Author's Note: I own nothing.
34 In The Aftermath
When Thorin and the others arrived and the ravens had been explained, apparently they were an old breed the dwarves of Erebor had long raised to carry messages, the whole story came out. The dragon was slain, by Bard himself, using the last black arrow salvaged long ago by his father from the ruins of Dale. The dragon had been struck right where Girion had loosened a scale all those years ago. The dragon was dead. It was over. The danger had passed. Or at least that danger had passed. According to the raven the survivors of Lake Town were regrouping on the shore near where the dragon fell. They were at least two maybe three days out from Erebor, and evidently Thranduil's people had heard the commotion and an armed force of elves was heading out of his stronghold. If they were heading to the aid of the men of the lake, who they had long traded with or to the mountain the ravens could not say. Thorin nodded.
"We need to get that front gate shored up. We'll work in shifts. Gloin, Oin, Balin, Dwalin you get it started. The rest of us get some sleep where you can, we'll wake you for the next shift. The royal apartments are still fortified, we've set camp there. Dori show Bella the way. I'll meet you four at the gate in a moment." Thorin said and the company split again Bella tiredly following Dori down into the mountain. Once they were gone Thorin turned to the ravens.
"I have two more requests of you stout birds." He said with a light smile, glad these birds had remained loyal even after the fall of Erebor. One of them bowed to him. "I need word of the dragon's death sent to my cousin Dain in the Iron Hills. He keeps a good rookery. I also need several of you to fly to my sister the Lady Dis in Ered Luin. It is not a short journey but she should be informed of the dragon's death in my words not the words of some other." He shook his head. "Tell her she is to gather supplies and prepare for a crossing in spring and not before. Both her boys are here and in good health, for I know she will ask. The company remains whole. We will be besieged soon I fear but I will see the invaders off well before spring and the paths from there to here are too dangerous in winter, especially for so many." The ravens bowed again and several flew off west, others flew east towards the Iron Hills. Dain's reply would be rapid. For all he'd claimed this was Thorin's quest alone he would not stand for anyone not a dwarf to stay in Erebor with the dragon defeated.
Thorin looked out over the valley at the smoking remains of Lake Town. He thought he could make out a small camp going up on the shore, small for what Lake Town had been. He shook his head frowning. He should be upset, he knew that. But all he could think was that they would be coming here, coming to take what was his. Just like everyone else. He shook his head. He would part with nothing and no one in this mountain, not again.
He headed into the mountain and decided to stop off just to check on Bella before he headed to the gate. He found her on her knees in the center of their room sobbing. She did not see or hear him, not until he picked her up.
"Mizimel. Sweet one. Don't cry. Nothing will hurt you now." He muttered to her as she clung to him sobbing into his chest. He should have known this would affect her deeply. She was a child of the kindly west who had never seen battle before, never witnessed death on this on this scale. He held her as she cried and swore he would defend her from this, she would never be in danger like this again. She cried herself to sleep in his arms and he was careful as he laid her on the bed, pulling off his coat and draping it over her. Even in sleep she buried herself deeper into his coat and he smiled brushing honey brown hair out of her face. He would need to find an emerald to fashion her a bead soon. Something the color of the green fields of her home, he thought to himself as he left the room, quietly closing the door behind him. The whole world needed to know she was his after all. Her and all of Erebor, it was more than he'd ever thought would come out of this quest and he found himself smiling slightly as he headed for the front gate.
Dori led Bella down a pathway and to a grand set of doors. They looked to be inlaid with gold and jewels but Bella was too tired and emotionally drained to care at the moment. The bedding that might once have been on the over sized bed here was gone, replaced with Bella's sleeping roll and blanket and the one Thorin had been given in Lake Town. The glowing stones here had been cleaned, though not thoroughly but enough that they let out enough light to read by. Dori patted her on the shoulder.
"If you need anything Lass Kili and Fili are next door. And I'm down the hall. Once we get everything back and settled we'll all have our own apartments." Dori said a bit of a smile on his face. "Couldn't have done it without you."
Bella nodded but couldn't speak tears were clogging her throat, mechanically she removed her coat, a bit of relief spread through her at loosing the weight of the Arkenstone. They had won the mountain. More than any of them seemed to have expected. But at what cost. So many lives had been lost in Lake Town. Bella stood in the middle of the room as Dori left. She sobbed falling to her knees remembering the brief glimpses she'd had of the people of Lake Town. It was all her fault. If she had just kept her mouth shut, never mentioned barrel riding Smaug would never have connected them to the men of the lake. Every death that had occurred that night rested on her shoulders. Someone opened the door but she couldn't even look up to see who it was. Not until she was scooped off the floor did she realize it was Thorin. He muttered to her in his deep language. She did not understand him but buried her head in his chest and let herself go to her grief and guilt. For a while after that she knew nothing but sweet dreamless darkness.