Here I am again, with a new chapter for you lovely readers! :D
I know last time was quite the roller-coaster and left a lot of you...well, either on the edge of your seats or your mind was flailing in all directions (you know who you are ;) hehe!)
So how will Thorin and Aelin think or act around each other after their previous encounter?
Read this chapter and you'll find out ;)
Enjoy! :D
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Thorin's POV
Still lying on the grass after Aelin had run off, Thorin was still trying to make sense of everything that had happened. His head was swimming out of control and he couldn't keep a single thought collected or kept straight.
What in Durin's name had happened to him?
One moment, he was practically interrogating the woman regarding her actions the previous night with the trolls and she was aggravating him to no end with her arrogance. Then suddenly, he found himself kissing her passionately and even wanting to go further than that. He didn't even know why that kind of desire had built up inside him. He despised her; he didn't desire her in any way…and yet something about her pride and her haughtiness sparked some sort of lustful fire within him. How did this woman trigger something like that when all she did was make him angry and oppose him on almost everything?
All he knew was that when the both of them were locked in their moment of passion…something about it felt good. He didn't know if it was because he hadn't been with a woman in quite a long time or if it was because it was with her. Her passion, when it was returned, was fiery and demanding. Something about her trying to be as dominant in their act as he was only drove him on.
He held no real feelings for her, that much he knew for certain. Only contempt and disdain. Like what Aelin had told him only moments ago, what had just taken place between them was not going to change anything. Whatever it was about the woman that he found alluring or that drew him to her, he would forget and ignore. He would not fall prey to her lust nor his own lust again. Neither his mind nor his heart knew what they wanted, so he thought it best to just forget about it all and act as though it had never happened.
"What is happening to me...?" he asked himself.
Aelin's POV
Once she had taken a few moments to catch her breath and collect her thoughts, Aelin made her way back to where the others were all waiting around. Cautiously, she came out of the trees, hoping to not arouse any suspicions from the others.
"Oi, Aelin!" came Nori's voice a few feet away.
She flinched briefly at the sound of her name but then relaxed as Nori approached her.
"Where have you been?" he asked her.
"I was getting dressed," she answered. "I didn't want any unnecessary gawking."
He nodded but then narrowed his eyes as he spotted something on her. "You've got leaves in your hair," he pointed out, reaching up and pulling a couple leaves out.
Aelin stood still anxiously. She was unaware that she had gotten leaves in her hair during her encounter with Thorin. Now she was in trouble if Nori started to suspect anything.
"How did that happen?" he asked. But then his eyes drifted over her shoulder to something behind her.
She turned her head and saw Thorin appearing from behind the trees and going over towards Gandalf. It was then that she noticed that Thorin brushed a leaf or two out of his own hair as well as his fur coat.
"Oh Durin, I'm dead…."
"You…were you in the woods with Thorin?" he demanded, shocked.
"Shhh!" she hissed, wanting him to keep his voice down. She didn't want anyone else to hear about it. When she was sure no one had heard him, she whispered hesitantly, "Yes…I was."
"What were you two doing?!" he asked in a loud whisper, trying to keep his voice down but was still too overcome with shock at what Aelin was practically revealing to him.
"It's not what you think."
"Well, it sure looks an awful lot like what I think. What happened, Aelin?"
"I honestly did go into the woods to get my clothes on. On my way back, Oakenshield intercepted me and interrogated me about last night when I ran off. We fought, as usual, and things got more heated than normal and then the next thing I know…he kissed me and—"
"Whoa, whoa, stop! He…kissed…you…?"
"Aye…hard and passionately, I might add."
"So how was he?"
Aelin punched Nori hard in the arm, eliciting a half-chuckle mixed with a squeak of pain. "I am not going to grace that question with an answer!"
"Sorry…," he groaned, rubbing his arm. "Can't help being curious."
She growled quietly to herself and ran her hands through her hair. "I don't know how it happened…!" she said. "We were arguing with each other and then…something inside me…or I guess, both of us…just finally snapped, but it wasn't what either of us expected. I thought, when I finally broke him, he would strike me or something of that ilk. Not this…rage-fueled lust that suddenly erupted between us."
Nervously, Aelin looked back at Nori to see if he was still listening. Sure enough, he was, and he wasn't making any kind of a face at her like she thought he would. She wasn't sure if he was angry or confused or shocked at what she was telling him. He was paying attention to her and gestured for her to continue. Somehow he knew there was still more she wanted to say.
She did continue, "I stopped him before anything else could happen and I ran. But…at the same time…I didn't…want to stop him." Now she was feeling ashamed for even admitting these things, even to Nori, her best friend and the one she told almost everything to. "I don't know why, but it was almost as if…I enjoyed his passion…which I don't understand! I despise him with all my being, so why…in Mahal's name would I want him to kiss me? Why would I willingly want to succumb to his passion? What is it about him that incurs such thoughts from me? I told him if he ever came near me like that again, I would kill him, but if it ever did come to it again, I'm not sure if I could." She groaned in frustration, sliding her hands over her face and her sideburns. "I'm so confused, Nori. I don't know what to think."
Nori took everything Aelin had told him into consideration and then asked, "Is it possible that, deep down, you are perhaps harboring some secret feelings for him?"
She raised her eyebrows at him. Was he serious? "Nori…think back on the journey thus far," she said. "When in all this time would I have ever had the time to develop any kind of feelings for Oakenshield when we are constantly at each other's throats? He has no respect for me nor I for him. He belittles me and thinks I am still nothing but an honorless thief. He doesn't trust me and hates me as much as I hate him and has shown it or voiced it on many occasions, so explain to me just how I could have possibly developed any other feelings for him other than contempt and loathing?"
Nori just shrugged. "Well, the heart and the mind don't always agree, so it could be possible," he replied.
"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Aelin.
"What I'm saying," said Nori, laying a hand on her shoulder, "is that, in your mind, you may hate him…but your heart may feel differently. You just choose to ignore what you feel and listen to your head more than your heart."
"But I've always hated him…why would my heart suddenly change?"
Nori smiled. "I have no answer for that. That is for you to discover for yourself."
Aelin looked away and hung her head, still very confused. Nothing made sense. If it was true that her mind and her heart were conflicted, why now? And why Oakenshield?
Nori then added, "And who knows? Thorin may discover the same for himself, as well."
Aelin scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, Oakenshield would never in a thousand years feel anything towards me in that way."
"Well, don't rule anything out just yet," he told her.
She smirked at him. "Since when have you been an expert with matters of the heart?"
He grinned back and shook his head. "I'm really not. I just say what comes to mind." He gave her a light pat on the shoulder and then turned and walked away, leaving Aelin standing in place.
She let out an exasperated sigh. Her mind kept wandering back to her moment with Thorin in the woods, images of their passionate encounter flickering behind her eyes. What otherworldly force had brought them there? She just couldn't bring herself to believe that deep down, she had felt something for him. It just wasn't possible. Not when their history left no room for other feelings to develop.
Just then, she heard footsteps coming followed by Thorin's voice calling out to everyone as he came closer to her, "There is a troll cave nearby. We must find it. All of you, come on."
As he finished saying that, his head turned and his eyes found Aelin standing not too far from him. He stopped and they stared at each other. There was confusion and slight bewilderment in both their faces. Seeing each other this time, neither of them knew what to think or what to say. They searched each other's eyes, as if trying to find some sort of answer from the other as to what was going on. Aelin's green eyes for once were not flashing with disdain. Thorin's blue eyes for once were not bright with anger. On the contrary, both their stares were glossed over, blank with bemusement. For once, there was nothing either of them could do or say except stare blankly at each other.
After a silent and slightly awkward moment, Thorin finally broke eye contact with Aelin and kept on walking, still without a word. Aelin closed her eyes once he left, inhaled sharply and then let out her breath in a long sigh. Her heart had unexplainably stopped the moment Thorin had locked eyes with her. His gaze, blank yet still cold, somehow managed to make her hold her tongue and keep her frozen in place. What was it about him that did this to her?
Little did she know that she was having the same effect on Thorin. When he came out of the woods, he was determined to find Aelin after he was done with Gandalf and have some very strong words with her. But the minute he found himself in front of her, looking at her again, any thought of that disappeared and he found himself unable to function in any manner. He found himself captivated by her forest green gaze for reasons unknown to him. Upon looking at her, his mind flashed back to the woods; to the look on her face after he first kissed her before she kissed him in return. The pure shock and surprise—at least, before she punched him—had been satisfying and he found it even more so when she returned his advances. But then she pushed him away and ran, with evident fear and fury in her eyes. However, when they looked at each other just a moment ago, there was no fear or fury. She seemed just as astonished as he was, having no idea whatsoever as to what was happening to either of them.
As he walked away, he gave a shake of his head, hoping to shake off all thoughts of Aelin and focused on finding the troll's cave.
The company didn't have to go very far until they found the troll cave. It wasn't very hard to find either from the horrid stench that emanated from inside it. Thorin, Gandalf and a small group of the Dwarves went inside to investigate while the rest stayed outside and looked around there.
"What's that stench?" asked Nori as they walked into the cave.
"It's a troll-horde," Gandalf answered. "Be careful what you touch."
As they entered, they could see chests and little piles of gold all over the floor amongst other trinkets, large and small.
"Seems a shame just to leave it lying around," pointed out Bofur, nudging the little gold coins on the floor. "Anyone could take it."
"Agreed," said Gloin. "Nori?"
"Yeah?" Nori replied.
"Get a shovel."
Once Nori retrieved a shovel, he and Gloin and Bofur started to bury a little chest that they had filled with gold.
When Dwalin looked down on them suspiciously, Gloin said to him, "We're making a long-term deposit."
Dwalin just rolled his eyes, thinking it ridiculous.
"Let's get out of this foul place," said Thorin. "Come on, let's go. Bofur, Gloin, Nori!"
As they started to leave the cave, Nori spotted a glint from something catching the light over in a corner; something a little bigger than a gold coin. He walked over to the source, crouched down and picked it up. It was a large gold ring with an inlaid ruby. On the ruby was an embossing of a Dwarvish rune, similar to a person's personal seal.
Nori gasped quietly. He knew this ring; he knew this rune…one he had once seen long ago.
"How in the world did this end up here…?" he thought to himself.
He never imagined the person the ring belonged to would ever venture to this part of Middle-Earth, but then again, that person was also unpredictable. But how it came to be in a troll-horde was still a mystery, one Nori was sure he would probably never solve, seeing as how he never wanted to cross paths with that person again.
However, he knew he couldn't leave it there. He had to keep the ring for reasons only he himself knew. He knew one day soon he would need it.
Quietly, Nori slipped the ruby ring into one of his inside jacket pockets and then left the cave to join the others.
"Did you find anything down there?" asked Aelin as he came out.
"Just a bit of gold and some trinkets. We buried a chest full of gold for later, but I did manage to sneak a few coins into my boots," he answered with a wink.
She just chuckled at him. Nori was never one to pass up sneaking a few coins when made available.
The two of them joined up with Dori and Ori for a few moments until they heard Thorin cry out, "Something's coming!"
They jumped up in alarm, as did the rest of the company.
"Stay together," said Gandalf, drawing his sword. "Hurry now! Arm yourselves!"
They drew their weapons and followed where the others were going. They had only run a short distance when suddenly something burst from behind from a wall of bushes and a voice cried out, "Thieves! Fire! Murder!" It was a massive wooden sled that was being pulled by a group of large bunnies.
"Bunnies?" Aelin thought curiously.
Driving the sled was a tall, bearded man dressed in all brown robes and a huge, floppy hat with feathers. There was a stream of white substance running down the side of his face which appeared to be bird droppings. He appeared rather peculiar, which got him a few curious stares from the company.
"Radagast!" exclaimed Gandalf. "It's Radagast the Brown!"
Aelin realized that this was one of the five Wizards that Gandalf had once mentioned earlier on in the journey. The old brown man didn't look very much like a wizard, in her opinion.
"What on earth are you doing here?" Gandalf asked him.
"I was looking for you, Gandalf," Radagast answered. "Something's wrong. Something's terribly wrong!"
The two wizards moved themselves only yards away to speak in private, which put the company a little on edge. There was something going on and they didn't like not knowing.
"What do you suppose they're talking about?" asked Bilbo.
"Could be anything, laddie," answered Balin.
"Whatever it is, it doesn't sound good," added Dwalin.
"That Radagast fellow seemed pretty distressed," said Aelin. "Do you think it's something that bad?"
"I suppose we will find out once they are done with their discussion," said Thorin.
Aelin, to everyone's surprise, said nothing. They were sure she was going to say something against him, but she was finding it hard to speak to him still, which they didn't know.
The company all dispersed while the wizards kept talking. Aelin decided to just be by herself while all the others were mostly in little groups conversing. She stood leaning against a tree with her arms folded across her chest, which pushed the fur on the collar of her vest up a bit underneath her chin. She viewed the scenery around her; all the trees, bushes and shrubberies. There were all different shades of green, yellow and brown and even tiny hints of red and orange. Everything around her was beautiful and peaceful. She never took the beauty of the earth surrounding her for granted, not when Middle-Earth was a beautiful place all around. It was the peaceful feeling that she cherished above that, because for her, that was something she did not feel very often. Having lived the rough life that she did, there was seldom a peaceful moment for her and over time, she grew accustomed to it. But when those quiet moments of peace presented themselves, she savored every second of it, for she never knew when the next one would come.
"Why are you over here all by yourself?"
She pursed her lips and rolled her eyes, knowing that her moment of peace and privacy wouldn't last very long. Turning her head, she saw Fili slowly striding in her direction.
"Just taking a moment to myself, is all," Aelin answered him, looking back out to the trees. "When you are one female amongst a company of males, moments like this are a rare occurrence and I'll take them when I can."
"I do not blame you," said Fili, coming up beside her. "Being amongst all us males must be a little overwhelming sometimes, I imagine."
"You have no idea...," Aelin muttered under her breath, having only one particular male in mind for that. But then she smirked and said to him, "Only certain ones here overwhelm me...namely, the young ones."
Just then, there was a loud rustling from the tree above her and she jumped, letting out a small, startled squeak as a voice cried out, "Oh, say it isn't so, Aelin!"
It was Kili and he was suspended upside down from a branch by his legs, his long brunette locks hanging from his head like a flowing curtain. A wide, toothy smile was spread across his face.
"Did you hear that, brother?" he asked Fili.
"Indeed, I did," Fili responded, folding his arms and pretending to get mad at Aelin.
"How could us innocent young ones overwhelm you?" Kili asked dramatically with a hand over his heart. "We are but humble, calm and obedient young Dwarves!"
Aelin let out a half-scoff and half-chuckle. "Keep telling yourself that, darling," she told him, going along with their funny act.
"What have we done, milady, to have caused such overwhelming offense?" asked Fili, now being more dramatic than his younger brother.
"Oh, please, don't call me 'milady'," Aelin said with a slight roll of the eyes. Then she snickered. "And really, you two have caused me the least offense of anyone here."
"Did you hear that, Kili?" Fili asked with a bright expression.
Kili exhaled, wiped his forehead and replied, "What a relief!"
Aelin grinned and shook her head. These two were such jokers.
"Speaking of offense...," said Kili as he swung off the branch and landed on his feet on the ground, "you didn't get to finish your story from before about your history with Thorin."
She frowned. Somehow she knew they would ask her again about that, although she hoped that they would forget about it or not bring it up for a little while longer. But the inquiry had been raised and she figured she couldn't get out of it this time.
"Can't get anything past you two, can I?" she asked.
Both Fili and Kili shook their heads in unison, both of them grinning.
She sighed loudly. "All right, then. Here's the story."
One hundred forty-two years ago
A group of five young adult Dwarves were entering a pub late at night after having an interesting evening. These Dwarves were young thieves living on the streets and had spent the evening as well as the late afternoon pick-pocketing as many people as they could, gathering any money and little valuable trinkets that they could get their hands on. After evaluating their spoils, they decided to use some of the money they collected to buy themselves drinks.
Zedd, Kardur, Rama, Jéka and Aelin all filed into the pub and sat themselves down at a table. A serving girl asked what they wanted and they each ordered a pint of ale.
"Another day of success, my friends," said Zedd as they raised their pints.
"One hundred gold coins to split amongst the five of us will make us rich indeed!" exclaimed Rama.
"That and the few other valuables we've collected," added Aelin. "Each one should fetch a fair price in the trade market, which will only increase our earnings, making us richer than we originally imagined."
"Hear, hear!" exclaimed Kardur, raising his mug even higher.
Zedd, however, had some concerns about Aelin. "That may be true," he said, "but some of us managed to acquire more valuable items than others." He looked to Aelin. "You collected the least amount of items, Aelin. Yet again."
The smile that was on her face began to dissolve into a frown. "What is your point, Zedd?" she asked flatly.
"You claim to be a good thief; good enough to fit in with the rest of us...," Zedd stated.
"She is good. She does fit in with us," said Jéka, trying to defend her friend.
"...but you have yet to prove it," Zedd went on, casting a warning look at Jéka for interrupting him. "Your skills are meager at best. Today, while the rest of us were able to pick up over half a dozen trinkets, you only managed to come away with three."
Zedd hadn't always been very fond of Aelin, thinking she was still quite the amateur thief and that she wouldn't make it on the streets with her very limited skill set. Aelin knew he had no faith in her, despite that she was constantly trying to improve, and it irked her to no end.
Tightening her jaw, she straightened up and told him, "I am trying, Zedd. I am doing the best I can. Isn't that enough?"
"If you want to survive, then no, it's not," he straightforwardly replied. "You have to do better than your best. It's do or die when you live on the streets."
"What more do you want from me?" she asked, her voice rising in irritation.
Kardur then spoke up, "Come on, you two, that's enough."
But Aelin ignored his protests. "Haven't I already done enough to prove that I have the potential to be a good thief like the rest of you?"
"I don't know...do you think you've done enough?"
"Yes! I think I deserve a little more credit. I'm not a complete failure."
"That remains to be seen."
"Zedd, please, stop this," said Rama. "This is ridiculous. If she is to ever belong with us, she needs to pass the ultimate test."
Now Aelin was getting anxious, although she couldn't tell if it was in a good or bad way. "What's the ultimate test?" she asked.
Zedd turned and looked at her with a passive expression, almost like he was bored of talking. "You have to do something radical; steal something extra valuable that no one would ever dare to even think of stealing."
"Like what? I'll do it," she responded right away.
Just then, they heard the bar quiet down and curiously, they all looked to see what was going on. Standing in the doorway was a couple of guards and a taller Dwarf with a big, bushy black beard and a single section of hair running down the middle of his head. Standing next to him was a Dwarf with long black hair that fell down below his shoulders, a short, neatly-trimmed beard and he was wearing a dark blue tunic, an iron and gold belt and a dark fur vest. He scanned the room and then gave a nod of his head, which made the noise of the crowd resume.
"That's Prince Thorin, grandson of the King," pointed out Jéka, gesturing to the Dwarf with long hair.
"I never imagined that royalty came to places like this. It's so beneath them," said Aelin. She glanced over to the Prince, who was now sitting at a table with his friend. His shoulders were hunched over and his posture was more slouched than that of most royalty. His eyes were cast down. He looked sad and downtrodden. Aelin began to feel a bit sorry for him, wondering why he looked that way.
"And yet, his presence here is beneficial for us," said Zedd behind her.
Both Aelin and Jéka turned back around to face Zedd.
"I now have your ultimate challenge, Aelin," he said with a mischievous look in his eye.
From seeing that look in his eye, Aelin began to feel nervous. "What is it...?" she inquired.
Zedd smirked and gave her her challenge: "You need to pickpocket something off of the Prince."
Her eyes widened, perplexed by what he had just said. "Are you mad, Zedd?" she said. "That is nothing like what we do. We steal from regular townsfolk, but not royalty! If I get caught stealing from the Prince, I will be arrested!"
"But if you're as good a thief as you claim you are, then you shouldn't get caught," stated Zedd.
Aelin didn't know what to do. She wanted to prove herself to Zedd and her friends, but stealing from the Prince was a very high risk, one she wasn't sure she was willing to take.
"Aelin, you don't have to do this," said Jéka.
"Yes, she does," Zedd contradicted, "if she wants to be one of us." He gave Aelin an icy stare. "That is what you want, yes?"
She impulsively glared at him. She hated that he was putting her in this position, but she needed this. She needed to feel like she belonged somewhere. She had been so alone until these friends found her. She needed them. She had to do what Zedd wanted.
"So you stole from Thorin?" asked Fili to clarify. Both he and Kili were anxiously engaged in her story.
Aelin tilted her head and shrugged. "I tried...and it didn't work."
"What do you mean? What happened?" asked Kili.
"What did you try to steal from him?" Fili then asked in addition.
She opened her mouth to speak when suddenly they heard the sound of a howl in the distance. Instinctively, the three of them jumped up, their hands at the ready near their weapons, and moved closer to the others.
"Was that a wolf? Are there wolves out there?" asked Bilbo, who was looking rather edgy.
"Wolves? No, that is not a wolf," answered Bofur nervously.
There was a snap and a growl behind them that made the company jump. They whipped around to find a giant wolf-like creature—a Warg, specifically—coming down the slope, which then pounced on top of Dori. Thorin was closest and brought his sword—a new Elvish blade he had acquired from the troll-horde—down upon the beast's neck, killing. Then there was another Warg coming up behind him.
"Kili! Get your bow!" Dwalin shouted.
Quick as a flash, Kili brought out his bow, pulled back an arrow and launched it right at the Warg. The arrow made contact and made the Warg stumble down the hill. Then Dwalin took the liberty of smashing its head in with his hammer to ensure that it was dead.
"Warg-scouts!" cried Thorin, pulling his sword from the other Warg's neck. "Which means an Orc-pack is not far behind."
"Orc-pack?" Bilbo repeated, now getting even more nervous than before.
Gandalf came up from behind them all with Radagast and turned his attention to Thorin. "Who did you tell about your quest beyond your kin?"
Thorin looked almost offended to be asked such a question. "No one," he answered.
"Who did you tell?!"
"No one, I swear!"
Gandalf began to look around them frantically.
"What in Durin's name is going on?" asked Thorin.
"You are being hunted," Gandalf answered ominously.
"We have to get out of here!" said Aelin.
"We can't!" came Ori's worried voice at the top of the hill as he and Bifur suddenly appeared. "We have no ponies! They bolted!"
Aelin felt her heart drop. "Oh, no…not Kharubel…!" she thought despondently. She didn't like the thought of her dear pony running about scared in an unfamiliar place, not knowing where to go or where her rider was.
"I'll draw them off," Radagast said, saying it more as a statement instead of a suggestion.
"These are Gundabad Wargs," Gandalf told him. "They will outrun you."
Radagast however grinned, pointed over his shoulder and declared back, "These are Rhosgobel Rabbits…I'd like to see them try."
Aelin turned to Fili standing next to her. "Well, this is going to be fun."
Not too long after that, the company had made it just outside the forest and were hiding behind some large rock formations, waiting for Radagast to draw the Orc-pack away. They were all peering around the edges of the rock to see if they could see anything; any movement within the trees.
Aelin had the idea of taking a look from near the top of the rocks. While the others stayed below, she slowly climbed and crawled her way up to the top, still keeping herself as low as possible. She peeked just over the edge and could barely see any movement in the trees.
"What are you doing?" came a harsh whisper that startled her. She gasped and quickly covered her mouth to stop any noise she would make. She looked down and was displeased to see Thorin Oakenshield standing below her.
"You fool!" she replied in a whisper loud enough for him to hear. "Don't startle me like that; I could have given away our position!" Then she slid down from the rock and back down to the ground. "In answer to your question, I was looking to see if I could get a better vantage point from up on top of the rocks."
"If you're worried about giving us away, you should not be up there," he told her. "They could've seen you."
"I was keeping low. I know what I'm doing."
"This is exactly like your stubborn actions with the trolls. You are impulsive and do not think before you act."
"It is better to act without thinking than to not act at all, which is what you were going to do before the incident with the trolls."
"Gods, woman!" Thorin exclaimed, frustrated, through clenched teeth. "Can you not see I am trying to protect you?"
Aelin just shook her head and asked in response, "Why would you protect me?"
Thorin answered, "This is my company and I protect everyone in it."
To Aelin, that was a poor answer that she didn't buy at all. "Oh, spare me!" she stated, turning away. "If given the chance, I know you would just throw me to the Wargs."
She felt Thorin grasp her by the arm and he turned her back around to face him. She expected to find him glaring angrily at her again, but was legitimately surprised by what she did find. There was no anger in his eyes or in his face, but puzzlement and even what appeared to be astonishment.
"Do you really think I'm that heartless?" he asked her in a low voice that did not portray arrogance or frustration, but concern and confusion.
Now Aelin herself was puzzled as to why Thorin was acting like this. It was as if he had no idea just how badly she thought of him and perceived him. But then the longer they maintained their gaze, she began to see…that he really didn't have any idea. He knew that she thought badly of him, but he didn't know that her perception of him was that dark and that terrible. She thought of him as callous and cruel. Was she wrong to believe that? The surprised and almost hurt look in his eyes seemed to tell her that maybe she was. She didn't know what to think.
Unable to find any words to respond to his question, she gently pulled her arm away and said calmly, "I'll be fine. I don't need you to protect me. I'm not weak or helpless." With that, she walked around him back to where the others were.
For a moment, Thorin stood in place. He closed his eyes and quietly sighed.
"I never thought you were," he said in his mind.
Then the sound of Warg barks and Radagast's crazy laughter sounded through the plains and within minutes, they watched Radagast's sleigh go by with the Orc-pack following right behind them. Now was their chance to run.
"Come on!" said Gandalf, leading the way. The Dwarves and Bilbo all followed the wizard from behind the rock and through the field. The plain was a rough and bumpy terrain which made running a little more difficult, but they managed as much as they could. They kept running in one direction until Thorin, who ended up ahead of everyone, stopped them, just in time to see Radagast's sleigh come around again not too far away.
"Stay together," Gandalf told them as they turned to run another direction.
"Move!" Thorin ordered everyone.
The company picked up the pace and continued to run, hearing the Warg barks echoing in the distance. But Radagast seemed to just be leading the Orc-pack all over the place, for as the company came past another gathering of rocks, they spotted the Orc-pack in the distance again.
Ori hadn't noticed and had kept running when the rest of the company stopped. "Ori, no! Get back!" Thorin cried out, grabbing him by the back of the collar and pulling him back.
Once Radagast rode by again, Gandalf quickly ushered the company again. It seemed like they would be running forever, the terrain was endless.
As Aelin ran, she spotted a lone Orc who had split from the pack. It was looking around for them and it's gaze was almost on them.
"Everyone, hide!" she cried as quietly as they could. "There's a rogue Orc coming!"
Everyone stopped and looked around for the Orc. Thorin was the one who located it first. "I see it," he said. He looked to the others. "Do as she says. Go, hide behind that outcropping!" He pointed to a huge rocky outcropping.
The company didn't move for a second, frozen with confusion. Did Thorin actually just agree with Aelin? That was very shocking to them, but they had no time to think about it. They obeyed their leader and hid themselves behind the rocks.
Aelin moved between Nori and Dori instinctively. The company was silent as they could hear the Orc climbing on top of the rock and they saw it was still looking around. Thorin quietly gestured to Kili to take the Orc down with his bow. The young Dwarf understood and positioned an arrow as he suddenly jumped out and then shot the Warg the Orc was riding. It wasn't quite a killing shot, so he had to shoot again. His second arrow brought it down to the ground and Dwalin and Bifur started hitting and stabbing it with their weapons. Soon Aelin joined in, jumping up behind the Orc and slicing its throat with one of her knives.
"Move! Run!" shouted Gandalf. The rest of the pack had heard the rogue Orc's injured cries and were heading in their direction. The company resumed their running. Farther and farther, they went, but still they could hear the Orcs and the Wargs getting closer and closer.
"There they are!" cried Gloin. Sure enough, they could see the pack not too far off in the distance. They were closing in.
"This way! Quickly!" Gandalf cried out, leading them in another direction.
They hadn't gotten very far when they began to see Orcs popping up from being the hills and the trees on all sides.
"There's more coming!" yelled Kili.
"Kili! Shoot them!" ordered Thorin, the urgency apparent in his voice.
"We're surrounded!" cried Fili, unsheathing his short swords.
Both Kili and Aelin got out their bows and were shooting as many Orcs as they could.
Then they heard Dori ask loudly, "Where is Gandalf?"
They all surveyed the area around them but the grey wizard was nowhere to be found.
"No...there's no way he's gone," Aelin said quietly to herself.
"He's abandoned us!" Dwalin bellowed.
Aelin looked around and just happened to catch Ori firing a stone with his slingshot at a Warg. Unfortunately, the stone just bounced off the Warg's head, but Aelin had to give Ori credit for trying.
"Hold your ground!" Thorin cried courageously, brandishing his bright sword and holding it at the ready.
They could see the Orc-pack closing in all around them, creeping upon them slowly and ready soon to pounce.
Aelin positioned another arrow in her bow, carefully aiming it at another Orc. These Orcs weren't going to take her. She wasn't going down without a fight.
"This way, you fools!"
She spun around and discovered Gandalf standing in between a huge stone wall and a smaller stone. But then he dropped down between them and disappeared. It appeared he had found some sort of secret passage.
"Come on, move!" cried Thorin as he ran to the entrance of the passage. Jumping on top of the smaller rock, he yelled urgently to his followers, "Quickly! All of you!" They each sped over and slid down the passage and into a tunnel.
"Go, go, go!" Thorin urged them.
Aelin went to follow, but then there was movement out of the corner of her eye. When she looked, she spotted two Wargs were closing in on Fili, who was running in her direction. There was one behind him and one coming from his left. She had to help him, but there wasn't a way that she could shoot down both Wargs in time. If she went for the Warg coming from the side, she would risk inadvertently shooting Fili.
With her bow and arrow still in hand, Aelin raised them and shot the Warg coming behind him, hitting it in the head and killing it.
"Fili! Drop!" she shouted as she ran towards him, putting her bow back in her quiver and withdrawing her mithril knives.
Fili stopped in his tracks, startled, but when he turned and saw the Warg charging him, he did as Aelin said and dropped to his hands and knees. Aelin, once she reached him, hopped atop his back and launched herself towards the Warg. She buried one of her knives within the beast's left shoulder and it howled and reared up in agony as she held onto the hilt. But then, the Warg swiped a giant paw at her right leg, slashing its claws through her skin from mid thigh down to her shin. She yelped in pain, let go of her knife and dropped to the ground, feeling a searing burning in her leg. Just before the Warg could do anything else, Fili came to defend her and thrust a short sword through its face and neck and the creature fell over dead.
"Aelin!" Fili exclaimed in a panic as he knelt down beside her.
"I'm all right," she replied through clenched teeth, trying to ignore the pain. "Come on, let's go! There are still more Wargs coming."
Fili quickly and carefully helped Aelin up to her feet, she collected her knives and they began to run again. Aelin was more limping, but still was doing her best to go fast.
Thorin had watched the entire scene play out and didn't know what to think. He didn't want his nephews near the woman, but yet it seemed they were taking a liking to her and here he witnessed one of them saving her life. He admired Fili's bravery, for certain. Aelin, though, had saved Fili's life first, which Thorin, at least, was grateful for. Even though he had warned her to stay away from his nephews, this might have been the only time he was glad she didn't.
He saw them coming back and then noticed that Kili, too, was still out there, shooting the Orcs.
"Kili! Run!" he yelled.
Kili obeyed his uncle and began to run as fast as he could towards him.
Aelin looked back and saw there were still more Wargs coming and coming fast. Thorin's nephews still hadn't made it to the passage and Thorin was still outside waiting for them. She decided she would buy them some time. She stopped, wincing from the stinging pain in her leg, and drew out her bow and arrow.
Fili had reached the entrance of the passage but saw that Aelin was not behind him. He flipped around and saw her. "Aelin! Come on, hurry!" he cried out.
"What are you doing?" shouted Thorin.
"Get Fili and Kili in the tunnel! Now!" Aelin yelled loudly as she shot an oncoming Warg.
"Not without you!" Kili protested.
"Fili, Kili, get inside!" Thorin told them quickly. "Hurry!"
The two young Dwarves didn't feel right leaving Aelin outside as she was fighting off any of the Orc-pack that came at her, but nevertheless, they both slid down into the tunnel.
Aelin cast a brief look over her shoulder to see if Fili and Kili were inside. She was relieved to see they were. Thorin was still standing on the stone in front of the passage entrance. She started moving back towards him, still keeping her bow ready.
"Get into the tunnel, you're injured," Thorin ordered her.
"I'm fine!" Aelin replied, firing another arrow.
Thorin rolled his eyes. "Your leg is bleeding out," he said as she hopped up onto the stone beside him and continued to fire her bow while they spoke. "You need to have Oin tend to it."
"I've had worse, Oakenshield," she told him. "Believe me, when I say I am fine, I'm fine."
"You stubborn woman! Do you enjoy taking chances with your own life?"
"What I don't enjoy is arrogant Dwarves telling me how to live my life!"
"I am ordering you to get inside so that you can still have a life to live!"
"I told you: I do not take orders from you!"
From down below, Fili in irritation finally bellowed, "Oh, for the love of Durin, would you both stop bickering and get down here?!"
Thorin or Aelin jumped at Fili's sudden outburst. As Aelin was going to reply, there was a guttural shout and she saw an Orc riding towards them from the side, aiming an arrow towards Thorin.
"Look out!" she cried out and she shoved him, which made him fall into the tunnel with a loud grunt.
Just as he fell, the Orc released its arrow. Instead of hitting its intended target, the arrow hit Aelin instead, lodging itself in her left shoulder. She yelled out in pain, but then ended up stumbling backwards and falling into the tunnel from the force of the hit. As she tumbled down right behind Thorin, she felt the arrow snap in half. They rolled down the stony slope to the bottom and Aelin hit Thorin's back hard, making them both grunt.
"Are you both all right?" asked Bilbo, concerned.
Thorin nodded in response, but Aelin let out a painful moan.
"She's been shot!" exclaimed Bofur worriedly.
Thorin rolled around to his knees and did, in fact, see the broken arrow sticking out of Aelin's shoulder. She was quietly grunting, trying to overcome the agony she was in from her wounded leg and shoulder.
Up above, the company heard the sound of hooves followed by cries from the Orcs and the sounds of arrows being fired. Just as they began to wonder what was going on, an Orc suddenly appeared at the top and fell into the passageway. On instinct, Thorin grabbed Aelin behind her shoulders and hoisted her up by him, getting her out of the way of the Orc body rolling towards her. Nori came up on Aelin's other side and helped keep her up when Thorin stood up to examine the body.
Once again, the others all stared at either Thorin or Aelin. They were startled that Thorin had grabbed Aelin so quickly before she had a chance to act herself. Not to mention, they were beginning to assume that she had been shot shoving Thorin into the passage, since they didn't see quite see what all happened before they came down.
Thorin took out the arrow in the dead Orc's neck and looked at the curved, sharp arrowhead.
"Elves...!" he stated disdainfully, tossing the arrow to the ground.
"I cannot see where the pathway leads," said Dwalin from near the back, where they could see was the beginning of a small cavern. "Do we follow it or no?"
"Follow it, of course!" answered Bofur.
"I think that would be wise," added Gandalf.
As the others started to follow, Nori said to Aelin, "Let's get Oin to look at you."
"No," said Aelin through short breaths. "We need to keep going."
"Aelin, you are in no condition to—"
"Don't argue with me, Nori!" she blurted out, pulling herself away. "I will not be seen as weak. We can have Oin check on me when we find a place to rest, but as of right now, we have no time for that. We need to get out of here."
Nori's jaw tightened. Sometimes it irked him how stubborn she was. "Then at least, let me carry you or help you walk," he politely suggested as he helped her up to her feet.
She shook her head. "I can manage on my own," she said.
He sighed but said nothing else. If that was how she was going to be, then there wasn't much else he could do or say to persuade her otherwise.
They started walking, a little slowly at first, due to Aelin limping, but soon they managed to catch up with the rest of the company. They made their way through a tight, winding cavern and could see the sunlight peering through the cracks above.
"Gandalf...where exactly are we?" asked Bilbo, who was just ahead of them with the wizard.
"You can feel it?" asked Gandalf curiously.
"Yes...," answered Bilbo, his eyes wide and his face full of wonder.
"Feel what?" Aelin asked, confused.
"It feels...like magic," the Hobbit replied.
Gandalf smiled proudly. "That's exactly what it is...a very powerful magic!"
Then they heard Dwalin's voice from ahead of them say, "There is light ahead."
They continued on for about a minute more. Aelin, however, was starting to feel a little lightheaded. The arrow was still in her shoulder, knowing that it wasn't safe to remove it yet, and a jabbing sting kept shooting through her shoulder with almost every other step. It was the same for her injured leg. It was agonizing stepping with it, but she did her best to not think about it. She would not be weak in front of her companions. She may be a woman, but she was not weak or helpless like most women, and she wouldn't let the others think that of her.
The company rounded a corner and found themselves on a cliff side which overlooked a valley below. Down in the valley, there laid an extraordinarily beautiful city, surrounded by golden-colored trees with leaves of deep red, yellow and orange. There were large houses and gazebos that made up the city. It was unlike any they had ever seen.
"The Valley of Imladris," Gandalf informed them. "In the common tongue, it is known by another name."
"Rivendell," Bilbo said in response.
At the mention of that name, they all then realized where they were. They were looking upon a city of Elves.
"Here lies the last Homely House East of the Sea," added the wizard.
Aelin could hear Thorin say something stern to Gandalf, but was unable to determine what he said exactly. She was starting to feel dizzy and her vision was beginning to blur. The voices she could hear from the company were all distant and faint; her ears were buzzing, her head felt too heavy for her neck to uphold. Her body felt limber and the pain in her leg and shoulder was beginning to numb.
"Maybe this wasn't a good idea...," Aelin thought to herself in defeat.
Then darkness began to shroud her vision, her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she collapsed.
The others heard the "thud" from her body hitting the ground and they all turned to see what had happened.
"Aelin!" Ori cried in worry.
"What happened?" asked Kili.
"Let me through, let me see her," said Oin, making his way through to her. He knelt down next to her and examined her. Aelin's face was paling, there was quite a bit of blood seeping through the right leg of her trousers as well as her shirt by her shoulder and her skin felt very hot.
"She's lost some blood from both her wounds," said Oin, "but she's collapsed from overexertion. She overworked herself by trying to walk and fight in such a state and, in so doing, exhausted her body too much and lost consciousness."
The others all looked to each other in concern.
"Someone is going to have to carry her," Oin then concluded.
Nori looked to the Dwarf beside him. "Thorin, I think you should do it."
Thorin was taken aback by his suggestion. "What?" he questioned.
"She saved your life up there," said Nori. "I think this is the least you can do to repay her." Then he raised his eyebrows at Thorin as if to say, "Wouldn't you agree?"
Thorin's mouth parted to say something back, but he found nothing to say. Unfortunately, Nori was right and had a point. For whatever reason, Aelin did save his life and now her life was in danger. They had to get to Rivendell, where they would most likely be safe and could help her, despite how much Thorin did not want to go there.
With a small groan, Thorin begrudgingly replied, "Very well. I shall carry her." He faced the others and told them, "We make for Rivendell. The wizard will lead the way."
As the rest of the company started to follow Gandalf down the side of the cliff side, Thorin stayed behind and crouched down beside Aelin, looking at her face intently. He spotted the faint, white scar by her right eyebrow and he found himself reaching out towards her face. He traced the scar ever so lightly with his fingertips, feeling also how warm her skin was. She looked so frail...but he knew she was not weak. Despite his ill feelings towards her, he still took notice of her skills in combat and was nonetheless impressed with her. He knew she was a strong woman. It was almost strange to see her in her current state, looking fragile and almost helpless, and all because she had taken her chances in saving his nephew's life as well as his own.
He supposed he would have to thank her when she awoke...and find out exactly why she had taken an arrow for him.
Carefully, Thorin scooped up Aelin's limp body in his arms and began to walk, being sure to not aggravate her wounds or move the broken arrow still in her shoulder. She was light in weight and her head fell against his chest, almost like a sleeping child.
"She is too stubborn to die...she'll pull through," he thought to himself, a faint hint of an amused, crooked smirk creeping up on his lips.
Up ahead, Nori had watched Thorin over his shoulder and a mischievous grin grew on his face. He thought it was very clever of him to suggest that Thorin carry Aelin the rest of the way. Now he would see just where that would lead with the two of them and find out what was going on with them.
He knew exactly what he was doing.
.
How about all that, huh? xD
Any questions? Like where are Thorin and Aelin heading from here? What is Nori up to? How does the rest of Aelin's backstory go?
Or other comments or concerns?
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Another update coming soon!