Edge of Night (Thorin Oakenshield Love Story)

Chapter 8

The company stopped where Thorin told them. Dwalin has already gotten off his pony and looked at the girl, "Do you need help, lass?" She nodded, embarrassed. Dwalin helped the girl ease of the horse and on to the ground.

Though it had been a few days, Dienna was still not as comfortable with ponies as the dwarves. Dienna always had someone help her, usually Fili.

"Fili, Kili, look after the ponies. Make sure you stay with them," Thorin called to his nephews. Dienna saw Gandalf inspecting the abandoned farm that they were stopped at.

She went over to him, "This place doesn't look look abandoned," she stated, looking at some of the crops.

"A farmer and his family used to live here," Gandalf said. Thorin continued to set up camp, "I think it would be wiser to move on," Gandalf called to Thorin.

"I agree with Gandalf," Dienna peeped her head from behind the wizard, "Something destroyed this house, it wasn't time. Look at the fresh crops."

"We could make for the hidden valley," Gandalf continued.

Though Thorin considered Dienna's idea, he couldn't to the elves, "I've told you already, I will not go near that place."

"Why not? The elves could help us. We could get food, rest, advice." Gandalf persisted.

"I  do not need their advice."

"What about your company? Do they need their advice?" Dienna knew the feud well, but it was the Mirkwood elves, not the Rivendell elves.

"Dienna, stay out of this," Thorin ordered. She huffed a sigh, and stormed off. He was surprised at her lack of a comeback. It had happened a few times, and he didn't know why. He thought about if she was choosing her fights, or if she wasn't feeling well.

Dienna stormed to Oin and Gloin, "Do you need help?" she asked kind of abrasively.

"No lassie, thank you thoug," Gloin said to her. She briefly smiled before going to Bombur.

"Do you need help with the food, Bombur?" 

"Nope, but thank you." The large dwarf smiled and she left to her brother.

"Are you alright?" Bilbo asked.

"Nobody needs help and Thorin is being stubborn," she huffed, "He's being annoying."

"Well he is always kind of like that, darling," He could see something sparkle in her eyes when she talked about Thorin, even if she didn't know it. She talked about him a lot when they were alone, especially when she was frustrated with him, "Come here," he pulled his sister in a hug when he saw something out of the corner of his eye, "Everything alright? Gandalf, where are you going?" 

"To seek the company of the only one around here who's got any sense," Gandalf said angrily.

"And who's that?" Dienna asked.

"Myself, Miss Baggins! I've had enough of dwarves for one day," he got on his horse and rode away.

"Come on, Bombur, we're hungry," Thorin called. Dienna walked to where she had dropped her bag off. She couldn't stand the wet clothes that she was still wearing from the rainstorm, so she got out her spare dress. She quickly wandered to a secluded area of camp and got changed.

Thorin had seen Dienna walking alone to the edge of camp. So she wouldn't fo too far, he followed her. They were getting into the wild, which was more dangerous than the girl had experienced. He let her walk a little ahead of him, and he saw her round a corner. He went the same way a few seconds later. 

He stopped suddenly when he saw her in nothing but her underclothes. She froze as well. After a second, she yelped and covered herself with the dress she was changing into. "I'm sorry, I was just making sure tha-" he started saying, flustered and blushing.

"Thorin...Leave!" she said, a little loudly, eyes very wide. He nodded and walked away very quickly.

"What was that about?" Dwalin asked as he saw Thorin's beet red face.

Dienna walked back to the group in her changed dress, the same expression on her face, "Nothing," was all Thorin said.

~~~

Dienna and Thorin sat on opposite sides of the group as they ate. Dienna and Bilbo talked, and he was worrying about Gandalf. "He's been gone too long."

"It's Gandalf! He's much older and has more experience than us. Don't worry, okay?" Her eyes wandered to Thorin. He was also looking at her. They made brief eye contact before Dienna looked down, blushing.

"Okay," Bilbo looked at her, "Wait, did you change?" Dienna snorted and nearly choked on her soup, "You okay?"

"Yes," she coughed, "And yes, I did change."

"It's a nice dress," he commented.

"It was from Mother's closet. I wear it whenever I go to the forest," Bilbo smiled at the thought of their mother, "I wish I had known her better."

"Yes, I do to. Her and Father were amazing hobbits, no one nicer," he looked at his little sister and she turned back into the little girl he raised. He hugged her. He missed the moments in Bag-End when she would be running around then she would get tired. Dienna would lay down in her armchair and fall asleep with the book she was currently reading. Bilbo would pick her up and tuck her into bed. He still did that sometimes. "They also loved you very much," she sadly smiled at Bilbo and placed a kiss on his forehead. He got up and walked over to the pot of soup then took two bowls, presumably to Fili and Kili.

Bofur walked over to Dienna with a second bowl of soup, "Here you are lassie. I thought you'd like more," Bofur extended the bowl to her.

"Thank you," she gladly accepted it, "So what's it like in the Blue Mountains?"  she patted the ground next to her for him to sit down.

"Well, lass, it's nice. We live there in peace thanks to Thorin," she blushed at his name because of the encounter earlier.

Thorin saw Dienna blush at Bofur's words from afar, and the familiar anger came up, "Why don't you go to her, instead just stare at her?" Dwalin asked between bites of soup.

"Something happened earlier," Thorin trailed off, "Dwalin, have you suddenly felt angry when you see somebody talking to someone else?" he asked.

"Is that how you feel when you see Dienna to any of the dwarves that isn't you?" he asked, smirking.

"Yes," Thorin took a breath as he saw Dienna and Bofur continue talking. "I don't know what it is," Thorin was getting very frustrated.

"That, lad, is called jealousy," Dwalin said, matter-of-factly.

"Jealousy?" Thorin was confused. He didn't care for her, so why was he jealous? It was stupid, she was a hobbit! But, as he's seen, there's something different about her, and all the dwarves saw it. Thorin's mind was all over the place when it came to the girl, "Are you saying I'm jealous?"

"You said it, lad," Dwalin placed a hand on his best friends shoulder, chuckling.

There was a rustling and Fili and Kili came back without Bilbo. Dienna went running up to them, "Where's Bilbo?" she asked them.

"The ponies were taken by trolls!" Kili told the group.

"Your brother is saving the horses, little one," Fili told Dienna, whose eyes wanted.

"We have to save him!" Dienna exclaimed. Nobody did anything, "Please! He's my brother!" she paused, "He's all I have left?" She looked directly into Thorin's eyes.

At their eye contact, Thorin felt something in his soul pushing him to help the girl's brother. Dienna felt the connection too, deep down. "Let's go save the hobbit." She lit up and they all grabbed their weapons and stalked quietly through the woods.