She stood, both hands resting comfortably over her lap, her head bowed. She didn't look up as she listened to him move, his boots easy to trace as he moved across the sea of treasure, the metal coins crunching unpleasantly together. The noise grated on her sensitive ears and her brow furrowed softly from the disturbance that resonated in the cavern.
However, after a few other long moments, it stopped and then the air was silent once again, save for the quiet flickering of the few torches lighting the large room.
She could feel the tension thickening, anger nearly radiating off of him as he stood those few short feet away, having stopped pacing.
The King had asked her to take a walk with him, having excused the both of them from the dinning table as soon as the she-elf had taken her fill for the night, leaving her little choice to do otherwise. So, they had walked, just the two of them, in a rather tense silence with at least a foot of distance between the two of them.
"Why?" He asked her, breaking the nearly deafening silence that had settled over them. She kept her eyes on her boots as she steeled herself for the argument that was no doubt to come. She knew this was inevitably coming the moment she left with the boys.
"Why what?" She finally settled on a reply, deciding to play the naive card and ease into the argument.
"You know why." His voice was a deep rumble, on the border of the same voice she had heard in the throne room. It was now that Ren finally raised her eyes, defiance shinning brightly in them as she glared at the King's back.
"Honestly, I feel that it should be pretty obvious as to why." Thorin slowly raised his head up from where it had also been hung. And yet, he didn't look at her. "Have I done something wrong?" She asked, her anger beginning to get the better of her as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Besides following your nephews around while they explore the mountain? Gathering supplies so that we can eat?" Tilting her head slightly to the side, her eyes narrowed at him for a moment before she looked to the ceiling, her eyes rapidly blinking while her hand rested on her chin. "Because, if I last recall... three people can definitely carry more supplies than two and we have a rather large number of mouths to feed."
"Don't get smart with me." He warned her, his fists clenching at his sides.
Ren instantly felt her eyebrows raise and again, her head tilted, only to the other side this time as she once more felt defiance build in her. "I'm not getting smart with you." Was her sharp reply, "I would think you would know by now that I'm always like this."
"You mean insufferable?"
A sharp ribbon of pain coursed through her heart just then, causing her stony facade to grumble slightly. Her eyes fell from his form, looking off to the side as sore memories began to flood her mind. For you see, insufferable had been Arathorn's favorite adjective for her. "Don't call me that."
"Is it true, though. Correct?" He growled and Ren just closed her eyes when she grumbled back a, "Perhaps you think so but your nephews seem to rather enjoy my company."
"You know I enjoy your company far more than anyone other in Middle Earth." The dwarf rumbled quietly, his tone not quite as bitting as before.
"As of late, it doesn't seem that way. Not anymore, at least." She replied, her arms still crossed over her chest. All was silent before the King turned, his hair slowly dragging over his shoulder so that it hung like a heavy curtain.
"How could you think that?" He asked her, his blue eyes glimmering in the torchlight that cast itself around the room. "We share a bed at night and sleep in each others arms. That braid in your hair, the one I placed there myself, doesn't prove how I feel about you? I have given you a promise that I will fulfill and yet..." He sighed heavily, his eyes darkening as his voice became so low and rumbling once again. "You disobeyed me."
She pursed her lips and raised her head, fully accepting his words. "Yes... I did."
"Why did you go with them?"
"I already told you, more men means more supplies." She glanced around the room at the sudden feeling that another pair of eyes were watching her from someplace in the room. Subconsciously, she rested her left hand upon the sword at her hip and this simple gesture offered her comfort. "Plus, we don't know what still may linger in the mountain and your heirs shouldn't be exploring alone."
"I can assure you that we are the only ones here." He told her, his eyes upon the number of coins and jewels at his feet. "Smaug most undoubtedly killed and ate anything else living in these halls. And, you seem to forget that all the exterior gates were sealed upon the day he seized the mountain."
It was quiet again for a long moment before the she-elf spoke next, "We were able to get in."
"With the lone map of Erebor as well as the singular key that my father owned." Thorin continued to defend his argument, bending down to pick up a handful of golden treasure so that he could admire it more closely as he continued to speak to her. "The mountain was impregnable without both of them and if it wasn't, the worm would have taken care of them."
Again, Ren fell silent, an internal battle being waged as she decided whether or not to mention what she saw before and the reasonable side ended up winning, figuring that it would simply be best to tell him. "What it... something was... born from within the mountain? Something that Smaug could not defeat or was even aware of?"
A deep furrow set in his brow at her words and he looked up from the coins and jewels, "What are you suggesting?"
"Hundreds upon hundreds of body still lay unburied in the bowels of the mountain." She began to explain, the same chilled feeling settling over her just thinking about it. "Could something malevolent be born from them?"
The dwarf lord let out a deep chuckle, allowing the treasure to spill through his fingers and clatter noisily to the ground. "You are implying restless spirits?" At her silence, he just smiled darkly and shook his head. "My love, ghosts are not real."
As far as you know. Ren muttered in her brain, her eyes full of worry as she gazed back at him.
"Perhaps you're right." She instead decided to agree with him, knowing how questionable his moods had been lately. Not that she wanted to tell him to cause him worry and yet, it seem as though if she told him, he wouldn't believe her anyway. "Old tales and such." She waved her hand as if to dismiss the absurd thoughts. "Campfire stories and the like simply falling back into the forefront of my memory from old adventures. Supernatural nuts, I tell you."
This brought small laughs from both of them until they fell into a silent state once again.
Ren felt eyes upon her and when she looked up, she found that Thorin was watching her again, his eyes having softened from the solid ice they had been before. He then sighed, his shoulders sagging underneath a great, invisible weight before he took a few steps closer to her, stopping only about three feet away. "Please... Do not go with the boys tomorrow."
"Thorin..." She licked her lips while shaking her head. "I don't like the idea of them going off alone. Adventuring through the mountain on their own without another who knows the way."
"They have each other." He argued.
"They are both children." The she-elf quipped right back, sensing the disagreement that was about to ensue. "Young dwarrow boys who still need guidance."
"And that is exactly the reason why I don't want you going with them!" The dwarf snapped, taking a half a step closer to her. "Because they are young and childish and can do nothing to protect you should something happen!"
"You yourself just said that the mountain was sealed." She pointed off into the distance, her eyes blazing in the firelight. "That nothing could have gotten in while the dragon still lived and yet, here you are, worrying about my safety when you should be more concerned for theirs! They are your heirs, Thorin. Part of your family and of your blood."
"And you are my One." He said sternly, this revelation startling the woman despite the fact that it was said with little romantic notion. The King then stepped forward, cupping the back of her neck with his hand so that he could pull her closer, their foreheads pressed together so that he could look directly into her eyes. "And I would not lose you lest we become lost together." When he spoke, he sounded more earnest now, the deep rumbling gone from his voice to instead sound like the Thorin she knew. "You do love me, don't you?" He raised his hand and stroked her cheek with his thumb. And that was when felt her stubborn resolve begin to crumble, having seen that his eyes were once again the ones that she knew.
"Of course I do..." Raising her own hand up, she laid it over his own on her cheek.
"Then you will do this one thing for me." His eyes flickered across her face, searching her own sapphire pair for the absolute truth. "You will not go with them tomorrow. Or the day after that. Or the day after that." Drawing back ever so slightly, he tilted her face upward so she would look more fully at him. "You will not travel with Fili and Kili into Erebor alone ever again." He held her chin between his forefinger and thumb, keeping her facing straight ahead so that she could not look away. "Do you understand?"
Ren swallowed thickly, "Yes."
"Very good." The corners of his mouth curled up with satisfaction and he stroked her cheek one more time before releasing her and turning away, having other things to attend to before he turned in for the night.
"All though..." Her voice echoed around the cavern, causing the dwarf to slow and turn back over his shoulder to look at her. And he found that she was staring at him, her gaze unwavering and once again suddenly so determined. "What would you do if I did?"
And suddenly, a dark shadow passed over Thorin as his expression hardened into a stony resolve once more and Ren knew that she was playing a dangerous game just by the look upon his face. "You would face the consequences for disobeying your King."
"You're not my King." She fired right back, quirking one of her brows as she tilted her head slightly. "Not yet, anyway."
"Be careful how you speak, Galaren!" He warned her, his voice rising in volume so that it echoed throughout the vast chamber. He took a few more threatening steps towards her.
"Or you will do what?!" The princess yelled right back, her arms crossing over her chest. "Please! I am almost four thousand years old and have been the rightful commander of Lothlorien's forces for near half of those years. I have lived among both the living and the dead, to walk between their worlds. I made a promise to Bregor... Your sister's husband-" The she-elf said, her fists clenching at her sides as more anger poured into her system and began to overflow. "-that I would protect his boys to the very end. Are you really going to stop me from keeping a promise that I made to your deceased brother?! The father of the boys who are like your sons?!"
"GO TO OUR CHAMBERS!" Thorin shouted at her, pointing sharply in the direction of the royal palace. The she-elf was shocked, not having heard him raise his voice to her like that in months. And she felt her heart thud painfully in her chest, her throat closing up yet she tried to remain steadfast. "AND YOU BEST BE THERE WHEN I ARRIVE!" She closed her eyes and winced slightly when he yelled once more but when he next spoke, it was at a more normal tone of voice. "I have much to attend to but this discussion is far from over."
A single tear fell from her eye, sliding down her smooth cheek before dropping off and falling to the golden sea underfoot. Ducking her head slightly, she just turned and began to walk towards the nearest entrance to the treasure room, knowing that it wasn't wise to argue. Especially so when he was like this.
She didn't look back at him nor did she cry further as she left. For she was not sad much longer but was instead angry; angry and hurt by how he treated her so crassly.
And yet, when she came to the top of the stairs leading out of the room, she watched as the dwarf lord turned and walked away from her. But, he was not alone.
Instead, his loyal companion was the black, hooded figure, his hand resting firmly on the shoulder of the dwarf who would be the King Under the Mountain as he stalked off to go reprimand his nephews for ever placing those cheating and traitorous thoughts in her head to begin with.
The door closed behind him with a heavy thud, his hand remaining on the mahogany wood a moment longer as his eyes warily surveyed the large room before him. It was empty, completely devoid of life, save for the fact that the fire was lit across the room in the fireplace, a couple of logs having been added to the flame a few minutes ago given the state of their deterioration.
He then heard the tell-tale yet quiet hissing of the bathing room and turned his head to the far right, finding that the door was left cracked open and firelight could be seen flickering through the opening. There was also a very intriguing trail of clothing that led to the door that made something stir inside the King.
Shrugging out of his heavy coat, he laid across the back of one of the chairs, fully intending to deal with it later but like he had promised before, he was not yet finished with their previous discussion. He also stepped out of his boots as he went, pulling them from his feet before setting them quietly upon the floor. Padding the rest of the way to the door, he carefully placed his hand on it and pushed, only to find that the room was dark, save for four candles that had been placed around the edge of the pool.
Walking down the short corridor to the room, he felt his mouth become dryer as he took note of the various articles of clothing lying on the marble flooring, pausing momentarily to pick up a tunic, the one he knew she always wore beneath her actual clothes, as well as a pair of undergarments that was the last item that lay on the path to the steaming tub.
Realizing what these signs meant, he dropped them back to the floor and stood back up. He could see her now, the candles placed strategically around her so that she had light in the dark room.
She was facing away from him, her long hair tied up high in a bun to keep it out of the water as the steam rose around her person. Her slender arms lay stretched out along the edge of the pool, her delicate hands lightly resting on the carven stone. The bangles she wore on her wrist glimmered in the low light and judging from the bareness of her smooth, scarless shoulders, they were the only thing she was wearing.
And the whole thought made the dwarf's loins stir and he moved to take a step forward, only for her to speak.
"Don't you dare take one step closer." The she-elf all but growled, her voice shaking slightly with different emotions but nonetheless, she remained hardened as she continued to sit in the bath. He didn't do as she asked and took two steps closer. "If you do, I will find another bed to sleep in tonight." Those words stopped him in his tracks, his mouth falling open and his eyes narrowing at the back of her head. "You are not wanted in this bath right now and if you have any sense about you, you will leave me be and I will return to our bed when it pleases me to do so, if I ever do at all."
"Galaren-"
"We will discuss this later." She snapped, her fingers curling into a fist and the metal upon her wrist clinking together as she did so. "If I were you, I would allow time for the waters to settle."
"No, we will discuss this now." Her head tipped back slightly out of annoyance, disbelieving of how he continued to push at her. "Neither of us will get much sleep tonight if we don't."
It was quiet for a long moment before she shook her head and sighed, "Fine."
Thorin himself cleared his throat, wondering what he should say to her, knowing how they had parted on a rather sore point, "What you need to... understand... You need to know that-"
"I'm listening."
Licking his lips, he twiddled the ring on his finger as he searched for the words he wished to speak. "I love you... Galaren. More than anyone or anything else in this world." He began, all harshness gone from his person. For he was himself again, it seemed. "And every moment that I am from your side, I worry so, so much. For the last time that I left you, you... you..." He struggled to finish his sentence, his breathing growing shaky at the thought.
"I died."
The dwarf gave a bitter snort of mild amusement. "Your bluntness with such sensitive subjects will never cease to amaze me."
"Sometimes, it is best to not tiptoe around the point and face it head on." She replied, shifting in the water, causing it to splash lightly around her shoulders. "You, of all people, should know that. Our relationship, in the past at least, was better when we were blunt. So... That is how I will be." The she-elf glanced over her shoulder at him, the candlelight flickering in her blue irises. "If you want to continue eating and feeding all the Company members, I will go with the boys tomorrow."
"Did you not jut hear what I told you?"
"I can assure you that I am not deaf." Was her sharp reply. "Thorin, for Valar's sake, I've been wielding a weapon far longer than you have been alive. Last time, I was poisoned as I tried to escape. Had I been face to face with my foe, I would have not become hurt. And you already have so many people searching for the-"
"-the Arkenstone."
"Yes..." She glanced back at him again, a soft furrow in her brow as she took note of the strange emotion that flickered over his face but was almost instantly gone. "The Arkenstone. Almost the entire Company is searching for it while what we really need is food and wearable clothing."
The King simply stood there for the longest time, gazing at the bare flesh of her shoulders as she sat in the pool, beads of sweat dripping down her neck from beneath her hair. The sight was most welcoming, it was unfortunate that they were not married and he could not indulge himself.
"Please, it will ease my mind if you let me go with them; let me protect them. The mountain is secure, you said so yourself." She reached one of her hands up and stroked a hand through her hair, making sure the bun wasn't falling out, taking a moment to steady her own voice. "If we are going to make this courtship work, you need to trust me."
The dwarf felt himself begin to grow angry at her words. "I trust you with my life."
"Yet, evidently not with my own." She huffed, her shoulders slumping in exasperation as she sunk further down into the dark water. "A relationship is built on a level of trust, one that goes both ways. Now is the time that you must hold up your side and let me go."
It was quiet after that, the only sound filling the room was the hissing of the steam from the hot spring.
"I can never let you go."
And then, there was the quiet padding of bare feet upon the floor as he left the room, leaving her to sit alone in the pool with her thoughts. She could only close her eyes and draw her legs up to her chest, her arms wrapping around her bare legs so that she could rest her forehead on her knees. She did not cry despite the fact that her eyes burned with wanting to.
This was never how she had ever imagined her life would be. It felt as if everything was crumbling down around her.
An army lay outside the front gate and she had no troops to fight them with. They had a steady income of food that had yet to go bad but for how long? She loved a dwarf who was suddenly almost suffocating her with possessive behavior, keeping her from her friends and allies. Not to mention that she was lying and was keeping his birthright hidden away from him. She was to never have children, lest she give up her firstborn to the deities she worshiped. She was trying her hardest to protect the only children that she did have but her beloved was trying to keep her from them. And on top of it all, she was supposed to stop the eminent war in which thousands of creatures of Middle Earth would perish in.
How fitting was it that she was currently living in a desiccated and dilapidated dwarf kingdom. All of it crumbling like her sanity.
Something in the back of her mind, however, seemed to have woken up and she lifted her head and opened her eyes. And she suddenly remembered the phantom. How it had touched all three members of the Line of Durin but seemed to shy away from herself.
Just the thought alone that she was the only one who could see it was disturbing enough. Was it because she had died? Or was this... a sign of sorts?
She sat for long while, her eyes staring unseeingly at the water that gently lapped at her skin, her mind lingering on the strange spirit for the longest time. And the more she thought, the more she did believe that it was a sign. A sign that she needed to find once more to put her mind at ease, if anything.
She rose out of the hot spring, her skin steaming from the high heat of the water, wrapping a soft towel around herself before padding out of the room, her bangles jingling the entire way.
When she entered back into the bedchamber, she found that Thorin was already in bed, his back facing her as she walked out of the room and over to the wardrobe where she had stored the clothes she had procured from Dis' room. Not even taking hardly any time to try and match items together, she fished out a light blue tunic and a pair of gray trousers, as well as the raggedy and worn navy over-tunic she had worn during the trip up to the mountain as well as her interactions with Smaug.
Stepping behind the changing screen in the corner of the room, she quickly slipped the clothes on, tying the laces of her trousers as she emerged from behind the wall. Momentarily, she glanced at the dwarf and found that he was most definitely asleep, his eyes closed and his chest rising and falling in a slow rhythm that signaled his slumber.
Approaching the door, she slipped her boots on, making sure that the hunting knife was in place before she pulled one of the heavy doors open. And with that, she slipped out into the hall, closing the door quietly behind her so as to not wake the dwarf.
Looking down the long corridor, she picked up one of the torches from the wall and began to simply walk, given that she couldn't go any further given the fact that the King's chamber lay at the end of the long hall.
She had first seen the phantom when in Dis' chambers so... she should start there.
Walking down the palace corridor, she came to the four way intersection and turned down the way she had gone those few days ago. It was quiet in the hall and she soon came upon the same grouping of the three doors.
She could hear voices coming from behind one of the prince's doors, their vocal tones familiar to her sharp elven ears. However, when she glanced at Dis' door, she heard nothing.
But, then it came. The strange shifting in the dark.
Turning to look down the long hall that seemed to stretch on forever in the blackness, there was a light gust of wind, one that fluttered her loose hair and caused the flame of her torch to flicker.
There was also a pulling feeling; something calling to her from the darkness.
When the cold washed over her, she knew that she was in the right place. And suddenly, she was moving forward, her feet carrying her as if by their own accord. In her mind, she was panicking, fighting against this strange force but outwardly, it was like she was in a trance, simply marching towards the black void before her.
And she kept walking until she turned back around and all she saw was blackness behind her, the torches lining the corridor behind her having been swallowed by the dark or had been extinguished. Either way, it caused unease in her. However, when she turned back around, she saw something moving ahead in the darkness.
Taking a few more steps forward to try and use the light to brighten up the hall, she narrowed her eyes and felt a bit of relief, as well as fear, wash over her person when she realized it was a black cloaked figure. Except it was walking away from her.
She gave chase, wanting to catch up so that she could question it about what everything had meant; why it had been visiting her and her loved ones. What it wanted from her.
It seemed perpetually out of her reach. No matter how quickly she moved through the darkness, it seemed as though she could not catch up with the wayward spirit. Rounding a corner, she grit her teeth as she growled in frustration but as she came to face another hall, she found that the phantom had disappeared.
Brow furrowing with confusion, she walked down the corridor some, wondering if maybe she she simply lost track of the creature. Yet, after what felt like another eternity of following a dead trail, she still did not find the spirit.
That is, until they were suddenly a bright flash down the passage as she was passing through another intersection.
Her head immediately turned as she watched the strange blue glow coming down the hall, not sure if she was more unsettled or intrigued by it. Narrowing her eyes against the brightness, she walked towards it and when she drew close enough, she found that the light seemed to be coming from the ground, from a small figure in fact. The light also seemed to fade the closer she got, the torch in her hand lighting up the mountain once again in place of the brilliant, azure glow.
And then she heard a familiar yip and now that she was only a few feet away, she couldn't help that a smile formed on her lips, her head tilting slightly to the side in confusion. Taking another step closer, the last bit of light faded and was instead replaced with a small bundle of fur at her feet.
Kneeling down beside it, she tentatively reached out and touched the soft fluff, her fingers pressing into the gray, almost blue tinged hair of the creature, causing it to squeak in surprise before it raised its head. A set of marvelous amber eyes stared back at her and the creature climbed up from where it had been curled as it slept, evidently recognizing her and arching up into her touch, its head pushing up into her palm.
"Luin?" She asked, disbelief evident on her face and in her voice. A smile formed onto her lips as the fox continued to rub up against her, his fluffy tail straight up in the air as if in joy.
A laugh escaped her as the beast scrambled up her tunic and sat upon her shoulder for a moment, pausing to bark happily before it licked her cheek. His furry tail tickled against her neck and she simply stroked it while she turned to look at the little creature. And as he sat there, she swore she saw intelligence glimmering in those amber eyes.
Then, he was leaping down off her shoulder and padding along further into the darkness. For a moment, Ren just watched him go, a soft furrow in her brow. However, just before he disappeared from the ring of light she stood in, he stopped and twisted his head so that he could look back at her, as if he were silently beckoning for her to follow.
So, she did.
Deeper and deeper into the mountain she went, always following behind the little silver fox. The further she went, the colder it got, the temperature no doubt dropping from the fact that she was far underground. She was thankful that she had put on another, heavier layer of clothing before heading out for her search.
At this point, however, she really had no clue where she was at or how to get back to her chambers. She could just follow her own footsteps back to the palace, she hoped, lest they disappear like the phantom's always seemed to do.
Up ahead though, she could see light streaming in and brightening the hallway. When the duo grew closer to the large archway, the she-elf felt her mouth fall open slightly in wonder, her eyes dancing over the grandeur of the room. It wasn't an immensely large space like the rest of the rooms in Erebor but it was still magnificent in all its glory.
The walls were lined with white marble in the form of towering stone pillars, trimmed with what looked like solid gold. In the center of the room, there lay a large pool made of the same ivory rock, filled to the brim with crystal clear water with another golden trim wrapped around the top lip. Standing upon a platform in the center of the rectangular pool was a statue made of bronze and took the form of a man, a tall one, who held a spear in one hand. The other rested a hammer on his shoulder. A stream of light refracted down from some opening in the mountain, allowing the moonlight to fall upon the statue and therefore, lighting up the room at any time of day.
However, the longer she looked at the statue, the more familiar the face became to her.
The same thick head of hair and grizzly beard. The same harsh cheekbones and nose. She could almost see the glow of his golden eyes as the statue stood, staring ahead with such a stern look upon his face as he watched over and shepherded his children.
"Of course..." She rolled her eyes before rubbing a hand over her face. Lifting her gaze, she sent an accusing look at the fox at her side but he only seemed to smile at her, the best a fox could, mind you, while he wagged his tail. "You were my guide, Luin."
He seemed to ignore her words and instead let out a bark before springing forward into the room.
The elleth leaned against the frame of the archway for a long moment, continuing to gaze around the room, having set down her torch on the ground at her feet. She imagined that this had to be a temple of sorts, given that she spotted some benches further into the room, perfectly in line with the seemingly untouched, bronzed statue. A place, no doubt, for the dwarves to come pray in both hard times as well as good.
She sighed after a moment of silence before pushing off the wall, only to walk further into the room. Coming to stand directly before the statue, she gazed at it for the longest time, waiting really, for anything to happen.
"Well... You brought me here." The woman called out, her voice echoing around the large room. "What do you want?" Waiting a breath, an almost deafening silence filled the air around her. She glanced sidelong at Luin who had laid down beside the water and even he was quiet.
Head swiveling around and finding that the temple continued to be empty, she leveled her gaze on the statue once more. She awkwardly rubbed her arm before shifting her weight on her feet.
"You've been rather quiet lately... And that worries me. Although, I haven't really tried speaking with you either and for that, I am sorry." The huntress began quietly, her eyes directing themselves to her boots instead of at the very life-like bust. She then pursed her lips, the gears in her mind working rapidly in hopes of finding something she could say to get a voice to answer her back. "I don't know why or how you brought me here but I think I know why I came to your temple. Why I needed to come to your temple." She felt her eyes begin to water as she felt all her frustrations came flooding back into her mind and suddenly, everything was once again falling apart. "I... I need help." She sniffed as her eyes began to glass over. "I need someone to talk to, someone to help guide me in my ways. I feel so... alone."
A tear slipped down her cheek.
"There is an army lying outside the walls of Erebor. The King... the King is not himself at times and is impossible to reason with. Callous towards the people of the Lake who need gold to rebuild their homes. Dare I say it, he is full of greed." Tears streaming down her face, she allowed herself to slowly fall to her knees before the great statue. "I... I can't stop the war." Sniffling, she raised her eyes back up to the bronze god, her palms resting up on the cool, stone floor. "Please, tell me what to do... Help me... Help me, please."
Once again, all was quiet and the she-elf closed her eyes out of frustration, causing another wave of moisture to go tumbling down her cheeks. "ANSWER ME!"
Silence.
Clenching her jaw, she stumbled to her feet and, out of pure rage and frustration that seemed to have bloomed from the very core of her person, she stepped down into the marble pool and began to viciously splash and kick at the water, sending the liquid spraying everywhere in her childish fury. She was letting out grunts and growls of resentment as she furiously beat against the water, effectively soaking her clothes.
However, in her rage, she spun back around and instantly stilled when she realized that she was no longer alone.
"What are you doing here?" The she-elf asked, her voice cracking with barely contained ferocity. Her tears were no longer evident due to the fact that she was nearly drenched in the water from the pool. Yet, they continued to fall.
The cloaked figure did not answer and simply stood before her, the empty void of a face staring back at her.
"GET. OUT!" She yelled, using the sleeve from her over-tunic to wipe the extra water from her face. The phantom raised his arm up and held up a hand as if to silence her, "No. You shouldn't be here! This is a sacred place and the Temple of Aulë! Leave now before your spirit is forever banished-"
"I would imagine that I would be welcome in my own temple."
She opened her mouth to make a retort back after she was interrupted but as she thought of what the spirit had said, she felt her breath leave her. Feeling a glimmer of hope spark inside her chest and she tilted her head to the side, her blue eyes wide with disbelief, "What?"
It did not answer her verbally but instead reached up and pushed back the hood it wore upon its head. Brunet locks tumbled down once freed and a pair of golden eyes glimmered back at her, his lips quirked in amusement as he watched her reaction.
Her expression was one of shock and awe, a chocked breath escaping her as she realized who stood before her. And then the wonder slowly faded and was instead replaced with a stern, vengeful look. Before he hardly knew what was happening, Ren was splashing out of the water and was approaching him. Once he was in reach, she reeled her arm back.
"Greetings, Galaren-"
Slap.
His head snapped to the side from the blow, his eyes wide with disbelief as he turned back to look at the smaller female. She shook her hand out as if pained and he wasn't surprised if she had actually hurt herself from how hard she had hit him. Yet, he felt no pain.
"Ow." He told her mockingly, rubbing at his bearded cheek as he teased her. A mischievous light danced in his eyes and his lips twitched upward at his own jest.
"You think this is amusing?" She growled at him, pointing a finger at his chest while taking a threatening step forward. "Playing with my mind and my emotions like this?" The Vala just raised an eyebrow at her, the mirthfulness gone from his face. "Have you been the phantom this entire time?"
He crossed his arms over his chest, "Indeed."
"You have been following me; playing around with the Durins-"
"In an attempt to get your attention." He cut her off as he explained himself. The elleth again opened her mouth to growl at him but paused as she contemplated his words.
"Well..." Scoffing, she turned away from him and once again faced his statue. "You certainly had it as soon as you touched my boys."
"My boys?" The playful tone was back in his voice and he bent forward slightly so that his face was closer to her own. And she just gave a short nod of her head, a sheepish look on her face when she glanced back at him. "That is most amusing. I wasn't aware that they were your boys."
"Considering that they are the closest thing I will ever have to having children, yes. They are my boys."
He held up his hands and bowed his head slightly. "Fair enough."
The elf remained facing away from him for a long moment before heaving a heavy sigh and with it, he could almost feel all the frustration radiating out of her body. And they stood like that for a moment, in the peaceful silence, her blue eyes upon his statue.
It was almost remarkable how similar both of them looked.
"Why did you bring me here, Mahal?" She asked quietly, her eyes never leaving the bronzed figure before her. They even had his strong physique right and the hair and beard looked almost real.
The god wrinkled his nose in thought for a moment before sighing quietly as well, "I sensed that you were distressed."
"Distressed?!" She let out a bitter laugh before shaking her head. "At what point in time did you possibly think that I had any reason to be distressed?" Her tone was laced with sarcasm as she whirled on him, the emotion in her eyes bordering on betrayal, anger, and hurt.
The Vala himself just looked down at her, a soft furrow in his brow as she turned back away from him. She wrapped her arms tightly around herself, as if holding the very fibers of her being together with the simple act.
"Hên..." He muttered quietly as he stepped forward, his large hand curling around her shoulder. "I am sorry for all that you have suffered..." He told her, gently turning her back towards him. And he found that she was once again glassy eyed with barely concealed emotion. Stepping forward, he wrapped his large arms around her in an embrace, pulling her towards him as a father would with his child.
Ren felt the tears begin to fall again as he pulled her closer to him. She buried her face in his dark cloak, sniffling and whimpering the entire time. Yet, she felt soothed more so than she had in days.
It seemed as though for a moment in time, she felt as though everything was all well and good once again. Her worries temporarily melted away as she clung to Aulë. The she-elf almost relished in the thought that she had once again been transported back to the past and she was merely a child, clinging to her father's robes after she had slipped and scraped her knees.
"I am sorry." He told her once again, one arm still wrapped around her shoulders while the other gently stroked her damp hair. And I am sorry for all that still is to come.
Tilting his head down, he pressed a kiss onto the top of her head, holding her a moment longer before he took her by the shoulders and eased her away from him.
"Galaren..." He murmured quietly, raising his hands up so that he could wipe the tears from her cheeks. She sniffed one final time before raising her eyes up to meet his own pair, suddenly once again looking so young. "Do not give up hope, little elf."
"Hope? Hope for what?" She croaked, her eyes puffing from crying.
"Hope in yourself and for those who truly do love you." He explained, stroking her hair once again as if he were speaking to a child. "Keep it here." He used his index finger to point at the place above her heart. "Close to your heart. There, it will give you the strength you so desire."
The blonde just looked up at him for a moment, her mouth open slightly as she tried to comprehend what he was saying. "Wha-What?" She breathed, her eyes narrowing slightly as she felt a nagging feeling creeping into her mind. "Hope for myself? You aren't going to stay and help me?"
"I can't, Galaren." He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze, his other hand gently ruffling her hair. "Not for long, at least. You know my family. They will be suspicious if I am gone too long."
"Suspicious of what?"
He paused for a moment, pursing his lips as he did so, "Interfering."
"Interfering... with the story?" She raised a speculative brow at him, feeling herself begin to calm.
"Interfering with the entire future of Middle Earth."
"What?" She breathed, horror suddenly blooming on her face at the implications. She felt her blood turn to ice in her veins as she gazed, wide-eyed, back at the deity.
"The events that are to come... the ones concerning you, your dwarves, and the hobbit, are of utmost importance to the future of the fate of all those inhabiting this realm." For a moment he just stood there and looked down at her, finding how remarkable it was to have seen her grown.
He had watched the girl live her whole life, mostly through the lives of others but sometimes, he was there, in a mortal form of his own choosing as she passed by in a market or he stood behind her in formation as they prepared for battle. He was there at her best and her worst. And he was with her now.
"It seems such a heavy thing to bear." He smiled fondly at her, his large hands still holding her shoulders. "The fate of Middle Earth rests on your shoulders, Galaren. However, you do not have to shoulder the weight alone."
"And who am I to share it with?" She asked him, his hands slipping from his shoulders as he suddenly looked skyward, ignoring her as if he were completely focused on something else, something she could neither see or hear. Her brow furrowed with concern when he failed to answer him. "Aulë?"
"I must go now. I have been gone for far too long." He told her, lowering his gaze once again so that his golden eyes bore into her own pair. "But, I will return tomorrow night, to this very temple and if you wish it, we may converse more. There is still much to discuss." His words were rushed as he began walking backwards towards the large archway. However, just before he turned the corner, he paused and turned back to look at her, a slow smirk spreading upon his lips. "Oh... And it may be in your best interest to start looking into the water once more."
She opened her mouth to speak again but Luin yelped and she turned her head to look at the little fox for a moment. He just sat there, as if beaming once again, and waged his tail at her but she quickly looked back and found that the Vala was gone. And when she looked back at the furry creature, she found that he was gone as well.
A huff of annoyance left her before she glanced back up at the towering statue behind her.
And she felt the heaviness weighing down her body but it was not as horrible as she first imagined. For it seemed as long as Mahal was on her side, watching her as she went about the path laid out before her, it offered her comfort that she most certainly was not alone.
Feeling as though she was soon going to be missed, she walked back to the arch herself and retrieved her torch that, by pure luck, had remained burning during the duration of her visit. Leaving the temple, she retraced her footsteps and soon found her way back to her and the King's chamber.
She slipped inside easily enough, closing the door quietly behind her. Crossing back over to the wardrobe, she picked out another set of clothes to change into for sleep before she hung her other clothes up to dry, given that they were still slightly damp. And then she crawled into bed behind the slumbering dwarf, setting aside their differences for the night being, knowing that she would feel horribly guilty if she did sleep anywhere but in their bed.
Moving closer to him, she rested her forehead upon his back and curled her legs against his, content with the added warmth his body radiated. She felt sleep nagging at the back of her mind, her body deciding that it needed to be at ease for a couple hours and leave all her worries for the coming day.
And just as she was beginning to float between consciousness and slumber, she felt the body beside her shift until she was engulfed in a pair of arms that pulled her close. Yet, despite what feud had occurred earlier, Ren found it very hard to fight the content feeling as she further settled against him and allowed herself to finally drift off.
She was warm, far warmer than usual.
As the moments ticked passed, she slowly became aware of her surroundings and realized that the bed beside her was not empty as it always was when she woke up. The elf became immensely more awake when something light suddenly brushed against her cheek. Then, it happened again. And again until it was a simple repetitive motion that danced across her skin and she now expected it every few moments.
Slowly allowing her eyes to open, she was greeted with a pair of light blue eyes beneath a set of dark brows, framed by an equally dark head of hair.
Looking back at him from beneath her half-idled eyelids, she remained quiet, accustomed to waking up in peace and moving at her own leisurely pace. Taking notice that his hand was moving out of the corner of her eye, she realized that he had been gently stroking her cheek with his thumb, his gaze upon her peaceful features the entire time.
Thorin himself didn't say anything for the longest time, content to just lay close and admire her, all the while continuing his soft caress.
He eventually leaned in, his eyes closing as he did so to press his lips carefully against her own pair, his restraint not concealing the fact that he was testing the waters between the two of them. Or perhaps apologizing for the day before.
When he drew away and further gazed into her sapphire eyes, she saw how his resolve had softened so much since she had last properly looked at him.
"I am sorry, Ghivashel." His voice was rough from sleep and disuse as he continued to watch her, gauging her reaction. "For how I reacted so awfully last night." Reaching up, he brushed a stray strand of her fair hair away from her face, the she-elf still lax from being woken up so tenderly. "You were correct in your thought process, as you always seem to be. I was being foolish and I realized that as I lay alone in our bed, missing you as I tried to find sleep with empty arms. And for that I am truly and deeply sorry."
Ren allowed her hazy mind to comprehend his words before she raised a hand and let it card itself through his thick mane. "You were thinking with your heart instead of your mind. If anyone should know anything about wanting to protect those that you love, it would most definitely be me." She gave him a small smile. "You just have to learn to first use your heart but let your mind win out in the end."
The dwarf took hold of the hand that was stroking his hair and brought it to his lips to press a kiss on her knuckles, "Like you seem to so flawlessly do?"
Her smile widened slightly. "It took me along time to learn."
Thorin himself smiled, his thumb once again tracing over her cheek before he sobered, the warm glint still lingering in his eyes. "I think today, it would be best if you go with Fili today."
She felt relief at his words that he was allowing her this simple thing but then felt her excitement dull once again when she realized he had failed to mention his younger nephew.
"What about Kili?" The she-elf was slightly puzzled.
"I require him here today, with me. However, I will send a small wagon with the two of you so that you may bring back more supplies. Enough to compensate for Kili and more."
"Very well." She responded after thinking about his words. "And thank you for reconsidering my request."
"Anything to make you happy, Ghivashel." He muttered, leaning back and sitting up fully so that he could slip out of bed to get dressed for the day to come, knowing that it would certainly be a long one.
However, the she-elf just laid there for a moment, still tangled in the sheets and heavy blankets, missing the warmth that Thorin's body provided. And the thoughts of her discussion with Mahal the night previous came flooding back into her mind. About what he had spoken about; how the future of Middle Earth was now her responsibility, how he wished to speak with her again that very night.
There was little she could do about it now besides brood over it all day but that wouldn't do well if she was to spend the day with Fili. So, she simply dressed in the clothes that were previously damp hours ago, hoping that the tasks of the day that lay before her would provide a sufficient distraction to the looming worry that lingered over her like the dark clouds that were heavy with snow more often than not that hung over the Lonely Mountain.
Hey, guys!
Well, this has been long overdue but I still got it done! As was promised!
All though... there are some grievances I have with this chapter. For one, it is short. Two, there's a lot of arguing in it. Three, I didn't get to the HOLY SHIT part that I promised in the last chapter. If I added it in, this chapter would have been like over 17,000 words and I hate to do that for you guys. Would have to make you guys wait longer.
But, the next chapter will be better, I promise.
Oh, yeah. And I promised tears in the next one and if anyone has been following my tumblr, you guys might feel unsettled because of my last evil-cackling-update.
Anyway, MAHAL YOU BITCH. Did anyone see that one coming? Honestly? I thought it would be pretty funny if he was just kind of messing with her while also keeping a close eye on things.
And the stuff that he's concerned with (the talk coming up) will make a whole lot of sense and why he's been handsy with the Durins though I think a lot of you can already assume why.
But, yeah. Short chapter. Hopefully the next one will be cranked out rather easily because I really like to write traumatic, tear-inducing scenes. OH YEAH!
And that crazy thing will probably happen next chapter as well, at the end anyway ;)
Thanks to all of those who reviewed and favorited/followed! You guys mean the world to me! :D
Anyway, YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO, READ AND REVIEW!
Love,
Blue
