The author of this FanFiction owns no storylines or characters that belong to the original creator of The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings.
Hi! Hello! Look! Another The Hobbit FanFiction! Holy shit!
Uh, I guess I should begin by saying that I started writing this a while ago, and I stopped writing it a while ago, and then I remembered that I had it, and I was like, well, might as well post a few chapters, see what happens.
So, yeah! Here it is!
In case you don't know, uh, there was a series, sort of, a while back, about my The Hobbit OC, Cheyanne, who was written out of the original The Hobbit story, and then reintroduce to it through her dreams... it's a pretty complex story line, so if you're interested, I would go check out my other two stories, Maybe I Won't Go Back Again, and Memories Apart From Reality.
This story is the third and final installation to that series, featuring around Cheyanne's daughter, and is appropriately named Melody of a New Song, for reasons that will become clear if you read on.
Uh... yeah, that's all I have to say for this starter's Author's Note. I'll catch you at the end of this first chapter.
The King Under the Mountain knew the day was going to be either a great, or a horrible one. He'd been through both, and the feeling he had in the pit of his stomach was the one he had on both great days, and horrible days.
Still, he also knew that he needed to head into it with a brave face, despite the feeling. It was meant to be a celebration. There was no use worrying about it, when he could focus his energy into being overjoyed instead.
After all, it was hard to be overly worried when he remembered the day would be celebrating his child, and heir to his throne.
He finished putting on his cloak, securing the fastening on the front of it, and then checked his appearance in the looking glass over the dark oak dressing table in the main bedchamber of the royal apartment. He looked regal enough, he supposed. The focus wasn't meant to be on him, anyhow.
He exited the bedchamber and crossed the parlor of the apartment to the newest addition to the section of rooms high within Erebor. The door to the new bedchamber was partially open already, and Thorin paused with his hand outstretched towards it, listening to the humming that was coming from within.
He smiled to himself, and gently nudged the door open wider, poking his head into the room first.
Cheyanne, his Queen Under the Mountain, was holding the subject of today's celebration in her arms, humming as she twirled the baby around in front of the only openable window in Erebor, which it happened to be. A wave of sunlight washed over the entire room, and a light breeze lifted Cheyanne's skirts and the blankets on the baby's cradle.
The room itself, which had been designed for the purpose of raising a babe, was decorated in light hues of blue and pale purple, and the handcrafted cradle rocked back and forth on its mahogany legs as Cheyanne bumped into it on accident.
Thorin barely noticed most of this, as he was focused on his Queen, and her humming, which had progressed into soft lyrics instead.
"You are my world, my darling
What a wonderful world I see
You are the song I'm singing
You're my beautiful melody."
Thorin stepped fully into the room as Cheyanne paused in front of the open window and gazed outside, most likely studying the plains beneath the Lonely Mountain. Her shoulders rose and fell, and she glanced over her shoulder in his direction. She smiled warmly when she saw him, and turned to face him.
"Ibinê, we'd better be going," he said, walking over to where she was.
Cheyanne turned her gaze back to the baby in her arms. The princess was swathed in a beautiful purple dress that suited her small form and went well with the dark cloud of hair she had on her head. She let out a baby-laugh when she saw her father, and Thorin grinned to himself.
"Isn't she the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?" Cheyanne asked him.
"One of them," Thorin responded, using one gentle finger to push a strand of hair out of the baby's eyes.
Cheyanne offered him a look, and Thorin smiled. "We have to go," he said again.
There was a knock on the door, and then Dwalin was poking his head through, and smiling at them. "Everyone is waiting," he informed the King and Queen, and then backed out of the room again.
Thorin and Cheyanne exchanged another glance, and then headed for the door of the nursery.
Bilbo was waiting outside of the royal apartment, and he clapped his hands together when Thorin and Cheyanne finally emerged, Cheyanne holding the baby in her arms. He moved forward to look at the baby, his unofficial niece, and she reached up to try and tangle a hand in his curls.
Bilbo backed away just in time, having seen it coming. Cheyanne laughed at him, and he rolled his eyes before turning and heading down the hallway at a much swifter speed than the other three.
Dwalin exchanged a look with Thorin, who merely patted him on the shoulder and then led the way down the hall after the Hobbit. Bilbo was passing Fili from where he stood on the stairs, gazing at the floor.
"Relax, Bilbo, please," he advised the Hobbit, glancing up as Bilbo raced past, before going after him.
They joined Kili, who was lounging in the throne, but he quickly stood up when he spotted Thorin and Cheyanne on the staircase. He shouted down towards the waiting group of Dwarves: "Their Majesties are coming!"
Balin, who was standing at the foot of the stairs, nodded and turned to the royal band. "Trumpeters ready; drummers, start drumming," he ordered with a clap of his hands.
Immediately, they began the fanfare that announced Thorin and Cheyanne's arrival, and Cheyanne exhaled, smiling. She glanced at Thorin, who smiled softly, and then she looked down at the babe, who was cooing happily.
A few Dwarves who spotted Thorin and Cheyanne first began to murmur excitedly to one another.
"Out at the Earth we look -"
"- we're from a book!"
"A meeting to bless our princess -"
"- she's apart of it and reality."
Meanwhile, on the Earth that everyone was very excited about seeing, Jon Davenport was quickly cleaning up the back room of Dreamer's, where the portal would be opened. He didn't want Gandalf scolding him for not taking care of the shop, and he was busy humming to himself as he glanced towards the wall that would be revealing Middle-earth over and over again.
He turned to the wall again after setting down a heavy book on a nearby desk, his grin growing as faint sounds began to drift through it.
What he could hear was the sounds of excited Dwarves, who were still talking about what could possibly be waiting on the other side of the portal, and what it would mean for them and their princess.
"There's never been, not ever before, a child born of tales and more!" one said to a companion, who nodded excitedly back.
The Dwarves were parting down the middle now, to allow Cheyanne and Thorin to get through. Gandalf waited for them at the edge of the crowd, and Dwalin stepped off to the side to keep an eye on the Dwarves, make sure they kept their hands to themselves.
Gandalf smiled at Cheyanne and Thorin as they reached him, and gestured towards the blank wall they would be using as the portal. Cheyanne nodded to him, and Gandalf gestured towards the babe in her arms with his staff. Almost at once, the wall seemed to slid open, and revealed a familiar sight: the back room of Dreamer's.
Jon was there, and he grinned when he saw the portal open, then waved at everyone. The Dwarves all cheered happily, and Cheyanne gestured towards the portal, which the babe had her big blue eyes fixed on.
"This is your world, my darling.
Fact and fiction, as one in you
My hope for you for always
Is your heart know that both are true."
The baby laughed and reached for the portal. Cheyanne smiled, and brought her closer to her face, nuzzling into her soft black hair.
She then glanced at Gandalf, who was beaming rather proudly. The wizard took a step back so that Cheyanne could move closer to the portal, which was what she did.
Jon did the same, still grinning, and Cheyanne held out the small bundle in her arms through the portal and towards him. Jon blinked and gazed down at the dark-haired baby, who smiled and cooed at him, blinking her big blue eyes.
Jon's grin merely grew. He reached out a hand towards the baby, who immediately gripped his finger in her tiny fist, babbling baby talk and smiling a baby smile.
"Hey, baby Melody," he said, his voice low. He glanced at Cheyanne, and then at Thorin. "How do you say it, really?"
"Kamathi," Thorin responded, gazing down at his daughter with a loving look on his face. "Literally, 'element of the song'."
"There wasn't a word for 'melody' itself," Cheyanne explained. "We thought Kamathi was the next best thing."
"I'm just gonna call her Kam," Jon said after a moment, and Cheyanne laughed.
Gandalf poked his head around the edge of the portal, and Jon raised an eyebrow at him.
"Yes?"
"Just seeing how well you're caring for Dreamer's," Gandalf replied, eyeing the back room for a moment. "It seems clean enough."
"You don't get to be critical when you're not Gary," Jon informed him. Gandalf chuckled and disappeared again. Jon's attention returned to the tiny princess in Cheyanne's grasp.
"She's perfect."
"Isn't she?" Thorin queried, his words practically a hum.
"Oh! I brought her something," Jon said, reaching into his pocket. "Listen, Kam, you're a part of two worlds, so I figured that if you couldn't live in one, you could at least have something that reminds you it's real." He pulled his hand out of his pocket again and held it out towards the baby.
Resting on his palm was a minuscule version of The Hobbit, dangling from a chain.
Cheyanne gazed at it, and then up at Jon, who gave her a half-smile and handed the necklace to Kamathi.
The young princess took it with eager hands, and... proceeded to start teething on the charm.
Cheyanne smiled, and Jon slid both hands into his pockets. "I'll assume that means she likes it," he determined, feeling rather airy.
Before anyone could say something more, Gandalf grunted and staggered a bit from where he stood off to the side of the portal.
Cheyanne looked at him in concern. "Gandalf? What's the matter?"
Gandalf glanced up, ready to respond, but Jon did it for him by letting out a yelp and jumping away from the portal opening.
Cheyanne withdrew Kamathi and backed away as a cloud of black appeared just beyond the portal itself. The cloud evaporated slowly, and Thorin scowled when a figure emerged from it, shrouded in black clothing. Gasps arose from the crowd as the Dwarves caught sight of the newcomer.
Before Cheyanne could react, a tendril of the remaining smoke darted out, wrapped itself around Kamathi, and drew the baby away from her.
"Kamathi!" Cheyanne exclaimed, grabbing for her as the tendril whisked the baby away through the portal to the figure that had appeared from the cloud, who was cackling in pleasure.
It was a man, and he had a head full of dark hair that matched the cloud he'd just come out of. His amber eyes were cold despite his laughter, and he looked out at everyone with an almost… well, dragon-like gaze, which was something most of them knew all too well.
"Who is that?" Bilbo asked, glancing around at the Dwarves who surrounded him. They were cowering away from the portal, and, most likely, the dark figure on the other side.
"One of the worst to have ever walked the face of Middle-earth," Balin murmured, watching the figure stride away from the portal, holding Kamathi in his smoky grip.
Gandalf had regained himself, and he straightened up to a standing position.
"Vicuthar," he growled, and set his staff down against the floor with a crack. "Surrender the baby or I'll -"
"Ah, ah, ah." The figure, Vicuthar, grinned at Gandalf and raised the baby upwards. He pressed a kiss against her cheek, and beamed at the group on the opposite side of the portal. "I'm so pleased that I could be here to see this," he said, raising his arms above his head. "It's been an age since a portal this strong was reopened back to my home. Now... I wonder why that is..."
He pondered it for a moment, and then scowled. "Oh, yes, now I remember..." He flew back to the portal and leaned through it, glaring at Gandalf. "You and the other wizards banished me!" Vicuthar pressed a hand against his forehead. "One minute you're on top, the next you're tossed out." A second tendril of smoke snaked out from his cloud and wrapped itself around one of the Dwarves' wrists. "Now, is that fair, Dwarf, I ask you."
The Dwarf shivered and yanked his wrist away, and Vicuthar retreated back beyond the portal. "Then again... who ever said we had to play fair?"
He snickered to himself, and then raised a hand over the floor of Dreamer's. Almost at once, a black opening appeared there, swirling and unyielding. Cheyanne watched in horror as Vicuthar lifted Kamathi up and over it, and she reached out a hand.
"Now, hand over the staff, Gandalf, or this little babe is another soul for the Dark Ones," Vicuthar warned, dangling Kamathi over the dark portal he'd created.
"You can have anything you want," Gandalf said slowly. "Just... don't harm the child."
"Anything I want?" Vicuthar smiled to himself and raised Kamathi a bit higher, away from the portal. "Interesting. Gandalf's staff, then I return to Middle-earth, and, eventually, gain all the powers of the universe!" He chuckled. "And it's not even ten o'clock. Not a bad morning."
Cheyanne glanced around, and noticed Jon standing back a few paces from the dark figure on his side of the portal, watching Kamathi with a worried expression. Cheyanne managed to catch his eye, and she gestured for him to get out of the way.
Jon nodded in understanding, and dove behind the desk. As soon as Jon was clear, Cheyanne reached over, grabbed Dwalin's axe from his hands, and threw it at Vicuthar.
The axe propelled through the air, and the banished wizard gasped and swerved out of the way. His quick movement caused his smoke to jerk, and a Kamathi went flying out of his grip. The axe let out a dull thunk as it embedded itself in the front of the desk.
Thorin had leapt forward and held out his arms as the princess sailed through the air, giggling all the while. She made it successfully back through the portal, and landed safely in her father's arms.
Thorin rose to his feet and turned to Cheyanne, who hurried forward to take their daughter. "Kamathi," she breathed in relief, hugging the princess close to her chest.
Vicuthar had regained his senses, and was glaring at the axe. Jon rose up from behind the desk and started to scramble for it. Vicuthar let out a snort of disgust, and turned back to Gandalf.
"This is not over, Gandalf," he warned. "I will find you, and your precious Princess Under the Mountain."
Before Gandalf could react, Vicuthar disappeared into his black mist. When it was gone, Jon finally managed to pull the axe from the desk, and Gandalf released a breath.
"Who was that?" Bilbo asked again, and the wizard glanced over at him before looking around at everyone.
"That was Vicuthar the Black," he said slowly. "An evil wizard who was vanquished from Middle-earth many a decade ago for his evil doings."
"And... you banished him to Earth?" Jon demanded, approaching the portal. Dwalin snatched his axe from him, and Jon backed away a bit, but remained glaring at the wizard.
"It was the one place we believed his power would be diminished enough that he would not be able to find his way back," Gandalf explained. "Now, however..." He gave Cheyanne a careful look. "Now that there is a palpable bond between Middle-earth and Earth... there is no telling what he could do."
Cheyanne glanced down at Kamathi, who was once again teething on the book charm that Jon had given her.
The queen closed her eyes for a moment, and let out a breath. "What does this mean, then?" she asked Gandalf, glancing sideways at him.
"It means that, as long as Kamathi knows of what she is, she will be able to open portals freely between her two worlds," Gandalf responded.
"And those portals could in turn allow Vicuthar access back into Middle-earth," Balin guessed.
Gandalf nodded. "If he were able to harness Kamathi's power, he would be able to return."
Cheyanne glanced up from Kamathi and met Thorin's gaze. He was watching her already, and they shared a look.
Cheyanne sighed, and glanced back down at their daughter. "Then we must keep Kamathi away from him," she said softly. "Until... until Vicuthar is dealt with, Kamathi cannot know about Earth." She closed her eyes again. "We will not tell her."
"But... Cheyanne..." Jon started, and Cheyanne opened her eyes to look at him.
"I'm sorry," she said, "but this is much too dangerous. Kamathi cannot know about Earth, or The Hobbit..." She reached down and pulled the necklace off of the princess, and handed it to Jon, across the portal. "... or even you, Jon."
Jon took the necklace and glanced down at it, sighing. "All right, Chey," he murmured. "You're right."
Gandalf glanced between Cheyanne and Jon, and then he approached the portal himself. "Jon, you must watch out for Vicuthar," he said quietly.
"Me?" Jon asked, paling. "Ugh..." He swallowed thickly and looked down at the necklace, before he grunted and tossed it down on the desk.
He and Cheyanne shared one final glance before Cheyanne cradled Kamathi to her shoulder and turned away from the portal, heading away from it towards the throne hall. Thorin went with her, a hand on the small of her back.
Kamathi peered over her mother's shoulder and gazed at Jon as she was carried away. Jon raised a hand to the baby in farewell. When Kamathi moved far enough away, the portal closed, leaving Jon alone in the back room of Dreamer's, sighing to himself. He glanced at the abandoned necklace, and then shook his head to himself and stalked out of the room with a frustrated snort.
In Erebor, the Dwarves began to drift away, murmuring to themselves, and Gandalf glanced downwards at his staff, frowning.
"Gandalf." He looked up at Bilbo's inquiring voice, and found the Hobbit gazing up at him. "Can you get rid of Vicuthar?"
"I can certainly try," Gandalf replied, carefully, "but in order to 'get rid of him', I must have the permission of the other wizards."
Bilbo sighed to himself and glanced down at the floor. "I'll bet that won't be so easy, will it?" he asked, and Gandalf shook his head.
"Not very, no," he agreed. "But... we all had a feeling that the Black wizard would reappear, one day." He glanced towards the stairs that led up to the throne hall, and frowned to himself. "I had hoped that it wouldn't be today."
Bilbo watched as Gandalf hit the floor with his staff, and then he reached through the small portal that appeared and pulled something through it.
"Gandalf?"
The wizard lifted the discarded necklace that Jon had given to Kamathi and gestured towards it with his staff. The small book charm glowed brightly in response, and then Gandalf pocketed it.
"What did you do?" Bilbo asked him.
"Nothing important," Gandalf answered vacantly, closing the portal again. "Do not fret, Bilbo."
The Hobbit frowned to himself, but did not question Gandalf further. Instead, he turned, sliding his hands into his pockets, and retreated up the stairs to the throne room.
"I didn't even know Vicuthar was a thing!" he heard Cheyanne exclaim as he neared the top.
"Calm down," Thorin urged gently. "We will keep Kamathi safe from him, I promise."
"How can we, Thorin?" Cheyanne demanded. "We have no say in whether or not Kamathi will be able to open these portals. What if she learns how to do it, even without knowing about Earth?"
Bilbo reached the top of the stairs and found Cheyanne pacing in front of the dais, shaking her head to herself. "Why does everything happen to us?" she asked.
Thorin reached out and circled his arms around her. Cheyanne allowed herself to be pulled into his grasp, and she let out a breath.
"I didn't want to keep her from her other half," she murmured. "It isn't right."
"It is safer, however," Thorin responded. "And, one day, you'll be able to tell her all about it. For right now, however, we must keep it hidden from her."
Cheyanne sighed to herself. She watched Bilbo step forward and pick Kamathi up from where she was on the floor, crawling around after one of the many enchanted toys Gandalf and Bofur had created for her. She giggled when Bilbo nestled his nose into her hair, and Bilbo smiled to himself at the sound.
He looked up and met Cheyanne's gaze. "Don't worry," he said. "Gandalf is going to talk with the other wizards and see what they can do about Vicuthar," he told her. "Kamathi won't have to be hidden from her other half for long."
Cheyanne stepped forward and took her daughter from Bilbo's arms. "We'll see, Bilbo," she murmured, and then she turned and carried Kamathi away up the stairs to the royal apartment.
Bilbo and Thorin watched her go, and then Bilbo glanced at Thorin. The king was still studying the stairs that his wife had disappeared up, and his shoulders raised and lowered before he looked at Bilbo.
"You aren't resentful, are you?" Bilbo asked. "About... all this?"
"What is there to be resentful about, Master Baggins?" Thorin queried. "I love my wife, and I love my daughter."
Bilbo let out a breath. "Do you resent the fact that... they aren't... normal?"
Thorin actually smiled. "I believe that Cheyanne may be more normal than you or I, or anyone else," he told Bilbo. "Kamathi, however..." He exhaled. "It is who she is, and I will love her no matter what may come because of it." The king glanced at Bilbo. "I have no doubt that Gandalf will make short work of this Vicuthar business, and everything will be fine."
Bilbo wished he could share Thorin's hopefulness, but he had a sinking suspicion that things would be much more difficult than they planned. As was the case for most of the things they were involved in, and especially when Gandalf was in charge of creating them
Upstairs, in the royal apartment, Cheyanne cradled Kamathi close to her chest as she carried the baby into the nursery. Kamathi reached up and tugged on a strand of Cheyanne's hair as she walked over to the open window and gazed out it again, exhaling.
She then glanced down at Kamathi, and couldn't help but smile to herself. Her daughter was blinking up at her, and the baby smiled when she saw her mother do so.
Cheyanne set her down in the cradle, and let her hand linger within it for a moment. Kamathi grabbed onto it with tiny fingers and gurgled.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Cheyanne said to her. "I wish this wasn't the way it has to be." She sighed and glanced down at the baby again. "It's safer, however, if you do not know, and aren't tempted to open a portal." Cheyanne rolled her eyes. "Only Gandalf knows why he gave you that power."
Kamathi let out a noise that seemed to be one of shared distress, and Cheyanne chuckled to herself. "My thoughts exactly." She turned her gaze back to the window. "Someday, I'll be able to tell you all about it," she said quietly. "I promise."
Later on that night, while the rest of Erebor slept, a restless princess let out a cry, knowing that one of her parents would appear to comfort her if she cried loud enough, and long enough.
In their bedchamber, the King and Queen Under the Mountain were roused from sleep at the same time when their daughter's cries reached them through the wall.
"Sleep," Thorin said when Cheyanne started to sit up. He leaned over and kissed her lips, found easily despite the darkness. "I will go to her."
Cheyanne smiled gratefully through the kiss, and then rolled over, away from him.
Thorin slid off of the bed and made his way towards the bedchamber door, not bothering to light a candle. He could see just fine without one.
He made his way through the darkened parlor, and to the partially opened door of the nursery, Kamathi's cries growing louder as he walked closer to where she was.
He opened the door wider, and slid into the room. Almost at once, Kamathi's crying ceased. He could see her, propped up against the bars of the cradle, and Thorin walked towards it.
"Crying, again?" he chided lightly, and Kamathi blinked up at him, her blue eyes glowing in the moonlight coming through the floor to ceiling window in the room.
Thorin sighed. She expected something from him, but he was very tired, almost too tired to grant it to her. He knew, however, that now that she'd gotten his attention, she wouldn't let him leave.
So, Thorin climbed into the cradle. Kamathi cooed happily as he settled down on the bedding as best as he could, his legs bent at the knee and the top of his head brushing the opposite end of the cradle. He hushed her, and Kamathi crawled towards him, settling her small form down across his chest, head nestled in the hollow between it and his throat. Her hair was soft against his chin, and Thorin slid one arm behind his head, and rested the other hand lightly on his daughter's back.
Eyes closed, he began to hum to her, the same melody that Cheyanne had been singing earlier on in the day.
At some point, Kamathi drifted back to sleep, and Thorin followed shortly after, and that was how Cheyanne found them the next morning, when she woke up to find that Thorin had not returned to their bedchamber.
She smiled at the sight of them, and imagined all the complaints that would come from Thorin throughout the rest of the day about how his neck hurt.
Well! That was a beginning!
In case no one else can see the reference, a lot of this was inspired, pretty heavily, but The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea. Expect to see a lot of references to that movie, as well as other pieces of media. Sometimes a story's so good that you gotta retell it in your own way.
I probably won't have a strict updating schedule, since the story isn't finished, but for now, keep an eye out? Because more chapters will follow? At some point?
I don't know. I'm a college student; priorities.