Disclaimer: I don't own anything - Tolkien gets all the credit.
A/N: I've been so excited to see the great response that the last chapter received :) Thank you to everyone that's reviewing – your feedback really motivated me to get this next chapter out quickly!
Chapter Seven
The great battle had been vicious and, if he was honest with himself, Dwalin had loved every moment of it. Defending his sacred homeland from the goblins who would take it from them, defended alongside his kin from the Iron Hills, an army of elves, and even the men of Laketown… the battle had been glorious. Even the giant eagles had come.
His comrades had been lost amongst the fury, though Dwalin had kept an eye out for them as he carved his way through the weak and mindless goblin horde. Thinking, the entire time, that this would be a good day to die, Dwalin had lost himself in it – never allowing his mind to go back to that sweet face and those blonde curls that had been on his mind so much of late. He wouldn't taint her memory by thinking of her as he killed dozens upon of dozens of evil creatures.
Victory was won.
It wasn't until the fighting was ended that Dwalin realized the true price of their triumph. His friend. His King. The one dwarf whom Dwalin had always followed and had sworn to protect… Thorin Oakenshield, King Under the Mountain, was dead. Worse yet, the direct line of Durin was broken. Fili and Kili fell to protect their Uncle. Dwalin would easily trade his life for any of theirs in an instant. The grief was insurmountable.
They had been slightly blue – eyes closed, bodies broken, and blue. The vision would haunt him always.
Wandering the battlefield, seeking out the living, recovering the dead, Dwalin sought to find his brothers. He would know – he was certain – if Balin was dead. The brothers had an unshakable bond and their spirits were tied to one another. Dwalin knew, deep down, that Balin was looking for him as well, though the vastness of the battlefield kept them separated for a time… It was his other brother – his young brother, his new brother, his wife's brother – that he worried for.
Oin has certain that Bilbo had been with Thorin as the King drew his last breath, but no one had seen the Hobbit since. Small skirmishes were still breaking out, nothing large, but still dangerous for a Hobbit unaware of the danger. Dwalin's voice was raw from calling out Bilbo's name – Bofur was sent to look for him as well.
Hours past – no sign of their brave Hobbit friend.
"When do you think he'll get here?! Did the raven come from Bree? Or Erebor?" Brianne was jumping up and down, her young sons giggling as they bounced lightly from their perch on either side of their mother's waist.
"I don't know! The frustrating dwarf gave me absolutely no information!" Posey was wringing her hands as she peeked out toward the front garden, still covered in snow. "He could be here any moment! Or he could be here in three months!"
"Well, I think it best to pack now, ask questions later! I can always help Bilbo with any mess that you leave behind." Posey's eyes slammed to Brianne as her friend started surveying the sitting room, mumbling to herself about the things that Posey wouldn't need to pack.
"Oh dear."
Brianne knew something was wrong. Posey didn't talk in that tone unless something was wrong. "What, Posey? Is everything alright?" Brianne put the boys down walked to her friend, seeing the color draining from Posey's face.
"Bilbo. Dwalin didn't say anything about Bilbo."
Posey couldn't believe her selfishness. She had been so excited to get the letter (if you could call a nine word note a letter) from Dwalin that she hadn't even noticed that there was no mention of her brother. All sorts of horrid imaginings came into Posey's head – he had been killed by goblins. Eaten by trolls. Fallen into a ravine. Slipped and landed on Dwalin's axes.
"Now, now, just because the note didn't say anything about Bilbo doesn't mean he isn't coming. The parchment was smaller than a quill! Dwalin just didn't have the space to write anything more."
That was a good point, Posey conceded silently as she continued to panic. The raven, who still resided in her home, pecking away at leftovers and sleeping on her mother's glory box, couldn't possibly have flown with a full-sized letter hanging from its leg. Dwalin just couldn't spare for extra details in worry that the old raven wouldn't make the journey with the added weight. Perfect. That made sense.
"Of course… of course." Posey's voice didn't express a lot of confidence.
"Come now, Posey, today should be a good day. You've waited for more than a year to get any news! We should be celebrating!" Brianne pulled Posey away from the window and walked her into the kitchen where the boys were crawling around underneath the small table in front of the fire. "Let's make some tea and figure out what travel clothes you have. That'll be a good start, I think."
"Brother, you don't have to do this. Erebor is our home – You should stay." Balin's voice was gentle and Dwalin knew that his brother was worried for him. It had been a week since the battle was done. Thorin, Fili, and Kili now rested deep in the mountain.
"Thorin's Halls need guidance. There's no one there to lead the dwarves that stay behind. I've never lived in Erebor, Balin. I'm not connected to it as you are. I should be the one to go." Dwalin's voice wasn't gentle. He was tired of being treated like a child. Yes, Thorin's death had devastated him – but it was no different for any of the company. "I will return to Ered Luin." Dwalin was born decades after the mountain had been taken by Smaug, and while the beauty of the mountain spoke to him, he knew his place was elsewhere now that Thorin was dead.
"This doesn't have anything to do with a certain Hobbit lassie that's conveniently located on the way to the Blue Mountains, does it?"
Dwalin chuckled and hit Balin on the shoulder lightly with his large fist. "Not really, though I would return to the Shire for her anyway, even if I was to stay here." She was the one thing Dwalin had to look forward to. Returning to Ered Luin came with its own share of dangers – Stewardship over Thorin's Halls was likely to be contested by several clans… bringing Posey into that mess might not be the best idea, but Dwalin wouldn't continue to be parted from her. "She will be happy to stay closer to the Shire, I think."
"Aye, brother, that's to be sure." Balin heaved a great sigh and patted Dwalin on the back. "I am to stay here for a time – help with the reconstruction and make sure that Dain settles in without any problems."
Dwalin's eyes darkened a bit at the mention of the leader of the Iron Hills, Dain Ironfoot. The new King Under the Mountain. He had refused to help with the quest, but now reaps the rewards of it. "Don't say it, brother." Balin said quietly, "It's over now. No changing it."
"Aye, no changing it." Dwalin turned and began to walk away from his brother, heading toward to the meal hall to eat supper, "I'm off to claim my wife in the morning, brother! Come and drink some ale with me!"
"I don't know, that seems like a bit much, don't you think?" Posey and Brianne stood in Posey's bedroom, looking at the massive pile of skirts, coats, blouses, dresses, and travel clothes now on the bed. "We would need a cart and pony to take all of this!"
"But you'll have no clothes if you don't take it! And that's just your nice things!" Brianne stood next one of the wardrobes in the corner of room and pointed to the large amount of clothing still inside, "We haven't even looked through these yet!"
Posey sighed and covered her face in her hands, "I know! I know, Brianne! How am I supposed to pack for a journey when I have an entire house filled with things I don't wish to be parted from?!"
Brianne put her hands to her hips and looked back to the bed. "Okay, let's think about this. If you had only three days left to live, which clothes would you want to wear?"
Posey giggled, "I don't know if I like this game!"
"I'm serious! Let's really figure out what you can't be parted from and then leave the rest." Posey watched as her friend walked to the bed and lifted a periwinkle blue dress from the top of the pile. It was Posey's favorite party dress. "What about this?"
"I absolutely must take that!"
"And this?" Brianne now held a brown coat that one of Posey's cousins had given her several years before.
"I could leave that behind, I suppose… though it does go well with my hair."
"It's not going with you… what about this?" Posey sighed again – this was going to take a while.
Several hours later, Posey had a manageable amount of clothing that she would take with her. A travel dress, complete with legging and a thick coat would be what she wore during the journey back to Erebor. The periwinkle blue dress would be for any fancy occasions – though Posey wasn't convinced that dwarves actually had 'fancy' occasions – and three more dresses of varying colors, two more coats, and an old pair of Bilbo's pants (just in case), would have to last until she was able to gather more clothes after they reached their destination.
"Well, I'm off to get dinner ready for the boys." Brianne said as she headed to the door, "I'll come by tomorrow after second breakfast!" Posey waved her goodbye as she sat before the fire in the sitting room. It had been a week since the letter from Dwalin had arrived… a week where every moment, Posey had to convince herself that Bilbo was returning with Dwalin. That Dwalin would be here soon. That all this waiting would be worth it.
"Oh goodness." Before she even realized it, Posey had fallen asleep in the armchair, completely exhausted.
The journey was fraught with delays. The large group of dwarves traveled slowly, taking care to avoid the mountain passes still plagued with goblins and not using any major roads which would give away their position. Dwalin would have preferred to travel alone, but Dain insisted that warriors return to Ered Luin as well to escort the dwarves that wished to return to Erebor.
Winter was fully upon them, though most of the hearty dwarves wouldn't complain of the cold. It was agreed that once the company reached the outskirts of Bree, Dwalin would separate from the group to retrieve his wife, then return to make the final approach to Thorin's Halls. Several weeks before, Dwalin had dispatched a raven to Hobbiton to warn her of his arrival – he could only hope that the bird made it to her. They couldn't afford any additional delays and his wife was sure to be unused to travelling, even at such a slow pace.
Crossing the Misty Mountains went with little notable issues. A few goblins had been lurking in the caves on the eastern side, remnants of the battle of Five Armies, and they were defeated easily. Once back on the plains to the west, the dwarves stopped frequently to scout behind them, insuring that nothing – goblin or orc – was following them. This made Dwalin all the more anxious. The heaviest of the winter snows would be upon them soon – they needed to hurry.
More than a fortnight after they set out, Dwalin left the main company early. He couldn't stand the slow pace any longer and rode his pony ahead to reach the Shire with time to prepare his wife for the journey. He wasn't sure what to expect from the little minx, but if their first encounter was anything to go by… Well, he was looking forward to it.
The land began to smooth out, the hills softer, the fields neater – the air even seemed cleaner. The Shire was close now. Dwalin knew he had driven his pony a bit too hard, but this journey to return to Posey had taken much longer than anticipated and he wasn't going to draw it out any longer than necessary now that he was so close.
Just as the winter sun rose over the rolling hills of Hobbiton, Dwalin spotted a large tree covered in snow. Just underneath it, behind a now sparse garden, a green door. Smoke rose out of the chimney and light could be seen in the windows.
He'd finally made it.