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

3. The Road to Mordor

Ten days later Thorin was following Kaylea Wolf out the gate of Erebor on his horse. He knew she was letting him accompany her against her better judgement, he had the feeling letting her heart overrule her mind was not something she often allowed. But it gave him hope, now that she had done it once for him, he was sure he would be able to convince her to do it again. She had tried to discourage him in every possible way, going on about the dangers and hardships on the road, including the Dorsai version of cram. But Thorin had remained adamant that he would travel with her and in the end she did not sneak out while he was sleeping, which she could have done, she agreed to let him come.

Balin and Fili were there to watch him leave. Thorin had named Fili regent in his stead and he knew his nephew would take good care of Erebor until his return. They had taken a few days to prepare for the journey; they would travel light, live off the land as much as possible and save the cram for Mordor where they would likely find nothing edible. The horses would have to look after themselves, though they did bring grain for days they had to ride hard. Kaylea did not seem concerned about Hector, Thorin supposed the wolf could always eat orcs if he got desperate. As they were saddling their horses he noticed that Kaylea was carrying a second sword with her. It was made of some black metal and the sheath was covered with strange runes. In fact, it was tied down with a leather thong covered with runes. Thorin asked her about it, but she would only say it was "for foes who are not among the living." He was also interested to see the long scabbard she had with her the last time he had ridden with her, he was hoping for another look at that strange weapon.

They rode past Dale and turned south, the plan was to follow the borders of Mirkwood to the River Running, then turn east across the Brown Lands. When they reached the Redwater they would turn south to come to the Ered Lithui well east of the Black Gate. It would be a long journey through some very empty country. Kaylea told Thorin she planned to take it easy for the first few days until he was more accustomed to spending a day on horseback, then they would start to travel longer. The first night they stayed at an inn on the south end of the Long Lake. Kaylea was worried at first Thorin would be recognized. He assured her his face was not well known and any Dwarves staying at the inn would be unlikely to give him away. Kaylea attracted attention, as beautiful women often do, but with her sword across her back and manly clothes she was a bit too intimidating for the men in the pub to want to do more than look. They enjoyed a pleasant evening and a good meal. Though they loved each other deeply, Thorin and Kaylea really had not spent much time together, just the two of them. Thorin was hoping this journey would give them an opportunity to get to know each other better. He really wanted to find out more about her mysterious land she so rarely talked about.

It rained overnight and the next day dawned brilliant and clear. As Thorin swung up on his horse he could not believe how good it felt to be on the road again. In the years before he came to Erebor he thought only of how he would like to stay in one place, though as a youth he had been quite adventurous, always wandering around and discovering new things. Now that he felt so young again, that part of himself seemed to be reasserting itself. While he loved Erebor and it would always be his home, his yearning to see what was over the horizon had been growing stronger in him lately. They rode out into the brilliant morning and soon came to the border of Mirkwood where they turned south along the forest's edge. It was pleasant enough, but they were careful not to venture too far under the shadow of the trees. Thorin noticed a few rabbits about and thought he would try his bow on them, a couple would make a good meal. He hit the first one he shot at, running away from his horse, but right after he did Hector appeared from behind and sniffed at the dead animal. His disappointment was evident.

"I am sorry, Mister Wolf," Thorin said with a smile. "I did not know you were hunting that one." Hector picked up the rabbit and brought it to Thorin, who hesitated then took it from the wolf's mouth. He removed his arrow and cautiously handed it back. The wolf quickly ate the rabbit and then trotted off. As they continued down the trail Hector flushed another rabbit and when Thorin did not shoot he gave him a long-suffering look. The next one Thorin again hit with his first shot. Hector brought it to him to remove the arrow and then ate it. This repeated itself two more times then when Thorin had shot a fifth rabbit, Hector brought it to him and trotted off, apparently tired of the game.