FINALLY! THEY ARE IN EREBOR! YYYAAAYYYYY! I AM SERIOUSLY SO HAPPY TO FINALLY GET THE COMPANY HERE, TO THEIR HOMELAND. I JUST HOPE I DID THE MOMENT JUSTICE. DID YOU LIKE IT? SORRY FOR THE KIND OF LACK OF MITHRA. I JUST...REALLY WANTED TO GET THE DWARVES TO EREBOR BEFORE I LET MYSELF GET TO THE FOLKS IN LAKE-TOWN TOO MUCH. I LOVE THIS STORY AND I HOPE YOU DO, TOO.
GOD BLESS AND GOOD DAY!
~THE LUPINE SOJOURNER
(M)
Kili is groaning and mumbling incoherently as he lays on the sheets.
"Oh, Durin, Kili." I mumble, glancing at the leg, where a scarlet stain pervades his pants leg.
"Can you two not do something?" Fili asks desperately. I frown.
"Whatever Oin needs to do, no matter how aggressive the treatment, I can take some of the pain, which may also help the healing, but...I am not a full Elf. I can help, but cannot entirely heal." I reply. Fili nods.
"Whatever can be done, let's do it. He's running out of time." He replies, holding his brother's head in support. I nod.
"Oin?" I ask. He frowns.
"I need herbs. Something to bring down his fever." I frown.
"He feels like ice to me." Oin frowns.
"Perhaps that's the weather. He's burning up now." I frown in thought. He was colder than the weather would leave him, I am sure. Perhaps his body is desperately trying to fend off the disease by heating him to feverish temperatures.
"I have nightshade, feverfew..." Bard mumbles, drawing his herb pouch off a shelf and withdrawing it's contents.
"They're no use to me. Do you have kingsfoil?" I nod. Yes, that would help. Bard frowns.
"No, it's a weed. We feed it to the pigs." Kili groans as I pour the hot water Bofur brought into the wound, regrettably making Kili groan loudly in agony. I mop up the run-off with a clean rag and repeat the process during this intercourse.
"Pigs? Weed?" Bofur repeats, nodding to himself. "Right." He then returns to Kili's side.
"Don't move. Your sister will kill me if you die." I scoff as Bofur leaves the house.
"Where can he go?!" I call back, but he's already gone. I look back to Kili and help rinse and bath the wound as best I can. I wish to Valar that Bofur gets back with Athelas in time.
This has to work! I can't bear to watch Fili go through your loss, Kili! Be strong!
=#=#=#=#=
(A)
"You want me to find a jewel?" Bilbo asks as we- -Balin, really- - lead him toward the treasure hall.
"A large, white jewel, yes." Balin replies.
"That's it?" Bilbo asks, shifting nervously from foot to foot. "Only, I'd imagine there are quite a few down there." I chuckle.
"Bilbo, from what I hear, you can't mistake it."
"Indeed." Balin adds. "There is only one Arkenstone, and you'll know it when you see it." Bilbo frowns.
"Right." We continue down the hall for a few steps before Balin halts.
"In truth, lad...I do not know what you will find down there."
"Hopefully not Smaug, but I fear he'll wake eventually." I add. Balin nods.
"Right. And, Bilbo, you needn't go if you don't want to. There's no dishonor in turning back." I gulp, hoping that Bilbo wanted to fulfill his mission, but I understand if he didn't want to. Balin and I shared a glance of understanding. Bilbo squares his shoulders bravely.
"No, Balin." He says resolutely, but there is a trace of fear as he shakes his head. "I promised I would do this...and I think I must try." I grin at him, clapping him on the shoulder.
"Thank you, Bilbo. In truth, I would go with you, but then Smaug would find us for sure. I don't have a Hobbit's stealth or lightness of foot." I reply. he chuckles.
"No. I suppose I am singularly qualified for this, so I alone will go. I wouldn't ask you yo come even if you were a Hobbit." I grin and Balin and I chuckle.
"It never ceases to amaze me."
Bilbo grins, unsure to what Balin is referring. "What's that?"
"The courage of Hobbits." Balin replies. "Go now, with as much luck as you can muster."
"May Mahal and Durin protect you." I add. Bilbo gulps, but nods grimly. He then starts down the hall.
"Oh, Bilbo?" Balin calls.
"Hmm?" The Hobbit replies.
"If there is, in fact, a, um, a live dragon down there...don't waken it." Bilbo pales.
"Smaug may be long dead, though. No one has seen him in sixty years, Bilbo. Our luck may hold." I assure him and he chances a smile. "Balin, let's head back." I say, arm around Balin's shoulders, still marveling at the Mountain and the fact that we are here at last. Erebor lives up to the tales Uncle and Balin told my brothers and I growing up. "Remember what you found in the Goblin Tunnels, if any remains." I call over my shoulder. Bilbo gets what I am hinting at, but Balin does not. I grin at him. "His courage." I explain, feeling guilt at the lie. Balin nods.
"I'm afraid he'll have need of it before long." I nod, sighing.
"Bilbo will come through, like many times before. I have faith in him."
"I do, too, but it is a daunting task to ask of anyone." I nod.
"Indeed. He is the only one who could evade Smaug if he's still alive, though. No Dwarf can match a Hobbit's stealth and speed." Balin grunts in agreement.
"So he is." We're now back to the door, where everyone waits.
"Bilbo's headed down to the treasure room. He'll find the Arkenstone and bring it back safe." I assure everyone, and they cheer softly, afraid of the echoes the empty halls of Erebor may create. After a good ten minutes or more, we feel a rumble in the earth, shaking the mountain subtly. I pale. Oh, no.
Smaug had awoken.
"Was that an earthquake?" Dori asks fearfully. Balin swallows.
"That, my lad..." he replies heavily, "was a dragon." I lick my suddenly dry lips.
"Oh, Bilbo...please be safe." I whisper.
=#=#=#=#=
(M)
Despite the lingering shred of hope I have in the Althelas, I wonder if it will work. If the poison is not too deep in his blood to be cleansed.
Kili may be doomed either way. But no. We have to try. We can't just let Kili die.
However, a sudden tremor rattles the house and I pale. That can only mean one thing; Smaug is awake. The Dwarves till now have to face the Chiefest and Greatest of Calamities. Alone.
"Da?" Tilda whimpers. bard frowns, and we share a glance. We both know what it means and the possible repercussions.
"It's coming from the mountain." Bain adds worriedly. We cannot go now. We have to wait for Kili to heal. If he will heal at all. Without Elvin medicine, is trying even worth it?
I shale myself and keep moping at the wound. We really need that plant. My chanting is only doing so much, though Kili looks a little less pained now. I can only keep it up so long, so I use it sparingly while we wait for Bofur to try to find Athelas.
"You should leave us. Take your children. Get out of here." Fili advises.
"Bard, if you are to survive...if Laketown is to survive, evacuation may be in order." I add. He frowns.
"And go where?" He asks. "There is nowhere to go."
"The forest is better than nothing!" I tell him. "I know these lands. I could tell you good places to camp. You'd be away from Laketown should the Company perish and Smaug be unleashed." Tilda frowns.
"Are we going to die, Da?" She asks, voice a fearful whimper.
"No, darling." He assures her, but everyone can see the lie.
"The dragon." She persists. "It's going to kill us." Again, Bard catches my eye and we share a look. I know what he hides in the rafters. A reminder of a past failure...
And the one chance at redemption. Bard swallows, takes a few steps to his right, and reaches up. He grabs the shaft of the Black Arrow, yanking it from the cords that kept it up. He turns to us, his face resolute and grim.
"Not if I kill it first." He growls, holding the Arrow with determination.
"I will help you." I add, standing beside him. "You will not face that beast alone."
=#=#=#=#=
(A)
The rumbles continue intermittently. Some are larger than others. I wonder if Laketown feels them. I hope they do not. I know Bofur worries and I know he's worried right now, and...I don't want his burden increased. I have faith in Bilbo, no doubt, but...
The longer he is down there, the more I begin to wonder if Bilbo has been roasted or eaten. However, another thought then occurs to me. If Bilbo were dead, why would Smaug not come roaring out of Erebor to take his wrath out on us? He must know we're here, or suspect at least, right? If Bilbo were vanquished, what's stopping Smaug from searching the Mountain for us? Perhaps that's why he is doing. Who knows? None can predict Smaug's actions or thoughts. It would be foolish to try. I chew my lip, my hood up against the wind.
"...Do you think Bilbo will survive?" Ori asks, sitting next to me. I sigh.
"None can say until we lay eyes on him, but...I have faith that Bilbo will not be lost. Smaug will not destroy our burglar."
"He is the Greatest of Calamities, Aili. How can a Hobbit hope to escape him?" I put my arm around his shoulder.
"Ori...Bilbo's advantage lays in his size. He can dodge under Smaug and around him much faster than Smaug can maneuver. Bilbo will be fine."
"Let's hope." Ori mumbles.
"That's all we can do."
=#=#=#=#=
(M)
"Lady Mithra..." Bard replies, frowning.
"I will fight beside you. two archers are better than one." I point out. He frowns.
"Not when there is but one arrow twixt the pair of us. You don't even have a bow, Mithra...stay and tend to Kili. I fear he will need all the help he can get." And with that, he's gone. I bite my lip. I hate it when people make a good point against me helping. I want to help bard, but know I can do little. there are bows in the Armory, though. I could slip in, grab a couple quivers and a strong bow, assisting Bard in ridding Middle-Earth of this pestilence. Once Kili is recovering, that is. I see now that I cannot forsake him. Even if I do not know the healing incantation, nor possess the magic needed to heal, I can still ease his suffering and that may tip the scales in our favor. I gulp and begin the chant anew.
Please hurry, Bofur.
=#=#=#=#=
(A)
"I'm worried about Bilbo." Ori mumbles, standing and watching as the hall we can see is illuminated with a fiery light. I gulp.
"Me, too, Ori." I rely.
"Give him more time." Thorin growls. Balin scoffs incredulously.
"Time to do what?" he asks, "To be killed?" Thorin turns to him.
"You're afraid." He muses.
"This shocks you? There is a dragon in there and a Hobbit facing him alone. Yes, we are afraid, Uncle. Are you not?" I reply.
"I also fear for you." Balin adds, pointing at Thorin. "A sickness lay upon that treasure hoard. A sickness which drove your grandfather mad!" Thorin scowls, but I can see traces of the old fear return. He knows the risk of entering Erebor, the risk of falling to the Gold Sickness.
"I am not my grandfather." He growls, turning and facing away from Erebor and in that moment, I see the statue of Thror, the great face level with Uncles in a manner that is both awe-inspiring, and slightly terrifying. It could spell danger for us if Thorin falls, but it may not even be a sign of anything but the angle at which I stand. I then lick my lips, striding away from the spot.
"You're not yourself." Balin replies. "The Thorin I know would not hesitate to go in the- -"
"I will not risk this quest for the life of one burglar." I pale. "I will not risk this quest for one dwarf. Not even my own kin." He'd said nearly those exact words to Kili and Kili, before we left Lake-town. I can't tell if it means anything, but...it worries me all the same.
"Bilbo." Balin replies, incredulous. "His name...is Bilbo." I take a deep breath as the seconds tick by and more flames light the hall. Thorin doesn't move. I groan aloud.
"Oh, to Valhalla with it!" I snap, drawing my bow and notching an arrow to it before charging into Erebor, regardless of the outcries and commands for me to go back. I will not abandon Bilbo to a dragon's wrath.
=#=#=#=#=
(M)
I feel a sudden animosity in the air, coupled with something...foul. Something evil. I try to ignore it and focus on relieving Kili's pain, but the feeling only grows. I then look up at Sigrid appears to hear something outside the house and goes to the porch to investigate.
"Sigrid, come inside!" I bark. She does, only for an Orc to land in front of her. She screams and pulls the door closed as I leap off the bed, punching the Orc back and helping Sigrid bar the bar. "Get under the table!" I call. "Bain, help your sisters!" I slam an Orc into the wall, grabbing a knife in it's belt and slicing it's neck. I whirl and stick another in the eye, dodging another blow before pulling the knife out and kicking an Orc away from Oin and almost simultaneously slicing the head off the one Fili grapples with. The girls are under the table and Bain is trying to fend off the Orcs that keep coming through the roof. I keep spinning and slicing, but more appear, crowding the already cluttered home, which makes fighting a tad more difficult.
Just as all hope seems lost, Tauriel appears in the doorway, stabbing an Orc while surveying the scene briefly. "Well met, Earthstrider." She notes. I frown.
"I bed to differ, Tauriel!" I call back, finishing an Orc with a twist of the neck.
"It might be better if you had your weapons." She muses, tossing a knife into an Orc. I grin and pull it out, relishing the feel of my blades returned. the bow and quiver and other knives are in a bag I don't have time to retrieve.
"It would. Le hannon (thank you)." She nods and we continue fighting when Legolas suddenly drops in from the roof.
"Earthstrider." He greets, joining the fight. It's all chaotic and yet somehow rhythmic at once as we clear the house of Orcs. One tries to escape, but Legolas dispatches him with an Orc over the porch to propel the escapee upwards, then slicing it's head off. I then take note of the blade he's using; Orcrist.
Thorin's blade. I forgot he kept it.
"Legolas, that's Thorin's blade." He turns to me.
"It is of the Elves. It belongs with Elves." I frown.
"Thorin found it in a troll hoard. He uses it."
"It is not his to use." Legolas growls with finality. We reenter the house. Bain is surveying the wreckage of his house.
"You killed them all." He mumbles.
"If was us or them." I reply.
"And there are others." Legolas adds, striding swiftly to the door. "Tauriel, Mithra. Come." He orders. I take a step toward Fili.
"My place is with these Dwarves, Cundu (Prince)." Tauriel hesitates, not saying a word. She then looks down to see Kili writhing on the floor. I pale and kneel as Oin and I check him over. Our fears are confirmed.
"We're losing him!" Oin cries. Tauriel's eyes widen.
"Where is Bofur?!" I add. "Anyone seen him?" Legolas looks on but says nothing, except...
"Tauriel." He repeats and she looks distraught, but she moves toward the door. I pale.
"If you leave, muinthel (sister), he will die. I can't heal him. I'm a hybrid." She freezes and Bofur, as if on cue, appears with the plant. Or, at least, that's what I gather from Tauriel whispering 'Athelas' and returning to the doorway clutching a bundle of the plant. I breath a sigh of relief.
"What are you doing?" Bofur asks, confused. Tauriel fingers the plant for a moment, deliberating.
"I'm going to save him." She replies after a moment.
I stand up. "If you are going to perform the ritual, do it now, Tauriel. He's fading. Fast."
=#=#=#=#=
(A)
"Aili! Have you lost your senses?!" Uncle roars, charging after me. I grin. My plan had worked. He had come after me.
"No more than you have, if you are here." I reply.
"Only to bring you back." I dodge his grab at my arm and continue walking.
"No, Uncle. I will not abandon my friend. Not to Smaug, not to anything." I retort, picking up the pace, flinching against the heat flaring up in the hallways. If Smaug's breath is this hot from this distance...how could Bilbo survive?
"Let us make haste, then." He grumbles, and I grin as we charge together toward the treasure hall. When we arrive (Thorin leading the way), we can't help but pause in awe at the sheer amount of gold contained here. I had never imagined such a hoard. I was so shocked, I nearly forgot why I was here. Thankfully, I was reminded as Bilbo came running, panting, up the stairs to my left.
"You're alive!" Thorin and I cheer. He came to a halt.
"Not for much longer." He gasps.
"Thank Mahal." I whisper, smiling, arm around his shoulders in support.
"Did you find the Arkenstone?" Thorin asks. I frown.
"Doesn't matter." I reply.
"The dragon's coming." Bilbo adds.
"The Arkenstone?" Thorin asks again.
"Let's worry about that after we kill the dragon, Uncle!" I muse.
"Did you find it?" Uncle presses with such a cool tone, I swore he was someone else.
"Uncle, that doesn't matter right now. We must leave." I reply. "Before Smaug arrives." He doesn't even blink. "Come on."
"She's right, Thorin." Bilbo mumbles. "We have to get out of here." However, Thorin's sword blocks our path. I pale.
"Uncle, let's go." I suggest. His eyes...They aren't the eyes that beheld his kingdom for the first time, swinging the door open for the first time in sixty years. These eyes are cold...and shining with the light off the gold. My eyes widen.
"Thorin?" Bilbo squeaks. The sword then points directly at Bilbo's chest, narrowly missing mine. I gasp.
"Thorin! Come on! We have to go! Worry about the Arkenstone later!" Nothing. Uncle doesn't react at all, striding forward and forcing Bilbo to back up.
"Thorin." Bilbo whimpers, fear in his eyes. I then grimace, using my bow to push the blade away.
"Uncle, please..." I whimper. Bilbo suddenly looks over Uncle's shoulder in fear, and I turn as thumping footsteps approach. I then gulp as Smaug himself comes into view. No wonder he's called the Chiefest and Greatest of Calamities! He's massive! And terrifyingly impressive. The tales and songs haven't quite prepared me. Finally, Thorin looks and the pair take each other in. Suddenly, I am surrounded by Dwarves, each yelling defiantly. Everyone pauses as they take Smaug in and he registers them. He then roars and charges. I gulp, drawing my sword.
"You will all burn!" He cries, voice shaking the room like thunder, booming and commanding attention. I take a deep breath. We can do this. We can outsmart a dragon is we all work together, right?