261.) Shadow—

Balin has known that this is a nearly hopeless mission from the start…but as he lies dying in the darkness of Durin's kingdom, Ori's terrified voice echoing as if from a great distance above him, he wishes he had not brought so many others to their inevitable deaths.

262.) Line—

Thorin is astonished at the larger-than-normal crowd that has gathered in the forge today; after all, they're spending a few months in a town of Men, and the people seem—at best—wary of the small group of dwarves…but then he realizes that the majority of his customers are women, and Dwalin's face is turning near-purple as he keeps a keen eye on Fíli and Kíli; Vali is working in the mines, and Dís has fallen ill, so Thorin has been forced to watch over his young nephews for the day despite the dangers such a workplace poses—but he realizes that this may not be such a bad idea after all, as the women coo over his nephews and readily hand over plenty of gold for their purchases.

263.) News—

Bard hastens through the camps after the terrible battle, searching for Thorin Oakenshield—he and King Thranduil have readily agreed to put aside any and all differences in order to help save as many as possible, and so he is ready to offer whatever is necessary to help the dwarves with their wounded…but no matter how many faces he sees, no matter how many dwarves he asks, nobody knows where the king is—until the huge bald dwarf he met in Laketown—Dwalin—exits a tent, covered in blood with tears leaking from his eyes…and when Bard asks him for news of the king, he is only able to choke out, "There's nothing to be done—if you want negotiations, speak with Dáin," before limping away with trembling shoulders.

264.) Sour—

Beorn has never much liked dwarves, with their disregard for most living things and their obsession with useless jewels and metals…but the little bunny intrigues him, and anyone being chased by Azog the Defiler must be decent folk—and so despite his doubts as to Thorin Oakenshield's character, he sends them on their way with full packs and strong ponies, hoping they—at the very least—will kill that thrice-cursed monster before he takes any more lives.

265.) Treason—

The captain of the guard wakes up with a pounding headache and a stiff neck; he's slouched over in his chair, and his keys are on the tabletop—definitely not where he left them last night…and the first thought that runs through his head as he hears pounding footsteps coming from down the hall is that the king is going to murder him if he messed anything up last night when he was supposed to be guarding those half-witted dwarves.

266.) Eternal—

Dwalin signs up for the quest readily, not giving a second thought to the inherent dangers or the improbability of success or the damned dragon at the end; after all, he has sworn for more than a century to protect Thrór's line, and he'll let himself be torn apart by wargs and orcs and every manner of foul beast before he allows any harm to come to them.

267.) Clash—

Dori, Nori, and Ori may not always see eye to eye, but there's no question of their fraternal loyalty; anyone stupid enough to threaten Dori or Ori has a poisoned knife to the throat in the blink of an eye; Dori ignores more than most of Nori's activities and covers for him against the guard more times than he cares to count; and Ori—small, timid Ori who nobody has ever thought would amount to anything—has chased vagabonds and thieves and all manner of ne'er-do-wells out of their shop with an enormous hammer or a deadly knife, all in order to keep his brothers safe.

268.) Matter—

"I'm fine—it's nothing—it doesn't matter…" but Hobson Gamgee isn't so sure Bilbo's telling the truth, in the months after he returns from that hare-brained adventure…not when, more than once, he's walked in on him crying over his mother's glory box, or a shiny shirt made of—of all things!—silver chain links, or a drawing or a note on a tattered piece of parchment or anything else that seems to be of no value to anyone but Bilbo himself.

269.) Infect—

"We don't have parasites—you have parasites!"—and this, Thorin laments as he rolls his eyes at Kili, is exactly why he was wary of allowing his nephews to come along on this journey in the first place.

270.) Psychology—

"Promise me you'll be safe—both of you—and write me as soon as you reach Erebor, you understand?"—and Kíli pretends to brush his mother off, promising flippantly that they'll be fine, that they'll be rolling in gold and have thousands of gifts for her when she arrives at the mountain…but he pockets the small talisman she gives him—Durin, it says, a reminder of their birthright and their heritage—and he guards it jealously throughout the journey: nearly panicking when the goblins search him, refusing to give it up to the Mirkwood Elves when they try to confiscate it…and tucking it into a pocket carefully as he and Fíli don their battle armor, preparing to fight for the home their mother has wished after for all these years.

271.) Human—

Hobbits are a mutant offshoot of Men, right?—and so Bofur thinks (at the very start, mind you—Balin nearly smacks him the next day when he hears) that it's rational to assume that Bilbo—with his smooth chin, his delicate features, and his near-obsession with dishes and doilies—must be a female hobbit.

272.) Autumn—

Fíli is born in early autumn, with a bright shock of his father's hair and his mother's blue eyes; and when he is handed to Thorin for the first time—when the king holds his tiny, innocent heir in his enormous, scarred arms and looks down upon his sister's son…he smiles for the first time in a long, long time, because no matter how much he has done wrong in the past, no matter how hopeless their situation seems right now (wandering and homeless as they are), there, at least, is this bright new life in their world…and he will make sure this young lad will not make his uncle's mistakes.

273.) Bright—

Glóin doesn't pay much mind to the dwarves of the Blue Mountains, when they first settle there—after all, he has to set up a home and a business, assist his king and his kin in any way he can…but when he finally does start to pay attention, one dwarrowdam catches his eye—and he finds that he can't breathe...not when her beautiful figure, her golden hair, her magnificent beard, and her incredible, imposing bearing cannot possibly be real.

274.) Threat—

Ori doesn't even think before he reacts to the Goblin King's threat; Kíli, of course, is the youngest—any idiot could see that, for he's skinny as a rail and his beard is all but invisible—but he also knows that he can't let the youngest prince come to harm…and so he gasps loudly, shrinks back into Dwalin, and makes a show of pretending to be terrified…because he's the only one who could pass as younger than Kíli, and he'll be damned if he allows Thorin's nephew to come to harm when he could have done something to stop it.

275.) Night—

Thorin can't stand it—walking home from the forge late at night, stopping for a pint in the tavern after a long week, or simply going out to buy supplies for his family—he's spat upon and ignored and threatened by the men he works for—by the men he lives alongside, by the men who buy his products for their dwarven craftsmanship—and more than once, he has had to draw a sword or a knife or an axe, defending himself against those who seek to harm him for simply existing in their small corner of the world.

276.) Lament—

It's several hours later when Bilbo comes back to himself; his head still pounds like a second heart, and someone—Gandalf, likely—has wrapped him in a warm blanket…but he forces himself to his feet, because he knows that no matter how much he is hurting because of Thorin's death, there are others who must be far beyond tears in their grief—but when he asks Balin of Fíli and Kíli, whether they've been told and whether Fíli must, by necessity, accept the crown…the old dwarf's face crumples in pain, and Bilbo's knees give out as he says, "Fíli and Kíli…were slain, defending their king's body."

277.) Hypnotize—

Bifur knows that he scares many of the people he meets, but he also knows that he can do little about it; and so he spends his time in his toyshop, whittling and carving and welding and creating all manner of entertainment for children—and the little ones (men and dwarves alike) flock to his shop, despite their parents' reservations, and everything—all of it, the excruciating headaches and the lapses in attention and the sideways looks from everyone he meets—is forgotten when their little faces light up in wonder and amazement as they see his toys.

278.) Spirit—

Gandalf has walked this earth for two thousand years and has existed beyond it for far longer—he should not allow himself to become attached to the mortals, because he knows that they, inevitably, will pass on, leaving him behind; but there is something about Merry and Pippin (young—far too young to join such a hopeless quest) that reminds him of two dwarven princes lost to this world so long ago, and it pains him beyond reason that he will likely see these hobbits fall to that same fate long before their time.

279.) Siren—

The men of Dale stand no chance, even as the archers scramble to their positions and take aim…desperately hoping that they can fell the monstrous beast that is hell-bent on destroying their happiness and their homes and their lives.

280.) Throne—

The Master does not see thirteen bedraggled dwarves and a half-drowned halfling upon his shores; all he can see are those who will bring him the gold he wants (needs); all he can see is the grand kings of old who lived with rivers of gold and jewels beneath their feet; all he can see is the great doors of Erebor opened to him (and only him, for dwarves are lesser beings who deserve no such treasures), the dragon dead and gone and the halls clear for him to claim what is rightfully his.