A.N. Hello all! My husband and I are currently at a Saber Legion meet, where he is competing. If you do not know what that is, it's basically fencing with light sabers. Lol. There's more to it than that, but that's the best I can come up with. If you wish to know more, go ahead and look it up on Youtube. This is the first time I'll be watching my husband fight, so I'm pretty excited.
ChelseaSW6: I laughed out loud at your comment. It's so true. Lol. And believe me, even I'm wishing more peace for them. It feels like they can never catch a break.
Disclaimer: I own nothing except my original characters and plot points.
Beorn's house was beautiful. Not just the house itself, but the land surrounding it. Danica sat on a tree stump, looking out over the lake to the mountains. Once she had gotten well enough to walk outside, it had been where she'd spent most of her time. Sometimes Di̒s walked with her, but Danica was beginning to enjoy more alone time. Beorn's land was fenced, but was so vast that she could spend an entire afternoon wandering, and not feel trapped. In the past couple of weeks, she had known a peace and freedom she had never known before. The more she thought about it, the more she wondered if she was ready to go back to Erebor. Thorin was likely going to be more protective now, and she would be taking on royal responsibilities soon. She knew she wanted to marry Thorin, for she loved him as much as she always had. The rest left her unsure.
"You will be ready to travel in the next couple of days," Beorn's deep voice resonated behind her. When she merely nodded, he sat on the ground beside her. "You do not wish to return,"
It was not a question. Danica sighed, her heart sinking. "I do, but not yet. Never, in my life, have I been able to live by my own rules, or go wherever I wanted to go. When I first returned to Erebor with Thorin, I thought I was ready to settle down and become his wife, but…"
"You have not had a chance to live your life and find out who you are," Beorn said with understanding. "It is a risky thing to marry, to give yourself to someone when you have not given to yourself,"
Sadness had her fighting tears. "It would break his heart if I did not return. He would not understand,"
"If he loves you, he will come to understand,"
She was not so sure, but she smiled at him. "Thank you. You have been so kind to us, and I do not think I could ever repay you,"
Beorn stood, looking toward the east gate. "You do not need to repay me. Besides, I do not think you will be here past the morrow,"
Danica followed his gaze, and saw five dwarves come through on ponies, trailing a wagon, and two spare ponies behind them. Dwalin was at the front, with Bofur and Ori behind him. She didn't recognize the other two. Di̒s went out from the house, laughing as Dwalin got off his pony, and swept her off her feet in a hug.
"Come," Beorn said, offering a hand to help Danica stand. "We should greet them as well,"
There was genuine happiness as Danica hugged Dwalin, Bofur, and Ori. The other two were introduced as Fetir, son of Fetul, and Carn son of Shul. These were both fairly stern dwarves, but she could see kindness in Carn's brown eyes. Fetir's black ones were shrewd, cold, and calculating. He reminded her of the sorcerers', which struck fear into her heart. As they all headed into the house, she could feel his gaze on her back, but refused to look at him.
"Well Lass, it seems ye have a knack for escaping death," Dwalin commented, eating the cheese and bread Beorn had set on the table.
"Believe me, it is as much a mystery to me as it is to you," Danica replied with a smile.
"We are thrilled to see ye safe and well," Bofur said warmly. "Thorin will be relieved to have ye by his side again. Even when the rest of us believed ye both to be dead, he held on to hope,"
Guilt had Danica looking down at her plate of food. He loved her that much, and yet she still wanted to leave. She knew she couldn't tell the others. They would likely be as angry as Thorin, and would never allow her to do it.
"Are you alright, Dani?" Ori asked kindly.
Putting on the best smile she could, she looked back up. "Yes, sorry. I still get tired sometimes,"
"Why not go rest for a little while?" Di̒s suggested. "It would be ideal to leave tomorrow,"
Danica nodded, then addressed the others. "Please forgive me for excusing myself so early,"
They all assured her that there was no issue. Well, all except Fetir and Carn, who remained silent. The moment Danica closed the door to the guest room, she slid to the floor. Leaving tomorrow? It had all happened so fast. Traveling would be nice in the aspect of being out in the open, and possibly seeing some new terrain, but she doubted the dwarves would let her move around much. Once again, she would be confined to others deciding every move she made. The more she thought about it, the more she became as tired as she had feigned. Getting up from the floor, she went to the bed and laid down to rest.
A little later, she was awoken by a soft knock. The sun was low on the horizon, and she could hear voices out in the garden. Patting her hair into place, she got up and opened the door. Nathir, and the black-haired Fetir stood on the other side. No one else appeared to be in the house.
"What is it?" she asked. "Does someone need help with dinner?"
"Actually, we wished to speak with you," Nathir said. "May we come in?"
Confused, Danica stepped aside, then went to sit on the edge of the bed. Fetir remained near the door, while Nathir stood in front of Danica.
"I know you have been struggling with the idea of going back to the mountain, and Fetir was able to see it as well,"
Danica's eyes widened, and she felt her pulse take off. "Please do not tell anyone," she pleaded. "It has just felt so wonderful to be able to move around on my own, and I…I wanted more time. More time to see the world, to learn about myself. But that does not mean I want to leave Thorin. I love him with all my heart, and would never betray him,"
She had said this all so fast, that Nathir hadn't had a chance to stop her. Once she finished, he gave her a tender smile.
"We are not here to condemn you, or turn you in," he said. "We are here to help,"
That made no sense. Danica looked at Fetir, whose eyes were still cold, but he nodded.
"At this point, the king would never let you leave the mountain, unless you are by his side," the dwarf explained. "We dwarves are naturally protective of our women and children. After how many times he has nearly lost you, his protective grip will only tighten. You may have love and respect, but you will never know freedom again,"
Danica's heart clenched. "Why would you help me?" she asked Fetir.
"Because I do not believe you should be trapped again," he answered easily. "Dwarrow women are used to living inside a mountain, but that goes against human nature; even for one who has lived her life in captivity,"
His words sounded truthful enough, but she felt a sense of mistrust with him. He seemed too pleased and eager to be helping her escape, even though it would mean hurting his king.
"So, what is your plan?" she inquired.
Fetir remained where he was, not having moved since the moment he'd entered the room. "Once everyone else has gone to sleep, I will help you and Nathir sneak out,"
She looked at Nathir, unsure. They had come to know each other fairly well in the last few weeks, but he could still leave her uneasy. Though her worst memories were still gone, she knew he'd had a part to play.
"I cannot let you travel alone," he stated. "It is far too dangerous. However, you will choose wherever you wish to go, and I will follow,"
"This will be your only chance," Fetir emphasized.
The voices from outside came closer, which meant that Danica was out of time to consider.
"I'll do it," she said.
While the men went out with the others, Danica composed a letter to Thorin, explaining her actions, begging his forgiveness, and promising to return to him. It broke her heart to write the words, but it needed to be done. What was harder was pretending to be normal with everyone at dinner. Everything had changed, and no one knew it. Beorn gave her a couple of glances, but she knew he wouldn't warn the others of his suspicions. When darkness fell, everyone else went out to drink some ale, and exchange stories, per the suggestion of Fetir. Danica told Di̒s and Dwalin that she would go to bed, needing as much rest as possible for their departure in the morning. Deceiving them made her feel dirty, especially with the easy way Di̒s believed her. Tensing her jaw in determination, she finished packing a travel bag, and waited for Nathir's signal.
He came not long after she had spoken with Di̒s, a bag on his shoulders as well. They could hear Fetir's voice outside, keeping everyone's attention. Remaining silent, they exited the back, and disappeared into the dark.
"Are you certain about this?" Nathir asked softly.
Danica thought of the letter waiting on her bed, which Di̒s would discover the next morning. "Positive,"
P.S. Sadly, it looks like Fetir didn't have to try too hard to get rid of her. So, where will Danica end up going? Comments and reviews appreciated. 😊
