~.~
Glitter and Gold
Thorin x OC
by Iland Girl
'for the ones that lost their family, you can always build a new one'
Prologue
"The end of a melody is not its goal: but nonetheless, had the melody not reached its end it would not have reached its goal either. A parable."
-Friedrich Nietzsche
It's at the end of a journey that you always feel the most accomplished. You feel the fruition of your accomplishments rising, and the wounds from your battles ache just a bit less.
It's a moment to breathe.
They were still clearing the dead from the fields. I had taken a moment to sit on the broken pillars to the entrance of Erabor to simply breathe. The first time in weeks that I had time to just sit.
Emotions welled up inside of me, but externally I just felt- numb. My hands didn't feel like they had held a sword for hours, my back didn't still from old wounds, and my feet weren't aching from the running. I was just numb, hunched slightly as I stared at the open fields beyond Erabor.
My eyes travelled to the pendant sitting in the palm of my hand. A tiny pocket watch the size of a thumbnail. It sat on a chain of mithril, practically weightless in my hand. My thumb grazed over it, idly toying with the decision left before me.
"You look exhausted, I must say." A gentle voice called from nearby. I lifted my gaze to see our beloved Hobbit slowly on the approach. He looked clean, clearly having just finished his bath. A soft smile pulled at lips at the sight of him. It didn't reach my eyes though.
"I suppose we all are." I said softly. He took a seat on a pile of rubble nearby, also looking out to the fields. It was peaceful, silent companionship as the plains were observed.
A tapping sound began from the floor to the left of me, and I watched a thrush knock a nut against the stone floor.
Such a simple life, that bird must have. Eat when they're hungry, sleep when they're tired. I small snicker pulled from my lips. Never had I thought I would be envious of a bird, but here we were.
"What do you suppose you'll do now?" Bilbo asked. I looked over to him, to see his gaze still viewing the fields. He glanced at me, a touch of worry in his eyes, but there was also sadness.
"I don't know." I confessed. The necklace felt weighted all of a sudden. My hand felt heavy underneath it.
Bilbo gave a breathy chuckle and glanced back to the view. He hesitated, then spoke.
"I don't think I could go back to the way it was before. I mean before all the orcs and elves and revelations... skinchangers..."
I giggled a bit, looking back to the thrush.
"I think you will," I said easily. "Hobbits are remarkably adaptable, after all. You've proven that many times on this journey."
The Hobbit's cheeks tinted when I looked back at him. He smiled, looking at me then to his own feet.
"I don't know about that," he looked at me then, ease and comfort in his gaze. "I think you've changed the most out of everyone."
I chuckled.
"You think so?" I didn't feel different. But perhaps it was simply returning to who I was before the journey even began.
"I remember vividly the first time you and- and Thorin got into a spat. I genuinely thought the house would crumble." He said it like it were a secret, making me laugh. My chest ached, cutting the laughter short.
"Ok maybe I could've done a bit better. I wasn't the easiest on him." I remembered that fight, remembered my utter frustrations at finally meeting the Thorin Oakenshield. My heart clenched.
"I think that was when the wagers started." He admitted. I smirked with raised brows.
"That far back huh? Who was betting against me then?" I asked, but was more than a little surprised to see Bilbo confidently smiling back.
"That reminds me, Dwalin still owes me some gold." I laughed fully at that.
Conversation died, and we sat watching the sun begin its descent. I remembered the view of the shire, and of the stories of the sea. My path didn't seem so lost before me now. My heart sang at the idea of heading west.
"I think I'd like to see the sea. And then... visit Ered Luin." I swallowed a lump in my throat, and closed my eyes. "I think... I think that is where I would like- where he would've liked to be buried."
Not in Erabor, as much as it made sense. But where he had been free.
Bilbo gently touched my shoulder. I looked at him through watery eyes and smiled.
"I would love to accompany you, my lady." He said with a warm expression. I placed a hand over the one on my shoulder and squeezed it. He then let his hand drop as I took a steadying breath.
"It is hard, going back to your old life," I looked up to the mountain surrounding us. "I don't envy the work the Dwarves will have to do now but..."
A peacefulness washed over me at the thought of everyone finally being at home.
"There is something to be said, about the feeling of returning home." I felt my eyes crinkle as a genuine smile broke across my face.
"Perhaps if all people treasured home above gold, this world would be a merrier place."
Hi all!
I don't think I have ever attempted an adventure into Middle Earth (and if I did I think i scrapped it almost immediately) but this was a thought that has been in my brain for a few months. I'm the type that needs to get words on a page or else I just get absolutely lost in the rats nest it makes in my brain.
I will say upfront I am NOT overly versed in the lore/ history of LOTR or TH. I have read the books but it's been a looooong time, and I've seen the movies about a thousand times now. So, a lot of this will be leaning heavily on the movies, with a few changes here and there. There will be creative license as well.
Fanfiction doesn't give you a lot of room to explain your story plot in the summary and explain pairings, but here we go.
This story is a Thorin x OC story. She is not paired with anyone else, and I will try my best to stay with the propriety of the books. I will not lie though, the dwarves always felt like the middle child of Tolkien's works. They felt kinda forgotten or unloved, so I really did like what PJ did in the movies, even if many purists hated it. There will be a couple OC's, but the primary focus will hopefully eb the original cast. I may change a few things, but mostly for an original retelling. Thank you for reading, and I wills ee you in the next chapter!
Bu-bye~