A Single Dream is More Powerful Than a Thousand Realities

The Fury of Kings

The elf, Legolas, bowed his head quickly and then hastily retied the blindfold over Balin's eyes. With a quick jerk of his head, and silent as the grave, he urged the line of dwarves to start forward again, and through the enormous doors.

Lyla pressed herself against one of the closest pillars and waited until the company had passed by. She didn't want to expose herself by bumping into someone or something. She was determined to follow after her dwarves.

But the king's next word stopped her in her tracks.

"Bring me Master Oakenshield."

*****

"On your feet, dwarf."

Someone was pulling Thorin up from his straw bed, making him stumble blindly, fumbling to find his balance even with his hands bound.

He was pulled roughly by his wrists, and prodded forward with a hard jab to his back, making him grunt in pain.

*****

Lyla's heart caught in her throat has she watched Thorin Oakenshield paraded before her. Four different elves flanked either side of the dwarf, their weapons creating a carefully constructed cage as the dwarf king was being led up to the throne, bound and blindfolded, angry red welts on his wrists, hair in disarray with straw sticking in his long ebony tendrils.

Anger boiled hot in Lyla's veins as one of the elves shoved Thorin until the dwarf stumbled forward to his knees before the throne where the elf king was perched.

Soft sniggers escaped the two dark-haired guards who had escorted Thorin from wherever they had been keeping him. They smiled wickedly at one another, their features contorted in a angry, gleeful sneers.

Lyla's hands balled into fists and her eyes narrowed.

Those dirty rotten...!

"Where does your journey end I wonder," The king murmured as the blindfold was removed from Thorin's eyes.

The dwarf king stared contemptuously back at the elf king, his eyes blazing.

"You seek that which would bestow upon you the right to rule," The king continued on, as he rose to his feet and slowly stepped forward, towards Thorin's silent form, his eyes narrowed, "The quest to reclaim a homeland and slay a dragon. Is this not why you have come?"

Thorin remained stoic and silent, his eye betraying nothing.

"Speak dwarf. Why have you trespassed into my kingdom?"

Thorin raised his chin defiantly, eyes glittering with fury.

And remained silent.

The cracking of a pale hand against flesh sent Lyla reeling in horror. The elf king's eyes blazed as he stood mere steps from Thorin, his hand raised, poised to strike the dwarf again, and a deep frown set on his face.

A gasp escaped her lips before she could stop herself and a few of the guards' eyes shifted in surprise as they searched for the source of the noise. For it did not come from their dwarf captive.

He remained silent, though his eyes said more than enough.

Murderous rage swam beneath the blue orbs of Thorin Oakenshield's eyes.

"You try my patience Master Oakenshield," The elf king whispered dangerously his face mere inches from Thorin's, "Think ye that I am a mere simple fool? I know what you hunt. I know what it is you seek."

The king turned away from Thorin and paced back to his throne, clenching and unclenching his fists.

"Then you know why I seek what I seek," Thorin's deep voice carried far, even as he whispered the words, fury laced with each syllable.