Disclaimer: J.R.R. Tolkien owns everything save for the characters not in his work.

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

Creeping along the walkways in the dark wasn't easy for Nuil. She did not have the eyesight of a dwarf in the dark, so she was constantly running into things as they crept through the city to the armory. Nori held onto her arm, steering her through the dark alleys when they went through them. Her skirt also made moving difficult, getting caught on rough wooden railings and broken parts of the walkway. Nori cast her an amused look when her skirt caught on several crates and she hurried to remove herself from them.

"For a lass, you are severely clumsy in ladies clothes," he said smiling.

Nuil finally unhooked her skirt and shot the dwarf a glare. Her clothing, still damp when they left Bard's home, lay in the bag slung around her shoulders. Nuil had wished to leave the skirt behind, and she would've, had it not been so cold outside. The skirts, while hindering, were warm.

"Are you going to help me or lead me off the docks?" she asked Nori. He chuckled, earning a disapproving look from Dori and several of the others turned to see what had caused Nori's laughter.

They made it to the armory, with no incident, hiding quickly when a guard crossed their path. The building, wasn't really much to look at, two story and only guarded at the front. And not very well guarded. There was only one guard posted outside, and he leaned heavily on his spear. Nuil guessed that he was falling asleep.

"We can sneak by," Kili murmured eagerly. Thorin frowned and shook his head.

"There are no doubt, more guards within. We must use caution," he said before looking at Nori. "Take Bilbo and look around for another entrance. Anything will do."

"Not a toilet," Dwalin growled. Nori and Bilbo disappeared around the corner of the building, leaving the company in the gloom of the alley. Fili came to stand beside her, putting a bracing hand on her arm. Nuil nodded to him, turning her gaze towards where Nori and Bilbo had gone. The only sound was their breathing, and faint puffs seen in the air from the cold. Like smoke.

Bilbo came rushing back, his movements quiet. Bofur smiled.

"Hobbits are quiet on their feet!" he whispered happily.

"Well?" Thorin asked, eyes darting everywhere in the dark.

"Around the corner, there's a window we can get in through," Bilbo said with equal urgency. "Only it's on the second floor." He pressed his lips together, and looked at Thorin expectantly.

"Lead the way Mr. Baggins," Thorin said with a nod.

"Don't you dare look up," Nuil growled as she gripped the window ledge to pull herself inside. Nori grabbed onto her arms, while Bofur huffed from beneath her. The running jump she had made, had been hindered by these blasted skirts, and she had nearly fallen into the water when her foot had caught on the fabric.

"Wouldn't dream of it lass, Thorin would have me head."

She grunted, feeting finding purchase on the wall and Nori pulled her through the window. "Thanks." Nori nodded and motioned with his hand towards the armory, and Nuil moved towards Kili. The young dwarf looked at her before holding out an iron sword, which she took. Bilbo handed Kili a heavy looking mace and those that were inside set to work. They tried to be as quiet as possible.

Bilbo took a hammer from Gloin, rubbing his nose with his elbow. He looked about ready to sneeze. Nuil frowned, gathering more weapons in her arms. She turned to Thorin, meeting his gaze briefly when a loud sneeze cut through the air. Then the clatter of falling weapons. Nuil turned quickly, eyes wide when her foot caught the hem of her skirts. The world tilted and instead of hitting the floor, she fell down the stairs.

When she stopped, Nuil opened her eyes, her body hurting and bruised from the fall. She heard the shouts of the men, the pounding of footsteps. By the time she looked up to Thorin, rough hands grabbed her by the shoulders, a blade pressed under her chin while several more men ran up the stairs. She met Thorin's eye, holding his gaze briefly before he gave Bilbo a dark look.

"Drop them!"

The dwarves dropped the weapons, and grudgingly moved towards the stairs. Nuil was yanked to her feet, a rough pair of hands holding the back of her neck while the other hand still held a knife to her throat. Thorin growled and the man pressed the blade closer to her skin.

"Keep moving dwarf," he sneered.

"Unhand her and let her walk with us," Thorin replied stiffly. The man curled his lips.

"She's a pretty one, and we don't take kindly to thieves," the man said. His grip on her neck tightened and his unspoken threat was not lost on her or Thorin. "So move."

Thorin gave her a lingering look, his face impassive, but his eyes filled with rage. He turned and walked before them. The other men surrounded them, leading them outside to where the rest of the company stood. The company were pushed forward, lead towards the main building in the town.

Alarms must have been raised, the townspeople were in the square and torches blazed brightly as they were pushed forward. The guards stopped them at the base of the main buildings stairs, the home of the Master of Laketown. He emerged from behind the doors a moment later, looking unhappy and sour.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded.

A guard stepped forward. "We caught 'em stealing weapons, sire."

"Ah! Enemies of the state, huh?" the master said. "Here to steal from us?"

"A desperate bunch of mercenaries, if there ever was, sire," said the dark man beside him. Nuil recognized him as Alfrid.

"Hold your tongue!" Dwalin growled stepping forward. "You do not know to whom you speak. This is no common criminal. This is Thorin. Son of Thrain, son of Thror!" Gasps filled the air at his words and the hand on Nuil neck twitched. Thorin stepped forward.

"We are the dwarves of Erebor. We have come to reclaim our homeland." His voice was strong and proud. He looked around himself. "I remember this town in the great days of old. Fleets of boats lay at harbor, filled with silks and fine gems. This was no forsaken town on a lake. This was the center of all trade in the north!" He turned to face the people, his gaze landing on Nuil before he spoke once more. "I would see those days returned. I would relight the great forges of the dwarves and send wealth and riches flowing once more from the halls of Erebor!"

Cheering and happy exclamations rose up from the townspeople. The idea of wealth in such a poor place seemed to uplift their spirits. Thorin's speech was rousing and Nuil smiled slightly.

"Death! That is what you will bring upon us," Bard said breaking free from the crowd. He approached Thorin. "Dragonfire and ruin. If you awaken that beast, it will destroy us all."

Thorin did not look pleased. "You can listen to this naysayer, but I promise you this; if we succeed all will share in the wealth of the mountain. You will have enough gold to rebuild Esgaroth ten times over!" They cheered enthusiastically. Nuil frowned, catching a gleam in Thorin's eyes. It did not sit well with her, a sick feeling rising from her gut. She squashed it down, not wanting to dwell on it.

"All of you! Listen to me, you must listen!" Bard pleaded with the townspeople. "Have you forgotten what happened to Dale? Have you forgotten those that died in the firestorm? And for what purpose?" He looked at Thorin. "The blind ambition of a mountain king, so driven by greed, he could not see beyond his own desire!"

"Now, now," the Master said placatingly. "We must not, any of us, be too quick to lay the blame. Let us not forget, that it was Girion, Lord of Dale, your ancestor, who failed to kill the beast. Hm!" Nuil scoffed. He was contradicting his own words, blaming Bard for his ancestor.

"Arrow after arrow, he shot. Each missing its mark," Alfrid added with a leer. Nuil could see Bard clenching his fists tightly as he approached Thorin.

"You have no right to enter that mountain," he murmured.

Thorin looked up at Bard dangerously. "I have the only right." Then he turned his back to Bard and faced the Master. "I speak to the Master of the men of the lake. Will you see the prophecy fulfilled? Will you share in the great wealth of our people?" The Master looked thoughtful and then a greedy look flashed across his face. "What say you?"

"I say unto you, welcome!"

Bilbo pulled her aside towards the end of the meal. Nuil was glad for it, greatly disliking the way Alfrid or the Master looked at her, or their constant musings out loud as to the amount of wealth Thorin would give them. The dwarves took it in stride, handling it with copious amounts of red wine and ale. Bofur had drunken himself under the table, singing lazily in the armor gifted to him.

" . . . there's a . . 'erry ol inn . . ."

Dwalin nudged him with his foot and then shrugged, raising his flaggen to his face.

Bilbo led Nuil to a side hall, his face lined with worry. "I don't feel right about this Nuil," Bilbo said once they were out of sight of the company and their host. "Not right at all."

"What do you mean?"

"Bard helped us, and Thorin basically threw it in his face," Bilbo said looking guilty. Nuil bit the inside of her cheek. She agreed with Bilbo. Bard had taken them into the city as his own personal risk and had received nothing but complaining and ridicule for it. After the Master had welcomed the dwarves to the city Bard had shaken his head and left the square quickly.

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Bilbo asked, sniffing slightly. Nuil open and closed her mouth several times before she finally managed to speak, discomfort rising through her. She grabbed her skirts and squeezed tightly, not sure what to do in this situation. They were so close to the end. They could reclaim the mountain, rebuild and the land would flourish. She would get to be with Thorin . . .

"Bilbo . . . I'm not sure it there is," Nuil murmured. "Thorin made his choice, as did we all; to reclaim Erebor. Bard- he, fears what it might bring. And rightly so. But this is what we have been working towards for months." Nuil desperately wanted to tell Bilbo things would be alright. That everyone would be happy with what they were doing.

But it wasn't all going to be that simple. It never would be. Gandalf was off, doing Mahal knows what, and they were drawing to the end. To Erebor.

Bilbo's face fell and Nuil felt terrible. Reaching out she rested her hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him. "I can speak with Thorin. Mahal knows that he needs to be reminded of the troubles of others, and their concerns."

Bilbo sighed. "I suppose that's all I can ask for when it comes to Thorin," he said before looking down the hall towards the dwarves and their merry making. "I'm going to get some rest, until tomorrow."

"Sleep well, Bilbo." Nuil watched Bilbo walk away towards the rooms they had been given. They had to share, but it was better than sleeping on the cold hard ground. Even if it was the Master's house. Nuil turned towards the main room, standing in the doorway, leaning against the wall while watching the dwarves. The Master stood near Thorin, speaking and bowing his head before heading towards the stairs. Alfrid on his heels.

Good. Nuil didn't like them, and felt more at ease now that they were leaving. Nuil entered the room and approached Thorin. His back was to her has he poured himself more wine in a crystal glass goblet. She placed her hand on his lower back, sliding it up towards his shoulders and bringing her lips to his ears.

"We should talk, âzyungâl," she murmured quietly. He froze turning his head to look at her, eyes heavy with an unnamable look as she drew away.

"Do you tease me, mizimel?"

"We must talk," she reiterated, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the hall where their rooms lay. Thorin followed her, a pleased look in his eyes. They entered the room that had been assigned to Thorin. He moved towards the hearth while Nuil shut the door and locked it. She turned towards Thorin as he looked up at her.

"You mean to continue your tale of Mirkwood?"

Nuil nodded and sat on one of the rickety wooden chairs by the hearth. Thorin poked the fire with an iron rod, stirring it to life. He then sat across from her, elbows resting on his knees as he looked towards her. She did not particularly want to relate this tale to Thorin, nor remember it. But he did deserve the right to know it, no matter how much she loathed to tell him of it.

"I will not recount how I came from the mountain," she said lowly, folding her hands together and sitting stiffly. "But I will tell you of how I came to Thranduil's halls." Thorin leaned back into his chair, watching her steadily.

"Mirkwood, was as we experienced it now," Nuil said. "Dark, foreboding, and ill. To my young eyes it seemed a haven, almost, from the ruined land. Until I spent the first night under its trees. The darkness frightened me, the eyes watching me in the night, the sounds I heard during the day.

"It wasn't long before the elves found me, starving and alone. I was terrified of them, and I ran. They caught me easily of course, a child cannot outrun an adult, but the damage had been done." Nuil grimaced. "Spiders descended on us and one of their own was fatally wounded, due to my own actions. He died not long after I was taken to Thranduil."

"You were a child-"

"But I was old enough," Nuil countered sternly. "I knew I was the one who had caused his death, left his wife without her husband, I knew. I understood. Thranduil did as well.

"He frightened me, sitting on his throne with a face of indifference. So unlike the dwarves, who let their emotions be seen clearly. He demanded to know where I had come from, where my family was, and why I was in his forest. I told him the truth, seeing no other option- not that I had one. But what Thranduil really wanted was knowledge."

Thorin frowned. ". . . what do you mean?"

"Thranduil wanted to know if there were any other entrances into the mountain. He wanted his gems of starlight," fury crossed Thorin's face at this. "He believed, since I had lived in Erebor, my father had served your family, and I had been a playmate of Dis, that I knew. Knew of secret ways within the mountain. Children are apt to find such things when they explore."

"Did you? Did you tell him?" Anger filled his face, and Nuil tried not to let it bother her.

"No. I had been taught that loyalty, to dwarves, is unbreakable," Nuil replied. Did he think she would betray them so easily? "For- not cooperating, I was imprisoned." Thorin's knuckles turned white. "In the darkest cell he had, since I was scared of the dark of the forest, and I was left for long amounts of time to myself."

"How could he- you were a child!" Thorin growled.

"Thranduil justified his actions as right. One of his guard fell due to my actions and I was trespassing on his lands. Worse, I was a dwarf friend." Nuil shifted, looking towards the fire, not wanting to see Thorin's angered face any more. "Months passed, I believe, and they took pity on me. One of the guards let me out to see the sun and get fresh air. I had been ill for some time- it was then that I realized how I could escape."

The flames popped, the shadows dancing around the room. "Every time they took me further away from Thranduil's halls, they grew lazy in their watch of me. How could I escape? I was just a small, sickly girl. But I did. I told them I wanted to see wild flowers and fields before I died-"

Thorin drew in a sharp breath, leaning forward in his chair.

"They believed I wouldn't last the year, and so I used their sympathy against them. Thranduil, graciously, granted my 'last wish'. It was late fall, the flowers almost gone, and I ran. They did not follow me out of the trees, per Thranduil's orders. And I escaped. Beorn found me after that."

Nuil stopped, looking at Thorin. He rose from his chair, facing away towards the far wall. Nuil knew he would not be pleased, but it happened and there was no changing it.

"I cannot-" his fists clenched and he raised one to his face. "Why did you not tell me sooner? Why Nuil?" He turned towards her, rage and grief playing across his face.

"It is not something I like to remember."

"The stories you told Fili and Kili, the adventures . . ?"

"Part of the truth. They made good tales for putting children to sleep when embellished." She stood, not approaching him but watching. She did not know how he would react. Not now at least. His moods had grown increasingly erratic the closer they drew towards Erebor.

"Nuilweyil-"

"I do not ask you about your past," she said. "I do not pry into memories that you dislike, I let you share them freely. You cannot ask me to bare myself, my darkest memories, to you as if they were nothing but passing gossip."

"That is not my intention, Nuil."

"But it is how you see this," Nuil said. "I did not want to tell you. I wanted there to be a chance that you and Thranduil could renew friendships and agreements that would benefit Erebor. I did not want there to be war and hatred."

He turned his head, looking at the fire. His jaw clenched. "There was never a chance that I would have forgiven that elf."

Nuil clenched her jaw, gazing a Thorin with a sinking stomach.

"What about your dream? Irmo?" she asked, hoping to change the atmosphere. Thorin looked at her, his expression softening, but he stayed where he was. Nuil made no move towards him either.

"Irmo gave me a warning. That my fate is tied to the choices I make, and that our future lies in those choices," he said. "He told me that he has visited you as well, petitioned for your life."

"Aye, he did."

Thorin nodded, returning his attention to the fire. Slowly he went to the chair once more and sat down. He did not say more, and Nuil wanted him to elaborate. At least a little.

"Is that all?" she asked, "that is all he said?"

Thorin pressed his lips together. Nuil knew from that action that there was more he knew, but he would not share it. A pang of hurt went through her. She had just shared a dark and horrible part of her childhood. He would not even tell her what Irmo had said to him, or what he had to do to ensure their future. Nuil nodded.

Fine.

"I'm going to retire," she murmured. He looked at her, his eyes blank, so different from before when they had first entered the room. He nodded and didn't say a word. Nuil grit her teeth and raised her chin. He seemed more angry that Thranduil had wanted to enter Erebor than what she had experienced. Not that she cared if that was all that he gained from her story.

She left the room without looking back. He didn't say a word.

Classes started this week, so I expect things will only get busier. Plus I'm getting a job, to pay for everything. So yeah.

I've tried to explain her story, which I don't know how well I did, so if there are holes or just things that don't fit, PM or review. I don't have the time at the moment to reread this chapter for errors so I'll leave it to you guys. I'm also trying to get Thorin's character right, and not make him seem so . . . OOC.

Thank you to my reviewers! I really appreciate it and I wrote this chapter because I knew I needed to get it out.

Also I'm going to the Salt Lake Comic Con this week. It will be my first comic con, so yeah. I'm a little sad that Dead O'Gorman canceled, because I was looking forward to meeting him. :( But there are other awesome people there. If anyone's going I'd love to know or if you guys have tips/words of wisdom for me.

Read and Review! :)

~filimeala