Hope everyone is enjoying the story so far. There has been a lot of set up, but now it's time for the actual plot.
Bilbo felt panicked. The words Dain had said echoed in his mind like a sadistic broken record. His heart was screaming that something was not right; he could feel it. Bilbo tightly gripped the ring in his hand and started to run. Bilbo couldn't explain it, but there was a horrible feeling that filled his whole body and wouldn't let go. He had to find Thorin. He had to tell him about the warning in his heart. Something was going to happen. Something bad.
Bilbo didn't find Thorin, instead he found Dori. Actually, Dori found him. The dwarf saw him running by and stopped him. "Master Baggins, is everything quite alright?"
"Have you see Thorin?" Bilbo asked catching his breath. "I need to speak with him."
"I can't say that I have, but its late, maybe you should try and find him in the morning, but then again I think Balin said he had meetings with the council all day tomorrow," Dori told the hobbit.
Bilbo slid the ring back into his pocket. The dark feeling in his heart seemed to fade slightly as he let go of the ring. "I need to speak with him, its important."
"What's going on Master hobbit?" Dori asked ushering Bilbo to sit down.
The hobbit shook his head. "It's nothing…it's just," Bilbo looked at the considered dwarf. "I haven't seen him in a while that's all," Bilbo gave a fake smile and a lie.
"Aye, he's been rather busy lately. I'm sure you'll see him soon," Dori told the hobbit with a smile. Both them had no idea how wrong they were.
/
Fili, Kili and their mother spent the whole day together while Thorin sat in meetings. Dis surprised them with metal clasps that matched the ones the originally set out with on the quest. She helped her sons place the clasps back in their hair and helped Fili with some braiding. She had been so worried about them on the quest, but she didn't have to say it out loud for her sons to know. They drank ale and sang with Bofur some. It was a merry day.
They met up with Bilbo, who did not tell them about the strange sense of danger he had in his heart. Instead, the hobbit complimented them on their hair and laughed as Bofur made a drunken fool on himself. The hobbit found himself laughing as he watched Kili and Fili dancing on the tables with woman from the gathering crowd. Yet, as the afternoon pressed on Bilbo found himself smiling and laughing along less and less. He thought of the partiers at the Green Dragon. He thought of the party they had when old Proudfoot grew the largest turnip in Shire history. Bilbo smiled again thinking about his garden back home. He hoped someone was keeping it weeded while he was gone. He hoped it was growing strong.
He spotted Dain enter the party. He seemed as angry as ever. The meeting must have not gone his way, Bilbo figured. The hobbit finished his ale and went to his chamber to get some sleep.
Bilbo woke up early so he could meet with Thorin. He hadn't seen his friend in a long time and he missed the dwarf king. He had to tell Thorin about what Dain had said about weakness and about the lingering feeling that something was terribly wrong. Bilbo put on his mirthil shirt and strapped Sting to his side. He nodded to himself. Yes, today would be the day he finally saw and spoke with Thorin again.
The hobbit hurried to Thorin's chambers where a large dwarf in heavy armor was standing guard. "Excuse me," Bilbo said politely to the guard. "I wish to speak with King Thorin."
"The king is not here," the guard said not looking at Bilbo.
"What do you mean not here? This is his room is it not?" Bilbo asked putting his hands on his hips.
The guard nodded, "Indeed Master Hobbit, but my lord Thorin is not inside."
Bilbo let out a long breath. "Where is he?"
"I cannot say. Last night he woke up and left his quarters saying he needed to think. He walked that way," the guard pointed towards the mines, "but he has not returned."
"Needed to think?" Bilbo asked.
"Master Baggins!" Kili's voice cheered. Kili and his brother were walking up to Bilbo with identical smiles on their faces. "You are up rather early," Kili noted.
Bilbo smiled at them. "I was hoping to speak with Thorin, but he's not here."
"What do you mean he's not here?" Kili asked looking at the guard.
"The guard says he got up in the middle of the night for a walk and hasn't come back," Bilbo told them and the guard nodded in an agreement. "Why he did that is beyond me," Bilbo told them.
"Back in the Blue Mountains Thorin would go on walks when he had a bad dream. It was a way to clear his head, he would say. He must have had a nightmare of some kind," Kili said, but Bilbo was looking at Fili. The eldest was biting down on his lip and looking sideways as though he was worrying over something greatly. "Come on, he mustn't have gotten far. Which way did he go?" Kili asked and the guard pointed down a hall towards the mines. Kili thanked him and the three walked down the halls in search of Thorin.
After a few minutes, Kili grew impatient. He began yelling his uncle's name, the words bouncing off the emerald walls. They kept walking, checking down every corridor and hall, with no sign of their king. Kili began to yell louder with a bit of panic in his voice.
"What is going on laddie?" Balin suddenly appeared from behind a corner hearing all the yelling.
"Have you seen Thorin? We can't seem to find him anywhere," Kili asked.
Balin shook his head, "not since yesterday's meeting. He looked awfully tired at the meeting. He said he was going to his chambers to get some rest last time I spoke with him. Has anyone seen him since?" Balin asked and Bilbo explained that Thorin left his quarters during the night and was nowhere to be found. "He probably just got lost on his walk. No need to worry, I'm sure he'll turn up," Balin said with a smile
Fili and Kili nodded in an agreement, knowing Thorin's history of getting lost. Yet, Bilbo looked down at his hairy feet. The feeling that something was wrong was stronger than ever now. He felt nervous and on edge. "Maybe we should keep looking for him, just to be safe," Bilbo suggested putting his hand in his pocket.
"Is everything alright laddie?' Balin asked.
"yes, I just think we should keep looking," Bilbo said with a shrug.
Balin nodded, "agreed. We'll keep searching for another hour around these halls, if he still doesn't turn up, then we'll gather a search party." The group agreed and the four continued to look for their king.
The hour passed with no sign of Thorin. Fili began to yell for his uncle, but his shouts were answered with no reply. Kili began to look panicked. He stared running down corridors and stairwells to look for Thorin, screaming his name, but he couldn't find him. Balin even looked a little nervous, though he tried to hide it.
They gathered a search party, consisting of every member of the company, at least ten guards, Dain, and Dis. They broke into groups of three and Fili ordered where they were to search. Ori, Dori, and Nori were to search the record rooms and the surrounding areas. Bofur, Bifur, and Bombur were to search the dining halls and kitchens; Balin, Dwalin, and a guard around the throne room; Oin, Gloin, and another guard to look around the healing rooms, Dain and a few guards to look around the forges, Dis and more to look around all the living quarters, and the rest to look for the mines. Everyone set out to look for their missing king. Fili, Kili, and Bilbo reminded not being assigned a place to look.
"What about us?" Kili asked his brother feeling anxious to find his uncle. "Where are we going to look?"
Fili turned to his brother and the hobbit. He sighed heavily. He looked at the two but he didn't speak.
"The treasure room," Bilbo spoke for Fili. "You want us to check if Thorin went back there."
Fili nodded.
"Thorin wouldn't go back to the treasure room!" Kili protested. "He knows he can't be around the gold."
"We have to check Kili," Fili told him.
"He doesn't have the gold-sickness," Kili raised his voice and gripped a tight fist.
"I never said that, but Thorin is missing Kili and…and I know he's been struggling with the sickness lately. There is a chance the madness took him again and he went down there during the night. Kili, I don't want that to be what happened, but we have to check to see if he's there. If he is, we have to be there for him, to pull him back," Fili nodded to Bilbo and Kili. They headed down to the treasure, afraid of what they would find there.
Thanks for reading! Will they find Thorin in the treasure room and if they do will he still be Thorin? All these answers and more next chapter! Wow, that sounded corny.
Please review with theories and/or comments and have a nice day!