In the days when Bilbo Baggins was writing stories about dragons, Fornost was a small settlement at the end of the Great North Road. Now it was a thriving town of several thousand, fueled by the demand for coal and lumber from the Blue Mountains. Thorin and Kaylea passed unnoticed among the throng of tradesmen on the busy main street, lined with loaded wagons headed south. Thorin led the way down a quiet side street to the inn where he usually stayed on his trips to Erebor. Soft beds, quality ale and sparkling clean, the Raven's Roost had a well-deserved reputation as one of the town's best. With his hair tied back, broad-brimmed felt hat and weather-beaten leather coat he could not look less like the King Under the Mountain. Kaylea was now a proper Northern shieldmaiden, her dark red hair a mass of fine braids adorned with rings and bear teeth, her face painted with stripes of woad. She wore green contacts and an easily reversable surgery had changed the shape of her nose and eyes. She drew a few curious looks, but Men here were used to Northerners. As they entered the inn Kaylea was surprised to see a Dwarf polishing glasses behind the bar. His face lit up when he saw Thorin.

"Frerin, how good to see you again! What brings you back to my humble inn so soon?" The Dwarf asked, coming forward to shake Thorin's hand.

"This time I am on an errand for my kin," Thorin said. "Looking for a lost cousin."

"Ah, do you mean the missing prince from the Iron Hills?" The innkeeper shook his head. "A sad business when sons fall out with fathers. I remember now you are of his family."

"News travels fast," Thorin shrugged. "I am a very distant relation, but I thought I should do what I can. I don't suppose you have seen him?"

The innkeeper chuckled. "Most of the Dwarves who pass through Fornost stay here, but I do not remember any princes. How long has he been missing?"

"Near twenty years."

"Well, I have owned this place for twenty-five. I am afraid I do not remember him." The innkeeper frowned, shook his head. "Let me think on it for a bit."

"Why not just have a Queen in the Iron Hills?" Kaylea said, leaning on the bar. "It would save a lot of trouble."

"You may do such things in the North, but it is not our way," he gave Kaylea an appraising glance. "And you must be Frerin's wife," he bowed formally. "Eren, son of Ered, at your service."

"And yours and your families," Kaylea answered, inclining her head. "Tara, daughter of Tyr."

The Dwarf nodded his agreement at the proper response. "I am glad to meet you at last, my lady. I have heard so much about you!"

"Nothing good, I hope," Kaylea replied. Thorin socked her in the shoulder.

Eren laughed and wagged a finger at her. "Your husband has never spoken an ill word about you, careful now or I will get the wrong impression!" He moved back around the counter and handed Thorin a key. "Your usual room."

Kaylea smiled at him. "Where is the nearest livery? We need to arrange for the horses."

"Just down the street," Eren replied. "I can arrange it for you, it is no trouble."

Kaylea shook her head. "I will take care of it." After much discussion they had brought their black Nihrain horses, it was a bit of a risk but their task would be even more difficult without the fast, tireless steeds. The wolves had come with them as well, but tonight they were up in the hills, far away from the lights of town.

The livery was one of the town's original buildings, weathered but well kept. The owner was nowhere to be seen but a young stableboy showed them stalls for their horses and listened intently to Kaylea's instructions for their care. As she settled them in the stalls Thorin collected their gear in a pile near the door. He was about to join his wife when he heard a strange noise and looked up at one of the largest wagons he had ever seen wobbling up the street. Drawn by a team of six it was completely enclosed, made of heavy timbers bound with metal, as secure as if it was carrying a treasury. The wobble was caused by one of the wheels, which looked as though it was in danger of falling off. As it pulled to a stop at the door Thorin surveyed the wagon's escort, a driver and bowman on the seat, six guards on horses. The large, bearded man who swung down off his horse to confront the stableboy had the air of someone used to being obeyed.

"Where is the blacksmith?" He asked, giving Thorin a quick glance. He was wearing the livery of Belfalas, much scuffed as if to remove the insignia.

The boy shrugged. "You will find him drinking at the Black Swan. Or passed out under a table."

"Go and get him," the former soldier said. "This wheel needs repaired."

The boy grinned. "I can find him, but he will be of no use for anything until at least tomorrow."

"I cannot wait until tomorrow," the big man frowned. "I have to get this delivered, we have a timetable to meet." He looked down at Thorin's gear, spotted the farrier's tools. "Are you a smith?"

"I might be," Thorin replied. "But this is not my shop and I did not plan to spend my evening mending wagon wheels."

"What's it worth to you?" The man asked, bringing out a heavy purse. Thorin took a deep breath, considering. He had seen a couple of pre-made rounds on the wall, it was just a matter of reattaching a couple of spokes, the repair would be easy. He found himself very curious to find out what was inside that wagon.

"Fifty."

"Fifty! That is highway robbery!" The man exclaimed.

"Wait till morning then," Thorin bent to pick up his tools. He had named an outrageous price just to see how precious the cargo was, would the man take the bait?

"Fine," the man said with a frown, he handed over two heavy gold pieces.

Thorin smiled inwardly, one was from Moria and had his face stamped on it. The other was from Gondor. He put them in his pocket. "I will need your men to help get some blocks under that wagon," he looked at the stableboy. "Is the forge lit?"

The boy nodded. "Yes, sir. It will take a few minutes to heat it up."

Kaylea emerged from the back of the barn and stopped beside Thorin, causing the men to stare. "What are you up to, husband?"

"Making money," Thorin replied. "Want to help get that wheel off?"

Kaylea shook her head and stepped over to help lift the wagon. Thorin could see her eyes sweeping over it, knew she was also curious about the cargo. He took the wheel over to the workbench and set to work knocking the metal ring off. The men stood talking among themselves.

"This will take a bit," Thorin told them. "Might as well get something to eat."

The big man nodded. "We cannot leave it unguarded. Four of us will go at a time." He left with three of his men, the others stood talking by the horses.

Kaylea came over to stand by Thorin. "Whatever is in there is light, the only weight was the wagon," she said quietly.

Thorin frowned, now even more curious. "Can you get the rest of them to leave?"

"I have been listening, I think I have their range," Kaylea replied. She stepped over to the group of men, modulating her voice carefully. "Go and get something to eat," she told them. "Go the opposite way from the others." The combination of the natural command in her voice and the voice control she was using was perfect, the men immediately headed down the street. Kaylea watched them go them climbed up the side of the wagon, looking for any cracks between the beams. Thorin was just about to put the new ring in the forge to size it when he saw Kaylea drop down, as her feet hit the ground the whole wagon shifted, like something very large was stirring within.

"This thing is built tight," she told him. "I want to know why they are in such a hurry." She looked for the stableboy, saw he was giving feedbags to the horses.

Thorin followed her as she climbed up and carefully picked the three padlocks on the back. She cracked the door open and slipped through, Thorin right behind her. What he saw when she clicked on her light flooded him with cold anger. It was one of the Great Eagles, legs and beak bound. Yellow eyes filled with malice.

"Where is Radagast when you need him," Kaylea said softly.

Thorin knelt by the bird's head. "In the days when I knew the Lord of Eagles they could speak the common tongue." He looked into the great bird's eyes, his voice grave. "I am Thorin Oakenshield, he who your kin aided not once, but twice, many years ago. Will you allow us to help you? Please give me a sign if you understand."

The bird's eyes seemed to soften, it closed its eyes and curled its neck, then extended its beak toward Thorin. He carefully removed the leather straps, ready to jump back if the bird changed its mind.

"The name of Thorin Oakenshield is known to us," the bird said, its voice raspy. "Our king still wears the golden crown you made for us so long ago. If you help me now, I will be forever in your debt."

"Let's get you out of this wagon before those guards come back," Kaylea said, moving to unbind the bird's legs.

"My wing is broken," the bird said, sadly. "Even if you get me out, I cannot fly."

"We can fix that," Thorin said. "Is there anywhere he can stay out of sight in the building?"

Kaylea nodded. "The hay storage is only half-full."

Thorin stood up. "I'll get the wheel fixed. Take him back there and get this wagon locked up. When the freighters are gone we'll get that wing repaired. It is probably safer if it is full dark before he flies out of here."

The eagle unsteadily got to its feet, even crouched down it filled the wagon. "How can you set my wing so that I can fly this night? It is not possible."

Thorin laid a hand on the bird's neck. "Trust me, it can be done."

Kaylea leaned out the door of the wagon, scanning the street. There were few buildings on the edge of town, most of them businesses now closed for the night. The only thing moving in the evening light was dog sniffing for scraps down the street. They hustled the big bird out of his prison and into the livery, down to the back where he could hide among the piles of hay. The stableboy's eyes went wide as dinner plates at the sight of the great eagle. Kaylea laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Not a word, now," she said quietly.

The boy nodded vigorously. "I thought those were a myth," he whispered. "They had that in the back of this wagon?"

"Yes," Kaylea answered. "We are going to set him free. If you plan on saying anything to the men when they come back, I will kill you. Do you understand?"

The boy swallowed hard. "I didn't see anything."

Kaylea grinned and patted him on the shoulder, then went to lock up the wagon. She made sure to coat the locks with road dust so they would look undisturbed.

As Thorin had predicted the wheel was a quick fix, he was just pinning the new iron into place when the men came back. The big boss man gave the guards a dressing down for leaving the wagon unguarded, but seemed satisfied after checking the locks and being told they were only gone a few minutes. He inspected the wheel with a critical eye as they were getting ready to install it.

"Very fine work," he said grudgingly. "Almost worth the price."

Thorin chuckled. "I could do much better in my own shop, but it will not fail you again."

The men mounted their horses and soon the wagon was out of sight. Thorin and Kaylea hurried back to the great bird, laying amid the hay piles. Kaylea had brought him a trough of water, the stableboy was sitting nearby staring.

"Go and keep watch," Kaylea told him. "Let us know if you see the blacksmith coming back." She set down her saddlebags and took out a flat square of metal.

"This machine is going to look very strange," Thorin told the bird. "But it has a kind of magic that can heal wounds instantly." The bird gave a start as the field med-unit rose up on its spidery legs. "Which wing?"

The bird extended the injured wing as best he could, there was more than one bone broken. The med-unit scuttled over and set to work, cleaning the wounds, applying anesthetic, setting and gluing the fragments of bone into place. The eagle watched it warily.

"Was this broken wing the reason you were captured?" Thorin asked.

"No, that was my own fault," the bird replied. "The Men set out a carcass and lay in wait, when I flew close to take a look they shot my wings with many arrows, I fell from the sky and woke bound as you found me." The eagle closed his eyes. "My mistake to try for an easy meal instead of hunting for myself, as I have been taught."

"Do you know where they were taking you?" Kaylea asked.

"I heard them speak of some Southern collector who has offered a princely sum for one of my kind. The ship sails for his country soon, that was their reason for haste. That and they were worried I might die before they could get their payment."

"They have given you no food, or water?"

The bird moved his head side to side. "They were too afraid to unbind my beak. Not without reason." His yellow eyes regarded Kaylea and Thorin curiously. "But how do you come to be here? Word had come to us that Thorin Oakenshield was dead. Gave his life to save the land from a great darkness."

Thorin smiled at the great bird. "I would appreciate it if you would keep it between us, I only revealed myself because I needed you to trust me quickly. Thorin Oakenshield is gone, I am Frerin, son of Fror, now. This is my wife, Tara, daughter of Tyr."

"A blacksmith. Not much of a disguise," the bird sounded amused. "I am Khrusos, the Windseeker. And why are you here in the North?"

"We live here. We are on our way to aid in the search for my missing grandson."

The eagle drew itself up. "Then I will aid you in your search, as you have aided me."

Thorin shook his head. "Thank you for your kind offer, but my actions today were to repay the debt I owe to your kind."

"That debt is long ago repaid," Khrusos said. "I will help you, if I can. Do not forget we are the lords of all the birds, we can call many eyes to search for your grandson."

"I had not thought of that!" Thorin exclaimed softly. "You can send word to the ravens, as well."

"It would be much easier to send a message through one of them than for me to come myself," the bird seemed to smile with his eyes. "Where shall we start to search?"

"I wish I could tell you. He has been missing for twenty years."

"There are not many who understand you can hide in plain sight, as we do," Kaylea said. "He will be a Dwarf in a place where Dwarves are not usually found."

"And he has no love of the usual Dwarven pursuits," Thorin added. "He will be doing something Dwarves do not usually do."

The eagle nodded gravely just as the med-unit gave a whistle indicating it was done. Kaylea stepped over to look at the readouts. "The machine will need to give you some potions. One to speed your healing, one for energy so you can fly home. It will need to touch your side."

The bird partially extended his wing, his eyes surprised. "It feels good as new!" The med-unit probed between the bird's breast feathers, there was the hiss of three injections. Kaylea put the unit back on its carrier and powered it off. The stable was dark now, only a couple of lights were lit at the front. The stableboy backed up against the wall at the sight of the great eagle walking up the breezeway. Kaylea motioned Khrusos to stop and stepped out to scan the street. All was dark and quiet, bathed in pale moonlight. The bird walked out into the street and tested its wings, the wind raising great clouds of dust. Then he turned and did a sort of bow to Thorin.

"Thank you for all you have done, your majesty," the bird said solemnly. "I owe you a debt that I can only hope to repay. Know that the keen eyes of the eagles will be with you in your search. Farewell, wherever you fare! Till your eyries receive you at the journey's end."

Thorin bowed low. "May the wind under your wings bear you where the sun sails and the moon walks." The eagle nodded his head solemnly and flew up into the night.

"That's not something you see every day," the stableboy said, awe in his voice.

Kaylea stepped forward and lay a hand on his shoulder. "Once those men find that wagon empty it will not take them long to remember where they left it unattended. Time to find another job, a long way from here."

The boy looked embarrassed. "I have never liked this town. I want to go to Gondor, but that takes money."

Thorin took the two gold pieces out of his pocket. "Now you do. And this should be enough for you to forget everything you saw and heard here tonight. Leave soon."

Back at the inn Thorin and Kaylea got quite an earful from Ered, who thought it very amusing it had taken them several hours to arrange a stable for their horses just down the street. Since it was so late he set out dinner at a table in their room.

"I have been thinking about this missing prince," Ered said as he put down the plates. He took out a gold coin and handed it to Thorin. It was an old mint from the Iron Hills, from Dain Ironfoot's time. "That is the only one of those I have even seen. We never see coin from the Iron Hills this far out, and that is an old one."

Thorin turned it over in his fingers before handing it back. "Who gave it to you?"

"A young Dwarf, wouldn't give his name," the innkeeper said. "This would have been near twelve years ago, or thereabouts. I remember him, not only because of the coin but he was traveling by himself, and he had no tools with him. Just a satchel full of sketchbooks."

"Did he say where he was going?" Kaylea asked.

"He looked like a tradesman but when I asked him if he was looking for work and he said no, which was also very odd. I know he left town with some lumber merchants headed for the Ered Luin. I'm afraid that is all I can tell you."

"So, now we must decide," Kaylea said, when the landlord had left. "Do we continue south to Gondor, or turn north to the Ered Luin? If he is truly interested in the history of the Dwarves he could not resist the libraries of Minas Tirith."

Thorin turned his glass with his fingers thoughtfully. "We do not know that this Dwarf was Nain, but the description fits and the timing is right. There are certainly not many Dwarves out wandering the country who are not looking for work. If he did go to the Blue Mountains, it is also possible he never left. And I would very much like to know why those kingdoms are interested in the succession in the Iron Hills. I say we go north."

The meal was indeed excellent and after a welcome bath Kaylea slipped between the soft sheets, she relaxed and closed her eyes, thinking she might get some sleep tonight. She heard Thorin come out of the bathroom, and turned on her side to watch him. She let her eyes travel over his naked body, his muscles sculpted from years of training and hard work.

"Do you like what you see?" Thorin asked, toweling his hair.

"Mmmmm…get over here and I will show you how much."

Thorin grinned and took his time drying his hair, enjoying making her wait. "Next time, you take the first bath. I'm not letting you have all the fun." He reached to turn out the lamp. "I don't often say this, but you look tired, my love."

Kaylea took a deep breath. "It has been a long day, with giant talking birds and all."

"I was nice to rescue one of them, for a change," Thorin said, as he slipped into bed beside her. "And it certainly won't hurt to have their keen eyes looking for my grandson."

Kaylea relaxed as he took her in his arms and pulled her against him, inhaling his clean scent, the feel of his warm body against hers, the way their bodies fit so precisely together. She intertwined her legs with his, enjoying the brush of the soft hairs on his legs.

"Why have you taken to turning the lights off all of a sudden?" She asked.

"I haven't got used to this new look of yours," Thorin answered softly, between kisses down her neck. "In the dark I know your scent, your taste. With the lights on I feel like I am making love to a strange woman."

Kaylea smiled at him, letting her fingers travel over his back. "Most men would enjoy that."

"I am not most men," Thorin replied, as he disappeared underneath the covers.