Chapter 10: Lapis lazuli
Disclaimer: I do not own anything associated with Tolkien.
A/N: Sorry about the delay in updating. My health has been a bit not good. Chapter 11 will be up soon. Onwards!
Update to the Update!
Hi all! This is a short recap so that everyone can be on the same page with all the different directions this story is going and where all the characters are so far. Sorry for the confusion! (If you want to skip this part, look for the next Onwards!)
Everything is exactly like cannon until 5 years before The Hobbit unless stated below
Bilbo Baggins: Five years ago, The Council (Elrond, Lady Galadriel, and all wizards) tricked Bilbo into stealing "The Other". Bilbo was to retrieve it and bring it back, but was attacked. He swallowed The Other to prevent it being taken from him. All of the magic in one little Hobbit changed him. His body has been transformed into gold, without his knowledge. Magic is the only thing keeping Bilbo alive and it is running out. When Bilbo is asleep, The Other is awake.
The Other: The Other is in charge when Bilbo is asleep and takes over whenever he feels magic is necessary to protect Bilbo. Both Bilbo and The Other signed the contract to join Thorin's Company. When The Other is in charge, Bilbo's eyes change color from brown to black. The Council and Thorin's company are the only ones that know about The Other. More information provided in future chapters
Bag End: The Council, in order to contain the threat from The Other, changed Bag End into a prison using a mysterious material. Magic was used to make Bag End appear like the Bag End it used to be. The Other has learned to use this material to provide more magic for survival. When Bilbo left with the Company, the magic creating the illusion of Bag End ended, making it return to the prison the Council built. The Other packed several pieces of this material for the journey ahead.
Lady Arwen: She was looking through the telescope on the West Tower in Imladris (Rivendell) when Bag End changed back to a prison. The magic attacked her. Her sight was the first thing to be affected. Elrond sent his sons, Elladan and Elrohir, to find Tom Bombadil. So far, she is still in her room in Imladris being treated by Saruman, but more information in next few chapters
Elladan and Elrohir: Sons of Elrond, traveling to find Tom Bombadil so that he could help their sister. Along the way, they were going to be killed by Orcs, but Tom saved them. More information in next chapters
Tom Bombadil: A magical being that is traveling with Sons of Elrond towards Imladris. He has given a Mallorn seed to Lady Galadriel. The seed was given to him by his wife, Goldenberry. More information in next chapters
Lady Galadriel:Grandmother to Arwen, Elrond's mother-in-law. She has traveled for years with Lady Arwen, teaching her all of her magic. When Arwen was hurt, Galadriel called all of the wizards to Imladris. Radagast was the first to arrive. In a vision, Lady Galadriel saw herself becoming Nazgul (think: the riders chasing Frodo during Fellowship of the Rings). Tom Bombadil gave her a Mallorn seed to help.
Radagast: Radagast the Brown. He is part of the Council, but not active in their affairs unless asked by Gandalf or Lady Galadriel because he does not like Saruman. He traveled to Imladris to assist with Lady Arwen's treatment. While there, he noticed that the land around the West Tower is dying. Saruman sent him and Elrond to get ingredients for a potion to "help" Lady Arwen. Radagast is now with Thorin's Company. He introduced Sebastian, a baby Eagle that Bifur can understand, to the Company.
Saruman: Head of the Council. He was called to Imladris to assist with Lady Arwen's treatment. After sending to Elrond and Radagast for potion's ingredients, he has stayed in Lady Arwen's room. The potion he is making has damaged the land in Imladris. His motives are hinted at in this chapter.
Elrond: Elf Lord of Imladris. Saruman sent him to Dol Guldur for ingredients for Lady Arwen's potion. King Angmar, a dead human King with mysterious powers, attack Elrond and imprisoned him in Dol Guldur. After stealing Elrond's appearance, Elrond cannot remember anything so long as the spell is active. The other prisoner in Dol Guldur is Thrain.
Thrain: Thorin's father, thought to be killed 300 years ago. His body has been tortured and transformed. In order to breathe, a purple gas is required. His only living company in Dol Guldur is Elrond, who cannot remember anything.
Legolas and Tauriel: Traveling through the Greenwood (now Mirkwood) to find a creature that has been killing Lord Thranduil's people. The forest has been altered so much that Legolas hopes to find the cause. More information in up-coming chapters
Lady Dis and Glomil Glomil is the wife of Gloin and mother to Gimli. She is also Lady Dis' advisor and best friend. Lady Dis has just found out the Orcs are heading to the Shire. Also, the fact that her sons, Fili and Kili, have left to join Thorin's Company without their mother's permission. Lady Dis has called the leaders of the dwarven families together. More information in up-coming chapters.
Azog The White Orc and his son, Bolg, tried to use a spell they learned from a Blue Wizard to get a new arm. When the spell failed, they encountered a strange Hobbit. He gave Azog back his arm in return for the Orcs capturing Bilbo and escorting the Hobbit safely to Dol Guldur. Azog was "changed" by the magic used to grow his arm back. He has sent Bolg to attack the Shire while he chases Thorin's company.
Thorin's Company The thirteen dwarves that are traveling with Gandalf and Bilbo. There is so much to say about all the dwarves. They have declared Bilbo as an honorary dwarf after finding out about his five-year imprisonment. It is now their mission to train Bilbo to be a dwarf so that he can live in Erebor comfortably. They know about The Other. After traveling with Gandalf and learning of his involvement with the Council, they are highly suspicious of wizards.
Oin: Brother to Gloin. He is partially (almost completely) deaf. The major difference in this story is that he is a Stonespeaker. This is a very rare dwarf that can cast magic, but only dwarves know that. There will be more about him in future chapters.
Onwards!
Lindir hummed as he prepared the tea, following Grandmother's recipe diligently. He had hoped to never need it again but life was unpredictable.
Carefully, he covered his mouth as he opened the vial. The powder inside had no smell or taste. Only a small pinch in the teacup should be enough. Making certain to seal the vial securely, Lindir placed a plate of biscuits and a jar of honey on the tray next to the tea.
Before lifting the tray, Lindir grabbed the two warmest cloaks that he owned and quickly wrapped one around his shoulders, for it was an unusually chilly night for summertime in Imladris. Only then, did he notice how badly his hands were trembling.
Courage, Lindir! This has gone on for far too long already. Lindir thought.
Carrying the tray, Lindir exited the Last Homely Home and turned west. Nodding to the guardsman, he walked along the shore of the river, towards the waterfall.
He coughed once, hoping to gain her attention. It was not wise to ever startle Lady Galadriel.
A few weeks ago, she would have sensed his approach the moment he left the house. She did not move. Sighing, Lindir knelt down beside her as she continued her three-day vigil next to the river.
After wrapping the second cloak around her thin shoulders, Lindir held out the teacup to her. "My Lady, you must eat. At the very least, drink the tea."
She still did not move, but she did speak- "It is so beautiful."
"Yes, the river has always brought a sense of peace to my mind."
Glancing down at the tea, she smiled. "Your Grandmother made this for me once. I had no idea you knew the recipe."
Lindir opened his mouth but no words escaped. She raised her hand and gently cupped his check.
"There are dark times ahead. But hope is immortal. It is the greatest blessing and the strongest weapon we have. Growing without water or food, it thrives in the most unlikely of places. You just need to have faith in order to see it" She turned back to keep vigil, only now with the teacup in hand.
With a start, Lindir realized that Lady Galadriel was not watching the river or the beautiful waterfall as he had originally assumed.
She was staring at a fixed point over the covered mound of dirt she had disturbed when her vigil began.
He squinted his eyes, trying to see what was so special about this one location. Slowly, he reached out his hand to touch the mound of dirt.
Moving his hand over the entire pile, he was startled when his arm hit something. The air above the ground shimmered for a moment.
Turning back to ask Lady Galadriel about it, he saw her lying on the ground with her eyes closed. The empty teacup had fallen from her relaxed hand.
"Guardsman! We need to get her inside to her room."
Draping the cloak more securely around her as the guard picked her up, Lindir whispered into her ear, "I'll wake you when you have regained your strength."
He watched the guard carry the precious Lady away before frowning at the mound of dirt. Lindir knew there was only one person left in Imladris who could shed some light on this situation.
As he approached Lady Arwen's room, he could hear Saruman was speaking to someone whose voice Lindir would know anywhere.
Master Elrond has returned! he thought, rushing to the door. Lindir was about to push open the door when he heard something that made him pause and put his ear to the door instead.
"Her transformation is almost complete. Within two days, it will be irreversible." the Wizard said.
"In the future, she will be Queen over all Middle Earth. Only now, she will have a proper King." Elrond said, chuckling darkly before asking, "And the potion?"
"The potion is ready. It just needs to be added to the water supply feeding the Pipe-weed crops. No one will be the wiser. The Greenwood proved as much. With this potion, the business between us will finally be done."
Lindir heard Saruman gasp the last word; and the entire door shook suddenly as something was slammed into it.
Looking under the door, Lindir could see two sets of shoes: one facing the door while the other set of shoes was floating in midair, facing away from the door.
"You think sending the Elf Lord to Dol Guldur erases the damage you have caused in the past? Foolish human! Our Master will not be pleased with your impudence."
An involuntary gasp escaped Lindir. He had never heard Master Elrond's voice sound so menacing. Though the gasp was nearly silent, the two occupants inside the room were standing mere inches away.
The door was flung open to reveal Lord Elrond standing on the other side. Saruman was laying on the floor, as though he had been tossed aside.
"Well, well. What do we have here?" Elrond said, glaring down at Lindir. Everything about this "Elrond" was wrong.
"Who, who are you?" Lindir stuttered.
He was about to run when he saw the prone form of Lady Arwen. Rooted to the spot, Lindir was trembling in fright. He never saw the spell coming towards him.
Agony exploded inside as he slammed into the floor. He struggled to remain awake but it was a losing battle. As he closed his eyes, Lindir heard voices getting louder as they approached.
"Impetuous whelp!" Lindir heard his own voice say, though he knew his lips had not moved.
"You fool! You must leave quickly before you are seen. Look at your shadow. The Mark is clear..."
The nightmare continued despite his struggle to break free.
He was standing on the shore of a river. Across the river, another elf was walking along the shore. Though the elf seemed familiar, a shadow crossed over, shrouding his face like a cloud blocking the sun.
Elrond was horrified as the Mallorn tree along the shore attacked the elf.
The nightmare had such a grip on his mind that it took several minutes to realize that it was over. He was finally awake. A disturbing dream, but just a dream all the same. Unfortunately, the real world was not any better.
"What am I doing in a prison cell?" Elrond muttered to himself.
"Bloody hell, I have answered that question seven times! I swear you are doing this on purpose." a gruff voice answered behind him.
Angmar!
Gathering what little of his strength and power remained, the elf turned quickly, fully prepared to attack the dead king. To his surprise, he saw a dead king, just not the one he was expecting.
"King Thrain!"
The old dwarf simply raised his one visible eyebrow while the purple cloud continued its grotesque dance of breathing.
"You know who I am, but the more important question is: do you know who you are?"
"I am Elrond, Lord of Imladris. We met before though it was a long time ago." Elrond answered haughtily.
"Judging by your tone, you're back to being insufferable. I almost prefer the frightened child from an hour ago, Half-Elven." Thrain sneered.
Flushing deeply in anger, Elrond lowered his head as he tried to control his temper. Almost no one alive today knew his full title. While he had nothing against the mortal race of Man, he had made the choice to be considered Elven all those years ago.
This poor dwarf has experienced pain and grief beyond imagining. I must be patient and kind, regardless of how he acts. Elrond knew he had to find away to work with this dwarf if they wanted to escape.
With his emotions finally under control, Elrond raised his head again, only to duck as a rock flew through the bars straight at his head.
"How dare you attack me?" Elrond roared, any illusions of calm evaporated.
The Dwarf King was glaring, the purple vapor that enabled his breathing was moving so fast that it was like watching a rolling storm cloud rush across the sky.
"I don't want or need your pity! The only one in this place that deserves it is the Hobbit down there." the Dwarf King yelled while pointing at the cell down the hall.
"I would never pity a...Wait, did you say Hobbit?"
The Dwarf looked disappointed at the abrupt end to their banter. Sighing, Thrain said, "Before that evil shade brought you here, he captured a Hobbit"
A cold sense of dread filled Elrond. He asked in a strangled voice, "You didn't happen to catch his name, did you?"
Not Baggins, not Baggins, not Baggins...Elrond repeated the mantra in his head.
The Dwarf King scoffed, "Those silly creatures have ridiculous names. Bagner? No, Bagwin. No, that's not it either..." Thrain continued to mumble names.
"Baggins?" Elrond whispered.
The Dwarf stopped mumbling to stare suspiciously at him. "Now, how does an ungainly giant, like you, happen to know the name of that little Hobbit?"
"We have to get out of these cells and make certain it is him!" Elrond said, while gripping the bars of his cell with both hands and pulling with all of his might. The bars did not move at all.
"Oh, I've only been trapped here for centuries, but since you need to get out..."
Ignoring the dwarf, Elrond started yelling, "Bilbo! Bilbo, answer me!"
"He can't hear you. The shade walked out of here days ago, the spitting image of the little creature. Besides, you're the only one who has ever survived that spell."
There was nothing unusual about the scroll. The outside was unmarked.
As a child, Fili had often wondered what was contained in the scroll that his mother hid under her pillow. She would check every night to make certain the scroll was still there with the seal unbroken.
The scroll was an unspoken secret in their family.
Fili could only imagine how livid his Uncle and Mother would be to see Nori reading the scroll now. The seal was unbroken. His dirty fingers leaving smudges on the outside of it. His lips moving as he read those sacred words that Fili had spent his whole life wanting to read.
From his place by camp, Fili was supposed to be keeping watch. The whole purpose of posting watch was to maintain constant vigilance. Thorin always said "The sooner a threat could be spotted, the sooner a threat could be thwarted." No matter how hard Fili tried, he could not keep from watching Nori with that scroll.
The dwarf in question was completely unaware of Fili's intense scrutiny, however. Nori was sitting high up in a tree. He, too, was supposed to be keeping first watch tonight, but not for an intruder. Thorin posted him there to keep an eye on the wizards.
Gandalf and Radagast sat back-to-back several paces from the campfire. Their eyes were closed. No sound did they make.
And yet, Thorin believed they were somehow communicating with each other. Occasionally, one of the wizards would nod or burst into laughter or snarl in anger. It was eerie to watch them. Fili could understand why they made his Uncle nervous enough to order Nori to covertly keep watch.
"Don't let Uncle see you."
Fili jumped as a voice whispered in his ear. His brother chuckled before ducking as Fili tried to punch him.
"Beg your pardon, Brother-of-mine. I am sorry to interrupt your study of Mr. Nori" Kili said, waggling his eyebrows.
Fili was tempted to punch his brother again. "I was just keeping watch since Nori is reading instead of watching the wizards." He pulled a whetstone out of his pocket.
Kili shoved him, laughing "If you were watching Ori, I might have believed you."
When Fili turned back to look at Nori, the scroll was nowhere in sight.
As if he sensed an audience, Nori suddenly turned to look at them. Fili looked away quickly, but Kili started waving with a silly grin on his face. Nori smirked before returning to wizard-watching.
"Better I caught you than Uncle. He would do something unpleasant to teach you a lesson."
"Yes, he might" Thorin said, startling both of them.
Turning around, Fili saw that Uncle Thorin was standing right behind them, glaring down his nose at them.
Patting Kili on the shoulder, Thorin smirked suddenly.
"Go replace Nori, Kili."
Kili moved quickly with a sympathetic glance at Fili. Thorin sat down in his place and held out his hand for the whetstone. The King Under the Mountain began examining all of Fili's daggers.
When Fili was younger, Thorin would sit with him just like this. His Uncle would teach Fili about maintaining all of his weapons before sleep every night.
Though he never said it, Fili knew this was a habit his Uncle had learned during the long journey after Smaug.
Nodding in approval, Thorin gave all of the daggers back to Fili before using the whetstone on the sword that had been in the troll's hoard.
"When your Mother was very young, not even as tall as my boot, she used to follow your Uncle Frerin and I everywhere." Thorin began.
Fili had never heard anyone speak about Uncle Frerin. Neither Thorin or Dis ever spoke of their childhood. Recognizing this as a rare opportunity, Fili leaned closer to catch every word.
"She would talk-nonstop. During our weapons training, she used to sing and dance. It was so distracting."
"I've never heard Mother sing."
"Be grateful, Nephew." Thorin smirked before continuing his story.
"We wanted one hour of silence. No annoying little dwarfling tagging along. It is not an excuse for what we did, but it is the reason we did it."
Shivering slightly, Fili glanced at his brother. Kili had managed to climb up to Nori's hiding spot. As he watched, Kili's head fell forward in sleep before startling awake again.
"We told her that we would count to twenty. The challenge was simple: find the best hiding place in Erebor. A place no one would ever think to look. If we found her, we threatened to change her name to Milksop."
"Milksop?"
"It means 'coward'. One of many names your grandfather, Thror, had for elves. She was outraged. Dis swore we would never find her." Thorin stopped suddenly. The whetstone lay forgotten in his hand as he stared into the campfire.
"We went to the training grounds as soon as she was out of sight. It was a few hours later as we were walking home that we remembered her. Searching everywhere, we could not find her. For the first time, I saw panic in Frerin's eyes."
Fili knew that his Mother had, indeed, been found. He and Kili were living proof. Despite that fact, he had to remind himself to breath evenly as he waited for Uncle to continue.
"All of the vendors in Erebor close before supper. While every dwarf was in the Great Hall eating a feast, the Sons of Thrain were running between storefronts, yelling for Dis. As Frerin was running past the tailor's shop, Nori's Father ran out. The two collided at full speed. Things happened rather quickly after that"
Balin approached them quietly. He bowed slightly to Thorin before speaking. "It is time for Second Watch. Shall we ask him?"
Fili followed Balin's gaze towards the Hobbit. The Other was gazing into the forest, looking extremely...bored.
"Wake Bofur, they can keep watch together. Let him know I will want a report after we break camp."
Balin nodded before waking Bofur. Thorin continued his story, but kept watch over Bofur and The Other while doing so.
"Your Mother was very small for a dwarfling. She had chosen to hide in a chest of clothes in the tailor shop. She fell asleep and was not awake when the tailor closed the lid and locked up for the night."
All of the color drained from Fili's face. A chest was a masterpiece of Dwarven ingenuity. All of them would seal when closed so that no bugs or water could ruin the contents. Air itself could not enter the chest when closed.
"What happened?" Fili asked.
"If Frerin and I had been a moment later, you and Kili would never have been born. She was turning blue by the time we got her out. Nori's Father, took care of her as we told him everything. How ironic, that she was quiet while we could not stop the words from spilling out."
Thorin stopped and turned to face Fili- his face was filled with pain. "I was afraid she would not wake up. Deep down, I knew we broke her. All of those times that I wished she would stop following us...I wanted her to wake up and yell or hit us, at least then I would know she was alright. Not dead. The silence was torture."
Fili had no idea what to say. It was his worst nightmare that his actions or inactions could harm Kili. He could not imagine life without his brother.
"It is the only time that I ever saw Frerin cry. Realizing how close Dis had come to dying, I couldn't breathe. Not only did we almost lose her, I was sure Thrain would kill us."
"What did Nori's father do to you after you explained?"
"Nothing. He told us the guilt and horror we felt at nearly killing your Mother would be more than enough punishment."
Fili cringed as he asked, "But what did Thrain do to you?"
"He hugged all three of us and did not let go for the longest time. The yelling came a few minutes later, but only after the hug. We were his kids. He would never harm us, regardless of how bad our mistake was." Thorin was quiet for a few minutes. He handed the whetstone back to Fili.
This was the longest conversation I've ever had with Uncle, Fili mused. And I am not even sure what we're really talking about.
"Uncle, why did you tell me this?"
"It was the first time that I realized my actions had consequences- the moment when I started to think about how everything I did would influence the lives of others."
Thorin looked intently at Fili for a moment before glancing at Kili.
His brother was sound asleep.
"You will face a moment like that, too. I know that you will be a great King someday. One who cares for his people and will do anything for them, even if no one knows about it. Your shoulders may bend under the strain, but they will not break. No Durin has ever been broken."
The King stood and stretched before reaching down to pat Fili on the shoulder. Fili looked away, unable to bear the look of understanding that crossed Thorin's face.
"A king's job is never done."
He watched as the King walked calmly to his bedroll.
Fili sat awake for a long time, keeping watch as his brother was sound asleep in the tree above the wizards.
Waking up every morning had been a unique experience for the past 5 years. Bilbo never knew what The Other did while asleep.
When traveling with Thorin's company, Bilbo assumed that the dwarves would not let The Other get into too much trouble.
Yawning, he was about to stretch, eyes still closed, when he was interrupted by a nervous whisper from his left.
"Bilbo, don't move!"
Bilbo snapped his mouth shut mid-yawn. His cheeks puffed out with the air that had yet to escape. Ears burning, Bilbo was about to breath out through his nose when he felt something very cold touch the very tip of said appendage.
Carefully, he squinted his eyes trying to see what it was.
With the fire behind it, all Bilbo could see was a small shadow standing very close to him.
"Don't worry, lad. So long as we do not scare it, he will not harm us." Balin said from across camp, unable to keep the panic out of his voice.
As the shadow moved away, Bilbo was finally able to exhale. Moving very slowly, the Hobbit sat up and opened his eyes.
He had been expecting a Warg, ferocious Orc, nasty Goblin, or something truly horrible. Nothing less would cause these stout warriors to be on edge. What he was not expecting was a tiny cat.
Bofur clapped his shoulder gently. "Are you alright, Bilbo?"
"I am perfectly fine. It's only a cat."
There were several gasps from the dwarves around camp. The tiny cat sensed the change in his surroundings and lifted its tail ominously.
"Shut it, you fools!"Thorin growled. The dwarves forced themselves to calm down as Ori patiently explained.
"That is definitely not a cat, Mr. Baggins. Notice the black body and the white stripe that starts from the top of his nose, all the way down his back and to the tip of his tail? It's a skunk!"
Looking closely at the cat in the light from the campfire, Bilbo could now see the white stripe clearly. While the Shire had quite a few cats, this skunk-creature was smaller.
Beady black eyes searched the camp for any threats. The dwarves, for the first time since Bilbo had met them, cowered and hid behind each other in attempt to escape its gaze. For some strange reason, they became more terrified when the skunk was not facing them.
"What is a skunk? You all look as though it is an assassin sent to kill you."
"You do not have them in the Shire?" Kili asked from his hiding place behind his Uncle.
"No, not to my knowledge. See here, what is all this...?" Bilbo was interrupted by a terrified squeak next to him.
Ori was deathly pale and trembling in absolute terror. "My bag! It is right next to my bag! Everything will be ruined."
Dwalin, the dwarf closest to the bag and skunk, crept very slowly towards the bag.
"Careful, Brother." Balin whispered, edging away from Dwalin.
Before Bilbo could ask what exactly they thought this skunk-creature was going to do, a menacing screech from above the camp startled everyone.
"Sebastian, no!" Thorin whispered at Sebastian, who was staring intently at the skunk.
After glaring at the King, the eagle took flight high into the sky. With daylight still some hours away, Bilbo was unable to keep track of the bird's movements.
The skunk was spinning around as if he could not decide who to bite first. Bilbo heard the creature start growling and flashing very sharp teeth. Its tail was raised, making it look as though it were dancing.
The dwarves began diving for cover. Bilbo was too shocked to move.
He could only stare as Thorin literally threw Kili behind a boulder. The poor dwarf landed with a pained whine. Bombur almost trampled Nori in his attempt to get away. It took only seconds for the entire camp to clear out until only a skunk and Hobbit remained. A wave of disappointment threatened to overwhelm him.
He had heard stories about the courage and prowess of the dwarven warriors. The same company that had charged three full grown trolls to save Fili were now scampering away from a tiny little creature!
Their weapons lay abandoned by the campfire as this tiny cat-like creature stopped spinning and continued its approach towards Ori's bag.
"No, no, no..." Ori continued to whimper as the skunk walked calmly towards the bag containing all of his precious writings.
Bilbo had seen quite enough of this nonsense. Standing up, Bilbo was about to go invisible when the skunk lifted its tail again, directly at the Hobbit.
Things happened very quickly in the next moment.
The creature twitched its tail.
In the next second, he opened his eyes to find that he was laying on the ground, being crushed to death as someone was lying on top of him, shielding him.
From his vantage point, Bilbo could barely see past a large hand that was on his face. The sleeve was keeping his nose covered. He was about to voice his concerns about being unable to breath when a strange, foul odor permeated the air through the sleeve.
Holding his breath suddenly seemed like a very good idea.