At the moment, the young woman hated the fact that sound travels well over water. She could hear many of the frightened screams of the people of Laketown as Smaug set the entire town on fire. The company was standing just outside the mountain, looking at the town in grief and fear. "Poor souls." Balin lamented.
As much as she wanted to, Talia couldn't take her gaze away from the burning town. She couldn't stop thinking about those they left behind. Fili and Kili. Bofur and Oin. The Terran could feel tears creeping up on her eyelids as she thought about them. Where were they now? Were they alright? Would they make it out? Or were they already dead?
The young woman did end up shifting her eyes towards something else. More like someone else. Talia looked to see that Thorin wasn't even with the company. He stood a little closer to the mountain. She saw him eyeing the front gate.
Talia really didn't know what to think of this sight. She couldn't see his face, so she couldn't exactly determine what was on his mind at the moment. Was he thinking about his mountain? His nephews? The Arkenstone? Talia hadn't forgotten the way he pointed his sword towards her over the stone. She only hoped that he wouldn't go back into...whatever that was again.
The Terran was about to step towards the leader when she heard an exceptionally loud roar. She turned around to see Smaug struggling to stay in the sky. He looked like he was clawing at the air, as if he were trying to climb up a wall. The next thing Talia knew, the dragon was falling from the sky and crashing into the remains of Laketown.
The young woman looked to see the Dwarves looking towards the town, and getting up from their spots. "What was that? What happened?" Ori asked.
"It fell, I saw." Talia said. She narrowed her eyes. Nothing was flying up from the smoke and flames. Then it dawned on her. "He's dead." Talia turned to face the Dwarves. "Smaug is dead." she repeated.
The Dwarves looked at each other. "By my beard, I think she's right! Look there! The ravens of Erebor are returning to the mountain!" Gloin exclaimed.
"Aye. Word will spread." Balin nodded. "Before long, every soul in Middle Earth will know the dragon is dead!" The company cheered at Balin's statement. Smaug was dead. The mountain was theirs. After everything they'd been through, the Dwarves finally had their home back.
It didn't take long for the company to make their way back inside the mountain. Very quickly after accepting the fact that Smaug was gone forever, the celebrations died down. Now they were wondering whether their kin had survived the damage or not. Talia was trying to hold on to the hope that maybe all four of them survived. However, she was finding that to be really hard to do with all the glum faces around her.
After finding a temporary place to sleep, she walked down a couple of the halls where she was sure she wouldn't get lost. She ended up meeting a certain figure at the end of the hall. "Thorin?" she called. The Dwarf king turned around slowly to face her.
Talia eyed him with concern. "Are you okay?" Thorin didn't respond right away. He walked towards her at a steady pace, and she was finally able to get a good look at his expression. He didn't exactly look like himself. He looked...sad and pained.
"Everything's fine. I just want to be alone." he told her.
Talia furrowed her brows. "You're lying. How many times do I have to tell you that I can tell when something's not "fine"?" she asked. Thorin sighed, and tried to walk past her. "How long is it gonna take you to actually let me help you?" she asked.
Thorin stopped dead in his tracks and turned around swiftly to glare at her. "How long will it take you to realize that perhaps there are times when I can't be helped?" he snapped.
Talia widened her eyes and took a small step back. "Ok, fine, I'm sorry. Do you want me to leave?" she asked.
Thorin widened his eyes. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, do you want me to leave? I really can't help but wonder if that's what you want, with the way you've been acting lately. You think you can point your sword at me and act all standoffish towards me and get away with it? Seriously, Thorin. If you don't want me here anymore, just tell me to my face."
She didn't mean to say it like that. That was...cruel, even for Talia. Thorin dropped his sword the second he got a grip on himself, and it was obvious even in that split second that he felt horrible about it. But Talia hit him with it anyway...because she knew it would hurt.
But...she couldn't deny that she felt hurt too. Thorin's attitude towards her hadn't been the same since he opened that door. She couldn't help but wonder if it was because...she was no longer needed by the company. Talia didn't feel ready to say goodbye to her Dwarves, and she couldn't believe that this time had come already. Yet, a part of her knew her departure had to happen one day. Her temper had just decided to challenge how soon that day would come.
Thorin didn't respond, he only seemed to look more pained, and the young woman had her answer. "Sorry." she muttered through half-gritted teeth, knowing she crossed the line. When his expression didn't change, Talia sighed and took the opportunity to take slow steps towards him. She stopped when she was about an arm's length away from him. "What's wrong?" she softly asked.
The Dwarf king looked down, and didn't meet her eyes. "Fili. Kili. My nephews."
Talia felt a pang in her heart when he said that. "Thorin." She put a hand on his shoulder and stroked it with her thumb.
"I couldn't watch the town burn, knowing that...and when I looked away, all I could think about was...the mountain. The treasure it held." Thorin finally met the young woman's gaze. "I am afraid, Talia. What kind of a person am I if I know that my family is in peril, yet I'm occupied with thoughts of other things not nearly as important?"
The young woman nearly gasped. Never in her life had she imagined that Thorin would ever admit that he was afraid of anything. She tried to hide her shock as she stared at him. What had made him open up to her like that? The fact that he opened up to her at all actually frightened her a little. For Thorin to admit that he was scared...it couldn't be of just one little thing.
That was another reason why she was surprised...his reason for being afraid. Was he really so ashamed of his thoughts that he was questioning his own character? Talia put her other hand on his corresponding shoulder.
"Thorin, you are not a bad person. Sure, maybe you slipped, but who doesn't? That doesn't make you bad, it makes you a human. Trust me, you're one of the best people I know. Do not kill yourself over trying to be perfect." she told him firmly. "And Fili and Kili, and Bofur and Oin; they're smart Dwarves. They could've made it, you never know. Don't give up on them yet." she assured him, giving his shoulders a squeeze.
Thorin's expression softened a little and he gave a slight smile. "How do you do that?"
Talia could feel her smile returning to her lips. "I thought we had this conversation already." she reminded him.
Thorin gave a slight chuckle. "Yes, I remember. I remember everything you said. You were wrong." he said with raised eyebrows.
The young woman narrowed her eyes. "What did you just say?" she challenged, not quite angry with him...yet.
"I said, you were wrong. You told me that what you did was nothing special. Whoever said that to you did you a disservice. Talia, you are extraordinary."
Talia widened her eyes if only a little and was praying that Thorin couldn't see the blush that she just knew was blooming on her cheeks. "Oh, go to bed, Stupid Dwarf!" she snorted, punching him in the arm. Thorin chuckled at that. She raised her brows and smirked. "Good night!" she giggled, and began to turn around. Before she could even get ten feet, she heard Thorin murmur something in her direction.
The Terran turned around to face him. "Sorry, did you say something? I didn't catch it!" she asked.
Thorin opened his mouth a little before he spoke. "No...I...I didn't mean to say anything out loud." he said awkwardly.
Talia raised her brows, but decided to wave it off. "Ok." she said, and with that, she made her way back down the hall.
He was lying. She knew he was. Talia could tell that whatever it was that Thorin said, it was directed towards her. She was barely able to pick up the words "good night" in there, but there was something else. Another word. However, this word was different. It honestly sounded like gibberish to Talia, but Thorin was never the type to just muffle made up words.
As she closed her eyes, she couldn't keep her mind off of it. Talia decided it must have been a word in the secret Dwarven language, Khuzdul. She had to wonder what kind of a word it was though. She doubted it was an insult, she and Thorin were way past that. So if it wasn't an insult, then what was it? And why did he say it so quietly, as if he didn't want her to know?
The young woman had to admit that she was very tempted to go to Balin to get a translation. But she wasn't even positive that she heard the word correctly, and she might completely butcher it. Plus, there was the fact that Khuzdul was a secret language. Though the Dwarves and Talia considered each other to be family, she doubted anyone would share the language with her. For now, Talia decided to leave the matter alone. It could have been nothing, for all she knew.
She didn't feel as sore as she thought she would when she woke up the next morning. Talia walked into what was the company's dining area to see her Dwarves prepping breakfast with the remaining food they were supplied with from the people of Laketown. Balin beckoned her over to sit with him, and she noticed that someone was missing as she sat down.
"Has anyone seen Thorin? He seemed a bit down last night." she said. Talia didn't get a response right away.
"Don't worry, little lass. I saw him this morning, walking down the halls. I think he was just...well..." Balin started.
"Taking a trip down memory lane?" Talia finished, and Balin nodded. Talia gave a nod of her own, still a little worried about Thorin.
Though he admitted he was afraid...he didn't exactly specify what it was he was afraid of. Though Talia couldn't blame him for being ashamed of the way he was thinking...this was Thorin she was thinking about...there had to be something more that he was afraid of. She thought about the rumor concerning Thorin's family...and the madness that plagued them. That could have been it. But Talia didn't want to believe that Thorin would ever succumb to that. He was strong. He wouldn't give in to that, would he?
Once she finished eating, Talia got up to wander down the halls once again. While walking, she was contemplating many things: the four that were left behind in Laketown, Thorin's fear, her final farewell to the company.
Talia had to hold on to the hope that the four Dwarves that were left behind were still alive. Only time could tell. Fili, Kili, and Bofur had such special places in her heart. Even Oin was always very kind to her. She didn't know what she would do if they didn't make it. The mere thought of it...it just couldn't be true.
The young woman had actually thought that she would be saying her final goodbyes very soon. Her part of the quest was already done...she hated to admit it, but the Dwarves really didn't need her anymore. Yet, none of them had expressed any wish for her to leave. Even last night...Talia's heart broke when she could tell by the mere look on Thorin's face that he had no desire for her to leave.
But now...especially after last night, she almost felt needed at the mountain right now. Thorin had been acting...slightly off, since they reached the mountain. Talia seemed to be the only person he was really opening up to. She couldn't go now...not when her dear friend obviously needed someone to confide in.
Talia had been so caught up in her own thoughts that she actually lost track of where she was going. She was looking all around her, seeing that she was surrounded by walls that didn't look familiar. Talia cursed under her breath. Where the heck was she? How long had she been walking around aimlessly? And how long would it be before someone would think to look for her? She imagined it would be a while, and even longer before they actually found her.
She didn't bother yelling for help, she'd probably just end up losing her voice anyway. She didn't bother turning around or walking any further, she figured she might end up even more lost than she already was. All she really could do was sit and wait.
It wasn't too long before she heard someone calling her name some distance away. The young woman's eyes perked up as she called back to the voice in the halls. She got up to see Thorin rushing towards her. As he came closer, she noticed that he found a change of clothes. He was clad in dark furs, golden rings, and ear cuffs. Talia had to admit that it was a very good look for him. He looked absolutely regal. He looked like a king.
The Terran's thoughts were cast from her head when Thorin took her by her shoulders. "Are you alright? How long have you been lost?" he asked, looking her over as if she got some kind of injury from merely wandering around.
Talia shrugged her shoulders underneath Thorin's palms. "I don't know...twenty minutes?" she guessed.
Thorin furrowed his eyebrows in worry. "Why didn't you tell anyone where you were going?" he demanded, shaking her a little.
"Whoa! Thorin, calm down. I didn't anticipate getting lost! I just wasn't paying attention to where I was going." she reasoned. Thorin was breathing deeply, trying to calm himself.
Talia furrowed her brows at this, and she reached up to cover his hands with her own. She had to admit that she thought his worrying over her was sweet, but she also noticed that he was completely overreacting. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you worry." she said.
Thorin sighed. "I know, I just don't want you getting even more lost. This mountain is not entirely safe, Talia. There are places that are unstable due to the damages that Smaug inflicted...I don't want anything to happen to you." he told her.
Talia narrowed her eyes. "Ok, when you say it like that...it makes it really hard for me to be defensive!" she said cheekily.
Thorin chuckled at that. "Well, good. I was afraid I'd have to fight you about your own safety." he said, causing Talia to laugh.
"Seriously, Thorin, don't worry about me, worry about yourself. I'm not gonna get hurt, I promise." she said, putting a hand over her heart. Thorin cocked an eyebrow at her, silently telling her that he was going to hold her to that promise. The two of them headed back to the company, they were all gathered in the treasure room.
Once they set foot into the room, Thorin announced that everyone would be taking shifts in searching for the Arkenstone. Talia furrowed her brows at this. She had the stone. She wanted to give it to Thorin but...something in his tone changed the minute he laid his eyes on the treasure. It was like the treasure was causing him to act like someone else. Because of that, she hesitated. A few days of searching won't hurt anyone, will it? Talia thought. She had to make sure this phase...or whatever it was, wasn't going to affect Thorin. So far, she hadn't received any optimistic results.
She was making her way down when Thorin stopped her. "You don't have to search now. You've done your part of the contract." he assured her.
Talia shook her head. "Nah, as much as it would please me to just watch you boys slaving around..." she started, bringing a laugh from Thorin's lips. "I honestly would just start feeling bad about it eventually." As she made her way down, Talia looked back at him once more. "I'll see you later." she said, and turned back around.
The young woman nearly froze when she barely heard Thorin's voice. She heard it. Again. That word. Ok, one time, she could see it being some kind of fluke or accident. A second time...she could call it a coincidence, though she really didn't believe in coincidences. But still, two times in less than twenty-four hours?
Talia paused. She really couldn't come to any stable conclusions based on that. But, she did notice that Thorin was changing. So far, it was pretty slight, and as she dug through the gold, Talia only hoped that whatever was changing inside him wouldn't get any worse.