Eclipse of Hearts ✔

12. A Hostage [Thorin]

Thorin stared forward absently, barely noticing that someone sat beside him and put her hand on his. 

She said or did nothing, but also eyed in the emptiness, as if she hoped it would help her to unravel his thoughts.

"Does it ever go away?" he whispered. He turned his face aside and watched her. 

"Your longing? Time will make it less, but it will never truly go away."

Thorin stared at the ground. He felt ashamed of his words. He missed a woman who was far away from him, but who was still alive and was probably happy. She however missed her husband, who had died years ago, and now her oldest son was gone as well. A sadness that laid much deeper than his, although his everlasting insecurities kept opening wounds.

"Aren't you worried about the battle that is coming?"

Thorin shrugged. "We will outnumber them. I just hope they will not find out Alyssae's not here."

"She is a princess. She will be guarded very well."

He kept silent, eager to believe her words, but he would be at ease when he held her in his arms. 

"Maybe you should visit her," Dís suggested after a while. "When this fight is over."

It gave him confidence that his sister thought they would win. He knew they had good chances, but there was never a certainty. "She doesn't want to see me."

"You don't know that. Maybe she's missing you just as badly."

"She's welcome here."

"She is not a king, Thorin. She doesn't have the ability to do whatever she wants."

Thorin thought about her words. He knew his kingdom was in good hands when he left for a while, but would it change anything? Maybe things would turn out well, so that he could hold her in his arms and be sure she was safe, but then? Then he had to return, back to the same doubts.

"That wouldn't solve anything."

Dís looked at him for a very long time. "This isn't going to solve anything either." She stood up and laid her hands on his shoulders. "You are unhappy. You are unhappy for such a long time and the fact that you're longing for her so badly, makes clear that she has shown you another side of life."

Thorin sighed deeply and stood up. "Let's first kick some orcs before we're going to make other plans."

He said goodbye to Dís and went looking for his commander-in-chief. "What's your estimation?"

"Two more days, majesty."

Thorin nodded and worked out other matters. The rooms for the children and women were ready in case the orcs would invade. A part of his own soldiers would stay behind to protect them. 

He walked to the spot that gave him the best overview, where he met Dain. His face was optimistic and Thorin knew what he was thinking. The orcs had attacked the clans for such a long time that every dwarf heart was burning with fire, longing to stop their dismal raids for good. 

They all believed Alyssae was nothing but a cover, a low attempt to draw Thorin out and they hadn't succeed. For centuries they were trying to take in dwarf cities and they wanted to attack Erebor before the city was as prosperous as it once had been, but Thorin knew they would fail. They couldn't defeat the unified armies of Erebor, the Iron Hills and the many dwarfs that had lived in the Blue Mountains many years ago.  

Thorin looked over his shoulder when he heard footsteps and he raised his eyebrows in surprise when Vaughn watched him with a solemn face.

"If my scouts do not mistake, they have a hostage."

"A hostage?" Dain repeated in surprise, who knew just like anyone else that  was very unusual.

"An elf."