Holy shit it's been too long. I must apologise profoundly for the wait. But hey, I hope you've all seen the new Hobbit film! I've seen it twice and wow, my feels were just completely murdered

I was, I confess, stuck on ideas on what to continue writing and I was afraid I'd hit a dead end, so what I might do when this chapter is uploaded is go back and do a fair amount of editing so that the story flows well and give me a chance to get those ideas going again! Expect this to occur in the next few days...

On a side note, hope you all had a great Christmas and an awesome New Year :-)

Chapter 50: Surprises Coming Smaller

It broke the hearts of all those in the room to see Evelyn cry with such a deep pain that no one had ever felt before. The loss she was surely experiencing as of now was deeper than any of them could comprehend. It was then with an air of regret that they were ushered from the room quietly, shutting the door silently and effectively shutting out the sobs of the woman they had come to adore ever since their fateful meeting in the Shire all those months ago.

Presently, Thorin held his love like he would never let her go, knowing that nothing he could say could heal her broken heart or spread some light on the darkness of their loss.

"Ssssh, it's alright, I'm here," He whispered in her ear, rocking her gently like one might rock a newborn child to calm it down.

'She looked up at him through glistening eyes, willing him to make the situation better. "There's nothing we can do, is there?" She whispered, glancing down at her stomach like it was the last act of someone desperate to understand something so incomprehensibly sad.
"He shook his head, partly against his will. One side of him urged him to speak the truth, the other pleaded that he do whatever it took to stop her crying, to make her feel better. But no, he would not lie to her.

"No, I am sorry. Oin did everything he could, but it was too late..." He responded quietly, planting a gentle kiss on her cheek, now so rosy red compared to the rest of her waxy, pale complexion.

"She nodded slowly, sniffling and blinking hard to regain her vision, "I will thank him later... I think I want to rest for a while,"

He nodded, and began to stand, but she held his hand with a surprisingly strong grip. Despite the current climate, he could not help but admire her strength, even when she had been deprived of so much.

"Stay," She said. Her eyes and voice pleaded for him to remain by her side, and he would comply.

They slept together, holding each other in their arms, for quite some time. And when Thorin awoke after a few hours had passed, he saw that the moon had rose into the sky. He looked down as silver light bathed the room, illuminating the peaceful face of his beloved Evelyn, and knew that nothing was more beautiful than she. The Arkenstone, now shining above the throne of Erebor like once before, could not compare to her beauty, and he firmly stood by his decision to never let her go, to protect her like a dragon would protect its hoard, like the beast Smaug once guarded the treasure of the Lonely Mountain so jealously and fiercely.

Thorin gently extracted himself from Evelyn, and silently slipped from the room, deciding to leave her to rest for a while longer. He would wake her later perhaps, but for now she deserved to rest her poor, broken heard and frail body.

Traversing down a stone staircase located at the end of the hallway, he came into the grand throne room, a cavernous hall bathed in golden light emitting from the wealth of Erebor. Dwarves from the Iron Hills that remained from the battle had already begun to make themselves feel at home and put themselves to work, slowly working through the vast piles of gold and other treasures and sorting it, immune to any sort of dragon sickness under the watchful eye of the King.

Dain, Thorin's ill-mannered and loud cousin, suddenly came stomping up the stairs, arms wide.

"Thorin! How nice of you to join us? Are you going to muck in with the others and clean up your mess or are you going to stand there looking as pretty as an elf maid on a summer evening?" He shouted boisterously, embracing him and clapping him on the back like any other dwarf would do to greet their kin.

It was obvious that Dain had not been one to concentrate on the latest news, hence his less than appropriate mood in relation to Thorins'.

"Evelyn woke up not long ago. I was tending to her," Thorin said to him gravely.

"How is the wee lass? Still kicking and fighting I hope?" Dain said, laughing.

Thorin shook his head. "She was going to be having a child, but we lost it when she fell ill,"

Dain immediately looked downcast. "I am sorry to hear that Thorin. I hope she recovers,"

Thorin looked back the way he came, mind cast to the room in which she slept. "So do I, Dain. With all my heart,"


Evelyn woke suddenly, the cries of an unknown child mingled with her own still echoing in her ears and in her mind. She covered her face with her shaking hands, trying to forget her nightmare. Slowly but surely, she sat up in her bed. Thorin had indeed left the room, yet it did not trouble her. She was somewhat relieved to have some time to herself after this time, perhaps so she could collect herself in her own time.

She longed to stand up, but just sitting up was taxing on its own. She felt old, like time had passed without her, and she hated it.

A quiet knock came at the door, followed by it opening. Oin came into the room, ear trumpet plugged in one ear like always.

"Good evening lass. Mind if I come in?" He greeted her gently. She smiled feebly and he took that as a sign to approach her. He sat down and the healer side of him immediately kicked in.

"How do you feel?" The dwarf asked her.

She shrugged her thin shoulders. "I'm not sure. Empty, I guess. I had a horrible dream before," She added, rubbing her head, as if it hurt her.

He nodded sympathetically, and checked her over. First he touched the back of his hand to her forehead to check her temperature. Then her heartbeat, which, although faint, was still there, beating as normally as it would be. He then studied the wound that had almost caused her death. Like the one caused by the poisoned Orc arrow, it had healed up neatly into a dark pink scar that would not likely fade. Lastly, he gave her a small concoction he prepared, a mixture of clean spring water and herbs he had mixed to help with her strength. It tasted odd, but she drank it without a fuss.

Evelyn flinched the tiniest bit as Oin touched her stomach, obviously checking for signs of trauma or injury. He frowned, then pulled out a small plug and planted it gently on her stomach.

"What?" She questioned him.

He shushed her impatiently and with the impatience of an old man. Typical dwarves, she thought to herself bitterly. Even thinking negative emotions was hard work she realised.

Then, without a word, he abandoned his healer's tools and herbs and left the room, tottering as fast as he could, leaving her dumbfounded, and tired. She therefore slumped back and fell asleep again, pushing what had just happened to the back of her mind with ease.

Ten minutes later, Oin returned with Thorin in tow, looking just as confused. Silently, Oin ushered him to sit by Evelyn and take the small plug he had pressed to Evelyn's stomach just before. He did so without question, and listened carefully.

"My hearing isn't what it used to be," Oin confessed, which was as close as anyone would get to hearing him admit that he was almost as deaf as a bat. "So I want you to tell me that I'm crazy and hearing the impossible,"

Thorin ignored him completely. He was dazed, stunned, dumbfounded, shocked into silence. Through the small plug he had held up to his ear, he could hear something that could not explained;

A tiny heartbeat, fluttering like the wings of a butterfly that surely could not belong to Evelyns' own heart.