A Place to Belong

Chapter 16: The Defiler

Well he had definitely been listening when she told him he should stay and had clearly chosen to.

Approaching them they quietened, she walked past Bilbo nodding to him and then continued straight up to Thorin. Searching for the words she gazed at him and then opened her mouth to speak.

"I will hear no more lies from you!" He said harshly, she felt like the 10 year old he had met all those years ago, he had scolded her many times in time she spent with him. Maybe she did remind him of the little girl she was once, maybe he felt the connection and he was denying it.

She stared at him blankly, "I never lied Thorin, never... not to you!" She replied, she was surprised at her own calmness.

"So am I to believe that everything that was said back there was a ploy to buy us time?"

"Well yes! It was but it was also true! I..."

"YOU!" he shouted, he stopped and calmed himself, "... you have been lying not only to me but to all of us, about everything, who you are, where you're from! Is there any truth in your words?!"

"Thorin, just listen!" She said, harshly, mirroring his temperament, she felt the others in the company, including Gandalf watch her closely as she contested the dwarven king's rebuttals.

"I have no reason to... Not anymore!" He said turning his back to her.

She sighed about to give up when not very surprisingly Kili stepped forward. "At least give her a chance Uncle!"

"Kili don't!" Fili warned him, but Kili pushed forward and stood by her side.

Thorin eyed him warily; he looked like he would snap at any moment. Braerka felt all the better for it and consciously moved closer to him, slipping her still bandaged hand into his.

"Give her a chance to explain herself, I'm sure she has a reason for what she's done!" he continued pleading to Thorin.

Thorin sighed gruffly before denying her any chance, glared angrily at his nephew for siding with her.

"Move out, all of you now!" he growled to everyone, the company stood gobsmacked and watched as he started onwards. Gandalf wore a grave expression on his face, his grey bushy eyebrows knitted together as he approached Thorin and stooped to his level, whispering something into the dwarf king's ear.

Whatever he whispered changed Thorin's tone, he turned with a faint look of hope in his eyes, it reminded her of when she had first met him, and it was that same hope of saving Erebor then that shone in his eyes now. He shook his head, and look back to the wizard, "It is not possible… she couldn't possibly..."

"Then hear her out! Let her prove it for me!" suggested the wizard. Thorin turned again to face her.

Braerka tried to move closer to Kili, not that it was possible, any more and she would've have been on top of him. She wanted to so desperately to bury herself into him and hold him tightly. The only thing stopping her was the want to appear strong in front of Thorin, and the jabbing uncertainty in the back of her mind of what was to come next.

'What had Gandalf told him?' she wondered.

"Who are you really?" demanded Thorin, "Speak! Now or forever hold your peace!"

She thought for a moment, stepped forward to be closer to him, breaking her hold of Kili and then spoke, "I never lied, and it's not something I do often! I simply gave you the information you asked for, had you asked the right questions..." Thorin scoffed, "... Things would be clearer."

"So then who exactly are you, 'Shepard'? Hmm, what's your story?" He asked again.

She breathed deeply, was this really the right time for confessions, she wouldn't argue with him for the sake of the others.