𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐛𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐬

Solivagant | Thorin

The soft, cold breeze caressed the dark curls illuminated by the dim light of the full moon, now hidden by the small branches of the tall trees. Thorin was alone by a small fire in the woods, sitting and smoking his pipe. He was reading a small book with dark pages, aged and dusty, with drawings of a mountain and a dragon drawn by hand in dark ink. He was placing his fingers on that mountain and gently caressing the page. But before long, he pulled his hand away and decided to slam the book shut with a deft movement. He left it on the ground full of dry leaves. Thorin leaned his head against the trunk of a tree and stood still, doing nothing, looking at the campfire and thinking of his nephews, the company, his sister.

He released the smoke that was slowly accumulating in his lungs, admiring how that small gray cloud moved away and slowly vanished in the flames. He took another drag on his pipe, relaxed, narrowing his eyes, when, suddenly, a feminine scream was heard in the blackness of the forest. That startled him out of his thoughts, sitting up as fast as he could to look around him. His breathing increased along with the nerves inside him.

Again that cry was heard inside the forest, and it was the trigger for Thorin to get up from his seat, put the book in his clothes and put out the small fire, making sure that not a single flame was left running around on the ground. He entered the forest stealthily, and hid among the trunks and bushes, being able to observe a slim and fine figure that ran alone through the forest in an uncertain direction.

*****

Y/N was running as she could between the trunks and the weeds, seized with fear. A man was chasing her with a knife in his hand, her husband was. The woman apparently had no escape, her first impulse was to run, flee from that madman who threatened to kill her.

"Come here honey, I'm just going to give you what you deserve, for having misbehaved" said that manly voice ruthlessly, but the woman kept running, lost and hopeless. She was approaching a tree, and when she was about to cross it, a hand covered her mouth and another hand grabbed her waist to draw her to someone's body. The girl screamed into the man's hand.

"Sshhh, calm down, don't yell," Thorin said in a whisper, sheltering her in his arms and looking in front of him to be able to discern that male figure through the trees, approaching slowly but surely.

"Who are you!?" she asked terrified in a whisper, looking into his blue eyes, those that were set on that sinister man. But she received no answer.

The woman's husband was approaching relentlessly -and without realizing it due to his drunken state-, towards Thorin, who was patiently waiting for him hidden among the leaves.

"Honey? Where are you? Don't go too far or you'll get lost," the man said with a laugh, but just as he walked past Thorin and Y/N, he received a blunt blow to the left cheekbone.

Thorin immediately got behind the man, next to Y/N, and lunged at him, grabbing his knife arm after letting go of the woman. He put the knife to the drunk's throat.

"Where are you going with this knife? What are you supposed to do with it?" Thorin asked in the man's ear, holding the man's arm firmly.

"Who are you? Let go of me you bastard, I have to give my wife what she deserves," answered the drunk man, shaking as he could and cutting his neck. Instantly he groaned in pain.

"You did it to yourself, not me," Thorin whispered in his ear. "I have left my arm still and you have moved."

"Ugh, leave me alone! Back off!" the man said, but just as he was about to turn around, Thorin snatched the weapon from him and threatened to run him through.

"Don't take another step or you're dead," he said forcefully, keeping Y/N behind him with his other hand, wanting to protect her from her husband.

The man looked at his right hand, seeing that he no longer had his knife.

"Damn you, don't meddle in other people's business!" he yelled.

"And I don't meddle in other people's business," Thorin replied. "But I'm not going to let you do anything with this knife. Go the way you came and don't come back."

"Give me that back, thief!"

"I said get the hell out! Now!"

However, the man jumped on top of Thorin on impulse, unaware of the danger, and Thorin didn't hesitate to give him a severe cut on the face, reaching one of his eyes. Thorin stepped away from him and kicked him to the ground as the man groaned in pain. Then Thorin grabbed Y/N and they ran away to the place where he had in mind.

"Is that really your husband?" he asked.

"Yes..." she replied between sobs as they ran.

"What was he doing with this knife?"

"What do you think he was going to do? Kill me, he's crazy... He's been violent for many days, he's broken several things at home and hit me... I couldn't take it anymore and, when I saw him take out the knife and come towards me, I decided to escape..."

Thorin looked at her with concern as they kept running, without stopping at any time, until they reached his car.

"Take these blankets, you're wearing few clothes..." he said, offering her them, and Y/N covered herself with the blankets, complaining about the wound she had on her chest. It was one of several cuts she had received, this one more recent than the others. Thorin realized this, but figured out what had happened, so he didn't ask anything else and he started the car to head for the city.

*****

The two went up to the flat where he lived with his sister, his nephews, and his cousins ​​Dwalin and Balin.

"Who is she? And what happened to her?" Dís asked, looking at the dirty woman with frayed clothes.

"I found her in the woods running from her husband, he was carrying this knife," he said, noting that the weapon was smeared with dried blood.

Dís guided Y/N to the bed, concerned, tending to the wound on the woman's chest after sending Fili and Kili to prepare something hot for her.

Thorin stared at the blade of the weapon for a few minutes, checking how old and rusty it was.

"What are we going to do with her?" Dwalin asked.

"Let her stay here until she tells us where we can take her, she shouldn't go back with that drunk man," he said, putting the knife away to give it to the police so they could detect the man.

*****

A few hours passed, and while everyone slept, Thorin sat next to the young woman, looking at her carefully. He stroked her head gently and it startled her awake, scared.

"Don't worry, it's me, I'm not going to do anything to you, you're safe here," he said, getting Y/N to relax and get comfortable on the bed. "Everything will be fine, don't worry. You will never see that man again."

And Y/N observed Thorin's blue eyes, which despite his cold appearance, showed a certain endearment. The woman smiled, nodded and decided to close her eyes again with Thorin's eyes in mind.