The Complete Works of Lady Oakenshield's Adventures

Chapter 8 -- The Stone Door

Lady Oakenshield loved to wake up first. That meant she could watch Thorin sleep, his hair spread across the pillows like a dark curtain of black rain with silver threads glistening through it. As the years went on, those silver threads were becoming more numerous, but still his head of hair was as thick and even longer than when she first laid eyes on him way back when. She'd trimmed the ends to keep it as luxurious as it was, and of course she braided it and replaced the signets as they became loose or he lost them, otherwise his hair was as it had always been, beyond description. She moved a stray piece that was threatening to get caught in his mouth. Ah, that mouth. That succulent opening from which a molten chocolate voice that could soothe or excite her with a single word emanated. An opening surrounded by a silken blanket of human mane soft and bristly at the same time, kept short by choice rather than because it would not grow to a thickness pleasing to the eye. Following it with her eyes down his throat to his bare chest, which wasn't bare at all given the dark curly hairs growing there, she softly twirled her fingers through several near his right nipple. "Lower," came a guttural moan. "Oh, my darling, I didn't mean to wake you. I was so enjoying the view." "The view is even better, lower." "Of that I am sure."Removing the restraining cover, Thorin turned to her. "Yes the view of the valley is most assuredly better, but the view of the mountains is breathtaking as always." It took no more than that for the morning to be lost to their giving themselves to each other. Should anyone have thought to knock on the door, they'd have wasted their time.That afternoon Thorin was in the Battle cabin with Balin and Dwalin sorting through old contracts and maps when he thought he saw a door shimmer behind Balin's shoulder. When he looked again, stone blocks met his gaze. He picked up the next contract. It was the old contract signed by Bilbo. "We should frame this and send it to the old man. I'll never forget that day. I really did not care much for him, the arrogant little troll." "Nor will I, and Bofur didn't help the situation any by trying to make light of describing Smaug as a furnace with wings." They all laughed. Thorin set the contract aside. "I'll get one of the lads to make a shadow box and throw in a couple of coins and send it to him. Isn't his birthday coming up soon?" He looked around the room. There it was again. "Balin, are there any other Elven doors in here except the four in the columns?" "Not that I know of Your Majesty, why?" "Nothing, really. I keep thinking I'm seeing a door shimmering on that wall behind you." Balin turned and looked at the wall. He turned back with a shrug. "Sorry, I don't see anything. Do you want me to get the Master Builder to drill a couple of holes to see if there's anything behind there?" "No, if it's there, it's spellbound." "Do you see anything, Dwalin?" "He doesn't see anything that doesn't include Janfief." "How are things proceeding with the mating, my cousin?" "I'll be broke by the time it's over. I love her, but I'll be broke." "Need a loan?" "I need the King's treasury." "You know you have whatever I have." "I need Lady Oakenshield's help toning down this mating ceremony. I do not believe we need to invite Middle Earth, including all the gods of Valar." "I'll get her to talk to Janfief." "Thank you Thorin, I will be forever in your debt." "Now, do you see anything strange happening in this room." "It feels strange like something is trying to get out, but I just thought it was me. It's more prevalent over behind Balin. But I haven't seen anything."They spent the rest of the afternoon discarding and sorting out the rest of the papers that were stacked everywhere. Each more aware that there might be something more going on than just housekeeping in the Battle cabin.Thorin undressed and ordered extra water for a bath. The maps and contracts had left him dusty and feeling like he crawled through the dirt of the Lonely Mountain on his hands and knees. He didn't like to spend time with Lady Oakenshield when he was dirty like that. Maybe he'd invite her to wash his hair. It was his favorite part of a bath. Well, not exactly his favorite part, that was when he could convince her to join him. Sometimes it meant just grabbing her and setting her on his lap in the pool, sometimes she accidentally slipped in on her own. Well now he'd worked himself into a state. So much for bathing on his own. "Lady Oakenshield, are you busy? I've had a really dusty and dirty afternoon. Would you mind washing..." He didn't have to finish his request. She walked into the bathing area, wearing only a smile and carrying the jar of soap and bath cloths. "Did I hear someone needed their hair washed?" It was going to be another late dinner night. The water was cold and long forgotten when they finally left the bathing area and climbed into bed for the night. Dinner consisted of some leftover fruit from lunch and wine they kept in Lady Oakenshield's chambers just for times like this. "I'm going to have the Master Builder design a small kitchen over by the hearth for warming dinner when it's late and we don't want to be disturbed." "I think that's a fine idea. We could live in here and never leave." "That's not exactly the idea I had, but it's not a bad one. We could turn over the running of the kingdom to your brother Frerin. He needs something to do now that he and Grendel are back living in Dale. He needs the practice just in case you decide to abdicate and become a hermit in here with me. Should we try it for a week and see how it goes?" "I think we should try to go to sleep and see how that goes." "Coward." "That would be me." They never did get to see if they could get to sleep. They finally drifted off as the sun started to warm the top of Erebor, warm in the love they had for each other.Yawning, Thorin tried to concentrate on finishing the work he, Balin and Dwalin had in Battle cabin. "Why don't you rest for a while while we work on this. You can lay over there on the chaise and no one will bother you. You're no good to us if you keep falling asleep on the stacks of paper." "You don't mind? I didn't get much sleep last night." "You're the King. I'm going to tell the King he can't take a nap. I value my tongue too much as do all my lady friends," Balin laughed. Dwalin coughed to keep from laughing. "Besides if you listen quietly, you can hear the soft sounds of Lady Oakenshield whispering in her sleep in the other room." Thorin smiled as he laid down on the couch. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow he'd placed against the armrest. Two hours later he woke up to a scraping sound. "I swear it was there a minute ago. Don't tell me you didn't see it. I could have walked through it standing up." "I'm sorry Dwalin, I didn't see it. Show me exactly where it was. Here use this dagger and mark where you saw it." Dwalin walked over to the wall behind Balin and what had awakened Thorin was Dwalin drawing a large circle on the stone blocks where Thorin had seen the door the day before. "Did you see it, too?" "Aye, it was big enough for me to walk through." "Well, laddies if you both have seen it, then there is something to it. We need to get Gandalf here. It could be someone trying to get in, already here or any number of things. We can't risk the lives of our people trying to guess what it is." It just happened that Gandalf was passing close enough to detour to Erebor on his way to Rohan It was always a big event to have the Grey Wizard in their midst. He'd always throw together a fireworks show for the townsfolk and the children thought his magick was the greatest thing ever. Some never forgot their first taste of Gandalf the Great! It was actually Gandalf the Grey, but they were children, Grey, great, it was all the same to them. As soon as he walked into the Battle cabin, the hole in the wall opened and stayed open. "Well, it appears we have a hole in the wall. A hole with steps, torches, and a passageway. Shall we see where it leads? I would suggest we arm ourselves first. We wouldn't want to be caught unawares."Thorin walked into Lady Oakenshield's chambers to tell her they were going into the hole in the wall. "I want the lads here within the hour. If we are not back in two hours, I want them in full battle dress with a battalion and headed into the hole. Do not worry until then. I am well-armed with daggers, knives, and Orcrist. I will be with Balin, Dwalin and Gandalf. I will not be stupid, dumb maybe, but not stupid." He kissed her long and hard. "Remember what I said, two hours, no more, no less." "I'll remember, I'm going now to get the lads, and hope we're here with a cold mug of beer for you all in ninety minutes. Thorin, you know I love you more than life, don't make me live it without you." She kissed him long and hard. "Don't worry, I'll be back, we have too many things to do yet." Thorin walked back into his chambers and put on his battle tunic, and started strapping on his belts and daggers. He hadn't done that in months. It felt good to be back in action. He thought he was starting to get soft, although he practiced his battle moves every day and worked out religiously, it wasn't the same without a true adrenaline rush going through your veins. He strapped on his battleaxe, his sword, and then last and certainly most importantly across his chest went the strap and across his back the scabbard for Orcrist. As he buckled the silver strap, he thought back at the first time he held her. He'd almost put the sword back when Gandalf told him she was Elven made. He'd hated Elves with a deep seated passion back then. Orcrist had saved his life on more than one occasion. She was almost as important to his life's blood as Lady Oakenshield was. He slipped her lovingly into the scabbard "Let's go my girl. Let's go see who dares enter our mountain without invitation." As they stepped into the hole, Gandalf used his wand to light the torches. They could see this was a well-made tunnel, old by anyone's standards, quite possibly made during Durin I's reign, or even before, but certainly long before Thror's. There were ancient runes scratched along the way. Runes that Thorin didn't recognize, and he was well-versed in the ancient Dwarf languages. "Gandalf, can you read these?" "No, I think they're ancient Elven, I may have to write them down and ask Lord Elrond. He's the only one I know who still reads any of the ancient languages, other than Lady Galadriel. She might come if we asked her. You know she really likes to visit you." Gandalf chuckled. "I know, and Lady Oakenshield would like to cut her throat, when the Queen of the Elves looks at me. Let's stick with Lord Elrond. At least when Lady Oakenshield looks at him, I know that I'm better looking than he is. She's already told me that." hey all had a good laugh to ease the tension.Lady Oakenshield met with the lads first, then left to do a few errands just to keep herself busy.The further down the tunnel they walked the more palatial it became. Thorin felt as if he were getting smaller. The tunnel widened until they could all walk abreast, and not touch the sides. The ceilings were at least twice as high as the ceilings in his kingdom. This was a kingdom built for giants or tall men. There were no stairs. He was thankful for that. Everything was built with ramps. He would have hated trying to climb stairs built with the size of men this place was built for. He wasn't sure Gandalf could have easily climbed stairs in here. There were stores, counting houses, homes, bathhouses. Empty, all of them empty. There was nothing left behind to tell a story of who had lived here. It was as if the place had been built and then abandoned before anyone moved in. Thorin kept thinking how many people he could move in here. It would take some rearranging and some work by the master builder to adjust some of the bigger thresholds into stores, and some carpentry work for shelves and tables, but it would hold all of Dale and all of the outlying areas. Now all they had to figure out was why it was abandoned in the first place.Gandalf was keeping a mental list of the runes he saw. There was something familiar about them, he just couldn't put his finger on it. When he got back to Thorin's chambers he would write them down and take them to Lord Elrond. He knew Lord Elrond would look at him and say "Moon Runes" or some such easily read language, but sometimes Gandalf liked to play the weak wizard, just to keep everyone on their toes, especially Saruman. There was something going on with him, just what it was, he, Gandalf didn't know, but it was going to turn out badly, he could feel it. The closeness they had wasn't there anymore. "Well, I think we should start back for now. It's getting late and if we don't get within shouting distance, we're going to meet a battalion of Dwarves intent on doing heavy damage to whoever they meet." Gandalf looked at Thorin. "I agree. I fear the wrath of Lady Oakenshield too much to linger any longer. We will bring the lads with us next time. We can spread out and cover more area. Besides Dwalin needs to see if there is any money left in his coffers." Dwalin groaned. They had a few minutes to spare when they walked back into the Battle cabin. "Leave all your equipment here, lads. we're going to make another trip back in tomorrow, all of us. It's amazing in there, there's another complete city in there. Bigger than what we have here. When I say bigger, I mean bigger as in we'd have to chip some of the thresholds down to step up on them without using ladders to climb up them." Thorin offered everyone a mug of beer and dinner. Everyone had a great laugh at his expense, when they heard the story of how Lady Oakenshield had to come to his and Janfief's rescue from the mean old flower merchants. He wondered if they'd ever let him live it down. While the lads ate and joked with Dwalin, Thorin and Lady Oakenshield quietly slipped into her chambers, unnoticed, or so they thought, as if everyone didn't know exactly where their King and Queen were at all times, especially Balin. "I really like Janfief. I think she's a great mate for Dwalin." "I really like you. I think you're a great mate for me." "I"m trying to have a conversation here." "I'm trying to have you here." "Oh, to Mordor with Janfief and Dwalin." "That's what I've been trying to say." Thorin was standing in front of Lady Oakenshield while she leaned against the table. His hands slowly undid the laces tied down the back of her dress. She leaned toward him as he moved lower. The shoulders of her dress drooped becomingly in front. He looked down and managed a quick intake of breath. "Is this a new dress?" "No." "Good." He tore it down the back and removed it. "Remind me to buy you some new dresses. I like the kind that are easily removable. Do they make ones that come without laces?" "I could have some made with buttons that are sewn with a single thread so they pop off easier. Or maybe I could get with the iron workers and design a button that pushes into a little button on the other side so you can pull them apart and then they will push back together. Then we won't be ruining dresses. We could call them snaps. We could put them on your shirts, too." "That's a great idea. Think about it tomorrow. Right now think about me." "I am never not thinking about you, my love." "Think harder."Lady Oakenshield reached down and grabbed the front of his breeches. "Are these new?" "No, but they're my favorites." "Then I suggest you step out of them, or I reach over and pick up the Goblin dagger, and remove the laces, inch by terrifying inch." Thorin was out of them in an instant. "I see you're thinking about me harder." "About as hard as I can, without draining every bit of blood from the rest of my body."She reached up and wrapped her hands around his neck, burying her hands in his hair, and pulling him to her again. "Then let's see about getting the blood recirculating again." He lifted her and she wrapped her legs around his waist. As she slowly slid down his torso, he slowly slid to the floor. They never missed a beat, but they missed dinner, again.In how many directions did the city go, Gandalf wondered as Ori stood in what they all decided was the center of the square and started drawing a map. "Let's go in pairs. Do not ever be out of sight of your partner. Bombur will stay here with Ori as his protection. As you finish a building, come out and give your sketch to Ori. He will be putting together a book of the plaza. Then we will move to the next avenue. Do not leave the plaza area until we have all checked in and are moving together. Understood?" Everyone agreed. Thorin and Nori were paired together. Gandalf had done a great job of pairing a warrior with a Dwarf with special talents. Dwalin was with Dori, Balin and Bofur, Gloin and Oin, Kili and Fili, only because they were inseparable anyway, Gandalf and Bifur because no one understood Bifur except he and Thorin. It was like yesterday, no movement, nothing left behind to indicate anyone had ever been there. So it was building after building, street after street, avenue after avenue. They stopped for lunch half-way through the city. It was then that Ori mentioned he thought it was interesting that there were artificial trees and grass, unlike Erebor that was strictly rock and dirt. "So someone wanted it to look like they were out of doors, and not under the mountain. That says they were at one time above ground dwellers." After lunch and as they moved further from the center of town, the buildings were starting to be built further apart and were less opulent. "Do you think this is where the builders lived or at least where they first started?" "It's possible, and as they became more proficient in their craft they got more creative." "But wouldn't someone have to pay for that creativity, that opulence? We haven't seen any gems or precious metals in any of the designs though. It's all stone work. Beautiful yes, but still just stonework." Bofur was a master stone worker. He knew good work when he saw it, and this town was magnificent. "I smell someone cooking." Bombur stood up and started walking in circles. "It's coming from that direction." He pointed toward an area that they had not looked at yet, and were going to look at later, maybe not for days. It didn't look promising for houses and even somewhat desolate. "You would pick that direction, Bombur." Bofur threw him a biscuit. "Good boy." Bombur caught it in his teeth, and everyone laughed. The smell was getting stronger and soon they could all smell it. It wasn't a pleasant smell of roast beast, it was more a sulfurous smell. One they hadn't smelled in a long time. "It cannot be," they all thought at exactly the same time. "Please no Orcs and no Goblins." "Arm yourselves," Gandalf told them. "I'll go first." he walked cautiously toward the smell, the end of his wand glowing a soft blue, and barely lighting the way. As the passageway bent slightly to the left he came on sight that made his blood run cold. "Oh for all that the gods of Valar made," he whispered. He stepped back. "Lads, I think I know why no one lives in the city. I am about to show you something we can never see again. Then we are going to leave quietly and go back to our side of the mountain, and close the hole. Then we will decide what we are going to do. You understand you must be very quiet do not make any sudden noises."Thorin stepped forward. "What is it Gandalf? What has frightened you this much?"Gandalf led Thorin to the turn. He stepped back. "Take a deep breath, look and come back here after you have seen this thing." Thorin did as he was told. When he came back around the corner he looked at Gandalf and looked at the lads, but said not a word. He moved past them to stand by himself.Twelve more times the reaction was the same. When at last Ori came around the corner they slowly followed Gandalf through the town and back up the tunnel. Thorin was the last to come through. Gandalf said a few words in an ancient language and the hole in the wall became smaller and smaller until it disappeared. The only remaining sign that it had ever been there was the scratched circle made by Dwalin's dagger.Gandalf sat down on the chaise with his head in his hands. The lads paced nervously. Thorin just stood in the middle of the room."This cannot be! Did you see them! What are they? Gandalf, what are we going to do? They cannot stay in my mountain!" "I know this, Thorin, but we have to do this the right way. We cannot afford to let a single one of them out of that nest, not one." "I will not sleep knowing they are there, that my Dwarves are in danger." "Right now they are not in danger. They are not grown yet and they can't get out of that nest. We have got to destroy it. I've got to go see Lord Elrond and Lady Galadriel. We've got to find the egg layer, and send her back to the deepest bowels of Middle Earth from whence she came." "Bring them here. You cannot leave us unprotected, not now." "I will try." "I will talk to Lady Oakenshield. If I have to, I'll sleep with the Elven Queen. If necessary I might even agree to sleep with Lord Elrond." "I don't think that will be necessary, but I'll offer it up if Lady Oakenshield agrees." Gandalf reminded Thorin that they would both be fed to the wild wargs should that happen. "I might have to offer Lady Oakenshield to Lord Elrond." "Now let's not get hasty, Gandalf."Everyone laughed and Thorin realized how panicked he'd been acting. "Okay, you're right. I would host them if they would like to come see Erebor, but would gladly go see them if they desire." "Thank you, that's the King Thorin, I know." "I'm hot, are you hot?" "Should I take some of the covers off?" "No, but you can take that night thing off." "It's called a bed dress." "I hate dresses." "Well then I promise I'll never ask you to wear one." "What if I asked you to not wear one." "What would you have me wear?" "Nothing." "That would save on clothing costs, certainly, but you'd be in battle mode constantly, and we'd never have time to ourselves." "I hadn't thought of that. You could stay here and wait for me with nothing on." "You'd keep me prisoner in here, never to see our friends, never to get to dance again or go to parties." "I hadn't thought of that. Did you talk to the Iron worker about your new fasteners?" "I have and he's working on it. We should have some made soon. The royal seamstress went with me and they worked out a way to attach them. Then they fell in love and ran away and mated. So now I have to wait for them to get back from their mating trip." "Are you serious? I'll have their heads." "Joking. They did fall in love, but they'll make my snaps before they mate. Then you will officiate the mating ceremony for them." "You're a funny one, you. Now come here you funny girl. Leave the dress."Lady Oakenshield stripped it off and threw it over her shoulder. She crawled across the bed like a cat and grazed her nails across his chest. He shuddered. She climbed on top of him and licked his lips. She nipped, she bit, she devoured. She tangled her fingers in his hair. She moved down his throat, licking and nipping. He moaned, unable to move, except to caress her back as she moved. He tried to reach between them to caress her, but she moved away from his hands, "not my turn," she whispered against his chest. He fell back against the pillows. She moved down, caressing, nipping, licking, biting. All he could do was lay there, moaning, and trying hard to hold still and enjoy. He knew any minute he was going to reach down and either grab her by the hair and bring her back up to satisfy her or grab her by the shoulders and force her downward to finish his turn. He was getting dangerously close the point of no return. Suddenly she was kissing his mouth again and they were riding a wave of ecstasy that seemed to crest and ebb and crest again. She collapsed on his heaving chest as the last waves of passion subsided. "Your turn."He rolled to one side sliding her off his chest. She lay there, her breathing slowing. He moved to the bottom part of the bed. He picked up her foot and began to lick her toes one by one. Each toe in turn, each foot in turn. Then he slowly began to move up her body, as she shivered, quaked, trembled with desire. She reached down and knotted her hands in his hair. "Come up here, please," she groaned. "Not my turn," he said, as he removed her hands from his hair. He kissed the inside of her leg as he reached over and found a broken lace to tie his hair back so she couldn't reach it. She never even noticed. As he moved up she twisted, she strained against him, she cried out his name, begging for release. When he finally got within an inch of where he knew one more touch and she was going to go over the edge without him, he moved above her and became one with her. She exploded into pieces that melded with his and they became a storm of fire and frenzy that left them drenched with sweat. He wrapped his arms under her and rolled over so she lay on his chest. He liked this position because he didn't have to worry about being too heavy for her, and he could touch her in her special place. It was about an inch above her tail bone. She didn't know it was there, but he did. He reached up and undid the tie in his hair. "When did you do that?" She ran her hands through his hair to get the tangles out. "I had to pull it back. You were about to pull it out by the roots. I happened to like my hair, all of it, especially attached to my head." "Sorry, I like your hair attached to your head too, especially when it's in my hands and I can bury my face in it." "I'm just glad I keep my beard short. I could be in serious trouble if you ever got hold of it and pulled." Lady Oakenshield started giggling. "Feel lucky I don't pull hair anywhere else." "Feel lucky I don't pull yours back." "Okay, now we're getting nasty. I just wanted you to come closer and kiss me." "I was kissing you, just not on the mouth." "I wasn't thinking straight. I wasn't thinking at all, to be truthful." "So, should we get some dinner sent up. We haven't eaten in days. I'm starting to get weak from lack of food. I think you're trying to kill me." "Maybe, but it sure is a great way to die. Let me put on my robe and I'll get the maid. Lots of food or a little snack." "Lots, I'm really hungry, and what we don't eat, we can save for later. Have her bring up a small keg of beer, too. Did you get word that Lady Galadriel and Lord Elrond are coming?" "Is King Celeborn coming too?" "Why is that important?" "If the King is coming with the Queen, they need to be put in the biggest Royal Suite. If she's traveling with Lord Elrond he needs to be put in the Crown Prince's Suite next to her unless of course he's her lover in which case he'll want to be in the same room." "Celeborn does not travel. Trust me Lord Elrond is not her lover, either. She's his wife Celebrian's mother." "Oh, so connecting rooms are not necessary." "No, I wouldn't think so, no." "Well, that makes sleeping arrangements easier. It makes eating arrangements a headache for me, but because this is an important summit for you, I will survive her flagrant seduction of you. The Elf has no conscience. At least I get to reap the benefits of your excitement." "She doesn't excite me." "Liar." "Okay, maybe a little. How can any Dwarf help it when she's touching, rubbing, whispering what she'd like to do to you in your mind? I can usually put you in her place, but sometimes her thrall is too much even for me. Is that what happens to women when they look at me?" "Pretty much, my love." "Gawd, I'm going to shave my beard and hair off." "Won't change anything." "Put a bag over my head?" "Nope, I'd just have to fight off everyone who thought I did it to you and then they would want to take care of you while your hair grew back." "What would work?" "Jumping into that nest." "Funny. You are being funny again and you know what the punishment is for being funny when we are having a serious conversation." Thorin reached over and wrapped his arm around her waist. As he pulled her onto his chest, she wrapped her legs around his and stopped him, her head laying on his stomach. "What's the matter?" "I think it's your turn again." She looked up at him and licked her lips. He fell back on the couch. "Now I know you're trying to kill me, but I will die the happiest Dwarf in Middle Earth." For the rest of the night it was give and take. Each of them taking as much as they were giving, often at the same time. Elves and nests, summits, were all forgotten, except for their mating and that was all they cared about.Gandalf had to find another way into the mountain apart from the western gates. He had an idea brewing in his brain, but for it to work, he couldn't have his friends enter through the center of the dwarf city. Now all he had to do is call for Roäc the King of the Ravens and together they would see if they could find the tunnel from Ravenhill to Erebor. He finally laid down his pen and parchment, stretched out on the bed and closed his eyes. It felt good to rest his eyes. Wizards rest, but don't sleep. The world depends on them much too much. It was afternoon before Thorin knocked on his door and asked if he'd like some refreshment. Even Kings don't barge in on Wizards. He'd seen what a bolt of lightening from the end of Gandalf's staff could do to the chest of an Orc. Impossible to repair, even by another wizard, that is if you had one handy and wanted to heal an Orc. Gandalf was anxious to tell Thorin and lads his plan. "Let's go down to the Battle Cabin, I've got a plan on how to dispose of the Nameless Things. It's going to take some doing, but I think it can be done, with some planning, some stealth and a lot of courage." "It sounds like the Quest. You aren't inviting Bilbo back are you?" "No we don't need a burglar, this time. We need Ravens, lots of Ravens. I've sent a Thrush to find Roäc."By the time they arrived at the Battle cabin, the battalion and most of the lads were eating a hearty meal sent in by Lady Oakenshield. She had set a quiet table for Thorin, Gandalf, Balin, Dwalin and herself in her chambers. She ushered the two of them in, and closed the noise out. "Gentle Dwarves, Gandalf, please sit down. Let's be civilized for at least a few minutes. It's been so long since we've had a chance to just sit and chat." "Milady." They all stood politely waiting for her to sit. Thorin held her seat and pushed her closer to the table, while the others took their seats. He caressed her back and ran his hand down the back of her dress. He leaned over and whispered, "I'm naked under my clothes."They ate silently for a few minutes, waiting for her to start the conversation. "Well, my friends, my love, I know you're all anxious to get started on what will be a very long day. Queen Galadriel and Lord Elrond will be here tomorrow. They are coming by Eagle, so I need an honor guard on the top of the Mountain first thing in the morning, Balin." "We will have a welcoming Feast in the Grand Ballroom tomorrow night starting at Twilight. You will all be there in your finest finery. Am I clear?" "Yes, ma'am" Three voices were loud and clear. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you Thorin." "Grrr," was all she got from him. "He's delighted." She kicked him under the table. She leaned over and whispered in his ear "I'm naked under this dress."Thorin looked at her with his famous tilted head through the eyebrows look. "You unfortunately for both of us, will be escorting the Queen." "Kill me, kill me now." Balin and Dwalin both reached for a dagger. "Should we draw for the honor?" "By the time you've drawn for the honor, I'll have finished him off." Gandalf coughed. Laughter filled the room. "After that you have Lady Galadriel and Lord Elrond for the summit for four days. They will leave when the summit is over. I will need that honor guard, one more time, then."She scooted her chair back. They all rose at once.Thorin took her hand and as was his custom when in the midst of company, kissed her palm. Their affection for each other, was just that, for each other. It was no one else's concern. "Milady, thank you for a charming luncheon. I await further instructions." Dwalin bowed and opened the door.Balin bowed his gracious open-armed bow. "At your service as always." Gandalf touched his head with the tip of his staff. "Yours to command, Lady Oakenshield." They all walked out the door and headed through Thorin's chambers to the Battle cabin. Thorin started for the door, then stopped and turned around. "Let me hear what the wizard has to say and I will be back. I would like nothing more than to see you on your back with nothing more on." He turned back around. "Thorin. He turned back around. Her dress was in a heap on the floor. "Hurry back. My back is cold, and I have nothing more to wear." His only answer was a woeful growl and a slamming of the door.Gandalf explained in great detail, too great a detail for Thorin, who kept looking toward Lady Oakenshield's door, his plan. "Well, I think we should adjourn this meeting until Roäc gets here." Thorin stood up and moved toward the door leading to his chambers. Thorin couldn't get back to Lady Oakenshield fast enough. If the lads hadn't been in the Battle Cabin he'd had his clothes off in there. As it was, he was undressed by the time he opened her door. She was waiting for him in their bed. "I thought he'd never shut up." "You've been gone less than two hours. I just got out of the bath. I wanted to freshen up before you came back. Had you been here fifteen minutes earlier I would have still been in the pool." "See what did I say? Wizard talks too much." "Hush, he could hear you. Then I'd be mated to a hedgehog or something even worse."Thorin started laughing. The tension he'd been feeling at having to wait to get back to Lady Oakenshield finally subsiding. "Let me introduce you to the King of the Dwarves, Thorin, the Hedgehog. At least I wouldn't lose my beard." "That's true, but who ever heard of a hedgehog with blue eyes or coal black silk hair? Where would I put the signet beads? Worse we couldn't share your pelt. You'd being wearing it permanently!" They convulsed with laughter. "So much for strapping on Orcrist." "Your Family Crest Rings would be bracelets." "You'd have to carry me everywhere. Wait, that's not such a bad idea. I could nestle in your breasts." "That's all you'd get to do, my love. No more sleeping in my bed." "Why?" "I might roll over on you, then I'd be executed for assassinating the King. Speaking of rolling over, why don't you roll over here?" "Who me?" "No, the hedgehog you got hidden under the covers." "It isn't a hedgehog, my dear. It's more like a very large..." Lady Oakenshield didn't let him finish as she began what would soon remove all doubt that she had any desire to talk about hedgehogs or wizards anymore.How could Thorin's hands be everywhere at once? The nerve endings of Lady Oakenshield's body were in overdrive. She was sure she was going to explode if she didn't get some release soon. She moved her legs with Thorin's rhythmic caresses, but when he felt her rock with him, he changed the tempo. She caught up with him, he slowed down and moved to her arms. She relaxed, he sped up, moved to another position or went back to her legs, kissing her somewhere else. She tried to bury her hands in his hair, he took her wrists in one hand and held them above her head. She wiggled out of his grasp, and he wrapped his strong legs around hers. She would roll on her back, he would turn her over, and pin her to the bed with his mouth mapping her back. If she was on her back, and she struggled to turn over on her stomach for more, he would hold her down with one arm while his other hand drew lazy circles around her breasts while he licked the salty sweat from her stomach, until she couldn't breathe for want of him. When she finally could stand it it no longer, and grabbed his hands and cried, "no more, please, no more,' he laid her on her back. "Now we will be one." He looked at her with blue eyes filled with the passion of a man who knew he was about to be transported to a plane of ecstasy he had struggled against bridging without her, and now she would take him there. As they came together, their bodies fit together so perfectly that not an inch of space could be found between them. The storm of delight was consummated in a single movement of one body joining to the other. Balin and the Honor Guard of Princes stood on top of the Lonely Mountain waiting for Lady Galadriel and Lord Elrond to arrive. Prince Frerin was happy to be back in Erebor. "I'd stand in the snow naked for Thorin and Lady Oakenshield after all they've done for Grendel and I. "Welcome to Erebor, Your Highness." "I don't believe I've met you." Lady Galadriel couldn't believe her eyes. Who was this younger version of Thorin? "I'm sorry. Frerin, son of Thrain, Son of Thror, Brother of Thorin, King Under the Mountain, at your service." "There are two of you? I mean nice to meet you." Lord Elrond covered his laughter with a cough. "Lord Elrond, always a pleasure, milord." "Your Highness, you are looking well. How is your lovely wife, Grendel?" Lady Galadriel glared at Lord Elrond. "She's as feisty as ever, thank you very much for asking."If you'll come this way, I'll take you to your suite." "I'd like very much to see the King as soon as possible." She dared any of them to tell her no. "Lady Oakenshield has already expressed her desire to see you as well. She has advised me to invite you to her chambers as soon as you've rested and had a chance to freshen up." Lady Galadriel had been outmaneuvered. She could not rebuff Lady Oakenshield in order to see Thorin first, even if she was the Queen of the Elves. She was in Lady Oakenshield's house now. "Very well. I'll call on Lady Oakenshield in an hour's time. Lead on, my young Prince."After showing Lady Galadriel into her rooms, Elrond took Frerin aside. "Watch yourself with her, my friend. She'll have you wrapped around her finger before you can say Grendel will slit my throat." "I think she might have already. She is beautiful, that one. I kept having these feelings of wanting to bed her as we were walking here, but I didn't seem to be the instigator. It was more like I was a lamb being led to slaughter." "Quite so, as I said." Elrond opened the door to his suite. "Mind what I said, young Frerin, or you may find yourself roasting over a fiery pit, with Galadriel holding the torch." "And enjoying it immensely."Dinner was over. Thorin and Lady Oakenshield closed the door on the rest of the world, and Lady Galadriel, specifically. "What to do now?" Lady Oakenshield tapped her finger against her cheek. "Let's start with getting rid of the clothes." "Do you want me to be shy and so overwhelmed by you that I almost faint when you look at me, or should we jump forward to where we are now, and I am so comfortable with you, that I can hold out and be not be overwhelmed until you touch me?" Thorin stopped untying the laces on his breeches and looked up at her. "We've been mated for a long time, my only love. I still, what did you say, overwhelm you? You can make me feel like a fresh young lad when I wake and see you for the first time every morning. I want to touch you, I want to feel every part of you. I will never get enough of you. Even after hours of love, I want more, always more. You are the very beat of my heart. I come in here even when you're not about just to get close to you, to catch the lingering scent of you. If I could, I would carry you in a pocket of my tunic just to be near you. You think I overwhelm you. You are everything that I am. Now, I have just bared myself to you and sounded like a love-sick pup. So, get out of that finery and come over here now, before I rip another one of your dresses to shreds."Lady Oakenshield was giggling as she loosened the ties of the royal blue dress she had to wear as Queen Under the Mountain. "So King Thorin, what can I say, you have just overwhelmed me again with your speech. I think I shall just swoon right here." She dramatically clasped the front of the dress to her as she walked toward him. As soon as she got close enough for him to catch her, she dropped the dress and fell toward him. Although he was surprised by her sudden fall, he caught her and lifted her to his chest. "Lady Oakenshield, my love, are you okay?" He held her close, rocking her. She slowly fluttered her eyelids. "Thorin, is that you?" She whispered against his throat. "Who else would it be?" He looked at her. Her eyes were sparkling with mischief. He roared with mirth. In two steps he had them both in their bed and the world faded away as they set sail to their island where ecstasy resided and passion was the fruit it served up.Early the next morning as they slumbered peacefully in each other's arms, at the other end of the mountain, Lord Elrond and Lady Galadriel had breakfast in her chambers. "What shall we do about getting this summit over with so I can spend some time with our friends under the mountain?" "Thorin, you mean." "Is it that obvious? Maybe I should be friends with Frerin instead." Galadriel laughed the tinkling Elvish laugh. "That, my sweet Queen, is not a good idea. Lady Oakenshield is a nice Dwarf. She tolerates your flirtations, because she knows where Thorin's heart lies, right at her feet. Grendel on the other hand, would just as soon cut yours out of your Elven chest, bite it in half, then maybe ask questions, than find out first if there is any truth to the rumors that you are flirting with her mate. She is not a nice person." "Oh, well then, let's go find Gandalf and the dwarves. I think I may need to leave earlier than I planned to see what my husband is doing in my absence." Lord Elrond sent his head Elf to inform Gandalf that Lady Galadriel would like the summit to start in an hour.A half hour later Thorin and the other Dwarves were assembled in the large Battalion suite at the other end of the mountain. A set of four large chairs were set for Thorin, Lady Galadriel, Lord Elrond, and Gandalf at the center of the long table Thorin used for summit meetings when he wanted everyone to know who was in charge. Gandalf started the meeting by reiterating his plan for Galadriel and Elrond. Elrond, Galadriel, Gandalf and Thorin left the suite by one of the Elvish doors and emerged a few minutes later in the Battle cabin next to Thorin's chambers. "I've sent a Thrush to locate Roäc. I'm hoping he'll send a message back today. I wanted to show you where the tunnel was located." Galadriel walked over to the circle and ran her hand over the scrapings "This is either late 1st Age or early 2nd Age work. I heard of that city a long time ago, when I was young, very young." As she turned around there was a loud knock, knock, knock on the wall where the dagger circle was. Gandalf waved his staff and a small opening materialized. A large black beak of a Raven poked through the hole. "Gandalf, if you want to talk to me, open this hole. I'll not be treated with disrespect, especially if you are going to ask for a favor." The hole continued to enlarge until Roäc was able to bird hop through it. "Thank you. Now what can I do for you?" He cocked his head and his glassy eye stared first at Gandalf, then at Thorin. "Highness, nice to see you, again." "And you King Roäc." Thorin bowed slightly, showing deference, as fitting to a much older King. "My beautiful Lady Galadriel, always a pleasure. Lord Elrond." "Now that you've made the rounds, can we get to business?" Gandalf asked. "I think you've answered at least one of our questions, Roäc. We were wondering if the tunnel from Ravenhill to Erebor was still open, and flyable." Gandalf was relieved that they wouldn't have to tunnel out. "It is. Why wouldn't it be?"Thorin moved and stood in front of the Giant Raven. "Roäc, we have a great problem that we need your help with. Erebor and Dale are in grave danger."An hour later, Roäc went back through the hole and Gandalf closed it. "So now that everything is settled here, will you take me for a walk through the Portrait Gallery Thorin?" Lady Galadriel locked eyes with him. "I'd be honored to." Where was Lady Oakenshield when he needed her? "I think I'll just go next door and ask Lady Oakenshield if she'd like to escort me as well." Lord Elrond winked at Thorin as he walked past him. "I'm going to pay for this you know," he whispered. "I will try to find a way to make it up to you." "Should I start emptying the Treasury now?"Lady Galadriel couldn't understand why the two of them grinned stupidly at each other as Lord Elrond left the room.Thorin sat down with Lady Oakenshield and told her what they had found. Of course she was frightened, but as Gandalf had said, they would do whatever they needed to do to destroy it. Until then, life would go on. They would not alarm the population, but would keep a lid on the situation until such a time as it became a threat. "I thought they only lived in the depths of Arda. How did they get here?" "The mother must have tunneled under the Misty Mountains. She obviously tunneled deeper than any of the mining Dwarves would ever go." "Tell me about them." "What's to tell. We have no name for them. Even Sauron didn't know them. Legend has it that they are even older than he was. I remember once Gandalf described them as being an ancient and nameless thing almost as old as the world. That means they must have been either part of the beginning of Middle Earth, or possibly a result of some of the problems with Melkor. All we know is they are not a good thing to have around." "Hey it could have been a nest of Dragons." "Now that isn't even funny." "Look, there's nothing we can do right now. The eggs are still soft which means they are either newly laid, infertile, or dormant and could be for a long time. If they are in dormancy, they have to wait for the Nameless Thing to wake them. We just don't let that happen. We destroy them first."Gandalf worked through the night in his suite of rooms writing and rewriting the runes until he could have written them just by looking at the parchment. What was that curious rune there? He knew it, had seen it a millennium ago, no not a millennium, an age, or better yet, two Ages ago. Durin's Bane. The rune denoted a Balrog they called Durin's Bane. Roäc, the King of the Ravens stepped through the hole to a pacing Thorin, a worried looking Gandalf, a concerned Lord Elrond, and a star-struck Galadriel staring at Thorin. After the greetings, Thorin moved to the large raven and without prelude, stated "Are you aware that there is a nest of Nameless Things in the abandoned city? There must be hundreds of them in a pit just outside the town in the western sector. We need your help destroying them. Can you help us?" "Yes we are aware of them. We too have been working on a plan. Every time we think we've destroyed them all we come back and the nest is full again. There has to be an underground cavern with a river somewhere. We can't swim so we can't find it. We've just had our own summit with the Eagles. I was on my way to meet with you to see how to fill in the nest and close off the underground cavern. We don't know where the river flows from or what will happen if we dam it up. It could be worse than just destroying the eggs. We have to destroy the mother too."Gandalf held up his hand. "We have to find the source of the river first. It has to be somewhere in the Misty Mountains. We find the source, we stop it there, the river dries up. The Nameless Thing moves to another waterway. We destroy the eggs." "It sounds so simple when you put it that way. But we have to do it upstream all the way. Who can swim under the mountain without air, light and running the risk of meeting another Nameless Thing?" Thorin looked around the room. He didn't see any volunteers stepping forward anxious to be a posthumous hero. "Radagast. We ask Radagast to get the water mammals to carry a rope through the mountain to the outside. Once we have a towline from the city to the outside we will be able to follow the river upstream. Then we are going to use the towline to pull a net across the opening so the mother can't get in, and any of the hatchlings we haven't killed can't get out." "How do we know the mother isn't already in the mountain?" "That's a chance we have to take. The water mammals will be able to tell Radagast if they see it when they swim out. If it is in the mountain, we put the net at the farthest end and slowly drag it back here. We trap the Nameless Thing and kill it once we trap it." "What are we going to do with all the dead carcasses? Once they start to rot, it's going to make an awful stink." "We will eat what we can, and carry what we can out of the mountain to feed our young. If we could get some of the Dwarves to load baskets up, I am sure the Eagles wouldn't mind a snack. Their wing span is just too big to fit through the tunnel. I can assure you they will not walk in here either." Roäc cawed as close to a laugh as he was able. "What we don't take, you burn." "It's settled then. I'll send a messenger for Radagast." "Not to worry, Thorin. I'll send a messenger to him. One of my Ravens can be there faster than any Dwarf messenger can, even Lord Hardstand's, and he has the swiftest. Now my friends, is there anything else I can help you with?" "Great Roäc, do you know why the city was abandoned?"'The city was not abandoned, exactly. It was never used. No one ever moved in. The men who built Dale built it as a fortress when they first encountered Sauron and his minions. They were just about finished and were going to start moving in when he was defeated. They decided to close it off and save it for another time. After a while it was forgotten." "Why did the hole appear in the wall?" "I can only think that the Necromancer has something to do with it. Lots of things are starting to happen around here. Look at Greenwood the Great. The woodsmen are calling it Mirkwood now. Radagast is positive he saw the Necromancer at the abandoned Elvish Stronghold calling it Dol Guldur. Saruman is acting strange. I don't think you want to move your people into the city, Thorin. We must keep it sealed for now. Let's not tempt fate." "Are we all agreed?" Everyone nodded their heads. They knew it was the only way and sooner or later someone was going to have to deal with the Necromancer. They hoped it wasn't going to be for a long time. Time in Middle Earth meant little to races that lived for more than two hundred years like Dwarves, or were immortal likes Elves and Wizards. It was the races of Men and Hobbits that it had a habit of sneaking up on. "Agreed. Once we get rid of the eggs and the mother, Gandalf will put another spell on the wall and seal it up again permanently." "Thank you Thorin. You are a wise King." "I hope so. I am still not sure I'm making the right decision, I hate thinking that city is just sitting there unused, but if you think we should wait, then I will have to trust you." "Thorin it has been there since before your Grandfather Thoror was born. You've only known about it for a week. Do you think it will disintegrate if left for another 100 years? You must trust me on this." "Very well, We'll do it your way."Lady Galadriel was only able to get 10 minutes alone with Thorin and it was quite by accident. She was traversing one of the Elven passageways to her suites from window shopping in the plaza when Thorin came charging through the hallway from the Battle suite, on his way to Lady Oakenshield. "Thorin, I hope you are looking for me," she sang in that soft Elven voice she had. "I, um, to be sure, it is, admittedly, it is always a pleasure to see you, Lady Galadriel, however, I, um, I am, right now," he had never stammered so much in his life. He felt like his tongue had grown six times its normal size. "Well, while you are trying to come up with an excuse to get away from me, walk with me to my chambers, since we seem to be going in the same direction." This was most untrue. He had been headed in the opposite direction, but he couldn't think of one reason not to escort her to the Royal suite. He couldn't think of anything at that moment, but that he wanted to walk with her. She slipped her arm into the crook of his. "What shall we talk about, dearest?"'What is your desire, Milady?" Why had he said that? He didn't talk to anyone like that except Lady Oakenshield. He had to get control of himself. He had to get away from her. As they walked slowly down the passageway, it became harder for him to keep his mind clear, unwanted images kept swirling in his mind. They stopped at a small niche with a bench where Galadriel sat down. "I need to rest a moment, too much excitement." Thorin moved to stand in front of her. Her face was inches from his. She reached up and captured one of his braids between her finger and thumb. Just as he was about to do something his brain was trying desperately to convince him was going to be the worst decision in his life, Balin came around the corner. "Ah Thorin, I've been looking all over for you. Lady Oakenshield said you are late for dinner with Frerin and Grendel." The struggle in his head was broken. Thorin shook his head and looked at Galadriel with ice in his eyes. "I will have Balin escort you to your Quarters, milady. I sincerely hope the next time you come to visit you'll bring the King with you. I am sure you miss having him around and we so miss seeing him." He turned, nodded at Balin and walked away, knowing there was no dinner with Frerin and Grendel, but there was another mark on the number of lives he owed to Balin. Some day he would ask Balin just how he knew that he had been in trouble. "Hello my darling." Thorin didn't stop at the door, didn't stop to answer her. He didn't stop until he scooped her up and charged to the bed and practically threw both of them into it. He grabbed the sides of her head and kissed her so deeply that she thought the world was coming to an end and he was trying to suck the life out of her so she wouldn't have to suffer through it. When he finally finished the kiss, he looked at her and said,"I would like it very much if you would please undress me and yourself now. I don't think I can do it myself without hurting you." Lady Oakenshield, who was still trying to come down from an ecstatic high, obliged him. She quickly undid the new snaps on her dress and was just shrugging it off her shoulders as Thorin reached over and caressed her body. She left her dress hanging around her elbows like a cape. "Do you like the new snaps?" "I do. I want them on my breeches."She moved down, pulled off his soft shoes, crawled up his legs, undid the laces and pulled off his rawhide pants, leaving him moaning softly. She climbed off the bed and moved around to a better position and lifted his arms to slide his tunic over his head. He lay there, the wonder of wonders. His body splendid in its perfection. The pectoral muscles expanding and contracting as he breathed, almost panting from the exertion of mind-fighting Lady Galadriel and then rushing to Lady Oakenshield. Those six muscles that formed his stomach, they were as hard as a rock, six rocks actually. She lightly dusted them with her fingertips, watching them ripple with each touch. He groaned deeply, his voice sending a shiver of desire down her spine. Her gaze traveled lower. The muscle that drove her crazy was the one that made the V line where his lower abs met his hips. It showed what great care he took of his body. She studied him for a minute or two before moving further up to finger comb the tangles out of his hair. When she finished she climbed back in bed and draped herself over him. "I think I will leave my dress on." "And why is that?" "Because I am about to send you to our island of ecstasy and I might desire something from you on the return trip."Thorin leaned up and kissed her softly. "I think we will go together. He wrapped his arms around her, and flipped the two of them over. He began at the top of her head. When he finished, there was not a part of her that had not felt the caress of his hand, the touch of his mouth, or his unbridled passion. Somewhere along the way another dress ended up on the floor in pieces, snaps or no snaps.Galadriel and Elrond said their goodbyes and promised to send whatever help was needed to rid Erebor of the Unnamed Things. It was going to be a difficult parting for all concerned, the tension palatable. Someday Lady Oakenshield knew she was going to have to ask Galadriel to leave her husband alone, but now was not the time. She was not ready to take on the most powerful Elf in Middle Earth. Suddenly she heard Galadriel's voice in her head. "You needn't worry anymore my dear friend. I have accepted my feelings for Thorin are clearly not reciprocated. He loves you. I'd not hurt you or him for all the gold in Erebor." Lady Oakenshield then felt the greatest feeling of calm spread over her. Galadriel smiled her charismatic smile at the two of them and let Frerin help her on to the Eagle.The Honor Guard left as soon as the Eagles were in the air. They were alone on the mountain top. "That was practically painless," Lady Oakenshield stretched her arms over her head and felt her back muscles finally loosen. She watched as the Eagles flew out of sight. Thorin came up behind her and started to massage her neck. "Oh, by all that Durin loved, don't stop." He moved his hands lower and nuzzled her neck. "Oh, well that's even better. Don't stop that instead." As he rubbed her lower back, he slowly worked her dress up her legs. How he worked the laces loose on his breeches at the same time will be a mystery for the ages. All she knew was that when he turned her around she was glad she didn't have to wait for him to undress. They used her dress as a blanket to lay on. She'd have to remember to thank the seamstress for the yards and yards of fabric in the skirt. They lay side by side looking up at the sky. There was nary a cloud and the sun was getting warmer. They'd have to leave the mountaintop soon. It would get too hot for them to enjoy the outdoors with no shade. "I think we should build a waiting room up here for our guests who travel by Eagle. One with couches and pillows. We could come up here whenever we wanted to leave the mountain and not leave the mountain." "Done and done. It will be built tomorrow. Have the seamstress make the coverings and pillows as you want."Thorin pulled her close to him again. He ran his hands down her sun warmed body. She could feel the callouses from his constant practice of the harp as he caressed her back. He was really enjoying it now. She imagined herself as his golden harp. "Thorin, can you play one of your songs on my body?"He leaned away from her and gazed upward for a moment, a puzzled look crossing his face. "As long as you didn't want one of the Battle songs. I would probably hurt you and leave some terrible marks." "One of the love songs then." "I can try." He sat up and moved her dress until he was leaning against a rock. He turned her around with her back leaning against his front. "Nope, not it." He sat her on his lap turned three quarters of the way away from him. He pretended to pick strings by rubbing his fingers across her belly. She giggled. "I'll not do this if you're going to laugh." "It tickled." "It won't tickle soon enough." "Okay, I'm ready." It started slowly, like a soft caress. She closed her eyes so she could try to imagine the song. She didn't have to imagine for very long. He was singing in her ear, his voice wrapping itself around her mind and caressing it as he was caressing her body. As he picked up the pace his fingers moved across her arms, her torso and legs as if they really were strings of a harp. He moved up and down, side to side. His head moving in rhythm to the beat his feet were tapping out on the ground. His silken hair was a soft ribbon that slapped at her shoulders and breasts. very once in a while she would get a jolt when one of his hair beads touched her, it was not painful, but a pleasurable shock made all the more exciting because she never knew when it was going to happen. She thought she might never look at his harp without a twinge of jealousy again. She wanted desperately to touch him, to kiss him. When he hit the crescendo she thought she would go mad with desire. Because of the way he was holding her with his powerful legs she couldn't move. She had to endure every pick of every string he was visualizing in his mind. He was no longer caressing her body. He was playing his harp. She had just been admitted to subliminal part of his subconsciousness and she could not stop him until he was finished. She escaped into the pleasure sphere and no longer cared where he took her.Thorin shook his head and looked down at Lady Oakenshield. "I was gone, but I'm now back." "I enjoyed the trip more than you can imagine." "I hope I didn't hurt you." "My darling, you could never hurt me. As for leaving marks, there may be a few, but believe me, every single one of them was worth the ride. Next time we do this, though, we remove the beads from your hair first." Lady Oakenshield smiled. "Oh for Durin's sake I could have put your eye out." "The way I feel, it would have been worth losing an eye. Now my master musician, I think you deserve a little extra something from me."Thorin smiled. "Do I get a choice or is this a surprise?" "I think you'll like whatever happens, and it starts with a nice cool bath. It's getting rather hot up here and I don't think it's all the sun's doing."Thorin slipped into his breeches, wrapped Lady Oakenshield in her dress and carried her down the steps to her chambers, leaving shoes, shirt and various pieces of clothing where they lay. He'd send Spakla his man, up for them. He was used to picking up discarded clothing, food and dishes in odd places. That's why he kept working. He refused to retire. He never rolled his eyes and never tsked, tsked, tsked at Thorin and Lady Oakenshield. Old Spakla who'd been with him since, well forever. He was the guy who slapped his butt to make him cry the first time. Spakla's mate Kashre was the midwife who birthed him. As he passed through his chambers he rolled his eyes skyward at Spakla. A nod and a smile, that was all it took. Spakla headed up the stairs with an empty basket. Thorin kicked Lady Oakenshield's door closed. "So where's this surprise?"Lady Oakenshield squirmed out of his arms and went over to her calling tube. "We will need the bath pool filled, warm, not hot. Oils, not soap. Lilac, not rose. Wine, chilled, food, heavy, fruit, no vegetables. Dark Ale. Leave it all in the bathing chamber. Do not come into my room. Thank you very much."She walked back over to where Thorin was standing. "Now let's see about undoing those braids and taking the signets out so I can wash your hair. Sit over here." Even after all the time they had been together she still had no idea what she did to him when she ran her hands through his hair. It was customary to braid one's hair into elaborate designs and use stiffeners to keep it that way for weeks. Although they were beginning to change habits, most Dwarves still didn't bathe as often as the Oakenshields. That was one of the reasons Thorin didn't braid his hair except in front, one braid on each side. It was important that he at least keep some traditions alive. If he had his hair in an elaborate design she wouldn't be able to get her hands in it. That would not do at all. He did notice a lot of the younger Dwarves were starting to wear it long and unadorned. Maybe he'd started something. Now if he could just get them to bathe. Didn't they know how much fun it was? Besides it was so much nicer to have someone sleeping next to you that smelled like flowers instead like a warg. All the lads were bathing regularly now. They couldn't keep up with all the women who wanted to bed them. He'd even heard Balin was bedding them two at a time, the old peacock. "I said are you ready for the bath?"'Oh, sorry, I was day dreaming It feels so good when you play in my hair. I was thinking about how I hoped the Dwarves will take to bathing more." "I think more of them are now that they can get bath pools installed without having to tear up their homes. So shall we go play in our pool?" "After you my love."Radagast arrived two days later. As swift as his Rhosgobel Rabbits were, they still needed rest and food to make the long trip to Erebor, as did Radagast. He'd stopped to see Beorn his friend, to get his advice on how best to proceed with the task of swimming through the Lonely Mountain. They agreed Beorn would also go to Erebor just in case they needed him for controlling the mother. No one knew exactly how big she was. "Beorn is right behind me. He should be here in about two hours." Radagast turned his rabbits and sled over to the Dwarf Stable Master. "No, I'm right in front of you, and I've been here about two hours." Beorn laughed his big bear laugh. Radagast jumped a foot in the air. 'I will never figure out how you do that." "And I will never tell you." Everyone had a grand time all around reacquainting themselves with old and dear friends. Lady Oakenshield made sure the kitchen had prepared a meal full of dishes pleasing to all appetites. Their friends were very diverse and thus had all manner of tastes. It was deep into the night before the last of their guests finally left the dining room and ambled off to their sleeping quarters. "I think we have a good plan, a few tweaks, here and there. I'll work on them." Gandalf stood up and stretched. "I do believe Lady Oakenshield has had enough of us tonight." Thorin looked over his shoulder. She was laying across her folded arms, sound asleep. "I think I have had enough of us tonight as well, my friend." "And I." Gandalf headed toward the door. "Tomorrow then. Good night Thorin, or what's left of it."Thorin stood up and picked up Lady Oakenshield like one of the little dolls his sister Dis used to play with. She snuggled against him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "More honey, Beorn? More mushrooms, Radagast?" She whispered against his neck. "No, thank you, Lady Oakenshield, I think we've all had quite enough. Why don't we all go to bed now." "Oh, Thorin wouldn't like that. He'd have all our heads. You must sleep in your own bed." "Yes my dear. Let us all go to our own beds." "Okay." She struggled to get closer to Thorin, as if she could get any closer. He walked through the Elven door that led to her chambers, and kissed her softly on the forehead. "Lower." She tilted her head back and moved her hands to bend his head forward. He gave her a soft kiss on the lips and was about to raise his head when she increased the hold on his head, wrapping her hands in his hair, not releasing his mouth from hers. Thorin picked up the pace of his stride toward her chambers. By the time he hit the door to her chambers they were ripping at each their clothes. She had moved so she was clinging to his front with her legs wrapped around his waist and one arm around his neck, fingers twisted in his hair, tearing at the lacing of his shirt with the other hand. He was ripping the buttons off the back of her dress with his one hand while undoing the ties of his breeches with the other. They fell into the bed still struggling with arms and legs caught in clothes. The sound of ripping fabric was almost as loud as the sounds they were making trying to get to each other.Later as they lay together, Thorin turned on his side, resting his head on his palm, looked down on his precious Lady Oakenshield. "I want the Royal Seamstress in here first thing in the morning. I want every piece of clothing we have redone with those snaps you've had the Iron maker design. I don't care if she has to hire a dozen seamstresses to help her. I don't care if the Iron maker has to melt down my Grandfather's sword to make snaps." "Well, okay. You know it means that your tunics have to be cut up the back and re-sewn." "Don't care." "I care. We will have some of your shirts and breeches redone, and some of my dresses. No tunics, period. Nothing you might wear on a quest or in battle. I will not have them ruining your best clothes just so you can get out of them at a moment's desire. Besides if you are in a battle, the enemy could rip them off you." "Oh, hadn't thought about that. Okay, don't touch my battle gear." "Obviously, or the Court garb." "Why not the Court wear?" "For the same reason. I don't want someone to be able to get you or me for that matter, in a compromising position or at a disadvantage" "They touch you, they die." "Right, they touch you, they die, but before they die they could have stripped you or me naked for all the world to see." "Point scored. You will decide what is snapped, but I want some things snapped." "Fine with me. I fancy I twisted some fingers last night trying to get you and me undressed." "I think I twisted more than fingers last night." They both started laughing and then as always happened when they were within a foot of each other, especially if they were laying in bed, they moved together in love, again. Everyone was on edge as the water mammals dove into the water. Radagast fed the small diameter string out as the two furry animals swam out of sight. One of them had it tied around it's waist. The other was there to protect, defend and chew through the string should there be trouble. Ravens, thrushes, and eagles were circling Erebor at different heights to watch for the little creatures or big creatures to emerge from the mountain. At first sign of either, Beorn would be there in an instant to grab them or to grab the monster. There were sword wielding Dwarves lined up all around the mountain, led by Fili. He couldn't believe Thorin put him in charge of the Sword Brigade. "I won't let you down, Uncle." That was his mantra for the day.Behind them were several lines of Elven Archers who could shoot farther, faster and more accurately than most of the Archer Dwarves, except Kili and he was right in the middle of them as their Commander. He was fair-minded, never over-confident, and would listen to his Lieutenants when they had a better plan. They didn't mind having him lead them, even if he was younger than most of the fruit trees they ate from this morning.Suddenly the string went taut, and Radagast almost lost hold of it as it jerked and moved this way and that as if he had a giant fish on a line. Just as suddenly it went slack in his hands. Radagast looked around at everyone. "Oh dear. Poor Wendell. Should I pull the it back?" The string started to move in his hands again, slowly becoming taut.'Wait, let it play out." Gandalf moved closer to Radagast and put his hand on his shoulder. Soon it began to move through the water at a steady pace again. There were at least seven more incidents of the string stopping and starting before they got word that at least one of the little fellows had made it to the surface of the mountain. It was not Wendell. Radagast went to see what had happened. They had met something. Tobias was not sure if it was the Unnamed Thing since he had never seen one before. It wrapped its tentacles around Wendell and wouldn't let go until Tobias bit it several times. By that time Wendell couldn't swim anymore. Tobias slipped the string off him and put it around himself. Wendell was still in the mountain. He was alive and resting on a rocky shelf about a third of the way in. When he felt better he would swim back the other way. Tobias was sure the monster followed him all the way and kept trying to catch him, but he was able to get away by floating backwards and gnashing his teeth at the thing. As soon as the sun started to lighten the water it shied away and swam back down the tunnel. By the time Radagast returned to the inside of the mountain Wendell had managed to get back through the tunnel. He was injured, but not severely. Radagast healed him and wrapped him up. He'd take him and Tobias up to the suite to rest while the others worked on getting the larger rope pulled through and secured outside the mountain. There was nothing else the little animals could do. They had done their job and had done it well.It was going to take several hours to get each larger rope through the mountain. They couldn't just attach the largest one to the little string Wendell and Tobias threaded through the cavern. It would snap that piece of thread before you could say Unnamed Thing. The Riggers would work through the day into the night if they had to, piecing halyards to lines and lines to ropes until they had the largest rope they needed to haul a net through to trap the Unnamed Thing. Net-makers were already busy weaving together as many nets as they could find that were not being used for a Dwarf's livelihood, old nets, broken nets, decorative nets, sleeping nets, any net that would hold up under stress. Everyone wanted to help. Some sweet little Dwarves tried to offer their hair nets but were told they looked more beautiful in their hair than hanging off some old sea monster. Lady Oakenshield and the other Royal ladies made use of their time by ensuring that the Elves and Dwarves on the mountainside had plenty of food and drink. Thorin and Lady Oakenshield hadn't seen each other since they'd reluctantly parted earlier that morning. There hadn't been time to think of each other today. "Since everything is quiet right now, maybe I'll take a break and seek out the Lady Oakenshield."Lady Oakenshield had gone in the opposite direction. By the time they were set up and ready to start serving, it was time for luncheon and the first of the men were starting to look for something to eat. What Lady Oakenshield had set up worked like a charm. She fed more than three thousand Dwarves and Elves in less than an hour and no one pushed, shoved, or cut in line. No Dwarf or Elf got special privileges due to rank or race. There was not a space in the whole of the mountain left unguarded. A single dish was broken while it was being washed, one bowl of soup was spilled and the Dwarf who spilled it, scooped it up from his lap and ate it anyway, sopping the juice up with a leftover piece of bread his friend handed him.So it was that Thorin found Lady Oakenshield surrounded by her adoring Dwarves. He stood there outside the circle watching them get her a cold drink, a piece of fruit, cut just the way she liked it, a slice of dessert cake. Someone brought her damp cloth to wipe her hands and face to get the dust of the day off. "And to think I was sure no one could love her almost as much as I. They worship the Queen and my life's blood. I think they would turn on me if something were to happen to her and it could have been avoided, even at my own peril." He made a coughing sound and stepped closer to the crowd. At first they ignored him. Then someone turned and saw it was the King. "Your Highness." Everyone stood at once, and bowed or curtsied as one, then stepped away from Lady Oakenshield. "Hello my love. We've just now finished with luncheon. Have you eaten? Will someone get the King a chair and something to drink?" Before the words were out of her mouth, a chair and a drink were there. "Thank you, this will be fine, although that cake does look good." "A piece of cake for the King, please." A piece of cake appeared as if by magick. "And to think I thought you had this effect only on me," Thorin smiled at Lady Oakenshield. "I didn't realize you had enchanted my entire kingdom. Am I still the King or am I now just the Queen's consort?" Everyone laughed including Thorin and Lady Oakenshield. "I've not decided yet." Everyone laughed even louder. "If you'll excuse us, I believe the Lady Oakenshield and I need to have a serious discussion."She smiled her sweetest smile at everyone. "Oops, I may have gone too far. I'll be back before the supper hour. Please rest yourselves. You did a wonderful job. Thank you all. See you in a couple of hours." Thorin thanked everyone for what they were doing and for taking such good care of Lady Oakenshield. He and Lady Oakenshield walked casually toward the gates of Erebor and a tent that had been placed in the shade for them. He was after all the King. As soon as they stepped inside they grabbed at each other. Their mouths like magnets. "I thought I'd never get through the whole day not seeing you." "I kept looking up the mountainside hoping to see you." "I thought about riding one of the eagles just to catch a glimpse of you." There was trail of clothes from the tent flap to the nest of pillows in the back corner. "What if someone comes in?" "They are going to be very surprised and very embarrassed, and to Mordor with them it's my tent." "Agreed." There was no more talking for the next two hours as they devoured each other as if they been starved for affection. He demanded, she surrendered. She commanded, he obeyed. They headed to paradise, and passion followed. If someone came in the tent they didn't notice nor did they care.It looked as if everything were going according to plan which meant something was about to go wrong, terribly wrong. Just as they were floating the net through the end of the mountain the cable it was attached to started to separate. A separating cable is one of the most deadly situations known to water folk. It is a writhing, twisting metallic snake that has more heads and tails than you can count and you have no control over any of them. All you can do is run in the opposite direction and wait for it to die. If you are lucky no one gets killed. They were lucky. No one got killed, but there were a couple of injuries, something that Gandalf and Radagast tried to heal right away, but one of the Dwarves had lost his arm when the cable parted right next to him. It was a hazard they were all aware of and was just part of the job. They now worried about the net laying at the bottom of the river. It was going to take time to re-rig ropes to pull it back up. This time though they could use Dwarves to dive down and hook up bigger ropes than the smaller one Tobias brought through, saving a lot of extra effort. Thorin walked over to the injured Dwarves to make sure they understood they would be fully compensated for their injuries and that the more injured Dwarf and his family were never to worry about home and hearth, that they would want for nothing. "Just doing my job, Your Highness. Sometimes bad things happen on the job. I knew the job was dangerous when I took it. We'll get by." "So that means your mate and your children are to suffer because you can no longer provide for them, how noble, and how stupid." "Sorry Your Majesty, just didn't want no charity." "This isn't charity, this is compensation for doing your job and getting hurt because of something that was not your fault, that no one out there had any control over. If it had been your fault, I would have made you pay, and pay dearly for putting other Dwarves in danger. So may the crown assist in taking care of you and your family or are you a pigheaded warg that would rather see his family starve?" "My family and I most heartily thank you King Thorin for any assistance you deem reasonable to grant." "You're welcome. Now I believe your mate is hysterical. Would you consent to see her, or would you like Lady Oakenshield to talk to her first?" "I'll take her, she'll be fine once she sees me. It's just an arm. She'd have my head if it were anything important, if you get my meaning, no offense meant." Thorin laughed. "At least you didn't lose your sense of humor. I'll have her sent to you." He walked away still chuckling.Inside the cavern the Unnamed Thing swam around in circles. She was ready to nest again and showing signs of panicking. Her tentacles were heavy with egg sacs that lay just under the skin. She'd swum up to the nest but there was too much activity there and she couldn't get close enough to deposit more eggs. She swam around looking for another nesting place. Finally she found a small alcove that would hold a few of the eggs. She wasn't happy she saved some of her children, she wasn't sadden that she was losing some. She was an immortal creature that lived in the water. She ate, she slept, she reproduced. When she ate, sometimes she ate the creatures that came too close to the water's edge, like the ones who were too close to her nest at the other end of the mountain. She swam in that direction. There were too many of them. They were not as large as the pain givers she had seen before, but they had sticks like those that had caused her pain. She might not understand a lot of things, but she understood and remembered pain. She slipped back into the shadows and swam to her den. There she lay quietly and let the fish clear away the remaining egg sacs and debris left from the empty ones.The net was finally pulled onto land the next morning. It was just a matter of lacing the chain through the one end and connecting it to the rope with a catch hook. That way when they caught the Unnamed Thing the net would close around her and they would be able to pull her out of the water at the other end without worrying about her tentacles. Or so they hoped, that was the plan on the parchment. One of the Shipping Dwarves made a suggestion that they also thread a set of ropes and pulleys through the side of the net for moving it back and forth through the mountain. No one had thought that they might not catch her the first time, and they would have to start all over to get the net back through the the cavern. This way they could pull it back and forth as many times as they needed to. It would take a little more time to rig up the pulleys but not nearly as much time as it would take to re-run the ropes again.At the other end of the rope, under the mountain, the Ravens were having a feast. They'd eaten about half of the eggs. The female Ravens with chicks were flying back and forth feeding as many nestlings as they could. Even the smaller birds were getting their fair share. The inside of the mountain was a bird watcher's paradise. The contingency of Farmers who volunteered to feed the Eagles had formed a line much like the one Lady Oakenshield had to feed the troops. The only difference was they had to be careful not to be part of the meal. Not that the Eagles were indiscriminate feeders, but it was easy to get stepped on when you have a convocation of Eagles, each about 10 foot tall, and you were less than half that height. It looked like this part of the plan was going smoothly and Thorin was grateful that Bombur and Bofur had set up a good perimeter fence to keep the children and gawkers far away from any of the feeding birds. "Another couple of hours and we should have all the eggs cleared out," Bofur was always optimistic. That's what everyone liked about him. He could lift the spirits of a Dwarf on his way to the gallows. "I hope that will be the last of them. Now if we can trap the mother, I'll be happy to close this side of the mountain up for good. Keep up the fine work, Bombur, Bofur." Thorin patted them on the back and left them to their work. He never worried about any of the lads. He'd put his life in their hands more times than he could count, and wouldn't hesitate to call on them for any and every task that required a quick mind or an agile step. He headed back down the mountain through the Elven tunnel and came out a few meters from Lady Oakenshield. She was busy getting the tables ready for another meal. He stepped up to the table and reached around her for sandwich. She slapped at his hand. "No sneaking food Dwarf. Wait your turn." "I don't have a turn." "Oh," she turned to him. "Hello, you. You're absolutely right. You don't have a turn. You are at the back of the line. You eat after everyone else has eaten." "I'm heading over to the net area. I just need something to tide me over. May I have this sandwich now that I've touched it, please?" "Of course. I could never deny you anything. Do you want to take a basket to the men over there? I'm positive Beorn has not eaten in at least a day." "That would be nice." She packed a basket with some sandwiches and honey for him. As he turned to leave, he took her hand and kissed her palm. "That will have to do for now, my love." He turned her away from the prying eyes of the ladies helping her. "If I could I would have you under this table naked and panting for more if I knew I wouldn't mortify your ladies-in-waiting. I would strip you bare and kiss you in places that would have you begging me to stop," he whispered against her hand. He looked up into her eyes. He could read the unbridled lust in them. She slowly moved her other hand to the front of his breeches and rubbed her hand down the front of them. "You got some dust on your shirt, my love." His eyes widened then went into slits. "Two can play this game," she whispered. "You leave me wanting you, you walk away wanting me more."'I'll show you how much I want you right now." "When is the next meal to be served?" Thorin turned to look at one of the ladies over his shoulder. "About an hour, Your Highness." "Thank you. I need Lady Oakenshield's help with a problem in feeding the children and older folks up on the mountain top. Can you spare her for about a half-hour-hour?" "Of course, Your Majesty, take as long as you need, will a half-hour be enough time?" Some of the ladies behind the Princess Aila twittered. "Plenty, thank you."He took Lady Oakenshield's hand away from the front of his breeches and they slowly walked away, Thorin never having turned toward the ladies-in-waiting, but Lady Oakenshield's cheeks a beautiful shade of pink.When they got to the tent, they found a small group of Princes enjoying a minute of shade along the outside wall. "Your Majesties." They scattered like insects in all directions. Thorin picked up Lady Oakenshield and carried her inside to the pillows. "I doubt they'll be back any time soon. I'll have to mention this to Nori. I'll bet he sent them on an errand that did not include a stop off at our tent." "No talking. Kissing, touching, lots of kissing and touching, Now." "Right, we're on a tight schedule here."It did not take much time for them to find mutual satisfaction in each other this time. It wasn't because they knew people were depending on them. It was because they knew sometimes they just wanted to take the fastest road to ecstasy they could. They didn't care if they still had clothes on, they didn't care if they still had their shoes on. They just wanted to please each other as quickly and as intensely as possible. They'd learned that there were times they could do this standing up, sitting down, with or without clothes, and in a variety of positions depending on the circumstances. Lady Oakenshield once pleasured Thorin while he was sitting in Justice session and no one even knew. She had crept into the Throne room before hand and hid under the bench. Because he had this massive dais he sat behind above the crowd and a long robe he had to wear, when he sat down she was able to crawl out from under it. When she began to loosen the laces of his breeches he almost leaped out of his seat. Then she crawled up into his lap. He finally realized what was happening and had to endure a whole session's worth of her nipping, kissing and licking him under the robe, before the session was over. To this day he still wasn't sure how many guilty Dwarves he set free. He'd thrown everyone out of the Throne room and had Balin lock the door behind him. They'd spent another two hours finding all sorts of uses for his dais. He was still trying to find a way to reciprocate, maybe at one of her fancy teas for the princesses.A half-hour later they walked back to the food tables. Thorin picked up the food basket for Beorn. "Ladies." He swaggered away, humming a tune and swinging the basket as he headed toward the mountain. "Stand still, your dress is only half buttoned." Grendel stood behind her, casually re-buttoning Lady Oakenshield's bodice. "Cocky Bastard. The least he could have done is make sure you looked like you did when you left. It's not as if we didn't all know where you were going and what it was you were going to do, or that all of us wouldn't have given all of our fortunes to change places with you for five minutes."Lady Oakenshield burst out laughing. "Oh dear. Was it that obvious?"Grendel, having finished her repairs, came around to the front of her. "My dear sister-in-law, you are mated to the finest specimen of Dwarfhood in Middle Earth. How you even think about separating your body from his is beyond any of our womanly comprehension. I suspect there are a few males who feel the same way. Do you have the slightest notion of how incredibly beautiful he is?" "I am well aware of his physical attributes, thank you." "I know, you love him for his mind." "He is an extremely intelligent, musically gifted, militarily astute Dwarf, and that at times he can be quite charming in his own way." "What?" "I love him for all those reasons, and because he's the finest specimen of Dwarfhood in Middle Earth. Gawd he is more than beautiful. Sometimes it hurts my eyes to look at him." She pretended to swoon. All the ladies-in-waiting pretended to swoon with her. The Dwarves and Elves who were starting to line up for their meal, wondered if there was something in the food. Finally a high-pitched voice came out of nowhere, "Oh Mamma, the ladies are talking about King Thorin again. They all think he's so pretty. Boys are yucky. May I have a piece of fruit, please?" Out of the mouths of babes.They were ready to make the first sweep of the the cavern. The Stable Master was using a dozen of the biggest ponies he had for pulling the ropes attached to the cables. On the other end of the cavern, Beorn had the Iron Master fashion a metal trapdoor that covered the opening of the cavern so that if the Unnamed Thing came out of the mountain she would swim past the spring mechanism and the door would close behind her. There would no place for her to go except to continue to swim down the river into the the Long Lake and on towards the River Carnen and beyond. If she stayed at the door they would let loose the Archers. She'd either move on or they'd pull the carcass out of the water and burn it. Thorin was amazed that they had really cleaned out the eggs in two hours just as Bofur had predicted. Some scavenger birds were pecking at the last of the debris left in some of the crevasses. Bombur and Bofur were spreading some small hay bales drenched in oil around. They were going to burn off the remains of the jelly that remained in the tiny holes in the rocks and cracks. They had to wait for the first sweep of the cavern. The ponies weren't fond of fire and smoke and they didn't need a stampede. They'd start the fire after everyone left for the day. It wasn't going to burn anything but the dregs left by the birds.The rope tightened as the ponies began their journey up the ramp from the edge of the water. The pulleys began to turn and the water to drizzle from the ropes as they came out of the water and tightened. At the other end the net slowly stretched across the water and slid into the river. As it moved slowly toward the opening, the crowd cheered.She felt the vibration of something moving through the water. Something she had never encountered. She didn't choose between friend or foe. Everything was a foe, even another Unnamed Thing, except during the mating season and then once she got the ligula, she left the male to swim away and die. She slid off the shelf and slowly swam toward the sound, tentacles feeling their way in the dark, dank water ahead. She felt the cold metal chain first and jerked back. It kept moving toward her. She slapped at it with three of her arms, it kept moving forward. Suddenly she could not pull one of her arms back. It had hold of her and was drawing closer to her. Two arms, three, it was sucking her in. She squirted an inky substance at it to blind it so she could turn and swim away. She would fight it another day. It kept moving toward her. She was unable to turn away and more of her arms were caught in its web. It kept swimming forward, carrying her along, dragging her. Soon it would envelope her body and head and she would be helpless to escape. She struggled to bite at it with her razor sharp teeth but she was tangled up in the ropes of the net and could not turn enough to get close to the webbing.The ponies were struggling with the extra weight of the Unnamed Thing. Everyone knew they had captured something in the net, but didn't know what. They peered at the black water as if they could will their eyes to see through the darkness. "How much longer do you think?" "What do you think is in the net?" "Where are the swordsmen?" "Questions, questions." Bofur looked around. He pointed at one Dwarf. 'As long as it takes. He pointed at another. "I think there is a very large fish in the net." He turned to Bombur. "I think is time to call for Fili. Tell him we need a platoon of Swordsmen. I don't think it's going to be long now. We should probably find the King." Bombur headed to a messenger Raven to give him instructions for Fili and to find the King.Thorin practically ran up the Mountain to get to the opening where he could pass through to the lost city. "Can you see it yet?" "Not yet, Your Majesty, but the marker on the rope says we only have 42 more feet of rope left before we get to the cable attached to the net. Then there's 12 feet of cable before the net starts. I think we're going to see something long before that." "Where's Fili?" "He's on his way down." "Let's slow down until he's in position, I don't want any one hurt if she's in there and starts swings those tentacles around."Bofur sent word to the Stable Master to give the ponies a rest while they waited for Fili. It wasn't but a few minutes and the platoon came through the tunnel at a dead run. "We're here, we're here!" "I want you over here all along this shelf, and right over here where the rope comes up the ramp. As soon as we see what is in the net, if it's the Unnamed Thing, I want swords to start taking out tentacles. No waiting. Try not to cut the net, but if you have to, be careful." He switched his battleaxe to his left hand. Thorin pulled Orcrist out of her scabbard with his right. "Above all else, stand your ground." He moved to the head of the platoon right next to the rope. He would be the first thing the Unnamed Thing would see as the net cleared the water. He would never place a Dwarf in danger ahead of himself.As the rope slackened she was able turn in the net, one of her tentacles came loose from the net and she was able shake another one loose. Now she could turn toward the side of the net and get her teeth into the webbing. Frantically chewing she made a hole and stuck a tentacle through, intent on tearing her way through the the enemy's grasp. Before she could move her body around to slip through the hole she was making, the rope went taut the enemy started swimming again. She was caught between the hole and the net, a stranglehold that was going to choke her air passage before she could wiggle free. She relaxed her grip on the webbing and free floated with the net. This was a battle she was not going to win this time. Three millennium of mastery over everything that came within her sphere of power and she was about to be destroyed by something that wasn't even aggressive. It just kept swimming forward, pulling her along with it. It was going to pull her to the pain givers. It was the only cognizant thought she had. She was going to feel pain. She started to struggle again, must get away from the pain givers. It was too little too late for her. Thorin and the swordsmen saw her first tentacles just as she started to struggle. They swung swords as one and it was over for her in a matter of moments. She felt no pain this time. They were merciful. She might have been a mindless monster, but they were not cruel, would not have left her to suffer a slow, miserable death. The ponies drug the carcass on shore and everyone took a look at her. She was hideously beautiful in her own way. Emerald green scales covered her oblong body. Her underbelly was a slick ivory color, with a pink central opening, lined with several rows of glistening white razor sharp teeth. There were twelve legs emerging from around the central opening, none less than ten feet in length, two at least 15 feet in length. It was the two multifaceted eyes that were the most striking. Even as they started to cloud over after death, they were still a vibrant shade of aquamarine that would have put to shame some of the jewels mined in Erebor. Thorin walked over and using both hands closed her eyelids. He didn't know why he did it, it just felt right. "Okay, Bofur, Bombur, let's move her to the nest and and get ready to start the fires. Stable Master as soon as we have her moved let's get the ponies out of here. Extra rations all around for them. They've more than earned their keep for the next year, as have you." "What do you want us to do with ropes and pulleys, Your Highness? Should we have Beorn pull them back through?" "No, let's tie them off here. We still don't know what's in the cavern. There could still be other things. I'll head around and tell them we've got her and everyone can stand down for now." "As you wish. We'll report when everything is done."Thorin waved his arm as he left the mountain. "Great work, all." Bombur waited for Thorin to move out of sight, then motioned for Fili. "Laddie, there's three kegs of the finest ale you'll find anywhere around. Let's tap it for the lads. I think they deserve a bit, don't you?" "Yes, sir! Lads with me!" He grabbed a couple of the swordsmen and they headed in the direction Bombur pointed.Thorin came back around the corner. Bombur gave him the thumbs up. "They're off for it. Thanks King Thorin. You've made their day." "Just make sure none of them fall in the water and drown." He turned back around and left before they saw him.As soon as word got around that the eggs were destroyed and the mother had been captured and was dead, celebrations of how life goes on broke out everywhere. Beorn had the Battleaxe Brigade tie up and fence in the set up for the block and tackle on the outside of the mountain. Afterwards they went inside the mountain and did the same in there. They stayed to help the swordsmen finish off the ale. Then they carried out most of the young swordsmen who were too drunk to walk out of the tunnel so Bofur could light the fires.Thorin and Lady Oakenshield each had their own idea of what kind of celebration they wanted and it wasn't with anyone but each other. "Grendel, if you and Frerin want to use the tent, it's available." Lady Oakenshield smiled sweetly as she headed toward the western gate. "Thanks, I think we might just do that." Grendel headed off to find Frerin. "Frerin, if you and Grendel want to use the tent, it's available." "Thanks, I think we'll take you up on that offer. We'll talk to you and Lady Oakenshield later then." Frerin saluted his brother and headed off to find Grendel.Thorin and Lady Oakenshield headed in the same direction, her chambers. He only stopped in his chambers long enough to hang up his battleaxe and put Orcrist on her stand. "I gave the tent to..." they both started to say at once as soon as they saw each other. "Let hope we gave it to Frerin and Grendel," Thorin started to laugh. "or it's going to get very crowded in there."'So we did it. The kingdom is safe for another day or two at least." "It is and Gandalf will close off the wall permanently tomorrow after all the smoke and fires are out. But I don't want to talk about that right now. I want to celebrate our good fortune at getting all the eggs and the mother the first time." "What would you like to do? Drink, eat, play cards?" "I want to drink in the sight of you with no clothes on. I want to eat you alive. I want to play. You can forget the cards." This time Thorin didn't have to ruin another dress. Lady Oakenshield pulled at her dress and the snaps gave way just as they were meant to. She let the dress drop to the floor. "I'm yours for the taking. Just remember I take as much as I give. She stepped away from her dress. She grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled. The snaps on his shirt worked just as hers did. "I like snaps." She reached down and slowly started unsnapping his breeches one snap at a time. "Oh for Durin's sake, pull them all at once."'No, it's more fun this way."'Why would you want to torture me? What have I done to you?" "Remember the little scene you caused at the food table?" "Vaguely. Right now I can hardly remember my own name. To Mordor with this." He picked her up and carried her to the bed. His breeches, front wide open, and narrowly hanging off his hips. As he reached the bed they slipped off and he stepped out them. "That's so much better. Now where were we?" "Playing." " I've had all the playing I can handle. I want to get down to the business of total satisfaction." That was the end of any conversation they had. They melded into that single entity where they knew each intimate detail of two bodies that became one mind. They caressed, they kissed, they nipped, they took control, they released control, but mostly they just loved each other with a love that was beyond description. Just when they fell over the edge of ecstasy, one of them would softly whisper the other's name, and they would move together again as if it were the first time. They could never get enough of each other. They both always wanted more. So it went through the night into the next day, and the world continue on around them.Deep inside the cavern, a thousand emerald green eggs soon to have aquamarine eyes quietly grew millimeter by tiny millimeter.