"Why are we here?"

"Because it's Elaine and Henricks' anniversary and as their friends we are obliged to help them celebrate"

Orana huffed at Thorin and took another swig from her mug of ale while Thorin simply chuckled at her attitude. They sat in the Prancing Pony, packed in with half of Bree who were all celebrating the happy couple's anniversary. People were laughing, dancing and singing and a merry tune was being played in the background. It reminded Thorin of dwarven celebrations, though there was normally much more ale and food.

"I don't like crowds" Orana muttered as she surveyed the party goers wearily, perched on the edge of her seat ready to flee or attack at a moment's notice.

"You don't like anyone" Thorin pointed out with a smug grin

"That's not true" she grumbled "I'm here aren't I?"

Thorin snorted and shook his head slightly "It is not like you had anything to do"

Orana sniffed "How do you know?" she asked indignantly. Thorin rose an eyebrow at her and shot her a knowing look

"Because I know you woman. You live out in the middle of nowhere like a hermit. There's nothing to do out there in the woods"

"There's plenty to do thank you very much" she defended with a frown "In fact there was something rather important I needed to do tonight but then Elaine cornered me and here I am"

"And you're so very happy about it to" Thorin grinned into his mug, ignoring the annoyed look she shot him.

"It is strange. I am normally the one protesting against gatherings if it were in my home" Thorin told her "Though those gatherings were political. Trade deals or marriage related" the dwarf shuddered at the thought of them. They were always so lifeless and dull as were the people there. But his father and grandfather had always dragged him to them as it was his duty as the prince of Erebor. Frerin managed to weasel out of most of them as he was the younger brother, the lucky bugger.

"Oh?" Orana's interest had been peaked "I was under the impression that dwarves enjoyed big celebrations and parties"

"Aye we do, just not those ones" he winced and Orana's grin widened

"Were you often involved in these large celebrations? A dwarrowdam on each arm as you departed for the night perhaps?" she teased and was delighted by the faint blush that rose on Thorin's cheeks beneath his beard. Two could play at that game however

"Only two? No, three on average, my good lady" he rumbled, with a smug smile that oozed with male pride.

"I had no idea you were such a heartbreaker in your youth my friend" Orana laughed

"I am not that old" Thorin grumbled at her and she snorted

"No you are not. Compared to me you are just a babe"

Thorin ignored her comment and the two fell into a content silence.

The night stretched on Orana got more and more tense. There were too many people packed into this tiny space and the excited energy made her hackles rise. All the people crushed together, no space between them. The clogging smell of ever person's scent in the room, overshadowed by the smell of old vomit and piss. All of it had evaporated the earlier carefree mood. She had only intended to stay a little while before she began to get overwhelmed but she had taken one look at Elaine's pleading face and she knew she would stay for as long as she could. She glanced over at Thorin and noticed the wistful look in his eyes and remembered how long it had been since he had seen his family. A gathering like this was sure to make him homesick and so she felt herself hunkering down and made a mental note to breathe through her mouth from now on.

"There isn't enough ale to get me through this night" she muttered to herself staring down at her empty mug which seemed comical small in her large hands.

"You've had five already" Thorin noted, having heard her quite lamentation

"It takes a lot more than that for me to even get remotely drunk" she sighed and set the mug down. "I wish I had my pipe"

"Why?"

"It helps me relax" she shot him a wry smile. Thorin snapped to full attention, understanding the meaning behind her words.

"Do you want to step outside?" he asked worried

"No" Orana quickly waved away his concern "I haven't even given my well wishes to the happy couple yet"

Thorin scrutinised her for a moment. She seemed to be in control and her breathing was normal. His intense gaze looked to see whether or not she was being sincere and slowly Orana nodded at him. She was in control; and he allowed himself to relax again.

Before he could question her further the inn began to quieten down and the two turned to see the Mayor step forward. He was still shaking but he had regained the colour he had lost in his cheeks. Thorin glanced over at the woman beside him and saw that she looked immensely pleased. He turned his attention back to the man with a small smile of his own.

"I will keep this brief" the mayor said "I just wanted to say how happy I am for my dear Elaine and her husband Henrick. Two beautiful daughters and a love that can inspire and conquer anything". He then turned to the couple themselves "I am blessed to have lived long enough to see my daughter fall in love and I know your mother would be so proud"

Elaine wiped tears from her eyes and rushed forward to hug her father who patted her on the back with a warm smile

"Now, now my dear this is a happy occasion. No tears now. Besides, I do believe it is time for you and your husband to dance".

She stepped away from him and nodded before the musicians started up again, a lively tune perfect for dancing. Henrick and Elaine stepped forward and began to dance together in the circle the crowd had created.

Thorin glanced over at Orana to see her looking at the pair with warmth and her lips upturned in a small smile. She looked…content, relaxed in a way he had not seen her before, in the presence of these two friends whose love was so plain to see that even the blind could tell.

"Are you glad you stayed now?" Thorin asked quietly and the woman turned to him and nodded

"Love like that doesn't come around every day" she said "that's true love, soulmates"

Thorin nodded in agreement

"Do dwarves believe in soulmates?" Orana asked surprising Thorin

"Of course. Though we do not call it soulmates, we refer to them as our One. My father always used to say that as soon as he saw mother he knew that she was his One" Thorin laughed at the memory "Though mother had other ideas. It took months for my father to win her heart but he did and I have never seen two people more right for each other"

Orana smiled and leaned back in her chair "my people call it 'shekh ma shieraki anni' and 'Jalan atthirari anni' which the closest translation I can give you means 'my sun and star' said to the man and 'moon of my life' said to the woman. Supposedly we feel it" Orana put her hand on her chest "in here. But I know that like your parents it wasn't immediate. My mother and father despised each other for the longest of times I'm told. They couldn't stand to be near one another until an Oliphant hunt went wrong and there were the only survivors left in the desert, leagues from our village. They had to work together and fell in love along the way. But it's much stronger than that. For our people, once you have found and accepted you're One, it binds you together forever. Two souls become one. It's quite beautiful in a heart breaking way. It's one of the reasons my people's population was always so small. If one partner dies, so does the other the bond is so strong".

"I did not know such a thing could exist" it was the only thing Thorin could think to say. His chest felt odd too, like something was pressing on it. Unconsciously he rubbed his hand across the spot.

"Love like that is hard to come by" Orana agreed, looking back at the couple who continued to dance "My people just like to be dramatic I suppose" the joke sounded flat even to her but Thorin did not notice he was too busy brooding. Over what Orana could not tell.

Much later on in the evening, Orana was thankful to finally be leaving. She had given the happy couple her blessings and bid them goodnight before finally walking out the door. She had gotten no more than a few steps before she was stopped again

"Woman where do you think you're going?"

"Home master dwarf" she called over her shoulder "I am old; I simply can't keep up with you young people these days"

Thorin snorted and the two began to walk towards their respective homes

"Thorin"

The dwarf looked over to the woman beside him and was surprised to see all mirth gone, replaced by a serious expression.

"I do not know if you have noticed, but things are coming to a head in Bree"

He had noticed, it was hard not to. Maugrim and his brothers had been continually causing trouble and promoting fear and suspicion through-out the town. Livestock was being slaughtered, by wolves it looked like but the rumours has been circling that it was wargs, which meant orcs, which meant that Orana was not doing her 'duty' to protect the village as promised. Not to mention that the old mayor was exactly that, old. He would not live forever and Thorin dreaded to think what would happen when the old man finally passed on. Especially because the title would then be passed to Maugrim, as the oldest son.

"What of it?" he rumbled back quietly

"I think that you should visit your family sooner rather than later" she said "get out while you can Thorin, before you are dragged any further into this"

"I will not run away" he snapped which caused Orana to huff in annoyance

"Then call it a tactical retreat. At least until things settle"

"I will think on it" Thorin muttered.

The two were nearing the edge of town and the forge when Orana stopped. Thorin turned and gave her a quizzical look but she head up her hand and shook her head with a frown. She cocked her head listening for something but she heard nothing. She relaxed

"nevermin-"

She cut off abruptly and roared in sudden pain. Thorin was instantly on the defensive as two men came at him from the shadows of the alleyway. The first one swung his sword in a wide arc at the dwarfs head but he ducked the blow and twisted behind him, hitting the man in the arm as he did. The sword clattered to the ground and Thorin quickly snatched it up and ran through the man's stomach. He gurgled and then slid off the metal hitting the ground with a thump.

Meanwhile three other men had gotten hold of Orana, holding her down with all their might. The attack had surprised her and they had pushed the advantage and gotten her down quickly. Blood was seeping in a steady stream down her back where the throwing dagger had struck her, but she had no idea how serious the injury was at this point. Muscles straining, she threw one man off her arm, sending him careening into the side of a house where he didn't get up again. The man on her left quickly got hold of a second dagger and plunged it into her thigh, making her scream in anger and pain. Her free hand was around his neck in an instant. The man screamed in horror as she dug in her claws and pulled. There was a wet tearing sound and the man twitched before dropping to the ground, a messy hole where his throat had been. Slowly Orana turned her eyes to the last man, flicking bits of flesh off her fingers as she advanced.

Thorins' second opponent had abandoned the fight to help his friends subdue Orana, who seemed to be the main focus of the attack. Thorin quickly followed him and in one fell swoop, cut his head clean off his shoulders.

She could feel herself slipping, her one good eye she could tell were flickering between glowing and not. The strain on her was making her shake she was trying so hard to stay in control. Slowly she advanced on the last man.

He was white as a sheet and his hands had begun to tremble. He knew he had made a terrible mistake. This thing was a monster. It had torn his friends apart like they were paper and no it was looking at him like he was a nice snack. And the dwarf, he was to good, they'd never stood a chance going up against him.

"Let me go" he begged, dropping his sword "please!"

"Why should I?" Orana's voice was deeper, more guttural as she stalked forward like a predator playing with its prey.

"I have a family" the man whispered. It didn't matter whether or not what he said was true, he would have said anything at this point to save his life

"So did I" was all she said he one glowing eye burning into his soul as she raised her hand to cut him down where he stood.

"Orana" Thorin barked suddenly. She blinked and turned towards him. The dwarf shook his head slowly

"That's enough. Don't prove them right"

Slowly the glow in her eye faded and her hand lowered. She turned back to the man who was still shivering where he stood. The sharp smell of urine and the tell tale wet trail down his trousers made her wrinkle her nose and shoved him away from her

"Tell your employer to stay away, or they'll find their hirelings in pieces".

Thorin wasn't quite sure what happened next. Orana began limping back to him when the man suddenly decided to be a coward no longer, despite being allowed to walk away. He drew a dagger and charged forward to fast for Thorin to get between them. Orana turned just in time for the dagger to go into her side instead of her back like the last one. With a snarl she spun and caught him by the throat with her teeth and to Thorin's shock tore the man's head from his shoulders. The body dropped with a sickening thunk, the head followed soon after.

The woman turned to look at him and Thorin could not help the involuntary movement of lifting up his sword at her. She stared at him with sad eyes, and an even sadder smile as the scarlet blood dripped from her lips and chin

"Are you afraid of me now?" she asked quietly, looking back at the bodies around her. Thorin lowered the sword, eventually dropping it when he saw her sway on her feet. He managed to get an arm around his shoulders before she fell. His other wrapped around her waist was soon wet with her blood.

"We need to get you home" he muttered as he began to haul her down the path.

"You didn't answer my question" she whispered her eyes drooping

"The answer is no" he said firmly "Tonight I think I understand you better than before you insufferable woman"

She chuckled at the odd pet name but it ended in wet cough which made Thorin move faster.

After a long and tiring walk Thorin finally made it to the house. The door was unlocked as it always was and he dragged her over to the oversized armchair and plonked her down on it.

"I was enjoying being carried" Orana joked weakly to which Thorin shot her a quick smile

"Yes well you're heavier than you look my lady"

"That's no way to speak to a lady" she scolded lightly as he came back with a needle and thread which she reached for

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked holding them out of her reach "the wounds are on your back, you cannot reach those"

"I'll manage" she muttered, reached for the needle and thread again but Thorin shook his head

"Stubborn woman, let me help you"

The sincerity of his voice made her think perhaps there was a double meaning to his words but she was too tired to think about it now. She shuffled forward and pulled her shirt over her head so that she was only wearing her breastband.

Thorin stepped around so he could see her back and froze. The tanned skin was littered with scars. The largest and more ragged ones looked like whip lashes. But there were burns, brands and stab wounds as well. Thorin's eyes drifted upwards where he saw another scar around Orana's neck that he had not noticed before. However her shirts always covered the majority of her neck, he had assumed it was to stave off the cold of winter but new he believed it was to cover the scar. A quick glance at her wrists showed the same thing. If he could see her ankles Thorin had no doubt that the same looking scars would be present there as well. They looked like shackle scars, where the metal is to tight around the skin and rubbed constantly. The anger that bubbled in him from seeing the scars surprised him and yet he welcomed it. There were so many, he wouldn't wish this even on his worst enemy. He felt such a sudden and strong urge to protect her that it almost knocked him sideways. He wanted to make sure she never had to suffer like this again but the feelings were completely unfounded. Orana could take care of herself if tonight was any evidence of that.

"Not a word" he heard her say and nodded.

Orana closed her eyes, taking deep and calming breaths. She could still taste the coppery sensation of blood in her mouth and it didn't disgust her as much as it should have. That was what always scared her the most. Yes she was a predator, she had been born one and she knew that the urge to and enjoy the hunt was just a fact of life. However there was a part of her, the dark part of her that had relished scaring that man and the taste of his life as it ebbed away. She enjoyed the fighting, it made her feel powerful after being powerless for so long. When she changed of her own freewill it was fine, nothing like this. It was natural, calming in a way like stretching after a long sleep. But when she had no control of it; that was the problem. Her instincts killed in and it was survival at any cost. She could not separate friend from foe and the entrained urge to kill that had been drilled into her during her captivity came out with a vengeance.

Thinking about it made her head hurt and she slumped forward in defeat. Only Thorin's callused hands working gently over her back kept her anchored. They were big and warm and it was calming in a way that surprised her. No one had ever been able to calm her down like this before. She inhaled softly and was greeted with the scent that was uniquely Thorin. A mix of metal, pine, smoke and tobacco. An odd combination that worked.

She glanced over her shoulder at him while he worked. His brow was furrowed in concentration, his long raven hair spilling down his back and over his shoulder, brushing her skin when he leaned closer to get a better look at the stitching. Orana was struck with the sudden need to know whether his hair was as soft as it looked.

Suddenly the aforementioned dwarf looked up at her, his stony grey eyes catching hers and she looked away suddenly. Stop acting like a youngling; she scolded herself, you're well over 3000 years old so start acting like it.

Thorin however had not looked away. Now in her own home, relaxed, her face had lost the hard edge she showed people. He didn't see it often but when he did he couldn't help but think she was beautiful, even more so in the soft candle light he lit so he could see what he was doing. Even with her scar, it didn't detract from her beauty, in fact he thought it enhanced it. It made her look fierce and strong which indeed she was. He had been noticing these things more and more lately, mostly when they were alone, or when she wasn't looking as strange as that sounded. He found himself fascinated by her eyes most of all. The golden one was flawless like a topaz but the blind one was like marble, or maybe a pearl.

Orana glanced back over her should but came up short when she meet Thorin's intense gaze. It was only then that they realised how close together they were. When Orana's eyes caught his and saw the intensity of his gaze she looked away quickly. Slowly Thorin reached for her face and gently took her chin in his hands to turn her back to him. Orana's eyes were filled with so much saddness as she looked at him. A long moment of silence stretched between them as they looked at each other and Orana allowed herself a moment of weakness. She closed her eyes and pressed her cheek into Thorin's hand. The dwarf felt the pressure in his chest again, along with a warmth that was foreign to him. In that moment everything was laid bare. He could see every regret, every battle scar, every line that spoke of unbelievable hardships. Gold and white eyes flickered open again and Orana's breath stuck in her throat when she saw the tenderness and affection in Thorin's eyes.

"It's late" she said quietly, unable to look away but Thorin understood that the moment was over. Reluctently he moved away and removed his hand. He could still feel her warmth, while Orana was left missing his.

"Aye" he said just as quietly. It seemed wrong to speak any louder than a whisper.

"You can stay here tonight. After what just happened you shouldn't walk back to Bree by yourself"

After that she stood up. Thorin saw her hesitate, as if she wanted to say something but she just sighed and limped away without a word.

Thorin groaned, running a hand tiredly over his face. What was he doing? He couldn't get involved, he had his duty to his people and that had to come before anything else. But Orana made him feel something that he had thought died with Erebor.

Peace.

This affection had crept up on him, he didn't realise until it was too late. Oh how he desperately wanted to kiss her then. To feel her lips across his own; if they felt as soft as they looked. He realised it was more than that though. What it was he didn't know just yet, but the peace she gave him was something he wasn't willing to give up. She understood him in a way that few could. They both cared for family something fierce, both had lost their homes. Orana could understand his fear of the Gold sickness, though he had never voiced it aloud he knew she understood. He had seen his grandfather be consumed by the greed of gold that it turned him from a noble and great king into a dog foaming at the mouth. And it was in Thorin too and he feared it with every fibre of his being.

He knew now that after tonight everything would be different. He was not sure if Orana had felt the same thing that he had but we has willing to bet that she had. She would run away, he was sure, distance herself from him so he couldn't get to close. The thought of her pulling away from him, after all these months of progress made his chest hurt and he made a decision right there. He wouldn't let her run away, not his time. He would confront her about her feelings towards him, make her give him an answer and well…go from there. Thorin nodded to himself sternly, he would not let her go so easily.

Yay! it's finally happening! or is it? haha you'll just have to keep reading to find out. Also in case you didn't know, the language Orana is speaking is Dothraki, from Game of Thrones, I thought it would make sense for it to be dothraki because her people lived in a desert and were also nomadic. So full disclaimer to the creator of the dothraki language, he did an amazing job.

Please leave a review if you enjoyed or have any feedback, it's always great to read the reviews. Hope you stay tuned for another chapter and have a great day!

AN: 9/2/17- I'm sorry this hasn't been updated in such a long time. Rest assured this story hasn't been abandoned, it's under going a massive overhaul. I've been trying to store up a bunch of chapters so i can upload them weekly and still have time to work on them while in Uni and working. Thank you to all people who have read/followed/favourited/reviewed this story. I'm glad you like it and I hope that the new updated version will keep you reading, because looking back at this story some of it is really awful hahahaha.

Thank you again,

TeamToaster