Something in the Night

Chapter Twenty-Five

Nina squinted in the brilliant sunshine, lifting her hand to shade her eyes as Erebor loomed above them, but Thorin gently steered her to the left of the fortress' entrance. "So, where are we going?"

He smiled down at her. "There's something I wish to share with you, mesmel. And trust me, it will make sense when I do."

"If you say so."

His hand tightened about hers and perhaps it was but her imagination, but it felt as if his palm grew damp as they navigated the stone steps—some of them with bits crumbled away—that ran up and around Erebor's façade and along the city's labradorite western wall. The soft rush of water reached their ears as they climbed, growing louder with each step.

At the top, the scene before them was equal parts desolate and welcoming. As Erebor had been built into and beneath the Lonely Mountain, rocks and debris littered the somewhat broken flagstone and obsidian walkway to their right. But to their left stretched a field, the grass mostly green with only a few brown scrabbly patches remaining from winter, and beyond that, a wide river rushed softly by.

In the distance, rose a dark gray stone tower and as she studied it, the fortress beyond it came into view as well, one of stone mottled pale gray into near black that blended with its surroundings so well, it disappeared unless one concentrated upon it.

"Thorin?"

"Ravenhill," he replied, pointing to the gray stone tower. "This is where I confronted Azog for the last time. He'd pursued us—me, Fíli, and Kíli—from one end of Middle-Earth to the other and I'd had enough. I'd tried to end him just outside of Goblin-town, and had failed. This time, I would not fail."

She gazed first at him, then back at the tower that grew larger with each step. The river wound out of sight, most likely snaking about Ravenhill itself. "Why did he give such stubborn chase?"

"I have no idea. I never knew. My guess, however, is that we'd defeated him and his orc army at Khazad-dûm and in the process, I took his arm. I thought I killed him there, but I was wrong."

She paused, turning to him once more. "Khazad-dûm?"

"Moria. One of our most sacred of places. They defiled it and we fought to reclaim it. In the process, I found myself with a price upon my head." A hint of a smile lifted his lips. "Which I believe you are familiar with."

Heat crept into her cheeks. "Can we just never discuss that again?"

"Nina, without that price, you would not be here now. While I'd rather that not be the reason, it is, and for that, I cannot be entirely ungrateful for it." He caught her free hand in his and squeezed both gently. "I had no idea at the time, how my life would change when I made my way up here, as determined to end that filth as he was to end me."

"What happened up here? I was in Dale when the Battle of the Five Armies took place and spent my time battling those who marched through there. All we knew was a great battle had been fought and you had been mortally wounded, or so we thought."

"So I thought as well. But, Thranduíl had been here, and with him, it seemed half of Mirkwood followed. Elven magic is a wonderful thing when one is mortally wounded."

"I've heard that, but have never seen it myself."

"Nor had I, until that battle. But, without it, I am not here now and while recovery was long and slow and painful, I did recover and that is the important thing." He drew in a deep breath, exhaling slowly as he turned to gaze up at the fortress. "Come. There's more I wish to show you."

"You don't have to, you know. I can't imagine this place holds good memories."

"You're not wrong in that the memories are not pleasant ones, but I think it's something I need to do as much as I need to share it."