Edgard pushed me up against the wall and I gasped for breath, my fingers clawing against his face.   But he only grabbed both my wrists, pinning them between his huge hand as I cried out in pain.  I looked around me,  hoping for help to come.  The guardhouse was always occupied by two to four men at a time, assigned to close the gates at nightfall, especially during storms such as this.  And with the presence of goblins nearby, should an attack happen, the guards could easily ring the main bell to warn everyone. 

But there was no one by the gate house except for Edgard.

On the other side of the door, Thorin yelled and banged the knocker, demanding entry.  The door rattled against the sheer power of his kicks, but it held. When the door began to crack, I realized Thorin was using his axe against the thick wood.

“Is that your dwarf prince coming to save you?” Edgard sneered and his grip tightened around my neck, my feet leaving the ground as he pushed me up against the wall. “I wondered when you would finally come out.  I was getting tired of waiting.”

“I’m here to talk to Lialam,” I gasped as Edgard’s fingers tightened around my neck.  

“You’re not talking to anyone, love.  Not anymore.  I rule the town now,” he said, his mouth against my face as I squirmed my wrists free from his grip and scratched his face.  I’d made a huge mistake, coming here like this, I thought as I began to kick at him even as I felt my strength slowly fading.

Ever sincle Edgard had arrived in Greenbanü twelve years earlier, I’d never liked him.  He used to come to the house wanting his clothes sewn by Jerrel, and each time she would say no and refer him to another tailor in town, one who would have been more qualified.  After all, Jerrel specialized in gowns and dresses though I knew her reasons had nothing to do with her specialty.  

But Edgard still came and this time he’d wait till Tadd wasn’t home, pretending to have something mended - a tear here, a rip there.  Those had been the lean years when the town had suffered through a drought and then a flooding the year before, and even Jerrel was too proud to say no to a few pieces of copper coins to help put food on the table.  And so she’d let Edgard sit in front of her and watch her as she sewed, sending me upstairs to play with the dolls she’d made for me.  

Only Jürgen’s presence next door kept Jerrel safe from more than just the lewd stares of the squinty eyed Edgard.  I always suspected that he was a Dunlending, though his was hair cropped short so that he’d fit in with everyone else.  He had a wild look about him, something that could never be tamed, and when women he liked disappeared from Greenbanü, I always wondered whether it was because of him.  

But Edgard had earned the respect and trust of Lialam, who promoted him as head of his own private guard, and soon, his right-hand man.  Lialam often sent him to Dunland to do business, and I wondered now if one of those had been to mislead the dwarves about my presence, as there were many dwarves who dwelled in the south.

And as everything I knew about Edgard flashed before me, I knew for certain from the look in his eyes, that he had killed all those women who’d disappeared all those years.  Killing me was simply too easy, and I was but just another body with no worth.  His eyes betrayed his soul, and it sent fear through every cell in my body.

Suddenly everything that Jürgen taught me in defending myself all those years finally rose to the surface.  But instead of continually struggling against him, I saved every ounce of strength I had and relaxed, allowing myself to become limp in his grasp.  It worked.  When Edgard loosened his hold upon my neck, I brought my knee up, slamming it as hard as I could into his groin.  He bellowed in pain and dropped me to the ground, crumpling in front of me in a fetal position.  

I scrambled to my feet, but not before kicking at him as he tried to reach for me.  I ran towards the gate and unlocked it.  But before I could pull it open, Edgard recovered.  He lunged towards me and grabbed a hold of my boot, throwing me off-balance, the flash of the dagger in his hand making me bring my arms up to protect myself.  

“NO!” I screamed. 

I heard the crunch of bone as a steel-tipped boot smashed against Edgard’s hand.  The dagger clattered a few feet away and as the burly man threw himself towards it, Thorin kicked him again, this time aiming for his head.  As Thorin’s boot made contact, Edgard groaned in pain, clutching his head as he fell back down onto the cobblestones, and lay still still, still moaning and cursing.

Thorin pulled me back towards the direction to Inge’s house but I resisted him.  “There’s no point in going back.  They’ll know where to find us now,” I said as I began to run past the guardhouse that was empty.  Not even a lamp had been lit within.

Thorin and I began running along the passageways where days earlier, we’d taken a leisurely walk towards the western hills to meet Jürgen.  This time, it was no leisurely stroll.  I had taken a huge risk in coming back but I had no choice.  I did not want Thorin take me to Fennhill knowing I’d leave Jürgen and Bernd to their fate.  I knew it wasn’t my fault, just as it wasn’t exactly theirs.   Though Greenbanü was no longer my home, I no longer knew where I belonged.  And with the news of Thorin’s betrothal, it all became clear to me just who it was who really mattered in the end.  I hated him for making me feel like a fool.  But I could not understand why he was still here with me.

The town seemed deserted, every window we passed by shut from the storm.  Yet as we made our way through the passageways and alleyways, I could see wide pairs of eyes peering from the shadows of the windows.  Ahead, an old woman I remembered as Mary scurried into the shadows, the door slamming shut behind her before I could call out her name.  

We ran past a plaza where a fountain had stopped flowing, its water murky from all the rain.  From there, we turned left towards the keep located in the middle of the town, where the dungeons were located.  I didn’t know what to expect once we got there.  I was too perplexed about the absence of the guards at the front of the gate, and the emptiness of the the streets and alleyways.  Except for a few lamps still burning at a few of the houses, Thorin and I might as well have been running in complete darkness and going around in circles.

But I knew the town like the back of my hand. With my eyes closed, I could take one to the pub where Bernd loved to drink and woo the girls, often helping the innkeeper with the food.  I knew where the Janarra sisters would sit just outside the home they shared with their father, and sing songs in perfect harmony.  I remembered little Asha and the dress that I had sewn for her and had yet to deliver for her in time for her birthday party, though that had happened three days ago.  

Suddenly Thorin pulled me into a dark alleyway.  Before I could protest, I heard the sound of footsteps approaching and I slunk deeper into the shadows next to Thorin, feeling the heat of his body too close to me.  We waited till Edgard limped past us, his curses echoing in the empty alley.  When he’d gone, the sound of his footsteps fading away, Thorin turned me so that I was facing him.  

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“I’m putting an end to all this,” I whispered.  “I know you think it’s madness but I can’t let Jürgen and Bernd die because of me.”

“Of course it’s madness,” Thorin hissed, pushing me back against the wall.  “Do you have a death wish, woman?”

“I just want all this to end,” I said, pushing him away from me.  

“End with your death, you mean?” Thorin growled as he caught both my hands in his own.  “Maybe you’ve forgotten what we heard underneath that bridge?  Or were you too delirious  then not to realize that Lialam wishes to kill you, not marry you.  That he only wants that necklace and then be done with you and Bernd?”

The closeness of Thorin made my heart skip a beat.  His hands had let go of my wrists and he now gripped me by my shoulders, breathing hard as he controlled his anger.  But my own anger was boiling, too, and as his fingers dug into my skin, I lost all sense of reason, barely checking the words that spilled from my mouth. I’d never been in love before, but maybe this was how it felt - rendering one devoid of reason or common sense, I thought.  Or worse, pride.

“Have you ever considered that maybe I’d rather face the risk of death than be made a fool of by one already betrothed to another?”  I demanded.  “Should I just consider what happened between us as a momentary lapse of judgment on both our parts and go on with my life like it never happened?”

Thorin released his hold of me, his brow furrowing.  “What are you talking about?”

“I don’t know why you are bothering with me.  Are the number of dwarf women so low that you’ve got to search them out in the gutter so you can bring them back into the fold - but not after you’ve had a taste of them?  You’re no worse than Lialam, then.”

“Stop this,” Thorin hissed.  “You don’t know what you’re saying.  ”

“Oh, yes, I do.  I know about her,” I said.  

Before Thorin could say anything, we heard the sound of boots pounding upon the pavement in the distance, and he pulled me back through the opposite end of the alleyway that gave us a good view of the circular courtyard facing the keep, where the dungeon was located in its basement.  The guards who normally would have been by the gate emerged from the dungeon, and in the midst of them was Jürgen.

I gasped, bringing my hand to my mouth before my reaction would have become more vocal.  His wrists were bound and blood trickled from the side of his mouth.  The five days he had spent in the dungeon showed in his eyes and his sunken cheeks, lit by the torches the guards held.  

Next to him was Bernd, pulled forward by his bound wrists.  

My heart caught in my throat.  Anyone could tell that he no longer held the title of mayor.  For no mayor would have had his wrists bound like Jürgen’s, his eye blackened by a fist - or worse.  A long chain linked them together as Edgard held one end of it and yanked it violently towards him.  Bernd and Jürgen were thrown forward, though Bernd, still the stronger of the two, helped Jürgen stay upright.  

“Master Lialam will hear about this, I swear to you,” Bernd said.

Edgard, his face bloodied from Thorin’s kick, chuckled as he unrolled a parchment in his hand and held it up towards Bernd.  Behind him, a guard held up a torch so Bernd could see.  “Master Lialam ordered your execution himself, young master.  Your sister has not dared show her face for five days but now, she’s finally here.  All I need now is to give her a reason to finally come out.”

Tears sprang to my eyes and I felt Thorin watching me grimly, his hand still on my shoulder, holding me back.  Yet even Thorin knew that this time, nothing would stop me from stepping forward into the light and giving myself up, even if I knew that Edgard and Lialam meant to kill me anyway.  

Bernd squared his shoulders and stood up tall.  “No,” he said.  “I will never betray my sister to the likes of you,” he said, words that earned him a punch to the belly from one of the guards and he bent forward in pain.

The rain continued to fall, almost sideways this time, the wind howling through the lonely alleys and passageways.  Something scuffled along the cobblestones.  A pail clattered noisily, rolling for a few seconds before it became quiet once more.

I started to walk towards the courtyard, but Thorin pulled me back.  As I glared at him, pulling myself from his grasp, he took my hand and placed something cool and heavy upon my palm.  

“That’s what Lialam wants,” Thorin said, and I saw the briefest glimpse of sadness in his eyes as I turned to look at the circlet he had placed on my hand.  

“It’s what Edgard called the silly necklace,” I said.  

“That’s the furthest from the truth, Frigga, and you know it,” Thorin said.  “A ruby nestled upon emeralds and diamonds may be all you see.  But all that sits on an intricate foundation made of mithril.”  

I stared at necklace.  Days earlier I had lengthened it with two strips of leather so I could tie it around my neck, allowing the jewels to sit at the base of my throat.  But Thorin had replaced the leather, lengthening it with delicate links of mithril that glistened in the semi-darkness.  What I wouldn’t give to have it circle my neck again, I thought.  Instead, I had to give it away with no expectation of an equal return.

“I always thought it was silver - or platinum,” I said.  

“It’s always been the mithril, Frigga.  That’s what everyone wants,” Thorin said.  “It’s yours to trade for their lives, but I’m not letting  you go out there alone.”

“But-“

Without waiting for me to finish, Thorin began walking towards the courtyard and I followed close behind him, eventually standing next to him.  My heart was pounding inside my chest and other than the necklace now held tightly in my hand, I had nothing else to protect myself with.  I had no weapons.

The sound of our footsteps caused Edgard and the rest of his men to turn their heads towards us.   Jürgen’s eyes widened when he saw me and I could have sworn that I saw disappointment and fear on his face.

“I told you to run, Frigga,” Jürgen said, this time struggling against the chains that bound him.  

Bernd simply stared at me, speechless.  Then his eyes went to Thorin, and he understood as he looked back at me.  I’m sorry, he mouthed.

“If you want her, you’ll have to get through me,” Thorin said coldly, his deep voice echoing against the walls that surrounded us.

“Look what we have here,” drawled Edgard, as he withdrew his sword with his one free hand.  “The dwarf prince and his very own whore.”

Thorin remained quiet, glowering at Edgard, though even as Edgard laughed, his men remained silent and I saw the fear in their eyes.   Behind us, doors began to open and people finally emerged from their homes to witness what was happening.  

Behind Edgard and his men, one of the balconies in the keep slid open, and I glimpsed Lialam’s face emerge.  But before I could call out his name, he retreated into the shadows, the doors closing behind him.  Coward, I wanted to shout.

“Let them go, Edgard, and I’ll hand over the necklace.  It’s worth more than you could ever imagine,” I said as I gathered my courage to take a step forward even though Thorin’s arm shot out to stop me from walking ahead of him.  

Edgard laughed.  “As if I needed to trade that necklace for these two,” he said, cocking his head towards Jürgen and Bernd.  “When my guards are done slicing you all to pieces, I’ll still have that silly necklace, though I’ll make sure to leave you alive for my entertainment.”

Before Edgard could chortle further, Jürgen made his move.  He yanked his chain backwards, sending Edgard, who had been holding one end of it, against him.  I’d always known Jürgen to be fast, but I never knew just how fast he could be when he wanted to.  Before any of the guards could react, Jürgen had the length of chain wrapped around the burly man’s neck, sending Edgard down to his knees.

“One step forward, and I’m going to break his neck,” Jürgen warned the guards as he motioned for Bernd to take the key from inside Edgard’s vest and unlock their chains.  

In the far corner of the courtyard, a figure silently crept in the shadows behind the soldiers, followed by another a few feet away.  My heart sank.  More guards, I thought as some of the townspeople who had emerged began to hurry back to their homes, not wanting any involvement with what was happening.  We were already outnumbered as it was, but with more approaching, I didn’t see any way we could get out of this.  

Thorin saw it, too, his attention focused now on the rooftops where we saw more dark shapes bent over and crawling towards the keep.  He turned to look at me, his eyes narrowing, and from the way he looked at me, it was to tell me something.  He cocked his head towards the roof to my right.

A figure was crouched on a rooftop, moving slowly.  But there was something strange in the way they moved - it neither human nor dwarvish.  I stared at Thorin, the realization dawning on me.  

In my rush to save Jürgen and Bernd, I hadn’t even thought of shutting the gate behind Thorin - not that I had enough time.  But with Edgard left at the gate after Thorin and I ran, shutting it would have been the first thing he would have done.  Or was it?  Wide open and without anyone guarding it, the town would be left wide open for a raid.  

“Jürgen, hurry,” I called out, my voice shaking as Jürgen disarmed Edgard, taking his sword away from him and Bernd finished unlocking the chains that bound them both.  Thorin pulled out his own sword.  This time he held an axe in one hand and his dwarven sword on the other.  

“Kill them,” Edgard barked at his guards, who took one step forward towards Jürgen and Bernd.  But something made them freeze in their tracks, their faces turned towards the direction of the gate.

The warning bell was ringing.  And just as quickly as it had rung, it stopped, stilled by some unseen hand.  

Edgard and the guards looked around them, their faces paling as a howling rose around us.  This time, I saw them even before they finally appeared.  Their wide eyes and pockmarked skin, sharp pointed ears and bulbous heads told me what they were as Thorin handed me his sword and ordered me to stay close to him.  

Goblins!