Neston found it hard to keep up with the king's pace as he strode toward the healing halls, the royal guards trailing behind. The healer led Thranduil to Amayla's door, barely getting a chance to knock before the king barged in.
Amayla turned from her usual spot at the window, surprised to see the great king entering her room.
"Amayla?" he whispered.
She nodded and burst into tears.
Thranduil rushed to her side. He sat down on her bed and pulled him into his arms. The guards and Neston were stunned to see their king express such emotion over anyone much less a dwarf. Thranduil sent them away with a wave of his hand leaving him to talk to Amayla in private.
"You remember me?" Amayla sobbed, looking up at Thranduil through tearful eyes.
"Of course I do Amayla. How could I forget someone who smashed my table and broke my favorite wine goblet?"
"Your favorite? I am sorry." she sniffed.
"Aye, but do not worry. I have many just like it. Now why the tears?"
"It's just nice to be remembered. Everyone else seems to have forgotten or abandoned me."
"And by everyone, you mean Oakenshield and company?"
"Aye."
"Amayla, they think you are dead."
"Maybe they did once, but Neston informed them weeks ago and I've written so many letters. They must know by now. And why didn't they come find me in the first place. It's not as if I was hiding!"
"I will let Thorin know right away. I'm sure he will be overjoyed to know you are here and will welcome you back to Erebor."
"No, no he won't. I can't go back."
Thranduil raised his eyebrows at her.
"I am banished from Erebor," she eeked out.
"I see. And would a certain necklace now in my possession have anything to do with that?"
"Yes. And the fact that I struck Thorin to stop him from killing Bilbo."
"On the ramparts, before the battle?"
"Yes."
"And yet, it is my understanding that you were the one who saved Thorin by killing Azog."
"Aye, He is still my king, and that was on Ravenhill, not inside Erebor." Amayla found a handkerchief and wiped her eyes before blowing her nose.
"I would think that saving his life might have softened Oakenshield's stance on banishment."
"I was hoping that too, but the lack of any response from anyone would seem to prove that it hasn't."
"Then perhaps it is time for me to send a letter. I do not think he will ignore me."
"You would do that for me?"
"Yes, I will. I believe that I owe you something for the return of the necklace. I was quite surprised when the hobbit showed up with it and the Arkenstone that night."
"We were desperate to stop the fighting. I know it was not my right to give you the necklace, yet I knew it was the right thing to do. Please tell me, is Thorin free from the gold sickness?"
"Yes. Apparently almost getting killed from greed is good for the soul. He is still an obstinate dwarf but that seems to be his normal state. The gold sickness has passed, at least that is what Tauriel has informed me."
"Well that is good news. I am happy to hear it. Speaking of Tauriel, why is she in Dale?"
"Because you are not the only female to disobey her king. Although Tauriel's transgression was not nearly as egregious as yours, I was still displeased that she followed your company to Laketown. I made her stay in Dale and help Bard with his defenses."
"That hardly seems like a punishment to me." Amayla scoffed.
Thranduil looked down at Amayla, "You do speak your mind, don't you?"
"I've been known to."
"Well, it is a punishment to be away from home this long, although she has been doing a fine job of keeping me informed on what is going on in Dale and Erebor."
"Knowing Tauriel, she probably thinks it's a promotion." Amayla chuckled.
Upon seeing Thranduil's frown, Amayla continued, "Its just that I know that Tauriel was interested in travel, and seeing the world. No insult intended!"
"Indeed. Well then I may not need to ask her to come see you."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Please ask her! I would so love to talk to her!"
"Another apology from you? I am shocked!"
She smiled at the king, "Seriously, your majesty, thank you for all you are doing. I can't tell you how much better it makes me feel."
"Neston tells me that you are getting stronger. Perhaps you can join me for dinner tomorrow and I can show you around my halls. Although I believe you are already acquainted with my wine cellar!"
"Thank you, your majesty," Amayla said laughing. "I would be honored."
.
.
The next morning, Amayla was woken by two elven seamstresses who came to take her measurements. They told her that the king had ordered new clothing for her and it was their task to fulfill it. When asked if there was anything special she would like, Amayla told them only that she wanted clothes she could spar in.
Later in the day, Neston stopped by and gave Amayla some good news. She was finally cleared to resume training. Amayla was beyond thrilled. Galion, the king's butler, then showed up with a dress that she was to wear at dinner with the king that night. It was to be a small affair, with just some of Thranduil's closest advisors. Between Thranduil's letter to Thorin, Tauriel returning, training, and now dinner with the king, Amayla felt hope for the future.
The dinner was pleasant and Amayla was most glad that the elves of the Woodland Realm enjoyed meat, unlike those in Rivendell. The other elves did not seem excited that a dwarf was joining them for dinner, but as she was a guest of their king, they made an effort to be polite. Following dinner, Thranduil was true to his word and took Amayla on a tour of his kingdom. Amayla was most excited to see the armory and sparring rings.
"You will need to select weapons for your training Amayla. What do you prefer?" Thranduil asked while showing off the armory.
"Sword, dagger, and bow are my preference," she replied.
"Then help yourself."
Amayla gave a little squeal as she started picking up the weapons. She suddenly stopped, holding up a pair of daggers. "These are Filis!" She looked further, "This is my old sword!" And finally came upon a sight that made her knees buckle, "Grasper and Keeper." She ran her fingers over Dwalin's beloved axes. The image of her one yielding the weapons flooded her mind, causing her to sway on her feet.
Thranduil was at her side in a flash, dragging her to a bench to have her sit. "You have over-exerted yourself. Rest here for a moment."
"No, I'm not tired, just a little surprised. You really need to return those weapons your majesty," she scolded. "Is Orcrist here too?
"No, I gave that to Thorin as a coronation gift."
"And you didn't think to return the others?"
"I never gave it much thought. I don't think we knew to whom they belonged."
Amayla gave him a skeptical look before stating firmly that she would identify each weapon that belonged to the company so that they could be returned to their rightful owners. "Much like I returned a certain necklace to its rightful owner." Thorin bowed his head in resignation.
"Is my bow here also?" she asked happily.
"I only recall one dwarven bow, and that one was damaged beyond repair."
"That must have been Kili's. Mine was of elvish design."
"You used an elvish bow? How?"
"Technically it is a man-made bow of elvish design, but a child's size. Strider made it when he was young."
"Oh, young Estel, Elrond's ward. Well go ahead and look. See if its there."
It only took Amayla a few minutes to spot her bow among all the others. She clapped with delight as Thranduil pulled it down off the wall for her. "I can't wait to use it tomorrow!" Even the ever somber king found her excitement contagious.
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.~~~~~~~
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MEANWHILE, BACK IN EREBOR
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Grundbar took his job as assistant to the privy council of the king very seriously. This was his first day working on his own as Balin was gone with Thorin working in the mines. Grundbar wanted everything to be perfect in the king's private chambers when he returned. He laid all the missives that had come in that day in perfect order, with the ones from King Thranduil on top. He started a fire in the large fireplace but forgot to check the flue. When smoke started filling the room, he realized his mistake. He got the flue open open quickly, but needed to get rid of the smoke. His simple solution was to throw open the door to the king's private balcony. When he did, a large rush of wind blew the papers off Thorin's desk with the top missive landing in the middle of the fire. Grundbar managed to shut the door and retrieve all the the rest of the papers, but he could only stare as the one document turned to ash. His future flashed before his eyes and he made a fateful decision. Taking another piece of wood, he laid it on top of the disintegrating ashes. All traces of the paper disappeared, and whatever was written on that letter was gone forever. King Thorin would never know it was there.
.
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Amayla woke up after one of the best night's sleep she had gotten since awaking in Mirkwood. She didn't expect a response to Thranduil's missive to Erebor until tomorrow, so today was just going to real training with her old sword and getting reacquainted with her bow. To their credit, the seamstresses had delivered some new clothes for her already. They appeared to be cut down versions of elvish clothing, but Amayla didn't mind. She was just happy they fit her so well.
Eliril met her in the sparring rings. "First you stretch, then you may fight."
Amayla didn't argue with the blond elf. She didn't want anything to keep her from using her sword, so the sooner she got through with the "stretching" the sooner she would fighting. Eliril said that she would observe her patient most of the day to make certain that Amayla did not overdo anything.
Amayla started with work on a sparring dummy. Her sword felt so familiar in her hand and the movements came back quickly, but her arm got tired faster than she would have liked. Oh, to still have Ardru's mithril sword again! Eliril saw her faltering and ordered her to take a break. Amayla agreed and watched several elves sparring. They gave Amayla some ugly looks and made a few comments that Amayla couldn't understand, but nothing could bring down Amayla's happiness at being among warriors again.
"Do you think that any of them would be willing to spar against me?" Amayla asked Eliril.
"No. I am quite certain those elves won't, but if you like, I'd be happy to spar."
"But you are a healer!"
"Yes, but I am quite capable in yielding a sword. I just prefer the healing halls. I may not be as great a warrior as you, but you are not full strength yet, so I think I might put up a good challenge. Wooden swords though please!"
Amayla and Eliril spent the rest of the morning sparring much to Amayla's great joy but after a break for lunch, Eliril insisted that Amayla rest the rest of the day. When Neston agreed with his assistant, Amayla gave up but complained about being bored. Neston smiled and took Amayla by the arm, not telling her where he was taking her.
.
When Neston opened the large doors, Amayla's face burst into a smile. There were books as far as she could see. "What do you think Amayla? Worth not being able to practice your bow?" the healer grinned.
"Maybe," she whispered.
As Amayla stood looking in amazement, Neston spoke to the librarian at the main desk. Amayla couldn't help but notice that the librarian looked at her skeptically, but Neston seemed to convince him that she should be allowed to enter. After introductions were made, the librarian led Amayla to a section of books written the common language, where he left her.
"Are you enjoying my library?"
Startled, Amayla looked up to the see the elven king smirking at her.
"If you had put me in here, instead of your dungeons, your majesty, I never would have escaped."
Thranduil gave a small chuckle. "I thought you might join me for dinner."
Amayla looked down at her clothes that she had worn for sparring, "I'm not really dressed for dinner."
"It doesn't matter. It will just be with me, in my private dining room. No counselors or nobles. No gossip or requests. Perhaps you would be willing to tell me about your quest with Oakenshield – now that it is over."
Amayla couldn't be certain, but she thought that the king sounded tired, sad even. "I would be happy to your majesty, thank you. I've been so lost in this library, that I didn't realize that it was time for dinner. But now that you mention it, I believe I am hungry!"
.
Dinner was quite enjoyable. Amayla found herself relaxing in the king's presence. As requested, Amayla told Thranduil many of the stories of the quest. He laughed about the trolls, especially Kili's parasites. He was very interested in Galadriel's and Saruman's visit to Rivendell, and was slightly disappointed that Amayla could not tell him more about that. The king was surprised that Amayla had learned to ride a horse and offered to let her ride one of his once Neston allowed. He was also pleased to hear that the Gandalf had killed the goblin king. But when Amayla asked about Legolas since she had not seen him, Thranduil grew reserved only telling Amayla that he had left to join the Dunedain. Following dinner, Thranduil beat Amayla in a game of chess, after which he had his guards escort her back to her room. She was surprised at how good she felt at the end of the day, and only hoped that tomorrow would bring word from Thorin.
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The nest morning, Amayla immediately went to the archery range. Her arms were a little tired from the day before but she was too excited to let that stop her. There were numerous elves already there when she arrived and they gave her the same looks that she had seen the day before, but she drew her arrows out of her quiver and took her stance. She didn't mind them staring and after several rounds of practice, the elves were watching her with respect.
"Not bad, especially for a dwarf."
Recogizing the voice, Amaylas spun around and shouted excitedly, "Tauriel, you came!" She ran to the the elf and wrapped her arms around her waist. Tauriel was taken aback, and returned her hug awkwardly.
"It is so good to see you. I'm so happy you came," Amayla babbled.
"I can't tell you how surprised I was when King Thranduil told me why he summoned me. Amayla, we thought you had fallen, but we could never find your body."
"That's because I was here," Amayla shrugged, tears starting to fill her eyes.
"I'm glad of that." Picking up a practice bow, Tauriel pointed back to the range, "Shall we?"
The two started shooting, both with deadly accuracy.
"How are things in Dale?" Amayla asked.
"They are progressing. Bard has been crowned king and has been doing a fine job of organizing things. Thorin delivered on his first payment of gold and it was used to buy supplies to get them through the winter. There is still not an excess of food, but nobody goes hungry. Luckily, the lake has not frozen over so there is plenty of fish. Even Thorin has traded for some. There may be plenty of gold in Erebor, but the food stocks are not great. I believe that there have been shipments from the Iron Hills so no one is going hungry in Erebor either."
"That is good to hear. And the company? They are all well?"
"Yes. All have recovered from their injuries. The hobbit and Gandalf left with Beorn right after the coronation. Lord Dain left a large group of soldiers behind and they are all working on restoring Erebor. The progress is remarkable. Each trip I make there, I can see more of the glory restored. The reputation of dwarves and stone is well-deserved. But you can see that for yourself when you go back."
"IF I go back."
"Yes, his majesty told me about the banishment, but I am certain that it will be rescinded once King Thorin knows that you are alive. I believe that King Thranduil is expecting a response today."
"I pray so."
But no message came that day. Thranduil tried to make light of it at dinner, buy Amayla was still distressed. When no response came the next day, Thranduil grew angry.
"I will send Lord Arodir first thing tomorrow and get a response IN PERSON. Enough of this WAITING!"
.
The next day Amaylal was given permission from Neston to go riding with Tauriel. They all hoped it would distract her from the waiting. She was thrilled to mount a horse again. The weather was cold, but there was no snow on the ground. The wind was bracing, but the seamstresses had somehow cobbled together a fur-lined leather coat that fit her and kept the worst of the elements at bay. A small contingent of elves rode with the two females as they traveled eastward near the river.
Tauriel directed Amayla to take her sword and bow with her. "I expect no difficulties, but it is better to be armed than not. We should not encounter any orcs, but there are spiders still in the forest."
"I remember. Let's hope not to see any of them," Amaylas shuddered.
"I remember that gate," Amayla pointed out. "That's where the orcs attacked and Kili was shot."
"I remember that also." Tauriel replied, somewhat whistfully which Amayla dutifully noted.
"There is an overlook up ahead, it is a pleasant place to rest," Tauriel suggested.
Amayla agreed with Tauriel's assessment of the overlook. There were large fir trees forming a semi-circle around an outcropping of stone about thirty feet above the rapids in the rushing river. She and Tauriel took some nuts and cheese out of the pack along with water skins and sat near the edge of the rocks.
"Can you tell me what happened with Bolg?" Amayla asked quietly. "I have no real memories of that."
Tauriel sat quietly for a moment before beginning. "Legolas and I arrived in Dale to warn that Bolg was coming from the north with more orcs. Gandalf told us that Thorin, Fili, Kili and Dwalin had headed that way and asked us to warn them. We ran into Kili and fought off many orcs before Bolg descended upon us with even more orcs. Bolg almost killed me but Kili saved me. That's about when you arrived. You and Dwalin took out the orcs that Legolas was protecting me from and then you called out Bolg before he could run Kili through."
Amayla definitely heard a catch in Tauriel's voice as she spoke about Kili.
"Bolg turned against you instead, and Legolas, Dwalin, and I all threw our weapons at his back. But he grabbed you as he went down and you both fell over the edge. We heard you scream and then nothing."
Amayla sat frozen for a few moments. "I don't remember any of that."
"We, of course, ran down the tower to look for you, but you weren't there. I'll never forget the sight of Bolg; a crumpled mess, with Dwalin's axe lodged in his back. We found your sword, but there were no other signs of you. We wanted to look more but then goblins came pouring out we had to continue fighting. Amayla, I promise you, we looked and looked for you – everywhere! But never found you. I am so sorry."
"Thank you. But why didn't anyone look in Mirkwood? That's what I don't understand."
"We were told that Mirkwood had only male dwarves, no females. I don't know why they said that, but that was the report."
"And nobody went and checked for themselves," Amayla said more to herself than to Tauriel.
"I am sorry Amayla. If I had returned to Mirkwood instead of staying in Dale, maybe I would have found you. Please forgive me."
"Tauriel, you need no forgiveness. I don't blame you…"
"Well the important thing now is that you have been found and you can go back and rejoin your friends. I can't begin to image how happy they will be to have you back."
"So happy that they cannot even write?"
"I'm sure that all will be clear when Lord Arodir returns."
"I hope so."
They sat quietly for a few minutes, eating, drinking, and enjoying the view when Tauriel spoke up again. "Amayla, what does amrâlimê mean?"
Amayla's eyes went wide as choked on her water, covering her mouth as she coughed. "Amrâlimê? How do you know that word?"
"Kili."
"Oh Mahal." DAMMIT KILI – WHAT ARE YOU GETTING YOURSELF INTO? Amayla held her head in her hands, she grimaced before answering. "Do you care for him?"
Tauriel took a deep breath, closed her eye and replied, "yes."
"It means 'my love.' Amayla paused before asking, "Has he given you anything?"
"Just this," Tauriel answered pulling the rune stone out of her pocket.
Amayla immediately recognized it as the one that Dis had given to Kili. "Well, that doesn't count as a courting gift, so you aren't there yet."
"He has spoken about a bead but wants to wait until his mother returns to Erebor."
"Tauriel, do you understand that Kili is proposing marriage to you?"
"I thought as much, but was not certain."
"And you will accept him?"
"There is much to think about. Would you approve?"
"My approval is the least of your concern!" Amayla put her hand on the elf's arm. "Tauriel, I like you very much and I care for Kili like a brother. I want nothing but the best for you, but . . ."
"But you think that an elf and a dwarf could never work; especially a dwarf of royal blood and a simple woodland elf." Tauriel jerked her arm away, standing with her back to Amayla.
"NO! I don't think that at all," Amayla stood, moving in front of the elf again. "If Mahal has chosen you as Kili's one, then the differences should mean nothing. But you will face many obstacles. I cannot imagine what Thorin will say, or Thranduil for that matter, but I really don't envy you facing Dis, Kili's mother. But what I was going to say is that Kili is very young."
"I know the age difference is great, but . . . "
"No. I'm not talking age differences. I mean simply that Kili is young. He is not yet 80. It is unheard of for a dwarf to marry before 80. Actually, 90 is considered young but acceptable, although I know of at least one couple who married at 86. Kili doesn't even have a proper beard yet!"
"I don't mind his beard."
"The lack of beard is a sign that he is not an adult yet."
"So you do not approve."
"I do approve of the two of you as a couple, Tauriel. I would support you both whatever happens, but I would advise you to take some time. He is young and you aren't getting any older."
"I will think about what you have said, Amayla. Thank you."
They saddled back up, and returned to Mirkwood, both females with unsettled minds.
.
Meanwhile, back in Erebor that same evening
Thorin was tired, physically and mentally. Despite being the king, Thorin was helping with the manual labor needed to restore Erebor and make it habitable for returnees. Dain had left several compaies of soldiers behind and they were split between patrolling and rebuilding. The first job was to recover all the bodies and bury them. Most had been found and buried in a large mass grave in the bowels of Erebor. When more masons returned to the mountain, Thorin planned a huge monument marking the graves. That work took most of the first two months and while some soldiers recovered bodies, others were on dragon scat duty. All trace of dragon needed to be removed. The sorting of the treasury was left to Gloin and Nori as Thorin was still slightly worried about gold sickness. Bofur and Bifur were sent to try and reopen the mines. Although they both were excellent toy makers, their true calling was mining. The entrance to the mines had sustained heavy damage by Smaug and it would take weeks of back-breaking work to clear it. Thorin usually worked in the mines in the morning, as there were simply not enough dwarves around to do the needed work. But he much preferred that work to the afternoons when Balin had Thorin up to his neck in paperwork or meetings. Letters were being dispatched, trade arranged, and plans drawn up for Erebor's future.
After an especially grueling day, Thorin just wanted dinner, a bath, and sleep. There had been a breakthrough in the mines, but it had taken an extraordinary effort to remove an especially large slab of rock. Several dwarves had been injured in the effort, thankfully, nothing life-threatening. Dori reported that additional bodies had been found in a previously unexplored wing in the upper levels which meant more funerals. And Thorin was tired of funerals. As he headed back to his quarters, Balin stopped him explaining that an envoy of King Thranduil had just ridden in and wanted to see him immediately.
"Can't it wait until tomorrow?" Thorin grumbled.
"He's quite insistent, your majesty."
"Can't you handle it?"
"I'm afraid that he will speak only to you."
"Mahal," Thorin swore, "What does that tree-hugger want now? I will give him two minutes!"
Thorin strode into the throne room where the elf was waiting for him. "What is so important to Thranduil that it cannot wait a day?"
The elf started with the customary niceties before Thorin interrupted him, "I am not in the mood for pleasantries. Please state your business and be quick about it!"
"Yes, your majesty. The last dwarf we have in our healing halls is ready to leave and . . ."
"And what? Is Thranduil looking for some sort of payment from me?"
"No, of course not, your majesty. He wants to discuss the destination for said dwarf."
"That's it? Send the dwarf back to their garrison. I do not have time for such trivia!"
"But your majesty, my king wanted to make certain . . . "
"Enough! Just tell your king to send the dwarf home! Now if there is nothing else, I would like my dinner!"
"Of course, your majesty. My apologies for keeping you from it."
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************************* NOTES ************************************
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Well you can't say that Thranduil didn't try! And I tried to make Thorin more likeable now. Too bad for Amayla and Dwalin's sake that neither King iespecially likes the other. I hope you like Amayla and Tauriel as friends. I see them as kindred souls. And I like having strong female characters who support each other.
Thank you so much for the reviews. I may have said it before, but I can't describe how wonderful all of them are! Much, much appreciated!