Chapter 25

All rights go to Peter Jackson and Tolkien respectively, I only own my OCs.

*IMPORTANT PLEASE READ*

As of December 1, 2017: I have officially gone through and edited every single chapter of this story and fixed everything from grammar to plot-holes because I just didn't feel I could keep writing it without fixing things. I'm sorry but as a result, some things have changed but I didn't want anyone to think they need to reread the whole story to be able to continue so I pulled out the most important things you need to know without rereading.

The dwarves do NOT know that Nina is Galadriel's daughter and protector of Middle Earth (except Kili but he swore to secrecy). Also the dwarves never help Nina to use her other senses, they only help her learn to fight.

When Erich first meets Madison and shows her the trailer for BOFTA, Nina is in the trailer.

I added more stuff in the beginning between Nina and Thorin to add to their relationship if you want to read that.

I've added more about Tauriel as a character and Thranduil in previous chapters if you want to read that.

A woman hobbled around the shore with one purpose—to help the wounded and destitute. She could hardly fathom the night's events, when the old dragon of legend had finally revealed himself and fulfilled the prophecy concerning Durinsfolk. She sighed, shaking her head almost in disbelief as she handed out dry blankets to the survivors. Before she could register what was happening, Alfrid shoved people aside to reach her.

"Give me one of them, I'll catch my death in this cold!" He growled, grabbing her pile of blankets. She held fast to the other end.

"Find your own. You're not in charge now, Alfrid Blackspell!" She snarled in return.

"That's where you are wrong," He gave her a wicked grin. "In absence of the Master, the power cedes to his deputy which in this instance is my good self. Now give me that blanket!"

"Don't make me laugh!" She scoffed, managing to take control of the blankets and hit him with them. "You're a sneak-thief, more like. I'll be dead before I answer to the likes of you!"

"That can be arranged."

"I wouldn't go turning on your own, Alfrid. Not now." The tired voice of Bard growled, stopping their spat in an instant. He had Bain with him, and his daughters rushed to him excitedly. Tauriel lingered behind with Clara clinging to her side. Bard embraced the girls enthusiastically and comforted them.

"It was Bard that killed the dragon! I saw with my own eyes, he shot him dead with a Black Arrow!" A man in the crowd exclaimed. Everyone cheered for Bard, but they soon quieted when Alfrid started proclaiming things about Bard being king. Tauriel sighed at the foolish man and walked away from the crowd.

"We will find your family, young one." Tauriel gave Clara a pat on the shoulder and smiled down at her softly. She tried to mask the slight worry she had that the girl's grandmother did not make it after all.

It was quite brisk as the dwarves and Nina climbed up the Lonely Mountain, silent the whole way. Now that they were so close to Erebor, everything about the dwarven kingdom was so much more real than it had been before. Now that they could see it and know that the threat of a dragon was gone, it was real. There was also the silent worry that no one voiced about whether or not they would find their friends alive or dead. Smaug had gotten out of the mountain without any visible struggle, perhaps he had simply burned the others—or even ate them. Nina shuddered at the thought.

"Cold?" Fili frowned at her shudder. Nina shook her head.

"Just thinking, I'm alright." She gave him a tight smile.

"About the others?" He met her gaze. She noticed a bit of fear in his blue eyes. She nodded. "Me too. What if they…"

"They're not." Nina stopped, setting a hand to his shoulder. "They're not…dead. Fili, I know it. They're stronger than that." She tried to convince herself. She knew that in the book they all survived this far, but in the book none of them had been left in Laketown, and Kili hadn't almost died. Things had already changed majorly and she knew that this could change too.

"If Uncle is dead then…" Fili ran a nervous hand through his golden hair. "I am king. I'm not ready for that, Nina. There's so much I have to learn from him, I can't—"

"Fili, don't worry about it now, there's nothing we can do until we know for sure who survived." She gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze. A cold shiver ran down her spine as she thought of them being dead—she would never forgive herself.

"Mahal be merciful…" Bofur gasped in horror as they reached the front gates of Erebor. They had been crashed and ruined in the wreckage of Smaug, and hopes of the others' survival started to fall.

The five of them raced into the mountain, slightly pausing as they took in the sheer enormity of the place. Nina had never imagined such massive stone pillars or unfathomably intricate tunnels throughout the mountain, nor had she ever realized the beauty of the dwarves' décor. She couldn't help but fall behind the group, her head tilted upward and her mouth open in awe as she slowed down to look around. Despite being in a dark mountain, the emerald greens and silvers of the stone around her were so vivid. She couldn't stop herself from tearing up. She was finally going somewhere new and really seeing it. She thought of her father and sister, how they would have been all emotional and celebrating with her if they knew she had her sight. She tried to dismiss her family from her mind though, knowing that the thought of them only made her cry. She would never see them again, and she couldn't cope with that unless she ceased to think of them.

She heard Bilbo up ahead talking in hushed tones with the four dwarves—so Bilbo had made it! She felt so much joy at the news, and not for the first time she was reminded of how incredibly important it was that he live through this. She knew that more was fated for Bilbo in the Hobbit and she knew from her father, a huge fan of Tolkien's world, that he had more to do in the Lord of the Rings.

"Bilbo!" She ran up to the group, pushing the thoughts from her mind. "I'm glad you're alive," She hugged him. He was startled. She was reminded of how she had been under Erich's influence last Bilbo saw her.

"Nina…? Are you alright?" He stammered. Nina smiled and nodded.

"Yeah I'm good now, and I have these guys to thank." She glanced at the dwarves. "And if I did anything to you while I was…"

"Not to worry, dear, I'm fine and it's over now," Bilbo waved a hand dismissively at her apology. Nina beamed at him.

"Thank you, Bilbo." She replied softly.

"The others?" Fili stepped up eagerly. Bilbo nodded.

"We are all well but…" He mumbled. The others looked at him expectantly. "Thorin…something is wrong. We all need to leave, I think there is a sickness here—Thorin hasn't been himself." As he spoke, Fili and Kili looked down the winding stairwell they stood on as they heard whispering down below. "Fili, Kili don't go down there!" It was too late. The brothers rushed down the steps, followed by the others, when they stopped short as they saw Thorin. He crept out of the darkness, unaware of their presence, caressing the gold coins that surrounded him.

"Gold," Thorin whispered to himself harshly. The way he looked…Nina thought it was just wrong. She had never seen him before, but she knew this wasn't right. "Gold beyond measure. Beyond sorrow and grief." He looked up and saw the others. He spread his arms open wide in pride. "Behold, the great treasure hoard of Thror. Welcome, my sister's sons, to the kingdom of Erebor!" He threw a jewel up to Fili who caught it. Nina involuntarily shivered. The whole atmosphere around Thorin was wrong. Kili couldn't take his eyes off of the treasure hoard and it tugged a little at the back of Nina's mind. He didn't look like Thorin, but there was a hint of temptation in his innocent eyes. Nina silently signaled to Bilbo that they should get out of there.

It wasn't very long of a walk for Bilbo to show them to the rest of the company, and when they got there the dwarves were tackled with enthusiastic embraces from the others. Nina hung back, taking in how they all looked. Once the initial excitement had died down, they finally noticed her. She stood there awkwardly, wringing her hands. She had no idea what she had done to them under Erich's control or whether they would be mad at her or not.

"Nina, lass," Dwalin was the first to speak. Even without the face she knew his voice.

"I'm so sor—" Before she could finish her apology, Nina was cut off by a bone-crushing hug from Dwalin. It was the last thing she could have expected from the tough dwarf, but she returned it all the same, squeezing her eyes shut and thinking of how much she had missed the familiar dwarf.

"We'd thought we'd lost you forever lass," He whispered before releasing her. Nina chuckled through teary eyes.

"You can't get rid of me that easy," She smiled at him before turning to the others. "My mind was under the influence of that evil man, and anything I did was not the real me. If I did anything to hurt any of you, I am so sorry."

"Under his influence?" Ori peeped uncertainly. The others looked at her warily.

"He was controlling my mind, I don't know how he did it." She said, offering him the best explanation she had. She knew very well that Erich had wanted to take advantage of her powers. He knew that she was Galadriel's daughter and the next protector, but the dwarves didn't. She waited eagerly as the agonizing silence between them all carried on another moment.

"Well I for one am glad to see you back to your old self," Bofur finally exclaimed, not-so-subtly gesturing for the others to say something. They all seemed to awake from their far off stares at her, and started eagerly agreeing with Bofur. She smiled.

"Well not completely back to her old self I see," Balin hinted knowingly. They all looked puzzled for a moment before it dawned on them.

"Mahal, the girl's been healed! She's looking right at us!" Dori exclaimed, voicing everyone's thoughts. Nina laughed.

"Yes I am!" She started tearing up again as the company gathered around her, smiling and giving her their congratulations. She stood back taking in the sight of the twelve dwarves and hobbit.

"Balin, I can see your extremely white beard; Dwalin, I can see your intricate tattoos; Oin, I can see the braids in your beard and I see Gloin and Bombur's fiery red hair; Bilbo I can see your giant hairy feet," They all laughed at that as she reveled in the ability to see their features. She could see them! "Ori I can see your very well knitted mittens, and Nori's mischievous smile and Bofur's interesting hat…I see Dori's rather impressive braids and Bifur…is that an axe in your head?!" She exclaimed louder than she had intended. The dwarves roared in laughter as if they had been waiting for her to notice it. "Has it always been there?"

"Aye lass, since before this quest began." Bofur chuckled. She shook her head, trying to accept the weirdness that was Bifur.

"But I can see you all, it's so different. I can see Fili's bright blue eyes and blonde hair, and Kili," She settled her gaze on him for a moment longer than she had the others. He held it there, not allowing her to look away. She gave him a gentle smile. "I can see your dark brown eyes." It was a simple observation that the others may not have thought to be profound, but Kili and Nina knew what the significance her words carried. The night she had first seen him, below the Carrock when he had kissed her, that was when she first knew he had brown eyes. Kili grinned when she said it. Balin cleared his throat after a moment.

"I suppose you lot are hungry, spending all your time running around Laketown because of that awful dragon." He stated, earning an eager agreement from the Laketown dwarves and Nina. "Perhaps we can have ourselves something other than stew in the hall."

The company, save Thorin, all migrated to the main hall of Erebor, far enough in the mountain so as not to be seen by any outsiders through the gaping hole that used to be main gate before Smaug had crashed through it. They started a fire and sat around it, Bombur roasting a bird that Nori and Ori had managed to catch just outside the mountain using their unique contraptions they had built from old materials around the mountain. The dwarves that had gone to the mountain first were telling their story of how everything had gone before Smaug escaped, each one exaggerating a little more than the last. Nina didn't mind, she knew they all must have been terrified beyond belief. She wanted to let them have their heroic stories now that it was over. Once they had finished, Fili and Kili told them all of how they had fared in Laketown, and how Nina had saved Kili's life. The others were quite impressed by the tale. Bofur cut in of course to tell of his own adventures trying to find the kingsfoil for Kili's leg and almost being caught by orcs. He exaggerated that story a lot.

"It's getting a little colder now, isn't it?" Dori remarked. They all agreed, Nina subconsciously shivering a little. She hadn't taken notice of her appearance ever since she had gained her sight, so she looked down at herself. She was definitely not wearing Bilbo's borrowed clothes anymore, so she concluded that Erich must have given her new ones. Her pants and tall boots were all black and stained with sand and dust. She wore a long sleeved black shirt that was too big for her and resulted in a baggy look, only being kept in its place by the black armor bodice around her torso. Her blonde hair was half pulled back, and she decided to keep it that way.

"Well the last moon of autumn has passed," Bilbo chimed in, referencing the familiar Durin's Day prophecy that they had fulfilled. "Winter is coming along now."

"Approaching December, I guess." Nina mumbled to herself. She thought of all she had missed. She didn't know how time worked in Middle Earth versus her world, since she had left her world in the fall and now it was winter here. But their quest had certainly taken more than the few months of fall. It was spring in Middle Earth when she had arrived. She shook her head, unable to comprehend the strange ways the whole multiple worlds thing worked. All she knew was that she missed the fall season in her world. "I want apple pie." She blurted.

"What?" Fili frowned from beside her. She shrugged. After all, it was true.

"I really want some apple pie. Where I'm from we always eat apple pie in the autumn." She explained. They all frowned.

"Why would you put apples in your pie when you could put meat in them?" Bombur scoffed. Nina rolled her eyes. Evidently they were not fans of apple pie.

"Well you would if you'd ever tasted my father's apple pie. It's amazing," She chuckled. Fili raised his eyebrows expectantly.

"Well go on then, make us one."

"Where do you see apples around here?" Nina asked sarcastically. Fili rolled his eyes.

"Bombur brought apples with him, you know. And whatever else you need I'm sure is here in the mountain." They all nodded, Bombur bringing out the few apples left in his pack. Nina shook her head and chuckled.

"Alright, well you all can go get me some flour, oil, sugar and salt." She ordered, walking over to Bombur and taking the apples. "I'll need a knife."

Fili, Kili, and Balin all went to retrieve what she asked for, the two princes needing Balin's guidance to get around the mountain. Nina sat with Bombur and used his cooking knife to peel and slice the five apples he had given her. They discovered that the only cookware available was Bombur's frying pan, so she decided that their pie would have to be fried over the fire. She mixed the flour, oil and salt, eyeballing the measurements and making it look as close to dough as she could get it before spreading it out on the bottom of the pan. She mixed the apple slices and sugar, adding some water since they had no butter to moisten it up. She made up the pie and they sat it over the fire, waiting as it baked.

"This is going to be the worst pie ever." She laughed as she looked at the deformed thing. It only had about half of the ingredients it truly needed.

"Nonsense, it's food, we'll eat it." Nori admitted.

"I still cannot fathom that we are sitting here in Erebor," Dwalin marveled, looking around them at the gleaming halls. They all nodded their agreement.

"What was it like, living in Erebor?" Kili piped up. Nina had nearly forgotten that some of the dwarves had never seen it before. Balin smiled.

"It was marvelous," Balin reminisced wistfully. "We were miners, honest and true. Dwarves were meant to find the stone of the earth and mold it, and so we did. These halls were never quiet from the hustle of dwarves and Men coming to trade alike. It was truly a privilege to live in this mighty stronghold of the dwarves." The pride could be heard clearly in his voice, causing all of them to smile as he told them of the mountain of old. "Always was there happiness, always something to rejoice over. The King held celebrations when there was an occasion, filled with Dwarvish song and dance."

"That sounds very nice," Bilbo smiled kindly at Balin. The others agreed. Kili gave Nina a sideways look before turning his attention back to Balin. She frowned at him in confusion.

"Dance?" Kili parroted with a mischievous hint in his voice. Balin nodded eagerly.

"Oh aye, just like the ones you learned back in Ered Luin I'm sure."

"Well I'd say being rid of that cursed dragon is as good a reason as any to celebrate." Kili grinned. Fili and some of the other younger dwarves agreed, and Balin nodded in amusement.

"Indeed it is, lad!" Bofur cried with a bright smile whipping out his flute while Dwalin brought out an old fiddle. Balin shouted the title of a jig for them to play, but Nina couldn't hear it over the commotion of the dwarves getting up and getting themselves riled up to dance. It reminded her of Bilbo's house, when they had been so happy and joyful, singing their songs and tossing around Bilbo's dishes. It had been so long ago. She had never imagined that these dwarves would become a second family to her in a million years.

They began their dance as the music started. Nina wondered if Dwalin had always smiled as wide as he was then, and she had a sneaking suspicion that he didn't. The dancing dwarves were skipping about, turning and stomping and clapping and doing everything all at once so that Nina and Bilbo could find no pattern in the dance. Bofur and Dwalin swayed along with the beat they played while Nina and Bilbo clapped along, laughing with the dancers. Soon enough though, Kili was giving Nina a very mischievous grin and she knew exactly what he was thinking as he approached her.

"No, no, absolutely not." She tried to wave him off as he grabbed her hand, bringing her out to the makeshift dancefloor. "Kili I can't even dance my own culture's dances well, much less this!"

"You'll be fine, I'll lead." Kili laughed at her, taking her by both hands. "Like this."

He brought them into the circle of dancing dwarves and placed her between him and Fili, dragging her by the hand the whole way. She tried to follow him on her own, but in the end she had resorted to awkwardly skipping around with them and letting him drag her. It wasn't long after she joined when the dwarves' excitement rose, and the music got faster. Which meant the dancing got faster. Kili spun Nina around and around him, and she could hardly believe that these dwarves were agile enough to move so fast. As the song drew to a close, Nina collapsed dizzily into Kili and laughed heartily with the others. He wrapped his arms around her and beamed at the girl. He loved the feeling of being with her again.

"Well I made it to the end in one piece, that's something." She laughed up at him. Kili didn't think his smile could get any wider.

"It was a pleasure dancing with you, Nina." He replied. She smiled up at him and looked like she was about to say something else when a now sweaty Bombur shouted:

"The pie is done!" They all went back to the fire to examine the golden brown and very deformed creation. Nina shrugged as she cut pieces for each of them. As she looked around, she saw twelve dwarves and a hobbit eating apple pie and telling her how good it was. They were terrible liars. She couldn't help but smile. For now, Smaug was dead and the entire company was safe, including Nina. No one had declared war and everyone seemed happy in the mountain. She only wished it could have stayed that way.

Author's Note READ THIS ALSO:

If you guys read my message in the beginning of the chapter, you are awesome. If you didn't...go read it! Anywho, I'm sorry I haven't updated in awhile, I was super busy editing this story and making everything flow the way I wanted it. I needed to fix the story before I could add to it.

Also this is a filler chapter but I thought it was a fun one, I always imagined the dwarves feeling more lighthearted in their natural home of Erebor, and I wanted to incorporate some dwarven culture to the best of my ability! We are moving into BOFTA territory now...

Would you guys be interested in a sequel to this?

As always, leave a review it helps me motivate myself to write this!