Thorin meets Ayla in this chapter!
Etherweil I hope you enjoy this chapter
"Spit it out!" Thorin's command was harsh. He was upset Dis had not been at the front gate to greet him upon his arrival. Brorin had timidly approached him, head bowed, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
"We, um, have a guest, your majesty. She arrived at the gate last night, claiming to be the daughter of Ester and Elmador. Lord Balin is escorting her around Ered Luin." Brorin dared to meet Thorin's gaze but quickly lowered his head at the sight of his eyes turning icy blue from anger. Brorin quickly added, "I suggested to Lord Balin the situation with the woman would best be handled when you got back, but he thought differently."
"Of course he did." Thorin scoffed. "So both my sister and advisor weren't here to greet me upon my arrival because of some woman?"
"That woman has a name." Balin chided, brown eyes pinning Brorin with annoyance. His eyes met Thorin's. "I apologize for my delay. I was leaving Ayla in Dis' hands."
Thorin's eyes became icier. "So my dear sister found it better to accompany a woman over being at the gate?" Now he was seething. Normally he wouldn't mind his little sister's absence if she were caught in a situation that couldn't be avoided! But he had hoped to see his sister upon his arrival after a long rough journey; seeing Dis would have helped!
Threrin spoke from beside Balin. "I have a message for the king from lady Dis. Should you like to hear it?" at Thorin's nod, Threrin related the message. "Lady Dis told me to tell you she is with Ayla at her parents hut and gives her sincere apologies for not greeting you upon your arrival as she didn't want to leave Ayla and….." Threrin's voice trailed off.
"What?" Thorin asked. He didn't have patience.
"This last bit I'm just relaying for lady Dis, as I don't approve of her last words."
"Just tell me!" Thorin's patience was close to snapping.
"'Tell my brother if he has a problem with me being at the gate to greet him, tell him I said he can use his own two feet to match his sorry hide up here to scold me himself. If he doesn't like that idea, he is more than welcome to freeze his balls off in the ice cold sea while taking a nice swim with the fish.'"
Thorin's patience snapped! "Where is my sister?!"
Thorin's face was raged with anger while he angrily stormed up the lush green grassy hill minutes later with Balin and Dwalin and the two guards flanking him.
"DIIIISSS!" Thorin bellowed like a crazed Banshee as he stomped up to the hut at the base of the mountain just as two females emerged from within. Thorin's eyes darkened as he stopped before them, chest heaving, glaring angrily.
Balin caught the sight of shock spread over Ayla's face at the sight of Thorin's angry face while the Dwarf King first growled at his sister.
"You know what kind of journey I had coming back to Ered Luin? Rough! Dwalin and I had to fight Orcs at every turn on our way back to Bree almost a week ago, because we were forced to go south - well out of the safety of Bree and closer to the lowlands after we left Ered Luin when we began our trip! All I could think about was seeing you and my nephews again because of how much I missed you, yearning to hold all three of you because of the journey!"
"Thorin-," Dis began but was silenced by her brother when he held up his hand.
"I longed to see you, little sister!" He wasn't yelling but his loud baritone took over and rang off of the mountains and all throughout Ered Luin as he spoke. "I needed to see you, little sister! I needed to see you at the front gate upon my arrival! But you weren't there! Instead, I am given word you are up here with a woman, an outsider no less, all because you didn't want to leave her!" Thorin's chest was really heaving from anger.
"Why was this woman so more important than greeting your own brother?!"
At that moment, Balin placed a gentle hand upon Thorin's shoulder when he stepped forward. "Don't be mad at her laddie. I'm the one who greeted you in her place."
"That still doesn't answer my question!" Thorin snapped. "Why?"
Balin beckoned for me to walk forward. I walked up to him and leaned into his side embrace for courage and comfort and support. Balin met Thorin's dark brooding eyes with a warm chipper smile. "Thorin, meet Ayla, daughter of Ester and Elmador."
Thorin began to speak. "She's-,"
"If you say human, so help me I will punch you!" I snapped.
Thorin's eyes widened at the threat. His ears picked up Dis' snicker. "Then what are you?" he growled, not happy about the attitude the woman displayed.
"I am someone who isn't happy about watching my friend being yelled at."
"That's not what I meant." Thorin pointed out.
"Oh it wasn't?" My tone was dripping with mock surprise. "What were you meaning then? Were you meaning to ask me about what I am? Or were you meaning to ask me more about who I am?" I asked, mock sarcasm dripped from my lips. Dis' snickers were now full on laughter.
Thorin reached out and caught hold of my chin with his hand before I could do anything. His steel grip wouldn't budge when I tried slapping his hand away. "I thought your parents would have taught you some respect." His voice was cold.
"I would have shown respect if it weren't for the human comment you were about to make in a sneering tone." I matched the coldness of his voice with my own. "My parents were killed in battle so they were ripped from my life! Your grandfather made sure if that!" I watched pain and guilt briefly flicker in his eyes before being replaced by anger.
Thorin held up the adoption papers. You have parents though."
I closed my eyes against my rising vulnerability. "That doesn't change the fact I still have a hole in my heart."
"I know you're not a Dwarf. So why did Ester and Elmador adopt you?" The question took me by surprise. My eyes flickered open.
"I don't know." I lied. My blood began to sing from Thorin's scent: earthy pipe tobacco and petrichor after a fresh rainfall; masculine and intoxicating. My fangs threatened to unsheathe themselves. "What makes you think I know their reasons MY LORD." I mocked. I open my eyes to catch Thorin moving his face closer to mine, his lips barely ghosting mine, his eyes darkening to almost black - from anger or from something unknown, I didn't know. I did know his scent was really driving me crazy.
"You're hiding the adoption paper Ester and Elmador signed the day they adopted you." His touch was going to leave a haunting feeling both within my soul and on my face for the next few days. 'Damn Dwarf!' I silently cursed.
"Or I just don't have it." I lied again. I hated lying, my heart and gut wrenched from the deceitful action of my words. I had just found out who I was in my 'Amad's letter to me. The news alone made me feel overwhelmed, and I didn't get much time to process the information thanks be to the Dwarf chewing his sister out like a crazed Banshee then projected his anger on me by delivering an insult - or tried to, since I informed him I would punch him in the face if he insulted me by calling me human. So I lied, and it hurt.
Thorin narrowed his eyes at me. "Oh I think you do."
"You know what I think?" I shot back. "I think you're a grumpy, decrepit old man who thinks he can chew his sister out without receiving any consequence all because she was a sweetheart by keeping me company while I searched - and failed to find answers for answers to my many questions of who I am since I can't exactly ask my parents since they're dead due to being ripped from my life, thanks be to your grandfather! I don't give a damn if you're a king or not, your mistreatment towards your sister and to me is hurtful and mean! So unless you have anymore questions you would like to ask, I would like to go back to searching for answers."
Thorin and I only challengingly stared each other down, figuring out which one of us should speak first.
"Thorin." Balin tried to cut in but the look Thorin gave his advisor had him falling silent.
Thorin turned to me. "You have two days, then I want you gone."
HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY EVERYONE!!!!!! Be safe out there!!!! I look forward to all of your guys' feedback and reviews when you all log back on after The Fourth!!!!!!
Note: Unexpected: Kiss My Butt is the first book in the series! Unexpected is the second book I am putting on hold until after Unexpected: Kiss My Butt.