The Valar Child: The Desolation of Smaug

Chapter 12 - King of Carven Stone

Hildar

It is a poem that the men of the east have whispered since the dragon took the mountain. Old as the dragon himself, it was sometimes spoken of, as a means to keep hope alive. As we made our way to the armory to procure weapons for the dwarves, I heard it murmured among the people.

"The lord of silver fountains.

The king of carven stone.

The King Beneath the Mountain,

Shall come into his own.

And the bells shall ring in gladness,

At the Mountain King's return.

But all shall fail in sadness,

And the lake will shine, and burn."

People believed the first part adamantly, and most of them chose to ignore the last part. As I followed the dwarves, Bilbo kept close by my side. Takin my hand, he pulled me down to his level. "So... about Beren-?" Bilbo started to ask before I placed a finger to his lips.

"About Beren what?" I queried in return. Bilbo began to bite on his lip and I saw uncertainty on his face. I had not seen that since we first met Azog. After that battle, all of Bilbo's doubts seemed to have been vanquished. Now, they had returned.
"I don't want to see you hurt," Bilbo told me and I stopped walking. Looking down at him, I realized that he knew! "You deeply care about him. And, I believe that he cares about you. Just... don't forget about the people who cared for you first." I smiled, knowing what he was thinking. Pulling him into my arms, I gave Bilbo a tight hug. He hugged me back, his arms snaking around my waist.

"I'll always remember you, my little Halfling. I designated myself as your protector from the start. And when this is all over, I'll always recall the adventures we had together," I told him. He raised his head to look at me. I could see the tears in his blue eyes.

"I hope to remember those exploits with you," he told me. I smiled at him, until we were pulled apart by strong hands. Thorin had been the one to wrench us away from each other, and he was glaring at us.

"A little more paying attention, especially from our burglar," he said. "We need to get into the armory through the top window. Lightest first to open to door," Thorin ordered. Bilbo sighed with obvious irritation. That was when I turned and saw that the dwarves had formed a sort of human staircase to get close to the window in the wall. Bilbo took a step back in order to get a running start. I did not wait. Hesitation was not in my nature. Sprinting forward, I ran up the backs of the dwarves, and made it to the window. Grabbing the sill with my hands, I flipped myself up and into the room. Landing light on my feet, I looked around.

"These are my kind of weapons," I remarked to myself as I saw the wide range of armaments on the wall. Swords, axes, bows, shields, and spears. "Too bad this city lacks the man and will power," I commented afterward with a snicker before I returned to the window. Reaching down, I caught Bilbo as he made his daring jump. Hauling him in, I set him on his feet, and made my way down the winding, wooden staircase to the room below. There, the walls were lined with armor, helms, and chainmail. "Not dwarven mail," I whispered as I unlocked the door, and Thorin, Kili, Balin, and Dwalin entered. Leading them upstairs, I saw Bilbo was already filling his arms with an ax, sword, and set of knives. "Put those down before you hurt yourself," I told him, as I took the sword and ax and gave it to Kili. Bilbo gave me a hurt face, but when I winked, he knew I was joking. Thorin began to pick through the weapons, choosing many swords, and giving them all to Kili. I was unsure about that. He was still injured and I could see the painful expression on his face. Going to him, I put my hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright, Kili? If you can't do this, just give them to me, and get Fili to come in here," I told him.