The Warrior Queen. The Warrior and The King - Book II

2. Under the Mountain

It was just past six bells the next morning when there was a soft knock on the door. Kaylea was sitting up in bed reading the daily reports on her handheld, she put a hand on Thorin's shoulder to raise him.

"Who is it?" She asked, stashing her device.

"Some breakfast for you, my lady," came a small voice. Thorin looked at her.

"That is Dori's son," he said.

"One moment," Kaylea called. She got up and pulled on her leggings and tunic, pulling the laces tight. Thorin picked up all his clothes he could find and disappeared into the bathroom. Kaylea went to open the door, moving Thorin's boots to the side where they would be hidden. There were two Dwarf boys standing outside the door, one holding a large covered tray the other a tray with a tall euer and a pitcher of ale, with two mugs and glasses. Kaylea stepped aside so they could come in. Once they had put the trays down on the table they each drew themselves up importantly.

"Navi", said the younger one. "Kraven," said the older one. They both bowed. "At your service," they said in unison.

"At yours and your family's," Kaylea replied politely, bowing back. "Kaylea Wolf."

The two boys set about laying out the breakfast for two, giving her curious looks. Kraven could see she was very tall, but why did she need two breakfasts? Did her people always eat two? And everyone was talking about her and the king outside the gate yesterday.

Finally Navi could stand it no longer. "Are you the great warrior they tell so many tales about, my lady?'

Kaylea smiled. "I suppose I am."

"Did you really kill a warg with your bare hands?" Navi asked, he found this tall woman a bit scary but he had heard the story many times and had always wanted to know if it was true.

Kaylea laughed. "I had to use my hands. My sword was stuck in another wargs head." The two boys looked at each other. They obviously had a million questions but were being too polite to ask.

"Is there anything else you require, my lady?" Kraven asked gravely, poking Navi in the side.

"There is one thing," Kaylea said, watching the two boys' eyes go wide as Hector rose up from the foot of the bed. "This is Hector. Could you walk with him down to the gate and make sure nobody shoots him. He needs to go outside to hunt."

Kaylea went to stand by the door as the boys led the way for her wolf, closing it behind them. As soon as she shot the bolt Thorin appeared in his underclothes, and headed over to inspect the breakfast fare. Kaylea surveyed the room, the bedclothes twisted and hanging off the bed, pillows and clothing strewn about. It was pretty obvious what had been going on in here, but maybe not to a couple of young boys.

Thorin took a seat, he poured two cups of coffee and handed one to Kaylea. They ate in silence for some time, having missed dinner the night before. At length Kaylea sat back in her chair, she reached her leg under the table to rest her foot on Thorin's leg. He slowly ran his fingers down the top of her foot, then up her leg.

"So, who is your wife?" Kaylea asked.

Thorin sighed. "Shurri, one of the fairest princesses in the Seven Families. Her father was very eager to make the match, for obvious reasons. She took some convincing." Kayea looked questioningly at him. "She is in love with a captain in her father's guard whom her father would never permit her to marry, when I told her I was also in love with someone else she agreed to the match. It helped that her son will be king of Erebor."

"But you are friends?"

Thorin nodded. "Yes, she has been a great asset in council and performs all the duties of a queen with grace. The marriage has made our kingdoms strong allies. We get along well enough, but there is no love between us."