Chapter XXI: The Song of the Lonely Mountain

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It was warm wherever Thorin was. He opened his eyes and found himself lying in his bed in Erebor. He sat up and looked around at his room. Thorin felt something was wrong, but he was not sure what.

How could anything be wrong? He was home.

After dressing, he entered his family's small dining room. Dís, Fíli, and Kíli were already eating. Dís wore a gown of silver with pale green emeralds which matched her eyes. Fíli was dressed in the colors of the House of Durin, her hair braided with beads of silver and sapphires. Kíli was dressed for archery practice; the only jewels he wore were on a belt with the insignia of the House of Durin.

"Hey there, lazybones. Just because you're a prince doesn't mean you get to sleep around all day," Dís said.

Thorin sat down and began serving himself breakfast. "I… my dreams were odd."

"How so?" Dís said.

"We were… attacked by Orcs. Trees were on fire. There was someone… someone there protecting me. I can't remember."

"Well, did you defeat them?" Fíli asked.

"Who?" Thorin said.

"The Orcs," Kíli said.

"Ah. Well. Like I said, I can't remember," Thorin said.

"Don't worry yourself," Dís said.

Thorin rubbed his forehead. "You're right. Your husband has already gone to the mines?"

"Indeed," Dís said, "Adad said he and you are going to be touring the silver guild today once you got your lazy butt out of bed. After that, you two are to join Frerin for the council meeting."

Thorin felt a tap on his shoulder. He smiled as he looked up. "Hello, Amad."

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It was a perfectly ordinary day. Thorin did his duties. He practiced his swordsmanship with Dwalin. He teased Frerin. Thráin discussed different aspects of kingship with Thorin over lunch. It was a perfectly ordinary day.

Life was never perfect.

Thorin walked with Fíli to the gates of Erebor as things began to fall apart. "What's the matter, Idad?"

"I am just… a bit odd today, Fíli. That's all," Thorin said. He put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed. "How are you?"

"I'm great. Adad said he was going to show me an interesting piece of gold he mined the other day. He says it is shaped like a dragon. Weird, huh?" Fíli said. They climbed the stairs overlooking the gate.

"Dragon?" Thorin said. The breeze picked up.

"Yeah. The gold guild is trying to decide if it is a good omen or a bad one," Fíli said.

Thorin looked around, a memory of trees breaking flashed before him. "Fíli, this isn't right."

"What isn't, Idad?" Fíli asked.

Thorin motioned around them. "All of this. None of this is right."

Fíli tilted her head. A flag pole broke near her. "Why do you think that?"

"Someone… someone is missing. Someone who was there in my dream," Thorin covered his face and let out a yell of frustration. "Why can't I remember?"

"A dream? You are going to be freaked out by a dream when you could just focus on the present," Fíli said, "Everything is perfect. Nothing is wrong."

Thorin stood up straight and looked at Fíli. "This isn't real. This gate was destroyed by Smaug. I was there."

A roar shook Thorin down to his bones. He grabbed Fíli and ran back into the hall. Fire began consuming Erebor.

"Why is this happening?" Fíli asked.

"Because this happened before you were even born!" Thorin said, "None of this is real!"

"How can you say that?" Fíli said.

"Bramble isn't here! If she isn't here, than everything is wrong!" Thorin said.

"Good! Very good!" Gandalf said from behind Thorin.

The Dwarf spun around and faced the wizard. Instead of his normal grey suit, Gandalf wore flowing grey robes with a long staff in his hands. Gandalf had long hair and a long beard, looking far more like a wizard should than Thorin ever had seen him in reality.

"What's going on?" Thorin asked.

"You are asleep in the Halls of Waiting," Gandalf said, "Your time has not come and your mind is fighting against death. You need to wake up, Thorin. This dream of yours was meant to wake you. No matter what you do, you will not have this back. You will never come to your childhood home again. So, your mind removed the one person you would have never met unless Smaug took Erebor."

"Bramble," Thorin said.

Gandalf nodded. "Thorin, I can only guide you out of the Halls of Mandos. I cannot take you by force. You have to do it yourself. You must wake up!"

Smaug came towards them. The dragon let out a great breath of flame. Thorin blinked.

He sat in a long stone hall. Dwarves sat across and beside him going on for what seemed miles and miles. All slept. Across from him was a Dwarf who looked like Frerin.

When Thorin blinked again, he was in pain. His whole body ached and his eyes did not want to remain open. But he did. The sun shined through the haze of humidity. The air smelled odd and it was too thick to be comfortable. It was not perfect.

Thorin was alive.

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All of the Dwarves stood around Thorin. Gandalf knelt over him, a hand on Thorin's forehead. Everyone was there except…

"The Hobbit?" Thorin asked.

"It's all right. Bramble is here. She's quite safe," Gandalf said with a soft smile.

Thorin began to move. Dwalin and Kíli helped him up. He shrugged the two off once he was on his feet. Thorin remembered bones breaking, but he just felt sore now.

The group parted to let Thorin through to Bramble. She lay on the ground, sobbing and bleeding.

"You! What were you doing? You nearly got yourself killed!" Thorin yelled.

Bramble looked up. "You're not dead."

Thorin limped over to the Hobbit as she stood up. He embraced her. "Of course I'm not. I have to protect my burglar, don't I?"

Bramble hugged him back and cried even more. "That was your one stupid action for this quest you majestic idiot!"

Thorin chuckled. "I used it up when I gave you a gun."

Bramble laughed and it eased the pain in Thorin's heart. He inhaled the scent of her hair, which should not have smelled as fantastic as it did at that moment. The scent of lilacs was long gone and all that was left was her. "Thank you, Bramble."

"I promised to protect the Company, which includes you," Bramble said.

Thorin pulled back, but kept a hold on Bramble's shoulders. "I am sorry I doubted you."

"No, I would have doubted me too. I'm not a hero or a warrior... not even a burglar."

The Company laughed heartily. Bramble smiled up at Thorin.

He realized why it was wrong when Bramble was not with him in his dream.

Before Thorin could fully process what he had just discovered, all of the motorcycles roared to life. The riders seemed to have golden feathers embroidered into their leather jackets.

"Can you give us a lift to New Mexico?" Bofur asked.

"WE ARE NOT A TAXI SERVICE!" the eagles shouted as they rode away.

The Company laughed again. Thorin pulled Bramble closer to him, her right side brushing against his left. She flinched.

"Sorry. I hurt myself in the tunnels," Bramble said.

"We should have Óin check on you," Thorin said.

Bramble nodded and rested her head against Thorin's chest, her shoulders slumping with relief. She hummed the song of the Lonely Mountain the Dwarves sang the night they were in Bag-End. The last bit of cold from the Halls of Waiting left Thorin. He felt a deep joy because she remembered his people's song.

A bird flew past them. "Is that a raven?" Ori asked.

"That, my dear Ori, is a thrush," Gandalf said.

"But we'll take it as a sign," Thorin said. He smiled down at Bramble. "A good omen."

Bramble was about to respond when she fell. Thorin was too injured to stop her, but he slowed her descent. "Bramble! What's wrong?"

"I'm feeling dizzy," Bramble said.

"Óin!" Thorin shouted.

The doctor was already there. "Where does it hurt professor?"

"She said her right side," Thorin replied.

"I'm fine," Bramble said, "I just need to sleep."

Thorin shifted so Bramble leaned against his chest as Óin rolled up Bramble's shirt. There was a purple and black bruise covering her right side from the bottom of her ribs all the way down to the top of her skirt.

"How long have you had this?" Óin asked.

"Don't know. Hurt since the tunnels," Bramble said. She struggled to keep her eyes open.

"Bramble, stay awake," Thorin said. He pinched her arm, but it barely had any effect on her.

"Gandalf, we need to get her to a hospital," Óin said, "I think she is bleeding eternally for at least twenty-four hours. If we don't get help, she may die."

"We don't even have a car!" Kíli said.

"Get her one!" Thorin shouted, "Save her Gandalf!"

"I can't," Gandalf said, "I have used as much of my power as I can to save you. Healing is not my gift and I would do more harm than good if I tried to help her now."

"I won't lose her after I found her again! Help her!" Thorin commanded.

"I might be able to call someone I know, but he lives in Florida and it will take time for him to get here," Gandalf said, "He may only take her since he has no love of Dwarves."

"I don't care! Save her!"

"No. No. I know you can't," Bramble said as she closed her eyes. "I know you can't risk this quest for the sake of one burglar. It's okay. Go."

"No! You're not just a burglar! Wake up! BRAMBLE!"

TO BE CONTINUED

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A/N: The Halls of Waiting in the Halls of Mandos I took from Tolkien's writings, but he is very vague so I took some license for it. I played "Dare You to Move" by Switchfoot for writing that part of the chapter.

Just to clarify, Thorin hugged Bramble as a bro-hug and not for it to be romantic and then when he pulled away went, "Oh, wait, I don't think of you as a bro. DURIN'S UNDERWEAR I'M SCREWED!" I direct you to this post on the hug.

Translations of Khuzdul - Thanks to khuzdul4u.

Adad - Father.

Amad - Mother.

Idad - Uncle.