After depositing Milla on a solid rock for Oin to look after, Rylynn pulled herself to a flat stone slab of rock laying out on the ground and coughing out the last bit of water she had swallowed in the rapids as they escaped.
Thorin was looking around at the group counting them off and surveying the company for any major were broken and battered but everyone had made it. The only real injuries seemed to be Milla's wrist which Oin was looking at and the arrow wound in Kili's leg. Relief washed over Thorin as he looked over the company, they had been lucky in their escape. He hated to drive them so hard but they only had a few days left before Durin's day was upon them. With a last sweep of the group his eyes landed on Rylynn who was sitting up on the ground, with her knees propped up and head bowed as she coughed up water. Fili was checking on her with deep concern in his eyes but she just waved him off telling him to check on Kili. Seeing his nephew near her and with so much concern worried him. He was uncertain if she could be trusted not until he knew the full truth. He knew it was not the right time but he could not help it, he needed to know now. Thorin walked over to her and stood before her with his arms folded and eyes boring down on her. Both Fili and Rylynn noticed him and stood up.
"Fili go check on your brother," he said in a dismissing manner.
Fili looked over at Kili who was currently sitting a little ways off watching what was happening looking perfectly fine as Oin examined his leg.
"Kili looks fine..."
"Leave us." Said Thorin sternly, not taking his eyes off of Rylynn. Fili just stood there looking at his uncle with confusion with no indication that he was going to leave. "I said leave us!" Yelled Thorin. This time he took his eyes off Rylynn and glared at his nephew almost threatening.
Fili was taken aback by Thorin's reaction, his uncle had never spoken to him with such abruptness and sternness in his voice. He stood there for a moment and then moved to take his place by Kili. He looked at the rest of the company who were all watching Thorin with their mouths agape. Milla was standing hesitantly next to Bilbo looking as if she were torn by staying away from Thorin and supporting her sister. Thorin whispered something quietly to Rylynn and the both of them walked off a little ways just out of earshot from the rest of the group.
"I am going to ask you something Rylynn and you are going to give me the honest truth." His voice was calm but it was obvious that Thorin was putting a lot of effort into keeping himself calm and collected. He wanted to give Rylynn a chance to explain herself but Thorin had a feeling that the answer was not going to be what he wanted to hear. She gave a nod agreeing to answer his question.
"I have trusted you because I knew your father and because of Gandalf, I gave you a chance. I ignored your secretive manner thus far but it has been brought to my attention that my trust in you has been...misplaced. I am only going to ask this once. How do you know your way to the mountain? How can you be so sure of leading us to a place you have never been?"
Rylynn looked him in the eyes, she had to be honest. Thorin was stern but he was also fair, she knew she had to tell him the truth. "I know where I am going because I have already been there before." She said firmly.
Thorin still kept his face expressionless as he breathed in and out trying to control his breath as he continued to question her. "Did you travel there alone?"
Rylynn breathed in deeply it was obvious that Thorin knew the truth, but how? She knew it was unwise to avoid his question at the moment but she could not help. "How do you know about this?" Thorin's face became a shade darker as a slight hint of anger rose up in him. It was obvious that by asking her question she had already confirmed what he knew. "I spoke with Hod." Rylynn's stomach flipped and she felt as if she was going to be sick. "How...When..."she tried to form the question but was too shocked to get the words out. She continued to stammer until Thorin cut her off with an explanation. "I met Hod in the dungeons. The elves found him on his way back to Raganor apparently lost in the forest and had locked him away for thievery. Rylynn could not believe it. All those years they had fled and been avoiding any area near Raganor in hopes to not be recognized and it turned out he had never even returned. She could not believe it but now it made sense, Hod must have told Thranduil and that is why he had warned Thorin. Thorin knew everything. "He was not all there". Thorin continued. "The years have been unkind to him and the solitude has driven him mad. I did not want to just take the word of a raving lunatic that is why I have waited patiently thus far before I made any final decisions but I cannot just overlook it completely, Rylynn. There is too much coincidence and I need to know from you and I need the truth." he added with a stern tone. Rylynn nodded and took in a deep breath before she began her story. "Several months before my mother died, Hod overheard me telling Milla that my father had known the way and had told me. It was only just after she died that he confronted me about it. I refused until he brought Milla's well-being in as leverage. Once she was involved, I had no other choice. When we got to the mountain I found some goblin tracks and led them towards the swarm. I managed to get away and made my way back to Raganor thinking that Hod was not far behind. As soon as I got to Raganor Milla and I fled." "So it is true. You led him to Erebor with the intention of entering and taking the gold." "To be honest I think it was more than just gold that Hod was after." said Rylynn cautiously, unsure of how close Thorin was to losing his temper. "But it was never my intention to enter it. I was only keeping Milla safe. In all honesty I never even meant to reach the mountain but my opportunity to escape never came before then." It was obvious that Thorin was just barely winning the battle with holding his frustration. Rylynn knew that he was not wanting to hear what she was saying but he had asked for the truth and she had given it. She could she the veins in his neck pulsing as his eyes blazed with a ferocity that made Rylynn want to look away but she kept her eyes locked with his refusing to cower. If he could not understand that her sister's life was worth more than gold or power than he was no better than Hod. "You realize the severity of what you have done, despite your good intentions of keeping Milla safe." Thorin stated. Rylynn nodded knowing full well of what she had done. "I had to protect my sister he threatened her life! What was I supposed to do?!" Rylynn was no longer timid she was furious. It was looking as if Thorin was not agreeing with her when it came to priority. "I am sorry, I had no ill intention towards you or your family, it was nothing personal to the line of Durin. Maybe now that I have met you and know you I would have done things differently. But at the time I was young and you were nothing but a character in the stories told to me as a child. I have never associated myself with being under the rule of Durin. I cannot change what I have done in the past. If I did, there are many things I would change, trust me when I say that." Thorin had lost his patience now, it was as if Rylynn felt the situation was as simple as spilled milk. He grabbed Rylynn's arms and shook her. "You have committed treachery Rylynn. That is not something that can just be over looked. There are some who would understand but most dwarves will hold it against you. They would see me as a weak king if I just let you free with no consequence. I am not even sure if certain members of the company would accept it despite what you have done so far on our quest. You betrayed the entire line of Durin and his heirs. As your king I should have you beheaded right here and now" Thorin was growing louder as he fought off the anger. His whole body was shaking in an effort to not become too loud that the others would overhear their conversation. "I do not want that to happen, I will not have it happen. But what am I to do, Rylynn? I cannot let a traitor run free within Erebor and fraternize with the royal family". This last sentence hurt. Rylynn knew exactly what he was talking about and he was right. Fili was her friend but he was a prince, he was royal. She could not imagine her life without him but the past few months had been an exception and reality was coming in. Fili was royalty and she was just a commoner that in itself would be reason why they could not continue their associations after Erebor was being rebuilt. Not only was she a commoner but she was an outsider, a foreigner and in a sense she had infact committed treachery despite the leverage that was being used against her. It was with those thoughts that led Rylynn to say what she was about to say. "Banish me," she said breathlessly trying to keep her emotions at bay. Thorin was frozen for a moment, he just stared at her perplexed by what she had just said. He had meant his question to be rhetorical. "What?" he said, loosening his vice like grip on her arms. Rylynn relaxed and rubbed her arms trying to get the blood flowing back into her appendages now that thorin no longer had a death grip on her. "I do not expect to be able to go unpunished, it is the least I deserve. I know you have to do something. So you can banish me from erebor, from the entire north if you want. I can return to the white mountains where truly belong. You can tell people what ever you want when I leave. I will do as I promised, lead you to the door, but when it is all finished, I will leave." she paused for a moment thinking. "All I ask is that you will not hold anything against Milla. If she wants to stay, let her stay." The reality of what Rylynn was saying hit Thorin. "You realize what you are saying? If Milla where to chose to stay in Erebor you would not be able to see her again." Rylynn nodded. "I would just ask is that you would watch out for her if she does choose to say. You are a good man Thorin, you will be a fair and just king. I trust that you would make sure that she would always be safe and happy." replied Rylynn a slight sadness creeping into her eyes. Thorin thought for a moment and looked over to where the company was gathered. This was not easy for him already. He had grown fond of Rylynn and admired her leadership and dedication over the past few months. He watched Fili looking over in their direction, worry was written all over his face and it was obvious to him now that Fili did not just look at Rylynn as a friend it was love that shone in his eyes. Thorin had pondered the idea several times on their journey here, Rylynn would make a good match for Fili. Especially when Fili took the throne, but now it was obvious that this was no longer a possibility. Fili would not take her banishment lightly, he would need an explanation and as much as he was growing into a worthy heir to the throne, he still had a lot to learn in decision making. Sometimes you had to put your heart and feelings aside and do what was best for the title of king. "For now we will continue as normal. I have to think about this, I will consider your offer but for now we need to get moving. Those orcs will be upon us by nightfall if we do not keep moving." Rylynn nodded relieved that she may not be banished but still stressed about the unknown. "Thank you," she said. She began to walk back to the group towards Milla but was stopped when Thorin spoke up. "Rylynn, I would appreciate it if you would not tell anyone of what we have discussed. At least not until I have made my decision. That includes Milla". Rylynn nodded again and walked towards the questioning eyes of the entire group. She was not sure of what the future held in store for her. One pair of eyes drew her attention and she saw the bright blue orbs looking at her curiously. It was uncertain what Fili was thinking but at the moment she could not concern herself with that. She was not sure if she would ever see him again by the end of Durin's day. The thought pulled at her chest and it made her want to take advantage of the what little time she might possibly have with her friend. It was strange to think of him as a friend because she had friends in the past but never had she felt this way towards them. Fili was more than just a friend he was more like...Rylynn could not find the right word. She wanted to say brother but that just did not seem right. She shook her head in an attempt to clear her mind. It did not matter, she could not bother herself to worry about it now. Right now she would just focus on getting to the door and keeping Milla safe. It would make it easier to leave if she distanced herself from the others for the moment, at least until Thorin gave his final decision. _ Fili was puzzled. He had watched Thorin and Rylynn's entire conversation and was worried as to what they were talking about. At one point he almost got up and ran over to them when Thorin and grabbed Rylynn. Fili had almost thought that Thorin had grown angry enough that he feared for Rylynn's safety. But it was only for so long and Fili was able to relax when Thorin let her go and took a step back. Not long after he released her the both of them made there way back to the rest of the group. "On your feet," ordered Thorin. "The river helped us out run the orc pack but they will continue on our trail and will catch up to us if we do not keep moving." "Where to?," asked Balin. "To the mountain of course. It is not far, we are too close to stop now," said Bilbo looking over the lake to the tall mountain that stood high above it. "That lake lies between us and the mountain. We have no way to cross it, and to go around would not deliver us to our destination in time." replied Balin. "Balin is right," said Dwalin. "Even if we did have enough time to go around the orcs would run us down and this time we would not have the help of the elves fighting them as well." "Gather whatever supplies we have left and be ready to run. You have two minutes." said Thorin sternly as he grew weary of the constant talking. They were wasting precious moments of travel by talking. They could decide what to do while they moved closer to the mountain.
Rylynn was near Milla and was taking in the makeshift sling that Oin had fashioned for Milla's hand. Milla had been right about thinking something was broken. Her wrist was swollen and bruised. Not only was her wrist broken but by the way she watched Milla favor her right side and took short shallow breaths it was obvious that Milla's ribs were if not broken at least cracked. Despite her attempts to hid it, Rylynn knew too well that Milla was trying to not show the pain that she was feeling. Just as she helped her stand she heard Ori down by the water's edge take in a startled breath. Rylynn looked up and saw Ori staring up at a tall man holding a bow.