The town of Fennhill wasn't exactly large, but it was large enough. Sitting atop a hill, it seemed to grow upwards, with its tall and narrow buildings that seemed to crop up everywhere. Except for the well-planned streets and alleyways, there wasn't much room left on the hill to build. In fact. Master Renner had begun expanding the town along the plains to accommodate its growing population.

While one street led straight up to Master Renner's inn, shops and other homes, another street led straight to the rest of the town. It also led to the second gate that took people in and out of Fennhill. It was a much larger gate designed to accommodate livestock as well as to the part of the town that Master Renner was developing.

Some of the dwarves from Erebor had decided to stay in Fennhill and already they'd staked out their place in the flat lands, where they could build homes that they bermed halfway into the earth, along the rocky terrain facing south. Most of the dwarves who had decided to stay were mostly smiths - and with their skill highly prized in the Rhovannion, some of them opted to stay behind instead of traveling in exile with the king.

I walked through the streets, some crowded while some were deserted, calling out Kili's name. Some of the alleys led to what looked like residences, much like the street where Bernd and I lived in Greenbanü, while some of the alleys led to smaller courtyards surrounded by small shops.

In the distance I could hear Thorin's voice calling for his nephew. Desperation tinged his tone and I wished the boy was safe, and that if he could hear us, he'd say something. Just then I saw him run past me a few alleys away. He wore the same blue tunic he always wore, his coat almost a miniature version of his uncle's, lined with a fur trim and even the same embellishment that marked him as belonging to the house of Durin.

"Kili!" I shouted as I ran ahead, turning the corner just in time to see him disappear into an alley. I rushed towards him and as he scampered ahead of me, I reached out and grabbed him along the neck of his coat.

"Where do you think you're going?" I demanded, trying to keep my temper in check. Kili looked at me, his eyes widening. "Everbody's been searching for you. And your uncle is not happy."

"But I just want the stick horses," Kili said. "The man promised them to me, and we're about to leave."

"I don't care what he promised you, Kili, but you're not supposed to go off all alone without telling a grown-up where you're going," I said, pulling him towards the main street. "We are leaving right now."

As I half-pulled Kili through the alley, turning one way and then the other, it soon became apparent to both of us that we were lost. But how could one get lost in Fennhill, I wondered. Surely it wasn't too difficult to find our way back. But with Kili pulling me one way and me pulling him the other way, we weren't progressing too much. The little dwarf was strong and quite stubborn, just like his uncle.

The alleys seemed to lead between the main thoroughfare that led to the town and the main street leading back to the inn. Finally we made one last turn and stopped. Before us, was a stall laden with toys, among them two stick horses with colorful manes. Kili squealled with glee, jumping up and down as he clapped his hands. "See? I knew we'd find it! There it is, aunt Frigga," he said. "Can we get two?"

The two stick horses were indeed beautiful to look at and definitely more fun to hop around with, as Kili proved the moment he had one in his hands. I had to half-pull him down the hill as he kept wanting to hop farther away from me every chance he got, but with the marketplace ahead of us filled with people, I knew that I couldn't let him get too far away from me lest he run too far ahead and get lost again.

Thorin and Dwalin were at the opposite end of the marketplace and I tried to wave my hand at them but there were just too many people in front of me. I pulled Kili next to me and slowly made my way past buyers haggling over food, vegetables and fruit. The difference between them and myself was never as evident until that moment when I looked up and realized how everyone towered over me.

How could I ever believe that I was anything than a dwarf, I wondered. Most of them hardly noticed me, their attention only on the sale at hand, or the bargain to be had. Since we'd done most of our packing the day before, we would have purchased everything we needed days earlier. Now was the day we were leaving for good.

Suddenly someone grabbed me from behind my neck, pulling me back. I yelped, dropping the stick horse meant for Fili from my hand as pain shot through my head and neck. Kili ran forward, looking back at me with his eyes wide with fear. He shouted my name, but before I could shout for him to run, a hand covered my mouth as I frantically reached up behind me to grab my attacker, but his hold was too strong. His grip was like a vice and I lost my footing, feeling myself being dragged farther into the alley as the hand clamped tightly over my mouth again, silencing the scream that was about to emerge from my lips.

The people in the marketplace were suddenly screaming, running in all directions as the scuffle caught them by surprise.  The hand over my mouth slipped and I bit down as hard as I could.  A yell filled the air and suddenly I was flung towards the floor, landing on my back with a thud that knocked the wind out of me. 

I looked up and saw my attacker.  I saw the tattoed hands first, and then his eyes, cold and hard.  I froze, the memory of him so vivid it robbed me of my breath and reasoning, and all of a sudden, I was a child again.  This time, I screamed, rolled over to my hands and knees and tried to crawl away from him.  He grabbed me by my hair, the hood of my coat having fallen along my back, and pulled me up.

"This is for the many years I spent in the dungeons of Erebor," the man hissed into my ear.  "Your prince put me there and threw away the key."

I kicked at him, tryng to aim for for his knees but I missed.  Then he kicked me behind my knee and I screamed in pain as my legs buckled beneath me.  Behind us I heard the sound of boots pounding against the pavement, and Thorin calling out my name. 

"Shall I let him watch me kill you?" The tattooed dwarf sneered as he turned both of us towards Thorin and Jürgen. "Or maybe carve out a new scar for you?  What do you think?"

Rodrick was strong. In his search for vengeance, he was stronger than I ever imagined and nothing I could do could make him let go of my hair, nor move the knife that now glinted in the sunlight against my neck.  I held my breath, stopping my struggles as the cool metal touched my skin.

"Should we let him watch, dear Frigga?"

My hand went to my belt and found the dagger that Jürgen had given me the night before.  I saw Thorin running towards us, his face pale as he saw the knife against my throat.  He stopped a few feet away, his eyes never leaving us. 

"Let her go, Rodrick," he growled.  "This is between you and me."

"Do you really think I care?" Rodrick laughed.  "You threw me in that dungeon and left me there to rot."

"How did you get out?" Thorin asked, his gaze drifting lower, spotting my own hand upon my belt.  His eyes narrowed and he frowned. 

"I had to find my own way out of that mountain.  I waited till the dragon buried itself beneath all that gold and silver."

"That's impossible," Thorin said.

"It is possible," Rodrick said, laughing. "But first, the dragon took care of the guards first.  They were all dead by the time the dragon was done with them - incinerated, but for the keys that were left among what was left of their bones.  Funny how the prison you put me into to rot forever proved to be my salvation, Prince Thorin.  And for that I am grateful  I went to Fennhill to collect my compensation from Master Lialam but what then did I find? Why, dwarves had descended upon the town and my only source of compensation gone."

Thorin was seething. I could see his nostrils flaring in anger as he pulled his sword from his scabbard.  Rodrick jerked me back, the cold blade of his dagger flat against my cheek.  Thorin drew back, inhaling as he did so.

"One step forward, Prince, and she's dead."  Rodrick began to laugh. "Oh to see the look on your face, Prince Thorin, is vengeance enough for me. But I want more.  I want you to see her die.  I want  you to pay for what you did to me."

"You killed little girls to collect the reward," Thorin bellowed angrily, his fists shaking. "You are a murderer!"

Rodrick nodded. "Ah, yes, that I am.  A murderer.  But they were all worth the reward for little Frigga here.  Besides, I did it all on orders from Master Lialam.  And though he paid me well, the price wasn't worth the years in the dungeons of Erebor.  Especially since he's dead.  But this time, this," he yanked me backwards against him.  "This is payment in full."

I could feel the dwarf's hatred emanating from his body, the taut muscles of his arm against the front of my neck, the stench of him overwhelming my senses.  At the mouth of the alley men and women gathered but were pushed back by dwarves that suddenly appeared out of nowhere.  I recognized them as the king's own guards, probably returning to see what had delayed Thorin. Now they pushed the crowd away, leaving the alley clear of any other distraction. 

There was only Thorin and Dwalin at the entrance of the alley.  I could not see what lay behind us but when Rodrick dragged me back, turning his body so he could see where he was going, I saw that the path became narrow, reduced to an opening large enough to allow two men abreast at the most.  

"Shall I do it now, Prince Thorin?" Rodrick asked.  "Are you ready to watch her die?"

I gasped he twisted the blade, this time, drawing blood as I felt the cold metal slide against my skin.

"No!" Thorin shouted and my heart tore in two as I recognized the fear and desperation in his voice, though he tried hard to mask it with his rage.  His chest heaved as he took one step forward and the blade slid again.  Warmth slid down my neck and I felt the wetness on my cheeks.

"Do you see the fear in his eyes, little girl?" Rodrick asked, his mouth close to my ear.  "Soon, I will see loss and despair, and I will have my vengeance."

"But you're going to die," I whispered, anger replacing the fear that had taken residence deep inside me.  "You're going to die right here.  You'll never get out of here."

"Even if I don't, neither will you."

It was then that I knew I had run out of time.  Visions flashed before my eyes - of the ground coming at me too fast, and before that, the tip of a broken branch slicing through my neck and my face; thunder rumbling overhead and the flash of lightning that came after as I launched myself from the back of the cart, landing onto the ground with a sickening thud as I broke my arm but kept on going; and finally the face of the goblin right in front of me as I clung to the branch at the mouth of the cave, feeling his teeth sink into my leg as I brought the sword one last time to stop him from pulling me down into the the bottom of the falls.  I'd cheated death many times but now my time had come.  Mahal was coming for me.  

But I wasn't ready. 

My hand drifted down towards my belt, feeling the cool hard handle of the dagger that Jürgen had given me.  Rodrick's attention was now only on Thorin, his breath coming hard and fast now, and I knew that I did not have enough time. 

"Even if you kill me, you curr, I will find you in the great halls of Aulë if I have to, though I know you'll never be allowed in," I said.  "You will never be worthy to be taken in with Aulë when he collects all the dwarves back with him."

Rodrick turned to look at me, perplexed.  The pressure of his hand around me eased and I knew then this was it.  I had to act.  If I was going to die, I was going to die fighting.  Jürgen had taught me that. 

My fingers wrapped around the handle of the dagger and as quickly as I could, I drew it from its scabbard.  Suddenly Thorin's shouts echoed in the alley, calling my name.  But there was something else.  It was a sound that came from behind us as arrows whistled in the air, hitting Rodrick from behind with a sickening thunk!  The force threw both of us forward, Rodrick's arm jerking in front of me as Thorin shouted for me to roll away from him and get out of the way.

I fell to the ground, landing on my side.  Thorin was suddenly in front of me, his sword sinking deep into Rodrick's torso, its tip emerging from the dwarf's back.  Two arrows had struck him from behind, but it was Thorin's sword slicing through him that killed him instantly, a death that was more merciful than the monster deserved.  I turned to look behind me and saw Frerin standing by the narrow passageway, a bow held in his hand. 

He had been hunting deer when Smaug came, I thought, and I almost laughed out loud, wondering why such an idea came to mind just then when there were other things more pressing on hand.  Thorin was right before me now, kneeling over me and pulling me up against him, his large hands pushing the hair that had come loose from beneath my hood, wiping the blood that trickled down the cut along my neck. He looked stricken, his face pale as he made sure I was alright.

The cut is not deep, I heard Jürgen say as Frerin and Dwalin drew closer.  She is unharmed.  My old friend pushed both dwarves back, even little Kili who had managed to slip free from the guards who stood watch in the alley entrance, letting Thorin and I have that moment alone together, when his own vulnerability was too exposed for all to see. 

Before I could say anything, Thorin gathered me in his arms and held me tight.  Too tight, but I didn't mind.  I felt his tears hot against my own face, the beating of his heart thundering against my own.  "I cannot lose you, Frigga," Thorin whispered.  "Not again.  Not ever.  I love you too much."

I held Thorin as tightly as I could, as my own tears finally flowed.  It was over, I told myself.  The darkness was finally over.  And for the first time since I was a scared little girl, forced to become what I wasn't, my world felt right. 

"And I love you more than life itself," I whispered.  Thorin stifled a sob, though it turned into a chuckle.  And as Thorin continued to hold me, burying his face in my hair, I knew that as long as he was with me - as long as we were together -  everything that lay before us on this journey, whether to Dunland, Moria, or beyond, was going to be alright. 

For what mattered in my life right then was right in my arms. 

My prince, my king, my dwarf. 

My heart and soul.