Springtime at the Lonely Mountain

Golden Glow

A dark-haired dwarven boy with bright blue eyes sat at the foot of an intricately ornamented red armchair. The ancient piece of furniture was occupied by an almost equally ancient dwarf with a pipe in his mouth. The old dwarf's impressive grey beard flowed all the way to his belt, covering most of his richly embroidered tunic. Both dwarves were seated in a cozy reading chamber where they both liked to spend time in the evenings. The older of the two would tell or read stories to the youngster, or the boy would speak about his day and the mischiefs he's made. Sometimes, they would just sit in this chamber, in their favorite place in the whole Lonely Mountain, and simply enjoy each other's company without even saying a word. Here, bookshelves stood against each wall and thick wool rugs in warm colors covered every inch of the stone floor, creating a cozy, homey feeling a passing human traveler could expect to see in a hobbit's hole and not in a dwarven kingdom. But humans did not know much about dwarves and did not suspect that the children of Aule who lived in dark underground halls of stone greatly cherished comfort and warmth. Flames from the bright fireplace were a testimony to this fact, spreading a pleasant golden glow around and illuminating the chamber.

"Grandpa?" the boy asked.

"What is it, my dear Thorin?" replied the old dwarf, smiling fondly at the boy and puffing out a small cloud of aromatic pipe smoke into the air above their heads.

"How is it like to meet The One?"

The grandfather chuckled to himself and cleared his throat.
"Ah, Azyungal*? You must know, my boy, that this is a very serious business. But let me ask you this first: have you already met a beautiful dwarf maiden that caught your attention? Is that why you are asking about The One?" he spoke his grandson with a sparkle in his eye.

"N-no..." The boy blushed. "Girls are sooo boooring!"

The old dwarf chuckled again.

"Something tells me that you might change your mind in the future. But let's leave it for now. Will you tell your grandpa why you would like to know about The One?

"Yes! So... I had a lesson today and I learned a lot about what ponies like to eat in winter and summer and then Master Adin gave me homework. It was a... a ballad. To read and think about," young Thorin rolled his eyes. "It was a kind of boring, ancient poem called Lady Urtha's Gold. The lady in this looong poem was called Urtha, exactly like grandma! And your name was there too, grandpa!"

"You don't say!"

"Yes, It's true!" The boy continued, not noticing his grandfather's amused gaze. "And it went on and on about how she came from a faraway dwarven realm in the east, all the way from the Red Mountains. And how beautiful she was. And it said she brought huuuge amounts of gold in her dowry, but it turned out that she found something much more precious than all the gold in the world in Erebor. Her One. King Thrór. And...," the boy scratched his head. " And I think it means you, grandpa. This poem says you were her gold, her Jewel of Jewels, and she was your One. Your... Azyungal*?" the boy looked at the old dwarf questioningly. "Is it really true what the poem says?"

Thrór smiled at his grandson with a hint of sadness in his eyes. He reached out his hand and ruffled the boy's unruly hair.

"Well, that boring, ancient poem, as you say, was right. When a dwarf finds his One... it is as if he opened his eyes for the first time in his life. And that is how it was with me and your grandmother. Mahal's grace shined on us on the day we met. I'd known she was my One since the first moment I laid my eyes upon her. Grandma Urtha was the most beautiful dwarven lady I have ever met. And the most cunning politician! But most importantly, she was my Other Half. My inexhaustible deposit of strength. Sturdy as a diamond. I knew I could always rely on her. I could be myself with her," a sigh escaped his lips. "One day, when you are a king and you find your One, you will understand how important this is for a ruler," king Thrór made a short pause and then continued.