CONTAINS MATURE CONTENT
I awoke to the sound of people talking, muffled as if they were whispering. I was lying on my side and as I rolled onto my back, flinging my arm out to Thorin's side of the bed, I discovered it was empty. The pillow felt cool against the back of my hand.
I frowned as I sat up, my head throbbing as I moved. I stifled a groan as the room spun around me. I was naked beneath the covers, my clothes folded neatly on the armchair by the fire that had long gone out, only embers left still glowing. In the receiving room beyond the bedchamber I could hear two people talking in low tones, and moving about the room.
Gathering the sheets about me, I got out of bed and walked towards the thick curtains that separated both rooms. Thorin had undone the ties to give me some privacy and as I brought my hand up to take a peek, someone spoke.
"It's the same dwarf, Dwalin," Thorin said gruffly, and I took a step back, hoping he hadn't heard my movements beyond the curtain. "Last night, she finally remembered how she'd been taken from Erebor, and it was the very same dwarf, just as we thought. She even called him by name for he'd found her in Greenbanü and struck an arrangement with Lialam."
"The same one we imprisoned in the dungeons years later?" Dwalin asked.
"The very same," Thorin replied grimly. "How he escaped the dungeons when Smaug came is something I cannot fathom. But he did escape, and now he's after her, though I do not know why."
"He could be after you," Dwalin said. "You were the one who sent him to the dungeons after all."
"After he killed the second girl years later, thinking we did not remember how he scarred and killed the first one - yes, I did," Thorin replied angrily. "And I don't regret it. I would have sentenced him to die if I could, but her father, Lord Migan, begged me for leniency. He said Rodrick offered to tell him where she really was in exchange for his life."
"I remember that. He sent us to Greenbanu," Dwalin said. "Yet we did not find her."
"Lialam sent them away for two months, waiting till the last of the dwarves we sent south finally returned to Erebor empty-handed," Thorin said. "Can you blame me for wanting to toss the dungeon key into the darkest pits of Erebor and let that scum rot where he was?"
"Yet now, he is here amongst us, Thorin," Dwalin said. "He escaped the dungeons of Erebor and now seeks vengeance on you and Lady Frigga."
I heard Thorin pacing the floor. "It had been so long, Dwalin," Thorin said and I could tell the frustration in his voice. "I'd forgotten what he looked like, but to have him right in front of her that night while I was with the king. He could have killed her."
"He could have, yes," Dwalin agreed. "He poisoned her food, Thorin. Master Renner found the dead cats outside the window the next morning."
"Don't you think I know it, too, Dwalin?" Thorin said irritably. "I was there with you when Master Renner told us."
I suddenly felt cold and I walked backwards till my legs met the side of the bed. So that was what Master Renner had talked about with Thorin yesterday when they returned from the forge, I thought as I returned to my side of the bed, my body trembling.
"We have over fifty dwarves traveling with us this morning, Thorin, although it seems that more will be joining us. Their loyalty to the king still runs deep no matter how they may secretly fear the perils that come with being exiled," Dwalin said. "I will make sure that he is not among them. But I cannot guarantee I will find him, for at the same time, we cannot let it be known that we know who he is."
"I will kill him if he dares come near her again," Thorin growled as the door opened and slammed shut. Minutes later, Thorin pushed the curtains aside and looked in. His eyes widened as he saw me sitting up, the covers over my chest. As his expression softened, I pretended that I didn't hear what had just been discussed, rubbing my eyes sleepily and yawning.
"How are you feeling this morning?" He asked as he walked towards the bed, pushing a stray lock of hair from my face. If he had been agitated minutes earlier, there was no sign of it now.
"I think I'm hungover," I said as Thorin sat on the bed next to me. "I must have drank too much ale last night. I vaguely remember Arna handing me a third one before I danced with little Kili."
Thorin smiled. "Yes, you were quite drunk. And you were quite, shall we say, articulate....for a time."
I bit my lip, trying to remember what I had said last night. But everything about last night after dancing with the little Kili were vague. "Did I say things I shouldn't have said?"
Thorin shook his head. "You said the things that should have been said a long time ago, Frigga," he said. "The ale unleashed your memories."
I began to giggle, wondering what else the ale had unleashed. "Just memories?"
Thorin chuckled. "I'm afraid so. You passed out just when I was about to do more than just kiss you."
I stared at him. Surely he was joking, I thought. "No, that can't be!"
"Yes," Thorin teased, smiling as he lowered his eyes almost shyly. "We were quite a chaste couple last night, I'm afraid."
I buried my face in my hands, embarrassed. The last thing I remembered was Thorin nuzzling his face in the crook of my neck, telling me something about succumbing to...something or someone. "Oh, Mahal, I'm so sorry, Thorin."
He smiled. "What for? We both needed the rest. Besides, we've got a long journey ahead of us and we need to get ready."
I pulled him close to me, resting my forehead against his chin for a moment, before deciding to become bold. It was our last morning together in the privacy of a room, where a soft bed awaited us. From here on, it would be hard ground and sleeping out in the open. Would I ever get to do the things I'd done to him the other night and hear him cry out my name when there would be no walls to keep us alone from everyone else?
"I'm feeling quite rested now though," I whispered as I slipped my hand down his torso and between his legs, rubbing him there as he stiffened, grabbing my hand as to stop me from continuing. But his body told him otherwise for I felt him harden.
"Do you think we...have some time?" I asked as I leaned forward and kissed him, coaxing his mouth open as I captured his lower lip between mine and sucked on it.
Thorin exhaled as he kissed me back, his arms enclosing me in an embrace. He pushed me down upon the bed, one hand behind my neck and the other moving down to cup my breast, kneading it as his mouth crushed mine greedily. My hand still pressed against him, stroking him. Thorin groaned.
The room spun again and my head felt like lead but I didn't care. I loved the weight of his body over mine as he nudged my knees apart. The fingers of my other hand twined in his hair, drawing him closer. The only sounds in the room were those of our breathing, hard and labored as we drank each other hungrily.
"We won't have much time," Thorin groaned as his hand moved lower to cup the mound of my sex, his fingers slipping between the silken folds to find me so wet for him. He shut his eyes as he lowered his head to kiss an aching nipple tenderly, unsure of whether to continue. Outside the window, we could hear the dwarves getting the wagons and ponies ready.
"I don't care," I whispered as I pushed my hips upwards against his hand, feeling him slip one finger into the moist heat that awaited him. Thorin muttered under his breath, his deep blue eyes meeting mine as he undid the ties of his trousers quickly, my hands now helping him undress. We fumbled with laces and clasps and buttons, not caring whether he still had his boots on for there was an urgency now that needed to be quenched.
For a few moments, I waited with bated breath as he coated himself with my wetness. Then he locked his eyes with mine and buried himself inside me in one long stroke. The walls of my sex clenched at the size of him and I gasped as Thorin withdrew completely and sheathed himself again inside me, going deeper this time that I dug my nails into the skin of his arms as I held onto him, my mewls echoing in the room. His mouth found the sensitive skin behind my ear as he leaned towards me, impaling me even deeper as my walls continued to squeeze around him.
Soon I was moaning and writhing beneath him, my hips meeting every one of his thrusts, feeling him fill me with each stroke. When my nails raked against the taut skin of his back, Thorin grabbed my hands and pinned them on either side of my head, interlacing his fingers with mine as he continued to make love to me. His gaze held me prisoner, and I found myself lost in the depths of his deep blue eyes just before he lowered his head again and sucked on the skin of my neck, feeling me buck beneath him as I came, my orgasm rushing in waves that sent me reeling.
His own release came afterwards as the heat of his seed filled my womb and he cried out my name, his face buried in my hair. I felt him shudder for a few moments, groaning as he lay over me, spent. He released his hold of my hands and I held him close, not wanting to let him go too soon. For a few minutes, we simply lay in silence, wrapped in each other's arms as we struggled to catch our breath. How I wish we could stay here forever, I thought, as I looked up at him, pushing the hair that fell over his face and kissing him one more time before the sounds of someone rapping against the door to remind us that we had to leave soon made him roll off me, groaning in frustration.
Thorin exhaled as he brushed the hair from his face. Sweat had gathered upon his brow and I wiped it with my hand. He caught my hand and planted a kiss upon the back of it, pulling me towards him so that I was lying over him.
"You will need to dress like a dwarf man from now on, Frigga," he said as I nodded, looking away from him for I could only imagine being parted from the dresses that I loved to wear around him. "I will not tolerate anyone looking at you the way I do - dwarf, man, or anyone else."
"Neither will I tolerate any woman looking at you the way I do," I countered, not wanting our last time alone together to end on such a serious note.
Thorin arched an eyebrow, surprised. "Really? And what are you going to do with them if they do?"
"I will beat them to a pulp and remind them that you are mine."
Thorin laughed, pulling me close to him as he planted kisses in my hair and my cheeks before kissing me squarely on my mouth one more time. "Then let's hope that none of the dwarf-women look at me the way you do. But mind the way you look at me on this journey, Frigga. I am not made of stone."
"Then I will make it my mission to tempt you every chance I get," I teased though this time Thorin did not smile back. Instead he frowned.
I pouted. "Or maybe not."
~~~
Jürgen was waiting for me by the food wagon. He suddenly seemed ten years older, the lines that framed his forehead appearing more pronounced as he watched me run towards him. I had feared that I would miss him, and now that I was secure in his embrace, I buried my nose in his chest, fighting back the tears.
I could not allow myself to be seen crying, I thought. Not now when everyone was around us, watching the strange reunion between man and dwarf. Thorin stood behind me, and as Jürgen let me go, they clasped hands as friends. Already the group had began to stream out of the gates of Fennhill, a procession of dwarves clad mostly in earthen shades of browns and greens, and just as Thorin had asked me to wear clothes meant for a dwarf-man, one could not tell where the dwarf-women were. They simply blended along with all the men,their hoods hiding their braided hair.
My hood was still off my head, and my blonde hair shone in the sunlight, the braids catching the light as I gazed at Jürgen one last time. He looked regal as the head of the guards, towering over all of us as we stood around him.
"Take care of her," he said to Thorin who nodded his head without saying a word. "I've watched her grow up to be as beautiful as she is now, even though she never thought she was a beauty."
I blushed. "Thank you for the dagger and the sword, Jürgen," I said as I turned to look at Thorin questioningly. When I had finished dressing, most of my things were gone from the main room, including the sword. I only hoped that Thorin had stored it in one of the wagons that accompanied us.
"It is safe," Thorin said as he turned to look at Jürgen. "What you made for her is as good as any dwarven sword, Master Jürgen. It is perfect for her size, for even dwarven swords can be quite large for our women to hold."
Jürgen smiled as he bowed. "Then I am pleased that my handiwork has impressed even you, Prince Thorin. You have much to teach me."
Thorin smiled. "Maybe one day our paths will cross again, and then we can teach each other a few things," he said, turning his attention to the dwarves already walking away. Arna had loaded the nephews and four of the other children into one of the wagons and had taken over the reins, leading it away. Thorin turned towards me, as if to tell me that it was time to go. Then he turned away and gave Jürgen and I some privacy.
"If I could convince you to return with me to Greenbanü, Frigga, I would do that right now," Jürgen said. "But it wouldn't be the best thing for you, for this is your destiny - to be back among your own kind."
"Thorin will take care of me, Jürgen."
Jürgen sighed. "I know he will, child. I knew he recognized you the first time he saw you that day, and I know now that it was meant to be. He could have worked at some other forge, but he didn't. Instead he made his way to our little alley, as if the gods led him straight to you."
He pulled out a thick collection of papers all tucked in a small leather binder and handed it to me. "This is from Inge. It's her collection of herbal studies that she would like you to have. She said that you can benefit from all of this, and then then this -"
He pulled out a leather pouch, its contents tinkling inside. Little jars, I thought, remembering the jars that lined her shelf where she stored all her liniments and ointments.
"These are the ointments and potions," I said. "She used to teach me what herb to use for whatever ailment."
"She wants you to have them," Jürgen said. "She hopes there is room for them on your journey."
"There is," Thorin said, returning towards us as he took the pouch from Jürgen. "Thank you."
Just then, there were shouts at the gate. We turned our attention to Arna's wagon, which had now stopped right outside the gate and we saw Dwalin and Balin carrying the children out onto the ground. Something was wrong, I thought as I counted the children. There were five out of the six that were supposed to be in the wagon.
Someone was missing, I thought, as I watched Dwalin stick his head inside the wagon and emerge, shaking his head. "He is not here," I heard him say as Thorin and I began to run towards them, Jürgen following right behind us.
"Kili is missing," Dwalin said as we arrived. We turned our attention to Fili, who stood next to Arna, clinging onto her trousers.
"Where did you last see him?" Thorin demanded.
"I put him inside the wagon myself," Arna replied, her face pale. "Right before I put Fili inside."
Thorin knelt on one knee and faced his nephew. He lowered his voice as he spoke, for Fili was trembling and chewing on his fingernails. "Where did your brother go?"
For a few moments, Fili did not answer. He simply buried his face behind Arna's trousers but Thorin waited till the boy lost his fear and finally answered.
"I don't know," Fili said. "He was right next to me but he must have left the wagon. He said he couldn't find the stick horse."
"What stick horse?" Thorin asked.
"Someone offered to give us both stick horses, but I said no because we had no money," Fili said. "But the dwarf said it was okay. He said it was a gift. But I still said no, and we left."
"When was this?" Thorin asked.
"This morning, as we were leaving the inn," Fili said, hiding his face behind Arna's trousers again. Without looking, he pointed at the street that led back up to the inn. "There," he said.
"He must have gotten off the wagon when we were busy sorting out all the other travelers," Balin said.
"Then let's go and find him," Thorin said, getting up from his haunches as he began ordering Dwalin and Jürgen to come with him. I followed close behind them but Thorin stopped and grabbed my hand, steering me back. "You stay with Arna," he said.
"But I can help," I said. "Fennhill is a big town, Thorin. Surely I can be some help."
Thorin shook his head. "Arna and the children need you," he said, exhaling exasperatedly as he glared at me. "For the love of Mahal, Frigga, please do as I say."
I watched Thorin leave, headed towards the direction of the inn where we all had stayed which was at the top of the hill.
I sighed, joining Arna and Balin who were standing next to the children, comforting them as some of them began to cry. I helped lift them all back up into the wagon to keep them away from the sun that now began to beat upon us. Balin then left us, making his way towards the same direction where Thorin disappeared to.
Lady Mani had already gone ahead with Frerin, for they were both traveling close to the King and Prince Thrain. Thorin had chosen to travel at the end of the caravan, knowing that Jürgen's appearance would have kept us late from joining everyone at the head of the group anyway. I leaned against the back of the wagon, sighing as I watched Arna settle herself between the children.
As she began telling them stories, I looked up towards the path where Thorin and the rest of them had gone. Though I had not had enough time to venture beyond the inn to explore the town, I knew that the particular street that Fili pointed out led straight to the top of the hill where Master Renner's inn was. It was where we all had come down from, I thought. The other street led to the rest of the town, past the little shops and the forge, as well as the marketplace.
I turned to look at Fili again, his large eyes anxiously watching beyond the flaps of the wagon. "Where did Kili go?" I asked him, pretending I was trying to make conversation. He had been visibly afraid to speak earlier and with the calmer environment now, I wondered if he'd be willing to tell me more than he had been willing ot disclose earlier. "Can you point it out to me?"
Fili scrambled over the other children and leaned against the back of the wagon, his eyes bright as saucers. He pointed his finger towards the street behind me.
"That leads to the town, Fili," I said, frowning. "I thought you said the stall was along down from the inn."
He shook his head. "I remember where I saw him run to now," he said, his finger jabbing towards the direction that led away from where Thorin and the rest of the dwarves had disappeared to. "Fili went that way, towards the town, not back to the inn."