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spookyjuicefiction · 3 years ago

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A King's Bounty, Pt. 5

Universe: The Hobbit/LOTR (films)

Pairing: Thorin Oakenshield x female!Reader

Description: Y/N is a bounty hunter sent to kill the exiled King Under the Mountain, but makes a deal that will benefit them both. What she doesn’t know is that this deal might change both of their fates.

Masterlist

A/N: I'm on a roll today ya'll. Lot of movie recap here sorry. I took some liberties with dialogue

Warnings: Swearing, fighting

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Y/N was woken violently as Thorin dragged her to her feet, the sounds of the dwarves panicked yelling all around her.

"What-"

"Goblins. Ready your weapons." Thorin all but threw her across the cave toward her pack, where she wasted no time in strapping it to her back and unsheathing her daggers. They were freshly sharpened in Rivendell and she found herself almost excited to see a bit of combat after feeling so useless the last few days. But none of them could have been prepared for the sheer mass of the throng of goblins that descended upon them.

It happened too quickly; before she could turn around, Y/N's senses were overloaded, her vision crowded with limbs, her ears with the high-pitched screeching, and her body with dozens of grimy hands all over her, forcing her down a pathway with her head down. She recognized a dwarf's boots in front of her and knew they must have all met the same fate. The screeching and clanging grew louder as they descended into the cave, echoing deafeningly off of the walls in a relentless ricochet of sound.

At length they were shoved forward onto a platform, their weapons wrung out of their hands onto the floor and arms held behind their backs. Finally, she was able to raise her head and look around her. The cave was enormous, its walls lined with row after row of crude scaffolding upon which thousands of goblins jumped and leered at them. In front of her, a massive goblin covered in mutated boils and rolls stood from his large throne, a lopsided spiky crown on his ugly. lumpy head.

He asked the company to explain who they were and why they were here, threatening them with torture when no explanation came. Then Thorin stepped forward, and the Goblin King regarded him with interest.

"Well, well. Thorin Oakenshield, the king under the mountain. Only, you don't have a mountain, so you aren't a king. I guess that means you're... nothing."

Around her the dwarves bristled at the insult, Y/N among them. She let out a low snarl that earned her a swift kick from one of the goblins holding her in place.

The Goblin King continued. "I know someone who would pay a pretty price for your head. Perhaps you know of whom I speak? A pale orc that rides a white warg?"

"Azog the Defiler is destroyed," Thorin growled, though his words lacked conviction. Of course, she remembered, the orc that earned Thorin the name of Oakenshield. The one who lost his arm to the future king. Y/N shuddered at the thought, having heard stories of the Pale One, larger and more fearsome than any of his kin. It seemed he was alive. And he was out for revenge.

At that moment, a huge crash sounded on the landing, the force of which knocked dwarves and goblins alike to the ground. Y/N lifted her head, squinting at a figure obscured by bright light that now stood in front of them, and her heart leapt out of her chest.

It was Gandalf.

"Take up arms!" the wizard cried, and at once the dwarves scrambled to their feet and plucked up whatever weapons they could find. Y/N, fastest of all of them thanks to her years of roguish practice, made sure to grab her prized daggers, sheathing them in favor of a large goblin pike, and rounded on her enemies. She had taken out several before they even had a chance to climb to their gnarled feet.

"Run!" She heard Gandalf shout over the uproar of battle as she swung the pike expertly around her, knocking five goblins off of the platform away from her. Next to her was Ori, the most inexperienced fighter, so she picked off a few of his attackers as well earning a beaming smile from him before they took off down the wooden footbridge after Gandalf.

Chaos ensued. The platforms seemed to shift and buckle beneath them with every step. She saw Bombur fall rear-first through several levels and scurry back up the other side, while Fili and Dori took on a massive throng of attackers on a taller platform to the right. At last, she caught sight of Thorin, who was singlehandedly defending the pathway Gandalf had started down. Y/N shoved Ori after Gandalf and hopped up to join the king. Between blows he shot her an agitated look.

"Follow Gandalf!" he commanded, but she rolled her eyes and stood back to back with him, brandishing the pike. Together, they drove back the goblins long enough for all of the party to pass over the next foot bridge, the pair ducking and swinging around each other as though they had fought together for many lifetimes and knew their fighting rhythms by heart.

"Much as I'm enjoying this, it's time to go!" She shot him a grin before taking off after the others, Thorin hot on her heels. She threw the pike at two goblins who were trying to swing over to them on ropes, skewering them both in the process, and leaped onto the next platform with a victorious whoop.

Somehow, the platform containing the dwarves separated from the other and swung through the air on a giant rope. Someone yelled "jump!" as it reached the next part of the path, and half of the dwarves made the leap. Still bringing up the rear, Y/N and Thorin turned as the pendulum swung back, bringing an onslaught of goblins leaping toward them. Trusty daggers in hand, Y/N helped Thorin throw the unwelcome stowaways off the platform until it swung back. She was yanking her dagger out of a goblin's chest when Thorin pulled her back with all his might, using their combined weight to throw them off the swinging bridge and onto the next platform. No time to catch their breath. Scrambling to their feet, they took off running again. The doorway was just ahead.

That was when the Goblin King descended and blocked them off. Gandalf overtook him easily with a slice to the throat, but the weight of his fall caused the entire platform to dislodge from the scaffolding. Y/N grabbed onto Thorin as they crouched down, trying to keep the platform level as it descended down the shaft of the cave. At last it reached the bottom, the legs beneath bracing the impact so the dwarves, Y/N and Gandalf simply spilled over the side a few feet onto the cave ground. They all lay silently for a moment, their breaths heaving from the exhausting escape, unable to believe they were still alive after such a chase.

Y/N rolled over onto her back, catching her breath, and turned her head to the left to look at Thorin. He was beginning to push himself to his feet.

"Are you alright?" she asked him as he grimaced slightly.

"Fine. You?"

"Fine." She sat up and checked her belt and back. Amazingly, she had even managed grab her pack during the escape, and both daggers lay at her side. When she had sheathed them, Thorin reached out a hand and pulled her to her feet. He looked annoyed.

"When I tell you to run, you run," he said crossly.

She rolled her eyes. "You're not my king, lest you forget. I don't have to listen to you. And besides," she wiggled her eyebrows at him, his face growing even more irritated, "wasn't that fun?"

"I certainly enjoyed it," Kili said behind her, plucking up his sword and replacing it at his hip. "Well done everyone!"

"Where is Bilbo?" Bombur's voice sobered them as they looked around.

"I don't... I don't think he was on the platform with us," Y/N said, wracking her brain to remember.

"Typical burglar," Thorin all but spat. "Must've snuck off to save himself."

The look Y/N shot the king was vicious enough that the other dwarves nearby shrank back. He stared back at her silently, not amending his words. After a moment, she turned on her heel and caught up with Gandalf to alert him that Bilbo was missing. Smitten as she might be with Thorin Oakenshield, she would not stand for his constant bullying of the hobbit. He could take his sweet Khuzdul words and shove them up his ass for all she cared if he was going to behave that way.

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As was often the case, Thorin Oakenshield was brooding. He brought up the rear of the company as they made their way toward the cave exit, Gandalf and Y/N leading at the front. It was the opposite of their usual positions. He found he did not like it, because when he could always see her, he could always think about how much she drove him absolutely mad.

He was angry that Azog was alive, and thanks to the Goblin King's warning, would be hunting him down, putting the entire party at risk. He was angry at Bilbo for abandoning them. Perhaps most of all, incredibly, he was furious that this woman, Y/N, was the most insolent, childish, and petulant fool he had ever had the displeasure of knowing. She did not obey orders, she did not run away from a losing battle, and she did not back down under even the icy stare of a king, making him look like a fool in front of his own subjects. She was monstrous. She was terrible. She was the most beautiful creature in all of Middle Earth, and Thorin was undoubtedly in love with her.

At last they reached the mouth of the cave, and he was nearly blinded by the light that shone through it. The group stepped through the cave's mouth and stopped under the cover of some trees a few meters off, taking a moment to catch their breaths and mend small wounds. Thorin found he could not sit even for a moment.

"We mustn't linger here," his tone was laced with agitation as he directed his words towards Gandalf, refusing to look at Y/N. He could tell she was still staring daggers at him. "Azog will be hunting us with a pack of orcs and wargs. It does not matter how far ahead we are, they will sniff us out and they will be faster. They will be upon us in no time."

"But what about Bilbo?" asked Ori sheepishly. "Shouldn't we wait an hour, in case..."

Thorin rounded on the dwarf who shrank back at the infuriated look in his eyes. He was about to unleash the foulest of curses against the stupid hobbit when the stupid hobbit himself emerged from the tree line, shocking everyone, especially Thorin.

"Erm, hello," Bilbo said nervously, wringing his hands as he stepped forward. "It seems I slipped through the cracks."

The dwarves erupted in a cheer and swarmed the hobbit happily, bombarding him with questions about what had occurred. Thorin watched Y/N catch Bilbo in a tight embrace. Over his head, she shot Thorin a sharp look. Watch your tongue, it said. I was right about him. The king turned away, bristling with irritation.

"Let's move!" He shouted crossly, and the others, picking up on his foul mood, hastily gathered their things and followed him as he led them on.

The moved quickly as the sun went down, fear crawling up the back of Thorin's neck. Destiny nipping at his heels. A howl sounded in the distance.

"What was that?" Y/N's voice rang out from behind him, sounding slightly panicked. She was nearer to him than she usually walked and sounded more fearful than he had ever heard her. He glanced at her over his shoulder. Her knuckles were white as they gripped her knives and her face was sickly pale.

"Most likely a warg," he answered, and she shuddered visibly.

"I hate wargs," she spat under her breath.

"Well well, would you look at that. She actually is afraid of something," Fili teased, ribbing her. She didn't crack a smile, only gripped her daggers harder as another howl rang out.

"They're getting closer," she whispered, finding Thorin's eyes. And then the orcs descended.

#thorin x reader #thorin x you #thorin x y/n #thorin x oc #thorin oakenshield #the hobbit fanfiction #reader insert fanfic #the hobbit: an unexpected journey #thorin fanfiction #A King's Bounty fic #spookyjuice #thorin fic #thorin fluff #thorin angst #thorin slow burn

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spookyjuicefiction · 3 years ago

Text

A King's Bounty, Pt. 4

Universe: The Hobbit/LOTR (films)

Pairing: Thorin Oakenshield x female!Reader

Masterlist

A/N: Finally know where I'm going with this one woo! Lots of fluff!!!

Warnings: Swearing, mentions of nudity but nothing crazy.

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For the next few hours, Y/N could not shake this morning's conversation with Thorin from her mind. It had been more casual than any they had shared before, perhaps even verging on flirtatious. She was sure she had seen him glancing down at her lips as if he might want to kiss her. Her head was reeling with the idea, stomach flipping at the thought of his lips pressed against hers--or worse, every dwarf in the camp seeing it happen. She shuddered imagining the relentless teasing she would certainly endure from Fili and Kili alone.

The terrain had become increasingly uneven as they reached the mountains, so the company was unusually quiet so as to keep their breaths. At length, they crested a large hill and paused at the top, wiping away the sticky, uncomfortable sweat one gets when the air is cold but your coat is too warm. Y/N's eyes snagged on Thorin as he swept his long hair over his shoulder and threw back his cloak, allowing his strong arms some fresh air. Blushing, she looked away before letting her mind wander any further about his good looks.

"Well, would ye look at that," said Oin with a whistle. Everyone looked at him curiously. "D'ye see that steam rising up through the trees there? I'd bet my best axe that there's a hot spring."

Excited chatter broke out amongst the company at this, and two scouts went down to see if Oin was right. They peeked back through the trees grinning broadly and waving the party toward them; it seemed everyone would be having a hot bath today.

Cutting through the trees, the party reached the edge of the spring which sloped gently down like a riverbed. The dwarves gleefully began dropping their packs and tossing off their boots and clothes to wade in, remarking cheerfully about the water's warm temperature. Y/N picked her way up the stream a bit towards a cluster of bushes and chose to undress in their relative privacy. She pulled her hair brush and a chunk of soap out of her pack and carried them into the stream with her, relaxing as the warm water lapped around her sore ankles and knees.

Sighing, she began lathering herself with the soap as she sunk her aching body into the steaming spring. It was such a lovely, relaxing moment in all the chaos of the trip, sunlight trickling through the swaying tree branches and the dwarves splashing merrily a few meters away. She dragged the brush through her hair as she watched the party all try to pull Bilbo into a game of some sort.

Her eyes found Thorin; he was sitting apart from the others, as usual, and looking on with an unreadable expression. Above the water line, she could see a finely muscled chest covered in a neat patch of dark curls. His arm muscles rippled as he stretched them out in the water and lifted his hands to comb through his own course hair. He frowned as his fingers snagged. With a breath, Y/N started towards him, careful to keep her breasts below the water as she moved through the water.

He turned toward her as she approached and dropped himself lower into the water as if he, too, was embarrassed by his nakedness. Wordlessly, she outstretched her hand, offering him the hair brush. He took it gently with a nod and again set to work on his long, brown locks. Y/N wondered if she should drift away from him and give him privacy, but she found it difficult to do so. There was something about his presence that drew one close, made people want to watch and listen to him. Though he was so often sullen and silent, the times where he did speak were moving and fascinating. So she lingered near him, watching as he worked the brush through his hair. The other dwarves' game had taken them further down the stream, and a soft quiet settled around Thorin and Y/N as the stream bubbled.

A frown crossed Thorin's face as he hit a particularly matted section on the back of his head that he could not reach well. Y/N did not stop to think the better of it before she took another step toward him and asked,

"May I?"

He regarded her carefully as though trying to determine whether she might complete her bounty after all, but eventually he handed her back the hair brush and turned around. Another step forward and she was right behind him. Cautiously, she caught his locks in her fingers and began working the brush through the knots and tangles that he could not reach in the back.

"Shit, sorry," she cursed as a particularly large knot yanked his head backwards and he grunted in surprise. Without thinking, she ran her fingers over the spot on his head where it had yanked to soothe it. She saw Thorin's shoulders relax at her touch and heard a small sigh, almost imperceptible over the babbling of the water around them.

"Gentle as a bounty hunter," he grumbled, but there was joking and warmth in his tone.

With the knots combed through, she drew the brush to the back of Thorin's head and stroked down gently so that the bristles lightly scratched his scalp, following them with her fingers. She smiled as he leaned into her touch with another sigh.

They sat like that for a few minutes, quietly soaking in the hot water while she brushed the king's hair. It occurred to her that this was one of the more intimate moments of her life and her cheeks flushed a little, remembering that they were both naked. Oddly, though, it did not feel uncomfortable. Perhaps they had both needed a small moment of quiet relief.

At last, Thorin let out a low chuckle and turned around.

"I nearly dozed off just now," he admitted. "I... thank you. That was lovely."

"Any time," Y/N tried to reply breezily, but her mouth had gone dry. The relaxed atmosphere was gone, replaced by an unnamed tension that crackled as their eyes met.

"You continue to surprise me," he murmured, more to himself than to her. Sighing once more, he took a step back and turned away. "I, err, shall look away while you get out. We ought to keep moving." With that, he started off towards the others. Y/N climbed out of the spring and shook herself dry, pulling her clothes back on in the cluster of bushes. Carefully, she packed the hair brush back in her pack, suspecting there may come a time when she might wish to use it again sometime soon.

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As it turned out, the afternoon in the hot springs was to be the last moment of relaxation for the company for some time. Thorin led his kin through more rough terrain until they were in the mountains in earnest, trekking dangerous paths laid thickly with ice and snow. He frowned to himself as he considered their situation: the dwarves were biologically conditioned for such weather with their natural warmth and insulation, but Y/N and the blasted Hobbit would surely catch frostbite after too much time in the snow. He needed to focus if they were going to make it out of this alive.

Thorin's temper grew irritable as they pressed on. He barely spoke to anyone and kept a relentless pace up the mountain. He could hear the others murmuring behind him about his demeanor but he paid it no mind. The truth was that for the first time on this journey, he felt truly afraid. Afraid that they might all keel over from starvation or exhaustion and die of frost bite in the snow. Afraid that someone would lose their footing and fall off of the cliffside. Afraid that the damn burglar would slow them all down too much. Very, very afraid that he might not feel Y/N's fingers through his hair again if she did not make it over the mountain.

And then it got worse. The party found themselves in the middle of a fight between a group of frost giants who were chucking balls of rock and ice at each other, shattering pieces of the mountains and creating avalanches. Thorin tried to tamp down his panic as he looked back at the bedraggled group shuffling behind him. The dwarves looked miserable, but Thorin's stomach sank at the sight of Y/N. Her blue lips were pursed with determination, but he could see that her entire body was wracked with shivers in spite of Kili and Fili pressing themselves against her from either side.

"We have to find shelter!" Someone yelled. "The human and the hobbit are not going to make it!"

"I'm f-f-f-f-f-fine!" Y/N spat back, taking a labored step forward. Thorin's heart twisted with an unfamiliar pain: admiration mixed with adoration mixed with abject terror.

"We cannot stop!" Thorin called back. "It is no safer!" The company lurched forward as another shower of frozen rock fell overhead, nearly burying them. They continued dodging for what seemed like forever as they pressed forward, pulling each other back from the cliff's edge. Thorin wondered if Y/N had any toes left. It made him sick to think about it.

"Here, in here!" Someone behind him called. He whipped around and saw a cave opening. Several of the dwarves were already shoving Bilbo and Y/N through it. Thorin took in a breath to yell at them for disrespecting his orders, but the curse died in his throat at the sight of Y/N's cheeks turning purple. Reluctantly, he followed in behind them.

The sudden silence was shocking. Thorin's ears still seemed to be stinging with the sound of the whipping wind, now only heard in the distance. The cave made him feel uneasy as he looked around, and he felt immensely frustrated that they could not press on. He shot a murderous look towards Bilbo as he went and sat in a corner. It was easy to be angry at the hobbit; easier, he realized, than being angry at himself for how much he cared for Y/N's well-being. As king, he should have thrown her to the snow so that their quest not be stunted by her weakness. But it seems it was his own weakness now that interfered.

The group had started a small fire and sat Y/N close to it, piling their coats on top of her. Thorin frowned. She was still shivering, her eyes glazed over as if she saw nothing at all. The king felt torn, wanting to go to her and tend to her himself, but fearful of his kin seeing his weakness for the girl. Instead, he allowed Fili and Kili to warm her and feed her and stroke her hair, trying to get her to blink and come back to reality. It hurt him to watch, so he turned away, his stomach a bundle of nerves.

At length, Y/N thawed out. Thorin's head snapped toward her when he heard her voice after an hour or so of sulking. It was quiet and strained as she thanked Bofur for a ration he handed her. She seemed to crack a joke toward his nephews because they chuckled and nudged her playfully. Thorin watched as she demanded that all of the dwarves take their cloaks back, insisting that she was fine and that they all needed to keep warm as well. Finally, everyone began settling down to sleep, but Y/N stayed seated by the fire. When all the other heads lay on the ground, she at last made eye contact with Thorin.

He watched her clear her throat as she rose and padded carefully over to him.

"May I join you?" she looked sheepish, her voice like a mouse's. Thorin realized he must still be wearing the murderous expression he had adopted all day.

"Of course," he replied gruffly, making room for her. As she was now no longer by the fire, he removed his cloak and wrapped it gingerly around her. She protested.

"Thorin, really, I'm alright-"

"Just wear it. Please." He sounded harsh and exhausted, even to his own ears. His body was stiff as a board as he settled back into his position.

With a steadying breath, she kept her head bowed as she said, "Thorin, I am very sorry to be slowing you down. You cannot imagine the guilt I feel knowing that without me and Bilbo, you all could have pressed forth tonight. I hope that I might make it up to you one day."

Thorin sighed, gritting his teeth. "There is no use fretting over it now. What's done is done."

Out of the corner of her eye, he saw her nod. She looked miserable. He even thought he saw her lip twitch as though she might cry. Oh, please do not cry. Thorin was enough of a nervous wreck without making the object of his affections weep in a freezing cave.

Cautiously, he leaned into her slightly, pressing the warmth of his arm into hers. He relaxed his posture as she returned the pressure. He slipped his hand under his cloak and found hers balled into a first. He caressed it gently, asking for permission to hold it. She uncurled her fingers and he wrapped the freezing digits into his large, warm palm. He could feel callouses on her fingers, but the skin on the back of her hand was more soft than he could have imagined. He traced it with his thumb as she laid her head on his shoulder.

As when she had brushed his hair, Thorin's heart fluttered. It felt almost silly to an old warrior like him. Never had he had the desire to pursue such pure and genuine affection, and yet he could not deny the warmth that bloomed in his chest around Y/N. It seemed that he'd been chasing her around the corners of his dreams since she had first withdrawn her hood at the Prancing Pony, he at once enamored by and fearful of the power she instantly held over his heart. It was a distraction to his mission at hand. And yet, he was not sure he could go on without her now that she was there.

"I am grateful you still have your fingers, mizimelûh. I thought perhaps you might have lost one," he murmured into her hair.

"You have not yet seen my toes. What does that mean?"

His voice was husky and low as he replied. "It means, 'jewel of all jewels'." He planted a soft kiss on the top of her head. "I would be happy to hold those as well should you fear them to fall off."

She chuckled, leaning further into him, wrapping her other hand around his elbow and hugging his arm to her. Thorin thought his heart might burst with the sweetness of it.

"I am no jewel, more like a rusted hunk of copper," she sighed. "Certainly not sitting next to you, the king of kings." She yawned as they settled back against the rock. He felt her grasp on him slacking as she began to doze off.

He leaned his lips to hear ear and whispered, "Well, you are very precious to me."

He looked down and saw her lips drawn up in a small smile. As sleep began to take hold, she breathed, "And you to me."

#thorin x reader #thorin x yn #thorin x oc #thorin x you #thorin oakenshield #thorin oakenshield x reader #the hobbit fanfiction #the hobbit imagine #lotr fanfiction #hobbit reader insert #A King's Bounty fic #spookyjuice

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