The Kings Jewell, The Queens heart (ON HOLD)

Chapter 13 Rest and honest conversation

Third pov

Raven was a bit unsteady on her feet Kili noticed as he came over to check on her once Bailin and Oin had moved to discuss something.

Kili felt a little conflicted.

Raven had become a dear friend since they left Bilbo's home. She'd been every bit as fierce as a dwarven woman and quick witted. Not once had she shyed away from helping him and Fili with their plans and she'd spoken quite freely about everything except her childhood.

But, at the same time, she is a dragon rider. The people that his people had been wary off for thousands of years.

Not that anyone he knew had actually met a dragon rider, but somewhere along the way they'd been lumped in with the same fear and suspension that Smaug and his kind caused.

Kili isn't stupid. He's never been. He knows that they don't actually know enough about Raven's kind to be judgemental about them, they're not like elves. Elves exist in a lot of places, dragon riders are so few than most men think they're extinct.

He made his choice.

"Want some help?"

Raven looked a bit surprised but nodded anyways and Kili let her hold onto him as they went to the giant table where their host was currently fixing up food for them.

She ended up sitting with him and Fili one one side and Ori on the other.

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Raven hadn't been a child (hatchling, something in her mind whispered) in years.

Which meant she could see just how devided the room was.

Fili, Kili, Ori and Bombur were sitting close to her, on the other side of the table was Balin, Oin, Gloin, Dori and Bifur.

Not even sitting at the table was Thorin, Dwalin, Bofur and Nori.

Nori was however expected, he liked to stay in the shadows. Now that she's thinking about it, Raven hasn't really talked to him much at all.

Dwalin was also someone she expected, the dwarf had been suspicious of her ever since they first met.

Gandalf had his own chair and Raven wanted to kill him when she saw the smug look on his face.

Her thoughts were interupted by their host.

He was a HUGE man with wild hair growing from his head, Raven thought he looked familiar.

Then it clicked. "You're a skin changer."

He hummed. "Indeed, and you're a little dragon. The second one that's ever passed through."

Raven's thought process stopped short for a second. "Second one? You've met someone like me before?"

She knew that the dwarves around her were looking confused and/or curious. (Or in the case of Dwalin and Thorin, on guard.)

At the moment, she didn't care.

"There was one, a man with hair red as fire. He had no weapons and sought refuge." Beorn told her.

Raven wondered, could it be-?

No. Or could it? Did he survive? Where would he be now in that case?

"Did he say his name?" She has to know. She needs to know.

But the man in front of her shook his head. "He did not. He only said to call him Alion."

If it wasn't for the fact that she doubted anyone in the room would be happy about it, she could have kissed him for that name alone.

"You knew him?" Fili guessed.

Raven nodded. "His name is Marius, he was the youngest apprentice to become part of the royal guard."

Ori, poor lad, couldn't help it and asked. "How do you know it's him when he gave another name?"

"He fits the description and Alion was his dragons name." She explained, obviously happy at the news. "The sword i found in the troll cave was his, too."

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Thorin is at war with himself. Something that makes him angry.

He had grown, fond, of the only woman of the company.

Fine, alright, more than fond.

Balin and Dwalin, the brothers had both suggested that he could be falling for her.

Thorin had been very firmly against that possibility but he does have some eh, warm feelings for her.

(Dis would have a field day.)

Those feelings are in a vicious fight with everything he's ever heard about Raven's people. The people that proudly embrace their very much dragon nature.

"- i had no idea he was still alive." Raven confessed.

The sentence sounded painfully familiar. He could hear the sentence in the exact same tone of voice in his mind.

"I don't know where she is."

"I didn't know he was alive."

"I can't find anyone."

They had been heartbreakingly normal things to hear the first ten or so years after Smaug attacked.

"Didn't anyone tell you he was alive?"

Thorin didn't hear who asked the question but he saw the look on Raven's face.

"I haven't met another dragon rider since the fall..."

The room fell quiet.

They'd all lost loved ones during the attack on Erebor but at least most of them had had someone else.

Thorin wanted to ask, but he couldn't. The look on her face told of nothing good.

He was actually thankful when Tharkun spoke up and got the focus back on track.

Time skip

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Raven was glad that they were allowed to stay a few days at Beorn's house so they could rest.

She needed it.

And so did the others, even if Thorin doesn't look happy about it.

The grumpy exiled king had actually avoided her like the plague, not that they were the bestest of friends before, but now he was acting like she'd make him sick.

"Why hide?"

She looked at Dwalin, the normally quiet and stoic dwarf.

"Figured you wouldn't like having my kind with you. Mahal knows most dwarves grew to resent us during the last hundred years or so." She doesn't want to say she sounds bitter..... But yeah, she sounds a little bitter about it.

She had been interacting with dwarven merchants before whenever they came to the village where she bought necessities, but one day less and less of them wanted to even look at her.

Then she'd heard about Smaug and it made a little sense at least. (But not much.)

Dwalin doesn't say anything at that, just shakes his head and let's her sit with her thoughts.

Alright, do you guys like this book still??

Uh, i know that the dwarfs probably have a pretty tame reaction to who Raven is. Sorry about that *nervous laughter*

Oh, the company doesn't know that Raven has spent the majority of the last 3 thousand years alone

Vote and comment, they keep me motivated :)