OH-HO Thorin and Dwalin are going to be beyond ANGRY with the Circus Master!

Loud up roaring yelling filled the circus tent after Selena unconsciously fell into Dwalin's arms.

Dwalin held Selena's unconscious body close while he turned to face the Circus Master, who was stomping his way towards him and Thorin, who drew his daggers when he neared.

"On more step," Thorin warned, "and i will cut you to ribbons!"

The Circus Master ignored Thorin's threat. "You interfered with Selena's performance!"

"You are obviously too stupid to see that Selena is unconscious!" Thorin bellowed.

"Selena!" A woman's voice called and the owner of the voice appeared in front of Dwalin. "Selena." She mourned. "My baby."

"Are you her mother?" asked Dwalin.

"Adopted mother, but yes." The woman's brown eyes darkened. "Selena hasn't been getting the proper nourishment because of being starved by the Circus Master. If she does get food, it's very little. He punishes her with whiplashes to her back." The woman sobbed. "That's why she's bleeding and was dizzy during her performance. She only gets food if he is pleased with her."

Anger surged through Dwalin's veins, boiling his blood! He gave the Circus Master a murderous look! The Circus Master took a step forwards, but Thorin blocked his path.

"Selena needs her back sewed up." The woman brushed the hair from her little girl's face.

"Go with her Dwalin!" Thorin commanded. "I will catch up after I deal with the Circus Master!"

"You had better!" Dwalin called back then followed Selena's mother out through the opposite end of the tent and into a smaller tent across the grass from the main tent.

After the crowd left the tent, the Circus Master turned to Thorin. "You want to yell at me some more?"

"What I want is to drive your head through a window then press it down on a pike!" Thorin's words were loud and firm, baritone coming forth. "Here is how this is going to go. I'm going to follow after my bodyguard to make sure he and Selena are fine, then I am going back to The Blue Mountains to grab coin to pay for Selena's freedom. When I get back, I expect the contract for her freedom to be drawn up and ready to be finalized. And if I so much as hear news about any mistreatment towards Selena or her mother, I won't hesitate to drive your head through a window and display in on a stake!" Thorin spat with venom.

The Circus Master bent down so he was eye level with Thorin. "You have some nerve to be making demands and commanding me."

"I'm a king, less you forget. Selena is a Dwarf, which makes her part of my people. And I don't take kindly to people mistreating others - Dwarf or man, and my bodyguard especially doesn't take kindly to Selena being mistreated, since she is his soulmate."

"First thing's first: tending to her back." Selena's adopted mother bustled around the tent to gather fresh bandages, a needle, thread, disinfectant and a loose shirt."

Dwalin helped the woman pull the back of Selena's cotton shirt up over her head. He let out a low curse at the sight of Selena's back reflected in a mirror across the tent. Dwalin pushed down his growing anger in order to help Selena's adopted mother. Plus he had no doubt the Circus Master was getting a well deserved butt chewing from Thorin; Thorin's voice ringing all throughout the circus encampment.

Selena stirred, eyes fluttering open to find herself surrounded by the tent she and her mother shared. Something firm was pressed against the side of her face, chest, stomach, against her butt and the inside of her legs. Cool air gently caressed her bare back - a pair of hands pressing against her lower back.

Suddenly snapped out of her haze by the familiar sting piercing her skin, Selena felt her body jerk while she let out a moan.

"I know, sweetheart." Came her mother's gentle voice.

Selena turned her head so her forehead was pressed against what she saw to be a shoulder. The smell of pipe tobacco and petrichor after a nice rain shower filled her sinuses. She let out another moan when the needle pierced her flesh! This time, the person holding her was the one who gently soothed her while gently rubbing her lower back.

"Shh, darling. Deep breaths, Lass."

Selena obeyed. She inhaled and exhaled, letting the smell of pipe tobacco and petrichor fill her sinuses.

Thorin chose that moment to walk through the tent's opening. "Okay, I got the situation with the Circus Master taken care of so…" His words trailed off when his eyes took in the view of Dwalin straddling a bare backed Selena on his lap - many lashes decorated her back; gently soothing Selena when she let out painful moans from the needle piercing her skin from her mother sewing shut some of the lashes that had split open.

"Thorin, can you wet that cloth with warm water so I can dab Selena's back after cleaning the lashes with disinfectant?"

Selena stiffened when she heard her mother say Thorin's name. If Thorin was the Dwarf who had entered the tent, then that meant the lap she was sitting on was the Warrior Dwarf she had seen sitting beside the Dwarf King amidst the crowd of people.

"And done." Selena's mother declared.

Selena felt the cold liquid of the disinfectant being rubbed over the whiplashes, soon followed by a hot soaking wet cloth that felt good against her sore back.

Fresh bandages were placed over the freshly sewed whiplashes and held in place by gauze and tape.

After Dwalin helped pull the back of Selena's shirt over her back, he gently helped her sit up.

Selena's cheeks burned with heat when her eyes finally got to get a good look at the Dwarf Warrior she had first spotted among the crowd before beginning the obstacle course. And just like she had done out in the ring, Selena stared.

Dwalin stared back.

Selena could practically feel the Dwarf's nose and lips ghost against hers because of how close they were. Selena's lips slightly parted in awe while her eyes got a better look at the Dwarf who had pulled her heart strings. Long brown hair circled a bald head, thick brown eyebrows framed brown eyes alight with deep passion. And his lips were barely visible through his brown neck length beard and mustache.

"H-hi." Selena managed to get out.

"Hi yourself, Lass."

Thorin let out a snort, which earned him a good smack upside the head from Selena's mother.

"Ow!"

"Be nice!" Selena's mother scolded. "You may be a king, but even a king knows how to be respectable." Selena's mother pointed a finger at Thorin. "And even kings fall in love - one day you will do the same if you haven't already."

Thorin grumbled underneath his breath, but regretted doing just that when Selena's mother gave him a death glare; summoning ice to her eyes.

"What was that?"

"Yes, ma'am." Thorin thought Dis was the only one who could make him feel like he was being threatened within an inch of his life. Clearly he had been wrong!

"That's what I thought." Selena's mother changed the subject. "Now, whose hungry?"