Hello again! I know, it's been awhile but I've had a lot on my plate so here's the next chapter! Check out killthepain62's fanfic Welcome Home.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hobbit or it's characters, I do however own my own characters and the artwork I do for this series.

Chapter Thirty-Four: The Unjustified

Lian awoke to a muddled conscious, head pounding with a massive headache; she attempted to squeeze her eyes shut to lessen the pain but for some reason she couldn't. Actually she couldn't even open her eyes or even furrow her brow in frustration; she couldn't move at all. Panic immediately set in and she tried everything from her head to her toes but she couldn't even flex a muscle; thankful she could hear. There were voices outside the room but they were faint and muffled, her heart skipped a beat in hope when the door opened but only one pair of footsteps came in. She wanted so desperately to open her eyes to see who it was but it was all for not so she had to settle for listening closely.

"Awake already?" She heard Denson chuckle beside her ear; warm breath heating the flesh and she flinched away internally. He sounded different; his voice had taken a deeper, more mocking note to it and you'd never believed he was capable of pulling off the meek little apprentice he was before. She wanted so bad to bite-yes bite-his most likely smug expression right off his face but she couldn't even pull her face into a scowl; much less rip the flesh off his face.

She felt his lips press against her cheekbone then, enticing her temper as well as the lurching of her stomach. 'Filthy scum! I'll kill ya with my own bare hands!' She raged and heard a chuckle follow the internal threat.

"I do wonder how you'll do that when you're helpless to me." He mocked and shock flittered momentarily stunned her as Lian quickly digested the new found information; he could read her thoughts. "Indeed; quite useful for hunting prey." He answered her out loud, running his fingers over her motionless lips and she managed to crack an eyelid open; he was pretty touchy for someone about to eat her.

"Oh, I don't plan on eating you, Lian; you're far too valuable for several different reasons. It really is my luck that I'd find such a gem amongst dwarves; you see you hold a very special gift; very rare. You're able to resist our manipulation and even block it completely so that's why I had to break you down; isolate you and ware down your will. After all; I prefer women when they're more…helpless." He laughed sadistically; his handsome features almost aglow as dimples appeared in the corner of his cheeks. She was livid, her vision was turning red and out of pure instinct she jerked forward; sinking her teeth into the flesh of his palm.

Denson let out a yell, yanking his hand out of her locked jaws and before she could even spit his blood from her mouth she received a back hand to the face; her head snapped to the side from the force and she rolled off the bed to the hard stone floor beside her cot. Her own blood now filled her mouth from where the inside of her mouth split against her teeth; however she found she could suddenly move her body more freely than before due to the man's rage.

"That's the thing about you though, even when you're staring death in the face; you resist!" He snarled, clear eyes looking half crazed as he kneeled down beside her to yank her head back by her hair. Lian's scalp burned from the force but she remained silent and glared back at him despite the bruise she felt blossoming upon her cheek.

"Ah, there's that spark again; I'll have to take care of that." He grimaced. "It's a good thing I already prepared for this; you see I've been diligent with you so far and tried to give you an easy death in the beginning but you had to be difficult. And then you never let me get too close because all you had to do was take one look at me and you knew who I was; what I was."

"And that's your downfall because after I'm done with your little king I'm going to make you suffer." Denson ground out harshly into her ear.

"Ya think yerself so clever but ya'll never succeed with such an idiotic plan." Lian rasped, voice cracking from lack of water but she felt stronger now with the use of her body; though limited. "Ya think I'll just roll over for ya? Ya really are a twat!" She laughed bitterly around the taste of her own blood. "I will only fight harder and make yer existence a living hell!" She practically screeched. "So kill! Destroy! That's all a pathetic, stupid beast such as yerself can do! Yer existence will never be of a greater importance to the world cause yer NOTHING!"

A loud crack split through the room and Lian felt the man's fingernails begin to grow and dig into the flesh of her scalp as a loud snarl tore from confines of his chest. Deep snarling vibrated against her back and she stiffened when she felt the bones and muscles of his torso move and squirm against her back.

"Silence woman!" He growled ferociously, voice taking on a completely different sound as it dropped into a gravelly rumble. Fear couldn't help but tinge the woman's heart as she peered over her shoulder to lock eyes with the same white orbs she'd encountered only a week and a half ago. She saw powerful jaws and thick teeth curved into points as well as felt his claws grow against her scalp causing her to freeze despite her previous courage.

Denson still held his previous form as he teetered on the edge of completely transforming into a beast; bones snapping and popping into newly formed slots but his tempered seemed to slowly rein it's self in upon seeing her fear, almost calming him. Bones and muscles receded into their normal place with several tiny cracks; showing no sign they'd ever been moved.

"Rest now, tonight is a big event; you'll want to be well rested when you see your king." Her eyes widened and she began to buck and thrash away from him but he still had a hold of her hair so before she could even protest he slammed her forehead into the stone floor; knocking her out cold.

Thorin slumped heavily in his chair, his mind slightly muddled from the four bottles of whiskey he'd just thrown back, the taste still burning his tongue and throat but he cared not. The dark pit he'd slipped into was endless as he sank lower and lower; everything was crumbling around him. The clans were one step away from abandoning him while already two women had been savagely murdered in his own kingdom. Thorin had been so exhausted that he hadn't been able to muster up the energy to visit Lian in the infirmary, much less shoot down Oin's apprentice insistences that she should not be bothered.

A knock sounded from the door to his study and Thorin felt a scowl twist his worn feature; he'd found that with being King called for little privacy. "What is it?" He rasped, gravely voice thick with dejection.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, my lord but this came in for you." The guard came in and set the plain envelope on his desk before departing with a bow and once again Thorin was left alone. The dwarf debated opening it but bitterly assumed it'd be a letter of departure from probably one of the dwarven clans; or hell all of them! They'd no doubt be leaving him for crow scraps soon enough. But something about the envelope bothered him; it was too white, too perfect against the clutter adoring the thick wooden desk and that didn't settle well with him.

Finally he begrudgingly slid the parchment over the cluttered surface while prying the cork off another bottle of whiskey with his teeth and taking a swig. He broke the plain wax seal on the back and removed the piece of parchment which felt a bit lumpy as he unfolded it. Suddenly something hit the desk with a solid but soft thud, drawing his attention down; a simple braid laid there on the wooden surface. One end had obviously been cut off someone's head but the hair isn't what made Thorin freeze mid-drink or set the bottle aside. There at the end of that braid was a silver bead, small patterns carved into the metal that he'd spent hours embroidering into the small clasp; Thorin felt his entire body seize up as he grasped the braid tightly.

His pale eyes quickly darted back towards the parchment in his hands to find elegant black scrawl adoring the cream colored surface clearly as he read.

'Dear King Under the Mountain,

Do not think this a joke, if you wish to ever see your beloved again then come to the Eastern Caverns of the Mines and fight for her. If you refuse to comply then I'll make sure to fulfill your nightmares with her corpse at your doorstep by morning. I'm hoping you'll have enough honor and intellect to come alone or else I can't promise she'll be in the best shape when you see her again.'

The elegant letters blurred as parchment crumpled in the dwarf's hands; blood heating into a rolling boil within his veins. Thorin's hands shook in rage and before he could think twice he tore the parchment apart violently, a roar tearing from his chest. He didn't stop there though as he picked up the sturdy oak chair to his desk and chunked it into the wall of bookshelves to his right, causing wood to splinter and books scattered across the floor chaotically. Next went all the objects cluttered on his desk with a sharp shatter of the whiskey bottles and finally he flipped his desk. Thorin was beyond himself with anger, not just towards this foe but his self; he shouldn't have been so careless, while he was so caught up in his own guilt and stress he'd not been able to pay attention to what else may be lurking within his kingdom.

Thorin was a fool to have left Lian in anyone else's care but his own, if he'd taken care of her himself she'd be safe. But he had left her to that damned apprentices' care; though the dwarf didn't know whether it was the lad's carelessness that had resulted in this or not. He breathed heavily amongst the mess, shoulders shaking as he stared at the now limp braid in his calloused palm. He knew this was a challenge of his honor and dignity; the logical thing would be for Thorin to inform someone of this matter but he didn't want to possibly cause an even bigger uproar then needed. Everyone was already on edge and so for both Lian and their sake he'd go alone.

He clenched the braid tightly in his fist before pocketing it; the little traces of alcohol in his system now completely gone as he wracked his brain for strategies. The knuckles on his right hand were bleeding heavily; having shattered one of the whiskey bottles when he threw everything to the floor but he barely noticed. Finally he grabbed his sword from amongst the clutter and exited his study; mind was made up and he wasn't going to back down.

"You two." He hurriedly addressed the two dwarves standing on either side of the door outside, his voice rough and calloused in the midst of his anger. "In three hours if I'm not back hand this to Dwalin; he'll know what to do from there." Thorin handed one of the dwarves a quickly scrawled note; the parchment was crumbled and stained with spilt ink but it would get the message across just fine.

"My lord, where are you going?" One of them asked but the said dwarf deemed the question unnecessary to answer at the moment and quickly strode down the hall without another word. He had to hurry towards the mines; he can only imagine what the bastard had done to Lian already, the amount of possibilities made him sick. Why would they capture Lian though? Unless they were trying to lure Thorin in…perhaps assassinate him. It seemed like a pretty ill thought out plan but even so, they weren't bluffing about having Lian; that he was sure of.

Lian awoke to a horrid throbbing throughout her skull, pounding mercilessly while her body lay stiff against the cold ground, a distant dripping and chilly draft was all she could make out in the dark; he must have taken her to the mines. Her face and fingers felt frozen against the cold air but surprisingly the rest of her body was kept relatively warm with what felt like a thick coat wrapped tightly around her small frame along with baggy trousers and too-big boots. Her hands and feet were bound tightly with absolutely no wiggle room to work with; arms bent at the elbows with both forearms bound together and her legs were pulled back behind her so that her ankle bindings were connected with her arms; she could feel the ropes bite easily through the fabric.

That fucking bastard was no amateur, he knew binding her arms and legs separately would give her more room to fight back and possibly escape so he had her practically hogtied! She felt her calves and thighs burning from the uncomfortable position, attempting to cramp but luckily she was still able to clench and relax her muscles to prevent such a horror. Sadly nothing could help the ache of her back, spine curved back for far too long and with how taut her leg and arm bindings were she couldn't even curl in on herself to lessen the pain.

Everything was pitch-black, she might as well have been trying to stare through a stone wall; this was not looking good. She couldn't even sit-up; much less make a run for it so she began to strain her finger tips to brush against the damp ground for something of use. Her eyes were slowly adjusting to the dark and she noticed the faintest of glows against the cavern walls; probably cause from stray crystals still in the walls but those only allowed her to see outlines of her surroundings. When Lian felt nothing around her she gave a low grunt as she rolled to her other side and repeated the process until she finally felt her boot hit rock.

Quickly she shimmied herself across the floor until felt her elbow butt up against the cold rock; Lian began to rub the ropes against the rigid surface of the wall; drawing blood after about five minutes into the process as rock tore and scrapped against the flesh of her arms. She gritted her teeth and continued but another ten minutes past and still nothing had given; the rope only fraying against the rock.

She needed something sharper to get through the thick bindings; she didn't know when Denson was going to be back from wherever so she had to utilize this time while she could. Sadly a low chuckle interrupted her in mid-search, causing her entire body freeze up; she'd wasted all the time she had.

"I see you're just as spirited as always but you won't be able to cut that rope with these dull rocks." Denson mused, hands coming out of what seemed to be nowhere and hauling the woman up by her waist. She instantly began flailing but he was stronger than he looked and carried her with ease until he finally dumped he on the ground a few paces away.

"So I'm guessing I'm the bait for Thorin? How simple minded. " Lian ground out; spitting gritty, moist dirt as it caked her clothes and flesh.

"A simple plan for a simple task." He mocked and she felt her face draw back into a scowl. She didn't find anything about this situation amusing; this was obviously an assassination attempt though she wondered if the employer knew of their hit man's true nature. He was obviously experienced in this line of work though from how carefree he was with his information; he was no common fool though, there is no doubt he's cunning and intelligent.

"You're pretty observant; it's almost a pity to have to kill you after this." He responded dryly, obviously overhearing her jumbled thoughts and she felt deeply disturbed by the invasion of privacy. "Don't act as if ya have any shred of decency, yer nothing more than a murderer." She hissed, her voice echoing off the cavern walls; not like anyone would hear it anyway.

"I am no murderer." He suddenly growled; so close to her that she could smell the sharp scent of anesthetic on his clothes. "The murderers are the dwarves you surround yourself with; my kind kill to survive but those savages hunted us to near extinction. What's a missing child or woman compared to a whole race?!" Lian was deeply disturbed by his words but she could see his side of this story slowly taking shape.

"Ya mutilated two women! Maybe ya should try changing yer diet before judging the actions of others! Yer no worse than orcs!" Lian spat venomously, full of defiance towards this monster and it obviously angered him deeply as he grabbed a fistful of hair and yanked it back violently.

"If you wish to test me then I'll make sure you receive far worse treatment than that from any orc." He snarled and just as she opened her mouth to retort his lips slammed down on hers. Lian's eyes widened in shock but she was adamant enough to keep her lips firmly shut, thrashing her head back and forth like a wild bull. She was quickly halted though when he tightened his hold on her hair and brought his free hand up to grasp her jaw harshly. She cried out at the action, his fingers digging into the large bruise that had formed on her cheek. He then pried her mouth open wider and bit down on her tongue; drawing blood.

A scream tore from her lungs and with a hard slam she threw her head forward to collide with Denson's forehead and he released her instantly; blood smeared across his mouth and a crazed look in his eyes. Lian spat the mouthful of blood onto the earth in front of her, the metallic taste causing her stomach to churn in nausea.

"The taste of your flesh will never grow old; ever since I tasted it upon my claws I knew I was going to enjoy you. I'm almost tempted to enjoy your company a little longer; it's nice to see a wench with so much fight in her. Most of them just start begging and crying but you; you're just so stubborn. It makes me want to test how far I have to go in order for you to break." He laughed, looking on the brink of insanity yet still devilishly handsome; it's easy to see how he'd lure his prey in.

Suddenly Denson stilled, grey eyes narrowing in the dim lighting as he seemed to be listening to something and then he suddenly melted into the shadows; out of sight but still watching. She was confused and aching from the various injuries this bastard had given her from gaping gashes on her back to a bleeding tongue; thankfully her tongue would probably be healed up by tomorrow since it was an oral wound. (The saliva in ones mouth allows for wounds to heal faster which is where the expression 'lick your wounds' was derived from.)

Lian listened closely, trying to hear what had driven Denson into hiding but a solid five minutes passed before she heard the faint echoing of footsteps against stone and then shortly after a red glow illuminated the cavern walls. Her heart was pounding in her chest, every beat sending aches throughout her body as she prayed that whoever it may be would turn back now. Though she had a dreadful feeling that she knew who was coming and it made her heart sing yet cry at once.

Finally the red glow spilled over her from the torches flames, temporarily blinding her but she still caught a glimpse of his rugged features, looking so haggard compared to his usual self but still handsome. Just his appearance caused tears of relief and horror to stream down her cold cheeks in fat droplets; sobs ripping from her throat, not from fear for her own well being but for his. Blood still tinged her tongue lightly as she laid her head down on the damp ground in defeat. She didn't want him to die; she didn't want him to come for her.

"Lian!" She heard him call, causing another wave of sobs to wrack her body heavily and she squeezed her eyes shut tight, wishing he'd disappear. He can't be here; not now, not now!

"Lian!" He cried again, more panicked and within seconds she felt his rough hands cradle her aching head; the warmth of the torch bringing little comfort to her. "What happened? Who did this to you?" He rasped, unsheathing his sword in an attempt to cut through the ropes that held her. Lian's eyes were wide and teary but she couldn't bring herself to look into the dwarves eyes, instead they looked past him towards the creature now creeping across the ceiling above them.

The creature had long, jagged tusks jutting out from its under bite with a flattened face and round bulbous nostrils as well as a pair of broken and yellowed horns curling from his skull as well. Muscled legs and torso resembling that of a human flexed, showing off the protruding tendons and a high arched spine. Large claws deformed it's feet; hooking into the rock under it like it was made of butter. Lian had not seen the creature clearly before but she recognized those white orbs, almost reflecting the terror in ones heart. Her chest seized up, mouth opening wide almost as if to scream but nothing was coming out fro a moment as she watched the creature lunge from the ceiling.

"No!"

Lian felt Thorin's feet suddenly push off her roughly, causing her to roll back across the damp earth. A loud crack jarred against the cavern walls, followed by a series of grunts and snarls; the monster had collided with Thorin, claws extended but the dwarf was expecting an attack. He brought his hands up and gripped its arms tightly as the tips of its claws tore though the dwarves shoulder.

They landed harshly but didn't break apart, the beast attempting to sink his claws farther into Thorin's flesh. He was making good work of keeping it at bay though, feet firmly planted on its torso to keep its back claws from shredding open his stomach.

Lian wormed her way though the dirt, attempting to maybe trip up the creature but something caught the corner of her eye, shining dimly in the dying torchlight. Thorin had dropped his sword upon collision with the beast and now the weapon was a mere foot or two away from her; a beacon of freedom in this dire situation. Her weary gaze flickered back to the struggling pair but they were too engrossed to notice her so she took the chance and changed her course of action.

"Ahh!" Thorin cried out, giving a rough shove and causing the creature to stumble back but it didn't take long for it to lunge forward again with it's razor sharp claws. The dwarf barely dodged the swipe with a quick roll to the side; regaining his footing quickly after. The beast was right on his tail though, leaving hardly anytime for him to formulate a plan much less think of his next move.

"Be careful; he can read yer thoughts!" Lian yelled, heart racing at how close Thorin was dodging death, mere hairs away from the yellowed points of the creature claws. The dwarf only momentarily furrowed his brows at the news but after that his features smoothed out into a stoic mask. The pair began to circle one another slowly, eyes locked and waiting for the other to make the first move. Finally Thorin lunged first and in a flash they were grappling, each with a wild look in their eyes as they snarled and bared teeth at each other.

Lian carefully grabbed the flat of the blade, pulling it close to saw through the thick rope; the movement was clumsy and rushed but eventfully she felt the weaving began to snap and loosen. Soon enough her legs and arms snapped apart, causing a grunt to leave her lips but she quickly recovered to make hasty work of her ankle bindings.

She grabbed the weapon and peered over at the grappling pair; both trying to throw the other to the ground but neither budged; circling around she stood right behind the creature, eyes locked on her target.

"Denson!" She called out, momentarily drawing the beast's attention. "It's time to end this!" With this she threw herself at him, catching him off guard as he struggled to face her but he was still in a grapple with Thorin. She collided with his back harshly, knocking the wind out of her and she had to blink the black dots from her vision as his spine dug into her ribs. Denson began to buck and thrash wildly, breaking free from Thorin as he basically wiped her around like a rag doll on his back; Lian had to dodge his horns several times.

"Thorin! Get him now!" She yelled, gritting her teeth to prevent biting her own tongue off from the wild movements as she half chunked his sword towards him. The dwarf quickly picked it up after it clattered to the ground and circled around until he had a clear view of the creature's stomach. Thorin brought his sword forward into a horizontal slash straight across Denson's torso, causing a loud screech to leave his throat to reverberate throughout the mines. It was so loud that Lian let go of him just to cover her ears, colliding with the ground roughly but the pain was dull compared to what felt like a knife being gouged into her ear canals. Thorin too was covering his ears in obvious pain, fingers firmly lugging his ears up but it did little to lessen the pain; it was so bad that he was growing faint.

Finally the cry died down and Denson's nude body crumpled to the ground, wheezing in his human form as blood poured profusely from his wound. Lian grimaced, blinking away the black dots that danced across her vision. Thorin was passed out on the ground and she quickly crawled over to him through the moistened dirt, leaning his limp body into her chest. Blood trailed from his ears and into the coarse hair of his beard; having grown longer since they'd last seen each other in the winter.

"Look who's being the hero now, ya fool." She whispered, dipping her head down to press her cheek against his, lip quivering in a flurry of emotion.

"Well….isn't that…touching." Lian heard Denson breathed, looking up to see his clear grey eyes staring straight into her green ones; even know they reflected mockery. His dark curls were matted with his own blood and mud; sweat glistening upon his dirtied flesh.

"Tell me who hired ya to kill Thorin?" She asked. "At least die knowing ya did something good." This had the dying man in a fit of laughter which ended with gut retching coughs; globs of blood coming up harshly.

"Good? His kind is nothing more…than greedy…selfish brutes." He hacked.

"And yer's are nothing more than cold hearted monsters, so let's get past the pettiness." She snapped. "Thorin didn't kill your kin, so tell me who hired ya to kill him." Denson seemed a bit taken aback but he hid it well and simply pursed his lip. Fear gripped Lian; if he didn't tell her who it was that hired him then they'd just hire another assassin to come after Thorin and Lian couldn't cope with the thought of that.

"King...Ludin…"

Lian's gaze locked with the mans and for the first time she truly believed him to be sincere, his grey eyes shone in the dim embers of torchlight with blood soaking his entire right side and the ground around him. He didn't have any expression of mockery, anger or insanity in his eyes but instead wore a rather sullen and dejected expression on his handsome features. She felt her heart actually pang in pity for the first time, never had she felt such a sense of sympathy for her foes until now as she watched the man die before her. He'd murdered two women, taken them away from their families and yet she couldn't actually think of him as a bad person. Though it'd been small, she'd seen a bit of a humble streak in him; the world had dealt an unmerciful to him and his kind and he'd lost himself in it. Maybe if he'd been born a normal human he could have had a more peaceful life; maybe things could have ended differently for him…

"Don't pity me." He rasped, catching her attention.

"I don't need pity…I chose this…" He wheezed barely above a whisper, indicating he's on his last breaths. "Things will never be different… someone else… just would have suffered in my place…so stop…stop looking at me… like that.

Lian looked away immediately, ashamed that she'd been caught and then even more so when she realized how idiotic it was of her to show it. She looked back to gain one last sense of dignity but he was already gone, eyes losing their light but a faint smile was permanently frozen on his face; as if he'd witnessed something truly amusing.

I wanted to end this chapter with a little documentary about Denson so that the readers can further understand what kind of character he was. Denson was manipulative, sadistic, intelligence and had a bit of a temper but though these qualities are what he showed the majority of the time they're only the surface of the man-or creature- he was.

Despite the amount of touching he did with Lian he had no sexual or romantic attraction to her but did so more to get a rile out of her. He found her to be interesting with her willful attitude and even had grown fond of her not only for her stubbornness but also her attentiveness which he respected to a certain degree. He was indeed attracted to the taste of her blood but it did not drive his more harsh moments instead it was his frustration that led to his flared temper.

He could read her mind and yet was still caught off guard by the things she did; she had a tendency to act without thinking which made her hard to read, causing him great amusement and irritation. He was growing fond of her despite her cold and guarded attitude towards him but that seemed to melt away in the presence of her loved ones. It reminded him of the family he'd lost to the dwarves which further urged him to convince her that the dwarves where indeed the monsters.

His fondness was shown again through the act of clothing her in warmer garments in the mine instead of letting her freeze to death even though she was meant to die after he'd taken care of Thorin. He knew of his sins and was tempted to make amends by saving her from the dwarves and teaching her his view of the truth of the dwarves. If his emotions would have grown for her then they would have become nothing than a fatherly love despite his outer appearance. He was far older than his appearance showed which makes him surpass even Balin in age.

This side of him is shown more openly on his deathbed and though he was not able to make Lian understand he was happy to know that she didn't think of him as the monster both he and others thought him to be.