Chapter 35
Ember sat quietly by the fire, occasionally sending small sparks to prevent the flame from dying out. The dawn was breaking on the horizon, and she tilted her head up to the warm glow from the sun. She glanced around the Company, a soft smile hitting her face as she spied each face. Even Legolas and Tauriel were asleep, though Tauriel's bedroll was laid out closely to Fili's. She grinned at this, then continued her gaze around the camp. Dwalin lay with his ax in his arms, always the ready warrior. She brought her eyes down to the warm body beside her. Kili gave a soft smile in his sleep as she stroked his hair back from his face. There was one person she hadn't spied, so she wasn't startled when she heard footsteps quietly approach her from behind. The dwarf sat down cautiously beside her, staring into the fire much as she had been doing. She waited patiently, knowing that he would not be rushed. Finally, the figure beside her sighed.
"Did you sleep at all?" Thorin began, his voice rough yet quiet. She turned to him, her blues eyes meeting his own. She shook her head slowly, before turning back to the fire.
"Had a lot on my mind," she replied. She sent a small burst to the fire and it crackled merrily. They sat in silence for a moment, before he laid his hand on hers.
"Gajut men," he said softly. "I did not mean to speak to you with such anger yesterday." She was silent for a moment, then gave his hand a light squeeze.
"Natu yamez natu," she said, offering him a small smile. "Menu gajatu." He raised her hand to his lips, and laid a kiss of gratitude upon it. She leaned against his shoulder and they sat in companionable silence.
"It is Durin's Day," he finally said, and she could hear the nervousness, and excitement in his voice.
"Thorin…promise me that whatever we find in that mountain…you will not forget what is most important. The sacrifices we have all made, the strength and courage of this Company…the family we have all discovered." He turned to look at her in surprise, but she stared into the fire, not meeting his eyes. He gently placed his fingers to her chin, and turned her face towards his.
"Taal berch men," he said sincerely, "I promise." She stared into his eyes, and finally nodded. Thorin kissed her brow, patted her knee then rose to go wake the others. Ember wrapped her arms around herself, and looked up at the mountain. She took a deep breath, and rose to her feet. It was time to find the door.
Hours later, they still had not located it. The entire Company was getting anxious as they felt the time wasting away with the sun slipping slowly across the blue sky. Ember watched as Thorin stood his sword in the ground, panting slightly. He called up to the other dwarves, who were scouring the side of the mountain, trying to find the secret entrance. "Anything?" Thorin called.
"Nothing!" Dwalin called back.
"If the map is true, the hidden door lies directly above us," Thorin replied, obviously frustrated. "Only…" Thorin trailed off, looking high up the mountain side. Bilbo came to stand beside Ember, who smiled at the hobbit, before fixing her eyes on Legolas. He was gazing up at the massive statue of Thror that had been carved into the side of the mountain.
"I remember when King Thror came to the Woodland Realm, many years ago," Legolas muttered. "It is a true testament to the dwarven carvers of this statue. It looks exactly like him." Bilbo suddenly marched towards the statue, as if he had spotted something. Looking closely, he finally noticed a set of stairs, carved and hidden in the statue itself.
"Up here!" Bilbo called excitedly. Thorin raced towards him, and clapped him on the shoulder excitedly.
"You have keen eyes, Master Baggins," Thorin said, and Bilbo smiled at the praise. The Company began the painstaking task of making their way up the steep and treacherous steps. Finally, they reached a small rock-walled clearing. Ember gazed at the beautiful valley far below her, feeling a little light-headed from the height. Thorin approached the rock walls, placing his hands gently upon them. The elves stood back politely, knowing this moment meant much to their companions. "This must be it. The hidden door. Let all those who doubted us rue this day!" Thorin held up the key in the sunlight, and the Company cheered happily. Kili wrapped an arm around Ember, pulling her in for a warm kiss.
"Right, we have our key, which means that somewhere, there is a keyhole," Dwalin stated, and he began to explore the walls with his fingers. Thorin, however, walked to the edge of the clearing and gazed at the now slowly setting sun.
"The last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the keyhole," Thorin murmured. He looked back to the wall, trying to figure out what the light hitting the wall meant. The sun began to get lower and lower on the horizon and even the elves began to get restless as nothing seemed to change on the wall. Thorin seemed to be getting frantic. "Nori!" he called forth. The dwarven thief ran to the wall, and began tapping it in different places with a spoon, holding his ear to a cup against the wall. Meanwhile, Dwalin strained and pushed against the wall. Thorin glanced back at the setting sun.
"We're losing the light," he groaned.
"Come on!" Dwalin shouted, beginning to kick the wall.
"Be quiet! I can't hear when you're thumping!" Nori growled at him.
"I can't find it…it's not here! It's not here!" Dwalin gasped. The sun was now close to disappearing and Thorin gestured frantically to the other dwarves.
"Break it down!" Dwalin, Gloin and Bifur began to smash at the wall with their weapons, but to no avail. "Come on!" Thorin shouted.
"It's no good! The door's sealed. It can't be opened by force! Powerful magic lies upon it!" Balin cried. The dwarves hitting the door dropped their weapons in tiredness, disappointment washing over them. The sun disappeared behind the distant mountains.
"NO!" Thorin yelled, stumbling forward. He pulled out the map, re-examining it, reading aloud. "The last light of Durin's day will shine upon the keyhole. That's…that's what it says," he said quietly. He held his arms open in disbelief. The elves quietly bowed their heads as the other dwarves muttered in disappointment and anger. "What did we miss? What did we miss, Balin?" Thorin turned to his old friend, tears in his eyes.
"We've lost the light, laddie," Balin stated quietly. "There's no more to be done. We had but one chance." A wave of despair washed over the Company. "Come away; it's…it's over." Balin gripped Thorin's shoulder, leading him towards the stairs. Ember was stunned. They had come so far…how could they have failed? Kili pulled silently away from her, heading towards his uncle.
"Wait a minute!" Bilbo spoke up. He turned to the Company that was slowly heading to the stairs. "You can't give up now!" He looked beseechingly at Thorin, but with a grimace, the dwarf turned away. He held up the key, staring at it silently, before dropping it to the rocky ground with a clatter. "Thorin, you can't give up now!" Bilbo cried. A silent tear fell from Ember's eye as she watched her family crumble in failure. What good was all the hardship they had been through together, only to come so far and be defeated? She watched the hobbit, who had his hand on the mountain wall, muttering to himself. "Stand by the grey stone…when the thrush knocks." He looked around, but there was no thrush to be found. The hobbit frowned. "The setting sun…and the last light of Durin's Day will shine. Hmm. The last light. Last light…" Ember turned back to look out into the valley as the clouds slowly parted, the moonlight shining down on her face. She closed her eyes in silence, a cool, soft breeze gently blowing through her hair. Suddenly she heard a knocking. Her eyes flew open to see a thrush hitting a snail against the stone wall. She stared at Bilbo, who looked as shocked as she did. Then she turned her head to the large full moon above them in the night sky.
"Wait a minute…moon runes," she murmured thoughtfully. "The riddle was written in…" Bilbo stared at her, then laughed.
"That's it!" he cried. "The last light!" She spun around to see a beam of moonlight illuminating a keyhole in the rock. She gasped in surprise, as Bilbo yelled for the dwarves. "Come back! The keyhole! Come back! It's the light of the Moon, the last moon of autumn! Ha ha ha!" Ember swept the hobbit into her arms as they laughed in delight. Suddenly, they stopped.
"The key!" they said together. She put the hobbit down, and they began to search the rocky ground.
"Where's the-where's the key? Where's the…it was here…but it was here, it was here! It was just…" Bilbo muttered, frantically searching the clearing on the ground for the key. All of sudden, his foot kicked the metal key, and it went flying towards the rocky edge. Ember gasped as it began to fall off the side of the mountain. Ember dove forward, slamming her hand onto the string attached to the key, grasping it tightly. She got to her feet slowly and saw Thorin heading towards her, Kili and the Company not far behind. She smiled triumphantly, raising the key in her hand, when the rocks beneath her suddenly crumbled away. She screamed as the ground beneath her vanished.
"EMBER!" Kili yelled as she disappeared over the edge of the cliff. Thorin raced forward, and saw her a few feet below, clinging desperately to the rocks. He threw himself to the ground, stretching for her hands. He felt someone grab his legs, securing him. He saw her struggling to hold on, the desperate fear in her eyes.
"EMBER!" he shouted at her, and her frantic eyes locked on his. "Reach up and grab my hand!" She stretched towards him, their fingertips touching, when her grip on the rocks slipped, pulling her inches further away from him. She sobbed in terror, grasping the rock tightly. She heard Kili screaming her name from somewhere above. She focused her eyes on Thorin and shook her head at him.
"Thorin, I can't hold on. Please, just take the key!" she cried, trying to hand it to him. He could hear Kili shouting in horror at her words somewhere behind him. He would not let it end like this.
"Taal berch men," he growled sternly. "I will NOT let you fall. Now reach up and grab my hand! NOW!" Ember closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then stretched herself up, straining to reach him. He grabbed her wrist and yanked, as the person holding his legs tugged him violently. Thorin pulled her up over the edge, and flung himself back into the clearing. He scrambled away from the edge, his arms wrapping around her tightly. He rocked her back and forth, stroking her hair as the Company breathed a sigh of relief. Dwalin had released Thorin's legs and sat panting beside them.
"Don't ever do that again, lassie," he grumbled at her, clutching his chest to catch his breath and a light chuckle rumbled through the Company. Thorin grasped her tearstained face in his hands, pressing his forehead to hers. She turned and saw Kili being held back by Legolas and Fili. As Thorin helped her to her feet, they released him, and Kili took her in his arms, murmuring her name softly.
"Well, lassie, you certainly know how to keep us on our toes!" Bofur quipped. The Company laughed with relief. She nuzzled her nose in Kili's neck, before turning back to Thorin. With a soft smile, she handed him the key. With his hands slightly trembling, he took it from her gently. Her blue eyes shone like ice in the moonlight, and Thorin smiled as he followed her gaze to the keyhole. He slowly approached it, the hope in his eyes apparent to the entire Company. He inserted the key into the keyhole, and turned it. He could hear unlocking mechanisms from within the stone, and he pushed firmly on the wall before him. Slowly, a door swung inwards into the mountain. The seams of the door had been completely invisible previously, but Thorin could now see the crisp sharp lines that had been carved into the rock. The door opened into a black tunnel. The Company looked on in awe as Thorin stood on the threshold.
"Erebor." The name slipped from his tongue softly, the culmination of their journey overwhelming him. He stepped forward slowly, running his hands gently over the smooth stone. "I know these walls…these walls, this stone. You remember it, Balin. Chambers filled with golden light." Balin choked up, and Thorin smiled fondly back at him.
"Thorin…" the old dwarf said, his voice breaking. "I remember." The rest of the Company slowly and reverently entered the mountain. Thorin pulled Fili and Kili towards him, their smiles of awe making him chuckle. He noted that the elves had respectfully stayed outside, knowing this was a moment for the dwarves alone. Nori pointed to a carving in the wall above the door. Ember's eyes examined the carving and smiled. The throne of Erebor, with a stone above it, sending out rays of light in all directions. Her musical voice read aloud the inscription on the carving.
"Herein lies the seventh kingdom of Durin's folk. May the heart of the mountain unite all dwarves in defense of this home." Kili came forward and squeezed her hand, placing a kiss in her hair. Bilbo looked at the carving with curiosity. Balin smiled at the hobbit.
"It is the throne of the king," he explained. Bilbo nodded.
"Oh. And what's that above it?"
"The Arkenstone," Balin replied.
"That, Master Burglar, is why you are here," Thorin spoke up. Before he could continue, Ember spoke up.
"I hate to have to ask, but…do you think we could have a bite to eat before going any further? I did just about fall to my death from this mountain." The dwarves laughed and, after placing a large rock at the door to ensure nothing would cause it to close, the Company headed back to the clearing.
They built a small fire and ate well, singing and laughing into the night. On impulse, Ember shot a burst of fire into the sky. It exploded like a giant firework, and the Company cheered. Bilbo grinned at her as she sent up more sparks.
"You could give Gandalf a run for his money with those whizzpoppers!" the hobbit snickered. Ember smiled, but her happiness faded as she looked off into the distance, her thoughts returning to the image of Gandalf in Dol Guldur. Thorin watched her from across the fire, smoking his pipe. She seemed so tired, so worn out. The fall today had taken more out of her then he had thought. He saw Kili glance at her worriedly, but she flashed him a smile, taking his hand in hers and caressing it. "Thorin, can you tell me what the plan is for tomorrow?" Bilbo interrupted.
"As our burglar, you are going to head into the mountain to find the Arkenstone. Once you have achieved this, we will be able to unite the Seven Dwarf Kingdoms," Thorin replied.
"What about the rest of us?" Ember asked quietly. Thorin studied her.
"We will wait here until Master Baggins reports on the state of Erebor or returns with the Arkenstone," Thorin replied. Ember frowned.
"He cannot enter the Mountain alone, Thorin," she said, a note of anger in her tone.
"As our official burglar, that is his job, Ember," he replied in the same tone.
"We were told not to enter the Mountain without Gandalf, let alone send Bilbo by himself! I will be going with him," she said, rising to her feet. At this, there was protests from everyone in the Company. Kili shook his head in anger. Bilbo stood silent, watching the exchange with a torn look. Part of him was glad that Ember wanted to come with him, the other part wanted to prove he was brave enough to go alone.
"I'm afraid I cannot allow that, Ember," Thorin growled, standing up as well. She glared at him.
"And I am afraid I cannot allow Bilbo to go by himself, Thorin," she retorted angrily.
"ENOUGH!" Thorin thundered. "I am the leader of this Company and you will respect that!" Ember stepped back, and Kili stood behind her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as she struggled to contain her anger. There was silence, when a small voice spoke up.
"I will go in alone." Ember turned to Bilbo, her eyes stormy with worry. The hobbit came to her, taking her hand in his. "You are a good friend, Ember," he said gently, "but this is why I am here. I signed up to be a burglar, and a burglar I shall be." The Company looked on in silence as Ember studied Bilbo. She sighed, and threw herself at the little hobbit. He hugged her tight and blushed as she placed a kiss on his cheek. "Of course, if I happen to need a little help, I know who to call," he added cheekily. She smiled, and turned to Thorin. She bowed her head in apology, and he sighed, crossing the fire to embrace her.
"The hobbit is right. You are a good friend, brave and loyal. And you are as stubborn as I am," he admitted. She smiled into his coat, then stifled a yawn. He pulled back, studying her closely. "You have had a hard day. You need to rest, taal berch men," he said softly. Indeed, the entire Company soon settled, eager for the events of the next day. Ember laid down on her bedroll, as Kili covered her with his cloak. She drifted off into a fitful sleep.
She dreamed of fire. Blazing around her, consuming everything in its path. Where was it coming from? She turned to see her beloved dwarves standing behind her, looks of fear in their eyes. Were they afraid of her? Why? She looked down at her feet, crying out at the sight of Thorin lying bloodied before her, with Fili and Kili motionless, their arms thrown over him in protection. Anger surged through her, and the flames rose higher, the rage and fury engulfing her. Suddenly, she spied the lidless eye, the symbol from the gate of Mirkwood. The Eye plunged into her soul, causing the anger and hatred to grow. Suddenly, she felt a hand grasp hers, and she looked down to see Kili, broken and bloody, raise his forest green eyes up at her. He rose up to stand at her side, stroking her hair, and she felt his love flood her soul, pushing away the darkness. Slowly, she turned her back on the flames, on the anger. The Eye screeched in fury. "You cannot hide," a dark voice said from the shadows. "I see you." A blast of heat washed over her and she started awake, gasping for breath. Kili lay beside her in the dim morning light, his eyes seeking out her own. No words were needed as he pulled her towards him, kissing her deeply, banishing the monsters in the night. She felt her panic begin to fade, but one thought kept flooding her mind, as she snuggled back into the warmth of Kili's body. The thought scared her more than anything she had ever known before. "He's found me."
Gajut men - Forgive me
Natu yamez natu - Yesterday is past
Menu gajatu - You are forgiven
taal berch men - my fire daughter