30

Talia gasped and shot up, trying to make sense of her surroundings as she came to consciousness. Some noise outside had woken her, something like a howl. She knew nothing of the sort could be good, especially if she had been disturbed in the middle of the night. She checked to make sure Thorin was still asleep beside her before swinging her legs over the armchair, dropping to the ground as noiselessly as she could.

The warrior crept around Beorn's living room, stepping over the dwarves. Her sound was muted with their snores as they slept, unaware of her action. She found she was grateful for that as she unsheathed her dagger, the noise of metal ringing through the air. Adjusting her fingers on the handle, she moved towards the window, where she thought the sound had come from.

What first met her eyes did not shock her. Beorn had remained in his bear form during the night and was now patrolling the house, which he surely did from time to time since he lived in these lands. However, now that he knew Talia was inside, he had remained closer than usual. She watched the moonlight illuminating his steps, following his footfalls carefully. Though he could not see her, Talia wanted to keep a close eye on him, just as much as he did her.

Still, the sound of Beorn's paws thudding on the ground was not what had woken her. Something else was out there, and she was certain she already knew what it was. When she stepped closer to the window, she saw it; sure enough, the Orc pack was surveying the house from the edge of the forest. Talia made out the Defiler easily despite the distance, for she had gained a sixth sense for that Orc. But she was surprised when he turned his back on the house, much to his chagrin. She had no doubt that it was because of Beorn's presence.

Talia lowered her dagger, beginning to turn back towards the armchair. But when a firm hand gripped her shoulder, she whirled around without hesitation, pressing the blade to her attacker's neck.

"It's only me." Thorin whispered, holding his hands up in defense. Sighing in relief, she pulled the blade back, letting her arm fall to her side. "Is everything alright?"

She only gave him a worn look, walking past him and to the armchair. "I'm sorry, it's just... Ever since I saw him, I've been on my guard."

"As have I." Thorin followed her, gripping her arm to stop her. He knew Talia, and he knew she would try to brush her own stresses like they didn't matter. She turned around, shocked at the action. "I won't let him hurt you, Talia."

But she could only offer a half-hearted smile. She was touched by his sentiment, but worried about it's depth. "Don't make promises you can't keep."

Talia turned to leave, but Thorin only pulled her back. "Talia, I meant it."

"I know you did, and that's what scares me. Don't put my wellbeing before yours, ever. I may be the Queen, but you are of the line of Durin. If you die—"

"So what if I die?" He snapped. He couldn't stand to hear her talk like this, like she didn't matter. "I am doing this for my people, not for my bloodline."

"That bloodline is the foundation of this quest, Thorin. If it ends, the quest fails."

"What happened to fighting alongside one another? What happened to giving ourselves to each other, entirely and undyingly? I would go to the end of the earth for you, Talia. What changed?"

"Azog did." She said simply. "I meant our vows the day we gave them, I truly did. But ever since the Defiler got to us, I've realized that I cannot allow you to remain true to them while you are the King. He threw more at us than I ever thought capable, Thorin. He is outdoors literally waiting for us to leave so he can kill us. So he can kill you."

Thorin watched her carefully. His eyes followed her hands as she intertwined them with his.

"Will you promise me something?" Talia whispered, willing her voice not to break.

Thorin nodded, seeing her emotion. She clearly had strong feelings that she had been harboring, probably ever since they first faced off with the Pale Orc.

"Promise me..." She inhaled, rubbing her thumbs over the back of his hands. "Promise me that if he gets me, if there is ever the choice of me or you... that you won't choose me."

"Talia—"

"Thorin, I learned much while I was in captivity. There is an evil growing in Middle Earth as it lurks in the shadows, something that is beyond our capacity to fight. However, it does involve us somehow, for Azog is a part of that evil and works with the darkness. It is not just his wish to eradicate the line of Durin; it is his task. I know that if we fail in reclaiming our homeland, that darkness will have a stronger chance of coming to pass." She looked into his eyes, begging silently. "I cannot let that happen. Promise me that if I must die for the success of the quest, you'll let me."

He tilted his head, his heart heavy. "Talia. I lost you once already—"

"Then you can do it again." She said, gripping his hands tightly and bringing them to her heart. He could feel her shaking underneath, the sobs quivering in her chest. "Promise me. Please."

Thorin shifted his weight, looking around as if their surroundings would give him the answer. Then, he exhaled deeply and brought his forehead to hers, closing his eyes. "Okay."

She nodded against him, bringing her hands to his cheeks and kissing him softly. "Thank you."

Although she was relieved, he couldn't reciprocate that feeling. All he could do was take her hand gently, his features still grave. "Come. It's late."

...

"I thought you weren't much of an early riser."

Talia smiled as she pushed herself off the front door, walking away from the protection of the gate and towards the figure. "Well, I thought you could use a hand."

She approached Beorn, her grin widening at the sight before her. It was the next morning, and as promised, she had woken up at sunrise to both reunite and negotiate with her friend. His back was to her, but she could see that he had been splitting wood, for a humungous axe dangled at his side. Only upon hearing her footfalls on the grass did Beorn turn to her, a soft smile on his features. Though the way he towered over her would've been intimidating to most, she knew of his warm character, and was eager to see it again.

"Like you could wield such a thing." He chuckled and tossed the axe aside, crouching down to embrace his friend. Talia hugged him tightly, closing her eyes in relief. "How have you been, my friend?"

"Well. Very, very well." She laughed, releasing him. She turned to sit on the tree stump he had been using for his labor, struggling to push the large logs aside. Beorn helped her with one, brushing it aside as if it weighed nothing.

"I've missed you, Rue."

She smiled at the old name before gesturing to the wood. "As have I. Although, I have not missed the reminder of how much your strength surpasses mine."

"We are both strong in our own ways." Beorn added gently.

Looking back to the house, she surveyed the whinnying of the horses and the flourishment of the fauna behind the gate. Before she had met her friend, she would've thought nothing of the place. She had been raised a dwarf, born from stone and intended to be buried within it. But Beorn had taught her a new respect, one for all life around her, and so she smiled at the natural beauty of his home.

"I see you've made this place your own."

"It has occupied my time since I last saw you." Beorn replied, following her gaze. "Radagast bestowed some animals upon me in the first month, helped me get it started. My home has become a refuge for all creatures in need, wherever their origin may be."

"I take it his residency in the Mirkwood has not been without purpose."

"Indeed. We both saw it; that forest is sick from Dol Guldur." He hated the sound of the word rolling off his tongue. "They grow stronger every day."

"Coming back to the source has not been easy." Talia admitted, nodding to herself as Beorn spared a glance at her. "But necessity always surpasses ease in Middle Earth."

"So the quest is dire."

"It was bound to be if Gandalf the Grey was arranging it, wasn't it?"

Beorn chuckled, his deep voice echoing beside her. Hearing it was always infrequent in occasion, especially considering the grounds on which they met. Still, Talia enjoyed the sound. But she knew what he was dying to ask her, and she knew that the lighthearted nature of their reunion would be short-lived.

"Did it work? Do you remember, Rue?"

Talia looked up at her friend, nodding with a smile. Beorn grinned, seeing the happy tears in her eyes. "Yes. Every single moment."

She recounted everything to her eldest friend before the dwarves woke; at least, the things that mattered. She told him of her life before Azog and described the beauty of her homeland. He laughed when she mentioned her family, since that family was the rowdy bunch she was travelling with. He grew somber alongside her when she remembered the dragonfire that nearly destroyed her, and mourned with her when she recounted the battle in which she had lost her freedom. Then, he understood why she was chosen to be on this quest, for the prelude of her past offered enough explanation. If she was devoted to Thorin, if she was Queen Under the Mountain, then she had no choice. She had to do this.

"Anything you need, Rue. You know that."

She nodded gratefully, thanking him. But she could sense that there was something more he was itching to say, something that he wasn't sure she'd like.

"Nonetheless, you remember my... opinion of dwarves."

"Yes."

"If you say they are good people, then I trust you. But I want to make sure that they care about you as much as you care for them." Beorn said, causing Talia to look at him. "I must know that their loyalty to you runs as deep as mine does. You are all I have left."

"I understand." Talia nodded, gripping his hand. "How can they prove this?"

"If they ask for my help themselves, then I shall grant it." The Skin-Changer began, standing and looking down at Talia. "But if they have relied on you solely to barter for supplies, then they are not worthy of them. You put out enough fires in Middle Earth, Talia, and have had your fair share of captivity. I will not allow them to subject you into servitude, too."

She opened her mouth to protest, but Beorn silenced her with a look. He knew that she would die for those she loved, and that quality was dangerous when one loved so many people. Danger was the last thing he wanted for Talia, and though he could not stop her from chasing it, he could help her somewhere along the way. Like he said, she was the only thing he had left; he refused to let go of her so soon.

"Damn the stubbornness of the Bear-Man."

"It is only akin to yours."

The pair laughed lightly at the retort as Beorn offered her his hand, bending low to help her stand from the tree stump. "Are you hungry?"

...

Only a short while later, the Company was up and about, packing up their bedrolls and readying themselves for the day. In the meantime, Beorn and Talia milled about his kitchen, preparing breakfast for the Company. Talia thanked him profusely for his kindness, but he only waved her off. When she did it again, he told her that his air of courtesy would soon dissipate if she didn't shut up. She rolled her eyes, but still acquiesced his request, taking to serving the Company as they gathered around Beorn's table. Once breakfast was all in order, Talia took her seat beside Dwalin and Bilbo, allowing Beorn to pour her milk from his massive pitcher.

"So you are the one they call Oakenshield. Tell me, why is Azog the Defiler hunting you?" Beorn asked as he filled the pint that was three times too large for Fili, eyeing Thorin.

Before Talia could reply, he shot her a look, telling her to remain quiet like he'd asked. Though the Skin-Changer already knew the answer, the dwarves had to prove they were good of heart in order to gain his favor, as he had told her. Talia had done so already; it was not her answer he wanted.

But Thorin was no fool. Talia had surely told Beorn of their quest, and he knew that the Skin-Changer was testing him. However, if Talia had trusted Beorn with such information, then he was one to be trusted. He would tell Beorn what he wanted to hear, for it was clear to Thorin that he was a man on the side of good in Middle Earth.

However, his host still intrigued him. Talia had told him all he needed to know about Beorn, but what he wanted to know was different than what he needed. As Talia had left it, Beorn's story was still incomplete to Thorin. He wanted his own confession from the Skin-Changer, one relating to his past, if the Skin-Changer wanted a confession of their present business.

It seemed like a fair trade to Talia, for it was a mutual fulfillment of curiosities. Thorin would tell Beorn of their quest if Beorn was worthy of it, and Beorn would tell Thorin of his past if Thorin was worthy of it. In doing so, the two would surely gain each other's trust regarding Talia's safety, and their differences would be resolved. Once again, Talia had proven herself to be a vital connection between two individuals, ones that would fight on the same side in the end.

Although she knew they were of good nature, she still shook her head at the politics at hand. She exchanged a look with Gandalf before returning to the conversation, who had come to a similar realization regarding the unspoken trade.

"You know of Azog? How?"

"My people were the first to live in the mountains before the Orcs came down from the north." Beorn began, setting the exchange in motion. "The Defiler killed most of my family, but some he enslaved. Not for work, you understand, but for sport. Caging Skin-Changers and torturing them seemed to amuse him."

Bilbo saw the sadness in Talia's features as he recounted the tale she knew so well. Still, he was much more inexperienced than she in the workings of the world, and naturally he had his questions. "There are others like you?"

"Once there were many."

"And now?"

"Now there is only one." Beorn replied, refilling Talia's pint once more with milk. It was then that the dwarves suddenly became conscious of the scars on his wrists, carved from the shackles that once bound him. Talia could remember unlocking them like it was yesterday.

"You need to reach the mountain before the last days of autumn." Beorn observed, sitting down in his armchair and staring at Gandalf.

"Before Durin's Day falls, yes."

"You are running out of time."

"Which is why we must go through Mirkwood."

Their host's face became grim upon hearing the name of the forest. Talia turned back to her friend after seeing her husband start to pace, looking upon Beorn imploringly. "A darkness lies upon that forest... fell things creep beneath those trees. There is an alliance between the Orcs of Moria and the Necromancer in Dol Guldur." Beorn spoke more to the Company than Gandalf and Talia, for he knew they were aware of the danger within Mirkwood. "I would not venture there, except in great need."

"This is great need, Beorn." Talia interjected, standing from her seat and hopping down to approach him. "We both met that darkness, my friend, and have known it for many years. But as we discussed, the necessity to protect the good in Middle Earth surpasses the ease of avoiding it. You know what will happen if we do not succeed."

"I do." Beorn agreed, nodding to his friend. "Your intentions are pure. Nevertheless, the  likelihood of your success is debatable, should you chose to venture into that forest."

"We will take the Elven Road." Gandalf declared before Talia could open her mouth to argue. "Their path is still safe."

"Safe? The Wood Elves of Mirkwood are not like their kin. They're less wise and more dangerous." Their host challenged. Then, he fell deep into thought, considering the logistics of their quest. "But it matters not."

Thorin turned his head back to the Skin-Changer at this, ceasing his pacing. "What do you mean?"

Talia could only sigh, now understanding Beorn's vagueness. "These lands are crawling with Orcs. Their numbers are growing, and you are on foot. You will never reach the forest alive."

Beorn stood, beginning to walk slowly towards Thorin. Talia watched her friend pass her, turning to eye their encounter with caution. "I don't like dwarves." He began, just as Dwalin pushed a small mouse off his arm and sent it scurrying across the table. "They're greedy, and blind," Beorn picked it up gently, tilting his head at it's incessant squeaking. "Blind to the lives of those they deem lesser than their own."

He considered the mouse momentarily. The dwarves awaited his response, wondering what he would do to them after he dealt with the creature. But much to their surprise, Beorn knelt down and let the mouse go, watching it race across the floor and disappear into the hay. He rose again, surveying Thorin carefully.

"But Orcs I hate more. What do you need?"

...

Mere minutes later, the Company was mounting the horses that Beorn had loaned them, readying their possessions and weapons for travel. Talia rode close to her friend once she was settled, halting her steed alongside Thorin's as he spoke to her husband.

"Go now, while you have the light. Your hunters are not far behind."

Thorin nodded his thanks, leading his horse away to allow Talia her moment with Beorn. Smiling softly, she looked at her friend. She had so much she wanted to say to him, yet the words would not come. But she knew it didn't matter; the understanding in his eyes showed he already knew what she felt.

"So long, Rue." He smiled softly, petting her horse and placing a hand over hers. It was big enough to rip it off, but she found the action comforting nonetheless. "Whether you get yourself killed or not, you are always welcome in my home."

"Such faith you have in me." She teased, squeezing the finger of the gentle giant. "When this is all over, I shall see you again. And I will have a home that you will be welcome in, too."

"I should hope so." Beorn swung his gaze towards the dwarf king, who was rolling his eyes at something Fili and Kili had said. "But you have home in other things, too. Sometimes, it's more than a place."

"I know." She smiled at Thorin. "Beorn," The Skin-Changer looked to her, "You are just as much my home as he is."

Beorn smiled at her sentiment, his heart warm. Still, he was no fool. "Well, a little less so."

Although they both know the truth in his statement, Talia would never admit it. Once, Beorn had been her only home, and for that, he would always hold a special place in her heart. "No, Beorn. Never."

The Skin-Changer appreciated her little white lie. It made it a little easier to bid her farewell and let her go with the dwarves. "Goodbye, Talia Rue."

She grinned to herself, looking down momentarily before meeting Beorn's eyes again. It was the first time he had used her full name. "Goodbye, Bear-Man."

He watched as she rode off with the Company, making haste to the forest across the plains. There was no sign of their enemy yet, but he still decided to shift anyway, roaring as he roamed the area in his bear form. Beorn would not turn away until Talia disappeared into that forest, the one that he despised beyond grief, beyond any measure of pain and suffering. The one that had taken everything from him.

He only wished he could see her emerge from the other side, for he would be damned if he let it take her too.