A/N: I'm so sorry! (But not really lol) As a reader I hate it when writers make things difficult for their characters, but as a writer I understand having the ultimate power! I appreciate everyone who is still reading this story!
Thorin sat at his desk approving and signing orders to be delivered to trade partners in the coming month. He didn't like signing papers all day, but it gave him a chance at solitude that he didn't get otherwise. The monotonous task kept him busy without wearing on his patience. It was one way Thorin had started balancing his life between running the mountain and being with his family. If he didn't over exert himself, he could keep his temper in check, and he was proud to say he had avoided an outburst for three weeks.
The door to his study flew open as one of his guards entered the room and rushed toward Thorin's desk. The guard gave a quick bow before speaking.
"Sir, there has been a collapse in one of the mines."
"Is everyone alright?" Thorin was already standing as he spoke.
"No deaths have been reported, but many were injured."
Thorin joined the guard on the other side of his desk, and they started walking into the hallway. Thorin thought of a plan for the best course of action.
"Alert the infirmary, and send as many healers as you can to the accident, then gather as many guards as we can spare and send them to help remove debris. If anyone is trapped, we need to act fast."
"Yes, sir." The guard hurried down a different hallway toward the infirmary, while Thorin quickened his pace toward the mines.
The closer he got, the more obvious it was that word had spread about the accident. Some people ran with him toward the danger, and others ran away from it. He didn't blame them; the less people in the way, the better. Soon, Thorin entered into the mines, taking in the chaos around him. Dwarves who had made it out safely, turned around to dig out their friends. Dwarves who were pulled from the rubble were ushered to one side and cared for by the healers who had already made it to the mines.
Thorin stopped one of the head miners. "What happened?"
The man's face and hair were covered in dust, making him look like a ghost appearing from the darkness. When Thorin spoke to him, the man took a second to comprehend Thorin's words.
"I had some men do a routine blast in the lower levels. It must've shifted the rock too much." The man shook his head in disbelief. "We didn't use that much powder. It shouldn't have collapsed like this."
"It's alright. It could've happened without the blast." Thorin placed a hand on the man's shoulder. "Where were the most people at?"
"In mine 27. We've pulled a few people out from the rubble already, but we needed more help." The man informed him.
Thorin was about to reply, when a rush of people came down the entrance ramp. He recognized them as the healers he had asked for, and told the man he was speaking with to report his information to the healers.
Thorin left the man and hurried toward mine 27. A few healers ran in behind him, and with the dwarves already in the mine, they began looking for any survivors.
The mine was mostly intact near the entrance. Pieces of rock from the ceiling littered the floor, and dust hung in the air like a curtain between the dark of the mine and the light of the rest of the mountain. As they went deeper, more rocks had shifted and fallen, creating difficult obstacles to walk around.
Two healers were approaching Thorin with a person on a stretcher. He moved aside to give them room, and when he glanced down, he recognized who they were carrying.
The healers kept moving and Thorin followed in a daze. As they reached the light of the entrance, he became positive he knew the person on the stretcher.
"Kaleria!" Thorin forced the healers to stop.
She laid half conscious and covered in dust. Blood and dirt were caked on one side of her head, but he couldn't tell the severity of her injury. She could only open her eyes a little bit at a time, but Thorin was relieved she was alive.
He took her hand. "Kaleria, can you hear me?"
She tilted her head toward him, but her eyes only opened into slits. "Thorin?"
"Yes, it's me. What happened?"
"The tunnel shook...and then...rocks were falling…" She squeezed her eyes shut as if forcing the memory, but it wouldn't come.
"It's okay." Thorin held her hand tighter. "Why were you down here?"
"I was—" she gave a hard cough "—with Brerrick."
Thorin's hand loosened its hold on hers, and her hand dropped back to her side.
Kaleria groaned and squeezed her eyes shut tighter.
The healer looked at Thorin. "We need to take her."
Thorin simply nodded, unable to respond verbally. He didn't know what he expected her explanation for being in the mine to be, but Brerrick's name had never crossed his mind. Suddenly, the peace Thorin had felt for weeks dissipated in a matter of seconds, and was replaced by a red hot anger that burned in his gut. Thorin walked around in a daze, helping those he could, but ignoring the thanks he received.
Once the mine had been cleared of people, Thorin walked through the makeshift infirmary to take inventory of the injured. As he walked by one row of beds, he saw a head of bright red hair sticking out in the crowd. Thorin marched over to the bed and found Brerrick staring at the bandages covering his arms.
"Why did you bring her down here?" Thorin growled.
Brerrick looked up, surprised by his visitor. "King Thorin."
"Why did you bring her down here?!" Thorin yelled, and every dwarf around them stared in their direction.
Brerrick shook his head, quickly. "I only wanted to show her the mines. I didn't mean for her to get hurt."
Thorin grabbed Brerrick by the front of his shirt and hoisted him to his feet. Though Brerrick was larger than Thorin, the rage fueling the king under the mountain made him more terrifying than the dragon who stole his home.
"What the hell were you thinking?! You were supposed to protect her!" Thorin glared deeply at Brerrick.
"I didn't know the mine was going to collapse!" Brerrick explained.
"Maybe so, but you left her in there." Thorin shoved Brerrick away. "If she dies, Mahal have mercy on your soul."
Thorin stomped away from the audience he had gathered. He didn't have a destination in mind; he just kept walking. Oddly enough, the anger he felt began to simmer, and he took control of his body. This wasn't an outburst caused by the illness. This was good old fashioned Durin anger. At least he knew he wasn't going crazy again.
The infirmary was full of people from the mine collapse, who needed extra care for their injuries, or needed to be monitored for other symptoms. Groans of agony came from deep within the infirmary, while those near the front laid in their beds, waiting for a chance to finally get some rest. The healers scurried from bed to bed, making sure each patient was as comfortable as they could be.
Dis walked along the line of beds checking on some patients, but looking for one in particular. As she neared the door on the opposite side of the room she found who she was looking for.
"I thought you might like some company," she said, sitting on the stool next to the bed.
Kaleria turned at the sound of Dis' voice, and raised up in bed as far as she could. Her eyes still wouldn't open much, but she recognized her friend standing there.
"Thanks. I was starting to get bored."
"I could tell," replied Dis. "You were almost asleep when I walked up."
"No, I wasn't. The light hurts my eyes, so it's easier for me to lay here with my eyes closed." Kaleria tried to open her eyes wider, but failed.
"Do you remember what happened?" Dis asked.
Kaleria thought back as far as her memory could take her. "I was in the mines, when they started to shake. Someone told me I was hit in the head, but I don't remember it exactly."
"That's okay. I'm glad you're alright. We were worried about you."
"We?"
"My family adores you, Kaleria. We don't want to see you get hurt."
Kaleria listened to Dis, and she could tell how much they cared for her. Her thoughts drifted to Thorin, and she remembered him standing above her in the mines. "Have you spoken to Thorin about what happened?"
"He's been busy handling the clean up, and even then, he will only tell me what he wants me to know." Dis glanced down at her hands. "He did tell me you were involved. That's how I knew to come here and look for you."
Kaleria shook her head slowly. "I shouldn't have been there."
Dis looked up at her friend, and saw a flash of regret. "It was an accident. You couldn't have known the mine would collapse."
"Maybe." Kaleria's head fell to one side and she stared at the far wall.
Dis studied her friend. Kaleria was bothered by the fact she had been in the mine. Dis had an idea about why, but she wasn't going to push her friend to speak anymore.
"Get some rest. I'll need my best advisor as soon as possible." Dis stood from the stool, and moved it back toward the end of the bed.
Kaleria smiled. "Thanks for coming , Dis."
Dis bowed her head, then turned to leave. She walked down the large middle aisle toward the door. As she reached the doorway, she was addressed by the shadowy figure standing in the hall, who had been watching her conversation.
"Is she okay?" asked Thorin, still looking at Kaleria lying in her bed.
"Go ask her yourself."
Thorin shot an irritated glance at his sister.
Dis crossed her arms. "I'm serious, Thorin. I will not play your messenger because you are too afraid to speak to a woman."
Thorin ignored his sister's tirade, and continued to watch Kaleria. She had settled back into her bed with her eyes closed. Thorin didn't know if he could talk to her. He could still feel the anger that had raged inside of him once he learned Brerrick had taken her to the mine, yet it vanished immediately when he looked at her.
Tired of being ignored, Dis yanked on his arm until he looked at her. "You obviously care for her, so go check on her."
Thorin shook his head. "I promised her father—"
"Enough, Thorin!" Dis snapped. "You and I both know this is about more than a promise."
Thorin sighed and his gaze dropped to the floor.
"I want you to be happy, Thorin. Do whatever you need to do to make that possible." Dis patted his shoulder, then walked away leaving Thorin standing in the shadows of the doorway.
For a moment, he debated following his sister away from the room. His head told him to go one direction, but his feet took him inside the infirmary, and stopped at the end of Kaleria's bed.
Kaleria stirred when she heard footsteps, and opened her eyes enough to see who else came for a visit. "Thorin? What are you doing here?"
He cleared his throat. "I came to check on you, if that's alright."
"Yes, of course." Kaleria shifted her head to see him better.
Thorin saw the stool out of the corner of his eye and pointed at it. "May I sit down?"
"Please, make yourself comfortable, or as comfortable as you can be." Kaleria attempted a joke, but Thorin remained serious.
He moved the chair closer than Dis had been sitting, and leaned forward, so Kaleria could see him better. He didn't speak for a long moment. Kaleria tried to keep her eyes open as long as she could, but the light was forcing them closed, and her body was calling for her to sleep.
Then Thorin took her hand, holding it between both of his. He focused his gaze on their joined hands. "You worried me, when I saw you down there."
Kaleria didn't know how to respond to his sudden admission, so she remained quiet.
"When I saw you on that stretcher, I had this pit in my stomach. It was like Azog's sword had run me through all over again." Thorin rubbed his thumb back and forth across her hand.
"I'm sorry, Thorin. I shouldn't—"
"Don't." He met her eyes. "Don't apologize. It was an accident, but I needed you to know that I was worried."
Kaleria wanted to keep her eyes open. She wanted to see the blue of his eyes. But her body revolted and she had to close them because of the light. She squeezed his hand to let him know she was still awake.
Thorin squeezed her hand in return. "Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"
Kaleria couldn't open her eyes, and her strength began to fade, her body rushing back toward unconsciousness. She squeezed his hand as much as she could before succumbing to the pull of sleep.
Thorin stood from the stool and leaned forward close to her sleeping form. "Get some rest." He pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead.
He pulled away, placing her hand by her side. He straightened his back, walking away with his chin held high as if nothing bothered him. When he reached the solitude of the hallway, Thorin's shoulders sagged and the tears that had formed in his eyes began to fall.