Chapter 19

"Battle of the Minds"

The she-dwarf continued to watch as her companions carried out the duties their host assigned them. After a couple of hours Beorn provided lunch and Fili, Kili, and Ori took it upon themselves to begin "entertaining" the rest of the group by making them laugh and smile. Torshar couldn't help but smile at their antics yet it quickly faded when she realized that the picture was incomplete without Thorin and herself.

Before much longer the dwarves were back to work and Torshar decided to get up and stretch her numb legs also to, perhaps, check on Thorin's condition. She gently wrapped a robe around her shoulders that her host had graciously supplied. The corridor was empty as she exit the bedroom and walked across the hardwood flooring to the area where her companions had chained Thorin earlier in the day.

He could hear her coming as he still fought his confines to get away from the bowl of blood and silver. The blood lust that ran through his veins increased when she appeared from around the corner dressed in black sleep pants, her upper body wrapped in bindings, and with a grey robe resting on one shoulder and falling off the other due to its massive size compared to her. Inside his head, Thorin breathed out a sigh of relief at the sight of her. How long had he been a prisoner of his own mind? He had lost all sense of time since departing Valtek.

As she approached, Thorin felt his body tense and his eyebrows furrow while gaze seemed to become fuzzy then turned red. He wanted to kill her… He needed to kill her… But how could he? She was the one he loved, more than life itself! And yet, he longed to bathe in her blood.

"How are you feeling, Thorin?" he heard her ask and watched her kneel before him, like a proper king.

'I don't understand… How can she still think of me as a king after all I have done?' the anguished prince wondered to himself.

She smiles, making him go weak in the knees, "I hold no grudge against you, my love. Never have…" tears begin to form in her eyes, "I know you are still in there, Thorin. The man I love is still inside, underneath this curse. That man needs to fight his way out!" the versifier stood as she said this, took the key from the nail where Balin had placed it, and began to unlock his shackles. While she was doing this, Bilbo, Gandalf, Beorn, and the dwarves walked in from their day outside.

Ori was the first to notice what Torshar was doing for he called out, "Lady Torshar, what are you doing?!" causing everyone else to turn.

"I'm letting our leader go. If he truly wants to kill me then I won't stop him! I know the real Thorin Oakenshield is still inside! Do not intervene! Any of you! This is what I desire!" she cried and then dropped the last manacle and backed up slowly, "If my death is truly what he desires… Then I do not wish to complete this journey nor do I wish to continue living… Thorin, I lay myself at your feet… Do what you will, my king…" the versifier surrendered and knelt at her lover's feet as he processed that he was free from his chains.

The onlookers watched with baited breath as the dwarf lord stepped up to the defenseless woman, gently lifted her chin so she was looking directly at him, then swiftly backhanded her across the face! Ori had to be restrained by Dori and Nori as the show of abuse made his blood boil. Torshar simply turned her face back to be met by a balled up fist with enough force that it knocked her onto her side and into the hay that was scattered about the floor.

Internally, Thorin was screaming in sorrow and agony at what was happening before him. Darkness surrounded him but a sort of window to the outside world acted as the vision through his body's eyes and it made his blood stew at seeing the pained expression on Torshar's face as she tried to get up from the hay. Thorin began to try and seize control of his body by focusing his energy on moving his limbs in his favor but a hand clamped down on his shoulder and four chains of dark red energy wrapped themselves around each of his limbs; preventing movement!

"Tsk, tsk, Thorin! We don't want you to gain control of yourself yet! Not until Torshar is dealt with, at least." Cooed a voice of mischievousness and a form stepped into Thorin's line of view. He stood at two inches taller than the prince with flame red hair that hung loosely about his square shoulders. This stranger was dressed in black robes accented with blood red and gold; signifying that he was of noble birth. But his eyes were the most striking; ruby red with flakes of gold.

"Who are you?!" Thorin demanded as he pulled on his shackles to try and break free but to no avail; seemingly only making the stranger laugh.

The man smiled sinisterly as he locked eyes with the captured king, "I am Duerim of Ralbaz! Most people know me as the Dark King… I am real and mythical, imaginary and physical… And yet, with all of my powers… I am confined to do the bidding of all who form a contract with me. Men call me demon, "Rauko" to the Elves, and "Kazak" to you dwarves. But to you, personally, Thorin Oakenshield, I am the end for the woman you love."

Thorin let Duerim's words sink in and his knees grew heavier as he pieced together the dark meaning, "No… Who…? Who signed the contract with you?! Why are they after Torshar and myself?!" he demanded. Duerim snapped his fingers and a single chain coiled around the prince's throat, cutting off his air supply.

"If I told you that, I would have to kill you… Ha ha! No, I'm going to let you live so you can suffer through the guilt of knowing you could do nothing but watch your woman die… Harar of Valtek is the person who formed a contract with me. He wanted Torshar out the way so he would have absolute and undeniable control of the city and now he wants you gone as well; I assume because if you reach the mountain, slay the dragon, and regain your throne that you will then marry his fair niece and everything he holds dear will crumble around him. But neither of us expected for his brother and family to still be alive. Anyway, as long as I fulfill my end of the bargain, I get his delectably black, rotting soul to feast upon. Although he should have read the fine print before he signed." Another chuckle leaves the demon's lungs and he flips his hair back over his shoulders, "The idiot thinks he can simply buy me off with a chest of gold…"

Understanding passed through Thorin's eyes as he lifted his head and stared past the demon to Torshar. Duerim followed his line of gaze and smirked when he found the she-dwarf still on the floor, "Do you wish to see what else I will do to her? Only a second has passed outside while we have been conversing."

"Please, sir, I beg of you… Spare her life!" Thorin pleaded as he pulled on the chains again only to have them constrict further and cut off his air more.

"Enjoy the show, Your Majesty." Duerim laughed evilly and disappeared, leaving a forlorn Thorin in his wake.

Torshar was grabbed by the braid in the back of her head, pulled to her feet, and was thrown onto the grass of the lawn after Duerim had thrown open the stable doors, "There is nothing wrong with me, Torshar. I am just finally seeing you for the pathetic, sniveling, defenseless, stupid woman you always have been. Often I wondered why I put up with you and then I realized- AAHH!" the prince cried and clutched his head. Inside, the real Thorin was screaming at the top of his lungs and fighting to take a step forward but the chains were doing their best to prevent that. Yet through sheer determination, the plagued prince managed to snap the chain that was around his right calf and step forward. The resulting explosion of energy had caused Duerim to scream in pain, therefore stopping his assault; for the moment.

When their leader began to scream in agony, the dwarves began to approach but the minstrel had carefully stood and held out her hand to cease their movement, "No! Thorin is coming back to us! The real Thorin… He's fighting back…" she smiled as she gazed at the damaged man before her.

Quickly snapping out of it, Duerim wiped his nose of the blood that had begun to leak out, grabbed the woman by the throat and sneered, "I am the real Thorin!" he then picked her up and tossed her further into the garden; her back wailing in torment as it connected with the trunk of the firewood chopping stump. Ever so delicately, she sat up and prepared for his next assault.

Thorin continued to fight his bonds, even though the energy chains were cutting into his skin and causing him to bleed. The one around his neck had lost its luster when he broke the first chain and was now lax so he could breathe a bit easier. He was now focused on freeing one or both of his hands but it was proving to be more difficult than the last. His main reason for the fight was still in the window to the outside world as she sat up but was having a hard time breathing.

Duerim picked up some knives that Beorn used to carve figures and furniture, gazed at them while smiling, then threw one that embedded in the trunk of the stump next to Torshar's head, "Just trying my arm out, darling. Seems I'm a little rusty… Don't worry; I won't miss the next one." Being true to his word, the demon threw the next knife and it stuck in lady's upper left arm, with enough force that it pinned her to the tree. Her screams of pain and sorrow burned Thorin's ears and made his blood boil like a witch's brew. With a loud roar of anger, he took another step and shattered that chain causing Duerim to cry out again but he recovered quickly and threw the last two knives which struck Torshar in the upper right arm and the center of her chest; demolishing her sternum and causing her to cough up blood.

Thorin stopped momentarily when he saw the look of horror past through Torshar's eyes and the blood stain her porcelain lips. His breath was stolen by a loathing hand around his throat as Duerim appeared before him once only this time appeared to be more disheveled. His hair appeared matted as if it had not seen a hairbrush in weeks, his robes were torn and had some holes, and his eyes appeared duller but more crazed.

"You and that whore will regret ever crossing paths with me!" Duerim snarled as he squeezed a bit harder and Thorin began to see stars in his vision, "I will deal with her first… And you will watch the life drain from her eyes, Oakenshield!" in a flurry of red smoke, the demon disappeared, once more leaving the prince alone to contemplate his situation.

Duerim began to advance on the dying minstrel who coughed up more blood and smiled weakly, "I hope this satisfies you, my love…"

"No! It does not, Torshar!" Thorin screamed and resumed pulling on his restraints.

Smiling evilly, Duerim nods, "Absolutely, Torshar… This is beyond satisfying…"

Thorin had had enough! Gathering all of the strength he had left, the warrior prince pulled his arms forward with such force that his manacles shattered causing Duerim to scream and appear behind him on his knees and holding his head.

"I have had enough of you attacking the love of my life and keeping me a prisoner in my own mind to watch it all unfold! You are nothing but a parasite that feeds off of others suffering! Well no more!" the prince shouted and a sword manifested in his right hand, "You die, right here, right now!"

Duerim stood slowly and smirked as a blade of blood red appeared in his hand, "Fine by me. But be warned, Master Oakenshield, I am one hell of a sword master!" the demon then charged and the battle was on! Thorin did his best to parry and block his enemy's attacks but they were so fast that a few were able to land and he began to bleed. Though it quickly began to show that Duerim was distracted as his attacks began to slack; allowing Thorin to gain the upper hand. With a final blow, Duerim was knocked to the ground and his blade disappeared, "How…? How is it a mortal man… Conquered me?" he asked in horror.

"I have something worth fighting for, Duerim. Torshar is my light and life… I will never give up on her. Now, die…" Thorin then stabbed the demon through his stomach, making the black king laugh while spitting up blood.

"You think a mere… Sword through the stomach is going to stop me…?"

"No, just to slow you down long enough to do this…" the prince took off running at the window, breaking through it like glass and awake being able to move his body of his own accord! He turned to the dwarves standing close by, "Ori get the pendant, quickly!" he shouted as he made eye contact with the youngest member of his entourage. At first the artist thought it was simply a trick of the curse but when he looked closer, he noticed the sapphire orbs of his leader were as clear as the Sundering Seas! With a giant smile, he dashed inside, picked up the blood soaked necklace by the chain, and returned outside.

"THORIN!" he screamed and threw the silver accessory as hard as he could. The warrior caught it by the charm and when it made contact with his skin, it seemed to light his skin on fire; that feeling coursing through his veins all the way to his mind where Duerim screamed in agony as his magic began to work against him. His skin began to melt and his robes turned to ash. Soon, Duerim was nothing but a horrible memory that Thorin would not soon forget. As soon as the demon's presence disappeared, Thorin collapsed to his knees breathing heavily.

Believing that the worst was over, Gandalf rushed over to his fallen comrade, "it's alright, Thorin, it's over." He spoke calmly.

Thorin shook his head, and crawled over to Torshar who had remained as still as possible and breathed slowly; she smiled seeing the true Thorin's eyes, "Hello, my love… I trust everything is alright now?"

The prince smiled and nodded, gently caressing the minstrel's face, "Yes, dear heart… I am free… I am so sorry; I should have been stronger…"

"No, don't think that way…" Torshar cringes, "You were cursed, there was nothing that could be done…"

Gandalf and Beorn exchanged glances, then the wizard turned to the dwarves, "Dwalin, Balin, take Thorin inside while Beorn and I see to Lady Torshar." The two did what was asked and helped lead Thorin back into the cottage.

"We will be together soon, Thorin… I promise…" Torshar called after him and received a smile in return.