So, I leave for Florida in about 26 hours so I thought I'd be nice and upload what I have before I go and leave for a week.

I do apologize for the shortness of the chapter, but i'm tired and lazy, I wasn't liking writing it and I only got one review this time :) :P

So thank you Lady Legend-Maker... you will find out who it is...

Any thoughts for what is to come?

Send me some ideas and I'll put something together while on the plane...

Chapter 8: Tharkûn

The wolfhound jumped to his feet and was starting off in the direction of the front door. He seemed calm about it, but had lowered his head and kept his long whippy tail immobile Thorin removed his hands from the beaten girl's face and turned to walk away to follow the dog to the door when her own hands came to wrap around his wrist.

"What if it's them?" Ahvain was scared. Her eyes darted from his to every point of entry in her room.

"I will not allow them to take you again Ahvain." He had returned to her side and had taken her hands into his. "That I promise you."

He wanted nothing more than to press his lips to her forehead, but with how that had played out last time he decided to release her and walk out, closing the door behind him. From the entrance to her quarters he couldn't see the front entry. The steps he took were quiet (dwarves can't really be silent can they?) and slow. His sword rested against the frame of his door; once in his hands he turned for the door.

The dog sat in front of it, his tail sweeping the floor. He turned to look at Thorin, his mouth open and tongue lulling to the side. If the dwarf king hadn't known any better he would say the beast was grinning up at him.

One hand rested on the grip of his weapon as he pulled the lock from the door. 'Dog' moved from his spot and sat up to stand next Thorin. His tail still swaying and his mouth still formed in a grin. A deep breath was taken before opening the door to whoever was behind it. It was a man with a wooden staff dressed in nothing but grey, his long hair and beard matching his attire.

Thorin remove his hand from the sword's handle and let it fall to his side. "May I help you?"

The man's thick eyebrows rose. "You are a difficult person to find Thorin Oakenshield."

Said dwarf stood straighter, suspicion building in his mind. "You know of me?"

He nodded, "The question is, do you know of me?"

"I cannot say I do." Thorin crossed his arms, that intimidating look present on his face.

"How unfortunate," The gray man narrowed his look at the dwarf. "My I come in? I have something in which you will be very interested on hearing."

Thorin could see no reason to not let the man in, and if this man had business with him then he would like to get it over with so he could return to Ahvain, "If you make it quick."

He nodded and entered when Thorin moved from his place block the door. He was led to the table where he sat down and removed his grey, round rimmed, pointed hat.

"I would offer you something to drink but it is not mine to give." Thorin remained standing.

"Understood."

"What business do you have with me old man?"

"Old man?" A single bushy brow rose. "My name is Gandalf; I believe I'm known as Tharkûn by your kin."

"The Grey Wizard?" It was Thorin's turn to raise an eyebrow. "What have I done to earn your company?"

"I'm curious, what thoughts have you towards Erebor these days?"

"I think of it often, why?"

A smirked snaked across his face, "Have you thought of reclaiming it perchance?"

Thorin's turned sour, "You think I haven't thought of that, dreamed about it?" It was spoken in a scowling tone.

Gandalf shook his head in a defensive manner, "That it not what I meant. I'm asking if you would try given the chance."

"What are you getting at, Wizard?" Thorin crossed his arms again.

"I am sure you are aware that Smaug has not been seen for-"

"Near sixty years." The king cut him off.

"Yes. I have thought of a time for you and your kin to retake the mountain, and have reason to believe the time for that is near. You are returning to the Blue Mountains for Durin's Day are you not?"

Thorin shook his head and gave a quick glance down the hall, "I had planned to have already returned. I am needed here now, so I will not be returning for Durin's Day."

"That would not be wise. You are their king Thorin, son of Thrain. Durin's Day would be the opportune venue to find men for this quest, as many as you can get, maybe send for help from the other dwarf kingdoms."

"I cannot just leave here now. I-" He wasn't sure about his words. His people needed to be put before himself; therefore, he should be leaving soon if he was going to make it to the Blue Mountains in time for the New Year.

Gandalf watched as the king sorted his thoughts. "Your people need you, and I have no doubt that a quest as such has crossed your mind."

Said king signed, reaching a decision of his thoughts. "Will you be accompanying my men and I on this quest?"

"Yes, for the most part. I may have business to attend to in the north, but I will see you and your company over the Misty Mountains for certain."

Thorin know he'd be a fool not to act upon this chance, "Very well. We will meet again near spring when we can finalize all arrangements, agreed?"

"Agreed," The Wizard stood. "I look forward to seeing you in the next few months my dear Thorin. I believe I will see myself out now. Good bye Thorin Oakenshield and well met."

"Good bye Gandalf, may Mahal's hammer shield you."

Gandalf stood and gave a slight bow, "Good king."

He returned his gray hat on top his head and turned to leave. He had opened the door and had turned to speak once more before exiting.

"I wish you a quick recovery my dear Ahvain. Good day and good luck to you Milady." And then he was gone.

Thorin had been confused until he directed his attention to the hall leading to the rooms, where Ahvain stood supported by the wall, her face white and torn between confusion and hurt.

"Are you alright Ahvain?" When did she get there? How long was she there? What had she heard?

The dog had just joined her at her side. Cautiously she reached a hand out to pat the beast, her eyes were cast down and weary.

When she didn't speak it came out as a whisper. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

"That you're King under the Mountain." She brought her eyes up to look at him, gauge his reaction.

"I didn't want to you to know, not yet."

They kept their eyes on each other as the conversation drew on.

"Do you have no trust in me? Was it because I'm part elf?"

"No, Ahvain. I do trust you." He took some steps and brought the gap between them closer.

"Why then?" Tears again returned to her eyes, which were still red from the last batch.

Thorin stood next to her, a hand reaching at her face and resting on the uninjured side. She didn't turn from it. "Do you wish to know why? The real reason why?"

He took her silence as a 'yes'.

"At first it was about trust. We were strangers to each other then. Now though, it's because I didn't want you treating me different from how you had been. I wanted you to be yourself. I wanted to know the real person that you are. If I had told you, I feared that you would behave servant like. That you would act the way you thought I would want you to."

Tears fell and Thorin brushed them off.

"Why would you care about the way I act? What would it matter to you?"

"It matters because I care for you; I care deeply for you Ahvain." Cautiously he brought his forehead to hers, resting it there as he continued to wipe away the tears. "It pains me to see you like this."

A sob racked the girl's body and she collapsed in his arms. Thorin caught her on the way down and brought her flesh against his body in an embrace. The dog sat next to them, whining while the girl cried.

"What is wrong? Can I help?"

His response was her shaking her head 'no'. Thorin wasn't one who had comforted many distraught persons, even with the many battles he'd seen, so he held her while she let everything out.

~karak~

It took a good part of the hour for Ahvain to calm down. When her breathing returned to normal she had her head resting on his chest and a hand griping the fabric of his shirt. Thorin had been resting his head on her head tucked beneath. His arms wrapped around her, occasionally drawing circles on her back in a comfortable manner.

When she felt as if she could handle herself, she pulled away and wiped away any stay tears.

Ahvain turned away from him. "When are you going to leave?"

"Leave?"

She nodded, "You told Gandalf you were going to leave for the Blue Mountains, for Durin's Day."

Thorin sighed and moved his arms to hold her in a loose embrace. "I will have to leave soon, but I wish to talk to you about it."

She waited for him to continue.

"I don't want you to stay here. I would not feel right to leave you here alone when those men could come back and hurt you again." She tensed at the mentioning of them. "I would be more comfortable if you came with me."

Her brows furrowed, "To the Blue Mountains?"

Thorin nodded. "I have a place you can stay, in my halls. You don't have to, I'm not going to force you, but you would be safer if you moved from this place."

"But…" I don't want to move from here. It is home. But he is right; it is not safe for you here.

"I know that you will not want to leave, but who will be here to protect you when I'm gone? And don't say yourself because I don't want you to be alone."

Ahvain was conflicted. He had hinted that he held feelings for her and had offered for her to stay with him in his home in the Blue Mountains. But the thought that plagued her brain wouldn't allow her to answer to him.

"He doesn't want you, he just feels responsible for you because he thinks that it was his fault that Ret and his men got you. He thinks you are weak and you need protection. The only reason he wants you to go with him is so he can look after you because you are weak. He has no feelings for you, just false reasonability."

"But if he didn't have feeling for you then why would he worry enough to offer you a place in his home? Why would he even care at all? Unless he truly harbors feelings toward you…"

"Why would he want you? You're nothing but a whore, a dirty elf girl who lets men have their way with her. He is a king, and as such deserves the love of a dwarf woman. Not you"

"Ahvain?" Thorin's voice interrupted. His eyes were once again drawn in confusion and concern.

It was difficult to meet his gaze, but somehow she did.

"I want to return your feelings Thorin, but I…" His eyes suddenly focused elsewhere. "You deserve someone who is worthy of them and I cannot be that somebody, not anymore."

Ahvain had gotten through her word without her voice faltering, but now with a new wave of tear threatening to fall, her throat seemed to swell and become pained.

"Why not anymore?" There was a pause, a very heavy silence between them. "Is it because of what they did to you? Is that why?"

She opened her mouth to speak but the tightness of her throat didn't allow speech, so she just nodded.

"Oh, Ahvain, I don't care about that."

She gave him a look that Thorin wasn't able to decipher.

"I mean that I don't care about you being dirtied. What those men did was wrong but you couldn't help what they did to you. That was my fault for not protecting you."

~karak~

Ahvain crawled back to her bed that night with Thorin's confessions racking her mind. She had wanted to respond to him, tell him that it wasn't his fault, to stop blaming himself, but she couldn't. All she could do was give into the tears and emotions that controlled her body until the sobbing wore her out and she started to drift to sleep.

Thorin had offered to help her to her room, but she declined.

Until next time...