Hey there guys! A little bit late getting this up than I originally planned, please forgive me. But, it's up now and I hope you enjoy this chapter and continue to enjoy these stories x

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AllySpark – I am glad you are enjoying this. I feel this is a lot better than it used to be, so I'm glad the flow is now there. Thank you for taking the time to read this xx

Chapter 8

After returning to my room, I begin sorting through my pack, taking out whatever would need throwing away as we all as putting my clothes in a wash basket, where they will be taken to be cleaned in the morning.

I then look through my weapons and picking up my old dagger I look it over. After losing its twin, and getting myself a new pair from the troll cave, I no longer need this one. It would be a shame to not use it any more, because of the sentimental value behind it. The pair had been given to me as a gift by Elrond a few years after my imprisonment. I had treasured these daggers all these years, especially since losing the ones I had from my brother. . .Valar did I miss those daggers.

Shaking my head from thoughts of my brother, I bring myself back to the present as I'm looking at the dagger. I smile. I know someone who might like this. Putting it aside with the other weapons, I decide to change into a blue, light and flowy nightdress before sitting on my balcony to read a book, with the little sunlight we have left of the day.

At night, I get my weapons and decide to do some maintenance on them, starting with my bow as I polish the wood and make sure the string is still good and strong. I then sharpen my old blade and my knives I hide on my person. Taking my new daggers, I just look over them again, knowing they don't need seeing too, except for a little clean from the dirt that acuminated from the troll cave.

I just look at the inscriptions on them amdir and estel. Peace and Hope. I just sigh as I sit back and look out over the view. Could it really happen? Could we really have peace and hope once more? It is something I have longed for. To no longer have to worry about battles or just fighting the darkness. Longing for home, the life I had dreamed off with Thorin. In the Shire, he told me that we will be able to have all of that, for our dreams to come true. But. . .with Azog, his spawn and their cronies still out there, hunting us. . .will it be possible?

I am brought from my thoughts by a knock on the door, I quickly wipe away tears I did not know had fallen before looking to the door.

"Come in."

I sigh as Thorin walks in, shutting the door behind him.

"Now is not a good time, Thorin." I say as I pick up my weapons and go inside.

"I understand. I just want to apologise for what happened tonight."

"Do you realise how humiliating that was? Lord Elrond welcomes you into his home, my second home, with open arms and you all disrespect him like that?"

He watches as I place my weapons on the weapon racks I have set up in my room.

"I know. I am deeply sorry for it all, especially for not controlling the situation. The company have cleared up the mess and I have apologised again to Elrond."

I look to him, slightly surprised. Apologising to an elf that is not me on the same day?

I sigh. Too tired to be arguing with Thorin at the moment. "If Lord Elrond can forgive and accept your apology, then of course, I can. As long as you make sure it does not happen again."

He smiles. "I assure you, they have been warned if it does happen, they will face your wrath. And I will not be interfering. Dwalin, at least, knows not to push you."

I smile as we sit on my bed.

"I showed Elrond the map."

I look surprised at this. I seriously did not think he would show him.

"And? Can he read it?"

He nods. "He can. But not yet. We have to wait until Midsummers Eve. There are moon runes on the map which cannot be read until then."

"Cirth Ithil. Of course. They can only be read under the moon in which they were first written."

He blinks. "You know them?"

I nod. "Lord Elrond taught me how to read them."

He is silent for a moment and I can literally see the gears turning in his head. "You can read them?"

I nod again. "Yes. I was not there to see the map, other wise I may have known we could not read them just yet."

He sighs. "That is typical. We had someone with us the whole time who could read them. We never needed to come here in the first place."

I smile. "I would not say never. I may be able to read them, but only just. Lord Elrond is far more skilled than I am. So it is the better option for him to read them instead. Besides, everyone could do with the rest for a couple of weeks. Yes, I could have done without the embarrassment at dinner, but I am past that now. We can rest, heal and restock our supplies before moving out when we are ready."

He nods with a sigh. "As much as I hate to say this, but you are right. We do need this rest. And I am grateful for it." he then lightly runs he tips of his fingers over my bad shoulder. "Especially for you."

I smile as I take his hand. "I will be fine. I heal quickly, remember?"

"Still. This gives you time to heal and train up before we leave." he looks down for a moment, causing me to be confused, before he looks back up to me, his eye full of love and emotion. "I never said this, but thank you. You pushed my nephew out of the way and saved him. The angle of that arrow. . .it no doubt would have killed him. Thank you."

I smile as I kiss him. "He is my nephew too. Or he will be. I would do it a million times. The same for Fili and anyone else in the company. Also, I am afraid of what Dis would do if she found out I let him get hurt or worse."

He lets out a laugh at that. "Yes. So am I. She has already threatened me, within an inch of my life, that she would kill me if I let any harm come to those boys. She is very protective of them."

I smile. "Mothers are. No matter the age of their child."

He nods. We sit in silence for a moment before he brings up the subject I have been dreading.

"Can we talk about what happened out there?"

I look away, looking down to the ground. Could I really tell him everything? My capture? Azog? How can I do to him what I will be doing by saying he still lives? I see his finger come into my vision as it goes to my chin and he gently lifts my face so I can look at him.

"Please. Let me help you. Let me be the one to be there for you and to help carry whatever burden you may have."

After a moment, I sigh and nod before going to the door and asking a passing elleth to bring some wine and ale to my room. I turn back to see Thorin's confusion.

"It is going to be a long story."

He nods as I put on a robe and we sit at the table on my balcony. Not long after, a couple of elleths arrive with the drinks. I thank them before they leave. Smiling as Thorin pours me a glass of wine, I sit back to get comfortable.

"Okay. It all started when I was travelling to Rohan, to visit an old friend. Everything was going great. Until I want to say. . .the second week over the Misty Mountain. I was resting when my horse was suddenly shot at."

After stopping for the night, I dismount and take off my packs and the saddle to give Raina a break. I sit down but I don't light a fire, knowing I am close to orc and goblin territory. I don't relax at all, keeping all my senses up. However, there must have been a lapse of judgement, as there is the sound of an arrow to suddenly whizz by and strike Raina in the neck, quickly followed by another as she goes down, with me being unable to do anything.

"Raina!" I cry out as I rush towards her.

I know she is already dead before I can get the chance to look at her. Grief fills my heart and I only get the chance to glance at the arrows to know who made them. Orcs!

I quickly whip out my knives as dozens of orcs rush out towards me. I feel dread creeping up on me, knowing I'm not going to be able to survive this, but there is no way I'm going to go down without a fight!

As the orcs close around me, I size them all up, waiting for one of them to make the first move. That's when my ears pick up movement from behind me. Swinging my knives around, I slice the throat of the orc trying to sneak up upon me, it soon falling to the ground, dead. That's when they all give a loud screech and jump in.

I fight them off as best as I can, managing to kill about a dozen of them before I am overwhelmed and jumped on. That does not stop me from fighting back as they punch, kick, slap and scratch, all in the effort of trying to get me tied up. That's when I feel the thud to the back of my head, their sneering faces being the last thing I see before fading into darkness.

Thorin looks to me in horror. "You were captured?"

I nod. "Yes. I had let my guard down for one to sneak up on me."

"Where did they take you?"

"To the ancient kingdom of Angmar. . .to Gundabad."

The first thing I am aware of when I regain consciousness is the pounding in my head, the pounding feeling like a thousand hooves battering the dry ground as the steeds gallop. The next is feeling the stone floor beneath me.

Opening my eyes, I see myself in a small stone room, which just had a door and a very small window. While groaning, I manage to shakily pick myself off the floor and stagger to the window and look out, only to freeze as I realise where I am. Gundabad, the place of my mother's death. . .will it also be the place of my death? Even though I make a vow to not die here, my heart cannot help but feel the doubt in that.

Hearing footsteps coming towards the room I am in, I instinctively reach for my weapons, but they're not there, having been confiscated by the orcs. So all I can do is stand and wait as the steps get closer until the scrabbling of a key in the lock is heard and the door opens to reveal four orcs. My whole body tenses as they step inside, ready for a fight.

"Good. You awake." one of the orcs say, Common clearly not being it's first language. "Master wants to see you."

"Their master? Who was their master?"

I pause as I look away.

"Caladwen?"

I take a deep breath before continuing. "After a small skirmish, in which I tried to escape, they had managed to subdue me. They took me along the halls to their masters quarters."

As we pass more orcs, they all sneer and jeer as we march along, I just hold my head up high as we go. We soon come to some double iron doors which the lead orc opens and we walk inside.

Before I can get a good look around the room, I'm unceremoniously tossed to the ground, my head hitting the stone, leaving me dazed but still conscious.

"Master, we bring prisoner." the orc announces.

Being pulled up and forced to my knees, I'm able to see the large room I;m in, looking like a throne room of sorts. Laid in a corner is a large white warg, softly growling and glaring at me, as if it wants me to be it's next pray. Hearing footsteps, I look to the side door as a figure enters, and that's when my blood goes cold. The Pale Orc. . .

His eyes go wide with horror. "Azog!?"

I nod. "He stood their, just sneering at me. I. . .I had never been so terrified in my life." I reach up and take my courting braid. "He. . .He knew I was associated with you. He. . .wanted to keep me, as leverage to get to you."

He keeps watching me as I explain everything and again, I can see the gear turn in his head as he puts everything together. I then see the realisation hit him.

"Caladwen. . .what year was this?"

This was the moment I had been dreading. The time had finally come to tell him the truth. Taking a deep breath, I look to him.

"The year was twenty nine eleven."

"Twent. . .but. . .that was thirty years ago. . .the Battle of Azanulbizar was over a hundred years before then. . .he's alive. . .but. . .how? He should have succumbed to his injury!"

"Apparently he lived through it. He now has a blade attached to where his arm used to be. One he has used on me many times before."

"Then. . .a few weeks past, when Balin told the story of Azog. . .you knew he was alive, even then?"

I nod. "I did."

"And you never said anything? Why did you not tell me? After everything he did to me and my people! You of all people should have told me!"

Feeling the tears appear, I just get up and walk back into the bedroom, stopping in the middle of the room, however I keep my back to him.

"Caladwen?"

I stay quiet for a moment before I take off my robe and sling, wincing slightly, before I begin to unlace the ribbon holding my nightdress up.

"Caladwen, what are you-"

I hear him stop with a sharp intake of breath as I drop my arms, letting the nightdress pool at my feet. I know what he is seeing right now. Every inch of my back is covered in scars, a map of the torture I was subjected to. Even my backside, arms and legs were not safe. Once I know he got a good eyeful, I turn to show the front of my body.

The front has less scars than the back, but there are still plenty. The biggest one I have starts at my throat and sort of curves its way down the length of my body, travelling across my left breast to stop just below my navel. Luckily it was not deep, but still took a long time to heal, even for an elf. I just watch him rake his eyes over my body, holding back a blush and a smile as his eyes stop at two certain points, for a second or two, before continuing on.

"Do you know how long I was held there for?"

He tears his eyes to meet mine, his head shaking.

"Three years. For three years I was a prisoner in that awful place. Three years of non stop torture. I cannot count the number of times I almost died in my cell. By all account I should be dead. This is why I did not tell you. Everyday, I struggle with the memories of that place. Almost every night, I have nightmares. The time I slept with you at Bag End, was the only time I had slept a full night in many years. I was safe with you, I knew that. You would keep my night terrors away. I did not want to speak of my time there. I was hoping to not speak of them, even to you, for as long as I could get away with. When I froze today. . ."

"He was one of your captors?" Thorin breathes out softly.

I nod. "About six months into my capture, Azog had declared it was time to. . .to claim me. Make me his. Remind me that no matter what, I belonged to him."

I hold my arm out, underside up, to show him the Gundabad mark on my arm. He slowly walks forward and gently takes my arm, running his fingers over it.

"Yazneg, that orc, was the one who had the utmost pleasure, I am sure, to do this."

I feel his grip on my wrist tighten slightly as I explain this before he looks up to me. I am taken aback by the emotion and the tears he holds in his eyes. I have never seen Thorin cry or tear up. Even when Smaug took Erebor.

"Caladwen, I am so sorry for what you have gone through. I am more sorry about my harsh words I spoke a few moments ago. I had no right to utter those. I know you would not have kept that from me out of spite."

I give a small smile. "You have nothing to apologise for, Thorin. You had not known about this, as I did not tell you. While I was there, you were the one to keep me going. Just thinking of you, and the promise we made to each other, the promise that one day, we would be together, have a home together where we could raise our family. I kept onto those words. One day, I would get out of there and we would be together again."

He smiles, his hands going up my arms and to either side of my neck, where he gently pulls me down so our foreheads would touch. I go down to my knees so I am at his height level and hold my arms around him.

"And here we are, together once more. And I am never, ever going to let you go again, amralime. The past almost two centuries, have been so difficult without you. I longed so much to hold you once more. To see you smile, hear your laugh, to kiss you. . .I swear to you, I will not let any harm come to you. Azog will not get you while I still draw breath."

My smile grows as I look to him. "I made myself that same vow for you."

He grins before he kisses me. As I kiss him back, one of his arms goes down and wraps around my waist, pulling me into him, my breasts flush against his chest. I put one hand on his shoulder as the other goes to the back of his neck to play with the hair there. He soon breaks away and he kisses his way down my jaw, chin and neck until he reach the juncture between the neck and shoulder, causing me to let out a small moan. Thorin looks to me and his eyes darken.

"Caladwen, if you do not want to go further, tell me now. Like I said earlier, I'm finding it hard to keep my hands off you."

Looking over Thorin, my mind goes blank. I know we should wait until marriage, but. . .I do not think I can. . .or want to. Instead of answering, I lower my hands to the hem of his shirt before lifting it up and off, letting my eyes rake over his bare chest and the hair there. I run my fingers around his chest, my nails raking along his skin. I grin as I hear him to try hold back a moan. I look up and smile.

"I cannot hold myself back either, meleth nin."

He smiles before leaning down to kiss me, his hands going down further and give my bottom a little squeeze, causing me to moan again. I squeal into his mouth a little as his hands grip my thighs and he lifts me up before carrying me to the bed and gently laying me upon it and hovering over me.

"I love you, givashel." he speaks, his voice full of so much love and passion.

I smile as I stroke his beard. "And I you, meleth e-guilen."

He smile as he leans down to kiss me before we lose ourselves in one another.

Well there we have it, a little explanation of what happened to Caladwen and why she froze. Now, let's let the couple have some privacy for the night. I think they deserve it more than anyone.

I hope you all enjoyed this and will continue to read. Please leave me your lovely reviews, I love hearing from you xx

Translations;

amralime – My love

meleth nin – My love

givashel – Treasure of all treasures

meleth e-guilen – Love of my life