Come Back To Me[Thorin Oakenshield]Book Two

~ Chapter Two ~

It was the next morning. Marena woke up startled, she had no memory of how she ended up here. She looked around and saw the sleeping dwarves. Glancing down beside her she saw the strange girl laying not far from where she was; still trying to figure out who she was. She got up from the ground slowly and headed into the woods. Marena glanced behind her to make sure no one was following her. She came to a small river and sat on a rock and starred into the water. Nothing seemed to be returning to her; she had no recollection of her previous life. The only thing she did know was that her name was: Marena. " Marena are you okay?"

Marena jumped up at the sound of a velvety deep voice come from behind her. "How do you know my name? Who are you?" Marena questioned.

"Marena, it's me - Thorin." The dark haired dwarf stated, but it was clear in the woman's eyes, this name had no meaning to her. The dwarf woman, was still feeling quite nervous in her surroundings, not knowing where she was, what was going on. The two of them continued to stand their in awkward silence.

"I have to go." She finally spoke and started to make hast back up the path she had come down early.

" Marena, wait!" Thorin called after her, as he followed quickly behind her. "Marena where are you going?" The dwarf prince questioned as he grabbed her by the arm to stop her from going any further.

" Let me go." She begged him, as she tore herself out of his hold.The others had already awaken and watched as their leader tried to reason with the woman.

"What about Athena? Do you not remember her?" Thorin suddenly challenged, hoping something would trigger her memory. Marena glanced to her side. Thorin was watching her closely; she looked as if she was trying to think really hard about the name.

"Who's...Athena?" Thorin's eyes widen, she didn't even remember her own daughter. Thorin didn't know where she has been imprisoned for the last 142 years but his suspicions were confirmed; the place had done something to her memory, to cause her to forget everything about herself.

"Athena, is your daughter." Thorin reminded as he pointed over to the younger woman who was still passed out on the ground. The exiled queen of Moria looked at the girl curled on the ground. She recognized her as a prisoner of the pale orc, but what this dwarf was claiming her to be, made no sense to her at all. Thorin noticed the woman's bewildered expression. "Marena. what's the last thing you remember...before you were captured?"

"M-my father. I remember. He was getting sick, and I remember he had sent out invitations to other dwarf kingdoms. He insisted I find a husband. Where is my father?" She cried, feeling frustrated with everything.

"Marena, I'm sorry to tell you this, but you're father is dead." Thorin said, letting out a sigh, as he finally looked up to see the pain that filled her face. Her eyes were stinging as the tears tired to fight their way through. How did she not know that her father was dead? The woman finally couldn't take this any longer this was way to much for her. And she took off, needing to be a lone. "Marena..." Thorin called out to her about to follow, when he was stopped by the wizard.

"Let her be. She's been through a lot." Gandalf spoke calmly.

"I just don't understand. How does she have no memory of anything? Her daughter, the death of her father....me? When we were together. She doesn't remember anything." Thorin pressed, as he sat on a stump, throwing his face in hands. The others had went to pack up their stuff, leaving their leader to be alone with his thoughts.

" Thorin, in time. She will remember. Where she has been imprisoned this whole time has changed her."

"All this time. I thought I would never see her again. And yet here she is and I already feel like I've lost her again." Thorin stated, the wizard could hear the melancholy in his voice. The dwarf got up and wandered back down the path where Marena had disappeared down. Gandalf walked over to the younger girl and shook her awake, whispering some sort of incantation to help keep her calm. "Marena...I know you're scared and confused right now. But I want you and Athena to come with us. You would be safer with us. These roads are very dangerous." Thorin explained. Marena was propped up against a rock, starring off at the creek in front of her. She then turned to Thorin when he spoke and finally nodded in agreement that she would be safer with them, even though she was still confused about all this. The woman got up from the ground and followed behind the dwarf prince. The other dwarves had already climbed onto their ponies and started following the wizard. Thorin grabbed the two extra ponies they had with them and walked over to Marena and Athena. " These two are for you." Thorin said as he boosted Marena onto hers and then helped Athena to get on hers. " We have a long road a head of us." Thorin declared, as he climbed onto his and he lead the group, whilst Marena and Athena stayed at the back of the group, feeling like outsiders.

Thorin would often glance back at Marena, wondering if he should ride beside her, but then he wouldn't know what to say to her. They traveled over many plains. It was getting close to evening and they were passing through a place covered in ruins when Thorin insisted that they stopped for the night to rest. Marena climbed off her pony and she and Athena went to help the others set up camp and Thorin went to talk with the wizard who was standing under what was left of an abandon farmhouse.

" I think it would be wiser to move on. We could make for the Hidden Valley." Gandalf insisted

" I have told you already, I will not go near that place." Thorin pressed as he walked passed the wizard to the other side and then turned around to look at the old man.

" Why not? The elves could help us. We could get food, rest, advice." The wizard stated. Thorin glanced at the two woman and saw how tired they both looked and then looked back at the wizard.

" I do not need their advice." Thorin snapped.

" We have a map that we can not read. Lord Elrond could help us." Thorin glared at the wizard, remembering all the times the elves could have helped and they never did.

" Help? A dragon attacks Erebor, what help came from the elves? Orcs plunder Moria, desecrate our sacred halls, the elves looked on and did nothing. You ask me to seek out the very people who betrayed my grandfather and betrayed my father."

" You are neither of them. I did not give you that map and key for you to hold on to the past." The wizard growled back at the prince. Marena was watching the entire commotion. This dwarf had been so nice and calm with her, but whatever the wizard had said to him, angered him.

" I did not know that they were yours to keep." Thorin snapped back.

" Everything alright?" Marena asked as she joined them. Gandalf looked at Thorin angrily and then stomped off passed the others dwarves.

" Everything's fine Marena. " Thorin said in a calm voice to her and walked by her. " Come on, Bombur, we're hungry." Thorin grumbled. Thorin turned around to face Marena. He saw the exhaustion in her eyes. " Marena, you and Athena should get something to eat and then you both need to get some sleep." Thorin insisted as he looked into her eyes.

[Hearts and comments are very much appreciated! :) hope your all enjoying the story!]