Chapter 60

20 YEARS LATER

"My King! My King!"

Thorin turned his head at the shout, and watched as one of the guards from the ramparts hurried toward him. I turned my head away from Fili and had to shift my attention. Today was not going well. Thorin was angry, and sad, as well as everyone else in the mountain. I tensed dramatically, and looked over at Fiona who was sobbing. We were not expecting any of this.

"This better be important," Thorin growled.

"My Lord, apologies. But we have a messenger...a messenger from Mordor."

Thorin shot a look to me, and I glared viciously from across the room. Gathering my skirt, I knew that it was wrong of me to do this, but now wasn't the time to argue. Usually it was the King who took on such matters, but I was going to have none of it right now. I didn't want him to be in harms way if that was what happened, and the mood I was in was not helping.

"Take me to the gates," I ordered.

"Arina," Thorin rumbled. "This is not something…"

"Do not argue with me, Thorin Oakenshield," I said sharply. "You stay with your nephew. He needs your comfort and guidance. I will return shortly. But if this messenger is from Mordor, best I deal with it, and not you."

Surprised at my outburst Thorin fell silent, but shortly after the side of his mouth his mouth lifted into a slight smile. The King knew better than to argue with me today. He nodded his head shortly, and then looked back to the guard.

"Find my son and daughter," he said sharply. "And bring them here."

"My lord," he nodded.

"Dwalin," I ordered, and the warmaster turned and followed me.

So much had changed over the last twenty years, and now we were grieving. Sigrid had passed away late in the night, and it had been totally unexpected. Fili had been sent into a spiral of grief, and it was best for him to be surrounded by his children, mother and other family members. Thorin, Kili and Dis were with him, along with his kids. Tauriel quietly pulled herself away from them, to follow us to the gates. I was not sure what the messenger wanted, but I wasn't in the mood to deal with it today. It wasn't even morning yet, and we were all exhausted.

Going to the front gates, I ordered them opened and walked out. They were closed after Tauriel gave a swift order and we stopped right at the edge of the bridge. The messenger rode on a black horse, and I could not make out what he was. The energy from him was evil, and it had my back tensing. Was this the mouth of Sauron? I had heard rumors of him, but I was surprised to see one such as him here. As he shifted on the horse, I assumed he was angry that Thorin did not walk out.

"I apologize, but I'm here to see the King," he said coolly.

"Well, you'll just have to deal with the Queen," I replied softly, a pleasant smile on my face. "What can I do for you?"

He shifted in the saddle for a moment, and eyed us closely. "I am here on behalf of the great Lord of Mordor. Sauron has offered friendship to Erebor. Rings will be given, such as the ones of old. The only question we have is concerning hobbits. Hobbits were known of you for a time."

"Were they?" I asked smoothly, watching him closely.

"As a small token only of your friendship, Sauron asks this: find this thief and get from him, willing or no a ring. If you complete this task, Sauron will return the three rings that the Dwarf sires possessed of old, and shall be yours once again. Should you agree, you will have many rewards, forever. Should you refuse, and things will not go well for you."

I studied him in the night, and tilted my head. For the past twenty years we had kept what was going on inside of Erebor silent. Thane and I had not shown our powers, and neither had my daughter. We had hidden, and rumors had spread that the shifters were no more. I was apparently the only one left. That had all been Thane's idea. As the world had grown darker we had made the rumor for the protection of them both. So far, it had worked.

"So, do you refuse?" the creature asked.

Turning my attention back to the present, I stared hard at what was before me. I smiled, knowing why he had wanted Thorin out here instead. Thorin probably would have jumped at the chance to own his family ring again. However now, I couldn't be so sure because of how much he had changed. He might very well react the way I was about to.

"My thoughts are my own, as are my choices. I am free to think about it," I mused.

"Not for long," he hissed.

My eyes narrowed sharply. "Be gone from this mountain. We will offer you no help. If you should return to this mountain, know that death will greet you."

The horse snorted loudly and the messenger growled in anger. He said nothing, and instead turned his steed and galloped off. I sent a raven after him to make sure he left the city of Dale who had also been on alert. The Shadow of Mordor had grown violently over the last several years, and Orcs had come back with numbers that posed a problem. Theoden of Rohan had fallen under a sickness of the mind, and nothing could be done. He had been a good King. I had visited Rohan a few years after he had been crowned. Stories of myself still existed within the city, and they had been happy to receive me. Theoden's fall, this message, and the others I have gathered from Thranduil and Elrond were not good.

I glared across the valley, and turned swiftly to walk back into the mountain. Dwalin and Tauriel followed me in silence, waiting for orders.

"I want Ravenhill's forces to be doubled, and I want extra guards on the lookout," I ordered. "Keep an eye on everything. If something should move, report it immediately."

"Do you fear an attack now?" Tauriel asked.

"No, that is absurd. Sauron isn't as bold. He is more crafty. He only has so much," I growled. "But this mountain cannot fall."

They nodded and parted from me to go do as they were told. I continued my way back to where my family was, and I was greeted by everyone standing outside the door. Dis was silent, and no tears fell from her eyes but she was upset. Inside, I heard something break, and I tilted my head.

"Mother!"

Turning my head, I smiled at the young woman who cam forward. She had long jet black hair and blue eyes. It made me sigh. I was never going to pass on my looks to my children. Thorin snorted in amusement, catching the sudden look on my face. I scowled at him, but turned fully toward the young woman who ran forward. Behind her, her brother followed closely. Thane had not changed at all, if only becoming stronger in the body and mind.

"Akira," I hummed, hugging her. "Both of you listen to me. You are not allowed to leave this mountain, and if you do, do not dress with royalty."

"What has happened?" Thorin asked darkly.

"A messenger came from Mordor," I replied. "He wants help in finding a hobbit. The One Ring has been discovered, I know it has. I've kept in contact with Gandalf as best I could over the years, but now I have nothing. I refused their offer and sent him on his way. But, we must be careful."

Thorin tensed at the news, and met my gaze firmly. I dipped my head quietly, and he let out a quiet breath. This could very well mean war. If that was the case, all of us had to be ready. If we were attacked right now, the only thing that would save us would be the shifters here. We had a powerful army, but I wasn't sure how strong Sauron's forces were. He's had years to grow in power, I had a feeling we were in for a surprise.

Something else broke behind the door, and I turned my attention back to what was going on within our family.

"He is alone?" I asked softly.

"He wanted to be," Thorin rumbled. "Threw stuff at all of us."

Kili looked down for a moment, and I knew the younger brother was in pain. I sighed and moved around Akira quietly and walked up to the door. I pushed it open and shut it quietly behind me. I knew Sigrid's body was being prepared, and Ajax had left to help take care of it. Looking around the dimly lit room, I sighed when I saw the proud dwarf sliding down to the floor. He looked up at me, and I saw the sadness and anger there.

"You can throw things at me, but I can dodge them," I said gently.

"Get out," he hissed, his voice heavy.

"I am afraid I cannot do that," I shook my head.

Fili glared at me as I walked forward, and I knelt in front of him. My eyes softened at the sight of him, and I reached out and took his hands. For a moment, I thought he was going to try and shove away the contact, but he did not. Slowly, his hands closed on my own and fresh tears streamed down his cheeks. We were all grieving for her loss. Sigrid had been an amazing woman. She had negotiation skills that some could only dream of, and her drive for both her cities had been amazing.

"You gave her all she could ever want," I said gently. "You will always love her, and this pain will ease. But I need you to gather yourself. You are a son of Durin. I need you to be strong, and brave. We all have our times to break down and this most certainly should be your time, but I need you Fili. I need you to be sharp."

He said nothing, and instead squeezed my hands and bowed his head. We stayed that way for a long time, and after an hour, his breathing was under control. I waited patiently, and had to shift and sit down fully with him. I had cried for hours earlier, just as he had, but I had no choice. I was Queen, I had to control myself. I wanted nothing more then to let him grieve, but the threat of Mordor was too important.

"We will give her the funeral fit for a Queen," I said softly.

"Thank you," he whispered, and looked at me.

"There he is," I smiled, seeing a clear gaze.

"What were you called away for?" he asked, forcing his voice to steady.

"The Shadow of Mordor grows," I muttered. "We have received a message. Align ourselves with Sauron, or war will come to us."

"War will come to all of Middle Earth," he rumbled.

"Aye," I nodded. "That's why I need you. You are one of the best in strategy, along with your brother. Both of you may be needed."

Fili leaned his head back against the stone wall, and calmed himself further. Finally, he nodded, and I rose smoothly to my feet. He got to his and moved to a bowl of water and cleaned his face off. I laid a hand on his shoulder when he came back over, and at his nod I left the room. I walked out with purpose, and Thorin immediately followed me. Thane and Akira followed us, and I sighed.

"We need to get the funeral planned," I murmured. "All of you, do what must be done. Thane, go find Dwalin in preparations. Be informed on everything that happens."

"Yes, mother," he nodded, leaving us.

"Akira, darling please go find your cousin Fiona. She will be needing some help. You can provide much needed clarity," I nodded gently to her.

She smiled sadly at me, but nodded her head anyway. Walking off, she quickly headed to where she knew Fiona would be. I swelled with pride at the sight of her. My pregnancy with Akira had not been an easy one. We had feared early on that we would lose her, but she proved to be much stronger. She was a fighter. Her powers from me were average. She was becoming just as deadly as her brother, but had taken up the Healing Halls as a much more favored profession. She had been close to Sigrid because of that. Sigrid had been an amazing healer, having gained so much knowledge from the elves and dwarves alike.

I paused for a moment, before Thorin jerked me from my thoughts. He walked past me, and to one of our private studies. I shut the door firmly, and suddenly my heart ached. We were dealing with such a loss, and now on top of that the possibility of war.

"I wish Balin was here," I said in a hushed voice.

"Aye," Thorin sighed. "But he is further from us, and I have a feeling we do not have time to travel, my love."

"I know," I sighed, reaching up to grab a map.

Moving it to the table, I laid it out and put a few weights on it so that the paper would not roll back up. Lighting a lantern, I put it off slightly to the side so that it lit up the whole map.

"Gondor has long been in the Shadow of Mordor. They have kept the fort on the other side of the river, but if that should fall we are in trouble. I've had a few sources say that Theoden is no longer who he used to be. Someone bends his ear, or his mind," I said quietly. "Chief has said that Orcs are now roaming around ripping apart every village they can find. They've reached as far as Rohan. Thranduil has been attacked from Dol Goldur, but we've managed to hold them at bay. Now, we have one more place to worry about."

"Where?" Thorin rumbled.

"Isengard," I said quietly, not looking up from the map.

Thorin looked at me, knowing very well who resided in that place. I could feel his eyes burning into the top of my head, and finally I met his gaze. He was shocked, the look on his face telling me he didn't believe what I was saying.

"I was told to never tell," I whispered. "It was Saruman who captured me all those years ago. He's lined himself with our enemy."

"Why were we not allowed to act?" Thorin demanded.

"Because we had to have him believe we didn't know," I replied, trying to be calm. "Galadriel has the ability to see into the future. If we had acted then, Erebor would have fallen. It wasn't the time to do that."

"And what, now is the time?" he growled.

"I need you to think clearly," I said, shaking my head. "I have been fine. I am fine. We've taken all the steps we needed to keep us safe, and it's worked. This is going to be bigger than we can ever imagine. Look at us now. We are stronger then ever, and our enemy doesn't even know it. They are not truly focused on us, they are focused on finding that Ring."

Thorin took a slow breath and I watched as the anger left his eyes. He nodded his head quietly. "We need to gather our forces around Dale and Erebor. And if we can, send any extra to Thranduil. If this is truly going to get worse we need to start growing more crops, and getting stores to make safe, and be able to provide if a siege should happen."

I nodded my head at him, taking in what he was saying. It was a great idea, because if that did happen we were going to have to make sure we could provide for those here.

"We need all the things we can get for the Healing Halls," I added.

"Aye," Thorin agreed.

"I was hoping we could live happily ever after," I whispered.

"Oh, we will," Thorin rumbled, grabbing my chin.

He pressed a kiss to my lips, and I returned it fiercely. Thorin pressed his forehead against mine quietly for a moment, and he sighed.

"I have no lived through all we've been through to fall at something like this. No," he said, looking at me. "We will survive this, and this mountain will not fall. Not while there is breath in my lungs."

We sent several of those we trusted to start the tasks we had come up with. It would take time, but I knew we had a while yet at least. We had a chance to prepare. Others wouldn't think of it, but I was not taking any chances. The more prepared we were, the better chance we had at surviving whatever was coming. We could be lucky and war wouldn't touch us at all, but something told me that was not going to be happening.

Two days had passed, and we were celebrating Sigrid's life. She had been loved by so many people, it was amazing. There were tears and laughter all over the great hall, and it warmed my heart. Fili, Ajax and Fiona were doing better and Fili had been strong. He had thrown himself into helping the forces go to the correct places after taking council with Thorin. The funeral was absolutely stunning, and we were happy to send her off in such a fashion. It is odd to say a funeral is beautiful, because we were burying someone we loved, but Sigrid would have loved it.

None of us enjoyed saying good bye to those we loved, but we were mortal, and one day it was going to happen. I watched over Fili and his children the best I could only because I loved them so much. Akira, steady as always stuck with me. It amazed me on how such a young woman was so mature for her age. She conducted herself with such grace and maturity, that sometimes it made me jealous. Once that feeling passed, it would often make me laugh.

Sauron was not going to get this mountain, or those in it.

Review? :D

And this is the start of the LOTR

Yes, I have changed the timeline so that Arina and Thorin are not old and crippled, and honestly it has all worked out very well. I've had to redo the whole timeline to my liking and i truly love it haha. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this!