Anger and despair poured into the roar that rang in his ears. Even before Radagast's eyes flew open in shock, Thorin knew something had gone horribly wrong. Pain struck his chest, then…nothing. Cold emptiness. He checked Danica and found her breathing, but she was still gone.
"What happened?" he demanded when Radagast caught his breath.
Teary, the wizard shook his head. "He took her,"
"What do you mean?"
"I-I'm sorry. In the chaos, the General snuck in and put another ring of power on her. She's bound to him, now,"
Thorin whirled to the wall, hands fisting. No amount of screaming or punching would help, but he did it anyway. He had to, or the helplessness and grief would drown him. How could this happen? Why was she always being torn from him? And how could he face his son carrying this failure? If this didn't get fixed, the boy would grow up without his mother, and that was something Thorin couldn't bear to consider.
When he finally stilled, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Fili stood beside him, face grave but sympathetic. He and Dwalin were supposed to be here to greet Danica when she awoke. Now, it looked as though Fili feared she never would.
"How could ye let this happen?!" Dwalin growled at Radagast. "The whole reason yer here with the Arkenstone is to make sure she returned safely!"
Thorin didn't hear Radagast's answer. He didn't need or want to.
"How do I get her back?"
The others fell silent as he turned. Ears still ringing, Thorin pinned the wizard with a hard stare.
"How do I get her back?" he repeated.
"I'm not sure you can," Radagast answered apologetically. "You would need to et close enough to remove the General's ring from his hand. But you cannot achieve that while he has Danica and her powers,"
"Then, we ambush him and shoot him in the eye. Hard for him to control anyone if he's dead," Dwalin's eyes gleamed maliciously at the thought.
"They will come here," Fili said calmly. The voice of a king during crisis. "I doubt the General will waste the opportunity to use Danica to his advantage. Radagast, when they reach the shadow of Erebor, do you think you could stand against them long enough for one of us to try and sneak in?"
"I cannot wait that long," Thorin interjected. "I will not wait here while my wife is used as a tool. Exploited for the enemy's purpose. I cannot,"
Fili's eyes were firm, but not unkind. "We have no other choice but to let them come to us. Once they are closer to the mountain, we can plan an attack. I'm sorry, Uncle, but that is my order. Radagast, do you think you can use the Arkenstone to protect the mountain from Danica's powers?"
"I can try,"
Unable to listen anymore, Thorin stormed out, Dwalin on his heels.
"We cannot stay here," Dwalin whispered fiercely.
"We won't. But we must move quickly,"
They hastened through the halls, each to his own chambers. Thorin threw a bag of provisions together, then met Dwalin on the way to the western halls. The hidden door was guarded now, but only on the inside and with two sentries. When someone questioned Dwalin about the crossbow he carried, he made the excuse of bringing some more weapons to fortify the hidden door, in case the enemy miraculously managed to open it. Though Thorin nearly rolled his eyes, the weak reasoning was enough for them to continue without issue.
Anyone else who tried to question them was sent off with a glare. It would take a brave person, indeed, to stop Dwalin and the former King Under the Mountain. So, they reached the hidden tunnel unhindered. When the sentries saw them, their brows lifted curiously.
"Can we help you with anything, my Lord?" one of them asked Thorin.
"You can keep yer recollection on this moment to yerself if anyone else comes by," Dwalin warned.
The sentries' eyes widened, looking at Thorin for some kind of explanation.
"It is important that I leave this mountain without resistance," was all he said. But, because he knew the fear they felt about the coming battle, he continued. "I do this to ensure our success when the Easterling army arrives,"
Confusion remained on their faces, but the sentries bowed and stood aside.
"How long until Fili realizes what we've done?" Dwalin asked once they were out in the frigid air.
"I'm surprised he hasn't already sent someone to stop us," Thorin admitted. "Distracted though he may be, Fili is no fool. He cannot believe I would abandon my wife,"
Dwalin hummed unhappily. "Forgive me, but I believe he has acted the fool. Leaving Danica in the hands of the enemy is too dangerous to allow. Now, the General has the opportunity to infest any of our allies' minds, not to mention our own,"
Ice flooded Thorin's veins. He thought about the unsettling calm his nephew had shown in the infirmary. Word would likely have reached at least one of the elder's ears of what had transpired. Thorin had been too loud in his agony, and though Radagast and Fili would never say anything, the nurses were not immune to gossip. Besides, they loved Danica and would be grieving amongst themselves about what they considered a hopeless case. But the elders and military leaders…
"What is it?" Dwalin asked when Thorin stopped. "What horrors are going through yer mind?"
Thorin looked back at the mountain. "Fili knows very well all the dangers you said. So do our military leaders. She's a liability,"
A dark curse left Dwalin's mouth. "He wouldn't allow them to harm her, would he? He couldn't,"
"If Radagast cannot keep Danica at bay, he will feel as if he doesn't have a choice,"
Torn in two directions, Thorin looked to the sky, desperately seeking an answer. "I cannot protect her body while rescuing her mind. Damnit, I was too hasty. I should have considered this and- "
A shadow fell over them, drawing his eyes to the silhouette of a large bird. Atop that bird, barely visible, were two figures. Though it seemed impossible to hope, Thorin called out.
"Tala! Kayli!"
Durin bless them, they somehow heard, and steered the eagle toward him, quickly landing near the precipice. Grinning from ear to ear, Kayli threw her arms around him.
"Did Danica send you to wait for us? Why not at the…what's wrong?"
"You don't know?"
Tala came beside Kayli, both of their countenances falling. "Know what?"
"The General has captured Danica's mind," Dwalin told them, sparing Thorin from having to break the news.
Kayli went pale. "How? When we left, the regiment was scattering, lost in the fog, their minds broken,"
"He had another ring of power," Thorin said through clenched teeth. "Somehow, even when everything seemed to be against him, he'd still been setting his trap,"
"His only real goal was to capture her," Tala's face was filled with dread. Sighing, he passed a hand over his eyes. "What can we do?"
"You two need to go back in," Thorin ordered. "With Dwalin and I gone as the enemy armies close in, Fili will need all the good warriors he can get. As well as having his daughter back home,"
Kayli shook her head, eyes wide. "We can't just leave her out there!"
Though he understood her frustration, and having two more people at their backs would help, Thorin couldn't change his mind. He opened his mouth to protest, but Tala put a hand on Kayli's shoulder.
"They will take care of her. Thorin is right. King Fili will need all the support he can get,"
Betrayal darkened her eyes as she turned her head to look at him. However, as she scanned the three males around her, it was clear she would not win this fight. With a furious growl, she shook off Tala's hand and walked away.
"Good luck with that," Dwalin muttered to Tala, who sighed again.
"She'll see reason once the battle begins," serious black eyes found Thorin's. "Be careful out there,"
Thorin nodded extending his hand to clasp Tala's. "We will do what we can to be back before the enemy attacks,"
While the younger dwarf nodded, they all knew it was unlikely. Already, the enemy armies could be heard to the east.
"Make haste, then, and Durin be with you,"
They parted ways, heavy silence falling. As they walked, Thorin planned. Their only hope of saving Danica was to creep through the rocky hills that lay between the General's last known position and Erebor. Their greatest threat was the very woman they were attempting to save.
Three days. At least, she thought it had been three days. After regaining control of what was left of his men, they blindfolded Danica, and made sure to travel at odd times, making it difficult for her to know the hours at which they stopped to rest. Sometimes it was during the day, sometimes after nightfall. Never did she feel hunger or thirst, nor could she sleep. There was nothing for her in this form, just an endless existence with no relief other than the fact that he hadn't used her powers yet.
The General kept her close at all times, and made sure everyone knew what she was and to whom she belonged. At the first opportunity, he took her to his tent and proved just how real this form felt. He was not a man to use his fists unless he had to. No, he preferred other methods of delivering pain. Humiliating ones. When he wasn't using her in his tent, he whipped her for all to see. All Danica could console herself with was knowing her body was safe in Erebor. At least, she hoped it was.
One night, after forcing himself on her, the General sat up, a wicked gleam in his eyes.
"Why don't we see how this," he stroked a palm between her breasts, "divine body of yours is faring, shall we?"
In the blink of an eye, they were in the mountain at her bedside. Only Radagast sat beside her, head hung low. He looked so weary and fragile. Danica's heart broke.
"Even a wizard is powerless against me," the General said, not bothering to keep his voice down.
Radagast remained still, and Danica's heart sank further. A sudden, sharp pain made her cry out, her hand flying to her neck. He'd bitten her. Horrified, she watched as the bite formed and bled on her physical form. Radagast stirred at the small, involuntary movement her body made against the pain.
"Oh, my dear. What is he doing to you?" Radagast groaned. "You poor thing,"
Slowly, almost painfully, the wizard took a cloth and gently dabbed at the wound before uttering foreign words that healed her skin. Grief-stricken, he tilted his head upward.
"Ilùvatar, have mercy,"
The General hissed through his teeth at the name, and they snapped back to his tent.
"Useless prayers," he growled, walking toward his basin of water.
Danica watched him, hand still pressed to the phantom bite on her neck. When she pulled that hand away, it was clean. At the end of all this, if she survived and made it back to her body, the only evidence of his abuse would be in her mind. She couldn't decide if that was a blessing or curse.
"No matter what the wizard does, you will always be mine," the General said casually, as though he'd heard her thoughts. "No matter what the future holds, I will haunt your every thought and step,"
Once rinsed off, he turned back to her, naked and arrogant. The broken pieces of her soul vibrated in fury and indignation. Her eyes narrowed.
"You will lose," she declared coldly. "And when you do, I will move on with my life, leaving you nameless and forgotten,"
"Ah, but you will not. My name is Khalam. As for forgotten, that is a delusional wish, my Dreamwalker,"
"You're afraid,"
He raised a dark brow. "Of what, pray tell?"
"Ilùvatar,"
As if the name itself was a spell, he froze. For just a moment, all the air left the tent. In its place, ice spread. Danica reveled at how that ice filled the General's eyes.
"Scared of God," she continued. "Of the Creator who will judge your crimes. Perhaps you're scared of His servants as well,"
"Stop,"
"After all, you seem determined to undermine Radagast at every turn. What do you think you could do if he had help from the other wizards or ring-bearers?"
Lethal rage rolled off him in waves. "Stop, now,"
Verging on hysteria, she laughed. "You know. You know just as well as I do that you would never stand a chance. That's why you're afraid. Or, are you afraid of what your master would do to you if he sensed your weakness?"
In a flash, he was before her, snarling while he wrapped a hand around her throat. "Enough," he growled.
Her lips were curved in a cold mockery of a smile. "Do you really think he will allow you to keep me to yourself? That he will allow you to live once you've fulfilled your purpose? He is called 'The Great Deceiver' for a reason,"
His grip tightened, cutting off her air. "No. More. Clearly, you need to be reminded of what your purpose is here. You are a tool. A slave. And, above all, mine,"
Their shared power pulsed between their rings as he claimed her mouth with bruising force. No matter how hard she fought, she couldn't keep him from following through with his threat in every violent, humiliating way he could think of.
When it was over, and she was discarded on the floor, he sighed.
"This would be so much easier if you just gave in,"
Exhaustion deepened his voice, his words almost regretful.
Danica's tongue felt heavy. All of her did. In her head, she repeated the word "never," over, and over again. A defiant mantra she would brand into her soul. However, a small voice told her to pay attention. He wanted her broken and compliant. Maybe if she was, he would drop his guard.
It was her only hope.