Clill stretched with a smile as she looked at the morning sunlight. Thorin made it clear that they were to leave tomorrow whether those around them liked it or not. He was not going to lose this one chance to reach the mountain door. Clill loved Thorin's ambition, despite his stubbornness, and she was determined to follow him to the end.
All was quiet in the early morning hours of Rivendell. Clill carried a towel in her hand, deciding this would be the best time for a bath. No one knew how long it would be before they would reach the mountain. This would be the last real bath she could get in a long time. Clill walked in silence, heading toward the falls. Voices could be heard yelling and laughing. Just around the corner, all of the Dwarves were stripping their clothing, laughing as they jumped into the fountain, splashing water everywhere.
"Oh my!" Clill gasped in disgust. "Men, have some decency for goodness sake!"
She shuddered in disgust seeing her own father and uncle among them. Seeing them naked was going to haunt her. Clill rushed away from the fountain, walking down the steps behind the falls. The sounds of splashing water brought her attention to the bottom of the falls. There was already someone at the base of the river. Her footsteps gently splashed against the wet rocks. The person in the water froze and turned toward the sound.
"If you're planning on attacking, you'd better have good defense", a deep voice said.
"Thorin, it's me", Clill smiled in relief.
Her eyes widened as Thorin stepped closer to the rocks. He was completely undressed and soaked from head to toe. Clill's eyes gazed over her husband's body, taking in the sight of his muscles, his scars. It had been far too long since she and Thorin had been intimate... far too long...
"I didn't think anyone would be down here", Clill said as she started to undress herself.
"I'd rather be down here than what the others are doing up there", Thorin said.
He saw the other Dwarves swimming and bathing in the fountain and chose to bathe alone, rather than make a fool of himself in front of the Elves. He still had his dignity. Clill set her clothes and the towel aside and dipped her foot in the water.
"It's cold!" she gasped.
Thorin chuckled as he took her hand in his. He slowly pulled her into the water, letting the water fall onto her body, helping her get used to the cool temperature faster. He smiled as he took in the sight of his wife standing beneath the falls, letting the water clean the dirt of the world away, his eyes roaming down her curves. Clill looked at Thorin and smiled as she waded deeper into the water. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulling him close to her body and kissed him. 60 years together and the fiery passion between the prince and princess had not faded at all.
"Thorin..." she mumbled feeling content for the moment.
Thorin looked at her and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing the top of her head. She was the only thing keeping him sane throughout this whole journey. He needed her company for today. It was going to be the last day in weeks, perhaps months, that they would be together alone.
Night had fallen quickly. Time seemed to move fast as the Dwarves enjoyed their stay. Destroying tables and chairs to build a fire and cook all the food they could get their hands on. Being their rowdy selves. Clill and Thorin walked through the Elven kingdom hand in hand.
"Soon we will be able to witness nights like this in Erebor", Clill said looking at the clear sky, seeing the thousands of stars.
Thorin nodded in silence. He needed no words to let her know he was preoccupied. A pair of voices could be heard beneath them talking loudly.
"Of course I was going to tell you. I was waiting for this very chance. Really, I think you can trust that I know what I am doing."
"Do you? That dragon has slept for 60 years. What would happen if your plan should fail, if you wake that beast?"
Thorin and Clill approached the top of the stairs where Bilbo stood, listening into the conversation to see Gandalf and Elrond discussing the journey. Of course, the Elves would have so little faith in their quest.
"What if we succeed?" Gandalf argued. "If the Dwarves take back the mountain, our defenses in the east will be strengthened."
"It is a dangerous move, Gandalf", Elrond said.
"It is also dangerous to do nothing! Oh, come, the throne of Erebor is Thorin's birthright. What is it you fear?"
"Have you forgotten?"
The Elf king turned to the elderly Wizard, giving another reason why he had no faith.
"A strain of madness runs deep in that family", he said. "His grandfather lost his mind. His father succumbed to the same sickness. Can you swear Thorin Oakenshield will not also fall?"
Clill looked at Thorin who turned away, having heard enough. The two of them remembered what happened to Thror. His greediness... it is what caused the Elves to turned their back on them. It was also the reason their own daughter had not survived the attack from Smaug. The Dwarf king protecting his own treasure, rather than his family.
"Thorin?" Clill softly said as she kept her eyes on her husband.
"Get your things", he said. "We are leaving."
