Chapter 32

We woke early the next morning together and got ready to join the others for breakfast. I was missing home already, and wanted to get this over with. Once we were ready, an elf maid appeared to take us to the others. Thranduil sat as far from us as possible, and I was sure that he was still sour about yesterday. Thorin surprised me by not even reacting to Thranduil at all. The elf lord was giving him a few looks, but Thorin didn't do anything other than take a drink of his water. I was happy when an elf poured me some tea and I took a drink of it with a happy sigh.

"If I cannot convince Dain to join us," Thorin said suddenly, "then I will at least fund what is needed. We can provide swords and weapons that are needed."

"That sounds like a good plan," Elrond nodded. "Thank you, Thorin."

"We will depart shortly after breakfast if that is all you need of us," he replied, glancing at the elf.

"I think that is fine," Elrond nodded. "Thank you for showing up and speaking with us. Both of you."

Thorin nodded his head and we finished our breakfast, before taking a walk with Gandalf through some of the halls. I walked with them quietly while they spoke of what had passed over the past several months when I laid eyes on a sword that was on display. It was broken in to several pieces, but shown for all to see. I had not seen the sword in many years, and the blow almost took the breath out of me.

"Narsil," I breathed, walking up to the statue that held the great sword.

"What?" Thorin asked, not catching me when I had spoken.

"Ah," Gandalf rumbled, as he spotted what had stopped me and turned. "Narsil. The sword that cut the ring from Sauron himself, almost 2,000 years ago."

"This is what you spoke of to me a week ago," Thorin confirmed, coming up to my side.

"Yes. I told you Elrond knew far more than we did," I replied, looking at him and then up at the wizard. "Any news of Sauron?"

"No," Gandalf shook his head. "He was banished back to Mordor. Without the ring he cannot take his form again. But it's why we must strike now. So the Orcs cannot rally back to him. And if they do...it will be in lesser numbers than what he wanted."

"If he were to gain power again, this whole world would fall in to darkness," I said quietly. "Everything we know would be gone..."

"Yes," Gandalf agreed gravely. "Yes, it would all be gone."

I stepped back from the sword and then swiftly turned and walked off. It startled both of them at my sudden departure, but I didn't slow my steps. Going to our room, I began to pack our things, and I looked up when I heard a noise. Elrond was coming into the room, his face void of any expression.

"Arina," he said gently. "Your mind shudders."

"Sorry," I answered quietly.

"What is troubling you?" he asked, as I finished tying my pack shut.

"Just memories," I shook my head quickly, my voice a breathless whisper. "Things that happened long ago, that I never wish to repeat."

"You are stronger than you were then," Elrond pointed out, as he sat on the bed beside my packs.

I stood there and looked at him for a second, unable to answer at first. "I am," I finally agreed. "But that doesn't..."

I couldn't find my voice after I trailed off and I sighed and looked at the elf as he grabbed my hand gently. He looked at me with an easy expression, and squeezed my fingers before he let go.

"The past...no matter how horrific it may be...is still the past," he said softly. "You should not let it haunt you, Arina. If it's revenge you want...then it is just. But that was over 90 years ago. Keep it where it belongs. You are not the same."

"No, I'm not," I nodded quietly. "But the thought of returning to that place...I will admit I am terrified of what we might find."

"Have you ever spoken of your time there? To anyone at all?" Elrond asked, looking down at me.

"No. Not even Thorin," I shook my head. "Who would want to speak of such...awful things?"

"So that you are not alone," he sighed. "You are not alone in your suffering if there is any. You should confide in him if no one else. He is the one who took care of you."

Looking at him as he rose, I allowed him to touch my cheek in comfort before he left the room. Letting out the breath I had been holding, I looked at the packs again and focused on getting myself under control. Grabbing my weapons that I had left on the table, I tied them onto my things and went to pick everything up when someone stopped me. Thorin looked at me gently as he took both bags from me, and offered his arm in silence.

"I don't like that look," I confessed as he led me out of the room.

"What look?" he snorted his eyebrow arching.

I could have groaned as we walked out in to the courtyard so that we could get ready to leave. "You..." I hissed. "No sense of privacy!"

He laughed suddenly at my words as I promptly stomped away from him and transformed into an eagle. Spreading my wings, I watched as Gandalf and Elrond came out to bid us farewell. I clicked my beak sharply as Thorin got on the ledge of the fountain and onto my back.

"It would be wise, Arina," Elrond reminded me.

"Thank you, My Lord," I replied to him, and glanced at the dwarf on my back. "Where do we head to?"

"Home," Thorin commanded. "We have a few things that we need to take care of. We can leave the horses with Beorn for now."

"Safe travels," Gandalf waved, as I lifted in to the air as smoothly as possible.

I wanted to mutter something mean, but instead I just flew off. Thorin held on tightly as I got higher in to the air before it smoothed out. Once I was able to ride the air currents, he relaxed a little on my back.

"I'm never going to get used to this," he muttered, and it made me chuckle slightly.

"You're going to have to," I smiled.

He had me hurry back to Erebor, so I was only briefly able to tell Beorn we'd come and get our horses later. I flew for three days straight, not bothering to stop at night. By the time we reached the mountain I was exhausted, but I wanted to at least make it up to my room. The sun was setting behind the clouds as I landed with a sigh. Thorin slid from my back when I leaned down and he hurriedly turned so he could see me.

"I pushed you to hard," he said softly.

"No, I wanted to get home as well," I replied. "You cannot make me fly for three days. I did it of my own choice."

"Arina," he sighed, as I turned human with some difficulty.

"Hush," I shook my head. "Go take care of what needs to be done for now. I will see you in a little while."

I left him just inside Erebor as his nephews came to greet him. Making my way up to our room, I sighed happily when I saw the bed. Shutting my door firmly, I sat down and took my boots off. Not bothering to take my hair out of its braid, I laid down and got under the blankets before falling asleep.

When my eyes opened, the sun was just barely on the rise. I could see it out the open balcony doors, but that wasn't the only thing I saw. Thorin was leaning against the railing, his long hair moving slightly with the gentle breeze. He had a pipe in his hand as he watched the sun come up. Sitting up, I stretched a little and then took out my braid and ran my fingers through my long hair. Testing my body, I rose to my feet slowly and went and grabbed a smaller blanket from a chair and walked out to join him.

Wrapping myself up in the blanket, I came to his side and leaned against the stone railing as well. Thorin looked down at me when I got next to him before wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling my body against his side. I leaned against him quietly, pressing the side of my head against his chest. I listened to his heartbeat, that was strong and steady against my ear. Humming quietly, I relaxed slightly.

"Did you sleep at all?" I asked tiredly.

"I did. I woke up a little bit ago," he answered. "You were deep asleep by the time I joined you. Didn't even stir when I came into bed."

"Hmm," I smiled a little. "That's not surprising."

Thorin rubbed my side gently, and then turned me to face him, his head lowering slightly so he could look at me. I laid my hand on the stone to keep my balance, and then glanced at him.

"What?" I asked slowly.

"When we were in Rivendell," he said. "I heard Lord Elrond talking to you about something that is long in the past. Is that what has been bothering you? Things that happened so long ago?"

Looking at him, I felt myself tense slightly at the mention of it and Thorin leaned forward and pressed his forehead against mine firmly. His hand tightened at my waist when he pulled back to kiss my cheek.

"I want you to know that I am here for you," he murmured softly. "I've known you for almost a hundred years, Arina. Yet I still don't know what happened that led us to the day that I found you in the forest near this city."

"It's a long and painful story, Thorin," I choked on my breath.

"Tell me," he uttered the command that I knew I couldn't refuse.

Lowering my head, I pressed my forehead against his chest quietly, and let him wrap his arms around me. We stood like that for several minutes before he backed away with his hands on my shoulders. Thorin gave me an encouraging look, so I sighed and nodded my head. Turning from him, I walked back in to our room and sat on the bed. He joined me as I leaned back against the wall and stared straight ahead to brace myself for what I had to say.

"I'd rather tell you I had been best friends with a dragon once instead," I confessed, and he gave a slight smile.

"How long?" he asked softly. "How long were you held?"

"How old were you when you found me?" I questioned, trying to remember.

"I was..." Thorin trailed off for a moment. "Twenty. I was twenty when I found you. Four years before Smaug took the mountain."

"So I was...22," I nodded my head. "I was held for about twelve years."

"What?" he whispered.

"I was ten when I was taken. My father, my mother, and my brother were also taken then as well," I blinked. "I've honestly...long forgotten their names, unless I think hard."

"Arina," Thorin took my hand quietly.

"They didn't do much to me at first," I said taking a deep breath. "They waited until I was a little older before the torture really started. But I was forced to watch what they did to my family for years. When it was my turn, they made up for waiting. Their goal was to break us; make us slaves. When our mind breaks, everything goes. It happens to everyone. I have few scars on my body, and that was only because every time my father would heal me."

"I didn't know that shifters could heal others," Thorin said quietly.

"He was a very powerful shifter...he had skills that I could only imagine having," I answered quietly. "It was several years before I was able to get out, and the only reason I was able to was because of him. They were...taking their time one day, and by then they had thought they had broken my father. But they were so wrong..."

I paused for a moment and looked down at our hands and found that I was squeezing Thorin's rather tightly. Slowly, I released him, but he didn't show any sign that it bothered him. He reached up and touched my cheek, drawing my gaze to him.

"What happened?" he asked softly.

Blinking a few times, I looked back ahead of me and cleared my throat so my voice wouldn't shake. "Have you ever seen anyone being tortured before?" I asked.

"No," he replied, his voice a little hoarse. "I have not."

"Many times...they string you up by rope, or chains," I murmured. "They had done to me that day, strung me up in chains so I had no choice but to stand. I wasn't exactly sure how I was still alive, but I was hanging onto my father's words not to give up. He told me he was going to get me out of there. My mother and my brother were so far gone, that I could no longer hold them as such. So...I remember staring ahead of me at Bolg. He had use of both of his eyes then."

"I didn't realize he had been part of it," Thorin muttered quietly.

"No. No one really did," I shook my head. "Anyway, they had spent the day whipping my back and my legs. They had other weapons, but I wasn't sure what they were. After that, all I remembered was this...this mighty roar. It was so loud that it froze every Orc in my line of sight. Fear rippled through the whole lot of them before something suddenly smashed through their ranks and ripped me from where I had been held. I had no idea what he was, but I knew it was my father."

"So he was the one who got you out," Thorin breathed. "I always wondered how...you managed to get as far as you did in the condition you had been in."

"Yes," I looked at him. "He flew from there, and took me as far as his body would allow. When we hit the ground, I never saw him again. All I remember was him yelling at me to run, so with the strength I had left, I did. I ran into you...an hour after that, maybe longer. I couldn't remember. But that's what happened. Not in very good detail, but I don't think you'd want to hear that. I wouldn't want anyone to hear that, and I don't even think I could tell it again."

Thorin sat quietly with me for a little while, as everything sank in. It was the first time I had ever said anything about what had happened to anyone. Getting to his feet, Thorin walked around the bed and pulled me gently to my feet and pressed a soft kiss to my lips.

"You will never have to fear that again," he muttered the oath. "And if you ever do get taken from me, I will rip this world apart to get you back."

I couldn't help but smile softly up at him, and I wrapped my arms around his waist. "I know."

"Are you hungry?" he asked holding me.

"Actually yes, I am," I nodded, and let go of him.

We got ready for the day, and headed down to the hall where the kitchen was. Bombur was already awake and cooking, and I could smell a mixture of things. I sat down at the table with Thorin and happily made myself a plate and ate in silence when Dwalin came over to inform him of what the plan was for the day.

"We've been able to start on the dragon, so we'll be heading over there again today," the warrior said firmly, as I took a bite of my breakfast.

"Good," Thorin nodded from his seat. "Very good. Thank you, Dwalin for taking charge of that in my absence."

"My Lord," Dwalin nodded, his head as he turned and walked off.

"Do we have much to do today?" I asked quietly.

"No, we don't," he shook his head. "Everything is coming along fine, and the most we can do is wait for my kin to arrive. Once they arrive, we start planning the coronation. I do have to consult with Dain about this alliance with the elves and the others. But I will wait a bit on that, because I'm sure he just got back to his lands. I do not feel like leaving again either. We will over see things for a while and then make our move. I may even wait until the coronation to speak with him."

"Is that a good idea?" I arched my brow in surprise.

"We cannot do anything yet. Lord Elrond told me that we will be okay until this fall. That gives us plenty of time. We have had dwarves arriving at the mountain since we won it, and the numbers have steadily increased. I can have them make weapons now if need be. I already have this laid out in my head, don't distract me."

I smiled after I finished chewing my food and then took a drink of my water. "Sorry, I guess it's habit to be a pest," I chuckled and earned an amused look from him.

When we finished our breakfast, I walked outside to take in the sun as it lifted further over the mountain. Thorin had been called over by someone and I needed to clear my head from our talk this morning. Sighing softly as the sun hit my face, I blinked when I heard hoof beats. Opening my eyes, I watched Tauriel ride up on a white mare. She pulled her horse to a stop next to me and gave me a warm smile.

"Lady Arina," she smiled. "It is good to see you."

"Hello, Tauriel," I returned her smile, as she got off the horse. "And you. Kili is inside talking to Thorin. Are you here to see him?"

"I am," she replied happily.

"He should be just inside. Here I'll take you to him."

"Thank you."

Leading her inside, I went through the gallery of the kings that held the golden floor and then through one more large hall to see Thorin and his nephews standing together discussing something. I eyed the serious look on Fili's face, and how Kili stood with his arms crossed. Thorin's back was to me, so I couldn't see his face. Kili lifted his gaze and looked at us both and suddenly cleared his throat.

Thorin turned his head to see us approaching, and Kili walked over to greet Tauriel. Looking at Thorin I watched him cross his arms quietly so I walked over to him and Fili.

"What's wrong?" I asked lowly.

"Nothing," Fili said quickly.

"Both of you cannot lie very well," I sighed in irritation.

"We have a slight problem," Thorin admitted quietly. "Fili was alerted that we have some visitors headed our way."

"Visitors?" I asked arching my brow.

"Dwarven visitors," Fili replied gravely. "And not our kin."

I crossed my arms at the news and my eyes scanned around us for a moment. "Do we know how many?"

"Not yet. I sent the raven that alerted me back out to do that," Fili nodded his head. "She should be back soon."

"That's not good. We only have three hundred of Dain's men with us, and then including the company," I turned back to them. "Would they really try to take the mountain?"

"I'm not sure," Thorin shook his head. "None of them wanted to join us on this quest. They said it was ours and ours alone. Dain answered when he was called for, I have no doubt that he stands with us. But I cannot send for him again. If these dwarves are a threat, we are not ready to defend the mountain."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to any fighting," I sighed. "I don't wish to see your races fighting over a mountain, nor do I want to be the one to take over if I must. But, maybe the threat I sent out with the man who tried to kill you will work to our advantage. Bard said he heard rumors. People coming to Dale from other lands these last few weeks have heard it."

"Good. Then maybe if these dwarves are a threat the news will help," Fili glanced at me.

"We cannot appear to be weak either," Thorin rumbled. "Fili, double the guards on the ramparts and tell your brother that his elf needs to be hidden or gone when our guests arrive. I want you both by my side when they arrive."

"Uncle," Fili nodded and turned to walk off. "I will send the raven to you with the news when she returns."

"Thank you," Thorin nodded and turned to me with a sigh.

I looked up at him and laced our fingers as we walked. "You fought hard for this mountain," I said softly. "We will not loose it now."

The raven had alerted us later that day that the army was at least 500 strong. From the description the bird gave, Thorin believed that they were Firebeards. I couldn't remember anything about the Firebeards beside the fact that a small number of them had lined themselves with Durin's folk back before Moria fell. I knew these were not the same.

This one was hard to write back when I did. I deleted so much from it and then added to it. I wasn't going to do the Firebeards, but this might be fun.

Anyway, enjoy the in depth story of Arina and for what happens next. I might not update for a while. I'm getting married this weekend. :D wish me luck!