The Ties That Bind

Chapter Twenty-One

Thorin rolled over and his first instinct already was to reach for Eirlys. But when he reached for her, his hand came flat against the smooth sheet. Opening his eyes, he found her side of the bed empty, her pillow only slightly dented in.

"Eirlys?" He sat up, rubbing his face with both hands, and then looked about the room as if she might be there, hiding behind the door or under the bed. A wry laugh rose to his lips and he rose, stretching for his dressing gown in the same movement.

Shrugging into it, he padded across to the door. "Eirlys?"

Silence was all he heard in return. He went through the flat, looking for her, only to find more empty space. Wherever she was, it was beyond his flat's—their flat's—walls.

With that, he dressed and made his way up to the main level and the Great Hall, which hummed with activity. A quick look about and while he saw Dís and Fíli, Kíli and Kíli's wife, Tauriel, he saw no sign of Eirlys.

He was actually surprised to see Eirlys not amongst the group, for he knew she looked forward to seeing Tauriel once more. A hint of worry pricked along his insides, one he tried to ignore.

"Thorin," Dori strode toward him from the kitchen, "she is out in the courtyard."

"What?"

"Queen Eirlys. She is out in the courtyard."

"Alone?"

To his astonishment, Dori nodded. "She was quite insistent, you know."

"You should have at least gone with her. You know the wall isn't finished yet." Thorin threw the last few words over his shoulder as he hurried toward the hallway that would take him to the Royal Courtyard.

"I tried, but she wasn't having any of it."

"Dori, she has no idea what is to the north of us. You do and you know better! If nothing else, someone should have come and gotten me at once!"

Dori kept trying to explain, but Thorin didn't slow down, didn't halt his stride as he made his way toward the door. His heart thundered against his ribs, his pulse pounded through his temples. Normally, the courtyard was completely walled and would be perfectly safe from any and all intruders, but time, neglect, and war had crumbled two of the walls almost to the ground. Just beyond that courtyard stood Ravenhill, the fortress where Azog the Defiler and his son Bolg had done their best to end the line of Durin.

His blood ran cold at the memory. Although Eirlys had obviously seen the scars he carried from his battles with the Gundabad orc, she had not asked him about them, which was just as well, for he had no desire to discuss what happened, both on the journey to reclaim Erebor and the battles he'd fought against Azog. Two years had passed, but those scars still pained him from time to time, and the memories haunted his sleep more often than not.

But those memories were forgotten for the moment as he felt an overwhelming urge to get to the courtyard. He had to make certain Eirlys was in no danger, and so practically sprinted as he rounded the corner and the door came into sight.

He burst through it, calling, "Eirlys! Where are you?" as he did.

The courtyard appeared empty. Although restorations had begun, years of neglect meant it was still hardscrabble earth in quite a few places, and where the walls had collapsed, heaps of crumbled stone and mortar littered the northern and western sides. To the east, a forest stood, one that led down to the Celduin—the River Running—which flowed about the Lonely Mountain and down toward Dale. Its treetops were mostly naked, skeletal arms reaching toward the sky, but if one looked carefully, they would see the buds appearing, which mean spring would soon be upon them.