Oh god, I'm so sorry for the delay in updating! Really. Gah. It was due to a few personal crises that happened all at once and took a lot out of me. But hey, now I'm back and I have a chapter with me! :D
BorysBorys: Indeed! After the throat constrictor, what would you call this chapter then? :D
Dalonega Noquisi: No, I want to kick Dain, too, you're not alone :D Don't worry, Tarya won't be lost for long but we'll see how her little adventure turns out in the end…
Hiding in the Shadow: They'll find her, don't you worry :D And you'll see where she went in this chapter, so I hope you'll like it! And Dwalin… yeah, I think he'd like to be the one who knocks Dain over the head :D
Akilah Swiftblade: Haha :D Well, no broken noses, I'm sorry. And I'm kind of afraid that my hole will just get deeper again when you read the end of this chapter… but still, let's be friends! :D
Eruwaedhiel95: We'll see what Dain has up his sleeve in the next few chapters but, mind you, Tarya isn't a simpleton either, there's much to come :D
Thanks also to RellaRose100, Teshka, kaia and MaxRideandPercyJackson4ever for your lovely reviews! I really, really enjoyed all of them!
Now, I hope you'll forgive me for my late update and enjoy the new chapter! Let me know what you think! :)
Tarya was roaming the corridors in search of her own chamber, though she had no idea in which direction that was. Once more, she cursed the fact that every corridor looked exactly the same in this mountain and as she rounded another corner without finding any spot that seemed even vaguely familiar, she halted in her tracks, letting out a frustrated huff. She was tired and frustrated, slightly angry and her scar still throbbed uncomfortably on her stomach.
Taking another look around, she sighed quietly to herself, slowly making a few steps forward again without knowing where to go. Tarya tried to concentrate her nose on finding a familiar scent, maybe her own that could lead her back to her room but there were just too many different flavours filling the air from too many dwarves that had crossed these halls before her. None of the many scents seemed familiar and in the end, they just mashed together to an indefinable stench in her nose. Eventually, she stopped walking altogether and marched over to one of the large pillars that lined the wall to her left. Leaning her back against it, she let herself slide down on it slowly, stretching out her legs as she came to sit on the floor. Maybe if she just waited here for a while, someone would come and find her and show her the way back to her chamber.
Tarya didn't know how long she had been sitting there when she suddenly heard footsteps coming down the corridor from her right side, though she didn't turn her head to see whom it was. Instead, she just kept on sulking in her own miserable thoughts.
"Excuse me?" a shy voice suddenly sounded next to her, an unfamiliar one, and Tarya turned her head to see an unknown dwarf standing there. He looked young, even though Tarya wasn't even quite sure how aging worked with dwarves. "Are you lost?"
Tarya looked at the young dwarf silently for a moment, taking in his unfamiliar features. He didn't look threatening, and neither did he look hostile. The boy with the plaited auburn hair and the dark green eyes merely looked curious and a little concerned. Tarya could see a faint fluff of beard on his cheeks, though it wasn't coming out yet. He could barely be of age, Tarya thought, though Kili didn't have much of a beard, either, and she knew that he was already 77 years old.
"I suppose you could say so," she eventually replied quietly, causing the dwarf before her to raise his eyebrows slightly. Concern was still edged onto his youthful features and Tarya refrained from frowning at the unusual expression. Normally, if she crossed path with dwarves around here, she would receive gazes that were much less friendly.
The lad seemed to hesitate before he spoke again, carefully observing her, and Tarya wasn't so sure whether she looked very friendly herself at the moment. "Would you like me to accompany you back to your chamber?"
"I would gladly take that offer if I knew where my chamber was," Tarya muttered with a small mirthless snort. She shook her head, looking back up at the dwarf who was still standing before her, seemingly not knowing what to do. The Amarok gave him a small smile. "But thank you. I appreciate the thought."
"Borin," he said and Tarya shot him a confused look before she realized that he had just introduced himself to her. She gave the dwarf an acknowledging nod, clearing her throat slightly.
"I am Tarya," she answered politely, now unable to repress the frown working its way onto her face as Borin blinked in surprise before he suddenly smiled broadly, crouching down next to her to be on her eye level. She recoiled slightly against the pillar behind her upon his sudden movement. Borin, upon noticing it, raised his hands quickly in apology.
"I don't mean to pry, it's just…" he hesitated shortly and Tarya shot him a wary look. "Are you the one that travelled with the Company of Thorin Oakenshield? The wolf?"
Tarya refrained from huffing at the boy, slightly annoyed as she kept being perceived as nothing but 'the wolf'.
"Yes. The wolf," she said, turning her gaze away from Borin to look at the wall opposite her. But the dwarf lingered still next to her, looking a bit taken aback and yet obviously unable to contain his curiosity. Tarya sighed silently, raising her eyebrows as she unwillingly returned her gaze to him. Borin smiled sheepishly.
"I'm very sorry, m'lady, it's just that… I have seen pictures of you, and I've heard the stories of your adventures and how you fought to defend the mountain." Tarya's eyebrows rose a bit further towards her hairline as the words now seemed to tumble from the dwarf's lips like a waterfall, and she was not only surprised by the rapidness at which he spoke but also by the fact that he had called her a lady. Borin seemed to notice that he was rambling, as well, and he slowed his speech as he cleared his throat, almost a bit embarrassed. "What I mean to say is… uh, it – it is an honour to meet you."
Tarya observed the young dwarf for a moment, completely baffled by the situation she found herself in. After all the hostile gazes and odd looks she had received over the past weeks, and the horrible speech she'd had to endure from Lord Dain only a little while ago, this boy that she had never even seen before was showing her the first sign of friendliness – bordering on admiration, really – ever since she had woken up within the halls of this mountain.
"Uh… thank you," Tarya muttered at a loss for a better thing to say. Borin shot her another smile, almost seeming relieved that she had answered less coolly this time before the frown suddenly returned to Tarya's face. "You said you saw pictures of me?"
The auburn-haired dwarf nodded eagerly as he let himself plop down onto the floor next to her and Tarya watched him as he started to talk freely, finding herself slightly amused by his nonchalant manner. "I have been taking lessons with Master Ori for the past two months. My mother has hopes for me to become a scribe like him someday. I'm not very good though. Even though Master Ori is trying his best, I think he only teaches me still because my father was a good friend of his older brother and not because I have any considerable talent. Nori, I'm sure you know him?"
"I knew him," Tarya confirmed quietly, her gaze momentarily dropping to the floor as images of her lost friend flooded her mind. Borin's face fell as he realized what he had said.
"I'm very sorry, I didn't mean to… of course you knew him, he was… and you were…"
"The pictures," Tarya interrupted softly and actually managed to give the young dwarf a soft smile to show him that she had not taken any offense to his words. Borin nodded quickly and Tarya watched him carefully as he reorganized his thoughts.
"Well, as I said, I am taking lessons with Master Ori. And he let me see a few pages of his journal, the one he kept during your quest. There was one of a black wolf with a bandaged paw, sitting by a fire." He looked up at her, seemingly uncertain of how she was reacting to his words but Tarya remained silent, prompting him to go on with an encouraging look. "He told me that that was you and that you transformed later on along the journey. Then he showed me a drawing of you, you know, the way you look now, again sitting by a fire with two dogs."
Tarya smiled warmly as she remembered Arvo and Kol, shortly wondering how Beorn and his animals were doing. She remembered having seen Beorn in his bear-form during the battle and she wondered whether he had returned safely to his home and whether Bilbo had passed by there again on his journey back to the Shire. But she didn't get to follow that thought as Borin continued.
"And then Master Ori showed me one in which you were clad in armour with two daggers in your hands. And he told me of the quest a bit, though he didn't want to talk about the battle much. I think it hurts him, so I didn't ask any more. But from what he has told me, I gathered that you must be very brave and… well, since you are now sitting here before me in flesh and blood, I just wanted to tell you that. And thank you."
"Thank me for what?" Tarya inquired quietly, still a bit dumbstruck by the lad's words. Borin shot her an almost disbelieving look that had the Amarok raise her eyebrows at him questioningly.
"You fought in the Battle of the Five Armies," Borin said, his voice taking an almost incredulous and awestruck tone as if he couldn't believe that she was actually asking such a thing and fighting a battle was the most exciting thing in the world. "Everyone knows that you almost died to protect Erebor. You fought for our people even though you're not even a dwarf. If I didn't think a thank you was in order for such a thing, then my mother would not have raised me well. She would pull my ears."
Tarya looked at Borin, rendered speechless for a moment as his words sank into her mind. She inclined her head slightly, a small sigh escaping her lips as she shook her head with an incredulous smile.
"You're the first person I meet that seems to think that way," she muttered and Borin huffed slightly.
"Well, I guess us dwarves aren't the most affectionate of people – or trusting, for that matter. But they'll come around eventually. Some of them old men are just a bit too slow-witted for their own good," he grinned and Tarya found herself smiling back at him, shaking her head at his cheeky words. He was a nice boy that much was clear to Tarya by now. And she couldn't say that his kind words didn't do her good. It was nice to talk to someone who had more to spare for her than hostile gazes and silent disapproval for once.
Borin shifted slightly on the floor, shooting a glance down the corridor before he returned his gaze sheepishly to the Amarok who merely looked at him questioningly.
"I'm supposed to have a lesson with Master Ori now," he said and slowly stood up. Tarya followed his example, brushing the dust off her dark trousers before she looked back at him. He towered a few inches over her, even though Tarya was quite sure that he was at least a few years younger than her.
"Would you mind if I accompanied you?" She asked, her spirits a bit less damped than a few minutes before thanks to Borin. "I'd quite like to see Ori."
The lad quickly shook his head. "No, no, not at all, m'lady!" He replied quickly and Tarya followed him as he turned to walk down the corridor.
"You don't need to call me that, you know," she said as she fell in step beside him. "I prefer being just Tarya to being a lady. The title doesn't quite fit me."
Borin chuckled lightly as she scrunched up her face with her last words, then he nodded with a smile. Tarya returned it with a small smile of her own.
"When does your lesson start?" she asked after they had rounded the corner, and she could only guess that Borin was leading the way to the library. She hadn't been there yet, not having seen any reason to visit it. She couldn't read any of the books anyway.
"Ten minutes ago?" Borin stated sheepishly and Tarya couldn't help but chuckle at the guilty expression on his face.
"Then we better hurry, Borin, or Ori will have you by the ears."
When Ori had first taken up lessons with Borin, he had understood that there was not much talent slumbering in the boy almost immediately. He hadn't been sure if teaching him even made sense under those circumstances but he kept on doing it for the sake of Nori. His older brother had always been a good friend of Borin's father – at least after he had more or less given up his thieving ways. Before that he had been friends with very few people. After Borin's father had died, his mother had moved what was left of her family from Belegost to the Iron Hills and Ori hadn't been very surprised but indeed pleased to see them coming to Erebor almost two months after the mountain had been reclaimed.
And even though Borin wasn't the most talented of pupils, he wasn't lazy and worked hard. Which was exactly the reason for Ori's confusion when the young dwarf didn't appear to their lesson on time this afternoon. Borin usually was quite reliable.
A small sigh left Ori as he straightened the quill and the small inkpot on the large wooden table that stood in the middle of the tremendous library. Not much work had been done here yet, and most of it had been by Ori and a few fellow scribes as the rebuilding of the throne hall, for example, was more important than that of the library for most dwarves. Ori remembered how the library had looked when he had first stepped inside three months ago. Books had been lying scattered everywhere, some of them burnt to a pile of ashes and others simply rotten by time. He had made an effort in helping to rebuild the large shelves and put them back up in lines around the whole room, filling them with books again. It had given him something to do in the aftermath of the battle, something useful to occupy his thoughts with when the pain and the sadness buried inside him became too great to bear.
The dwarf flinched slightly as the doors to the library suddenly sprang open with a loud thud, almost causing him to push over the inkpot. Ori held it on the table just in time, straightening it carefully before he turned to the entrance with a practised scolding look. But his expression faltered abruptly when he saw Borin enter the room, a sheepish smile on his youthful face, and none other than Tarya following close behind him. Ori felt his eyes widen in surprise. He hadn't seen the Amarok in a while, hadn't even visited her very often since he had felt more comfortable keeping to himself at all times. Now that he saw her he felt bad for not going to see her. He had heard that she was faring better, though, and from what he'd gathered with the few talks he'd had with Bofur, she was healing slowly but surely and soon she would have her strength and her health back to what it had been before the battle. Or at least almost.
"Ori!" Tarya greeted him with a warm smile as the two of them came closer and the scribe could only return her smile a bit clumsily, rendered momentarily speechless by her appearance.
"I'm sorry for being late, Master Ori," Borin said sheepishly but honestly. "It won't happen again."
"Well," Ori stammered, slightly at a loss for what to say by his unexpected visitor. He cleared his throat quietly and shot the young dwarf before him a stern look. "I should hope so. Now you'd better sit down and start working or else I'll have to keep you a quarter of an hour longer than usual to make up for it."
Borin nodded quickly, scrambling over to the chair that was placed before the large wooden desk. Ori watched for a moment as he opened his books and picked up the quill, dipping its tip lightly into the ink before he started scribbling down the first words of the text that Ori had prepared and laid out for him. The scribe watched his pupil for another moment until Tarya quietly cleared her throat beside him as to not disturb Borin while he was working.
"Would you mind me staying here during your lesson?" she asked quietly and Ori quickly shook his head in reply. No, he wouldn't mind. He actually quite liked the thought of having Tarya around for a while. She gave him another warm smile. "Thank you. I'll be quiet, I promise."
With that and a nod from Ori, she shot the now very concentrated Borin a small glance before she turned and walked over to roam the shelves of books in the library. Ori watched her back for a moment, observing as her fingers trailed over the backs of the books lightly before he turned around and walked up next to his student to start his lesson properly. And he did make him stay a tad bit longer than usual in return for his late arrival, though Borin didn't seem to mind much when he put the quill and books away almost two hours later. He thanked Ori politely for the given lesson as he always did and he turned to wave merrily at Tarya, who was sitting on a small sofa in the corner of the room by now. She gave him a kind smile before he left and Ori shortly wondered how she had come to know and apparently like this young dwarf seemingly out of nowhere. After what he had heard, she didn't leave her chamber much – and if she did, someone of the old company usually accompanied her.
The room was filled with the small noises of Ori putting away his things then and Tarya had been so quiet all the while that he had almost forgotten she was actually there until she suddenly spoke up again.
"You're a good teacher," she said quietly and Ori looked up, giving her a shy smile.
"Borin is a fine student," he answered humbly. "I think my qualities as a teacher depend highly on my pupils' willingness to learn. If they are willing to learn, anyone can be taught."
Tarya nodded absently, her gaze shortly growing distant as Ori put away his quill and inkpot. "Anyone?" she asked then, and the dwarf looked up at the Amarok in question upon the strange tone of her voice, finding an uncertain expression on her face. He nodded slightly.
"I do believe so."
Tarya hesitated a moment, shortly biting her lower lip as if in doubt about something before she returned her gaze to him. "May I ask you something, Ori?"
The dwarf looked at her in confusion, giving her a slightly surprised look but nodded nonetheless. The Amarok shifted in her sitting position, drawing up her legs to fold them beneath her on the sofa. She seemed to hesitate again and Ori put down the book he had been holding and slowly walked over to her, taking a seat next to Tarya. He saw her fingers fumble discretely with the hem of her tunic and a small frown came to play on his face.
"What is it?" he asked carefully and Tarya sighed deeply before she turned her head to look at him directly. She slightly bit her bottom lip, a faint blush spreading on her cheeks.
"Could you teach me how to read? And write?"
Ori looked at the Amarok for a second, rendered momentarily speechless by her request. His eyebrows rose in surprise. "I – uh, yes. Yes, of course, I can."
Tarya smiled with relief and reached out to squeeze the dwarf's hand gratefully. "Thank you, Ori. I – you don't know what that means to me."
"Why do you want to learn it?" Ori asked quietly after a moment, smiling carefully back at her as her expression changed into a more reserved one. He had seen that expression a few times on her during their journey and had even drawn her with it once, though it had only been from his memory. It was an expression that usually played on her face when she wasn't sure whether or not to say what was on her mind. Ori waited patiently as the familiar expression passed and a compliant one replaced it. Tarya cleared her throat quietly, her gaze shortly flicking to the many bookshelves around them.
"Because I have never felt as out of place as I have today," she started with a small sigh. She shot him a short sideways glance before she continued and Ori was quite certain that she had just decided to tell him the whole truth instead of an alleviated version of it. "I had a rather unpleasant talk with Lord Dain earlier. He gave me a clear insight to what he thinks of me, and of my being here, and of my being with Kili." She shot Ori a tired look. "He's not very happy about any of it. He told me that a princess of Erebor should by all means be a dwarrowdam of noble descent and not some stray wolf girl such as me."
Ori frowned deeply at her words, feeling anger rise within him at the dwarf that had told her such things and compassion for her because Dain's words had obviously hurt her rather badly.
"And he's right, I suppose," Tarya continued, her voice trembling slightly. "I'm not made for being a princess, and I don't think I will ever be. I don't even want to be one, Ori, I would gladly do without it. But I can't be without Kili and he is who he is, neither of us can change that or the responsibilities that come with it. He's a prince of Erebor and I'm just an Amarok in a mountain full of people that don't like me. And I would so much like to fit in, Ori, so much. But it seems that somehow I just can't. I'm not a worker, or a miner, or a blacksmith, or a noblewoman. I can't even read, Ori, of course no one would ever consider me a right match for a highborn prince."
"But that's not impor–"
"Yes, it is," she interrupted softly and Ori frowned in disagreement to her words. She was so much more than what she was making herself out to be, he thought, couldn't she see that? What did it matter if she couldn't read or write? He sighed quietly as Tarya continued with a calming smile towards him.
"I'm a wolf, Ori, and I will always be one at the core. It's who I am and I am proud of that. And I know that people think I don't belong here, but so did many of you when I first joined the company. But with time, I learned so much and it helped me to adjust to the new situation I had been thrown into, and in return I found dear friends and a family. I became more than 'just the wolf' and that was important. And it is still important now. I think I could do it again. I think I would like to do it again, really. Learn, that is. But I need your help to do it."
Ori hesitated a moment, simply looking at her and contemplating her words. It was a while before he finally nodded and Tarya smiled gratefully at him.
"I would be happy to help you with anything," the scribe said earnestly. "As long as you promise me one thing."
Tarya merely raised her eyebrows in question to his request.
"Don't do this if it is only to please the people that don't want to accept you here. They are not worth your efforts, Tarya. If they can't see how much you've done for us and how much you belong here, then it is their loss."
"I don't want to please anyone," Tarya replied quietly, but with determination in her voice. "Well, anyone but myself."
Ori raised his eyebrows in question.
"I am not overly fond of whom I have become ever since I awoke, Ori," she smiled tiredly. "For weeks I have been feeling empty and weak. And today, above all, someone treated me like a useless, worthless, stupid little girl. And I let him. Someone like you, he kept saying like it was something bad. And for a moment I thought that he was right. But he is not. I may have lost a part of myself in that battle, Ori, but I still know that someone like me does not let herself be treated in such a way." Ori could merely stare at her as she turned her head to give him a warm smile. "I'm not trying to please anyone, really. I am simply looking to find myself again in the chaos that I woke into."
"Well then, I will be more than happy to help you accomplish that," Ori said with a curt nod and a smile before the both of them flinched violently as the door to the library was suddenly pushed open with a loud bang. Ori almost fell off the sofa and Tarya's body tensed instinctively at the sudden intrusion.
Tarya's muscles relaxed ever so slightly as she saw that it was Dwalin who had opened the door so loudly, though her heart sank as she caught sight of his stern expression. The bald warrior's eyes quickly scanned the room and Tarya saw relief flicker in his gaze as he caught sight of her and Ori on the small sofa, though it was quickly replaced by something that looked to her like annoyance.
"There you are! What in Mahal's name is going on in that head of yours?" he called across the room as he came closer and Tarya exchanged a short look with Ori before she slowly stood up, the scar on her stomach throbbing at the movement.
"I – what?"
"You can't just run off like that, Tarya, what were you thinking? Kili has half the mountain looking for you!" Dwalin grumbled as he came to a halt next to her and Ori and Tarya could merely shrug awkwardly, unsure of what to say.
"I didn't run off, I just… I couldn't find the way back to my chamber and then I met Borin. And when he told me he was going to see Ori, I simply accompanied him."
"Who's Borin?" the bald dwarf asked gruffly, slightly confused as he glanced between her and Ori. It was the scribe that answered him.
"He is one of my students," Ori said quickly. "Not the most talented of scribes but a good lad. He brought her here."
Dwalin just stared for a moment then huffed slightly in reply, nodding his head. Tarya was glancing at the large dwarf in confusion.
"There was no reason to worry about me, I was only gone for a little while. I'm sure Ori could have accompanied me back to my chamber in the evening," she said, earning herself an incredulous look from her burly friend. Dwalin shook his head with a humourless chuckle.
"Khael, you've been 'missing' for over four hours. It has long become dark outside already," Dwalin answered gruffly. "And even if we had known where you have been, none of us could tell Kili not to worry about you. The lad is on edge whenever he doesn't know where you are and whom you're with. And I think you know that."
Tarya did know that. Though she didn't really appreciate it. The Amarok understood that Kili somehow felt the need to know her safe and sound ever since she had almost died but Tarya wasn't one to be protected and watched over at all times. However, she didn't have much of a choice, for she couldn't even find her own chamber by herself in this blasted mountain. Everything looked the same and whether she wanted it or not, for the time being, she needed someone to guide her through the never-ending corridors. She sighed heavily, rubbing her hand over her face as she nodded slowly. Dwalin merely raised his eyebrows at her expectantly.
"Well, then I suggest you don't let him suffer any longer," he grumbled. "He'll be relieved to know you have been with Ori the whole time. And after what I've heard, I think you will be glad to be in the privacy of your own chamber again."
Tarya shot the large dwarf a sceptic look as he motioned towards the door. She lingered a moment, saying a quick goodbye to Ori who just smiled and nodded kindly, before she followed Dwalin out of the library.
"What exactly did you hear, Dwalin?" Tarya asked quietly as they walked along the dark corridors together as he led her back towards the royal wing where her room was. She wasn't comfortable with the thought that news of her talk with Lord Dain had already spread through the entire mountain. Dwalin shot her a sideways glance, seeming to notice her unease.
"Enough to consider punching upper nobility in the face," he grumbled darkly, though the touch of his hand was much more amicable than the tone of his voice when he laid it on her shoulder and squeezed shortly. Tarya smiled cheerlessly as they rounded another corner and walked up a set of stairs.
"I would advise against doing such a thing," the Amarok muttered, to which Dwalin replied with a light snort. It was Tarya's turn to shoot her friend a sideways glance. "You wouldn't want to throw punches against a lord for a simple misfit."
"You're not a misfit, little wolf," Dwalin answered without hesitation. "And, fortunately for Lord Dain, you don't need me to fight your battles. I've seen you face and defeat much worse enemies than a petty dwarf lord."
Tarya couldn't help the small smile that spread on her lips at the burly dwarf's words. He was right, and that was exactly what she had to remind herself of. She wasn't just some girl that Lord Dain or anyone, really, could push around and treat as he pleased. She was Tarya, daughter of Arkin and Kauni, an Amarok with powers far beyond his imagination. He would learn that she was not one to back down, as had many others before him.
Dwalin watched her from the side as she thought about his words, seemingly satisfied with the reaction they had caused. Tarya merely followed him as they walked along in companionable silence until the burly dwarf suddenly halted before a large wooden door. The Amarok walked a few steps further before she noticed it and turned around to him with a questioning look on her face.
"I see your sense of orientation truly is completely lost within these halls," Dwalin rumbled, raising one bushy eyebrow at her as her face flushed slightly. "These are your chambers."
Tarya couldn't find a fitting reply, so she simply smiled awkwardly at her friend as she came the few steps walking back, hesitantly putting her hand on the big iron doorknob. As she pushed open the door with some force – the doors still seemed unnecessarily heavy to her – her heart sank instantly as she saw the room filled with light from the open fire on one wall and her gaze immediately found the dark figure standing at the table that was set on one side of the room.
"We can't have searched every corner, Balin, or else we would have found her by –" Kili abruptly stopped himself and looked up as he heard the door open and Tarya saw his eyes go wide before relief flickered in them. And then they narrowed suddenly and became darker, making Tarya shrink slightly in her spot as the brunet's scolding gaze was resting heavily on her. She felt Dwalin step up behind her as she looked at the other people gathered in her chamber. Fili was standing right beside his brother, arms crossed over his broad chest, though his eyes were kind as always. Balin was there as well, and next to him stood Oin who was giving her a stern look. Tarya quickly averted her gaze back to Kili as Dwalin spoke up.
"Found her," the warrior said matter-of-factly and Kili nodded slowly.
"I can see that," he answered, his gaze still resting heavily on the Amarok. Tarya's fingers started to fiddle with the hem of her tunic again as she suddenly felt Dwalin put one large hand on her back and push her further into the room.
"She was lost in the corridors but a young lad was kind enough to bring her to Ori. That's where she's been the last few hours," Dwalin explained, his tone again rather impartial. His words were followed by a brief silence in the air. A few moments in which Kili's gaze darkened considerably, and he and Tarya merely stared at each other for a while before Fili quietly cleared his throat, ripping them out of their respective thoughts.
"Leave us," Kili said then, earning himself a questioning look from his brother and a nervous one from Tarya. Her fingers unconsciously twisted in the fabric of her clothes. "I know you have a lot to do, Fili, I wouldn't want to keep you from it any longer than absolutely necessary. Balin, I think it would be good if you told the others they may stop searching for Tarya now and Oin, you ought to come back later to check on her wounds once she's ready to rest."
There was a short silence of hesitation in the air before the addressed people simply nodded at the young prince, one by one walking past Tarya and out of the room, though not without giving her a kind smile or a pat on the shoulder. Fili halted for a moment as he passed her, raising one hand up to cup her cheek and pressing a chaste kiss to the side of her head.
"Don't take it the wrong way," he whispered as if he could sense the nervousness and the slight guilt for her little adventure that had flooded her as soon as she had seen Kili's disappointed and angry face. "He's just worried."
Tarya gave a jerky little nod before Fili left the room, as well, and Kili's gaze rested expectantly on Dwalin who was still standing behind the Amarok. The brunet dwarf cleared his throat quietly, prompting the warrior to take the hint and leave. Tarya didn't see Dwalin's reaction to that, but she saw Kili's gaze lower for a moment before he inclined his head towards the door. The Amarok didn't turn around as she heard the distinct sound of the heavy wooden door wings falling closed behind her. She kept her gaze trained on Kili, standing awkwardly by the entrance to her own chamber as he stared right back at her, leaning his hip slightly against the table behind him. He pointedly raised one eyebrow at her as he crossed his arms over his chest. Tarya sighed quietly, she could already see the temper bubbling beneath Kili's seemingly calm surface, and she knew that whatever conversation they were about to have, it would not be a very pleasant one.
"So," Kili said, voice deep and somehow almost challenging. "Would you be so kind as to tell me what you have been doing these last few hours, or should I ask the 'nice young lad' that has kept you company?"