The Gathering Storm. The Hobbit fanfic. A Thorin Oakenshield love story.

Chapter 24: Rhovanion.

About two months after Smaug's attack on Erebor. T.A. 2770:

Thorin's POV:

"Keep moving," Thorin yelled out to his fellow dwarves.

It had been about two months since the dragon known as Smaug attacked Erebor. Robbed of their homeland, the dwarves of Erebor were now wandering Rhovanion also known as Wilderland. It was a large region of northern Middle-earth. The Great River Anduin flowed through it, and the immense forest of Greenwood the Great (now known as Mirkwood) was a part of it. They would set up camp just outside of small villages of the race of men. They would get jobs in the mines, the forge, and some in libraries working as scribes in the villages they camped nearby. A once mighty people brought low.

They were currently heading south going around the forest of Mirkwood. They were not going to go through the forest for Thorin knew how dangerous it was by what Taryn had told him. And they did not want to go anywhere knew Thranduil's kingdom since he just watched them and did not offer them any help.

"When are we making camp?" One of the other dwarves asked Thorin.

"Soon," was all Thorin said back to the dwarf that had asked.

Thorin's mind was currently preoccupied on other thoughts. He had been thinking about Taryn a lot lately since losing her when Smaug attacked Erebor.

"Your thinking of her again, aren't you?" Dwalin asked Thorin in more of a telling a statement then asking a question.

Thorin let out a long painful sigh. He was heartbroken to have lost his Azyûngal. They were suppose to be married by now, but instead he was homeless and she was dead.
(love of all loves, the one in Khuzdûl).

"Yes, but you know I'm always thinking of her Dwalin." Thorin said back to him with a long sigh.

After a couple of hours of walking, they finally made it to a spot where they could set up their camp. Instead of a mountain kingdom for a home, they now had tents set up for sleeping quarters. Many of the dwarves got jobs in the nearby village. Thorin was working as a blacksmith in the towns forge. The young Dwarf Prince took work where he could find it, laboring in the villages of men, but always he remembered the mountain smoke beneath the moon, the trees like torches blazing bright, for he had seen dragon fire in the sky, and his city turned to ash, and never forgave, and he never forgot.

Dwalin had gotten work in a nearby mine and Balin his brother had gotten work in the town library. They did what they had to do, to make money, to buy the supplies they needed to survive.

But Thorin's Azyûngal was always on his mind. He knew he would never love another and never marry, for Dwarves only ever loved once and she was his one.

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That is the end of chapter 24. I really hope you enjoyed it. Sorry it is short, but I just wanted to do something quick from Thorin's point of view. I didn't want to spend to long on it. Especially since I don't know for sure where the dwarves went after Smaug attacked and before they ended up in Dunland. Or how long it would take to get places lol.

I will do one more quick author's note chapter and then off to the time jump and quest.

Thank you for all of the reads, votes, and comments. I really appreciate them.