We walk down the passage in silence. No one speaks, although whenever we reach a turn, Fili points silently which way we have to go. Kili is always behind Kyra, and me and I can't help but notice that he looks back every moment or so.
With nothing better to do, my eyes scan the walls of the tunnel. There are burn marks every once in a while, but not as much as in the first tunnel. There is almost no gold along the floor. I'm just thinking that I'm going to have a hard time finding my way around this place when my eyes fall on a light ahead of us.
My feet begin to move faster. Sunlight, open air, these are things I have not seen or felt in years. But a hand on my shoulder stops me. I look back to find Kili holding me back. He seems oddly series.
"Wait," his voice rings with seriousness. Ahead of us, Fili is peering out the door into the light. After a moment, he motions us slowly forward.
"What is it?" my voice barley audible in the tunnel, I try to peer around his arm.
"We have to make sure we don't come out into a big clump of dwarves who…" Fili pauses as though searching for the right words. "Don't like humans." When he sees my expression, he quickly corrects himself, "Half-humans at least,"
Fili continues to look for an opening while Kili speaks behind me. "Your part human?" his tone of voice suggests that he doesn't believe it.
"Yeah," I whisper, "My mother was a hobbit," Turning back to look at Fili, I see him looking at me strangely. Raising an eyebrow, I look quizzically at him. He turns away.
After a few more tantalizing minutes, Fili deems it safe outside, and we step into the sunlight. "Oh…" I breathe.
The light streams down through a gap in the clouds above, illuminating the field in bright light. In the distance I can hear birds singing. The grass seems so green, and everything seems so… real. I can't find the words to describe it.
"Is this your first time outside?" Fili is beside me again. I nod, still unable to speak, turning my head side to side; I try to drink it all in, the grass, the air, the sky. It all seems so unreal.
"There's Thorin!" Kyra speaks from behind us. Turning, I see her on top of Kili's shoulders. She points in the direction of the gate I saw earlier and I see Thorin still directing the traffic.
"Come on then!" Grabbing Kili's hair, she begins to steer him in the general direction of Thorin. Laughing, I follow a few steps behind, Fili at my side.
We reach the King of the dwarves in a matter of minutes. "Uncle!" Kyra calls out from her place on Kili's head.
He turns, and I am momentarily taken aback. Bandages cover his chest, and his eyes are harsh. "So she's awake," It's not a question.
"Yes, she awoke less then an hour ago," Fili, says. Thorin nods slightly, as though considering something.
We all stand there, Kili slightly bent under the weight of the dwarf on his shoulders. Finally, Thorin murmurs something to the dwarves around him, and motions for us to follow him. When we are a few paces away, he stops again.
"Kili, take Kyra back up to her rooms," his voice isn't cold, only demanding. Kili nods and turns to go. Thorin then turns to Fili. "Fili, can you go get Balin for me?" Again, it's not a question. The brothers depart, Kyra glancing back every other step. Then the king turns towards me.
"Erebor is going through a hard time currently," he speaks slowly, as though to a child. Not sure what else to do, I nod. After a pause, Thorin continues. "Every dwarf has a job here, everyone here… belongs."
A knot forms in my throat. His comment cuts deep, but I force myself not to show it. I can almost sense what is going to happen. "When must I leave?" my voice is tired now, all the happiness from earlier sucked out of me.
He tilts his head to one side, "Leave? No, I made a promise to you, a promise that I intend to keep," when he looks at me next, its as though he's sizing me up. "I will give you two months to prove that you are capable of surviving here, that you have what it takes,"
I nod. It actually makes sense. "What do I have to do?" I don't sound defeated now. I have a purpose.
Thorin considers this for a moment. "I'm…not entirely sure," his brow furrows slightly. "But I have heard that you cannot fight?" Inside, I groan slightly. The dwarf Bradi must have gotten to him already.
"Well then, the first thing we need to do is teach you how to fight," Motioning behind him, he calls out in a louder voice, "Balin! I have need of you,"
A plump dwarf with a long white beard comes running up. He takes a few breaths before looking up at Thorin. "You called?"
"I need you to train this girl in our customs and the way we fight," the king uses the same demanding voice he used with Kili, but I somehow sense that Thorin has great respect for this dwarf.
Balin turns to me. "Balin, at your service," he bows slightly before grinning.
My mind is racing. What should I do? Bow back? Curtsy? After a moment of deep thought, I settle on the simple greeting, "uh…. Hi?"
Thorin and Balin share a look. "I see you have much work to do old friend," Thorin mumbles. He nods to me, glances at Balin as though to say, good luck, you're going to need it, then turns and walks back towards the line of dwarves entering Erebor without another word. My new mentor turns to me.
"I think we had better just start with a tour of Erebor, don't you think?" he says.
I nod gratefully. Even with years of practice, I don't think I'll ever be able to find my way around the massive dwarf city. "Yes please," I reply. He motions towards the gate, and together we walk towards Erebor.
Glancing up at the gate, my eyes fall on a hole in the wall. A scream seems to echo slightly in my head. Shaking it off, I force my feet to follow Balin.
It is in the moment when my feet pass through the gate that I realize that I still have no idea what caused the screaming.