· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·The journey from Lake-Town definitely had Loreth out of breath on a couple of occasions. Thorin would give her a concerned glance but she would wave him off. She was determined to get to that door as much as the dwarves were.
Passing through the eerily quiet town of Dale caused shivers to run up her spine that weren't related to the cold. There were still some bodies lying underneath the snow. Their untimely death from the dragon left a cold and monumental ruin of a once thriving city. Loreth's heart went out to all of the victims and the families that have suffered such a horrible loss. For a brief moment, Loreth wondered why she did nothing to stop the dwarves for entering the mountain. Wasn't that what a sane person should be doing right now?what band of people would go into a treasure hoard where there could potentially be a sleeping dragon? She couldn't explain it, it was as if feet carried her one step at a time, and her mouth refused to speak on the matter. Waking the dragon simply had to happen. She could feel it in her bones.
Dragons were a whole other deal because Loreth had never actually seen one or really knew what they were. She only knew what the dwarves described when they recounted the dragon coming. She just pictured, perhaps a warg sized lizard with bird wings on its back that could blow fire out of its mouth at will. She supposed that had to be close enough.
The front door to Erebor was breathtaking in its own right. Large and green with intricate dwarvish symbols around the perimeter. Two large stone statues of dwarves were carved of the same stone; guarding the large doors.
Loreth's thoughts were interrupted by Bilbo asking a question.
"Is this the overlook? Gandalf said to meet him here and on no account-" Thorin stopped him.
"Do you see him?" Thorin asked a bit harshly if you asked Loreth.
Bilbos brows furrowed in confusion.
"We have no time to wait upon the wizard. We're on our own. Come! We must find the door before it's too late!" With that they were off in search of the stairs again.
Bilbo was the one that found them moments after speaking with Thorin. They were carved into the side of the mountain; between two giant statues of dwarves. To anyone it would've just looked like an intricate carving or piece of art. It was genius come to think of it, however Loreth was inwardly groaning at the sight. She was doubting her ability to climb such a thing in her condition but she was willing to try.
Thorin clapped Bilbo on the shoulder proudly, "you have keen eyes, master Baggins."
Thorin led them to the base of the stairs before giving out orders, "Bilbo, you go first, followed by Loreth. If anything were to go wrong anyone of us could catch you." Thorin's plan soothed some of Loreth's nerves. Some. There was still the act of climbing all of that.
Bilbo wasted no time in climbing the stone stairs. Loreth was reluctant but she let her body guide her to the stone and start climbing.
After a few stories Loreth found herself needing a small breather but she pushed on. Sweat beaded her brow and her breathing was labored. She didn't know how she found the strength to make it to the top. She assumed it had something to do with Thorin's words of encouragement, spoken lowly so only she could hear.
Once she was at the top she wasted no time collapsing by a stone on the ground and catching her breath. A wave of nausea overcame her and she felt she was going to be ill for a moment. She cursed those Lake Men then for ripping the medicine from her neck, having mistaken her for a sea witch.
Thorin's handsome face filled her view and for a moment the nausea was gone, "doing alright, darling?"
She couldn't speak yet but she waved him off and gave a nod, not trusting herself to speak. Thorin handed her his water skin which she took greedily. He told her to rest a moment there before he himself walked over to the stone wall. It definitely didn't look like a door. She supposed that was the catch though. It was supposed to look like nothing was there. Just a slab of stone.
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Fire and Water ThorinxMermaid!OC
Fanfiction**FULLY EDITED** 🏅#2 in LOTR out of 6,000 stories 4/3/2024 🏅#1in Thorin 5/08/23 and again on 6/14/23 🏅#1 in thehobbit on 7/2/23 #1 in Thorinoakenshield 12/15/22 #18 in mermaid on 1/22/23 ------- Thorin Oakenshield x OC!Mermaid because there need...