An Experiment Gone Wrong

Chapter 19 - Smaug Meets Dovakhiin

The dwarves had descended quite a bit of the mountain and Mara stayed behind with Bilbo for a good bit. Eventually though she too gave up hope and started scaling the mountain to catch up. The moon was starting to peak up over the mountains in the distance, but no one paid it much mind. Bilbo was desperately searching and Mara could have sworn she over heard Thorin whisper something about Bilbo was wasting his time. 

She let out a heavy sigh, the events of the last few nights getting to her immensely, but she paused when she heard Bilbo shouting in the distance. She turned to try and listen to him a little bit better but she could barely hear anything he said. The only thing she could really make out until she walked closer was, "The... O... irs... oo...!" 

Mara yelled for the others to stop walking and to turn back, Bilbo was saying something, and finally was able to hear him as she got closer. 

"It's the light of the last moon of Autumn!" 

Mara's eyes shot to the side to meet Thorin and the other's excited and almost overwhelming looks of joy and bewilderment. "Well come on then," Mara called as she ran to the steps and scaled the mountain all the way up to Bilbo. 

Thorin was the first onto the ledge that looked like a dead end and the sight he was met with made him smile stupidly. He saw their Master Baggins turning about like a ballerina trying to look for - what they could only assume - was the key to the secret door. Thorin saw Bilbo's foot hit it and if it wasn't for Thorin's quick reflexes, the key would have careened right off the side of the mountain. Leaning down to pick it up gingerly into his hand, Thorin looked at Bilbo and smiled the gentlest smile Mara had ever seen grace his features. 

He turned to look at his companies who were all waiting with baited breath as their King walked to the keyhole and slid the small object into the great stone wall and turn it. 

Mara couldn't help but notice the muscles in his arms flexing as her betrothed pushed against the wall to see if it would open. It didn't take much strength, but eventually the wall gave way to the darkest little cavern she had ever seen. At least there was glowing mushrooms or random torches in the caves back home. 

"Erebor..." Thorin whispered.

"Thorin," Balin stepped forward to try and say something, but nothing could come out do to the giant lump that had formed itself in his throat. All he could do was smile and accept the pat on the shoulder Thorin gave him in a way of saying 'I know'.

Mara stepped forward and touched Thorin's arm bringing him out of a slight stupor as he processed the complete three-sixty their trip had just taken in the last few hours. "Shall I light up the way?" She asked softly, trying to help them not potentially fall and hurt themselves. 

Thorin shook his head and stepped forward, his large fingers running ever so gently down the walls as he led the company further in. "I know these walls," he whispered, also sounding like he was about to cry. Mara couldn't blame him if he did, Divines know how long he had been away from home and watching him touch the walls of him home made Mara tear up a little. 

"I know these walls, these halls, this stone," he said taking a few more steps and smiling. As they walked it became clear to Mara that they didn't need any light. It was almost as if the stones themselves lit up with the very touch of Thorin's hand. It didn't look nearly as dark as it did when the door opened, but she had to remind herself that there was still so much she didn't know about this world. 

The others had stopped, and Mara had taken Balin's hand into hers in a gesture of comfort. The older Dwarf had bright tears in his eyes as Thorin spoke, "You remember Balin, chambers filled with gold and light." Hot tears streaked down Balin's face as he looked into Thorin's equally as emotion-filled face. 

"I remember," was all he could say as he walked forwards, letting the others step into the mountain.

Gloin looked up at the writing on the wall that Mara could not decipher. She recognized them as glyphs of sorts, but she chalked it up to being their native language. "Here in lies the seventh kingdom of Durin's folk," he said in astonishment. "May the heart of the mountain unite all Dwarves in the fence of this home." 

"The throne of the King," Balin said proudly to a very curious Bilbo who was staring intently at the Khudzul en-carved in the stone. 

"And what's that above it?" Bilbo asked referencing the small circle with beams of light shooting out from it. Mara listened and observed each and every Dwarf in that cavern with wonder and curiosity. 

"The Arkenstone," Balin muttered after a small silence filled the air. 

~~~~~

It was a blur of events, and definitely not events that were usually part of a homecoming, Mara found herself to be ordered to search with Bilbo for the Arkenstone. He had everyone searching, it was like the flip of a switch. He wasn't just happy to be home anymore, he needed that stone, and for what Mara didn't know but if she was asked to retrieve it by her love then she would. 

Her and Bilbo found a large room that was breathtakingly full of gold and jewels. A room that made the thief in Mara want to scream in joy, but she had to keep her wits about her. She couldn't dive straight into the gold like she wanted to nor could she make a single noise as to avoid putting Bilbo in immediate danger. A dragon was not for the likes of him and she would protect him however she could. 

As slowly and carefully as they could, Mara and Bilbo searched for the Arkenstone in the gigantic ocean of gold and gems. "This is going to take forever," Mara muttered but before she could turn to find Bilbo, she heard a sea of gold come crashing down like a waterfall. Turning with wide eyes, she saw something that she hadn't seen for a while since coming here. It made Bilbo hide and it made Mara's skin crawl with goosebumps. It was the sleeping eye of a large, red dragon hidden among the gold. 

She held her finger to Bilbo as she tried to back away from the great beast, but when she saw his eyes open she jumped behind a pillar. Despite how many dragons she had fought, she wasn't stupid or cocky. She knew he could very easily destroy her and she had Bilbo to protect, or would he protect her? 

The two "intruders heard the gold falling as they could only assume the beast was standing to his full height. 

"I smell you, thief," he snarled in a deep voice that made Mara shudder. He sounded so much like Parrthurnax and Alduin combined that she couldn't help but think of home. She heard the dragon's nostrils sniff the air once more and he spoke again. 

"Dovakhiin," he snarled, "what brings you to this world, to me?" He asked causing Mara to step out from her hiding spot and stare him down. 

"I have come to reclaim this mountain for my friends dragon," this caused Smaug to roar in laughter and get close enough to Mara she could touch his teeth with her face. 

"Oh yeah? We will see about that Dovakhiin. Thu'um against Thu'um, we will see who wins."