Now we're winding up for the big finish, but the conspirators need to deal with Onkra as well. Hee, hee, what can be done without a plan? The calm before the storm...
Chapter 23
Thorin ordered Oin to let Relianna sleep for the rest of the morning while he pulled Frain aside to talk. He wanted to find out all there was to know about his future bride. Since Relianna was also a favorite subject of Frain's, he answered every question with eagerness. They huddled in a corner trading stories and laughing during their brief reprieve before taking on Zozer and anyone else who stood in their way. They decided to let Fili and Kili take on Onkra by themselves. Frain changed his mind and decided to keep watch over his sister.
"It does my heart good to see Thorin so happy," Balin observed with a fond smile. Frain made a series of animated gestures to describe one of Relianna's escapades while Thorin chortled with his fist in front of his mouth. Then they looked up and over into the next room to make sure they didn't wake her.
"That's one well-loved woman," Dwalin said with a twitch of his brows.
Balin tilted his head and watched his brother.
"Are you joining the club, brother?" he asked with a sly smile.
Dwalin shrugged one shoulder. He didn't love her, not like his king and her brother, but he had pledged his loyalty, and she'd have it for the rest of his life. Besides, she was a brave lass, and that was something he could respect. That she loved his friend and king counted even more. Aye, with time he thought he could grow quite fond of her.
Oin came back in after checking on her and shook his head. That caught Thorin and Frain's attention, and they stood with their mouths set in grim lines.
"What is it?" Thorin asked. Frain trotted back to examine her himself with Thorin following close behind.
She lay comfortably, but the pillowcase was stained with spots of blood. Frain felt her forehead and gently roused her so he could check her mouth and throat. Thorin's eyes tracked every movement he and Oin made and, afterward, the healers walked to a far corner to share what they found. Thorin waited for only a moment before he interrupted them.
"What? What's happened? Tell me everything."
They turned to him and he stared into their faces, trying to assess the severity of her symptoms by their expressions. They gave away nothing.
"Well?" he demanded.
Oin gestured to Frain who rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"She's bleeding internally," he said with hard exhale, "but we don't have any reason to think it's serious at this point."
Blood roared in Thorin's ears, and all thoughts of future bliss wavered. His mouth opened, and his lips moved without a sound. Internal bleeding was never safe, never. He'd seen too many die on the battlefield for that very reason. Images of blood gushing from mouths and noses filled his mouth with the tang of iron. More than once he'd tasted his own blood, and more than once he'd almost died. He couldn't understand why they stood so calmly.
"What's to be done?" he demanded.
Oin deferred to Frain. The younger healer folded his arms across his chest and looked at the floor while he thought. Finally, he stretched his neck and looked up.
"I don't think it's from her belly, Thorin," he replied with a finger tapping against his mouth. "I suspect that she retched enough to irritate her throat and is bleeding from there."
Oin nodded.
"I agree," he said looking over at Relianna. "I don't like to see any bleeding, but it might be reasonable considering what she's been through."
Thorin shook his head, unsatisfied.
"And if it's not? If it's more serious?"
Frain pursed his lips and chanced at glance at Oin who returned a helpless shrug.
"There's not a lot of blood, Thorin," Frain said. "If it were serious, there'd be a steady flow, but there isn't. There's no bleeding from her nose, and she's not pale or in pain. There might be some bleeding from the stomach…"
His future brother-in-law went white.
"…but she'd be nauseous by now and vomiting it up," he continued. He saw the stricken look on Thorin's face and clapped him on the shoulder. "Trust us, we're being honest with you. She's had a rough night and nearly died. We should expect some after-effects. All in all, she's done remarkably well."
Thorin stared into their faces looking for anything they might be hiding from him. They bore his scrutiny calmly.
"We'd tell you the truth if we believed different," Oin said with a pat on his shoulder. "I don't think we've any cause for concern."
Then Frain made a noise in his throat.
"We could give her some of the mixture I use," he said. "It'd do no harm if she doesn't need it, but it would help her if we've missed something."
Thorin looked from one to the other and answered without hesitation.
"I want no doubt," he said. "Give her what we have."
Oin's eyes slid over to Frain who held himself erect and unmoving. The old healer made an uncertain sound, but Frain shook his head.
"But," Oin said, "but if I give what I have to Relianna, I might not have enough for Frain should he need it."
Thorin chewed the inside of his cheek, but the Prince of the Iron Hills didn't hold back.
"Give it to her," he said. "She's done enough for me. Now it's my turn to help her. Besides, I'm sure that Lord Dain's healer brought plenty." His voice took a bitter turn. "He must have enough on hand for Onkra's victims."
So Oin brought what he had left, and Frain and Thorin helped her choke it down. Nella changed the pillowcase. A few sips of mint tea followed soon after. Relianna settled back to sleep, and Frain came back out with a smile several hours later and said that the bleeding had stopped. Thorin's shoulders sagged.
"She'll be the death of me," he said while rubbing the heel of his hand on the knot between his brows.
Frain laughed with his hands on his stomach, and Thorin turned in surprise.
"I wish you luck," he said with a twinkle in his eye, "because I've been saying that for years."
While she slept, Fili and Kili laid out their plans to distract Onkra as well as provide Erebor-sized retribution. Oin opened up his stores for whatever they needed and gave them full instructions on each potion, salve, and tincture.
"Take whatever you want, lads," he said with angry sparks in his eyes. "Nella here will help as well."
She rolled her eyes and nodded her agreement without hesitation.
"Are you sure?" Fili asked. "We don't want to make you do anything against your conscience."
She balled her fists and squared her shoulders before the prince.
"I might regret this later," she admitted, "but I'm also sworn to eradicate disease, and I believe that Onkra and her ilk qualify. They're trying to kill one of our own, and I won't stand for that."
"One of our own?" Kili asked with his brows raised. "She's not from Erebor."
Thorin looked up at her comments, and she shook her head.
"She became one of our own the moment our king first loved her," she said. "She's one of us now."
Thorin nodded in approval, and one corner of Kili's mouth turned up.
"Well," he said impressed, "if enough others feel that way, we'll be in good shape."
Bemma led the charge and gathered any of Onkra's former servants who were willing and able to help. That was all of them. Others had also left her employ for the safety or Erebor, and the ranks had swelled to forty strong. Fili and Kili strode through the doors to meet the crowd singing their praises and falling to their knees—again.
"They need to stop this," Fili said out of the corner of his mouth. "It's getting embarrassing."
But Kili put up his arms and waved to the crowd who broke out into raucous cheers. The room they chose to meet in had especially thick walls.
"Just one more time, brother," Kili said while taking in the scene. He grinned at the praise. "We shouldn't deprive them of their last chance to thank us."
Fili rolled his eyes and hushed them. They quieted, but all were alert and eager. A wave of expectation and excitement washed through the small crowd, and many craned their necks to catch every word.
"Relianna is being hunted by Zozer the Shadow Assassin within these walls," Fili said after deciding to get right to it. "He tried to kill her last night, but she survived. He'll try again at the first opportunity and will kill any who stand in his way."
The room erupted with shouts and groans. Some grabbed their throats in fear and others cried out. Fili raised his hands again.
"If any of you want to leave now, you may, and we won't hold it against you."
The servants eyed each other, and they broke into little clutches to talk. Their hushed voices sounded like bees. The princes waited with impassive faces.
"What will we do if they decide against us?" Kili muttered with his head bent to his brother's ear.
Fili flicked his eyes over.
"Then we take this all on by ourselves. Either way we're in this to the end."
After another minute of talking, the servants turned, and all faced forward. Bemma answered for them.
"We're with you, my lords," she said, "and with Reli."
Then a voice called out.
"Why is he after her? What's she to him?"
The princes glanced at each other, and Kili nodded.
"We might as well. They're risking their lives for her."
"He's after her," Fili said in a voice loud enough for all to hear, "because she's the daughter of Tamra the court healer and Lord Dain. She is the rightful Princess of the Iron Hills."
No one spoke as they thought through the implications of what they just heard. It seemed inconceivable that Onkra's maid should be her half-sister and a real princess to boot. They had heard snippets of such talk when Relianna stood against her, but everyone was too upset to pay it much notice. Such a thing was out of a children's fable. But then again ….
"Her eyes," someone muttered. "The same color as Onkra's—when we could see them, that is."
"Her hair," another one said, "the same color as Lord Dain's."
"And Zozer, it turns out, is kin to Onkra's mother and wants blood vengeance," Kili added.
A loud groan filled the room as the truth emerged and shone before their now-opened eyes. Then came a growing noise of angry voices.
"Does he know?" a big dwarf shouted. "Does Lord Dain know?"
Fili took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
"King Thorin told him what he had learned, but he refused to believe it."
The crowd quieted again. That Lord Dain knew and stood opposed was a blow.
A young maid stepped forward.
"Why is King Thorin involved in this?" she asked while rubbing her hands together. "Why does he even care?"
This time the princes could smile, and smile they did like twin suns breaking through thunderclouds.
"Because he's fallen in love with her," Fili said with a happy grin, "and he intends to marry her and make her Queen of Erebor."
Onkra's former servants inhaled as one and burst into rowdy cheers. Dwarrow hooted and stomped their feet while the maids squealed and clapped their hands. Loud shouts of "Long live King Thorin of Erebor!" reverberated off the stone walls.
"More on our side," Kili whispered to his brother. "The odds are improving."
After much discussion and more than a little laughter, the princes and servants plotted to make Princess Onkra's life miserable over the next several days. They were more serious and silent about dealing with Zozer.
"Don't do or say anything about him to anyone," Fili said. "We need to find out where he's hiding out. We think Onkra knows but isn't saying, but don't do anything to attract attention to yourselves. Just keep your ears open."
Kili fixed his darkest stare on those assembled.
"Watch your backs and keep each other safe," he said. "We need information only. King Thorin and his guards will deal with the rest."
They all nodded and then broke up into five groups to organize mayhem. Fili and Kili walked among them, offering suggestions and resources to accomplish their goals. They also spoke of Oin's contributions, and all wanted to administer the boils potion. By the time they were done, they had a comprehensive plan in place. One group was in charge of ruining Onkra's food, and another was set to saw the legs of her chairs, bed, and anything else she used to support her bulk. Those in charge of wiping her toiletries and smearing her bath linens with the boils potion were the envy of the rest.
The seamstresses, led by Bemma, were armed with thread rippers and planned to weaken the seams of all her clothes. Their description of what might happen and what they hoped would happen sent the others into gales of laughter. The last group would distract Onkra's thugs and act as lookouts for the others. Among them were two young dwarves who made a special request of the princes. Fili roared with laughter when he heard their petition.
"By all means do so if you think you can get away with it," he said. "But it isn't worth your lives, so get in and get out, and then go to the infirmary. You'll need to lay low after that."
Kili walked over, wanting to know what they asked. They, themselves, were planning to spike her wine with Oin's blue beauty and let her true self emerge just when Thorin announced his choice.
Fili laughed until tears ran down his face.
"We should send them to work for Nori," he said gasping. "They'd make excellent spies."
"What?" Kili demanded.
"I can't wait to see this!" Fili replied. "They're going to sneak into her room while she's sleeping and cut that ridiculous top-knot off."
The Oinker's going to get hers in the next chapter. Please review and add any other lovely suggestions.