As requested, a bit of Thorin and Eiranna. Yay!
It grew late in the day when King Thror halted his peoples wanderings and instructed them to set up camp for the night. After her outburst earlier in the day, it had taken some time to calm and settle Dis. She was, at present, sleeping peacefully beside Eiranna in the tent the two shared. Eiranna lay awake, unable to sleep. Grumbling in frustration, she pushed the heavy furs from her. As quietly as she could, she dressed herself in her warmest clothes and exited the tent.
It was still, the night itself quite silent. Eiranna treaded slowly, as softly as possible, through the camp so as not to disturb those sleeping. If anyone heard her as she passed them by, there was no indication. Just outside the camp, Eiranna came upon a small rock formation. A few of the boulders were far too large for her to climb on, but there was one that was small enough for her to sit upon. She drew her knees up to meet her chin, and she wrapped her arms around her legs. The chill of the wind made her tremble slightly, but she made no move to warm herself. The cool air felt soothing upon her skin. Eiranna's thoughts swept over the memory of the day and she allowed herself to succumb, finally, to the sadness and devastation that had threatened to overtake her earlier. She sat upon the boulder, alone, and cried.
Eiranna heard a noise from behind and froze. Slowly, she rotated her head to the side and saw Thorin standing there. Relief flooded through her body, thankful it was not some vicious creature, but it swiftly switched to embarrassment at the thought he had heard her sobs. Still shrouded mostly in darkness, she quickly wiped at her face, in an attempt to be rid of the tears that where still there.
"You should not be wandering off. There is much to fear in the wilderness," she heard him say from behind. Eiranna nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She worried if she did, the tears would start up again, and she assumed Thorin had had enough of tears for one day. She made no motion to change her present location, and before long Eiranna heard the soft crunch of gravel as Thorin made his approach. He stood next to her for a long moment before he rested alongside her.
Eiranna sat silently with Thorin beside her. "You're trembling," she heard him murmur. Quite suddenly, Thorin took hold of Eiranna's hand, startling her, and situated it so it was sandwiched between his much larger ones. Her heart raged within her chest, and she felt slightly short of breathe. His actions seemed to have the desired effect for she felt warmth spread upwards from her hand. Eiranna studied him closely. "You cut your beard," she said, lifting her vacant hand to lightly touch his chin. Thorin had always kept it neatly braided, and it was now no longer there. "Aye," he replied. "I am sad to see it gone," she admitted softly. "I was unaware you noticed such things," Thorin said. A small smile appeared upon his face. It had been many weeks since Eiranna had seen him smile, and she was surprised to discover the sight filled her with happiness. It was a welcome feeling, and she found herself clinging to it desperately.
Thorin released a weary sigh. "It is late, and tomorrow will be another long day of travel. We should both return to camp for some rest," Thorin said, as he released her hand and rose to standing. Some emotion to akin to disappointment swept through Eiranna, but she pushed it aside. She nodded in agreement, stood, and followed Thorin as he led the way back to camp.
