Bloodstained (Thorin x OC)

The Last Light

They rose before the sun did a few hours later, and on they went through the morning.

Thorin ran to the overlook of Dale upon noticing it, and everyone followed after him. Memory plagued not only Thorin's mind, but Agarwaen's too. The last time either of them were there, the city was on fire, and burned to the ground.

"What is this place?" Bilbo asked, looking down at the city.

"It was once the city of Dale. Now it is a ruin." Balin replied. "The desolation of Smaug."

"The sun will soon reach midday. We must find the hidden door into the mountain before it sets. This way." Thorin started leading the way down.

"Wait, isn't this the overlook? Gandalf said to meet him here, on no account are we to—"

"Do you see him?" Thorin asked. Agarwaen had to agree with the dwarf. If Gandalf wasn't here now, he would not be there with them on time. "We have no time to wait upon the wizard. We're on our own, come." The company followed their king the rest of the way to the western base of the mountain. The peak loomed over them, making them feel like fleas in an oliphaunt's presence.

"Spread out and search. The door should be around here somewhere." Thorin called, so everyone did. Agarwaen climbed atop peaks to look over every surface, looking for anything that resembled a door on the face of the mountain. She was walking with Bilbo when they both rounded a corner and looked up to see a gigantic statue of a dwarf, leaning on what looked to be steps.

"Dwarves were never ones for subtlety." She laughed. "Call them over." She started toward the structure, relieved to have found it. Bilbo announced the discovery to the rest of the group, and soon they all began to climb up. The steps were big squares that awkwardly led back and forth, making it slightly difficult for the dwarves to get across each large gap when they had to change direction. She helped up whoever needed it, and soon they found themselves walking up the stone dwarf's arm, and then the shaft of his axe. Above the statue was a ledge that met with a flat wall of stone on the mountain.

"This must be it." Thorin ran to the wall.

"I've heard about your invisible doors sealed with magic." Agarwaen said, amazed that she had the honor of seeing such a thing in her life.

"Let all those who doubted us," Thorin turned the company with a smile, holding up his key, "rue this day!" They all cheered, excitement and pure joy running rampant among them.

"We have a key," Dwalin walked up to the wall and ran his hands over it, "Which means that somewhere, there is a key hole." Everyone followed him over, and began looking over the wall. Agarwaen looked behind them at the setting sun, praying to Iluvatar that this was, in fact, the right place. They had one shot at this. Thorin seemed to be thinking the same thing, and had Nori try to find it using a cup and spoon. A good idea, but this was stone, enchanted stone.

"Elves have better eyes, can you see it? Can you see anything?" Thorin then asked her. She swallowed her nerves, and stepped toward the wall, looking it up and down, running her fingers along it, searching for any hidden crevice.

"We're losing the light, come on." Thorin begged. Dwalin started kicking it, messing up Nori's process and earning complaints from the thief.

"It has to be here somewhere." She muttered, searching high and low, but it was difficult to focus when Dwalin almost smashed her fingers with his foot. She snatched her hand back, and glared at him.

"Break it down!" Thorin ordered, and other dwarves came forward with axes and hammers.

"That's not going to work." She said as she stepped away, still looking at the wall. "If it's under a spell it'll..." The metal of the weapons began chipping away and shattering. "Well at least we know for sure that this is the door."