Daughter of a King

Chapter 5: The News He Heard.

Back at the mountian

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(Thorin's P.O.V.)

I could still feel her little fingers getting tangled in my beard as I ran back into the mountian, trying my best to hold back my tears. I shook it off, and focused on my most important job, I needed to get everyone out of here. I will meet up with my family later, Améra would keep her safe. I know she would. I shook my head again, "Come on Thorin, focus!" I yelled at myself. "Now where should I go first?" I needed to focus, if I was my grandfather, where would I be? Ding. Of course! I started running towards the throne room. He wasn't there, and the Arkenstone was gone.

"Treasure Room?" I started running the other way and sure enough, there he was. I grabbed him off the floor and drug him out of the room, no matter what protests he made. Once I shoved my grandfather out of the door, I ran back in to find my father and anyone else who was stuck inside.

I found my father near the edge of the front gates, he had an enormous gash that scraped across his forehead and I ripped part of my shirt off and laid it on the top of his wound. I told him to put one arm around me and I would help him get out of the gates. When he was able to understand me, he did as I said, but his legs kept dragging, and pulled me down. "Father! Come on! Get out through the gates! Come on!" His legs began to gain ground under his feet, and he began to move with me. Left foot. Right foot. Left foot. Right foot. "Come on! We're almost there!"

We finally made it to the gates, I shoved people behind me, trying to lead them on, my father was well enough to be able to walk, but he took a couple steps and was fine, so I turned my focus to others. "Run for your lives!" I scream to the people running out of the mountians. I looked up at a ledge and I saw Thranduil. He just looked at me and looked around, as if he was searching for something. I waved my hands to try and get his atttention back to me, "Thranduil!! Help us!!!!" I shouted. He continued to stare and with a shake of his head, he turned away and left us to die.

I glared at his retreating figure. Never again will I put my life in the hands of elves. I could see no one else coming out of the mountain, so I assumed that everyone was out, and we began to move towards any place that would give us shelter. I told my people that we would be headed towards the Blue Mountians, there we will be safe. Everyone nodded in understanding, and we were off. I sighed in releif when I found Frérin and Dís among the survivors. I held them close to me and we continued to walk forward, each step taking us farther and farther from Erebor.

Just then I remembered, "Améra and Arulla! Have you seen them?" I ask my siblings, they both shook their heads. I turned to every dwarf I passed, I left Frérin and Dís to check the east side, while I checked the west. I kept asking people, "Have you seen the princess Améra or the princess Arulla? Have you seen my wife and child? Have you seen my family?" Each dwarf gave me the same answer, "No my Lord, I am sorry. I have not seen them." My heart sank deeper and deeper every time I asked someone else. When I met back up with Frérin and Dís, they bowed their heads, and I knew they didn't find anything either. "Halt" I hear a voice say. I push myself to the front, and there lie in front of me three elves, two with brown hair and one a bright blond. I still had anger towards them, but at that time I was desperate. I walked towards them, "Have you seen a woman and child pass through here? They would've been riding a pony together. Have you seen them? Please, they are my family."

All three elves bowed their heads towards the ground. I could already feel the tears brimming the edges of my eyes. Finally the tallest elf spoke, "Yes, we've seen them. They ran into the Greenwood to seek cover from the orcs of whom were chasing them." I inhaled sharply. I couldn't believe the things I was hearing, they couldn't be true, they aren't true. The elf continued, "We tried to help. Truly we did. When they entered the Greenwood, we had a chance to slay some orcs without being seen. We saw the maiden leave the Greenwood, but there was no child... And before we could intervene and help the maiden... An orc shot an arrow through her shoulder and she fell. They took her away and we tried to help. Truly we did, but... We went back into the forest to try and find the child, but we found nothing.....Nothing but.... " The elf stopped and held up his enclosed hand. When he opened it, I think I about fainted. In his hand laid Arulla's ring. I gasped and the elf slowly dropped the ring into my hands. I fell to the ground and clasped the ring in my hand. I wailed. I had no care to whomever was watching. I stood up and a few tears streamed down my face. I wiped them away, nodded my head to the elves and they let us pass. When we rested that night, I strayed away to an abandoned creek and cried.

I wailed and cried and wailed and cried. I hid my fists on trees, and I chopped them down with my sword. Tears now streamed down my face, but I didn't care. "This is all your fault." I thought to myself, "Never again will I feel my daughters hands run throught my beard, Never again will I be able to kiss her head or sing with her or laugh. If only I had gone with them, if only I would've let them stay, then they would still be here with me." Arulla my most precious gem, and Améra my most beautiful wife are now gone, and it's all my fault. MY FAULT!!!! I looked at the ring that was now around my neck on a thick piece of sting. I wailed even louder. I cursed at Mahal, I cursed at myself, but I just wailed in general.

I hear rustling behind me as I swing my sword again and again at a tree trunk that refuses to go down. I swing one last time but something catches my hand, I try to swing one more time, but the hand is too strong for my weak filled mind right now. "Shh-shh-shh" I hear her say. She reaches her hand down to mine and I drop my sword. I them crumble to my feet and cry. She kneels down beside me and I lean my head onto her shoulder. "Its all my fault." I say to her. "No Thorin, its not your fault." She says, "Dís its my fault" I lift my head up to meet her eyes, "If only I had gone with them, they would still be here. Its-" She pushes her fingers to my lips, "We all find out things that we wish aren't true Thorin, but that doesn't make them our fault." I sighed, "Come on, lets go back and get some rest." She whispered softly. I nodded and slowly made my way to the group and laid down on a bed roll next to my brother and sister. And with alot of concentration, I fell asleep, hoping that I would dream of them. Only to see their faces would make me happy, but it didn't.

The next morning, wasn't easier, but I kept my concentration on getting my people to the Blue Mountians, and we started to move.

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Photo is of Dís watching Thorin leave the camp to go out in the woods to grieve.