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Chapter 14

Thorin walked through the halls of Erebor towards where the main lodgings were. He had the small dwarfling securely scooped up in his arms. His heavy footsteps echoed down the hallway, and his shadow danced with the flicker of the torches as he briskly passed them. His stride was decisive and uncompromising. All he wanted to do was sleep, but alas, as per usual, duties called. He always put his people before his own needs, and tonight was no exception it seemed. Besides he did have a soft place for children, so did not mind.

Meanwhile Sara walked behind him, her legs moving quickly so she didn't get left behind completely, yet she purposely did not put in enough effort to keep up either. After all, shouldn't a gentleman wait for the lady? In that moment, Sara had a flashback to Thorin's anger the previous day, the harsh words he spoke and the rude manner in which she was addressed. This reminded her that the King was indeed no gentleman, and he was probably used to people falling all over themselves to meet his every whim.

They walked in silence for a few minutes before Sara spoke softly to the dwarfling from behind. "What is your name little one?".

Upon hearing Sara speak, Thorin subconsciously slowed down his pace letting her close the distance between them.

"My name is Bray" the child spoke from over the King's shoulders.

"My name is Sara. I am very pleased to meet you young sir".

Sara stopped and curtseyed to the dwarfling who was looking back at her over Thorin's shoulder and the he let out a small chuckle in response "and I am pleased to meet you too Miss Sara".

Thorin glanced backwards and just caught a glimpse of Sara curtsey before she quickly stood up and hurried to catch up. Now they were walking side by side with even footfalls. Without realising it, both parties had compromised their pace with Thorin walking slower and Sara walking faster.

Sara allowed herself a quick sideways glance at the King, who she could swear had a hint of a smile on his features. She momentarily found herself admiring has handsome face before snapping out of it when he spoke, quickly averting her eyes, mentally slapping herself for having such a thought.

"We will help you find your mother Bray. Can you explain how you got lost?" His voice was deep but somehow tender, lacking its usual mirth.

"We were playing hide and seek not far from our rooms. I found a great hiding spot but I….. I got lost trying to find my way back".

"What can you tell me about where you live?" Thorin questioned softly.

"Ummm, our rooms are near the markets".

Sara and Thorin made eye contact and she gave him a questioning look that said "do you have any idea where that is?'.

Thorin confidently nodded to Sara before speaking. "We shall have you home in no time little one, do not worry".

The dwarfling nodded and furrowed his head in the Kings warm furs, comforted by the warmth.

Bray kept peaking over Thorin's furs to glance at Sara and then would bury his head when Sara caught him looking. It became a silent game between the two, and after a minute, neither could repress their amusement, making silly faces at each other and laughing. Thorin continued to walk but his pace was less brisk and lacked urgency. His features were relaxed and there was more than a hint of a smile on his face as he happily observed Bray and Sara's interactions.

Before long, Bray was chatting away about this and that, and kept the two grown dwarfs were so amused that they almost let their guards down around each other. Almost.

It didn't seem like that much time had passed when they finally reached the markets.

Thorin gently put Bray down and knelt before the him. "Do you know where your home is from here?" he asked.

"I do" Bray nodded at the King when there was suddenly yelling from down an adjacent hallway. "We found him! We found him!" someone called out.

In the next moment Bray's mother came barrelling through the hallway and pushed the Thorin aside to wrap her arms around her son. Thorin was practically pushed into Sara but steadied himself avoiding a collision. Sara looked at Thorin, expecting him to be angry, but was surprised when his gaze was happily focused the reunion in front of them, no sign of scowl or anger.

"Don't you ever do that to me again" the mother sniffled as she held onto the dwarfling tightly.

"I'm sorry Ma. I didn't mean to get lost".

The dwarrow held onto Bray tightly for a few more seconds, seemingly recollecting herself before standing up.

Sara and Thorin exchanged a knowing look, both feeling happy that Bray and his mother had been reunited.

"Thank you for finding Bray and bringing him here" the dwarrow spoke before she looking up. As she lifted herself up from the ground, Bray hugging her skirts, the realisation on who she was standing before hit, causing her to pale and stutter.

"Oh…ah …. Your majesty". The dwarrow fell to her knees in front of Thorin. "I beg your forgiveness, I did not realise…..".

Thorin shooshed her before speaking in a matter of fact manner. "There is no need for an apology. The main thing is that young Bray is back with his mother".

Thorin once again knelt in front of Bray. "I trust that you will be more careful in the future".

"Yes I will be more careful" Bray answered nodding his head rigorously "thank you". Bray then caught Thorin by surprise by giving him a big hug. Thorin couldn't help but smile and patted the dwarfling on the back before releasing him.

"It was lovely to meet you Bray" Sara curtseyed in front of the youngster which caused Thorin to raise an eyebrow at her.

"You too Miss Sara" Bray exclaimed excitedly before giving her a big hug as well.

Thorin then stood up and cleared his throat before addressing the small group of people who had now crowded around them.

"If you will excuse me, I have a guest to deliver home".

With a quick sidewards glance towards Sara, he turned on his heels and started walking, with Sara quickly trying to catch up.

Thorin and Sara walked in silence for some time. Silently they both reflected on the other.

Thorin found it hard to reconcile the dwarrow beside him. She had traits to be admired for sure. There was no doubt that she was skilled in her craft, she was a hard worker and was clearly good with youngsters. She clearly had a sharp tongue and quick wit which he respected. She also did not fawn all over him like the dwarrows of the court which was a welcome change. Furthermore if he was honest, he had found himself admiring the effortless smile she had when she was laughing with Bray and when she danced with his nephew earlier that night. Sara had also won the affections of his sister which was no easy feat. Dis was known for being dismissive of dwarrows whether they were foolish or clever, yet she seemed to like Sara. However despite these positive attributes Sara also possessed one quality more troubling to Thorin than any. She held a misguided ignorant sympathy for dragons, which was basically tantamount to betraying her own race. It was a view that disregarded the history of hardships his people had suffered, not to mention personal struggles and sacrifices that had been made to reclaim Erebor.

Then there was the mystery of the locket, the girl, and how he ended up on the outskirts of Erebor that night so many moons ago. Thorin had a strong feeling that Sara was indeed the girl from that night after he caught a glimpse of her locket at her cottage. How did it all fit together? he wondered. Thorin felt like there was a significant piece of the puzzle missing but had no idea what it could possibly be.

Meanwhile Sara had been so angered by the King's arrogance and temper towards her the previous night she had vowed to maintain a wide birth from him for the remainder of her stay. Yet when she saw him interact with Bray something changed. She saw the King as not some cruel heartless arrogant dictator, but as someone who unequivocally loved his people. She had observed a softness in him that she had not thought possible. Even more alarmingly she had noticed several times how handsome his features were when he had the hint of a smile across his lips.

They continued to walk distracted by their own thoughts and the invisible barrier that had been lowered in the presence of the dwarfling was slowly creeping back up.

As they approached Sara's quarters, she found herself relieved.

She turned to Thorin and his proximity was closer than she had realised, almost bumping into his broad chest. Feeling awkward Sara cleared her throat before she spoke.

"Thank you for walking me back".

Thorin nodded his head in acknowledgement, looking down on her. His face was framed by the shadows, and the only light came from a torch metres away, the light catching his blue crystal eyes.

Sara turned and unlocked her door before quickly turning back to face Thorin.

"You are very good with little ones" she said meekly, not daring to look him in the eye before turning and entering her chambers, shutting the door securely behind her.

As she shut the door Sara thought she heard the faint sound of Thorin's voice.

"As are you..." he whispered, left standing staring at the closed door.

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