A/N- Hello, again. This will be a couple chapter fic, primarily about Thorin. This chapter will be shorter since it is a tester. Post Battle of Five Armies. Thorin POV.

Disclaimer- If you don't recognize it, it's mine. I do not own the Hobbit, or the Simarllion, since there is a good deal of Silmarillion stuff in here. Rights to the books and movie go to Tolkien and Peter Jackson, respectively.


It was cold. The ice shifted beneath me as Bilbo rocked back and forth next to me, whimpering oh panic. "No, Thorin, no, you can't die. Look, the eagles are coming! Look- Thorin?"

I couldn't move. I could only stare up at the silhouettes of the eagles as everything around me grew blurrier.

My nephew, Kili. My sister, Dís. My cousin, Dain. What would happen to them? I had seen Fili die. The only one I knew for sure was alive was Bilbo, whose sobs were becoming faint and muffled. I was dying. The cold from the ice and the pain from my chest and head faded, as did my vision. I was no longer breathing.

Then everything shut off into blackness.


I don't know how long I was unconscious. It seemed like a few minutes, but for all I knew it could have been years, or only a few seconds.

My pain was gone, as was the cold.

Blinking, I sat up and looked around. I was in complete darkness, except a strangely glowing path that extended as far as I could see in front of me. I frowned. There was no way it could be lit, especially in a way that didn't show anything else surrounding. Taking a deep breath, I stood up and walked to the path which lay a few paces to my left, extending forever both directions. As I stood, the light dully shone on my armor,l which was shining and unbroken. I ran my hand through my hair. It was clean, and the slash across my forehead was gone. As were the other scars on the parts of my arms that weren't covered in armor. "Okay, then." I muttered, and took a step forward on the path. In an instant, the sky was full of stars, far too close and blindingly bright. I was standing in front of an iron gate thrown wide open, with walls extending as far as I could see to both sides. Right inside the doorway stood two men, far too tall and radiating power. One wore gold with shining eyes and a short brown beard, looking a bit like an oversized dwarf, and the other was hooded and cloaked.

"Hello, Thorin Oakenshield. I am Mahal, the Creator of Dwarves and lord of Stone and Craft." To my surprise, the man's voice was quite normal, with an easygoing, conversational tone. Unsure what to do, I bowed. "At your service."

Mahal smiled down at me, and the other man removed his hood, revealing a pale face with long dark hair and completely black eyes. "I am Mandos." He said, barely above a whisper, "The lord of the dead."

Still rather unsure what to do, I bowed again. "At your service."

"Do not worry about your family, Thorin son of Thrain. The Valar watch the line of Durin, as they always have. Your cousin Dain lives, and he will rule Erebor."

"Kili?"

"He died in the battle," said Mahal gently. "You will see him again soon. But first, walk with us."

I couldn't keep quiet anymore. "If you made me, why did you make me so flawed? My temper, my arrogance; I fell into gold fever. Couldn't you have stopped that?"

He nodded, watching me carefully. "I could have made you different, but I did not. Both your good and your bad characteristics make you who you are. Would you want to me someone else?"

"Perhaps," I said defiantly.

He shook his head and said, "You do not understand, my son. You are Thorin Oakenshield, and, well, perhaps you will see. I have something to show you."

The two Valar stared walking forward, into the blackness behind the silver wall. The path did not continue there, but I took a step forward.

Once again, the scenery changed.

This time it was a sunny hill, with a blue sky and fluffy clouds overhead. I could hear distant laughter, but had no idea where it was coming from. "Thorin," called Mahal, and I caught up with them. "You were a great dwarf, a great warrior. You suffered much, and gained little. Eru has never looked very highly upon your kind, but he has given me permission to give you a gift before you pass completely on."

He stopped waking and looked down at me. Mandos stood nearby, staring off into the distance, doing nothing. I wasn't even sure why he was there.

"This is Mandos' domain, Thorin," said Mahal, answering my thoughts, "It is his kingdom, so he is accompanying us. Now." He waved his hand and a full length mirror with an ornately carved golden frame appeared two feet in front of me. I stopped walking as quickly as I could, putting a hand out to steady myself. My fingers brushed the mirror, but they went through it instead of touching glass. I shivered, but the Vala did not seem to notice. "I will allow you to look into the mirror twice and see anything of any time or place you want to be. The mirror shows anything. Things that are. Things that have been. Things that will be. And even things which never come to pass."

I stare at the mirror, and my reflection flickered and disappeared. The mirror fogged up into a swirling mist, and I turn to face the two Valar, my mind racing. "What will happen to the surviving members of the company over the next several years," I said, then took a deep breath. Things which never come to pass, he had said.

"And what would have happened if the dragon had not come."

Mahal smiled, and even Mandos scowled a little less heavily. "Wise choices, Thorin. You shall see what you wish to see. Come forward. Walk into the mirror."

Normally, I would have scoffed, but I took a step forward and looked into the mirror. The fog turned into a thick smoke in a frame which smelled of old scrolls and dust. I could just barely see the dim figure of a dwarf on a throne, and stepped through.


A/N- Okay, so there are probably some people out there who know nothing more about the Valar other than that Gandalf mentioned them in the Two Towers, and I understand. To make things more clear, I'll give a short description of the ones in this fic.

Eru- Also called "the One." Created Middle earth and the rest of the Valar. Basically the guy who is in charge of everything.

Mahal- The lord of stone and craft. He created the dwarves, and is sometimes worshiped as a god by them, though he is technically not. A dwarf like Thorin would know a good deal about him. I will admit that he is/ will be mildly out of character in this fic.

Mandos- The lord of the dead. He is pretty much the Hades of Middle earth.

I'm not an expert on the subject to the Valar, but I can at least try to answer any questions. Reviews are appreciated, and thank you for your time!