Thank you to all the people who have checked the Follow and/or Favorite box and to my lovely reviewers: RexicanDestler, Marinalefae, VampWolf92, FantasyDreamer4Life, Princess of Asgard, and ShadowFire225 (loved your story by the way! Even though I'm a Thorin addict!)! I really appreciate it! Special thanks to Avriella! You have been very helpful and it's great being able to bounce ideas back and forth!
I am so sorry it's later than expected! From now on I won't tell you when I expect to have a chapter out, I'm too much of a procrastinator to make the deadlines I set for myself.
Wow! Part of this was really hard for me to write. It's the flashback part so tell me what you think. Oh, and I know that when Smaug attacks it's two years before Dwalin is born, but for the sake of this story I am going to make him older.
The song Sleepsong by Secret Garden is very beautiful and Elodie sings it near the end of the chapter. (Don't worry; this won't turn into one of those stories where each chapter has a song. There are a couple other times where a song not of Tolkien's work will be used, but they sound-or at least I hope they sound realistic to The Hobbit theme).
Disclaimer: I do not own the song or any of Tolkien's creations!
That note was much too long, sorry!
Loves to you!
Sarah Smithy :P
"A dwarf only loves once Father! And I don't love Broa!" Elodie hid in the shadows, listening to Thorin argue with Thrain.
"You do not have the luxury of marrying for love. You are from the line of Durin and must produce strong heirs!"
Thorin groaned in aggravation, "I will not marry Lady Broa!"
Thrain glared at Thorin, "We will not be having this discussion now. Return to your duties."
While Thorin strode angrily from the room, Thrain turned and came toward the hallway that Elodie was standing in. She tried to quickly back away, but Thrain caught sight of her. "Miss Mooncheek."
Elodie stopped and curtsied before him, "Prince Under the Mountain."
He nodded his head to her as she rose, "I want you to stay away from Thorin," she tried not to show her shock, "He doesn't need any distractions from his duties."
She knew he wasn't speaking of just Thorin's princely duties, but of his arranged marriage to Lady Broa. "I have already advised Thorin to do what is best for this kingdom. I would never stand in the way of his duty."
His stormy eyes cleared, "Good," he smiled at her, "Elodie, you are a sweet girl and will make a good wife for a lucky dwarf, but that dwarf is not Thorin. He must strengthen our line and you are not of noble blood. Though I respect your father and have never minded you living in the Royal house, being a playmate to Thorin, you can never be more," he laughed, "Besides; you do not even have a beard!"
She bowed her head in humility, trying to hide the tears collecting in her eyes, "I understand." Of course, if she had a beard it wouldn't matter if she was of noble blood or not. How could the Heir of Erebor marry a she-dwarf that was beardless? It did not matter that everyone spoke of how beautiful her face was; they still did not like the thought of how naked it looked. Most of the dwarves kept their distance from her and she had always tried not to let it affect her, but to hear Thorin's father laugh about it was painful.
Thrain continue on his way and she wiped at her face then looked across the room. Her eyes widened at the sight of Dwalin, who looked very uncomfortable to be found eavesdropping.
She tried to smother the emotion on her face and gave a fake laugh, "I was just in the same position you are in now Master Dwalin."
"Sorry Lassie," the look he gave her showed that he was not sorry for listening in, but for what Thrain had said to her.
Normally Dwalin was such a rough dwarf and sometimes made Elodie laugh, but to hear the sympathy in his voice made her start to cry. Not loud sobs, for Elodie was not one to draw attention to herself, but silent tears of shame that slid down her accursed hairless cheeks.
Dwalin felt immense anger course through him at the fact that Thrain, son of Thror, king under the mountain, had made this sweet she-dwarf cry. He felt very protective of her because she was a dear friend of Thorin, and Dwalin also didn't mind her company. The warrior in him roared, wanting to pain those that had pained her, but he knew there was nothing he could do.
As he moved closer to her, unsure how to comfort her, they both heard cries echoing through the halls.
"Dragon! Dragon!"
Instantly Dwalin ran toward the sound of commotion. Elodie stood frozen, hearing screams and felt an intense heat creeping over her. At the doorway, Dwalin turned back, "Go Lass! Help any you can along the way!" Then he was gone.
She moved to leave out the hallway Thrain had gone through for that would be the quickest route to safety, but then something made her think of Thorin's siblings. She turned and followed after Dwalin, feeling like she needed to make sure Frerin and Dis were safe.
Racing down the passageway, she tried to ignore the increasing temperature. She turned a corner coming to the Royal quarters. Seeing the hind side of a large scaly beast, she froze. Any adornments that had been in this hall were up in flames and it was almost unbearably hot, smoke clouding the air. The dragon moved quickly to wreak more terror and Elodie let out the breath she had been holding, but started coughing when she breathed in.
Putting her left sleeve over her nose and mouth, she rushed to the first door and pulled back her right hand with a hiss. It was red and throbbed painfully, but she ignored it and gathered part of her skirt in her hand, using it to open the door.
Coughing, she called out, "Dis? Frerin?" With no answer, she moved on to the next room and received the same reply, silence. When she got to the third room, Dis's quarters, the fire was burning hotter. The door was wide open and the flames rose all the way to the ceiling. She peered in, her eyes watering from the heat and smoke, feeling singed all over. "Dis? Frerin?" she called.
"Elodie?" was the raspy reply.
She stepped farther into the room, trying not to think of the burning sensation coming through the bottoms of her boots. "Frerin?" she saw him lying on the ground, grimacing in pain and Dis sat beside him, sooty with tear tracks traveling down her young face into the soft fuzz on her chin.
The fire was slowing building around them, coming closer to where the siblings were.
"Help him Ellie," Dis cried.
Elodie moved quickly, but cautiously through the flaming room. When she got to Frerin's side she asked, "What happened." She put her hands under his arms and carefully pulled him up. He hooked his arm over her shoulder, wincing as he put pressure on his leg.
Dis moved ahead of them, toward their exit. "The beam from Dis's bed fell on my leg. I managed to get unpinned, but I couldn't stand," he coughed as the smoke became thicker and the flames higher, "I begged Dis to leave me, but she wouldn't."
Trying to support Frerin's weight after inhaling vast amounts of smoke was too hard for Elodie. She felt weak and they moved much too slow for her liking. Suddenly, a young dwarf warrior appeared in the hall beside Dis. Elodie recognized him as the dwarf Dimbar.
"Lady Mooncheek?" he questioned, his warm blue eyes bright with the thrill of battle.
She tried to continue through the burning room, pulling Frerin closer to her, but felt too weak from the heat and smoke. "Please help," she rasped, almost to the doorway.
Dimbar moved quickly into the room, grabbing Frerin from her tired shoulders and pulled him from the room. Elodie went to exit after him, but her vision started to dim and she could barely make out Dis's worried eyes as she fell toward the blazing rug that was near the door. She put her arms out to catch herself and as her hands touched the wicked flames, her world went black.
She awoke sometime later with her hands and arms bandaged up to her elbows and Dis sitting beside her. Dis explained how Dwalin had been coming to check the royal quarters for anyone left behind when he came upon them and rescued Elodie from the flames. She was forever indebted to him.
Elodie also learned of Thorin's plea for help and the Wood Elves' betrayal, but it was Frerin that quietly told her this in the dead of night when he visited the healing tent that had been erected some miles from the smoldering Erebor. He also confided that he worried for Thorin and the bitterness that was starting to grow in his heart. Elodie had seen it too when Thorin came to visit her, though he tried to hide it.
The Dwarves wandered for many years after that. And some scars healed, while others did not.
After Bilbo regained consciousness and was settled in a sitting room near the back of the hobbit-hole, Elodie went to make him tea while Gandalf spoke to him, but she was stopped in the hallway by Balin.
"Here's the contract Lass," she grabbed the folded paper, feeling affronted that it was thought she needed to bind herself to the company in this manner.
Thorin approached from behind them, "Ah, thank you Balin."
Elodie fingered the paper and turned to look at Thorin. She took a breath, trying to calm her angered thoughts, "I will not be signing this."
Balin appeared shocked, while Thorin had a smug look upon his face, "So you have decided not to come?" he lowered his voice, "Running again?"
Her mind reeled from the statement, but she shook her head, "No, I am coming. I want to see Erebor reclaimed," she looked into Thorin's piercing eyes, "I want to help you however I can with this quest. I will give you all I have to give Thorin," she looked down at the ground, "Though I do not have much left."
His calloused fingers guided her chin up so he could look into her troubled green eyes. The way he looked at her terrified her. It was as if he could see all her thoughts and desires. And secrets.
Balin cleared his throat, causing them both to step back. "So you will not be signing the contract then?" he questioned.
Glancing at Balin she shook her head then she looked back to Thorin with determination, "I will not sign it, but I pledge myself to this company and to you, Thorin Oakenshield, to fight with all I have until I draw my last breath."
He opened his mouth to reply, but then they all heard Bilbo say, "Sorry, Gandalf, I can't sign this. You've got the wrong hobbit," then walked resolutely to his room.
Balin sat down on a bench tucked against the wall and sighed. "It appears we have lost our burglar. Probably for the best. The odds were always against us. After all, what are we? Merchants, miners, tinkers, toy makers. Hardly the stuff of legend," he said tiredly.
"There are a few warriors amongst us," Thorin said with a small smile.
"Old warriors," Balin retorted.
"I would take each and every one of these dwarves over an army from the Iron Hills, for when I called upon them, they answered. Loyalty, honor, a willing heart. I can ask no more than that," Thorin said with conviction.
Balin stood, "You don't have to do this," his voice pleading, "You have a choice. You've done honorably by our people. You have built a new life for us in the Blue Mountains. A life of peace and plenty. A life that is worth more than all the gold in Erebor."
"From my grandfather to my father," Thorin held up the key, "this has come to me. They dreamt of the day when the dwarves of Erebor would reclaim their homeland. There is no choice, Balin. Not for me."
Balin nodded his head in understanding, "Then we are with you, laddie. We will see it done," he patted Thorin's arm. Thorin grabbed the contract from Elodie's hand then both him and Balin headed toward a larger sitting area in the hole that had a fire growing in the fireplace.
Elodie followed along behind, but stayed in the doorway to the room, watching the dwarves lost in thought. Thorin lit his pipe and threw the papers into the fire; then the dwarves started humming.
Thorin sang:
Far over the Misty Mountains cold,
To dungeons deep and caverns old,
We must away, ere break of day,
To find our long forgotten gold
Elodie remembered back to the dragon's attack as all the dwarves joined in:
The pines were roaring on the height,
The winds were moaning in the night.
The fire was red, it flaming spread,
The trees like torches blazed with light.
When Thorin realized he hadn't heard Elodie's harmonious voice join the song, he looked at her.
Elodie noticed Thorin's stare and tried to hide the evidence of her emotions. Yet, it was no use. He had seen the wetness upon her cheeks. Feeling uncomfortable with his stare, she quickly found her way out of the hobbit-hole and breathed in the fresh, cool air.
"Are you alright?" his normally rough voice was soft and low as he reached her side.
She kept her gaze on the luminous stars and tried to gather her spinning thoughts. "I was remembering all that has been lost." Nodding, he stood beside her in silence both lost in their memories. Elodie's thoughts were not only on the loss of Erebor, but the loss of love as well. Her cowardice had cost her everything.
Elodie did not know how long they stood there, but eventually she turned to look at him. "How is my father?"
Thorin's gaze moved to her and she flinched at the pity in his eyes. "I'm sorry Ellie," he reached for his belt and removed a sheath and dagger, "He said he wanted you to have this."
She took it with trembling fingers. "Thank you," she whispered, "for being with him in his final moments." She tried to read his eyes, like she had always done when they were younglings, but his face was impassive.
"Why did you leave?"
"I'm so sorry," she reached out her hand and placed it on his cheek, brushing her short, slender fingers through his dark beard, wanting to feel him again. He closed his eyes and moved into her touch. "It was hard. After Dis died and then Dimbar…" his eyes opened to a glare and he pulled away from her hand.
"Did you love Dimbar? Is that why you fled? Left our people! Abandoned Fili and Kili!" his voice rose with each word.
Her hand fell limply to her side, "Thorin."
"Tell me! Did you love him!" he nearly yelled.
She sighed and stared out over the landscape, "Maybe I wanted him to love me because of how much he loved Dis. Even after she was gone, he still held a love for her that was so strong. Everyone said he died of a broken heart; the only reason he lived for the time that he did was for Fili and Kili."
He grabbed her shoulders and it sent tingles down her spine. "But did you love him?" His voice was low and his gaze intense. She shuddered as she forced herself to look at the ground.
"No, I did not love him. I could never love him," she said softly, "My heart already belonged to someone else."
He scoffed and went back into the hobbit-hole, leaving her feeling terribly cold and empty as tears filled her eyes.
"It belonged to you," she whispered.
Biting her lower lip to keep the sobs at bay, Elodie fumbled with attaching the dagger to her belt. She took deep breaths, trying to calm her fluttering heartbeat and swirling emotions. She cursed as she dried her face and hated that the Dwarf Prince could send her into a downward spiral so easily. She had only seen him again for a few hours and already she felt so confused, so exposed.
After a few moments had pasted, she quietly slipped back into the hobbit-hole and followed the sound of snoring. All the dwarves were spread out on the floor in the sitting room. Thorin glanced at her from the far corner when she entered, but she tried not to notice him. Fili and Kili sat in a heap in front of the glowing coals of the fire. Elodie grabbed the poker and stoked the embers into a small flame then put a log in to keep it going through the night.
Fili's eyes fluttered open, "Auntie El."
Kili's eyes came open at his brother's voice, "Sing us a lullaby Aunt Ellie." He gave a large yawn and Elodie's heart warmed at the sight. Even if Thorin would cause her sadness and guilt, these two could keep the darkness at bay.
She sat down next to Kili and pulled his head into her lap, running her hand through his hair. Fili settled down and got comfortable with a small grin on his lips.
Elodie began to sing softly in a voice higher than other she-dwarves, but lower than that of an elf.
Lay down your head and I'll sing you a lullaby
Back to the years of loo-li lai-lay
And I'll sing you to sleep and I'll sing you tomorrow
Bless you with love for the road that you go
May you sail fair to the far fields of fortune
With diamonds and pearls at your head and your feet
And may you need never to banish misfortune
May you find kindness in all that you meet
May there always be angels to watch over you
To guide you each step of the way
To guard you and keep you safe from all harm
Loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay
May you bring love and may you bring happiness
Be loved in return to the end of your days
Now fall off to sleep, I'm not meaning to keep you
I'll just sit for a while and sing loo-li lai-lay
May there always be angels to watch over you
To guide you each step of the way
To guard you and keep you safe from all harm
Loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay, loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay
Both boys seemed nearly asleep and Elodie bent down to kiss Kili's brow. His eyes popped open and Elodie's eyes widened in shock at the speed which he sat up with.
"That was not our lullaby," he said indignantly.
Fili's eyes were also open and he nodded in agreement.
Her expression softened and she slowly stood up. "I'm sorry boys," she apologized softly, "I could not bring myself to sing it."
Kili's lower lip pushed out a bit, but Elodie laughed quietly and ruffled his hair. "Some other time Kili, I promise."
They both nodded to that and settled down to sleep. Elodie gave them both a kiss on the forehead; then moved through the sleeping bodies to a comfy armed chair. She sat down and drew her knees up to her chest, pulling her cloak tight around herself. She glanced at Thorin and saw him still watching her, but seemingly in thought. He gave her a small smile and she drifted to sleep with that sight appearing in her dreams.
Thorin knew of the lullaby Fili and Kili wished Elodie had sung. He had heard it many times after she had left, but those singing it could not compare with the sight of her serenading his nephews as younglings, with the sound of her alluring voice forever stuck in his mind. But he thought this song fitting for the moment. A blessing bestowed upon his kinsmen and their approaching quest.
So The Hobbit comes out on DVD March 19th! *Girlish Scream* I'm so looking forward to this! So my next chapter probably won't be out until sometime after that. Once I've had a chance to watch the movie multiple times over and regain my inspiration for this story! (And also once I've drooled over Thorin for a bit lol).