Chapter 20
They reached the opening as the sun rose high in the sky. Despite her better reasoning, they had followed Legolas's orders and ridden through the night. They dismounted and let their horses enjoy the sight of grass and roam in the fields. Fang pulled out some bread and sat in the grass while Thorin looked at a map he pulled from his fur jacket.
"If we head south we should hit the Road, which should take us straight to Bree," he said as he put it away and joined her on the grass. Fang just nodded and looked out over the landscape. She had never been on this side of the mountains before. The flat land was a stark contrast to the forest of Mirkwood and Grey Mountains that covered the landscape of The Cross Roads.
She laid back and stared up at the sky. Birds fluttered over, playing hide and seek in the clouds. She did her best not to look back towards the mountains; she knew it would only make her long for home.
"Why didn't you go with him?" Thorin asked suddenly. She sat up to see her staring at him. His face was scrunched as though something was bothering him. She wrapped up her bread and stood up to resaddle her horse.
"Why would I?" She repacked the saddle bags and swung up onto her horse. Thorin looked at her curiously as he prepared his horse and took his place at her side.
Thorin thought about telling her what he thought. Telling her about the night he met her out of the house, the elf prince in the woods. The look in the prince's eyes when he told them to ride, the way he looked when Thorin asked the king to let him take Fang away. But something inside him stopped him; he didn't know why but talking about the elf prince made him angry.
"Seems simpler," he said finally.
Fang laughed at his answer and charged ahead. As the wind whipped through her hair she looked back and smiled at him, "Nothing is ever simple, master dwarf."
"No I suppose it ain't," he muttered to himself as he raced after her.
The pair galloped along until the sun began to set. It was easier to find wood and weeds to make a campfire outside of the mountains. The warm fire was welcomed against the wind. Without the mountains to protect them, the spring weather was noticeable. Fang took her heavy armor off and stretched out in front of the fire in her white tunic and brown leggings. The wind felt good on her skin, while the fire kept her warm.
"Tell me about Erebor," she said suddenly as she rolled onto her stomach and stared at Thorin from across the fire. He looked up from the meat he was eating and met her eyes. The fire seemed to make them dance and held him fixed.
"It is the most beautiful place you will ever see," he told her of the halls and of the chambers filled with gold. He told her how the elves would pay homage to his grandfather. He told her of Dale and the people who lived there. His heart lightened the more he talked. He told stories from his childhood; what it was like to grow up in the mountain halls and to play on the mountain side.
Fang was amazed by the stories Thorin told. More than that she was amazed at how he seemed to change as he talked about his lost homeland. The ragged and defeated dwarf she had met back in The Cross Roads seemed to melt away and be replaced by a strong and confident warrior. He blue eyes shone in the firelight and his body was animated as he spoke, using hand gestures to show size and distance. A smile never left his face. He talked until the fire had faded and she did not stop him.
"It sounds amazing," she said at last when he broke his story off to add more wood to the fire. The clouds from the day had disappeared and the stars lit up the sky.
Thorin could only smile. It had been a long time since he told someone so much about his home. Her interest had kept him talking; the way she looked at him like she was holding onto every word like it was a life line.
They rolled out their blankets like they had the night before. Fang moved hers away from the fire and kept her back to it, to keep the heat off her face. This night, however, Thorin moved his blanket from the other side of the fire and put himself between her and the flames.