The King and The Baker

Chapter 20

Ora stayed with Uli right up until the redheaded Dwarrowdam fell asleep, then she went back to her own chambers and got some well needed rest, all the while pushing every thought of Thorin out of her head. She was still red with rage towards him, after all, he had not own publically humiliated her but also tried to put her on a leash.

"Pfft!" She let out a loud huff at the thought, hopping around her room as she struggled to get one of her boots on in the scarce light. Once the wrestle was over and won, she grabbed her dagger from her dresser drawer and shoved it inside her boot. A girl can never be too careful.

She made care not to make too much noise as she ventured from her room and snuck across the cold main floor towards her brother's room. She may be mad at Thorin, but she wasn't foolish, she was going to at least try to get Giora to come with her.

"Wake up, you Troll." She hissed, as she snuck into his room. His deep snoring helped her navigate his presence through the dark chamber. "I need flour." She shook his shoulder, softly to begin with, but her movements soon turned harsh in an attempt to get him to stir.

Giora grunted, snorted, and then yelped and pushed his sister away. "What?" He hissed, "It's still night!"

"I know, but I need flour. You wouldn't make your little sister go down to the dock all on her own again, would you? What sort of brother would do that?"

There was a short pause, and she heard Giora yawn. "Do I have to?"

"No. But I'm sure you'll regret it if I got ambushed by some Orcs and killed." That was probably a tender spot for Giora, but Ora knew it worked every time.

"Fine." He grunted after a moment, "Give me a minute, would you?"

Ora grinned through the darkness and left the room without another word. She waited in the front room for Giora to reappear. Which he did, only a few minutes later donning his sword across his hip and stretching before hauling his axe over his back. "Ready?"

Ora nodded and jumped up from one of the loungers and made her way towards the door.

The walk through the mountain was of course a silent one, they didn't want to make too much of a disturbance and Ora made a point to give any wandering guard a really wide birth. Giora didn't make much objection, and Ora assumed it was because he'd probably already heard about the incident in the Dining Hall with the king. But he knew better than to probe. It was either he go with Ora, even though he would undoubtedly get into trouble for it, or let her go alone and risk her safety. He knew she would go no matter what, and he knew it was to spite the king.

"So..." Giora's voice broke the calm silence once the pair were safely out of Erebor.

Ora glanced up at him and raised her brow, "So?"

"The king..."

Ora instantly groaned.

"So, it's true?" Giora asked, surprised.

"Depends what you believe is true."

"There are a few rumours circulating the guards... Most of them I hope aren't true, and the rest are undoubtedly lies anyway."

Ora smirked, "Pray tell?"

"Some of them are saying you're... erm... bedding the king."

Ora instantly snorted at that, and Giora sighed, "I guess that one's not true then? Well, that's a relief, for sure."

"And the rest?" Ora pressed.

"That you are courting the king."

Ora gulped, and her fingers instinctively reached up and grazed the little gold necklace that still hung around her throat under her dress. Suddenly, her nails dug angrily into the gem. "No." She grunted, trying to restrain the temptation to snarl. "I'm not."