The Story of Us (Fili/The Hobbit)

41. The Great Feast

*Fili's POV*

The feast was about to begin. All Dwarves started shuffling into The Great Hall, chatting happily. They immediately took their spots in the large table, gazing at the delectable food which was neatly placed on it. I stood in the wide doorway and welcomed the remaining guests as they entered with a handshake and the falsest smile I could manage. The last Dwarf to walk in was one with a familiar face. I realized she was the one who was talking to Eleanor earlier in the day. Her cousin, Zaryn.

"Lovely to see you again, your Majesty." She said kindly as she shook my hand.
"I'm glad to see you are attending, Zaryn. By any chance, have you seen Eleanor? She said she would be attending as well."
Her features were full of concern as she looked at me straight in the eyes. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I haven't seen her. I already checked the places I figured she would be. Her chamber, the library. Perhaps she changed her mind?"

"Perhaps she did." I answered solemnly.

"What a shame." Zaryn commented, brushing her hair off her shoulder.

"Well we should get going now." She nodded as we proceeded towards our seats. It was too late to look for her now.
My mind was racing with a million thoughts. El said she would attend. She informed my mother she would. Why would she give her would and not come after all?
Fili, you need to stop and think for once. She probably had second thoughts. Yes but she still gave her word, another voice interfered. She promised your mother. You should be angry with her. She failed you. From out of my lighthearted state of mind, dismay crawled it's way out like a black spider ready to cause all sorts of mischief.
I pushed away the thoughts. I do not want to deal with this right now. Maybe before rushing to a conclusion, I should talk with her. Yes, yes, I should. Mother is going to be disappointed to hear this though.

I took my seat all the way at the far end of the long table, with my mother on one side and an empty seat on the other. Next to that seat was Zaryn. It's was as if mother could read my face like it was an open book, for she notice what was bothering me. She put a careful hand on mine. I read what she wanted to say out loud, it was in her eyes. I understand, darling, it's fine. Do not fret.

Patiently, I waited until all took their seats. Not far from me were the Company, minus Bilbo. I lightly smiled at them, glad to see them in such a cheery mood. I stood up from where I was sitting and let the chatter die down before I addressed what I had to say to everyone.
"First and foremost, I would like to welcome you all back to the kingdom of Erebor. After many years, we were successful in defeating the dragon and reclaiming our lost home. As the new King Under The Mountain, I promise you that I, along with the future Queen Eleanor Rilos and others, will do our best to restore Erebor to its full glory as it has been before. I'm sure that is what we would all like to see," I said whilst all nodded their heads in agreement.
"But as of right now, we shall live day by day in repairing our lives. Repairing our home, and repairing the relationships we once had with others. To move on from what has haunted us in the past. All of us have had hardships of our own. Whether it be the attack on Erebor. Whether it be sickness. Whether it be wars or suffering. Or the loss of someone you love. We can all get through this. By joining hands and keeping an optimistic attitude, we can do this one step at a time. We have all suffered at one point in our lives, so why should we not rejoice?
So I say unto you all, enjoy yourselves tonight. For I know that is what Thorin and my brother would want. Not to mourn but to be joyful. Now with that being said, let the feast commence!"

All the Dwarves cheered loudly and began digging into their food and ales. As much as I wanted to, I could not bring myself to eat a bite of anything. I just couldn't. A particular feeling of unease resided within me, but I did not know why or what the cause was. Am I anxious? Probably. Am I worried of Eleanor and her whereabouts? Yes. I doubt she would have just dropped everything and left. That is not like her. If she was not spotted in places she would most likely be, what then? Did something bad happen?
I sighed.
This is going to be a long night.

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After the feast, everyone gathered around to listen to the music these certain Dwarves made, which included instruments such as harps, flutes, and more. A wave of nostalgia crashed through me as I carefully listened to the soft, sweet melody of the harps. When we were children, uncle would like to play the harp. He said it would always relax him. No matter what we Kili and I were doing, if uncle was about to use that harp, we would run and slide down onto the floor as we stared up at him. We could listen to him for hours if we wanted to. It is true when they say you begin to miss things once they are gone.
I could just close my eyes and I would be back in the Blue Mountains. Back home. With Thorin, Kili, and mother.
My eyes stung horribly as tears threatened to come out. Be strong, I told myself. Be the Dwarf they see you as. The future King.
My thoughts were interrupted as the loud Dwarves cheered and applauded. The songs were over. Which meant now was the time to share stories. Which was also a time I feared.

Dwalin spoke first. He told of the time Kili practiced with a miniature bow for the first time. Dwalin and Thorin were kind enough to set up a board for him to shoot at. Uncle was the one to show him how to correctly hold and use it. Whilst the two adults were talking, they took no notice of the little Dwarf who was aiming at the wrong place. I was too busy learning how to use my sword to pay attention to Kili. All I heard was the swift sound of an arrow flying and a deep yell. Looking at my uncle, I saw a small arrow which was pierced into his right leg. I remember seeing Kili's face, who looked like he was going to cry. I didn't mean to do that, Fili! I didn't, I swear! He repeated over and over. All I remember after that was Thorin going back into the house so mother could tend to his leg.
I smiled at the fading memory. The memory which seemed so long ago that it feels as if it never happened. All I have were the faint details that I managed to hold on to.

Then Balin was next and he spoke of the time Kili and I found a small dog. Long story short, it wasn't a small dog but a Warg pup. At the time we were grateful Thorin just let the pup go instead of killing it, like we thought he would've done. Balin felt bad that we didn't have a pet anymore so he gave us an actual pup. It ended up running away three days later because Kili kept tugging on its tail but hey, it was good while it lasted. Nonetheless, these memories put a smile on my face.

I was asked if I wanted to say something but I declined. As much as I seemed all right on the outside, I knew deep down if I even opened my mouth, I would probably break down. I left all the story-telling to my fellow comrades. Besides, it was late already and I was tired. I just wanted to sleep.

After about an hour of more stories, I addressed the Dwarves one last time for the night.
"I would like to thank you all once again for attending this event. It means a massive amount to Lady Dis and I. The next thing on our list is the Coronation. I hope to see you all there. Have a great night!" With one more cheer from the Dwarves, they all began to leave. Mother came up to me with a big smile and tear stained cheeks.
"I love you, my boy." She whispered to me. I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her forehead. "I love you too. Have a good night, mother. I'll see you tomorrow."
I said my goodbyes to Balin, Dwalin, and the rest of the company that remained. Then I proceeded to go back to my chamber. I hope Eleanor is in there or else I don't know what I would do. I should have just checked earlier to calm my nerves.

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Hey guys. Well... I have some news. This is the last chapter. Honestly I'm just not feeling this fanfic anymore and I've been thinking about it for a while now. For me, I feel it's better that I start over. Not necessarily start this fanfic over but to do something different. I was thinking about maybe doing a Thorin or Kili fanfic. I don't know. But I hope you guys understand. If you have any questions and/or comments then personal message me or leave a comment. I'm sorry but it had to be done :/ I might do an epilogue if y'all would like me to :) thank you for reading this story, for being apart of this journey and for 30 freaking k reads.😊

-Jenniferxx