Rue (A Thorin Oakenshield/Hobbit Fanfiction)

15

Two Months Later

"Send a search party. Send one dwarf, for all I care. They cannot be proclaimed dead when we don't have any proof!"

"Dis—" Her brother moaned, holding his face in his hands as he sat at his desk.

"We didn't find their bodies, Thorin. You found the bodies of our grandfather, our brother, and my husband, but not them. I refuse to believe that there isn't more we can do."

"DIS!" Thorin snapped, standing up so quickly that his sister flinched. Even eight weeks after battle, Dis had insisted on doing more to find his father and wife. The time since the battle had both broken them immensely. He would never forget her first wail of pain when she saw that he, Balin, and Dwalin were alone upon return. He felt like he had failed her, for he hadn't protected them like he said he would. She hated his defeat more than anything else; even so, things were different. Now, Thorin was King. Now, his duty was to his people. It didn't matter who he had lost, because everyone had lost someone. The best thing he could do for their people was to avoid complacency and move on.

"It has been weeks. I don't know about Father. I don't know if he was taken prisoner or dead, but I will not waste resources on finding him when we need to focus on the upcoming winter. We have close to nothing, Dis. I do know that Talia is far too cunning to get herself captured. She is dead. My wife is dead. I will not entertain this subject any longer."

He sat and leaned back in his seat, holding a hand to his temple and closing his eyes. He hated how harsh his words were, but he would not allow her to hope. In the end, it would only cause her more pain. His own hope for Talia was killing him. Thorin had given up Thrain for dead, and his grief for him was tenfold. But Talia... he could never move on from her. And despite the lies that he told himself, he knew he would forever hold her highest in his heart. Dis was making it harder to run from the truth.

Dis stepped forward, rounding the desk and kneeling at the arm of her brother's chair. Her thin cotton dress hung lamely from her thin figure; he wished he could see her in silk again, her belly healthily round and her smile sitting comfortably on plump cheeks. "I'm sorry." She said, taking one of his hands in both of hers.

Thorin shook his head, looking down at her blue eyes. He knew she only meant the best. "I don't want to give you hope where there is none. I've caused you enough pain already."

"No, Thorin. This wasn't your fault." She said sternly, her brow furrowing. "I asked you to protect them, and you did. You led them as best you could in extraordinary circumstances. If this battle gave you a new title, then I have no doubt you earned it."

"Thank you." Her brother smiled at her words, though he would still carry his disappointment for the rest of his life. "Where are the boys?"

"With the brothers. They're fine." Dis said, standing again and pulling her chair next to his. "Now, let's talk of what we actually met to discuss. When will the envoys from Bree arrive?"

The siblings launched into conversation of the matter, planning their trade patterns for the next few months. Though this winter would be hard and long, together, Thorin and Dis would lead their people through it as their birthright demanded. After all, the dwarves of the Blue Mountains trusted no one else, no one but Thorin Oakenshield, to do so.

...

The dwarven lass opened her eyes, blinking as she felt her cheek pressed against the floor. Her head pounded and she moaned, holding it with one hand and feeling some sort of injury. Though her green eyes searched for light, she found none. Sitting up, she felt the dampness of the stone, the suffocating quality of the air, the very sense of dark magic. The bars surrounding her only confirmed her suspicions. She was being held captive in Orc territory, deep within the walls of Dol Guldur.