So, it's been a while! Once again I will apologise for the delay, my motivation is seriously lacking with all my writing - not just this story. BUT I would like to make it known that all your lovely reviews (I've still been getting them even though it's been such a long time in updating) have really kicked me in the butt to get writing. I really, really love reading them and I appreciate you guys all sticking with me through the long waits. It means the world to me.
Just so you all know, I have a really cute little nephew called Harrison, and my mother is fine - thank you all for your kind words.
As I said there were a lot of reviews (and several lovely encouraging PM's too!) so I'm going to do a quick answer of any questions - hopefully I'll get them all!
Evil-People-s-Underwear: Quick re-cap as requested. Rúin went to say g'bye to Dis, then went with Thorin to the mine with a brief pit stop at the Ravenry(?) She met a lot of interesting miners and then I left you with a horrible slab-hanger(hah) of will she get crushed or not! Hope that's okay?
SwanInProgress: I apologise if I am the reason behind your untimely demise, I'll be sure to send a card to your family. Glad you're enjoying the story though :D
tweetzone86: That was a lovely big review and I get what you're saying about the accents. I think for the most part I get a bit carried away with them? To the extent that I say things outloud and then just write down the sounds that come out of my mouth. I'll see what I can do about it! Many thanks for the feedback, it's always helpful.
FlyingHampsterOfDoom: I'm glad you liked Bofur, I always worry that I can't get canon characters down right - especially Bofur who is both comic relief and compassion. Rúin is a bit of a weirdo in her social circles, bottom of the noble ladder- top of the commoner one. I really, REALLY enjoyed the crows so I'm glad you guys did too.
Coats-and-crowns: Thank you for the review! In answer to your question yes, Toldin and Marrik are hers now. Well, not hers hers but their only job is to watch out for her. I think if she had to put up with them switching out all the time she'd kick off. She's very particular about her personal space, so lots of guards that she doesn't know would make her uncomfortable? idk.
thatredheadgirl12: Nooo, puns always intended. Bonus points for puns! Thank you so much, I'm glad you like it!
mscalliope: I might be cruel, but I'm not George R R Martin cruel! ... yet. :D
Savage-Kill: Ahhh the job. I still don't know what job to give her *pulls out hair*
Dustbunnyprophet: Is it hot in here? I think I'm blushing. What a lovely review, thanks! Also, I'm dreading having to write out if Truin and Mother find out about it. Oh dearrr.
Imaginary-worlds: I'll try and keep an eye out for it! I usually give the story a once over before I post but because I already know what's going on I tend to just skip over U_U Don't have a beta-reader, which would no doubt be helpful, but I'm glad it isn't too bothersome!
If there were questions I missed please let me know and I'll get to them next chapter! Once again, sorry for the wait, hope you like the chapter and all that jazz!
Chapter 24
All my life I have trained myself to be able to act first and think second. My body knows the motions and doesn't need to wait for my brain to catch up, to tell it when to move out of the way – it's saved my life on more than one occasion. Which is why I'm surprised that as the slab starts to fall down towards me, my body remains still, eyes turned up towards the massive chunk of rock, just watching.
It feels like hours pass before the rational part of me kicks in – screaming at me to get out of the way - though it can only have been a split second. Suddenly everything comes into focus, I know what I need to do. Self preservation is a wonderful thing, but not if your monarch is standing beside you – then it becomes sacrifice. I doubt I can save us both but perhaps I can die doing something worth while, something that will make my family proud.
"Move!" I roar, loud enough that I distantly hear my own voice bounce back off the cavern walls. I shove the King under the Mountain in the back with as much strength as I can muster, sending him sprawling into Bofur and his miners. I pray that it is enough, that he is far enough away to not be caught under the falling boulder which will no doubt flatten me shortly. There is rock dust all around me, in my mouth, like grit against my teeth. In my hair. My eyes.
Something slams into me – but not from above as I had expected, from the side. The air is knocked from my lungs as I slam to the floor, a heavy weight pressing down on my chest. A millisecond after an ear splitting crack fills the mine as the slab smashes against the ground – mere feet from where I am lying – followed by a cloud of dust and splinters of rock shards that prick my skin like glass.
I cough, struggling to breath as the dust swirls around me. Someone starts screaming, others shouting, trying to figure out what is happening. I struggle to sit up, grunting under the weight of whatever is lying across me, grit in my eyes, making me squint – but I see the glint of armour through my slitted vision. A body.
"M-my lady?" Toldin asks shakily as he lifts his head, waving a hand in front of his face to clear some of the dust. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Toldin," I say, though I'm finding it harder and harder to draw in a full breath with him lying over me. "Are you well?"
"I think I hit my head when we fell." He admits, pushing himself up onto his hands and knees with a groan. I inhale deeply, coughing on the still settling dust that clogs my throat and sit up. I see him touch a hand to his forehead, then pull back, his fingers red.
"Toldin we must make sure no one is hurt." I say, grunting as I climb unsteadily to my feet. Did I push him far enough? Mahal what if it wasn't enough?
The guard nods and joins me, the blood congealing over his left eye, gumming it shut. I reach out a hand and take his, pulling him along behind me as I make my way round the slap, my other hand pressed against it's rough surface for support.
We round the corner of the slab and I gasp, taking an involuntary step back, my foot almost slipping on the slick floor. Blood pools out from beneath the rock, rivulets of red winding their way out across the mine floor. My gut clenches, heart hammering against my chest. What if he– but no! I shake my head, forcing back the bile that has risen in my throat.
"Oh Mahal." I hear Toldin whisper softly behind me. I squeeze his hand and we pick our way carefully round the spreading blood, between the dwarves that have gathered, hands pressed to mouths in shock. I see several faces I recognise from my trip round the mine, paler now, some splattered with blood, others with tears tracking down their cheeks.
"My lady!" A voice calls, I look away from the miners to see Marrik striding towards me. He too is speckled with blood, small scratches on his face and arms from the rock fragments – no doubt I look similarly gruesome. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I say, repeating the same words I spoke to Toldin. I see the older guard glance round me to take in the younger but I cannot hold back the question burning my tongue. "Marrik... who is.. who w-was that?"
"A miner," He says, shaking his head slightly, his voice a low rasp. "Poor sod."
We stand in silence for a moment before Marrik motion for me to follow him, guiding me round the clustering dwarves. "This way, his Majesty's been lookin' for you."
"He's alive? Thank Mahal." I sigh, following Marrik through the press of bodies, Toldin a step behind.
"Aye, alive an' royally pissed." Marrik mutters under his breath, but I don't question him about it. I have no doubt the King is angry. This attack – and I have little doubt that this was an accident, not after what I learned – was meant for him. In his place I would be feeling furious that someone else got killed in his place. Furious and guilty.
My eyes keep finding their way back to the blood splattered up the side of the slab, a red footprint in the dust where someone has stepped too close. That could have been me. I jerk my head round, pushing the thought out of my mind as we move on.
The King under the Mountain is issuing orders when I spot him, more animated then I think I have ever seen him, fuelled by his anger. At his command several miners head off towards the other side of the mine, to search for the culprit if I have heard correctly – a futile effort, no doubt whoever is responsible fled in the panic – but what else can he do?
I stop off to the side, not wanting to get in the way but Marrik nudges me forward, calling to get the King's attention. I forget that before Marrik became my keeper short days ago he was part of the King's own guard, no doubt he feels more comfortable with interrupting his Majesty.
The King looks up, thunder on his face. I blink and he is by my side.
He looks me over quickly and I flinch slightly as his hand brushes my cheek, his eyebrows drawn down into a deep frown.
"You're bleeding." He tells me quietly. I blink and indeed now that I think about it I can feel small sharp pains on my face and arms where the splinters of rock dug into me. My eyes slide to Marrik and his own blood splattered face. I think of the blood seeping from beneath the stone and suppress a shudder.
"It's nothing." I reply. "Are you injured?"
"Me? No, I am fine, thanks to you." He says, dark eyes still locked on me. "Had you not pushed me out the way no doubt I would be dead."
"You are my King." I say. I find myself unable to meet his gaze. "My life for yours would be a suitable trade."
"No." The King growls out, tensing beside me. "If you were to – no. You have my gratitude for saving my life, but I would not have you die in my place. I am... pleased you are unharmed."
"You may thank Toldin for that," I mumble, feeling my cheeks warm at his words despite the chaos around us. "He pushed me out of the way."
"Did he now?" The King questions, his voice low, eyes calculating as he observes the young guard – blood still dripping down his face. "Then he too has my gratitude, for your life."
I can see that Toldin is both embarrassed and pleased with himself, battling to keep the expression from his face at the praise, in light of the tragedy that has occurred. I give him a smile that I hope conveys that I am grateful to him too, but before I can say anything Bofur reappears looking dishevelled, his hat askew.
The King turns to face the other dwarf, his hand dropping from my face to my lower back, the lightest touch so that I turn with him to hear what the miner has to say.
"The lights on the upper walk were extinguished, two miners dead." The previously jovial dwarf says, shaking his head, his eyes meeting the King's. "This was no accident."
I am close enough to feel Thorin tense, and hear the curse he mutters under his breath. "Secure the area, I want to know who did this. I will know who did this." He turns again, this time to Marrik. "Get her out of here. Send word to Dwalin and find my nephews. Now."
Marrik slaps a closed fist against his chest, murmuring an affirmative before he holds out his hand to me. "My Lady."
I nod, taking the offered hand with a glance back over my shoulder at the King. He has already turned away, speaking low and fast to Bofur. I turn back, allowing Marrik to lead me back to the carts which we arrived in. There are guards standing by to stop anyone from leaving but they wave us past, along with one of the miners to operate the cart.
"Here, My Lady," Toldin says, stumbling to fetch the crate I used on my journey here to help me into the cart. I give him my thanks and a few moments later we are on our way back through the darkness, speeding along.
Unlike the first time I feel none of the exhilarating, heart pumping fear at our speed or height, the wind whipping my hair back. Instead there is a cold hard knot in my stomach as I think about what happened in the mine, of the poor dwarf crushed beneath the rock. I hate myself for it – but even more I worry over how I will explain the rips and cuts in my dress, the scratches on my face and the blood to my family. How glad I am that it wasn't me. Mahal.
I am ashamed of myself instantly and I remain silent for the rest of the trip, speaking only to thank the miner when we reach the first cavern, the one with the deep rents in the floor. As I follow Marrik through the room I feel the eyes of the other miners on me – either they have not yet been told of what happened, or we are the first dwarves to leave the mine who were close to the falling slab.
"Are you alright Lass?" Marrik asks me, his voice pitched just high enough to be heard over the muted workings of the room. Dimly I realise it's the first time he has addressed me as anything but my Lady.
I do not voice the concern I feel over my family, instead I speak of the other thought that has been plaguing me. "That could have been me." I say, just as quietly. Too quietly perhaps, he might not have heard me but I carry on anyway, speaking around the lump in my throat. "Or the King. It could have been Toldin, or you. Mahal, don't you have a babe on the way?"
"Aye." He replies after a moment, dropping back a step to walk with me. "But I knew the risks when I became a guard, same as Toldin. What happen'd today was... it was bad, but it wasn't your fault. You saved the King, s'more than most would have done in your place."
I sigh and shake my head again, unable to find the words to express how I feel. Neither of my companions seem to mind however, and we carry on through the Mountain, pausing only briefly for Marrik to stop a passing guard patrol and send one of them running for Dwalin, and another to search out the princes.
Both Toldin and Marrik know where my rooms are and I allow them to guide me without paying much attention to the route – it is only when we come to a stop outside the Healing Quarter that I realise I should have questioned their path more closely.
"What are we doing here?" I ask, frowning at them. All I want to do is go back to my room and sleep, pretend this never happened, but it seems that is not to be.
"You're still bleedin' My Lady." Marrik says, gesturing with his head that I should go in first – as if he expects me to run off at the thought of facing Master Oin again. I sigh and stride forward, my guards flanking me.
Marrik motions me towards a bed and I go reluctantly as he hastens to speak to the hearing impaired dwarf. They speak in low voices for a few moments before joining me at the bed. "Back again I see," Oin grumbles, his usual self – but I can tell he's worried, not for me necessarily but for what the attack means. "You're worse than Fili and Kili."
"It's almost as if you aren't happy to see me, Master Oin." I say back, smiling despite myself.
"The less I see of my patients the better," He says, putting down his ear piece to take my chin in his hand. "Let's have a look at you."
"Actually I think you had best see to Toldin." I say, glancing past the healers bushy head of grey hair to the younger dwarf who has gone worrying pale, the blood staining half his face a stark contrast.
"Aye, think y'might be right," Marrik mutters, moving away from the side of my bed to assist Toldin into the one beside it. Oin continues to frown over me for a moment – no doubt double checking to make sure I have no more pressing wounds – before he moves over to help Toldin.
"I'm fine, honestly." Toldin assures us, trying to sit up only to be pushed back down by Marrik's strong arm. "You should look to Lady Rúin."
"I'm unharmed Toldin, only scratches." I assure him, touching a hand to one of the rock shards that is still embedded in my cheek. It doesn't hurt, not really, more of a sting than anything – I've certainly had worse. "I'll be fine."
"Aye, don't worry lad, I've others who can tend to the Lady." Oin rumbles out, glancing around to get the attention of another healer, a young dwarrowdam, probably not much older than Toldin himself. She introduces herself as Dwila.
Oin instructs Dwila on removing the rock splinters from my face and arms while he tends to Toldin. The young healer sets about her work quickly and efficiently, not speaking to me other than to apologise when she pulls out a particularly stubborn splinter from my arm.
Marrik grumpily allows another healer to help him with the shards in his own skin, muttering curses under his breath as each fragment is removed and cleaned.
It takes a while for Dwila to clean and bind the worst of the cuts, but when she's done she leaves me to my own devices. I move over to stand beside Toldin's bed where the young dwarf is sleeping, a thin sheen of sweat layering his face and a thick bandage around his head.
"Oin say's he'll be fine," Marrik reports, appearing at my elbow a few moments later, rolling his shoulders with a grunt. Like me he is peppered by small red cuts, some bandaged but most not. "Lost some blood but he's young, he'll bounce back."
"Let's hope so," I say, sighing as I watch the guards chest rise and fall. "He's the reason I'm still here, after all."
Marrik opens his mouth, no doubt to berate me when Brúin enters the room, much to my surprise. He looks around, eyebrows drawn down into a frown before he spots me and then he is suddenly by my side, pulling me into a bone crushing hug.
"Ugh, Brúin get off me," I order, spitting some of his hair out of my mouth while I try to pull away. "I'm fine!"
My brother pulls away, taking me by the shoulders to give me a critical stare, making sure I'm uninjured. "Are you?"
"Of course I am," I say, but the thought I almost died passes through my head. Hits me like a sledgehammer so that it takes a few moments to speak again. "Just a few scratches."
"I was with Dwalin when the guard found him," Brúin says, hands still firmly gripping my shoulders. "He said Marrik was taking a noble to the Healing Quarter. I figured – Mahal - Rúin it's always you!"
"Better me than Trúin, right?" I reply, smiling slightly to try and reassure him. It could have been Trúin.
"This isn't a joke!" He grunts back, his mouth pressed into a hard line.
"A-are you angry with me?" I ask, blinking in surprise. His fingers are digging into the back of my shoulders, thumbs pushing into the soft skin above my collarbone, almost hurting. Not quite though, he's too well trained to hurt me without meaning too.
"No," He says, too quickly. I frown at him and he takes his hands off me, finally, then turns away. I roll my shoulders, trying to shrug off the feeling of weight pushing down on them. My brother runs a hand through his hair, letting out a loud sigh. "No, I'm not angry at you."
"Yeah, that's convincing." I snap back, crossing my arms over my chest, trying not to look upset, even though that's exactly what I feel. What gives him the right to be angry at me? Not after what I've been through today.
He turns back to me, mouth open, a reply sitting on his tongue but before he can get it out Oin stops him. A hand on his chest and a deep furrow between his brows.
"Here isn't the place laddie," The older dwarf says, glancing over at Toldin who is still lying on the bed to our left, motionless but for the flicker of movement behind his eyes and the up-down of his chest. "This isn't a sparring ring."
Brúin shakes his head and turns on his heel, storming out of the room without a second glance at me. I growl low in my throat. If my brother thinks this is the end of it then he is sadly mistaken – he can be as angry as he likes at me, but I want to know why first.
I move towards the door, planning to follow when Marrik blocks my path. "Where're you going?"
"To speak to my brother," I tell him, as if it isn't obvious. "Marrik, don't you dare tell me I can't go. You might have been told to guard me by the King but I didn't agree to it. I tolerate you because to do otherwise would be more trouble than it's worth."
"Aye? Well you're lucky y'tolerated Toldin as long as you did," He tells me, rubbing a hand across his bearded chin, eyes watching me. "Y'remember Toldin, don't you?"
"Yes, I do. And I don't need someone else getting hurt because of me," I manage, feeling my throat tighten at his words. Toldin could have died. Without waiting for his reply I push past and out into the hallway, following the path I assume my brother took.
Brúin is a creature of habit as much as I am, and his place of sanctuary is the training rooms. Somewhere he can blow off steam, work through what ever is bothering him and beat someone up if he's lucky.
I storm through the Kingdom under the Mountain, ignoring the looks I get for my ripped dress and my scratched face until I reach the cavernous training area. Sure enough he's there, already hacking away at a training dummy with a ferocious looking axe.
"Brúin!" I call when I am only a few feet away, not wanting to startle him while he is holding such a large weapon.
"What?" He responds, not bothering to turn and face me. I glare at his back until the dummy is a pile of sack and straw on the floor, only then does he look at me. "What?" He repeats.
"Why are you angry with me?" I demand, almost shaking. I feel drained.
"I told you I'm not angry." Brúin replies, leaning against the shaft of his axe. He's breathing hard from swinging it around but he manages to keep his voice steady when he speaks.
"Then why won't you talk to me?" I ask, frustration making my voice break.
"Rúin I'm not angry at you!" He all but shouts, kicking his axe away. "I'm worried about you!"
"You- what?" I ask, coming up short.
"You heard me." My brother sighs, his voice quiet as he massages his eyes with the palms of his hands before dragging them down his face, shaking his head as he does so. "Rúin – do you know what went through my head when I heard that Marrik – Marrik your guard – was taking a noble to the healing rooms, seconds before Dwalin was told that the King had urgent need of him?"
I remain silent as I watch my brother. My eyes start to ache, stinging because I refuse to cry in front of him. I know what he must have been thinking. I almost died.
"You've barely been out of Oin's care for a month!" He shakes his head again. "Look, I know you're close to the Princes, and you got along well with Lady Dis – even the King to some extent – but I've been around the guards long enough to know that they're ...dangerous. I-I just don't want to see you get hurt again."
"I'm sorry." I say, because it's all I can think of. He said the Line of Durin was dangerous, and I know he's just trying to look out for me, so how do I tell him the truth? That I might be a target because of my association with them. That Trúin could be too? That even if I wanted to I don't think that I could leave now?
"You – It's not something you need to be sorry for Rúin," Brúin sighs again, and I can see the fight has completely gone out of him. He steps forwards, slinging an arm over my shoulder, pulling me against his chest, straining for some normality. "Come on, lets go, before someone tells mother you were running around in that dirty frock."
Brúin and I return to our rooms where he leaves me to change out of my ruined dress, returning some time later with a steaming hot cup of tea and some cream cakes – Mahal knows where he found them.
"So, do you want to talk about what happened today?" My brother asks, setting my tea down on the bedside table along with the cakes. I shake my head slightly, concentrating on re-braiding my hair so I don't have to look at him.
"Maybe later, I think I might lie down for a while." I say, not wanting to hurt his feelings. He means well, but I don't really want to discuss what happened in the mine or after, not just yet.
Brúin nods and heads to the exit, pausing in the doorway. "You know where I am, if you need me."
"Okay," I say, smiling. "Thanks, Brúin." He doesn't reply, just smiles back and then he's gone, closing the door behind himself.
I sag against my vanity table as the latch catches, rubbing a hand across my forehead, tired beyond what I should be. It takes me a few moments to force myself over to my bed, almost as if for the second time today my body doesn't know what to do.
I close my eyes against the image of blood seeping out from under the rock that could have been my own grave marker, blindly reaching out to grasp a bedpost for support. I let out a ragged breath. My hands shake, my chest is tight and I can't seem to fill my lungs no matter how hard I try.
"Mahal!" I gasp, crawling onto my bed, cheeks wet with tears I don't understand.
I wipe my eyes with my sleeve, but the tears don't stop and after a few moments of futile struggling I let them run their course, curling myself around one of my pillows to muffle my gasping sobs.
Eventually I tire myself out and finally drift off to sleep, cheeks and bedding wet with tears and the thought that I might never have seen my family again flitting through my head.
I jerk awake to the sound of knocking, taking a shaky breath as I push myself up and run my hands over my eyes. They feel gritty, achy and raw, and I can only pray that they don't look as red and puffy as they feel.
The knocking comes again.
"One second," I call, though I have no idea if it was loud enough to be heard through the thick stone walls. My toes curl into the soft rug as I place them on the floor and make my way over to the door. I feel as if I haven't slept at all, light headed, as if I stood up too quickly.
I open the door and am only slightly surprised to find Marrik on the other side. I can tell he's trying hard not to look too closely at me, to make sure I'm okay – I don't deserve his concern.
"I'm sorry." I say, before he can tell me what he's here for. "What I said to you, earlier. I was... I was being an idiot. I'm sorry."
"Don't need to 'pologise to me, My Lady," He tells me, arms folded behind his back. "I'm your guard, I spoke out of turn."
"No. You didn't. You had your orders and without them.. without you and Toldin I..." I trail off, biting my lip. He knows what I want to say – but I don't know if I can without bringing on a fresh floor of tears. "Did you need something?"
"His Majesty has requested your presence." He tells me. "I'm to escort you, if that's okay with you."
"Yes," I say, pinching the bridge of my nose. Seeing the King is not something I was expecting to have to deal with so soon but I suppose I cannot refuse him, not after today. "Of course, will you give me a moment?"
"Certainly My Lady." Marrik nods, allowing me to retreat back into my room.
I take a few minutes to splash some water on my face, frowning into the mirror at the bloodshot eyes that stare back at me. I shake my head in disgust and quickly change, ignoring all of Lavri's beautiful dresses in favour of my old battered leathers. I breathe deeply, comfortable in the familiar, heavy weight of the clothes.
With a nod to myself I cross the room, but double back to dig a small dagger from the chest at the bottom of my bed where I keep my meagre belongings. It's not much, and it won't be of any use if someone tries to crush me with a boulder – but it makes me feel better, if only by a little.
I exit to find Marrik waiting as promised. If he is surprised by my lack of formal wear he doesn't show it, simply falls into step with me as I stride along the corridor. It takes only a short while for us to reach our destination – a place I've never been in before but one that doesn't need much explaining.
A war room.
It's not empty when we arrive, in fact there are already several people seated around a long table in the centre of the room. His Majesty is here, of course. Along with Lord Balin, Guard Captain Dwalin and Lord Ironfoot. Fili and Kili are both present and are the first to stand when I enter.
"Rúin? What are you doing here?" Kili asks me, tilting his head slightly, a light frown on his face.
"Your guess is as good as mine," I say, glancing at the King who nods to me. I give a quick curtsey, addressing the room. "My Lords."
"My Lady, please have a seat," Lord Dain says, motioning to the place beside Fili. I sigh inwardly and allow the red headed dwarf to pull the chair out for me. "Are you feeling okay, My Lady?"
"Fine. Thank you," I say as I drop down into the chair. "Just tired."
"Aye, it sounds as if you've had an unfortunate day." Balin speaks up from his place beside the King. He looks sympathetic, and I have no doubt that the sadness he feels is genuine. "We shan't keep you long."
"Indeed, no doubt you are wondering why I had Marrik bring you here," The King says, speaking to me directly. I meet his gaze, because to not do so would seem horribly disrespectful. "As you are all aware, for some years now there have been various fractions within Erebor trying to uproot the House of Durin from the throne. During these past years there have been various attempts on my life and the lives of my nephews."
I glance over at Fili and Kili who are both watching their uncle with rapt attentiveness, their faces grave. It makes sense of course that whoever is targeting the King would also target the Princes, but the two of them seem so carefree that the thought never crossed my mind. Perhaps I have only ever known them as young dwarrows, not heirs to the Kingdom under the Mountain.
"Today was such a day." Thorin continues, his eyes coming back to rest on me. "Though thanks to Lady Rúin the attempt on my life was thwarted – I am saddened to say that not everyone came away unharmed. There were three deaths, several badly wounded by debris and many more with superficial injuries."
I can see him clenching and unclenching his hands on the table top, his voice strained as he repeats the days casualties.
"I will not allow more of my people to be sacrificed because of me. To be put in danger because of me." The King says, his hand becoming a fist. "That is why I have decided that the three of you – Fili, Kili and you, Lady Rúin – are to leave Erebor."
Okay, I know, that was mean. I genuinely felt sad writing that bit between Rúin and her brother ohmahgad i love them.
I hope you all liked the chapter anyway and hopefully there won't be such a large wait between them this time, I will try and power through.
As always, your reviews are my life blood! Please follow/favourite/review as you see fit and I hope to hear from you! Much Love 3