DAVINA ⇝ Thorin Oakenshield

Chapter 30

Approximately six months after the battle, once Erebor was fully restored to its magnificence, the rest of Thorin's people that had remained in the Blue Mountains made the journey back to their rightful home. When they finally arrived, Davina was down in the medical wing with Oin, tended to the few whose wounds from the war had been extensive. 

The two healers were coaxing a young dwarf into attempting to walk after so many months of being bedridden. He'd had the unfortunate luck of nearly being crushed by an ogre after it had been killed. While he'd managed to move out of the way for the most part, his leg had been pinned down by its rather large arm that had taken three dwarfs to lift off of him. His femoral shaft had been fractured, but Oin and Davina had been shocked it hadn't been worse.

The dwarf, whose name was Runar, reminded Davina very much of Ori. Both of them were around the same age, and they had this sort of tainted innocence about them; something that said they were too good and kind for wars and battles of bloodshed, but had sadly been subjected to such horrors nevertheless. He was quite a kind dwarf, very soft-spoken, but incredibly loyal to his people. When Dain had announced Thorin's reclaim of Erebor and requested all those able to accompany his march upon the mountain in Thorin's defense, Runar had offered himself without a second's thought.

Davina had, in truth, grown a soft spot for the dwarf. But he had, over the many months, begun to lose faith in his own abilities, and therefore it was rather difficult for she and Oin to coax him into putting any weight upon his leg. "Runar, you need only give it a try," Davina told the dwarf gently. "If you feel any pain at all, you can stop immediately."

"Lad, it's the only way to know whether you've healed properly or not," Oin told him.

Runar glanced between them. "And if I'm not?" He asked. "I could injure myself further and put my recovery back even more."

"Just give it a shot," Davina said.

With a huff and a brief hesitance of nervousness, Runar finally nodded. Keeping his arms linked in both Oin and Davina's, he slowly dropped his left foot against the ground and put weight upon it. "I -- I think it's healed!" He revealed with a grin upon feeling no pain. "Should I try to walk?"

"By all means, yes," she told him with a smile. They walked along with him slowly, to help him get the hang of walking again and also to act as a sort of crutch if his leg became weak and he lost his footing. 

"I believe you have made great progress, lad," Oin informed the younger dwarf as he succeeded in a few hesitant steps. "In a week or so, you'll be able to make the trip back to the Iron Hills." The majority of the other dwarfs of the Iron Hills had left two weeks prior to that day, once their services were no longer needed in Erebor's restorations. Runar had stayed behind for obvious reasons, and a few of his companions remained so that he would not be making the journey back to the Iron Hills on his own.

"Thank you," the dwarf told the two of them gratefully. "You both have been so gracious to me. And... my Lady, I dare say you will make a marvelous Queen Under the Mountain."

To this, Davina only smiled modestly.

In another part of the mountain, Thorin was embracing his beloved sister Dis after so long without having seen her. Fili and Kili had embraced her in a group hug of their own, during which Dis had sobbed and revealed how fearful she had been that they wouldn't have seen the end of the war. They'd received word about it in the Blue Mountains, and Dis had been frightened beyond belief. "I'd even heard that you, brother, nearly died yourself," she admitted to Thorin with a shaky voice. "But that you had been saved by the prophetic Nymali Viator... Is this true?"

Thorin's eyes softened as he thought of his One. "It is indeed true." He placed his hand between her shoulder blades and began to lead her further into the mountain. "Come along, sister, we have much to catch up on. Fili, Kili, you should come as well." Glancing over at his trusted advisor, he said, "Balin. Would you mind seeing to it that these people were given proper quarters to stay in and have been given food and drink?"