Hey guys, a little bit late with this chapter, and I apologise for that. I'm hoping this will make up for it. And also, just to let you all know, I maybe be late again to upload, as I am going back and editing the previous chapters as I have noticed a ton of mistakes I need to sort out and there's some things I wanna add in that I meant to add in but forgot to add in. So please be patient with me, I'm hoping it's not going to take me too long. I will let you know in the next chapter when I'm done with the re-editing so you can go back and read through again.
Oh, and also I've had a review from someone asking if I'm going to do any smut in this story. After some thought, I've been thinking that I will do a separate story with oneshots of smut for all my Hobbit stories. Ifthat is something people are interested in, then let me know in either reviews or PM. If I get enough people wanting it, then I will do it at some point. Thank you. xXx
Review responses;
Casutara – Oh my goodness, I'm glad you're liking this so far as for Aiden, his reaction will come soon. I think in about 2-3 chapters. . .maybe. And by the smut do you mean the M rated, hanky panky stuff, which I think you do mean that, I might end up doing a separate story with oneshots for that sort of stuff for all my Hobbit stories, if enough people ask for it.
Filisgirl251 – I'm glad you love it! Hope you enjoy this chapter!
WindSongEnchantment – Thank you, I'm glad I've got your support, that means a lot to me. Mental health really sucks, but luckily, writing is one of the things that can help me feel better. . .when I get in that mood that is.
Guest Palacegirl – Hey there stranger, long time no see, glad to see you again. And yes, they finally kissed!
Chapter 26
The next morning, we're all up early and getting ready to leave, all of us eating breakfast before we do so. If anyone saw the braid and bead in my hair, no one said anything, though I did notice Balin smiling in my direction, giving his approval.
As we walk the streets, the people follow us to the main channel, where more people are, as a boat is loaded with the supplies.
"You do know we're one short; where's Bofur?" Bilbo asks.
Looking around, I also notice Bofur isn't with us. In fact, I don't remember seeing him at breakfast either.
"If he's not here, we leave him behind." Thorin informs him.
Balin nods in agreement. "We have to, if we're to find the door before nightfall. We can risk no more delays."
I'm troubled by this, thinking we should all be together, but also knowing that Balin is right. We haven't got much time. We march along the pier and begin to board the boat. We are fully decked out in armour and regal clothing that was given to us by the Master. Aiden is the only one with no armour, everything having been too big for him. Fili helps Aiden and I into the boat before Thorin stops Kili as he is about to get in the boat.
"Not you. We must travel with speed, you will slow us down."
I watch Kili as he smiles, thinking Thorin is joking.
"What are you talking about? I'm coming with you."
"No."
Fili also looks at Thorin and Kili.
"I'm going to be there when that door is opened, when we first look upon the halls of our fathers, Thorin."
"Kili, stay here. Rest. Join us when you're healed."
Thorin lays a gentle hand on the back of Kili's head and smiles at him, but Kili looks shocked and betrayed. Thorin turns to board the boat and Kili turns away. Oin gets out of the boat.
"I'll stay with the lad. My duty lies with the wounded."
Fili stands up to Thorin. "Uncle, we grew up on tales of the mountain. Tales you told us. You can't take that away from him!"
On the shore, Oin is examining Kili, but Kili is trying to pull away from him, ever the stubborn dwarf.
"Fili."
"I will carry him, if I must!"
"One day you will be king, and you will understand. I cannot risk the fate of this quest for the sake of one dwarf, not even my own kin."
Fili looks at Kili for a moment, then steps out of the boat. Thorin tries to stop him.
"Fili, don't be a fool. You belong with the Company."
"I belong with my brother."
Fili pulls away from Thorin and goes to join Kili and Oin. As I look to the three of them, I think for a moment a conflict running through my mind, before coming to a conclusion and reach back to lift Aiden onto the dock. He looks to me in confusion.
"Mummy?"
"Aiden, I want you to stay here with Fee, Kee and Oin. You'll be much safer here than with us."
He looks to me as if he's about to cry, which almost sets me off. "But. . .you said you wouldn't leave me."
I take a deep breath to control my emotions as I hold his face, drying off tears that do fall. "I know I did. But I also don't want to put you in anymore danger than I already have, and facing that dragon will definitely do that.. Please, stay here." I then look up at the blond prince, who is watching us. "Will you take care of him for me?"
He nods as he walks over. "Of course I will."
I look back to Aiden and pull him close to me, feeling him wrap his arms tightly around my neck. "I will see you again, I promise. I love you."
"I love you, mummy."
It breaks my heart to hear him withholding his tears, but I soon pull him away and kiss his cheek before allowing Fili to lift him, taking him back to Kili and Oin. The boat soon sails and the Master gives us some parting words, but I don't listen as I keep looking to Aiden, watching with a heavy heart as he cries on Fili's shoulder.
Feeling a hand on my own shoulder, I look to see Balin looking to me, sympathy in his eyes.
"You did the right thing, Sophia. He will be much safer here."
I nod as I look back once more, before turning to look ahead as we cross the lake towards the mountain, praying that we are successful in this and I will be able to keep my promise to Aiden.
Aiden watches from over Fili's shoulder, tears streaming down his face, as he watches his mother leave him. He is without her and he doesn't like it, his mother once again going to danger to protect him. But, at least he is in the presence of someone he knows and loves dearly. As he thinks this, his hold on Fili's shirt tightens, causing Fili to soothingly rub his hand up and down the boys back in comfort.
"Shh. It's alright, Aiden. You'll see her again, I promise."
He snuggles himself further into him before Bofur suddenly pushes his way through the crowd, watching as the others are far off down the canal. He then turns and notices the three dwarves and Aiden.
"Ah! So you missed the boat as well?"
Before anything more can be said, Kili suddenly moans in pain and begins to fall over, but Fili catches him after placing Aiden down.
"Kili? Kili!"
Oin tries to examine him.
"Oin! What's wrong!?" Fili asks worriedly.
"I don't know lad! But we need to get him some help, and fast!"
"Maybe the Master can help us." Bofur suggests.
Fili and Bofur hold Kili up between them and the five of them rush off to the Masters house, Oin keeping hold of Aiden's hand. They reach the house to see the Master and Alfrid striding up the stairs. They push past the guards lined up outside, making room for the dwarves.
"Please, wait!" Fili shouts out.
The Master and Alfrid turns to them.
"Please, we need your help. My brother is sick." Fili begs.
"Sick? Is it infectious?" The Master asks as he covers his mouth with a cloth. "Get back. Alfrid, Alfrid, don't let them come any closer!"
Fili's heart drops as he realises they won't help them. Oin steps up to try to convince them.
"Please. We need medicine."
"Do I look like an apothecary?" Alfrid asks. "Haven't we given you enough? The Master's a busy man. He hasn't got time to worry about sick Dwarves. Be gone with you, clear off."
The guards push the dwarves and boy away, one of them causing Aiden to fall, Fili and Bofur trying to keep Kili from falling out of their grasps. Oin reaches out and helps Aiden onto his feet, luckily finding no injuries on the boy after checking him over.
"What do we do now?" Fili asks, sounding desperate.
"What about Bard?" Aiden asks.
The dwarves look to him, all of the uncertain.
"After what we did, do you think he will help?" Bofur wonders aloud.
They think it over for a few moments, and after hearing Kili give another groan, Oin nods.
"We have to try. Kili needs help and right now, he would be the only one brave enough to do that."
So with that, they make their way through town and up the stairs to Bard's front door, where Bofur knocks on it. Bard opens the door to find the five of them on his doorstep.
"No. I'm done with dwarves. Go away."
He tries to slam the door shut, but Bofur stops it with his foot.
"No, no, no! No one will help us; Kili's sick. He's very sick."
Looking to the young dwarf being supported by Oin and Fili; he looks extremely sick, his face pale and clammy with sweat. Bard hesitates, but then after feeling something taking his hand, he looks down to find Sophia's son, Aiden, has taken hold of it and is looking up at him with wide sad eyes.
"Please, Bard, please help us. I don't want Kee to die."
Just hearing the devastation in the boys voice is enough to make his heart break and to make a decision. He can never deny children anything, always having a soft spot in his heart for them. He stands aside and ushers the five of them inside his home.
We finally manage to reach the shore by late afternoon. After getting out of the boat, we quickly shed our armour before we make our way towards the mountain.
That day we walk as much as Thorin will allow us before we stop for the night and then continue on early the next morning. As we walk over a hill, I stop and stare in awe at the Lonely Mountain. The dwarves had all told me about it, but none of it does this place justice, even Thorin's description on it as he spoke lovingly and fondly about his childhood home. The tallest mountain I had ever seen, even those back home aren't as tall as this. Dwarven statues stand on either side of the gate at around a hundred foot high, maybe higher.
"What do you think?" Thorin asks from next to me.
I smile at him. "It's amazing. I've never seen anything like it. I wish I could have seen it in all it's glory."
He smiles as he takes my hand and squeezes it. "You will. Once we've retaken it and get it cleaned up and in order again, you'll see it."
My smile softens as I squeeze his hand back and continue holding his hand as we walk.
"It's so quiet." I hear Bilbo say from ahead.
Looking around, I agree. There's no sound of animals or even the slight rustle of the breeze in the air. The whole ground around the mountain is like a barren wasteland. No green grass, no trees. . .there's nothing.
"It wasn't always like this." Balin replies as he stands by Bilbo. He points to some slopes to our right. "Once, these slopes were lined with woodlands. The trees. . .were filled with birdsong."
"That sounds amazing." I say as I walk over.
Balin smiles at me. "It really was, lassie."
"Relax, Master Baggins. We have food, we have tools and we're making good time." Thorin says as he walks past us.
He suddenly runs atop an embankment overlooking a valley. The rest of us follow and I stop and stare, sadness in my eyes as I see the ruins of a city, which lies before the gates of Erebor.
"What is this place?" I ask quietly.
"It was once the city of Dale. Now it is a ruin. The desolation of Smaug." Balin replies with hate in his voice.
Dale. . .the city of men. The city that was run down by the dragon before he attacked the dwarves. My heart breaks for the amount of men, women and children that must have lost their lives there. As it does as equally for those of Erebor.
"The sun will soon reach midday; let's find the hidden door into the mountain before it sets. This way!" Thorin exclaims as he starts to walk away.
"Wait. . .is this the overlook?" Bilbo asks, turning to Thorin before the dwarf runs off. "Gandalf said to meet him here. On no account were we-"
Thorin interrupts him abruptly. "Do you see him? We have no time to wait upon the wizard. We're on our own." Thorin turns and walks away. "Come."
Bilbo looks back at the city, conflicted. After a few moments, Bilbo and I follow the dwarves.
After a few hours of searching, we are still no closer to finding the secret entrance and I can tell Thorin is getting frustrated.
"Anything?" Thorin asks, raising his voice for us all to hear as we're all scattered around.
"Nothing!" Dwalin replies.
"If the map is true, the hidden door lies directly above us." I hear Thorin say as he reads the map again.
"Up here!" Bilbo yells suddenly after a few moments.
We all run over to where he is and look to where he's pointing to one of the statues and see there seems to be a pattern that zig-zags up and it looks like some stairs have been carved into it.
"You have keen eyes, Master Baggins." Thorin compliments him, I can hear the smile in his voice.
We spend the rest of the afternoon making our way up the steep and treacherous steps, Bilbo in front, then me and then Thorin followed by the others, and we soon reach the top where we find a little rock-walled clearing in the side of the mountain. which overlooks Dale, the only way to get up or down is where we came from.
Thorin runs to the clearing. "This must be it. The hidden door."
We all gather around the clearing, smiling at one another, as Thorin turns to us, holding up the key, watching as a wide smile appears on his face..
"Let all those who doubted us rue this day!"
The dwarves all cheer at this and I still can't shake the smile off my face, unable to believe that we've actually come all this way. . .we made it! As everyone gathers together in the clearing, I walk over to stand next to Balin, who smiles up at me as I place a hand on his shoulder.
"Right. We have our key, which means that somewhere, there is a keyhole." Dwalin says as he begins exploring the walls of the clearing with his fingers, looking for a keyhole.
"The last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the keyhole." I hear Thorin say as he stands at the edge of the mountain.
Looking to him, I see him looking to the sun which is setting fast behind the mountains in the distance. He stands besides me, placing a kiss on my head as he wraps an arm around my wait. I smile and wrap my own around him as he and Balin smile at each other before watching Dwalin.
The smiles of myself and the others soon fall, as the sun gets lower and lower on the horizon and nothing changes on the wall.
"Nori."
Nori, who I have been told is known as a thief, runs to the wall and begins tapping it in different places with a spoon while holding his ear to a cup held against the wall. Meanwhile, Dwalin starts kicking the wall, trying to force the door to appear in the wall. The sun gets lower.
"We're losing the light."
"Come on!" Dwalin shouts as he begins kicking at the wall.
Nori begins to get agitated at Dwalin's thumping. "Be quiet! I can't hear when you're thumping."
"I can't find it. . .it's not here! It's not here."
That's when the rest of us begin to panic, all of us looking at each other anxiously. As the sun gets closer to disappearing, Thorin frantically gestures to the other dwarves.
"Break it down!"
"Aye!" Gloin says as he, Dwalin and Bifur begin to smash at the wall with their weapons.
"Come on!"
"Break!" Dwalin calls out in frustration.
"It has to break. . ." Thorin mutters from beside me as he continues to watch the setting sun.
"It's no good! The door's sealed. It can't be opened by force. There's a powerful magic on it." Balin informs us all.
The dwarves hitting the door drop their now broken axes in tiredness and disappointment. The sun disappears behind distant mountains.
"No!" Thorin stumbles forward and re-examines the old map, reading aloud. "The last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the keyhole. That's what it says." He holds his arms open is disbelief; the other dwarves mutter in disappointment and anger. "What did we miss?" Thorin walks up to Balin and repeats his question, earnestly and tearfully. It's hard to hear and see a dwarf that is normally so strong and proud to almost break down into tears. I try not to weep myself for the sound of defeat in his voice. "What did we miss, Balin?"
"We've lost the light. There's no more to be done. We had but one chance." Balin replies.
The dwarves bow their heads in despair and turn back toward the stairs.
"Come away; it's. . .it's over."
"Wait a minute!" Bilbo exclaims.
"We're too late." Gloin grumbles.
Bilbo looks to me. "Where are they going?" I don't answer as I watch the dwarves leave. "You can't give up now!"
I turn as I hear something clatter to the floor, to see Thorin has dropped the key, a look of defeat on his face.
I look to the Dwarf King. "Thorin. . .you can't give up, not now."
But Thorin presses the map into Bilbo's chest and walks past him. I rush over to the dwarf and take his hand.
"Thorin. . ."
He stops and looks to me and I have to force myself to not break down and openly sob for him as I see the sadness and heartache in his eyes.
"It's over, Sophia. I thought. . .dreamed, that maybe it was a possibility. But. . .it wasn't meant to be."
I shake my head. "No, this can't be it. We haven't come all this way just to turn back now."
He gives a sad smile before he raises his free hand to place on my neck and gently bring me closer to him, placing his forehead against mine. "You and Aiden are still more than welcome to stay with us in the Blue Mountains. Just because we failed to take back Erebor, it does not change how I feel for you."
He leans in and kisses me for a moment before pulling away and following the other dwarves. I stand and watch him leave for a few moments before turning to Bilbo, in time to see him looking away awkwardly. I don't say anything as I walk over to him and take the map.
"What did we miss, Bilbo? There's got to be something we missed. What's the riddle?"
"Stand by the grey stone when the thrush knocks. And the setting sun, with the last light of Durin's Day, will shine upon the keyhole." Bilbo answers.
"When the thrush knocks. . .there's no thrush. . ." I mutter, thinking maybe there's still hope.
We continue muttering the riddle over and over to ourselves, both of us trying to figure it out, not wanting to believe we have come all this way for nothing.
"Sophia. . ."
Looking to the hobbit as he pulls me from my thoughts, I see him looking to the sky where the moon is coming from behind the clouds. We look to each other before we suddenly hear tapping coming from the wall. Turning, we see a thrush knocking a snail into the stone just before the moonlight shines a beam of light upon the wall, only on the part where the dwarves were smashing against.
As the thrush flies away, Bilbo and I laugh with relief and delight as he points at the wall.
"The last light!" Bilbo laughs breathlessly.
Both of us let out an excited breath as we see the keyhole
"The keyhole!" I exclaim happily. We found it!
Bilbo gasps in surprise and we both let out a cheer before he rushes to the edge to shout back to them. "Come back! Come back! It's the light of the moon, the last moon of autumn! Ha ha ha!"
As he moves back, he continues to laugh and we hug each other in celebration before he pulls away.
"Wait, where's the- Where's the key, Sophia?"
We both instantly get searching for the key.
"Where's the- it was here. . .but it was here, it was here! It was just. . ."
Neither of us notice his foot coming close to the key before he accidentally nudges it, almost sending it off the edge until a heavy boot stops it.
I look up and sigh in relief as I see Thorin standing there, looking at us in surprise for a moment before he slowly picks up the key. The other dwarves are standing behind him, looking between Thorin and the keyhole in awe, before they all start smiling. My heart lightens at the relieved smile Thorin gives.
Thorin steps up to the wall and inserts the key and turns it, all of us hearing the locking mechanisms behind the rock. I notice him pause for a moment before he pushes the wall. It's stuck for a slight moment before the door opens, the seams completely invisible earlier. The door opens into a dark passageway going into the mountain. There is a stunned silence among the company as the dwarves look on in awe as Thorin stands on the threshold, looking into the mountain.
"Erebor. . ." he mutters in almost disbelief.
"Thorin. . ." Balin chokes up next to him.
Thorin puts a hand on his shoulder and smiles to me before he steps into the mountain. Balin looks to me and nods for me to follow, a knowing look in his eyes. I blush slightly at the implication before walking in.
"I know these walls. . .these halls. . .this stone." I hear Thorin say softly from ahead, his voice cracking with emotion.
I walk over and gently put my hands on his back in comfort, causing him to turn to me, smiling softly before he presses a kiss to my head as he wraps his arms around my waist, allowing me to rest my hands on his chest, watching as Balin walks in.
"You remember it, Balin. . .Chambers filled with golden light."
"I remember." Balin says, his voice also full of emotion.
Looking back as the others enter, I see Nori pointing above the door. Looking up, I see a carving of what looks like a throne, a stone above it which seems to give off a beam of light, it also has dwarven runes on the borders.
"Herein lies the seventh kingdom of Durin's Folk." Gloin recites for us. "May the heart of the mountain unite all dwarves in defense of this home."
Balin explains. "The throne of the king."
"And what's that above it?" Bilbo asks him.
Balin just looks to him for a moment before answering. "The Arkenstone."
"Arkenstone. . .And what's that?"
"That, Master Burglar. . .is why you are here." Thorin says as he looks to the Hobbit.
All the other dwarves look at Bilbo expectantly.
Woo! We're finally in Erebor! Next is into the dragon's lair. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and look forward to the next one. Please keep all your lovely reviews coming and I'll see you again next week! xx