Hello again! This is the first M rated chapter to the series and though it isn't super gory there is some view discretion. There will be sexual content later on in the series but for now it's mostly for death and various moments of gore. thank you to killthepain62, likarain and Elsa Everdeen for your loyal reviews and reading. I also enjoy the conversations we share as well and hope for more through out the series. Please also read killthepain62's story Welcome Home! I'm enjoying it and it seems it'll be getting kickass soon enough. ;P
Disclaimer: I do not OWN the Hobbit or any of its characters, I do however own my own characters and the artwork I put into the series.
Chapter Twenty: The Waver Of One's Soul
Thorin looked out from his place on the great walls of Erebor; it wouldn't be long before they came with their armies of Men and Elves to try to steal his beloved kingdom away. So long he had dreamed of these halls and when he finally reclaimed them, those retched elves and lakemen try to hold claim over his birthright. They dare think they have any stake on his gold, they would have been better off burning under the wrath of Smaug.
Of course he was relieved that his kin made it out alive but he didn't feel the same magnitude of emotion he would normally, the only thing that was on his mind was finding the Arkenstone. He barely even registered when Kili told the others that Lian had stayed behind to help the lakemen.
He was glad she survived, seemed like no matter how many injuries she sustained she'd jump right back as if it was nothing though their good fortune with Beorn had made a big difference. He also felt a tinge of regret for leaving her and his kin in the town period, they would have had a better chance with them then they did in the town. But of course he didn't think Smaug would turn on the lakemen when he decided to leave them behind.
But he regretted leaving her behind more so from the though of her broken expression when she would read his letter, the guilt weighed on his shoulders before he even left the habor. A small part of his heart secretly hoped she'd wake up and follow but such thinking was selfish. She was a princess and her kin had come to look for her, she had so much life left in her that he couldn't bear to cut it short. She'd go back to her homelands and live a long life, marry a man that loved and cared for her like she deserved, probably have lots of children then grow old.
His mind had been running wild on their journey to the mountain, thinking of scenarios such as stopping more so maybe she'd catch up or that she'd come running up behind them a steaming ball of frustration while she cursed them to the depths of hell. It was so ridiculous yet he still wished, glancing back with empty hope weighing down his heart.
These thoughts ceased as he grew closer to the mountain though, focusing his attention solely on his mission. The mountain was truly a magnificent sight, standing tall and grand; Thorin could almost feel the pull of it, the souls of lost dwarves crying for peace from their endless prison under the mountain.
He was completely absorbed when he finally walked down the steps to marvel at the endless mounds of gold. He could feel his lust for the gold grow, consuming his mind and body yet he did nothing to stop it. What harm was there? The gold was his so it was a given that he'd want to protect it from the likes of others. His territorial demeanor grew though as they searched for the stone, watching all his kin closely, dwarves were known to be greedy, they could have easily slipped away with it without him knowing. Bilbo was the only one he could trust, hobbits held no greed in their hearts so he was surely of pure intent.
The sky began to tint red as Thorin waited, watching for any sign of movement upon the shadows of the land. He briefly wondered how far away Lian was by now, there was no way her kin would agree to take sides or even stay to be of aid, they must be along Mirkwood by now.
He let out a growl when he saw the glint of gold coming from the bridge between the mountain and Dale. They were coming.
His kin joined him at the top of the wall, watching as what seems like a sea of elven soldiers marched forth with the men of Lake-Town. Damn them all to hell if they think they were going to let them into his mountain!
"Hey, what is that?" Kili asked, pointing southeast and away from their current enemy to something much smaller. None of them could make it out but it was getting closer to them by each minute.
"Here we go." Balin hummed, pulling a small telescope from his pocket and aiming it at the moving object. The lens focused on it, showing that it was a small group of Men heading their way; though small could not be the word to describe the men that occupied the group. Squinting, he tried to focus on the two figures riding atop of horses but his old eyes just weren't what they used to be.
"Can you look for me, lad? My old eyes can't focus on their faces." Balin sighed, rubbing his eyes with his thumb and forefinger as he held the telescope out to Fili; who eagerly aimed it back at the group.
"It's Lian! And her kin, they've come to our aid!" He exclaimed, excitement lifting his spirits as he handed the telescope around for everyone to see. Finally Thorin snatched it up, looking through to see that it was indeed Lian but he didn't recognize the men around her other than what Fili had titled them as.
His heart gave a faint tug as he watched her; her hair was pulled back in a simple braid and she was now dressed in thicker clothes than the ones she had. She looked very much like a woman in her new attire and he'd have felt embarrassed of the effect she had on him if he had not noticed her face. She looked tired, dark circles a stark contrast to her travel tanned flesh; had leaving behind had that much of an effect on her?
He shook these thoughts from his mind, anger taking place of guilt; she was not supposed to be here. She was supposed to be traveling back home with her kin, not coming to his aid with them! This is not how things were supposed to work out at all; they didn't even have enough soldiers to be considered their own force. Just the sight of them compared to the elves and lakemen was almost laughable if not for the situation.
"I can't say they'll do much but more is better than none." Bofur chuckled.
It dawned on Thorin then, why should he turn away their aid? Lian had signed that contract like everyone else so it was her duty to help him, after all he had done for her it was only right after all. With this Thorin settled back in cool satisfaction, ignoring the small nagging voice in the back of his mind.
Lian could see the walls of Erebor now, her stomach a knotted mess the closer they got, she was terrified to even look up in fear that she'd see the man that had turned her inside out and into an emotional mess. She hated how she'd gone from not caring about men at all to her very thoughts revolving around one, it was so…different.
'Get over it, Lian. Ya get smitten over one guy and ya act like it's the end of the world.' She scolded herself bitterly; no matter how much she wanted to hate Thorin she couldn't bring herself to stoop to such petty things. She knew that if she didn't settle this conflict with herself that she'd regret it for as long as her soul roamed this world. No need to deny it nor try and get rid of how she felt; she loved Thorin so at least she'd say she got to experience that before she died. Plus she knew that she'd regret it if she never saw him again, the urge to see his face just one more time was too much for her.
As soon as they got close enough to where she knew she'd be able to see him properly, she looked up with far more courage needed then she'd like. Instantly blue met green in an electric shock, taking her breath away for she didn't expect him to be there or even be looking at her.
Though she didn't feel the same fluttering of the heart like she did before, this was more of an uneasy feeling within her belly that told her something was off. His eyes where the same pale blue but they no longer held the stubborn pride they did before that was edged with a tender streak. Now they were cold, indifferent and selfish; it was like he was a different person completely and nothing like the man she fell in love or even the man she'd thought a pain in the ass back in the Shire.
If she thought she felt horrible before then she was wrong, her stomach felt like it was trying to digest several small, very uncomfortable rocks. Finally she tore her gaze from his, not realizing she had stopped breathing as she took in heavy gulps of air into her lungs, her hands trembling as they grip her reins tightly.
Her father had not missed the little exchange between her and the dwarf, his usually kind eyes sharpening as he looked between the two. He didn't like the look in the dwarf's eyes nor that he was currently looking at his daughter like she was some lesser being. He could see the signs clearly; she was so obvious about how he affected her that it was almost painful to watch considering he seemed to not even care a bit for her.
They finally reached the gates, halting before the large stream that separated them from the great dwarven kingdom. You could see that the stone bridge that had once crossed over the water had been destroyed recently; it must have been after Bard came to try to shake sense into Thorin. Lian pushed back the unsettled feeling in her belly and held her head high with a straight back, she knew that the last thing to do was show submission to Thorin, even if she was his ally. She steeled her expression and looked up towards his sharp gaze once more.
"We have come to provide ya aid, Thorin." She spoke, her voice portraying more strength than what she felt on the inside.
"Your soldiers provide no more defense than my own kin; your generosity is an empty gesture in this war." Thorin's deep voice rumbled from his higher position. Lian felt her features twitch, attempting to twist into a scowl but with great effort she came off with only the flex of her jaw.
"My kin are strong; no matter the number they will fight until the last drop of blood leaves their flesh. If we do not halt the advances then we can only try to hold it off as long as possible." She gritted out, trying to rein in her temper before she too was deemed an enemy.
"Do what you will; your blood will not be on my hands; but your own."
She felt her teeth grind against each other, her hands tightly gripping the reins of her horse as she fought to calm her growing anger. He acted as if their aid meant nothing, as if they would have been better off without them. Lian hated the sudden doubt she felt in his judgement, before she had been positive that he would ensure they all die with honor but she knew not anymore.
"Take yer positions! Let us ready ourselves!" She bellowed, whipping her horse around so she no longer had to gaze upon the man she once admired.
"Are you sure you still want to do this?" Her father asked her quietly, obviously seeing the doubt in her expression but she shook her head at his question.
"We protect them, no matter the idiocy of their leader." She bit out, drawing her axe as the cold bit her nose in the morning sun. Her father looked at her once before nodding, drawing his sword as her kin formed ranks.
The elves and lakemen weren't far off, maybe 200 yards away so Lian took this small opening to make one last speech to her kin.
"My brothers and sister, we stand at the foot of this mountain so we may provide aid to those in need of it. We may not have numbers but the fire in our hearts and the iron in our bones will carry us through until the end!" She called, pacing her horse back and forth along the ranks so she may look into every one of their eyes as she spoke.
"Fear is no longer our enemy, it is our ally; for the power of our people will instill fear into the souls of any who dare stand against us or our allies. We fear not death; nor pain for they will drive us forth! Who will sound the cry of war with me?! Who will stand with honor alongside me?!"
A roar sounded from her kin and she looked upon their familiar faces, an ache in her heart but pride in her soul.
"Stand strong; fight for yer loved ones with hope that ya may return to them after this. Make them proud this day." She turned now, facing the elves and lakemen with weapon drawn and ready for the attack.
Lian had not realized just how much they were outnumbered but she knew now as they stood like a sea of glinting gold in the morning sun. The sound of their march echoed throughout as they grew closer, the lakemen must have been farther in the back though considering she only saw gold.
The elves halted a few yards away before parting for Thranduil's great elk, Bard riding alongside him as they came forth. They finally broke through the ranks of elves and came closer, obviously they were trying to say something before they attacked; the pair did not advance any further though when an arrow bounced off the ground before their feet.
"Any closer and the next one will be between your eyes." Thorin threatened, notching another arrow as if to make his point as the company began to shout threats and other nasty remarks. Thranduil looked up at the dwarf, a slight scowl twisting his perfect features; at this all of his center ranks drew their bows and arrows in perfect synchronization.
This quickly halted the dwarves yelling, all ducking for cover except Thorin who still had his own arrow ready, probably pointed at the elf kings head so at least he'd strike down the scum before they could kill him. Said elf lifted his hand to signal for them to return to their original positions and they did just that until they once more stood like statues before them.
"We have come to tell you that payment for your debt has been offered and accepted." Thranduil spoke, voice dripping like honey with smugness.
"What payment? I gave you nothing, you have nothing of mine." Thorin growled out, arrow still poised and ready as if he was itching for them to make one wrong move. Lian also wondered what it was that the elf talked about, she would have known if they had offered them anything, wouldn't she?
Bard reached into his coat pocket, pulling from it a stone that shone a million colors all at once, it was truly magnificent and emitted a white halo that was almost made it seem holy. Lian had no idea what it was but it obviously had great value to Thorin from his expression upon seeing it. Lian had never really listened in on matters regarding Erebor or even the Dwares history unless they were telling stories at meals but even then she had been lost in her thoughts. If only she had payed more attention to what they talked about she may know what the stone was and why it was so important to them.
"They have the Arkenstone." Kili exclaimed. "Theives! How came you of the heirloom of our house?! That stone belongs to the King!"
Well that answered her question pretty quick, Lian noted, looking back and forth from the dwarves to Thranduil and Bard. How did they come across it though? That's when it dawned on her; Bilbo.
"The king can have the stone on our good will but first; he must honor his word." Bard called, once more pocketing the stone in his jacket. Lian could hear faintly the voice of Thorin's whispers, rising in volume.
"The Arkenstone is in this mountain! You lie!"
"It's no trick."
Lian's head snapped up at this, recognizing the voice to belong to the hobbit thought she really had to strain her ears to hear. Her heart dropped to her stomach as she felt her nerves lit up in panic. "The stone is real; I gave it to them."
Thorin turned, a look of betrayal on his face as he gazed upon the hobbit. "I took it as my fifteenth share." Bilbo explained.
"You would steal from me?" Thorin growled.
"Steal? No, I may be a burglar but I like to think of myself as an honest one; I'm willing to have it stand against my claim." The hobbit defended but his words only fueled the flames of Thorin's anger.
"Claim? You have not claim on me or anything in the mountain, you wretched worm!" Thorin roared, venom dripping from his words.
"I was going to give the stone to you but you've changed, Thorin! The dwarf I knew would never go back on his word or doubt the loyalty of his own kin!" Bilbo yelled.
"Do not speak to me of loyalty! Throw him from the ramparts!" Lian felt her chest squeeze, thinking of ways she could stop the situation but she knew that there was nothing she could do but watch, this was Bilbo's problem to deal with now.
"I said throw him over!" Thorin yelled again, trying to shove Fili to do it but none of the dwarves moved to do as he commanded. "Fine, I'll do it myself." With that Thorin threw down his bow and grabbed the hobbit by the collar, attempting to throw him over the wall but the company quickly held him back.
"If you're not satisfied with my burglar then at least return him to me unharmed!" Gandalf's voice boomed, stopping Thorin in his attempts to kill the hobbit momentarily; enough so the hobbit could slip away quickly.
"You aren't making a very good reputation as King Under the Mountain are you, Thorin, son of Thrain." Gandalf continued, having successfully caught the dwarfs attention.
"Never again will I trust the likes of wizards or Shire scum! Did you send the woman to seduce me too?!" Thorin accused, striking a nerve inside Lian; her nostrils flared and she bared her teeth in a snarl.
"Are we resolved then? The Arkenstone for what was promised?" Bard called, all eyes watching the dwarf, waiting for his response. "Will you have peace or war?"
At that moment a black crow cawed, landing on the wall and this seemed to catch Thorin's attention before he looked out towards the eastern horizon. A horn blared through the sky then, signaling the arrival of an unknown force and possible threat.
"I will have war!" Thorin bellowed from the wall, just as soldiers marched over the hillside and into view. It dawned on Lian then that they were dwarves; Thorin must have sent a messenger crow to ask for help from his neighboring kin. The dwarves let out cheers upon the appearance of their kin and she felt a bit relieved to see that they had more of a chance now than before.
Thranduil bellowed orders in elven, turning his forces to face the oncoming forces of dwarves from the east. They marched forward to meet the dwarves but Lian stayed behind so they could attack from behind.
"We will strike from behind though I doubt it'll surprise them; keep low and wait for my signal." She ordered sternly before taking off on her horse to join the two forces in the middle.
Once she saw them there she could see a dwarf atop of a boar was who let the allied forces, it was a bit bemusing but then again the situation was sort of laughable when you got past all the death that was going to ensure.
"Good morning, how are we all?" The dwarf asked merrily. "I have a wee proposition if you wouldn't mind giving me a few moments of your time." The dwarf's accent was similar to Lian's own though he didn't slur his 'you's or 'your's like she did.
"Would you consider…just jotting off!All of you!" He bellowed, causing the lakemen to back off a bit. Lian let a lopsided grin appear on her face at this, she liked this dwarf already.
"Come now, Lord Dain." Gandalf called, stepping forward to face the dwarf.
"Gandalf the Grey." Dain scoffed. "Tell this rubble to leave or I'll water the earth with their blood!"
"There is no need for war between Man, Elves and Dwarves. Orcs march towards the mountain, stand your army down." Gandalf tried to reason.
"I will never stand down before any elf, not least this faithless wooden sprite! He wishes nothing but ill upon my people. If he chooses to stand between me and my kin then I'll split his pretty head open! See if he's still smirking then!" Dain spat, pointing his hammer towards Thranduil who looked all together unimpressed by the threats shot his way.
Lian quickly galloped between the dwarf and Gandalf, rearing her horse up so she'd come to a sudden halt before them.
"Gandalf is right; we can't start war between one another when the orcs will be here any moment. We must join forces or else the fight for the mountain will be in vain." She chimed in.
"Who is this?" Dain demanded, now pointing his rather intimidating hammer towards her and she had to try to stabilize her nervous mare.
"I am yer ally if we are to go to war with the elves and lakemen but ya have to know that the orcs are a bigger problem than the petty differences between races." She reasoned.
"If it's so petty, lass, then why did you pick a side in the first place?" Dain pointed out and she pursed her lips at this, remembering Thorin's words.
"Because I swore to see that they once more stood in the halls of their lost kingdom and I have yet to see that yet." She answered truthfully, looking the dwarf right in the eye as she spoke.
"Well you're either with me now or against me, lass." Dain stated.
"He's clearly diluted, like his cousin." Thranduil scoffed, catching their attention.
"You hear that lads? Come on; let's give these bastards a fight they won't forget!" Dain called, turning to ride his boar along his ranks and a cry of Khudzul rang throughout them. The elves weaved around each other, forming their first layer of defense against the dwarves and Dain was bellowing words to his kin in Khudzul.
Lian had never been in a real war but she could see that was about to change soon enough and she felt adrenaline take her breath away as she tried to calculate her course of action. Her thoughts are cut short though by a sudden rumbling and echoing crackled around them.
Suddenly a giant creature broke through the surface of the southern hills, crushing rock under its powerful teeth and two more broke through the surface seconds later. The creatures resembled worms but Lian doesn't remembered ever seeming worms like these back home. "Oh, you've got to be joking!" Dain groaned.
A horn blared from one of the abandoned watchtowers, signaling that another force had joined them and Lian knew that horn like no other. The worms retreated back into the hillside and another blare of the horn sounded.
Azog the Defiler stood atop of the watchtower, looking down upon them all as he bellowed words in his native tongue, so foul that it sent her skin crawling. Large masses of orcs began to floor from the massive tunnels the worms had created, charging forth to slay all in their path.
"The hordes of hell are upon us! Fight to the deatih sons of Durin!" Dain bellowed, charging forth with his army to meet the orcs. Lian quickly pulled her own horn from her belt, the sound splitting through the air as she urged her horse into a gallop.
"We fight with the dwarves! Join me, my kinsmen!" She roared over several war cries, her booming volume well heard by her kin and they charged forth with their own war cries; passing the unmoving elves and lakemen.
Lian was a several yards behind the line of dwarves as they formed a wall of shields to defend the first wave of orcs. Once the orcs were about to come crashing into the shields the second layer of dwarves jumped over with swords ready and so the pattern went on until the line was broken. The first line stood with shields and spears ready, charging forth to take down the second wave of orcs that had broken through the first offensive line.
Lian finally reached the on slaughter with her kin several yards behind considering they were on foot besides her father. She jumped from her mount, bringing her axe down into the shoulder of an orc and successfully crushing his collarbone and severing the major veins along his spurted forth, coating her face in a feral way.
She landed harshly to the ground atop of the now dead orc; rolling to her feet she slapped the behind of her mare, sending it off and out of harm's way. She pivoted on her heel, avoiding another orcs blade before she slammed her head into the disgusting creatures nose; bringing her axe up to connect with its chin, severing the skull from the spine from the blunt force.
The sound of battle nearly numbed her ears as she fought; swinging her axe around almost like you would a flail. Her kin had now joined the battle, their cries sticking out more than the others as they fought, not to mention most of them towered over the other soldiers easily by a good three inches.
The horn of Gundabad sounded once more and Lian felt her stomach drop, did they have more forces? She was momentarily distracted by the horn enough for an orc to grab her long braid and attempt to impale her from behind. She felt her breath catch in her throat as her scalp was yanked back with a snap, trying to twist to avoid the blade but he was too close. She had no time to avoid the attack.
How Thorin's feeling right now: ヽ༼ ಠ益ಠ ༽ﾉ
Preview to Chapter Twenty:
Suddenly Luke was tackled to the ground, landing with the large orc above him; nearly matching him in size if not brawn. The orc was pressing down on Luke with its sword poised for the kill but Luke held it back with his bare hands, the blade slicing through his palms as he held it back with only his strength.
In that instant Lian considered letting him die, letting him suffer the same fate her beloved had to and feel death first hand. It was the sweetest temptation you could give her at that moment when the loss was still so raw.
If he knew how it felt…