This one is a bit more...mature if you know what I mean. Some fluff if you will.

Chapter 29

"Come on it's not that hard!" Bofur snorted loudly from where I stood in the water several days later in the form of a dragon.

I snarled loudly at him and swung my head to bare my teeth in his direction, making the guards jump and scurry backwards with him. The only ones who did not move away from my threat were Thorin and Balin. The ice had melted with a warm front that had come from the west and the lake was not a sheet of ice anymore. Unfortunately, the body of the dragon was stiff in death and still slightly frozen from the winter, which made the body extremely heavy.

"I wouldn't push her further, Bofur," Balin sighed gravely. "She woke up in a foul mood. I fear we are all at her mercy till she is done."

I rumbled as I grabbed Smaug by the tail, and dragged him closer to the shallows so that I could pick him up and lift him. I had spent most of the morning burning the rest of Lake-town after I had gathered what still remained. Most of it was able to be saved, but after that I had been fighting to get this dead dragon out of the water and it was down right infuriating.

"I'm going to drown the next dwarf who taunts me," I snarled as I pulled. "Or kill them."

"Arina, that was not very polite," Balin said pointedly, and I couldn't find it in myself to growl at him.

"Well, I see who she favors," Thorin chuckled, as he stood with his arms crossed. "Do you need help love? You seem to be having some trouble."

Letting go of the dead dragon I had managed to pull closer, I swung around in a fury. My wings spread and I slammed my tail into the lake with a mighty crack as my head snaked down to snap in front of the King. Cold water flew everywhere as I had moved and I snarled at the King before me who did nothing but cross his arms as he faced a mouth full of teeth.

"I'm going to throw you across this lake, Thorin," I hissed. "Knock it off."

"I cannot help it," Thorin smiled, standing still while Balin moved this time. "I've never seen you so...quick to anger?"

I snapped my jaws again and growled before turning back to my task. It took a good while before I managed to get a good enough hold that I could lift the dead beast out of the water. His frozen body was stinging cold, and I lifted into the air with a huge effort and a loud roar. I had at least convinced Thorin to have them skin the beast and do whatever they needed here instead of taking the body to Erebor. I flew down the beach a ways so that I wouldn't drop the dragon on the dwarves, even though I was sorely tempted. My mood was quite foul today, and I dropped his body with a loud crash that shook the ground. Blowing hot air out of my nostrils, I stepped back as the dwarves approached and looked it over.

"We're going to have to let him thaw out," Balin said. "His hide will be too tough to take this way."

"Can't ya just blow fire over him, Arina?" Bofur grinned. "Or would that be too difficult for you?"

Thorin glanced up at me as I glared and spread my wings and jumped into the air suddenly. They had taken a large boat over, one that had been saved after the battle, and a few more had been built in the winter.

"Arina!" Thorin yelled as I flew off, and I roared at him in reply.

I wanted to go back to my bed and crawl under my blankets and hide for the rest of the day. Early this morning a messenger had delivered a letter. Elrond wanted Thorin in Rivendell to discuss a few matters, and Thorin was not happy about it. The elf had also suggested that I come along. He didn't feel like dealing with whatever matters the elf lord had, and neither did I. That had put me in the pits, because he had to travel again. Flying over Dale, I landed right in front of Erebor and turned human. Walking inside, I adjusted my long sweater that flowed behind me, and marched up the stairs and to our room. Fili and Kili had watched from off to the side, and both brothers had wisely kept away. I ordered someone to draw me a hot bath as I marched into my room and was pleased that they got right to work.

There was no reason why I should be in such a mood, but today I just couldn't help it. It was a good thing that Thorin hadn't taken many of his men to the other side of the lake today, since it was obvious they couldn't do anything. I sighed loudly, and looked out the doors for a moment, suddenly feeling bad that I had left them.

"Damn it, Arina," I hissed to myself. "Just can't do what you want to do...always got to feel bad for them."

Flinging open the doors, I jumped from the balcony and took my form again and flew back over the lake and to where the boat was now setting sail at. I was sure Thorin was fuming as I came back around, and I wasn't even close to being done with them.

"At least you knew to come back," Thorin said hotly, glaring at me as I lowered myself to see them.

I snarled at him again and resisted the urge to throw him in the lake and drown him. Reaching out, I grabbed the back of the boat and bared my teeth at him when he turned to look at me.

"Arina," he warned. "Don't you dare!"

"I wouldn't test her anymore today," Balin warned, as I looked at him pointedly.

The older dwarf was smart enough to reach out for something to hold on to, and I pumped my wings a little as the boat started to pick up speed as I pushed it along. The moment he was secure, I glared back at Thorin when he gave me a look and I gave a huge pump with my wings and soared forward. It made the boat lift slightly out of the water and waves appeared from the speed of the vessel.

All the dwarves besides Balin lost their balance and fell back in the boat. Even Thorin fell right back with a roar of anger while Bofur suddenly squealed out in terror at the speed of the vessel. I only went faster and when I knew we were close enough to dock, I let go and watched them rush toward the dock and slow down just before the got there. I could hear Dori screaming as well, while Thorin had managed to hang on to the side. I bared my teeth in a grin, glad I had planned it just right. I would have really felt bad if they had crashed into land. Snorting loudly, I lifted into the sky.

"You stupid woman!" he roared at me as I got some air and roared at him again with rage.

Flying back to the mountain, I knew I had some time before he got there and my bath was probably ready. Landing heavily, I turned human again and walked inside, my face stuck in a foul expression. Fili came over quietly, and I forced myself to be nice to him for his sake. He had left me alone for the most part today, unlike his stupid uncle.

"Arina," Fili said slowly. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," I hissed as I headed up the stairs. "Just...steer clear today. I'm not sure what has prompted this foul mood..."

I walked off from him and up to my room where my bath was ready. I immediately sank in the hot water after I took my clothes off, and realized that I was just exhausted. Why was I suddenly so tired? Something was weighing heavily on my mind for the last week, and I knew it was the news that Sauron had indeed returned. I watched as a dwarf maid came in and lit a fire for me and added some more hot water about twenty minutes later. They were still working on getting the pipes fixed, and it was almost done.

Laying my hands on the side of the tub, I rested my head on it, and closed my eyes tightly to try and calm myself down. I knew that when I heard heavy footsteps sounding up the stairs that my peace was destroyed. Thorin walked in with an enraged look on his face, and he came straight into the bathroom. I was surprised he didn't rip me from the bath, but I had promptly pushed myself away from him.

"What was that?" he demanded, and I clenched my jaw and looked away from him. "Arina, answer me."

I glared at him when he came into my line of vision again and sank further into the hot water. "Will you leave me in peace?" I hissed at him. "Or do you have to continue pressing it? You've tormented me all morning. As if that message you received this morning had not been enough. Leave me."

I was surprised at the words that came out of my mouth suddenly, and so was he. His eyebrows rose and he gave me a furious look before he walked out of the bathroom. Surprised again, I pursed my lips for a moment and leaned my head back with a sigh of defeat. Someone stepped into the water suddenly, and my eyes flew open to watch Thorin joining me.

"I said..."

"I know what you said," he snapped, cutting me off. "Come here."

Looking at him for a moment, I felt myself grunt and pushed myself over to him and he drew me so that I rested between his legs. He reached up quietly, and began to massage my shoulders gently with his rough hands.

"Thorin," I said, with every intention to complain.

"If Lord Elrond has summoned me then I have to answer," he responded evenly. "I will not be going alone. You will be going with me. Fili will look after things here with Balin. We can leave in the cover of night so that no one knows we have left. I can tell Bard to keep any unwelcomed guests out of the mountain if need be."

I went to object to him, but found that I suddenly couldn't. Usually when my temper finally snapped, he was usually worse than I was when we went against each other. It was rare for me to ever get this upset, so today had been a huge surprise. I let my head drop a little bit as he continued to work the tense muscles and I let a sigh pass from my lips.

"Fine," I said finally when he finished massaging.

"Are you done?" he asked finally.

"Unless you anger me again, yes, I'm done," I answered quietly as I stared at the water.

Behind me, Thorin's chest jumped in a soft laugh and he wrapped his arms around me and pressed a kiss to the side of my head. I couldn't help but lean into the touch. He turned me suddenly, and settled me against his lap, so that I was facing him. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I pressed my forehead against his for a moment.

"It is quite a sight however to see you angry," Thorin mused.

"Terrifying would be a better term. It'd make me feel better," I muttered to him earning a smile.

"I don't know what got you in this mood, but for the sake of us and my people, I urge you to calm down," he rumbled against my ear. "No one needs to die today."

I laughed at the tone of his voice and leaned away to press my lips against his and distracted myself. Our lips moved together in such wondrous ways, that I had to force myself to pull back so that I could look at him. His cheeks were flushed, and his eyes were bright, probably matching my own expression. We were trying to wait till after the marriage to go any further, and it was so difficult not to. At that thought, I chuckled and moved some of his hair gently. His eyes closed at the touch, and he tightened his hold for a moment on my hips with a sigh.

"You are making this difficult," he finally rumbled.

I couldn't help but laugh, and then pushed myself from him and arched my brow. "You are the one who interrupted my bath."

"For your safety, I think you should get out," he warned from where he sat. "Or we won't make it to our marriage."

Grinning, I felt my cheeks burn. "Your Majesty!" I scolded, and scurried out of the tub and wrapped a towel around myself.

I heard him come out as well, and it made me hurry into the bedroom as he followed me. Swinging around to face him, I almost squealed as he took me by my waist and tossed me onto our bed. Instead a gasp left my mouth, followed by a sudden giggle.

"No!" I ordered, sitting up and shoving myself to the back of the bed. "Bad idea, this is a bad idea!"

"Is it?" he asked, and the look he gave me had me pursing my lips.

Thorin reached forward and easily ripped the towel from me, and it left me naked before him. Not that I hadn't been before, but this was suddenly very different. I felt the blush creep up my cheeks and he smiled. Reaching out, he ran his finger down my cheek, and brought me to him. He leaned down and kissed me, his fingers running through my long hair before cupping my cheeks.

It didn't take him long before his hands travelled down, feathering over my breasts and down to my hips. I wasn't surprised when he lifted me up without a problem. Snaking my hands around his neck, I let him leave my lips to press his own against my chest and then down before he moved, pressing against me. I shuddered a little at the feeling, and suddenly he pushed in with one simple stroke. My arms tightened around him as my head dropped back with a gasp. Thorin let out a breath of satisfaction and pulled me back to him in a demanding kiss. He moved us both onto the bed, and without pulling out, he laid me back, and his body came to rest on top of mine. Lifting my gaze to his, I felt my cheeks burn again, and he smiled at me, unable to help it.

"Still think this is a bad idea?" he asked softly.

"Mmm, it's a little too late if I did," I replied in a hushed tone, and pulled him down to kiss me.

Moving, Thorin pulled back slightly, and pushed forward making my body shiver in delight. His hand ran down my leg after he wrapped it around his waist, and started moving again. Each thrust was a little harder than the last one, and my body arched against his as a soft moan left my lips. Leaning down to me, Thorin wrapped one of his arms behind my back, drawing me up, and thrust in deep making both of us gasp. His lips trailed down my neck and to my breast, where he teased the nipple with his tongue. I felt myself clench around him, earning a soft groan from him.

Leaning back, Thorin met my gaze for a moment, and put me fully back on the bed as he slid in deep. I let the moan leave my mouth freely, the pleasure from this something I had not been ready for. I moved with him when he started to go faster, and met him thrust for thrust with one of my own. It made him suck in a breath, and he pressed his forehead to mine as I felt myself shudder, and suddenly the climax hit me. It threw us both off, and I couldn't help but cry out in ecstasy. Thorin gave several more thrusts before he lost himself as well. His hold on me tightened as he released, and I felt my nails dig into his back as the feeling sent aftershocks through my body.

We laid together for a while, and he stroked a finger down my side after he pulled me close. He let me doze for a little while, leaving me in the peace I was in. When I woke up, he was not with me, so I glanced out to see that it was sunset already. Blinking several times, I pushed myself up, and looked to see a note on my table.

"As much as I'd love to sleep with you, I had things to finish," I read out loud to myself.

It made me smile, because I knew he had stayed with me for a little while before I had apparently fallen asleep. Today had taken much from me, and the thought suddenly had me blushing. Knowing however that we had a journey to start tonight, I pushed myself to get out of bed and get ready. I cleaned myself up, and brushed my long hair and got it under control and then left it over my shoulder in a loose tie so that it would stay out of my face.

Grabbing some clothes, I got dressed into a dark pair of pants and a long sleeve shirt to go along with a sweater that went over it. I stood there for a moment, not wanting to leave the room. I didn't feel like going on another journey. Sighing softly, I walked out of the room and down the many stairs that led to the lower throne room. Thorin was there, talking with Fili, Kili and Balin about the journey from the looks of it.

"Ah, Arina," Balin smiled as I came over. "Thorin just told us what he has to do. The both of you."

"I wish we could just tell him no," I said lowly, as the King drew me to his side.

"We will be just fine," Balin smiled. "I was speaking with a few ravens earlier, and they said the Great Eagles will let us know if our lands are threatened. However, they don't seem worried."

"Well that's good then," I replied. "I'm not sure what Elrond has called on Thorin for, and I'm hoping we can make this trip fast. No more than two months I'm hoping. If you need anything, just think of Lady Galadriel and she will let me know."

"I will keep that in mind," Balin nodded his head firmly. "But I'm sure there will be nothing to worry about. We have numbers to defend the mountain, and I don't think there will be another large scale attack."

"I don't think so either," I sighed. "But rather safe than sorry."

"Of course," Balin agreed. "Now come on, Dwalin and Dori should have the horses ready."

Thorin looked down at me gently as we started walking outside, and I pressed my cheek against his arm quietly until we got past the front gate. Dwalin and Dori were finishing up making sure the packs were ready, and the horses were good to go as well.

"All right, let us get this over with," Thorin sighed. "We'll be back as soon as we can."

"Sire," Dori nodded, handing him his horse.

Dwalin looked at me as I came over, and I patted the horse on the neck quietly and grabbed the reins when he handed them to me. At his look, I chuckled and swung into the saddle easily.

"I will make sure he comes back in one piece," I teased softly. "We made it through Azog; I think we can handle this."

"My Lady," Dwalin said, bowing slightly.

Fili and Kili came over when I turned the horse around and I smiled at them. I grabbed Fili's hand when he reached up and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"We are counting on you two," I said gently. "I have no doubt you will take great care of this while we're gone. No wild parties."

Kili smiled behind his brother as Fili nodded. "We'll take care of it."

"Good," I chuckled and let go of him so I could push the horse forward.

Thorin joined my side, and we pushed the animals into a canter. I was trying to figure out why we were traveling on horses instead of just letting me transform and take us that way, but then again I was welcoming the thought of not. We had to use the path around the lake and then headed toward the woods, and to the Elven gate that would lead us through. It had been a quiet ride, and I had kept my senses open for any danger that might head our way. As we got to the edge of the forest, the sun was starting to rise, and I stroked my horse on the neck.

"We can't go around...we'll loose over 200 miles," Thorin sighed, looking at the forest.

"Tauriel said they have made the forest safer in the last few months, and have built the path anew," I said quietly. "Still doesn't help. This place makes me feel as sick as it is sometimes."

Thorin rode up alongside me and stood beside my horse. I looked at him for a moment as the horses relaxed for the time we were sitting there.

"You know I won't let anything happen to you if I can help it," he rumbled.

"Same goes to you," I smiled back slightly. "All right, let's push through. I'm sure the elves know we are traveling anyway."

"I wouldn't be surprised," Thorin agreed. "Come on."

He led the way, and we walked the horses through the first part of the path. I was very alert, and kept my eyes on the horses as well. They would let me know as well if they sensed danger. I was surprised to see that the path was rebuilt and more solid than it had been several months ago. That part was nice at least, because we weren't worried about losing it.

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