AN: Hello lovelies! I just want to say that I'm sorry for not having updated in so long. I've a lot of assignments to do recently but hopefully the next one will be a bit more on time. Also someone reviewed earlier (you know who you are) about how tall Orana was. The reason she is so tall does have something to do with what she is, but also because I've read a lot of fanfictions where the OC is shorter or the same height as Thorin. Now that's great, I love a tall guy but I wondered what would happen if the OC was taller? And then exaggerate it and you get Orana with hilarity ensuing later on in the story.
Anyway here's your chapter :)
Henrick had taken lead the dwarf king back to the Blacksmith so that Thrown could look at the equipment and decide whether he wanted to work for the man. On the way Henrick explained why it was that he needed a new pair of hands around the place. His wife has just given birth to twins and wanted to stay as close as possible to her so that he could help in any why he was able. It reminded Thorin of his own nephew, and soon to be new one. He missed his family, more than he would let on but he was happy enough knowing that they were safe and that he could provide for them from here.
"Well? Henrick asked "What do ya think?"
"When can I start?" Thorin asked the man who beamed and slapped him heartily on the shoulder
"How's tomorrow eh? It'll give you some time to get everything sorted and get your stuff from Orana's"
"How did you know I was staying with her?" Thorin asked and the tall man snorted
"Everyone knows. It ain't every day we see Orana come into town and never with anyone"
Thorin couldn't help the pink that coloured his cheeks at the man's implication
"It is not like that" he snapped quickly "I was attacked by Orcs on the road. She found me and looked after me while I healed"
That certainly sobered the man
"Well that sounds like Orana. She don't deserve the treatment she gets round here. She's a good person, she saved this town"
"Who is she?" it was a simple question that nobody seemed to be able to answer. It was beginning to test Thorin's patience and he was not a patient dwarf by nature.
"Orana's pretty tight lipped 'bout anything 'bout her. I don't think she'd take to kindly to me telling you what I know" Henrick said carefully which made Thorin scowl
"Surely I have the right to know at least something about the person who saved my life? At least to know why she puts up the treatment that she does because of you humans"
Henrick raised his hands in mock surrender "'lright, 'lright I'll tell ya. It's probably better you hearing it from me instead of someone else. They'll fill your head with lies these people. Henrick shook his head. Sometimes he couldn't believe how horrible people could be to one another.
"Well Orana's been livin' on the outskirts of Bree for about a decade" the man said "You see, before she turned up, we had to worst winter I think we've ever had. The river was our only protection but because it was so cold it froze solid. Orcs crossed over the river and attacked the town. They slaughtered our livestock, raped our woman and killed everyone they came across" Henrick's eyes darkened as he remembered. He had been younger then, much younger but he could remember it like it was yesterday. They came every night for weeks, the villagers only just able to hold them off to avoid their extinction. But none of them had been warriors and it seemed that they were doomed to fail.
"Then one day Orana came strollin' into town. We had no idea who she was, or better yet what she was. I still don't mind you. But the day she came the orc attacks stopped" Henrick glanced over to Thorin who rose a sceptical eyebrow with his arms across his chest
"That sounds more like a fairy tale than the truth"
"Oh aye, that it does, but it's true every word of it" Henrick said pointedly "I don't know how, and gods help me I don't care but I do know that she saved us that night, and has kept this town safe ever since".
A woman passing by the forge overheard their conversation and scoffed "Henrick, you don't know what you're talking about. That thing ain't our saviour. It's a beast in a women's skin I'm telling you"
Henrick rolled his eyes
"Don't start Belinda" the man crossed his arms "I know very well your view point on the matter"
The dwarf raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Gossip had to start from somewhere and he had to admit that he was…. intrigued. She was something he had never come across before and while he had some theories as to what race she belonged to, he had nothing solid.
"You know Henrick" the woman hissed "You know as well as I that she ain't human"
"Well of course she isn't" Henrick scoffed "You ever seen a human that's over seven foot tall?"
The woman rung her hands together, biting her lip "I know you can hear the noises. Everyone can"
Henrick seemed to falter then and the woman pressed on
"Horrible, beastly sounds. They aren't human, they aren't of this world." Suddenly the womans eyes hardened "And they come from her house during the night. We have a monster living on our doorstep. We should have gotten rid of her years ago, after the orcs were defeated"
"And what then hmmm?" Henrick questioned "Orana keeps the orcs away, what happens when she's gone and they come back. We'll all be slaughtered. God knowns why she stays, having to put up with superstitious fools like you"
Belinda huffed, then turned her beady eyes to Thorin
"You've been there, in her house" she pointed at him "Tell me you didn't hear the noises, tell me she didn't attack you"
"She did no such thing" Thorin snapped. He had heard enough. This reminded him of how the humans had first treated the dwarves and still did. When they had gold and riches they were welcomed with open arms but when they had no such offerings and came to them begging for food and shelter? They were turned away and left to starve.
"That woman had no reason to help me when she did but she chose to. She had no reason to house and care for me even when I was ungrateful and arrogant" Thorin's deep voice boomed the angrier he became "You are pathetic to treat someone so basely after they have done so much for you!"
Poor Belinda looked like she's never had anyone speak against her in her life. She stood there gaping like a fish out of water. The nerve! Did this dwarf not know who she was! She was the wife of the mayors son! She could have him thrown out of Bree for his insolence. Before she had a chance to voice any of her threats the dwarf glared at her once more
"Why are you still here woman? Haven't you said enough?"
Belinda huffed and turned her nose up at the pair before turning on her heel and….
walked straight into Orana.
"I heard my name" the woman smiled down at the trembling woman, showing off her wickedly sharp teeth "I hope you were speaking well of me?"
After a moment of spluttering nonsense, the woman hiked up her skirts and ran off like the devil itself was at her back. In her opinion it probably was. The thought made Orana chuckle slightly
"You don't help yourself girl" Henrick scolded lightly while shaking his head
"Girl?" Orana huffed leaning on her staff "I am over three thousand years old. I am not a girl"
Thorin's head snapped around "Three thousand?" he spluttered
Orana laughed "I always forget that it's strange to others. How old are you?"
"One hundred and sixteen"
Orana's eye widened in surprise "That's a child to my people!" she exclaimed in shook
"I can assure you I am not a child" Thorin growled, a deep frown marring his features
"Forgive me" Orana passified "I did not mean I offend" she grinned again however and Thorin suddenly dreaded whatever she was about to say.
"Perhaps I should call you naqis ato" she grinned, looking entirely too pleased with herself. He almost dreaded to ask what the foreign words meant.
"What does it mean?"
"Little one" she snickered. If she had been anyone else she would have been dead, the way Thorin was glaring at her. But then again it was hard to be intimidated by someone so short. The thought made her snort and shake her head while Thorin continued to scowl.
"Is there a reason you're here woman? Or is it just to aggravate me?"
Orana smiled "I'm sorry, I won't call you that again. I just couldn't resist"
Thorin rolled his eyes at the strange woman but couldn't help the smile tugging at his own lips.
"I am going to the Prancing Pony. I wondered if you were feeling hungry yet as well?"
It was only now when she mentioned it that he realised that he was indeed hungry.
"Aye" he nodded
"You're welcome to come along as well Henrick" Orana offered
"Best not" the man said "I should get back to the wife and kids"
Orana nodded in understanding "Give them my best then".
The man waved them goodbye as the pair headed off to the Prancing Pony. It was a small inn that smelt like ale and piss, but it had good enough food. It also helped that it was the only inn for miles around.
As soon as they stepped through the doors Orana knew it had been a bad idea to come
"Oh" she sighed as she spied Maugrim sitting at the bar with his brothers. He was a skinny, hooked nosed man who looked like his gene pool was just a little too small. His greasy hair shone in the dim lighting but he hadn't seen them yet.
"Thorin, lets go"
The dwarf turned to her confused but by then it was too late. He saw her face fall then set itself in a cool and indifferent mask as she addressed someone behind him
"Maugrim. I'd like to say it's always a pleasure but I don't like to tell falsehoods"
The mans sneered at her before his eyes trailed down to Thorin at her side
"You the new dwarf in town?"
Thorin clenched his fists "Are there any that I'm not aware of?"
"You insulted my wife" he jabbed a boney finger at Thorin's chest "You best apologise or things will get very hard for you here dwarf"
"You don't have that kind of power and we know it Maugrim" Orana sighed, clearly unimpressed by his theatrics "Your father is the mayor, not you"
"He won't live forever" Maugrim hissed, stepping forwards into the woman's personal space, daring her to respond.
A low growl rumbled through the inn, silencing everyone. Orana stood over Maugrim, her eyes glowing like embers while her lips curled showing a threatening display of teeth
"Maugrim. If you don't remove yourself from my sight in the next ten seconds, I will not be held responsible for what happens next"
The dwarf prince saw the moment when the greasy man seemed to realise it was not an idle threat. He gulped, going white as a sheet before casting a glance around at the others in the inn. They had long since forsaken him, not even his brothers looked like they would come to his aid.
"This is not over" he hissed at her, then jerked his head and led his companions out of the tavern.
Thorin grinned widely but it died on his lips when he looked over to Orana. Her head was bowed and the low growl had not silenced. She was clenching and unclenching her fists, desperately trying to stay in control. Remember the poem, the one little Lyn used to sing. She took a deep breath and repeated the words.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep but I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep.
With each word she could feel the tension slowly draining away and her beast return to its slumber. She finally opened her eyes to see Thorin watching her in concern
"Are you well?"
She offered him a small smile "Yes. I'm fine now. Especially now that the offensive smell of Maugrim is gone"
Thorin chuckled at that and the two continued on as if nothing had happened.
When they sat down Thorin finaly asked the question that had been annoying him for so long
"Did you have anything to do with my suddenly finding work?"
"I may have call in a favour" Orana said evasively "I introduced him to his wife"
"Then I suppose I should thank you" the dwarf groused, but the small twitch of his lips gave him away.
"I suppose you should" Orana laughed.
A barmaid come by just then and set down two plates or sausages and potatoes in front of them as well as a mug of ale for each. Her hands were shaking as she did and her eyes never did leave Oranas. The poor woman was terrified.
"Ah thank you" Orana smiled at her but the woman only squeaked and darted away. Huffing a breath the woman rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the dwarf opposite her.
"Is that for one of your little ones?"
Thorin glanced up in confusion at the woman, who gestured to the small wooden lion sitting on the table. Thorin had forgotten about it, to his chagrin.
"Aye" he nodded, picking up and gazing at it fondly "For Fili. He's still just a young dwarfling but he likes lions"
The expression on Orana's face was warm but wistful and she nodded her head. She loved children, they reminded her about her own young siblings and of happier times. Thorin glanced up and noted the silent longing in her eyes, he watched her thoughtfully before he continued
"I'll be missing the birth of the other little one, he's due to be born in the spring"
Orana smiled widely "You must be very proud"
Thorin did smile then, a proper smile and it was one that made him look much younger, as if the weight of the world had just been lifted off his shoulders
"Aye, very proud"
"And your wife, she must be a beauty"
Thorin spluttered into his mug when he heard the question and Orana thumped him on the back when he continued to cough
"I'm not married" he croaked, a slight pick tinge colouring his cheeks, suddenly remembering Henrick's assumption earlier.
"Oh, forgive me I just assumed" Orana quickly said but Thorin waved his hand dismissively with a small grin
"It's fine. No, they are my nephews, my sisters' children"
"Well in any case" Orana continued, still somewhat flustered "I'm sure you will see them soon" she assured and Thorin gave her a thankful smile for her words.
"I will continue to the Blue Mountains in spring to see them, maybe before then for Durin's Day. Staying here was always going to be temporary, just long enough for me to earn almost a year's coin then re-join my family"
"I had expected you to stay longer"
If Thorin didn't know any better he'd have said that Orana sounded slightly…disappointed. He was not sure why that would be so, they hadn't known each other for very long. Perhaps it was because they were similar in the fact that they were surrounded by people and yet very alone. Thorin the only dwarf in Bree and Orana the only of her race here also. And from what Thorin could put together it had been that way for a long time.
"What of your family?" Thorin asked, suddenly prompted by his thoughts.
Orana stared down into her mug; the wooden cup looking very small in her large hands.
"As I'm sure you realised by now I'm from the East. My family was a small group of…eh I forget the word in your language….nomads. I was an only child. It is hard for my people to have children and more than one is considered very rare"
Thorin listened, intrigued. He hoped that she would give away some clue as to what she was, as it was clear that she would not give it up without a fight.
"I lost my parents at a young age but I had my clan so I eventually moved on. When I was older we had to leave the East. It was getting more and more dangerous every day because of infighting among groups of the other humans. When we came here we had never seen so much green" she chuckled as she remembered her amazement "And no sand anywhere, it was so strange. There were so many strange races, all so varied and you all spoke in such odd languages" Thorin laughed as she recounted her tale and tried to imagine Orana as a child but he gave up soon after. He just couldn't picture her shorter than him.
"A long time after that, I eventually became the clan leader, like my parents before me. It was soon after that that I stumbled across little Lyn" It had been a long time since she had allowed herself to talk about Lyn, or even think about her. The happiness from moments ago was long gone now as the memory resurfaced.
"Lyn was an orphan" Orana explained with a strained voice and a tightening grip on her mug "I took her in and treated her like she was my own flesh and blood. She was like a sister to me, or maybe a daughter. Perhaps both" Yellow eyes burned with fury as she continued "Orcs came and I wasn't there to protect them and then I was captured because of my own foolishness"
The mug gave a splintering protest and Orana immediately relaxed her hold. Yellow eyes levelled with stony grey ones and she took a slow breath to calm herself.
"A good friend of mine who helped me after my escape calls it 'post-traumatic stress'. I get flashbacks and nightmares about my imprisonment. What you saw last night and just before was a defence mechanism I developed while I was there and haven't been able to get rid of. It's why I live so far away from everyone because I can't control it"
"And it's why you stay so close" Thorin realized "So you can help them"
Orana nodded solemnly "I've got a lot of blood on my hands Thorin. Helping people is the only way I don't drown in it"
AN: Oh Orana, you've had a tough life. And it's not going to get any easy just yet MAHHAHAHAHA. Anyway please review to tell me what you guys think. It really helps and I'd love to make sure Thorin is in character. He can be pretty hard to write so any tips you have or feedback would be great.
Have a great day Lovelies :)
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