A Willing Heart

Twenty-One

Thorin left for the forge by the time I awoke that morning, my body sore in places that made me blush just thinking about them. How he could rise up early to go to the forge as if it were just any other day was beyond my comprehension. And as I lay beneath the covers, I wished that he'd stayed with me for the day even though I knew that Thorin would never have allowed himself such luxury. In a few days, we were leaving Fennhill for good.

Through the slit in the curtains, I could see the sun shining. I heard the birds singing their songs and men and women walking about the courtyard below, probably going about their chores as I lay in bed, feeling new sensations throughout my body. Everything felt so sensitive, even against the soft covers and pelts that lined the bed.

Thorin was a gentle lover - yet he could be rough when he - or I - wanted him to be.  I pressed my thighs together, my belly clenching at the memory of last night. I'd surprised myself by what I had done, yet nothing about it made me feel ashamed. No, I only wished Thorin were still here with me to make love to me again.

I remembered how he had slipped his arm from beneath my head as he rose from the bed, trying hard not to wake me. It had still been dark out though I could see the sky lightening up with the coming of the dawn through the curtains. I reached out for him then, almost startling him for he had thought me asleep.

"Don't leave just yet," I whispered, my voice thick with sleep as I pulled him towards me, gathering his hair in my hands and twining them in my fingers. I was still drunk from his lovemaking the night before, not wanting to let go of that feeling so soon.

If Thorin had protested then, I did not hear him, nor did I want to. I silenced his words with kisses of my own, my hand moving down his chest and his taut belly as I welcomed him between my legs, aching to feel him inside me again. He groaned then, whispering my name in my ear as his body responded to my touch and soon, he was making love to me again, taking his time as he watched me match his own movements beneath him. I loved how his fingers laced with mine as he brought my arms over my head, our bodies moving as one that chilly dawn morning.  I wanted nothing more than to feel him so close to me, smell the musky scent of his skin and feel the softness of  his beard against my neck as he kissed my neck before silencing my cries with his kiss.  When his release came, I savored his hold of me in his arms, feeling the rise and fall of his chest as he caught his breath, rolling onto his back and taking me with him so I ended up on top of him.  And as I rained kisses upon his neck and chest, I could no longer imagine a day without him by my side.

"Do you have to go?" I asked then when he finally left the bed, telling me that he had to wash and dress in the other room lest I pull him back into bed again and make him even more late than he already was.

"Dwalin and Frerin are waiting for me. We've got one last day at the forge and the work is done," he said, stoking the fire in the bed chambers one more time as a chill had slipped through the door from the main room.

"Is it alright if I visit my mother's grave?"

Thorin looked up as he tied the laces on his dark shirt, frowning.  "Today?"

"I'd like to visit her one last time before we leave," I nodded.  "I'll be alright."

He slipped his tunic over his shirt and trousers and sat on the bed next to me as I began to plait a braid along his temple.  "I'd rather you not go alone, Frigga.  If you are willing to wait, I will take you there tomorrow," he said as I drew closer to him and inhaled his scent. 

He groaned, chuckling as he pushed himself away from me. "But I will not let you tempt me back into your bed, woman, or I'll never get anything done," he said and got up to walk towards the door and as I lay back down upon the pelts, he left the room, his footsteps echoing in the hallway.