I wrote this one-shot for the Fanbook Project for HobbitCon 4 (less than three months to go, yay!) and while I'm not sure if it'll be included in the book (I already submitted two other stories, oops...) I think you might enjoy it.
I love how the actors always talk about their time together, how they talk of each other as brothers, and I wanted to write about this and still use one of the two possible themes, "courage".
(Also, of course, inspired by Eowyn's "Courage, Merry. Courage for our friends." to Merry in LotR.)
Courage, brother.
ooooooo
Ori had never been known for being a particularly courageous dwarf. Maybe it was because he had always been small, even for a dwarf, and slender rather than muscular. Probably the fact that his oldest brother never ceased to act like a mother-hen around him didn't quite help. Therefore Ori was well aware of the fact that some of the older dwarves would rather have sent him back home instead of taking him on the quest to Erebor, and that it was only for his brother that he was allowed to come.
"I'm not going without him, so it's both of us or none", Dori said and that was that issue settled. Dori was, despite his often grumpy tone and his never-ending pessimism, a very valuable companion to Thorin. Strong in body and mind, loyal beyond measure, and brave enough for three.
Ori had yet to find his courage, despite his foolishly brave words at Bilbo's dinner table. Oh, he was naïve, that young dwarf with the big heart, when he spoke about the dragon as if such a beast was but a mouse.
And so it was that the young dwarf left Bag End with many ideas in his head, and not the faintest idea of life beyond the safe borders of home.
ooooo
Many nights later he remembered his words and thought how foolish he had been. He was glad for his brother's presence when the howling and shrieking of the orcs first kept him awake. He had heard the stories, mainly gruesome stories by Nori when they had both been younger. Ori knew a lot about orcs, and nothing at all. Nori's stories and the wild faces he used to pull were nothing compared to the noises that made shivers run down his spine and had him shuffle just a little bit closer to his brother.
"Courage, brother", said Dori, and smiled. Soon after, the howling ceased and all that could be heard was the soft rustling of the wind and the snoring of his companions.
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When the goblins captured the group deep down in the tunnels, Ori's fear quickly turned into anger, and he fought, fought back, fought harder than ever before in his life. He kicked and punched and even bit one of them in the ear, which made the goblin shriek and fall off and over the edge of the narrow bridge.
It was in vain, though.
"Start with the youngest!" the Goblin King snarled, and Ori shrunk back, his eyes wide and fixated on the hideous creature before him. He was scared to the bone, and he knew that the King could see it. He held his breath when Thorin suddenly stepped forwards. At the same time his brothers drew near, one to his left, one to his right. He felt Nori's hand on his shoulder and noticed Dori balling his fists.
"Courage, brother", said Dori, and cracked his knuckles while throwing the goblin a furious glance.
When Gandalf came to their rescue and they fled from the tunnels, Ori knew that his brothers were close by. He was panting hard when they reached the light, he was shaking slightly, but he was alive. It had to be enough for the moment.
ooooo
He was about to die. Ori could hear the frantic shouts, the cracking flames, the howling and gnarling of the wargs. But none of it mattered. He only focused on one thing: holding on. He could feel his muscles protesting in agony as he curled his fingers around Dori's boots in an iron grip. The abyss below him was deep and unfathomable, the cold wind on his face made his eyes water, and slowly, ever so slowly, his fingers slipped on the leather. He couldn't see his brother's face, but if there was one thing for certain in these seemingly endless minutes, it was that he had once more become his lifeline in the storm.
If they fell, they would fall together.
"Courage, brother!" yelled Dori, but his words were immediately carried away by the wind and were lost amidst the terror beneath the pale light of the moon. Ori cried out when his fingers surrendered to the strain, his mind went blank for a moment, he was about to die.
But death didn't come for him then. He grasped the feathers of the mighty eagle with one hand, and the other he curled around his brother's forearm, unable to speak or to stop shaking like a leaf. Dori didn't say a word, either, but pulled him close and didn't let go until the eagles landed on the carrock. Like everyone else, Ori felt joy in his heart when he perceived the mountain. But deep down he also began to understand that it would be a kingdom dearly fought for, should they ever reclaim it.
ooooo
The spiders came out of nowhere. It was a short fight, and one that Ori was doomed to lose. Yet he tried with all he had, only to panic shortly after when he was caught in a web of white and couldn't move a muscle. He didn't know what had happened, all he remembered was a sting and then nothing. He tried to shout, but as soon as he opened his mouth he felt the sticky webs on his tongue. He was tired, his head was swimming. He was alone.
"Courage, brother", he heard a voice in his mind, and he held on to that memory. He didn't know how much time passed until his wobbly prison was suddenly jerked and dropped to the ground. But Ori didn't get a moment to catch his breath. The spiders were upon them, hissing and clicking their claws, crawling and sliding down the trees. He fought for dear life, all the time trying to make out his brothers in the world of black and white. He spotted them when the Mirkwood elves appeared and took away their weapons. He saw his brothers' fury, but secretly he thought that an Elvish dungeon might not be so bad when the other option was ending as a spider's meal.
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Terror washed over him when he heard the noise. It couldn't be, he told himself. He was dead.
"Was that an earthquake?" Dori asked gravely, and Ori looked at him and nodded. Yes, an earthquake, it had to be. His gaze shifted to Balin, just to make sure, for he needed someone else to confirm that this wave of nausea was just due to an empty stomach.
"That, my lad," said the older dwarf, "was a dragon."
Ori's eyes became wide, his bones felt like lead and at the same time all he wanted to do was turn and run. His troubled gaze met Dori's. He could see him mouthing a few words, and Ori knew what they meant even though he couldn't hear them.
ooooo
"Will you follow me, one last time?"
Like everyone, Ori raised his weapon. But his hand was shaking, though nobody probably noticed it. He had seen the battle from the wall, the fighting, the slaughter. He had seen people being driven against each other, he had heard the cries of the wounded and seen the still bodies of the dead. His voice betrayed him then. None of his brave words dared to be spoken, and so he was silent when around him the company gathered their weapons.
He startled when two shadows fell upon him. He lifted his head and saw his two brothers before him. It was strange to see them so united, he thought. The mother-hen and the black sheep. Ori remembered many a day of bickering and arguing, of accusations and dead silence. But this journey had fixed something they hadn't even realised had been broken.
They stood in a small circle, their hands on each other's shoulders. From afar they head the clattering of swords and the rattling of chainmail.
"Courage, brothers", said Dori. He didn't smile.
One last time.
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The dim light of the candles is reflected from the stone walls. The beautiful carvings tell the stories of times long past, and amidst these pillars the future will be written. Someday, soon, everything will be known and the lost kingdom will be strong again.
But he can't see it yet.
Ori watches them go, Balin first, then Dwalin, one by one. He sees them through a haze, his body is cold, his throat restricted. Nori is silent. Beside them Dori is standing rigidly by the wall. His gaze is fixed on the three stone pedestals, but he doesn't move. He can see the unshed tears in his eyes, and more than anything it is that sight that scares Ori to the bone. Dori never cries.
He takes a deep breath and quickly wipes his eyes. He has made it this far, through goblin tunnels and elvish dungeons, down rivers and over hills, into battle and out of it. He knows he would never have made it without his brothers.
"Courage, brother", he whispers. And though his voice is small and heavy with grief, it reaches the older one. Dori nods and squares his shoulders.
"Aye," he says. "Courage. For them."
Together, they will say their last goodbye.
ooooooo