Thank you for the nice reviews so far! In my mind, I saw young Thorin as a bit flirtatious, a tad bit arrogant, basically if he saw someone who he was interested in or something he wanted, he pursued her/it.
This chapter was tricky to write. Short, but still tricky. Things change a wee bit from this point on. I hope you like it ... :)
Durin's Day had arrived and the township of Dale was wildly busy with preparations for that evening's feast and celebration. The Market had been wildly successful for most vendors who choose to display their merchandise. Donar had done especially well. He had sold the majority of that which he displayed, and the Market had brought to him a number of new commissions. He swelled with pride over the good fortune of the day. Eiranna could not have been prouder of her Father, and she reveled in the happiness that radiated from him. Donar had sent her off in search of some particular odds and ends he would need to begin the first of his many projects. He remained behind, in their home, to clean and sort what remained of their table from the Market.
As she made her way through the streets of Dale, a strange wind swelled up from the North. Eiranna could feel it's hotness upon her face. It seemed to increase in intensity in waves. An odd smell throughout the air quickly followed. A noise unlike anything she had ever heard before filled the sky, the best likeness that came into her mind was something akin to a roar. Eiranna clapped her hands over her ears and looked upwards to discern the source. The noise of it was astounding and made her head ache. "What is that!?" she shouted to the Dwarf to her right. Before he was able to give an answer, a small towered home off to their far right exploded with flames. The shock and force of it forced her to her knees. She got a glimpse of something, a large something, as it flew swiftly overhead. "A dragon?" She softly uttered the words not believing the possibility of them. Dragons had not been seen in this region for many years.
Suddenly, another sound filled the air, the horns of Erebor, an alarm only sounded to warn citizens in times of extreme peril. The noise broke through Eiranna's shock. She began to move knowing if she remained where she was she would most certainly perish. She knew her destination; she had to find her father. All around her, homes and buildings exploded and burst into flame. Eiranna did her best to avoid the fiery ash and burning shrapnel as it fell to the ground, but some found it's way onto her and singed her dress and skin. As she made her way, people bumped and pushed into her, and she found it difficult to keep her footing. The smoke of the fire burned her eyes, and the only sounds she heard were those of the fire and the screams of the burning.
Eiranna rounded the final corner and looked upon her home. Rather, she looked upon where her home should have been. Instead, she saw rubble and fire and ash. The home she had shared with her father was in ruins. It had collapsed, Eiranna presumed, with her father still inside. The grief of this hit her in a wave. She fell to her knees, as the tears began to fill her eyes and then rain down her cheeks. A soft voice inside her mind told her she should be up, escaping the ruins of this dead city, but she was frozen in place. She could not move.
Eiranna did not know how much time had passed when she felt arms seize her from behind and lift her up. She looked up, her vision shrouded by her tears, to see one of the Dwarf men whose home had been near theirs. She did not offer any struggle as he dragged her away and out of the city.