Part 3 of More to The Story. It's about a family that are the key-holders and Gatekeepers between our world/Wizarding World and Middle Earth. Adventure, friendships, and love. Part 3 picks up at the beginning of The Battle of the Five Armies, with equal parts of books and movies with the crossovers. OC's and real characters.
The Company and Gatekeepers are divided. Some of the company remain in Laketown with the younger members of the Gatekeeper family. The parents and grandparents are still missing. The danger of the dragon, orcs, and greed were on everyone's minds. What would become of them? Erébor? The Wizard and Muggle world? Nothing was certain.
I do not own anything from the Hobbit or Harry Potter; only the OC's and their story. All Harry Potter/Hobbit references and characters belong to J.K. Rowling, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Peter Jackson.
Chapter 11
Thorin was eagerly rushing from the treasury to the chamber he assigned to his angelic diamond. Nicole was waiting for him and he could hardly stand being away from her since she arrived only hours ago. Just as much as he wanted to be by her, he needed to see to his duties and check on the gold. He needed to be sure it was still safe inside the mountain. As soon as this ruckus with the elves and humans were dealt with, he would order the company to move the hoard into deeper storage units under stronger security, safe and sound. Then he and Nicole would be locked up tight in his chambers. He would figure out something for the children to do while he had the passionate night of love making with Nicole he had been dreaming about since he laid eyes on her. He was just about to reach the door when he heard Bilbo calling out to him.
"Thorin!" the hobbit jogged to him.
"There you are, Bilbo!" Thorin responded gruffly. "I've been worried we would need to send out a search party for you. Where have you been?"
"I'm sorry, I was exploring the mountain and fell asleep when I stopped to rest." He looked at the chamber door oddly before he continued. "I was wondering what you decided to do about the armies outside?"
"We must wait for our reinforcements. In the meantime, the company is taking turns with watch and resting."
"Thorin, I need to talk to you about tomorrow. Please, walk with me?"
Glancing between the door and Bilbo, Thorin decided to humor his friend for the moment. Only he wanted to be sure Nicole would remain in the chamber. He palmed the door handle, searching for the correct spot that would lock the door from the outside. Then he found a pen in his royal robes that was just the right size, inserted it, and the beautiful carvings on the door lit up in red light. It locked by magically sealing it shut, like the red light welded the door to the frame. It could be unsealed from inside, but they would need to know what to look for and the right size object to fit; thus securing Nicole until he was ready to return.
Turning back to the hobbit, "shall we?" Thorin asked, insisting on Bilbo leading the way.
Bilbo just stared at the door for a moment trying to keep his trouble heart and mind off his face. "Of course." He had returned from Dale a few minutes ago. He used the ring to become invisible and safely scurried back up the rope he descended; went back to his watch post like he never left, and waited to be relieved. As soon as his turn was up, he had gone to find Thorin. He wanted to try at least one more time to talk to his friend before the morning. However, watching him lock Nicole and the children in the chamber without their consent was sounding off warning bells in his mind. His friend was falling so deep into the dragon sickness, he was not so sure Thorin would be able to climb out of it.
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There would soon be a path worn into the floor from Nicole's pacing. She was nearly pulling her hair out from worry and her heart was pounding so hard it was like a graphorn or an erumpent was stomping on her chest. What should she do? René had been gone for only ten minutes, but she had been panicking since the door slammed behind her daughter. Nicole knew full well she could get lost since she had no idea how she even arrived at the current chamber. And if she did not know, then there was no way René would either. But sitting around waiting for her to return was driving her crazy. Checking on Gage, who was out cold asleep, she plucked her cloak from the peg and wrapped it around her shoulders and turned the latch to the front door. The handle turned, but it would not open. She tried a second time for good measure but it remained locked. Turning it the other direction felt wrong, but some doors were tricky. And she was still unsuccessful.
Frantically pulling out her wand, "Alohamora!" The door unlocked with a click, but when she yanked on the door, it remained closed. She tried every spell or charm she knew to try to open the door, aside from blowing it to pieces. She nearly did it without a care of whether or not Gage woke up. Obviously, someone purposely locked her in here. There was only one person who would be so possessive and wanting to ensure she remained where he left her.
"How dare he!" Nicole's fury made her clench her fists so tight she nearly snapped her wand. Thorin had either come back himself or ordered one of the other dwarves to lock her and the children up. She put away her wand and began pounding on the door hoping someone would be outside and could hear her. "When I get my hands on you, Thorin Oakenshield, I'm going to throttle you! I don't care if your judgement is impaired by Dragon Sickness! Let me out, NOW!"
It was no use. Miraculously, Gage stayed asleep during her tirade. She banged and pounded on the door but no one came. The tears started swelling in her eyes and she began stress crying. Soon, she found herself on the floor leaning against the cold stone door sobbing.
"Mama?
Nicole woke to Gage softly shaking her shoulders and calling her name. "Mama? Mama?"
"Oh, Love. I'm sorry I woke you." Nicole slowly unfolded her stiff limbs so her son could sit on her lap. "Did you have a bad dream?"
"I don't know." He held his stuffed phoenix toy tightly and snuggled into his mother's embrace. "Where's sissy?"
Not wanting to alarm her son, and to try to keep herself calm, "she's outside. Don't worry, she's alright. We'll see her soon." I hope. "What time is it?" thankfully she had a wrist watch on. "Oh goodness! It's 7am. Listen, Gage. Will you go into the bedroom and change your clothes?"
"Yes, mama." He hugged her tight and went to do what he was asked.
As soon as he was out of ear shot, she tried knocking on the door again. Gage had come back, dressed only in a clean shirt and underwear. "Where are your pants?"
"Oh, forgot!" He smiled and went back to the bedroom.
She kept knocking and calling out for help. "Is anyone out there?"
Karah's voice finally answered. "Nicole?"
"Oh, thank Merlin!" Nicole exploded with relief. "Karah!? The door is locked!"
"What?" Her sister must not have believed her because she could hear the latch open, but the door remained closed. "Alohamora!"
"I already tried that!" Nicole wailed.
"Mama, I need help!" Gage came back with pants on this time, no shoes and no socks. He could not zip and button the pants.
"There you go, now go get your shoes and socks." Nicole hurried him along. "Karah, listen to me. Thorin or one of the other dwarves used some kind of magic on the door to keep it locked. It's like the door melted to the wall! You can unlock it, but it still won't open."
"Okay, Jordan and I will go find someone to help." Karah explained. "Don't move, we'll be right back."
"Where are we going to go, Karah?" Nicole snapped.
"Sorry, it just slipped out. We will be back as quick as possible." Her sister promised.
"No, wait Karah! René is missing! We got into a fight last night and she ran out of the chamber. And she never came back."
"Okay, I'll start looking for her, Jordan will get someone to unlock the door."
"Thank you."
"Be right back."
Gage came back with his socks on, but needed help with tying his shoes. It did not take long for him to be ready to go and she packed up the bedroom of their belongings into the bottomless bag. As soon as she had her daughter, they were leaving the mountain. Thorin had no right to lock her and her children up like prisoners. She left her home to escape possible death or imprisonment. And she'd be damned if she allowed it to happen to them here.
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The cousins rushed out of the royal wing. Jordan was going to look for either Fili or Bifur for help with the door. Karah was going to begin searching for René immediately, until they rounded the corner to the main part of the mountain and nearly toppled over Bombur and Bifur with a cart full of food.
"Ah, lasses! What are you doing out of the royal wing?" the large cooked asked. "I don't mean to sound like you can't come and go as you please, but it's really not a good idea for you to walk around alone yet. You'll get lost for sure."
I told you that last night, lasses. Bifur remained them, scolding them like insubordinate children.
Karah explained "We know, Bifur. But we couldn't wait. René has been missing since last night and someone locked the door to Nicole's room before she could go after her."
We didn't find out until just now, Jordan added. Can one of you open the door, and we can start looking for her?
Bombur agreed. "I'll see what I can do for the door. Bifur, take the lasses to the main gate. I'm sure King Thorin can part with a couple dwarves to find the little one. I'll join in too as soon as I get Lady Nicole out."
"Thank you, Bombur." Karah smiled and they all parted ways.
What the witches and Bifur arrived to at the battlement was not quite what they were expecting. They were about to climb the stairs until they heard a heated argument. The rest company was staring down over the stone wall, Bilbo alone in the back.
Kili was shouting, "they have it! How did you come by the Arkenstone? That heirloom of our house belongs to the king, you thieves!"
Bard's voice yelled from the ground. "We did not steal it. And with our good will, we will return it as soon as the king honor's his promise he made to the people of Laketown!"
Thorin sneered down his nose at them. "What a filthy lie! You take us for fools with this trick. The Arkenstone is inside these halls!"
Bilbo spoke up from behind the company. "No, it's not. They have the stone because I gave it to them."
All eyes turned to Bilbo. Everyone stood in shock, unsure on how to handle the news of his actions. No one moved. No one breathed. No one said a word.
Thorin rounded on the hobbit. He contemplated shooting him with the bow he had in his hand, but wanted to make sure he heard correctly. "You what?"
Bilbo stood tall, "I took it as my fourteenth share."
Thorin pointed with the bow, "you stole from me?"
Bilbo shook his head, "Steal from you? Absolutely not! I may be a burglar, but I like to think I'm an honest one. The Arkenstone will stand as my claim on the treasure."
"Your claim?" Thorin's voice grew louder with each breath and finally chucking the bow to the stone floor. "You don't have any claim over me, you good for nothing rat!"
"I wanted to give you the stone, many times in fact. But you,"
Thorin cut him off, "but what, you thief?"
"You have changed! Honesty, I could strangle you!" Bilbo appeared to be giving up on his friend.
Thorin scoffed at the idea, and wanted to belittle the creature as much as possible. "You can't reach!"
As degrading as it was to have someone pick on his height, Bilbo mustered his courage once more. "You've sunk so low, I could. The Thorin who came to Bag End, to my home, had more honor than any dwarf west of the Misty Mountains. He never would have doubted his kin's loyalty or gone back on promises he made!"
"You dare speak to me of loyalty? When you betrayed me? Betrayed this company?" Thorin spat at the hobbit. They locked eyes for a moment, and briefly the old Thorin was forming tears, then he was gone. "Throw him from the rampart!"
No one stepped up to carry out the order. The entire company present were completely stunned by Bilbo's actions and Thorin's orders. Jordan, Karah, and Bifur ran up the stairs just in time to see Thorin grab Fili by the shirt to force him into action. Fili shook him off, shaking his head and distancing himself from his uncle. Jordan came up behind him and steadied from falling over. Karah took Kili's hand, who was horrified over his uncle's behavior.
"Fine. I'll do it myself!" Thorin's anger and adrenaline was almost too much for the dwarves. He shoved Bilbo against the stone wall, his head dangling over the edge. "Curse you and the wizard who brought me to you!"
Jordan pulled out her hand, ready to stun Thorin when a booming voice from the ground halted everything. Fili saw her pull it out and stepped in front of her so no one would see. The agreement still upheld that neither Karah or Jordan could use magic against the dwarves, even though they looked the other way at times. Given the situation, and Thorin's unstable mindset, he could charge them as criminals and put them in the dungeon, and there would be nothing Fili or Kili could do about it.
Gandalf had joined Bard and Thranduil at the front of the line of elves and men. "If you don't like my choice in burglar, then leave him be! Return him unharmed!" And if the demand was not enough to anger the dwarf king, then the antagonizing statement would, "I cannot say you are being the most splendid King under the Mountain, Thorin son of Thrain. But you are being the most splendid fool, let him go!"
Thorin let him go but practically threw him to the floor. "Never again will I seek council among wizards or deal with Shire rats!"
Bofur scurried to Bilbo's side and helped him to his feet and away from Thorin. The hobbit grabbed the line of rope still tied from his previous climbs on the wall. Taking one last look back to his friends, wanting to hold on to hope that was nearly gone.
"Go!" Bifur begged, wanting to keep his friend safe, and guarded him against anyone who tried to sabotage his decent.
Bard called out to the company to bring attention back to their agreement. "We can settle this with the return of the Arkenstone in exchange for what was promised. Give your answer! Peace or war?"
Jordan and Karah expected him to give in to the demands. It was the most logical decision. They were outnumbered, two hundred to one, with no chance of survival if Thorin chose to fight. And would he expect the witches to fight too?
A raven flew down from above and settled on the rampart wall, croaking and squawking. Thorin turned to the intelligent bird as if it was speaking directly to him. Fili and Kili seemed to be listening too and immediately turned their eyes east. Balin and Dwalin did the same, and all looked hopeful. The rest of the company waited to learn the news.
Thorin formed the most stubborn and defiant look on his face anyone had ever seen. Even Balin leaned away from him. "I will have war," he growled and faced east.
Up over the hill, came a long dark shadow that covered the horizon. As it grew closer, the sound of metal clanked together and heavy boots stomped the ground. The partly cloudy sun reflected off the dwarf army. Leading the army was a large dwarf riding the biggest boar the witches had ever seen. The company on the battlement cheered their battle cry at the sight of the mighty army. The elf and human army half turned to meet the dwarves head on, effectively blocking the dwarves from each other.
Karah tugged on Kili's hand, "who is that?"
"Our cousin, Lord Dain Ironfoot of the Iron Hills." Kili answered, hope filling his eyes.
Fili's courage and relief wash over him like a wave. "He made it."
Karah squeezed Kili's hand again, needing his strength to stand firm as her body went ridged. Her eyes went wide and glassed over to see past the present into the future. The ground beneath all of them started to shake, the rock walls of Raven Hill exploded like bombs. War horns sounded and out of the holes poured dark creatures bringing death and destruction with them.
