Oh god, yes, I know, it's been a while! I'm sorry I left you waiting! Things came up, life was busy, I got a tattoo, bada-bing bada-bong, now I'm back and I bring a new chapter with me :D (It is a bit of a filler, I'll admit, but that'll get better with the next one already, so bear with me :D)
Borys68: Haha, yeah :D Though Tarya's gonna have a few more big-bad-wolf-moments in the next chapters. Bear with me :D
Angel of the Night Watcher: Thank you very much! I'm glad you liked it! Tarya and Bard/his family will have a few more scenes in the next chapters, so I hope you'll like how it continues! :)
Hiding in the Shadow: I'm glad you liked it! Yeah, Bard's a good guy, he wouldn't just leave a sick dwarf out on the streets :) There will be more interaction with him and his family in the next chapters :)
Akilah Swiftblade: I completely understand! I was so shocked when he was shot and I just felt so bad for him the whole rest of the movie. Poor baby.
Eden: Thank you so much! It's always really nice to hear that my English is alright to read because it always takes some time to get a chapter the way I want it! So thanks for the compliment! :)
kaia: Oh, don't worry, the Master and Alfrid are going to get theirs one way ore another :D Though we'll see how exactly and from whom exactly ;)
Marigold Faucet: Oh my! Thank you! And just when you need the next chapter desperately, I leave you waiting for two weeks. Sorry 'bout that! :D
Marcus S. Lazarus: Thank you very much for your review! It was really interesting to read your opinions on the story so far and I'm glad you're intrigued! I see your point with Thranduil's demand regarding Tarya, though it just seemed fitting for me at the time (and still does, because really he doubted the dwarves' intentions with Tarya since he didn't know their story but only the dwarves' goal to reach Erebor and thought for someone as 'precious' as her, it would be better to stay with the elves rather than dwarves. No doubt, if she had, he would have given her the same liberties he gives to Arkin, which is to say, he would have wanted her trust, not actually her as some sort of pet. But Tarya wouldn't believe that if you told her, of course :P And then again, he has a rather strict way of handling things, so he went a bit out of line with her in the end. But well, anyway, I see your point. :D) As for how far I'm going to take the story, let's just say I have a few plans :D And you'll see what happens when Smaug attacks in the next few chapters. I hope you'll find it as intriguing as before! :)
Thank you very much also to Dalonega Noquisi, My Beautiful Ending, Lette1685, ZabuzasGirl, Lady Syndra, Nack3490, bntjammer, BlackBaccaraRose, FleurSuoh, McKenzieHatche1, Aryabloodlust, superhyperjan and Veyrona!
Thanks also to the people who followed and favorited!
I hope you'll enjoy the chapter. As I said, it's a bit of a filler between things but we'll get back on track in the next chapter :)
The sky was already darkening when the company – or what was left of it – reached the shore on the other end of the Long Lake. Bilbo who had been sitting behind Thorin for the whole crossing looked up as the dwarf-king jumped out of the boat and followed quickly before the others pulled it further up the shore. The hobbit looked back over the lake, seeing the small outlines of Esgaroth in the distance.
The merry mood in which they had departed from the town had started to drop further and further as soon as they had left Laketown behind and now that Erebor was towering right before them high into the evening sky and they had finally – or at least almost – reached their goal, Bilbo could only think about the friends they had left behind and the dragon that waited ahead. He understood Thorin's reasons for leaving Kili in Laketown, for it surely was better for the young dwarf to rest in his injured state, even though it felt like they would have reached the mountain in time even if he had stayed with them. After all, they still had the whole of tomorrow to reach the hidden door. Of course, they would first have to find it. But Bilbo's thoughts were not only concentrated on Kili but also on whom they had been forced to leave behind with him. Bilbo didn't really want to admit it but he dreaded to go this last bit of the journey without Bofur or Tarya who had both become very good friends and reliable companions during the last months.
"We go on until we reach the outskirts of the mountain," Thorin announced as he sheathed a large iron sword on his back. "Then we make camp and move on with the first light in the morning."
Bilbo just sighed silently to himself at the dwarf-king's grim voice. Thorin was determined not to lose any time and so they moved along as he led them. The hobbit observed the land they crossed, dry and rocky even though it was so close to the lake. It didn't take too long until they had come far enough for Thorin to allow them to make camp and rest. They sheltered near a large rock that offered enough place for them to sit and shielded them from the cold wind at least from one side. A fire was quickly built and Bilbo sat close to it, trying to get as much warmth as he could in the frosty night air.
None of the dwarves talked much and there was no thought of song or merry chatter. Many of them went to sleep early and eventually only Balin, Ori, Nori and Thorin were still sitting by the fire together with Bilbo.
"Do you think they are all right?" the hobbit eventually asked into the silence, his gaze set in the direction where the Long Lake was shimmering slightly in the pale moonlight in the distance. Balin who was sitting next to him shortly followed his gaze, sighing quietly in reply.
"I'm sure they are, lad."
Bilbo stayed silent for a moment, shaking his head slightly before suddenly Ori spoke up.
"Couldn't even say goodbye," the young dwarf mumbled and all of them knew that he was talking mainly about Tarya. Nori shot his little brother a short look as Ori stared thoughtfully into the flames. "Seems a shame."
Nori patted his shoulder slightly, clearing his throat. They all knew that Ori had become quite fond of the Amarok over the last months, all of them had, after all. But Ori had developed a sort of fascination for her, drawing her whenever he found time for it along with his usual drawing and writings of the journey. Nori wasn't sure whether Tarya was aware of it. "They'll join us all too soon again. Might be quite nice to have a break from all the youngsters," Nori said and Ori just shrugged, his gaze lost in the flames. He went to bed not long after that and Nori followed soon after.
"When do you think we will reach the mountain?" Bilbo asked quietly after a while, once he was alone with Balin and Thorin. The white-haired dwarf shot him a short look whereas Thorin kept staring out into the distance with a dark expression on his face.
"If we continue at this speed, I think we shall reach Dale near noon tomorrow and then it is merely a few hours to the doors of Erebor," Balin replied and the hobbit nodded slowly. He was nervous but determined to finish what he had started all those months ago when he had stepped out of his comfortable hole in the Shire and had decided to follow a bunch of dwarves on an adventure. The adventure was rapidly drawing to a close now, Bilbo thought with a sigh, but it wasn't quite over yet.
Tarya quietly sat in Bard's home, her gaze set on Kili who was half awake, half dozing on the bed she was sitting next to. The Amarok was tired but she couldn't bring herself to leave Kili's side. It was already quite late in the evening and Oin had been doing the best he could to help the brunet dwarf the whole day with the little supplies he had to his disposal but Kili's condition kept getting worse and it had Tarya's thoughts whirling with worry. The young dwarf's skin was pale as the moon and he had developed a fever over the last hours, his body trembling every now and then as he groaned and grunted in pain. And there was nothing Tarya could do besides changing the cool wet cloth on his forehead every once in a while.
The Amarok's gaze shortly wandered through the room. Fili had gotten antsy a few hours ago as there was nothing he could do to really help his brother and was now busying himself with helping Oin as they prepared some sort of ointment together while Bofur was conversing with Bard's children pleasantly. Tarya felt a small smile tugging on her lips upon seeing the hatted dwarf's interaction with the children, though it didn't quite come through.
A small groan tore her attention away from her companions and back to Kili who was blinking against the dim firelight in the room, his breathing slow and shallow. It took him a moment to get his eyes to focus and the Amarok reached out to retrieve the cloth from his forehead silently, the fabric warm from the heat his body was emitting. With a small frown she dunked it into the small bowl with cool water next to her, wringing it out slightly before she reached out to brush it gently over Kili's skin. They had shed him from his armour, leaving him in only his trousers and his tunic, the collar of which hung open loosely. Tarya sighed quietly as she softly wiped the cloth along the dwarf's neck and jaw, bringing it up to brush over his cheek as he observed her silently. She shortly caught Kili's gaze before she averted hers and dunked the cloth back into the bowl. The brunet dwarf reached out then, grabbing her free hand and squeezing gently as he looked up at her.
"You take care of me," Kili whispered tiredly, an almost untraceable smile on his features. Tarya just stared at him as he held her hand, not saying anything, and Kili sighed deeply, his eyes looking at her searchingly as his thumb trailed over the back of her hand lazily.
"You should have said something," Tarya muttered eventually, her voice quiet and yet hard enough to make Kili wince silently. He gripped her hand a bit tighter before she could retrieve it as she shot him a stern look.
"I didn't… want you to worry," Kili murmured quietly in reply, gaze falling from hers as he looked down in what seemed to be shame. Tarya shook her head quietly.
"I'm worried now," she whispered and she could hear her fear clinging to her own voice as she looked down at the dwarf she loved. "Your wound is blackened and inflamed from whatever poison that arrow was covered with. You have a high fever, Kili, you could…" she felt her breath hitch slightly in her throat at the thought of what the outcome of Kili's injury could be in the end. And she felt incredibly guilty about it. "I should have done something. I knew it was not a normal arrow. I should have told Oin but I didn't because I wasn't sure and now you might –"
Kili's gaze shot up to meet hers and before she could bring herself to utter the word she dreaded so much he let go of her hand, instead reaching up weakly to cup the back of her head in his hand and pulling her down to him. He gently brought her forehead against his and Tarya shortly clenched her eyes together upon the intimate gesture.
"It is not your fault," Kili just murmured, his voice sounding determined despite the low volume he was speaking in. His fingers tangled lightly in her hair as he held her close to him, hot breath washing over her face as he spoke. "I knew it wasn't a normal arrow. It couldn't have been. I knew and I didn't say anything because I didn't want to… to be a burden to the quest. I didn't… want it to hinder me from getting to Erebor. You tried to tell me but I wouldn't listen."
Tarya watched Kili shortly press his lips together and sighed deeply as he released her, warm brown eyes holding her gaze as his hand slid down to cup her cheek shortly before it weakly fell back onto the mattress.
"I'm sorry," he muttered tiredly, blindly searching for her hand once more as his eyes fluttered closed again. Once he found it, he squeezed lightly and Tarya watched as the brunet dwarf slowly drifted back to sleep, his hold on her hand only lightening slightly as his body relaxed. The Amarok observed Kili quietly for a moment before she put the wet cloth back on his forehead, her hand shortly lingering on his cheek before she retrieved it.
Tarya sat there for a while just staring at the sleeping dwarf with a thoughtful frown until she suddenly felt someone sit down beside her. Turning her head, she met Bard's gaze as he first looked at the dwarf before his eyes found hers.
"He cares deeply for you," the man said lowly, shortly glancing down to where her hand still lay in Kili's as he slept. Tarya just smiled slightly in reply. "And you for him."
The Amarok observed Bard quietly for a moment upon his words before she just nodded slowly. Bard shot her a small smile and she shortly glanced at his children as merry giggling erupted on the other side of the room where Bofur was telling them one of his many stories. It was then that something crossed her mind and Bard seemed to guess her thoughts when she looked back at him. He just shot her a sad smile.
"You lost her," Tarya muttered quietly as she read his smile, feeling sudden compassion and sympathy overcoming her for this man and his little family that lived in this small house that barely offered enough space for themselves and yet still took them in, helping them in their need.
"A few years ago." Bard confirmed lowly, his expression hardening slightly but his eyes growing warm as he remembered his children's mother. Tarya watched the man silently as he continued. "Life is harsh here. A few years ago sickness plagued the town. She fell ill in autumn and didn't make it through winter."
Tarya watched Bard for a moment as his gaze was lost on an invisible point before him. "What was her name?"
"Sigrun," Bard replied in a quiet murmur as he returned his gaze to the Amarok who shot him a small smile upon the tender look on his face. She knew that expression. She had seen it on Bombur when he'd talked about Delifra and on Gloin when he'd talked about Rimma. And after a moment, she realized that she had also seen it on Kili.
"You must have loved her very much," Tarya muttered, though it was more a statement than a question. Bard nodded nonetheless, his smile growing slightly.
"I still do," he said and the Amarok felt a warm smile tug on her lips as she nodded. They sat in a comfortable silence for a while then, until Bard eventually spoke up again.
"I have never heard of an Amarok changing form," he mentioned, looking at her with curiosity, though the expression in his gaze was very different from the one she had seen on Thranduil, for example. The elven king had looked at her with something that could almost be called a desire for possession when he'd found out about her whereas in Bard's eyes she could see nothing but sincere interest.
"It is because of him," she replied after a moment, nodding slightly towards the sleeping dwarf on the bed next to them. "We share a bond that allowed me to become human."
Bard's brows drew together slightly as he processed her words before he just hummed lowly and nodded. "A very powerful bond it would seem."
Tarya just nodded in response, sharing a small smile with the man. They stayed silent again for a while, both revelling in their own thoughts. Laughter from the other side of the room tore both their gazes towards it, seeing the three children giggling with Bofur. Bard smiled slightly before he brought his gaze back to Tarya.
"I am sorry if my son's words have offended you earlier," he muttered and the Amarok raised her eyebrows at him before she shook her head with a small smile.
"You do not need to apologize," she said. "If anything, I should apologize to you for my unfriendly behaviour. I have not even thanked you yet for letting us stay. I know you were not very fond of our company's arrival in the town in the first place."
Bard shook his head. "I do not approve of your leader's plans but I am not cruel and I would not deny you my help when it is obviously needed." The Lake-Man shot a small glance to the brunet dwarf. "Though I do not know how much I can do."
"Letting us into your home is already more than we could hope for," Tarya replied lowly, carefully retrieving her hand from Kili's grasp to bury it in her lap where it started fumbling with the hem of her tunic. "The Master of the town would have left us to our fate out on the cold streets."
"I'm not surprised," Bard growled quietly, sending her a dark look. "He does not even care for the people of his town, never mind strangers. The only thing the Master cares for is wealth, a thing that the town has been lacking greatly for years. Therefore, he was only too eager to see the prophecy fulfilled and see your company off to the mountain."
Tarya frowned slightly as she shot the man beside her a searching look. "What is this prophecy that people keep talking about?"
Bard sighed quietly, averting his gaze from her to his children that were still talking quietly to Bofur who was telling them one of his many stories. Tarya followed his gaze and it was just when she thought that the hatted dwarf really had a way with kids that Bard answered, his voice low and ominous.
"The lord of silver fountains...
The King of carven stone…
The King beneath the Mountain,
Shall come into his own!"
Tarya looked at Bard as his gaze darkened, a hard trait coming to play around his mouth as he finished.
"And the bells shall ring in gladness
at the Mountain-King's return!
But all shall fail in sadness…
and the lake will shine and burn."
Tarya stayed silent for a long while after that, and it was now her that was staring at an invisible point in front of her until Bard cleared his throat quietly. She returned her gaze to him, a deep frown gracing her forehead as she thought about the prophecy's words. The Lake-Man just looked at her silently for a moment before he reached out and grabbed the small bowl of water from beside her.
"I'll get some fresh water for you," he said, his voice now less dark as he spoke to her and Tarya just nodded before he went to complete his task, leaving her with her thoughts. She watched as Bard sent his children to sleep before he went to fetch the water. Bain, Sigrid and Tilda were all rather disappointed to part from Bofur and Tarya felt a small smile tug on her lips as the hatted dwarf promised them another story first thing tomorrow. It was just a few moments after the children had gone to sleep that Fili walked over to her, sending her a questioning look as he sat down next to her, taking the place where Bard had been a few minutes before.
"What did Bard want with you?" the blond dwarf asked casually, though Tarya could hear the slight tension in his voice. The Amarok shot him a calming smile.
"Nothing much, Fili. We just talked."
"About what?" he quickly inquired, blue eyes looking at her attentively.
"About his wife and my human form and the prophecy of the King beneath the Mountain," she said with a slight shrug and felt the young dwarf stiffen beside her, his gaze wandering across the room towards Bard with a frown.
"He asked about your human form?"
Tarya just nodded, putting one hand on Fili's forearm in a reassuring manner. "You can't blame him for being curious, can you? I am a bit unusual." Fili just huffed quietly in reply, his eyes narrowing at Bard's back.
"How do you know he won't go and sell you out?" he asked in a low murmur and Tarya just smiled slightly in reply, shaking her head at the blond dwarf.
"If he had wanted to he could have done that the minute he found out about me," she replied quietly. "He's a good man, Fili. I trust him."
The blond dwarf finally tore his gaze away from their dark-haired host and turned his gaze to Tarya upon her words, looking at her with a small frown. "You do?"
Tarya just nodded in reply and the blond dwarf sighed quietly, shortly putting his own hand over hers on his arm and squeezing slightly. He stayed silent for a moment, apparently considering her opinion, before he just nodded curtly. His gaze fell on his sleeping brother then who was frowning in his sleep. Following Fili's gaze, worry overcame Tarya once more as she watched Kili's shallow breathing. Fili shifted slightly beside her.
"Oin has prepared another salve for him," he muttered lowly and Tarya slightly leaned her head against Fili's shoulder, feeling the tiredness rise within her body once more. "Hopefully it will help bring down his fever over the night."
Tarya didn't reply, just kept staring at the brunet dwarf silently until Fili nudged her slightly with his shoulder. "You should get some rest."
The Amarok shook her head on his shoulder and heard Fili sigh beside her before he turned his head, murmuring against her forehead quietly. "I will watch over him, Tarya. Don't be stubborn. You look exhausted. You need some rest even if it is only for a few hours."
"But –"
"You need a break." Fili interrupted quietly yet sternly and Tarya pressed her lips together for a moment before she nodded slowly. The blond dwarf shot her a small smile before he nodded over to a small bench where Oin was standing with a pillow and a blanket in his arms. Tarya frowned slightly at the sight as she got to her feet, shooting the young heir of Durin a confused look. Fili just shrugged.
"I'm not the only one who thought you needed to rest."
Tarya just rolled her eyes silently at the dwarf before she shortly looked down at Kili. With a deep sigh, she finally turned away and trotted over to Oin who handed her the blanket while he put the pillow down on the bench.
"Try to sleep, lass," the old healer said, patting her shoulder slightly as she lay down and tried to make herself comfortable on the wooden bench. Tarya nodded silently, doubting that she would find any sleep, but she was in fact more tired than she had thought and as soon as her head hit the pillow, her eyes fell closed almost of their own will. As she heard Oin's footsteps moving away from her, she already felt sleep lulling her in.
Bilbo awoke early the next morning and Thorin didn't give them much time for breakfast before they moved on with the first light of the day. The hobbit trailed along somewhere at the back of the group, his eyes scanning his surroundings as his feet carried him over the stony trails, up and up as the mountain grew ever bigger and mightier before his eyes. It was after several hours that they walked up a rocky cliff and as Bilbo arrived on top – slightly out of breath from the continuous walking and climbing without pause – and looked over the edge, he suddenly saw the ruins of a city in the valley below.
Bell towers that once must have been high lay broken in the debris of the town, houses and streets reduced to rubble and ash from the dragon's attack all those decades ago. Bilbo felt his heart sink at the sight, a glum feeling filling his stomach as he glanced over the remnants of the city. He could only imagine how it must have looked before the dragon's wrath had come down upon it.
"There lies all that is left of Dale," Balin spoke as he came to stand beside the hobbit, looking down over the ruined town as well with a sad look on his old face. He shot Bilbo a short glance as the hobbit looked at him questioningly, not used to seeing the old dwarf so grim. "The mountain's sides were once green with woods and all the sheltered valley rich and pleasant in the days when the bells rang in that town." The old dwarf paused for a moment, an almost distant look coming to play on his face as he sighed quietly. "That was until the desolation of Smaug."
"The sun has almost reached its peak," Thorin spoke up from where he had been standing close beside them before Bilbo had a chance to respond to Balin's words, his face set in a hard expression as he tore his gaze from the ruins of Dale. The hobbit shortly watched the dwarf-king before he turned away from the sight below. "We move on. It is only a few hours now until we reach the mountain."
Bilbo lingered for a moment while the dwarves followed their king as he led them along the cliff, sparing a last look at Dale before he finally trailed along after them. During the whole of this journey, Bilbo had never truly thought about the dragon that lay slumbering in the mountain and that it was him who was supposed to steal from it. But now, after seeing the wrath and ruin that Smaug had brought upon the city of Dale, he could only imagine what the dwarves of Erebor had gone through when the dragon attacked. He felt his mood sink when he thought of how much destruction a dragon was capable.
It was about six hours after they had come across Dale that they reached Erebor. Thorin slowly came to a halt and the rest of them gathered behind him as he looked upon the front gate of Erebor that lay before them in a safe distance. They didn't dare go too close for fear of Smaug being awake and seeing or sensing them near. But Bilbo's eyes grew wide nonetheless even at seeing it from a distance. The hobbit's mouth fell open slightly as he took in the sight before him. He had heard tales of the dwarven kingdom on the journey, of course, but they did not compare to seeing the mighty mountain with his own eyes. It reached up high into the sky, adorned by two tremendous statues carved into the mountain walls on both sides of the gate that lay broken from the dragon's entrance so many years back and yet one could still see how it must have once looked. The giant stone statues showed the figure of a mighty dwarf that Bilbo was later told was king Thròr himself, Thorin's grandfather.
Upon Thorin's order the company quickly split into small groups to make the search for the hidden door more efficient as they set out to find it. Bilbo went with Balin and Thorin, his eyes scanning the surroundings attentively, though everything looked about the same to him. All around them were dry and dusty lands, smaller and larger stones plastering the rocky floor around the mountain. The sun was shining down on them as it moved westwards, painfully reminding them that their time to find the hidden door was limited. The words of Thorin's map echoed in Bilbo's head as he paused, standing still for a moment as his two companions scouted ahead.
'Stand by the grey stone when the thrush knocks, and the setting sun with the last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the key-hole,' Bilbo recalled the words Elrond had read for them a long time ago in Rivendell in his head, staring up at the sky with a small sigh and a thoughtful frown. He watched the grey clouds for a moment before he slowly brought his gaze back down and it was then, as his eyes wandered over one of the tremendous statues of king Thròr, carved directly of the grey stone of the Lonely Mountain that he caught sight of steps that were wrought right into the statue's side, though from the distance hidden from sight if you didn't look close enough.
"Wait!" Bilbo's eyes widened slightly as he called after Thorin and Balin. "Wait! Over here!"
They turned to him questioningly as he first waved at them and then pointed excitedly to what he'd found. The dwarves followed his finger, surprised smiled coming to play on both their faces as they spotted the stone carven stairs themselves.
"You have keen eyes, Master Baggins," Thorin praised with a genuine smile and Bilbo just smiled in return, quite happy to see the dwarf-king's face light up with hope. It was a rather nice change to the grim face he'd carried for almost the whole journey.
They quickly gathered the rest of the company then and made to climb the stairs, which proved to be rather difficult for Bilbo, for they snaked upwards steeply and had not really been built for hobbit legs. It took them a long time to reach the top and the sun was slowly starting to sink already as they climbed upwards. It was more than once that Bilbo needed the support from someone from behind or in front of him to get to the next step and he was breathing heavily once they reached the top of the stairs where they ended on the carven stone of Thror's arm. There, a very narrow path waited for them and they moved along in single file, always holding on tightly to the stone wall to their right in order not to fall down into the valley.
Bilbo followed Nori the path eventually ended, finding himself standing on a small clearing right before another stone wall that was blocking their way. A little grass was still growing on this clearing, and a few small snails adorned the walls. Thorin stepped past him, inspecting the flat wall with a small thoughtful frown on his face.
"This must be it," he muttered as his he shortly pressed his palm flat to the stone, his gaze wandering to the lower part of it, close to the ground. Thorin frowned slightly when he saw that the wall's edge was as smooth and upright as masons' work where it met the floor but without a joint or crevice to be seen. He saw no sign of post or lintel or threshold, nor any sign of bar or bolt or keyhole, and yet the dwarf-king had no doubt that they had finally found the secret door at last. Hope and anticipation filled his heart as he glanced at the sky where the sun was setting slowly on the horizon.
It was not long until the last sunrays were upon them and Thorin looked at the door expectantly, the key he had been wearing around his neck for the past months now securely held in his hand. The others were standing in the clearing as well, their bodies strained with anticipation. No one dared to say a word as the sky turned a faint pink before it changed into a dark shade of orange as the sun sank further and further on the horizon. The last sunlight of autumn passed over the stonewall and the dwarves all held their breaths as the sun set slowly behind a distant mountain chain on the horizon and finally its last light lingered on the grey stone before them.
Thorin gripped the key so tightly that he could feel its edges pressing painfully into the palm of his hand when suddenly a large thrush came flying past them, making the dwarves flinch slightly. The bird picked up a snail from the wall in its beak and then began knocking it against the stone, the sound disrupting the quiet in the clearing. Thorin watched with wide eyes as the thrush knocked and slowly patterns began to appear on the wall, old dwarven runes forming on the stone before finally, the last light of the sun shone upon a small crack, illuminating it for all to see.
"The key! Quickly! The key!" Bilbo called out urgently, moving through the group towards the dwarf-king and effectively ripping Thorin out of his momentary dumbstruck state. The mighty dwarf hurriedly scrambled forward, the key still held tightly in his hand as he thrust it into the crack, feeling his heart well up when he started to turn it and heard a significant deep click within the stone wall.
The large thrush fluttered away at the same time that the sunlight finally disappeared completely, leaving them in the darkness of a beginning night.
Bilbo watched as Thorin put both his hands flat against the wall, forcing his weight against it, and the hobbit could only smile as the stone gave in beneath the dwarf-king's touch, swinging open inwardly. He had expected cheers and laughter to erupt from the rest of the dwarves but instead, complete stunned silence lay over the group as they looked upon the dimness that awaited them behind the secret door.
"Erebor," Thorin breathed quietly, his voice filled with the longing and memories of decades. Balin stepped up behind him, his voice trembling when he spoke.
"Thorin…" the old dwarf muttered, unable to get out the words that were stuck in his throat. Thorin shortly turned to him, putting one large hand on his friend's shoulder with an understanding nod before he finally took the first step inside the mountain.
"I know these walls," he muttered quietly, voice thick with emotion as the company followed him inside. Bilbo watched silently as Thorin let his hands slide over the stone walls almost tenderly and the hobbit felt his heart fill with compassion for the dwarf. "These walls. This stone… You remember it, Balin. Chambers filled with golden light."
"I remember," Balin convinced with a melancholy smile as Thorin turned to him, looking at the old dwarf with joy in his eyes.
One by one, the dwarves stepped inside the mountain and Bilbo followed slowly, coming to stand amongst them as Gloin read the meaning of a few dwarven runes that were carved into the stone above the door out loud. "Herein lies the seventh kingdom of Durin's folk. May the heart of the mountain unite all dwarves in defence of this home."
"The throne of the king," Balin said from beside him, making the hobbit shoot him a short look before he looked back up at the runes under which could be seen the carved image of a mighty throne. Bilbo's brows furrowed a bit as he took notice of the small round carving above the throne from which lines such as rays were carved outwards. He looked back to Balin with an asking look.
"And what's that? Above it?"
"The Arkenstone," the old dwarf replied after a few moments, sending the hobbit an intent look. Bilbo nodded shortly before he frowned once more.
"And… what's that?" he asked, never having heard the dwarves talk about it during their journey until now. But Balin was looking at him in such a strange way that it began to seem quite important. And Bilbo's thoughts were confirmed not a moment later, although this time, it was not Balin who answered him.
"That, Master Burglar…" Thorin murmured from where he was standing a bit further ahead, staring down the dark corridor that undoubtedly led further into the mountain, "… is why you are here."