Come to Morning Through The Shadows

The Dungeons and The Celduin

 "Home is behind, the world ahead, and there are many paths to tread

through shadows to the edge of night,

until the stars are all alight."-J.R.R. Tolkien

Chapter 6:

Thorin paced Lyla's room. His fingers twitched agitatedly and he resisted the urge to run his hands through his hair again.

He was fighting the impulse to tear the hobbit's room apart in his anger.

He wanted to leave the mountain, go after her.

Something.

Anything.

Lyla was out there, out in the wilderness wandering with a ring of power (THE ring of power) towards Mordor.  Worse, though, she'd taken the ring of power and his grandfather's ring to destroy them.

She didn't tell him a blasted thing.

And it was his fault.

After all the promises that he'd made to the hobbit, all the things he's assured her of, he was here, and she was alone, gone. He's failed her, pushed her away, suggested that she wasn't important to him, as a ruse, yes, but Lyla hadn't known that.  There'd never been a safe time to tell her.

He'd let himself down. He'd wanted to protect her from the usurpers. After the attack, he wanted to ensure her safety, somehow. 

Yes, he realized now how big of a mistake it was. But all he'd wanted was to protect her.

Now he had failed her. He'd let her down

Mahal...

Unbidden, the image of his Givashel lying in the mud, unmoving sprang from his memory. He couldn't deny the way his heart constricted at the thought and couldn't hold back the grimace that twisted on his face.

"It is not the time for self loathing to enter your thoughts, Thorin Oakenshield."

The dwarf king sighed and shot a glare towards the doorway.

"Have you come to patronize me, elf?" He growled, "you do you have something important to relay?"

"My presence here is always important, Master Oakenshield," Thranduil replied unperturbed by Thorin's frosty behavior, "And I never patronize, as you call it, without just cause."

Thorin raised his brow, unamused and annoyed.

This was hardly the time for such flippant behavior.

"But yes," The elf remarked, "I have important news for you."

Thorin nodded his head in understanding. The elf king didn't need to explain his news further.

The dwarf understood.

He understood perfectly.

He followed the elf king from Lyla's room and down the stairs, towards cellars and the dungeons.

Balin was near the entrance when they arrived, but his face was grim, his white brows knit together in worry as he eyed Thorin carefully.

"In truth lad," He remarked as Thorin came closer, "I do not know that you will convince him to come to his senses. He is raving mad. Andd we can't get any information from him. He will not tell us anything."

"That will not be a problem for me, master dwarf," Thranduil murmured, "There is more he can tell me."

Brushing past the surprised dwarf, Thranduil marched down the winding staircase and into the dark.