**************************...****************************
**************************...****************************
Facing the terror
For the two angels overlooking this story:
-Thank you Julie-I-am for correcting my mistakes and Happy birthday today!
-Thank you StephCalvino for sharing your immense wisdom.
The rest of the evening rolled by rather easily. With Eilin managing to consume a couple of glasses of wine, and relaxing in good company and with him talking strategy with the elven King, even though he was not yet certain of the allegiance between them. The act of goodwill on Thranduil's part was still pending. When they left dinner, Rýngwen led them both back to Eilin's room and Thorin stood by the doors feeling rather confused.
"He's put us in the same room?" He asked, giving Rýngwen a deadpan expression.
"Yes, sir." Rýngwen showed them inside.
Eilin clasped his hand tightly and pulled him inside, "can you please don't push our luck?"
Rýngwen looked away discreetly, "I must bid you goodnight," she said and bowed at them before leaving.
"Goodnight and thank you!" Eilin yelled behind her.
The elf gave her a brief smile over her shoulder and continued on her way.
Eilin bit her lower lip playfully and closed the door, "come in and wipe all that broodiness from your handsome face. This is a beautiful room and we deserve a good night's rest after what we've been through."
"What have we been through really? Was it so serious? You've got to meet the elves. Eat and drink with them. A lovely room with a perfect view and new clothes that make my heart beat faster."
She raised her brow. "You know Thorin, I cannot help but wonder at your breathtaking equanimity through all this. At times it felt as if you had planned this all the way through."
He tilted his head and drew her close by the waist.
Eilin's eyes grew wide and she punched his chest, "You did!? Why would you do something like that to me?"
"Didn't you have a nice experience here?"
"I've been worried sick about you!" She looked at him angrily.
"Put all emotions aside and look at it coldly as an experience. Was it good?" His finger caressed her cheek.
She exhaled through her nose bothered, but had to be honest with him, "it was simply amazing, but you should have told me!"
He shook his head slightly. "You young lady, came here to enjoy a day amongst elves. I came here to speak politics. We both got the best we could out of this experience and no one got harmed."
She exhaled and pressed her lips, "did you come here to negotiate the Arkenstone?"
He remained thoughtful for a few moments, "I came here to give Thranduil a chance to act honourably towards my kin. An opportunity to make amends for his past errors."
"So what's the verdict of this elaborate plan of yours?"
"That is yet to be proven. I am patient," he said and his eyes caressed her face dotingly.
She sighed and touched his temple thoughtfully, "at least you didn't end up imprisoned. Something like that would have driven me mad."
"They told me you caused a racket up here for me."
"Of course I did. What did you expect? Me to sit in this expensive bed and wear such elegant clothes, while you are trapped in a dark wet cell?" Her eyes turned doleful.
His eyes bore to her face, taking in every inch hungrily and became more intense. The flat of his palm run up her thigh and towards her hips, picking up with it the airy material of her dress, "Eilin this dress..." he swallowed a very dry throat.
"It offended you didn't it? I knew it would. I asked them to give me something else, but they insisted it was an official elven gown," she blushed and averted her eyes.
A stifled groan came out of his throat, "It actually made me have very inappropriate thoughts about you."
She inhaled sharply and looked up at him, "it did?"
"Yes." He leaned over and nuzzled his nose on the hollow of her neck, causing goosebumps to chase over her skin. Her fingers curled around his arm and her nails send him the clear message of consent.
"Do you want me out of it? It's so complicated I think I'll never be able to take it off on my own," she offered with a gasp of pleasure when his lips latched onto her prickly skin.
"No," his tongue came out to taste her and she closed her eyes feeling her whole body coming onto attention for him.
"What do you want to do with it then?" she whispered and her fingers tunnelled through his wavy hair.
As his hand skimmed down her side, his thumb took care to derail on the mount of her breast, touching it's tip gently and delighting in her small whimper, before resuming down to her waist. There it began gathering the soft material of her dress in hungry fist fulls. With each firm lapping of his tongue on her throat, his fingers gathered more, until one side of it got lifted up to her waist revealing her smooth thigh. He drew her in by the waist still holding the crumbled material of the dress in his fist and his mouth opened up to bite her. She quivered hard. "I want to gather it all at your midsection and have a good grip on it while I have my filthy ways with you."
She sighed and closed her eyes, "oh, I'd love that."
His soft lips drew hot paths on her throat until he reached the point were her two collarbones met. There he licked gently at the small hollow that thundered with her strong heartbeat. He delighted on how her skin responded to him immediately and how her grip on his hair became harder. He responded by pulling the airy material of her dress and flushing her body against his.
"You are going to tear it up if you continue like this...ohh," she squeezed her eyes tight when he left her collarbone and created a wet path down to her full breasts that were pressed tight against the dainty material. The moment his tongue licked her nipple above the cotton her nails dug into his scalp.
"I want it torn to threads with you spilling above it, while I am buried between your thighs", he said and her spine vibrated to the resonance of his voice.
"Good heavens Thorin...," a deep moan woke up even at the thought. He opened his lips and his teeth encircled her sensitive peak carefully allowing his tongue to draw slow circles around it.
She felt the pain sharp and unexpected and it echoed deep into her womb. Her open lips hissed and she frowned. Even though her core was already throbbing with her usual need for this man, her breast gave her a rather unexpectedly negative shock, which lasted thankfully only for a moment under the heat that emanated from his body and mouth.
"Gently," she whispered and massaged his head. The vague thought that this pain resembled a lot the sensitivity her breasts had before she got her blood, only it was more intense, passed through her mind, but quickly got pushed aside as totally unimportant at that moment.
Thorin instantly adjusted the pressure on her peaks both with his mouth and with his fingers, making that painful jolt dissolve under the pleasure his kisses were offering to her body, or the hot tightness that became more intense in her core with each passing of his tongue. His soft lips and playful tongue, worked her up so quickly, that before he even had the time to move his hand between her legs, she was already grounding against his thigh that was rather accommodating. Especially through the thin material of her dress the rough leather of his trousers felt like she was in the undying lands.
After several desperate strokes against his leg, her core felt it's emptiness almost painful and she pulled pack panting. "Enough, take-this-off!" she looked at him through the fog that he had created in her mind with his words and his touch. Eilin tugged his tunic up with one hand and with the other opened the buckle of his heavy belt. It fell between their legs.
He pulled back only for a moment to take off his tunic which he discarded to the floor and then his boots. One was taken off with relative level headedness, but Eilin's heaving breath on his neck and her soft fingers curling on the band of his trousers, made him kick the second one off, sending it to fly on the half open windows that luckily sustained the hit. The moment she saw him half naked she pushed his hands back away from her and leaned down to taste him. She wanted to savour every single inch of tattooed skin and firm muscle.
He got drawn into a vortex of consuming feelings that threatened to overbalance him as her mouth worked up his already aching body. Everything from her today felt too overwhelming. The way she was sucking and licking his stomach, the way her hands shamelessly came to cup his buttocks in order to pull him in, the way she pressed her open cleavage above his trapped erection.
She was trying to arouse him more, but the only thing she was managing was to push him further away from his ability to keep a hold of his actions. His heavy breathing, became low key groans and they in turn changed into surprised moans as her teeth joined in the game. Her hands began untying the strings of his trousers, trembling with anticipation. The moment her tongue got busy with the line of hair that led below the band of his trousers his fingers tunnelled through her mane to keep her there. When her hands threw open the fly and lowered them down to his knees, he totally lost all grip to his self control. This demanding Eilin that was not afraid to show him what she desired, made him less hesitant to unleash his innermost needs to her. Up till that moment every love session with her had been careful, gentle and caring, but that is not what he needed tonight. Her lack of inhibitions allowed him to show her exactly what he wanted.
He pulled her up, turned her around and led her straight to the wall. She found herself bulldozed against it, with her cheek grazing the smoothness of the tiles and his strong body immobilising her. His hands lifted up her dress and pulled down her underwear silently and she could only hear her erratic heartbeat and her strained breaths. She tried to move under him, but found it impossible. When his large hand found her thin wrists and pulled them above her head, her whole world came tumbling down so violently that she felt unable to draw in a single breath.
In the midst of heat, with the only man she had ever loved, the images of her rape returned vengefully to overpower her. Thorin had managed to get her into the same constraint position, that the man who raped her had used. Without hearing Thorin's voice for reassurance, the memories became so overwhelming that her arousal was floored and instantly replaced with mind bending terror. She began trembling under him and tears streamed down her face. Her heart clenched both from fear and from disappointment towards herself, for ruining this beautiful moment between them. It was not the same thing, she knew it and yet blind panic took over once more. She felt her knees unlocking and knew that soon she'd faint. She had to communicate. She had to tell him what was wrong, but her voice wasn't working.
But he felt her, he felt her hesitation, her body stiffening and her shoulders shaking, "Eilin what's the matter?"
His beloved voice was a slap at her face, making her cry even harder. Knowing that it was him behind her and not her rapist should have been enough to calm her down, but it wasn't. The fear was still there, making her hands and feet cold. Making her previously throbbing core, dry out and clench tight to keep out every intruder. "Thorin not here, please, take me to the bed," she begged and tried to sound composed, but the sobs were unstoppable.
"Why are you crying?" He frowned and cleared her long hair away from her cheek in order to see her face.
She didn't know what to tell him.
"What did I do to cause this?," he sounded so heartbroken that she cried even harder. She was horrified for seeding him with pain and doubt.
She shook her head, "it's not you! No!" She tried to stop her tears, but it was impossible.
"Then what is it? Tell me, I am here," he said and gave a soft reassuring kiss at her exposed shoulder.
It took her countless tries to get the words out of her mouth and she failed. Her sobs became wails of pain at the memory of that terror that was always buried in the deepest part of her mind, waiting to be dug up. Even in deeply affectionate moments like this one.
Apparently her words were not needed for him to understand what was taking place into her mind. He sounded certain when he spoke next. "They defiled your womanhood you like this, against a wall…."
She nodded and turned the other way, not wanting to look at him. Counting the silent moments behind her. Feeling that this would drive him away from her. He knew about her defiled body and he had accepted her dismal past from day one, but now that he witnessed how this could ruin their intimacy she was sure that he was going to draw back. Leave her wailing like mad against the wall with all the bloody memories of her rape, raping her a second time over, just to make sure she'd never forget it.
The silence behind her didn't break for several moments, making her almost feel the ultimate defeat, so when his hands sought out hers and pulled them above her head once more she inhaled truly shocked. "Did they restraint you like this?" His voice was equanimous, but did little to sooth her down.
She nodded. "Yes, please take me to bed, I am going to faint."
"I am not going to let you faint," he said gravely.
"I don't want to stay here, please," she begged and remembered vividly her heartbroken pleads towards her rapist.
He placed her palms flat on the wall above her head and she wanted so much to pull them away, but she didn't dare. Her body began shaking uncontrollably, "let me go please." she whispered hoping that he'd speak to her again. She needed to hear Thorin's voice. She wanted to use it to ground herself in this reality and not in her nightmares.
His large hand circled around both her wrists, "was his grip this hard?"
She shook her head so hard her hair got into her face by the wetness of her tears. "No, it was more."
His iron clamp on her wrists tightened so painfully that her blood circulation stopped and she felt her bones crushing.
"Stop Thorin! Help me Eru, please," she send her voice to the maker, hoping to be spared.
"Are you afraid?" He said calmly.
"Thorin please don't force me to do this, please, no!" She tried to break free, but it was impossible to even budge.
"Do you trust me?" His voice softened, but his grip on her wrists didn't.
"With my life," she said and felt the honesty of those words coming into such contrast with the terror that was galloping through her mind right now.
"Then allow me to help you." He offered.
She panted and felt her nose running and staining the wall and her hair. She was disgusted with herself and with her memories. "Please don't hurt me."
"I never will," he said. His hand loosened up around her wrists and the blood rushed back so quickly, her palms filled with invisible needles.
'I am not him Eilin,' he whispered and his hand came between the cold tiles of the wall and her cheek gently. Her breath hitched. He caressed her face not caring of her disgusting bodily fluids staining his skin. Her heart missed a beat and her strong sobs halted abruptly as she remained frozen and panting. You could hear a pin drop in that room.
"You still want to touch me after all this?" she muttered.
"I'll tell you exactly what I want to do after all this." his voice was smooth.
She held her breath.
"We won't go to the bed…"
A new sob left her tight chest.
"You will keep your hands on the wall but on your own accord," he continued.
She shook her head, "I can't."
"Yes, you can…" he whispered and cleared the thick sweaty hair away from her back and tucked it above her shoulder.
His fingers untied the complicated strings of her dress with an ease that confused her. The soft material of her garment slid away from her shoulders, revealing her naked upper body. She was free. Free to do as she pleased. She could turn around, cover herself and run to the bed, to the bathroom, to his arms, to the balcony, anywhere but this damned wall. Yet, she didn't move. His command was enough to keep her there, still half terrified out of reason, as his hands softly picked up her wet hair and created a loose bun on the top of her head with a knowledge only a dwarf could have owned. She exhaled in relief as the cool air began drying out her tears and sweat.
"Better?" he gave her a soft peck on the side of her neck.
She nodded quickly and pressed her forehead on the wall trying to regulate her breathing. His experienced hands reached up and started a gentle caress on her face that had nothing erotic in it. He made soft paths from her forehead to her temples, her cheeks and nose, up around her eyes and then down to her jawline, again and again until he felt her exhaling deeply a couple of times. Then he moved down to her neck and shoulders alternating between gentle and firm touch.
When he reached her back he replaced his fingers with his nails skimming softly up and down her spine, sideways on her shoulder blades, and downwards on the small of her back. He was soon mesmerized by the way her skin replied to his touch, prickling shortly after his fingers had brushed over a spot, then settling down until he repeated the tenacious dance. He got so entranced by the subtle changes of her skin that he didn't notice the difference on her breathing now that her tears had completely dried up. Neither the slight wiggling of her buttocks when his fingers moved around her waist and towards her lower stomach.
"Oh," she exclaimed.
"You like it?"
"Yes," her eyes were drooping heavy and her mouth was half open.
He leaned over her, his body enfolding hers completely and his lips opened up above her shoulder line to nibble and bite her softly. One hand cupped her breast and mauled it carefully and the other made a bold path between her legs. To his surprise she was dripping wet behind her folds. Thorin felt his own need pressing rudely against her firm bum and gritted his teeth. He exhaled hotly on her skin as his open mouth lapped her sensitive skin hungrily, gaining on courage by the second. When his fingers spread her want on her core, she whimpered and moved her hips against his, teasingly.
The terror of her rape diminished after each gentle grazing of his lips to her skin. The memory of the pain got faded with each slick lapping of his tongue. The sobs that still raked the deepest part of her chest, got slowly replaced by soft moans that she was unable to stop as her body got unwinded. The freezing nervousness got overlapped by a slow growing heat that formed in her lower belly and slowly spread out like a star. Not once during his daring endeavour did she think to take her hands away from that wall. With each touch she grew hotter and more tense, until she reached a point were her hips were bucking against his fingers desperately seeking pleasure. Her mind had blessedly forgotten in what position he had her in, and she was finally open to receive the pleasure she was being offered and not the pain.
She felt him hard and warm running his length between her buttocks and her stomach tightened in hot expectancy. She bit her lower lip so hard that her mouth filled with the taste of blood and everything else but him evaporated into thin air. His hand slithered from the small of her waist and up her back until it grabbed a fistful of hair. He pulled her up to him. She shuddered by that dominating gesture, but his overpowering male energy prevailed over every fear. When his mouth opened up greedily and bit on her throat, a wave of heat exploded deep inside her and she prickled from the top of her head down to her toes, "you have to ask me," he whispered suggestively. His hand tightened on her mane, letting her know that if she agreed to this love making he wasn't going to be gentle with her and by heaven's she didn't want him to be. Hearing his baritone timbre, the very voice that was born from the stones of Erebor, speaking to her such words was enough to undo her.
"Please I need you," her voice was hushed, the words half bitten and her face grew red from embarrassment, but it was enough for him.
He pushed her down until her hands were flat on the wall once more. One hand kept a tight grip on her hair while the other steadied her hip with her airy dress trapped between his palm and her skin, as he had promised. When he moved inside her, he did it with care, but he didn't stop to let her get used to him as usual. He buried himself to the hilt with a single firm swoop that stole her breath away. She moaned hard and her tongue came out to lick her tears, "yes…" she murmured. He straightened and gave her one solid thrust that spread tentacles of ecstasy inside her womb and released up a broken groan from her chest. Her fingers curled trying to get a grip on the rough wall as another thrust made those tentacles twist viciously inside her, taking a grip of places only he could touch with his body, and she keened loud enough to wake up the dead. He released her hair and both hands came to her hips, securing her as he began a firm pounding that instantly rocketed her into another plane of existence. He lunged into her as if he was trying to drill out all her fears and frustrations by his actions if not by his words. As if he wanted to expel the excruciating pain of that rape out of her mind with every single rough invasion into the most intimate part of her trembling body...and she was simply unable and unwilling to resist his onslaught.
She allowed him to cleanse her in this greedy and proprietorial manner, yearning to forget everything that had happened to her in that tavern against a rough wall and replace it with how easily he had grabbed her pleasure by the hair and was twisting it around to his will, making it blossom with enviable ease. She felt a nail painfully breaking when she tried to grab the wall for some support as she was reeling quickly out of control. Her knees unlocked and if it wasn't for his steady hands keeping her up she would have collapsed as he drove inside her again and again. Wordlessly, breathlessly, trying to make her forget everything that happened through what felt like his own uncontrollable desire for her. Her body surrendered, as his considerable size bottomed out in her repeatedly, till she had no breath left. Then a sharp wail escaped her and her eyes squeezed tight as she felt unable to slow down the oncoming orgasm. His firm pounding was controlling it and it was coming fast….so fast that when it crashed on her she lost the world around her, together with her heartbeat. She whimpered incoherently as her body convulsed into a heart stopping surrender. "Wait, please...," the words sounded muffled to her ears.
He stopped and enfolded her onto his body, kissing her shoulder blade and heaving onto her fiery skin. Relishing on her release. "We are not done," he warned her and her body replied with a strong shudder that run from her nape down to the small of her back.
Her hands left the cursed wall and grabbed his forearms that were around her stomach. "Give me a mo-ment. I can't brea-the," she gasped trying to regulate her breath and stop her legs from shaking so much. He pulled her up and turned her around. Then he picked her up and took her to the bed. Before she could even realize what was happening he settled between her legs and claimed her again with the same breathtaking passion of before, only now it felt so much more intimate as their faces were an inch from each other and their breaths were battling for control. He stippled his fingers through hers and she felt the affection of his intimacy touching her heart. "Breathe with me," his lips moved above hers.
As he loved her achingly hard, she wrapped her legs around him and arched her body wanting to feel every inch of him. She found her body responding to his drive eagerly. Their breaths became heavier with each hard thrust and their bodies more sweaty. Their minds interweaved around what their joined bodies were doing and the world around them was eradicated. Neither him, nor her cared to keep their voices down or notice the loud creaking of their bed, or the loud thumping of their wet naked bodies. They didn't even remember their names, never mind care of how loud they had become.
His insistent deep thrusting managed to get her worked up to the brink of madness and when she was once again ready to give up everything for him, her mouth opened up and began a whispering chant that made him look up from her neck. He felt her muscles clenching around him and knew that she was close. His lips skimmed across her open mouth and he shuddered from the sudden clarity of what those broken whisperings were telling him.
I love you...
He heaved, feeling at the verge of his own release. Just a small step away from it. He twisted the crumbled up dress around his palm and dug his nails into her hipbone, keeping her there. He hissed at her open lips, "I can hear you."
She keened and threw her head back trying to control the conflagration of feelings that were consuming her.
He smoothed his lips over hers breathless, "say it."
Her eyes teared up, "I love you," she whispered.
He needed to hear her call those beautiful words out loud. Loud enough to thunder into the very bowels of his Mountain and reverberate through it's caverns and mines. Those sacred words should never be whispered, "louder." He said and moaned into her open lips.
"I love you" she called it loud enough to tear his heart out of his chest.
He broke apart then. His eyes overflowed with tears and he buried his head onto the crook of her head, brushing his lips at her ear, "I love you too." His voice steady, unwavering and honest, drove her to erupt around him so intensely that her internal muscles set off his orgasm. Their bodies clutched each other tightly, as they rolled into their ultimate ecstasy and if their declarations of pleasure had been unhindered before, during their climax they became truly bodacious.
They pulled back from each other after a long time, when they felt safe they wouldn't evaporate into a thin air. She looked deep into his eyes to see the love they both felt as the aftershocks of that unprecedented combustion he caused in her were still making her body tremble like a leaf. She smiled and caressed the side of his nose. If she could dive into the azure lakes of his eyes, she'd find herself swimming inside free of all the nightmares of her past life. Just because he allowed her into his life and captured her soul forever. How could she ever imagine a life without him after everything he had shown her?
"Did I scare you back there?" he pushed back several sweaty locks that were sticking on her forehead.
"A little," she smiled up to him calmly.
"Forgive me, but stopping would have allowed that nightmare to consume you. I wanted to uproot it," he kissed her cheek softly.
"Thank you for showing me that I don't need to be afraid anymore," she run her fingers through the long silver locks on his temples.
"Did I hurt you with my roughness?" he sounded mildly regretful.
"I absolutely adored your rough side! Can you love me again like this?...soon?" she said with a sly smile he missed.
Thorin laughed onto her neck feeling deeply relieved.
That is when someone else close by cleared their throat, loudly. They both froze for a couple of moments. He pulled back and looked at her wide eyed. She cupped her mouth and pointed to the room next to them. The embarrassment she felt echoed into the sudden flush of red in her cheeks. "Shit! We woke up someone!" she whispered.
He snorted, "apparently."
"You find that amusing?" she looked at him shocked.
"Immensely. You look embarrassed," he gave her an endearing smile that tightened up her stomach.
"Shouldn't I be?" she felt abhorred by what they had put their innocent neighbour through.
"Not really. We didn't do anything they are not doing," he kissed the side of her neck gently and then opened up his mouth to suck her skin in for good measure.
Her skin prickled, "that cough sounded rather austere."
He laughed silently. "Maybe, but I am glad they waited until we were over," he whispered.
"Maybe they enjoyed it?" She covered her face feeling even more embarrassed, but also partly amused at the thought of an elf listening in to their frenzied love making and getting a kick out of it. She couldn't even make that into an image without cringing hard.
He pulled her hands away, "Quite possibly they did."
"How will I ever dare to walk out of these doors tomorrow?" she closed her eyes feeling her cheeks burning.
"I'll cover you up in a big blanket," he looked at her quite delighted with her sheepishness.
She shook her head, "No way in hell! I am going to die in here. I am not leaving. The end!"
He laughed and that beloved rumble vibrated through her body, "We need to find another way to sneak you out then."
She grabbed his forearms, "Wait a minute. There so many abodes around us. Why would they immediately assume we made all that racket?"
He gave her an appreciative look that warmed her up, "because the dwarven blood that runs in your veins is an unstoppable inferno that can burn everything around to ash. I don't think any elf can reach the heights you do, or express them so shamelessly."
She clamped her eyes shut, but also felt immensely proud that she had pleased him so much, "you are making this very hard for me! I am going to die in this damned room. I am not leaving!"
He chuckled and embraced her. After a few moments were they both calmed down he looked thoughtfully towards the open window of their room, while stroking her hair away from her temples. As he settled the thoughts in his mind, he planted a soft kiss on her cheek and looked down at her as she was dozing off in his arms. "Did you understand that you declared your love for me back there?" he asked her after a few moments.
"I did it not once, but many times. Did you understand that you did the same?" she smiled up to him smugly.
"Yes," he touched her forehead softly.
"Did you regret it?" she frowned uncertain.
"I regret not telling you earlier how I felt," he said quietly.
"Me too," she whispered. Her next words came with difficulty, "I am sorry I broke down on you before. Sometimes the nightmares come out of nowhere, they numb me down and take over my mind and my body. I am unable to control myself at those moments. The terror paralyses me and usually I faint. This was the first time I didn't."
He caressed her temple softly and his eyes bore in hers, "I am so sorry you had to go through this kind of hell my Eilin".
She choked on her feelings and pressed her lips tight, "I know you are."
"We will take everything slowly and erase each nightmare, one kiss at a time."
She smiled up to him feeling grateful, "that sounds like the best plan in the world."
He sighed and took her into his arms, "men lananubukhs menu"
"I don't know that expression," she nestled under his chin.
"You've never had the opportunity to hear it before from anyone, did you?" he said with a small thoughtful frown.
She shook her head and tightened her arms around him.
"It means I love you," his fingers drew thoughtful circles on her hip and her eyes closed down heavily.
"Men lananubu...," she stopped and inhaled deeply, "It will take me time to say it in the language of your forefathers."
"Our forefathers," he whispered and placed a careful kiss on her head.
"Our forefathers, yes my heart..." her voice diminished and he heard her breath becoming instantly deeper as she was drawn quickly into a restful sleep. He held her close to his heart and closed his eyes bereft of any overburdening thoughts. The only things there for him, was her soft body and the memory of those three words coming out of her mouth with such sincerity. They remained immovable and calm sleeping securely around each other till the break of dawn.
Next morning their farewell to the elves was something that Eilin enjoyed thoroughly as she tucked the small airy dress Rýngwen gave her at the satchel of her saddle. Eager to tease him with it again after seeing how much it had aroused him, yet hoping he wouldn't tear it to pieces at one of their future fiery encounters. Thorin's mind was already entangled in brooding though. Thranduil did not bid them farewell, but Thorin didn't need such gestures of politeness from him. He wanted results out of this bold endeavour, which Balin would have deemed as totally crazy and unforeseen.
As his old advisor always said, a King should never become unpredictable, for then, he becomes dangerous, but Thorin disagreed. Even though her never deemed himself a good diplomat, sometimes impulsiveness in a diplomatic showdown could be what won or lost the match. Maybe the problem was his inability to think like a conventional politician, maybe it was the forever present warrior in him that prevailed over everything else or the dormant rebel that always hid under his cold and stern majestic exterior...and if all these were the most serious disadvantages of his rulership, maybe he could find a way to make them his biggest advantages. This time he tried to solve the problem instinctually, even though the one that initiated this snowball effect was currently blissfully unaware that she may have held the fate of his kingdom into the hollow of her small palm. He lifted his eyes to her as they approached the gates of Erebor and she reciprocated with a heartwarming smile.
"I don't want to go back. We'll lose all these magical moments in the Mountain. You are always busy there." Her lips turned down.
"I don't want to go back either," he admitted and turned his heavy gaze at the entrance. There were several people present outside.
She noticed too, "You are the King and you must rule...yet now we both sound like dwarflings who don't want to go to bed early."
He sighed, "that's exactly how I feel. If I could return back to the elvish realm in order to have you in my arms like I did last night, I'd do it in a heartbeat."
She pressed her lips regretfully and then gifted him a loving gaze, "Looks like we have a welcoming committee."
"I see them," he nodded.
"Do you want me to ride behind you?" she offered.
"No, continue as you are, don't address anyone and take your horse to the stables," he said and his eyes thinned on Balin that stood next to Dain, Fili and Dwalin with his arms crossed. A few people he didn't know stood a few steps behind, dressed in such expensive coats and bearing such intricate beards that he was certain they were part of a delegation.
"You'll take a lot of heat for what we did, won't you?" she looked at him concerned.
"I can handle the heat, now ride in front of me and get inside," he nodded at her encouragingly.
She frowned in obvious hesitation.
A soft smile spread on his lips. "I love you," he told her tenderly.
Her face opened up and she smiled affectionately at him, "I love you too."
"Go and let me handle this," he said calmly.
She offered him a guarded look for a few moments and then galloped in front of him. Dwalin and Balin both looked at her as she led her horse carefully around them and got lost into the darkness behind the heavy gates without addressing anyone. Then Balin's attention was instantly back at Thorin.
"Good morning my King, where have you been?" he asked formally.
"Taking care of matters of state," he said and dismounted. He threw the reins at Dwalin who tilted his head sideways, preparing Thorin for the nasty mood that awaited for him.
"Uncle these are Úri's Folk and Linnar's Folk. Freshly arrived from the Ironhills to offer their allegiance to the Mountain King. They've been expecting to be greeted by you since yesterday," Fili said, but his smile was restrained. Obviously his boy had been caught in the middle of a diplomatic difficulty, but Thorin didn't feel sorry for that. Fili had to learn how to take on the heat without flinching if he was to take over rule in the future.
He approached his nephew. "I have no doubt that you addressed them in my absence as etiquette requires proud son of Durin's Folk," he said sternly.
Fili puffed up with pride and bowed his head, "I did my lord."
He turned at the delegation that bowed to the ground for him. "Noble Broadbeams and Firebeards, it is an honour to have you in the Lonely Mountain. Forgive my absence, but there were serious matters of state that needed my attention. I am sure prince Fili was a gracious host to you."
A blonde dwarf with a stomach larger than Bombur's and hair longer than Eilin's came forth and pressed his fist on his chest, "The young heir of Durin, was a most graceful host and we are in his dept for everything he has done," the dwarf bowed at Fili who reciprocated. "I am Ámundur, from Úri's Folk. Commander of a thousand strong send to reinforce and join the army of the Lonely mountain. I am deeply honoured to be in the presence of the legendary Thorin Oakenshield. My liege, please accept our allegiance to the seven families, under the King's gem."
"The honour is mine," Thorin tilted his head imposingly.
"This is Durar of Linnar's folk, leading eleven hundred strong to add to your army," he presented the commander of the Broadbeams. A stout elder dwarf, with a long beard that reached to his knees and was tucked into his wide belt. He was mostly balding, but had arranged the remaining hair on the back of his head into three elaborate braids. Several tattoos of fierceness were painted on the top of his head and forehead. He knelt down heavily and his deep voice boomed impressively.
"My lord, you have the allegiance of the Firebeards and our deep respect, but allow me to express some concerns that had been raised the moment we arrived in the Lonely Mountain and weigh heavily on my mind," Durar said.
"Stand up and speak freely," Thorin said.
"We have been informed that the King's gem is missing. More so, that cursed elvish hands have a tight grip on it. Is that true?" Durar stood up and looked at him sternly.
"It is not true," Thorin shook his head and went back to the satchel at the side of his saddle.
Balin decided to intervene, "but my Lord the Arkenstone is not in Erebor. The elves of Mirkwood have it and we are negotiating it's return. I have already informed the delegations about the current situation."
Thorin pulled out the velvet bag that carried the white gems to Thranduil and his fingers skimmed around the round roughness inside it. A smile brightened up his eyes. "That may have been true yesterday my dear Balin. Today the facts have changed."
Balin looked at him confused. Thorin scrutinised him for a few silent moments before throwing the velvet bag at him casually. Balin caught it mid air. "What is this my lord?" he looked up perplexed.
"Put it back where it belongs master and let us lay the worries of all the delegations to rest once and for all, shall we?" he said gracefully.
Fili ran up to Balin that opened up the velvet pouch.
"What have you done, you pointy eared bastard?" Dwalin whispered at him.
Thorin flicked his brow at him.
"Is that the Arkenstone?" Dwalin asked, but Balin's voice answered everything for him.
"Gentlemen, the king's gem is back home!" he said with pride. Wide smiles of approval spread around everyone.
"That is wonderful!" Durar roared and stuck his forefingers in his belt pleased. His ferocious face bespoke of satisfaction, "these are most welcoming news!"
Ámundur came down to one knee. "May the king rule for ages under the King's gem and may all our families once again be united under the heirs of Durin the deathless. May he wake again from sleep by your loins my lord."
Thorin tensed slightly and got busy with tying down the ropes of his satchel to hide his sudden displeasure at Broadbeam's heartfelt wish. "May Durin wake up once more by the loins of a worthy man despite the name of his family or his lineage," he said nobly. All the lords bowed pleased at these words that placed the family of the Longbeards into the same level as all the other.
"Come follow me! We must place it above the throne of the Mountain immediately!" Balin said.
Thorin's lips curled up in a careful smile as he observed his friend's pleased countenance.
"How the hell did you do that?" Dwalin whispered at him as the delegations followed Balin who quickened his steps towards the throne room.
"Rather unconventionally," Thorin pressed his lips.
"Uncle, thank you for speaking with such grand words about me," Fili said and grasped his shoulder.
"You are a proud heir of Durin. You are next in line to the throne of the Mountain. You need to be able to handle the pressures that come along with the position. You proved yourself worthy once again. I wouldn't have spoken less for you," he smiled at his beloved nephew.
Fili brimmed with pride and pressed his forehead on Thorin's, "I love you," he whispered.
"Me too son. Now go after Balin because he is going to place the Arkenstone above that throne and a member of the royal family must be presiding," Thorin cupped his nape and jerked him lovingly.
"You should be the one to do that," Fili frowned.
"I've got things to discuss with Dwalin. Go in my stead," he shook his head and pushed him away.
Fili hesitated, but Thorin's calm smile reassured him that it was okay so he ran inside quickly.
"I won't ask how you managed to get back the Arkenstone all on your own, but I am impressed," Dwalin crossed his arms.
Thorin humphed.
"You know when you rode away with Eilin, you created a small chaos" Dwalin said carefully.
"That was my intention," Thorin pursed his lips.
"Your intention is to announce your situation with the girl outside the enclosure of our company?" Dwalin raised his brow
"Yes," Thorin's eyes fixed on him.
"I don't know if that pleases me or scares me. Are you sure you are ready to take on the heat for this?" Dwalin frowned.
"Rumours about me and her are loose already in Erebor. The sooner I get this out of the way, the sooner we can come into a final decision about everything else," Thorin averted his eyes and looked thoughtfully at the saddle of his horse.
"Why do those words sound unsettling to me? What is your brilliant mind planning this time?" Dwalin's eyes thinned on him.
"When the time comes for me to know for certain, you will be the first one to know," Thorin raised his eyes steadily on him.
Dwalin sighed patiently. "So did you actually take Eilin to Thranduil in order to shoot your point across to Erebor? It was not necessary for her to go with you. You are playing a dangerous game."
"Thranduil told me the exact same thing, but my game worked in his case. Let me weave this my own way and worry less than Balin," Thorin retorted austerely.
Dwalin pursed his lips. "Remember that I have your back. Always."
Thorin raised his brow and smiled. "I think soon I'll need all the support I can get."
Dwalin sighed and looked towards the entrance. "Just so you'd know, Fili was right. It is you that must stand under the throne as the Arkenstone is placed in it's rightful position."
Thorin's face darkened then suddenly. "I don't want to be close to that accursed gem and Fili needs to take on more responsibility for this stronghold. One day it shall be his, so let the boy learn how to handle demanding situations without me. I won't always be here..." -He looked up at Dwalin and halted his spoken thoughts. His friend's eyes were guarded, trying to figure him out- "I won't always be here for every single chore. He will have to take over some of them."
"The placement of the Arkenstone above your throne is not just a chore," Dwalin said and followed him inside.
"The value of that gem becomes as great or as meaningless as we choose. I've lived under it's shadow long enough Dwalin." He said sternly and led his horse towards the stables without making any attempts to direct his steps towards the throne room.
Leaving a deeply thoughtful Dwalin musing behind.
**************************...****************************
**************************...****************************