I only own my OC. Enjoy!
The day before passed by so slow after being brought to the inn. I ended up trapped in the room, alone. It would seem Thorin had the others that were staying in the room sleep somewhere else for the night. He did the same.
When morning came, I woke knowing this would be the last time I saw him. At this point, I didn't feel anger. It was an immense sadness and longing for what could have been. Almost as if I was in mourning.
A knock sounds from the door. I look to see who it is.
"Hello, deary. Hungry?" Balin asks kindly, but sadness is clear both in his voice and on his face. It would seem he does not like this any more than I do.
"Thank you. Will you be coming on the journey to take me home?" I ask as I take small bites.
"No. I must stay here with Thorin." He tells me.
"I understand. Can I ask you another question?" I inquire, hoping he will allow it. He nods.
"Of course you can."
"Do you think it is possible the king and Thrain are still alive?" When he looks like he doesn't want to answer I can't help but talk more. "I have this thought, this feeling, that they are out there in the forest right now. Do you think it possible?"
"I suppose but I highly doubt it. I think what you feel is guilt for surviving. You saved yourself, Thorin and you thought you saved the king. It is no surprise you would dwell on the thought that perhaps they are still out there." He reasons with me. It is a fair point. I never thought that this could be the case.
"Thank you, Balin. You have been a true friend in this trying time." I thank of him. We end up giving each other a small hug before he leaves the room. I know the time is coming.
Soon after I have finished my meal, a dwarf I do not know comes into the room.
"The ponies are ready. Time to go, my lady." He says being respectful. I stand from my seat on the bed and take in the room one last time. It wasn't nice in the slightest but it was home for a very short time. A time in which I was with Thorin. I would remember it forever.
I walk between a group of dwarves to outside of the inn. We all mount our animals and begin to ride away. Thorin was not even here to see me off. Perhaps that love he spoke of was not as real as I had hoped it was. Even if his words last night seemed to speak otherwise. He is the one who ended this.
I recognize where I am when we pass it. It is where I came searching before for Thorin's family.
Suddenly, I get the need to relieve myself.
"I have to stop." I announce. Everyone comes to a halt and they hold onto my horse as I begin to make my way behind the tree line. Someone follows but keeps their distance. Probably more so they can catch me if I try to run than if I am actually put in danger.
When finished, I begin to make my way back to the one who followed me. I freeze when a twig snaps from behind me. I turn slowly and look into the woods. Light does not filter through the tops of the trees like I wish it did.
"Hello?" I call out but not too loud.
"Who is there?" I hear a reply. I gasp from shock. Someone is actually in the woods! I take cautiously slow steps backwards, back to my guard. But it is not fast enough and I am glad it wasn't. A man appears from behind a tree and I nearly cry.
"Thrain!" I cry out and run to him. I embrace him tightly but release him when he winces in pain.
"You are hurt? Come, I have guards with me! Is your father with you?" I speak so fast I wonder if he even understood me. I do not get an answer to my question, though, because my guards came running to find me. They are shocked to see me standing with Thrain.
"Come, the king is in a cave not far from here. He is injured but alive." Thrain instructs his men to follow him. I am left alone. I go back to the horses to keep watch. What a day this has turned into. And best of all, I was right! They are alive.
The plan to take me home is postponed for the moment. We must get the king and his son to the town. They need to be cared for and nursed back to health. Maybe, just maybe, this will be a way to keep me with the group.
The group comes back a bit later, Thrain walks up to me with a smile on his face. A couple of the guards are with him. The others come from the trees, helping to support an injured Thror.
"Thank you, Alvina." Thror thanks me as he walk passed me and gets helped onto a pony. I can't help but smile at him in response. I end up having to share a horse with a guard on the way back to the town. I grab onto him and hope to not fall off as we ride with haste.
"Why have you come back?!" Thorin is quick to shout as I am one of the first to ride into town, passing the blacksmith where he works as we make our way to the inn. I say nothing but turn around just enough to see his eyes go wide at seeing his father and grandfather be on the backs of other horses. Yeah, that happened Thorin.
When we get in front of the inn, I dismount and am quickly ushered into the inn. The king is taken up to a bed while Thrain stays in the dining area and orders lots of food. I assume it was hard to find and get a filling meal in the woods. I join him at the table and order something for myself with the little bit of coin I have left. But Thrain doesn't let me.
"Here." He gives the coin for my meal to the server before I can give mine.
"You didn't have to do that. Thank you." I thank with a small smile.
"You saved my life. I wouldn't be here without you having found us. How did you know to look?" He asks before his food comes.
"I just… I had a feeling." I answer honestly. That is all I can really say because that is all it was. And this time I wasn't even looking for them. It was luck.
"Well, I thank you for following your feeling." He gives me thanks again before devouring his meal. I join him when my meal comes.
And then Thorin bursts into the inn. The news was spreading around to the dwarves in the village too. I could tell because the inn was getting more and more filled with them. Nobody dare interrupt Thrain while he ate though. And nobody dare join his table, but me. And now Thorin.
When Thrain sees his son, he stands. The two embrace in a very manly yet heartwarming way before both sitting at the table.
"Excuse me." I go to excuse myself but Thrain is having none of it.
"Stay." He says before speaking to his son.
"Why were you not among the search guard? Why was Alvina here the one looking for me and Thror?" Thrain asks of his son. Awkward tension fills the room. Thorin says nothing.
"He was sending me home. Finding you was an accident." I tell him being honest. Thrain looks disturbed by this.
"Sending you home? Why is that? But were you not looking for us a day or two ago? I could have sworn to have seen you in the forest one other time." Thrain says. I go red in the face while Thorin looks like he is going to explode.
"I really think this is a conversation for the two of you. I am going to go find Dis and tell her the good news." I say and stand. I walk off and do go try to find Dis. I ask around and pinpoint that she is at the master's home of all places.
I go cautiously and knock even more so.
I am surprised to see a smiling Amanda.
"Oh, hello Amanda. I was told Dis is here. May I speak with her? It is important." I ask. Amanda doesn't move for just a moment. And then she has her arms wrapped around me tightly.
"What is happening?" I ask her, not knowing where this is coming from.
"The master, the old master, he has been jailed! Thanks to you and your betrothed. Oh, the new master is so nice. Not an ounce of cruelty in him. Come, meet him and then I will take you to Dis!" She says and pulls me into the home and to where the new master of the town is. He happens to be in the dining room, finishing his meal.
"Sir, this is Alvina." Amanda introduces me. He looks up and over at us from his meal. A smile lights up his face. He is definitely better looking than the last master. He stands and moves to me. His arm is outstretched. I take his hand and he brings it to his lips. Oh my! What a charmer.
"Alvina. I am so sorry what the master before me did. Thank you for being strong enough to go through with a plan to get him caught. That was such an act of bravery." He thanks me. He thinks I planned to get the old master caught?
"Oh, it was nothing, really." I hear myself day before I realize what just happened. We both smile at each other.
"Have you eaten yet? I can have more brought out." He offers.
"I have, thank you though. I actually am here for Dis. There is some news she needs to hear." I tell him.
"Of course. I believe she is in the study. You are more than welcome to go to her." He tells me. I thank him and leave the dining room to go to the study.
"Dis? Oh, Dis! You must come to the inn quickly. Something has happened." I tell her, sounding frantic. I can see the panic enter her eyes. I run after her as she runs from the room and building.
"What is happening?" She asks as she bursts into the inn. It takes her a moment to see her father but, once she does, she runs to him with tears of joy in her eyes. I watch from the doorway as the reunion unfolds.
"May I speak with you?" Thorin comes up to me and asks. I nod and we walk upstairs to an empty room where we can talk in private.
