Chapter 13: The Son Encounter: Part II
The sounds of camp echoed through the woods growing louder as they neared. Thyra broke into the secured area first, followed by Fili, then Thrade. At first the group only spared a quick glance when the first two arrived but upon the third person's entrance, several did a double take as the camp suddenly grew silent. Fili looked around and saw Balin, Dwalin, Dori, as well as a few others of the older generation not just looking in their direction, but gapping with wide eyes in the direction just past his left shoulder where Thrade was standing.
Fili glanced to his uncle to find that he, while not gaping like the others, was still looking at Thrade with a strange expression on his face. The once bustling camp had grown silent as all all eyes stared at Thrade.
Fili caught sight of Kili standing beside a crouched Sigurd looking at him with a questioning look. Not knowing how to convey an explanation, Fili merely shrugged his shoulders and shook his head.
Sigurd, who had yet to notice their arrival, suddenly became aware of the change of atmosphere and Kili's distracted attention. She turned slowly from her crouched position, her blue eyes taking in Thyra and Fili first then they finally landed on Thrade.
Her face of curiosity quickly morphed into one of pure excitement. Fili could only compare it to the handful of times he had witnessed the famed fireworks that Gandalf would set off on the rare occasions he joined them during any festivals. Her bright eyes became impossibly brighter as her entire face lit up. A gasp fell from her lips followed by a gleeful shriek as her mouth grew into a joyful grin.
"Thrade!" She exclaimed as she bounced up and skipped over to him, leaving Kili alone with a taken aback look.
Her ecstatic sound seemed to dispel the other shocked dwarves from their riveted stares as the dwarrowmaid bound up to the new arrival and wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight embrace. Thrade returned the hug awkwardly, his eyes dancing to Thyra for a moment before he ended the hug and gently put some space between them. He took a step back to look down at Sigurd. With his hands on her shoulders he gave her a smile that reminded Fili of the one he used to give his brother when they were younger.
"What are you doing here?" She asked him as she eyed him up and down for any sign of injuries.
Before he could answer her, Thorin's voice sounded in a curious query.
"Fili who is this?"
Fili turned to see his uncle looking at him expectantly. Unsure of how to answer he pointed to Thyra for him to direct his question towards. Thorin looked to Thyra but Thrade spoke up for himself before Thorin could repeat his inquiry to Thyra.
"Lord Thorin," Thrade said respectfully. "I apologize for not introducing myself immediately to you. But it is my understanding that the Guild is working with you."
Thorin looked at the young dwarf as he spoke. When Thorin finally managed to nod his head, Thrade took a step forward and offered a hand.
"My name is Thrade, son of Asha, who is the leader of the Guild of the Lost."
Thorin's stomach dropped at the boys words.
Asha has a son.
It was the only thing he gained from the information provided him. He could see Thrade's lips continue to move but he heard nothing of what the young dwarf was telling him past the revelation of his heritage.
Thorin's eyes lost focus of his surroundings until all he could see was Thrade's face as he stared at it. He took in the young man's physiognomy, marking every facial feature and comparing it with Asha's. He was looking for confirmation that what Thrade was telling him was the truth, unsure of if he wanted to find it to be true or not.
He did not find many, and the few he found where not a complete match or too general to be distinctive of Asha. That is, until he looked into his eyes. The Brimir family was notorious for their varying hazel eyes, but Thrade's where unmistakably familiar and unique to only one other. As Thorin took in the predominantly green irises that faded into brown near the pupils and the small flecks of gold near the outer edges, there was no mistaking it. Thrade was Asha's son.
Asha has a son.
The thought repeated in his head, echoing loudly until all other sounds became muffled white noise.
Asha has a son.
Why did she not tell him?
Asha has a son.
And with whom?
Thorin was brought back to reality when Balin took a step forward and cleared his throat.
Thorin blinked as he jolted from his trance, only to be greeted with a nervous looking Thrade. He was shifting on his feet as he looked anxiously at Thorin, his eyes occasionally darting to Balin as if looking for inspiration for what was wrong. It reminded Thorin of a young child who was still learning proper etiquette and was unsure of what they had done was correct or not.
Thorin cleared his throat in an effort to cover up his uneasiness and held out a hand. With his once foggy mind now clear enough he took the opportunity to take in the boy, neigh the man before him. This time instead of focusing on his physical appearance, he focused on his conduct.
Looking like a child who had just been offered candy, Thrade eagerly grasped his hand and gave him a firm shake as he straightened his back in his best posture.
"I did not realize Asha had a son," he admitted before forcing an unsure smile on his face. "However, I cannot think of anyone who would be more honorable to be born to."
Thrade's mouth split into a smile as his hazel eyes shone with pride.
"It is an honor to meet you sir," Thrade said in slight awe.
Thorin could not help but let his smile become more genuine. Although Thrade was well into manhood, he still had the eagerness and heart of a young boy.
"Please, call me Thorin," he said then looked around to the group. "I suppose after the hospitality your mother showed us, and the favor she is doing, it would be impolite to not invite you to join us for supper and perhaps stay the night with us?"
At his words Thrade's eyes brightened even more as he nodded and said he will go retrieve his belongings and then return. At this, Sigurd was quick to announce that she would help him but after being reassured that he would be in no need of help and only be but a few minutes, he went on his way alone.
As promised, Thrade was only gone for a few minutes before he came back with his pack. Seeing Thorin speaking with some of the others, he settled down with Thyra and Sigurd where they sat with the other younger generation of the company.
As supper was prepared and passed around, the two princes, both with hidden agendas, took advantage of the conversation to get to know this new face and his relationship with the newest additions of their travel companions.
Kili watched Thrade carefully and with conflicting emotions. Despite his elder years, he easily mingled with them without showing any superiority. He had nearly twenty years seniority on Fili who was the closest in age to him but after so many years of such an unconventional upbringing, he had a younger, more wild maturity than others Kili knew back in his homeland. However it was still obvious that, like Sigurd, he had been raised by Asha to have good manners and positive social etiquette. Easily opening up and carrying on good conversation full of humor and intrigue, Kili had a hard time finding any flaws within the man.
In fact, Kili could not find even one flaw within him. But despite this, Kili could not help but find one thing about him that he did not like. And that reason had nothing to do with his character or countenance. The reason was the plain and simple fact that he captivated Sigurd's undivided attention. And it was for that reason, Kili held a slight resentment towards the man. His rational mind told him it was a bit unfair, but he could not help it. The green monster of jealousy roared louder than the quiet whispers of his conscience.
"Thrade," called Sigurd in a tone of curiosity. "Why are you here? Where is everyone else?"
Thrade's warm eyes settled on Sigurd.
"We finished things more quickly than expected. The orcs were more of a pack than the herd we had been told about. I was scouting back to make sure we were not being followed when there was a bad storm. There was some flooding on the Anduin river so I had to take a later crossing than the rest of the group. I figured I would take a shortcut in hopes to meet up with them before I hit the foothills. I thought I had but it turned out to be Thyra here. From there you know the rest," he explained as he settled his eyes on Thyra.
"Oh," Sigurd nodded. "How were the brown lands?"
Thrade shrugged.
"Same waste land as usual. Wild men ravaging the countryside. Orcs lurking in its shadows." As if he suddenly recalled something, Thrade suddenly sat up straight and grabbed for his bag. "That reminds me," he said while pulling something from his pack. "This is for you."
Kili watched as Thrade pulled a small pouch from his belongings and handed it to Sigurd. Instantly her blue eyes lit up with curiosity as she went to work untying the draw strings and peeked in. Curiosity turned to excitement as she recognized its contents. Reaching into the bag Kili watched as Sigurd eagerly pulled out a bundle of herbs from within the canvas.
Kili frowned, what is so impressive about a clump of wilted weeds?
Despite Kili's lowly opinion of the gift, Sigurd let out a happy cheer.
"This is perfect I just used the last of it with Thyra's bruises but ran out, otherwise they would be farther in their healing."
She beamed up at Thrade who placed a hand on her head and ruffled her hair fondly. Sigurd quickly pushed his hand away and tried to detangle her short strands as her face burned red.
Fili watched Sigurd struggle to recover from her blush but was distracted when he heard his brother grumbled something under his breath about weeds. He glanced towards his brother from the corner of his eye to catch Kili's lips turn down into a pout.
He did his best to not let out a weary sigh himself as he watched Sigurd interacting with Thrade. Fili had feared this would happen. His brother had again become attached to a girl who obviously did not share the same type of affections. In the past week he thought there was a possibility his brother could finally find a lass that shared mutual feelings but now…
He realized he was sorely mistaken in this. It was blatantly clear that Sigurd was in love with Thrade and if she was not in love, she was most certainly infatuated with him.
Speaking of the man, Fili looked over to the dark haired dwarf as he began rummaging in his bag again. After a moment of searching he procured a small wooden box.
"And this," he said turning to Thyra and handing out the small box, "is for you."
Thyra looked at the box being held out to her with uncertainty. When Thrade held it out a little further in silent encouragement, she slowly grabbed the box and brought it to her lap as her fingers traced around the simple rounded edges. Fili watched as her dark irises glanced at Thrade from the corner of her eye as he watched her intently. Pursing her lips, she slowly opened the lid and stared down.
The moment her dark eyes caught sight of its contents Fili noticed Thrade's body go still as she stared down at the boxes contents. Even Fili felt himself anticipating her reaction as the time ticked by and she continued to stare down.
Finally, after nearly a whole minute of suspense, the corner of her mouth curved into a small smile as reached in and pulled out a green pastel stick. Taking in its color she set it carefully back in before pulling out a shade of deep purple. After examining the rest of the assortment of colors, she closed the lid and looked up from the box to give Thrade a small nod. Fili was not sure what Thrade had expected from her, but he could tell that while he was pleased with her response, he was still slightly disappointed with the lack of reaction.
However, despite this, Fili felt as though her movements spoke volumes. While it was obvious that Thrade was hoping for more of a reaction similar to Sigurd's, Fili felt that a small smile and nod was the equivalent to that in Thyra's book. Then again, he did not know much about her. And he certainly knew even less about Thrade. So maybe he was mistaken.
Fili frowned. He did not like traveling with so many unknown people.
Back home he always made it a point to know as many of the population on a personal level. The closer and more frequent he saw them, the better he wanted to be acquainted. In retrospect, he had been with Thyra for just shy of two weeks time and had gained hardly any knowledge of her except her seemingly, purposeful knack to get under his skin.
Dwalin sat down next to Thorin and gave him a look.
"What?" Thorin asked.
Dwalin nodded to where Thrade was sitting with the small group of younger dwarves.
"You don't see it?"
"See what?"
Dwalin shifted and looked to Balin then Oín and then Dori in search of support. The four of them exchanged looks and Dori shifted himself to face Thorin more directly as he cleared his throat.
"Is there perhaps any chance that…" his tone was diplomatic but Thorin could tell that he was uneasy with addressing whatever issue both he and Dwalin seemed to be seeing that he was missing.
"Spit it out," Thorin growled after becoming annoyed with being left in the dark.
"Well, it's just that…" Oín tried in turn, only to falter like the two previous of him.
He then looked to Balin. And then Thorin looked to Balin as well, his eyes piercing him down and giving him no option to pass the torch onto someone else.
"We were just wondering…" Balin began. "And none of us would ever judge you," he quickly added, "but...by chance…you would not happen to have any unannounced children…would you?"
Thorin's brow creased in confusion.
"What? What are you–" he caught Dwalin's eyes dart to where Thrade sat and suddenly everything made sense. "Thrade is not my son. Why would you assume that? It's impossible."
"Well if I am completely honest the moment he stepped out of those bushes I thought we had gone back in time." Dwalin admitted. "He looks just like you when you where that age."
Thorin felt his face growing warm at their accusations. It was ridiculous.
"He is Asha's son," he said dully. "It's impossi–"
"Is it?" Interjected Dwalin. "You're saying that there is no chance he is yours? I overheard him talking to Ori, he is one and one hundred years. That puts him at just the right age of…"
Thorin shook his head.
"No. It's not possible."
"You're saying there's no chance, none at all." Dwalin pushed. "You and Asha never…"
As Dwalin drifted off he made a suggestive gesture with his hands that finished his thoughts. At his hand sign, Thorin's face turned crimson. He was not one to shy away from such talk in generality, but he was a private man when it came to his own personal intimacies.
"That is none of your business," Thorin growled. "I already saidー"
His mind faltered and Dwalin raised his brows.
It was obvious by the look on Dwalin's face that Thorin's lack of denial and adamant refusal to discuss such things only confirmed his ponderings. This only seemed to frustrate Thorin even more.
"We are done discussing this," Thorin muttered as he composed himself, not missing the exchanges of looks by those surrounding him.
The subject was immediately dropped and the conversation moved on to other topics. As things moved on, Thorin sat stoic and silent.
On the outside he looked calm and collected but on the inside, Thorin was in disarray. His mind was a blur. He did not know what to think. He had struggled enough keeping calm upon first meeting Thrade.
The surprise that Asha had a son and made no mention of it had taken him for a turn. But with time, as the night grew on, he rationalized that perhaps she had been worried about what he would do to a son of Ivor. For who else could it have been? Did she think he would harm the boy? Did she think him so low? That he would go so far as to harm an innocent for another man's sins?
A flash of the last shared moment before both of their kingdom's downfalls played in his mind. He remembered standing beside his brother's lifeless body as the roar of his voice filled the air. He remember the look of fear and hurt written on her face. The promise he had made to her family.
Thorin shook his head internally. Of course she had been afraid.
However, did he not prove that he was at peace with their past now? He had finally come to terms with the idea of Asha having a son and then Dwalin destroyed all acceptance by one suggestion. The fact that he possibly had a son. Not just a son, but a son by Asha.
Thorin shook his head and gazed out to Thrade who was currently speaking with Ori and Sigurd.
He could not deny the fact that he was familiar. Thorin himself thought for the briefest of moments that Ferin walked into their camp. So many people had always said that he and his brother could be assumed identical twins were it not for the age difference.
horin let his mind wander. Could it be possible?
No.
He is Ivor's, he told himself.
If he remembered correctly, Ivor had dark hair too. It was just a coincidence that they looked similar.
Don't let this be the end
You are young and naive to think things will ever work out
Thorin...please...I need to tell…
...I will never let a drop of my blood be mixed with someone of the likes of you
Thorin's eyes snapped open as he jolted awake. The last words reverberated in his mind. He took several breaths as he pushed the memories down into the dark hole from which they had crawled from and bring himself back to the present.
Eventually the repetitive chirp of crickets began to take over as the dying fire let out the occasional crack as it slowly lost its heat. Smoke mixed with the heavy scent of pine filled his senses, bringing more clarity as the warm summer breeze drifted through the slumbering camp.
Thorin's senses were on high alert as he took in every sound and smell that was registered by his olfactory and auditory senses. The more he distinguished, the more he became aware as his mind slowly began to process what he had been dreaming. Unable to ignore his restlessness, Thorin sat up and took in the still camp. Pale, silver light cut through the branches above, just enough to let him glance around at each individual.
His eyes landed upon Thrade who slept next to Sigurd and an empty bed roll where Thyra would be. It was earlier in the morning than he originally thought since Thyra was last watch for the night. As he let his eyes drift back to Thrade's form, his dream began to replay in his head.
Thorin...please...I need to tell…
...I will never let a drop of my blood be mixed with someone of the likes of you
The hurt in her eyes had been something that haunted him his entire life. And it seemed even now, that expression still haunted him.
His words had been said out of a hatred that he had long since let go. It was not easy, but after so many years of loss and hardship, Thorin had found there was not enough time in a person's life to hold onto a grudge that could never be rectified. But tonight it was not the last words he had uttered to her that haunted him. Instead it was hers.
Thorin...please...I need to tell…
He had pondered many times what would come after those words had he not cut her off. His mind had developed hundreds of possible answers to follow those words but never, never in his life did he ever fathom the idea that she was going to tell him that she was pregnant.
...I will never let a drop of my blood be mixed with someone of the likes of you
He shivered as his words played in his mind. If what the back of his mind was telling him to be true, those words gained far more acrimony than he had ever fathomed. The hairs on his arms stood up. It was no wonder Asha never made her survival known. And it was no wonder she had gone through such lengths to keep things hidden from him.
He looked away from the sleeping form of Thrade, not able to look at him as he thought of such things. With a quiet huff he quickly stood and made his way from the camp. He needed a place to think with a clear mind. He could not dwell on the past and what ifs. He needed facts that could guide him for the future.
He walked out towards the edge of their secured area until he caught sight of cross legged Thyra perched on the wide stump of a tree that had long since lost its top half during a long ago storm.
As always her posture was impeccable, and Thorin wondered how the girl managed it no matter what time of day, place, or occasion she was at. She did not look at him as he approached but he knew she was aware of his presence. She was always aware.
He came to a stop and leaned against the tall trunk, his head just barely reaching where her legs were folded beneath her as she sat on the mossy top of the stump. Minutes passed by and Thyra kept her eyes set on the dim darkness that surrounded them.
"You can go back to sleep Thyra," Thorin finally said, "sleep seems to be avoiding me tonight."
When she did not move Thorin looked up at her. Her face was still directed out to the dark abyss of the forest but he could see her eyelids closed in meditation while still keeping her ears alert for any signs of danger.
Not sure if she had heard him or not, he debated on repeating himself or not. But then her eyes slowly split open to look down at him. Avoiding her scrutiny, Thorin moved his eyes out to the wilderness as he debated and wondered.
He had many questions that needed answers. But how to get those answers was a puzzle to be solved.
Thrade had stated his parentage when he introduced himself. But it was only his maternal side he declared. Why did he leave out his father's line? Did he know of the history between Ivor and himself? Did he know of the rivalry between their families?
It seemed so ancient that he hardly believed it had once flourished in his younger years. And if not Ivor...if it was in fact ...Thorin shook his head in his musings then swallowed the lump in his throat. If he himself was Thrade's father, did Thrade know? And if so, how would Thorin bring such a topic up?
"He has not the knowledge that you seek," Thyra suddenly said, causing Thorin to suddenly look up as he snapped out of his internal debate.
"What answers?" He questioned as he wondered how Thyra seemed to so easily read a person's thoughts.
Her eyes were closed again but they cracked open to look at him from the corner of her eye at his question. As she surveyed him, she slowly turned her head as she tilted it to the side looking very much like a wisdomed owl perched in a tree above him.
"Thrade does not know who his father is." Thyra answered.
"He told you this?" He asked then a thought came across his mind. "Asha mentioned once that she confides with you. Did she ever–"
Thyra shook her head before he could finish asking her.
"No. She has never told me."
"But you know?"
"I have my assumptions," she clarified.
"Would you shed your observed wisdom upon me?"
She raised a brow as the angle of her head increased.
"I think you already know the answer to that question. Deep down. It is plain enough for any soul to see. The first time we met, I knew."
"But you do not know for sure," Thorin argued. "Asha has never confirmed it."
Thyra looked out to the wilderness.
"What is the history of your clan and Asha?"
Thorin let out a sigh. The history of the Brimir and Durin families was not a short nor understandable one to those not of the direct lines. But Thyra was different. She had a knowledge that should be put to use in more than a life of servitude. While he believed Asha did utilize the girls knowledge, she had much more potential.
Thinking that an objective viewpoint could be helpful, he went ahead and told her of their history. He explained the feud between their two families. Told her of their relationship with certain intimacies left out, though he figured she could easily come to those conclusions on her own. Then he finished with a recounting of the night his brother died and the words exchanged.
"What can a person do in a situation like this?" He found himself asking. "What should I do?"
There was silence for a long period and Thorin was beginning to think he had overstepped his boundaries. What would a young girl know or offer to something such as this. She had not even lived enough years to even experience such a conundrum. And yet...
"Their are an unfathomable amount of options to do. And your question of what you should do is entirely dependent," she finally answered, breaking Thorin from his doubtful musings.
"Dependent on what?"
She looked down at him, her head straight and looming, no longer looking like and owl but instead a hawk focused on its prey.
"What you want."
When Thorin looked at her in confusion she expanded her thoughts.
"Ivor was your enemy. If Thrade is his son then you have the best way to exact your revenge."
Thorin narrowed his eyes, taken aback by her suggestion. He was suddenly reminded of one of the first observations he had ever made of the girl. She was dangerous. Perhaps Fili did have reason to be suspicious of her.
"I do not want revenge. I would never harm a hair on that boys head," he said sternly. "And if that is the only kind of advise you have then I want to hear none of it."
Thyra shrugged with ease as if his dark tone had no effect on her.
"Then do not take that option."
"What are my other options?" Thorin found himself asking, despite his earlier declaration of not wanting her advisory.
Thyra let out a sigh.
"As I said, there are an unfathomable amount of options. To save time I need you to be honest first. What is it that you really want to hear? Do you want Thrade to be the son of your enemy? Do you want the father to be some unknown man who replaced you within Asha's heart? Or do you want Thrade to be your son?"
"I don't know," Thorin said finding himself getting slightly agitated.
He was beginning to see why his eldest nephew's patience was shortened when with the girl. He also wondered why Asha would council with the girl when she could not offer any advice except question him with the same questions he seemed to be wanting answers to.
"I just want to know who his father is. Then I can know what I need to do or depending on the answer, if there is anything I must do."
Thyra clucked her tongue and shook her head in dissatisfaction.
"No," she said with a faint tone of disappointment that left Thorin feeling strange. "Who his father is, does not matter. As I said before, you must decide who YOU want the father to be, then you will be ready to know the truth." She watched him for a moment and when a look of annoyance flashed across her face, Thorin knew that she was not conveying her meaning properly. "Fili and Kili are not of your seed but you treat them as if they were sons."
"That is different, they are still of the same bloo—"
Thyra's voice let out harsh cursing in Règan causing Thorin to look at her in surprise as her face contorted into frustration and anger.
"Blood mean nothing," she said harshly. "Thrade a good man, he raised well by Asha and he aspires to be like man he looks up to." Her accent was becoming thicker in her anger. "The fabled Thorin Oakenshield."
Thorin was struck dumb.
Thrade looked up to him? Why?
Thorin found himself unable to say anything and Thyra seemed to calm slightly at his shock. Her face softened as she looked out whimsically into the night. Her dark eyes focused on a point far off into the distance.
"You love Asha. Still after all these years. You desire her still. You want her to be a part of your life, but not just in treaty or peace. You want what you missed out long ago." She paused for a moment before continuing. "She still loves you."
As she said this, she looked down to connect her eyes with Thorin's.
"Thrade is Asha's son, who the father is only depends on who you want it to be. Shared blood or not." She slowly shifted to the edge of the stump and dropped down to the forest floor. "What you do, depends on what you want. If you want Asha, you must accept her son...no matter who his father was."
She looked up at him.
"Do you want a son or not, Thorin of the Oakenshield?"
Thorin now understood why Asha took council from Thyra. After posing her question, Thyra silently walked away towards camp, apparently taking up his earlier offer to rest while he kept watch. He watched her go for a moment before finally letting his eyes begin to study the slowly lighting forest as twilight approached.
Thyra was right. He did not just want a friendship with Asha. He wanted more. And if he wanted that, he had to accept the fact that she had a son. By him or by another, Thyra was correct. It did not matter. Because if he truly wanted what his heart desired, Thrade would be a part of that. Thyra had also been right about something else. Deep down he already knew the answer. He did not know why, perhaps it was an animalistic instinct or a paternal gift. Whatever the reason, it terrified him. Because if this deep feeling was true, it changed everything.
He had a son. A son that he knew nothing about. A son that Asha had purposely omitted his existence. She was hiding him, keeping him from him.
Before the depressing fact could take its toll on him or before his anger could be riled by Asha's actions, an idea came to his mind.
He wanted to know more about Thrade, and he had a perfect opportunity to get what he wanted. He smiled at the thought. Yes, Asha wanted to keep Thrade from him, but it seemed Mahal had other plans.
They were packing up camp and erasing all signs of their stay when Thorin approached Thrade as he and Thyra doused the fire and covered it with dirt. As he came up to them they each paused in their work to look up at him. When he called out and beckoned to Thrade, Thyra instantly went back to work as the other eagerly stood up and walked over to him.
As Thrade reached him, Thorin gestured for him to follow a small distance to the outer perimeter of the camp. As he walked, he watched Thrade looking at him apprehensively from the corner of his eye. Finally reaching the desired distance to have a private conversation, Thorin turned to him and studied the young man for a moment. Instantly Thrade began to fidget as he shot a quick glance back towards those still packing up camp then looking up at Thorin.
"I am sorry sir if I have done something wrong," Thrade quickly apologized, causing some slight confusion in Thorin. "I know I am not a member of your group and you have been a good host, so I am sorry if I have somehow overstepped my boundaries or…"
Thorin held up a hand.
"You have done nothing wrong Thrade I assure you. There is no need for you apology."
Thrade's shoulders instantly relaxed as a show of relief played across his face.
"Yes, sir." Thrade said in a polite tone.
A slight frown came to Thorin's lips as the young man addressed him so properly. The sound of Thrade addressing him with such formality did not settle with Thorin. It was bothersome and instinctually it felt wrong.
"There is no need for that, please, just Thorin will do."
Thrade nodded.
"Yes sir...sorry sir, I mean...sorry Thorin."
Thorin's lips lifted in slight amusement at the younger man's eagerness to please.
"I wanted to inquire of your plans and way of travel?" Thorin began.
Thrade scratched the back of his head.
"I suppose I will depart for the guild this morning. According to Thyra they will have already left but I figured I would follow our usual northward routes and hopefully catch up to the rest." He answered. "It's not ideal but this would not be the first time. At least this time I know the destination."
Thorin nodded but his lips slowly turned downward in disapproval. Thrade certainly seemed capable and he did not doubt he would manage on his own. But there was something that bothered him about the idea of Thrade traveling alone at such distance and in such unstable lands.
"Might I propose a counter plan?" Thorin asked.
"A counter?" Thrade repeated.
"How would you like to travel along with my company?" Thorin proposed. "You would still end up in the same destination and I could certainly use the extra help."
Thorin's watched as Thrade's hazel eyes brightened at the idea.
"You would not mind?" Thrade asked quickly.
Thorin shook his head.
"I would like to get to know you better and any son that comes no from Asha would be an asset to our group."
Thorin good see the glimmer of excitement rise in Thrade's eyes, and despite Thrade's efforts to seem as collected as he could, Thorin could not help but be amused by his ecstatic attitude.
"Am I to take that as a yes?" Thorin asked when Thrade failed to reply. He was too occupied with staying as collected as he could.
"Yes sir!" Thrade exclaimed none too calmly. Instantly he cleared his throat and in a more calm tone said, "I mean uh...yes...Thorin. It would be an honor."
. . . . . . . . . . . . .