Chapter 28
*Bold/Italic - Khuzdul*
The next morning found Annelise and the others standing atop the newly rebuilt wall looking over the valley stretching between the mountain and Dale.
Annelise was shocked to see the morning sun reflecting off the golden armor of the elven army that had seemed to descend upon the ruined city overnight.
She watched as a horse and its rider rode out from the city onto the overgrown stone path that connected the two cities. She saw another figure perched on top of an elk at the gate to the city and knew that King Thranduil had arrived.
"Bard," she heard Bilbo gasp under his breath and Annelise quickly recognised the rider approaching them as Tilda's father who had saved them all from the dragon. She was happy to see that he was alive and reunited with his children, who she knew would be somewhere in the ruins that lay before her.
"Hail Thorin, son of Thrain," Bard spoke as he pulled his horse to stop before them. "We are glad to find you alive beyond hope. My daughters, especially, will be glad to know that Lady Annelise was able to reach the mountain unharmed. I understand it is you that I have to thank for getting them out of the town."
At these words, Annelise moved forward next to Kili and smiled at the man gratefully. Thorin looked up at her softly for a moment before his gaze hardened and he turned back to the man below them. The brief expression that had crossed her father's face gave her a little hope that maybe he wasn't completely lost to her yet.
"Why do you come to the gates of the mountain armed for war?"
"Why does the King Under the Mountain fence himself in? Like a robber in his hold?"
"Perhaps it is because I am expecting to be robbed."
"My lord, we have not come to rob you, but to seek fair settlement. Will you not speak with me?"
Annelise watched her father nod his head at the man in acceptance and gesture for him to approach. He then moved from the edge of the wall and whispered something to Balin. He made his way down the stairs of the gate and gestured for the others to follow him.
She noticed that Balin stayed behind and couldn't help but wonder what it was her father had spoken to him. Her confusion increased more when she saw the white-haired dwarf call one of the ravens of Erebor over to him and began giving him a message before it flew off away from the mountain to the north.
By this point, she had joined the others at the base of the gate and her father had moved to stand in front of a small opening that had been left in the stone.
"I am listening," he said quietly and Annelise assumed that Bard was standing on the other end of the hole.
"On behalf of the people of Lake-town, I ask that you honor your pledge, " Annelise heard Bard speak softly through the opening. "A share of the treasure so that they may rebuild their lives."
"I will not treat with any man while an armed host lies before my door."
"That armed host will attack this mountain if we do not come to terms," Bard answered.
"Your threats do not sway me," the King answered calmly, not even looking through the hole to the man on the other side.
"What of your conscience? Does it not tell you that our cause is just?"
Annelise lowered her head sadly knowing that, were it not for the dragon-sickness clouding his mind, her father's conscience would not allow him to act so cruelly to the people whose lives were destroyed by their quest.
"My people offered you help, and in return you brought upon them only ruin and death."
Annelise knew this was the wrong thing for Bard to say as her father tensed angrily at the man's words.
"When do the men of Lake-town come to our aid but for the promise of rich reward?!"
"A bargain was struck," Bard replied, beginning to get irritated with the stubborn dwarf before him.
"A bargain?! What choice do we have but to barter our birthright for blankets and food? To ransom our future in exchange for our freedom? You call that a fair trade?"
"Tell me, Bard the Dragon-slayer...why should I honor such terms?"
"Because you gave us your word," he answered calmly. "Does that mean nothing?"
The tears that had been building in Annelise's eyes at seeing her father so low finally spilled over at the man's words. She had been trying to remain hopeful that a piece of her father was still somewhere in the cold dwarf standing before her, but that hope had begun to fade. The father who had raised her was not the dwarf king standing before her. The one who had always taught her to always be honest and kind, to never break a promise or go back on her word.
Instead of answering Bard, Annelise watched in despair as her father moved away from the opening and turned to look at the Company standing in front of him, awaiting his response.
She saw his expression harden and knew that he would not change his mind and show mercy to the poor people.
"Begone! 'Ere our arrows fly!," he yelled loudly and Annelise heard Bard hit the wall of stone in anger at the response. Thorin moved up the stairs to the top of the wall, the others following behind, and watched the man ride back to the city.
"What are you doing?," Bilbo yelled at the dwarf standing before them and Annelise moved to put her hands on his shoulders in agreement and support.
"They need our help, Addâd!," Annelise added, trying in any way to sway his decision.
Both of their protests were ignored, so Bilbo continued to speak.
"You cannot go to war."
"This does not concern you," her father finally responded coldly.
"Excuse me, but just in case you haven't noticed, there is an army of elves out there. Not to mention several hundred angry fishermen. W-we are, in fact, outnumbered."
By this point, everyone else had turned to look at the small Hobbit, with Annelise standing behind him in support. Her cousins looked at her with sadness in their eyes. They knew that she wanted to speak out along with the Hobbit, but feared any retaliation from her father after their encounter the night before.
"Not for much longer."
"What does that mean?," Bilbo asked, looking up at Annelise behind him in confusion.
"The raven," Annelise muttered under her breath, realizing why Balin had spoken to the raven earlier. 'It flew toward the Iron Hills, to Dain,' she thought to herself.
"It means, Master Baggins, you should never underestimate dwarves," her father answered leaning closer to the Hobbit in front of her.
"We have reclaimed Erebor," her father said, moving away from the edge of the wall to the top of the stairs.
"Now we defend it."
Annelise watched sadly as her father moved down the stairs back into the mountain.
"Break down the bridge," he ordered back to them before disappearing from sight.
She then turned to Balin and saw him look back out toward Dale after catching her eyes, bringing his fist to his mouth to hide his sadness and disappointment.
Seeing the old warrior so upset made determination flare in Annelise.
"I am going to talk to him," she said, moving swiftly away from the company knowing they would try and stop her for her safety.
She found her father standing in the throne room once more, staring up at the hole where the Arkenstone was once held. She paused for a moment, unsure of what to say without causing her father to become angry again. She decided to try and speak with him for a bit before easing into the topic of helping the survivors of Lake-town.
"Are you alright,Addâd?," she asked, using his language and the name she called him as a child to attempt to keep him calm.
"Come with me," he said softly, motioning for her to follow him out of the throne room instead of answering her question.
They walked in silence for a few minutes through the dark and dusty halls, turning many times and moving further into the mountain. Annelise noticed that the further they walked, the less damage showed in the stone around them, and she realised that the dragon must have left these hallways largely undisturbed.
"Where are we going?," she finally asked her father.
He reached out and held onto her hand as they walked, but kept silent for a few moments before finally answering her question.
"This is the way to the royal wing," he spoke softly, and Annelise looked into his eyes and could see the sadness within them. "To my old room."
Annelise squeezed his hand in hers tightly in response instead of speaking, and they continued on in silence until her father pulled her to a stop in front of a large ornate stone door.
Instead of moving to open the door before them, he turned her and pointed at another door just a little further down.
"That was my younger brother, Frerin's, room," he told her sadly before pointing to the door that was directly across from his. "That room belonged to Dis."
Annelise felt herself grow sad at the mention of the uncle that she had never met, only knowing of him from the occasional stories her father had shared when she was growing up. She tried not to talk about her uncle with Thorin, knowing that his death had taken a huge toll on her father and that it was a sensitive topic for him.
Her aunt, Dis, was the one who would share stories with Annelise of growing up with her two older brothers and the mischief they had gotten into as dwarflings. Dis had always told her that she only needed to speak with Fili if she ever wanted to know what Frerin had been like, as her eldest son was apparently just like his uncle.
Her father seemed to shake himself from his thoughts, and Annelise once again caught a glimpse of the dwarf that had raised her the last twenty-two years.
"Come," he said, opening the door to his old room and motioning for her to proceed him into it.
She was mildly surprised to see the room as she entered it. Everything was left in exactly the same place that it was when the dragon attacked, with layers of dust being the only indication that so many years had passed.
There was still a tunic laying across the foot of the bed in the center of the room where Thorin must have laid it when he woke that fateful morning. There were a few scattered papers atop the large wooden desk on the left wall and the wardrobe door on the right wall still had its door slightly ajar from him not closing it that morning.
Seeing this, Annelise finally realised just how completely devastating and unexpected Smaug's attack truly was.
Her father watched her face sadly as she took in his old room before turning and moving toward the stone table that was on the left side of the bed in front of them. He opened the drawer in the table with a little difficulty, the piece of furniture being worn from not being used for so long.
Once he got it open, he motioned for her to join him sitting on the bed, surprising Annelise by brushing off some of the dust on the bed for her. This small action caused the waning hope in her heart of saving her father to rush back in full force, knowing that if he had been completely consumed by the sickness he would not have taken the time to do such a small act.
Once she was seated next to him, he reached into the open drawer and pulled something out. He held his closed fist in front of her and motioned for her to hold out her hand.
She moved her right hand with her palm facing up and he dropped a small round object into it. She was shocked at how cold it was and realised it must be metal, but she could not see it as his hand was still hovering over her own.
He moved his hand to rest back on the bed next to him and Annelise got her first glance of the object he had given her.
She wasn't entirely surprised when she saw that it was a metal bead engraved with her father's sigil.
"My mother gave this to me when I came of age. It was a gift to her from my father when they were betrothed. She wanted me to give it to my firstborn when they also came of age. Now I pass it on to you," he spoke softly, his voice carrying a solemn tone.
He was silent for a moment, before shaking his head slightly to clear it.
"It is made of mithril, which means it will never tarnish. The symbol on it marks you as my descendant and a member of the line of Durin, for although you did not come from me, you are my child in all but blood."
"It's wonderful," she said around the lump that had developed in her throat. "Thank you, Addâd."
"I know the past few months have been difficult, and that a lot has changed for both you and I, but I am so glad that I was able to experience it all with you by my side. It has been one of my greatest wishes for you to see my home since you came to me, and now together we have finally gotten it back."
"I love you, my treasure. Don't ever forget that."
"I love you too, Addâd."
"Would you allow me to braid it into your hair?"
"Of course," Annelise answered quickly. As a girl, she had loved to sit in front of her father as he brushed and braided her hair. Thorin reached into the drawer once more before closing it, this time holding a hairbrush in his hand. He motioned for her to sit on the floor at his feet, and she quickly moved to follow his direction.
He worked for a few minutes brushing the tangles out of her hair once taking out the large braid it had been in. He gathered the hair on either side of her face and quickly braided it back out of her eyes before joining the two braids at the back of her head with a strip of leather.
He then turned her head to the side and grabbed a section of hair behind her left ear. He proceeded to braid the section and secured the bead at the end of it. He then reached his hand down toward her and helped her back to her feet, and she joined him sitting on the bed once more.
Thorin then rested his hand on her shoulder and pulled her forward to press her forehead against his affectionately. Annelise felt the tears gathering in her eyes once again and he shifted her, wrapping his arms around her tightly with her head resting on his firm chest.
She was overjoyed to finally have her father back and simply allowed herself to rest against him and listen to his steady heartbeat.
Before long the soothing sound began to lull her to sleep. The last thing she was aware of was her father standing and lifting her into his arms before her exhaustion finally won over.