The Return of Durin. (Sequel: I'm in Love With Durin Blood...)

Chapter 20...

A/N:  Can you believe it, finally chapter 20! It's short but it's here, honestly, I fell off of writing fanfiction for a while. I'm trying to move on to writing my own things but out of what I have written, this is the one fanfic I want to finish the most. Edlyn and Thorin's relationship is by far my favorite that I have ever come up with. Thank you to all the people who have read I'm in Love With Durin Blood and The Return of Durin. Thank you for all the votes and if you have shared it thank you so much, I never thought I would see something I have written have over 50,000 reads, it truly blows my mind and it makes me feel that maybe I am not as terrible at writing as I think I am. My confidence in anything that I attempt to do has been ruined for me, I still deal with it daily. I think it's one reason I get writer's block so bad because if I don't like it I'm afraid my readers will absolutely hate it. Now it is here it has finally come, I had not been in the mood to write for months but I love this story and even I can't wait to see what happens at the end. Please enjoy, I will try to get the chapter up as soon as I can. I work 10 hr days Monday-Thursday now. I have weekends off though I will try and set a day where I can post at least two chapters...I can't promise that though, as I try to get out of the house on the weekends due to the amount of stress my job puts on me. Though, the future ahead of me will only be more stress because I will be applying to college again soon in order to do the career that I really want to. I'm going to try not to push writing away again but try and be as patient as you can. I am only one person...this story is not a planned story I write as I go. It has no outline, it isn't really even edited well. I'll see what else I can come up with before the weekend is over but enjoy this short one and I'll get you this other chapter as soon as I can. :)

As my mouth moved against his I closed my eyes, imagining what would have happened if I had followed him all those years ago. I clenched at his robes...wanting more as our tongues danced around one another. His hands sliding into my long dark brown hair...It felt like the world was spinning around and around. Until Bard's shouting broke us away from one another, my hair flying around me as I stared into Thorin's crystal blue eyes. His eyes saddened in front of me. "Thorin...?" I practically whispered.

He inhaled deeply before looking out towards the ruins of Dale, then he exhaled as his head turned back to me. "You should go, with Bard...he can protect you more than I can."

"What!? How dare you push me away now! You pull me back up here and now you just want me to-" He leaned forward, placing his hand on the back of my head and pressing his lips to mine once more. All the anger subsided within me...I didn't want to let this stubborn dwarf go for the second time.

"Edlyn, go...go with Bard, I'll help you down..." He said. My eyes began to water and Thorin pulled an envelope out of his robe and gave it to me. "It's quite heavy, there are some items in there that I wish to give to you, now go."

I slid the envelope into a pocket within my robe. When I looked over the wall Lezarin, Ardy, and Bard were still waiting for me. Thorin had his head down, the crown still glimmered a bright and beautiful gold upon his head. "Alright..." I let out a sigh, grabbing the rope once more. He lifted his head as I got on the ledge, the rope still tightly in one hand. I then swung over gripping it with my other hand. My feet slipped again, I looked up as Thorin looked down at me. He had his hands tightly wrapped around the rope.

"Slow Ed, don't look down...keep looking at me."

I did as he said, taking it slow and walking down the side of the wall. My heart was pounding, this isn't what I wanted...to leave Thorin behind. I jumped down, once I had reached the bottom of the rope my eyes were still glued to his. Bard grabbed my arm.

"We must get back to Dale, the people they look to me for answers." I looked at Bard. "I know what you must be feeling, and my actions have not at all helped, Edlyn I do apologize." We both looked up as Thorin walked away.

"I forgive you, let's get back," I said it softly. Bard had come with horses. We all mounted them, Lezarin looked at me sadly. I almost felt like I was pulling her away from Fili, knowing how much she did like him. Ardy even looked a little upset that we were leaving Erebor. We each turned our horses and rode off to Dale, the envelope Thorin had given me felt like it was weighing my robe down. I swallowed hard as we got closer and closer to the ruins of my old home. I hadn't been here since I saw Thorin ride away from me. I felt the tears start to form in my eyes as a rode back to what once was my home. Elves were lined up along the walls of the city, all eyes on the mountain. I felt like I was being watched carefully from the mountain as we rode, now I couldn't help it as the tears slid down my face. My imagination taking the best of me as I saw My King standing at the rampart, the wind blowing his hair a little as he looked out upon us riding to Dale.