Chapter 4 - Stronghold lockdown

At the gates of Erebor, Balin and Dori received all of us with warm embraces and wide smiles, glad for our safe return.
"By my beard lads, you are all alive!" Said Balin with tears of joy that streamed from his sage eyes.
"And tired, and hungry. What's for lunch?" Asked Oin.
"Oh yes, let's take care of that first, are we?" Responded Dori, leading us inside.

On the way, Balin approached Thorin anxious to know more, "I have heard the strangest news. The ravens have informed us that Smaug is dead. Is this true?"
"As dead as my forefathers." responded Thorin.
Balin smiled widely, "This means the gold is ours?"
"Yes. Send word to the others to get ready to reinforce the gates when we are better rested. We have no time to waste!" Responded Thorin, entering the stronghold and retiring to his bed chambers.

Behind him trailed the rest of the company, some more tired than others. Dwalin locked the doors behind him when the last of the company was inside. Kili was practically dragging his feet along the way, eyes cast down and with the gloomiest of faces.

"Are you still ill, lad?" Asked Balin with worry, but Kili did not respond. He kept walking away from us all.
"He is deeply wounded, but is not a physical wound..." I said to Balin, "...he was forced to leave his love by the shores of what little remains of Lake Town." I explained.
"Oh, our young lad is in love. And the lass, why didn't she come?" He asked.
"Balin, this is a really delicate situation, for which I need your advice; Kili lives because an elf maid saved him. They fell in love as a consequence. I could hardly convince him of coming with us." I explained.
"An elf maid you said?" Asked Balin, knowing full well their position concerning elves.
"Yes. Her name is Tauriel. She is not like her kin. In fact, she helped us escape by distracting the townspeople. They blame us for their loss. Should Dwalin and Thorin delayed a bit more, we would be dead. The only way to convince Kili was by telling him Tauriel would find us here." I explained.

Balin rose his eyebrows with concern, knowing Thorin would never approve.

"And there is more, that Master of Lake Town is not to be trusted. I overheard his conversation about dwarves, he cares nothing for us and he has been the one inciting the masses against us! He doesn't know Thorin still lives."
"So the ravens were right, they told us to only trust Bard the bowman" He said.
"You know Thorin better than any of us ever will. He needs to know of this. Also, is there a way to convince him the elf Tauriel is not bad? I do not care about the rest of them to be honest. But she defied her own king's orders to help us."
"Lassie, you should tell him these things yourself. I am sure he will listen to you. Take my word on this." Said old Balin.
"I am nervous, I have never tried reasoning with him..." I said.
"Fear him not, he has a heart deep inside his façade of bitterness. He loves you more than I thought he would, Wyenne. As a woman, you can persuade him better than I." Balin gave me a serious look, in hopes I would get his meaning.
I looked down with embarrassment, "Oh please!"

"Trust me on this. You know, Thorin has lost more than he could afford, Wyenne. Every person dear to him died at the battle of Moriah. And when Smaug fled to Lake Town, it was your name he screamed. The thought of losing you and his nephews to Smaug drove him nearly insane, especially knowing you all stayed because he asked you to. I know his heart well enough to know it would not rest until he knew what became of you. I knew he would go after you and no one would stop him. So I asked my brother to go with him for safe keeping, to be his guide and help him overcome whatever he would find. To be honest, we all feared the worse. None of us held hopes." Said Balin as he narrated the events to me.

A sigh escaped my lips. He went on, "You have what it takes to persuade him and you will succeed. As long as you stay true to him, he will listen. Just follow your heart and it will be your guide. The right words will come to you. Aye?" He smiled at me with reassurance.
"Thank you!" I hugged old Balin, "I will speak to him now." I left as soon as I could to reach my lover before he locked himself.

On my way to Thorin, I saw Balin wrapping his arm around Kili's shoulder, and I knew they would have a wise talk. It was a relief to me, for Kili's grief made me feel guilty. But I rested on the comfort that it was Tauriel herself who signaled us to run.

On my reckless impulse to go see Thorin, I forgot to ask which chamber, of all the thousands there, was his. Soon enough I was lost in the middle of a long hallway. The thought of going back to ask Balin crossed my mind. One I immediately discarded, for he was probably busy talking to Kili, who needed him most. My eyes caught sight of the immensity inside of those walls, those carved symmetrical patterns on the stone of columns, and I understood their love and fascination with that forgotten stronghold. It was not hard at all for me to imagine Thorin crying when he returned to the halls that saw him grow. Yet it did not change the fact that I was lost.

Suddenly the sound of a harp caught my ear. It came from the left. Skillful notes they were and full of nostalgia. Each of those string sounds made me feel a deep longing and I knew the musician to be in pain. I walked slowly until I found the source of that music. And with it, Thorin's bedroom, for it was him playing the harp. I walked in silently to not interrupt him. I heard him sing some stanzas I could not understand, for he was singing in Khuzdul like in the days of old. And what a beautiful deep singing voice he had. I listened in awe until he finished his song. He then opened his eyes and lifted them to me. That's when I realized he had been grieving, his eyes were reddened.

My smile was replaced with concern as I approached him. Thorin rose from his chair with a blank expression. And then he began to speak...

"It is still tuned after so many years, just as I left it. I dreamed of this moment, where we would retake our homeland." He said with an air of nostalgia.

I caressed one of his braids soothingly, until my fingers reached the iron clasp at the end of it, and I realized the carved ornaments on it were the exact same ones as the carved ornaments in the columns outside the room. He grabbed my wrist suddenly before I could finish roaming his braid. His eyes were fixed on mine without blinking.

"I do not believe I ever told you why I wear them; to honor my forefathers until my last breath. It is my way to carry their memory with me wherever I go. Touch them with respect when you do."

He released his grip from my wrist slowly. It wasn't an angry grip, but yes a warning one. In all honesty, he intimidated me every time he did that, and usually followed up by an unreadable expression. But it was precisely what drew me to him furthermore. One of those strange mysteries only a woman knows. However, he was never violent to me, only intimidating. He was a deep character and I loved that about him. His gaze began to soften and I knew what was to happen. He left my side to lock the door behind him in order to have privacy with me. Thorin Oakenshield, King under the mountain, reclaimed his homeland and was getting ready to claim me as well in the most intimate of ways. I did not oppose when he took my face between his calloused hands and devoured my lips like there was no tomorrow...