Chapter Text
Thorin was numb in a way he had never experienced before. When the dragon came, he fought back until it was time to flee. When his grandfather was hewn before the Gates of Khazâd-dûm, he transitioned from prince to king so quickly there was no time to realize his loss. But here, sitting next to his nephew on the back of a Great Eagle, he felt completely empty inside.
Of course it had been a shock to see Azog alive. That shock was nothing in comparison to that he felt when the arrow flew into his skull. Even that was dwarfed by seeing his savior: Ms. Harper. The woman who missed telling him of trolls, neglected to mention Stone Giants, and refused to warn him of the goblins. Somehow, for some reason he could not fathom, she had just saved him from his foe. Azog had fallen, and not by Thorin’s hand. But hers.
The shock had been so great that the wargs had responded before he did. They began jumping up her tree, fangs bared. He heard her scream. Before the last twenty-four hours, he’d never thought he would hear her scream. First with the stone giants… but he had been there to protect her. Between himself and Glóin he knew there was no way Ms. Harper would be going over the cliffs. Even when they slid down the cavern of the goblin tunnels, he knew she was within reach. That reassured him of her safety. But now she was alone in that tree. Screaming from nothing less than mortal terror. Never before in his whole life had he ever heard something that filled him with horror.
“Ann!”
“Ms. Ann!”
“What are we doing?” Kíli was right next to him. Yet in his focus he barely heard him scream.
“Well don’t ye stand there!” roared Glòin. “To Ms. Ann!”
“NO!”
Thorin looked away from Ms. Harper for the first time as Gandalf’s voice bellowed into the cliffs. How dare he… how dare he! The company would save that infuriating woman. He would save her!
But just as Thorin went to jump from the tree, he found that he could not move. He couldn’t budge. His limbs were as forged to the tree. He gave a cry as he tried to hoist his arms up to begin his descent downward… but nothing. No movement. He began to breathe heavily as he began to put two and two together….
“WIZARD!” he roared.
“Defend her from here, but we must stay in the trees! It is imperitive that we do not leave this tree! FÍLI!”
Thorin’s eyes widened as smoke began to sprout from the wizard’s hands as he spoke. The weathered hand opened and, to Thorin’s shock, a pinecone fell into his heir’s grasp. But… pinecones didn’t smoke!
But what did Thorin know about the world of magic and wizards anyway?
As Thorin’s gaze returned to the tree, a horrible sight met his eyes. Azog’s warg had joined the fray and hit the tree with such force that Ms. Harper gave a cry. Thorin felt the breath leave him when she fell a foot down, only to barely catching herself before dropping to the jaws of the beast. Just then he felt the wind of Kíli’s arrow. He turned and met his nephew’s gaze. The younger dwarf tried to give him a reassuring look, but quickly returned to his task. Defend their woman. From the trees as the wizard commanded.
Between the smoke and the arrows, the wargs were beginning to panic. They raced towards the rest of the company, who in turn fired back with Gandalf’s pinecones. Smoke began to fill the sky, but did not inhibit Thorin’s vision as he watched the White Warg give one final shove.
Not one person remained silent in that next moment. Thorin heard the chorus of the company’s scream, including his own, join with Ms. Harper’s as the tree began to fall. This was it. Was he really about to watch her die? He felt himself breathe again when the tree did not go over the side of the cliff as he expected. Rather, it’s roots gripped the land keeping it steady for the moment. It was a precarious position to find oneself in, but she was not dead. But if that warg got any closer, she would be.
“Kíli, kill it!” he screamed. He thought his words would come out as a command, but they sounded more like a shriek to his ears.
As Kíli reached for another arrow, Thorin began to climb down. Quickly. Away with goblins and wargs, no woman was going to die today. Not on his watch.
Suddenly his body froze again. He knew, without a doubt, that Gandalf had spotted him and halted his descent.
He turned back, eyes blazing with more fury than the forest was beginning to. “RELEASE ME, WIZARD!”
He heard the gasp of the company before he heard the crack.
He turned back just in time to see the tree release itself from the roots that were holding it in place. Instinctively, his eyes met Ms. Harper’s. She was panicked in a way that broke his heart. She reached out as though giving a final cry for help before she disappeared with the tree over the edge of the cliff. Thorin felt his stomach clinch as she gave a cry that ended abruptly.
He just sat there. He didn’t even notice the eagle’s talons until he was already on the back of its flock mate. He couldn’t look away from that spot on the horizon. The last place he saw Ann Harper alive. The last time he would look into her earth brown eyes. Her face, etched in terror and shock, was inscribed on his very soul.
He felt a hand on his shoulder. Kíli’s. Grasping him for comfort as his eyes filled with tears. Thorin tried to give him a reassuring nod, but it was too painful. Eventually Thorin would come to see his nephew was not looking to receive comfort but to give it. But that realization was still a few weeks away. Now, Thorin found himself turning back to the cliffside, where he knew Ms. Harper’s broken body lay below.
Should he command they return for her? It would certainly be a challenge as he was quite sure common was a bit beyond these creatures’ capabilities. But he could try. He knew full well that there was nothing to save, but even just to give the company a chance to bid her farewell. To give Thorin himself one last chance to try to reconcile the differences between the two that had grown. To maybe discover what he had done to deserve her condescending attitude. And most importantly to give her a proper burial; she deserved that much. The idea of her beautiful form being left for the animals was almost too much for Thorin to bear.
These thoughts preoccupied him so much that he didn’t see an eagle ascend from the earth. Flying faster than the others, carrying a precious cargo.
But there were others in the company in a better headspace than he.
“Ann!”
Both Thorin’s eyes and ire were raised as he heard the halfling's voice. Did he have no respect? No shame? No sense of grief? Why did he, then, feel the need to utter her name?
“Is she alright? Oh please answer!”
Thorin looked forward at the eagle who had just joined the group, for the first time noticing and beginning to put the pieces together. It had just joined the group because it had something to collect. In its talons was something small. Weak. Frail. With a long tail of brown hair flowing in the breeze.
“What ya think Master Baggins!” Thorin closed his eyes as Dwalin articulated the words better than he could at the moment. “None could survive a fall of that height!”
“She didn’t.”
Thorin felt all his breath knocked out of him as the creature he sat upon spoke. And he had no idea if it was the proclamation or the ability to speak itself… but Thorin could tally on his finger the number of times he’d been more shocked than this.
“Did you not see?” asked the Eagle.
“Please tell us!” Kíli choked.
“The lady did not hit the ground,” inserted one of the eagles from the front of the pack. “Although it was a close thing. She will need medical care, if I am not mistaken.”
Thorin stared at the figure ahead. Could it be.. could she…?
“Ann! Oh please hurry up, stay pace with them please… ANN!”
Bilbo’s eagle soared ahead, lowering itself to where the halfling was level with the pitiful creature in the talons.
Thorin could not look away as he watched Bilbo Baggins do the one thing for which he could not find the courage. It was strange, really, after all the battles Thorin had raged. After all the duals fought. After facing fire, the axe, and the sword. After traveling from danger to danger to provide for his people as best he could, Thorin Oakenshield could not find the courage to do this one thing: chance seeing the mangled body of Ms. Ann Harper.
“She’s awake!” the hobbit cried out. “She’s alive!”
How? How was such a thing possible….
“Thorin!”
He turned to Kíli, who was barely suppressing a tear and grasping him. “Did you hear? She’s okay!”
“That is not what Master Baggins said.” His voice sounded rough and angry even in his own ears.
Kíli grimaced and looked down slightly. “Aye perhaps, but she’s got to be a good deal better than we thought?”
Thorin watched as the eagles carrying Ann and Bilbo raced to a cliffside in the sky. The eagle gently placed her on the rock. He felt every beat of his heart as he waited for her to stir. If she didn’t… he didn’t know what he would do. But two thumps later she did. She slowly sat up, keeping herself in a kneeling position and looking down. The dead do not make such actions. Ann Harper was truly, despite all odds, alive.
But it was almost not so.
Thorin’s gaze did not leave her as his eagle approached. He did not break it when Bilbo reached her in an embrace. Nor when the rest of the company dismounted their eagles, gathering around her. Even Kíli practically jumped off their eagle and joined the crowd. Thorin found he couldn’t. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t jump forward. He couldn’t feel the joy the company felt as he looked at her beautiful yet marred face. Her hair was in tatters, branches and leaves sticking out every which direction. As he looked lower, he could see that pattern continue throughout her clothing along with small dark stains that he knew full well to be blood. Her blood. Which never should have been spilt…. He finally dismounted his eagle and looked at her face. Her image which he had all but memorized sported a huge gash on the forehead. It was beginning to puff out, indicating that there was much more beneath the surface that he could not see.
How dare she hurt herself so badly.
“WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, WOMAN?”
Silence. The sounds of a joyful reunion ended abruptly as the company parted so Thorin could pass.
“YOU NEARLY GOT YOURSELF KILLED!”
Ms. Harper’s eyes widened in absolute shock. What was she expecting? A medal for her nearly suicidal attempt? When Thorin thought about how close he had been to losing her, he could feel his blood beginning to boil.
“Of all the irresponsible, FOOLHARDY, things you could do!” he growled, approaching closer and getting louder with every step. “You had no business engaging with Azog in such a way!”
Her lips, in starker contrast to her face than normal, tightened into a thin line. Thorin had never seen this look on her before. He’d seen her timidity. He'd seen her shame. He saw the way her brown eyes shifted ever so slightly downward when she was hiding something from him. But this was new, an expression Thorin knew full well within himself but almost wondered if this woman was capable: anger.
“Azog was MY FOE! MINE, MINE ALONE! He wanted MY blood! Not yours! You had no business… NO RIGHT!”
Her face twisted in rage now, setting off Thorin even more. How dare she be angry after putting him through such anguish? Anguish that he could feel pulsating out of his mouth with every word.
“NO RIGHT to insert yourself into the feud, for what? A BLOOD FEUD! Azog’s blood was MINE! The head on his shoulders was MINE to remove!”
He heard the company gasp around him, but Ms. Harper seemed to not even notice. With that head injury… Thorin began imagining the worst case scenarios. His mind pulled from nearly sixty years experience working in mines. The dozens of times he had pulled workers from the earth itself, faces mangled and minds lost. His heart began to race in sheer panic.
“It was MY kin who were wronged! MY family destroyed by this monster. Your interference stole MY right to set things straight! But you chose to be unhelpful, as you have thus far. You and your vague words… your OBVIOUS disrespect….”
“THORIN!”
The dwarf king turned. Óin was right next to him, eyes blazing.
“I canno’ let ya abuse this patient more! Do you not see the help she needs?”
Thorin growled. “Can I not….”
“ANN!”
Thorin turned around just in time to see her leap over the edge of the Carrock. For the second time within a span of a few hours, he felt his heart stop. Then it occurred to him that she wasn’t trying to end her life. Very likely this was just the way down. From the rock.
“What are you doing?” The entire company turned to the wizard who, despite staying silent for the whole exchange, had turned an interesting shade of purple. “Thorin Oakenshield, are you really chasing away your help in the middle of the wild? You know better than anyone that you are in no position to do such a thing!”
“Help?” he snarled. “HELP! I would have helped IF YOU HAD NOT FROZEN ME TO THE TREE!”
The company all looked at Gandalf, completely stunned. The wizard took the comment in turn, leaning on his staff. Looking very much like the old man he was masquerading to be.
“I received my orders, as you receive yours, Thorin. If I disobey, the consequences could be disastrous."
Thorin began to breathe heavily. Orders? What orders? From who? Not perhaps… from Ms. Harper? What the hell was this game the woman was playing at?
“What do you know, wizard?” snarled Thorin.
Any lesser being would have quaked under Thorin’s rage and authority. But this wizard? One of the Maia? Who had seen time itself come and go? Gandalf stood firm. “I know that right now there is a young woman in severe need of medical attention who is in the wilderness. Unable to defend herself and utterly alone.”
That stopped Thorin short. He looked down quickly to see that Ms. Harper was almost all the way down the cliffside. How on earth she had gone so fast when he distinctly remembered her getting herself stuck in a tree not three months ago was beyond him. But as he saw her he realized: the wizard was right. Ms. Harper was in danger, and propelling herself further and further from help by the second. And this time, he could see, that it was not her own foolishness that pushed her towards it. Rather, his harsh words.
“Well, what are you waiting for?” he addressed the company. “Follow that woman!”
As the anger abated, Thorin began to feel more and more weary. It had been a long night, filled with heavy loss. The adrenaline that kept him going was finally beginning to fade. As the company slowly began to climb down, calling after their woman, Thorin stared off into the distance. His jaw dropped. There, just on the edge of the horizon, was a single solitary mountain peaking through the clouds. One that he would recognize from anywhere. Erebor. The home that this crazed woman claimed to be helping him win back. It had been decades since he had seen it, and it brought a wave of joy and grief that he could barely contain amongst the fear, worry, and dismay. A single tear fell from his eye. Not that he was a crier, but after everything this morning….
“Thorin?”
His eyebrow went up as he turned to the last person he thought he would have a confrontation with him on this rock. Bilbo Baggins, standing uncharacteristically still. As though the halfling knew how much his fidgetiness and constant shifting had been irking the dwarf king. His hands were behind his back and his eyes forward. Using any courage Thorin didn’t know he had to speak up.
“I’m sorry I just need to know: are you truly so mad at Ann because she killed Azog instead of you? Or because of how it nearly killed her?”
The question went like a punch to Thorin’s gut. “How could you even ask such a question of me, Master Baggins?”
Did the halfling think so little of him?
Bilbo furrowed his brow, wrinkled his nose, and took a small step forward. “I do not mean to be offensive. It’s just… from your words… well, if it was hard for me to tell. I do not mean to say maybe the company did not understand… but for myself you gave the impression of the former rather than the later.”
Thorin felt his nostrils flare. Perhaps if he’d had any sort of energy he would have exploded. But as it was, he took a moment of self-reflection. He knew of his temper; he was not a blind dwarf. But he needed a moment to think back to the words he said. And as he examined each moment, he realized the halfling was right. That each word was expressing fury about the feud, not revealing the truth of what he felt inside. Not that he had any interest in expressing himself but… but….
“And if I misunderstood,” continued Bilbo, “I can only imagine that she must have as well.”
Thorin opened his mouth to speak but no words would come out. Would they have been of admonition? Of beration? Or acknowledgement? Or even apology? Thorin had no way of knowing. He turned back to the image of the mountain behind him, trying to draw whatever strength he could from the place of his birth.
Bilbo Baggins, who Thorin was just beginning to see was an excellent judge of character, must have noticed the softening of his hard exterior. He stepped forward once more, but this time in compassion. “Listen, Thorin, I do not claim to understand how you feel. I know you feel more strongly for Ann than the rest of us….”
Thorin’s eyebrows went up and he couldn’t help but interrupt. “More strongly?”
Bilbo furrowed his brows. “Yes… or… well, I mean I see how often you look at her. Your face when you do. And I cannot imagine what it is like to nearly lose someone you care for in that way….”
Bilbo may have continued speaking words of comfort, but Thorin stopped paying attention. He felt his cheeks go slightly red and felt frozen in place. Was Master Baggins truly implying that he… that he saw Ms. Harper with…? As the feelings one would only feel with their one? Thorin gave a mirthless laugh. Such a thing was impossible. To the very least because of the disdain with which she saw him. But to the very least he could set the record straight with Master Baggins.
“You are only beginning to understand my people and our culture, so I will forgive the imprudence of your words. But for dwarves, women are sacred creatures of the highest dignity. They deserve our reverence, devotion, respect, and protection. So yes, I look after her. Simply as a way I am ordered to look after any woman. So you see, Master Baggins, anything that you think you saw is nothing more than the obligation of every male to every female.”
Thorin felt proud of himself. The words were gently and evenly spoken. However, that pride evaporated once he saw Master Baggins’s reaction. He simply raised his eyebrows and turned his lips in the way Thorin himself knew he’d done many a time after discovering Fíli and Kíli with their antics. The halfling didn’t believe him. Not at all. But in the end, Bilbo just bit his lip and nodded.
“I suppose then, we out to go find the woman we are all meant to be protecting?”
Thorin nodded. “Quite right,” he said quietly. He allowed one last glance of the Lonely Mountain before descending the Carrock.
Not expecting the pandemonium below.
“STAY PUT!” he heard Balin bellow from below.
That caused him to look down from his climb. He could clearly see the shapes of the company moving around. Balin was clearly trying to maintain some sort of order, but seemed to be holding on by a thread. And not maintaining it closely enough to have kept Fíli, Kíli, and Nori at the base. But, most concerning to Thorin, was that the woman was nowhere to be seen.
His heart began to beat rapidly as he quickened his descent.
“Thorin! Thank the Maker….”
“Where is Ms. Harper?”
Dwalin grunted and growled. “Lass ran off before we could catch her.”
“I sent the lads to follow her tracks, but in this wilderness….”
Balin didn’t need to finish his statement. That woman was not right in the head. Despite the fact that Ms. Harper believed he was an unintelligent meat sack, Thorin knew she was smart. Real bright. Even with zero self-preservation skills in the wild, she would have known better than to completely run off! Anything could happen. The orcs could catch up. There could be wargs. But even a regular wolf could be fatal….
They had to find her.
But they couldn’t split the company. None were familiar with these woods. If they separated, they could never find each other again.
“Which direction did Fíli, Kíli, and Nori go?”
Balin pointed.
“We follow their trail. But for Durin’s sake, keep your eyes open!”
Thorin slowly led the way, looking for signs of… well really any sign of life. Anywhere to show him what direction to lead….
Suddenly there was a rustling in the bushes. Thorin let out a quick breath signaling the company to come to him and then unsheathed Orcrist. It was not glowing, but he was ready for anything.
Except for Nori to nearly run into the point of his sword, eyes wide and hands up.
“Durin’s beard Nori…” he began.
Thorin expected a quip from the former thief. Or perhaps a mildly crude joke. But no. Even Nori seemed sobered by the seriousness of the situation at hand.
“We found her. Óin, I think she needs a medic. Bad.”
“No time ta lose, lad!”
The company ran following Nori’s lead. Thorin kept a hand on his sword, ready for anything. Ready to defend any member of his company with his final breath. So when they broke the forest line to a shallow in the river and just saw Ms. Harper sitting there with his nephews, he let out a sigh of relief. Almost. He almost rushed up to them to check on her condition… but Fíli stood up, placed his hand on her shoulder, and shook his head in warning. Thorin understood the message clearly and stood down. He felt his face harden as he felt the juxtaposition of pride for his nephew’s chivalry and indignation for the younger dwarf’s admonishment.
“Óin!” cried Fíli.
The healer stepped forward. He understood his assignment; he would tend the wounded. Thorin, however, also understood that as the company leader he needed to know the state of the company. So he followed Óin. Quietly, so as to not alert Ms. Harper to his presence. When Fíli’s head tilted and eyes narrowed, Thorin shook his head. No, he would not be aggressive with the woman. Not this time.
“Now lassie,” said the healer, “what seems to be the matter?”
“My head just really hurts,” moaned Ms. Harper.
“Aye, ya took on the blunt end of the tree it would seem. Can ya open yer eyes?”
Ms. Harper shook her head. “It hurts.”
“I need ta see yer eyes, lass.”
Kíli nodded and quickly stood up. He placed himself in front of the sun, providing the woman with a slightly less painful vision.
“I’m tired,” she admitted.
Thorin frowned. Yes, there were certainly times when he’d noticed (and been frustrated by) the woman’s lack of endurance. But never, not once, had she admitted her fatigue to anyone.
“Stay awake, Ann,” said Óin gently. “Just a little longer.”
“Okay.”
Thorin looked around. This would take time. Time which they did not have. For all he knew, there were orcs or goblins around the corner. And with her being so vulnerable… he would never admit it to anyone, but it frightened him.
“Dwalin.” He made eye contact and jerked his head over, asking his friend to come to him. Dwalin made his way over, nodding to affirm his readiness. “Scout the perimeter. We need to know if we were followed. Take someone with you.”
Dwalin nodded, immediately walking over to Bifur.
“Kíli.”
The young dwarf furrowed his brows and approached his uncle.
“I need you watch the borders of camp. Dwalin is scouting, but I need you to secure.”
Kíli took one final look at Ms. Harper and nodded in understanding. He took out his bow and began walking around. Alert and ready for a fight.
Óin, meanwhile, seemed to have completed something of an examination. Gandalf had also seen fit to arrive and was also examining the woman in a way that put Thorin ill at ease.
“Tis not good, Thorin. I need salve, and bandages to wrap the hands and head. But she needs much care….”
“I may be able to help to a degree,” said Gandalf. “If you permit me, my lady?”
Ms. Harper nodded delicately.
“Although we shouldn’t do this in water…”
Thorin and Ms. Harper nodded simultaneously. She slowly tried to stand up, but neither dwarf allowed her to stand on her own. Óin held her hands from the front and Thorin aided from behind. He guided her a few steps backward out of the water. Her balance was unsteady, Thorin found himself practically lowering her to the ground. She leaned back, head landing on his shoulder.
Oh if only she knew who was supporting her, Thorin thought. She’d throw a fit.
Gandalf knelt in front of her, placing his hand gently on her forehead and muttering words that Thorin couldn’t understand. And that was saying something. Due to his position in life, Thorin made sure to take the opportunity to learn many languages….
Suddenly Ms. Harper went completely slack. Her head nearly rolled off Thorin’s shoulder and he found himself needing to hold her to himself. To prevent her from falling over.
“What in Durin’s name have you done?” he gasped.
“Tis just an immediate effect of the healing process. She should recover much more rapidly than she would have unassisted. Of course this will still take some time.”
Thorin crossed his arms over her. Time. For all he knew, he was already in debt to this unforgiving force of nature.
He was roused from his thoughts by Óin’s glance. The medic tilted his head as though processing something. Whatever it was, Thorin didn’t like it. He felt seen. Caught. Although for the life of him he couldn’t fathom why.
“Lay her down, laddie,” Óin said gently. “So I can bandage her properly.”
Thorin looked at the ground next to him. Covered in sand and pebbles, it did not look like the type of location where he should place such precious cargo. Even if Ms. Harper was thoroughly unconscious, as a woman she deserved a better resting place.
Thankfully the company seemed to be of a similar thought. Thorin turned as heavy footsteps approached. Glóin. Taking off his outer layer and laying it on the ground. Then went Dori. And Bofur. Even Bilbo rolled his vest into a bunch to serve as a pillow. Thorin sighed and allowed Óin and Glóin to gently take her out of his arms and lay her down. He stood up, trying to both watch Ms. Harper and the land around. Only just noticing Dwalin and Bifur return.
“Didn’t see nothin’ out there, Thorin,” grunted Dwalin. “No sign of the orc. But just because they’re not here….”
“Doesn’t mean they won’t be,” said Bifur in his customary Khuzdul.
Thorin nodded.
Dwalin tilted his head. “How’s the lass?”
Thorin shook his head. “We’d probably have lost her soon if not for Gandalf’s spells.”
”Then there’s hope?” asked Bifur.
“For the moment.”
The three returned to the rest of the company, Thorin in deep thought as he watched Óin wrapping a recently cleaned cloth over the woman’s forehead. She needed rest. But if the orcs came, rest wouldn’t matter.
“Óin, is Ms. Harper stable?”
“Aye, for the moment.”
Thorin closed his eyes. This decision would not be popular. But it was necessary. “Once she is bandaged we must move.”
Kíli, wide-eyed, turned to Thorin. “But she can’t move….”
“What she can’t do is lie helpless if we are attacked!” Thorin shouted. “Do you truly think that the orcs would leave her be as she lay defenseless? Especially AFTER WHAT SHE DID?”
Kíli’s eyes went wide. Thorin could feel his breath grow heavy. He hadn’t even aware of his voice rising until it had. But he was right, wasn’t he? The orcs would show no mercy. So if Ms. Harper could be moved, she should be. Right? Thorin looked around for support. The company looked grim, but it seemed to come from understanding. They knew what he was saying to be true.
Finally, Balin stepped forward. “So which way do we go from here?”
“This way, of course!”
The whole company looked in shock as Bilbo stood up and pointed east. Or was it west… he pointed away from the sun.
“Are you certain?” Thorin breathed.
Bilbo nodded without even a hint of his typical hesitation. “We saw the Lonely Mountain from the Carrock, correct? Well then that was this direction. So if we’re wanting to end up there, this is the way we need to go.”
Thorin simply stared. Today seemed to be a day of surprises. Azog lived. Azog died. Ms. Harper died. Ms. Harper lived. The halfling was assertive.
Hobbit, he suddenly remembered. Bilbo called his folk hobbits.
“Then that is the way we must go.”
Thorin sighed and looked down at Ms. Harper. Her head and hands were bandaged and her face was cleaner. Her skin was missing the slight hint of gold he always found admirable, reminding him that she was not simply sleeping but in a magic induced healing coma. She would awake. And things would continue to be complex. But for the moment….
Thorin knelt next to Ms. Harper. Slowly, gently, he placed his hands under her neck and knee. He drew her to himself and stood up. Not one member of the company batted an eyelid. He was the leader; he should shoulder the burden. Óin did help him position her to where she would be most steady, but that was all. There she was, peaceful. Innocent. That would change soon enough, he reminded himself. He took a deep breath, not missing her scent or the warmth of her body against his.
He forced his eyes forward. “Master Baggins, if you would, please lead on.”