Chasing the Shadows away (TrisscarxAbbyLocke)

[Trisscar]

Erebor was not a joyfull place to those who looked apon it from the outside. It was a Mountain that long held its nickname of The Lonley Mountain to be true. The kings under the mountain held a job that few were strong enough to handle, and even fewer were willing to do. For the kings of Erebor, sheperded the souls of those lost to hardship and stife, to war and hunger and goblin attack, to accident and old age and murder, all of the souls that died went through the under gates of the mountain, greeted and ushered onto the next life to be judged by the creator by the king.

The people of Erebor adored thier king. Each time a new heir would take up the heavy burden that came along with the crown, they gave thier support and thier love. For such a job wore apon the soul of a person, the many woes of the lost people dragging at the many kings sanity and happiness. Yet not once had a king of Erebor shirked thier duty or tried to pass the crown to anouther before they could handle no more. Each time the line of Durin stepped forward to claim thier crown and take up the task of escorting the dead to thier rightfull place. Such was the curse of the mountain.

As much as his own people could show thier support and thier loyalty, not everyone in the world of Middle earth held such views on the king of death. As such when a young prince named Thorin just barely of age took the crown from his ailing father, he was made aware of just how feared his position was to peoples outside of Erebor, how loathed and terrifying he became as the king of death. As much as his kin and friends tried to sheild it from him, every time he dared to wander outside of the mountain he saw the fear, and the hatred. For he was the one that came to take thier family away when they passed, and for that crime he was forever guilty and to be shunned.

So king Thorin stopped leaving the mountain, he slowly lost the gleam of Life in his eyes as the years of his service wore on. His hair was streaked with silver and his face was lined with an age he did not own; there was no joy in the king under the mountain, for he had no one to share the burden and no one willing to comfort him in the way only the one closest to his heart could. Thorin had given up finding his one when he took the crown, for who would want the king of death as a life mate?
So his heart grew heavier and heavier in his chest with each passing day, and his vitality began to drain away. He was holding on, but his people could see his suffering, and knew he had not long to last. So they began to search for something to help thier king that they so loved, something or someone to bring joy back into his life once more.

 

[Abby Locke]

Balin had been the adviser and friend of the king since Thorin's grandfather, king Thror, had been king under the mountain. His heart ached for the suffering of the young king. The worries of his short years clearly showed on his face. Balin had watched his king slowly die right before his eyes and he felt completely helpless to stop it. That was, until he remembered her.

It happened one day when he and his brother Dwalin were discussing what they could do to help their friend. A messenger had come, bringing Balin a letter from their brother Kailin. Kailin lived in the Iron hills as a fur trader and was asking permission to send his daughter Am'lia to Erebor to live for an indefinite amount of time. The brothers couldn't help the grins and thus the plotting began. They both vividly remember a young dwarven prince chasing around the young fey girl, begging for a feel of her "arkenstone" wings. This had gone on for about a month before her family returned to the iron hills.

Of course young Thorin didn't know that the only time you touch a fairy's wings is when they are injured, you are trying to injure them or during coitus. Balin smiled fondly, remembering his own life-mate Karana. She had been a half fairy Dwarrow and he quickly discovered the benefits of having a light and gentle touch... Dwalin had quickly brought him back to the present by suggesting that they invite Thorin to dinner the first night Am'lia was there, which wasn't unusual since the king usually had dinner with them when he wasn't drained from his daily activities.

With these plans in mind they quickly sent a message back to their youngest brother, informing him that they would be delighted to see their beloved niece again. She had always been a sweet child but they had not seen her since before she had become of age for they were busy helping Thorin adjust to his new role as king and keeping him going ever since. Of course they really did look forward to seeing their niece, but if she could do anything to help their king it would be all the better.

Balin had been waiting anxiously at the front gates of Erebor for the better part of the afternoon, today was the day when Am'lia should be arriving. He had not received word stating otherwise so she had to be coming. When his pacing had caused him to turn his back, he heard the distinctive neigh of a pony, followed by the cheery cry of "Uncle!" He turned with a smile and ran to greet his niece. She hadn't stepped foot in the door and yet the lonely mountain was slightly brighter place due to her presence. As the evening came, word of her arrival began to spread until whispers of a young, very beautiful woman reached the ears of the king.

 

[Trisscar]

Rumors and gossip were not in Thorin's interests as king. He had much more pressing matters to deal with than the idle chatter of loose tongues about news that was of little importance. Yet the smugly anticipatory smiles on his advisors and head of guards faces warned him that there might be some prudence in listening to this new rumor if just to see what was going on in his mountain.

So he listened. The stories about a young and beautiful woman reached his ears, but they hardly held any precedence for Thorin, what buisness was it of his if there was a new lady in the mountain? If she was of any importance Balin would introduce them.
At least that was his thoughts as he meandered his way down the stone halls to go to his nightly dinner with his friends. Those dinners helped to distract him the tinniest bit from the swirling darkness that threatened to overcome him more each passing day. Thorin knew that he could not fight it forever, and soon enough he would begin to sucumb to it. But he would not yet, for his heir sisters son Fili was not ready. He was to young, had not enough experiance from Life to take up such a burden. And Thorin would do everything in his power to keep this heavy curse from his nephews as long as he could. Thorin knew that he looked terrible to his subjects, but as much as he attempted to groom and keep himself neat, the stresses of his burden drained the vitality from his limbs and sapped the color from his face. It was hard to look normal when one daily communed with the dead after all.

Wearily he rubbed at his face as he pushed open the door to the private dining hall, expecting nothing diffrent than the normal small 3 person table and good food to be waiting for him. When he opened his eyes however, the sight that greeted him caused his for so long sluggish heart to give a terrific leap in his chest, and his hand tightened almost convulsivly on the side of the door in his shock. For there infront of him, wearing a frilly apron and placing some sort of dish onto the table; was the girl that he had long thought gone from his life.

 

[Abby Locke]

It hadn't taken that much convincing that evening, for Am'lia to persuade her uncles to let her cook for them. They were both terrible cooks and she didn't want to put any extra pressure on the Royal cooks. As she prepared the meal, she was surprised with news that they would be joined by the king. Admittedly, she was rather nervous. It had been a very long time since they had seen each other and she vividly remembered the puppy crush she had.

The table was almost set when Am'lia heard the sound of the heavy wooden door opening. As she set the dish down, she looked up to see the king standing there. Her heart skipped a beat when her eyes met his. "Th... King Thorin." She swallowed slightly and smiled through her nervousness. He looked much older than he should but she knew that his duties were very draining. Walking over to him, she curtsied and smiled at him again. "It is good to see you again your Majesty. My uncles should be here shortly." She led him over to the table, sitting down to wait for Balin and Dwalin.

Not minutes later they arrived. When they came in, Am'lia got up and went to grab the rest of the food. Bringing it over and sitting down again with the men. "Have as much as you'd like. There's more in the kitchen. And there's desert as well so don't get too full." Am'lia was genuinely happy to be there. She had missed her uncles and the lonely mountain wasn't like what everyone thought it was. Knowing that she was going to be there for a while, Am'lia hoped that she would be able to get to know the king better. Although she was afraid to say it, she had a sneaking suspicion that he was her one.

 

[Trisscar]

Thorin watched in slight awe as his long lost first crush puttered about the room preparing the rest of the table for thier meal, and when she came close enough to curstey and he caught a wiff of her perfume, the king swore his heart missed a beat and continued on beating in his chest at least twice as fast as before. How could he have ever forgotten just how much this girl affected him? Nodding slightly to her greeting Thorin alowed her to lead him to his seat, and he hungrily took in her features at a closer distance as she sat near him. He hardly realized how odd it was for both of the In brothers to be late, he was so absorbed in watching the fairy before him.

When Balin and Dwalin did show and Am'lia dissapered into the kitchen to fetch the rest of the meal, Thorin turned to look at his friends, blinking a few times to clear his head. The Suppremely smug looks on thier faces told him all he needed to know, and while he would vhemnantly deny it later, the king blushed ferociously at the knowing gazes his friends leveled at him.

"youve done this to me on purpose you old goat."

He leveled his own 'Durin death stare of doom' as it was labeled by his nephews on the pair, who merely grinned unrepentedly. Though Balin tried for the nonchelaunt act the king wasnt buying it. Unbeknownst to him, the reason they were grinning so much was that their rulers eyes had regained abit of light to them, and his voice, normaly a dry wisper, had some backing of emotion to it. It seemed that thier neice was already having a positive affect on the royal.

 

[Abby Locke]

For the most part, Am'lia was quiet throughout dinner, content to watch and listen to the talk of the dwarves in front of her. She particularly enjoyed listening to Thorin speak. The soft, deep tone of his voice made her heart skip a beat every time she heard it and she was quickly realizing that she would need to be extra careful in her actions around him. It wouldn't do to make a stupid move and drive him away. The king had so much sadness in him that it was all Am'lia could do not to wrap her arms around him and make the darkness that haunted his beautiful face disappear.

When the main course was finished, Am'lia stood and gathered the dishes before walking to the the kitchen. Even though she had remained cheerful, her uncles' strangely expecting looks made her nervous. After cleaning the dishes, she brought her uncles and the king fresh mugs if ale before returning to get desert. The looks her uncles had been giving her and the king wouldn't leave her mind.

She tried to figure out what could possibly be behind the looks and was distracted so much that the knife she was using slipped and sliced open her hand. Letting out a cry of pain, Am'lia grabbed her hand, holding it to her chest as the knife clattered to the floor. She could hear the slide of chairs as the three males rushed in to see the commotion. Am'lia was not one who did well with pain and by this point she had tears streaming down her cheeks as she looks around to find something to put pressure on the wound with.

 

[Trisscar]

Thorin kept one eye and about half of his attention on Am'lia the whole night, his gaze simply wouldnt stay away. And while he could tell she was cheerful, he could also see how nervous she was, and abit subdued. A pang of fear raced through his heart at the thought that it may be his presence that was dimming her sparkly personality, and the king clenched his fist in frustration under the table as their dinner began to wind down. If he so negetivly affected her over such a short period of time, who knew how bad it would get if she stayed near him at all.

The cry of pain from the kitchen sent him up and into the room faster than he could properly think about it, with Balin and Dwalin not two steps behind him they rushed into the kitchen, and the sight of the little fairy bleeding sent a wave of panic and protectivness through the king he had not felt since his nephews were small and managed to fall down a cliff in their play. Quickly pulling a dark handcherchief from his pocket, Thorin wrapped it around the bleeding hand of Am'lia, tying it off and keeping gentle pressure to the wound. Glancing up at her crying face the king had to mightily suppress the urge to kiss her tears away, and simply glanced at Balin as he next spoke.

"You should go and see Oin. This might require stitches and it wouldnt be good if it got infected."

 

[Abby Locke]

Although she knew they were quickly coming, Am'lia was surprised to see Thorin rushing into the kitchen first. His gentle touch made her blush slightly and bite her lip. She could see her uncles' worried look and at the same time their smug expecting. Her attention instantly returned to Thorin as he spoke. All she could to was nod, not trusting her voice to be steady.

Balin quickly spoke up. "Thorin, would you mind terribly to take her there? These old bones aren't up for the trip." He barely hid his smirk, knowing that the king couldn't resist the offer to spend more time in the fairy's presence.

Am'lia looked up at him, her lip still between her teeth a bit, tears still falling down her cheeks but not quite as quickly. Try as hard as she might, she couldn't stop the hope coming to her eyes. As she watched him, she could see a flash of... something in his eyes. What it was she wasn't sure. She hoped it was something good, but she tried not to get her hopes up too high. From how he had reacted around her, she doubted he recognized her as his one. And as much as that fact saddened her, Am'lia wasn't going to push him. More than anything, if she could help get the shadows off his face, Am'lia would be content to be alone for the rest of her nearly immortal life.

 

[Trisscar]

"Your 'old bones' stump around here every day and you know it."

Thorin glowered at his friends, but of course he wasnt about to just abandon miss Am'lia.

"I will take her however. We will be back shortly, i would appriciate it if some of that desert still remained when we return."

Offering his arm, Thorin led the fairy out of the room, stoutly ignoring the amused chuckles that followed them. Taking his guest down the long stone hallways to Oin's infermary, the dwarven king pushed open the heavy wooden door and ushered Am'lia into the room.
The healers domain was quiet and still, what few patients there were sleeping on their cots.
Spotting the older dwarf back in the corner of the room and knowing that the nearly deaf dwarf would be unable to hear him, Thorin merely lifted his fairy up onto a empty cot and went to tap the healer on his sholder.

Poor Oin jumped terribly, and spinning around with a curse on his lips, chewed out his king without a second thought for the scare. When he was done the dwarf made his way over to Am'lia, though he continualy grumbled about dwarven kings the whole way over.

 

[Abby Locke]

Am'lia couldn't help but giggle slightly at the sight of the old dwarrow berating the king like he was a child. As he walked over, the fairy smiled at him, trying to return Thorin into Oin's good graces. "Sorry to bother you sir, I'm a bit accident prone so... I may be in here a lot."

Oin chuckled and cast a glance at the king. "Well he didn't tell me I would be helping such a beautiful young lady." He laughed when she blushed. "It is nice to see you again, your uncles have been driving me crazy about you coming." Unwrapping the wound, Oin carefully inspected it before grabbing some disinfectant to clean the wound. After it was clean, he stitched it up before wrapping it in clean gauze.

Am'lia bit her lip as the needle began to run through her skin. Trying to keep the tears from welling in her eyes, Am'lia focused on something else. Her gaze landed on Thorin. Another tear fell down her cheek and she looked away from the dwarf king, ducking her head. She let out a sigh of relief when it was over, quietly thanking Oin for the help. Taking the light pain medicine he handed her, she followed Thorin back out of the healer's wing.

 

[Trisscar]

Thorin saw Oin's knowing look and ignored it as best he could. he did not need the phisician trying to play matchmaker like the rest of his friends were obviously doing to him. He could on some level understand that they were trying to help, and he was gratefull that they cared so much. But pushing a girl that he had never really lost a crush on back into his life without even asking the girl how she felt about it was cruel to them both.

When the healer was done wrapping the fairy's hand, the dwarven king led her back out into the hallways, intent on returning her to the dining room, finishing out the meal and then dissapering into his chambers for the night so that he could figure out the best way to avoid being in her company for the rest of her stay. It was dangerous for his heart and her saftey for Am'lia to be near him, no matter how much he wanted her to stay by his side. Thorin knew that he was unpredictable with his moods, and if he wasnt carefull she would end up getting hurt one way or the other.

During his darker thoughts, a shadow seemed to creep back into the kings eyes, his demeanor going from concerned and open to withdrawn and morose quickly as he led her back to her uncles. By the time that they had reached the door, Thorin had come to the conclusion that it would be simplest to drive her away from his company quickly and painlessly as possible the next time that Balin decided to put them togather. Plan in place Thorin pushed open the door and ushered the fairy in, trying not to stare at her wings that still reminded him of the Arkenstone in thier brilliance as they did when he was a younger more carefree dwarf.

 

[Abby Locke]

To Am'lia's silent horror, she watched as the darkness crawled back over his features. Her eyes saddened as she watched, knowing that she would do anything to bring the light back to his face. As she walled back into the dining hall, she briefly turned to Thorin. "Thank you my king, I apologize for causing such an inconvenience." She leaned up and kissed his cheek, whispering so her uncles could hear. "I know my uncles are being... pushy but I do wish to get to know you better your highness." She pulled away and smiled gently at him, her smile genuine and tender.

Am'lia then walked over to where her uncles sat grinning. After a hard glare at both of them, they quickly turned back to their own interests. Am'lia looked up at Thorin and waited for him to walk over before serving them their desert. Thankfully, one of her uncles had the courtesy to precut their pieces. She smiled again when Thorin sat down and she also sat, beginning to eat her dessert.

As Am'lia finished, she looked up at Balin expectantly. "Uncle, where will I be staying? You have yet to show me to where I am to sleep."

The look that came across Balin's face worried Am'lia. It was one of pure scheme, and the knowledge that he could get away with it. "Well, the wing that our family lives in is full and the only other rooms are under construction. So, I asked Fili and Kili and they said you can stay in the royal wings guest chambers. If that's okay with the king of course. If not they said you could stay with them."

 

[Trisscar]

The kiss stunned him, as did the smile. As he watched her make her way back to the table Thorin shook himself out of the daze he had settled in, the shadows falling back to the corners of his concious for the time being. He didnt dwell on the affect that his advisors neice had on him just yet, he would do that in the privacy of his rooms later when he would not be interupted and he could contemplate in peace.

He was brought out of his silent musings by Am'lia's question, when he heard the options a strange sense of posessivness took over him at the thought of his nephews having her in thier rooms. That was unnaceptable. Unknowingly his grip tightend on the fork, and before he could fully comprehend what he was doing, he spoke.

"It would be no trouble for her to stay in the guest quarters. Ill not have you being tormented by my nephews day in and day out. Goodness knows theyll do that to you enough without you being forced to spend your evenings with them."

 

[Abby Locke]

Even though Am'lia didn't hear the tinge of possessive jealousy in his voice, Dwalin and Balin certainly did. However, this time they did their best to restrain the smirks and remain passive. Balin was the first to speak, his voice seemingly innocent. "Very well, the boys will be disappointed but Am'lia does need her privacy. She isn't a child anymore." Balin had a gentle smile on his face, as if he was being sincere.

Am'lia smiled back at Balin, a slight blush coming to her cheeks. "Thank you Uncle. And the princes aren't a bother, I wouldn't mind but I would like my privacy of it isn't too much trouble my king." She turned her attention to Thorin, missing the glint in her uncle's eyes. "Besides, I'd only be in their rooms for sleep and bathing." She shrugged slightly not seeing the smirks flash on her uncles' faces. Then turning back to Balin she asked. "Can you show me to my rooms then? Its been a rather long day."

 

[Trisscar]

Thorins eye ticked in annoyance at his advisors words. he knew that they were to simply bait him and get him to react with even more of his embaressing words, but the king refused to simply be drawn into the net of thier matchmaking....no matter how tempting the bait.

Glancing over at Am'lia as Balin deflected her desire to be escorted back by Him, Thorin resigned himself to having to hold himself back yet anouther time as they went to her rooms. It was going to be hard, he could already not deny her anything she asked, but if she found out about the budding depth of his emotion for her..surley it would only end in heartbreak for him. He had no doubt that such a thing would prove to be his final undoing. The darkness was kept away by her this he had realized..but a rejection by one so full of life...if she feared him and turned away like all the others...it would kill him.

Standing, he wordlessly offered his arm to her, glaring at her uncles for them to keep quiet. Then he looked to Am'lia again to see her reaction.

 

[Abby Locke]

Am'lia stood as well and gently took his arm. "Thank you my king." She smiled at him but she could see the worry and pain in his eyes. Suddenly feeling overwhelmed by the urge to chase those pains away, Am'lia couldn't help but bite her lip as worry came over. Staying close to him as he led her out of the dining room, she wondered what she could possibly do to help him. There was nothing she could think of that wouldn't put him off completely. She Could tell him of her feelings for him, feelings that had been there since they were children but she never understood the depths of them until now. However, she was doubtful that he would ever accept her feelings. So far, in her nearly 100 years, men had never been very attracted to her.

According to most dwarrows she encountered, she looked too much like an elf. Yet, according to most elves and humans, she looked too much like a dwarf. She was beardless, thankfully, but her hips were wider than most fairies' and she enjoyed a good mug of ale as much as a glass of fine wine. Of course, now that these thoughts had been brought forth in her mind, Am'lia became a bit distressed, not that she showed it. She was careful to hide her anxiety from the king, she didn't want him to take it in the wrong way.

 

[Trisscar]

Though she hid her distress well, the king whom was a master at hiding his own emotion well, saw and recognized the pain for what it was. he was unsure as to just what was causing her distress, though he knew it was something to do with him and that saddened Thorin. Yet he knew that there was little he could do about that fear. There were very few in the worlds of both the living and the dead that did not fear him in some way. this was no diffrent.

When they reached her room he decided to try one thing before she went in, he didnt want her to feel unwelcome or unwanted in the mountain after all. Leaning down over one smooth delicate hand Thorin kissed it lightly, looking up to lock eyes with Am'lia and baring his acceptance of her visit and desire to spend time with her in his gaze. His voice was deep and husky when he spoke and though he mentaly cringed abit at how sappy he sounded..there was no time for changing it.

"sleep well."

 

[Abby Locke]

Am'lia's cheeks burned bright as Thorin kissed her hand. The soft touch of his lips on her hand making a shiver run down her back. She bit her lip as she looked down at him, her shock and shyness evident. Even though he found out sappy, she couldn't help but smile. "And you as well my king. May Mahal watch over your dreams." She said quietly, taking his head in her hands and placing a kiss to his forehead. Giving him one last smile, Am'lia turned and disappeared into her room.

Before falling asleep, she bathed and dressed in a fairly modest sleeping gown, after all, she didn't know how she would be woken up. Sure enough, when the sun was barely peeking over the horizon, two mischevious young dwarves ran into her room, jumping on her bed to wake her up. Groaning from being roughly woken, Am'lia opened her eyes to the two childish dwarves. "Good Morning boys." She sighed and sat up, rolling her eyes at the pouting looks on the Durin boys' faces. Although they were fully grown, adult dwarrows, Fili and Kili were Very childish.

 

[Trisscar]

Thorin stared at the closed door to Am'lia's rooms for a few moments after she had dissapered into it, still feeling the warm press of her lips against his forehead and her soft skin under his own lips. A slow grin worked its way onto his face without his permission and he meandered back to his own rooms. Feeling lighter than he had in decades.

The next morning the durin brothers had only one thing on thier mind. Find the pretty lady that made thier uncle feel better and convince her to never ever leave. So they pounced when she was asleep and more likely to agrea to things.

Kili flopped himself over her legs so that she couldnt escape, and Fili moved behind her and rested his chin on her sholder. both brothers grinned at her unrepentadly for thier actions and then proceeded their questioning and convincing.

Kili spoke first, being the more exuberant of the two.

"hi pretty lady. your the one thats helps uncle, so we want you to stay. will you?"

Then Fili added his contribution to the mix. He was better at politics after all.

"We can make it worth your while, and uncle will be ever so doting apon you trust us."

 

[Abby Locke]

Am'lia blinked and raised an eyebrow. They were talking way too fast for so early in the morning. She sighed heavily and tried to free herself from the Durin brothers' grips. "Boys, I honestly have no idea what you're talking about. And I'm planning on staying for a while. And you know my name." A slight frown graced her lips as her sleepy brain finally processed all of what they had said. Worth her while? How would they make it worth her while? And what could they possibly mean by the king doting on her.

Unfortunately for Am'lia, curiosity began to bloom inside her and it was clearly evident on her face. "Now that I'm awake... Why don't we start this conversation over boys? You can talk to me through the door while I change." She certainly didn't want to end up agreeing to something she didn't fully comprehend. After successfully extracting herself from the boys, she went to her closet and picked out the dress she would wear. "hmmm. Red today." She smiled to herself, wondering what the dwarrows' reactions would be. Usually, everything about her matched, from her hair to her shoes. Yesterday she had been in a silvery mood and her fey magic changed her hair to reflect that. As she went to the bathroom, she wondered to herself how exactly to do her hair to shock the dwarven princes while they chatted away to her.

 

[Trisscar]

"We mean the huge crush that uncles got on you! well help you with that of course. We want him to be happy and you make him happy."

Kili was practicly bouncing in his excitement, a large grin on his face. He had always been a morning person, and plotting to help his uncle made it all the better, his dark eyes were shining and his hair was flying about him with his movements, an almost puppy like intensity eminating from the younger prince.
Fili was more composed but no less excited than his brother, but he went the more docile rought to telling the fairy what he and his brother were planning. after all it wouldnt do to scare her away, and he could see how much she was attracted to his uncle even if she was trying to hide it. Fili was much more observant than most people thought he was. After all he would one day be king.

"we can see how you help him. and we want to make sure the both of you are happy. were offering our help for you to woo him because were quite aware that hes much to stubborn to actually ask himself."

 

[Abby Locke]

Fili's reply caused Am'lia to stop halfway through a braid. Woo? They wanted her to Woo Thorin? The king of Erebor? The one who everyone said had a heart of stone? Of course she knew that wasn't true, as much as he tried to hide it Am'lia could see right past his facade. She knew how heavy his rule weighed on his heart.. How the darkness was slowly killing him. She shuddered at the thought, her heart aching at the even possibility of the king dying before his time.

She finished her braids and walked out of the bathroom, watching the boys' faces for reactions to her looks. Her hair was long and wavy, two braids on each side, weaving back to meet on the back of her head. "You... Want me to woo your uncle? How on middle earth am I supposed to do that?" She walked over to Kili and picked the young boy up, leading them out of her rooms and down the hall where she knew the dining room would be. She was wondering what would be more needed when it came to dealing with their antics. A nice cup of tea or a mug of ale..