Chapter 30

"How do I know this isn't a trick? You could kill me the moment I turn my back," Din pointed out. The flurry of wind returned, but this time it encircled both of them, keeping the orcs and men outside at bay to give them a moment to talk.

Arthenon pursed his lips together and clenched the hand he had extended to her into a frustrated fist. "Because I can't take the stone from you! For whatever reason the bloody thing chose you. It's purpose is to destroy evil, so that's what we'll do."

"Din!" Outside the vortex behind her, Bard watched her with wide eyes, probably afraid that this strange elf was trying to kill her. Arthenon was not wearing the elven armor that Thranduil's troops were, so there was nothing to indicate what side he was on.

"Let him in," Din insisted. Arthenon rolled his eyes and turned to pull Bard inside.

Bard rushed forward and reached down to help her stand. "Are you alright?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"Who is that?" he asked, eying Arthenon cautiously.

"It's a long story. We have a battle to fight." Din nodded to the elf and stood in front of the barrier. On the other side, several orcs stood, waiting for an opportunity. Her heart rate picked up until her arms shook with adrenaline and fear. Glancing around, she realized that the men of Lake-Town had been pushed back further down the alley. Far enough that . . .

"Duck!" she shouted to Bard and Arthenon. They did so and the moment Arthenon released the vortex, she sent a burst of flames from the stone the way she had on the shore of the Long Lake. Every orc that had been waiting for them now scrambled in pain as the fire seemed to cling to them the way Gandalf's fire had clung to the orcs when they had been trapped up that tree. Was it because the stone was meant to fight such things?

Could she aim it in one direction, she wondered? As Bard and Arthenon began dispatching the distracted orcs, Din faced down the other alley and the orcs storming toward them. They were being funneled awfully nicely. She thrust the stone forward, imagining what she wanted to happen, and a stream of flames shot nearly thirty feet through their ranks, burning almost every orc. The three of them now sprinted among them, killing all but the ones who had already burned to death at the back. For hours the battle raged and they continued to move about the city. She had to be more careful in most places, as there were men and even some of Thranduil's elves among the orcs. She did not want to risk burning them, too, so she kept the stone in her pocket once more. She fought her way up to the wall to get a look at the battlefield below. The dwarven forces were backed against the gate of Erebor. There had to be something they could do.

"Din!" Along the wall scuttled a short little hobbit.

"Bilbo!" She grinned, relieved to see he was still alright as he scampered to her side and then braced his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

"I picked this from Bard's pocket." He held up the Arkenstone, glimmering in the sunlight, and Din's breath caught. "I . . . I hoped that if I got them past this gold settlement then they would work together against the orcs in your vision. I know it was foolish, but I had to do something."

"I know." Din offered a smile that made Bilbo chuckle, albeit anxiously. He reached forward and took her hand, pressing the stone into her grip.

"Return this to Thorin with my apologies."

"You make it sound as if you will never see him again."

Bilbo shook his head. "I do not think he would be happy to see me after what I did. Not in the state he's in."

Sadness brought a tingle to Din's nose. "He will come back. I have to believe he will come back." A loud horn blared across the field, startling Din. It was not the horrible sound of the orcs' horns that she had been hearing, but a clean sound. A few notes of the song of Durin. When it finished, something burst through the rubble piled at the door to Erebor. Though she could not see them from this distance, she could only guess that the company was finally joining the battle. The dwarf army flooded forward again against the orcs.

Din lifted her sword against footsteps to their right but found only Gandalf sprinting their way.

"The dwarves, they're rallying," Bilbo explained. Gandalf beamed.

"They're rallying to their king," he said. Din's heart was lifted with joy and she veered around the pair to rejoin the battle. Bard's forces fought their way through the left side of the city to a wide street of homes where there was now plenty of room for Din to let out the occasional burst of fire without harming anyone on her side. Around orcs she wove, using her small stature to her advantage and slashing her emblazoned blade at anything it could reach. The orcs were thinning, but there was still no end in sight.

"Din!" Up on the wall, Bilbo gestured toward the mountain range to the west of the city. She couldn't see what had his attention, so she sprinted between the many tall figures and scampered up the weathered stairs back up to the wall. She found Bilbo and Gandalf on the wide flat section of the wall next to an old guard house.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Bilbo pointed once again to the mountains. Four mountain goats ridden by dwarves were riding up the side to the outpost on top of the mountain. "It's Thorin."

"And Fili, and Kili, and Dwalin," Gandalf amended. Din moved around the hobbit for a better view. Was Azog up there? It was the only reason she could think of for Thorin to be bringing his strongest fighters. Her mind turned back to the latest dream she'd had, of Thorin standing at her side. Was that the key, somehow? She doubted the stone was sentimental. It wouldn't have just shown that to her because it was something she wanted to see, would it? If she joined him up there, would that help end the battle with fewer casualties? She spun to the battle below her, searching for any sign of Arthenon. There was no point, of course. It was impossible to pick out one figure in the writhing mess of war.

The dwarf lass looked down at the Silmaril in her hand. Since the elf could sense the stone, could she use it to call him to her in a way? She gripped it tighter, directing her anxiety at it. It gave a flicker and she couldn't help but feel that it was trying to sympathise with her. But the elf did not come. It was a long shot, anyway. Would he be able to tell if the mood of the stone changed or was it just a constant kind of signal that just told him where it was? Fear gripped Din's stomach.

"What is it, dwarf?"

Din gasped in surprise and spun around. Arthenon looked annoyed, but at least he was here. "Can you send me somewhere like that?" she asked. His eyes narrowed.

"I do not know. I've never tried. Where exactly do you need to go?"

"My king is up there, confronting the leader of the orc army." She pointed up the mountain toward the watchtower. "Can you try to send me up there?"

The elf scrunched his brows. He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath, then waved his hand wind gently began to swirl around her. "I can try. It'll feel odd, so don't be surprised if you lose your breakfast. Took a long time to get used to."

Din nodded. "Alright. Just do it." The elf gestured again as he used the spell and nausea turned her stomach quickly as vertigo took hold of her. It felt as if the world were spinning, but she could see it wasn't. It was disorienting, so she closed her eyes. The spinning sensation worsened and worsened and then finally lessened. She opened her eyes and found herself amidst different ruins, a small suburban area that must have housed the families of the guards that had stood watch up here. She did indeed lose the contents of her stomach, but as there hadn't exactly been time to stop for lunch during the battle, it was already more or less empty.

She wove through the structure to where she heard the sounds of a fight. Din navigated her way through the small maze of decimated structures until she found the border, alongside a frozen river. A handful of orcs had ambushed the four dwarves, but she arrived in time to see Thorin pull his sword from one of the monstrosities' chest. She crossed her arms over her chest and smiled, leaning against the crumbling archway.

"Glad to see you didn't lose your touch while you were sitting on your backside up there," she jested. Kili found this amusing, as a sputtered laugh escaped him. Surprise tightened Thorin's shoulders beneath his blue tunic as he turned to find her.

"Din?" After only a moment of gazing at her inquiringly, he sheathed his sword and strode over and wrapped his arms around her. His warmth enveloped her and any thought of battle or danger left her as she embraced him. "I feared I would not find you alive," Thorin whispered into her hair.

A small laugh bubbled up from her chest and she pulled back to look up at him. "At some point you'll have to trust that I can handle myself." She took stock of their surroundings, which all appeared to have gone untouched since Dale was abandoned sixty years ago. She remembered why she was even up here and turned back to Thorin.

"So, what's the plan?"

"Azog is supposed to be up here, but as you can see, it looks empty," Kili explained.

Dwalin crossed his arms over his sizable chest, analyzing the odd tower with the eyes of a seasoned warrior. "In war, appearances are rarely what they seem."

"Indeed," Thorin agreed. "Fili, Kili, scout out the tower and report back if you find anything. Do not engage."

"Aye."

"Hold up, lads, I'm coming, too." Din turned to Thorin again, who gave her a stern look. She held up a hand to stop his protest. "Don't bother trying to convince me otherwise. I'm going with them. But first, I need to return what is yours." She dug into her pocket and withdrew the Arkenstone. Her guilt must have saddened her features because his brows creased in confusion and concern. "It was I, not Bilbo who took this from the mountain. I wanted to give it to you, but by the time I reached Erebor, you were already consumed by your grandfather's treasure. I . . . I was so afraid that if I gave it to you, I would lose you. I couldn't bare to see that happen to you."

Thorin made no move to accept the stone. If anything, he seemed resistant to even look at it. Was he, too, afraid of losing himself again? Din pulled his hand forward and pressed the faintly illuminated gem into his thickly gloved palm. For several heart beats, all he did was look at her. When he did finally step forward, she assumed he was moving in for a grateful embrace, but the fingers of his free hand grazed across her cheek and brushed into her hair. She saw it coming now, but it still surprised her when his lips met hers. Her breath caught and she couldn't react at first. Then she lifted to her tip-toes to bridge the height gap between them as best she could and returned the kiss. The blissful moment of eternity ended far too soon, but the battle pressed down on them.

The horrible screeching of goblins approached from the ruins. "I love you," he whispered, and then said to both her and the boys, "Go." Din was reluctant to leave Thorin and Dwalin to distract the goblins, but Fili tugged on her arm. It was time to go.

"Be safe," she pleaded. Thorin nodded and ushered her to go. She turned and followed Kili and Fili into the fog that clung to the surface of the frozen water. It was tricky to cross without slipping. Her feet continuously slid across the sleek surface and she would bump into one of the lads. Almost knocked them over a few times, too. The tower still looked abandoned, even up close. If the orcs were hiding, they were adept at it. Fili poked his head through the door and signaled that it was clear. In they went. The halls were dark, but Din didn't dare light the Silmaril. Further they delved, but still no sign of the enemy. Fili signaled for them to pause.

"This place is too big. We can't spend all day creeping through the bloody place," he whispered.

"It's odd that they're not here. It's the perfect vantage point. Surely you actually spotted Azog atop this place before coming all the way up here?"

Kili nodded. "He was sending signals from the top. Where could his orcs have gone?"

Din was about to suggest they turn back to avoid cornering themselves in the dark when she caught the flickering of torchlight on the walls, approaching from around the corner. She gestured to it and the boys' eyes widened. Fili gripped her arm and turned her around for them to flee. They made it about twenty paces when more torchlight came into view. The clattering of feet drew nearer from both sides and Din readied the Silmaril. As soon as the flood of orcs came into view, she released a stream of fire on them. With the condensed space, the fire seemed to do more damage. A handful of orcs died before they reached the dwarves and Kili and Fili lunged on those that remained. They continued to fight their way through and Din turned to burn the orcs behind them to hold them off. Instead, some sort of hooked rope wrapped around her ankles.

A hard yank ripped her of her feet. She threw her arms out to brace herself but her elbows collided into the brick with such painful force that the Silmaril flew from her hand. Her head smacked into the floor, leaving her disoriented. The hook, a grappling hook by the look of it, held her feet firmly gripped together. Someone started pulling on the rope to drag her across the floor closer to the approaching orcs. She screamed and caught grip of the hole of a missing brick to stop herself from being hauled into the mob. Fili and Kili spun to find her but their faces said what she already suspected. There were too many. A troop of the monstrosities sprinted past her and the orc at the other end of the rope continued to pull hard. The brick she held was coming loose.

"Just run!" she shrieked. The brick finally fell loose and her captor began to reel her in. Orcs kicked her as they stomped past and by the time she stopped scraping against the floor she felt dizzy and bruised. It was a few orcs who had pulled her in apparently, not just one.

"What's the matter?" One of them spat in a gnarled voice. "No more fire stone?" Din snarled and reached for her sword, but a large foot clamped it to the floor before she could unsheath it. She tried not to look afraid when she looked up at Azog. The orc who had spoken turned to him, now using their tongue. Azog's lips pulled away from sharp teeth in a wicked grin as he said something back. Her heart pounded in her chest. The orcs around her closed in and reached down for her.

Drums pounded from the tunnels behind her as Azog dragged her bruised body out. The sun was harsh after the dark conditions and the air was brisk and cruel. He held her by the back of her chainmail shirt and lugged her to the edge of the tower until her head peeked over. Below, she caught a glimpse of Fili and Kili before they hid in the door of the tower. The orcs who had pursued them lay slain on the ground outside.

Azog gave a rough kick to Din's bruised stomach to roll her over and his large hand clamped down on her throat. He lifted her easily and held her so her feet dangled over the side. She gripped his wrist to hold herself up so she wouldn't suffocate, though his grip was tight enough that she might anyway. He began calling something out, most likely to Thorin as a taunt, and Din subtly slipped two fingers into her wrist guard. He wasn't even looking at her, didn't see her as a threat, so it didn't really matter. He continued to call out to Thorin while Din's fingers found the handle of her slim dirk. Now she just had to trust that Fili and Kili will have seen her dangling over the side and were ready to catch her. One look at the wicked blade protruding from Azog's other arm had her convinced that she would rather risk becoming paraplegic if the lads weren't ready then have Thorin suffer to know she died at the hands of his mortal enemy.

Din took as deep a breath as she could manage with Azog's hand gripped tightly around her throat and pulled the small blade from her wrist guard. She stabbed it through the wrist of the hand he held her with and ripped it out to stab again. Surprise and pain contorted Azog's mangled face and he released her the way one would instinctively drop a hot pan. Once again, the sensation of free-falling overtook her. As the orcs disappeared from her view, Azog shouted an order. She could guess what it was and found herself unable to breath until arms braced firm against her fall. Sure enough, several archers peeked over the edge of the tower, their gnarled bows at the ready. Fili and Kili lunged with Din into the doorway moments before several arrows sank into the frozen ground. The moment they were in safety, both lads crushed her with a hug from each side. As much as it hurt her battered body, it warmed her heart.

"We're so sorry," Fili muttered. "We didn't want to leave you, there were just so many—"

"It's alright, I told you to go. There was no point in trying to get through that many just for me," she insisted. "We should go. The others will be worried."

They stepped back and gave her jesting looks. "You mean Thorin will be worried?" Kili asked. She felt her face flush.

"Well, I . . ."

"It's alright," Fili said with a bemused shake of his head. He stooped down to wretch a shield from the grip of a dead orc and she searched for a sword to replace the one Azog had taken. Instead she found a pair of long daggers that would have to suffice. The orcs in the tower would likely find their way back out soon and the archers were most likely waiting for them to come out.

"Your stone?" Kili asked. Din shook her head sadly. He patted her shoulder comfortingly and then turned to follow Fili out the door. They worked with impeccable teamwork. Almost the instant they stepped outside, Fili deflected an arrow away from his brother's head with a swipe of the shield while Kili readied an arrow of his own. He released it into the chest of one of the orcs and it tumbled from the rampart. Din could now hear the orcs stampeding down the stairs of the tower. With a glance across the river, she spotted Thorin and Dwalin sprinting for them.

Din, Fili, and Kili hid on either side of the door. With Thorin and Dwalin advancing, the orcs attention was drawn to them as they charged into the daylight. Kili began picking them off from behind as Dwalin and Thorin started to engage them. Din swung her blades tip-first into the doorway as an orc emerged and impaled itself on her daggers. She ripped them free and gashed the next across the chest. As it staggered forward she finished it off with a backward stab to the back, all the while turning to thrust her free blade into the collarbone of the next. She turned in time to see an orc with its blade raised above its head, ready to swing down on her. An arrow pierced through it's head before it could and she lunged out of the way as it fell forward.

She shot Kili a grateful grin, which he returned. Slowly, but surely, they thinned out the orcs by having them surrounded. The element of surprise went a long way to securing their victory as well. Din was astonished to now find Bilbo among them.

It was short lived, however. A flurry of enormous bats flew overhead, accompanied by a battalion of a strange kind of orc that flowed over the ruins across the river. Someone, Bilbo she discovered, grabbed her hand and pulled her after the others up the stairs beside the tower to the rest of the ruins. They weren't safe from the monsters for long, however. In the chaos that ensued, she lost track of everyone and was too busy trying to stay alive to look for them. The bats were more difficult to dispatch due to their small, nimble forms, but she managed to clear the air around her. At the first chance at a deep breath, she looked around wildly and found herself alone. She had merely slain the stragglers who had paused to kill her. Well, except for the rest of the horde pouring down on her. She took a few steps backward and jumped when someone suddenly spoke.

"Come with me." Arthenon reached down and grabbed her arm. The spinning sensation took over again. She closed her eyes until it passed and found herself in a dim room of one of the only buildings that still seemed to be intact in this decimated place. Din hunched over to wretch, but there was nothing in her stomach to lose.

"Are you alright?" Arthenon asked. The dwarf nodded as she took deep breaths to help the nausea pass.

"I need to find my friends," she finally said before fleeing the room. She moved at a quick pace a she navigated the seemingly endless number of dark hallways, peering out the small windows to make sure she was heading the right way. Eventually, she came to a room that was missing a wall. It was on the second floor, but she jumped out anyway. The frozen ground crunched beneath her feet. They were on elevated ground and she could see the frozen river below, glinting in the late afternoon sun.

"Wait," Arthenon landed beside her and held her arm again.

She whirled on him. "I can't wait, I need to find them."

"Why weren't you using your magic? You could have easily gotten rid of those things."

"I . . ." Din hesitated. "I don't have the stone. I lost it a little while ago." Arthenon started to inquire for more specifics but a shout caught Din's attention. There, on the ice, she spotted Thorin locked in battle with a few of the odd, monstrous orcs. Her heart tightened. Had he returned to the river to find her?

"Well, what happened to it? Where is it?" Arthenon persisted. Din growled when she turned to him.

"I lost it in the watchtower over there. Can't you sense it?"

"I, well, no. I only found you because I came looking when the bats swarmed. I can't sense it anymore. I . . ." The elf's lips pursed. "We need to go look for it."

"But Thorin—"

"Is your king, as you said, and should be more than capable of handling a few orcs. We cannot risk the stone being picked up by some orc filth and carried off." He strode past her, hastening toward the watchtower.

"Arthenon!" She called after him. He made no sign that she had heard. He would take the stone, she knew, if she let him find it alone. If not with his hands, then with a cloth or something. But when she looked down at Thorin, she knew what her decision had to be. She clenched her fingers into fists and began sprinting down the shambled stone steps for Thorin. It seemed to take ages for her to even reach the ground floor and even longer to reach the river. She couldn't seem to find Thorin anywhere.

"Thorin?" She called out. After a pause she heard the sounds of a fight drift on the wind and spotted Thorin's curtain of dark hair whipping around as he dodged the swings of a large flail. Azog looked like a mountain compared to him. She gripped her daggers tighter and bolted for them. The giant missed once again and the boulder at the end of his chain settled on the ground. Din picked up speed and made a running leap, using it as a stepping stone to leap at the orc's back. The daggers sunk into the enormous muscles rippling on his back and he staggered to his knees with a loud roar of pain.

He reached over and grabbed the back of her chainmail shirt and yanked her off him as if she were a doll. At least she had the sense to pull the daggers out. Her hair flew in front of her face as she soared through the air until she collided with Thorin. His arms were outstretched to catch her, but the force still knocked him off his feet. The back of her head smacked into his chest when they hit the ground and she heard the air rush from his lungs.

"I'm sorry," she muttered as she rolled off of him to help him to his feet. Thorin looked over her head and gave her a rough shove to the side. She braced herself when her back started sliding across the ice and could do nothing to stop the flail from slamming into Thorin. "No!" She screeched. At first, Thorin didn't move when he landed but she could see his chest moving up and down as he breathed. Azog advanced on Thorin until Din stood and drew his attention. The orc glowered at her and swung the flail. It was fairly easy to dodge since it moved slowly, but her heart pounded in her chest knowing the damage it would do if it ever found its mark.

The small dwarf wove around his blows until she was close enough to strike. Azog had to release the flail in order to move away from the sweep of her blades. She managed a few good gashes before he started to learn her style. He started to land blows to her ribs and face with his monstrous fist. He even taunted her by allowing her enough time to stand whenever the hit was hard enough to knock her to the ground. She staggered to her feet for the half-dosenth time and made to swing again but he dodged and grabbed her left arm. He smacked the dagger out of her right with his bladed arm and squeezed her left wrist tighter and tighter until she released the dagger with a scream. Then he kicked her feet out from under her so that she fell face-first onto the ice, but didn't release her arm. Instead, he pressed a foot down on her upper arm and snapped her arm backward. Pain exploded as the upper bone snapped. She screamed.

Azog rolled her over and grabbed her by the throat again and dragged her over to where Thorin lay gasping for breath. With her broken arm and beaten body, there was little she could do to stop him, but she kicked him with what energy she had as he lifted her from the ice. It was no use. Her body was too broken to fight back anymore. It was difficult to hold herself up with just one arm as she had done on the watchtower and she could feel her lungs starting to burn for air.

Azog lifted his other arm, poised to stab her with its grotesque blade in front of Thorin. She started to squirm anew to no avail. Thorin gripped Orcrist tight and swung it at Azog, but the beast used his sword's dual-bladed design to pin Thorin's blade down. The point edged closer and closer to Thorin's chest. She couldn't breath. This couldn't happen, but what could she do? Thorin's blue eyes drifted to her and locked with her gaze. She could see the apology and grief in their icy blue depths. A sob whimpered from her lungs.

Thorin pulled his blade free of its struggle with Azog's, allowing the jagged orcish blade to sink into his chest. Azog grinned wickedly and dropped Din as Thorin cried out. Din fell uselessly to the ground, landing poorly on her broken arm. The orc was either too elated with his victory or just too stupid, but he didn't see it coming when Thorin rended Orcrist through his chest. Thorin rolled the stunned orc onto the ground to sink it further in. The orc's limbs slumped against the ice as his life left him.

Thorin, unfortunately, was in no better condition. He fumbled wobbly to his feet, probably in shock from his wound. He was staring at the sky. Only then did she notice the eagles flying around. She forgot about them when Thorin fell to the ground once more. "Thorin," she said, feeling tears sting her eyes. She stumbled to her feet and hurried over, falling at his side. "Thorin," she repeated.

"Din," he rasped. "You're alright."

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. And you . . ." she said as she searched for his wound. It was bad. Really bad. She grimaced and pinched her eyes closed, unable to form the words to say he would also be alright. His hand found her cheek to brush a tear away with his thumb. "I'm sorry I failed you, my king," she sobbed.

A glint beside Thorin's eyes told her he, too, was crying, which broke her heart even more. "You did not fail me. As long as you are safe, the world will be brighter."

"Thorin!" Din heard Bilbo cry out. The hobbit scampered over and knelt at Thorin's other side. After one look at Thorin's wound, he tried not to gag.

"Bilbo, I'm glad you're here. I wish to part from you in friendship."

"No," Bilbo argued. "You're not going anywhere, Thorin. You're going to live."

"Bilbo . . ." Din muttered with a wobbling lip.

"I take back my words and my deeds at the gate. You did what only a true friend would do. Forgive me. I was too blind to see it. I am so sorry that I have led you into such peril." Thorin gave a haggard cough, his words thick with emotion.

"No, I'm glad to have shared in your perils, Thorin. Each and every one of them. It is far more than any Baggins deserves."

Thorin smiled and his voice grew quieter. "Farewell, Master Burglar. Go back to your books and your armchair. Plant your trees. Watch them grow. If more people valued home above gold, this world would be a merrier place." Thorin groaned and tried to breathe, but it was obvious it was painful to do so. He turned to Din again. "I am sorry, amrâlimê. We will meet again in the Halls of Waiting." Din couldn't help a sob, nor could she stop the tears from pouring down her cheeks. She pressed her forehead to his and pressed her right hand to the side of his face.

"Men lananubukhs menu," she said in their tongue. He smiled weakly and closed his eyes before he went still. He was gone. She wasn't sure how long she sat beside him, crying. One by one, the rest of the company found them. All except for Kili, who she learned had also fallen at the hands of the leader of the second orcish army. She only looked up when a glimmering stone was pressed to the ground near her. Din looked up into Arthenon's face, downcast with sadness for her grief. He released the stone and stepped back, returning it to her. The battle was over. The aid of the eagles had brought them to victory. But she couldn't seem to stop crying.

TA 3023, Erebor, The Lonely Mountain

83 years after the Battle for Erebor, Four years after the War of the Ring

Din stepped cautiously into the tomb. It had been a long time since she had come down here. A very long time. She held the Silmaril out, letting its light illuminate the room. A second source of light ignited from a staff to the left of King Thorin's crypt. The wizard's blue eyes shone bright in the white light.

"Why did you want me to meet you here, Gandalf?" The wizard looked down at the crypt.

"I do not believe he is truly dead."

Din clenched her fingers into fists. "Why in the name of Durin would you make such a claim after so many years. I was there when he died, Gandalf. You know that." She turned to leave, boiling with anger, but guilt settled in her gut. "I know you mean well, but no good can come from digging up such old wounds." She started to march out when the loud rumble of stone sliding against stone made the floor rumble. Din turned to see the large slab atop his coffin slide off from a spell of Gandalf's.

"What are you doing?" She cried out in outrage. She bolted back over. Gandalf simply stared inside and she couldn't help looking as well, even though she knew it would horrify her to see Thorin's bones. But it was not his bones that she found. She gasped and gaped like a fool. Thorin's body remained unchanged. No, not unchanged. His wounds were gone, replaced with scars as if he had simply healed over time and his skin was a colorless grey. His hands were cupped on his chest, where the Arkenstone rested. No one outside the company knew it had been buried with him. "What—" She could find no more words.

"Do you see the similarities?" Gandalf asked.

"Between what?" Din sputtered. The wizard's glance slid to the glowing stone in her hand and she felt her eyes widen. She stared down at the Arkenstone.

"You think the Arkenstone is a Silmaril?"

"Not only that. I think it is bound to him the way yours is to you. Yours bonded with you when you were willing to sacrifice your own life to save Kili's as children. I believe the same thing happened when Thorin sacrificed himself for you."

"But how could he be alive?" Din asked.

"It is more as if he sleeps rather than death; A stasis that sustains his body until his soul can be returned to it. I believe the stone stored his soul somewhere."

Din could not pull her gaze from Thorin's still face. "If he slumbers, then we can wake him."

AN: And thus, we reach the rumor that inspired me to write this story in the first place; Speculations that the Arkenstone might be a Silmaril. I hope you enjoyed the ending! I know "amrâlimê" isn't actually a dwarvish term, but since there isn't really one for "my love" I decided to use the one the movie came up with. And as for why I saved Fili, I felt his death was pointless in the movie. It accomplished nothing except to shock the audience and then he was never even mentioned again. D: So rather than letting Dain get the throne, I wanted to keep Fili so he could be king.