.

Ok, now let's see if Thorin and Marigold can get out of THIS terrible fix!

Go Thorin!

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Chapter 74

~X~

Marigold had never been so frightened in all her life. Even the battle they had engaged in with the orcs on their journey here had not instilled such fear in her, for this time it was different. This time, she had so much more to lose than just her life…this time she could lose Thorin!

He fought as if he and his weapon were one, the sword now an extension of his arm as he sliced through another orc, only to turn and face another. Marigold wanted desperately to help, to aid him in some way, but she was not sure how. She had no weapons, and if she were to leave the safety of the tree then Thorin would only be placed in more danger, as he would be forced to divide his attention between fighting and protecting her. She knew that orcs could easily climb, and her current position did not exactly ensure her safety, but it would take them longer to get to her up there, than on the unprotected ground. She only wished that Thorin had joined her, yet he seemed to be holding his own very well below.

However when she saw one of the orcs break off from the group and circle around behind, she knew she had to do something. Screaming out to Thorin was her first thought, but decided against it, not wanting to alert the enemy that she was on to his plan. So looking around, she spied a small branch that looked thin enough for her to snap off with her bare hands. It took a bit more force than she anticipated, but soon the long twig was loose and in her hand. Marigold scooted down as far as she could on the branch and grabbed hold of a sturdy limb with her left as she waited for the vile creature to make his way beneath her. When he was in range, she began beating him on the head as hard and as fast as her strength would allow.

The orc let out a series of screams and curses, covering his face as the willowy branch whipped at his exposed skin. Marigold continued her assault, doing everything she could to keep him distracted and not allow him to advance upon Thorin. Thankfully, the creature's yell had alerted the king to his location and Thorin quickly maneuvered to a better position, ready to take him on if he were to make any move towards him.

Marigold kept swatting at the orc until it became thoroughly fed up and grabbed hold of her stick with both hands, yanking so hard that it almost toppled the hobbit from her perch. Forced to let go of her makeshift weapon, Marigold teetered there for a moment before she was able to regain her balance. Unfortunately, that did not last long, for just then the now enraged orc leapt up and grabbed hold of her foot, his razor sharp claws scraping along her tender, exposed flesh. Letting out a cry of panic and pain, she began to kick at his hand with her other foot, wrapping her arms around the large branch she was sitting upon and hanging on for dear life.

"Come down, little sparrow," the orc hissed, his other hand now clawing at the tree limb as he struggled to pull himself up. "I do so love the taste of little birds…their flesh so juicy and their bones so brittle. You are hardly more than a mouthful, but I will savor every bite just the same."

"GET OFF!" Marigold screamed, still kicking at him, landing a few blows to his head as well. "LET ME GO!"

And while her cries did little to dissuade the orc, Thorin's head spun around at the sound of the panic in her voice. Seeing his love in danger, he made short work of the filthy beast he was battling with and ran to her aid.

"Marigold! Hang on!" he yelled, seconds before he let Orcrist swing, severing the orc in half right at his midsection. It sickened him to see that the vile thing hung on to his hobbit even after its death and she was forced to remove its claws from her leg personally, watching as the top half fell to the ground beside the rest of it. The two lovers only had time to share one quick nod of thanks and relief before the final pair of orcs attacked Thorin at once.

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Meanwhile, Kili, Dwalin and the rest of the guards had managed to decimate the remaining horde, and when they realized their defeat was imminent, the remaining five took off in flight. An equal amount of the guards made chase, determined to finish them off or at least make sure they left the area for good. Only one of the dwarves had been badly injured and was currently being tended to by the one guard who remained behind. That left Dwalin and Kili free to break off from the chase and go in search of Thorin and Marigold.

They heard the sound of Thorin's sword before he came into view, and they both breathed a sigh of relief to see their king still on his feet. He appeared to be mostly unharmed, though his tunic was streaked with blood…yet most appeared to be orcish black. What did worry them, however, was the fact that neither one of could see Marigold! Still, first things first, they needed to help their kin, and then they could find the hobbit. In the split second it took Dwalin and Kili to assess the situation, Thorin beheaded one of the final two, but the last one got the drop on him, pushing him against a tree with his jagged blade dangerously close to his throat.

"Shoot him, Kili!" Dwalin bellowed, knowing there was no way he could throw a weapon that far.

"Where…if I aim too high he might move and I will hit Thorin!" Kili shouted back, knowing that time was of the essence, but still hesitant to let his arrow loose.

"Aim for his jambags!" the bald warrior ordered.

"His what?" Kili looked over at his cousin in shock. "Where are those?"

"Probably the same place you keep yours…JUST SHOOT!" Dwalin roared.

Kili obeyed and aimed for the back of the orc's knee, knowing that even if he missed and hit Thorin, it would not be a kill shot. As his arrow sank deep into the creature's flesh, it let out a scream of pain and released its hold on Thorin, allowing the king to shove the orc backwards onto the ground. Taking hold of Orcrist, he drove the blade home in his enemy's chest, forever ending its chance to do his Marigold any further harm.

Dwalin and Kili ran down the small hillside and into the tree line just in time for Thorin to remove his sword from the orc, giving it a slight kick just to make sure it was good and dead.

"Can you bloody well see now why I don't wish you to leave Erebor and go on this pointless journey to the Shire?" Dwalin roared, his fear and frustration over the attack causing him to forget all about keeping that little tidbit a secret. They had not expected an attempt on the king this close to home, and it upset him greatly to think that they had darted to try such a thing on Erebor soil. "What if you are attacked like this on the road, when I am not here to protect you? You could have been killed!"

"Ummm, Dwalin…" Kili said in a warning tone, elbowing his older cousin as he pointed towards the tree above them. "Now would be a good time to shut up."

"No, a minute ago would have been the better time to keep your trap shut!" Thorin growled, knowing full well that Marigold had heard every word.

"I don't care! I will speak my piece and no one will silence me this time!" Dwalin roared, fed up with his king's fatalistic desire to please his would be bride. "She deserves to know the truth, even if you refuse to tell her!"

"Thorin…is this true?" came a small voice above him.

The dwarf king closed his eyes in frustration, before giving a heavy sigh and looking upwards. She had climbed down to the lowest limb and sat there staring at him with a mixture of confusion and hurt in her eyes. Oh, he was going to kill Dwalin.

"Come, my dear," he instructed, holding up his arms as she slipped off the limb and into them with ease. "Are you hurt?"

"No…just terribly confused, please tell me what he meant by that Thorin," she begged, not allowing him to release her from his grip. "Does leaving Erebor truly put you in danger? Could going to the Shire mean your death?"

"We will talk about this later, when you are safely back inside the mountain," Thorin commanded, shooting a look of anger at Dwalin.

"No, you will tell me now!" Marigold demanded, stomping her foot in frustration. "That orc…he said that his master has been waiting for you to leave Erebor…that they wished to capture you and enslave the dwarves. What did he mean by that?"

"Nothing, it was idle threats from a worthless creature that should have had his tongue cut out a long time ago," he stated. Much like a certain chatty cousin he knew, Thorin thought to himself.

Marigold could see that she was not going to get anything out of Thorin, so she turned to Kili, the young dwarf was wide eyed and looked like he wanted to run.

"Kili…tell me the truth," she ordered, leveling him with a stern glare. "No lies…would Thorin be in danger if he went with me to the Shire."

"Well…" Kili began, doing his best not to look at his uncle. "There is always danger when one goes on a journey."

"Oh, for Mahal's sake!" Dwalin roared, fed up with all the pussy-footing around. "The servants of Mordor want nothing more than to take the king's head back to their dark master. Thorin knows the dangers of traveling across Middle Earth, yet he is determined to go to please you, and he has sworn us all to secrecy."

"Dwalin," Thorin growled, his eyes ablaze with murder. "Remind me to demote you and throw you in the dungeons when we get home!"

"Do whatever you want, but I will stand no longer and allow you to knowingly walk into danger," Dwalin told him, pain and anguish written all over his face. "So don't ask me to, Thorin…I just can't."

There was a moment of silence, where the two kinsmen stared at each other, both understanding what this was costing the other. For Thorin it was the chance to make his mate's wish come true…for Dwalin, it was the chance to possibly save the cousin he loved as dearly as a brother.

"We will speak about this later, you and I," Thorin said in a quiet voice, giving Dwalin a nod of acceptance. "Marigold…allow me to explain," he began, turning to look at his still wide-eyed hobbit.

"No…take me home, Thorin," she stated, pulling away slightly. "Get me away from all this blood and gore…I want to go home."

"And…which home would that be?" the dwarf king asked in a low and shaky tone. Had he destroyed everything by keeping this from her? Did she now wish to leave Erebor…to leave him, and go home to her safe little piece of the world? His heart sank to the bottom of his chest at the thought. No, he could not let that happen.

"Home to Erebor of course, you stubborn, pigheaded dwarf!" she growled, throwing her hands up in utter frustration as she turned and began to storm away. "And when we get there, you and I are going to have a long and very serious discussion about how husbands and wives do not keep secrets from each other! Do you hear me, Thorin Oakenshield?"

Thorin, who was stunned, yet beyond happy she did not wish to leave, stood there and stared at her retreating form. Marigold never ceased to amaze him, and he couldn't wait to spend the rest of his life waiting to see how she would surprise him next.

"Come on," he grunted to Kili and Dwalin. "If we do not hurry up she will beat us there."

"And you never know, there might be more orcs milling around," Kili stated, taking off at a sprint in order to catch up with Marigold, ready to offer her his protection.

"Should any of our enemies encounter her in this mood…then I truly pity the poor sods!" Thorin snorted, slapping his sword-brother on the back, as the two of them hurried after Kili and Marigold.

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The other guards had returned, announcing that they had run the orcs into the ground, slaying every last one of them. Most of the ponies were quickly rounded up, though Marigold's and a few others were still unaccounted for. That was fine with Thorin, for he preferred to share with her anyway, needing to feel her safely surrounded by his loving embrace. He could have lost her this day…it had been a very distinct possibility, and it would be some time before he was willing to let her out of his sight. The one dwarf who had been injured was now patched up and well enough to ride, so they quickly loaded him on a pony and made their way back to the mountain as quickly as they could.

The ravens had apparently seen the battle during their overhead reconnaissance and had reported back to Erebor. Hence, when they arrived back at the main gate, an entire battalion was armed and ready to ride out to their aid.

"Stand down," Dwalin announced as they made their way across the bridge. "The danger is past, though it would not go amiss should you scout the area for more of the orc scum that might be hiding near the edge of the forest. Be on your guard…the ones we encountered were well trained."

With that, the leader signaled and they all took off to do their captain's bidding. Dis and Balin were there waiting as well, as was Bergie, though she stood back near the far wall, her hand placed protectively over her belly, yet her eyes were trained on Dwalin.

"What happened?" Dis demanded, seeing both her son and brother splattered with blood. "Marigold, are you all right?"

"We were set upon by an orc pack hiding in the woods," Dwalin explained, dismounting and turning his pony over to a waiting page. "They were no match for dwarf steel however…they are all dead."

"Was anyone injured?" came Oin's question, as he and several of his apprentices hurried over. When they saw the one dwarf leaning heavily on his saddle horn, they quickly surrounded the pony and eased him off and onto a stretcher. After giving the blood soaked wound a quick check, he barked out his orders. "Get this brave lad to the healing halls. The blade did not go too deep…he will live," Oin assured his king, before heading off with his patient.

By now Bergie had made her way to Dwalin, engulfing him in a frantic embrace as she buried her face into his chest, not caring if she got blood on her dress or not.

"Are you sure you are all right?" she asked, her voice muffled by his leathers.

"Yes, lass," Dwalin nodded, stroking the back of her hair as he leaned in and kissed the top of her head. "I got too much to live for now to be throwing my life away on petty scum such as that. You are all that matters to me, you and our little one, I promise to always come back, my sugar plum."

"You better," was all she said, pulling back as she wiped her eyes and pulled herself together. A few tears being all she allowed herself to shed before she was back to the usual strong willed Bergie. "Now, I think it best that you and Thorin go clean up, while I take Marigold to do the same," she stated, quickly taking control of the situation.

"And then, everyone involved is to meet in Thorin's council chambers," Dis finished, assisting the now shaking Marigold off the pony and into the waiting arms of Bergie. She turned to another one of the pages and sent him scurrying off to find Fili, alerting him to the situation. "Now, go," she told Thorin, Dwalin and Kili. "Nothing more can be done at the moment and you three reek of orc filth."

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Everyone complied, though it was difficult for Thorin to allow Marigold to leave his sight even for a short time. He bathed quickly and changed his clothes before joining the group in his council chambers. The rest of the company had apparently been alerted for everyone from the original company was there, including Bilbo. Thorin noted that while Sier was present, Flinn was not, but at seeing Drogo, Prim and Frodo missing as well, he could easily deduce where his littlest nephew might be. That was good, for this conversation was not meant for young ears. Everyone there seemed to be speaking at once, trying to talk over the others in a flurry of questions.

"Where did the orcs come from?" Fili asked, looking at Dwalin and his brother. "How many were there? Mahal's ax, I should have been there!"

"You were doing your duty here, Fili," Thorin assured him, placing his hand on his nephew's shoulder. "The mountain must have its king…and with Kili and I away, you needed to rule in my stead. Just as you shall do when I journey to the Shire in the fall."

"Oh, that is not going to happen!" came a very stern voice from behind him. Turning, he saw that Marigold had entered the hall and was currently leveling a very angry look at him. "No more secrets, Thorin, no more keeping things from me. If we are to marry, then I need to be told everything that concerns you and your safety. And I mean everything!"

"I told you that keeping this from her would not be wise," Dis whispered to her brother, before stepping forward and taking hold of Marigold's hands. "Please forgive me for not informing you as I wished to do. I always felt you deserved to know, and yet…"

"And yet, knowing Thorin the way I do, he forbade it, didn't he?" Marigold finished the sentence for her, never taking her eyes off of her beloved. "Well that ends here and now. Tell me everything!"

And so, between Dwalin, Dis and Bilbo, they filled the hobbit lass in, all the while Thorin remained silent, standing there before her as she allowed the knowledge to wash over her. When they were done, and she knew everything Thorin had been attempting to keep from her, she took a few steps forward, reaching up to run her hand down the side of his cheek.

"Why, Thorin?" she began, her tone both tender and guilt ridden. "Why would you be willing to risk your life like that? Simply to offer me the chance of having my family at our wedding?"

"It is what you wished for," he explained. "It was what you desired…and I wanted you to have this. I might be a king, but in truth there is so little I can bestow upon you when compared to everything you have already given me. I wanted you to have this one thing…for you to know that I would deny you nothing."

"What I want is you," she insisted, leaning in to wrap her arms around him as she laid her cheek against his chest. "Alive and whole. My silly schoolgirl dreams are nothing compared to the lifetime of happiness we could have together…but only if you remain alive. I know as king, you will always be surrounded by danger of some kind or another, or that you will be called upon to partake in battles…perhaps even a war. But if I can lessen any of that by even a little, I would give up everything to do so."

Thorin gave his fiancée a worried look, not liking the idea of her giving up anything, especially when he knew how much it meant to her.

"Therefore," Marigold continued resolutely, "We will not be joining the hobbits when they return to the Shire," she stated firmly, crossing her arms over her chest. "You will remain in Erebor, where your enemies would have to go through every dwarf in this mountain, and me as well, if they wish to do you harm."

"But our wedding," he began to protest.

"Will be held here, in the mountain, where it is safe!" she informed him. "You are not getting out of marrying me that easy, Thorin Oakenshield. Not by a long shot."

"Marigold, I will not have you sacrificing your happiness like this," Thorin warned, his face growing stern.

"Have you not been listening?" she scolded. "You are my happiness. You, and you alone, are all I need or desire. It is true that I did desire such a thing, and it warms my heart to know that you were willing to give that to me…even at great cost to yourself. But Bergie didn't need a fancy wedding surrounded by her kin and kith to have a happy marriage, and apparently neither do I. I will marry you whenever, and wherever you desire, Thorin. I would marry you this very minute if that be your wish. I could have lost you today…and knowing that makes me realize just how precious each and every moment is, and that we should not waste it. I know you asked me before and I said yes…but now I am asking you. Will you have me as your bride, my king? Will you take me as I am, with no family to stand up for me, and no one to offer a bride price to? Will you marry me for love alone and no other reason?"

"Marigold…I would take you anyway you wished to come to me," Thorin said, his eyes glistening with unshed tears, as he leaned in and placed his forehead against hers. "You are my life, my treasure…my one, and I love you more than I ever imagined possible. What did I ever do to deserve you?"

"Oh, something truly horrible I imagine," Marigold giggled, tipping her head up to kiss him lightly on the lips. "But don't worry, I am sure you can make up for it in time." And then her arms were around his neck and she was kissing him full on, not caring that there was still a room full of dwarves and hobbits looking on. After what seemed like an eternity, they were parted by the loud clearing of a throat.

"So…does this mean that I can start planning a wedding to end all weddings?" Dis asked excitedly. "I mean, if so, there are invitations to get out, flowers to order, food to prepare and…and…oh so many other things that I can't even think straight!"

"Calm yourself, sister," Thorin chuckled. "Take a breath and relax, nothing has to be done this minute."

"Spoken like a true male," Dis said with a roll of her eyes. She then turned to Sier and Bergie, giving them a look of pure determination. "We need to call an emergency meeting of the dams! Now!"

Yet before either lass could respond, there came a frantic knocking at the door. When they were given leave to enter, they were surprised to see that it was Yarvin, the keeper of the ravens.

"My King," he said with a low bow to Thorin. "I have a message to deliver."

"Then do so quickly," the king ordered, thrusting out his hand in expectation, but Yarvin held back.

"No, my lord…it is not for you," he stammered, looking rather embarrassed. "It is for Master Baggins."

"Bilbo?" Thorin repeated, looking at his burglar questioningly. "Why would he be receiving messages from the ravens of Erebor?"

"It must be from Gandalf!" the hobbit said in excitement, racing forward and snatching the parchment out of Yarvin's hands and opening it quickly.

"Is it? Is it from Gandalf?" Dis asked, coming to stand behind Bilbo, reading over his shoulder in a rather rude manner.

"It is…but he does not say anything other than that he received my message, and that he would look into the issue," Bilbo revealed, sounding a bit deflated. "And look…this message is dated almost a month ago, what took so long for it to arrive?"

"Perhaps Gandalf was farther away than we had anticipated," Dis offered. "Ravens can only fly so far each day and are forced to roost at dusk. It may have taken him this long to return."

"What is all this about Gandalf and messages? What are you talking about?" Thorin bellowed, hating to be kept in the dark. It suddenly got him wondering if this was how Marigold felt. He would have to remember to apologize again later.

"Well, Thorin," Bilbo began, with a disappointed sigh. "I had not planned on telling you until I knew for certain if my plan would work or not. And yet, after what I just heard, it would appear that our plot is no longer needed."

"So you are in on this as well, Dis? Why am I not surprised?" Thorin huffed, eyeing his sister suspiciously.

"It was Bilbo's idea, I only helped with the execution," she replied proudly, not fazed by her brother's gruff tone.

"Then out with it, what have you been conspiring about behind my back?" he demanded.

Yet before they could even begin to explain, there came another frantic knock at the study door. This time it was one of the guards, his face pale and his eyes wide with shock.

"Your Majesty, you must come immediately!" he called out as he entered. "You are needed at the front gate!"

"Are we under attack?" Thorin demanded, the hairs on the back of his neck rising in alarm.

"I…I don't believe so, My Lord, but…well, you must come and see for yourself!" The poor guard appeared unable to articulate what it was that had him so flustered.

Everyone in the room exchanged glances before quickly filing out of the room, eager to see what all the commotion was about. And in their hurry, all thought of Gandalf's letter was quickly forgotten.

Oh, no...NOW WHAT?

Well, at least we know that Gandalf is not dead, he did write back. ha ha.

And what did you think of Dwalin spilling the beans? Do you think he is in hot water with Thorin?

Marigold sure told Thorin what was what, and it looks like the trip to the Shire is now off. Yipppeeee!

Points to anyone who got the whole "jambags" reference. I couldn't help myself after I heard how that whole line came about.

Guest Reviews:

Guest: I think fighting the orcs was easier than fighting with Marigold. ha ha.

Feu d'Argent: Oh I am sure Thorin has done plenty of embarrassing things, but he was not about to tell HER any of them. ha ha. In Middle Earth I think it would be a cross-bow wedding. ha ha. Kili is growing out more than up these days, but his mentality is that of a dwarfling. ha ha. I love getting reviews, and I love responding to each and every one! As you can see by what you just read...there will BE NO trip to the Shire for a wedding now. It was all a ruse, a misdirection to cause tension. They are staying put. And who knows...maybe the wedding is a bit closer now, and good thing, since after almost losing her dwarf, I think Marigold wants him even more! Thanks!

abc: ha ha, yes, Thorin is learning...ASK QUESTIONS. ha ha. Marigold's swimming story was meant to be funny, so laugh away, I don't mind. ha ha. Yes, orcs are not known for their timing or the manners. Sic them Thorin! Hmmm, how would you combine the parents names to make new baby names? Sili? Dwergie? Fier? Bwalin? ha ha. I would still love to hear your suggestions!

Aranel Mereneth: Yes, Bergie and Dwalin were mean...but FUNNY! And as you can see, Thorin and Marigold are just fine.