I want to thank SortingHat for th series of reviews. I did find them very useful, especially the part about the skeleton keys and locks in the medievel times (which is what I believe Middle-Earth to be modeled after). I will definitely take that into consideration for when my character needs to break into a room or cell door.As far as Thorin/OC vs. Thranduil/OC, I am merely writing an idea I was toying with. My favorite character in the Hobbit is Thorin. I can tell that yours is Thranduil. Yes, I'm following a formula that most romance novels like to use because I find it is more interesting to put two characters together who are stubborn, short-tempered and strong-willed. My character, Nyssa, is much more like Thorin than Thranduil. I can relate to them better. Plus, Thorin, to me anyway, is a much more fun character to write about.I never talk about politics in my writing because that topic and religion are such sensitive triggers. I try to stay away from it unless I'm reporting about it in the news. I will confess that I don't relate to the liberal mindset. Anybody who know me can attest to that. I thought it was funny that you came to that conclusion in this story. I always say, to each his/her own.I do apologize for the late update. Sometimes, this story hits a brick wall in my mind, and I work to try and find a way around it. My other two stories flow much more effortlessly than this one. I don't know why. I will try to do better next time.Thank you for your readership and enjoy this next chapter. Reviews are always most welcome.

Chapter 9: Proving Her Worth

Nyssa left the dining hall with her head held high in both confidence and pride. She had a sudden burst of energy as she walked back to the healer's house to gather her weapons and belongings before going to the training field.

The moment she entered her room at the healer's house was when it finally hit her what she agreed to. She felt a sudden surge of anxiety and needed to sit down before she collapsed on the floor. What was she thinking? She had let her temper and her pride make a choice that could jeopardize her chances to get into Erebor. If she lost the fight, would King Thorin still let her join the group traveling back to the mountain?

Nyssa closed her eyes and took a deep breath. What was she worried about? She trained with some of the best rangers of the Dunedain. Surely she could hold her own with an aging dwarf king. The dwarves had not been in a real fight since the battle at the gates of the great mountain years ago. She would bet money that he was as rusty at fighting as he was displaying proper manners.

Nyssa found her confidence again and opened her eyes. She gathered her things together as well as her weapons. Whether she was going to Erebor or another destination, she was not planning to return to this room.

Nyssa entered the hallway and closed the door. She walked down the stairs to the main room where she saw the young princes loitering. It was a surprise at first before she concluded that Thorin may have sent them to make sure she did not change her mind and run away.

When Fili saw her descending the stairs, he smiled. Kili seemed more distracted, looking around the room at all the faces that walked passed them. He followed his brother's gaze a few seconds later and smiled in kind.

Nyssa returned their smiles with one of her own as she walked toward them. The princes were beginning to grow on her. They reminded her of happier times with her own brothers. Her smile faded when her memories changed, and the fate of her family returned to haunt her again. She shook the visions away and decided to concentrate on the task at hand. She had another test she had to pass in order to gain the trust of the dwarf king.

"Am I to assume that you are here for moral support, or does your dwarf king not trust that I will find the training field?" she asked as she approached the brothers.

"Both, I suppose," said Fili with a smile. "My uncle thinks that you may not wish to test your abilities against skilled dwarf warriors. You might feel intimidated and leave abruptly without word."

"Did he?" she cocked an eye brow at him. This dwarf king was more arrogant than she thought.

"Well, you can inform your uncle that he need not worry. I was just heading in that direction," she informed them. "You can take your leave, my lord."

Fili's smile grew as he held up his hands in surrender. This young ranger had quite a lot of spirit. Her eager nature was very entertaining. There was no wonder that his uncle was taken with her. They were alike in many ways.

Nyssa made for the door in a huff with the princes rushing to keep up. Only Kili purposely dragged behind in the hope of running into Tauriel. He did not notice that the elf was hiding around a corner at the top of the stairs. She saw the dwarf prince and scurried around the corner before he could see her.

When she saw Nyssa with the dwarf princes again, she suddenly felt like her heart was torn between hope and despair. A part of her wanted to believe that Nyssa would help her with Kili, but then she remembered who it was that offered that help. Nyssa was a thief, and it was in her nature to lie. She knew better than to trust a liar.

But, now she had a new problem. Why did she not go to someone of authority and tell Nyssa's secret? Surely, this woman wanted nothing but ill will for the dwarves, so why was Tauriel protecting her by keeping silent? Tauriel knew that the dwarves would never listen to an elf, especially a Silvan elf in exile. She needed proof, to discover what Nyssa was after. Armed with solid proof, she would have something that she could take to the authorities.

Tauriel knew that the dwarves were gathering at the training field to test Nyssa's abilities. For King Thorin's amusement, no doubt. She felt a brief moment of sympathy for the thief, putting her through so many unnecessary trials to prove herself worthy of even associating with the dwarves. Their constant lack of trust and secrecy had become quite tiresome for even the lowliest creature.

Tauriel waited until Nyssa and the dwarf princes left the healer's house before following them. When the battle was over, Tauriel spent several months helping the humans rebuild as much of Dale as they could. Then, she spent several more weeks exploring the ancient city, even the areas that were not yet restored. So, she knew every street and passage throughout the city. Once she was in the street and watched them disappear in the crowd, she turned on her heels in the other direction and followed the quickest paths to the training field. She wanted to find a secluded place to watch the match.

Nyssa walked with confidence along with the brothers toward the training field. She had been trained by some of the finest rangers in both archery and sword fighting. Along the way, the brothers (especially Kili) could not help but inundate her with stories of their uncle's glorious skill with a sword, his fighting prowess honed from many battles. She could not tell if they were merely proud of their uncle's abilities or trying to scare her. Either way, she refused to let those stories rattle her. She fought in a few battles of her own, and she spent many decades surviving in the wilderness. She knew how to take care of herself, and she would prove it to them, all of them.

The training field was facing south of the city on an open hillside. It was still within the city's protective wall, yet it was very spacious and sported a beautiful view of all the lands surrounding the city. If one were to stand at the top of the hill, one could see for miles in every direction.

There were mostly dwarves on the field sparing with one another. The other races were spread out around them either watching the fighting or training among themselves.

Dwalin was in the center of it all, training some young dwarflings clad only in their tunics and britches wearing the most basic armor. They were fighting with wooden swords so as not to hurt one another.

They must be new recruits for the king's guard.

Thorin stood on the sidelines with a few other dwarves watching the event. He was also dressed in basic clothes but wore no armor. He had his advisor, Balin, standing beside him also watching the training, but it was obvious that Balin had no intention of joining the fight. He had his famous sword, Orcrist, resting loosely in his grip. Nyssa and the princes casually walked toward them with Nyssa confidently leading the way.

As Nyssa approached, Thorin noticed her presence, and both he and Balin turned their attentions to the female ranger. Thorin grinned at the newly arrived party.

"So, you have come," he said in that baritone voice. Nyssa detected a slight sense of pride in his tone.

"Did you believe me too timid, my lord? You do not know me as well as you think," she replied with equal vigor.

"Well then, would you prefer to practice before we begin?" he asked with a slight smile playing across his lips.

He watched with amusement as anger immediately played across her face. He enjoyed playing with her, testing her temper. He could feel his own blood heating up at the sight of her becoming irritated with him. He could not understand why this entertained him so much. Perhaps, it had something to do with his growing curiosity of the woman. She amused him more than any dwarrowdam ever could. For a Dunedain ranger, she still had much to learn.

Dwalin glanced in Thorin's direction and saw the ranger talking with his king. He made a low growl and turned his duties over to his lieutenant before walking toward the group. There was something about this woman that he did not like. He was especially uncomfortable with his best friend and king taking such an interest in her.

"So, ya come ta test yer skills with us, lass?" Dwalin asked.

"I have come to show your king how we rangers fight in a battle," Nyssa said, emphasizing 'your king' in a haughty tone. She was growing weary of these constant tests and dwarvish arrogance.

"Well, then, let us begin," he said before walking away from the group to take his battle stance.

Nyssa stared at him in confusion, then looked back at Thorin and Balin for answers. Thorin stared back at her with a slight smile while Balin only had remorse. Balin could tell by the look on this woman's face that she was not told everything. She fully expected to fight against Thorin, not the battle hardened commander of Erebor's army. She had a flash of disappointment across her face before Balin stepped in to explain.

"My Lady Analyn, Dwalin will test your skills with the sword while Prince Kili will judge your archery," he said.

"I was under the impression that you wanted to test my skills personally, King Thorin," she said with a playful smile. "Has your time in Erebor slowed you, my lord?"

Thorin lifted his chin and grunted slightly. He knew that she was goading him into fighting her, but he was not about to take that bait. She may have been able to hold her own, but no matter how many years she had lived, she was still an inexperienced warrior. He could tell that in her manner and her stance. She needed some lessons in humility first. He could think of no better teacher than Dwalin.

He schooled his features and stepped carefully toward her. His hardened blue eyes never left hers as he got closer. He wanted her to know who exactly was in charge, and Nyssa equally stood her ground. She worked to keep her own defiant nature present and not let him intimidate her. Although, deep down, she could feel her courage shrinking the closer he came toward her. When he stood just a breath away from her, he did something that she did not expect. He grinned at her.

"You are overly confident, my dear. You have much to learn, and Dwalin is a fine teacher. You want to accompany us to Erebor and offer your help with our defenses. Then you must first learn how to stand before you can walk."

This made Nyssa all the more angry. Thorin could see it in her eyes. Without arguing though, Nyssa turned and stormed past him to take her position before Dwalin. Thorin walked back toward his friend, Balin, before giving the order to begin the sparring. All of the other dwarves, including the princes, turned their attentions to their dwarf captain and the defiant female warrior. Balin watched his friend with a disapproving scowl and shook his head.

"Is this really necessary?" he asked his old friend and king.

"Do you disapprove? You should know me better than that, Balin."

"I do not understand why you want to play these silly games with this woman. I already know that you have made up your mind to allow her into Erebor. Why are you putting her through this useless trial?"

"She has a stubborn nature, much like a dwarf. She intrigues me. She is a curiosity in many ways, yet there is something familiar about her, Balin. I cannot explain it," said Thorin as he gave the signal for the fight to begin.

The fighting lasted for at least ten minutes, but it seemed longer. The girl had some impressive skills with her blade and held her own with each thrust from Dwalin's axes. But, the old dwarf was far craftier and more experienced than she was. With each block and attack, he tested her strength and agility along with speed and endurance. When the two of them locked their weapons together in a block, Dwalin glanced at Thorin for a brief second getting the signal from his king to finish the fight and take her down. That was when Dwalin unlocked one of his axes and swept it under her back ankle knocking Nyssa off balance.

Nyssa fell backwards toward the ground knocking the wind out of her body. Before she could recover, her sword was thrown from her hand, and Dwalin had her arms pinned down as he held his ax at her throat. She looked up and saw the triumphant grin on his face and knew that she had lost the fight. She had lost her chance to win the respect of the dwarves along with her chance to get into Erebor. What was she to do now? Not only did she lose the fight, but her pride was hurt as well. She felt her anger boil to the surface again.

She heard Thorin order his captain to let her stand up. No doubt, the dwarf king would want to torment her some more before sending her away. She felt humiliated.

When she stood up, Kili had her sword in his grasp. He handed it to her, which she took it gratefully. Both he and his brother were the only two dwarves that had held any respect for her, that she could tell. She smiled a weak smile at him before turning back toward Thorin. Her expression was a mixture of hurt feelings and anger.

Thorin's eyes locked with hers as he spoke.

"You have a stout heart of a warrior, Lady Analyn. Not many humans would have the courage to test their fighting skills against a dwarf like Dwalin. Even I must train every day to keep up with my friend. That is why he is my captain and best warrior."

Nyssa blinked in confusion. She expected him to brush her away as a human peasant no longer worth his time. Her brow furrowed as he continued his speech.

"The test was not whether or not you would win the fight, my dear. Were you committed to proving yourself a worthy asset to the dwarves of Erebor? To accept and go through this challenge that I gave you, I would say, yes."

In her heart, she wanted to shout triumphantly, but she had to control her emotions. Instead she slowly let out the breath that she did not know she was holding.

Balin watched as her expression softened in her face, and her eyes gleamed with hope. One could mistake it as just simple gladness, but this time, it was different. He had seen that look before. It was a look of desperation that he had seen in his own people during their exile. It was like Thorin's approval saved her from a life or death situation. It made him uncomfortable, to say the least. What was she running from in her past that required her to take refuge in Erebor?

"You will return with the company to Erebor. We will discuss your duties once we are there. I would suggest that you continue your training, and Dwalin will act as your mentor and captain while you are with us. You will take your orders from him," Thorin said as he turned and walked away from the training field.

Balin bowed toward Nyssa and left without a word to follow Thorin. The princes also left with smiles across their faces. Nyssa grinned, thinking that now she had the chance she worked for. Now, she had to finish the job that she was tasked to do or find herself forever hunted by the elf king of Mirkwood.

Before she could follow the other dwarves back toward the city, Dwalin stepped in front of her. In her excitement, she nearly forgotten the second clause of her conditions.

"We 'ave another hour before we leave for our journey. Ya will take a position with these lads and start training. Ya are under my command now, and we 'ave a lot of work to do," he said before he stepped closer. "Just remember, I'll be watching."

Without saying another word, Nyssa turned and walked toward the other dwarves. She stood before a shorter, yet stocky, dwarf and took her battle stance. The dwarves waited for the order from their captain to resume their exercises, and Nyssa worked right along side of them.

When the training was over, she felt exhausted. The thought of returning to her bed at the healer's house was very enticing, but that was not an option. She was led to the convoy and was ordered to help with packing the wagons and strapping the supplies on the ponies for the trip. Once that was done, the dwarves set off for the day trip to Erebor. Nyssa wondered if she would survive the long walk, or would she die before she even reached the gates of the kingdom. The way that she felt at that moment, she would have guessed the latter.