#pull my hair out wondering how to reach a vista only to find a cave entrance on the opposite side of the map that somehow leads there

[bluebudgie]

uuuughhh im so anxious about the new expac maps

[thewarriorandtheking]

A Moment in the Moonlight

I seem to always be writing about The Warrior and The King laying in bed talking...thought I would give them a moment in the moonlight instead :-) 

Excerpt from Engame: Chapter 7. HENNETH ANNUN

The Warrior and The King MasterList

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It was quite late that evening when Kaylea went to look for Thorin. He had excused himself from the table shortly after dinner and had never returned. Eldarion and Pilot had retired to their rooms and Radagast was debating with the Elves about the best route into Mordor. The only Rangers about were the few who were assigned to the watch.

Kaylea went out of the cave, pausing to admire the veil of water, now looking like a curtain of tiny pearls in the moonlight. She had visited the Window on the West several times over the years and every time the water was different. Achilles sniffed at the ground then trotted toward a narrow passage off to the left. Kaylea followed it, through a narrow tunnel and up many steps, winding around the stone until it suddenly opened to a wide flat rock overlooking the deep canyon through which the swift stream ran, dropping down a series of rocky ledges to a pool far below. A chill breeze touched her face as she took in the view, the White Mountains in the distance, the crescent moon high in the western sky, the vista was breathtaking. Thorin was sitting at the edge of the flat stone, looking off to the east. Sif lay beside him, her nose on her paws. He gave Kaylea a weak smile as she sat down.

“Having second thoughts, husband?”

“No,” Thorin shook his head. Then he shrugged. “Maybe.”

“This is your plan,” she reminded him. “If Blackwolf senses any hesitation on your part, you will not succeed.”

Thorin took a deep breath. “I know it will work. I just don’t know if I can bring myself to do it.” He put a hand on his wife’s cheek. “What if he calls my bluff?”

Kaylea put her hand over his. “It cannot be a bluff. You must be committed to do this.” She smiled softly at him. “If you have any doubts, we should change the plan.”

Thorin chuckled mirthlessly. “Change it to what? We only have one play here, one chance.”  

“We do not know for sure yet if we must make that play,” Kaylea told him.

“Do you think the Vorlons are mistaken?” Thorin shook his head. He reached his arm around her, pulling her close. Kaylea lay her head on his shoulder. “The more I go over that message in my head, the more I think there is only one way this ends.”

They sat together quietly for a time, listening to the water make a happy tune as it tumbled into the pool far below. The stars were out, sparkling like tiny jewels in the clear night sky.  

“It is so strange to look at these constellations now,” Thorin said softly. “To look at Durin’s Crown and know that is the home of the Kzin, to know that the North Star is in Vorlon space, that the southernmost star in the Anvil is the best place to hire a spice smuggler. Remember that bar fight we got into?”

“Which could have been avoided if you weren’t so particular about your clothes,” Kaylea reminded him, with a laugh.

“That was my favorite coat,” Thorin hugged her against him, smiling at the memory. He leaned his head against hers, thinking it was not possible to love someone as much as he loved Kaylea Wolf. “This is quite a journey we have been on, my love.”

Kaylea shifted her head to look at him. “If you had to do it again, would you change anything?”

Thorin took a deep breath. “I would have made you my Queen after the Battle of the Five Armies, I would not have married Shurri.”

“But what about your children?” Kaylea said, amazed. “You have so often said they are the chief joy of your life.”

“We could have got Blackwolf to make us some,” Thorin shrugged.

Kaylea laughed. “I am sure he would have agreed to that!”

“You asked what I would do differently. Yes, I love my children with all my heart, I cannot imagine my life without them. But I would not spend 60 years married to someone I did not love. I should have spent less time thinking about what was good for the kingdom and more about what I wanted for myself.” He reached up to smooth her hair away from her face. “Lately I find myself thinking about our first days together. Thoughts of you filled my every waking moment, yet I could never be sure of your mind. I lay awake at night wondering if I would ever find a weakness in your armor.”

“You are my weakness,” Kaylea said softly. “I always prided myself on how I had none, and then I met you. Suddenly I could not control myself and it frightened me. It was fear that made me put you off for so long. I always envisioned living my life alone, but you changed everything. Now I wonder how I ever managed without you.”

“I know I managed very badly without you,” Thorin smiled at her. “I am very much looking forward to where this journey takes us in our next hundred years.”

“I love you, husband.” Kaylea pulled him close and kissed him. The soft breeze caught their hair, intertwining Thorin’s black and Kaylea’s gold, the sound of the waterfall all around them.

Read the complete story on AO3 & FanFiction, links on my homepage. 

@theelvenvalkyrie​  @sexybanshee666​