A Willing Heart

Eight

When Dwalin returned two hours later, my heart sank to see that Clara was no longer with him. On Thorin's orders, Dwalin had taken Clara to the dwarf encampment, fearing that she'd be discovered if left with me, for it was difficult to conceal a horse more than having to hide oneself. I knew that had Clara been by the tree where I had left her that morning, Bernd would have discovered her immediately.  

I wanted to get angry at Dwalin but I was more furious with Thorin, whom I now refused to speak to, even as he pretended to scout the area as I trudged along noisily through the brush. The last time I looked, Thorin was on the opposite side of the waterfall when Dwalin arrived. 

"How far is the camp from here?" I asked. 

"Not far," Dwalin replied. "Two hours on foot at the most, heading straight east, then make a sharp detour south of an abandoned tower before heading east again." 

I nodded. I knew the tower that Dwalin meant. It had been an old watchtower long ago that had fallen in disrepair when a storm leveled the identical tower next to it. The main road wasn't too far from the lone tower, I thought, which meant that the dwarf camp was, as Dwalin stated, not far. 

After leaving Thorin at the cave, I had gone to the larger cave where I had spent the night. I wanted to retrieve my sword and not be too dependent on Thorin should danger arise. My face was still burning from the humiliation that followed his kiss and I could not understand why he had done it. But I knew that as much as I could replay that moment again and again inside my head, it would not change anything. 

I had concealed most of my belongings in a hole Jürgen had dug in the ground, safe from view should Bernd and his men have found the cave earlier. Nothing seemed disturbed as I went through the space, though I wondered if it was still safe to stay there for a second night. Maybe Thorin was right, I thought. Maybe I did need to stay in the dwarf encampment from here on. 

Dwalin led me back to the cave where I had just retrieved my sword, making sure that it was as concealed as it could be, with no traces of horse tracks anywhere. He carried a sack containing some food with him and he set it on the ground along with the rest of the supplies he had retrieved from Clara's saddle bags. He had also brought another blanket, which he had rolled and placed over everything else. All of these he slipped into the carefully arranged pit in the ground, and covered it with carefully arranged branches and leaves. 

"Thorin tells me that you prefer to sleep here rather than at the camp," Dwalin said. "It is no longer safe to stay here." 

I shook my head. "I will be safe here, Dwalin. It is well hidden and no one will find me."

Dwalin's face clouded, as if he wanted to say more, but he didn't.

"Is my mother well?" I asked and Dwalin looked away, avoiding my eyes. "Please answer me honestly, Dwalin."

Dwalin paused, his eyes glancing momentarily towards something behind me and I knew then that Thorin was standing by the cave entrance.

"I will let Thorin tell you how your mother fares," Dwalin said as he left the cavern, but not before stopping to whisper something to Thorin. I watched Thorin's face grow dark, before Dwalin finally left and he turned to look at me.

"Come, Frigga," Thorin said. "I will take you to see your mother."

Just as Dwalin described, the way to the dwarf encampment was eastward. We walked past giant trees that concealed the sky, and streams that cut almost haphazardly through trails, till we reached the two watchtowers, one which was nothing but a pile of stones on the forest floor.

"Who would build watch towers in the middle of nowhere?" Thorin asked as he offered his hand towards me, helping me navigate a high step between two moss and weed-covered rocks that blocked our way. As I took his hand, I found myself having to look at his face, seeing the softness in his eyes once more.