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Chapter Thirty-Two: Rumors
Lian awoke to a near pitch black room, blinking a few times to make sure her eyes were truly open and she slowly sat up. Rowan was still asleep along with Martha from the loud snores she heard beside her; sounded like a grizzly bear was in the room. Cautiously she felt around until she felt the bedside table to her left and used the edge to steady her as she felt the ground with her foot for any obstacles that may trip her up. Finally she stood and felt along the wall until she reached what felt to be the bathing area; her eyes had adjusted slightly and she was able to make out the shadows of certain objects along with the paler colored furniture around the room.
She didn't bother to light a lantern and simply dressed in her spare pair of clothes that were more comfortable compared to her attire last night; she left her armor off though along with the extra layers of clothes meant for harsher weather. She dressed in her worn down leather trousers and thick cream colored blouse before lacing up her beaten and battered leather boots to just above mid-calf. She considered leaving her belt but decided to bring it along in case she needed some of its contents so she buckled the thick leather around her hip, donning her money pouch and hunting knife to their intended place and she quickly pulled on her thick leather gloves; these pair far shorter and thinner than her usual pair for they only reached her wrist until they cuffed over.
She quickly walked from the room, not finding it necessary to wake Rowan up and bring her along like she normally would; Martha would take care of her and she was to be back by breakfast so she wouldn't be gone long. Lian strode down the hall until she reached the Entry Hall, the morning fog still present as it covered the marble floor in a slick layer of dew; the main gates already opened for the day by the guard and she could see the small ranks of soldiers doing repetitions in front of the open gates now. It reminded her of the good ol' days when she used to wake up before dawn to be drilled and trained by Stevvin with the other recruits or even when she was the one doing the drilling.
She wouldn't lie, she missed being a part of the ranks but she knew that Rowan needed her attention more so she gave up that part of her life for her sake. There was hope that maybe she could come back in later years after the child had grown older but truthfully she probably would be so out of practice that she'd drag everyone down. The thought brought a frown to her face as she leaned against the railing to the grand stair case, standing on the second landing that looked out over the stairs and hall.
"Maybe I'm getting too old." She murmured to herself, trying to find an excuse for her lack of activity as of recently aside from caring to Rowan. She loved Rowan and could never think of her as a burden but she wasn't used to the lack of physical activity; being a mother seemed to be more of a mental challenge of tolerance so far. The child was fairly mellow though, it almost worried her how well behaved she was even in her infancy but it just seemed to be the child's nature. She let out one more sigh before allowing herself to resign into the fact that her duties were to Rowan now and not her own personal gain, a small voice did nag at her too though as if she was forgetting something.
"Why do you appear so sullen?" A husky voice breathed into her ear as a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist easily and her heart gave an involuntary sputter; the sensitive flesh tingling under the warmth.
"I'm not sullen." She denied stubbornly but her expression betrayed her as a frown tugged at her lips. Thorin just gave a deep hum, keeping his arms wrapped around her with his bearded chin resting on her shoulder. They didn't speak as they watched the soldiers do their morning drills and Lian slowly relaxed under the dwarf's comforting weight, closing her eyes as she enjoyed the moment. The sun slowly rose, bathing the walls in warm hues of light as well as burning off the thick and humid morning mist; no doubt Thorin's many guest would be awaking soon for breakfast.
"What is yer schedule for the day?" She asked, watching him from the corner of her eye.
"I have to meet with all the clan leaders to discuss the reopening of the mines; it's key that we start as soon as possible so we can rebuild our economy so most of the day will be spent doing that. Then there's the rest of the market-square to pick up so we can start the rebuilding of the cavern; we should be able to fix it up before the next season." He explained.
"I noticed how well ya've done in rebuilding the place, I'm quite impressed that ya managed to get so much done in a short amount of time." She admitted, fiddling with the silver ring adoring his thick pinky while he fingered along the braid and bead still there from last night.
"Even for dwarves we accomplished a feat, we're lucky that we received so much man power through the winter from Dain and even Bard; there were several nights when we had to sleep on our scaffoldings so we wouldn't waste time hoisting each other up." He gave a low groan at the memory, obviously being one of those people.
"At least ya did something through the winter; I just fattened up like some hibernating bear." She huffed and the sad thing is that it was true; she'd lost a good deal of her muscle mass and in its place was soft fat even with their recent travels.
"I happen to like you plumper." Thorin chuckled, burying his face into her neck before tightening his hold around her waist. "You're far more comfortable to hold." Lian felt her face heat up when his lips brushed along the length of her neck; sending an aching feeling throughout her body.
"Well I don't, I'll probably have Martha look after Rowan today so I can catch up on some much needed practice. It's the least she can do for stuffing me in that horrid gown last night." Lian felt a scowl twist her features at the slight throb that dwelt within her ribs and feet from the previous evening.
"I must thank her then." Thorin chuckled deeply, giving her a quick peck on the cheek before finally loosening his hold on her waist and stepping back with a sigh. "Breakfast should be ready soon." Lian felt a bit sad that their meeting was cut short but the grumbling of her belly had its own objections so she simply walked with Thorin to the Dining Hall just as the first few guests began to wander into the Entry Hall.
The maids had already set the long lows of stone tables; porcelain plates and shining silverware reflecting the soft light of the crystal chandelier as they brought out platters of food. They must have put in the chandelier since she remembered no lights in the Dining Hall but the dim ones emitting from the torches.
She felt Thorin brush his fingers of hers momentarily before finally moving away to take his place at the table adoring the front of the hall to look over the room. Dain and Dwalin had already walked into the grand hall before them and sat at the said table; Dwalin looked as though he was about to murder Dain as the lumbering lord kept up the one-sided conversation without a hitch. When Thorin did finally join them Dain's attention was then taken away from the irked dwarf, causing him to unclench his jaw in relief.
Lian let out an almost dreamy sigh before finding a place at one of the long tables, people started joining her among the five tables that lined the hall except the one Thorin and Dain occupied. She ate freely from the large quantities of meats, cheeses, breads and fruits placed upon her table as well as the others; strangely enough she caught many pairs of eyes watching her as she did so. Dwarves and Men burning holes into every inch of her person and she had to check twice to see if she had remembered all her clothes but that didn't seem to be the case.
"There you are! Where in the world did you run off to; we were worried sick!" Martha chided, her voice almost echoing through the crowded hall; Lian looked up from her meal with a mouth full of bacon and what looked to be half a wheel of cheese down her gob. The older women exclaimed a sound of disgust as Lian tried to talk around her food, contents spilling out of her mouth to cover the front of her blouse; not like she had been doing a good job of keeping it clean before then. Bacon grease stained the coarse cream colored fabric, the dark blotches varying from smears to streaks where it had run down her front; a few bread crumbles were also littered across her lap and shirt.
She swallowed the thick substance of her food, chugging it down with a cup of rich milk before she finally opened her mouth to speak again. "Sorr-." She began until a burp escaped her belly. "-y."
"You're an embarrassment! I mean really girl, I taught you better table manners than that!" Martha fumed; handing Lian a sleepy Rowan before taking a seat two chairs down from the girl, diligently filling her plate.
"Hush, woman. No one is watching how we eat so stop your insufferable nagging." Stevvin grumbled, loudly pulling out his chair beside Lian before sitting and filling his own plate with thick slices of Ham. Gordon and his family took their own seats on the opposite side of the table with Lian's family not far behind; poor Kelik was placed in between the bickering pair.
"I have you know that it seems like everyone is staring!" Martha hissed back, round cheeks turning an angry red.
Her comment caused everyone to look up, catching nearly half of the people in the room peering over at them; some averted their eyes while others kept staring, whispering amongst themselves.
"Is this normal?" Gordon murmured, looking uncomfortable but not enough to stop loading his plate with what looked to be half the tables food; he even went so far as to reach over to the next platter of ham causing the people next to him to scowl. Nora looked unconcerned with her husband's manners as she fed herself and Tara mashed potatoes, probably trying to get the child used to normal food.
"Ignore them, only fools believe rumors." Stevvin growled around his food, a scowl twisting his worn features as he stabbed his fork into his ham aggressively.
"Rumors?!" Martha nearly shrieked, causing several heads to turn and she quieted down before hissing. "What rumors?!"
Stevvin hesitated, obviously thinking they'd already know as he weighed the pros and cons of informing them of the whispers going around. "The rumor is about Lian." He murmured, not really know how to go about telling them.
"Good heavens! What have you done now?!" Martha snapped, whipping her head around to shoot daggers at Lian; face turning a deeper shade of red.
"I didn't do anything!" Lian defended, accidentally pushing mash potatoes up Rowans nose when she tuned her head. "Shit!" Lian cursed, rubbing her face with a napkin but she still seemed to have some up her nostrils.
"Come on, blow it out like this." Lian prompted the child, blowing air out of her nose to show the child; sadly she ended up snotting all over her own chin, liquid snot hanging from her nostrils. Rowan followed and blew snot out of her own nose along with the remaining mashed potatoes, giggling as she began to play with her own snot and blow raspberries.
"Oh I can only imagine what they've said about you, girl! Did you squat in a vase this time or something else barbaric?!" Martha spat, pushing her plate away with an utter look of disgust as she watched the two cover themselves with their own snot.
"I'm not that bad!" Lian defended but the grin on her face wasn't helping her case as she wiped their faces clean with her napkin before flicking it into Martha's lap to make her even angrier.
"Lian!"
"Calm down, woman! You worry about drawing attention and yet hear you are making a fool out of yourself!" Stevvin snapped, rubbing a calloused hand down his face, a cringe on his face from what felt to be a massive headache starting at the back of his skull.
"Tell me what the rumors are about her then." Martha growled, sending daggers Lian's way and the girl just smiled; she honestly hadn't done anything incriminating that she aware of but the chance to rile Martha up was always fun.
"Yeah! Spit it out already!" Uncle Tundain bellowed, finally having an empty mouth long enough to butt in his comment. Stevvin gave a scowl their bossy attitudes towards him but none the less complied.
"The rumor is that…Lian is engaged to the King Under the Mountain." He practically spat the words out, his scowling deepening if possible. Lian sputtered a little on her own spit, baffled by the sudden mention of her relationship with Thorin, not to mention it had spread throughout the entire Kingdom overnight.
"Impossible! She hasn't had the ability to be flirtatious or even willing towards a lad since she was a child!" Uncle Tundain bellowed in laughter and though true Lian couldn't help but feel a bit offended by his mockery; she felt a bit better when her Aunt gave the man a harsh pinch the side though.
"Well Uncle Lvaire did say she wrote with him quite frequently." Kelik snickered though he quickly stopped when both Martha and Stevvin shot him glares, causing his brother to purse his lips to hide his smirk.
"I wouldn't doubt it; a dwarf seems very befitting for her." Gordon chuckled, practically licking his plate clean of crumbs before reaching over for the last of the cheese and bread.
"Of course, I mean look at their women! They're practically men; no wonder Lian fits in!" Uncle Tundain chortled rudely not noticing the slightly crazed look in his wife's eyes beside him as she burned holes into his skull. Sadly Kelik was foolish enough to join in on the laughter and received a look of disapproval from both his mother and Sampson. Several of the surrounding dwarves expressed their own anger towards the comment but thankfully none said anything or started a fight.
Lian felt her temper boil at their comments, no matter how playful they were meant to be they were insulting. Her cheeks had turned a near dangerous red and her jaw jutted out stubbornly with nostrils flared as they continued. "It doesn't matter because it's an obvious lie!" Martha snapped, Stevvin humming his agreement.
Lian suddenly stood; the sound of wood hitting stone prominent as her chair fell back; her heart was pounding in anger as the room grew strangely quite and all eyes were on her but she hardly noticed.
"Ya'll are jackasses!" She spat, tightening her hold on Rowan as she turned to stomp away but she quickly swiveled around, grabbing the braided in bead that had been hidden under her slightly tangled waves to show it off. "And for yer information; it's true!" She spat before storming off for good, leaving the hall abuzz with the new gossip.
She was livid as she stomped down the corridors towards their appointed chambers, completely forgetting her intentions to train like she had intended to earlier in her gloomy mood. All she knew is that she was angry, true she wasn't very womanly but she still was one! They didn't have to act -no- deny it was even possible for her to be romantic with the male species.
Lian reached the only place going towards their room where there was a four-way corridor; straight was their room but left and right where a mystery to her. Lian calmed long enough to let curiosity peak her interest; she wanted to be alone but she doubt she'd get that in their chambers when they returned from breakfast. So what would a little exploring hurt? Lian had a decent enough sense of direction and she's sure that even if she were to get lost she'd be able to ask a maid for directions.
She pursed her lips in thought, green eyes darting between left, right or straight; no need to be anxious, she was a big girl after all and could take care of herself. Finally she reached a decision and turned left, repositioning Rowan on her hip as the girl gurgled her own saliva down her chin. Lian walked slowly, taking in the heavily carved ceilings and walls that lined the corridors, she was not so distracted that she forgot to pick out certain markers to indicate where she'd be on her wander back.
She came across two more crossings and ended up taking a right and then going left; wanting to explore deeper into the heart of the kingdom. She followed the corridors to join into a much larger one with a set of stairs going deeper into the pits of the mountain. Torches lined the walls indicating that it wasn't abandoned so she kept going despite the nagging feeling in her stomach that told her she shouldn't be there. The carved walls began to recede into the natural rough and rigid terrain of the mountain; the pungent smell of earth invading her nose and the air was almost heavy in her lungs. Rowan was also growing restless, letting out small grunts of discomfort as she began to fidget and squirm in Lian's arms.
She reached a large landing at the bottom of the stairs, only two torches lighting up what sounded to be a gigantic cavern from the distant drips; this must be one of the mines of the mountain. She couldn't see beyond a certain distance and only saw the beginning of stone stairs to both her left and right; her pulse began to accelerate as a sinking feeling wormed its way into her belly. Rowan was now beginning to throw a fit, her every sound echoing off the cavern walls and grating against Lian's nerves as her eyes darted over the darkness.
'I shouldn't be here.' That's all that was going through her mind and she slowly began to back away as the underlying sense of fear began to creep up her body and stick her heart with it's icy needles.
Suddenly a loud crackling noise echoed off the walls along with a sickeningly wet noise, sending Lian's heart in overdrive and she caught sight of a pair of unearthly white orbs staring at her through the shadows; pupils almost slits. Crimson blood seeped out of the shadows along with a pale hand, slowly creeping forward to claw at the stone ground with cracked and bloodied fingers. A small whimper sounded before a violent crack and the hand instantly grew limp, causing Lian to have to hold down her stomach.
She didn't waste time and instinctively threw the knife sheathed on her hip at the beast before taking off back up the stares with Rowans wails now resounding off the walls. However this did not mask the splitting shriek that was heard behind her and she almost lost her footing when she heard the quickening click of claws against rock behind her; it was chasing her!
Lian felt as though she was being weighted down with the heavy air around her and she found her self struggling to gasp in air as she ran up the flight of stairs two steps at a time. Rowan was shrieking as she cried, tears streaming down her round cheeks as her face turned an almost unhealthy shade of red. Lian knew she had to hurry and find someone before she and her child were dead; there was no way for her to fend for herself while holding Rowan, not to mention she had no other weapons now.
Suddenly a searing pain light up her back along with the distinct sound of fabric tearing; Lian let out a cry of pain and for a second thought she'd fainted but her vision quickly cleared just in time for her to catch her footing and leap up an extra step. She felt the hot blood now seeping down her back but she couldn't afford to stop so she ran the last few paces up the stairs until she finally reached the corridor.
She nearly cried out in joy but she was in too much pain and fear to stop so she kept running straight, not caring to remember her way back for she knew a corridor of this scale must lead into a high trafficked area. She eventually was proven right when she saw the first glimpse of people ahead and she sprinted as fast as she could; boots hitting the ground loudly as her lungs burned from exertion. She didn't stop to ask for help from anyone nor did she begin to scream and shout of her discovery, she just kept running until she reached the Entry Hall. Several gasps were directed towards her and even shouts of anger as she shoved through the crowd but her ears were ringing from Rowans continuous wails.
When she did stop it was only to quickly ask where the Clan Leaders were having their meeting towards one of the guards. The unaware dwarf lazily gave her directions, never taking his eyes off the ceiling in what looked to be boredom until she finally ran off; his cries of shock growing distant behind her as she climbed the stairs of the Entry Hall and made her way to her destination.
"I'm telling you, we can't possibly make the mines safe to work in with only two months over our heads!" Thorin growled, piercing blue eyes glaring holes into Prince Khudin, next in line to the throne of Ered Mithrin. The rather young dwarf jutted his chin out, obviously not taking this answer well for his ring clad fingers clenched tightly around the quill in his hand.
"It has been four month since you've reclaimed the mountain and you haven't done anything to build the economy for both us and yourself! I have given you a generous amount of charity towards rebuilding your kingdom so it's only right that you return the favor!" He practically sneered and if Thorin didn't know better he'd reach over and slam the lads face into the table.
"You gave me nothing, may I remind you that you're nothing more than a stand-in for your father until he recovers from his illness. Do not speak as if you have some power over my head, boy." Thorin ground out, causing said dwarf to stiffen but stay silent and Balin gave Thorin a disapproving frown at his short temper.
"I must agree with Prince Khudin, my lord. We have all sacrificed greatly to see Erebor be restored to it's former glory as is our sworn duty, but we ourselves cannot sustain ourselves if this is to continue for much longer." King Hunin of Ered Luin chimed in breathlessly, looking to be mere moments away from deaths door as wrinkles upon wrinkles creased his brittle flesh over old bones.
"I understand this and I am beyond words in gratitude but if we took the risk of continuing the production of the mines while it was still unstable then it could lead to troubles far beyond what we're facing now. The ceilings could collapse, paths crumble or poisonous minerals could surface from erosion of the underground spring; these are all factors that could delay our progress even longer." Thorin reasoned, taking a more respectful tone towards the withering old dwarf.
"As I am aware which is where I differ with the young prince, I saw we give you four months to secure the mines from this very day. I will offer assist in anyway I can in this process but I'm afraid this is all the time I can give you." He wheezed, sounding like her was breathing though a bag of dust but his words did not lack seriousness nor sincerity.
Thorin mulled this over in his head; it's true that they had been relying heavily on the other clans and Thorin was embarrassed to admit it but rushed into something fool hardy. The mounds of gold in their treasury was being used to buy and pay for products from the clans but if things kept going at this pace Erebor would be poor within the next two years. He knew the clans weren't going without moneywise but if they diverted all their attention to Erebor they would lose trade partners, production within their kingdoms which would eventually lead to finical collapse as the market grew from buying and selling to just buying.
"Four months is something I can do, you have my word." Thorin promised, already feeling the weight of the task pressing down on his shoulders. He felt the comforting hand of his sister on his shoulder and he simply gave her a nod to reassure the dwarrowdam he was fine. Thorin was about to stand and address all six clan leaders but a sudden commotion from outside of the grand counsel room doors; it attracted the attention of all in the room as they turn their heads towards the large wooden doors.
"What is going on?!" Thorin demanded, loud screams and shouts coming from outside and the two guards within the room opened the doors to peak out but it was all that was needed for the woman to slip in the room; piercing wails resounding off the walls loudly.
"Thorin!" Lian called out, rushing forward with a wailing Rowan in her arms but the guards had caught up to her and halted her advances before the table. The woman looked horrid, blood had seeped into her trousers and ran down her leg as the angry gaping slashes openly seeped crimson from her flesh. The back of her blouse was shredded and he long hair was matted in her own blood as skin grew paler and paler by the minute with pure terror in her wide green eyes.
The room exploded in activity, exclamations of shock slipping from many of their lips and Thorin heard his sister give mortified gasp at the sight of the bloody woman. The horrid scene was made even more dreadful by the wailing child in her arms, fat tears sliding down their cheeks.
"Lian! What happened to you?!" Thorin exclaimed, rushing out of his chair to the woman with terror clear as day on his rugged features, all the color drained from his face. The guards quickly released the woman when they saw their king approaching and she practically threw herself into his arms, heaving each breath as her entire body shook with adrenaline and pain.
"Something is in the mines! I was only exploring and came across the stairwell to the mines but it was there, eating and chased after me!" She quickly spilled the words, clutching Thorin's sleeve with white knuckles.
"My Durin! Your back!" Thorin choked out, trembling hands hovering over the gaping flesh and he had to cover his mouth to keep down his stomach contents; nausea rolling in the pits of his belly at the sight.
"Thorin, there is a monster in those mines! Something that could attack anyone whenever it wanted whether it be day or night! It must be killed before it does anything worse!" Lian practically shrieked, on the verge of hysteria from how close she and her child had been to death.
"Take her to the hospital wing; make sure that Oin tends to her immediately." Thorin ordered, softly taking the still wailing child from Lian's death grip. It pained him to leave her now but his building rage drove him to go after the beast that did this to her.
"Dis, please look after the child." Thorin asked, his voice a bit more harsh than he intended but his sister did as she was told and took the child from him, causing the child to throw an ever bigger fit.
"Thorin, was that-." Dis began to ask but Thorin cut her off with one look; showing the burning pain and rage within his soul at the state of his beloved. "Follow her to the hospital wing; I'll be there after I've come back with my prey." He hissed, thin lips pursed into a bleak line. Dis could only nod and briskly walk after the injured woman being carried away after seemingly passing out; whether it was from pain or blood loss was still unknown.
"What do we do now?" Balin asked, worry deeply etched into his wrinkled features as her twisted the end of his pale beard anxiously.
"Gather a small party to wait at the entrance of the mines; no one goes in the mines until I say. Also inform Lian's kin of her injuries so they may be aware; until we find this beast no one enters the mines unless I say so." He seethed, briskly walking from the room and leaving the clan leaders as he looked for Dwalin; the dwarf should be with the new recruits at the moment.
Within the hour a party of seventy dwarves stood before the entrance to the mines; blood stains visibly on the thick rug lining the corridor where Lian had escaped; however thick purple liquid was trailing after hers until it finally halted halfway towards the Entry Hall. All that was seen after that was the red crimson drops of Lian's blood; it looked like a miracle that she had even been alive by the time she reached them from how much blood adored the floor.
Thorin clenched his jaw tersely at the sight, remember the state Lian had been in and his chest tightened in fear that Lian might not make it after losing so much blood. They followed the staircase down and found the shreds of fabric from Lian's blouse on the steps and when they reached the landing at the bottom of the steps the end of purple liquid ended. Sadly they found the mutilated body of a dwarrowdam in a heap not five feet away from the stairs; skull caved in from blunt force along with the split open ribcage. The lass had not died a quick and painless death and it made the tragedy all the more sickening; to think that Lian could have ended up just like her along with Rowan made Thorin sick beyond words.
They searched what they could of the mines but with how unstable and loose the rocks were they couldn't go far before they had to give up their search on the behalf of their own safety. Thorin was beyond frustrated at their failure, angry the creature had gotten away and could possibly attack again. He found it odd though that such a creature had only appeared now out of the four months they'd been here; surely something so hostile would have approached them sooner. He didn't know but right now he needed to be by Lian's side until he knew she was alright.
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