The Ties That Bind

Chapter Twenty-Four

The sun still shone, although it was low on the horizon, but it didn't matter to Eirlys as Thorin led her out onto the rampart high above Erebor's main gates. A breeze blew, harder than the gentle breeze in the courtyard had been, and the air held the chill that came with a spring evening. She barely felt it, though, as she made her way toward the center of the ramparts and turned toward Dale. The valley between Erebor and Dale was quiet, no travelers made their way along the wide, rutted road that led up into Dale's main street.

The plains were so barren, but she thought she spied what might be the beginning of new life and hopefully, it wouldn't be long before the earth healed itself and the last remnants of war vanished.

Dale, however, showed signs of life as twilight crept in and the street lights softly blazed to life, along with the lights in the homes and businesses. With a soft sigh, she leaned her elbows on the parapet and simply drank in the sights. After a lifetime tucked away in Mirkwood, these sights amazed her, as she never thought things as simple as a village and lights would be so beautiful as well.

"Do you come up here often?" she asked without looking away from Dale.

"A fair amount, yes." He move to stand alongside her, mimicking her stance by bracing his forearms against the stone. "I find it helps me clear my mind, more so than down below does these days."

"I'm surprised." She glanced over at him with a smile. "I would have thought you preferred being down inside."

"Most dwarves do," he nodded slowly, "but we've spent more time above ground than we have below it, so I'm equally comfortable in both places. But, very few come up here, so if you would like to come up here to escape, know very few will bother you. And you will be safe up here, far more so than you would be out in that courtyard. Especially until that wall is finished."

"Thorin," she turned toward him, "what did Bard come to speak to you about?"

He didn't answer at once, and she thought about what Dís had told her, about how Thorin would see her as his equal, as his partner and not only as a pretty face and one day, the mother of the future King Under the Mountain. She wondered if perhaps Dís was mistaken, that Thorin would merely tell her she need not worry about it, that what happened in Erebor was none of her concern and nothing she need trouble herself about. As the silence stretched, she thought of a counterpoint to any reason he might offer for not telling her.

Then, he sighed softly. "He came to warn me." He looked over at her, his blue eyes far more serious than she'd ever seen. "I told you what happened at Ravenhill. With Azog. "

"Azog." A sense of foreboding stole over her as she turned back toward Dale. Just beyond the white stone buildings, she could see the Long Lake, sparkling like a faceted onyx. It all looked so peaceful, one could be forgiven for not believing a massive battle had been fought between that lake and where she stood. "But, didn't you tell me you'd killed him?"

"I did. But another has apparently taken his place."

That sense of foreboding grew stronger, a sour taste rising in her throat. She looked back at Thorin. "Another?"

He nodded. "Rildu. That's why Bard was here. To warn me."

"Warn you? Warn you of what?"

He drew in a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. "Azog had put a price on my head, one that I thought died with him. But apparently, I was wrong about that. That's why orcs have been spotted so close to Mirkwood, and now, a second pack has been seen moving south from Gundabad. Your father has sent word that he would like you to return to Mirkwood for your safety."

"Well, I'm not going back to Mirkwood. You just said yourself that the orc pack was moving closer to Dale. We'd be heading right into it. Surely, we are far safer here."