I haven't forgotten this story. I have been working on my other writings in addition to my fanfics. This story, however, is a slow one to build, but I will persevere until it is finished. I hope you continue to enjoy it. Thank you for your attention and patience. Please leave me comments. I love reading them.

Chapter 10: Contractual Service

Nyssa spent the better part of two weeks being ordered about by Dwalin. She hardly saw the king except for meal breaks, and he was always surrounded by some of his council, especially Balin. Nyssa needed some time to herself to look around the mountain, but between helping the dwarves with the restoration of the kingdom and the training sessions with Dwalin, she hardly had time to get the lay of the land.

It had been over a year since the death of Smaug and the great battle of the five armies, and the dwarves were no closer to repairing all the damage done by the dragon. Nyssa had no memory of what the mountain was like before Smaug. She was only an infant when her father came to Erebor.

My father.

Her thoughts went to her father. She had not thought about him in years, and now she was standing in the very mountain where he had died. Nyssa felt her emotions begin to rise to the surface, and she fought to suppress them. She was surrounded by the other dwarves, and the last thing she wanted was to start crying in front of them. Besides, she learned long ago how to set her feelings aside. Emotions were a distraction and a liability in her life.

She wondered when the dwarves retook the mountain, did they find her father in the dungeons? What did they do with the bodies of the prisoners left behind when the dragon attacked? Did they, at least, receive a proper burial?

These thoughts were filling her with rage to the point of nearly decimating the straw figure she used as a sparring opponent in the training arena. By the time she was done, the straw figure looked like a pile of rubbish. She stared at the broken pieces on the ground while panting heavily. The sword felt heavy, and her grip on the hilt made her hand go numb.

"Anger can cloud your judgment and make you vulnerable to attack," said the baritone voice of the king behind her.

Nyssa turned around to face Thorin watching her from just a few short paces away. How long had he been there? Her anger turned to surprise and then back to loathing when she laid eyes on the dwarf she blamed for her family woes. But, she worked to keep that from showing on her face. She grinned at the dwarf king and bowed.

"My lord, have you come for a sparring lesson?" she asked in joking fashion.

Thorin smiled and chuckled at her obvious request. She was quite sure of herself, and by the look of the straw figure in pieces before them, she was improving her skills. Still, Dwalin had failed to teach the female ranger humility.

He would have loved to take her up on her challenge, but he was here on business. The lesson in humility would have to wait.

"It is time that we discuss your roll here in Erebor. Walk with me, Analyn," he said and led the way out of the training arena.

Nyssa took that more as an order than a request. She could tell that he was used to having his orders obeyed without question. He had a presence of regal authority in the way he carried himself. It was almost admirable if she did not know any better. She wondered if he was like that when he spent all those years as a lowly blacksmith. Obviously, the dwarves of the Blue Mountains would follow him to the ends of Middle-Earth, but what of any other person? Did his presence command that same loyalty from the people in all those towns and villages he worked at?

Nyssa followed Thorin through various corridors and hallways throughout the mountain. She paid close attention to her surroundings in every area they passed. Thorin took her through an open walkway that bridged over the marketplace. Nyssa could see the various merchants and customers in their colorful attire from far away. They looked like little spots of color carefully gliding along the streets. Yes, the dwarves were coming back to the mountain.

They continued along this path until they came to a stone spiral staircase with two of Thorin's elite guards standing on either side of the entrance. They immediately stood at attention as he approached. Thorin bowed slightly to them and walked past them without missing a beat. Nyssa held back a few steps to study where she was. This was the entrance into the Royal living quarters, the Royal family's private wing. Only with special permission that any ordinary commoner were to enter past this archway. The same was true of the treasure room as well.

Nyssa took a quick breath before continuing through the archway and up the stone staircase. Thorin was nearly to the top when she caught up with him. They came to a massive wooden door. Thorin pushed through and entered with Nyssa quickly following behind. Nyssa stopped and took in her surroundings in awe.

They had entered a large sitting room with warg rugs on the floor. Tapestries of glorious color and images were hung on the walls all around the room. There were plush and colorful chairs and couches throughout various corners and circled around the massive fireplace. There was a walkway at the far side of the room with doors that led to other rooms along each side of the passage. Nyssa assumed that those were the private sleeping quarters for the family.

The sitting room was very open with large windows on the other side allowing fresh air into the area. Nyssa broke away for a moment and stepped toward one of the open windows. She looked out over the countryside in amazement. From this window, she could see nearly all of the lands in the dwarven kingdom, including Dale. It was a magnificent view. Nyssa also guessed that they were nearing the top of the mountain.

"Analyn," Thorin called bringing Nyssa out of her thoughts. "This way."

Thorin turned away and led Nyssa toward another door in the corner of the room. He opened the door and went inside. Nyssa walked through and saw that the walls were covered with shelves of books and parchments from one end to another. Thorin crossed the room and walked around a large wooden table that was covered with maps and parchment papers. He sifted through the parchments until he found the contract he was looking for. He glanced up at Nyssa who was too busy studying the books on the shelves in front of her. Most of the books were in Khuzdul (the dwarvish language), but there were a few written in the common tongue. Nyssa only knew common and elvish language. Khuzdul was very foreign to her.

"They were my grandfather's," he said with a bit of melancoly in his voice. "This was his personal study. There were times when he would escape the stressful moments of the day and relax by the fire with one of his books."

Thorin moved toward Nyssa to also examine each volume displayed on the shelf. After a few moments of looking, he pulled a book from the shelf and showed it to her. Nyssa took it and opened it. The book was The History and Legend of the Dwarvish Culture.

"This was one of his favorites," he said proudly. "Thror was always proud of our dwarf heritage. He once told me that to be a king is a great honor and a privilege. Any man can inherit the throne through birth, but only a strong leader who loves his people has the right to it."

"I imagine that he would be very proud to see that you have claimed it once again," she said. Thorin looked at her with surprise.

"I suppose so." He had not thought of it that way. "I only wish that he could have lived to see what was stolen finally returned to our people."

"It meant that much to you? To reclaim this mountain in his memory?" she asked.

"Yes." Thorin was taken back by the questions. "This mountain had been our home for hundreds of years. I was born here, like my father and grandfather before me. My siblings and I were raised here. When Smaug attacked us and forced my people out of our home, it nearly tore my grandfather apart. My mother, like many of our people, died months later due to the sulfur smoke from Smaug's fiery breath. The elders died along the journey through the wilderness. What was left of our people finally settled in the Blue Mountains."

How sad for you, King Thorin, that you should lose your family so unfairly. I can relate to that.

Nyssa listened to Thorin's story and felt some sympathy toward the dwarf king. Yes, he and his people suffered so much, but it really seemed like poetic justice compared to the loss of her family at his hand. Yet, as she watched his face, she could not help but feel a little remorse. She could relate very well what it felt like to lose all the people she loved.

"Well then, my lord. We have a lot of work to do to make sure that this mountain is secure, so nothing and no one ever steals from your people ever again." Nyssa grabbed at what she saw was an opening.

At first, Thorin eyed her with a sense of curiosity. She was an enigma, there was no question about that. He had never met a woman so sure of herself as Analyn. She spoke like a dwarrowdam, so confident that one could almost describe her as cocky. Clearly, humility was not in her nature.

"You are very bold to speak of such things to me, Lady Analyn. I know that you are of the legendary Dunedain race of men, and that your age is much closer to my nephews than to an average human. But, I believe that only proves just how young and inexperienced you are," Thorin said more aggressively.

"So, you believe me to be inexperienced? I have trained with the best rangers from the North, my lord. And, because of that training, I know that the city of Dale is a tactical nightmare. It has been a year, my lord, and the fishermen of Laketown still cannot fortify it properly. The streets are a confusing maze with some of the areas still too dangerous to enter. The people cannot coordinate with each other if there is an attack. They are untrained and have few weapons, even with what they managed to salvage from the city and the town," she said with her arms crossed at her chest.

Thorin could not dispute what she had just said. It was true that Dale is far from ready if they ever experienced another battle like the one they fought over a year ago against Azog and his legions. Thorin was also spread very thin lending his own troops to Bard to both defend and train the humans in the hope that Bard could build an army of his own. The city would make a strong ally if it harbored experienced warriors and not just simple fishermen.

"And, then there are the problems with your kingdom, my lord," she said, breaking Thorin's concentration. "You have only one entrance and exit to this mountain, the main gate. When Smaug attacked this mountain, there was nowhere for your people to go. I am not suggesting that another dragon attack is imminent, but what if this mountain is attacked by an outside force? How will you get your people out?"

"You assume a great deal. How do you know what this mountain has in defenses and escape routes? You have never entered the Kingdom of Erebor before your orc attack a month ago. Yet, you speak as though you are far more knowledgeable than any dwarf here, including me."

"I beg your pardon, my lord. I mean no offense," she said with a slight bow and shifting her eyes to the floor. "I only wish to help you."

Thorin smirked at her. No one outside of this kingdom would care to offer advice or assistance to them without something in return, so what did she want from him? Which brought him back to the contract that rested on a pile of parchment papers and maps scattered all over the top of the table at the far side of the room. He would have to question her later over her true motives for wanting to remain in Erebor, but the legalities must be met for now.

"Then we must delay no longer in hashing out the details of your duties here," said Thorin as he turned toward the table and picked up the contract. "I have something I wish for you to read and sign. If you are to remain in Erebor for the time being, you must sign the contract."

Nyssa cautiously walked toward the king. Her eyes followed Thorin from his face to the paper in his hand. She took the contract and began reading it.

It was directly to the point. She was to have free access to all the corridors of the mountain provided that Dwalin or one of his associates accompany her. She was to obey Dwalin's commands and report any ideas that she had in regards to both the security of the mountain and also that of Dale. He still felt that Nyssa needed more experience if she were to be a part of the reshaping of Erebor. On condition of her remaining in the mountain, she was to continue her training under Dwalin's tutelage.

"So, I am to become your captain's apprentice? Why does that matter to you?" she asked.

"I think that in order for you to help in strengthening our defenses, you need to better understand our ways and fighting skills. I can recommend no better teacher than Dwalin."

Thorin leaned closer toward her. His expression changed to a more hardened character. His voice was low and deep when he spoke to her again.

"Know this, dwarves rarely teach outsiders anything about our culture. You should be honored that I am allowing you this opportunity."

There was also another reason why he wanted her to not be far out of sight of Dwalin. He could tell that she was quite clever, but there was something about her that bothered him. She seemed to be too clever, like she was hiding something about herself. His feeling about her made it difficult to trust her fully. He felt far better having Dwalin or one of his trusted lieutenants watching her when he could not.

Nyssa closed her mouth, and a small grin spread across her face. At least, this was a positive step toward securing the king's trust. She did not care for having a chaperone with her at all times, but that was only a minor irritation. She needed to take every opportunity presented and go with it.

She nodded her head to the dwarf king and reached for the quill at the corner of the table. She dipped the quill in the inkwell and signed her name under the eloquent loops of the king. She sprinkled sand on the name and passed the paper across the table toward Thorin. The king inspected the contract and nodded his head in agreement. Analyn, daughter of Gwidyan, was written in bold writing at the bottom of the page.

After the ink was dry, Thorin folded the paper and turned to Nyssa. He was pleased that the contract business was finished.

"I suppose I am to do as ordered while here at Erebor until you find my services are no long required?" she said in a light voice.

"Until I release you, yes," said Thorin.

"So, what is next, my lord?" she asked.

"I suggest you go and get some rest. You will need it. Starting tomorrow, we go to work."

Nyssa smiled. She could not agree more.