A Ruby's Shine (Thorin Oakenshield X OC)

90. Erebor

I walked through the halls of Erebor alone, glancing about the place. To keep track of where I have been so I can find my way back to the others I picked out charred bits of the bow I once had. Looks like it snapped while I was wearing it and buried bit of wood into my clothing. Luckily with there being no wind here in Erebor I didn't have to worry about them blowing right off the paths. I decided to leave the dwarves behind because I needed time by myself, time to think over what I should do next. It's easy to fight an enemy you can see, you can attack and destroy with weapons. But it is not so easy to fight an enemy you cannot see, an enemy that is mental, not physical.

I was terrified to think of the fact that, if Thorin in his state got mad and tried to attack me... I knew I would not raise a single blade against him. I couldn't. Maybe a few months ago I could but now... Now I couldn't stand the though of mortally wounding him. I love him too much now.

I glanced about, feeling quite down by the days events and, really, who wouldn't feel down by what is happening? I am usually quite optimistic but this time... this time I am unsure of what action to take. I know this will take calculated thinking, one wrong step and I may push Thorin away forever. I stopped, staring at the room I stood before. It had large, grand doors as I pushed them open, glancing inside to see I giant bed covered in lavish silks.

This must be the king's chambers. I glanced about curiously, unsure how anyone could sleep in a room large enough for a troll to live comfortably in it with a bed the Goblin King we killed could sleep on without a fat stubby foot hanging off of it. Almost everything here in Erebor was made of the made rich green stone with lines of gold inside the stone. Everywhere I looked thin veins of gold stretched through the walls.

I dropped another chunk of burned bow as I went down two sets of stairs to a set of rooms below the King's Chambers. Each one was smaller than the King's Chambers, but still big. I would say about half the side of the that room. Each had a table with several chairs, a simple bed made for two yet still covered in expensive silks, a wash room with a mirror and some strange objects. I frowned as I stepped towards one, turning the handle.

I jumped five feet in the air as freaking water came out of it into the marble bowl on the wall. I quickly turned it off, shocked. They have water to each of their rooms? How? Dwarves seem quite advanced.... I dipped my hand in the water in the marble bowl, surprised it wasn't cold. It was lukewarm, which made me curious if they drew off a hot spring of something. I looked curiously around the place and noticed a larger bowl dung into the floor with the same strange device.

For bathing? I blinked in shock. Well, dwarves apparently live quite the life, if this tells me anything. I glanced around, biting my lip as I looked at the clothes hanging over a dressing partition and then back at the bathing area.

I guess whomever lived here won't mind me stealing some clothes...

I moved back into the main room, digging around in the dressing drawers as I grinned, pulling out a nice deep blue grey shirt, some dark grey pants, and a nice coat made of think furs and well designed. The coat had to be worth twice the coat I bought at the beginning of this journey and that coat I spent a lot of gold on. Everything I pulled out was threaded through with dwarf geometric designs. The shirt had it along the bottom and the v shaped neck of the shirt as well as the short sleeves in silver. The pants had silvery designs as well but only along the bottoms, the coat is long enough to cover past my knees, yet that seems to be the dwarves tradition for clothes. I also dug out a thinner under coat of a deeper grey blue and laid it out as well.

I picked up the thinker coat and studied it in amazement. The craftsmanship of the dwarves does not just go to rocks, ores, and jewels. They can also make some very nice clothing that is rich, but strong. The coat itself is a mix of light grey and the grey blue this person seemed to enjoy in their clothing. Surprisingly, whomever lived her must have been a bit on the skinnier side for a dwarf because these clothes actually look like they could fit me. Grey fur lined the side of the cloak and a think darker grey fur belt was hooked to the coat about the middle of it. Geometric designs of light grey stretched over the edges of the grey blue and grey blue stretched of the edges of the light grey.