The Breaking of the Stone
By Shadow's lil Sister
Greetings dear Readers. Firstly, I wish to thank you for taking the time to check out my first written piece of work. I hope that you find as much pleasure out of reading it, as I had with writing it. The town where Thorin and Dis, happen to be staying is made up, as I am not sure where they stayed after Erabor fell. I know Thorin lead his people to later build and establish themselves in the Blue Mountains. I will leave it to your imaginations on when this takes place, however it does take place many years, before the Company all set out to reclaim the Lonely Mountain. Please review and let me know how I did, and again thank you for taking the time to glance at my fic. Enjoy!
The heavy summer rains saturated the dry air of the city of Yarden, who's main port of trade consisted of Blacksmithing, as well as the importation and exportation of precious metals, fine silks, and other high end merchandise. If one's pocket over flowed with coin, it was easy to carve out a comfortable existence within Yarden. However just as coin flowed freely among the Noblemen, so did corruption and greed. For the lower social classes, daily life was often a struggle, as crime and corruption were common practice, and unfortunately many residences had to resort to thievery to provide enough for their families. It was on a rainy day Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thrain, wiped the perspiration from his brow with the back of his forearm, as he felt the intense heat of the forge against his skin. He bought down his hammer against the white hot steel that was in the process of being expertly crafted by the exiled Prince's hands. For Thorin, Blacksmithing was the only way for him to assure a somewhat stable supply of coin for those that depended upon him. He gritted his teeth tightly, as he heard the heavy footsteps of his employer echo within the workshop, where the forge was located. The owner of the Silver Gem, which happened to be regarded as one of the finer Blacksmithing establishments within Yarden, was known as the Warden.
He was average man, with the height of 5'11, and had the demeanour of what Thorin would describe as being, somewhere between that of a snake and a rat. He was of middle age in appearance, and had the figure of a fattened swine before the end of December. Draped in fine clothing, and with his two guard dogs close at his heels, Thorin stopped his hammering and placed the newly crafted sword into the barrel of water to cool and reinforce the metal already formed. He gently placed it down before the footsteps came to a halt behind him. Thorin turned to gaze upon the face of the Warden. With his unappealing figure, his face held little to be desired. With a hook for a nose, and his deep set brown eyes, and thin lips, he reminded Thorin of the ravens that gather to feed on the decomposing bodies of the dead after a great battle.
The Warden stood before the exiled Prince, his features twisted into an unpleasant smile as his eyes ran up and down the form of Thorin Oakenshield. The dwarf Prince was clad in a simple brown tunic, with black trousers and worn boots. His face, arms and clothes were covered in a layer of grime, perspiration and dust from the days spent in the forges, as well as the day to day life in Yarden. His ebony hair, which was secured in a ponytail, trailed over his masculine back, while his front braids lay secured by his precious hair beads. Any lesser dwarf would have flushed at the differences in appearance between them, however Thorin Oakenshield, only strengthened his stance, and straightened to meet the gaze of his employer. Thorin kept his tone even and strong, as he placed his hammer back against the stand by the stone wall.
'' Warden.''
'' Master Dwarf, it appears that you are overdue on an order for a pair of twin steel swords. Explain yourself.''
The Warden failed to contain his smirk as he saw Thorin's eyes blaze with irritation, in regards to the accusing tone within Warden's voice. Still, he knew what the Warden spoke of, as he had painstakingly forged the twin sword as an order to begin with, however it had been on the night of their completion, when The Silver Gem had been burgled. Among the numerous items that were taken, the twin set of steel swords were taken as well. Thorin regarded the Warden with a knowing look, as he knew that the sleazy man was well aware that the swords been taken. However, in his past experiences, the Prince had come to distrust the Men of Yarden, and regarded them with an air of suspicion.
''You know that those swords were stolen days ago. I have not been commissioned to complete another order Warden, as we are both well aware. I have completed all of the work that we agreed to, and as so would appreciate the amount that we agreed upon.''
Thorin kept his tone even and calm, despite his inner most desire to ring the neck of the man before him. He held out his calloused hand expectantly, and regarded the Warden with a strong gaze befitting a Prince. The Warden regarded the dwarf before him and reluctantly reached for the inside of his coat pocket to retrieve the pouch that contained Thorin's hard earned pay. Once he placed it into the dwarf's hands, Thorin securely placed it within the pockets of his trousers, and nodded in a somewhat courteous thanks. He marched to the back of the forge to gather his belongings, and he somewhat relaxed when he heard the retreating footsteps of the Warden grow dimmer as he exited the forge. Wearily Thorin placed his thick, dark blue coat over his strong shoulders, and placed his satchel upon his back, and made the much anticipated trek to his sister's house.
The heavy rains reduced the poverty stricken sections of Yarden, to a wet and cold swamp. Unlike the wealthier sections of the city, the lower sections were not paved with fine stone, but with the natural formation of sand and gravel. The constant fall of rain had created small collections of murky puddles, that people had to trod through, simply because of the narrow roads that the lower sections of Yarden were known for. Thorin trudged through the overcrowded, and mud scorched dirt roads, his boots offering little protection against the uncomfortable sensation of wet boots. A few strands of ebony hair had escaped their confines, and kept falling uncomfortably in his face. His earlier attempts to place them back into a ponytail, were met with failure, and thus he relented to their irritation. He turned his thoughts to what lay a few houses away. Thorin couldn't help the small smile that graced his features at the thought of his Sister, Dis, former Princess of Erabor, welcoming him home with open arms, and the giggles and roughhousing that would follow afterwards by his two nephews.
With his thoughts occupied, Thorin failed to notice the small figure in front of him, until the two collided, and Thorin found himself gazing down at, what he perceived to be a small human child. Immediately Thorin leaned down to offer the human child assistance, however he paused in his movements, when the sight of dark brown hair was revealed by the child's hood falling back, to unveil the sight of Thorin's youngest nephew, Kili. The young dwarf instantly lashed out when he felt strong hands place themselves against his small shoulders.
'' No! Let me go! I need to find my Uncle.''
'' Kili, stop it. I am right here Kili.''
Thorin's strong tone carried through Kili's fear and instantly the he stopped thrashing about and his widened brown eyes locked onto those of Thorin's dark blue gaze. A sob escaped his lips as he instantly latched his arms around Thorin's neck, and he sobbed into his Uncles strong frame. Thorin gently stroked his nephews head in an attempt to soothe the frightened child, and then pulled Kili back to gaze at him once again. Thorin noticed for the first time, that Kili's young face was stained with tears, and that his eyes were rimmed red and swollen from crying.
'' What is the matter Kili? Why are you running about in this terrible weather?''
Thorin frowned when he saw the terror in his youngest nephew's eyes, and knew that something terrible had transpired.
''Kili tell me what has happened?''
'' T-They chased us Uncle. Fili and I were trapped in Brokeback Alley, and Fee. He said that I had to run and find you. They said, t-that if you didn't come Fili would get hurt''
More sobs escaped Kili's trembling lips, and Thorin instantly picked up Kili and cradled him against his chest, and covered him with his coat. Anger threatened to overwhelm the Prince, as his family were his most precious treasure, and those that threatened his treasure, would be met with an unpleasant fate to say the least. He sheltered Kili within his coat, and strode through the crowded streets, his eyes like thunder, as he listened to Kili's sobs through the heavy rain.
Ending of Part One. Thank you for taking the time to read this. Reviews are appreciated and the next update should be soon. Enjoy your day, and happy reading. Until next time.