Nathaniela's Destiny

Chapter 16: Why does Love hurt?

 "Well, what did you find Gandalf?" asked Nattie.  "I cannot believe this, Nattie! You have a very unusual situation here." Gandalf replied.  "What do you mean?" asked Nattie.  "It means, that your blindness had nothing to deal with the dragon you encountered but something else going on in your life! It seems Thorin had distance himself from you,am I correct?" said Gandalf.  "Yes, yes--Thorin is too busy with his head up his ass with the gold and treasure, he has no time for me any more, he hates me! He already told me he didn't want to see me again!" said Nattie, as tears fell down her cheeks, as she remembered Thorin's harsh words towards her earlier.  "If Thorin doesn't fight off this sickness, Nattie--not only it will be your own life on the line, but everyone elses! Including Thorin himself! Which I'm glad Bilbo is doing what he is doing!" said Gandalf.  "I still think it should have been destroyed." grumbled Nattie.  "Destroying it?" said Gandalf. 

 "Yes, Gandalf, destroying it would have been much better." said Nattie.  "Now, now Nattie, let's not worry about that right now.  At least we got the Arkenstone away from Thorin, that's the most important thing. " said Gandalf.  "What about my blindness then? I will never get my sight back anymore?" asked Nattie.  "I'm afraid not-Nattie, as long as Thorin is still under the goldness, you will remain blind." said Gandalf.  Nattie sighed.  "Why does love have to hurt, Gandalf?" asked Nattie, quietly, as she looked up into the sky.  Gandalf just looked at Nattie with great concern.  Suddenly, Bilbo approached them. "I've given the Arkenstone to Bard.  Should we be heading back?" The Hobbit asked.  "Yes, we must get back before anyone notices we have left." said Nattie.  And after saying goodbye to Bard, Thranduil and Gandalf, the two of them left.   Nattie now had been carrying a walking stick to support her as she walked with Bilbo as they went back to the Mountain.   Luckily, by the time they arrived, nobody had noticed their arrival, and Nattie went back to her room, as she dreaded for the next day, knowing Bard and Thranduil would be meeting with Thorin at sunrise, to discuss  the Treasure.  

 That night, Nattie had hoped Thorin would join her in the bedroom, but of course he didn't, just as she had suspected, as she knew he was still in the Treasury, admiring his new 'mistress' as she called it.    Suddenly, in the middle of the night, she could hear heavy footsteps entering the bedchamber.  Nattie opened one eye and she could see Thorin now in the bedroom, sitting on the bed, removing his boots.   As he climbed into bed, he saw Nattie, whom appeared to be asleep.  Thorin sighed, as he turned his back towards her, as he tried to go to sleep.   Yeah, he sleeps next to me and avoids me at the same time! That is so typical of you, Thorin!  Nattie thought to herself as she tried to go to sleep.  But no soon as she went back to sleep, she could hear Thorin whispering to her.  "Nattie? Are you asleep?" Thorin whispered to her.  "No, I'm not asleep." Nattie replied.   Thorin turned to his side, and faced her.  "Nattie, I'm right here with you--and what I said to you earlier, I didn't mean--I was under a lot of pressure.  I'm sorry, Nattie!" Thorin said.  Now he's apologizing to me? Why didn't he do that earlier?  Nattie thought.   

  "Nattie, I wished you told me sooner about your injury! It breaks my heart to hear that you are like this." said Thorin.   "Thorin! Please don't do this, not now!" said Nattie.   Nattie remembered going with Bilbo to give away the Arkenstone, and she felt that she and Bilbo had betrayed him, and the more she thought about it, the more she wanted to keep her distance with Thorin.  "Nattie! Are you alright? Why are you avoiding me?" asked Thorin.  "You're not the same Thorin, I loved in the Blue Mountains, Thorin.  You're not the same Thorin I loved before Smaug attacked.  All that is left between us Thorin is an empty void." said Nattie coldly.  "If that's how you really feel, Nattie--I'll just go and leave you be." said Thorin, and he stood up and left the room.  After Thorin had left the room,  Nattie wept until she felt into uncomfortable sleep. 

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 The next morning, Nattie woke up and at first she didn't want to get up.  She didn't want to go and face the confrontation between the dwarves, men and elves.  All she wanted to do is stay in her bed.  But she knew she had to face the music sometime, and so she carefully climbed out of bed, and got dressed, and she reached for her cane.   After that, she left and made way towards the Front Gate.  By the time she reached the Front Gate,  Bard had held up the Arkenstone in his hand, revealing it to Thorin.   "Nattie, what are you doing out here?" asked Bilbo.  "I wanted to see this, Bilbo!" said Nattie.  "Nattie, for your own safety, you should go back to your room! It's for your own good!" The Hobbit advises  Nattie.  "I'm going to be fine, Bilbo!" said Nattie.  Bilbo sighed.  Why does she have to be so stubborn?  And I thought Thorin was the stubborn one! thought the Hobbit.  

  "That's not the stone! It's only a ruse! The Arkenstone still remains in the Mountain!" growled Thorin.  "No, it isn't!  He's speaking the truth, Thorin! The Arkenstone is real, and I was the one that gave it to him!" spoke up Bilbo.  Nattie moaned, as she knew that this was not going to end well at all. "You! You stolen from me?!" gasped Thorin, at first in disbelief.  "Thorin,  I'm  sorry--You should remember the claim you promised me that is written in my contract about the fourteenth share!" continued Bilbo.  "You have no claim over me!" snarled Thorin.  "Thorin!" said Nattie.  "Silence, woman! This doesn't concern you!" barked Thorin. "Yes, it does because I was with him when he gave the stone to Bard!" confessed Nattie.  "NATTIE!" wailed Bilbo.  Bilbo didn't want her to get involved and this, and he warned her.   "TRAITORS!! THE HALFLING GOES FIRST! Someone throw him off the ramparts!!" barked THorin, angrily.  But none of the dwarves moved. "Fine! I'll do it myself!!" screamed Thorin, as he charged at the Hobbit, picking him up the his collar, and hanging him over the ramparts. 

 "STOP IT! You're hurting him!! LEAVE HIM ALONE!!" screamed  Nattie, as she ran towards Thorin and Bilbo. "Nattie, no! You'll get hurt!!" cried out Fili, trying to intervene, but Thorin shoves him back with his arm, as Nattie stood in between Bilbo and Thorin. "Let go of our burglar, Thorin!" Gandalf demanded from below them.  And Thorin releases the Hobbit.  "RUN BILBO! JUST GO!" cried out Nattie.  Suddenly, Thorin turned his attention to Nattie. "You! I cannot believe you would turn against me! How dare you turn your back on YOUR KING!!" bellowed Thorin.  "Thorin, no! Please don't!" cried out Thorin.  Suddenly, Thorin punched Nattie, as she collapsed to the ground, and then he kicked her in the stomach,as Nattie cried out in pain. "THORIN ENOUGH!" Dwalin bellowed as he and Gloin quickly pulled Thorin away from Nattie.   Nattie already laid on the ground unconscious.  "Fili! Take Nattie to the healer chambers immediately! Oin, look after her!" Balin demanded. 

  "I will never forgive my Uncle for this!" growled Kili, as he followed his brother and Oin to the healing chambers.   Once they arrived,  Fili gently laid Nattie on the bed, as Oin had given orders to Fili and Kili to bring him what he needed to heal Nattie.  Fili looked at Nattie, with tears in his eyes, as his heart sank.  "How badly did he hurt her, Oin?" spoke up Fili.   "Lads, I have some grave news. Nattie was carrying child when he kicked her--and, she lost the baby.     She was only  one month long into the pregnancy." said Oin, gravely. "WHAT?!" cried out Fili and Kili in shock and horror. "Kee, where are you going?" asked Fili.  "To have a fight with my Uncle! And telling him to remove me as heir to the Throne.  I'm moving back to Ered Luin to be with Mom!" fumed Kili, as he stormed out of the Healing chambers.  "Follow him, laddie.  Stop him doing some thing terrible! He will regret what he will do!" said Oin.  Fili nodded, and he left the healing chambers to follow his brother. 

 Fili caught up with his brother in the Great Hall, where the rest of the dwarves have gathered.   By the time Fili entered, Kili was already yelling at his Uncle.  Fili noticed that Thorin was no longer dressed in the gold armor and Thror's Raven crown, and he also noticed that Thorin is back to his normal self, as he formally apologized to the Company of his actions.  "Nattie---where is she?" asked Thorin.  The room fell gravely silent when Thorin asked the question.  "Uncle, I have some terrible news to tell you, and I don't know how you're going to take it." said Fili.    "Nattie?" said Thorin, quietly.  "When you kicked her earlier, she was pregnant, one month long---and she miscarried." said Fili.   Hearing this, shocked and stunned Thorin.  "No--no,  don't tell me it's true!!" cried out Thorin.  "Thorin, it's true!" said Kili, hotly.    Thorin bellowed in grief, as the dwarf king fell to his knees, weeping openly in front of his Companions, something he hadn't done before, at least in a very long time. 

  "What have I done?" cried out Thorin.  Balin approached  his friend, placing his hand on Thorin's shoulder, comforting his friend.  "I loved her--now, she is dying, and our child our child, dead! I'm a murderous monster!!" cried out Thorin.  "Thorin, I'm so sorry." said Balin, quietly.  Thorin stood up, and he left the Great Hall.  "Uncle! Uncle! Where are you going?!" cried out Kili.  Thorin turned to Kili.  "I'm going to speak to the elves to help heal my beloved Nattie!" said Thorin. Kili's eyes widened in shock and surprise hearing this. "And?" said Balin. "To stop the war I declared on them, and to give them the treasure I promised.  Dwalin bring me forth the White Gems." said Thorin.  Dwalin looked at his friend in surprise, and he then left the room.  "It has to take something like this to wake you up, laddie--why?" asked Balin quietly, and he walked away.  "Balin!" said Thorin.