The Ties That Bind

Chapter Nineteen

Eirlys wasn't at all prepared for what Thorin's apartments were like, which was silly, really, because she should have guessed. He was the most unking-like king she'd ever met, so it stood to reason that his personal space would reflect his disdain for opulence and grandeur. Unlike her father, who made certain no one would ever mistake him for anyone other than himself, Thorin presented himself as ordinary. This came through in his clothing (rough, far more suited to the days when he was more nomad than king) and in his way of traveling (small group of trusted friends who served as advisors) and now, in his home.

The king's private residence was three levels below Erebor's main level, and as they'd made their way along the hallways lit only by small flames in frosted glass globes mounted along the stone walls, she had to fight down a sense of unease. She was far too accustomed to being able to look out and see the night sky, to hear the soft padding of nocturnal animals moving through the forest in the darkness, to slink through the underbrush until she reached a spot where the canopy was thinnest and she could see stars sparkling like ice chips against the night sky.

In Erebor, her footsteps echoed along the cold stone, and all she saw was dark stone, those flickering globes, and little else.

"Are you all right?" Thorin's fingers tightened about hers. "You've gone quiet."

"I feel rather closed in here," she confessed softly, looking from the ceiling to him. "I mean no offense, of course, but I almost feel as if I've been buried alive."

"I felt that way when we first retook the mountain," he confessed. "Let's get settled and then I'll show you where it isn't quite so suffocating."

"It isn't that it's suffocating," she shook her head, "but it is... ah... a bit closed in."

The smile he offered held a hint of teasing as well. "Suffocating."

"Fine." Eirlys bobbed her head. "Suffocating."

He bent toward her, his kiss light and teasing. "Come morning, once we're settled, I'll show you where you might go to see the sun when the need arises. And of course, I'll show the areas that belong solely to us."

"Us?"

"You, me, my sister, Kíli and Fíli and their respective wives and when the time comes, their children. It's a small courtyard set aside for the royal family. So, on days when you wish to be unbothered by anyone, you might find yourself wandering there.

"But," he straightened up and gave her hand another gentle squeeze, "for now, let's just get you settled into your new home, shall we?"

Her heart skipped a beat and her mouth went dry as they resumed walking down the shadowy corridor. Her new home. It was too soon to think of Erebor that way, of course, but she wondered if she would ever see it that way, or would Mirkwood always be home?

At the corridor's end, Thorin paused at a door on their left and reached into his trouser pocket to rummage about, coming up with a small brass keyring, upon which hung several slightly tarnished brass keys. They clinked against one another as he flipped through them and when he came up with the correct one, slid the key into its lock and turned, Eirlys' pulse thundered through her temples, black dots danced before her eyes. For a maddening moment, she feared she might actually faint.

The door swung open with only a slight creak of stiff hinges. Darkness greeted them. Darkness tinted with a hint of stale air. How long had it been since he was last in his own home?

There was no chance to ask, as he pushed the door wider and gestured for her to step into the darkness that wasn't entirely foreboding, but wasn't exactly welcoming, either. She did just that, the darkness pressing in on her from all sides despite the open door. The torches in the corridor simply weren't strong enough to do more than cast a slight glow at the threshold.