The company stood on the small clearing. Thorin face lit up as he stared at the mountain wall. "This must be it. The hidden door." The king breathed, walking over to the wall and he turned around to face the others, holding up the key to the door. " Let all those who doubted us rue this day!" He proclaimed. Bella stood between the others as they cheered around her and she felt a smile tug at her lips. It had been a long time since she saw Thorin smiling the way he was now.
"Right!" Dwalin began as he marched over to the wall. " We have our key, which means that somewhere, there is a keyhole." And with that the warrior began feeling around with his hands for any where a key would fit in.
Thorin turned around to see the sun beginning to set. "The last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the keyhole" He breathed taking in the sight for only a moment before turning back to see Dwalin having some difficulties in finding the keyhole and he stepped over to another member of his company. " Nori." he hissed and the Dwarf went over to the wall to assist Dwalin in search for the hidden keyhole.
Nori began taping on the stone wall with a spoon, which Bella thought was very odd indeed, but then again she never spent much time with her kin and learning their ways of doing things. She had always been...on her own, until this quest.
Precious moments were beginning to go by. Thorin glanced behind him to see the light starting to sink behind the mountains, causing the leader to become only more anxious. " We're losing the light!"
Dwalin only made matters worse when he starting kicking the wall with his boot. " Be quiet!" Nori hissed. " I can't hear when you're thumping!"
"It's not here! It's not here!" Dwalin shouted in frustration, which only caused him to kick the wall harder.
"Break it down!" Thorin ordered. Gloin and Bifur, pulled out their weapons and joined Dwalin at the wall and started banging on the wall with all the strength they had, barely chipping the stone. " Come on!" The king roared. Bella's heart was pounding in her chest as time was running out. Why wasn't the light revealing the keyhole?
"It's no good! The door is sealed! It can't be open with force!" Balin's voice bellowed beside the half-breed causing her to jump in her spot. " There's powerful magic on it." He informed as the last bit of light disappeared.
"No!" Thorin cried as he rushed right past Bella, just brushing her arm and stopped at the wall, pulling out the map and facing his company. " The last light of Durin's Day...will shine upon the keyhole." He read his voice breaking, looking up to see his men in silence. "That's what it says." Bella had never heard Thorin sound so defeated as he did now, and it pained her to see him like this. The king turned to the one person who would know exactly what went wrong. "What did we miss?" He asked lowly as he approached Balin. "What did we miss? Balin?"
The white bearded Dwarf just shook his head with a soft expression. "We've lost the light. There's no more to be done. We had but one chance." He told the leader. The young woman's head shot in Balin's direction when she heard his last words. What did he mean when he said 'we had but one chance'? was it over? Was this quest all for nothing? No it couldn't end just like that. Their had to be a way. "Come away, lads. It's over." Balin stated and the company started to slowly head back the way they came.
"Wait. Where are they going?" Bilbo questioned as he watched the Dwarves leave in silence with there heads down.
"Hold on a minute, all of you!" Bella shouted, but none of them stopped. " You can't just give up now!" She continued until she found Thorin who was behind the Hobbit. He held the key in his palm and tilted his hand and the key slipped from his grip and landed on the ground.
"Thorin..." Bilbo said lowly as the Dwarf started to head towards the stairs but not before he shoved the map into the Hobbit's hands in passing. Bella was standing a few feet behind Bilbo and wasn't about to let the Dwarf get by her so easily.
"Thorin, stop! You can't just give up this easily now! There is still hope the door will..."
"Bella give it a rest. It's over! The light is gone." Thorin said as he tried to get by her, but the half-breed ended up shoving him in the chest and he looked at her with no expression.
"So this is it? This is how the great, Thorin Oakenshield gives up, after everything he's done to get here!? If this is how it ends, your more pathetic then I thought." Bella snapped.
"Get out of the way, Bella." Thorin ordered calmly.
"Or what? You gonna push me over the edge?" She challenged. Thorin just stared at her, his face unreadable and he shoved her to the side with no effort at all and started descending down the steps. " Thorin!" She shouted but his head never turned around and he was gone. The half-breed stared at the stairs for the longest time until she heard the sound of Bilbo voice and she turned around to see him over by the wall with the map.
"Stand by the grey stone...when the thrush knocks. " Bilbo muttered to himself, as he stands by the grey stone and looks, but sees no thrush anywhere. "The setting sun...and the last light of Durin's Day will shine. Hmm. The last light. Last light..."
"Last light. What could possibly be the last light?" Bella asked. They both turn away from the wall, thinking hard and muttering to themselves. With a thought, the hobbit looks up and sees the clouds move aside to reveal the moon. He looks at it wonderingly and sees that it illuminates the clearing. Hearing a noise, they both turn back and sees a thrush hitting a snail against the grey wall. Just then, the moonlight hits the wall.
As the thrush flies away, Bilbo laughs with relief and delight and points at the wall. "The last light!" The moonlight illuminates a keyhole in the rock, and Bella gasps in surprise. The Hobbit then yells for the Dwarves, who have already gone, to hear. "The keyhole! Come back! Come back! It's the light of the moon, the last moon of autumn! Ha ha ha!" He peers over the edge of the clearing at the stairs, but sees no sign of the Dwarves and both he, and Bella start to frantically search the ground for the key. " Where's the- Where's the key? Where's the- it was here…but it was here, it was here! It was just..."
"Bilbo no!" Bella cried when suddenly, his foot hits it and it goes flying from the clearing. Just before it falls off the side of the mountain, a boot steps on the string and stops it. It is Thorin. Bilbo sighs in relief. Thorin slowly reaches down and picks up the key, then examines it. The other Dwarves step up beside him. They all smile in relief at Bilbo and Bella.
Thorin walked towards the door, inserting the key into the keyhole and turns it until he hears something click and pushes with all his strength on the wall until the door swings open into the mountain. " Erebor." Thorin breathed as he stepped inside his homeland.
"Thorin..." Balin choked behind the leader with a smile on his face. Thorin puts a hand on the elder Dwarf's shoulder.
"I know these walls...these walls, this stone. You remember it, Balin. Chambers filled with golden light." He says as he runs his hands over the walls, lost in memory. Balin steps into the tunnel.
"I remember." Balin agreed.
The rest of the company slowly and reverently enters the mountain. Bella looks around until she finds a carving in the wall above the door. "What's that?" Bella asked, pointing at the carving in curiosity.
"Herein lies the seventh kingdom of Durin's Folk. May the heart of the mountain unite all Dwarves in defense of this home." Gloin said, reading the inscription on the carving.
"The throne of the king." Balin explained to both Bella and Bilbo.
"Oh. And what's that above it?" The Hobbit inquired.
"The Arkenstone." The white bearded Dwarf stated.
"Arkenstone...And what's that?"
"That, Master Burglar, is why you are here." Thorin said from the shadows and all the Dwarves looked at Bilbo, and he looked bewildered, but resolute. Everyone had gone back outside the mountain to wait for the Hobbit to return with the jewel and to not alert the dragon to their presence if it still lived.
Thorin watched outside as Bella gave the Hobbit a hug, telling him good luck and to return back to them alive and then he disappeared back inside with Balin who was leading him to the treasure room.
The young woman did not like this at all, sending in the Hobbit, all alone to find a jewel with a dragon inside. It wasn't if something were to happen to him? They would never know.
Balin returned shortly after and joined his brother, waiting for their burglar to return. The others had broken off into groups. The hardest part for all of them was waiting.
Bella was sitting far away from the others, over by the stairs. She couldn't stand being near the doorway, knowing her friend was inside, facing who knows what alone. Thorin was on the far side, near the edge, staring off into the distance when he glanced to the side and saw the half-breed over by the stairs and without hesitation he walked over to her.
The Dwarf had been feeling terrible for shoving her out of his way, when she was trying to help him and he gave up so easily. That wasn't like him at all. Thorin came and sat on the top step beside the half-breed who hadn't even looked over to see who had approached.
"Bella," Thorin began. The young woman tore her gaze from the emptiness in the distance and looked at the Dwarf with a serious look. " Bella, I'm sorry about early. I shouldn't have done that to you. You were just trying to help me.." He apologized hoping she would forgive him. Bella's eyes dropped back to the stone steps in front of her.
"Shouldn't have done what? For shoving me or saying what you said?" She questioned.
"Both. I don't know what came over me. I was just so angry that we couldn't find the keyhole." Thorin explained.
"It's okay. I forgive you. Just don't do it again, handsome." She told him, a smirk forming on her face.
Hearing that brought a smile to the Dwarf's face and he moved himself a little closer to her. Dwalin and Balin were talking quietly amongst themselves when Dwalin glanced over at the two of them and raised an eyebrow when he saw the half-breed was resting her head against Thorin's shoulder.
"I knew something was going on with those two." Dwalin pressed, knowing the leader was lying to him this entire time that nothing had happen when they were staying in Bard's home.
Bella still had her head resting against Thorin, and looked up to see him looking down at her and their eyes locked. They felt themselves moving closer, both of them nearly had their eyes closed for the kiss when the mountain suddenly shook violently, causing them both to pull apart and turn around to look at the others.
"Was the an earthquake?" Dori asked nervously.
" Balin looked from the mountain entrance and back to his companions. "That, my lad, was a dragon." Everyone froze in their spots, the beast was still alive, after all!