Hope and Memory[Thorin Oakenshield Love Story]

[Chapter Thirty Eight]

The dwarves and the two hobbit's began their search for the secret door. Once the fog had cleared up most of them had spread out in pairs searching the slopes. They clambered over rocks and outcroppings, with only the sound of the whistling wind that broke the heavy silence that filled the area. It seemed to be such a pensive mood that no one had the courage to break it, and many of the dwarves had mourned over the memory, recalling what these lands once looked like long ago. "It's so quiet." Bilbo whispered beside his cousin, who had to agree as she scanned the area and felt the chills, there was no signs of life to be seen for miles.

" Wasn't always like this." Balin suddenly spoke, as he came up beside the two hobbits. " Once, these slopes were lined with woodlands." he explained just a bird flew over them. Bilbo watched it curiously as it landed on a rock, remembering something. "The trees...we're filled with birdsong."

"Relax, master Baggins." Thorin stated, coming up behind him. " We have food, we have tools, and we're making good time." Thorin ran passed them, towards the ledge with the others quickly behind him as they all stared down at the sight below them. All there was left was desolation, an ugly scar surrounding the ruins of Dale.

" What is this place?" Bilbo dared to ask.

" It was once the city of Dale." The eldest dwarf answered when no one else would. The sight was horrendous that even some of the other dwarves had a hard time looking down at it as the memory reappeared in their minds, for those who were there that day. " Now it is a ruin. The desolation of Smaug."

"The sun will soon reach midday We must find the hidden door into the mountain before it sets." Thorin pointed out, not wanting to waste the precious time they had left. The burglar was the only one to remember the wizard ordering not to enter the mountain without him.

" Wait! Is this the overlook?" Bilbo questioned. Thorin said nothing but looked at the concerned burglar. "Gandalf said to meet him here. On no account were we to--"

"Do you see him?" Thorin interrupted

" But Thorin....Gandalf told us to wait for him!" Freya pressed to the dwarf, but his mind was elsewhere.

" We have no time to wait upon the wizard." Thorin stated to the two cousins. "We're on our own come!" Freya and Bilbo both shared a look as the others hurried past them to catch up with Thorin. The woman stared after the dwarf prince, for the longest time before she and her cousin ran to catch up to the dwarves. They continued to climb over rocks and outcroppings in search for the door.

As Bilbo and Freya continued to search with the others, it was then that Bilbo had noticed his cousin seemed different. She had a smile on her face he hadn't seen in along time. " I haven't seen you smile like that in long time."

"It's been awhile since I had a reason to smile again." She admitted, still smiling to herself as they continued to scan the area. Thorin glanced behind him to make sure no one had fallen behind and he saw the two hobbits and he couldn't stop staring when he saw the young woman giggling with her cousin.

"Anything?" Thorin called out to the others.

" Nothing!" Dwalin shouted back from higher up on the slope. The hobbits had caught up and walked passed the dwarf prince just as he took out the map.

" If the map is true...then the hidden door lies directly above us." Thorin insisted. It was Bilbo who had noticed the strange formation in the side of the mountain and he broke into a run until he came to a stop, exclaiming at the sight of an impressive set of carven stairs leading upwards. "Up here!" he cried triumphantly.

" Bilbo you found it!" Freya stated excitedly, just as Thorin and the others joined behind them.

" You have keen eyes, master Baggins." Thorin praised. Thorin was the first to start the climb up the stairs, while Bilbo and Freya followed behind. To the woman it felt like they had been climbing for hours, she was exhausted. Bilbo had gotten ahead of a few of the dwarves, but that didn't bother Freya too much, as she found company talking with Bombur, who made sure she didn't fall behind. They were nearing the end of the steps when the step Bombur was on began to crack from the weight of the dwarf. Freya was about to climb onto it when it suddenly gave way and crashed below taking out the other steps in its path, leaving the woman separated from the others.

The others had stopped when they heard the noise. Bilbo saw his cousin was alright, but it was too far for her to jump to the next step from where she was. "Freya, give me your hand." Bilbo suggested reaching out a hand to her. Freya extended her arm, but their hands were just out of reach. Thorin pushed through the others joining Bilbo on the step.

"Freya, you have to jump."Thorin pressed, not seeing any other option for her. A few of the dwarves noticed the light was quickly fading and they began getting impatient.

"We should go, were losing the light." Dori grumbled.

" No one's going anywhere until she's with us." Thorin ordered.

" Thorin there right. The sun will soon be setting. Don't worry about me. Go find the door. I'll figure out some way to get across." The woman stated to him but Thorin didn't like that.

" No. I'm not leaving without you. Your only option is to jump."

" I can't. It's too far.." She insisted, feeling scared as she peered over at the distance below her if she should fall.

" Yes you can. I won't let you fall. You can trust me." He assured her. She peered back over the edge, which only made her more hesitant. Bilbo was fearing for his cousin's life. " Don't look down. Look at me." Thorin told as he held out his arms ready to grab her when she jumped. She took a moment to gather her nerves, looking at the dwarf in his eyes. She got a bit of a running start and jumped when her foot hit the edge and she let out a scream.