Mena stood, gaping in disbelief at the sight before her. The golden haired dwarf stood in surprise for a moment, before his entire face lit up, a beaming grin coming across his lips as he cried out loudly and unabashedly, "Mena!" The next thing the dumbstruck human knew, a solid, dwarfish body was slamming into hers, Frerin's strong arms wrapping around her waist in a bone crushing hug. "Where have you been? What in Durin's name happened to you?!" he demanded, pulling back a bit and glaring at her, though his eyes still shimmered with a hint of tears at the sight of his rescuer. The human couldn't suppress a flinch at the unexpected and sudden contact, but when the dwarf tried to pull away, Mena caught his shoulders and drew closer to him again.
For her part, Mena was still trying to understand the fact that the dwarf she had bought so long ago was a prince, and brother to the King Under the Mountain! "Frerin…?" she managed, retreating enough to be able to look into his face with a sudden urgency. "You're really here! You made it home!" she choked out with a weak chuckle. Tears of relief finally spilled from her eyes, and she quickly closed the distance between them again. When she pulled away, the dwarf had a smile on his face to match hers, both overjoyed to be reunited once again.
"O' course, lass. Where else would I be?" he quirked a brow. "Ye still did not tell me what happened to ye. Last I saw, we were coming up upon the gates of Erebor together. What happened?" Mena's smile slid off her face, and her shoulders drooped a bit. She drew back a bit, wrapping her arms around herself in an unconsciously defensive gesture, and murmured, "I… was delayed." As she gave a brief explanation, Frerin's grin diminished, and then vanished completely, and when she told him of the slavers, he let out a growl.
She cut herself off, glancing behind him for a moment at the king, still sitting upon his throne, apparently just as surprised as they had been, but Frerin brought her attention back. "Forgive me, lass- I should have been there." Her eyes widened, and she clasped one of his shoulders to emphasize her next words, shaking her head. "Nay! Nothing they, or I, did was your fault in any way. I should have known that letter was false. Even if it hadn't been, I should have at least come with you into your home, and gathered supplies, made a plan, something." He still looked disheartened, but asked for her to continue.
In deference to his clear rage at what was clearly done to her, she skimmed over as many details as she could, giving him only a brief overview of her time as a slave. The implications were clear, however, and Mena could read the warring sorrow and rage clearly writ across his face. When she described her purchase by the dwarrow brothers, however, both the prince and the king perked up, and Thorin rose and moved to stand beside his brother. "Their names" he demanded, fierce rage coming over his face. "Did you hear their names?"
She glanced at Frerin for reassurance, uncomfortable at her proximity to the king. He gave her an encouraging nod, though his gaze had darkened with fury as well. "Y-Yes, your majesty. But, may I ask, why?" He narrowed his eyes, but when he saw her obvious fear, his visage softened slightly. "Because no dwarrow who would condone the slave trade will ever find welcome in Erebor." He stated gently but very seriously.
She shook her head again, looking between the two quickly. "Oh, but you don't understand! They were- they were kind to me! They did not treat me as a slave, they helped me! They gave me food, and let me rest, and didn't want me to-…" she cut herself off, but neither dwarrow had doubt as to what she did not say. Neither looked convinced, either, and the king lifted both his eyebrows in question, unwilling to let this go. Dropping her head in defeat, Mena whispered, "I think it was F-Fíli and Kíli, your majesty. But please do not cause them harm on my account, they truly did treat me very well…" she stopped once again, this time at the identical expressions of anger and exasperation on the brothers' faces before her.
"Dwalin!" the king barked, making her jump in surprise. For a moment, she feared she had done something wrong, her instincts and habits from being enslaved so deeply ingrained that any sudden movement or loud noise still caused her to fear. Her eyes went vacant, as she stood frozen, trapped in her fear and memories, but then Frerin grasped her arm, lending her his strength and support, and smiled reassuringly, bringing the human back to herself.
The fierce Captain of the Guard appeared at his king's call within seconds, clasping his fist to his chest and bowing to the king, then standing at attention. "Bring my nephews at once" was all that Thorin said, shaking his head slightly in clear exasperation. Mena swayed slightly on her feet, looking at Frerin once again, confusion once again overtaking her. "You have sons?" she muttered, wondering if she was still in the Elvenking's halls, dreaming.
The dwarrow's eyes narrowed a bit in concern, as he truly took in the human's appearance for the first time. At first, he had only been joyful to see her once again, safely within the mountain, and then, his horror at hearing her tale of what had happened had taken his full attention, but now he truly looked at her, it was clear she had not escaped her ordeal unscathed. While she had obviously received medical attention at some point between her purchase by his foolhardy nephews and her arrival at Erebor, she was far from fully recovered. Judging by the distinctly elven garb she was wearing, it didn't take a genius to deduce from whence her aid had come.
Even with the skilled healing aid of the Fair Folk, Mena still looked greatly changed from the cheerful human that had saved him when he was a slave himself. She was far thinner, bordering on gaunt and her eyes were sunken, her entire manner speaking of a deep exhaustion that a few days' recovery would not heal. As his sister-sons had returned home from Kíli's hunting trip only three days before, (strangely subdued, though none had paid it much mind), he knew that the human would have had less than a week to begin to recover, and even with the aid of the elves, she could not be fully healed in so short a time. All of which was to say nothing of the nasty scar marring nearly the entirety of the left side of her face.
Frerin turned to look at his brother, who had risen from his throne and descended the steps, now standing at the foot of the dais to his throne, looking between the human and his brother curiously, a dark anger still burning in his gaze. Frerin glanced back to Mena, who was still standing beside him; ill-concealed fear and discomfort clear in her gaze. The golden prince sighed a bit, gently and slowly reaching out to his human, and when her eyes snapped to his once more, he murmured softly, "You are still recovering. Forgive me, my friend. I should have realized sooner. You need rest, this can wait."
Mena sagged slightly in relief; now that she knew Frerin was indeed home safe (and a prince? Honestly? It still seemed very surreal; perhaps everything would make sense again after a good night's sleep in a very safe place) she was more than ready to rest once more, and perhaps never travel again. Then she glanced somewhat nervously to the Dwarven King, still very uneasy in his presence, but he seemed to agree with his younger brother, and dismissed them with a nod and a quiet, gruff command to "Rest well."
As Frerin and Mena began to depart the throne room, the dwarrow prince guiding the human to the same side entrance he had made use of earlier, the main doors to the throne room swung open once more, and Dwalin entered, Fíli and Kíli behind him. Just as Frerin was opening the door for Mena to pass through, the dark haired prince caught sight of her, and his eyes went wide. He nudged his brother and yelled, "Fí, the human! She's here! The elves didn't keep her!"
Mena felt a tiny grin cross her face at that, and she looked forward to the next day when she might speak with the brothers, the first to show her kindness as a slave and those who enabled her to become free, without being their property or exhausted beyond measure. Frerin grinned as well, rolling his eyes as his nephews both chattered excitedly behind them, and plaintively asked why 'their' human was leaving just as they arrived. As the door swung shut behind Frerin and Mena, they could just make out the king muttering to himself, "Mahal give me strength…"