Aviel

Chapter 2

The days that followed were full of sadness and despair. It was as if the Blue Mountains had been covered by a dark, black cloud and the sun was non-existent, a daydream away. I would slowly build my self confidence and mood up by practising archery and sword fighting with the war beaten dwarfs. I knew there was no way I would be able to get over the fact that all the men who I loved and cherished were now snatched from me. I dreamt each night of what would happen if they were still alive, if Smaug had never attacked Erebor and we were all still happy and well ... If we were still a complete family. In the first few days after the funeral, my mother and I kept ourselves to ourselves. We would be there for each other through thick and thin, we shed many tears of sorrow and recalled the happy memories when Fili and Kili were knee high and had only just started using swords. 

After a week, I knew it was time to finally console the remaining Company of Thorin Oakenshield. They had given me as much time as I needed to pull myself back up and be able to talk without completly breaking down. 

I walked up to the hut door, banging twice, hard enough so they could all hear me. 

"Come in" called out Dwalin, whose voice was shakey and uneven with emotion. He was Thorin's right hand man and had the most respect for him out of anyone I knew. He was the largest of the dwarfs yet, with a tattoed head, which now had T.F.K written in the middle. I smiled weakly as he rose up from his seat to give me one of his famous bear hugs. As my arms drapped around his large torso, I felt his chest heave, rippeling into smaller sobs. I closed my eyes, trying my hardest not to collapse like a puppet into his muscular arms. I pulled him back and surveyed his tear streaked face, where his once grim frown had turned into a thin line that was quivering with each new tear that ran down his cheek. This was the dwarf that fought alongside my uncle and was known to never show any true emotions to anyone apart from Thorin. This was the dwarf that never left Thorin's side and would always be there to give him advice. Now, he was leaderless. We all were but Dwalin lost more than a leader. He lost his best friend, his partner in crime, his leader, his brother in battle ... his king. His hands were still cradling mine as I reluctantly took up my seat at the head of the table. Dwalin's knuckle duster's were coated in scratches and old blood stains of his enemy. The sun coming from the window reflected off them as he put them heavily onto the table, as if he was laying down his life before us. Tears bleared my vision as I remembered that Thorin had made them for Dwalin as a present on the eve of Dwalin's first battle. 

I glanced round at the ghosts of faces I once knew that were full of life and laughter. Now, they all had an impressive collection of heavy set wrinkles which made them look hundreds of years older and bags underneath their bloodshot eyes which created their own shadows against their aged skin. I was sitting where their great leader once sat, where they looked up at him in awe and strived to be just like him. Now, they saw a blonde, tired looking girl whose thin frame looked lost in the wooden throne which Thorin, Kili and Fili carved themselves when they first came here. They looked up at me with sorrow in their eyes, all attempting to give me weak smiles.

" My dear dwarfs. " I started nervously. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath for what I was about to say, " Your almighty leader sat in this very chair only two years ago today. He taught you all that no matter what life throws at you, you get over it, no matter how long it takes and keep on fighting till your last breath and to die with honour and pride. " I surveyed the scene around me. Most of the warriors had their head down, each of their eyes creating water falls onto the old, wooden table. " As the rightfull heir to the throne, I will do everything in my power to continue with my uncle's legacy, try and be as good and if not better than he ever was. I will lead each and every one of the dwarfs of the Blue Mountains to their rightfull homeland and I will not stop until I have opened those doors for all to gaze upon. Everyone who has doubted us will rue the day that we, the dwarfs of Erebor, will reclaim our kingdom! I see before me 10 tired dwarfs who have been through hell and back. But I promise you, I will not let you fall beneath the feet of our enemy, I will carry each and every one of you if I must! But I want each and every one of you to do just as Thorin said and die with pride and honour, knowing that you fought till your last breath and gave everything your all! We are the dwarfs of Erebor, and I ask each and every one of you to go on one last quest to go back to those vast halls that we all know too well, and to see it done that we can call Erebor once again, our home!" 

By now I was shouting until my throat was sore and dry. I stood up abruptly from the wooden throne and to my disbelief, all 10 beaten-down dwarfs did the same with a cheer that echoed around the room and bounced back to my ears. I inhaled a small gasp, as the once mighty dwarfs already looked years younger in such a short amount of time. That is when Balin pulled back his chair and hobbled over to the throne. He had suffered many injuries to his legs as they were slashed by Orc swords, Balin fighting valliantly to get to a fallen Thorin. His cheeks were shining with rivers of tears as he bowed slowly on one knee and said with a lump in his throat, " Then we're with you lassie, we will see it done "