Mafarrakh d'afrukh
Disclaimer: I do not own either "The Hobbit" or "Avatar: The Last Airbender" but the wonderful lady firebender in the story is my precious.
NOTE: Welcome to the official sequel to Leminkaiya and The Road Ahead!
I have had this story mapped out in my mind for the past year but I've been too busy to write it. I finally pushed myself to post this first chapter today, the anniversary of the last chapter of Leminkaiya.
If everything goes according to plan, this could be as long as Leminkaiya so please bear with me. And I have less free time nowadays so I'm not sure how often I'll be able to update. But I am determined to see this story through so don't worry about that.
Enjoy!
CHAPTER ONE
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"We honor the fallen for their courage and strength."
It was a day of mourning.
A tomb had been laid out within the Lonely Mountain, for one of its fallen children.
The company of dwarves gathered forlornly in silence, their heads bowed in grief. Bilbo Baggins stood beside them, sobbing softly. They cared not who saw them weep since their pain was too great to contain.
Some could barely look at the remains of their comrade, unable to face the truth of his passing. They had all fought together for so long that they never expected any one of their company to fall. Especially not him.
In the glow of torchlight, he almost looked like they were merely in some deep slumber. But this was not so.
The firebender stood as still as stone, her hands at her sides, both fists clenched, trying to contain her sorrow. She had not come this far only to watch another massacre take place. She had not survived so much only to lose everything.
She refused to accept what had happened even if the evidence was before her. In all this, she somehow blamed herself. She should have protected him better. She had not been strong enough.
"Our brave warrior. Our noble kinsman."
Not this, she told herself, not again.
"Our great king."
.
.
.
Ainara woke with a start.
She was alone in her bedchamber in Erebor. A cool breeze blew through her window and she noticed that it was nearly dawn. She could hear some faint notes of birdsong. The world outside was beginning to come alive.
The firebender sat up in her bed and rubbed her eyes, trying to shake off the remnants of that terrible dream. But some faint traces remained, some lingering painful images. She was struck by an inexplicable fear.
Though her rational mind told her it had all been part of a nightmare, she needed to be convinced that none of it was real. All of a sudden, she needed to know that it had all been truly a dream.
She got dressed quickly and left her chamber. The halls of the mountain were silent as many of its current inhabitants were still in bed and not plagued by vivid nightmares. But Ainara knew that it would not be long before she heard some dwarves stirring from their slumber and commencing the day's activities.
She could have waited for that but she felt restless. She began wandering around, trying to calm herself after that disconcerting vision.
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Several weeks had passed since the demise of Smaug and the Battle of the Five Armies. The dwarves had begun making repairs to parts of the Lonely Mountain that the dragon had destroyed and they had also begun moving into their old kingdom.
After many festive celebrations, Bilbo Baggins felt that his adventure was over for the moment and that he needed to return to the comfort and familiarity of Bag End. While he was sorry to leave his friends, he assured them that he would come back to visit again someday. And so the company bid farewell to their burglar.
At length, Gandalf departed as well, which came as no surprise to anyone. In fact, they had been surprised that he had stayed with them for so long. But everyone was aware that the wizard had numerous important affairs to attend to. He would be missed but he would also return when he was most needed.
And so the great work of rebuilding Erebor and Dale had commenced, and everyone proved up to the task. Every man and dwarf contributed their time and effort to constructing a new world, one free from the malice of the dragon and other foul forces.
Among those who remained in Erebor was the dragonslayer, who felt that she finally found a place where she belonged in Middle-Earth.
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Ainara wandered through the many noble halls of the mountain. When she had first tried to familiarize herself with the various structures, she had marveled at the ingenuity of dwarfish architecture. But at that moment, she was too preoccupied to admire the excellent masonry and construction of the various corridors.
She made her way to the throne room but found it empty. And though it would have been unusual for anyone to be there at that hour, she still felt a stab of worry.
She continued to wander the different halls, growing more and more frantic as everywhere she looked was deserted. Fear gripped her even as she tried to banish the visions from her nightmare.
At her most desperate moment, she stumbled upon a seemingly hidden hallway that led to a small balcony. A solitary figure stood there gazing at the impressive view before him.
Ainara approached him carefully and when she was absolutely certain of his identity, she heaved a huge sigh of relief, and her pounding heart began to calm down.
Thorin turned to look at her in surprise.
"What brings you here at this hour?" he asked.
"Forgive my intrusion," the firebender replied with some embarrassment, "I simply stumbled upon this part of the mountain."
"You are not intruding," Thorin reassured her, "Why don't you join me? The view from here is truly breathtaking."
Ainara nodded and approached the dwarf. She immediately understood why he had chosen such a specific vantage point. One had a truly spectacular view of the lands beyond the mountain.
"It seems you've arrived at the perfect moment," Thorin remarked as the two of them watched the dawn break on the land, the spread of sunlight cloaking the darkness.
"It's beautiful," Ainara said in awe.
Thorin nodded. After gazing at the dawn in silence, the dwarf looked at his companion and noticed the gravity of her expression.
"Is something troubling you?" he asked with concern.
Ainara immediately remembered why she had been looking for him.
"It seems foolish now," she began, "but I had such a terrible dream."
Seeing that he was listening intently, she sighed before continuing.
"I was standing with Bilbo and the rest of the company, before a tomb that had been laid out," she said somberly, taking a deep breath before finally saying, "yours."
If he was surprised or disturbed by this revelation, Thorin did not show it. Instead, he put his hand on Ainara's shoulder reassuringly.
"But now you know that it was naught but a dream," the dwarf said with a smile.
Ainara nodded gratefully.
"But I understand why such a nightmare would cause you grief," Thorin went on,"I take it, this isn't the first dream of this kind you have had."
"It isn't," Ainara replied, "for years I would dream of that final battle in the Fire Nation, when all my comrades were viciously slaughtered by their own people. I may have survived that battle but I can never forget the horrors I had seen. And it wasn't a dream so much as a memory, a very painful one."
Thorin nodded sympathetically.
"But ever since I joined your company and embarked on the quest to slay the dragon," the firebender continued, "these dreams occurred less frequently, and it seemed like I had somehow begun to heal."
"And so you have," Thorin told her, "and as you have helped us reclaim what is ours, so we will always be here to help you when you need us."
"Thank you," Ainara said with a smile, "I'm just glad that for once, this was just a dream and not a memory at all. I do not think I will ever be ready to bury the King Under the Mountain. So you had better make certain that it will not come to pass."
"I shall try my best," Thorin replied earnestly.
They nodded to each other before turning to face the dawn once more, both steeling themselves for what lay ahead.
While her nightmare had left her rattled, Ainara felt her strength renewed after spending this moment with Thorin. She took a deep breath of the fresh mountain air and remembered how grateful she was to be standing there at the dawn of another new day.
She had made her peace with the past. She was ready for the next chapter.
