***This chapter contains a scene of sexual nature, though it is not narrated in detail, but summarized. For those who are wary of such writing, just skip the section, bordered by "|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|" above and below it. Please don't skip the entire chapter, for you will regret it later. Thank you!***
Chapter 45:
The clock runs out
Thorin leads us through the winding tunnels of Erebor, taking lefts and rights at intersections and passages. I cannot help but gape at his knowledge of this kingdom, but then I remember that he grew up here. On the other hand, when I become queen, I can only hope to figure out the maps of the Mountain, and not get lost on a daily basis. As for now, however, I am stuck with alternating tour guides, leading me to and from rooms inside the Lonely Mountain.
After some time, and a number of confusing turns, I find myself waiting by Thorin's side at a bedroom door. Removing my hand from his, I push open the door of large height with the intention of flopping down on the bed and passing out. However, before I can make a further move into the room, I notice the absence of my stuff and the changed appearance of the furniture. This is surely not the room I chose earlier, for the ceilings reach higher than before, walls a rich sapphire blue, and bed canopied with sheer draperies. Overall, the room is at least twice as big as mine, and more ornately decorated with jewels and gold. Turning back to Thorin in confusion, I find him staring at me, as if waiting for my response.
"This is not my room..." I drawl, pushing the dwarf king aside and stepping back out into the hallway. Not a few footsteps away, I realize I have no idea how to find my bedroom, once again, and return my gaze to Thorin. A look of desperation crosses my face, as I desire to sleep, but the dwarf king holds an expression of hidden humour. It is obvious that he will not help me get back to my own room, so I must find it myself.
Grunting as I turn back around, my feet return the way I came, only making a few strides before a hand on my hip stops me. Thorin turns me back around, looking deep into my eyes as I gape upon him with open mouth.
"It is my room. You can get your things in the morning, but for now, we must rest," Thorin explains, pulling my slightly reluctant body back into his bedroom before shutting the door. Looking about again, I criticize myself for not realizing Thorin's obvious ownership of such a room, for only he would have everything coated in blue paint. I chuckle a bit, instead, moving to the closet to find some night clothes of my own.
Though the clothes are similar to Thorin's current apparel, I find a sapphire tunic of my size hanging in the rear of the closet, coated in dust. Pulling it out and whipping it about, dust attacks my nose and I can't help but fall into a coughing and sneezing attack. Thorin, from the other side of the room, laughs at the scene as he shakes his head at my natural reactions. I send him a glare, moving back around the bed and into the adjoined bathroom.
I am not surprised to see the bathroom coated in the similar state of blue, and do not hinder myself from rolling my eyes at Thorin's predictability. Throwing the tunic onto a counter, I switch on the running water of the bathtub with the intention to fully bathe after yesterday's short bath. It has been nearly a week since our visit to Laketown, so I am in desperate need of a cleaning.
The bath full and old soaps gathered, I relinquish myself to the bath, falling into its frothy layers of soap and warmth as the cold air stirs about me. This tub, not being human-sized, is almost half as small as the one in the Master's Mansion, so my head and feet rest on opposite sides of tub.
Preparing to fall into a state of relaxation, my eyes make to fall closed as Thorin enters the bathroom and jumps into the tub with me after taking off his clothes. I turn away in embarrassment, cheeks tinted red, as I feel him relax into the tub, his thighs brushing my own. There is no hope of avoiding contact this time, as the tub is made for just one dwarf, nonetheless two. I growl at Thorin's tendency to join my baths, as it is the second time this week.
"Must we do this again?" I ask him, sitting up and scooching away. Though I am much more comfortable than the previous time in Laketown, finding myself in a bath with the dwarf king is still uncomfortable, especially in a small tub.
"We both need to bathe," Thorin responds matter-of-factly, though a smirk hides under his beard. I growl at his figure, grabbing the soap with the intention of leaving the tub as soon as possible. Soap coats my arms and my neck as I reach out for the shampoo, grateful, once again, for the bubbles that hide my body.
"Let me," Thorin says, snatching the soap from my fingers and gathering it within his own hand. His calloused hands grab my bare hips under the water, turning me around and closer to him. Though he is unable to see, as he passes shampoo through my long locks, I have turned tomato red at the contact.
Once he finishes with my own hair and I wash it out, I lather Thorin's hair and beard as well, just as we've done before. After conditioning, we both rinse our hair out under the water, Thorin returning to the surface, majestic as ever, while I just sputter with hair coating my face. He laughs at me, chest visibly rising and falling, as I send him a glare and dunk back under to push the hair off my face.
Returning to the surface, Thorin pulls me back to him, closer than ever before reaching towards the body soap that sits on the ground by the tub. The whole while, Thorin looks me in the eyes, asking if I am okay with such contact. Though my brain yells at me to turn about and wash myself, my heart yearns for Thorin's touch and reminds me that I may lost him tomorrow. With that in mind (though really in heart), I nod at his questioning gaze as he hands me the soap.
|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|
Hands soapy, I brush my fingers over his chiseled chest as Thorin washes my shoulders and back, pulling me closer all the while. I trace the outlines of his muscles, from biceps to his abs, as I clean him for the coming battle. He does the same, moving down my body with hands more careful than ever before, eyes locked in a passionate battle. We stare at each other, sapphires meeting rain clouds, as the blue room closes in on us so that only we exist, with no orcs or battle looming over our heads. It is just us, in this moment, the cold air lingering in the room as we sit within a warm bath, unlike the outside world.
Eventually, we both finish cleaning, and I move away to dunk myself under one last time. Thorin does the same, pulling me back towards him as I come to the surface. Our chests touch, one to another, as his hand lays firmly on my lower back and my palms face his chest. Eyes meeting once again, I see lust painting the rims of his sapphire eyes, though I expect mine hold the same.
A stare down of minutes falls off as the water cools about us, sending me into shivers and away from Thorin's arms. Throwing him a gesture to turn around, like he did in Laketown, I hurtle myself out of the tub and run towards a blue towel. Firmly wrapped around me, hands clasped to keep it up, I gaze back upon Thorin who stands on the other side of the room with towel hanging low on his hips. His predatory gaze meets mine, once again, as he rushes towards me and across the cold marble tile.
Our lips meet in a rough and passionate kiss, quickly heightening as his tongue attacks mine seconds later. We battle it out, stumbling out of the bathroom and farther into the bedroom of blue furnishings. The part of my mind not wrapped up in the kiss questions whether Kili will interrupt for the millionth time on this journey, yet my instincts tell me that Thorin and I are finally alone.
I jump, the bed meeting my lower back, as Thorin pushes me across the room, lips still locked. Our tongues battle, his winning in the end, as his hands firmly grip my curvy waistline and my fingers lay tangled in his hair. Before I can make a move for myself, Thorin pushes me roughly onto the bed, leaning over me and kissing my neck. I play with his hair as he tucks kisses along my pulseline and ears, before falling to my collarbones and shoulders. As he makes to the lip of my towel, still secure around my chest, he sends me a questioning look full of love and lust. Knowing there is no turning back after this, and that Thorin may die tomorrow, I send him a smile and a nod.
He attacks my lip with his own, once again, as his hand gently removes my towel and my fingers remove his own. I will spare you the details of tonight, but I will tell you this: love surrounds us within its warm arms, and Kili makes no interruptions. It is gentle and love driven, with no rush bound in tomorrow. And when we finally fall asleep, wrapped in the bare arms of one another, the cold air holds no power over us, for the warmth of love seeps from our every pore.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Waking up the next morning, room illuminated by an unknown source, my eyes flutter open to gaze upon the calmed chest of Thorin Oakenshield. Shying away from the sight, with full remembrance of the previous night, my eyes meet the dwarf king's in love. I smile at him, shuffling closer to his warm body as the cold air pushes under the covers and through the bed's draped canopy. The look on my face melts with the gentle pressing of his lips to mine, his bearded smile mirroring my own as we kiss for the first time this morning. Pulling away from the gentle gesture of love, I look back upon the dwarf king who looks rested for the first time in weeks. I can only expect that I look the same, dark circles absent from under my eyes, due to our conjoined presence, nonetheless an actual bed.
"We need to get up," I say to him, my voice soft in the morning words. The smile that previously held his face falls at the reminder of today's events, for I doubt that he wants to get up from the bed and this warm embrace.
"No," he simply refuses, causing me to gape. His voice is husky in the cold air of this day, matching my own.
"Yes," I respond with emphasis. Thorin cringes away at my tone, giving me an opportunity to roll out of his arms, onto the edge of the bed. As I sit up, facing away from the watching dwarf king, I shiver in the cold morning:
"Close your eyes," I command him. He rolls his eyes, scoffing a bit at the demand.
"It's not like I haven't seen you before," Thorin reminds me, causing me to blush scarlet as I glare at his cheeky smile. He laughs at me, shuffling closer to where I sit.
"You were in a lust-induced trance, so you really didn't see me," I remind him, to which he scoffs again, reaching out to pet the soft skin of my back as he sits up. Thorin presses his chest against my back as his hands brush over the creamy pale skin of my shoulders. I shutter at the contact, pushing him away as I hop off the bed and gather Thorin's old tunic. I look around with the intention of finding my pants when my eyes latch upon Thorin, who walks towards me, bare of all clothes. I look away quickly, face pink in embarrassment, as he chuckles and pulls me into his warm chest.
"I may have been in a trance, but let me tell you, you are the most beautiful creature the Valar ever crafted. Do not be ashamed of your body, for you are absolute perfection," Thorin whispers in my ear, rubbing circles into each of my hip bones. I cannot help but let a sigh pass over my lips as he moves closer. Just as I did the previous night, my hands brush over his chest muscles like little butterflies, my lips kissing his jaw. Before I can make another move, Thorin firmly grabs my hips and throws me back onto the bed. He quickly crawls to my side, leaning over to kiss my neck and jawline as I play with his hair. Giggles escape my lips as his beard tickles my soft skin, causing him to break from my neck and grin softly at me. I smile back before roughly grabbing his beard and kissing him hard on the mouth.
His tongue passes mine just as a knock sounds on the door, causing Thorin to groan past my lips. I send him a cheeky, and slightly apologetic smile, before rolling out from under him and hopping off the large bed. Grabbing Thorin's blue shirt from the previous day, I throw it over my head as I reach for the doorknob. Part of me expects for Kili to be waiting on the other side, ready for a sarcastic remark, so I am surprised when I see Sidel standing there in her warrior clothes. She wears a blue tunic and red leather pants with weapons attached. No armor peaks out from under her clothes, for Phoenix tend to avoid such hindrances.
|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|
"Time to get up, lovebirds! We must meet in ten minutes," my sister yells into the room, obviously addressing both Thorin and myself.
"Thorin won't get up," I remark, laying the whole blame on the dwarf king for being late. Sidel laughs at me, a knowing smirk on her pretty face.
"I wonder why that is," she says, sending me a wink as Thorin walks to my side. Looking over, I notice that he is only wearing a tunic that reaches to his knees, not normal for dwarves to wear. If my sister didn't already know what Thorin and I did last night, she knows now, as she walks away smirking. I growl towards Thorin, walking out of the room and down the hall before any more words and kisses can be induced.
It isn't till the second hallway that I realize I have no idea where I am going. Deciding not to return to Thorin for help, knowing it will lead to other things, I venture onward with the intent of finding a guide. Luckily, Bilbo rests within the next intersection, his eyes moving up to meet my own. He blushes pink when he sees me, realizing I am only wearing Thorin's tunic and assuming the rest. I shush him immediately before he leads me to my room. Leaving him with a small smile, I quickly change into new clothing and my weapons. Like my sister, I wear a sapphire tunic and brown leather leggings with black boots. A bow-and-arrow is stretched across my back while two swords rest on my hips. Giving myself a nod in the mirror after tying up my long hair, I rush from the room in a frenzy.
It seems as though luck is with me on this perilous day as I find my own way to the entrance hall where everyone awaits my presence. Moving past the company at the front, I join Thorin's side who kisses my cheek with his warm, red lips.
"I am very sore...remind me to never do that again the night before a battle," I whisper into Thorin's ear so the company cannot hear. A look of worry crosses the dwarf king's face at the mention of my pain, but a smile on my part wipes it off.
"You expect to battle again," Thorin remarks, though it sounds like a question. Looking over to him, I notice his armor of shining silver and gold, fit for a king. Orcrist rests upon his hip, given back to him by Legolas at the council, as daggers peak from other places on his body. He looks like a king, standing in our entrance hall with armor plating all around.
"Expect and hope are two different things. I hope to never enter battle again, but as a realist, I recognize that good cannot exist without bad, since we are not divine. We are mere slugs in the picture of eternity," I respond to him, looking away to survey the gathered forces from my raised position on the stairs.
Suddenly, and with the force of the heavens, the sun breaks upon the horizon, to our east, basking all men, elves, and dwarves within the light of day. Pinks and oranges reach upon the sky, blue seeping in at the corners. For a battle day, hope runs high at the beautiful sunrise, everyone gazing around to watch the sun with admiration.
"So, cousins?" Kili asks from a few steps down, surprising me as I did not see his ascension. I growl at him for breaking off my peaceful mindset as I stare upon the horizon.
"Maybe, Kili," I respond with a frown. He gapes at me, as he finally gets the answer he wanted so badly, it would seem. Thorin looks at me in shock, so I just shrug and turn back to the gathered colors on the east. Silence overtakes the gathered soldiers as we all look at it in awe. My thoughts become words, subconsciously, as I am drawn into the paint of the morning and away from the horrid day of battle:
"Sometimes I dream about dancing on the clouds, born to the horizon. Criss-crossing the world from one corner to the next. Witnessing the sun rise on innocents, watching it bask their naked faces, giving them a hope that only children know.
These clouds on the horizon are the hopes of infants. Puffed to individual extremes and waiting to burst forth on a new day. They aren't the raging gray clouds that shake animals across the lands. No, they are stark white clouds that shine ethereally in the early morning sun.
I dance on these clouds because of the eternity of naivete; its bounds are endless, deviating only at the limits of imagination. I dance on these clouds because I yearn for that innocent peace of children's bravery. I wish for and miss my childhood, my innocence.
But I know all that cloud hopping is but a dream of my subconscious in the early hours of the morning. Now, I may not be able to reach the divine playground. But, I will live for kindness, in love for even the greatest villains. Only in the hope that, one day, I will return anew to my home. I hope that one day, I can dance upon those clouds, once again, by the innocence of mind that I left on the doorstep of adolescence.
Because even when we have nothing left to the world, to our neighbors, and to ourselves, there is always hope."
The thoughts of my mind flow out of my mouth to the silent masses of soldiers and families. And it isn't till I look up that I notice their shifted stares, from sunrise to my figure. Realizing I said all of that out loud, I look over to Thorin who gapes at me with additional respect and love. I smile, turning back to the group as I feel renewed in the stares of Thorin Oakenshield.
"To those who do not know, I am Queen Erudian Houdart of the Phoenix and I have been granted command over all of you today, given my plan for battle," I begin before informing them all of their stations and commands, emphasizing the need to stay hidden until the second army arrives. When I finish, the anxiety of the previous night's council mirrors itself upon the faces of the soldiers. But before I can give them one of my famous pep talks, Thorin breaks in over me, pulling my hand into his own grasp.
"Today will go down in history as the Battle of the Five Armies, in which men, dwarves, and elves united to fight a common enemy of known evil. We will be remembered for our bravery, our heart, as we march upon that field with nothing but life to protect. This battle isn't about saving myself and my own kin; this battle marks the return of evil over these lands, and our choice to stop it. The past will live in the past from this day on. Nevermore will I hold a grudge on my elvish neighbors, nor turn away from the hands of humans. Nevermore will we live separate lives, bound within our own borders. But we will live in harmony, from this day forth, as family. And after this evil is vanquished, for just a moment in time, we will not fall away from each other, but embrace each other with a renewed love, like kin. This is not a battle of good and evil, but a battle that questions the love and hope for family. Azog wishes to destroy us, to slaughter us, with the intention of hurting those we love, our families. So the only way to defeat him, to live another day upon Middle Earth, is to work as a family, love as a family, hope as a family," Thorin yells to the group from my side. I smile at him towards the end, watching the crowds as their hearts fill with adoration and smiles paint their faces. Before the dwarf king can say anything else, I break in as he did before:
"Never did I expect to find myself here. Never did I expect to find myself preparing for war, surrounded by the races of Middle Earth. Never did I expect to meet a human man of golden heart there in Laketown. Never did I expect to take joy in the companionship of an elven king. Never did I expect to hug a skinchanger for protecting my family when I could not. Never did I expect to see my family again. Never did I expect to meet my best friend, within the small form of a hobbit. Never did I expect to fall in love with a dwarf king. Never did I expect for a wizard to invite me on a quest. Never did I expect to make a family, to meet my family. Never did I expect to be tasked with Saving Durin.
Life flows in amazing ways, both forward and backward, as the Valar so decides. One year ago, I sat alone in the cesspits of Mordor, with nothing but wings to use and fire to destroy. And now I sit here, in the hollows of the Lonely Mountain, with my whole world and a mass of people to love. Today, we fight for family, for what we found in the last few months, for all those innocents of Middle Earth, for hope. And now, it is time to go, to fight for family. So I leave you with a few words: fight with your love, for the orcs have none and will shrivel under its power."
The soldiers, families, and company rise in a uniform shout to arms. Smiles paint the faces of the masses, despite the coming minutes, as it settles down and commanders begin leading their forces away. Looking down, I notice the cessation of my watch's ticking upon my wrist, its hands, once again, falling upon the noon hour. But unlike last time, I smile down at the watch, unlatching it and throwing it away, as I have hope in my family and these armies. I have faith that I can save Durin.
I give hugs to my dwarven companions, who will stand beside me in battle for the first time, before moving to Bilbo. He smiles at my approaching figure, tucking the ring back into his pocket as if I don't notice.
"Be safe, Bilbo Baggins, for I doubt I can live without your presence at my side," I address him, pulling him into a hug. "Use the ring if needed, but no other time after today. Though it seems to be salvation right now, it will bring destruction to all."
Bilbo cringes away at the warning, but hugs me tighter about the middle as the others prepare for the coming war. Pulling away softly, I nod at Bilbo one last time before moving towards my siblings. They look my way, sensing my presence, before embracing me in a hug.
"Be safe for us, Erudian, for only you can save Durin," Sidel whispers in my ear as I pull away. I nod at my younger sister, instincts itching within me at her lingering gaze.
"You as well, my dear sister and brother. As I told Bilbo, I cannot deal with losing you a second time in this life," I mutter to them as Typhon pulls me closer to his warm chest. I smile at them, feeling the love within the embrace.
"We will always be here for you, so do not worry. Keep focused on your task, and know that we will help you in whatever way we can," Typhon whispers into my ear. Nodding at them, feeling at ease once again, I go to turn away when one more thought crosses my mind.
"Above all else, listen to the Valar's warning back at Bard's home and do not return to your human state," I warn them, shuffling my feet in worry. They embrace me again, nodding at the direction like the good students they are. We all chuckle as we pull apart, sending smiles before turning away.
Sidel will be staying to Fili's side at the battle, marching in from the South with the elf and dwarf army, led by Dain. Typhon, on the other hand, will stay with Kili and Tauriel at the archer positions in the western foothills. As only natural, Thorin and I will fight together at the mouth of Erebor. Gandalf and Bilbo will wander as per necessary, Thranduil will fight with his warriors in the east, Bard is stationed in the eastern foothill archer unit, and Beorn will come when the time is needed.
Thinking all this over, I return to Thorin's side at the front rows of armed dwarves. He grabs my hand pulling me to face him as we await the orc armies.
"Be safe, Erudian. You should know by now that I cannot bear losing you, so please, take care of yourself above all else," Thorin tells me, pulling me into his chest and into a hug. This conversation reminds me of the one at Rivendell where we confessed our feelings for one another. I smile at the memory, forgetting our current situation.
"Like I said, back at Rivendell, do not try to protect me, but watch out for yourself. I cannot, and will not, bear the loss of your life. You know that if you die, I die as well, so please, be safe and live on," I plead with him. He nods at me, knowing I am always right, before pulling my chin towards him and kissing me full on the lips. It's a beautiful kiss, mixed with the passion and love that only Thorin can express. We smile into the embrace, pulling away at the rumbling beneath our feet.
And just like that, the Battle of the Five Armies begins, Thorin's hand locked in mine and my family all around. The time has come to change fate. The time has come to save Durin.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hey guys! So we are finally at the Battle of the Five Armies! The whole battle scene is split into two chapters of significant length, the most important one being Chapter 47, so stay tuned.
Before any of you ask: no, Rue is not pregnant. I think that whole occurrence is stereotypical, and very unrealistic, so I did not write that into my story.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I should be updating on Sunday, and from then on, I will be returning to my daily updates. This week has been hectic and I appreciate your patience with the every-other-day posting.
Please vote and comment!
xo
Patagonian