Tempting Death

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I think you can tell something is going to happen just by the name of this chapter- or did I purposely plant it for the use of irony?

You'll just have to find out.

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"What is the meaning of this?" He bellowed. I glared at the fat oaf as he addressed both the townspeople and the group of dwarves.

"We caught 'em stealing weapons, sire."

"Ah. Enemies of the state, then."

"This is a bunch of mercenaries if ever there was, sire." Alfrid added. I ran my tongue over my teeth and unsheathed Baratinu.

"Hold your tongue. You do not know to whom you speak. This is no common criminal; this is Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror!" I exclaimed, parting through the crowd.

Alfrid's mouth fell open while the Master raised one eyebrow in amusement. "Well, if it isn't Kyja! How nice of you to return." He chuckled.

I walked next to the group of dwarves and stood in front of them protectively. "It's good to be back." I replied.

"We are the dwarves of Erebor." Thorin interrupted. The crowd nods in acknowledgement.

"We have come to reclaim our homeland. I remember this town and the great days of old. Fleets of boats lay at harbor, filled with silks and fine gems. This was no forsaken town on a lake! This was the center of all trade in the North."

"I would see those days return. I would relight the great forges of the dwarves and send wealth and riches flowing once more from the halls of Erebor!"

The townspeople cheered in unison as the Master looked on approvingly. Suddenly a voice called out from the crowd.

"Death! That is what you will bring upon us. Dragon-fire and ruin. If you awaken that beast, it will destroy us all." Bard cried.

"Him again?" I muttered to myself.

"You can listen to this naysayer, but I promise you this; If we succeed, all will share in the wealth of the mountain. You will have enough gold to rebuild Esgaroth ten times over!" Thorin rebutted.

"All of you! Listen to me! You must listen! Have you forgotten what happened to Dale?!"

Everyone shook their heads sadly and murmured in agreement.

"Have you forgotten those who died in the firestorm?!"

"No!" The crowd yelled.

"And for what purpose? The blind ambition of a mountain-king so driven by greed, he could not see beyond his own desire!"

My jaw tightened in anger as Thorin and Bard glared at each other.

"Now, now, we must not, any of us, be too quick to lay blame. Let us not forget that it was Girion, Lord of Dale, your ancestor, who failed to kill the beast!" The Master blurted.

"It's true, sire. We all know the story: arrow after arrow he shot, each one missing its mark." Alfrid chided.

Placing Baratinu back in it's sheath, I watched Bard stride up to Thorin with an earnest look in his eyes.

"You have no right, no right to enter that mountain!"

"I have the only right." He turned to face the Master, who had been eyeing me with a lustful smirk on his face.

"I speak to the Master of the men of the Lake. Will you see the prophecy fulfilled? Will you share in the great wealth of our people?"

He stood there and thought about it for several seconds before pointing at Thorin. "I say unto you... welcome! Welcome and thrice welcome, King under the Mountain!"

Everyone erupted into cheers as the dwarves rejoiced. I turned my head and saw Novalee gazing at me sympathetically.

I managed a smile as we were all ushered into the Master's house. She nodded understandingly before the door slammed shut.

The rest of the night seemed to fly by. All of us sat at a long table, stocked with wine and other extravagant foods.

After dining with the Master and his pathetic man-servant for a few hours, all of the dwarves left the house- including Bofur, who appeared to be a little tipsy.

Just as I was about to leave, he put a hand on my shoulder. "Ah! Kyja, why don't you stay for a little while longer?"

Clenching my fists, I whirled around to face him. Alfrid stood in the corner with a smirk on his face.

"I'm afraid I would not be good company." I growled.

"Nonsense! Go on and take a seat. I insist."

"No. You sit down. I'll remain standing."

Alfrid slithered up to my side and cleared his throat. "The Master asked you to sit down. Will you not obey-"

With the flick of my wrist I shoved him onto the floor. "You do not control me, filth." I grinned as he scrambled towards the door.

"You are still that pathetic little girl I remember. Nothing will change that." He sputtered.

"Are you sure about that?"

His eyes widened as I clamped my hands around his neck. "Are you sure about that?" I snickered as I dug my fingernails into his flesh. "Now get out. Do you hear me? Get out!"

I released the grip on his body and threw open the door. Whimpering softly, Alfrid scampered into the night.

"Now, where were we?" I huffed, as I shut the door and turned to face the man who had scarred me for life. "Ah, yes. I needed to talk to you about something."

The Master's grip on the wine bottle he was holding tightened as I pushed him into a seat. "You know, I never thought I'd be back here."

"Neither did I. After our child died-"

"She is not your child!" I screamed, unsheathing my sword and pressing it against his throat. "How dare you claim ownership over her!"

"Ah, but I helped create her, didn't I? Little Mira- my biggest mistake."

Blinking away the tears in my eyes, I kicked the Master in the stomach. He doubled over in the chair and gagged.

"You like that? You like pain? Then let me give it to you!" I cried. I secured my fingers in his hair and pulled. He yelped out in pain as I flung him over my shoulder and onto the ground.

I couldn't control myself. My mind argued that I had done enough, but my body didn't listen. His pleas for help and my continuous screams were muffled in my ears.

All of a sudden an arm wrapped around my waist and began to pull me away from the Master's body. "No! I'm not done yet! I'm not done!" I exclaimed.

I caught a glimpse of Fili's face as I struggled to get out of his grip. Bofur, Gloin, Oin, Kili, and Thorin all stood in the doorway, mouths agape.

"Help me!" Fili demanded. Gloin rushed over and grabbed both of my arms. Several obscenities escaped my mouth as they dragged me out of the Master's house.

Thorin and Bofur knelt over the semi-bloody body on the floor and muttered something under their breath.

"Stop it! You don't understand!" I choked. "I need to end him, I need to, please... please...."

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Little bit of a cheesy ending? Meh....

So what did you think? I tried to please both ends of the spectrum- I don't know if I did though.

Also- please don't view Kyja as weak for crying within 2-3 chapters. She's been through a lot.

I hope you all enjoyed this update. Sorry it was late.

Picture to the right is what Kyja's eyes look like when she is "transforming."

Love you all!

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