That evening, Naya made sure she spent as much time with Thorin as possible. They had not ridden together that day. She had tried not to seem too clingy. Now, based on Oin's words, she meant to cling as tightly as she could. Once they had settled by the fire, she cuddled up to him and kissed his cheek. "How long do you think it will take to cross to Erebor?"
"Another day or so. Why do you ask?"
She looked at him from under her eyebrows. "Because I was hoping we would be able to be alone together soon. I miss you, if you know what I mean." She gave him her best seductive smile.
He did his best to ignore it. "I noticed you chattering with Balin and Oin today. What did you find to talk about with those two?" He returned her kiss.
"You, of course. We don't really have much else in common. I asked Balin about your wedding vow." She had decided to be honest about that conversation.
"Oh, really? Why didn't you ask me?"
"Because Balin was there and I finally remembered the question I had. He is your legal representative isn't he?" She tried to sound coy. No arguments. "I wanted to know why all the dwarves seemed shocked by your vow. I would have asked you, but you were deep in conversation with Dwalin. I didn't want to forget again."
"You thought they were shocked by it? Why?" Thorin seemingly had missed the intake of breath at his promise to her about gold.
She leaned over and kissed his lips before she said, "They all gasped, Thorin, when you said you would share gold. I thought they might keel over!" She smiled at him and kissed him again. Thorin pulled her close and returned the kiss willingly.
"You had asked me earlier that day to promise you that I would share the gold. After I thought about it, I could see no reason not to make it official. Isn't that what you wanted?" Now he was the one who kissed her.
"Very much so. I thought the vows were beautiful. It was only the gasping that made me wonder." She deepened the kiss. "Are there many rooms in Erebor?"
He looked confused at the sudden change in topic. "Hundreds, maybe thousands. Why?"
"I just wanted to know how easy it would be for us to get away from these pesky dwarves." She kissed him deeply. They were beginning to draw attention from the others. Oin smiled into his mug at her actions. She was a quick study!
"If we regain Erebor, you shall have as many empty rooms as you like. The only requirement is that I share them with you."
"That's the whole idea. Now, how would you like to take a stroll to gaze at the moon?" She stood and held out her hand to him.
Thorin stood. "That sounds quite delightful. Don't mind if I do."
...
Hurry up and wait. They had reached the foot of the Lonely Mountain late in the afternoon the day before. Now they were looking for the hidden door on the western slopes. Naya was tired after a day of scrambling up and down rock that all looked the same to her. She had finally given up and now was sitting on one of the hated rocks watching the others. At last a voice rang out. Someone (Bilbo?) had found something. Tired as she was, she didn't want to miss anything, so she climbed off her rock and headed for the voice.
The little niche on the mountain side was the nicest place she had seen since the lake. Cool and grass covered, it was a pleasant oasis in the desolation. The dwarves and Bilbo were clustered at the far end staring at what appeared to be a blank wall. She found another rock and sat down again to watch. This must be the place, but as far as she could tell, there was no door. Bilbo had explained the finer points of Thorin's map and key to her so she knew they were trying to figure out the trick.
After a while, she saw Fili and Kili break away from the group. They came toward her rock but sat a short distance away with their backs to her. She sighed. Another conversation that had to take place. Ever since the lake, they had been avoiding her. Naya assumed they were still angry over her confrontation with Thorin. With another sigh, she heaved herself off her rock and walked over to the pair. "Fili, Kili," she greeted them. "Did they find anything, yet?"
Without looking at her, Fili curtly said, "No."
"Are you still angry about my argument with Thorin? He's forgiven me, why can't you?" She truly was confused. The brothers had agreed that she was right about Thorin's behavior so why were they holding a grudge?
"No." Fili refused to say more.
"And Kili, you're not angry about the argument either?" She tried Kili, who was usually a little more easy-going than his brother.
"No." Kili followed the line his brother was taking.
Naya walked a little more in front so she could face them both. "Then what is it? What have I done? I thought you were my friends!"
They both looked a bit shame-faced at her but didn't answer.
"Well, if it isn't that, what could it be?" She tilted her head to the side and pretended to be deep in thought. "It isn't my riding, it isn't my cooking, it isn't my sword play, it isn't my singing, it isn't my archery skills…." She kept listing anything she could think of, trying to get them laughing with her. Nothing worked. They remained stone-faced and silent. "Alright. We'll all just sit here until you answer. And if you don't," she said before they could ignore her some more, "we'll sit down with Thorin this evening and have a meeting to discuss it.
That worked. Fili lifted his chin and said angrily, "You don't need to run to Thorin with this. He's busy with other matters."
"Then tell me what's wrong. What have I done?"
Kili burst out, "You married our uncle! You weren't supposed to do that!"
Naya was shocked. This was the last thing she would have suspected. "But, why didn't you say something before this? You seemed happy enough the night of the ceremony."
Fili answered this time. "We were. And then we realized what it meant to us."
She was still puzzled. "To you? Nothing has changed for you. He loves you just the same, doesn't he?"
It was Kili's turn again. "For now. But what happens when you, when you get…" He couldn't get the words out.
"When I what? I really don't understand."
"When you pop out a baby for Thorin!" Fili finally managed to say it.
"A baby? Where did you get that idea? And what diff…Ah, so that's it! You think you might not be Thorin's heirs? Oh, Fili, Kili, I wish you had said something. You are and always will be his heirs." She leaned forward and put a hand on each brother's shoulder. "Thorin and I talked about this before we wed. He has no intention of replacing you."
"But if you have a baby, that would be his heir! It's the king's son who follows him." She could hear the frustration in Fili's voice. He had grown up expecting to follow his uncle. And now this woman was going to ruin everything.
"But we have no intention of having children." Naya would have laughed at their little boy disappointment if it hadn't been so serious.
Fili's voice was still angry. "How do you know that? It happens all the time with humans. Dwarves struggle but you never seem to stop. And, (he muttered under his breath) you and Thorin have been going at it like rabbits. It's only a matter of time."
Now Naya did laugh. "Oh, you two! I could have saved you a lot of worry! You know the skill I have as a healer?" She looked at them with her eyebrows raised. They nodded. "Just like I can 'see' into others to fix them, I can control my own body. If I wanted a baby, I could start one tomorrow. But I don't! I never have. My childhood was so cruel that I never wanted to expose another being to even the possibility of a life like that."
Softhearted Kili asked, "Your father mistreated you?"
"No, my Poppa loved me, and that was part of the problem. My mother was his second wife. He had only sons with his first wife, and they were quite a bit older when I was born. My father adored having a daughter. My brothers delighted in picking on me at every opportunity. When I began to shift in ways they never could, it got even worse. I hid my skills just to avoid confrontations." Naya's eyes filled with tears remembering the years of torment that her brothers had inflicted on her.
"Didn't your poppa help?" Kili couldn't imagine hurting an innocent.
"He didn't really know. I didn't tell him for a very long time, and when I did the damage was done. He was away a lot, and after my mother died, he was absent even more. Didn't you ever wonder why I lived alone in the little house?" They both shrugged. "It was the only place I felt safe. It's so small that none of them could fit very well, and if they damaged it trying to get in, it would have been too obvious. That is when I finally told Poppa. I needed to get away so he built me my little house. After that, I did my best to never be with the boys. Only if Poppa was around, did I go to the Lodge. It was a lonely life." She found herself thinking how her life had altered so much in a short time. "So, when I was growing up, I knew I would never have children. That hasn't changed."
"But what about Uncle Thorin? What if he wants a direct heir?" Fili still wasn't convinced.
"Think about it, Fili. What chance would a hybrid dwarf/shape shifter child have being accepted into dwarf culture, let alone as a ruler? You are all so insular and anti-foreigner. Our child would be rejected from the start. I am concerned about their ability to accept me as Thorin's wife. They most definitely wouldn't welcome a 'mutt' as heir. And I refuse to have a child live that kind of life." She smiled at the two. "In other words, you are stuck being the heirs of Thorin Oakenshield, King Under the Mountain."
"We're sorry we've ignored you," Fili said ruefully. "We should have talked to you before we got so angry."
Naya put her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "Let this be a lesson. Anger grows best in silence and in the dark. My life would probably have been a lot different if I had talked sooner about my problems. Never brood over something that might be fixed if brought out into the daylight." She hugged Kili, too. "You're my family now. I wouldn't dream of hurting you."
They sat back down on the rock, this time together. While the good mood lasted Naya brought up another issue they might have to face. "Have you given any thought to what might happen in the next day or so if you regain Erebor?" They looked surprised.
"We'd be rich! Think of the gold in this mountain!" Fili's eyes glowed and Kili nodded his agreement.
"Yes, but you are aware of your family history, aren't you?"
"Oh, you mean the dragon sickness, don't you? You don't have to worry about us! We're strong!" Once again, their naiveté surprised her. They really were very young!
"I am thinking more about Thorin. His actions in the next few days and weeks may be a deciding factor in success or failure." Naya was cautious on this topic.
"Thorin? He's stronger than all of us. It won't affect him." Kili's face glowed with pride.
"Yes, very strong. But so were his father and grandfather and look what happened to them. Oin told me the line of Durin was prone to the sickness. I just want you to be on your guard for yourselves and Thorin." They both assured her they would be, but she knew that they were already thinking about the gold they might soon have.
Maybe it was the nearness of the gold or maybe it was talking to so many about Erebor, but Naya's visions returned that night with a vengeance. As soon as she fell asleep she was back in the cavern of gold. First it was Bilbo standing on his pile of gold and picking something up. He stared at it with lust and put it furtively in his pocket. The scene shifted to Thorin, standing and looking down at his hands. She finally was able to stand and face him. His hands were full of gold. She reached out and put her hands on his arms. "You don't need this. Please come with me." He raised his head and looked at her, but he didn't move.
Now the scene shifted to outside a massive opening in the mountain. The front gate. In the distance, a massive army camped at the foot of the mountain. Before them stood an elf and a man. Thorin was irate, but she couldn't hear the words.
Another scene, still outside the mountain, but now a great battle was raging all around. Thousands of orcs were struggling with the encamped army she had seen before. Thorin was surrounded on a small hill. She saw a mighty orc raise a mace to strike his head. And woke, crying out with tears in her eyes.
"What's the matter," Thorin whispered softly. "You're crying. Bad dreams?"
Naya couldn't speak. It has been so real and terrifying. She turned to him and wrapped her arms around him. "Terrible things. The visions are back Thorin. I thought maybe I wouldn't have them again. They've been gone for so long…."
"What were they? Maybe I can help." He felt her shake her head against his shoulder.
"No, not yet. They're much clearer, but not yet. I'm afraid, Thorin."
"I'm here my love, I'll keep you safe." He kissed her gently on her head. She could only hope she could do the same for him.