I found the place just before nightfall.  Though there were two entrances, the one easiest to travel through was found along the back of the rock face, hidden deep behind a thick growth of trees and shrubbery.  The other entrance was through the front of the waterfall, but that often became too slippery to be passable, though I'd once leaped into the water from its prominent ledge, much to Jürgen's chagrin.

He'd have been doubly upset had he known I'd ventured twice more alone just to go for a swim in its cool waters, I thought, as I tied Clara's reins along a tree branch and proceeded to light a torch that Jürgen had left by the entrance.  Clearly he'd expected the cave to be used for another one of our hunting trips sometime soon as he had also made it his mission to teach me not only sword fighting but hunting as well.  I found firewood piled neatly along one side of the entrance, and one more torch leaning against the wall opposite where I stood.

The cave was empty as I'd hoped it would be.  No animals lurked inside its dark recesses, and as much as I wished for the comfort of my home, I knew that Jürgen was right.  Greenbanü was no longer my home.

My mind was a storm of conflicting thoughts and memories, and as I began to prepare for the night, I worried about Jürgen, wondering if Lialam would punish him for letting me escape.  I thought about Thorin and Dwalin, wondering if Lialam, too, would assume that they were part of the plan.  It must have been Farmer Nager who alerted Lialam about my whereabouts, having seen me walk past the pub with Thorin by my side.

I could not fathom how Bernd could agree to the marriage when he knew how I felt about Lialam.  Even Jürgen had stopped him from giving my hand in marriage years earlier.  And Lialam had never indicated any new interest in me other than the usual playful comments that I never took seriously.  

Making Bernd mayor of the town was certainly an offer no one could refuse - but in exchange for my hand in marriage? I did not understand it.  What could Lialam possibly want from me? 

Besides, I was a dwarf.

Now that I finally knew the answer to all questions long brushed off by Jerrel and Tad, the realization that I'd always known what I was made me ashamed for denying it.  My own memories of my childhood before living with them were hazy, the only remnants were but colors of royal blue and green, and gold.  Lots of gold.

But having lost my home had made me cling to the new home I found myself in, even long after I was old enough to return to have been able to return to Erebor on my own.  But what then? Had I returned to Erebor years earlier, I would have been right back here now, or worse - dead from the dragon Smaug.

I sighed. It didn't matter anymore whether I could have gone back home sooner or not.  What mattered now was that the dwarves were passing through Greenbanü, and I needed to find their camp and travel with them.    

I wrapped the blanket that Jürgen had packed in one of Clara's saddle bags over my shoulders.  I watched the darkness descend outside, the sound of birds long gone now for the whole cavern echoed of the sound of water cascading down the rocks below.  It wasn't loud, but it was frightening just the same, knowing that I'd never feel the comfort of home again.  

As darkness fell, I knew there was nothing I could do for now, at least not tonight.  But I was deep in the forest all alone and I was scared.  Even though Jürgen and I had spent a few nights here in the past, it wasn't the same.  This time I was hiding like a coward.  

Tears stung my eyes and I wiped them away, angry at myself for being weak.  I wanted to go back and confront Bernd, and tell him that he had no right to give me away in marriage.  Especially not when I wasn't his to give away.  I was never his sister and neither was I anything like him.  

I was a dwarf, and as I brought my hands in front of me, gazing at fingers that I had long wished were more slender  like all the other girls, I knew it could never be.  For I was a dwarf and there was nothing I could do to change that.

~

When morning came, I first checked on Clara and found her munching away on the grass next to where I had tethered her.  I found a sugar cube in one of the bags, and as she ate it, I ran my hand along her neck,  grateful that we had both survived the night.   All alone, every snap of a twig and rustle of a tree branch outside had startled me, my imagination running wild in the darkness.  But with the morning, my confidence returned and I walked along the perimeter of the falls, making sure that all my tracks from the night before were gone, while also checking for fresh tracks in case someone might have followed me.  

Once I was certain that I was alone, I dug into the bag of food that Jürgen had prepared for me.  Breakfast consisted of bread and jam, although I missed a good cup of tea but found none in any of the bags. 

I wondered when Jürgen would come for me, knowing that it could be days before he could do so.  But even as I thought about Jürgen's plan, I knew that I simply couldn't wait for him or anyone to come for me.  I had depended on so many people till now but this time, I needed to make my own decisions.

I remembered that Thorin said his people had set camp south of the town, and I knew that if I were to leave Greenbanü, now would be the perfect time to do so.  I could travel south with them, I thought.  After, all they were my people.

But first, I wanted to make sure that Jürgen was alright, that no harm would come to him for letting me escape.  I owed the old man my life and I wasn't about to abandon him. 

I went around the front of the falls, seeking an overhang of ivy that led into an inner cave, its opening narrow enough for me to slip through and concealed by an overhanging of vines.  The last time Jurgen and I had come here, I found it while waiting for him, removing my boots and dipping my feet and legs into the pool within.   Hours later I watched him return from my hiding place, waiting if he'd find it himself.

With his calls for me unanswered, Jürgen almost left in a panic thinking that I'd made my way back alone to the town.  I remembered how angry he'd gotten when I finally emerged, fearing something had happened to me.  But if Jürgen hadn't been able to find me then, I knew that no one would.  And as I stood behind the cover of the overhanging vines that faced the forest below, I knew then that it was the perfect hiding place that afforded me a view of the river.

It was beginning to be a warm day and the sun cast its dappled rays through the leaves, a dance of shadows and light upon the stone floor.  I took off my boots, shaking the dust off them.  The stone floor felt cool to my cramped feet as I next slipped off the trousers I still wore beneath my skirts, folding them and setting them aside next to the boots. Then I hiked up my skirts and sat down on the stone floor and dipped my feet into the pool of water.

For a few minutes I sat there enjoying the feel of the water against my legs, listening as birds in the trees filled the air with their songs and the sound the water crashing against the rocks below.  I was tired, having barely slept that night as dreams flitted in and out of my consciousness.

A tree branch crunching underfoot snapped me out of my reverie and I looked beyond the covering of vines to the clearing below the falls.  My heart leaped at my throat as I noticed Dwalin in the distance.  He stared at the waterfall for a few moments, before directing his eyes towards the ground, and I knew then that he was looking for tracks.  As he kept walking, I watched in horror as he began to walk along the same path where I had led Clara last night.  When Dwalin disappeared beyond my field of vision, towards the direction of the rear trail leading to the cave, I got up and turned around to grab my boots, oblivious of the water puddles at my feet.  

By the time I recognized the presence behind me, it was too late.  Startled, I slipped.  But Thorin grabbed hold of my waist, stopping my fall.  

"You hide well, Frigga," He said, his face so close to mine as he helped me up. "But not well enough for Dwalin and I."

For a few moments I was speechless.  But my relief at seeing Thorin again, knowing that he was safe, overwhelmed me.   And before I could stop myself, I brought my arms around his neck, catching him by surprise.    I didn't realize the tears that had spilled down my cheeks till Thorin gently brushed them with his finger.

"You've grown soft, Frigga," he said.  “Where is the spoilt child I once knew?”

I pulled away, suddenly ashamed but Thorin shook his head and lifted my chin up to look at him.  

"I like it, this new softness," he smiled.  "So different from the petulant little girl I once knew."

"You were just as bad as I, Thorin,” I said.  "But that was a long time ago.  And we all change."

Thorin let me go, his face turning stern again.  He had changed his clothes and he wore the blue coat with the pelt along the collar again.  He must have stopped at the house, I thought, when he realized that I was never going to mend it.  “You are right.  That was a long time ago, but there are still some things that will never change, Frigga."

I frowned.  "What do you mean?"

"That you are a dwarf, and you are one of my people," Thorin replied.   "And I will do everything in my power to make sure you return to us, even if we no longer have Erebor to call our own."

"Where do you plan to go?" I asked.  

"To Dunland," he said.  "There will be work there, although we are forced to take work wherever we can get it so we can get fresh supplies."

"How did you find me?" I asked as I slipped on my trousers under my skirts, and then the boots.  "Did Jürgen tell you how to find me?  Is he alright?"

Thorin didn't answer my questions.  "They are still looking for you," he said, as a worried expression crossed his face.  "Lialam let us go, saying we need to mind our own business.  Why he wants to marry you, even after Jürgen told him what you were, I don't understand.  But I feel it has something to do with the circlet.  It is quite precious, and it is one of the few remaining treasures of our home."

As he said this, Thorin's hand reached for my neck, pushing the hair off my shoulders.  I brought my hands to my neck, knowing that the circlet that I had turned into a necklace was still there, its weight being a comfort for me all night.  

"None of us were able to take anything other than the clothes on our backs when Smaug came, Frigga," Thorin said softly, his eyes seeming to gaze far away even as he was looking at me.  "He routed the halls, every single one of them, and killed many who were still trapped inside.  We had no warning, except for the mighty wind and the fires of Dale."

I touched the cool jewels below my neck.  "I'm grateful Jerrel and Tad never once considered selling this no matter how difficult their life was," I whispered.  "It's yours."

"I gave this to you, Frigga," Thorin said, shaking his head as I untied the leather thong and placed the circlet of jewels in his hand.  "I cannot take it back."

"Take it," I said as he pulled his hand away, but I placed it there anyway, closing his fingers over it.  "If it is what Lialam wants, when he finds me, he will get it.  Best keep it safe for me."

"Frigga, I can't take this," Thorin said,  but I turned away from him and crossed my arms in front of me.   

"Lialam parades his wives," I began and Thorin frowned.  "He treats them like toys for him and his friends.  Jürgen said Lialam wants me as a trophy.  A dwarf trophy, simply because he can."

Thorin drew a deep intake of breath.  "How dare he even think you as a trophy," Thorin growled and his hand tightened over my shoulder.  "You are a child of Erebor, Frigga, and I will not allow you to marry that monster."

"Where is Jürgen?" I asked again for he had never answered me the first time.

Thorin let go of me and walked towards the opening of the cave just as Dwalin poked his head inside.  "We need to leave, Thorin.  Or they will wonder where we've gone," he said, and as his eyes drifted towards me, he smiled.  "Ah, she's safe."

"Yes," Thorin said to Dwalin, who then said something about having to take Clara somewhere for better grazing before disappearing again.  Thorin turned to face me, his jaw tightening.  "Lialam is holding Jürgen in the dungeon till you return to the town willingly.  He has men watching the encampment all day and even at night, just in case you try to go there."

Upon hearing about Jürgen predicament, I began heading for the opening where Dwalin had disappeared, but Thorin gripped my arm to prevent my departure.  

"I have to get him out, Thorin," I said, panic rising in my voice.  "I can't let Jürgen pay for my cowardice."

"Cowardice?" Thorin asked, his voice turning deeper.  "You call standing for yourself cowardice?  Jürgen made his choice to help you escape, Frigga.  The last thing he wants is to have all the work he prepared for you go to waste.  He knew this was coming, and he prepared you for it."

"But I don't think he anticipated that Lialam would hold him a prisoner," I said.  "Please, Thorin, I need to help him.  He's old.  He does not deserve to rot in a dungeon all because of me."

"So you intend to marry Lialam so he can parade you like a toy?" Thorin asked.  His eyes burned a deep blue as he glared at me.  "Is that what you're willing to do to help Jürgen?  What about your people?  Don't we matter to you at all?  Have you lived with men for so long that you've completely forgotten what you are?  Who you are?"

"I…" I stammered, not knowing what to say.  Thorin’s voice had grown so gruff and deep as he spoke, it made me tremble - not from fear, but from the sheer masculinity of him so close to me.  It emanated from him and made my skin quiver.

“Do you know how long your parents searched for you?” Thorin asked quietly as I stared at him.  “Can you imagine the grief they went through from the time you disappeared until the time when even the king, my grandfather, told them to accept the inevitable.”

He was still gripping my arm and when I turned my eyes towards his hand, Thorin released his hold of me and walked towards the front of the cave, sighing.  “These people you considered your family kept you away from your real family.  We sent messengers as far as Dunland searching for you.  We even offered a reward for any news about your whereabouts.  Yet all this time, they hid you away.”

Thorin turned to face me.  “Do you know that your mother is traveling with us?  She could have gone on to the Iron Hills but she insisted on traveling along with your father, even though the she suffered greatly.”

I walked towards Thorin and grasped his arm.  My memories of Erebor were very few, limited to colors and feelings, emotions I associated with the people who had loved me, been with me, and even played with me.  Even now I saw a glimpse of her hand nearing my face, touching the scar.  I remembered the songs she sang, which helped me keep the ancient language alive all these years.

“My mother?  Does she know that I’m alive?  And my father?”  

“Your father died one month ago.  He suffered worse than your mother.  Both of them breathed Smaug’s breath and it damaged their lungs, your father worse of all.”  Thorin placed his hand over mine.  “I will take you to the camp before nightfall.  You can stay there.”

“Won’t my presence risk everyone in the camp?” I asked.  “You just said that there are men watching the camp now.”

Thorin chuckled, though there was no humor in his voice.  “There are so many of us leaving camp in the morning to work in the neighboring towns, and returning just before nightfall for his men to be able to tell you from anyone else.”

“But they will,” I said.  “They’ve known me all my life, Thorin.  What happens when they find out that you are hiding me?”  I shook my head.   “I will visit my mother, but I will return here.  Besides, I need to speak to Bernd had have him retract his answer to Lialam.  It will put an end to all this nonsense.”

Thorin shook his head.  “I’m afraid he might not be able to retract his word anymore, Frigga.”

“What do you mean?”

“Bernd is now the mayor of the town,” Thorin replied grimly.  “He was appointed mayor just before nightfall, before Dwalin and I left the town.”

I started to say something but Thorin suddenly grabbed me, turning me so that my back was against him, his hand covering my mouth.  We were both facing the opening hidden by the vines, our eyes watching the clearing below as Berndt appeared.  He was followed closely by three other men and they were scouring the area, Bernd's own eyes scanning the water in front of him.  

“Don’t make a sound,” Thorin whispered just as Bernd looked right at the overhanging ivy behind the falls, as if straight through where we were hiding.