly at his uncle, doing as he was bid but the petulance in his manor was clear and unhappy.

"What has brought this forward uncle?" Fili asked in a worried tone.

Dwalin answered for him. "The tales of unrest in Urbem is great, with dwarfs and sympathizers, as they have been named, being attacked in the streets," the disfigured dwarf said gruffer than usual. "Even in Dale there have been attacks on interracial unions. This needs to be crushed sooner rather than later."

There was a silence as the party present absorbed the information.

"And bring Master Fraser with you," noted the king as if in after thought. "I believe his presence would be a good mediator." Lyra was surprised to hear herself mentioned but a grumble of agreement went about the room and the meeting was called to an end.

Lyra and Moe moved to follow a disgruntled Kili from the council room when he was beckoned by his uncle to stay behind. Thorin move his head close to his nephew in a gesture of fondness.

"Kili, this is a necessity. I believe you must come to terms with it," said the king is a softer voice than she had ever heard. Kili signed and looked dejected but nodded his understanding.

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So how do you feel about Thomas' situation? Or the politics between the dwarfs and the people? What of Lady Fiona's lies? Let me know what you think and what you think might unravel on this diplomatic mission!

Sorry about the later update! Next Chapter will be up in a week.