Thank you all sooo much for your awesome reviews, I'm glad that so many of you seemed to like Puff the Magic Dragon :) I am pleased.
I am so sorry for the wait, but school, exams and illness have all conspired against me. I hope we haven't lost too much momentum…
Anyway, sorry for any mistakes.
Read. Enjoy. Review.
Chapter Twenty Seven # Doorway to Hope… #
Balin stared at the mural before him curiously, marvelling at the elegant depiction of Isildur painted onto the Rivendell wall.
"You are not the only one of your kin to visit this place, Balin son of Fundin."
The old dwarf turned in surprise to see the most beautiful elven woman he had ever had the privilege to see smiling gently at him. Balin bowed deeply.
"Am I not, my lady?" he queried politely and her eyes turned to the mural.
"Fíli, son of Dís took great interest in this very painting. It was you who taught him the tale of Isildur, was it not?"
Balin blinked before replying. "It was… How did you know that, may I ask?"
The woman simply smiled. "I am Galadriel, Lady of the Light. Your king's heir told me he had great tutors, and it is clear that you are one of them. Now it is rare for any to remember the great stories of old."
Inclining his head to show his agreement, Balin silently thought of his father, the dwarf who had told him the story of the One Ring. They had been wandering the wilds between Erebor and Azanulbizar when Fundin had pulled his eldest son aside and told him the story, with the murmured proclamation that losing their home was no excuse for losing the knowledge entrusted to them by their ancestors.
"Your father was a wise dwarf." The Lady said, and Balin's eyes widened.
The elf woman had just read his mind.
Lady Galadriel's lips remained very still as her voice continued in her head. "Do not be alarmed, Master Balin. I mean only to speak with you."
"Regarding what, exactly?" The dwarf asked as politely as he could. Elves were tolerable at the best of times but this… this was unnerving.
"Your doubts." The lady spoke aloud, for which Balin was grateful. "You doubt the chivalry and the righteousness of your quest, and you doubt your king's immunity to the Dragon Sickness, yet you do not doubt your king."
Balin's eyes cast down to the floor at the truth of her statements. "Aye… I know that…"
"Your first concern should worry you not," Galadriel affirmed. "I believe your quest is a noble one of great honour. I foresee a great chance of success for your company, should your path stay true. Your loyalty to Thorin Oakenshield will serve you well, though I foresee a strong chance of Thráin's son succumbing to the same fate as King Thrór himself."
Balin looked up quickly. "No..."
The woman's eyes were grave as they pierced his soul. "If Thorin Oakenshield does fall to the Dragon Sickness, many hearts will break and many lives will be destroyed – quite possibly beyond repair."
"What must I do to prevent this?" Balin asked grimly, praying that this ethereal elf would have the answers.
"There is no way to tell with certainty that anything can be done to prevent the inevitable." The Lady of the Light's eyes began to twinkle as she went on. "All I can do is offer you this advice… In times of great darkness you must look to the innocent if you want to see the light."
Balin's eyes narrowed. "Are you talking about Kíli by any chance, my Lady?"
A smile spread across the elf's face. "Indeed I am, Master Balin."
Balin smiled slightly, sensing no ill will in Galadriel's statement.
Once again the she-elf spoke in Balin's mind. "You have seen great sorrow in your life and you have aged before your time, Balin son of Fundin, but your future may hold greatness yet."
The King was agitated by now as they scoured the side of the mountain for any sign of the door; Balin could read the signs as easily as he could read Khuzdul.
They had been searching for the door for the past two days, but now their time was up. Durin's day was upon them and Thorin's eyes betrayed his worry to the world as the search became almost frantic. The sun was hanging dangerously low in the sky and there was still no sign of the hidden entrance Thrór's map had promised.
The entire company were panicking that they would never get into the mountain, and Balin was sorry to say that several members of the company had completely lost hope, though surprisingly their hobbit was not among those. Bilbo was one of the few who still searched with optimism, and his son shared in his hopefulness.
As it happened, Bilbo, Fíli and Kíli were searching around the side of the mountain, and it seemed they had taken all of the company's enthusiasm with them.
"Balin…" Thorin's low voice was a tad huskier than usual as he put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "What if we are looking on the wrong side of the mountain? What if the map-"
"We've found something!" the burglar's excited yell tore through the air and the scattered company looked to see him a good three hundred yards up the mountain, waving frantically. "I think we've found it!"
Without another word to Balin, Thorin charged forward towards the burglar, who disappeared further onto the rocky outcrop he had led them to. When Balin finally caught up, he was awestruck.
As simple as a cloudless sky, the rocky face of the mountain had been chiselled away to a smooth, flat surface that could only have been made by dwarven hands. As was often the case with dwarven doors there were no obvious cracks in the rock, but nevertheless Balin felt a soft laugh of disbelief rip through his chest.
"You found it…" Thorin murmured, a look of nostalgia in his eyes that few besides Balin recognised. As it were, the second eldest dwarf in the company could see little through the tears blurring his own eyes.
After almost two hundred years of exile and two failed attempts at reclaiming lost kingdoms, finally Balin was home.
"Not me!" Bilbo shook his head, a proud smile lighting his face as he gestured to two unusually quiet lads with a flourish. "Fíli and Kíli did."
Balin blinked away the mist of the tears and looked at Fíli and Kíli, whose eyes were fixed on Thorin. The look the uncle gave his nephews almost made Balin's eyes fill with tears all over again. Never before had he seen such a look of pure, undiluted pride and joy in Thorin's eyes.
Solemnly, Fíli and Kíli bowed to Thorin, who in return bowed back, before turning his face to the setting sun.
"Let all who doubted us rue this day!" he roared joyfully, and instantly the faces of the company burst to life as cheers rang throughout the mountain side.
The sun disappeared over the horizon and Balin waited expectantly.
And waited…
And waited…
"Nothing's happening…" Glóin stated gruffly, fear evident in his proud voice.
Thorin stepped forward to the door and put his hands on it, running his palm all over the smooth stone in and around where the keyhole should be, but nothing happened, and Balin's heart sank.
They could not enter the mountain…
The quest had been for naught. They had almost lost several innocent lives over cursed gold and empty promises.
It was the tragic story of Balin's life.
"I can't do this again..." he barely realised that he had said the statement out loud until several company members stared at him quickly, but Balin spoke only the truth. He could not watch Thorin break his own heart again with the promise of another unattainable dream. It was Moria all over again… "It was folly from the start."
"Balin-" Thorin's broken voice was the only thing tethering the diplomat where he stood. "What's happening?"
"We've lost the light." Balin cleared his throat, ignoring the tears sticking there. Tears would not sway fate at all – Balin had known that since the tender age of ten. "There's naught left to do but leave before the dragon wakes and finds us standing on his mountain."
Thorin's blue eyes blinked brokenly at Balin's bitter words and he stared at his friend in shock. "No… Balin, we must have missed something… The last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the keyhole, that's what it says! We're in the right place at the right time, what did we miss?"
Balin just shook his head, turning away before anyone could see his tears.
Thorin swallowed, his hope being swallowed entirely by the shadow kissing the land around him, and he barely noticed the key slip through his fingers to crash to the floor below.
From the corner of his eye, Thorin saw Balin lower himself to the ground, leaning his head back against the side of the mountain. Immediately the others began sinking to the floor, some leaning on each other as hope slipped between their fingers. In a matter of moments, the entire company were seated in defeat, with only Thorin, Fíli, Kíli and Bilbo left standing.
"It's over…" Thorin croaked in despair.
"You can't give up now!" Bilbo's protests seemed distant to Thorin's ears. "How can you give up now?"
Because there is no hope left, Thorin wanted to wail, because the promise of a hidden door fell through and there is no way into the mountain. We give up because there is no chance of redemption, because hope is lost forever and –
"Thorin?"
The dwarf king froze at his nephew's voice and he turned slowly to look at Kíli, who was standing before him with eyes that mirrored his own heartbreak.
"Don't give up now, Uncle."
There was no hope left for Kíli. The promise of news at the next town fell through and there was no way of recovering his body. Thorin gave up because there was no chance of redemption, because hope was lost forever and –
Here Kíli was, standing before him.
"Thorin?" Fíli's voice was even smaller than Kíli's as he slowly stood, his blue eyes searching Thorin's soul for the fire he knew to burn within his uncle.
Thorin lowered his head. He had failed his sister-sons. He had failed his wonderful, devoted, brilliant nephews and led them on a quest that had risked their lives more times than he dared to think all for nothing. He should have been happy with what he had…
Why could he never be happy with what he had?
"Thorin, I'm sorry…Perhaps we found the wrong door?" Fíli offered guiltily and Thorin moaned aloud, dropping to the floor and folding his arms over his knees.
Fíli thinks he is to blame… Thorin thought hopelessly as he leant his head on his arms. But this is all my fault…
"We can try again next year?" Kíli pleaded and Thorin moaned again.
"No we can't… We'll be overrun by Azog before we reach Mirkwood."
Silence settled over the company and Thorin sighed heavily, holding out his shaking hand towards his nephews and beckoning for them to come closer. He could hear the hesitance in his sister-sons' steps as they approached, Fíli's heavier footsteps being followed almost immediately by Kíli's lighter ones.
As they drew nearer Thorin reached out and grasped Fíli's hand tightly. "This is not your fault… This is my fault, Fíli. I am so sorry-"
"Um, Thorin?" Bilbo asked, excitement in his voice. "I hate to interrupt but you really should all look up now!"
Thorin slowly raised his head to look at the hobbit who gestured to the door, and the king's mouth fell open.
A beam of moonlight was shining on the smooth door and illuminating…
A keyhole.
Kíli gasped softly. "The last light of Durin's day is-"
"The moon," Fíli breathed, finishing his brother's sentence.
Thorin leapt to his feet and the company followed in an instant as hope filled his heart once again. Kíli stooped down to the floor and grabbed the key, pressing it into Thorin's hand.
"Try again?"
Thorin put a hand on Kíli's face, smiling at his youngest nephew. "Always."
Fíli's smile was truly a sight to behold, and Thorin grasped his heir's forearm fondly.
"Come back!" Bilbo called, running after the others. "It's the moonlight!"
Slowly, ever so slowly, the dwarf king made his way to the door, slotting the key into the smooth stone.
With a feeling of incredible euphoria, Thorin felt the key turn beneath his fingers and he placed his palms on the cold surface of the door. With a loud and satisfying rumble the door opened, revealing a dark tunnel into the mountain.
"We're home…" Thorin swallowed, a grin spreading across his face.
There was no cheer at Thorin's words. In fact, no one made any noise at all.
Finally, Thorin took a step into the tunnel, breathing in deeply. The scent of home filled his nostrils, though to his disgust so did the stench of the dragon. It was little surprise to Thorin that the dragon had poisoned the very air of the mountain. Nevertheless, the dragon could not quell the warmth growing in Thorin's heart.
"Do you remember it, Balin?" he all but whispered. "Chambers filled with golden light?"
"I remember…" Balin's voice sounded choked, but Thorin's eyes were on the rock walls. He stared at the stone with wonder – though he had never entered this part of the mountain before he knew the stone.
He was home – by Mahal, he was home.
Soon enough though, they had to move.
"So…" Bilbo licked his lips. "I suppose this is where I come in…"
"Indeed." Thorin cleared his throat. "We need you to go down there and tell us whether the dragon lives – if you can. Scout out what you can…"
Bilbo nodded and swallowed. "Alright…Who's coming with me?"
Kíli immediately stepped forward and Fíli followed, albeit hesitantly, as did Balin, though the older dwarf had something more to say.
"We can only come with you a short step of the way, laddie. There was a reason why we could not have a dwarven burglar."
Bilbo nodded somewhat shakily. "Alright…let's get this over and done with."
Kíli leant forward to whisper in his father's ear. "Bilbo?"
"Hmm?" the hobbit asked, clearly distracted.
"Don't do anything stupid." Kíli begged, "I need you to come back, alright? There'll be none of this waking up dragons business."
Bilbo chuckled softly. "I'll be fine, Kíli."
"This is as far as we can go, laddie. Any closer and there's a chance the dragon might catch our scent." Balin warned them, putting a restraining hand on Kíli's arm. "Bilbo, you don't have to do this…"
"No, I can't back out now." Bilbo shook his head. "This is…well honestly it's not the reason I came, but I signed the contract and I'm not going back now."
Kíli swallowed, throwing his arms around the hobbit. "Be careful."
"I am a Baggins." Bilbo smiled sadly, pressing a quick hand to Kíli's cheek before saluting at the trio of dwarves and disappearing around the corner.
So, we didn't quite get to Smaug but we've got next chapter to deal with that! I don't like this chapter at all, but writers block was killing me and I console myself in that it will be the last filler for a while so hopefully we'll get on with it.
Durin's beard, Lady Galadriel is HORRIBLE to write! Every sentence I feel like I butcher her character, she's worse than Óin and Glóin!
Anyways, I shall hopefully not have such a big gap between updates, but I do have exams coming up so no promises :(
