A/N: Hello all! Look, a speedy update! But, it comes with a warning: These next few chapters have some gruesome imagery. On the plus side, though, Nori gets quite a bit of 'screen' time in this chapter. Anyway, regardless of any gruesome content, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter!

Chapter Eighteen

Nori was flat on his stomach and had his eyes shielded from the early-morning sun as he looked over the city. From what he could see, the city had only three entrances: North, south, and east. The western section of the city was entirely walled off, though the forest was thick around it. The closest entrance, the north gate, didn't have much activity around it, but he counted at least six armed guards standing around.

'There's one way in,' he told himself, gaze returning to the forest. 'The other way would be through the water…' He turned his head ever so slightly, getting a better look at the bay. 'One of us could see where the boats go and, if they come anywhere near shore…we could, quite possibly, hijack it and its crew.'

His brow rose and a smirk came to his lips; just as sudden as the grin came, it left. 'No. That'd be far too cumbersome. The forest would be the best bet. No doubt, though, they have some sort of patrols in the forest. They'd be stupid not to…Stupid or arrogant.'

Reaching into his pocket, he drew out the gem that he had taken from the barkeep. 'One woman can walk in once I manage to…procure some clothing for her. It'll probably end up being Kreine or Ashailyn. I'd make it Lovisa because of how attractive she is, but without a voice…' He shook his head and crawled away from the edge of the cliff. When he was far enough away, he stood up and returned to the group who were camped ten minutes away.

"So? What did yeh find?" Dwalin asked when he returned. He tore a piece of jerky in half. Popping one half in his mouth, he offered the other to Nori.

"I'm positive their main gates at the north an' south are heavily guarded," he answered, sitting down and taking the offering of food. "But towards the ocean, there aren't as many guards -if any at all. To the west, though, I don't think there's any. We'd have t' get down in the cover o' the trees to make sure of this, but I think we can get in that way."

Fifika tilted her head as she rubbed a bit of grey paste into one of Rán's bruises. "We still not have clothes to blend in," she told him. "How are we to fix that?"

He nodded in understanding. "If we find that wall unguarded," Nori explained as he chewed on the jerky, "then I'll sneak in tonight, under cover of darkness. With any luck, I'll find a couple sets o' clothing and some of the women can enter in with me the next day without looking out of place."

Rán glanced at him, wincing when Fifika continued to dab the paste onto his skin. "Are you positive you can find clothes?"

"I could find a piece o' gold in a room full of silver."

"Then try to find five sets."

"But there are only four women."

"Are five of us," Kreine mused. She was putting the same grey paste around Bofur's left eye.

Dwalin cocked his brow. "No there isn't. There are four. Lovisa, Ashailyn, Kreine, an' Fifika."

Rán raised his brow. "I thought dwarves could tell the females apart from the males?"

Nori snorted. "We can. That's why we know there are only four-" He stopped talking, for Rán was pulling off his tunic. "What are you doing…?"

Rán raised his brow –only, as he pulled off his undershirt, everyone could see that Rán was not a he, but a she. "As I said," she told them, a smug tone to her voice, "I thought that dwarves could tell the difference between sexes?"

The dwarves, Will, and Lovisa stared in shock; the rangers seemed to be more amused than anything. All this time, they had thought Rán to be male and yet…her breasts were clearly saying otherwise. Bofur especially felt rather irked by this, as he had tried to beat her into unconsciousness the previous night.

"You…you mean I was hittin' a woman?!" he gaped, shocked.

"You thought you were fighting a man, so what difference does it make?" She leaned forward, allowing Fifika to get the bruises on her back. "Not to mention, the lot of you are determined to bash in the skulls of the raiders –who are all women," she reminded them. "I wanted to be thought of as a male, just so you know. I see now that such a simple disguise has worked rather well."

Will, who was still staring at her in confusion, was the first to ask. "Why? I mean, if women are allowed t' fight and be rangers in Dorwinion, why would ya want t' be in disguise like this?" He rubbed his hands together; for some reason, they were starting to hurt. It wasn't a very strong pain –just a dull ache at the base of his fingers.

Rán glanced up at him, wincing as Fifika continued to cover her bruises in the strange paste. To her luck, the paste was quickly working to cool the bruises before numbing them. "It has nothing to do with fighting, but with family. Ashailyn and I were our parents' only children. They had no sons, so I, as the elder, was raised as a male. This is a…eh, a habit? Tradition? I am not sure of the word- a habit amongst those of our people without sons."

"An odd custom, that's for sure," Nori mused. He drank some water from his flask. "What good does it do?"

"How do you mean?"

"Well, from what you've said and from what we can see, women are on an equal standing in your lands while in ours, they're only slightly below men –they're usually not allowed t' fight," he continued. "So why the need for sons if everyone is equal with one another?"

"To carry on family name," Fifika replied. "Is always man's name taken at weddings. Woman's name holds no importance, no…eh…no honor unless have been raised as son like Rán." She glanced over at Kreine, who was shutting her jar of paste. Bofur's face was mostly covered by the stuff. "Rán not only female who act and dress like male. Are many others back home. In fact, have cousin who is being raised male. When time comes to be married, either marry other woman or combine names with husband to make new name."

Bifur scratched his beard as he contemplated her words. To him, it made sense; after all, a family would die out eventually if they didn't have very many males to carry on their name. Though, it was still odd to him that Rán had managed to fool them all. Then again, she was a half dwarf and, unlike Lovisa, seemed to bear more of her dwarvish side's appearance. She certainly wasn't a curvy female by any means –next to Lovisa, she could have been a twig which helped her to maintain masculine appearance.

He felt his cheeks growing a bit warm when he noticed that he had been unconsciously staring at Lovisa and he quickly glanced away, glad to see that she hadn't seemed to have noticed.

Nori's thoughts were elsewhere, however. He had allowed his mind to pay half of its attention to the rangers, but the rest of it was attempting to formulate a plan. The raiders that had taken Baylee, Ori, and Tyko had been riding wargs, but where did they keep said wargs? When he had been looking out over the city, he had seen no part of it that seemed fit for the habitation of monstrous wolves. Surely they would have some sort of special area where they would keep them…?

'Are they keeping them in the forest?' he wondered with a frown. Pulling out his pipe –which he always kept with him- he started to chew on the stem. He would have liked to put some tobacco in it and have a true smoke, but it would be folly in this environment. 'Or maybe they do keep them in the city, sort of like horses? Either way, I think I'll bring Lovisa with me when I go into the forest later. She's proven more than a little useful so far…' He glanced over at the woman, watching as she silently ate some breakfast. 'Not to mention, she's quite easy on the eyes with that golden skin and those golden eyes…'

He was suddenly nudged out of his thoughts by Bifur, who was giving him a stern look. "What?" he asked.

"Muzum gimlâ nâlâhinh," Bifur quietly scolded.

"I'm not staring at her," Nori retorted, his voice just as soft. "I'm thinkin' of a plan to get into the city that involves her help."

Bifur gave him a long look. "Uh-huh."

Nori frowned, feeling rather indignant at the moment. "It's the truth. I don't know where those raiders would keep their wargs, so it'd be nice t' have a hunter with me when I go into the forest just in case that's where they keep the beasts." It was only a half lie.

Bifur, however, remained unconvinced. Rolling his eyes and lightly shaking his head, he looked back to the others in the group. He knew Nori wouldn't take advantage of a woman, but he still felt a bit upset over his staring at Lovisa as if she were just another trinket to steal and sell later on. She deserved better than that sort of look; yes, she was extremely attractive, but she had more than proved herself to be a capable huntress who deeply cared for her friends. Nori shouldn't even be thinking about her in such demeaning ways.

"Look, if it's botherin' you that much," Nori suddenly told him, speaking in quiet Khuzdul, "you can come with. I don't entirely trust these rangers to listen to me, since they quite clearly know that I'm not one for followin' the law all of the time." He shoved his pipe back in his mouth, nibbling it again. "Anyway, Bofur an' Dwalin would be utterly useless. They make too much noise. Will, maybe, but he's a big lad and may get spotted."

Bifur nodded slowly. "We would know almost straight away if wargs lived down there," he told him. "They're not the cleanest of eaters and they leave rather big…Well, we would smell where they've been, to say the least. They're not subtle creatures by any means."

"Still, they can be sneaky creatures. Having you and Lovisa around while I try to find the best place to climb in would be helpful."

"Understandable. But know that if I catch you giving her that look again, I'll knock you upside the head without a moment's thought."

"Oh, don't you start acting like Dori now-"

"I'm not acting like Dori. I'm just warning you that if you try any of your shenanigans with Lovisa, you'll have me to answer to –and Will and Baylee, too, no doubt!"

Nori smirked. "You can't blame a dwarrow for wishin', Bifur. I mean, she's quite pleasant on the eyes. Even you must admit that."

"That's enough," he grumbled, cheeks red. He crossed his arms over his chest and sighed, looking away. "When are you heading for the forest?"

"In little under half an hour. I'll need all the daylight I can get to see which way is best for getting in there."

He nodded his understanding. "Alright. You should tell the others your plan so they don't think you're just deserting us."

Nori's brow rose. "My little brother is more than likely getting tortured inside those walls. I am not abandoning this quest."

Ori was, in fact, being tortured, but not in the way that Nori had envisioned. Instead of being flogged or prodded with red-hot irons, he was sitting on a bench with Damayanti sprawled over his lap while she ran her fingers through his hair and stroked his hairless chin. Sometimes, she would even leave playful kisses on his forehead, temples, and shoulders. It took all his willpower to keep from shuddering in disgust.

It wasn't yet noon, though the sun was already high in the sky and the air warm. Across from them sat Vlasta, Baylee, and Jacek while Motke and Dag lay in the grass, their hands behind their heads. Vlasta and Damayanti were conversing about this and that, though what those topics were, Baylee and Ori would more than likely never know, since they did not understand their language. Ori shifted slightly, doing his best to not grimace as the queen ran her hand down his spine. He knew that she was trying to elicit a 'pleased' reaction out of him; Dwalin would do the exact same caress, only with more pressure and some nail dragging. Damayanti could never match that feeling.

Damayanti seemed to notice the lack of response from him and sighed, playfully resting her chin against the top of his head and cradling him against her breasts. "Vlasta, are you positive you want to keep this one as servant?" she mischievously inquired, speaking in Westron. She glanced over at the raider. "I'm sure you can do with one less slave in your household, no?"

"Decision has been made, my queen," Vlasta replied, her tone bearing none of the playfulness or humor that Damayanti's had. She took a long drink from her cup of mint tea. "In fact, I have need for Ori to go to market today with Baylee and Motke."

"Is that so?" The queen's brow rose and she chuckled, sliding off of Ori's lap –much to his relief. "I hope it is to get this one some more jewelry," she told Vlasta as she walked behind Baylee. The younger woman stiffened slightly when Damayanti rested her chin on her shoulder. "She has such pretty facial features for one so young," she mused, trailing a finger down Baylee's jaw. Giving Vlasta a small look, she grinned. "Robe in silk and she will feel like a queen. Give her enough jewelry and she can look like one. Remember that, Vlasta." Tilting Baylee's head back, she smiled in an almost motherly fashion. "Would you like that? To feel and look like queen?"

Baylee felt her cheeks grow hot as she gulped. "I-I don't think I could ever look like a queen, my lady," she murmured.

Damayanti merely chuckled. "Ah, this one is too modest, isn't she?"

"That she is," Vlasta agreed, a bit of a smile coming to her lips. "But can still feel like queen, eh?"

At that, Baylee remained quiet, merely sipping her tea. She had a reply, but out of fear of bringing about Damayanti's wrath, she kept her mouth shut. To her dismay, both women took notice of this and grew curious.

"Do you not believe you can feel like queen?" Damayanti asked, returning to her seat on Ori.

She looked into her tea, cheeks fiery red by this point. She mumbled something, though the others couldn't hear it.

"What was that?" She plucked up Ori's hand, starting to fiddle with his fingers. She grew curious when she found that they lacked the hard, rough callouses that many dwarves had. In fact, his skin was positively silken. She wondered how they would feel running down her sides and back.

Swallowing hard, Baylee spoke a bit louder. "I said I could," she repeated, "but not because of silks or jewelry."

"Then how would you make self feel like queen, hm?" Damayanti leaned over, toying with Ori's hair again. She combed her fingers through it and started to leave little braids here and there.

Baylee bit her tongue, shifting uncomfortably. "I was always told that when I fight the right man t' love, he'd make me feel like a queen. Not with fancy gifts, but with his affection." She shrank back when Damayanti threw a sharp glare at her; Vlasta, however, cringed. The men, too, winced and gave her pitying looks.

Damayanti pulled back from Ori and crossed her legs, her brow rising once more. "Bah. And who told you that? A man, no doubt. Such a silly thing to say, no? Only a man can make a woman feel like a queen…"

Ori swallowed hard as he watched Baylee's brows furrow. "It was my mother who told me tha'," she boldly stated. "An' I believe her because my father made her feel like the queen o' Lake Town every day that they were together." She met the queen's gaze, her back unconsciously straightening, though it did little to make her seem intimidating.

For a long moment, the queen was silent. Then, she motioned at Baylee and commented on something about her to Vlasta, a sweet smile on her lips. Past the smile, though, Baylee could see the ire in her eyes. Vlasta muttered something, looking away from the group with a mixture of annoyance and regret on her face. A large smirk came to the queen's lips.

And that's when Baylee knew she was in trouble.

Damayanti called out and just a few minutes later, one of her personal guards came into the courtyard. Vlasta started to quickly argue with the queen, but was silenced when the queen rose to her feet and pointed a threatening finger at her. She pointed at Baylee and the guard –a woman whose appearance resembled that of an ox- grabbed Baylee's wrists.

"Wh-what're ya doing?" Baylee yelped, struggling. She was no match for the guard, who all-too-easily pinned her wrists down to the table. "Let go o' me!"

A whistle came from Vlasta's mouth and she pointed at Jacek. He jumped to his feet and ran off as Ori darted forward, trying to pry the guard off of Baylee. With a quick jab of her elbow, the guard sent him sprawling onto the ground with a bloodied nose. He looked up in time to see Damayanti drawing a short knife from the guard's belt; he tried to lunge forward again, but Motke held him back.

Baylee felt tears of fear rolling down her cheeks as she watched the knife get drawn. Vlasta moved behind her, trying to coax something –was it a belt? Or was it cloth?- into her mouth as she started to shake. Getting whatever it was into Baylee's mouth, Vlasta wrapped her arms around her shoulders, pinning her against the larger woman's chest. Damayanti reached down, forcing Baylee to uncurl her fingers, leaving her hands splayed out on the table.

'She's going to cut off my hands!' she thought, terrified. 'Oh Valar, help me…' Her eyes glanced over to Ori, who was trying to struggle against both Motke and Dag by now.

"Don't worry," Damayanti cooed in a sickly sweet voice, gently stroking her cheek. "This will only hurt for a few days."

Baylee screamed, but the sound was muted by whatever was in her mouth. The gods were not entirely on her side that day, but it was not her hands that were removed, but her right ring finger. A minute later, she screamed again as the queen stabbed the knife through her left ring finger as well. Her whole body shook as she watched the blood squirt out of the wounds, creating a small pool of blood on the table –and yet, it had only hurt when the knife first severed the digits. It was odd how she had felt nothing afterwards.

Fingers brushed against her damp cheeks and she looked up to find the queen standing near her, a tender look on her features but a sick pleasure in her eyes. "Don't worry, little one," she cooed, "you can still look a queen even with a concubine's brand." She quietly laughed before walking off, her guard following behind her.

Ori yanked free of the two men and rushed to his friend, pulling her into his arms; he didn't care that she was bleeding on him. Vlasta shouted towards the house as she knelt down, pulling the belt from Baylee's mouth and brushing her braids from her face. She shouted towards the house again, her voice sounding urgent.

"Why? Why did she do this?" Ori demanded, gently rocking Baylee.

"Because she is concubine," Vlasta grumbled. "Was not going to have branded, but…" She shook her head and stroked Baylee's back. "Told you to not talk back to queen…She is strict, cruel woman…"

Baylee glanced up at her, her skin pale. Behind Vlasta, she could see Jacek running towards them with Hezra in tow. The two of them hurried to Baylee's side and, with extra care, started to tend to her hands. At last, the pain was starting to fill her hands and mind, but she was determined to not let out another scream. Instead, she clenched her eyes shut and breathed deeply through her nose, all the while clenching her teeth.

Ori rubbed her arms as he watched Hezra pull some leaves from a bowl of water and use them to clean the blood from her hand and to clean the wounds. She then opened a small jar and, dabbing one of leaves into the liquid, placed it over the wound on Baylee's right hand. The other hand received the same treatment, earning small hisses of pain from the young woman.

"It'll be alright, Baylee," Ori murmured. "The pain will go away soon…"

She knew better. "I'm just glad it wasn't you," she mumbled. Opening her eyes, she watched as Hezra started to wrap her hands with bandages. Damayanti had severed the digits close to her palm, leaving barely a stump to be seen. "We could sew them back on…"

Vlasta shook her head. "No. Would get worse punishment for trying to fix branding. Keep these as is for now, eh?" She sighed, muttering something in her own tongue before rubbing her forehead. Setting her hand on Motke's shoulder, she quietly spoke in his ear before letting him stand up and leave. "Am sorry this had to happen," she told Baylee. "Wasn't going to have you branded, but…" She shook her head again.

Baylee said nothing as she rested her head against Ori's chest again, but silently, she wished that some sort of harm would befall Damayanti. Never before had she wished harm upon a person, but that woman….that woman had managed to stir up a sort of anger inside of her that she had never felt before. She hated the feeling and wanted it to go away, but knew that it wouldn't –it almost made her want to throw up.

"Will stay home from market," Vlasta sighed. "Ori and Motke can go on own."

She shook her head. "I'm fine; I can go. I just need a lil' bit o' rest."

"You just had two fingers cut off!" Dag argued. "You need to stay here."

"I said I'm fine!" she suddenly snapped. "I've lost more blood than this from a kitchen accident an' still worked the rest o' the day." She sighed. "Anyhow, the pain's goin' away thanks to these leaves. Just…Just give me an hour an' I'll be good as new, alright?" She managed to encouragingly smile at them. "An' sorry I snapped…I don't like it when people fret over me."

Ori didn't entirely believe her, but knew it would be better to not question it. Looking down at himself, he could see blood smeared across his chest. It had also gotten on Baylee's face and hair. "We'll need baths," he sighed, brushing some of the braids out of her face. "There's blood all over us."

She cringed. "I'm sorry…"

"More my fault than yours," he mused. "After all, I did kind of pull a Dori an' clutched you to me like you were a babe."

"Motke's readyin' you two a bath," Dag told them. "An' Jacek's gone off to find you some clothes."

Vlasta suddenly rose to her feet. "I need to go into town for bit," she told them. "Dag, are in charge, eh? Don't let anyone else in."

Dag nodded and bowed his head. "Yes, my lady."

Baylee watched the woman's retreating back; her head was hung forward and her shoulders slumped. That was not the look of a confident woman, but instead a defeated dog. 'She can't be that upset over this,' she thought. 'What's wrong with her…?'

The forest seemed to be entirely devoid of life.

Lovisa couldn't tell if it was because they were so close to the city walls or if it was because the city had hunted every last creature for food. What she did know, however, was that the area they were currently in seemed to be the garbage dump. Bones, rotten food, ruined cloth, broken furniture, and all sorts of other things of disgusting origins covered the ground, forcing them to carefully pick their way along.

She could also tell that no wargs were in the forest. If there had been, they would have been gorging themselves with the plentiful food supply.

Nori, though, wasn't paying any attention to what was on the ground, but what was above it. He squinted, peering up through the tree limbs as he tried to find a good tree to climb. Many of the trees they passed by were either too short or too far away from the wall to meet his needs. Those that were suited for such didn't have any branches that were low enough for him to jump up and grab, even with a bit of a boost.

At last, after nearly half an hour of walking, he managed to find a tree that was both tall and close to the wall; he would need a bit of a lift to get into it, but that would be no troubleh. Motioning for Bifur to come forward, he grabbed onto a branch as he was hoisted up. He signed his thanks to the other dwarf before climbing up further into the tree, trying to keep as quiet as possible –a hard task when one was a dwarf. Luckily, though, Nori had long ago learned the art of stealth, giving him an advantage that only the rangers could match.

He had climbed nearly halfway up the tree when he stopped. Perching himself on a thick, sturdy branch, he cautiously moved a few smaller branches out of the way so that he could see down onto the wall. His brow rose, finding it all but empty.

'Do they trust that much in their secrecy?' he thought, craning his neck as he looked down each side of the battlements. 'Then again, it is a hidden city. Why worry about attacks coming from a mountain-encircled valley…?' He crawled forward a bit and did his best to look down past the wall, though he couldn't see much. 'I can get in from here…best let Bifur and Lovisa know, though.'

Scrambling his way back down, he remained on the lowest branch. "I've found a way in," he told the two of them, "so I'm going t' risk a small look around. It doesn't look like many people live in this part of the city anyway."

Lovisa frowned slightly. 'Positive will be safe?' she signed.

He thought for a moment; if he wanted safety, he would have stayed home. "Aye, it's safe," he lied to her. "Just in case, though, mark this tree an' if I'm not back in an hour's time, head back."

Bifur cocked his brow. 'Not know thief signs,' he signed. He wasn't going to risk his deep, loud voice in such a precarious situation.

"Just carve an 'N' into it. We'll know then."

The two of them nodded before watching Nori disappear into the tree again. Sighing, Bifur prodded at a cow carcass with the sharp end of his spear. It was fairly clean with only a few scraps of rotted flesh left clinging to the yellowed and browned bones. His nose scrunched up at the smell, but he had to admit that they were in the less smelly part of the garbage heap. Beside him, Lovisa was drawing out a knife and using it to carve into the tree's bark, though it was no letter she was carving into it.

'What doing?' he signed, his head tilted curiously.

She glanced over at him before stabbing the blade into the tree. 'Make look like bear marked tree,' she replied. 'Less noticeable than letter. More in-place.'

He nodded, watching as she continued to scratch at the bark. 'Said were nurse to Baylee, Will. Have known all life then?'

'Yes.' She smiled tiredly, though he couldn't see it. She had covered the lower half of her face with a scarf to help dampen the stench. 'Father was Warren's teacher. Knew Warren since came to Lake Town. He is good friend.'

Bifur cocked his head and leaned against the tree across from her. 'Warren not from Lake Town?'

Lovisa shook her head and leaned against the tree, cleaning her dagger of bark bits. 'No. Came over Misty Mountains. Wife came from Rohan, but that years later. He not age much since then. Wonder why?' A hoarse chuckle came from under the scarf. 'Love children, so became nurse when Baylee, Will born. Let Warren, Éolynna run inn without worry.' She tucked her bangs behind her ear. 'What your story?'

He shrugged. 'Not exciting,' he signed while chuckling. 'Born, raised in Ered Luin. Helped keep eye on Bofur, Bombur until got big. Learned to hunt.' He tapped the axe in his head. 'Got when orcs ambushed hunting camp.'

'Does it hurt?'

'Not much anymore. Headaches sometimes. Not notice most of time. Does hurt when little cousins try climbing on it…'

Another hoarse giggle came from Lovisa. 'Which one have little ones?'

'Bombur. Has eight!'

Her eyes widened. 'That a lot for dwarrow!'

He grinned and laughed. 'Aye. Three girls, five boys. Youngest born just two months.'

'Three girls! Boost to population!' She chuckled and shook her head. 'Sound like have exciting family.'

He shrugged, blushing slightly. 'Is good family. Kind, loving. What your family like?'

A bit of sadness came to her features, but her smile remained. 'Warren, Will, Baylee all I have.' She glanced at the wall and sighed. 'Would like to have husband, children. Not sure young enough anymore. So am going to fight to death to see Baylee, Ori home.'

A reassuring smile came to Bifur's lips and he leaned forward, patting her on the shoulder. 'They will get home, safe, sound. We make sure of it.'

Meanwhile, Nori was sneaking his way through an alleyway. He took great care to keep to the shadows and, with every step, he held onto any bit of his gear that could have possibly made a noise. At the end of the alley, he could see a small crowd of people walking about. His brow rose; were those men being led on leashes…? He shuddered.

Daring himself to go just a tad bit closer, he ducked behind some water barrels. For once in his life, he was thankful that his hair was not in its decorative star-points - that would have risked him getting caught. Poking his head out from behind one of the barrels, he watched as dozens of men and women –mostly women- strolled along the street.

'Seems to be their marketplace,' he thought. 'The women here are definitely in control…but, for a place housing raiders, they sure seem to have a…a normal society. I don't even see a single warg yet.' His eyes caught many glints of silver and gold in the mid-afternoon light, but he resisted all temptation to dart forward and begin pickpocketing. 'But why the leashes? Are the men their pets or something?'

As he scanned the area with his eyes, he spotted a sight that brought both relief and dismay to him: Across the market were Baylee and Ori; they were following behind a wide, muscular man and all three of them wore bejeweled collars. Ori looked unhurt, save for a large scab over his shoulder, but he could see bloodied bandages on Baylee's hand.

'Bofur and Will are not going to like that,' he thought, squinting. He couldn't tell what sort of wounds she had sustained due to her arms being crossed, but he knew she had lost some blood thanks to her paler-than-normal skin. 'But Ori looks fine. Ori looks healthy and good…' A sigh of relief left his mouth and he found himself smiling. 'Thank you, Mahal, for keeping him safe.'

He would never admit it, but he would give up all the gold in the world to make sure his little brother –or even Dori, for that matter- were safe.

'I don't see a third Dale-dweller, though,' he suddenly frowned. 'Did they kill Tyko?' He scrunched his nose up at the thought. 'If I could get close enough to them, I could risk asking them where he is, but there are three dozen people between me and them.'

Narrowing his eyes, he watched as the three of them disappeared beyond the corner. Gripping the edges of the barrel, he started to slowly move it across the alley, hoping that no one was paying him any attention. Lifting himself up against, he spotted them once more. The man was pulling up various pieces of jewelry and showing them to Baylee; it seemed that he was trying to get her to wear some, but she shook her head, disinterested in the charms.

'I'd be leaping at the opportunity,' he thought. A slight grin came to his lips as he watched Ori pluck up a few armbands, his eyes filling with want. 'Ah, little brother, you can't escape the longing for gold…'

The man nodded at Ori and motioned for him to put them on as he gently forced a silver armband around Baylee's bicep. She raised her hand so that she could better adjust it and Nori found himself cringing, now able to see what wound she had received.

'Why in Middle Earth would they cut off her ring fingers!?'

Shaking his head, he crawled away from the barrels, heading back the way he had come. He wanted to stay longer and tail the two of them, but knew it would be too dangerous. He had seen all that he had needed to, anyway. It didn't take him long to make it back to the wall and he found his luck continuing to hold –yet again, no one was around. Darting up the nearest flight of steps, he kept himself crouched low to the ground in case someone was to come by. About fifty paces later found him crawling onto a branch and into the safety of the trees.

"Well, I found Baylee and Ori," he grunted, jumping down from the lowest branch and startling Bifur and Lovisa. Standing up, he found them both pointing their weapons at him and he cocked his brow. "No idea where the third lad is, though." He couldn't care less that the two of them looked ready to stick him through; it was actually a bit reassuring that they hadn't fallen asleep or something of the sort.

Lovisa tucked her arrow back into her quiver. 'How are they? Are hurt?' she worriedly signed.

He shook his head. "Let's get out o' here before I tell anyone anythin', alright?"

Bifur and Lovisa glanced at each other; they didn't like the sound of that.

Half an hour later found them clear of the forest and its stench. Lovisa gladly breathed in the fresh air as she fanned her face; she had grown quite warm with the scarf covering her face. What did not help her to feel any cooler were her many layers of clothing. She knew the others from the north were suffering just as much –even Dwalin, who wore the least layers of everyone, was sweating quite profusely. Rán and her rangers, however, seemed to be handling the heat just fine.

"Well? Did yeh get in the city?" Dwalin asked as they sat down.

"Aye, an' I caught sight of Baylee and Ori. No sign of Tyko, though."

Will, Bofur, and Dwalin lurched forward, their eyes wide. Behind them, Nori caught sight of Rán; her eyes had widened as well, though she kept herself reserved. "What of them?" she asked.

"For the most part, they seem to be fine. Ori has a scabbed over wound on his shoulder." He thanked Girish as he handed the dwarf a flask of water.

"What about Baylee?" Will demanded. He swallowed hard, noticing that Nori wasn't meeting his gaze.

Sighing, Nori wiped his mouth and corked the flask again. "She had bandages on her hands…from what I could see, they cut off her ring fingers."

Bofur and Will burst into a fit of loud swearing, only calming down when Lovisa threw them a scolding look. Rán shook her head, rubbing her forehead.

"Then they do come from over the mountains," she murmured.

"What d'ya mean?" Bofur demanded.

Rán glared at him before looking at Will instead; she gave him a kinder look. "In the east –where they prefer to worship the Evil Ones rather than the Valar- they had a…a custom, did you call it? of cutting off the third fingers of their slaves. It reminds them that they are nothing more than belongings and are not even allowed to marry."

"My sister is not someone's property!" Will snarled, his fists clenching. "She is a free woman o' Dale. She belongs to no one!" The group knew he was not speaking to them, but his rage made even Dwalin scoot away from him.

Nori rubbed the back of his neck, sighing. "When we go back tonight," he quietly began, "I'll bring more o' you in. There were no guards at all around the wall. I think we can risk maybe four of us." He glanced at his companions from Dale. "You'll understand if I want t' only bring in the rangers, aye? They're the quietest and the stealthiest." His eyes darted back to Rán. "This is where you come into play, Rán. No doubt, you'll come with, so who are your two best?"

Rán thought for a moment, tapping her chin in thought. "Seth and Kreine are the quietest," she told him. "If I were to go with you, then who would be in charge of the others?"

Nori nodded at Dwalin. "He's the most seasoned warrior out o' all of us. If anything were to happen, he would know what to do."

Dwalin glanced over at Nori as he used one of his knives to clean the dirt from under his nails. "Aye, I would. An' I'd at least keep my head cool when the rest o' the group is rearin' t' slice open some bodies." He looked back down at his nails. "Think yeh should take Will or Bofur with yeh, though."

"Why do you think that?" Rán inquired.

"Familiar faces. If it were one o' yeh rangers who found Baylee an' Ori again, they may not remember yeh and think yer tryin' t' kidnap them all over again. But if yeh had someone familiar with yeh, like Will or Bofur, they'd be more relaxed."

Bofur shook his head. "Neither Will or me are the sneaky sort," he told him.

"Not to mention, I'm just too big," Will added. "I already tower above all o' you." It was true; he was at least a head taller than Hunil, who was the tallest ranger.

"Then we will take Bofur," Rán mused. She ignored the confused looks from the group. "Master Dwalin is right –if we were to find them, they would be calmer if someone else they knew were to be with us. Not that we will be traveling in a group, of course. Some of us will need to scout out the area for Tyko and for disguises." She looked at Bofur, who was staring at her in shock. "He is not properly dressed for sneaking around, but Nakara and Ashailyn can help with that." She smirked.

Nori nodded, ignoring the somewhat terrified look on Bofur's face. "Then when it nears sundown, we'll get ready. It's not a long walk to where I crossed over the wall."

Ori had never seen a more beautiful sunset. There were so many different shades of red, yellow, pink, and orange filling the sky that he was finding it hard to not stare at the mountains like an idiot. He was utterly amazed by how the colors blended together so seamlessly with one another and how they eventually faded into the eastern sky's lavenders, violets, and indigos. Because of this beautiful distraction, his dinner quickly grew cold. Jacek nudged him, once more bringing his attention back to the real world.

"Are alright?" he asked, looking at the dwarf with concern. Vlasta had yet to return, leaving the concubines to dine out in the garden for the night. Dag had given Ori the order to eat with them so that Baylee wouldn't feel so alienated. "Keep staring at mountains…"

"Er…" His cheeks blazed red with embarrassment. "It's just a really pretty sight is all," he told him.

Motke and Baylee turned around in their seats so that they could look up at the sky. Dag chuckled, nodding his agreement. "The sunrises are better," he told him. He nodded out towards the ocean, which was visible over the low, stone wall of the garden. "Rises right out o' the water there, like magic."

Ori quietly sighed, plopping his chin on his fist. "Wish I had my painting supplies with me," he murmured, poking at his food. "Not that I could do such a sight any justice. I'm not too good with colors just yet."

Baylee piled some more meat onto his plate. "You did a gorgeous job on the sign for Bofur an' Bifur," she told him. "Now eat. Ya didn't get a lunch, so ya need t' make up for that."

He copied her action, though he gave her more of the strange vegetables. "You lost a lot o' blood today and didn't get a lunch either, so you need to make up for that as well."

Jacek laughed at their exchange and shook his head. "Act like little married couple," he grinned, patting Ori on the head. "Is good to see, though. Is hard to make such friendships." Lifting his veil, he took a long drink from a silver goblet.

"Why do ya have t' wear those veils?" Baylee asked, filling her fork with a mixture of rice and vegetables. She popped it into her mouth, chewing slowly. It was good food, she had to admit, but the flavors were still strange to her.

"It's the rules," Dag answered. Grabbing a bottle, he uncorked it and refilled Jacek's goblet. Peeking into the other goblets, he topped off whatever ones needed it. "The women fear we may seduce them with our handsomeness, so we need t' keep our nose an' jaws covered. Drink some o' your wine."

She shook her head as she chewed her food. "I need t' eat more before I have any sort o' alcohol. Also, that's silly. Most women aren't lured in by pretty faces…"

"Agree, but not want noses chopped off." Motke chuckled, serving himself some more rice. "So, are lightweight drinker then?" She blushed and nodded. "Don't worry –Dag is, too. Can hardly have two goblets before is wobbling about like child." He popped a bit of lamb into his mouth before drinking some of the wine. "So, how are liking jewelry? Used to weight yet?"

Baylee glanced at all the gold and silver that covered her upper arms and wrists. "Not entirely," she admitted. What felt heaviest were her ears; the people of this city did not wear simple earrings. Instead, they wore large, dangling earrings that had ornately decorated hoops and chains on them. "I still don't like any o' it."

"Will get used to it," Motke assured her. "No doubt Vlasta will want to get more for you as apology for fingers."

A quiet sigh left her mouth as she looked down at her hands. The anger she had felt towards the queen started to return as she stared at the bloodied bandages; by now, there was only a dull throb. "Why did Damayanti even cut them off?" she demanded, going back to eating her food. She didn't want to get upset –not over dinner. "There was talk about some sort o' branding, I know, but what's the point of it?"

"It prevents us from gettin' married and acts as a constant reminder that we're not people –just toys," Dag told her. He and the other concubines held up their hands, showing that they, too, were missing their ring fingers. "At least, they'd like t' think it keeps us from gettin' married. Marriage isn't about wearin' silly rings." He cut a piece of meat before eating it.

"Marriage about love," Jacek sighed, resting his chin in his palm, "and family and being together…" He closed his eyes for a moment, the fingers of his free hand resting on the stem of his goblet. Ori frowned, able to see the sorrow on his mostly-hidden features.

"You were married," he unconsciously murmured.

Jacek nodded. "Was taken from home nearly six years ago, when raiders still lived in foot of Eastern Mountains." A sad smile came to his lips. "Have been treated well, though. You two," he pointed at Baylee and Ori, "will be treated well. Like us. Vlasta is kind, unlike Damayanti."

"So long as Damayanti stays away from here, I'll believe that," Baylee muttered. She unconsciously stabbed her fork into her lamb, quietly growling.

The three male concubines exchange knowing looks. Unlike the newcomers, they knew that Damayanti frequently visited Vlasta –and, now that she had expressed an immense infatuation with Ori, those visits would more than likely increase. Instead of saying anything, though, they continued to eat their meal.

Later that night, when the moon was high in the sky, Baylee was tossing and turning in her bed. There was a strange sense of impatience filling her, though she didn't know why; there was nothing for her to be excited over. It didn't help that the ache in her hands had grown stronger after dinner, when her bandages had been changed. Holding her hands up, she swallowed hard.

'I suppose I'll find out just how much I use those fingers in the coming days,' she told herself as she rubbed her face.

Rolling over yet again, she looked out of the window towards the stars. They were different here, but just as beautiful as they had been back home. A longing smile came to her lips and she pushed herself upright. Slipping out of her bed, she left her room, being as quiet as she could. As she came to the bottom of a flight of stairs, she could see a warm glow coming from the kitchen and could hear hushed voices behind the door.

'Sounds like Vlasta finally made it home,' she thought, tiptoeing past. Coming to the end of the hall, she slowly turned the door handle, holding her breath as she waited to see if it would squeak. She released the breath only when the door opened soundlessly, allowing her to step outside into the night.

Closing the door behind her, she made her way across the garden towards the low wall. With a small hop, she was sitting atop the stones and looking out towards the ocean. She tucked a braid behind her ear before pulling her knees to her chest, resting her chin atop them. Part of her wanted to risk slipping over the wall and past the few houses that lay in between Vlasta's home and the beach so that could run and play in the surf, but her more sensible side kept her grounded.

'What if Vlasta were to come looking for you, hmm?' she scolded herself. 'If she didn't find you in your bed or out here, she would surely get angry. And then you may lose more than just fingers, no matter what Dag and Motke say…'

"Couldn't sleep?"

Baylee was just barely able to keep herself from yelping as she looked over her shoulder. Ori was walking towards her, tiredly rubbing his eyes. "What are ya doin' up?" she quietly asked him.

"Got up t' use the privy," he told her, "and to check on you. When I saw that you weren't in bed, I could only assume you were down here." He leaned against the wall. "Was it your hands?"

She shook her head. "No…Well, sort o', but I just have a weird feelin' in my stomach."

"Is dinner not agreein' with you? Because it didn't quite agree much with me. I think it was the vegetables; there was something about them that just didn't settle well."

A quiet laugh left her mouth. "No, I don't think that's it. I just feel…excited? Nervous? Sort o' a mix between the two, I guess. I don't know why. So I thought some air would help calm me down a bit." Her chin rested atop her knees again.

"Could be the wine. You did have a full two goblets of it, after all," he gently teased. He grinned as she lightly shoved him.

"It wasn't the wine," she chuckled. "If anything, it's just left over nerves from…" She winced and held up her hand.

He sighed, tilting his head back. "I wish we could have sewn them back on…It's not like we're goin' to stay here forever like the others. We know our friends will come for us." He covered his mouth as he yawned.

She glanced down at him. "Aye. They'd tear the mountains down t' find us," she murmured, tracing the grooves between the rocks, feeling weather-worn grout between them. A small smile came to her lips. "An' if not that, then they'd dig right through it."

Ori smiled, though he didn't look up at her. "I'm sure they would," he told her. He gently nudged her. "Bofur would do most o' the digging, don't you think? Using that mattock of his."

Baylee blushed and giggled. "An' Dwalin would be hewing through it with his axes, no doubt."

"Ah, but you'd be more focused on Bofur." Teasingly winking at her, he glanced away and crossed his arms over his chest. Despite his words -and Ori would never admit it to Baylee- he was beginning to lose hope. He knew their friends were determined enough and would fight to the death for them, but dwarves were all but useless when it came to navigating strange forests –and this forest had been hard enough for the raiders to maneuver through. 'And that's not even bringing in the fact that this is an entire city, not just a simple raiding camp,' he thought. 'They wouldn't be able to get through…'

Sliding off the wall, Baylee gave Ori a tight hug. "You should get back t' bed," she told him, her voice muffled by his hair. "You're exhausted."

Returning the hug, he sighed. "You should get back there, too. I don't even know how you're still able t' walk after all that's happened lately."

She gave him a small smile. "I'll be fine. I've survived worse situations before. Now go –I'll head inside in a few minutes."

"You had better, or else I'm comin' back out here an' carrying you in," he mildly threatened. Smiling as she laughed, he patted her arm and started to walk off.

Watching him leave the garden, Baylee slid down the wall, her eyes closing as her rump hit the ground. 'I really should sleep,' she thought, 'but this feeling in my stomach just won't go away.' Rubbing her stomach, she scrunched her nose up; the rubbing did little to help and only reminded her of the ugly scars on her skin. 'This outfit seems to glorify the fact I've got battle scars…'

Out of nowhere, she heard a loud grunt and then something falling into the bushes near her. Eyes snapping open, she pressed herself against the wall, hoping that the shadow it cast was enough to keep her hidden from whatever had come into the garden.

'Oh Valar don't let it be a warg,' she thought, biting down on her tongue.

Across from her, the bushes continued to rustle and she pressed herself further against the wall as she tried to curl up into an unnoticeable ball. She wished she had her spear, though it would probably do her little good. Swallowing hard, her eyes widened as whatever it was came crawling out of the bushes.

It was not a warg.

It was a dwarf.

At the moment, she couldn't tell if she knew this dwarf or not –there were no instantly recognizable features about him. That is, until he spoke.

"You could have been more gentle about tha'!" he hissed into the bushes.

Her eyes shot open. "B-Bofur…?"

He stiffened before slowly turning around. In the moonlight, she could see that it was, indeed, Bofur, only without his signature pigtails and hat. He was clad in dark colors, letting him blend into the night. Swallowing hard, Baylee darted forward and threw her arms around his neck.

"Oh bless me, it is you!" she shakily whispered, ignoring the pain in her hands as she clutched onto him.

Bofur was more than a little shocked; he and Rán were both just about ready to give up hope when they had come across this house. As she clung onto him, he wrapped his arms around her in a protective hug, one of his hands cupping the back of her head.

"Oh thank Mahal we finally found you," he quietly uttered. "Thank Mahal…"

"I've missed ya so much," she murmured, tears starting to sting her eyes. "All o' ya. Ori an' I keep hopin' you'll come burstin' in an' save us but then…" She shook her head, sniffling.

"Shh…there, there. I'm here, lass. I'm here." He comfortingly stroked her hair. "I've missed ya, too," he quietly told her. "We've missed ya both."

She shut her eyes, smiling. For the first time in who-knows-how-long, she felt safe. "Are ya goin' t' get us out o' here?"

"Soon. Soon, I promise. We can't just yet, though. We still need t' find Tyko an' make a real plan."

She nodded and swallowed hard, trying to calm herself. "I understand," she murmured. Pulling back slightly, she set her hand on his cheek, looking him over. Despite the relief on his features, he looked utterly exhausted. "How many o' you are there?" she asked, her thumb gently stroking his bruised skin. 'How did he get all those bruises?' she thought.

"Fifteen o' us, but five o' us are in the city," he answered, unconsciously leaning into her touch. After a moment, though, he took her hands in his, swallowing hard as he saw the missing fingers. "Nori said ya got fingers cut off, but I didn't believe him…" His thumbs stroked her palms, being as gentle as he could.

She frowned, confused. "How did he know…?"

"He snuck into the city earlier an' saw you an' Ori." Cupping her hands in his, he let out a heavy sigh and glanced away, seemingly ashamed. "I'm sorry we didn't get here earlier. We could o' stopped this."

Baylee lightly shook her head, slipping her hands out from his only to cover his hands with her own. "Don't think it's your fault this happened," she told him. "I couldn't keep my mouth shut. I…I upset someone. It's not your fault." She wrapped her arms around him again.

As he hugged her a second time, Bofur rested his hands on her back only to find it almost entirely bare. His cheeks turning deep red, he swallowed hard and pulled back, looking her over. "What sort o' clothes are these supposed t' be!? You're barely wearin' anythin'!"

Her cheeks also flushed red. "I know…Poor Ori's in less –he's just got a skirt, but from what he said, it's almost like normal summer clothin' for dwarves?" She shook her head. "Apparently, this is rather coverin' for what I'm supposed t' be…"

He frowned. "An' just what is that supposed t' be?"

She bit her tongue, looking away. "A…A concubine." She felt Bofur stiffen and winced.

Shaking his head, he set his hand on her cheek; normally, he would have found himself amused by how his palm seemed to cover her entire cheek, but now he was just upset. "We'll get ya two out o' here soon enough, lass," he told her. "I promise."

Setting her hand over his, she managed a small smile. "I know ya will."

Bofur badly wanted to kiss her, but he knew better. 'She's too scared and hurt for me to do that right now,' he thought. 'When this is all over…maybe while we're heading back to Dale. Give her some time to recover-'

"Bofur, what is taking you –oh…"

Baylee looked up and Bofur turned around as Rán came out of the bushes. She stared at the two in wonder before managing a relieved smile. "Lady Baylee," she finally spoke. "I was not expecting you here…" Part of her wanted to leap forward and yank Bofur away from her, but the rest of her was just glad to see Baylee alive and well.

Baylee smiled in return, glancing down at Bofur. "You didn't tell me Rán an' his men were here."

He shifted slightly, glancing over his shoulder at the ranger. "Well, it's why there are fourteen o' us," he murmured. "An'…it's a bit o' a long story, but Rán is actually a woman."

Her head cocked to the side as she looked at the ranger. "But…beard…" she mumbled, stroking her chin for unconscious emphasis. "Well, stubble, but still. Beard…"

"I am a half dwarf, remember," Rán snickered. To her, Baylee's reaction was somewhat adorable. "But that is not important right now." She walked over to Baylee and set her hand on the woman's shoulder. "Do you think that you and Ori could hold out for a few more days?"

"Aye, so long as the queen stays away."

"They have a queen?" Bofur asked, brows furrowing.

She nodded. "She was the one who cut off my fingers," she sighed. "She keeps touchin' an' flirtin' Ori even though it's obvious he's uncomfortable with it, but she just finds it humorous an' keeps doin' it." She swallowed hard and bit her tongue. "I just want t' shove her away from him…Even punch her. She makes me feel so angry…I've never hated someone so much before I met her."

Rán frowned and reached behind her, fumbling with her belt. "That is discomforting information," she admitted. "Has the same happened to you?"

"No. Everyone seems t' flirt with Ori more 'n me."

"Good!" Bofur suddenly said. "Er, I mean, well…It's good they're not tryin' the same stuff with you…With your hands hurt like tha', you're not able t' defend yourself too well."

"At least now, she will have this." Rán held out a sheathed dagger to Baylee. "Keep this on you at all times, Lady Baylee. I hope you will not be forced into using it, but if the need arises…" Carefully, she placed it in Baylee's hand. "We need to depart now," she murmured, unconsciously letting her hands linger on Baylee's. "The others are expecting us back at the wall."

Baylee nodded slowly, her fingers curling around the sheath. "Be safe," she told them.

"We will," Rán assured her, smiling. She risked giving the woman a hug before stepping back, allowing Bofur to also hug her. Jealousy filled her mind when she saw that his hug lingered. 'Ignore it,' she told herself. 'Now isn't the time to get in another fight.'

"We'll be back soon," Bofur murmured, giving Baylee an extra squeeze. Rising on his tiptoes, he dared to kiss her forehead. "Stay safe." Before she could reply, he and Rán darted over the wall and hurried off.

Baylee swallowed hard, finding herself more than a little tempted to race after them, but she knew better. It would be too dangerous…and who would be here to protect Ori? Not that she was doing a very good job of it; Damayanti had been all over him. Next time, she could perhaps manage to be a bit more courageous around the queen.

Looking down at the dagger, she bit her tongue. Where was she supposed to hide this? Her clothing didn't provide nearly enough cover to hide it…

"Baylee?"

She quickly shoved the knife down the back of her trousers and turned around, seeing Vlasta walking towards her. "Y-yes?"

"Why are out here? Should be sleeping, eh?" Her brow rose and she crossed her arms, looking down at the smaller woman. Her eyes were red and her cheeks damp.

"I couldn't sleep, so I came out here t' get some air." She rubbed her arm, glancing away. "But I'm startin' t' feel tired, so I think I'll just head back in now…" As she started to walk back towards the house, Vlasta stopped her.

"Have been crying." Cupping Baylee's chin, she forced the younger woman to look at her. Her thumb wiped away one of the remaining tears. "Why?" Baylee could see that there was a fresh bruise around her right eye.

Gulping, Baylee tried to think of an excuse. "Be…because the ocean makes me think o' my childhood home," she partially lied. "I grew up on a lake. It makes me think o' my family an' my friends back home. I miss 'em." She added a small sniffle to make the lie more convincing.

Vlasta patted her on the back. "Will get used to it," she assured her. Then, crouching down, she scooped Baylee up into her arms and started to carry her back towards the house. "Stop struggling; am taking you back to room is all. No need to be scared, eh?"

"I-I can walk…"

"Is more fun to carry you, remember?"

Nori had his arms full of women's clothing.

It wasn't the first time they had been full of woman's clothing, but it was certainly the first time that there hadn't been any nude females around. He almost felt disappointed by this, but quickly reminded himself that this was to save his brother.

Not for a night of pleasure.

Shifting the bundle of clothes, Nori sighed as he crept down an alleyway. He nearly dropped them when, out of nowhere, a wailing noise filled the air. Out of instinct, he pressed himself against the wall –just in time to watch a door open up some yards away. The wailing grew louder and he could hear some yelling and snarling behind it. A woman stepped into the night, holding a box.

'Is she punishing a child by tossing out their toys?' he thought. He remembered how his own mother had done the very same thing when he was a child. Squinting, he watched as she plopped the box onto the ground. Suddenly, he clapped his hand over his mouth in an attempt to keep himself from cursing as he saw a pair of tiny arms reach out of the box towards the woman. She snarled at it and slammed the door shut. 'Oh blessed Mahal she threw out a baby?! Who in their right mind would do such a thing!?'

It was hard to make Nori feel appalled –after all, as a 'reformed' thief, he had seen quite a lot of horrible things in his life. Nothing he had seen before, however, could have prepared him for witnessing a person tossing a baby out into an alley in the middle of the night. Nothing.

He crept towards the box, daring to set his bundle of clothing down. The baby continued to cry, though it was a bit quieter now and full of hiccups. Swallowing hard, Nori glanced around to make absolutely sure no one was around before he reached in and lifted the child into his arms. The baby calmed slightly, though it still sobbed and hiccupped.

"Shh," he quietly cooed, trying to remember what all Dori had taught him when Ori was just a babe. "It's alright, little one. I'm not going to hurt you." He was careful to make sure that he kept most of the support under its head. Judging by its size, it was a human's baby, though it seemed a bit underfed. "You're a little human, aren't you? You're bigger than a dwarrowling."

The crying slowly ceased, but the hiccups persisted. Nori cradled the child against his shoulder, lightly bouncing it as he tried to think of what to do with it. 'I can't leave it here. Not after that. It wouldn't survive its first year,' he thought with a frown. He felt a tug on his beard and looked down, finding the child curiously playing with the braided whiskers. 'But if I bring it with me, it could blow our cover…'

He flinched as he heard some more yelling from inside the house. Multiple people seemed to be screaming at one another and then there was the sound of shattering glass or porcelain. Narrowing his eyes, Nori made up his mind. Setting the child back in the box, he grabbed one of the stolen robes and started to wrap it around himself.

"It's alright, lil' one," he whispered when the baby started to fuss again. "I'm not leavin' you here. You're safe now." Fashioning a sling out of the material, he carefully put the child in the sling before gathering up the other clothes. With a heavy sigh, he hurried down the alley and back towards the wall.

'Dori is going to kill me twice over now…'