"Kate, can I ask you something?"
She looked up at Ori while the Company was still gathered around the table for lunch.
"What's the matter?" she asked with a curious smile. He blushed a bit before he leaned in closer.
"I'd like to draw a picture of you and your sister. Would you mind if I draw you?"
She felt more than amazed about his shy behavior. She smiled and placed a hand on his arm as she replied,
"I'd love if you draw a picture of us. Have you asked Lindsey, yet?"
He nodded. "Aye, she's fine with that. I planned to draw you in the garden after lunch."
"Sounds great, Ori."
Her gaze drifted to Thorin and they held eye-contact for several seconds before he turned to look at Balin again. Nevertheless she was aware of the smile he sent her in that short moment.
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and tried to concentrate again. She saw that Lindsey watched her curiously but Kate simply smiled at her as Dwalin called,
"Thorin, when do you think we can move on?"
Thorin looked up at him, his gaze drifted to Lindsey and finally to Kate. "I suppose—as soon as Lindsey feels well again."
Kate smiled at him and watched her sister, so did the dwarves and Bilbo. Lindsey blushed slightly.
"Uhm—my leg still hurts a bit so—I'd say at least three or four more days. Can't say for sure right now," she said.
"Well, like I said: whenever you feel better, just tell me and we move on," Thorin replied and earned an honestly surprised look from Lindsey. He had never talked with her like this before. To be honest, he had never really talked to her at all. She was aware of the exchanged glance between Kate and him.
She sensed that something happened the last night.
'Training—yeah, sure,' she thought and bit back a smile.
The dwarves split up after lunch. Most of them decided to relax down at the river shore while Bilbo, Balin, Kili, Fili and Thorin joined Ori and the girl in the garden.
"Shall we sit down on a bench or where do you want to draw us?" Lindsey asked but Ori just chuckled quietly as he replied,
"Just pretend I'm not here."
Kate and Lindsey exchanged a look and lowered down on the grass with the dwarves and Bilbo.
"Will you tell us a bit about your kingdom, Thorin?" Lindsey suddenly asked and caught him a bit off guard with that question.
"Uhm—well—what would you like to know?"
She chuckled. "I don't know. Anything you'd like to share."
"Well—it's the home of the folk of Durin. They settled there after they were driven from the ancestral home of Khazad-Dûm. It is called the Kingdom under the Mountain and holds one of the largest dwarvish treasure hoards in Middle-earth. "
They all watched and listened now, waiting in anticipation for him to go on. He cleared his throat before he continued,
"There was the city of Dale. Its markets known far and wide, full of the bounties of vine and vale. Peaceful, and prosperous. For this city lays before the doors of the greatest kingdom in Middle-earth. Erebor.
Thror, my grandfather, was the mightiest of the dwarf lords. Our wealth lay in the earth, in precious gems hewed from the rock, and in great seams of gold, running like rivers through stone. The skill of dwarves is unequaled, fashioning objects of great beauty out of diamond, emerald, ruby and sapphire."
He fell silent once more and his gaze rested on Kate for a second.
"Our people delved deeper, down into the dark. And that is where we found it. The heart of the mountain. The Arkenstone. My grandfather named it the King's Jewel. He took it as a sign, a sign that his right to rule was divine. All would pay homage to him, even Thranduil."
His eyes narrowed as he mentioned the Elf King's name and finally he sighed.
"But the years of peace and plenty were not to last. Slowly, the days turned sour, and the watchful nights closed in. My grandfather's love of gold had grown too fierce. A sickness had begun to grow within him; it was a sickness of the mind. And I knew, even if I was such a young dwarf, where sickness thrives, bad things will follow."
Finally he fell completely silent, his mind wandered to Lord Elrond's words and a massive pain grew in his chest again. Would he be in danger as well? Would he succumb to the madness as well? No! He wouldn't, he knew he wouldn't!
With pain in his eyes he remembered the day of the dragon.
Thorin POV (170 years earlier)
A great wind came, blowing the trees on the mountainside until they bent and creaked.
Thorin and Balin rushed to the battlements and looked for any sign of danger. The first they heard was a noise like a hurricane coming down from the north. The pines on the mountain creaked and cracked in a hot, dry wind.
"Balin, sound the alarm. Call out the guards. Do it now!" Thorin said to his fellow.
"What is it?" Balin asked highly concerned and watched the young dwarf Prince.
Thorin, just as concerned as Balin, yelled to everyone in the halls, "Dragon! Dragoooon!"
A roar sounded, and torrents of fire rained all over Erebor. Thorin pulled Balin behind a pillar just in time to save him from being burned.
It was a fire drake from the north.
Smaug had come.
The people in the town of Dale screamed in fear and panic as Smaug destroyed their city, set fire to many buildings and demolished others. The huge dragon destroyed many buildings by smashing into them.
Such wanton death was dealt that day, for this city of men was nothing to Smaug. His eye was set on another prize. For dragons covet gold, with a dark and fierce desire.
Thorin and Thror, along with many other dwarf soldiers, were waiting with weapons ready behind the gates of Erebor.
"Stand firm!" Thorin called.
Fire burst through cracks in the gates as Smaug tried to smash his way in. Smaug soon broke through the gate of Erebor and started to kill dwarves left and right, trampled them and burned them. Thorin was nearly stepped on by the dragon, but he escaped.
Thror fearfully ran to his throne and detached the Arkenstone, running away with it. As he ran through a doorway, he saw Smaug in front of him; tripping, he dropped the Arkenstone, and it rolled into a massive pile of gold.
"No!" Thror cried out in absolute shock. He wanted to get it back, but Thorin dragged him away.
Erebor was lost, for a dragon will guard his plunder as long as he lives.
As the dwarves ran away from Erebor, they saw King Thranduil and his Elves approaching the mountain. Thorin and the others screamed for help, but Thranduil, astride his deer, turned away.
"Run for your lives!" Thorin called to his folk and turned to cast another glance up to the Elven king, but no help came from the Elves that day, or any day since.
Robbed of their homeland, the dwarves of Erebor wanderer the wilderness, a once mighty people brought low.
Thorin worked in a city of men as a smith. He pounded steel each day with increasing ferocity and anger.
He took work where he could find it, laboring in the villages of men, but always he remembered the mountain smoke beneath the moon, the trees like torches blazing bright, for he had seen dragon fire in the sky, and his city turned to ash, and he never forgave, and he never forgot.
"I finished the picture," Ori suddenly spoke up and caused the group to wince a bit. All had been in their own deep thoughts for a while.
Kate and Lindsey both got up and approached the young dwarf. He showed them the picture.
"Wow, that looks so—incredible," Lindsey breathed and handed the drawing around. Thorin took it and watched it for several moments. 'Indeed, it is wonderful,' he thought and handed it back to Lindsey while he gave Ori an acknowledging nod. The young dwarf smiled proudly.
Fili pulled Lindsey down onto his lap and they sat like this, both enjoyed to be close to each other. Kili got up and said,
"I'll take a look what the other's do," and walked down to the waterfall.
Bilbo yawned. "I think I'll take a nap," and left as well.
Finally Thorin got up as well. "A nap would be a good idea. We'll meet tonight," he said to Kate and left.
Kate put on a dark-red tunic, black pants and black boots. She took the sword and left her room. Her heart was pumping strangely fast in her chest. Faster than ever before while she crossed the garden and reached the meadow.
There he was, just like every night. His back was facing her again, but she took two steps closer and he turned around, still a few feet away from her.
They stared at each other, wordlessly.
Suddenly he approached her, she approached him, both dropped their sword and his lips crushed on hers. Their hands buried in each other's hair, both cupping their faces while the kiss grew hungrier. Wild and passionate, but yet so full of deep emotions.
They stumbled along the meadow, still kissing passionately, and finally found a shielded place behind the waterfall. She let herself sink down on her back and pulled him on top of her.
His lips started to kiss that sweet spot beneath her ear, before he captured her lips again in a long and tender kiss. Her body trembled and she sighed into his mouth,
"I need to feel you tonight—"
A smile curled his lips and his hand tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She smiled up at him. His hands cupped her cheeks, she lifted her face up as if to beg for another kiss and he obliged, ever so softly.
She caressed the back of his head; her fingertips trailed along his hairline, the back of his neck before she unlocked her lips and whispered,
"Make me yours now—"
His throat tightened and all he could do was nod shortly. He began to lift her tunic up and her breath caught for a second, but slipped into a soft moan. His deep blue eyes met a pair of sparkling amber, which was dark with desire now.
He nibbled her lower lip and whispered, "You smell, and taste heavenly. Your hair is like a river of molten gold—"
She smiled up at him again and with outermost will-power he managed to un-glue his eyes from the enchanting view of her beautiful face, her beautiful hair and began to massage her breasts. She moaned louder and louder and he bent down to kiss her sweet, sensitive spot beneath her right ear once more. Her breathing was just a deep, gasping sigh that made him smile cheekily. He kissed and licked his way down the side of her neck and she could not prevent her hips to lift up against him. She felt his erection and sighed,
"Thorin? You're wonderful—this feels so good. Please, take them off—I want to—feel you—"
With a smile he slowly pulled off his pants and simply wore his undies. His eyes rested on hers quite questioningly. She nodded and he pulled the last remaining fabric down as well.
He bent down over her again; his lips kissed down along her belly and made her moans grew louder again.
"Oh my god—"she sighed softly and was seemingly out of breath. Her hands started moving along his naked chest, and suddenly pushed him. He rolled onto his back and she straddled him while her lips slowly kissed down his chest. Her tongue licked over his battle scars and made him groan deeply and his member grew even harder.
She still wore her pants but started to move on top of him, rubbed against his hardness in a slow rhythm and caused him to moan in pleasure.
"Kate—oh my—oh, please—"he begged and she smiled at him. She loved to seduce him like this. He was so vulnerable and that aroused her even more. Suddenly his hand grabbed a bit of her hair on the back of her head and their eyes locked. He kissed her and whispered softly,
"Are you ready for me?"
Her movement stopped and she nodded as she sighed, "Oh yes, Thorin. I'm ready for you—please, take me now—"
He buried his hands under her delighting mane; his right hand softly stroked the back of her neck, the left rested on her upper back. His lips captured hers again before he rolled over and pulled her pants and panties down.
She smiled sweetly and nodded as he looked deep into her eyes. He positioned himself and entered her slowly.
"Ooooh, Thorin—"
He thrusted a bit more, until he was fully inside her. He froze with his eyes glued on hers and he asked softly, "Do you like it?"
She didn't give an answer right away, her arms clasped his ribcage like holding on for dear life and he could not stop grinning. Her eyes answered him more than thousand words could do. Finally she breathed, "Oh god, yes—"
He started moving again, thrusted into her and caused them both to groan and moan loudly. Her breath had hesitantly normalized and she sighed contented while she kissed his cheek.
His thrusts grew harder as her legs clasped around his hips. He groaned out his excitement. "Heavens that feels so good—"he growled.
She chuckled happily and kissed him deeply and greedily. They both found a perfect rhythm and he hit her right spot. Her nails dug into his back and her moaning grew louder with each of his thrust against that spot and finally she climaxed heavily.
His breath was rugged as the climax washed over him as well and he released himself deep inside her.
"Oooh, Kate—oh my holy—"he breathed as he broke down on top of her. He buried his face in the crook of her neck and both tried to catch breath again. She gently stroked his back, placed a kiss on top of his head. Once he rolled down on his back, she snuggled up against him, her head rested on his chest.
"Thorin?"
"Mmmh?"
"That was the best sparring so far."
He looked down at her, his eyes shone brighter than ever before. They chuckled and with a last kiss he covered them both with his fur coat.