A/N: Thanks for the reviews/favs/follows! :)
Guest: Thank you for wanting to read more! Makes me want to write more in return! ;)
Arianna Le Fay: I love this idea that Dwarves only have the one true love in their life so I definitely want to stay true to that with this story. That's not to say it's going to be love at first sight and smooth sailing from the get go, I believe love is something that needs a bit of time to grow and it's more often than not quite a bumpy road to get there ;P You'll get to know what my OC looks like through Thorin's pov mostly, but feel free to imagine her differently, I don't mind! Thanks for your review!
SethadoreVGC: First of all thanks for leaving a review! My OC is a Dwarf, I thought about maybe making her an elf but I feel this might be a bridge too far for Thorin and the Kíli/Tauriel storyline from the movies was pretty much perfect already in terms of the potential of love blossoming between those two races so, yeah, didn't want to end up copying it. She could've been a human too but somehow I prefer those from Rohan/Gondor to Laketown/Dale and I didn't think it would be plausible to have one of those accidentally end up in Erebor ;P So, in the end I decided to have her be a Dwarf, they're my favorite race in Middle Earth anyways so I'm happy with that, hope you are too! :D
Angie: Yes! My thoughts exactly! After all he's been through Thorin deserves a chance at happiness! It's going to be a bit of a struggle for him but I feel hard-won love is the best cure in his case ;) Thanks for your review, I hope you'll like my OC (for some reason I find her trickier to write than Thorin)!
Cc: Thanks for the review! For this story I'm basically considering the most direct heir of Durin which would indeed be first born sons, and then with Fíli having been the closest thing to that. But now that both Fíli and Kíli are gone, if Thorin were to marry and have children it would mean there's a chance of the direct line not being broken.. In fact that's the only and last chance.. If that makes sense, haha ;P Thanks for the clarification/elaboration on that score though! Most importantly, I'll focus on how devastating the loss of Fíli/Kíli is for Thorin and Dís and I hope I can write their brother/sister bond well enough for it to be plausible ;)
Dearreader: Thanks for your feedback! :) Definitely not too harsh, constructive criticism is always welcome! And I agree with you, my sentences are way too long sometimes, I'll try to fix that (no promising mind! ;p) as well as cut back on the cliches (that's going to be a tough challenge for me so give me some time for that one ;) And, yaaay, bonus points! :D
Disclaimer: I do not own The Hobbit. This is solely a non-profit fan activity, and in no way intends to infringe on copyrights held by Tolkien/MGM/New Line Cinema.
Chapter II
THE last of the precious light was drained from the darkening world outside as the setting sun, a fiery and blood-red orb, greedily gathered all to it and melted with the horizon. But all too soon there was nothing but shadows that speedily invaded the eerily quiet Mountain Hall, their far reaching fingers creeping through the elongated shafts hewn from the rock as if it were gills for a giant fish of stone, and closing in on a single solitary figure that seemed in danger of being drowned in their dark embrace.
Heart hammering wildly in her chest Edúr held her breath as she willed herself to move and make her way through the maze of dead bodies around her, kneeling down mournfully next to the fallen Dwarves, and clenching both of the slender, long axes in her hands in bitter resentment as she passed the slain Orcs in a frantic search to find a remnant of life -no matter how small- in her kin and only death for their cursed enemies. Still panting from the fight, her heavy breathing and the metallic clanking of her boots as she carefully put them down were the only sound to be heard. Edúr desperately tried to ignore her body trembling, convulsing even, as her eyes wandered in horror over the intricate marble mosaic underfoot which had blood running over it in little rivers of muddy green and vivid crimson, shimmering sickly in the meager light of a new born moon, its pale rays but barely beginning to penetrate the suffocating twilight.
A sudden loud caw that multiplied a tenfold as it bounced off the unadorned granite walls in shrill echoes was too familiar to her ears to have her startle. Next instant an ink black Raven swooped down from the sky now painted a deep, purplish blue, tucking in its wings as it bore through the narrow opening and into the cavernous Hall.
"Morkai.." Edúr greeted her loyal friend as he soared towards her though the bird landed on her shoulder more like a fallen autumn leaf than with his usual elegance and precision. Worried, she reached out to inspect the ruffled feathers on his left wing which she now noticed was bent in a strange angle but Morkai snapped his beak in warning and she instinctively retreated her fingers.
"This is not the time for stubborn pride-" she began her rebuke but a creaking sound as of wood splintering pierced the silence. Edúr whipped around, causing Morkai to dig his claws into her shoulder in order to stay in place. Wincing for the briefest of moments at the sharp but short lived pain she raised her weapons. Seconds later the massive oaken doors burst open and a group of Dwarf warriors hurried inside. Squinting her eyes she could only just make out the Raven and the Hammer engraved on their metal shields which glimmered dully in the weak orange glow of the torches some of them held. A deep sigh of intense relief passed her lips when she recognized the determined tread of the Dwarf leading the group. He was clad in armor like the others, but instead of a shield and axe he held a plain and battered Warhammer with both of his hands.
"Father!" Edúr called out to him, her voice hoarse and feeble. At first freezing in his tracks and barring the way forward for his guards the Dwarf soon let out a reverberating cry of despair momentarily lifted by hope and came rushing towards her. In the background she could hear the others pass on orders and instructions to each other as they closed the door with the wood groaning angrily in protest before they heaved the bar in place. Not heeding what this could mean Edúr hastened to close the distance between her and her father, relishing the touch of his forehead as he let it rest against hers in greeting.
"My child.. You need to leave." He told her when they broke apart again, his voice low but commanding.
"But.. The others?" Edúr stammered back, the silence that met her question making her swallow hard. "Father..?" His silence took away any remaining hope. She swayed on her feet and tightened her grip on the axes in her hand. There was no one else.
Startled out of her shock by the far off sound of scurrying feet like that of large, many legged insects Edúr shifted her gaze towards the door behind which the steadily growing louder animalistic wails and wild cries from Orcs could be heard.
"Niam will go with you. You know what you need to do. Now go." Dazed though she was Edúr shook her head defiantly but her father pushed her back with enough force to almost make her lose her balance, "Go!" He repeated, his tone urgent as he threw her a pleading look. The door rattled in its hinges, shaking violently as it absorbed the force of a battering ram relentlessly pounding into it. Edúr wanted to take a step towards her father as he took another one away from her but Niam appeared from the throng of Dwarf warriors and held her back. Barely visible in the scarce light of torches Edúr desperately held her eyes on her father's face as he retreated further and further away from her. She struggled against Niam's grip but he wouldn't let go of her arms and began dragging her in the opposite direction. Wings fluttering madly and letting out grating screeches, Morkai dug in his claws in her shoulders again to balance himself as she was forced to move against her will.
"Father!" Edúr shouted at the top of her lungs but it was impossible to free herself from Niam.
"Go.." He said wearily, the lines in his wrinkled face taut and a dim light in his eyes hardening until they gleamed hard like steel. Then, jaw set and raising his Warhammer he turned around and charged towards the shattering door with an enraged battle cry as every single Dwarf warrior rallied to him.
"Father.." Her plea was now barely more than a faint whisper as she watched Lord Edrík and his loyal guard plant their shields in the floor with resounding thuds, making a powerful tremor travel through it and cracks to run over it, spreading outwards like tree roots as dozens of Orcs crawled over the splintered door and crashed into them like waves on rocks. Then Niam unceremoniously pulled Edúr through the secret backdoor tucked away in a niche home to a sullen statue and all she could do was run. Not look back. Run..!
~Please Review! (^-^b)~
A/N: I'll be away for the week and won't have access to internet (crazy, I know ;p) but I'll update as soon as I get back, until then; stay tuned! :)