My feet are killing me as we tread up the mountain, the dwarves on the other hand are eager to reach the secret door as soon as possible. Each time a dwarf holds my hand pulling me up along them, they can feel that I'm struggling. It's late afternoon and the sun is casting long shadows. I sit on a rock telling the others to go ahead and I'll join them when I've caught my breath. Thorin would not hear of it, he stays standing with me and I can feel his restlessness as each moment passes. I sigh and get up, he holds my hand starts climbing the long stairs leading to the secret door. When we reach to the top the burn in my calves is strong and I'm panting. I find a rock to lean on as the others start guessing where the door might be. There's hope and excitement in the company as we've almost reached the doors, now it's only a matter of time.
The dwarves had scattered each looking at the mountain from a different side trying to make out where the doors can be, they were secret doors after all. Thorin stood on a platform, "This must be it, the hidden door." he says nearing the wall in front of him. He turned eyes twinkling, "Let all who doubted us rue this day!" he said triumphantly as he held the key in his hand. The sun was beginning to set. The dwarves cheered.
Dwalin was inspecting the stone trying to find the key hole. "We are losing light, come on" Thorin said as Nori started to tap on the wall. The dwarves were getting restless now, as the sun was almost gone, Thorin's expression had gone into panic mode, "Break it down" he shouted.
The dwarves began to swing their axes at the door. "It's no use, the door is sealed" Balin said with a neutral expression knowing full well that no one could break it. The last rays of the sun dipped behind the mountain "No!" Thorin exclaimed as all hope left is face and it morphed into grief and disappointment. My heart broke into a million pieces seeing him like this. The dwarves turned back around to the stairs, their heads down, shoulders hanging and started walking down.
"You can't give up now." I say coming in front of Thorin.
"It's over Maur." he said shaking his head letting the key slide from his hand and fall with a light thump as he made his way down, he held my wrist expecting me to follow him. I shake my head and try to reason with him but he just went down. I sat there trying to remember what Elrond had told us. When I hear a light tap both mine and Bilbo's head snap up. A bird settles on the rock next to the wall tapping it's beak on it.
"A thrush" I breath out as we turn and look at the sky, the first light of moon lights the wall and and falls on the key hole.
"Thorin!" I shout not caring about the way my voice bounces off the mountains. "Come back the door the door."
"The key where's the key." Bilbo shouts in an equally louder voice.
Thorin turns and runs back up the others at his heels.
"Where's the key?" Bilbo asks again as we all begin searching the ground as Bilbo hits the key with his foot with a soft clink and it almost falls off the mountain when a large heavy boot lands on it's chain. I look in horror but then I follow the boot up to soft blue eyes looking at me. He smiles at me holding the key up and stretching his arm to gab my hand.
He put the kay in the hole and turned with a grunt he pushed the door and it gave way.
"Erebor." He whispered as he entered the Mountain.
"Thorin." Balin's voice broke as tears rolled down his cheek.
"I remember these walls, these halls. This stone, you remember it Balin? Chambers filled with golden light." he said voice thick with emotion. I felt a tear roll down my cheek.
"Here lies the seventh kingdom of Durin's Folk." Bombur read as everyone entered the mountain, "May the heart of the mountain unite all dwarves in defence of this home."
"What's above that?" Bilbo asked staring at the carved picture.
"The Arkenstone" Balin provided
"And what's that?" Bilbo questioned as Thorin turned towards him.
"That Master Burglar is why you are here." Thorin replied.
Balin took Bilbo farther down the hallway whispering something to him. I stood there looking around as Thorin came and stood beside me. Holding my hand he said, "Once Smaug is taken care of I will show you every single hall and chamber in the mountain." As we walked down the tunnel I saw something golden and my eyes widened, there were mountains of gold, jewellery, coins.
We exited the mountain as we waited for Bilbo the ground shook hard. I looked up at Balin, "Was that an earthquake?"
"That my dear is the dragon." he replied his eyes full of worry.
I jumped up, "Bilbo" I whispered as I turned to go inside the mountain I felt a firm hand n my wrist, I turned and saw Thorin shaking his head eyes fixed on my face.
"What about Bilbo?" I said
"Give him more time" Thorin said looking away as confusion wrinkled my brow.
"More time for what? To get killed?" I asked "We need to help him."
"I will not risk the quest for a burglar" Thorin shot
"Bilbo, his name is Bilbo." Balin was getting impatient now.
I couldn't believe the way Thorin was acting. I looked him in the eye and said, "I'm going to help him." Wringing my hand from his I entered the mountain, I stood there rooted with fear as I saw a huge tail swishing in the gold and hitting a pillar. I felt an arm wrap around my waist as Thorin turned and hid us behind a pillar. "I'm not leaving without Bilbo" I said as his arm tightened around my waist.
That is when I heard feet pattering, "Bilbo, Thank God you are alive."
"Not for much longer." he said eyes widened with fear.
"Did you find it? The Arkenstone." Thorin said as soon he saw Bilbo
"The Dragon is coming, we should run" Bilbo panted
"The Arkenstone" Thorin shouted holding his arm firmly
I held Thorin's hand and growled, "Stop it."
Bilbo looked at Thorin nervously, "No I did not."
Thorin drew his sword and walked towards Bilbo taking him to the edge, I placed my hand on the blade, "Stop it."
The others entered the mountain and that's when I saw him, the dragon was so big that not in my widest dreams could I have imagined it. The dwarves held up their weapons standing firmly in front of the dragon.
"You will burn." Smaug growled and my heart dropped to the pit of my stomach.
"Run" Thorin shouted as we all ran down the stairs. I screamed as Thorin's cloak caught fire and Dwalin pulled it off him quickly.
Thorin pushed me ahead of him, "Don't stop." We came to a bridge connecting the two openings. There was a complete silence, we hid behind the pillars as we moved forward. There was a tink of metal hitting the floor and we all halted. Smaug was too cunning , he was trying to hunt us silently. We all patted ourselves down but it didn't come from us.
Smaug flew above us. Thorin and Dwalin motioned for us to move. We crossed the bridge and Thorin broke into a slow jog as we came to a hall. He took another turn and halted, I bumped into him but he didn't move. I followed his eyes and gasped. There were bodies for hundreds of dwarves covered with cobwebs and ashes. As the others saw them they were struck dumb, "There's no way out" Dwalin said pain in his voice.
Thorin was the first one to snap out of it, "We make for the forges."
"He'll se us" Dwalin replies but Thorin shook his head.
"Not if we split up"
"We'll never be able to make it" Balin said
"Some of us might" Thorin said looking at him, "Lead him to the forges" he said more in control, "If this is to end in fire then we should all burn together!"
Thorin, Bilbo, Balin and myself ran towards the forges from one side.
"Flee, run for your lives." I heard Smaug growl.
"It's this way." Balin shouted as we all ran after him.
Thorin pushed Bilbo towards Balin, when Smaug opened his mouth and shot fire at us. I yelped from the heat but Thorin pulled me towards him jumping down into a transport wagon that descended rapidly. We fell out of the waggon when we reached the bottom but Smaug fired more fire at us. The heat was unbearable as Thorin pulled me, "Go!"
"The furnaces are stone cold, the plan will not work. We don't have fire hot enough to rekindle them" Dwalin provided.
Thorin smirked, "Have we not?"
"Out witted already?" He shouted into the opening, "You've grown slow and fat in your dotage, slug!" He taunted Smaug.
"Take cover!" as he pushed me behind a pillar holding me firmle against it.
There were scorching flames, when the subsided we saw the forges flaming.
"Bombur get those bellows working" he said loudly looking around as Bombur jumped off the edge without hesitating.
Thorin looked at me and Bilbo pointing to a lever on top of the stairs, " On my mark pull that lever."
We ran up stumbling and running as fast as we could.
"Now" Thorin yelled and we pulled the lever with all the strength we had.
There was a rumble and all the pipes shot out water towards Smaug, his fire dimmed as there was a cloud of smoke, Smaug screeched.
Thorin pulled a chain with a grunt as liquid gold came out of the pipes flooding the forges.
"Take him to the gallery of the kings. He grabbed a wheel barrow and taking off towards Smaug as Fili grabbed my arm and literally dragged me towards the rest of the company. We entered a huge hall.
"Here! you witless worm" Thorin shouted standing on the other side of the hall.
"You" Smaug growled as he turned towards Thorin
"I'm taking back what you stole" Thorin yelled
"You will get nothing from me dwarf, I laid low your warriors of old. I instilled terror in the hearts of men. I AM KING UNDER THE MOUNTAIN."
Smaug stalked closer to Thorin and my heart was in my mouth, we ran as Dwalin instructed us to grab the chains.
"This is not your kingdom, these are dwarf lands, this is dwarf gold and we will have our revenge!" Thorin boomed a command in Khuzdul and even though me and Bilbo were clueless as to what Thorin said we instinctively pulled the chains giving it all the force we could muster.
The metal creaked and sprung free and my mouth hung at an enormous statue of Thror. The gold that was still liquid spilled in waves and Smaug was buried under. He came out flapping his wings as gold fell everywhere. "Revenge? I will show you revenge." he bellowed as he ran to the opposite side.
"No" I whispered as realization struck, "What have we done ?"I ran towards the hole Smaug had exited from. The cool air made me gasp as I saw little showers of gold from the sky. I sank to my knees thinking about all those innocent people, Bard and hi children. "Help them God" I prayed.
The others stood on the rocks watching in terror as Smaug flew towards the town.
"Poor souls" Balin whispered shaking his head.
As we all looked at the hell we had let lose on the town Thorin was busy looking at the small statue on the mountain.
My breathing was getting shallower as I was nearing a panic attack when I felt a hand on my shoulder, "We killed them" I choked, "It's our fault."
He put his arm around me as I leaned into him crying profusely as we turned towards the mountain. We heard a ear shattering roar and turning we saw Smaug descending on the lake, his fire gone.
"Bard did it!" I exclaimed, he killed the dragon. I exclaimed jumping with as we all cheered and hugged each other.
"The ravens are returning to the mountain." Bombur said
"Aye, word will spread and soon everyone would know that the dragon is dead.