Author's Note:
What you can expect in this collection are:
1. ALL Silmarillion characters.
2. ALL LOTR characters.
3. ALL Hobbit characters.
4. ALL characters from Tolkien Legenderium (something I am excited to do)
Also, for those asking me about Tauriel, I am sorry but she will not appear in this collection. I started my Universe well before the Hobbit movies and it was far too developed to allow Tauriel into the mix. Also, Tolkien did not put many female characters in his book, considering the years he was in. So the same applies to my stories, except Tempest, where female characters play an important role just as the male ones.
Suggestion by Jessia Rae and aliena.
Onward, my faithful steed!
*kicks Thranduil's moose forward*
Readers: It's an elk.
Author: Moose.
Lonely Mountain,
Third Age.
No matter where one went, none could forget their first home.
The Lonely Mountain. Words fail to describe the beauty of it, the detail lying in its architecture. He could go on all day and yet he would not be able to describe it all. It started with two great doors of stones, always open to welcome friends into the Lonely Mountain. The visitors would enter into a great hall, lit by the sunlight streaming from the open doors and the many windows curved into the mountain wall. Great, thick pillars rose on either side of the mountain, straight lines cut deep into its stone, curving into intricate patterns of squares on the top and the bottom of the pillars. The floor beneath their feet would be tiled with stone of different colors, forming a checkered pattern. The doors giving off from either side of the halls were large, capable of letting in even a tall Elf without any discomfort to the passerby. And around each door would be detailed engravings, with precious stones of ruby and emerald embedded into them, with sapphire as well.
Enter through any door, any door, and there were wonders beyond compare. If one turned left, he would wander over to where the smiths worked in earnest, capable of making jewelry fitting to the tastes of Elves, Dwarves and Men. Some of the rings were thick, set with jewels with smooth edges, glittering in the fire coming from the forges. Others were necklaces, so thin and elegant to suit an Elleth's taste. Further still, the Dwarves worked hard on weapons, made of tempered steel, forming beautiful ripples of bluish grey upon the blades before putting them in sheaths, with the symbol of the Lonely Mountain engraved on the scabbard and the blade. They made weapons from swords to hammers to axes, whatever pleased the buyer, and there was skill in their hands.
But turn right from the Main Hall, and come upon the Dwarves who tinkered away with stone. There would be heaps upon heaps of emerald and ruby and sapphire, all sorted into large bowls which could easily fit three to four Dwarves in its width. The gems would be rough, and the Dwarves would work on them until they lit up the floor and their surroundings from the facets the Dwarves cut on them. Then the Dwarves would weigh them, and sort them before sending them to the smiths for further work. Their equipment was fine for a work that was even finer. The Dwarves had made lenses from glass, fitting them into small tubes of metal through which they observed the details of every single gem, marking its impurities and its value.
But come! Go straight ahead from the Main Hall, behind the statue of the King with his son and grandson standing on either side of him. There is a raised platform, leading to dual doors that remained open at all times, even when the outer great doors were closed for the night. And here came the true beauty of the Lonely Mountain.
There is sheer drop below, if one was not too careful. And there were lights! Lights all around them, so that one would not fear the dark. The golden lights coming from the many lanterns of thousands of miners at work would light up the Lonely Mountain' insides as if it were daylight. Glance down at the sheer drop below, and there is still light in the seemingly bottomless crevice. Thick wires would go along the walls of the Mountain, made of fortified steel, and would hold great platforms aloft, fenced on all side except for the side facing the Mountain wall. There the miners would work, the soothing sounds of the hammer against the stone filling the air, creating a marvelous symphony. For there were veins upon veins of gold and silver on the Lonely Mountain, and they would harvest it for use. Sometimes, some miners would hit a particular rock, only to find what is called the moonstone, a rare type of beauty that the Men of Dale loved dearly. It fetched a pity price, and so did the white gems that shone like starlight in the dark, something the Elves always loved. For wealth was aplenty in the Lonely Mountain.
But go up the staircase, with the crevice yawning on either side of the steps that was bound with fences made of steel and gold, and turn left upon reaching the first platform, and there were a series of large rooms with vaulted ceilings with forges and mining equipment for the use of young apprentices eager to learn the skill of their forefathers. There they would work, remembering each strike of hammer on the hot metal resting upon the anvil, each accidental burn for this was the way of Dwarves.
All the Dwarves that worked there were rich, and none were in need of any wealth. They could buy the rarest of the dyes which were the most expensive ones. They could easily buy spices and rare plants for treating ailments from passing traders, and many traders came to them, knowing they would be paid handsomely. The ladies would wear the jewelry gifted by their husbands who worked on them with care, and their adornments would be finely made, and constantly the Dwarves would look for even newer, more refined ways of dealing with metals, and cutting stones. Deep and deeper still the Dwarves would curve the stone, constantly making large corridors capable of taking in a sea of people. And while they dwelt in the mountain, there was no lack of air, and they were content.
And the nights would be full of the Dwarves passing through their family halls. All the halls had their individual kitchens, where the appetizing aromas would drift from. There would be meat served, nearly breaking off the bone, and there would be long, cylindrical bread, firm on the outside but soft on the inside. They would eat in silverware and all would be merry.
Such was the way our people lived in the Lonely Mountain, but you would not know, for you were not there to see the ruin that came upon us.
oOo
Blue Mountains,
Third Age,
After the Coming of Smaug.
He fell silent, eyes staring listlessly into the fire that cast his room into a fiery glow. Talking about his childhood home brought back dear memories of the place. The night was cold, and the stone walls beneath the mountain had become chilly, the warmth of the fire barely driving it away. His rooms were modest ones compared to the large, luxurious rooms he once had back in the Lonely Mountain.
Fili and Kili sat in front of him, both of them leaning towards the fire, hands resting on their knees. The two sons of his sister were dear to him and they were eager to learn as much as they could about the Lonely Mountain. Dís barely ever spoke of her home, the pain too great for her to bear and she did not remember every detail, every corridor like it was burned into memory as his was. So the brothers would oft come to him, listening to what he had to offer. Sometimes, when the mood struck him, he told them in detail, as he just did, and sometimes he would only speak a few words. All of it would end abruptly. And Fili and Kili knew better than to question his silence or press for more.
Finally he stirred, causing both his nephews to look up at him.
"Go back to your mother," he said. "Time is being wasted reminiscing about lands long lost, but not forgotten. Go. and tell her that I need her tomorrow for negotiations with the traders."
"Yes, uncle," the brothers said, rising from their seats. Kili, hesitated following his brother to the door.
"If you had a choice, uncle," he said, "Would you retake the Lonely Mountain?"
"Aye, if I had a choice." There was bitterness in his voice. "But I have no army and no army could penetrate the force of Smaug. And I will not have my people needlessly killed."
"But if you had the means, would you?"
"If I had the means, I would. But that is not now. Go. Leave me."
Author's Note:
Relax; If you guys want to see characters again, I will do it.
What do you think? A bit different than what I usually go for, but then this is my first time doing a Dwarf setting. Personally, I think this one-shot was more of a teaser trailer kind than a satisfying one-shot. I mean, if I was a reader, not a writer, then I would be going like "Wait, I need more!".
Concept:
By the way, I do not follow the movies.
Like, for example, the movies showed Thorin working away in towns of Men. However, he and his people took refuge in the Blue Mountains, his father becoming the ruler. After his father's absence, he had become king and ruled over his people. The refugees were not poor, but they were no longer as rich as they had been in the Lonely Mountain.
Also, Thorin was like 195 years old in canon when he died after the Battle of Five Armies. He was really, really old, especially for a Dwarf, and was depicted as, well, old before the movies. So I am following that.
Dis- She was the sister of Thorin and the mother of Fili and Kili. I would suspect that she would have helped him here and there when it came to matters of the kingdom.
One of the things I do know is that when reminscing, you kind of remember little things and all of them in sequence. So it is usually the setting of the memory first before focusing on the people. Attach it to a bad memory (coming of the dragon and destruction of your home, for example) and the person is more than liable of abruptly stopping in the narrative. The idea was to keep the first section detailed before ending it in a way to make the readers realize they were reading someone's narrative.
Description was a pain. Good Lord.
Replies to Guests:
Jessie Rae Baby: Here you go. :) Do feel free to drop in any other suggestion!