This one is a very dark chapter.
Warning, mention of rape. Please remain respectful.
'One of the mines collapsed! There are about 50 miners trapped in that mine.' Dwalin told Thorin as they ran down the stairs to Erebors mines.
'How did that happen?' the king under the mountain wanted to know.
Dwalin shook his head perplexed. 'We do not know, the chambers were solid at the last inspection.'
As they arrived at the collapsed mine Thorin could see the whole dimension of the damage. The entrance to the mine chamber was buried. Huge rocks blocked the path and the dwarves rushing to the miners help were unable to reach them.
'Can we move those rocks?' Thorin demanded.
'If we move them, more will crash down, your majesty.' one of the miners answered.
'We cannot leave them trapped in there.' Thorin said determined. 'Stabilise the rocks as good as possible and free the entrance.'
Thorin knew that there was only little chance that the entrance could be freed without more rocks crashing down, but they had to do something. He watched as the miners prepared to roll away the heavy rocks blocking the entrance and send everyone away who had no business on the scene. The miners had managed to move parts of the avalanche and had beaten a pathway to the buried miners. One after one could be freed. But as the last few miners were to cross the path a new avalanche rumbled down. The rocks would have killed the remaining miners and helpers, but it never reached them. Thorin saw the rocks freeze in their fall and turned to see Azra and Dis standing behind him. Azras gazed was focused on the avalanche.
'Hurry up! Get them out!' Dis shouted to the helpers who were staring at the frozen avalanche in awe.
Azra tried to focus on the rocks, but she did not know how long she could keep them at bay. She had not used her powers for a long time, except against the orcs a few days ago. She felt her concentration slip and the rocks started shaking.
'Hurry...' she managed to press out and heard Dis shout at the miners to keep it going.
As the last miner was rescued Azra mentally let go and the rocks came crashing down with a force that made the whole mountain shake. Panting she had to sit down, she could not have held on longer. She tried to focus on her surroundings again as she was grabbed from behind and dragged into the shady tunnels of the neighbouring mine.
Thorin sighed in relief as he saw that all the miners had been rescued. Some of them were wounded, but their wounds would heal. Something about this breakdown made him feel suspicious. This had been the mine where the Easterlings had labored. Azra. Thorin turned around to the spot where she had been standing, but she was gone. Frowning Thorin looked around, but there was no sign of the female Easterling. Thorin felt a stinging pain in his stomach. Azra would not have left without a word, he realised and hurried over to his sister.
'Where is the Easterling?' he asked her.
Dis looked at him and then scanned the area. Worry showed in her face. 'I don´t know, she was sitting right there as I last saw her.'
'My king!' the head of the miners ran up to Thorin. 'The Easterlings who have worked this mine are gone! They have not been in the mine at it collapsed either.'
Thorin closed his eyes, now he knew that something was terribly wrong.
'Do you think they took the chance and fled?' Dwalin had joined the king and his sister and frowned. 'Azra is gone, too.'
'She would never flee and the least with the other Easterlings!' Dis exclaimed. 'But what if they...'
'Search all the tunnels and mines!' Thorin yelled at the dwarves. 'We have to find them.'
Azra was dragged into the tunnels by the three Easterlings. She struggled and fought, but using her power had weakened her massively. As they reached a turnoff they paused. The leader of the pack grabbed Azra by her throat and made her look at him.
'Where is this tunnel leading to, wench?' he snarled.
Azra did not answer and spit in his face. In return she felt his fists slam into her stomach. The Easterling who held her let her go and she fell into the dust, panting for air.
'I will no ask you again.' the Easterling grabbed Azra by her hair.
'I do not know where these tunnels lead, I have never been down here.' Azra growled truthfully.
The leader of the Easterlings let go of her and looked around. With a malicious grin he turned back to his victim.
'Well then you are useless to us. But we will have our fun with you before we leave.' he said licking his lips in expectation.
The next moment Azra felt his hands all over her body. She screamed, cursed and bit his lip as he tried to kiss her roughly. Growling he slapped her with the back of his hand, nearly knocking her unconscious. As she felt him push up der dress and spread her legs she desperatly tried to fight him and use her magic, but the incident in the mine had weakened her too much. While one Easterling grabbed her arms their leader began to undo his trousers. He leaned over her and snarled at her, while he positioned himself at her entrance. 'I will make you scream, dwarf wench.'
With a brutal thrust he buried himself into the helpless woman. Azra tried not to scream, but she could not refrain from sobbing. The pain nearly tore her apart, she felt her inside tear and burn as the Easterling pumped into her mercilessly. She went limp which caused the other Easterling to let go of her arms. The moment Azra felt the grip on her arms leave she began fighting the man leaning over her. With a loud growl he hit her again, this time sending her into blackness.
Thorin nearly stumbled as he heard a woman' s despaired shriek in his head. The cry had not reached his ears, the other dwarves in his vicinity did not react. They had searched the tunnels and mines and still had not found one of the fled Easterlings. Thorins gut feeling led him to one of the turnoffs leading to a path up the mountain. Dis followed her brother. She was worried sick and feared for the worst. Dis stopped in her tracks as she saw a movement in the corner of her eye. Niched at the wall of the tunnel she saw a womans body, but it was too dark to see more. Dis moved closer and let out a soft cry. She kneeled beside her friend and gently touched her shoulder. Azra had a laceration on her cheekbone and bruises all over her arms and legs. Dis could also see blood, but at first she did not realise where it came from. As she looked down and saw the torn dress she gasped and felt tears burn in her eyes.
'Dis...' Azra whispered.
'I am here.' Dis told her softly. 'I am so sorry, we came too late. My goodness...I am so sorry.'
Azra felt unconsciousness take over. 'Don´t let him see me like this.' she asked her friend and blacked out again.
Dis frowned. Don´t let who see her like this? She pulled down her friends dress and covered her bareness. She realised that Azra had meant Thorin. Shaking her head Dis softly pulled up her friend into a sitting position. She wouldn´t tell Thorin a thing.
'Over here! I need help!' she yelled down the tunnel and heard heavy steps approach her. Thorin reached her first. Dis saw him pale as he layed eyes on the female Easterling. Kneeling beside them he heard him mutter. 'They will pay for this.'
Determined he took the injured woman in his arms and they rushed to the infirmary.
Master Oin winced as he saw the injuries inflicted upon Azra by the Easterlings. He could already guess by Dis look that there was more than met the eye. Oin asked Thorin and Dis to leave and turned to his patient. Carefully he tended to the laceration and the bruises before he removed her dress to wash off the blood. Oin did his best to tend to the injuries Azra had due to the rape, but he was unsure since he barely tended to such wounds in day to day business. As he was finished he wrapped Azra into thick sheets and covered her with a white blanket. She was still unconcious, a fact that worried Oin. Dis had told them that she had been awake as she found her, so Oin hoped that she only had a light concussion.
In the evening, Azra opened her eyes. She asked for water and asked Oin to make her a tea out of certain herbs. Oin knew these herbs, in high concentration they would prevent pregnancy. Clever girl, Oin thought.
A few moments later Dis came into the infirmary, looking after her friend.
'How are you?' she asked sitting down at Azras side. She knew that it was a stupid question but she did not know how else to start.
Azra tried to smile. 'I am alright.' Sighing she turned her head away. 'I should have fought harder then this would not have happened. But I was too weak.' she said the last word with utter disgust.
Dis took Azras cold hand. 'Don´t ever say that again. You rescued the miners from death and you fought the three Easterlings who did...this...to you.'
'How do you know?' Azra turned back to her friend.
'We caught them in one of the blind alleys. Two of them looked pretty beaten up and one of them cursed something about some fierce dwarf wench. No offense, but I think he meant you.' Dis tried to lighten up the mood.
Azra smiled lightly, she tried not to remember the things the Easterlings had done to her and pushed the memory far away into the last corner of her mind.
'What will happen to them?' Azra asked Dis.
'Thorin was furious. Not only did they cause the collaps of the mines, they also hurt you. I have never seen him like this, I think he needed all his will power to not beat the leader of the Easterlings to death.' Dis shoudered. The look in her brothers face had been so dark and menacing. She had not told him what had happened to Azra, but he was no naive dwarfling. He could figure what the three men had done and their own statements had also revealed their crimes.
'Thorin ordered them to be taken to the prison cells deep down in the mountain. I don´t think they´ll ever leave their cells again.' Dis stated pleased.
Azra sighed relieved. So they would not pose a threat to her anymore. She did not have to worry when moving in Erebor now. Azra winced as she tried to sit up in her bed. Her whole body was in pain.
'I wanted to ask Oin if I may leave, but I think I´ll stay put for a while.' she sighed dryly.
'You should rest.' Dis stroked her friends hair. 'I will come visit you tomorrow morning.'
Azra nodded and watched her friend leave. She felt feverish and fell asleep in the next moment. Around midnight she felt a cold hand on her face, it stroked her cheek and gently pulled back the streaks of hair that had fallen into her face. Azra did not know if she was dreaming, but as she opened her eyes a few minutes later she was alone. Sighing, she fell back into a dreamless sleep.
Thorin paced in his room, restless and wide awake. He had visited Azra in the infirmary, but the Easterling had been sleeping. Probably better that way, Thorin thought. He had no idea how to confront her now after all that had happened. No words in this world could express how guilty Thorin felt about what had happened to Azra. She had used her power in their favor - again - and had payed for it. He had not been there to protect her from the Easterlings. He had failed her.
Covering his face, Thorin sat down in his armchair and stared into the dying flames. This night he did not sleep.
A week had passed and life had returned to normal in Erebor. Azra walked down the corridors to the kitchen, she only hurt a little, Oin had really tended to her well. Dis had done everything in her power to distract Azra from the terrible experience in the mine. But the three men had not broken the young woman. Azra decided to look forward and live with the shame of being dishonored. There was nothing she could have done about it anymore, so she saw no reason to dwell in the past. A few times the memory of the leader of the Easterlings leaning over her flashed up in her mind, but she quickly banned them. Azra was thankful about the fact that she blacked out shortly after the leader of the men had taken her. She only remembered these few seconds and not more. Dis had told her that her brother knew what the men had done to her and this caused Azra to avoid the king under the mountain. She could not look him in the eye and not think about her defilement, the king would only see a dishonored woman in her. Musing, she entered the kitchen.
As she looked up she saw Dis and Gimli stand in front of the fireplace, both looked at her with a caught expression on their faces. Dis tried to remain nonchalant, but Gimli blushed till his face had the same color as his hair. Azra had no idea what they had been doing, but considering their strange behaviour Azra must have had a very bad timing. Not saying a word, Azra walked over to a shelf and took a mug of water. She eyed the two dwarves with an amused look and swiftly left the kitchen. On the way to her room she had to walk past Thorins room. She was halfway past the door as it opened and Vada, the red haired woman walked out of Thorins room, chatting and laughing. Azras fingers went limp and the mug of water landed on the floor in a loud clash.
Ok, I sincerely hope I didn't ruin it for for you guys! From now on it gets better...
Chapter 14 or 15 will finally introduce Azras father.