The Warrior and The King

11. Farewell to Erebor

And so the Dwarves continued the long process of rebuilding Erebor to its former splendor. Many of Dain's people had chosen to stay and help, and it was not long before a large party of Dwarves arrived from the Ered Luin. In Dale, the Men of Laketown also began to rebuild, racing to make the city habitable before the winter that would soon be upon them. When Gandalf left he took Bilbo Baggins with him to make sure he got safely back to the Shire. The two of them had many adventures and Bilbo returned just in time to save his house from being auctioned off, as he had been gone so long he had been declared dead. Elrohir journeyed back to Rivendell, riding with Pilot Ahk-Set and the Rangers as they returned to their watch. Elrohir would be staying in Middle Earth, to help defend it in the coming war. Pilot Ahk-Set returned to the ship to await Kaylea Wolf.

Thorin Oakenshield quickly found himself inundated with all the responsibilities of managing his new kingdom, on top of all the difficulties involved in rebuilding it. Dwarves however are very industrious and can work tirelessly, so the reconstruction of Erebor proceeded at a rapid pace. The halls of Erebor, silent for so long, were once again filled with golden light and the hum of the forges. As the word of the Battle of the Five Armies spread across the land, emissaries started to arrive to commision work from the Dwarves. Thorin was grateful to have the help of Balin and Dwalin, Gloin and his nephew Fili, they became the first members of his king's council. He was also glad to have the help of Kaylea Wolf. Her mind worked very differently from his, she always seemed to be thinking eight or ten steps ahead and she had a way of instantly identifying the most urgent matters. She set up a kind of office in one of the guard rooms over the front wall, saying she needed a window to think, and she and Thorin spent many hours looking over maps and contracts. The two of them discovered they worked together with the same familiarity they had when they were fighting, like they had been close companions for years.

Between the rebuilding and readying for winter Thorin and Kaylea spent much time together. Kaylea was always training, going for long runs or drilling with her weapons. She and Thorin spent much time sparring with a variety of weapons and Thorin had to admit his technique greatly improved, and he was faster than he had been in years. Whatever healing Kaylea had used on his injuries was making him a young man again it seemed. When they could the two of them also went for long rides on her horse, sometimes staying out for days. They made love under the stars and stayed in trapper's cabins in the forest or on the slopes of the mountains. Thorin discovered that Kaylea did indeed sleep, a few hours every 2 or 3 days. Those were his favorite nights, curled against her he would wait to feel her fall asleep and listen to her breathing. He felt such love for her in those moments it was almost physically painful. Always in his mind was her intention to leave for her own country. She did not speak of it often, as days stretched into weeks Thorin knew the day was coming but tried to put it out of his mind.

Late one night Thorin and Kaylea lay together on his bed, the sweat drying on their bodies. Kaylea lay on her side against him, her head on Thorin's chest, his arm was around her shoulders. It had been nearly three fortnights since the Battle of the Five Armies.

"I must leave tomorrow morning," she said quietly. Thorin drew a deep breath, he was not ready for this.

"There are many things I could say," he said. "But I fear they would change nothing." He absently drew circles on her shoulder with his fingers. "If you had a choice, if you were not answerable to this lord, would you stay?" Thorin waited for her to answer. She was silent so long he began to wonder if she had heard him.

"No," Kaylea said finally. "I love you, but I will not give up the life I lead to be just a queen."

Thorin looked at her, astonished. "Just a queen? You make it sound like a prison sentence!"