The Perfect Crime

by photogirl894

She is a thief and Nori, her best friend, has helped Aelin become a skilled one. After an encounter with Gandalf, she finds herself being asked to join the quest to Erebor with Nori and his brothers. The problem is: Aelin and the leader, Thorin, know and hate each other. They will have to put their hatred aside and unite...perhaps in more ways than they think. A Thorin/OC story!

12. A Half-Brother's Tale

Finally! I'm glad to be back! :)

So sorry for my long delay, my lovelies! Having a wedding and getting married certainly keeps you busy ;) Yep, I got married at the beginning of January and...have been sick off and on ever since :P got a stomach bug a couple days after the wedding then a cold and then some kind of virus. SO not fun xP that and, when I haven't been feeling sick, I've been busy with other things. Finding time to write has been a bit scarce at times, but luckily I've managed to find a few times anyway.

I know I left you all hanging on a pretty big cliffhanger last time, but don't worry, a lot of questions will be answered in this chapter, just like I promised! That and then a few other little twists and turns ;)

Enjoy! :) it's a long one this time!

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Completely frozen with shock at Nori's confession, Aelin found herself unable to move, speak or even think. She was barely even breathing with low, sharp breaths. Her head was spinning so rapidly with questions, she couldn't keep the rest of her thoughts straight.

Nori was her half-brother? How was that possible? How had she never discovered that before? Did Dori and Ori know, too? How did Nori find out?

And, more importantly, why hadn't Nori ever told her until now, after having known her and been with her for a hundred and forty-two years?

She could see in Nori's face that he was nervous upon revealing the truth to her. She could also detect a hint of guilt in his eyes, more likely from waiting so long to tell her. She had no idea what to do or think. Nori, her best friend, had practically lied to her all this time. Why he had, she couldn't understand. She wanted to be angry with him, but something else inside her; her more compassionate and logical side prompted her to hold off any judgments until she heard the full story, because surely there had to be an explanation for his actions.

Finally, Aelin was able to stammer out, still in disbelief, "Y—you…you are my…my half-brother…?"

Nori gave a small nod and said, "Aye…I really am."

She exhaled sharply and then asked in a whisper, "Why did you never tell me?"

He then held up his hands a bit defensively. "Please hear me out first before you say or think anything of me. I promise, it will all make sense once you know everything."

Aelin said nothing, but gave him a stern look that signaled him to go on with whatever he was going to say to explain.

A bit nervously, Nori fidgeted with the collar of his shirt and then he asked, first off, "Do you remember how I told you that my brothers and I all have the same mother but different fathers?"

She did indeed remember him telling her that many years before. It had only been a couple of years after he had taken her in when she had inquired about their family outside of each other. In response, she nodded.

He went on, "When I was younger and I found out that my father was not the same one as Dori's, I grew curious. In my teen years, I asked my mother why that happened. Dori's father, her first husband, had passed away while she was with child and she wanted to find someone to help take care of him. She then met Norin...our father...but she left him after they had been courting a short time because she could see that he was not as good a person as she had believed him to be. Shortly after that, she found out she was pregnant with me and then decided that, even though she was no longer with Norin, she would still keep me and raise me and he would never know. A few years later, she married Ori's father and he's been the only father figure the three of us have ever known."

Aelin felt a lump growing in her throat. Hearing how Nori's mother actually wanted to keep her baby even after breaking off her courtship made her feel sad and almost jealous. She had always wished that her own mother had made that same choice.

Nori paused a moment, took a deep breath and then continued, "After learning about who my father was, I wanted to find him. I wanted to find him, tell him of my existence and make him realize what he had done to my mother. I left home when I was older and able to make it by on my own and went in search of him. After years of searching for clues to his whereabouts, I finally found a lead that led me to the Iron Hills...and I found him."

Instinctively, Aelin couldn't help but let out a loud exhale after hearing that. Despite Nori already saying that he knew her father and had met him, just hearing him say that he had found Norin brought a different sense of what she believed was relief of some sort. Just knowing that someone actually knew her father and it happened to be someone she knew well almost made her think she could come to know her father a little bit, even if there had been nothing but scornful things said of him.

"I introduced myself to him and told him I was his son," Nori then said. Then he scoffed with disdain and stated, "He had no idea I even existed. At first, he didn't believe me, but then when I told him who my mother was…oh, the look of astonishment on his face was priceless. But then he began to say horrible things about her; about how she was some lowlife whore who only wanted to sleep with Dwarves and then break off their courtship to mess with their heads." His hands clenched angrily into tight fists as he remembered the words Norin had said to him about his mother. "Before I knew it, I had a knife at his throat and I told him to never say such things about my mother and if he did again, I would slit his throat without a second thought. Right away, I could see exactly why my mother had left him and I knew I didn't like him."

"It seemed my uncle nor my mother had anything good to say about him, either," Aelin said to him, folding her arms across her chest.

Nori nodded in return. "I told Norin that it was his own fault that my mother left him and I knew what kind of a person he was. Then he asked me who I turned out more like: him or my mother? Angry at such a question, I told him that I may be his son, but I was nothing like him and to never expect me to be. Then he said to me, 'That's a shame, I was hoping that you would turn out like me considering my other child didn't.'"

Aelin's whole form stiffened. She knew that by "my other child", Norin had meant her. Hearing Nori recall their father mentioning her brought chills through her body.

"How…how did he know anything about me…?" she asked, still feeling numb inside at the fact her father knew of what had become of her while never having been in her life.

Unfortunately, Nori shrugged and answered, "I honestly don't know. He wouldn't divulge that information to me. But when he mentioned another child, I inquired as to what he was talking about. He told me he had been with another woman after my mother had left him and that he had gotten her pregnant and left. Then he had learned she had the baby and left it with her brother and, for whatever reason, that interested him, knowing that your mother no longer had custody of you." Then Nori's expression grew quite grim and it made Aelin really nervous. After a small, quiet moment, he said to her, "Now…Aelin, what I am about to tell you…I know will be a shock for you and I want to apologize beforehand for what I am about to say."

Her breathing started to grow heavier and her throat tightened up as she responded, "What is it…?"

He took a deep breath, bracing himself for what he was about to tell her. Then, hesitantly at first, he told her, "Our father was a conman…he wanted to take you back and raise you himself…but not for reasons a father should want to raise a daughter. He wanted to take you under his wing and train you as his own personal spy and assassin to use against those he planned to con. He had every intention to take you back from your uncle Amar, but he knew Amar would not give you up so easily. So, Norin…he…h—he…." Nori found it difficult to get out the words for the most crucial part of this explanation.

His hesitancy was driving Aelin mad; she was growing so impatient she could feel her body beginning to tremble. Suddenly, she bellowed, "What did he do, Nori? Tell me, for Mahal's sake!"

Startled by her loud outburst, Nori just blurted out, "He hired the men who killed your uncle!"

A loud gasp escaped her lips and her hands flew up to her mouth in disbelief. "He didn't…he didn't say…no, he didn't say that!" were the words that rang in her head. But all she could gasp out was, "What…? No…!"

The look on Nori's face was one of complete guilt and sympathy. He knew that was going to be hard for her to hear…and he was only getting started. "Norin knew your uncle would never give you up...so he hired a group of mercenaries to kill Amar and to take you back to him," he admitted sadly.

Aelin looked down at the ring with the Dwarvish rune for the letter "N" in her hand; her father's ring, which sat in the palm of her now shaking hand. This was a ring that belonged to the Dwarf that had not only abandoned her and her mother but had also ordered the death of her uncle. Suddenly, it was as if the ring now had a horrible, burning effect on her and she could no longer keep the ring in her hand. It was a symbol of the evil that was her father and she couldn't let it touch her. With a small cry, she flipped her hand and let the ring fall to the ground.

"Though, from what I recall you telling me, Amar saw the men coming and told you to run before they got there, right?"

It took Aelin a moment to realize that Nori was asking her a question seeing as how she was still in shock over learning the reason behind her uncle Amar's murder. Blinking rapidly to help her focus, she answered, "Aye...and then I watched those men kill my uncle from afar."

He nodded. "You got lucky because you were gone before they got there and so, when they tried looking for you, they never got a look at you and had no idea who to look for." He took a small moment to let Aelin take in everything thus far. When it seemed like she was ready for him to go on, he went on to say, "Norin told me all of this, thinking I probably didn't care, but I was furious, knowing that he had another child but had chosen to ruin your life instead of being a part of it. I told him he was a horrible excuse for a Dwarf and that I was going to find you before he ever would."

"You...you went looking for me?" she asked, a bit surprised to hear him say that.

Once again, he nodded. "I did. When I told him that, he got angry and tried to fight me, but I bested him. I swore to him that if I ever saw him again or if I found out he had you, I would kill him on sight."

Aelin couldn't help but let out a tiny chuckle at his remark. He only made that sort of threat to someone if he was really angry or had a deep grudge against them. Deep down, she was glad to hear that he had stood up to their father and had even defended her without even knowing her.

He kept going, "I parted ways with him and went in search of you. For many years, I looked; I searched the Iron Hills, the Grey Mountains, even among the miniscule number of Dwarves who had gone back to Moria. I found nothing. I returned home to the Blue Mountains and one night, decided to go to a pub for a drink. I was sitting in the corner, wondering what I was going to do next...when a group of young Dwarves came in and I heard the name 'Aelin' for the first time since Norin had told me that name."

Now she knew where he was at this point in his tale and couldn't help but sigh, remembering the night he was about to retell.

"As you know, I was there that night at the bar when you first met Thorin," said Nori.

Begrudgingly, Aelin nodded her head.

"After they took you away, I noticed the behavior of the friends you were with; that they were not showing the least bit of concern for you. I put myself at another table closer to them and overheard their conversation...and discovered something yet again that made me furious."

"Oh, no…!" she thought nervously. Even though she was afraid to say anything, she went ahead anyway and asked, "What was it?"

"I warn you...this too may break your heart," he told her with a look of caution in his eyes.

"I don't see how my heart could be broken anymore than it already has been. Tell me," she solemnly responded.

Deep down, Nori did not want to reveal this part of the truth to Aelin. He knew it was going to devastate her and thought she'd be better off not ever knowing, but he knew it was also a part of how he came to know she was his half-sister…so unfortunately, he had to tell her. He glanced at her apologetically before he spoke, hoping she would see that he was sorry to have to tell her what he was about to tell her. He took a really deep breath, bracing himself.

"Your friends at the time...were spies," he revealed to her, sadly. "They were hired by Norin to keep tabs on you; to keep an eye on you and send reports back to him on your wellbeing."

Aelin couldn't breathe; her heart almost literally stopped at these horrible words that were now dancing and echoing around in her head like a bad dream.

"Your friends…were spies…hired by Norin…your friends…were spies…hired by Norin…your friends...were spies…hired by Norin…."

Her hand came up to her chest as she tried to regain her breath, even though it hurt like someone had driven a dagger right through it. That one explanation was all too much for her in that one single moment. Even though she had long since lost contact with her former friends, knowing that everything they had been through before then was all false made it seem like her whole world; her whole past was coming down on her.

"They were...spying on me?" she repeated in complete disbelief, glancing down at the ground instead of at Nori. She ran her hands through her hair and exclaimed, "I don't...I don't believe this! Everything...all of it...was a lie…! It was all...a lie!"

"I'm sorry," said Nori sympathetically. "They had tricked you."

Unable to find anymore words to say at the time, Aelin just stared at him wordlessly, with nothing less than a look of shock still etched on her face, waiting for him to explain.

Seeing her distress, he knew he couldn't wait. He then went to tell her, "At the pub, I overheard them saying that they were tired of dealing with you and they were glad that Norin had given them the go-ahead to cast you aside. I followed them to the prison the day they visited you and then, when they came out, I cornered them and questioned them about their dealings with Norin. They told me how Norin had learned of your whereabouts somehow and had hired them to spy on you and report back to him on everything. They had finally gotten tired of doing what they thought he should've been doing, so they sent him word telling him they were through. Norin had replied telling them to do whatever they had to in order to break your heart...because then you would be so lost in despair that you would be desperate enough to run into his open arms when he came for you."

This puzzled her. "He was…going to come for me?" she questioned, startled by that realization.

"Aye and I knew I couldn't let that happen," he answered. "I knew I had to get you out before he did. I spent the next day scrounging around for anything I could sell so I could get enough money to pay your bail and then that was when I got you released."

Now that they that had reached the point in the story where they had first met, Aelin knew it was time to ask the question that had been on her mind since Nori had started telling her the truth. "You could've told me the truth then...that you were my half-brother. Why didn't you?"

Nori sighed. He knew that question was bound to get asked and now was the moment he had been dreading. He only hoped that she would accept his reasons for not telling her.

He said, "I panicked and thought that I couldn't. I didn't know if you would believe me if I said that I was your brother right up front. Especially after the ordeal you had just been through." Then he hung his head. "Besides...if you knew I was your family…you would have felt obligated to like me and I didn't want that. I wanted you to get to know me and like me genuinely as a friend...and then as family eventually."

After that, he lifted his head and looked at her with a sad, apologetic look in his eyes. "I will not say I'm sorry that you never knew our father because he was a horrible person and I got that from only one brief meeting with him. He wanted you for reasons no father should ever consider and I couldn't let him turn you into something you're not, even though I didn't know you. All I knew was I was your flesh and blood and I felt the strong urge to find you and keep you away from him." He inhaled and exhaled sharply, trying to keep himself from getting emotional, which surprised Aelin because that was usually not like him.

Nori then went on, "I am your brother, Aelin…and you are my sister and I love you. I know I have always said that rather casually and never really in a serious manner, but it's true. From the first moment I saw you in that prison, I knew immediately that I cared a lot about you and that I couldn't ever let Norin find you again. I swore then and there that I would care for you and protect you from him and anyone else that would hurt you."

He sighed again. "As for why I never told you…I swear to you, I never kept any of this from you to hurt you. There were so many times I wanted to tell you the truth…but I could never find the right words to say it. And then the longer I waited, the harder it became for me to say anything. Then finally…I decided it would be better if perhaps you never knew the truth at all. I know now that was completely wrong of me to do. Once I found Norin's ring in the troll horde, I realized that I couldn't keep the truth from you any longer and that I had to tell you before you discovered anything accidentally and I would have to be forced to tell you."

Aelin finally felt she could breathe again. Everything was starting to become clear now and she understood the truth. Her head was still spinning, trying to decide how she felt about Nori's decision to keep the truth from her all this time. Was she angry or did she actually understand his choice? As she looked at him, she could see that he truly felt sorry for what he did.

To confirm that, he then told her, "I really am sorry, Aelin. I know keeping the truth from you all these years was wrong of me…and even though I don't deserve it, I hope that somehow you can find it in your heart to forgive me." Then he bowed his head in shame.

Still astounded by everything, Aelin was speechless for a moment or two and continued to just stare at Nori. This was so much for her to take in all at once. She wondered how Nori was able to keep all that information in his own head for over a hundred and forty-two years!

As she kept watching him, she began to think. This was Nori, her best friend for all those years…whom she now knew, after all that time, was also her half-brother. She didn't feel anything change as she came to terms with that because, deep down, she had thought of Nori as like a brother to her anyway for years. It pained her to see the way he looked in that moment, so full of shame and regret. It was almost as if it hurt him more than it hurt her and she could understand. He was afraid of losing her; his half-sister whom he had grown so fond of and had looked after for a long time. He was the one who took her in when she was helpless, had helped her rebuild her life into something more meaningful, even though he had taught her mostly how to be a thief. But even in the midst of that, he had always been there for her, even when she believed he wouldn't be. And, without her ever knowing, he had protected her from a monster of a father that they shared. How could she overlook all of those important things and focus on the fact that he had kept secrets from her? She just knew that she couldn't. At this point, the latter meant nothing.

Would everything that she now knew change anything? Of course, she knew it would. But not in the way she could tell Nori thought.

Finally, she huffed in disbelief. "Nori...why in the world would you think that I wouldn't forgive you?" she asked him.

Nori's head came up in surprise and found that she was smiling. In truth, he thought she was going to take everything a lot harder than that and that she'd be furious with him, but this reaction was completely unexpected.

Aelin, of course, noticed the look of confusion on his face and knew why he looked that way. She knew even herself that her reaction was unlike her, but she also knew the reason why.

She could feel an enormous sense of relief overcome her as she spoke the words that had finally come to her head to say, "I may still be...completely overwhelmed by everything you have told me, but above all else...I am honestly relieved to know that you are my half-brother! For a long time, I have wished that I had a real family or that I knew my real family; I've wished to know my mother and my father who left me or to have, at least, someone...and then to find that I actually have a brother...and that all this time, it's been you, the Dwarf who has taken care of me for years and is my closest friend...is perhaps the greatest news I could ever get! I couldn't be happier about it!"

Still a bit astonished, Nori asked, "R-really...?"

Aelin nodded with a happy smile and a tear in her eye. "Really."

Nori couldn't have looked more soothed at the fact that Aelin was not mad at him and that she had accepted the truth better than he thought she would. With a relieved sigh, he said to her, "I truly am glad to hear that." Then, he opened his welcoming arms and held them out to her.

Without a second thought, she leapt into his arms and embraced him tightly, burying her face into his shoulder. Knowing the truth about Nori being her half-brother made this embrace feel different; she felt closer to him and it seemed warmer than ever.

"I love you, Nori," she said, a bit muffled, "even if I've never said it genuinely before."

"And I love you, too," he replied, squeezing her a little tighter.

After staying in their embrace for a few short moments, Aelin pulled back and asked, "Do Dori and Ori know the truth about me?"

Nori shook his head. "No, they don't. The only ones who know are me and you."

"And our father," she added disdainfully.

He nodded. "Aye, him, too."

"Thank you for telling me about him," she said. "Even though I was always mad at him for leaving my mother, there was always a part of me that hoped that one day I would meet him and would come to know him. Deep down, I hoped we would meet and he would want me back and be the father he never was...but after hearing everything you said about him, I now have no desire whatsoever to ever meet him or even see him as long as I live."

"I'm glad for that," he told her, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Norin is a horrible person and the last thing I would ever want is for you to come across him." He grasped her shoulder firmly. "I promise you, sister, that as long as there is life within me, our father will never find you and I will always protect you."

"Thank you...brother," she said back, loving the feeling she got as the word "brother" rolled off her tongue. She hugged him once more, now feeling grateful that she knew the truth and that, at long last, she had someone, who had been with her all along, that she could truly call family.

---

Hours passed until day turned into night. After having spent much of the day talking with Nori, going on walks with Fili and Kili to help strengthen her leg and socializing with the rest of the company, Aelin was feeling rather spent. The only person she hadn't seen since the morning was Thorin. A few times during the day, she wondered where he had gone to. Deep down, she couldn't help but feel sad that she was feeling ready for bed and she hadn't seen him all day.

However, as Aelin was walking to her room, she noticed Thorin standing by a railing across the way with his head hanging low. Curiously, she turned back and altered her course towards where he was. As she drew close, she quietly made her way up a small staircase behind him, watching him in case he turned around, but he did not. His head still hung down and his shoulders were hunched over. She could tell that something was amiss and she grew concerned.

"Thorin?" she called to him.

His head quickly came up as he spun around to face her. When he saw that it was just Aelin behind him, Thorin relaxed a bit.

"You should be resting, Aelin," he said to her.

"Well, I was on my way to my room, yes, but then I saw you over here all alone," she explained, walking up to him. "Is everything all right?"

Thorin averted his gaze downward and his eyes darted back and forth. Aelin could tell he was contemplating whether or not he wanted to share what was wrong with her.

Then he waved a hand dismissively, turned his back to her and answered as he leaned back against the railing, "There is nothing to worry about. Go to bed, Aelin. You need your rest."

She was not satisfied with his answer. Not only was he avoiding the question, but he was also trying to shut her out. In a way, she understood how he must be feeling. She had spent so many years shutting people out, even Nori for the longest time. However, now that that same thing was happening to her personally, she realized she didn't like the feeling she got from it. Plus, the two of them had just started to bring down their walls and trust each other. She didn't understand why he was starting to put up those walls again now.

She came up next to him and said calmly, "Thorin…I can see that something is troubling you. I could see it from across the way; that is why I came over here. Please, tell me what's wrong. Let me help you."

He shook his head with a quiet grumble and then turned and started walking away. Aelin's spirits sank a little and she felt disappointed. All she was trying to do was help and be a friend to him and yet he wouldn't have any of it. She let out a sigh of defeat.

But then Thorin stopped in his tracks. "Balin, Master Baggins and I met with the wizard and the Elf Lord about the map," he told her with his back still to her. "Elrond discovered that there were moon runes hidden within it that reveal the location of a hidden door to the Lonely Mountain."

Aelin was gladdened by the news, but at the same time, was confused. Why was Thorin sad about such a thing? "Well, that is good news," she said.

"Aye…but that is not what troubles me," he then admitted as he decided to turn around to face her.

"Then what is it?" she asked, concerned.

"Do you know of the sickness that runs within my family?" he inquired first before answering.

She gave the question a bit of thought and then replied, "No, I can't say I do."

"It is a sickness of the mind," he explained. "The firstborn sons in my family are drawn to gold and treasure. They crave it and lust after it above anything else in the world; above food, drink, sleep or any other worldly pleasure. I watched my grandfather succumb to it…it changed him completely. And it is believed that my father too fell to it." He paused for a brief moment, trying to push out the memories of his grandfather in the treasure room, worshipping the gold as if it were Mahal himself. Then he went on, "Earlier tonight, I overheard the Elf Lord tell Gandalf that he is certain I shall fall, as well."

Then Thorin looked Aelin steadfastly in the eyes. "But I am not like my grandfather," he firmly stated. "I do not want to believe that my efforts will result in suffering the same fate as him..." His bold gaze then turned afraid. "…and yet…once we reach the mountain…I fear that perhaps nothing I do will change what is most likely my destiny and I will be just like him."

Aelin could see the fear in Thorin's eyes even with the slight distance between them, which surprised her. This was Thorin Oakenshield, the brave warrior whom she believed was afraid of nothing…and yet, here he stood before her, admitting what she believed his deepest darkest fear. She felt pity for him and knew that she had to do something to ease his fear. He had done likewise for her the night before so now, she felt it was time to return the favor.

"Does Elrond know you well?" she asked him.

His eyes squinted and his head tilted, puzzled at her particular question, yet he responded, "I should think not. We have never before met until our arrival here."

She walked up to him and said back in a bold voice, "Then what right has he to speak in such a way of you? If he does not even know you, he cannot say whether or not you will end up just like your grandfather or your father. Now, I may not know very well, either, but in comparison to Elrond, I know you better than he does. I know you are strong and daring and courageous. Whatever you think will happen to you once we get to the mountain, I know you can fight it. And the rest of us can help you, too, if we can. I can help you, if I can! You have already helped me here and so, if there is a chance that I can return the favor, then I ask that you give me that chance, Thorin, and let me help you, no matter what the circumstance. We will prove Lord Elrond wrong and show him that you will be the first in your family to beat that sickness in your family. You will show him how strong you really are."

When she finished talking, Aelin was a bit surprised to hear how audacious she had become in that moment. That was a bit unlike her; she had never really spoken so proudly of someone else before. However, that didn't compare to the look of amazement that was on Thorin's face. He hadn't expected such a bold reaction from her; such encouraging and inspiring words. It was not like he didn't think she was incapable of saying such things; he had just never heard as such from her, towards him or rather anyone else, in all the time they'd spent on the journey.

And yet, he felt something stir inside him at her words; something that seemed to instill a new sense of hope in his heart. He didn't know what to say at first. Finally, all he could ask was, "Do you really mean that?"

She mustered up a small, reassuring smile. "Of course," she answered. "We are friends, are we not?" The question escaped her lips before she could stop herself and a small part of her almost seemed to hurt as she asked it.

One corner of his lips twitched upward and a low hum rumbled in his chest. His gaze in his deep blue eyes softened as he then replied, "Aye…we are friends, Aelin."

Aelin couldn't deny that some little part inside her was saddened by his answer, which just about confirmed her assumption that Thorin would never see her as anything more than a friend and she once again began to hate herself for starting to fall for him. Nevertheless, she was gladdened that her words were able to help calm his worries, at least for the time being.

The two of them stood in their places and simply stared at each other for a brief moment. Aelin found herself becoming lost in Thorin's eyes that seemed like enchanting, endless voids of sheer blue. She expected she could drown in them if she gazed into them long enough.

Finally, Aelin began to feel a little awkward, finding nothing else to say to him, so she cleared her throat, bowed her head to Thorin and said, "Well…I then bid you good night, Thorin." Without waiting for a reply, she moved quickly past him.

However, his hand suddenly taking hold of hers stopped her in her place. When she looked back, Thorin asked her, "Do you wish for me to stay with you again tonight?"

She found herself stunned to hear him asking that question and was unsure of how to answer. A dumb sounding "uhhh" was the only sound that came out of her mouth.

Noticing her reaction, he then said, "I noticed your nightmares did not return last night when I was with you. I thought perhaps I would stay with you again and help stay your bad dreams a second night, if you so desired."

"Desire is not the word you should've used…," she thought to herself. She lowered and shook her head. "Thank you, Thorin, but…I do not want you to feel that you have to stay with me. Besides, you don't realize what you would be getting yourself into if you did."

"What would that be?" he asked.

She sighed. "Thorin, I had nightmares every night for as long as I can remember. Finally, I stopped sleeping at night because I was afraid to sleep and when I do, they come back in one way or another, no matter how long it's been. If you keep choosing to stay with me at night to help stay my nightmares…then you would be choosing to do that for a very long time. Eventually, I'm sure you would lose patience with me…so trust me when I say it's best if you quit while you're ahead."

Aelin tried to turn away again, but Thorin gently tugged back on her hand to keep her from moving. "Listen to me, Aelin," he told her, keeping his eyes locked on hers. "When I took up this quest, I swore I would protect my followers from any danger as best I could. That includes dangers of the mind, which is what I must now protect you from and, if I must do it for more than just one night, then so be it. I will do it."

"But, Thorin—"

"You asked that I give you a chance to help me when the time comes. Now I am asking you to give me that same chance now. Let me help you."

She was still so amazed that Thorin was so adamant about being there for her. Even now, she still wasn't used to it. There was a voice inside Aelin's mind that was telling her that she couldn't refuse him, nor did she want to. She still had a feeling that he really had no idea what he was getting himself into, but if he was truly willing to go the long mile to help her, then how could she refuse him?

In response, Aelin said in defeat, "Very well, then." Then she gave his hand a gentle squeeze and added, "Thank you."

Reverently, Thorin bowed his head in reply without a word, but the expression on his face said, "You're welcome."

He released her hand and, with that, the two of them made their way to Aelin's bedchamber. As they got to the door, Thorin asked her, "Do you think you will be fit for travelling tomorrow?"

"As long as I have my walking stick, I should be," Aelin answered. "Why?"

"After looking at the map, the Elf Lord now knows the true purpose of our quest," he told her. "The Elves will try to subdue us, I am sure of it. He and Gandalf are attending a small council at first light. We must quietly get out of here at that time before anyone can stop us if we are to continue on."

Aelin smirked. She quite liked sneaking around. It was something she was rather good at.

Feeling amused, she then replied, "Sounds like a plan, then."

.

Does everyone feel better now? ;) Lots of new shocking info and hopefully it wasn't too much for anyone xD

Next chapter, they'll be getting out of Rivendell and you'll actually find out yet another little secret about Aelin. This time it's her deepest darkest secret. What do you think it is? If you have any guesses or any other questions or comments, feel free to PM me or leave them in a review!

Until the next update! :)