What is this? A second chapter for this month? Yes, it is folks. Now I should warn you that there is a bit of smut/lemon/naughty scene in this chapter. So, if that isn't your cup of tea/coffee then I suggest you skip over that bit, though it will be referenced later in this chapter as well. By the way, did I mention that this chapter is going to be a super long one? I didn't? Well, now you know.
Happy Thanksgiving to all my American readers. It's early, but I won't be posting again till December.
Also, I'd like to thank Firefoxxe for helping by coming up with some of the names used in this chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own the Hobbit.
Four years later…
A full moon has begun setting, and the faint brightness of morning is just starting to break upon the horizon. Deep within the Blue Mountain settlement, however, doesn't hold that serene feeling that the outside world holds. It holds anxiousness, fear, sorrow, and anger.
Inside of his royal office, not far from his throne room and audience chambers, is a grim faced Thorin. Seated at his desk, with elbows resting upon its surface, Thorin's head is cradled by his hands. His eyes are closed, trying to suppress the growth of tears. His breathing is very labored as he tries to hold back the sorrow and anger that is coursing through his veins.
A knock at the door goes unnoticed by him, as does the sound of the door opening to reveal his most trusted advisor, Balin.
"Thorin." Balin says softly.
Lifting his head out of his hands, Thorin opens his bloodshot eyes to look at the older dwarf. His throat constricts, not allowing him to voice his concerns. Yet the look on his face is enough to tell his kin what it is he cannot ask.
Balin, knowing his friend and king so well, doesn't hesitate to answer.
"He's resting comfortably now. The dagger didn't go deep enough to pierce any of his organs. I don't want to even speculate what would have happened if the sentries hadn't scared the dwarf into committing suicide. Though from what Kili told me, the assassin's main target was Shara, not Fili."
Thorin lets out a sigh of relief that his nephew, Fili, will be surviving his first brush with death. The lad wasn't even forty yet, and already was a recipient of a terrible wound. This shouldn't have happened, not in his kingdom. All of this has Thorin wondering, 'How did this come to pass?'
The Day Before…
In the training grounds of his kingdom, Thorin is teaching his youngest nephew how to fight. He has Kili using a heavily blunted sword during their training session.
"Keep your sword at the ready." Thorin tells Kili as he watches the young lad leave himself defenseless from an attack on his left side.
"But it's too heavy." Kili whines as he struggles to hold the heavy sword which is roughly half his size in length.
"It is heavy so that it can help you build up muscles to wield it." Thorin explains as he brings his sword down at his nephew.
Kili tries to block the attack, but his sword and arms buckle underneath the weight on his uncle's attack. His sword is pushed towards the ground, and he has to bend forward to keep his grip on the pummel of the sword. He is so focused on not letting go of his sword that Kili doesn't realize that Thorin has a hand at his little throat.
"You're dead, Kili." Thorin sighs out in disappointment to his nephew.
Kili immediately drops to the ground in a heap as he tries to hold back tears of frustration. He's been training with his uncle for almost two months now, and has yet to become as good a fighter as Fili. Through the wetness in his eyes, Kili glances over to the other side of the arena where Dwalin is teaching Fili how to wield two swords.
Thorin notices where his younger nephew is looking and lets out a sigh. He knows now what is running through Kili's mind.
"You'll be just as good a fighter as well, Kili. Do not hold yourself to the same standard as Fili. He is older than you are and has been training longer than you have."
Kili looks away from where his nadad is, and glares up at his uncle.
"But I should be doing better by now. Even when Shara was teaching me the bow, I was excelling at it faster than this." Kili discouragingly replies.
"Don't sell yourself short, Kili. I have faith that you will be a great fighter with both bow and sword."
"So, you don't think I'm an elf lover by being good with a bow?"
"An elf lover?" Thorin bellows out at his nephew. "Where did you hear that?"
"One of the lords who arrived a few days ago called Kili that." Fili tells his uncle as he moves towards his nadadith.
During his training with Dwalin, Fili had let his guard down after spotting Kili on the ground. This had caused the youngster to lose focus and had ended up on his bottom after having Dwalin knock his legs out from under him. Dwalin didn't need to ask the young prince why he wasn't focusing anymore. With one look over his shoulder, Dwalin saw a crestfallen Kili on the ground with Thorin standing over him.
"Which lords?" Thorin asks. Now that he understood what was the cause of Kili's push to excel, Thorin wanted to find out who he would be needing to have a talking to.
"Lords Baro, Haur, and Ragond were watching Shara and Kili practicing with their bows yesterday, and they all called Kili and Shara that." Fili tells his uncle.
"Don't take it to heart laddie." Dwalin says to Kili and he reaches down to pull the dark-haired prince to his feet. "Thorin was taught the bow by his own adad, Thrain. And Thrain learned it from Thror."
"Really?" Kili says in delight, his eyes shining in wonder as he looks at his uncle.
Thorin gives Kili an affirmative nod, and a slight smile appears on his face as he watches Kili leap at Fili to embrace him. Fili, however, doesn't look too thrilled at being embraced by Kili, but he accepts the hug from his nadadith. Yet Fili's face remains in a firm grimace.
"What's wrong, Fili?" Thorin asks, wondering what could be bothering his nephew.
"That wasn't the worst thing I've overheard from the nobles." Fili replies while looking Thorin straight in the eyes.
"Oh, and what is?" Dwalin chuckles out, knowing full well that the two princes are a more reliable source of court gossip than the servants.
Fili looks at Dwalin then back at Thorin before answering. "That the only reason why Thorin wants Shara is so that he can be the first to take a dip in her honeypot."
Both of the older dwarrows go white in the face at hearing such a thing come out of Fili's mouth. It is Dwalin who is the first to recover from his shock. His face turns a dark shade of red and he begins grinding his teeth in a vain attempt to keep his anger in check. Thorin, however, clenches his firsts and his eyes harden so much that both Fili and Kili slowly take a few steps back.
"What is a honeypot, uncle?" Kili innocently asks, not truly understanding what the term means.
This question temporarily pulls Thorin out of his anger, and he addresses his nephew.
"Never you mind, Kili. I suggest the two of you go find your amad, and start preparing for this evening."
Fili and Kili let out a sigh before grabbing their things so that they can leave.
As the two of them go about doing this, Dwalin slowly inches his way over to Thorin's side before speaking to his king.
"Those nobles are more trouble than what they are worth."
"Yet the council will not allow the engagement to move forward till after a formal announcement is held. For that, most of the dwarven nobles are needed. I am not surprised that there are a few noble families who are against a marriage between myself and Shara. But they should have the decency not to use such euphemisms in front of my nephews."
"Just be glad that it was such a clean term for it. I've heard warriors use more coarse language when describing such things. Though, as Shara's guardian and adad, I would like to formally address the lack of respect towards her."
"Duly noted."
Thorin and Dwalin quickly clean up the arena from their training before leaving the arena. The pair eventually part ways, Dwalin to find his brother and Thorin to go have a bath. So, he heads off towards the royal wing which houses his rooms.
Upon reaching his rooms, Thorin stops dead in his tracks at what he has come across. Sitting in his oversized arm chair, by the large fireplace, is his intended. Her blue, long-sleeved dress nearly blends in with the fabric of his chair. Her golden bronze hair, and pale skin, are the only things that stand out. Yet, in her hands, is a brown, leather covered book.
"Shara?"
Looking up from her book, Shara sees Thorin in his sweat soaked training outfit. The navy-blue tunic is clinging to his broad chest and shoulders, and his black trousers are clinging to his muscular thighs.
"Th…Thorin." Shara stammers out while her cheeks turn a violent red from her blushing. "I…I didn't know you when you'd return. I trust Kili's training went well."
Thorin can't hold back the grin as he notices Shara's discomfort at his soaked attire. However, this doesn't stop him from making his way through his sitting room to reach his bedroom.
"You need not be embarrassed by my attire, Shara. Eventually, you and I will be married. And from what I hear, married couples see each other often in stages of undress." Thorin teases from the doorway to his bedroom.
As soon as he enters the bedroom he hears a loud thud against the closed door. This is followed by several threats to his person, which causes Thorin to softly chuckle. Four years ago, Thorin had never thought that his relationship with Shara would get this far. There were only two times, maybe three if he thought long and hard on it, to where Thorin and Shara were on the edge of becoming physically involved with each other. Then, with having an engagement contract written up between them, caused Thorin to push his desire for Shara to the back of his mind. So, over the course of the past four years, Thorin and Shara had fallen into a close friendship that included some hand-holding and chaste kisses. Both of which were allowed under the terms of their engagement contract.
Yet Shara's frequent use of his sitting room to escape the council, nobles, and even Dis was never considered within the contract's definitions of supervised visits. So, for the past year, Thorin had the pleasure of finding Shara in his sitting room. Most of the time she had a book in her hands. Other times, she'd be waiting for him so that they could discuss things together. With a smile on his face, Thorin quickly undresses as he makes his way towards his bathroom.
Meanwhile, Shara is still in Thorin's sitting room and hasn't retrieved her book from where it lays on the floor. She wasn't expecting Thorin to return till later in the afternoon, so that he would get dressed for the formal announcement ceremony of their engagement with the nobles. Now, having seen the Thorin sweaty return from the training arena, Shara can't help the flood of heat that is now singing through her body.
Shara makes her way over to the small kitchenette that sits on the opposite wall from the fireplace. She picks up a decanter filled with mead and pours herself a glass. In one go, Shara gulps down the heady liquid from her glass. As the slow burn, and warmth, from the mead sinks down into her stomach, Shara places the empty glass onto the countertop. She stands there for a few minutes, allowing her mind to wonder before looking over her right shoulder to where her book lays.
Letting out a deep sigh, Shara walks away from kitchenette and goes to pick up her book from the floor. After bending down and picking the book up, Shara lets out another sigh before a knock on Thorin's door causes her eyes to go big and turns to look at the door. Her heart rate begins to pick up as adrenaline kicks in. She isn't supposed to be here.
"Thorin." Balin's voice calls out from the other side of the sitting room's door.
Shara lets out a whispered cuss word, and quickly whirls around to pull open Thorin's bedroom door. Having stepped inside, Shara quickly shuts the door only a few seconds before hearing the sitting room's door opening. Her eyes begin to dart around the bedroom, looking for a place to hide before settling upon the door to the bathroom which is halfway open.
Hearing Balin's approaching footsteps, Shara runs to the bathroom door and enters it.
"Shara!" Thorin's voice calls out as he sits up in the small pond-sized bathing pool in the middle of the room.
He is about to call out to her again as he watches her run towards the screen divider which sits in the left corner of the bathroom. Just as she makes it behind the screen, Thorin hears Balin's voice call out his name.
Just as Shara duck down behind the small bench, which sits behind the screen, Balin enters the bathroom.
"Thorin." Balin says letting out a sigh of relief.
"Balin." Thorin says in reply while turning his eyes from where Shara is hiding to Balin.
"I'm sorry to interrupt your bath, but Dis and her lads told me that you would be in your rooms. I've brought up your outfit for this evening. It's in your room, lying across the end of your bed. Though I must ask, have you seen Shara today? I can't seem to find her anywhere."
Thorin shifts in the water and chances a look at where Shara is hiding to see her face has turned white. His eyes dart back to Balin, who thankfully has gone to the right corner of the room to retrieve a large towel from the cupboard there.
"No, I haven't." Thorin says as he again shifts in the bathing pool. In his mind, Thorin is praying that Balin leaves. It would be a terrible thing if Balin were to find Shara here. Especially in Thorin's own bathroom.
"I swear that lass has too good at disappearing." Balin says as he begins to walk away from the cupboard and heads towards the screen.
Thorin's stomach drops and, not caring if Shara sees his naked body, quickly climbs out of the bathing pool.
"You can bring the towel over here, Balin." Thorin says as he stands by the edge of the bathing pool with not a stitch of clothes on and water dripping off of his body.
"You didn't have to hurry yourself, Thorin." Balin says with a chuckle and he diverts his walk away from the screen. Once he reaches Thorin, Balin hands him the towel.
"I'm clean. There is no need to waste time lounging around in a bath when there is work to be done." Thorin growls out as he wraps the towel around his waist.
Balin lets out yet another chuckle before walking back over to the cupboard to fetch a second towel.
"You know," Balin begins to say as he pulls a second towel out of the cupboard. "there was a time when you would scoff at the idea of having a bathing servant in your bathroom to help you. Yet, here I am. One of your advisors, acting as a bathing servant to you."
"Only because you disturbed my bathing ritual." Thorin growls out in frustration while wringing out his wet hair.
"Some things never change." Balin chuckles out as he hands the second towel off to his king. "Well, I best be leaving. I've a wayward lass to find and take back home. Dis has sent one of her handmaids, Pâdma, to see to it that Shara is dressed properly. Mahal knows she needs to look the part of a queen. Those nobles will eat her alive if she doesn't look the part. See you this evening, Thorin."
Balin gives Thorin a smile and a small bow before leaving the bathroom. Thorin follows Balin out of the bathroom and stands at his bedroom doorway till Balin completely leaves his rooms. Letting out a sigh, Thorin then closes his bedroom door before turning around. He tosses the second towel to the floor, having dried his hair while Balin had been talking a few minutes ago.
"That was close." Shara says softly, having come out of her hiding place. She is standing in the doorway to the bathroom.
"Too close." Thorin replies in agreement. "You'll have to wait a while before leaving. Knowing Balin, he's probably posted a guard or two outside to escort me down to the audience hall."
"Oh."
Thorin looks over at Shara, who is still standing in the doorway of his bathroom. He notes that her eyes will not look up from the floor, and there is a rosy blush upon her cheeks.
"Why do you look at the floor, Shara?"
"Because you are only wearing a towel to cover your modesty." Shara mumbles out while still keeping her eyes upon the floor.
Thorin lets out a chuckle and then makes his way over to her. One of his hands come up to Shara's chin and raises her head. Another chuckle escapes him as he sees that Shara has closed her eyes. Knowing that she has no idea of what will happen next, Thorin leans in and presses a kiss to her lips.
Shara's eyes fly open at the feel of Thorin's lips against her own. Her mind is now in a whirlwind as a large wave of desire crashes over her. She lets out a small moan and opens her lips in invitation for Thorin to deepen the kiss, which he does.
The hand that had been holding her chin slowly moves down her neck and stops to rest against her right breast. His other hand had found its way to her hair, and has begun removing several pins which are hold some of her braids into a half-bun at the back of her head. Several of these pins fall to the ground with a soft clink when the land on the stone floor. This causes her hair to fall free from its style.
It's been nearly three years since Thorin has kissed her, but that was with a chaperone present, and just over four years since their make-out session in the mines. Yet none of the previous kisses can compare to this one. For it has stoked something deep within Shara, and there is an ache growing low in her belly.
Breaking the kiss, Shara takes in a breath that her burning lungs need while Thorin begins placing kisses along her jawline.
"Thorin." Shara whispers before finding his lips pressed against hers once more.
"Shara." Thorin whispers against her lips before removing his right hand away from her breast and moves it down her side and towards her lower back.
Finding the ties to her dress, Thorin's fingers begin to untie the string bow. Succeeding on untying the bow, Thorin slips his fingers beneath the fabric string and loosens up the bodice of Shara's dress. Once the bodice is loosened, to the point of being draped on Shara, Thorin ends their kisses. With hooded eyes, he looks at the young dwarrowdam in his arms.
Shara opens her eyes and looks directly into Thorin's deep blue eyes. She doesn't have to tilt her head back very much since she is only three inches shorter than him. She can see, and feel, his desire for her. Neither of them speak, verbally, but words are being spoken between their eyes. Then, so very slowly, Shara feels herself being led away from the bathroom doorway, and then her world shifts as her back comes into contact with something soft.
Thorin only hovers partially over Shara's body upon his bed, and mentally thanks his servants for turning down the covers after changing the sheets this morning. He keeps eye contact with her as he shifts to lean on one elbow. This allows one of his hands to reach up and slowly push Shara's dress down off of her shoulders. As each sleeve is pushed down her arms, Shara helps Thorin push the bodice down to her waist. This leaves her in a corset and under shift.
Not waiting for Thorin's hand, Shara unbuttons her own corset and watches as Thorin's eyes begin to dilate with desire and need. With her corset open, Shara lifts her upper body up and tugs the corset out from underneath her. She tosses it off of the bed, and it lands several feet away from the bed.
It is at this point that Thorin can no longer stay idle. He leans down and begins kissing Shara with renewed vigor as his free hand makes short work of pushing the off-the-shoulders-shift down to her waist. Then he makes short work of pulling the skirt, and under skirt up to pool at Shara's waist with the rest of her attire.
Shara's hands reach down to take hold of the damp towel that has somehow managed to stay wrapped around Thorin's waist. Giving it a swift tug, the towel releases and is thrown across the room. With the towel removed, Shara wraps her arms around Thorin. One up and over his shoulders, the other around the middle of his back. Then, the feeling of cool air brushing against Shara's thighs only to be replaced by something hot.
Shifting yet again, Thorin covers Shara's body with his own, and nestles his legs between her own. Pulling his head back to look at Shara, he searches her face for any doubt, Thorin shifts his hips against Shara's. He watches as her eyes widen just a little before finding himself being pulled down for a kiss. He takes this as a sign to continue, and he does.
There is pain, at first, but after several moments the pain turns to a low burning sensation as Thorin moves within her. Shara, not wanting Thorin to be the only participant, begins lifting her hips to meet his. The burning turns to something else, and Shara can't describe what it is that she is feeling.
The pair continue this ancient dance till it becomes too much for both of them. Shara is the first to find herself in the throes of pleasure and Thorin joins her only a minute or two later. Still feeling drunk on the after effects of what they have done, neither one is eager to break the connection between their bodies. So, they continue kissing each other, though Thorin eventually rolls onto his back while bringing Shara to lay upon him.
After another bout of love-making between them, Thorin reluctantly has to send Shara home to prepare the evening's ceremony.
Two hours later…
Having returned to her own home two hours ago, Shara had found herself set upon by Dis and several of her maids. The dams had escorted Shara to her own bathroom, and were quick to undress Shara. Dis, being an ever-observant dam thanks to motherhood, had noticed some blood streaked on the upper part of Shara's inner left thigh.
"My dear, has your courses come early?" Dis had asked Shara.
Shara, not wanting to let slip what Thorin and her had done, shrugged her naked shoulders before immersing her body into the water. That was enough to satisfy Dis, and soon a few items were brought in to help aid in keeping any of Shara's monthly blood from bleeding through the two layers of petticoats which will be underneath the blue and silver dress. Once the bath was done, Shara was dressed and her hair done up into a mass of braids and curls at the crown of her head.
Now here she was, standing just outside the audience chamber doors. To say she was nervous about having to walk into a room full of snotty nobles, was an understatement. The only good thing was that both of her adad's would be escorting her until they reached the king.
"Mind elsewhere lass?" Dwalin asks as he approaches his adopted nathith. "Not gettin' cold feet are ya?"
Just like Shara, Dwalin is dressed in his best outfit. Even his hair was brushed and a few braids added in.
"Oh leave her be, Dwalin." Balin says as he comes to stand at Shara's right shoulder. Dressed in his finest red and gold advisor robes, Balin gives Shara a smile before handing the young dam a small, hand-held parcel.
"What's this?" Shara asks with a confused look upon her face before sneaking it into one of the hidden pockets along the side seam of her billowing skirt.
"Herbs. Dis told me that your monthly courses had arrived. About ten days early for them to be showing up."
"Wha? How?"
"Lassie, I keep track of and manage Thorin's schedule. Did it never occur to you that I'd keep track of this as well?" Balin asks Shara with one eyebrow raised.
Shara blushes and looks down towards the ground in embarrassment. However, her heart skips a beat at Balin's next statements.
"Besides, how else am I to make sure that your suitors didn't compromise your virtue. I wouldn't want to see my nathith having a bairn before she's properly wed."
Shara fights hard to keep her face from showing her turmoil as she comes to the realization that she hadn't been taking contraceptive herbs. Nor did Thorin take any precautions during their time together a few hours ago.
The sound of a horn being blown causes Shara to look up at the door.
"It's time." Dwalin says before moving to stand in front of Shara.
"Don't be nervous lass." Balin says with a smile before bestowing a kiss against Shara's forehead.
Moving to stand next to his brother, Balin and Dwalin wait for the doors to open before beginning their walk. Shara clasps her hands in front of her and begins to follow while mentally walking herself through what was expected of her for tonight.
On either side of the aisles there are many nobles. While a sizable number of them live here in the Blue Mountains, there are many that have come from other dwarven cities. All of them are dressed in their best courtly attire, and several dams have beards with decorated braids.
At the very front of the noble masses is a dais, where Thorin stands. He is dressed in blue and silver with a large navy blue over coat that has silver embroidered emblems of his house upon it. His dark raven hair has been brushed and braids added to it. On either side of his is nephews, who are also dressed in their courtly attire. Just behind them, off to the left, is Dis in her courtly attire that is more of a purple and silver. Then off to the right, just behind Fili, is someone who Shara thought she'd never see again.
'Grandfather.' Shara thinks to herself as she finally reaches the bottom of the dais.
Thorin takes a step forward before addressing the nobles.
"Friends and honored guests. I'd like to introduce you to my intended, Shara. Daughter of Balin and Dwalin, sons of Fundin. As many of you are aware, she was adopted into their family after having been found alone, underage, and in need of the protection a family can provide. It is my plan to take Shara as my yâsith, and eventually make her my queen. I sincerely hope that you all will be agreeable and bless this marriage."
With his speech ended, the nobles begin clapping, and a few even let out a few cheers. However, Thorin can already see that several of the nobles are giving him stern looks of disappointment and even hostility.
Slowly, Thorin makes his way down from the dais and offers an arm for Shara to take. Slowly the pair lead their family and guests from the audience chamber to the large dining hall. Along the way several of the inhabitants clap their hands, cheer, bow, and wish Thorin and Shara many happy years together.
Once they enter the dining hall, Thorin leads Shara to the head table and pulls out a chair for her to sit in. Then he proceeds to place himself next to her. Others join them at the head table. Fili and Kili sit on either side of Dis, who is seated a few seats down from Thorin. Balin is seated on the other side of Thorin while Dwalin is sits at the very end of the long table.
"You didn't tell me she was such a beauty. If only I'd known sooner, I'd have put an offer of marriage for Balin and Dwalin to consider." The familiar red-haired dwarrow says from where he is seated across from Shara.
"Dain." Thorin responds with a hint of a growl in his voice.
"Over my dead body would such an offer be accepted." Dwalin says from his place at the end of the table.
"Ach. Ya know as well as I tha' both of us would 'ave died in such a battle." Dain roars out in laughter at Dwalin.
"What I find interesting is that you've chosen a dam who is seventy-eight years younger than you, Thorin. I expect that you'll be hankering to get started on getting your own heir." Lord Baro, a lord from the Gray Mountains, says as he glares at Shara.
Shara has to look away from the blonde dwarf's gray eyes and begins to shift uncomfortably under his glare.
"Fili and Kili are still my heirs. Even if Mahal blesses us with bairns of our own. For now, Fili and Kili are being trained to take my place. They descend from Durin the Deathless and have just as much a claim upon my throne as any future bairns do." Thorin says in an even voice.
"But surly a direct heir of your own making would make better sense than your nephews." Lord Haur states while looking directly at Thorin.
"Ohh leave the king alone, the lot of ya." Dain barks out in a huff. "Can't ya see tha' this is a topic that does not need to be discussed at a feast. Much less in front of your future queen herself."
The rest of the lords at the table begin filling their plates with food before any of the females at the table do. This causes Shara to look over at Thorin, who sees confusion in her eyes. So, he leans over and whispers into her ear.
"It is an old custom that the elders do not wish to part with." Thorin place a quick kiss against her cheek to keep up an appearance of doting suitor before the lords.
Now having that bit of information in mind, Shara watches and waits till all the males have filled their plates before filling her own. She is careful in what she picks to eat, for Dis had warned her ahead of time that the feast would have nine courses in all. Since the corset she is wearing beneath her dress is tied as tight as possible, Shara really doesn't want to make herself sick and embarrass herself before the noble families.
Dain, however, is watching Shara with critical eyes. After eating the meat from a chicken leg, Dain decides to speak to this dam who is to marry his cousin and king.
"So, what do ya do as a trade, lassie?" Dain asks while pulling apart a bread bun.
Shara looks up from her plate and answers Dain's question.
"I have quite a few trades, Lord Dain."
"Like what?" Lord Ragond asks from the other side of Shara.
"Currently I am training Prince Kili with several different weapons. As well as tutoring both princes in their studies." Shara says, careful not to say too much since she was told not to by Dis earlier.
"She's also a damn fine warrior." Dwalin says from his seat. "Bested every warrior we have here, save for our king and myself."
"Really?" Lord Thizad looks from Shara then to Thorin before speaking again. "Is that a suitable profession for our future queen and the dam you'd have bear your heirs?"
Thorin glares at Lord Thizad, who he knows has never once earned money by his own means. Out of all the lords who are seated at his table, Lords Ragond, Thizad and Haur are the ones he doesn't trust. Several lords at the high table come from noble families of Erebor, but only one lord, Rier, has his earned Thorin's respect.
"There is nothin' wrong with a dam who knows how to wield a weapon." Dain bellows out in agitation at Lord Thizad. "Better they know how to defend themselves and our bairns when us dwarrow are no longer able to protect them."
The table remains silent after Dain's comment and no one speaks till after all nine courses have been served. It is at this point that music is starting to be played, and the dancing begins. Since the feast is to help soften the nobles into acknowledging Thorin's choice of bride, Thorin and Shara do not join in the dancing.
With Thorin, Balin, and Dain having a discussion across the table, Shara looks past them and can see that Fili and Kili are looking like they are about to fall asleep in their chairs. Dis, however, had moved to the end of the table to talk with some of the noble ladies. Shara slowly rises from her chair and slowly walks over to the young princes.
"Falling asleep so soon?" Shara says softly as she kneels down between their chairs.
Kili lets out a yawn and rubs his eyes before sleepily saying, "I'm not tired."
Fili and Shara let out a few chuckles at Kili's stubbornness on remaining where the fun was. However, it was well into the late-night hours, and Shara knew that neither prince would be able to stay awake much longer.
"How about I escort you both back to your rooms? You'll need your sleep if we are still planning on going out on a small hunting trip tomorrow." Shara suggests and grin appears on her face as both princes nod their heads in agreement.
Slowly the two boys get up off their own chairs and make to follow Shara. They stop only for a brief moment so that they can wish their amad a goodnight before leaving. Shara promises Dis that she will return once she's seen the princes to bed.
On their way through the hallways, Shara can't help but feel as if she's being followed. Slowly, not to alarm the princes, Shara reaches beneath the edge of bodice and pulls out a thin, hand-length dagger which would be undetectable.
Fili, having noticed Shara's movements and the removal of a dagger, begins walking closer to Kili. The blonde prince trusts Shara's intuition on if there is any danger close by. He's watched her in the arena numerous times and seen how observant she is with her opponents. The only two she has yet to defeat is Dwalin and Thorin.
As they come upon the third corner, which is only three hallways away from the royal wing, Shara begins to walk a little bit faster. This puts her only a few steps ahead of the princes.
Just as she begins to turn the corner, a cloaked figure charges at her from the opposite side. Fili and Kili call out to Shara as the cloaked figure shoves Shara towards the wall, face first. With her head bouncing off the wall, Shara stumbles backwards and collapses to the ground as her world spins.
Kili runs at the figure, and doesn't take notice that the attacker has pulled out a curved dagger. It isn't till the attacker takes a swipe at Kili does the young prince realize that he has nothing to use to defend himself. Taking a chance, Kili evades another swipe from the attacker and dives for Shara's dagger which lays upon the ground near the wall. What Kili doesn't know is that the attacker had anticipated this move and his curved dagger comes down at him.
At having seen his nadadith in danger, Fili forgets everything and throws himself in the path of the deadly dagger. Pain and a burning sensation cut through Fili's mind as the dagger punctures into the right side of his upper back.
"Fili!" Kili screams at hearing his nadad's scream of pain. He had turned his head and watches as the figure pulls his dagger free from Fili before practically throwing the blonde prince across the hallway.
Seeing Fili hit the wall before falling to the ground, Kili charges at the figure and is able to pull the cloak off of the attacker. Before Kili can do anything else, a metal-toed boot slams into his stomach, causing Kili to double over in agony.
Before the attacker can harm Kili again, Shara jumps upon the dwarf's back and wraps an arm around his thick neck. However, the dwarf is a seasoned warrior, and is able to throw Shara off by taking hold of her upper arms and bending forward suddenly.
Landing on her back, Shara doesn't hesitate in rolling herself to one side before getting up and charging at the dwarf. She isn't able to knock him over, but it is enough to draw his attention elsewhere. This allows Shara to give the dwarf a quick upper-cut punch to his jaw. As the dwarf stumbles back from the blow, Shara takes hold of his black tunic and pulls him towards her. Then she unleashes several punches to the dwarf's face, breaking his nose.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, the dwarf's right fist slams into the side of Shara head. This causes her to release the dwarf and both of them stumble away from each other before hitting the ground. Hearing the sound of approaching footsteps, the dwarf knows that he won't be able to escape. So, he pulls out a vial from a hidden pocket and downs the contents in one go. Within seconds, he is dead.
Shara, however, fights against the dizziness that is clouding her mind. She raises a hand to her forehead and rubs it. Pain flares up and it causes her to remove her hand. Looking down at her hand, she can see that blood covers her hand.
"My Lady! Princes!" A distant voice calls out.
Shara lifts her head as sees one of the appointed sentries running towards her while the other one runs for help. Looking over her left shoulder, Shara lets out a gasp as she sees a small pool of blood surrounding Fili. Slowly she crawls over to him and begins tearing large chunks from her petticoats to press against the wound on his back.
"My Lady, what happened?" The sentry asks as he kneels down to take over pressing the torn chunks of petticoats against the blonde prince's back.
"We were attacked." Shara gasps out as a severe pain in her ribs decides to make itself known. "Keep applying pressure to the wound."
"Don't worry, my lady, my nadad one of the best healers here. I know what to do." The sentry replies.
A minute later, and having thrown up nearly everything he ate, Kili crawled over to where Shara and the sentry are looking after Fili.
"Is he going to make it." Kili gasps out while placing his hand back onto his stomach.
"He's strong, Kili." Shara replies before pulling the youngest prince into a one-armed hug.
Several minutes pass before the sound of running feet echo into the hallway. The first to come around the corner is Dwalin, who quickly surveys the area before running over towards the dead dwarf. Thorin is next, followed by Dis.
"Mahal no!" Dis cries out as she kneels down beside Kili and Shara. "Not Fili. Please, not my boy."
Kili is quick to pull himself free from Shara's hug and is quick to wrap his arm around Dis's neck.
Shara slowly gets up off of the ground, but her shaking legs make it hard for her. Just as she thinks she'll end up on the floor again, two strong arms pull her up so that she is standing. Turning her head, she sees a stone-faced Thorin who's still looking down at Fili.
"What happened?" Thorin growls out in a deadly voice that Shara has never heard before.
"We were attacked." Shara gasps out while having a challenging time breathing.
Dwalin, at this time, approaches Shara and Thorin. "He's dead. The bastard took some kind of poison. Better get you to a healer, lass. Looks like you put up quite the fight against tha' filth."
"Not until Fili has been seen to." Shara growls out while gasping for breath.
Before Dwalin can argue against her wishes, Oin arrives with two of his protégés and four other sentries.
"About time you arrived, nadad." The sentry pressing against Fili's wound says as the healer kneels down to bind the wound.
Everyone remains silent as Oin places temporary bandages on the wound. Then, being very careful, Oin has his two protégés place Fili upon a hammock-like carrier.
The whole group makes their way down to the Healing Halls, so that the injured can be looked over. Kili has some internal bruising from the kick, which Oin suggests the lad stays in the same room as Fili, once he is done stitching Fili's wound close. Shara, having been looked over by a different healer, had the cut upon her forehead cleaned. It didn't need any stitches. However, the healer did discover that he had a few bruised ribs after having removed the corset.
Thorin and Dwalin waited for the healer to come out of the private room to hear what all injuries Shara had. Dwalin, satisfied that Shara would live and was able to go home for the night, left the Healing Halls to apprise Balin of what all had happened.
Thorin, however, needed to see that Shara was okay. Having seen her bloodied up, and struggling to breath, his blood ran hot with anger. He wanted revenge. He entered the room, and noticed right away that Shara was wearing a gown and a robe which the ill or the injured wear during their stay with the healers. Her hair has also been freed from its braids, and looks a little damp.
"Are you alright?" Thorin asks softly as he walks to her side.
"I'm fine." Shara says while not taking her eyes off of her now destroyed gown, which is lying on the floor in ruins.
"The healer says you are free to go home. Would you like me to escort you there?" Thorin asks as he gently brushes away some of her lose hair from her face.
Shara turns her head to look at Thorin, and he is taken by surprise to see a few tears sliding down her cheeks. Being as gentle as he can, Thorin pulls Shara to his chest and holds her to him as she cries. He hears her mumble out Fili's name a few times, and he tightens his hold on her. They stand there for a while before Thorin decides to escort Shara home.
After seeing Shara safely home, Thorin heads to his office and that is where he stays.
Back to the present…
"Thorin?" Balin says as he moves to sit in the chair that sits across from Thorin and his desk. "Oin says Fili woke up a brief time ago before going back to sleep. Dis and Kili are staying with him, and I've got several guards placed outside of the Healing Halls and the Royal Wing. No one could have predicted this attack, Thorin. The question we must face now is who was this assassin working for?"
Before Thorin can reply the door to his office bangs open to reveal a disheveled looking Dwalin.
"Dwalin?" Thorin asks as a sinking feeling hits stomach.
"She's missing. Shara is missing." Dwalin snarls out in frustration.
"Impossible. I escorted her back home hours ago." Thorin says as he quickly jumps up from his chair and marches towards Dwalin.
"She was there, sleeping in bed, when I checked on her nearly an hour ago." Balin rises from his seat as well.
"I was just there, and she wasn't." Dwalin tells them.
Thorin runs out of his office and is trailed by both Dwalin and Balin. The three of them run through the many hallways till they reach Balin and Dwalin's home. Not caring about propriety, Thorin slams open the front door and runs towards where Shara's room is. He opens the door violently and sees that Shara is indeed not there. The covers to her bed are lying mostly on the floor and the pillows are still upon the bead. Thorin continues to scan the room as Balin and Dwalin enter it as well. Balin walks over to check in the bathroom, and sees that nothing is there that would show that she is in there.
"She can't have gotten far." Balin says to Dwalin and Thorin.
"I'll have the guards search for her." Dwalin says before leaving the room.
Thorin, however, hasn't moved from where he is standing, looking down into a white, porcelain wash basin that sits upon a small wooden table next to a nightstand beside the bed. What he sees written in the bottom of it has his blood running cold with fear and anger.
"Thorin?" Balin slowly approaches where Thorin is standing. "What is it, laddie?"
"She's been kidnapped." Thorin says before marching out of the room.
Balin, walks over to the porcelain wash basin, having noticed that Thorin was looking at it for a long time. Inside of the empty basin, written in blood, is a message written in Khuzdul.
'I know your secret, Thorin. She's mine now.'
I'll just leave this for you all. *Whistles as I walk away*
Reviews are welcomed, loved, and cherished.
Selene