I apologize for the slowness of the updates. This story is finally starting to unfold after a year of staring at it wondering where to go from there. I will try to be more diligent in my updates because I want to see this story finished. Reviews are helpful. It lets me know if you're out there.
Chapter 6: Getting Personal
Both Thorin and Nyssa spent the remainder of the evening feasting and studying each other. They had light-hearted conversations on simple subjects being careful not to divulge anything too personal about the other.
Nyssa knew this was the common practice among dwarves. They were taught since birth that their ways were of no business of others. However, Nyssa guarded her past for different reasons which made it harder for her to share anything personal with anyone, let alone the King Under the Mountain.
The problem was that he was the very person she needed to share her past with if she had any hope of gaining his trust. But, her past as a thief was well known throughout Middle Earth, especially with the dwarves. Thorin would know who she was and her family as well. She would be thrown in the dungeons just for that alone.
She watched him from across the table. He was quite handsome, for a dwarf. He was a hard man, maybe because of the hard life he was forced to live after the dragon attacked Erebor. He lived as a commoner for 60 years, wandering the hills like a nomad before setting in the Blue Mountains.
She studied his build and imagined him as a simple blacksmith. What would it have been like to watch him work, pounding metal on an anvil, molding it into something entirely different from what it once was? His arm muscles rippling with as his hammer connected with the metal.
Snap out of it, you fool! Never forget who he was and what he did to your family.
If life after Smaug was difficult, Nyssa thought that he more than deserved it. As she watched him eat, she was reminded of her father and was now more than determined to steal that jewel. She would see this king lose his position on the throne and finally have her own revenge.
His voice snapped her out of her thoughts when he asked her a question. Of course, it had to be a question she could not answer truthfully.
"Where is your family?" Thorin asked.
"I am sorry, my lord?" Nyssa gently shook her head to focus back to reality.
"I asked about your family. You mentioned that earlier, and you are right. I do want to know. If they are not with you, than where are they?"
"I have none, my lord. My family died years ago when orcs attacked a caravan traveling to Gondor," she lied.
"I see. So, that is why you travel alone. Where is your home?"
"Again, my lord, I have none."
"So, who is after you? You must be running from something. That must be why you have no man to look after you or no children to care for."
Nyssa's eyes narrowed. She took offense to his statement that she was incapable of surviving on her own. She was about to say something when she stopped. He was trying to get her to admit that she was not honest with him. That someone was chasing her. Perhaps, she could use that.
"You assume that I am incapable of surviving on my own in the wild. I am not a helpless female, my lord. I can take care of myself and defend myself if need be," she said.
She took a drink from her tankard and stared back at those cold blue eyes of his. She looked down at her plate of food and sighed. The stress of the entire moment came through on her face. She looked defeated.
"If you must know, my lord, I have been in hiding for many years. My family was once very prominent people, but they were targets for political reasons. I was a child when it happened. I was told all my life that it was an orc attack, but I never believed it."
Thorin watched her carefully as she told her little tale. He was trying to find some kind of deception, but he was having no luck. If she was lying, she was very good at it.
"How old were you when this had happened?" he asked.
"Old enough to be very observant, my lord," she answered. " Now, I wander the wilderness with no home of my own. I never stay for very long in one place for fear that I might be discovered."
"Is Analyn even your real name?" he asked.
Nyssa paused before answering that question. No, Analyn was not her real name, but it was a name she knew very well. It was her mother's name. It was a name she had not heard in a long time. Both Nyssa and her father had reputations that were well known in the provinces, but her mother was never a thief. She knew that Thorin would not recognize that name if she used it.
"It is my name that I was told to use many years ago. My real name has been long forgotten. I wish I could find a husband and start a family as you said, my lord. But, I fear that will not be my fate. It is a curse that I will forever travel the world, in search of a home that may never exist for me."
Nyssa hoped that her little speech might appeal to Thorin's compassion, if the dwarf king had any. She looked up and watched his eyes for any sign of remorse, but the dwarf king remained stoic. She lowered her eyes again and took another drink from her tankard. It was his turn to say something.
Thorin continued to watch her as she told her story. There was something about her that intrigued him. She was very handsome for a human, but dwarf women were quite different. By dwarf standards, she was not very pretty, no beard, very thin. She looked like she could barely lift a sword, much less fight with one. So, what was it about her that had his attention?
When she finished her story, Thorin could not tell if any of it was true. He knew that it would be a mistake to trust her, but it would be a bigger mistake to simply let her go. If she was up to no good, it was better to keep her close and watch her every move then to have her in the shadows plotting against him.
Thorin's curiosity was peaked. He wanted to know what she was up to and who sent her. It was no coincidence that a mysterious woman with no real past would come to Erebor just when they were trying to rebuild the once mighty kingdom. Someone sent her with an agenda. He was now determined to know what that was.
They made small conversation throughout the evening. Nyssa eventually felt comfortable in Thorin's presence, almost forgetting about her family's past with the dwarf king.
She was the youngest sibling and only an infant when her father was accused of theft in the lonely mountain. Her mother and siblings were banished from the entire kingdom, including Dale, while her father rotted in the dungeons. He was forced to do hard labor for his remaining years. She never saw her father again.
In order to survive, she and her siblings became that which her father was accused of, thieves. She took care of her family as best she could until her mother took ill after hearing about the attack on Erebor. She fell into despair at the thought of Arik dying alone in those dungeons and never even received a proper burial. Nyssa took comfort in the knowledge that at least her mother's passing was quiet and peaceful, surrounded by her children.
Nyssa tried to keep the family together, but the effort was futile. Her sister died of an illness that nearly wiped out an entire village. Her oldest brother was arrested and taken to prison. The last time she heard about him, he had died there. She was the last of her family line.
Nyssa joined a traveling group of gypsies who taught her everything about the art of thieving. Over the years, she perfected her craft and even her reputation as a master thief. A town magistrate gave her the name, Princess of Thieves. She was both flattered and dismayed by the name. It gave her a giddy feeling, to imagine that her skills were that prominent that she earned a royal title. The bad side of that name was that it was an easy thing to remember for travelers. They would carry the name and the stories with them from town to town until she noticed that folks knew who she was before she said anything. That was very bad for a professional thief. Secrecy was essential in her line of work. It forced her to live a solitary reclusive existence.
Nyssa watched as the dwarf king took a drink from his tankard. She watched his eyes and thought that here was the man who destroyed her family. He destroyed her future. Who knew what she would have become if it weren't for his accusations against her father. She could take his life right now as they sat there, but death would have been a release. She wanted him to suffer. She thought about the Arkenstone, the king's jewel. The seven dwarf kingdoms swore an oath to the king who held the jewel. If taking that jewel took the throne from her enemy, than she would do it.
The crashing sound of a young dwarf falling to the floor brought Nyssa out of her thoughts. The table had broken under the weight of Kili and brought the rambunctious dwarf to the ground. Both Nyssa and Thorin turned their attentions to the sound. Nyssa began laughing as Thorin merely rolled his eyes and slammed his tankard on the table. He stood from his chair and walked over to his nephew.
He stood over Kili and watched as the young dwarf laughed and poured what little ale was left in his tankard into his mouth. He laughed with all the other patrons around him until the bartender stomped from behind the bar toward the crowd.
"Oh, hello Uncle. Care for some ale?" Kili asked as he looked up to see Thorin towering over him.
Thorin sighed and took a step toward Kili. He grabbed the young prince by the back of his collar and dragged Kili to his feet. It took a second for Kili to find his footing. He would have fallen over and took his uncle with him had it not been for Thorin's impressive strength. Thorin helped to steady his nephew just as the bartender pushed through the crowd to face them.
"Me lord, that's three times yer nephew 'as disrupted me tavern. I want 'em out of 'ere."
"You are talking to a royal prince of Erebor and my kin. I'll thank you to judge your next words to me very carefully."
The bartender was taken back as Thorin stepped between Kili and the tall man before them. Despite Thorin's height compared to the large, burly bartender, the dwarf king's appearance commanded respect out of that man and everyone else in that room. Nyssa slowly placed a hand on the hilt of her dagger sheathed in her belt in case a fight ensued. She watched as the bartender took a step back from the dwarf king and buckled under his intimidation.
"I will pay for the damages to your tavern," said Thorin. He motioned for a dwarf guard who stepped out of the shadows to be ready at the king's command. "Take my nephew home, and see that he goes to bed."
The guard nodded and hooked his arm under Kili's to help him out of the room. Kili became irritated and started to struggle until Thorin gave him a stern look. It was a look that Kili knew well. He stopped his struggling and allowed the guard to lead him through the crowd and out the door. Thorin turned his attention to Nyssa who was also making her way to the exit.
As the guard made it to the door, the elf named Tauriel was passing by and heard the crash. She stepped inside to see what happened, and that was when she came face to face with the dwarf prince. Both of them had a look of surprise on their faces.
Tauriel turned to leave when Kili called out to her.
"Tauriel, wait. Come back."
She pushed through the crowd of onlookers and escaped before the drunken prince could catch her. The dwarf guard ran after his charge. He grabbed Kili by the arm once again before Kili stumbled to the ground.
Nyssa witnessed the exchange between Kili and Tauriel. She became curious as to what that was about. Did the dwarf prince have an interest in the red-headed elf healer? She shook her head clear of that thought. Every race in Middle Earth knew the hatred dwarves and elves had from one another. But, if that were true, maybe she could use that.
"Analyn," said Thorin from behind. His voice brought Nyssa from her thoughts. "I will consider your offer. I will call on you at the healer's house tomorrow. You will hear my answer."
With that, Thorin pushed through the crowd past her and into the street. She watched him disappear in the night and smiled. It seemed that she finally had the King of Erebor in her grasp.
