Chapter Thirty-Seven: Thorin
T.A. 2768 Erebor
His parents don't see it, Thorin thinks, or they don't want to see it. Perhaps it's less that they don't see the gold-sickness and more that they refuse to accept that Thror is falling prey to it. It's the burden and the shame of Durin's line, after all, to be ever on the cusp of disaster brought on by the deep lust for gold that takes over their heart the longer they sit on the throne. Thorin fears that he, too, will one day share this fate. One day he will roam the halls of Erebor dripping with jewels and chains of gold and mithril, hoarding the wealth of the mountain like one of the great drakes of old. He dreams of it and wakes screaming.
Erebor is easily the wealthiest of the seven dwarf kingdoms. Thror is the most powerful of all of them, able to use the Arkenstone as a call to arms from all the kingdoms. The people of Erebor should be flourishing. They aren't. Daily Thorin sees evidence of the weak and hungry. 'Dams with hollow eyes in search of even the most menial of jobs to earn coin to feed their young. Taxes, Thorin knows, are becoming crippling as Thror seeks to hold ever more of the gold of their kingdom in his fists.
It isn't just Erebor that suffers. Dale has become rich through trade with the subterranean stronghold. But Thror's grip on the gold grows ever tighter and fewer traders dare to try and leave the mountain as ever more extreme levies on their goods are charged should they dare to try and sell to the outside world. With every passing month Thror's restrictions on entry and exit from the mountain makes them ever more unwelcome in the Mannish city.
He's young to be aware of this, only just considered battle ready, and without a true craft of his own apart from an interest in the art of the blacksmith which he shares with his father and brother. Now that he is battle ready, however, it's time for Thorin to learn statecraft, to begin to understand what it means to inherit the throne of Erebor. Time to learn to rule the mountain and all of Durin's folk as wisely and fairly as he can. Just his studies leave him hoping that he will be grey of beard before he takes the throne, that he will be too old to give the gold-sickness time to take him before he passes and leaves the crown to his heir.
Food prices have increased, he notices it when he gets a chance to walk around the markets and sits in on the council sessions. The councillors are less angry about the effect it's having on the population of Erebor and more about the insult of the doubling of the cost of staples like wheat. They are outraged that some farmers are claiming that their crops are beginning to fail no matter what they try, convinced that it is simply a ploy to bleed more gold out of the dwarves. Thorin is more inclined to believe the farmers, game isn't as plentiful now as it was five years ago either, but the council is too pleased with how full Erebor's treasury is as a result of Thror's obsession with gold. They don't seem to care about the fact that Thror is so obviously affected by gold-sickness.
Unless someone stands up to his grandfather soon things are very likely to get worse.
T.A. 2941 Erebor
"There's no time for this. Do you have it?" Thorin demands.
The hobbit girl stares at him from her position in the arms of his sister's son. It makes something in Thorin twist angrily. Fili is the heir to the throne of Erebor. When the kingdom is theirs once more Thorin will have to arrange a suitable bride and make certain that this hobbit interloper vanishes. No outsider will ever become queen, no half-breed will ever become heir after Fili. As though sensing his train of thought the blond prince tightens his hold on the hobbit and the mountain shakes.
"I don't think this is the time to worry about the Arkenstone, Uncle," Fili says. "There's a dragon in this mountain who just smashed the hidden door and will very likely soon be waiting in the treasury to kill us when hunger finally drives us out. We need a plan."
"We came for the Arkenstone."
"And what is the use of having it if we're all dead?" The insolent boy argues.
Perhaps he is as like Frerin underneath as he is outside. Too stubborn, too defiant. Too deviant in his tastes. Perhaps the other, Kili, the younger, would be the better heir, even with his strange ideas about proper weapons and his sparse beard.
"Brother," Frerin grabs his arms, the only one of the Company bold enough to do it. It shocks Thorin, makes the fog in his mind lift and he is glad that none of his family can see the thoughts he had hidden there, the dark contemplations that can arise from only one place. Those dark thoughts that have been whispering in the back of his mind for days and have only become louder the closer they have come to Erebor.
"Perhaps we can escape from the Western Guardroom," Balin suggests over the noise of more stone crumbling. Smaug will return soon and there will be no chance of escape through the front gate.
The immediacy of the situation causes the subject of the Arkenstone to be left to one side and Thorin is glad of it. Fili is right, whether Bluebell has found it or not there is no point in having the Arkenstone if they don't survive to use the thing.
"Might I suggest we make our way there with all possible haste," the elf suggests. It fills Thorin with a measure of frustrated rage that he has been forced to allow Legolas into the mountain when he had sworn to himself that he would never permit it. He refuses to trust the son of Thranduil.
"He has a point," Kili agrees.
"Follow me," Balin replies and no one hesitates in obeying.
No one wants to die, though it looks like that will be the outcome anyway. When they arrive, the room is full of desiccated corpses and the exit has collapsed in, as Thorin had long feared given how few escaped from that direction. Not even the expression of stunned horror on the elf's face can cut through the grief Thorin feels and his anger at Thranduil for turning away. Perhaps some of these might have survived if Thranduil had only helped them.
Then again, perhaps they wouldn't have.
"I won't die like this," he says. "I refuse to die like this. If we are to die let us die fighting." He has a plan, half of a plan anyway, if they can only get the dragon to the great forge, they might be able to stop Smaug.
It goes about as well as can be expected and given how well the quest has gone the bar for that is very low. They even manage to get the forges lit before Smaug's attention shifts away from Thorin. It doesn't go to the hobbits, however, who are still a mystery to the dragon. His attention is caught by Legolas.
"An elf of the Greenwood," he purrs. "So, even your cowardly king moves against me. It's only a matter of time before those pathetic Lake Men join you." The dragon draws back, away from the trap that has been set. The dwarves roar insults but Smaug doesn't heed them. "Perhaps I have slumbered too long. Time to remind both Men and Elves of the might of Smaug!"
The hobbits rush to watch the great beast's departure, but Thorin has only one clear thought. With Smaug out of the way for a time (and possibly permanently if the Elves and Men get it right) they will have time to search for the Arkenstone. With any luck they will be able to find it and get out before the dragon returns, though he is loath to leave the gold.
"Bofur, Bombur," he barks, "get up on the ramparts and take watch. Keep an eye out for the dragon and tell us immediately if you see signs of Smaug's return. Bifur, Balin, gather the remains of our supplies and find somewhere to make camp, then get some rest. You'll relieve Bofur and Bombur in four hours. The rest of you get into the treasury and begin the search for the Arkenstone." He pauses. "Before you rest, Balin, send for Dain. We'll need his army if we're to take back the mountain."
"I'll be needing to look at Bluebell's injuries first," Oin pipes up.
Thorin glares first at him and then at the hobbit. She's shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other and leaning heavily on Fili, who also looks a little bit singed. Anger flares. She put his sister-son in danger, and she had no right.
"Fine," he allows. "Keep the mother with you. The rest of you begin the search." Fili hesitates. "The girl will be fine with her mother, lad, get into the treasury. We may not have more than a day."
He watches Fili press a kiss to the hobbit's forehead but doesn't comment beyond a frustrated glare. The boy is far too like Frerin in some ways. The elf hovers on the fringes, then makes to follow the rest, and Thorin steps in front of him.
"Not you," he growls. "Never again will I put my trust in an elf. You will stay with Bofur and Bombur on watch. If I see you in the treasury, I won't hesitate to kill you."
"I betrayed my father for you," the elf says. "What more can I do to earn your trust?"
Thorin sneers and turns his back. He has more important things to do than coddle the feelings of a spoilt elf prince. The Arkenstone must be somewhere in the treasury and they have to find it. Now that he has sent for his cousin in the Iron Hills it will look ill if he didn't have the symbol of his right to rule already in his hands. To his credit, the elf doesn't try to follow. Instead he says something to Oin about burns and follows the hobbits. Frerin gives him a reproachful glare but refrains from expressing his thoughts.
Then Thorin gets a proper look at the treasury and all thoughts cease. It is glorious, magnificent. Smaug's hoard outshines Thror's, he must have gathered more gold in the past seventeen decades. It gleams, shines, draws his gaze in way that is hypnotic. Something glitters next to him, on one of the great mounds that reaches his shoulders and he turns to look, reaches to take it. It's a heavy gold chain with a large diamond mounted in a pendant. He places it around his neck without a thought and turns his attention back to the vast room and the huge mounds of treasure. The others are already working as ordered, although some have taken small trinkets for themselves. He'll deal with it later, there must be no distractions from finding the Arkenstone. Not for Frerin and his pregnant lover, nor Fili and his little whore.
His strides among them and doesn't notice when his sister-sons slip out.
A.N: Remember how I said the last Thorin chapter ended up being more important than I thought even though it was mostly filler? This chapter is why and writing this one and Thorin's next left a bad taste in my mouth.