#Also i remove everything i said last time Steam Melody is beautiful on its own

[zackcharine]

It would be a crime to not put these here while i'm obsessing over the soundtrack djdhdh

[centuryofdean]

When Lightning Strikes - Chapter 19

Author Note:: So sorry for such a long update! COVID depression is no joke.. I have had a lot of lows lately and I haven’t even been reading fanfiction let alone writing it. Or reading in general. Things are a little better the last few days, so I am hoping this is a good start to get things finished. 

Author Disclaimer:: The Hobbit, Middle Earth and its characters are not mine. I take no credit. The story line and even some dialogue–also not mine. Instead I claim my Original Character Laurel and the adjustments to the story line.

Summary:: From when Laurel Took was small she dreamed of a man. Every time she dreamed of him, he could not see or hear her. Over time they are able to communicate–but he’s been dreaming about her too. Finally after years of anticipation Laurel takes the leap and kisses him. Only for her to wake up and dread the real world. Then lightning strikes and she finds herself in a familiar place, with a familiar face.

Rated:: M for Mature. Please do not read this story unless you are 18+. NSFW.

Warnings:: Language, Violence and Scenes of Sexual Nature.

Pairing:: Kili x OC (Laurel)

Laurel

Bard led us through the house and into a small room. Singrid was the one to clear the bed and start to close all the blinds. At this point soft moans started to flee from Kili's throat. "Shhh," I murmured pushing his hair back to press my hand to his burning forehead, "it will be alright soon. I promise."

There were dark bags under his eyes in high contrast against his pale sheen skin. It was a terror to look at. His hair was already half soaked in the sweat. Fili was pressing his hands over various areas on his brother's body. "I need my bag," I shouted out to no one in particular. "There are herbs in there that could help."

Bard fled the room and slammed back in through it with a box full of different vials and sacks. "I have Elderberry and Burdock," he started to hand me the items. Bain stood in the corner watching fearfully as his father continued to sort through the box. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Kili twitching and grunting more loudly.

"Bain," I called softly. The teenager took a few steps towards me. "I need you to go to the Master's house and get Thorin Oakenshield. He is the Master Dwarf with blue eyes and loose black hair. Tell him that Kili is sick. Tell the hobbit Bilbo Baggins that I need my bag. Hurry, please!"

Immediately the boy turned and fled. If nothing was damaged in my bag I should still have a bulb of Kings Foil. "Bard, I need a pot ready. Do not put water in it, I have soaked water to use, I can't dilute it," I placed a hand on the man's arm. He stood tall once more and left the room. The two girls were huddled in the corner digging through laundry.

A pained scream echoed through the room as Kili trashed harshly. Fili clamped both of his hands over his brother's shoulders as he continued to convulse. I pulled my fingers through his hair as I brought our foreheads together, "Shh, fight through the pain. I'm here with you, I'm not going anywhere."

It only seemed to calm him a fraction, but not enough to stop his erratic movements.

Soon the heavy thudding of running feet bellowed all around us and shook the house. The first face to enter the doorway was Thorin. Electric blue eyes blazed as they narrowed in on his nephew. Kili choked, his body bending and twisting more viciously. In two steps Thorin was beside Fili putting his hands on Kili to keep him from moving too much. Bilbo pushed his way through all the dwarves to get to me, bag in hand. I took my eyes off my dwarven prince to receive the sack and tear through it. Wrapped tightly and still intact was the bulb of Kings Foil. I carefully handed it to my distant uncle or cousin, "Bilbo I need you to open this and pour all of it into the pot that Bard has prepared. Once it is bubbling bring me the entire pot."

Moments passed until the room was crowded with more than it could handle.

"Everyone who is not immediate family go wait in the other room," Balin thundered. His deep commanding voice sent shivers down my spine.

Did that include me? I hesitated before moving, slowly making my way to the door. Snarling and the sound of a scuffle bounced around the room. "No Laurel, you stay," Thorin boomed.

My body moved at the command so that I was before Kili again. Balin was holding both of Kili's feet, Fili was holding Kili's right arm, while Thorin was holding his left arm right next to me. I got to work by taking my knife and starting to cut out his pants where the wound was. Breath left me, leaving me gasping at the sight of the black purple bruising covered in thick black blood. It smelled of decay and death, like a deer that was out in the woods for weeks. Each of the veins around the wound were thick and black. It was the poison working its way through his body.

His skin was scorching now, so much that I could barely touch him without hissing myself.

"Are you having the hobbit boil weeds," Bard burst through the room confused.

My brows scrunched as I shook my head, "Its Kings Foil."

"We feed it to the pigs!"

"Tell one of the dwarves I need more," I shouted.

Even with his family watching I placed my knife at his chest and tore through the material of his shirt.

It revealed more horrors of black veins. How long was he letting this work up before he said something? Even if he didn't know the arrow was poisoned he didn't have to pretend it was nothing! Self-consciously I sent him a glare. Even then his eyes were wild and wide, teeth grit while he starred on at me.

A roar of a howl screamed through his lips as he writhed against the hands holding him down. As softly as I could I placed my ear against his burning chest and felt the erratic beat of his heart. If it was pumping so quickly in that way he was working the poison closer and closer to his heart without even knowing it. Again I looked to his face, only to feel my own heart beat erratically.

This is what death looked like.

With my chest in my stomach and no air to fill my lungs, I trembled for a moment. Kili was dying. The burn in my eyes started, I couldn't live in this world without him.

Bilbo burst through the door with a steaming pot. Once he sat it down on the table next to the bed I screamed as my hand met searing water. It didn't stop me as I scooped up the soggy weed and removed it. Without waiting or warning I shoved it into his wound.

He screamed inhumanly and vaulted off the bed. A few more dwarves popped their heads into the room and then entered to aid us in keeping Kili still. "Someone get me a mug and a rag," I screamed.

My chest actually hurt with how hard my heart was pounding, my hand throbbed with pain from the scalding water I put it into. Though without trying I was able to tune it out and become numb. Still my eyes were trained on his deep brown ones filled with pain.

Everything blurred until the only sharp image to focus on was him. Finally his eyes closed tight. I tore mine away, feeling the wetness of tears flowing down my face. It was as if my body was humming, I suddenly had adrenaline that I never felt before. I felt as if I could move mountains, but it was no use to me if I lost the love of my life. 

His body slowly started to stop moving, I could feel him growing weak. My fingers pressed the Kings Foil into his wound a little deeper as I hissed, my lips trembling as my heart broke. "Esta sinome," my voice quivered. "Amin mela lle. Amind mela lle.

"Mela en' coiamin. Poika tuulo' 'kshapsae. Tula sinome. Tula sinome, Mela en'coimin, Amind mela lle!"

Something snapped. Everything became cold at once, goosebumps erupted all over my skin, even the skin not exposed to the air. All the adrenaline I had evaporated causing me to fall to my knees equally as weak. Just as I fell, hands still buried in Kili's flesh, he gasped, torso flinging forward as he came to sit. In moments he fell back into the bed eyes closed and even breathing.

My hands slipped to the bed as I tried to pull myself up. The strong arm of Thorin wrapped under my own as he pulled me up and held me. I put my ear to Kili's chest to listen to his heart beat slow and even. Trembling fingers wiped at the black mess on his thigh, pulling the Kings Foil away.

Underneath was a soft pink scar, surrounded by flush peach skin. There was no trace of bruising or poison filled veins.

Laughter bubbled up inside my chest as I was able to breathe deeply for a moment. The weight that settled on my chest was lifted and I gasped, tears flowing freely over my cheeks as I touched his cheek covered in stubble. His eyes opened, blurry and unfocused. The beautiful brown orbs settled on my face, his mouth moving softly, "No… you cannot be her. She is far away, she is far, far away from me. She watches and dreams of flying in starlight. She is of another world. No… you cannot be her... It was just another dream."

His large palm grasped my face, his hand sliding into my hair to grasp and tug gently on the courting braid he had put in there just mere nights ago. I was memorized as his lips moved again, the sound of his voice like a melody, "Do you think she could have ever loved me?"

The crooked smile I saw on rare occasions took his lips for a few moments before he rolled his face away and promptly slept.

Soon Fili brought a chair into the room, helping me into it because my legs shook too much to do it myself. Eventually Balin and Oin left the room, leaving me with the King and Princes. None of us said anything for a while, we just stared at Kili as he slept peacefully. Bard brought me another pot of water and a rag in which I used to clean Kili's thigh and leg from the poison and blood. At one point I had Fili hold his brother while I coaxed his sleeping form to swallow the warm Kings Foil water from before. Bofur had returned a while ago with more Kings Foil, that I instructed someone to make tea with. If I could get Kili to drink that for at least a day then it will cleanse his blood of the poison.

"Thank you."

I was startled out of cleaning Kili of sweat on his chest. Never have I heard Thorin sound so soft and genuine. In seconds the King was kneeling before me. Taking each hand in my own and meeting my eyes, "I am forever indebted to you. I owe you my life, and the deepest of all apologies.

"From the moment my eyes landed on you, I judged and treated you unjustly. That was my folly. Time after time you have proven me wrong in all my assumptions. Not only did you save my life and the lives of all in the company on more than one occasion, but you saved Kili's."

Tears started to collect in the brilliant blue orbs while the hairs of his mustache bristled.

"Lady Laurel Took," he continued, pressing his lips to each of the back of my hands, "You are brave, courageous, loyal, a huntress, and most of all loving. In honor of your acts, I name thee, Lady Laurel Took, kin of Durin's sons."

Kin of Durin's sons? Kin meant family but who was Durin and his sons? The confusion was evident, because he rose and placed a hand on my shoulder chuckling. Slowly I leaned sideways in my chair to look at Fili to see if I could get an answer.

The blonde prince light blue eyes were wide, his eyebrows almost into his hair. Even his bottom jaw was hanging softly. "Erm, that sounds pretty nice an all, but what does that mean," I whispered, looking between the two.

At once Fili jumped up, wrapping me up in his arms while he laughed, tossing me and catching me again.

"It is the highest honor a dwarf could receive," he shouted. "Even a higher honor since you are not a dwarf!"

I tried my best to untangle myself from him, but he refused to release his grasp on me. Fili's form crushed me to himself, a warm tight hug. "Laurel, uncle is decreeing that you are a part of the royal family," he whispered, "you are not just a dear friend, you are family."

Once his arms fell away, Thorin opened his own and stepped towards me, eloping me in one of the most heartwarming hugs I had yet to receive in my life. As he pulled away he pressed his lips to my forehead, cupping my cheek all the while smiling, "Yes, you are family. I bless the courtship between Kili, son of Vili, and yourself. Once betrothed, I will perform the wedding ceremony myself."

After all this time I fought Kili. I finally accepted that I loved him, I accepted his courting braid. Still I grew weary all because of Thorin's wrath. Here and now he was telling me he approved. Giggles were leaving my lips softly. Joy like no other filled me to the brim until I could not stand still.

Soon I was holding hands will Fili and dancing around.

"I have a little sister," he bellowed before dancing away and out of the room. Thorin followed, closing the door behind him.

I settled down into the chair next to Kili again, barely containing my smile. Before I had never put thought into marriage with him if he asked, but it didn't sound like a horrible idea. From as far as I could remember it had always been Kili who captured my interest, it was Kili who I confessed my dreams and desires for eight years. The love I had for him would bring me to life without a soul if he were to perish. The only thing that waited for me in the future where I came from was my grandmother and mother. All of whom I never had time to see or speak to.

No I belonged here now, with Kili in Middle Earth.

The youngest girl of Bard entered the room hesitantly, offering me the tea I had requested they made. I accepted it and place it next to me, "Thank you. Do you happen to have hair ties? Maybe three or four of them?"

She returned in moments with a handful. I thanked her again and sighed, tracing Kili's side with my hand. Just an hour or so ago I almost lost him. Now I was ecstatic with Thorin's blessing. With shaky fingers I tied the top of the braid that Kili put in my hair. He said I couldn't undo the braid, but he never said I couldn't cut it.

It took about an hour, and surprisingly no one entered the room—which was a good thing because I feared the wrath I would receive for what I was doing. With painstaking precision and patience I tied off the braid in my hair, cut it half way down, and wove it into Kili's hair behind his ear.

Just while I was re-clasping the bead with his hair in it, he groaned and started to stir. Once more my hands smoothed the hair from his face. "How do you feel," I asked.

"Weak and tired," he muttered. Without even opening his eyes, his fingers wove into my hair again stroking my scalp. His fingers searched for my braid, but stopped short when it wasn't found. That's when he snapped his eyes open.

"Did you take out your braid," he whispered.

"I cut it out."

Anger filled his eyes for a moment, "Could not bear to be bound to me?"

My hands found his, guiding it to his own hair where I had just finished his own braid.

"Just the opposite actually," I whispered. "I almost lost you Kili. It is a miracle you're alive."

His large calloused hand lifted up the elegant braid. It was a sight to see, his dark brown hair blending in almost seamlessly into my vibrant red locks. Different emotions filtered across his face. First he was angered, then bewildered, and finally he was beaming up at me with love.

"Kili I love you," I whispered leaning in close and grasping his hand, "I have always loved you. At first I loved the idea of you, because I didn't believe you to be real. Once I got here I knew that it was real. You were real, my love for you was real—"

Chapped lips were bruising against my own. I had no idea how he moved so quickly. One moment he was laying on the bed, watching and listening, and the next he pulled me into his lap and was kissing me with earnest. On their own accord my hands traveled his bare chest, sliding into his hair while he kissed me with devotion.

Once he pulled away for breath, he touched our foreheads together to look me deeply in the eyes.

"I have waited so long to hear you say that," he murmured, brushing his nose against mine to lean in and kiss me again.

It was natural how his hands fit perfectly on my hips, pulling me closer and holding me there. His lips trailed to my neck, causing me to feel light and fluttery. "Uncle has to let you stay in Erebor with us," he whispered, "I will make him see reason."

"It was already decided earlier she was welcome to stay in the mountain," Thorin's laughing voice came from behind me. Not wanting to be caught in a compromising position with his nephew, I jumped slightly and off the bed. Kili still kept his hand in mine.

"It was? When," he asked confused.

Fili popped his head in the room, entering when he realized that his brother was awake. He bounded over and crushed Kili in a tight warm hug. "You are finally awake!"

"The arrow that hit you was poisoned," Fili continued muttering, "you collapsed in the snow. I heard you and Laurel fighting, once I got there she was trying to get you up. Bard's son went to get the company from the Master's house. Laurel used Kings Foil to heal your wound."

At his words I grasped the tea and urged Kili to drink it. He made a face of disgust but drank it none the less. Balin had popped into the room next, looking equally as pleased to see Kili awake.

"Yes, if it was not for the lass and her Elvish healing magic we would have lost ya lad," Balin sighed.

Elvish healing magic? What magic? Kili looked at me with astonishment, but I shrugged my shoulders, "I didn't use magic, I just did what I learned from the herb book I was given in Rivendell."

Thorin shook his head solemnly, "You did as Balin said. We all witnessed it. You spoke Elvish as well."

"No. I was just saying anything I could think of to get Kili to not die. I told him to rest, and to come back to me. That I loved him and to heal."

The others looked at me with odd eyes, those of disbelief. "They speak the truth," Fili urged, "you were speaking Elvish. Perhaps your instincts came to surface when faced with fear."

"You even collapsed afterwards and turned a little blue. Cold to touch," Thorin supplied.

Either way I took Kili's hand and held it tightly. All that mattered was that he was alive with me, no matter how. He pressed his lips to the back of my hand and squeezed back.

"Afterwards Uncle apologized to Laurel, and bestowed kinship," Fili urged excitedly. Kili appeared more surprised than his brother when he heard the words left Thorin's lips.

Soon all the company came in to see Kili and wish him well. I stayed firmly at his side, not wanting to leave him quite yet. Bilbo even hugged Kili and wished him well. His eyes narrowed in confusing as he pointed to Kili's shoulder.

"Is that Laurel's hair," he asked.

Thorin pushed his way forward and grabbed the braid, inspecting and muttering to himself in another language.

"Welcome to the family little sister," Fili hollered.

Previous Chapter << Chapter 18: Likeness of One is Not the Other

Next Chapter >> Chapter 20: Accepting Warmth

[theglitchedworld]

Glitched - Chapter Ten

    I dodged back as fast as I could to get away from those horns. Capped or not, I didn't want them anywhere near me and that lowered head put them way too close for comfort. Unfortunately, even with the few extra points for agility I'd managed to scrounge from leveling up in my last two fights, it was still appallingly low. And, apparently, trying to run backwards when a scary monster popped up told the system to do a skill check.

    In other words, I promptly tripped over my own feet and fell on my ass.

    "Shit!" The minotaur might have been scaring the crap out of me, but falling on a cobblestone floor while wearing a distinct lack of pants was far from even the middle of by list of fun things to do. Besides that it was cold and the loincloth that passed for medieval underwear does not a great insulator make. I scrambled to get my legs under me - they were far more bare than my ass but also far less uncomfortable to have directly on the cold as hell floor - and proceeded to drop my dagger in the process. It clattered off the floor with a noisy metallic clatter.

    "What's this?" The minotaur's voice was unnervingly deep. "Who let you have a weapon?"

Fear gripped my chest like a cold band constricting my ribs as I stared up at the looming monster. I risked a glance back over my shoulder at the other three. Tomy clinging tightly to Crysal's shoulders with one arm even as he tried to reach out with the other. Shel cowering behind Crysal's leg with a bunch of the fabric of Tomy's pants clenched in one tiny hand, her eyes wide with fear. Crysal's expression unreadable, her jaw clenched, whole body looking like it was on the verge of exploding with the need to run.

I looked at my dagger, the torchlight flickering over the dull shine of its ragged blade where it lay on the cobblestones barely an arm's length from me. It was the only weapon we had. I didn't even know how we had it when everything else had been taken, but it was there. One tiny chance against a minotaur that made it look like barely more than a splinter.

When I looked back up at the minotaur again, the fear band clinched tighter, forcing out an almost inaudible whimper. I couldn't fight. Not against that. But what else could I do? Give up? Let him take away my dagger and push us back into the cells? Just cower in the dark and wait to die? A tiny echo in the back of my mind chose that moment to pipe up.

We're probably all lucky to be down here and not in the slave pits.

My eyes widened as my imagination went to work flooding my mind with images of Tomy, Shel, and Crysal in shackles, iron collars digging into their necks. My breath caught in my throat as cruel imagery I remembered from history classes in school blended with the faces and forms of my friends. The fear band loosened slightly as one word crossed my mind.

Friends.

That was right. Maybe I hadn't known them long. Maybe Crys was an astonishingly stubborn jerk much of the time. Maybe Tomy was just a kid with a way overblown sense of my skills and his little sister was being dragged along for the ride. But they'd chose to stick by me. That's what friends did. They looked out for each other.

I lunged for my dagger.

"Theron, you idiot! Stop! Don't!"

I could hear them yelling behind me. Crysal and Tomy. Even little Shel.

The minotaur let out a roar and reached for me but I rolled out of the way, my dagger hugged close to my chest. The wall stopped my roll more than any conscious effort, knocking the air out of me for a critical second, but I somehow managed to stagger to my feet. The point of my dagger wavered in time with my pulse as I held it between the minotaur and me. My hands were wet with cold sweat, but I didn't let it drop or turn my eyes from his.

"So the hobbit has a sting, does she?" The minotaur's voice rumbled through the air, crashing over me. Wait. Hobbit? Sting? My eyes narrowed.

"Want to see if it works on minotaurs as well as trolls and spiders?" I shot back, somehow finding courage in the creature's words.

He laughed, the sound like a cross between a cow's lowing and the overly emphasized belly laugh of a mall Santa. "You're welcome to try, hobbit. Though a minotaur, I am not."

"Still look dumb as a bull!" I shouted as I lunged in, ignoring the screams of my friends. My dagger's tip arrowed for the creature's belly. I had to end it fast before my lack of real skills became too obvious and a cut belly was all I could think of.

His hand slashed down before I could even think to move out of the way, fingers wrapping around my forearm. His palm almost covered my arm from wrist to elbow. His grip closed, stopping my charge as if I'd just tried to stab through a vat of molasses.

A scream escaped me as he tightened his grip, sending crushing pain through my arm as he lifted me off my feet. My hand began to open involuntarily, my dagger loosening in my grasp no matter how I fought to keep my grip. My shoulder screamed in pain as the full weight of my body hung off my arm as my feet left the floor. I could dimly hear Crysal and the kids yelling behind me, all of my focus on the pain radiating from my arm.

"What now?" The minotaur asked, giving me a little shake that sent another wave of pain shooting through me. "Still want to fight, little hobbit?"

"Dammit, Theron! Just give up!" Crysal's voice sounded weird through the haze of pain from my arm being manhandled.

"I won't-" I gasped in pain as he shook me again. "I won't let you make my friends into slaves!"

"Slaves?!" His nostrils flared as a burst of steam shot out, his voice a dull roar. "You think I'm some kind of slaver?! I should kill you for that insult!"

I screamed as he shook me again, my eyes closing involuntarily. The dagger finally slipped through my fingers as they went numb. I reached out without thinking with my still free hand. The dagger's soft but rough leather slapped into my outstretched hand as if it was planned, settling against my palm as I kicked my legs to swing forward despite my shoulder feeling like it was ripping apart.

"Not if you die first, Radani!" I screamed as I swung the blade at his massive thigh, my arm still hanging from his grip feeling like it was tearing free of my body as I forced my body to pivot around it. A hideous pop from my shoulder sounded near my right ear dragging another agonized scream from my lips as I felt the dagger tip sinking into his flesh. "Crys, run!"

"Stop at once!"

The command slashed through the chaotic sound of battle like a hot knife through butter accompanied by some sort of echo that I couldn't quite understand threaded through the words.

A strange force flowed through the room at the new voice's command. Instantly, everything froze in place as if someone had hit pause on a movie. From my suicidal last attack to Tomy sliding from Crysal's back as she flung herself towards Radani to Radani's own rage fueled blow crashing towards my head. In the space between one heartbeat and the next, everything in the room ceased moving. It was all I could do just to move my eyes in that frozen tableau.

A slim hand appeared on Radani's muscular shoulder, gently pulling his arm down from the blow that would have killed me. "Your temper gets the best of you too often, love." The voice's owner stepped around Radani's bulk, entering the room.

The woman was taller than Crysal or myself - not that the latter would take much, even in a fantasy world, I wasn't anything you could call tall - but the top of her head still only came to Radani's chin. Soft brown hair flowed past her shoulders and down her back, almost hiding the brown cow-like ears that hung along the sides of her face. Only the odd white splotches on their hide kept me from completely missing them at first. Her eyes were large and brown, even for a human, though the rest of her features were even enough to be considered beautiful in most parts of the real world. A simple golden circlet rested on her forehead between a pair of considerably daintier horns than Radani sprouted.

"W-who are you?" I gasped out, forcing the words past the force that held us all still.

"My name is Moreina. Radani is my husband. So, if you don't mind, I would like him to remain-" The woman smiled at me even as she reached out to removed my dagger from Radani's thigh and pulled his arm down so that I stood on the floor once more. Her long gown scraped the floor with an almost metallic sound as she moved. "-intact."

A deep flush colored my cheeks. "I... that wasn't what... I mean..."

She laughed, a softly melodious sound compared to her husband's lowing. "I realize. It is just a little joke." She laid a hand against Radani's broad chest as he grumbled, patting him gently. "He's a good man, if a little quicker to raise his fists than explain himself."

"I don't need your defense, woman," he rumbled, tossing his head as the strange force slowly receded. "I can more than handle a handful of children."

Behind me, Crysal stumbled to a stop, barely managing to keep her feet by grabbing my uninjured shoulder. "What the-?" she whispered in my ear.

"Shh-" I held a finger to my lips before attempting to lift my injured arm with a grimace. "Let her handle it."

"Yes, I am aware but it is hardly necessary," she said. "I asked you to retrieve them as our guests, not engage them in a common brawl. Now the small warrior is injured and we'll have to see to that before speaking."

Radani's head hung low, his chin scraping his chest as he sighed, shoulders slumping. "I'm sorry, my queen. Sometimes my human heart makes this bull's head of mine too quick to rise to any challenge I see."

Moreina turned towards him, reaching up to wrap her slim arms around his neck and laughed again before leaning up to brush her lips against the side of his muzzle. "But I love that human heart of yours as well as your bullishness. All is forgiven, my king. Now raise your horns and let us once more attempt your original task."

"Very well." He grumbled, but his head raised and his shoulders straightened once more until the tips of his horns were brushing the ceiling. One massive arm slid around Moreina's shoulders as she turned to face the four of us with a slight bow.

"Please forgive the poor start and allow us to start anew," she said, inclining her head slightly towards each of us. "I am Moreina and this is my husband Radani. We are the rulers of this land."

"And doing a damn poor job of it too," Crysal said, glaring at them with a hand on my uninjured shoulder as if to hold me in place.

"We're very aware," Radani grumbled, his small eyes narrowing at her, "of our land's problems."

"Like taking folk's parents off in the night?" Tomy asked, limping up on my right side. Shel reached up and took my left hand as she worked her way between Crysal and me. "Or stealing kids' money so they ain't got enough to eat?"

Moreina's smooth brow creased as she listened to us, fine lines appearing along the sides of her full lips. "I... didn't know about that," she admitted softly.

"How about the slave pits?" Crysal asked, raising a brow at them. "Or," she gestured to the cells behind them, "places like this? Gonna say you didn't know about that either?"

Moreina's brown eyes darkened, her lips tightening as if something had just hit her hard and she was bracing against the pain. "No... I am sorry to admit that I do know of that... distasteful trade."

"If you're the ruler of this place," I asked, trying to ignore the pain from my dislocated shoulder, "then why not do something about it?"

"It's not that easy-" she began only for Radani to cut her off.

"Let us first go some place," he glanced around the empty dungeon with a grimace, "more comfortable and see to our injuries first. There is a small room not to far from here that we can use. There is nothing that can be achieved with rushing blindly now."

"Can we eat?" Shel asked softly, looking up at me as she clung to my hand. "I'm hungry, The'on."

I smiled awkwardly down at her, not sure what to do with having a child depending on me the way she seemed to want to. "I'm sure we can find something to eat soon," I said with a little nod.

"I'll have a meal brought up while the physicians attend you," Moreina promised as Radani turned and ducked out of the room before following after him.

"Well..." I winced as a fresh jolt of pain surged through my injured arm. "This isn't exactly how I expected to get out of here."

"You're not the only one," Crysal said as she moved to help Tomy climb on her back again and headed out of the dungeon, leaving me to bring up the rear with Shel still clinging to my good hand with both of her tiny hands as I tried desperately to ignore the pain that shot through my right arm with each fall of my feet against the stone floor.