(Arulla's P.O.V.)
Thorin quickly turned his head around and gawked at me. it was pretty obvious that my answer had stunned him. He continued to stare at me for a long time. Then he spoke,
"How do you know those names? Anyone who has ever heard those names are either dead, in this company, or in the Blue Mountains. And I have forbidden my company from ever speaking them. So I ask again." His voice was far from gentle and all that could be heard was anger. "HOW do you know those names!? Tell me now!" He was almost screaming at me but I shrugged it of and calmly responded,
"You will see Thorin. in due time you will see."
He growled at me and returned to his place on the small ledge huffing and puffing with anger. my eyes lowered, 'Why not tell him?' I asked myself. This tortures me to not have him know, but also, I don't want to tell him and have him back away and ignore me. I couldn't handle that, not with everything I've lost.
I look up into the skies and I remember Thorin saying something to me when I was a young child. He always told me to believe in myself and never give up on anything. But the most important thing he told me was this, "Some reach for the moon. But only few reach the stars." He always told me that faith and love were the strongest things in life. So if one had the faith that she could reach the moon, then she should reach for the stars.
I smiled, but Kílí's voice pulled me from my memories. "How can you do that?" I turned my head towards him. "Do what?" I questioned, I really had no idea what he was asking.
Kílí smiled, "How can you talk to him like that and not be afraid of his tone or the recoil of your actions?" I smirked, "Because I know in my heart that he would never hurt me?" When I turned my look back to Kílí I was take aback by his expression. Kílí's face had turned dark as he heard a faint noise, I heard it too and my back shivered.
"What was that?" I hear Bilbo say with fright. I looked on in disbelief and didn't answer the hobbit's question. Kílí did and looked in in horror,
"Orcs." Kílí said solemnly. From the corner I saw Thorin jerk up again at the spoken word.
"Orcs?" the hobbit questioned. His face far from calm.
This time Fílí responded, "Throat-cutters. there'll be dozens of them out there." Bilbo whimpered, but I was frozen in my stare at Fanghorn. But my ears ever so listening intently to the conversation. Kílí spoke next,
"They strike in the wee small hours when everyone's asleep. Quick and quiet, no screams, just lots of blood!" From the corners of my eyes I could see Bilbo's face grow paler and paler as every word Kílí spoke made him want to retreat back to his home.
I tore my eyes from the forest and glared at the two boys. They took no notice until they began to chuckle slightly at the hobbits "humorous" reaction. I quickly brought my hand up to smack Kílí in the back if his head. He whipped his head around and his eyes now saw my roaring anger. I barely had time to say anything when Thorin spoke up.
"You think that's funny? You think a night raid by orcs is a joke?" He growled. For once I was proud of him. Kílí backed away and replied sheepishly, "We didn't mean anything by it."
"No you didn't! You know nothing of the world" He spat and turned to walk near the cliff. I quickly sat up and walked over to him and sat on to the rock that was next to him. Silence was all that was between us until Balin began to speak, "Don't mind him, laddie. Thorin has more cause than most to hate orcs. After the dragon took the Lonely Mountain, King Thror tried to reclaim the ancient dwarf kingdom of Moria. But our enemy had got there first. Moria had been taken by legions of Orcs lead by the most vile of all their race: Azog, the Defiler. The giant Gundabad Orc had sworn to wipe out the line of Durin. He began by beheading the King."
Every line he spoke, I could feel Thorin tense as the story continued. I was sure that he would cry . But not once did a tear fall from his eye.
"Thrain, Thorin's father, was driven mad by grief. He went missing, taken prisoner or killed, we did not know. We were leaderless. Defeat and death were upon us." There was a long pause before Balin spoke once again, trying his best to keep his emotions at bay, "That is when I saw him: a young dwarf prince facing down the Pale Orc. He stood alone against this terrible foe, his armor rent...wielding nothing but an oaken branch as a shield and Azog, the Defiler, learned that day that the line of Durin would not be so easily broken." But no the tale did not end there, "And his most profound cause is because Orcs, whether they be Gundabad or no, had taken from Thorin the one thing in his life that he held most preciously." Balin looked to Fíli and Kíli and tried to whisper quietly for Thorin to not hear, "Your cousin."
When the tale had finished Thorin slowly turned to face the company who were now all awake and they stared at him in awe and respect and sadness. I returned their notion and Thorin looked at me. his eyes were not filled with anger, nor pain when he looked at me.
When he looked at me, I saw compassion, and protection... and love? He looked around me and then finally opened his mouth to speak. I smiled at him, but my smiled slowly faded when no words came out of his mouth.
"And the Pale Orc?" Bilbo piped up making Thorin begin to move away from me and towards the company. Balin looked at Bilbo with confusion on his face. "What happened to him?" Bilbo finished.
"He slunk back into the hole whence he came." Thorin growled. "That filth died of his wounds long ago." I groaned. Thorin had his anger back, but that didn't stop me from doing something crazy after that. I was going to sit next to him.
I slowly made my way over to him, his eyes were shut but I'm sure he could hear my heavy footsteps. When I sat down next to him, he didn't move nor stir he just chuckled and a small smirk stretched across his cheek. I smiled and opened my mouth to speak.
"I want to apologize for my actions towards you earlier. I should not have done that." I bowed my head and looked at the ground, refusing to look at his eyes which were now open. He leaned and placed a comforting hand on my shoulders.
He shook his head, "No, you were right. I haven't even known you for very long, let alone know your capabilities for fighting." I looked up at him confused, 'What was he talking about?' I asked myself. and then it hit me, he was referring to the time when I knocked him down on his back in the hobbit hole. I smiled, but inside I felt like he was never going to figure it out. I sighed and looked up at him again and asked,
"Why is your beard shorter?" I hit myself in my mind. What a stupid thing to ask! But he just looked at me and smiled. I cleared my throat and spoke again,"I- I mean I've heard from people that your daughter loved to twirl her fingers in it. So it just struck me as odd. I mean you still believe that she's gonna come back to you right?"
His face turned from a small smile to a saddened face when I continued to speak. When it was silent for awhile I decided to get up and move from him thinking that this subject was hurting him. I stood up but I heard his voice behind me.
"You want me to put out the faith, I have long forgotten, so that my daughter might find me again? After so many years? She'd be 90 by now and wearing the necklace that I made her. The one that I slaved over, and spent days making. And I wasn't there. I wasn't-" Thorin's eyes filled with tears that streamed freely down his face, I ran up and hugged him, tightly, if only he knew who was hugging him. He stiffened for only a moment and then wrapped his arms around me welcoming the comfort but still did not figure it out.
I embraced him tighter and something 'tinked' against my necklace. I pulled away from Thorin and looked down to see my ring attached to a thick string that was old and worn. I gracefully cupped the ring in both if my hands and raised my icy blue eyes to meet his. I smiled and patted him on the shoulder. he spoke again,
"Is this hers?" I asked, although I knew the answer. Thorin nodded, and I smiled, "You know she would not want you to give up hope."
"I have not much faith anymore." he mumbled
I smiled and raised his chin to look at mine,
"Then reach for the moon. You'll make it to the stars."
I quickly got up and went to my bedroll and fell asleep... 'He never gave up on me right?' I asked myself, 'He just lost the faith in the matter. Right?'
I smiled and curled up in my thin blanket and closed my eyes. I felt a warm body leaning up against me when I had just closed my eyes and with his warmth and low humming, I fell into a deep deep sleep.
No nightmare of the red sky that night. Only peaceful bliss.
____________________________
My my my I am cruel aren't I? This chapter, he was so close and yet so far! Man, why am I so mean...
Special thanks to all of my readers and people who like this story. I'm sorry you had to wait so long.
The saying "Reach for the Stars" portrayed by Thorin and Arulla in this chapter is a modification of Les Brown's saying "Shoot for the moon"
Please comment rate share vote!
Le hannon!
Namarië!
-TC110