We traveled for some time, the sun shining through the canopy of trees above us, birds singing within its branches. Our trek was slow, but as long as as we kept going I was content. For during that brief span of time, I saw Thorin smile even as he struggled to help me through difficult terrain away from the flat trail. I trusted him completely, as if I'd known him forever.

For I had known him - until my life changed the day I stepped into a toymaker's tent, enticed by a doll the man's wife had made for me, taking me away from the only home I knew then. But that was the past now, nothing but a memory that I could do nothing about. Now, I was moving across the forest with the man whom I claimed to the King when I was too young to know what I was doing then, that when I grew up, he would be my husband. The thought brought a maddening heat to my cheeks, embarrassed over my childish innocence.

But I had more pressing matters to worry about other than my innocence, for my leg felt as if someone was burning a hole through it. Though my leg throbbed and hurt every time I moved or every time something bumped against it, I kept my pain hidden as much as I could. But after realizing that a light touch against my wound hurt me while we were walking through the brush, Thorin was forced to take the trail instead.

But the approaching sound of men on horseback sent us hiding behind a group of trees till they passed. There were five of them, though I could not see their faces for Thorin blocked my view, pushing me against the ferns. He waited till the men were gone for a few minutes before pulling me out from behind the foliage, dusting the brown spore sacs that clung to my hair and clothes.

"They're heading for the falls," I whispered.

"And who just told me that she wanted to stay in the cave forever?" Thorin asked as he brought my good arm around him for support. A wry smile graced his lips.

"I must have been delirious to have said that." I leaned my forehead against his chest, exhausted, but Thorin pulled me back, tilting my head up with his finger.

"You still are," he said softly. "You're burning up again. We better hurry before you can't stand anymore. You can barely walk as it is."

And Thorin was right. It was then that I began to stumble more than I could count, my leg now too painful to put any weight on. Yet we had to keep going. This time Thorin had no choice but to carry me some parts of the way for twice, I fainted. When I came to, I was drenched, my clothes clinging to my skin, and I was bent over Thorin's shoulder as he made his way through the forest.

But it wasn't just the fever that slowed down our journey back to town. Nightmares dogged me from behind every tree. Every rustle of the leaves told me that the goblin was after us, and at its worst, the fever made me think Thorin was trying to kill me.

We were back on the trail again, for it was simply too difficult for Thorin to maneuver his way through fallen trees and uneven ground with me over his shoulder. But when I saw a silhouette moving in the trees, I knew right away that someone was following us. I panicked.

I screamed, squirmed away Thorin's grip and fell to the ground, kicking at him as he tried to get a hold of my leg, and when he finally clamped his hand on my injured thigh, I screamed again. But the pain had done its job and this time, I lay still as Thorin dragged me up against him, his hand over my mouth. With his other hand, he pulled his axe from his belt.

Thorin had seen him, too.

He quickened his pace, even as I kept telling him to leave me behind, not caring whether anyone would hear us. Thorin growled angrily at me to be quiet as he finally stopped next to a large tree and ducked behind it for cover. I sank onto a bed of soft moss, the tree against my back. Ferns surrounded us, hiding us from the main path as we waited for out pursuer to pass.

Instead we heard someone speak in Khuzdul.

"Anyone can track you without putting any effort into it," said a voice and Thorin's shoulders relaxed. He brought down his axe and pulled me to my feet, but I sank back down again. The soft moss felt too inviting and I refused to move.

"Dwalin," Thorin breathed, relief evident in his voice.

"I tracked you awhile back," Dwalin said as he approached, peering at me curiously. "I wondered why you hadn't bothered to cover up your tracks, but now I see why." He sat on his haunches in front of me, pushing my hair away from my face. "You don't look too good, lass," he said.

"Goblin bite," Thorin said as he pulled me to my feet and got ready to hoist me over his shoulder again. "She needs the healer."

Dwalin brought a hand on Thorin's shoulder to stop him from lifting me up. Then the burly dwarf with hair sticking out along a straight thick line across the middle of his head from hairline to nape took my arm, and with one smooth move, deposited me over his shoulder like I was a sack of potatoes. But I closed my eyes, welcoming the chance to be off my feet.

For a few minutes Dwalin and Thorin made their way through the forest, my torso swaying to and fro against the big man's back. As long as I kept my eyes closed, the nausea was kept at bay. I looked as if I was asleep, though I wished that I actually was for I was so tired.

"You're going to need the healer yourself if you keep chasing after your woman in the woods like this," Dwalin chuckled. "You look absolutely exhausted."

"If she stops running away, then maybe I wouldn't have to," Thorin retorted. For a few moments he did not speak. "Is that what you think? That she's mine?"

Dwalin laughed. "Well, if she isn't, then that love bite on your neck tells me that you're hers."

Thorin muttered under his breath and for a few minutes, they walked in silence again, moving away from the trail this time yet still keeping northeast, towards the town.

"What of the King and my father?" Thorin asked. "Are they safe?"

"The master of Fennhill has kept his word and everyone made it safely into town," Dwalin replied. "The raid by the wild men shook them, but Fennhill is protected on all sides. It will give us time to recoup and stay away from the plains what with this storm coming."

Thorin touched my forehead and sighed, as if relieved to feel it much cooler than the last time he'd checked. I kept my eyes closed as I felt him brush the hair from my face before stepping away.

"It is a rare man to open his town to dwarves so easily," Thorin said. "Though he and his people have traded with Erebor for a long time."

"Prejudice runs deep against our kind, Thorin. You've been inside the grand halls of Erebor too long to know what happens beyond our borders. But men are afraid of us because they do not understand our ways, though they do not hesitate to trade with us," Dwalin said. "But the master of Fennhill is on our side because he does not approve of Lialam's desire to forcibly take a dwarf against her will. He says that Lialam is in league with evil men and even fell creatures."

"He told me that Lialam's two young wives are really hostages," Thorin said. "They are the daughters of other town masters, and to ensure they stay alive, the town masters have to do his bidding."

"Why then does he want Frigga?" Dwalin asked, perplexed. "She is not a town master's daughter. She holds no power that you and I know of. Nor any wealth that he could possibly want. Not with Erebor gone."

Thorin did not answer, and I detected the sadness in the air between them at the mention of their grand home. But they continued talking, keeping their voices low as they spoke, as I drifted in and out of consciousness.

"I followed your trail from the waterfall, but men arrived shortly after, searching for her still. They discovered the food inside the cavern and they know she's been there," Dwalin said. "They found the goblin, too, just as I did. I feared for you."

"The goblin attacked her before I got there," Thorin said.

"I erased your tracks and made new ones leading deeper south and west," Dwalin said. "That's what took me so long to join you."

"I am grateful, Dwalin," Thorin said. "You did not have to follow me. You could have stayed in Fennhill."

"You know I will never leave your side, Thorin, not if I can help it. I gave you my oath a long time ago."

"That was a very long time ago, Dwalin," Thorin sighed. "We were so young then."

"You're not only my prince, but you're also my friend. I made a vow then and I intend to keep it."

Suddenly Dwalin jerked to a stop as we heard the sound of horses approaching from the south and the north. Following Thorin, Dwalin stepped away from the path that would have led us over a small bridge that spanned over a creek now dry, for Lialam had diverted the water away from the forest, routing it to the town. But instead of furnishing the town's wells, it filled only his own.

Dwalin carefully made his way down an incline along the side of the path that curved sharply and led to the base of the short bridge. Setting me down to lean against the wooden supports, he made way for Thorin, who reached for me and pulled me deeper underneath the bridge.

I moaned, the fever raging again as my body broke into a sweat. Thorin's hand covered my mouth, fearing that I would make a sound. Men on horseback approached, stopping just above us, the horses' hooves causing fine dust to fall on us from between the wooden boards.

"Any sign of them?" Asked a familiar voice. "Their tracks are everywhere. It should be easy to find them."

"The tracks led us south and west, Master Bernd, deeper into the forest," said another voice. "I can't split my men into two, not this late in the afternoon."

"So?" Bernd snapped. "She couldn't have gotten far."

"It's late and a storm is coming," one of the men replied testily. "Besides, there are goblins about. We found one downstream from the falls, which means we need to get back to the town before it gets dark. We can search for her tomorrow. That is, if she's still alive. Goblins don't travel alone."

"She's still alive, Edgard," Bernd insisted. "Otherwise we wouldn't still be following the tracks of dwarves who are with her, would we? You yourself said that you found one of her hair cuffs along the trail."

Thorin touched my hair, as if confirming what Bernd had just said. But the man named Edgard had been right about the cuff. One of my braids had come undone, it's golden cuff gone.

"Aye, I did," Edgard said. "But we'll continue the search tomorrow if we can. For now, we return to town."

We listened as the men left, though one of them still remained on the bridge. He was later joined by another one a few minutes later.

"You're learning fast, Master Bernd," said another voice and this time, I froze. Thorin's hand tightened over my mouth. It was a voice I knew so well. "But if we do not find my dwarf-bride soon, your position as town mayor just might be short-lived."

"We'll find her," Bernd snapped irritably as his horse cantered about. "I will talk sense to her and convince her that this is the best thing to ever happen to her. To us."

Lialam chuckled. "Of course it is. But you don't need to convince her. I'll do that myself."

"You can't force her to do anything against her will, Master Lialam. I gave you her hand in marriage but I would like to have her go into it willingly. I don't understand why we have to hunt her like a dog."

Lialam did not answer immediately but the tension in the air grew thick with each passing minute. "Tell me, young master, are you enjoying your life as the new mayor?" Lialam asked, his voice ice cold. "The women? The food and the never-ending wine? The clothes? Not to mention the power that is in your hands over all the people in Greenbanü?"

Bernd did not answer.

"That is the price I paid for your sister's hand in marriage, whether she is willing or not," Lialam snapped. "As my wife, she'll have everything she ever wants and needs. Unless of course, you'd rather she whore herself to the dwarves like that so-called prince, begging for food and shelter wherever they go? And pray, Master Bernd, that she's not his whore now for it's been three days since she's been missing."

Thorin's body tightened against me, his hand over my mouth feeling the moisture of my tears.

Bernd did not answer.

"I promised that you'd become the mayor of Greenbanü, Master Bernd, and I've honored my side of the arrangement even when my bride is nowhere to be found," Lialam continued. "Besides, I'm only entitled to what is rightfully mine, for I have sheltered your parents from the crime they committed when they kidnapped her so long ago. I could have told the dwarves where to find her, handed your parents over to them to do as they wished. Wasn't there a price on the kidnappers' heads? Those dwarves weren't about to stop at anything to recover Aleana for she was the daughter of a high counselor, almost a princess. Frigga, I remember her name now. Daughter of Migan, High Counselor to King Thror, though I don't remember her mother's name."

Lialam's horse cantered about the bridge, as if responding to his rider's temper that had flared. "I could have led them straight to Jerrel and Tadd. Instead, I led them all the way to Dunland, where I told them that she was there, insisting I'd seen her as clear as day."

"But you gained the reward for your troubles," Bernd said. "Edgard told me you sent merchants there to mislead them, and then collected the treasure for yourself."

"Aye, I did. But the merchants benefited, too. As did you, when you and your family never went hungry even during the lean times," Lialam said. "I did what no one else had the courage and foresight to do, Bernd - which was to protect your whole family from the wrath of the dwarves. So, she's mine and no one, not even that pathetic fool Jürgen can tell me otherwise."

"Come, Bernd. Don't be upset," Lialam's voice softened as he continued. "Do you really want her to live like those dwarves, begging for food and shelter when she can live here, under my protection - and yours - without having to whore herself to some dwarf-prince without a kingdom to call his own? Even you and I know that she has never tasted hardship such as that which awaits her and the dwarves from hereon. Life beyond this town is not kind, young master."

"I want only the best for her," Bernd finally spoke. "You promised to take care of Aleanna and I will hold you to that - for as long as I live."

"And I will. You're a good brother, Bernd. And to pass on your protection of her to me is the best decision you've ever made. Come, let's go back to town and enjoy a nice feast," Lialam said. "I'm quite hungry after all this hunting for dwarf. Next time, I'll let loose the dogs and make it easier for everyone."

But before they could leave, someone returned from the direction of the town.

"Go, Master Bernd," said Lialam. "I shall meet you there."

As Bernd went ahead, we remained still, knowing that Lialam was just above us. Thorin and Dwalin exchanged glances and when Thorin made a move to step forward, as if he'd wanted to take Lialam all by himself, Dwalin brought a hand to his shoulder and stopped him. Thorin was trembling with rage.

"What is it, Edgard?" Lialam asked.

"My men have turned the house upside down and still, we have not found this silly necklace."

Lialam sighed. "If Bernd had done what I had asked him to do when he first told me about it, I wouldn't have needed to do all this. But my coffers need replenishing. And before you call this necklace 'silly', Edgard, when you see it, you will learn why I want it."

"You wouldn't need to marry the dwarf then," Edgard said.

"Who said that I was going to marry her?" Lialam scoffed. "Just as if I would really make Bernd mayor this long when the title was meant to be yours. When this storm finally passes, go to Fennhill and give this message to the dwarf king. Tell him that in three days time, unless Aleanna gives herself up to me willingly, her old mentor Jürgen will be put to death."

"For what crime?" Edgard asked. "Even the other towns will go against you if such sentence is passed down for something as trivial as some dwarf-woman not wanting to be your bride. It's bad enough with the two you already have."

Lialam chuckled. "He'll be charged with the murder of our new town mayor, of course. Murdered in cold blood as Master Bernd was visiting him in his cell."

This time both men laughed, as if they'd just shared a joke between them. "Let's go," Lialam said. "It's drizzling and I hate getting wet."

None of us moved from our hiding place for some time after the two men left, though at this time, I was drifting in and out of consciousness. Thorin was holding me upright for my legs had simply buckled beneath me, the realization of what Lialam had just said hitting me full force. Bernd and Jürgen were paying for my cowardice.

Thorin turned me around to face him. "I will not let anyone hurt you," he whispered as I rested my forehead on his chest, the fever taking hold of me again. I wished I hadn't heard what Lialam had said. I wished none of this had happened.

"And what of Bernd and Jürgen? I brought this all on them."

But Thorin did not answer me. Dwalin helped him walk me out from beneath the bridge just as the rain began to fall softly. Dwalin hoisted me over his shoulder and followed Thorin through the woods. This time, they avoided the trail, despite their boots sinking upon the softening ground. They could no longer risk staying on the trail.

My heart felt heavy. I felt helpless against the onslaught of emotions that buffeted me at that moment. Everything I had believed that was good about the only world I knew for so long was gone. It was an illusion revealed for what it was. A lie.

And now my new world was one where the only person I knew and trusted was the same one I had whored myself to. For wasn't that what I had just done, when I forced Thorin to make love to me in that cave?

And as the world finally turned dark, the rain feeling soft against my skin as Dwalin carried me over his shoulders, I did the only thing I could think of then. Tired of the world and the evil men who held too much power over those whom I loved, I simply let go.

I let go of it all.