Hobbit/The Lord of the Rings Imagines

Thorin ~ Battleborn 6

Thorin knew something was wrong as soon as he saw Dwalin marching over to him, he could read the anger in his friends march.

"Dwalin?"  He asked before he could speak.  "Is something wrong?"

"Wrong?  Why would anything be wrong?"  He said it calm enough, but he stopped dead in front of Thorin.  "What do you think you are doing?"

Thorin raised an eyebrow, setting his pipe down next to him.  "What do you mean?"

Dwalin's nostrils flared and he was drawing in deep breath, clearly in an attempt to keep himself from yelling.  "I mean...about Evanna."

Thorin frowns.  "Evanna?  Is she alright?  Has something happened?"

"No, and that's precisely the problem."  Dwalin growls.  "Do you ever intend to tell her?"

"Dwalin, this is not your concern-"

"Not my concern!"  His voice raised.  "Thorin, for the last however many weeks, that woman has been suffering greatly because of your stubbornness, and so have you, whether you admit that to yourself or not, and frankly, enough is enough."

Thorin stares at him, his blue eyes dark.  "This is mine and Evanna's issue to sort out Dwalin.  Not yours."

The growl that left Dwalin almost had Thorin resting a hand on his weapon, almost sure that his friend would attack him out of frustration.

"Do you even see what you are doing to her?"

The question caught Thorin off guard and he just stares at his friend.

Dwalin folds his arms.  "I mean it Thorin.  In all this time, did you ever truly consider why she is so loyal to you?  Even being friends, she does more for you than anyone else."  He observed Thorin, who hadn't moved.  "She knows Thorin."

Pink flushed Thorin's cheeks.  "What?"

Dwalin sighs.  "She knows."

Now Thorin stood, his expression angry.  "Why on earth would you tell her Dwalin?"

"I did not."  Dwalind said firmly.  "She sees it, just as she returns it."

The colour drained from Thorin's face and he stood frozen.

"Thorin..."  Dwalin clasps his hands firmly on his shoulders.  "Did you hear me?"

Thorin nods, although it was a slow, unsure nod.

"You stubborn oaf," Dwalin growls.  "After all these years, she never showed any interest in anyone else.  Did you truly never notice why?"

Thorin licked his lips.  "You knew?  Why did you never tell me?"

"The same reason I never told her.  It is not my place to do so."  Dwalin said, frowning at him.  "By all rights, if she found out I had said anything now, she would probably kill me."

Thorin stepped away rubbing his face, he could still feel Dwalin's anger at him, but now, he had more important things to deal with.

"Go and talk to her."

He faced Dwalin and frowned.  "No Dwalin.  It is not the time."

This clearly wasn't the answer that Dwalin had wanted.  "Thorin, if there ever was a time, it would be now.  We are heading deeper and deeper into trouble, an orc pack on our trail, Azog alive and well.  Tell her."

But still Thorin shook his head.  "No."

Dwalin bit his tongue hard to stop himself from swearing at his friend.  "Why?"

"Because..."  Thorin had no real answer to give, at least none that he was ready to admit to Dwalin or even himself.  "Just trust me.  This is something that must wait."

"You have been waiting over sixty damn years Thorin."  Dwalin growled.  "I think that is long enough."

"Just stop trying to get involved."  Thorin said angrily.  "That's an order Dwalin.  I don't want to hear it anymore."

Dwalin's fist clenched and he folded his arms, squaring off to Thorin.  "Then you don't deserve her."  He spun on his heel and stormed away, feeling Thorin's gaze on his back, but he kept walking, because he knew that if stayed, he would do something worse than say those words.

Evanna knew instantly when she saw them both next that something had happened, but instead of dealing with it, she avoided them too.  The rest of the Company didn't understand, it was very rare that the three didn't talk, so they knew that something serious must have happened for them to not be speaking.

They were forced to speak upon leaving Beorn's, but words were emotionless, simple standard procedure for getting things ready to go.

Evanna was clearly the most uncomfortable with it all.  The first night of camp, she went off by herself to find wood for the fire.

Fili and Kili found her.

"Evanna?"

"Hey."  She said simply, not even looking up from where she was picking up an armful of twigs.

The brothers share a look.  "Evanna, has something happened?  You and Uncle were fine again, but now it seems both you and Dwalin are annoyed at him."

Evanna clearly hesitates.  "It's nothing to worry yourselves about lads.  Just a little argument between Thorin and Dwalin."

But they frowned.  "So how are you involved?"

"It...it was about me.  I just feel it better not to talk to either of them, at least until they have both calmed down.

Fili stares at her.  "Wait, both Uncle and Dwalin are in love with you?"

The twigs she had in her arms tumbled to the ground as she looked at the young dwarf.  "What?"

"Well, that would've been what the fight was about right?"  Kili asked.  "That they both wish to court you?"

Evanna couldn't help it, she started to laugh.  It had felt so long since she'd laughed like this, that for a moment, she couldn't stop, holding her sides.

The brothers now looked worried.

"Evanna?"

She wipes her eyes, trying to control it now.  "Oh boys...I envy to be your age again, when I was that naive."  She sighs and straightens out with a strain but kind smile.  "I wish it was that simple, trust me, I do, but no, that is not what the argument was about."

But Fili and Kili looked unconvinced.  "Well, it has to be something like that.  Both Uncle and Dwalin like to talk to themselves when their angry, and all names have been mentioned."

Evanna rubs the back of her neck.  "Dwalin means well but he just doesn't understand, that's all, any more than that and you need not concern yourselves with it."

Kili shuffles on his feet.  "We don't like seeing like this Evanna, it...it gives an odd feeling around camp without the three of you talking."

She bent back down and started to pick up the twigs again.  "I know, they just need time.  It'll be alright within a few days.  As long as we are moving forward, that's all that matters."

"Evanna-"

"It's fine Fili, I promise."  She said, standing.  "Now come on, we need to get back to camp.  They'll be going cold without that fire going."

She walked past the brothers and kept going, the brothers sharing a last worried look before following.