Darkness and LIght(Revised)

Chapter Twenty-Four

Three days later

  Things had went from bad to worse, as the Gold Sickness took its full form on Thorin.  The Elves and Men had set up encampment in Dale, and Bilbo had given up the Arkenstone to Bard and Thranduil.  The day came for the final negotiations between the Elves, Dwarves and Men,  and Bilbo revealed to Thorin that had taken the King's Jewel and gave it to Bard, which had sent Thorin into full rage, as he lunged at Bilbo, hanging him over the ramparts.  Suddenly Bilbo reached for his Ring during the process, as he was about to slip it on.  Thorin had caught notice of the golden trinket as his eyes widened.  "Gold--precious gold!" Bilbo could hear Thorin say. Suddenly something came over Bilbo, as he yelled out in anguish, as he kicked Thorin in the groin, and Thorin roared in pain, as the Hobbit bolted away from him.  "RUN BILBO!" cried out Bofur.  

 Bilbo ran down towards Gandalf.  Gandalf had already suspected something, as he gazed at Bilbo suspicously.  "What?" snapped Bilbo.  "It's nothing, Bilbo!" said Gandalf quietly, and they walked away.   Meanwhile, Dwalin followed Thorin into the Mountain, angry and hurt at witnessing the scene between him and Bilbo, and Dwalin decided once and for all to talk to Thorin.  As his best friend, maybe he could get Thorin to listen to reason.    Meanwhile in the Healing chambers,  Balin, Fili and Kili came to check on Lydia.  Unfortunately, things are looking worse for Lydia.  "She's dying---I'm afraid she doesn't have that much time to live!" said Oin, gravely.  "No, no! We cannot let her die! I know someone who can help! Someone who has helped me! Maybe the Elf Captain can help her!" exclaimed Kili.  "The lad is right, right now Elvish medicine can only save her." said Balin. 

 "But what about Thorin?" asked Fili.  "Hang, Thorin!" snapped Balin, angrily.  Fili and Kili looked at the Old Dwarf in surprise, when they heard Balin said that.   And so Kili sprinted out of the Healing chambers, as he went to track down the Elf Captain.   It didn't take long for Kili to arrive at the encampment.  The Elves and Men looked in surprise as they saw the Dwarf Prince running towards them.  Bard and Thranduil who noticed the dwarf approached him. "What are you doing here, Kili?" asked Bard. "I need to see Tauriel, it's important--Lydia--she's dying, and her unborn child is already dead!" panted Kili. Bard's eyes widened in shock and horror.  Thranduil's eyes saddened.  "How could this happen? Hopefully it didn't have to do with her dragon shifting earlier!" said the Elf King.  "I think it had something to do with it." said Kili.  Kili didn't want to tell Thranduil that Thorin had a part in it, it would only make things worse, far much worse.  Suddenly, Tauriel came, shortly followed by Gandalf and Bilbo. "DYING?! No, she can't be dying!" cried out Bilbo.  "Where is she?" asked Gandalf. "In the healing chambers! Please, you got to help her!" pleaded Kili.  Tauriel placed her hand on Kili's shoulder. 

 "I will help her!" said Tauriel, gently. "I'm coming with you! It appears that you may not be doing this alone!" said Gandalf.  And so the three of them returned to the Mountain. 

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  Meanwhile, Dwalin had just left the Treasury in defeat.    His shoulders slumped, as he returned to the Great Hall, joining the rest of the Company.  "I tried reasoning with him---he won't listen to me--in fact, he threatened to kill me!" said Dwalin, sadly and angrily, as he threw down his axe.  "This is horrible! Just horrible! We got a dying woman, and a mad king!" snarled Gloin.  Some of the dwarves had now felt regret they had went on this quest.  "Look, we're not going to stand here and mope! We got a battle to face! Stop acting like babies! Thorin wouldn't have this one bit!" snapped Fili, angrily.   "But Uncle is not well, FEE!" Kili snapped back at his brother.   Suddenly, to everyone's surprise, they could see Thorin entering the Great Hall, no longer dressed in the gold armor or the crown.  Instead, he is now wearing his black leather tunic and chain mail.  

 "This may not be my place to say this, but will you follow me one last time?" asked Thorin softly.    When Kili saw his Uncle in the room, Kili began shouting him.  "Not only that! You are close of losing the best thing that's ever happened to you Uncle! You already had lost a child, but you are losing Lydia too!" concluded Kili, angrily. "What?! What are you trying to say, Kee?" gasped Thorin.  "The lad is trying to say that Lydia is dying, and she already miscarried the unborn child!" said Dwalin, gravely. Hearing the news, shock and stunned Thorin, and suddenly the dwarf fell to his knees, and the Dwarf King began to weep openly.  "Oh Mahal, what have I DONE?! What I have a done?!!" wailed Thorin, thumping his fist on the floor.  Balin over to him, embracing his friend, and consoling him. "She's in the healing chambers, as we speak, but if you're ready to see her if you want." said Kili gently.  "I can't. I can't face her right now.  Its bad enough that she is dying, and if she's dead already, I'm a murderer! I killed my own wife and child!!" cried out Thorin.    

 Suddenly, Oin came running into the room.  "Great news,  Lydia is awake and breathing!" exclaimed Oin.  "WHAT?! But how?" exclaimed Thorin.  Kili smiled. "I sent for some help.  I sent for Tauriel,  she had healed Lydia, with the help of Gandalf." said Kili.   Thorin smiled.  "Thank you, Kee.  I don't know what I do without you!" said Thorin, gently.  "But Thorin, I doubt that Lydia wants to talk to you. She is very angry and upset, and on top of taking the miscarriage thing hard as well. According to her, she has accused you of killing the baby.  So to put it this way, you have to do something really big to win her back, because she also told me she is planning on leaving Erebor and going home to Ered Mithrin, and to never return!" said Oin, gravely.  "She is not going to leave! I won't let her!" snapped Thorin.   "Thorin, it's her decision, and if you love her, you have to let her go.  Maybe in time she'll return to you." said Oin. "Oin is right. It would give her time to cool down." said Balin.

 "But war is approaching! Lydia cannot just leave in a middle of a war!" protested Thorin.  "Then, that you will have to take up with Lydia." said Balin.   Thorin closed his eyes and sighed.  "Where are you going lad?" asked Balin.  "For a walk!" Thorin replied, as he walked out of the Great Hall.  Thorin strolled down the long corridors as he headed towards his old room that he had stayed in as a Prince.  As he entered, Thorin sat down on the bed, as many different memories came back to him.  And he had never forgotten the day he first met Lydia, whom had been helping him with some work,and he could hear her voice speaking to him, as he sat on the bed, and their laughter.    Tears fell down the Dwarf's cheeks.   I failed you, Grandfather! I failed our people! I'm a monster! Just like Smaug!  This is all your fault, Grandfather! You brought this on, you should have fixed it!! Thorin's mind reeled.  

  Thorin looked around the room, and suddenly he saw an object wrapped in green silk cloth, sitting in the corner of the room.  Thorin stood up and he approached the item, removing the cloth, now revealing a large golden harp.  Thorin dusted off the harp, and he lit up the fireplace.  After that, Thorin pulled up a stool and sat down, resting the large harp against him, as he started to play, and the song Thorin played is a very mournful tune, but he stopped playing after a while, leaning into the harp even further and wept.   Meanwhile, in the Healing chambers, Balin came in to check on Lydia.  "How are you feeling lass?" asked Balin gently.  "How do you think I feel, Balin? Why in the hell is everyone keep asking me that?!" shouted Lydia, angrily.  "Lydia, calm down! I understand you are upset--and I wouldn't blame you for being upset, but there is something I should tell you.  Thorin has fought off the sickness, he is back to himself now, and we have told him what happened, and he's taking this very, very hard.  He's blaming himself for all of this, yes, but what concerns me is that it's going to send him back into his madness again.  And Lydia, the only way to prevent this from happening again, is for you to talk to him." said Balin.

 Lydia closed her eyes, and sighed.  "Are you sure Thorin is okay right now?" asked Lydia.  "Yes, I swear to you Lydia, he is fine now, and he's been asking about you, and very much worried sick about you!" said Balin.  "Can you send him to me please?" asked Lydia.  "Of course, Lydia!" said Balin, with a bow and he left the healing chambers.