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Chapter Thirty Two - The Door Into The Mountain

The boat came to a stop and the Dwarves climbed off, onto the shore and began unloading their supplies. Maura had wandered a few steps away from the company. Her hair was blowing in the wind as she looked in the direction they had just come from. How could they just leave them behind like that? The healer sat on a rock near the water where she could see her reflection and she began to remove the binding on her neck. Maura hadn't removed it since Oin redressed it when they had taken refuge in Beorn's home. The half-breed could have removed it weeks ago, but the truth was, she was scared to see what it looked like.

The healer, peeled the cloth away from her neck and saw, just how deformed her skin had become. She reached up and traced the jagged edges where the Pale Orc sunk it's teeth into her. She shuddered at the thought as it sent chills down her spine.

Thorin was helping the others unload the supplies off the boat when he saw the healer sitting by the water. He had been feeling guilty the way he ordered her to continue on with them. Thorin had felt he was making great progress with her. He finally got her to trust him and now he was messing up because of his stubbornness. He knew how he felt about her. What she told him of her past, didn't change anything. He couldn't tell for sure if she felt the same way about him, but he could tell Maura felt something for him she was just scared. Scared if she finally admit it to herself, how she felt, she would lose the memory of her dead husband and child. Thorin did not wish for her to forget her husband or child. He accepted the fact that they would always be apart of her, just like he accepted the fact that her late husband would always have that one part of her, that he would probably never know. But he couldn't keep ignoring his own feelings for her anymore "Go talk to her laddie." Balin said, coming up beside the prince, having witnessing their disagreement from earlier.

"She wont talk to me. And why should she." Thorin muttered, still grabbing the satchels of food from the others, regretting the moment he raised his voice at her.

"You wont know, unless you try laddie." Balin encouraged before returning to help the others. Thorin glanced at the healer again to see her removing the binding around her neck and he walked over to her. Maura was just moving her hair to cover the sides of her neck so it would draw attention from the others.

"Maura. Is everything alright?"

"I'm fine. We should get going if we want to find the door on time." Maura said, quickly walking back up the hill.

"Maura wait." Thorin called. The healer stopped but did not turn around. " Maura, I'm sorry. I shouldn't of yelled at you like that, and made you feel like you were a prisoner. You have to understand I was only doing it to protect you. You are safer with us."

The healer turned around and looked at the Dwarf. " Fili and Kili would have been safer with us to. Instead of being left behind in Laketown." Maura pointed out, trying to keep emotions under control.

"They're not alone. They have Bofur and Oin with them. Kili just needs to rest and when he's healed they will be back with us again." Thorin assured her, coming closer.

"Still , you could have handled his situation a little better then you did. Those boys look up to you Thorin, not just as they're King, but like a father." Maura stated.

"Do you not think it hurt me to leaving them behind. Nothing would give me more pride then to have both my nephews by my side when we opened the door. But the state Kili is in, it was for the best and its best Fili stayed behind with him to."

Bilbo was over by the others Dwarves watching his aunt arguing with the leader, when Gloin called for him to pay attention when he tossed him another satchel of supplies. " I just don't see how you could put this quest above the health of your own blood."