DISCLAIMER: I do not own the characters or happenings of middle earth. They belong to J. R. R. Tolkien and sometimes Peter Jackson's stuff might fall in too. Feel free to leave any comments and questions. Follow the story in which ever way you would like, but make your thoughts known. Thank you!
The Price of A Promise
The price of a promise can be exceptionally high, depending on what you give your word on. Everything comes with a price. It is the age old acknowledgment. Be careful what you wish for because you just may receive it. Be careful what you set your heart upon, because it will surely be yours. Be even more careful of what you work for because it will be yours faster. For all the gold in the world, there is a dragon to covet it. Dis was no stranger to these words of wisdom. She stood by them and never made a promise she could not keep or a bargain she would rather not strike.
When Erebor fell, Dis stood strong by her family and led her people on. Her eyes grew wet from anger, smoke, and determination but not a tear fell. She promised herself that she would return to her home. That she, and those to come, would be buried in the halls of their forefathers even if she had to scrape and scrounge to get there.
When faced with years of wandering the wilds Dis willingly gave her last to the more needy. Her eyes grew wet from the winds that always threatened to blow her away but not a tear fell. She promised herself that she would one day have enough food to go to bed round. That she, and those to come, would never have to worry about their next meal even if she had to fight tooth and nail for it.
When her baby brother was killed alongside her grandfather, she encouraged her people not to be dismayed. Her eyes grew wet from the rain that fell upon the land as if the gods mourned with her but not a tear fell. She promised herself that she would not die in the wilderness. That she, and those to come, would live even if she was the only one pushing for life.
When her husband died in a raid, without ever meeting his youngest son, she raised them both with the love she had left. Her eyes grew wet from the sweat pouring from her face as she gave birth to the last memory of her beloved but not a tear fell. She promised herself that she would never forget her husband. That she, and those to come, would keep him alive until the day they died.
But everything comes with the price. As Balin approached her with a tremor in his voice, Dis scolded herself for not demanding that her brother leave her boys behind. As Dwalin told her of their final moments, Dis bit her tongue as punishment for not saying more to keep them safe. As the new king directed her to their graves, her step quickened as though she could save them from the unjust fate. The icy crypt was not the bed she expected them to lay upon when they finally returned home.
But everything comes with a price. Gripping her brother's hand, Dis' heart ached as the frigid appendage offered no reassurance as it once did. No strength was felt in those fingers; stiff with the rigor only death could bring.
Dis' heart trembled as her fingers ran through the golden locks of her first born; so much like his father's. No longer would the hair gleam in the sun; never again would he walk beneath its rays.
But Dis' heart broke. Oh how it shattered when she came across the corpse of her baby boy. The child she nursed and changed and loved without the aid of another to lighten the load. The child who was wholly and truly and always her own. The child who had promised to return to her safe and sound instead lay cold and dead on a slab of stone to rot into eternity.
Dis was home. She wasn't hungry. She wasn't in the wilderness. She hadn't forgotten her husband. Dis paid the price. And when her eyes grew wet from sadness and despair and crippling anguish... then she wept.
I've been meaning to write this quickie for a while now. I was finally in the right mood. Thanks for reading.