The Lonely Mountain grew in size as they approached, and even though it was late August, and a bright sun hung in the sky, a deep chill clung in the shade of the trees. Bella was glad she'd remembered to grab a jumper in her mad dash out the door.
"Where is the mine?" Bella asked after a few miles.
"Beyond the manor," Thorin replied. "We'll come to the house first. But if you head down this road, past the drive, you reach the entrance and the old station that shipped the silver out."
"Should we go there first?" Balin asked.
"No," Thorin said after a moment. "I'm anxious to see them, but we should make camp first. See if we have to deal with anything at the house first."
The road curved around the lake which stayed firmly on their right, small waves on the surface gleamed in the sunlight. Bella spotted a few boats on the lake, and if she squinted, she thought she could see the opening to the large river, or firth, that led to the North Sea on the far side.
"How close is the house to the lake?" she asked.
"Very," Balin said chuckling. "We used to race sailboats in the spring. I wonder if the boathouse is still in working order? It had the most wonderful view of the mining yards. You could stand and see the activity from the front windows."
The cars pulled down a drive lined with green pine trees and pulled to a stop in front of the manor.
Bella got out of the car and barely registered her feet landing on the ground so focussed was she on the house, manor, and view in front of her. She breathed in and smelled something on the wind, a sharp scent like pine with a comforting earthy undertone. The plants in front of the house needed some serious attention, but she spotted all types of heathers and creeping roses, with full late summer blooms in bright yellows and reds.
The mountain rose up behind the house on the other side of the lake, and Bella let her eyes follow the peak up to the clouds. The sheer size of it took her breath away.
"Goodness me," she heard Tauriel mutter.
"Nothing like this in the East End, is there, love?" Kili murmured back.
"Nothing like this anywhere," Thorin said quietly as he came to stand by his nephews. "Welcome home, boys."
"Welcome home, uncle," Fili replied just as solemnly.
Thorin put his hands on Fili and Kili's shoulders, and they all stared at the mountain and the manor before it.
Eventually, Thorin turned to Bofur and Bifur.
"I aim to put you both to work," he said. "Those mines won't clear themselves, and I'll need strong backs to set things to right."
"Aye, Captain," Bofur said saluting smartly. "Point us in the direction of a spade, a bucket, and some light to see by, and we'll dig for victory."
"Think I can oblige you, gentlemen," Thorin said with a grin. His gaze moved to Balin who simply nodded, far too overcome to say anything. "Is it as you remember, Balin?"
"It's precisely as I remember it," he said with a watery laugh. He eyed the worn exterior of the manor and shrugged. "Well, close to it, I suppose."
Thorin nodded and then looked to Bella. "And you, medium, what do you think of Erebor?"
"I think that this place is the stuff of fairy tales and myth. It's beautiful beyond belief, Thorin, as you well know," she said quietly. She held out her hands and tested the air. "And there are a lot of ghosts nearby."
He frowned. "You can already tell?"
"The air is colder than it should be," she said. "And I can feel them." She looked at him. "We have a lot of work ahead of us."
"Nothing new for us!" Kili said cheerfully. "Where do you want us, Bella?"
"Out here, away from the front lines," she said stepping towards the house. "I think I should go first."
"No," Thorin said, smoothly stepping in front of her.
Bella raised her eyebrows. "And what, pray tell, will you do if, no - when spirits rush at you? Sing a merry tune?"
"I'll deal with them," he said adjusting his coat. Bella caught sight of his firearm firmly attached to his waist and rolled her eyes.
"Deal with them like you did the other night in front of the pub?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips. "Or shoot at them? I'm fairly sure they're dead already, so all you'll be doing is messing up the paintwork."
Oh, heavens, that's a glare, Bella thought as Thorin's expression hardened.
"Let me do this," Bella said gently putting her hand on his arm. "It is why I'm here, and I know I can do it now."
"I don't… like it," he said.
"I know you don't," she said. "I have no doubt that the captain in you is chomping at the bit to rush in there. But, I'd like to remind you of your own words not an hour ago, regarding your grandfather and not making the same mistakes."
His eyes narrowed. "You're remarkably level-headed for a medium."
"That's because I was a gardener first," she said smiling.
"Fine, you go first." He looked at Dwalin and Fili. "You two will follow me closely, in case anyone mortal is in there." He looked down at Bella. "Happy?"
"Ecstatic," she said drily. "Do stay a few feet behind me, please, to give any ghosts some room."
He nodded and after exchanging a glance with Dwalin and Fili, they all took out their pistols. Bella made a face, but turned to walk up to the large front door. She stopped and looked back at Thorin.
"Do you have a key, captain?" she asked softly.
"I do," he said, his voice tight, and he pulled a cord off his neck where a large steel key dangled. Bella stepped to the side, and Thorin went to place the key in the lock. He paused, and Bella saw him take a deep breath before he inserted the key. With a slow careful turn of his hand, he turned the key, and the lock opened.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"Do we stop to wonder why Smaug didn't change the locks?" Fili asked.
"Later," Thorin said. "One thing at a time. After you, Miss Baggins."
"Thank you, good sir," Bella murmured. She stepped into the manor house, and immediately chills went up and down her spine. The tips of her fingers tingled with cold, and the back of her neck prickled.
"Definitely something," she whispered. "Be careful, gentlemen."
"Aye, aye, miss," Dwalin growled softly.
She moved fully into the foyer and looked up at the large mahogany staircase that wound upwards.
"Oh, how lovely," she said looking at the dark wooden interiors. "Thorin, it's beautiful in here."
"I know this smell," he said, his voice catching as he also stared in wonder at the staircase and the walls. "I know these walls. This is home."
Bella sent him a small smile before she moved her gaze towards a hallway on her left. She peered down it and sucked in a breath.
The spirits that stood just inside the shadows where the sunlight didn't reach were nothing more than faint shadows of the people they used to be. When one drifted into the sunlight, she could see right through him.
"Hello," she greeted them.
The men behind her turned sharply and trained their pistols on the ghosts.
"Oh, stop that," Bella said under her breath. She looked at the ghosts. "Would you like to leave now? I can show you the way."
The spirits seemed to cluster around one another, as if they were shuffling their feet in indecision.
"It's okay," Bella said stepping forward. "I promise. It won't hurt. Don't you want to rest?"
It was the mention of rest that got them moving. One by one, the spirits drifted towards her. She noted that they were all men wearing dusty dark coveralls and flat caps with small lights affixed to the front. They're faces were smudged with dust and they looked… Bella stared.
They looked terrified.
"What happened to you?" she whispered as the first one approached her.
He paused, looked into her eyes and breathed what looked like a sigh of relief, and his terror seemed to ease. He made a move to pass through her.
"Please," Bella said holding up a hand. "Wait. What happened to you?"
The terror came back, and he mouthed a word, his voice long since gone.
She reared back slightly and then nodded. "Right, yes. Well, on you go, sir."
He smiled gratefully, and then in the blink of an eye, he melted through her. She felt the now familiar freezing chill as the spirits slipped down the path behind her eyes.
One by one, they passed on. The last to go through stopped and peered behind her. His eyes widened when he spotted Thorin. Bella didn't dare turn her back on him, but whatever reaction he was hoping for from Thorin, he must have received, for he just nodded once and then passed through.
Bella slumped sideways as she pressed a hand to her forehead and held out the other one to prop herself up against a small table.
A warm hand settled firmly on her waist, and she smiled as she tilted her head back to look at Thorin.
"Just in case you felt the urge to swoon," he said holding her close.
"Shut it," she said sweetly.
He chuckled before he turned sober. "They were some of our men who were lost. Why would they be all the way up at the house?"
"Ghosts can travel," she said shrugging. "Perhaps they felt a strong connection to the house, and when they died, they slipped up here." She breathed in and out. "They're gone. All of them. The house feels clear now. The others can come inside."
"What did he say?" he asked as they walked towards the door. "The one you spoke to? What happened to him?"
Bella worried her lip. "He said Smaug happened to him."
His hands flexed on her waist, but he simply nodded before turning to Dwalin. "We set up a watch at all times, even during the day."
Dwalin nodded sharply.
The group walked outside to an anxiously pacing Kili and other worried faces. Kili spotted them first and rushed up the stone steps.
"Is it all right?" he asked.
"All clear," Bella said smiling. "For now, at least."
Kili looked at his uncle who nodded.
"It's home," Thorin said. "It's ours, Kili. It hasn't changed in three decades." His brow furrowed as he turned to Balin. "It hasn't changed at all."
Balin frowned. "Surely it has, lad. It's been too long."
"Come and see for yourself," Thorin said turning back to the manor.
The entire group filed into the foyer, and Bella was once again struck by how quiet the interior was, how striking the architecture was, and how uniform and clean the lines were on the walls.
Balin looked around, and Bella thought his eyes shined a bit wetly. He cleared his throat and said, "Erebor. My home. Oh, lad, you've done it."
"We've only just begun," Thorin said placing his hand on Balin's shoulder.
"Yes, yes, of course," Balin said before frowning and looking around quickly. "And you're right. Nothing has changed. Nothing at all! See there? The painting on the wall? It's knocked to the side. Your father bumped into it the night we left. It hasn't been touched."
"There's dust everywhere," Bofur added blowing on a low table. Dust billowed up around his face. "This Smaug isn't a very tidy fellow, is he?"
"So it would seem," Thorin said looking around with narrowed eyes. "Balin, how is this possible? Even if Smaug was only here for a short time, how has nothing been altered?"
Balin shook his head. "Maybe he never came to the house? Maybe he set up somewhere else? He could have used the old-" He broke off and raised a hand to his head.
"Balin?" Tauriel asked. "Are you well?"
"Yes, dear, yes, I just-" He shook his head and sighed. "I forgot what I was going to say right in the middle of saying it. Must be overwhelmed."
"Rather understandable," Bofur said cheerfully. "Never been here before, and I'm overwhelmed. It's a swell place you've got here, captain."
"It is," Thorin said proudly. "And I'm beyond grateful for all of you for coming with me. We have a great deal to do, but I promise you." He looked around the group. "I promise all of you, it will be worth it."
"Hear, hear!" Dwalin said grinning.
"What shall we do first?" Bofur asked.
"Cup of tea?" Bella suggested.
They all looked at her. She stared back. "What? Surely you want hot water and something to eat eventually? Shouldn't we see to the kitchen first?"
Thorin started to grin. "How right you are, Miss Baggins." He turned to Dwalin and Bofur. "Let's see what we can do about the power here and get the generator running." He turned to Fili and Kili. "Unload the cars and get the mining equipment secured somewhere." Turning to Tauriel and Bifur, he said, "See if you can find some rooms we can sleep in tonight and see what needs to be done to air them out." Finally, he looked at Bella. "As for you-"
"See what I can do in the kitchen?" she asked drily.
"It was your idea," he said mildly.
She rolled her eyes but nodded. "Just point me in the direction of the kettle, Captain."
Several hours later, as the light just started to dim in the sky, the group sat together in a large sitting room with tall windows that looked out over the lake, eating hot soup and some drop scones that Fili had managed to bake, with Bella's instruction.
Bella sighed and curled into the dark blue settee and watched the sun hit the top of the mountains.
"It stays so light so late up here," she remarked. "What are the winters like?"
"Dark and cold," Balin said. "Why do you think there are so many fireplaces in the house?" He settled back in large armchair with his pipe. "I remember one winter, the snow came in so fast and so hard, we didn't bother sleeping in our beds. We all piled up in the kitchen with blankets and hot toddies."
"I remember that winter," Thorin said softly. "Dis was just a babe and Mother was already expecting Frerin." He smiled. "To keep us out of trouble, the kids all got together to re-enact the Battle of Culloden."
Bella looked over at him, horrified. "Good God! Was anyone left standing?"
He chuckled. "Not a one. We all lay in the snow, dramatically breathing our last." He immediately turned sober. "If I was a superstitious man, I might have called it an omen of the war to come."
"But you're not," Balin said, "so you won't. War comes, lad. There's naught us small men can do to stop it."
Thorin just looked away out the window at the fading light.
"Well," Kili said brightly as he turned to Tauriel. "I never really got a chance to carry you over a threshold. Shall I remedy that upstairs?"
Dwalin and Fili snorted, while Bella covered her snicker with her mouth. Tauriel just rolled her eyes and said, "You're utterly incapable of subtlety, aren't you, love?"
"It's a Durin trait," Kili said grinning. "Right, uncle?"
"I'm afraid so," Thorin said not taking his eyes away from the windows, but the corners of his mouth curved up.
"In that case." Tauriel got to her feet and held out her hand to Kili, who jumped up to take it and kiss the back of it. The two left the room rather quickly.
"And that will be the last we see of them this evening," Fili said chuckling.
"The rest of us should be so lucky," Dwalin said getting to his feet. "I'm going to make sure the Rovers are secure."
"I'll come with," Fili said joining Dwalin on the way out of the door.
"I think I'll head up to bed," Bella said rubbing her forehead. "Don't suppose there's any spare water?"
"The washrooms should work," Balin said. "They're supplied by the well."
"Then I'm all set," Bella said smiling. "Good night, gentlemen."
A chorus of 'good-nights' came from the remaining company, and she caught Thorin's eye as she turned to leave.
"Miss Baggins," he said, as she made to leave. She turned at the sound of his voice. "Thank you for today."
She smiled at him. "I wouldn't thank me yet," she said. "I have a feeling we'll have more in the morning."
"All the same," he said inclining his head. "I'm glad you decided to come with us."
"So am I," she said softly, before slipping out of the door.
She walked quickly up to the small room she'd found near the top of the stairs and once inside, she slumped against the door and pressed her hands to her face.
"Oh, you're a ridiculous creature," she said to the room. "Leave it to you to develop feelings for a man so utterly out of your sphere, not to mention locality! Bloody Tookish tendencies!"
She shook her head to dispel the thoughts and, though she'd never admit to them, fantasies about a certain captain, and grabbed an empty basin from the side table to get some water to wash herself off with.
After a few stops and starts with the taps in the toilet, Bella returned to her room with water and proceeded to strip off her trousers and jumper. She shivered in the cool of the evening and marvelled at how different the evenings felt this far north compared to her milder southern nights. She washed off as best she could with a spare towel she'd brought with her, and then pulled on the only nightdress she'd remembered to grab which, sadly, was more of a slip than a night dress with thin straps and made from a thin beige material. She pulled her jumper over it and got into bed. She lay on her side, facing the window and stared at the rippling lake in the almost full moonlight.
She closed her eyes, but they popped right back open. Flopping onto her back, she stared up at the ceiling. She heard the other members of the company as they moved around the floor. Voices that sounded like Dwalin and Balin passed by her door. The floors creaked as the company made for bed and doors closed down the hall.
Bella lay in the dark and waited for the lassitude of sleep to come over her, but nothing came.
"Nothing for it," she muttered getting out of bed and wincing as her bare feet hit the cold floor. "I need a book."
Hoping the curtains hadn't been drawn and that there was enough moonlight to see by, Bella left her room and headed downstairs. She paused halfway down the steps to feel for any ghosts, but nothing tingled and she continued down.
She walked past tapestries and portraits of past Durins. As her fingers trailed along the wall, she wondered what this Smaug had been up to and if Gandalf would arrive soon. An orange glow spilled from an open doorway, and Bella padded over to it. She walked inside, fully intending to look for the inhabitant of the room, but gasped at the sight of the room itself.
It was a library. A library filled with books and dark gleaming hardwood bookshelves. A large bay window took up the far wall, and the moon shone in, illuminating the worn spines of the books. Bella walked further in, her eyes greedily roaming over the books. She looked over every inch of the walls, noting that there even appeared to be a small card catalogue cabinet near the door. She was in the midst of squinting at a title before she realised the orange glow was the crackling fire in the fireplace. Turning she saw that Thorin sat on the floor, his back resting against a small loveseat that faced the fire, his long legs stretched out in front of him towards the fire, and that he wore an amused smirk on his face.
"It's not quite on the scale as Elrond's," he said when her eyes met his. "But it's not bad."
"It's stunning," she said a little breathlessly. "It feels… Oh, Thorin." She looked around and turned in a circle. "It feels like a family library. Someone put thought and care into this room."
"Yes, they did," he said still staring at her. "My grandmother. It was already all here when I was born, even though she'd died the year before. She was from Laketown originally; she'd taught school before she married my grandfather. He promised her a library when they married."
"He delivered," Bella said chuckling. "It's the most beautiful room I think I've ever seen. It makes me want to curl up and never leave."
He extended a hand to the space beside him and said, "Please."
Bella walked over, suddenly very aware of her bare legs and feet, but entranced by the warmth of the fire and Thorin's open manner.
She settled on the floor, tucking her legs underneath her and pulling her jumper down as far as she could. Thorin sat just within reach, and she smelled the now familiar scent of him after days on the road next to him. Oil and wool and pipesmoke.
"Couldn't sleep?" he asked.
"Not really," she admitted. "You?"
"Haven't tried yet, to be honest," he said raising a glass to his lips and sipping from it. The firelight reflected in the amber liquid.
"Is that whiskey?" she asked.
He nodded.
"My grandfather loved whiskey," Bella said smiling. "Dad was more of a lager fellow."
"Would you like to try it?" he asked. "Be a shame to come all the way to Scotland and not try a decent whiskey."
"Downright sacrilegious, I'd expect," she said. "I'd love to try some."
He handed her his own glass, and Bella was touched by the intimacy of the gesture. Touched and thrilled, though she tried to stamp down the thrill. The same delicious thrill she felt when she felt his gaze on her. She took the glass and entertained the notion of placing her lips precisely where he'd placed his. She flushed hotly and hurried to take a sip.
Inevitably, she swallowed too fast and coughed at the burn in her throat; her eyes watered.
"Oh," she managed. "Has a burn to it, does it?"
He chuckled, but not offensively. "Sip it slowly."
She tried again. It still burned, but it also soothed as it went down, and she sighed at the warmth that spread outward.
"All right," she said, "it's rather nice."
"I'm glad you're enjoying it," he said. "That's a fifty year old whiskey, that is."
She blinked at him. "Would that make it rather valuable?"
She handed the glass back to him.
"Very valuable," he said taking back the glass and sipping from it. She watched the play of his throat in the firelight. "I've calculated the value of a handful of items in this room alone, and I don't dare voice the sum aloud. But it would have clothed my family and put food on the table several times over."
Bella glanced around the room. Her father had liked historical objects, and Bella thought she spotted a few first editions in the bookshelves.
"Oh, my," she murmured. "Are you... You're remarkably sanguine about it."
"That'd be the whiskey at work," he said smirking. "I'll be livid come morning."
"I'll warn the others and keep my distance," she said.
"Don't," he said quickly, lowering the glass. "Please, don't. I'll not yell at you, I promise."
"I know you won't," Bella said softly. "I think we're past all that, aren't we? I mean," she played with the cuff of her jumper, "we're friends now, aren't we?"
"Friends," he said slowly, as though he were trying out the word. "Yes, I believe we are friends." He blinked. "Been a while since I made a friend. A true friend," he added. "Not just a comrade in arms."
"Like the others?" Bella asked.
"Yes, like the others," he said smiling down at his glass. "I am lucky in my company. I have men who are fearless and capable at my side. And a tiny medium who stares ghosts in the face and tells them to 'come along, now.'"
"Well, it does seem to work," Bella said; she shook her head. "I can't believe it works."
"I can't either," he said drily. "But they listen to you. They go where you tell them." He frowned. "Do you feel well? There were quite a few of them earlier. Does your head hurt?"
He reached out and brushed the backs of his fingers against her cheek. She sucked in a gasp and felt her face flush. Thorin froze, his fingers still pressed to her skin. Bella just looked at him while he looked back.
He slowly, so slowly, moved his fingers over the curve of her cheek, along her jaw, and down the curve of her throat. They rested just over her pulse, and he closed his eyes, appearing to listen to her heartbeat.
Bella swallowed, knowing he'd be able to feel the motion of her throat, then she gathered her courage together and reached for him.
She trailed her fingers down the shadowed side of his face. His hand shot up and caught her wrist. She stopped. He held her wrist firmly but gently and not meeting her eyes, he turned his head so that his lips brushed against the pulse that beat rapidly at the base of her hand. He opened his mouth, and when the tip of his tongue flickered lightly over her skin, she drew in a shuddery breath. He finally raised his eyes to look at her.
"I do not think that friends do this, Miss Baggins," he said, his voice quiet and so low she almost didn't hear him. She felt the vibration of his voice against the sensitive skin of her wrist
"No, perhaps not," she whispered back. "But I dearly want to."
"Good," he said dropping his glass to the floor and reaching for her. She smelled the whiskey as it spilled onto the rug, but could only focus on the bright blue of his eyes as his large hand cupped the back of her head as he pulled her to him.
Their lips met just as a harsh scream tore through the house.