Chapter 11:

Thorin's study was a lot more…homely than Nala had envisioned it. For some reason she had imagined it as a wide-open space with grey stones and with a single desk at the far end. But on the opposite, it was comfortable. It was small, but not cramped and well lit by a single torch but as with most of the Dwarven designs, the room had many reflective surfaces to amplify that light tenfold.

His desk was a dark mahogany with a few stray pieces of parchment and a magnifying glass. Thorin sat behind it on a dark brown chair with his arms folded on the desk. There was only one other chair in the study on the opposite side of the desk which Nala was offered. Bola stood behind her, leaning against the spine.

It had been two days since her arrival and Bola finally thought it was time to tell her what she wanted to know. She had an inkling that he needed to go through his own grieving process as well before speaking.

As silence filled the room, the air grew thick enough to make her skin grow overly warm even under her light dress material. This time it was an emerald green (her necklace tucked back in). "My father gave me something. Before he died," she began, hoping that maybe she could trigger a point for them to start their explanation off. Nala pulls the stone from a small pouch at her waist, placing it rune side up on the desk.

Bola only glanced at it but Thorin picked it up, running his square thumb over the inscription. "Durin's Guard," he repeats the words already well-known to her. Nala stayed silent to push him on. "That's what your father was."

"And what is it exactly?"

"Exactly what it says Nala," her brother replied, switching to her side. "Guards of the Durin line. We always have been. Up until our father at least. We protected the direct line of Durin under an oath our ancestors first made. However, there was a feud between our house and another's."

"Mikelo," Nala input. "Da said something about a Dwarf named Mikelo."

Thorin nodded. "Mikelo was the son of a man named Doklo. Doklo tried to kill my great-grandfather, Dain the First-"

"As Durin's Guard our family killed him first," Bola cut in. Nala nudged her brother's leg with her elbow as he cut the King off. "Sorry," he grunted, rubbing his leg slightly.

Thorin spared a tired glare at Bola before continuing. Nala could tell by the expression that a year of having Bola on the quest tested his patience. "But Mikelo was there that day and watched his father be executed. From what I have heard he was always a man of violence and extremely loyal to his father."

Nala's brows pinched as she tried to collect the entire story so far in her head. "Why did Doklo want to kill Dain?" At this, Thorin shifted slightly, eyes flickering down to the paperwork in front of him that she knew had nothing to do with that day's topic.

The King finally looked back up at Nala, tilting his head down so his eyes looked straight through hers. "There was a dispute about the bloodline of Durin. Some believed that he was an illegitimate son. Doklo claimed that he was the eldest son, rightful to the throne."

Nala's mouth started speaking before she could speak. "Was he?"

"It doesn't matter," Bola hissed at her. He looked between his sister and Thorin as though the words might have angered the king but Thorin held his composure. "If he was, he was illegitimate, nonetheless. But don't go opening your mouth and spreading it around. We want that rumour to die. Us three and Balin are the only people alive that have any idea what the execution was over."

Nala shrunk back into her seat, nodding furiously. "No, of course."

"Well," Thorin sighed as he tried to move the conversation onwards. "Mikelo swore a vengeance on your family. A promise to wipe you all out. It wasn't taken seriously until your great-grandmother was murdered. Poisoned at a feast."

The word poison rings in her head. That was how her mother died, her father, her great-grandmother.

"That was when your great-grandfather sought his own revenge. He didn't just kill Mikelo but his brother and wife as well. But he left his three children unharmed."

"And these children," Nala peppered. "Who are they? Are they alive?"

Bola shrugged, walking forward and turning around to lean his behind on Thorin's desk. Thorin glared at her brother again but didn't say anything – which was a little shocking to her to say the least. "We don't know. They disappeared. But what we do know is that either they or their children are still alive and fulfilling Mikelo's promise. Our grandfather thought that we had killed them all. Along the way we had dropped the title of Durin's Guard in hopes that it would make us harder to identify. We had a large family line once and every single one of them are now gone except you and me."

'How morbid' was all she could think.

"Your father wasn't just a family friend," Thorin declared slowly with a tenderness that Nala knew he reserved for family. "He was my personal Guard. He saved my life more times than I can count. He was a good man." He fiddles with a silver bad on his finger.

Nala stared at the soft glowing hearth. "That's why…" She drifted off as the words speak through her mind instead. That's why everything. Why they lived the life they did. Why they weren't nobles yet lived so close to the royal family. Her father said they had been in hiding, but maybe he didn't just mean from the time they left Ered Luin, maybe it had been since before she was born. Her father was a warrior.

"I was supposed to pick the title back up when I became of age," Bola said in a flat tone. He let out a breathy, mirthless chuckle. "When we thought they were all gone. They're cowards who fight from the dark with poison. They should come out and fight like real men."

The pit in Nala's stomach grew once more. "But they know who we are now. We shouldn't be in hiding, we should be fighting back." Her knuckles grew white as they clenched the golden knobs on the end of her chair.

"And if we knew who they were, we would," Thorin finished, his tone starting off harsh but slowly simmered down. "I have been speaking with your brother about his title. We both think it would be best for him to take the oath. He proved to me on the quest that he is ready."

Nala couldn't agree more with the last statement. Her brother had always been ready, from the moment he picked up his first wooden sword. He was a born fighter and protector even when he wasn't told. "Would he be more at risk?" she can't help but wonder. "Having it publicly declared?"

"No more than he is now," Thorin stated. "He may as well claim the position which is his right by birth. He would be Fili's Guard." Thorin leant forward with his elbows digging into the wood of the desk. "I know that it is the oath of the Guard to protect the line of Durin but this will be going both ways. I will be doing everything under my power to make sure the both of you are safe from Mikelo's heirs. However, as Fili's Guard, it is Bola's responsibility to see to his safety."

"Which I will see to," Bola answered with a soldier-like manner.

"Does Fili know about this?" Nala questioned.

"Aware and agreed," Thorin answered, leaning back in his seat with dropped shoulders. "Your brother won't be by his side every second of the day. It's a kinship more than a job." Nala held her snort at the idea of Bola and Fili ever getting along to such an extent.

"Is there anything else I don't know yet?"

Bola and Thorin shared a glance before shaking their heads. "I think that sums up our family history," Bola chirped sarcastically. "Why don't you join us for dinner in the dinner chambers tonight?"

With a heavy breath Nala nodded. She could tell her brother wanted anything with emotional stress to be over; he couldn't handle anything but gruffness. Everything weighed heavily on her mind but right now she was still trying to sort it all into files to be processed. She already had two months to process the fact that someone wanted her family dead, now she has the reason. "I'll see you tonight. And thank you, for telling me."

Nala left them both in Thorin's office, the two obviously having more to speak about to each other and truthfully Nala needed to get out of there anyway.

Xx

Nala sat at a plain wooden table in the library that a kind old Dwarf had been more than willing to lead her too. It smelt like parchment and a faint touch of burnt wood. Over half of the shelves were empty, no doubt many books having been destroyed either by Smaug's fire or by the curse of time.

She had a book open in front of her – the words saying something about the history of Durin. For a while she hoped to see if she could find mentioning Durin's Guard, but she gave up after half an hour as her eyes kept flooding. Her pointer fingers pressed into the corner of her eyes as she tried to pull herself together enough to just finish the chapter that she was on. It was hard to even focus on reading when her breathe continued to shudder.

There was someone out there who's life purpose was the kill her and her brother. Already a fear grew inside her, how could she stop it from turning into paranoia?

"Let me guess." Nala snapped straight back up against the spine of her seat at the voice. "Someone said something mildly insulting to you." The Dwarf scoffed, shutting the book he had in his hands close. "You can't even go a week here without crying for attention."

Nala was at a loss for words to say. There in front of her was Kili in a plain, but still very much royal, tunic and pants and a light brown coat over top. Out of all people she thought she risked seeing in the library, he was at the very bottom of the list. Even Dwalin was above him.

The confusion became replaced with anger quickly enough. Nala roughly wiped her eyes, turning partially in her seat. "Sorry, I didn't realise that a quiet library was the centre of a party. But it must be one if you're here."

Kili laughed mirthlessly, placing the book back on the shelf. He doesn't even look at her; as though she isn't even worth his time. "You might have grown but your retorts are still pathetic as always. How long did it take you to wrap Fili around your finger again? I already had to cover him so he could spend time with you."

"And you're still a rude prick," she snipped, snapping her own book shut. "You could have just passed by me but no." Nala began marching towards the shelves as well to put her own book away. "You just had to make a comment didn't you. Because that's how it always starts, isn't it? I'm minding my own business and for some reason that pisses you off to no end and your aim in life is suddenly to make mine miserable."

"What are you going to do?" he goads. "Go tattle to your father?" Nala's movements paused, her hand halfway raised with the book. Her eyes slowly closed as she forced her hand to continue moving before she opened them to glare at the Prince. Kili's mouth was open as well as he stared back at her. "Nala I'm so-"

"Save it Kili," she whispered. "Your words don't mean anything to me. Save them for someone who actually cares to listen." With that she brushed past the Prince, the edge of her shoulder scuffing his as she stormed out the library with no new destination in mind. Thanks to Fili she knew at least how to get to a few of the main areas but her bedroom sounded like the best idea at the time. But as she came to her bedroom door, Nala continued walking past it towards the end of the corridor. After a few more turns Nala knocks on another wooden door.

She lent against the frame, waiting for the occupant to open. She wasn't sure he would be in there but it was worth a shot. After a moment, the door opened. "Hey."

"Hey," Fili murmured back. "You all good?"

She knew that Fili knew she talked with Thorin and her brother today and considering he seemed to know everything that was going on, Nala couldn't resist the company of somebody who understood. "Can I come in or do you have a girl over?" she taunted, managing to pull one side of her lips up into a small smirk.

"Please," Fili scoffed. "Most of the woman only talk to me with the hopes that they'll become a queen. Can't say I didn't mind the attention at first but it's hard to see past the façade sometime."

"And who's to say I'm not." Nala smiled through her turmoil, placing the back of her hand against her forehead. "Prince Fili! You are the most handsome Dwarf I've ever seen!" She wrapped her arms around his neck, bending at her knees to tug on him. "I would give you my life in return for a kiss!"

"Please," Fili scoffed again. "Do you remember that time we kissed at the old oak tree? You vomited straight after." Nala's mouth opened, morphing through a few shapes before she laughed truly, slapping her hand over her mouth.

"I had honestly forgotten," she confessed through her hand. "Oh, how old were we? Six? Seven?"

"I was nine I think. And thanks for that. I thought it was my fault and I couldn't even talk to any girls I liked until I was twenty two."

"It was the most awkward thing we've ever done," she agreed though through a broad smile at the childhood memories. She sat against the wooden arch at the end of his bed which had dark orange sheets that reminded her of fire. "At least we are sure we're not each other's Dorzada. And you were scared to talk to girls? I thought that was what it was going to be like with every male, so I was terrified until I was thirty-four of the idea of kissing. Couldn't believe my mother and father used to do it every day."

"You've effectively insulted me," Fili noted nonchalantly, joining her in sitting on the edge of his bed frame.

"Don't worry. I was already insulted by your brother not half an hour ago," she drawled with a blank glare at the door. Fili sighed, rubbing his nose.

"Do you want me to talk to him? He should be leaving you alone."

Nala shook her head. "Nah," she replied blandly. "He just seemed to be in a rotten mood, and I was there. Nothing new." She offered Fili a small smile to show that she really didn't care.