Author's Note: Happy day after Christmas! I saw the Battle of Five Armies last Friday and IT WAS SO GOOD I JUST CAN'T EVEN but I'm having trouble processing it all still and I really really need to see it again. So there you go, my in-depth and well-thought-out analysis. ;) But I'm already starting to plan out the next part of this story in my head, so maybe there won't be quite as long of a break as I thought there would be. Big maybe though.


Chapter 28-Durin's Day

Early morning sun streamed through Karra's window and she rolled over and opened her eyes. Something significant was happening today, but she couldn't quite remember what it was. It had something to do with the quest and the company. But whatever it was, it couldn't be happening right now, so surely she could sleep just a little longer. She rolled over, yawned, and burrowed back into the covers.

Wait! They were leaving for the mountain today! That was it! She nearly fell out of bed in her hurry. They could be leaving any minute! Her feet were just touching the floor when she heard a knock on the door. With another yawn, she rubbed her eyes and stood up. Maybe she could hurry just a little bit slower. She was already regretting jumping out of bed so quickly.

She opened to door, still feeling groggy and unkempt from sleeping. Bilbo stood there, looking expectant. "Yes?" Karra said, resisting another yawn.

"It's nearly time to leave!" he said with a laugh. "You're up late."

"Late?" She stared at him. "It seems pretty early to me."

Bilbo laughed. He seemed so awake and alert this morning, and it was kind of getting on Karra's nerves. "You'd best get changed and come with me," he said. "Or they might leave without us."

Karra stared at him blankly. "Changed?"

Bilbo nodded to something in her room. Karra followed his gaze and saw that a dress lay draped over her bed stand. "What in the—? Where did that come from?" she exclaimed. "Boy, I must have been really asleep!" She made a little shooing motion with her hands, as if to say I need my privacy. Bilbo nodded and backed out, closing the door behind him.

Now, where in the world had that dress come from? A maid must have snuck in and laid it on her bed stand while she was asleep, but…really? Someone could have come in and stabbed her in her sleep, for goodness sakes!

With that disturbing thought still in her mind, she picked up the dress and looked it over. Made of a rich dark blue fabric with silver trim, it seemed to be both practical and pretty. Now if only the maid had thought to bring her some other shoes as well, she thought, staring at the dwarf boots that made her feet look considerably bigger than they were.

The dress was a little long, but otherwise it fit nicely. She ran a comb through her hair, though it didn't do much good; her now-short hair still fluffed out in all directions; and stepped out the door. Bilbo stood there, still waiting for her. "Come on," he said, taking her hand and practically pulling her along. "We don't want to be late."

"Because they might leave without us," Karra said, rolling her eyes.

Bilbo looked back at her, and said, his tone perfectly serious, "Yes, they might."

"Wait…" Karra stopped and stared at him. "You're serious, aren't you?"

"I'm not sure," Bilbo replied. "But I heard Thorin say that if someone didn't show up in time, we would leave without them. I think he was serious."

"Oh." Karra quickened her pace even more, letting the hobbit pull her along.

They cut through streets and alleyways, presumably taking the quickest route, though sometimes Karra got the feeling that Bilbo didn't know where he was going any more than she did. Finally, hearing the noise of a crowd in the near distance, they rounded a corner and came upon the company. They pushed their way through the people and found themselves being greeted enthusiastically by their fellow dwarves.

"Karra! I'm so glad you got here in time!" cried Kili, clapping her on the back. She grinned. "Here," he said, handing her a short sword and a sword belt to carry it in. She stood there briefly wondering what to do with both of the things, but was pushed along by the crowd.

They were escorted through a couple of streets, and finally they arrived at what Karra assumed to be their departure point, for there were some boats tied to the dock, well stocked with supplies. Karra took advantage of the moment of being stopped to position her sword belt and sword on her waist. She was pretty sure she got it wrong, but it would do. She could ask someone how it worked later.

Almost before she realized what was happening, they were beginning to board the boats. She found herself stepping off the dock, willing herself not to trip and fall in the water or something. For once, she didn't do anything clumsy, and pretty soon she was standing in one of the boats, grinning out at the crowd. She felt like a celebrity.

Fili stepped in beside her and took her hand briefly. "I'm glad you got here," he said.

"Yeah, me too," she replied. "I must have been pretty tired last night…." Her voice trailed off as she remembered the embarrassing giggle fit, and she turned away. He tapped her on the shoulder.

"Need help with that?" he asked, nodding to her sword belt.

Karra raised an eyebrow. "Does it look that bad?" she asked. Fili just grinned. "Alright, alright, I do need help," she admitted. He reached forward and was just beginning to help her reposition it when he seemed to notice something happening on the dock. "I'm sorry," he said quickly, turning and beginning to step off the boat. "I'll be back." Karra watched him disappear into the crowd, wondering what was suddenly so important. She turned to Bilbo, who was standing beside her.

"Do you know how this works?" she asked him, pointing to her sword belt. He was about to reply when the Master of Laketown began to speak. Thorin stepped aboard the boat. Karra wondered where Fili was, but she supposed he was coming.

The people quieted as the Master continued to speak. Karra looked around for Fili and Kili. Where were they? She didn't see them on any of the boats, and looking around in the crowd….wait, there they were! And they didn't seem to be coming.

Hoping no one asked what she was doing, and hoping the Master's little speech lasted long enough for her to find out what Fili and Kili were up to and get back, she quietly hopped out of the boat and blended into the crowd, heading in the direction she had last seen them. She nearly bumped into them before realizing she had found them.

"What're you doing?" she asked in a whisper. "Aren't you coming?"

The three dwarves—for it seemed that Oin too stayed on shore—stared at her for a moment. Almost imperceptibly, Fili shook his head. "You…you're not coming?" Karra said, wrinkling her brow. "But why?"

Fili shook his head again, and Karra could see the regret on his face. "I'm sorry, Karra," he said softly, careful not to draw attention to the four of them standing there in the middle of the crowd. "I have to. Kili is…wounded."

"I knew that!" cried Karra. "But surely…" her voice trailed off and she stared at him. "You have to stay?" she said, biting her lip to keep back the catch in her throat. Fili nodded. Karra closed her eyes for a moment and looked down. What should she do now? Did she go with the company or stay with Fili?

"And may they bring good fortune to us all!" finished the Master, and the crowd let out a cheer.

"Go!" cried Fili, giving Karra a little nudge forward. "The boats are leaving!"

"But—" protested Karra. "I—"

"You can't lose this opportunity on account of us," Kili insisted. Karra could see the pain on his face, and realized how badly he must be wounded. "Go on!"

"But—I—"

Fili gave her a little nudge. "Don't give up this opportunity to see the door to your father's home opened because of me," he said softly. Karra bit her lip. "Go on! They'll leave without you!" He practically shoved her forward through the crowd, and she gave one look back at him and ran, pushing her way towards the boats.

"Wait!" she cried, jumping forward just as the last boat pushed off. She leaped off the dock and fell on her face in the bottom of the boat. She sat up with a groan, but at least she hadn't landed in the water. The boat pushed forward, and she gave a last glance back at the shore. She caught Fili's eye for just a moment, and then they rounded a corner and were on their way. She continued staring at the crowd of people on the shore until she couldn't see it anymore. Had she made the right decision?

They rowed their way through Laketown and onto the open lake. Karra found herself growing more and more nervous as the day wore on. Maybe she should have stayed in Laketown. They were going to face a dragon, and they were only eleven dwarves—no, ten, she realized as she counted them, for they seemed to have left Bofur behind too—and a hobbit. And it wasn't like she, Karra, could do much of anything against a dragon. At best, she'd make some clumsy mistake and get herself in trouble. At worst, she'd get all the other dwarves in trouble too.

"Here is where we leave the boats." Thorin's voice interrupted her thoughts. The pulled the boats up on shore and stepped out. The mist still clung to the lake like a veil.

They piled the supplies into packs provided for them and divided them up as evenly as possible among the company. Karra got a pack full of food. She couldn't even find it in her to make some comment about how she had control of all the food now. Soon they were off again, leaving the boats sitting along the shore.

They walked in silence for a long while. It was an expectant silence that might have held a little uneasiness, and it bothered Karra. She was sure they were all thinking of what was going to happen. And maybe they were all just as nervous as she was.

They walked into the rolling foothills of the mountain. Karra found distraction from her nervous anticipation in the beautiful scenery around her. They stopped once, and Karra found herself looking over the edge of a hill at a ruined, blackened city—the ruins of Dale, the desolation of Smaug, as Balin explained.

And they continued walking. Towards the mountain, and towards the threat of the dragon.


Karra rapped once on the wall of the mountain with her knuckles, wondering what a door would sound like. The map had said it should be around here somewhere, but they hadn't found a thing. Shading her eyes from the sun, she peered up the side of the mountain. Something looked strange about it—like it had been shaped, somehow. She plopped down with her back against the stone and ran her fingers through her hair, which fluffed out and clung to them with static. Yep, it was definitely winter.

"Up there!" she heard Bilbo's voice call, and she jumped to her feet again. Bilbo was pointing up the side of the mountain, and as she followed his finger with her gaze, she saw a thin line of steps running up the side of…that was what had looked so strange about it! It was a statue. A giant statue, carved into the side of the mountain.

Soon they were heading up the steps, up the side of the statue. Karra knew before they even started that the height would bother her, and it did. The steps were narrow and every time she looked down it practically took her breath away. Apparently the dwarves believed in railings even less than the elves did. When she was princess of Erebor, that was the first thing she was going to do, add railings to everything. Princess of Erebor? Where had that…yeah, princess of Erebor.

They couldn't have reached the top soon enough for Karra. She had found herself embarrassingly having to cling to the dwarf in front of her for most of the time, and she let out a sigh of relief when they stepped out onto a small platform carved out of the side of the mountain. She still stuck as close to the wall as she could, though.

"This must be it," Thorin said. "The hidden door!" He held the key in front of him triumphantly. "Let all those who doubted rue this day!" he cried with something disturbingly close to an evil laugh. The dwarves cheered, and Karra joined in a little weakly. Here they were, standing at the door to her father's home. Now they all seemed so ready now to face whatever lay inside…was she the only one who was nervous?

"We have the key," said Dwalin, surveying the side of the mountain. "Which means that somewhere there must be a keyhole."

Karra rolled her eyes. "Thanks, Mr. Obvious," she said, but grinned. The dwarves spread out along the wall, examining every inch of the rock. Karra stared out at the sun, half hoping she could trace one of its rays to the wall. The last light of Durin's day will shine upon the keyhole.

The set sank lower and lower, and still they found nothing. Karra, at a loss for what to do, sat down and watched the others' endeavors. The dwarves became more and more desperate as the light began to wane. They kicked at the wall of the mountain, as if willing a door to open at their command. They examined every bit of the wall and knocked at it with their weapons. Nori began to tap at it with a spoon, supposedly sounding out the vibrations in hopes of finding the door. Still Karra sat there. They must be missing something. They had to be missing something. Surely they couldn't just find the door, just like that. There had to be some trick, some secret.

And they couldn't just break it down, either. For that was what the dwarves seemed to be doing now. They were all congregated at the wall, picking and hacking at it with their axes and weapons. Still Karra sat there, feeling terribly useless.

The last light of Durin's day will shine upon the keyhole. The memory hit her so hard she nearly fell over—or would have had she been standing. She remembered her father reading to her from The Hobbit. She remembered nearly nothing about the story, but she standing here on the mountainside, she remembered this. A ray of sun had peeked out from behind a cloud and revealed the keyhole to them. And there was a cloud approaching the setting sun right now.

"Guys!" she cried. "This isn't going to work!" No one heard her, and she spoke louder. "You've got to listen to me! Guys! You can't break down the door!" Another thought occurred to her, and she nearly shouted, "If you keep on standing there in front of the wall, you're going to block the last light of Durin's day!"

At that, everyone stopped. "What did you say?" growled Dwalin.

"I said, you're going to block the light! What if the…the light that's supposed to shine on the keyhole is blocked by someone standing in front of it? What then?" She looked at the dwarves beseechingly, willing them to understand.

"I suppose I see what you're saying," Gloin said grudgingly.

The cloud moved over the sun.

"Although there's not much to block, now," Bombur said gloomily.

"No, no!" cried Karra. "The light…it's going to hit the keyhole any minute now!"

"How do you know so much?" one of the dwarves asked, glaring at her. She shrank back against the wall.

"I…I just know," she said. "Please, you have to believe me."

The cloud still covered the sun. Karra waited nervously. If she was wrong, they would never trust her again.

The cloud drifted away.

The sun had sunk below the horizon, leaving only a lingering twilight.

Karra stared in disbelief. This wasn't supposed to happen! The sun was supposed to peek out, one last time, and reveal the keyhole! What had gone wrong?

All heads turned towards her. She huddled close to the wall miserably. How was she supposed to explain herself now? What had gone wrong?

"I don't know what I was saying," she blurted out, answering the question before anyone asked it. "I was so sure. I was sure that was what was going to happen. I don't know what went wrong. I think I'm going crazy." A thought occurred to her. "I think maybe my presence here has messed something up. I think I might have ruined everything." Suddenly she began to cry. "I'm so sorry," she sobbed. "I'm so sorry I was wrong."

"Don't cry, lass," Balin said, walking over and patting her on the shoulder. "Anyone could have made the same mistake."

"The last light of Durin's day will shine upon the keyhole," Thorin said softly, a tone of something close to desperation in his voice. "What did we miss?"

"We've lost the light," Balin said, bowing his head. "There's nothing more to be done. We've lost our only chance."

Karra sniffled. And it's my fault. I ruined everything by being here. She huddled back further against the wall, hoping no one would see her. She felt a terrible weight of guilt descend on her. What had she done to mess things up so horribly? What would change because of this?

The dwarves turned, and slowly began to walk back down the steps. Still sniffling, Karra stood and followed them. There was no point in staying on this ledge staring at a door they couldn't open, a door they couldn't even find.

Vaguely, Karra thought she heard Bilbo's voice calling for them to wait, but she wasn't sure. She was too wrapped up in her own thoughts even to think about the fact that they were hundreds of feet above the ground on steps that didn't have any railings. She began to feel a strange warmth at her chest, and looking down, she saw a white glow emanating from underneath the neckline of her dress.

She grasped at the key and pulled it out. It glowed white in her hand. The glow grew brighter, and she stared at it numbly. She began to feel a little queasy. The glow grew still brighter, almost hurting her eyes and giving her a headache. Still she stared at it, unable to think. The world began to spin around her. Vaguely, she saw the outline of a bed and dresser. The dresser had a picture sitting on it. Her mom and dad.

Suddenly she realized what was happening. With a little gasp, she tried to unclench her hand from around the key, but it wouldn't move. She began to feel as if she was floating, and a nauseated feeling rose in her stomach. She desperately tried to drop the key. Through the haze, she thought she heard someone calling her name. The outline of the mountain grew fuzzier and her room grew clearer. She squeezed her eyes shut. She felt someone or something grasp her hand, and then heard a clatter. The glow gradually subsided.

She just sat there for a moment, not daring to open her eyes, not wanting to see her apartment. No…no…this couldn't have happened. She had been with the company for so long. She couldn't be back in her apartment just as if nothing had happened. Fili. She would never see him again. She had lost Middle-Earth. How could she ever get back?

Tears stung her eyelids. She felt a tap on her shoulder and jumped. What was someone doing in her apartment? She opened her eyes and saw Balin's face hovering over her.

"Are you alright, lass?" he asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

She blinked and looked around her. The mountain was just as clear as it had been, and she was still sitting on the steps leading up to the platform. She blinked again. Balin stood there, looking concerned.

She was still in Middle-Earth.

"Balin?" she managed to stutter out. "How…how am I still here?"

"Still here?"

"The key…it almost took me back…back to Earth." she said weakly. She still felt nauseated, but she was beginning to feel some of her strength returning. "It's Durin's day!" she cried. "Oh my gosh, the key was made on Durin's day." She stared up at Balin. "I get it now," she said softly. "But how did you stop it? The key, I mean."

"You called for help," he said. "I knew something was wrong."

Karra stared at him blankly. She didn't remember calling for help.

He took her hand and helped her to her feet. She closed her eyes for a moment and leaned gently on his shoulder. "Here you are," he said, pressing the key into her hand. She saw that it was no longer glowing. Still, she hesitated to take it.

"It's perfectly safe," he assured her. "Take it." She closed her fingers around the key and found herself clutching it. "I simply commanded it to stop with the ancient language of the dwarves, the language that was forged into this key."

She turned away, feeling awkward. "Thank you…" she said, not sure what else to say. If it wasn't for him, she would have lost this world and her friends here forever. And Fili. She would have lost Fili. "I don't know how…" she began, but heard a shout from the top of the mountain.

They looked at each other and started back up the steps. Karra felt her strength returning by the minute, and they were running by the time they reached the top. Thorin stood there, holding his key in his hand, looking triumphant.

"Wha…?" Karra began, but Bilbo practically interrupted her.

"It was the light of the moon!" he cried. "The last light of Durin's day!"

"But…but…." She stared at him, her eyes wide. What had she missed? She couldn't argue with good luck, and if they had really found the keyhole, well, that was good. But…this didn't make sense, none of it. She clearly remembered the last ray of sun shining out from behind the cloud. Had her presence here really changed that much? Changed the very nature of the magic that made up this world?

She was glad, though, for the rest of the dwarves' sakes, and somewhat for her own. She watched silently as Thorin inserted the key into the side of the mountain and the door swung open, revealing a gaping hole. She stared into the blackness, hoping to catch any glimpse of the kingdom that someday might be her home.

"Erebor," Thorin said softly.

My father's home.


And here we have a collision of book and movie canon. *Picks up pieces of broken Middle-Earth.*

I have one more chapter written, but it's not very good. I really need to rewrite it and polish it, and I'm not sure how long that will take. But you will get another chapter, sometime soon.