Jeweled dolls of Durin

The battle within

"You were always my King. You used to know that..once." his voice lowered in sadness...then once again gained strength. "You were always my King! Can you not see what you have become?" Dwalin reached out..pleading for his friend to come back to him. Thorin narrowed his eyes as he growled in rage at him, Kechi was frightened at what she was witnessing.

"Go! Get out, before I kill you...the both of you!" he spun and looked at Kechi who was standing there in the shadowy hall..not seeing Dwalin turning away..leaving with his head hung low. Thorin spun on his heel...leaving out a side door that led to the Hall of Kings, Kechi followed...calling his name.

"Thorin! Please stop Thorin." he kept walking...still she followed. "Please ,Thorin, you have to stop this...this madness. You are the King once again and its all because these people have stood along side of you." they made it to the hall...torch light gleaming against the golden floor that had several days ago been a trap for Smaug..it didnt work, but the gold now remained to bare witness to the attempt. "Thorin, your people need you..now more than ever. Please ...listen to..." Kechi had reached out to grab Thorins arm to still him and hopefully listen to her. The moment she touched him , he grabbed her body...roaring out loudly as he threw her across the room to collide with a stone pillar..slowly sliding down onto the floor in a heap upon the ground.

"I listen to no one! I am King... I am God ...here." he rumbled out, growling as his fingers curled into clawed hands...baring his teeth like a wild beast.. the hissing in his mind getting louder..head shifting around like an animal would.

~They dont understand..You are the King.~ Thorin clutched his head in pain...suddenly he sees himself reflected in the gold below his feet..the angry visage staring up at him...disgust within his eyes.

<"You sit here with a crown upon your head. You are lesser now than you have ever been. A sickness lies upon that treasure..a sickness which drove your grandfather mad!"> the image reached out...in a pleading gesture to him.

"I am not my grandfather." he growled out.

~You are the heir to the throne of Durin..not them~ the hiss twisted around his mind. 

<" They are dying out there. Dain is surrounded..is surrounded."> the image clenched his fist at him.

~This gold id ours and ours alone.~

<"You are changed Thorin. Is this treasure worth more than your honor?" > the golden mirror showed his other self looking  at him in disgust. He glanced away...hearing a whimper from over by a column..Kechis eyes were focused on him..watching him, despair within their green depths. The hissing grew louder, deeper..malicious.

~Your grandfather knew this..its OURSSS.~ suddenly in the gold he saw a form..slithering within the gold..coming closer to his reflection...hissing as it came. Thorin realized it was Smaug..mouth opened as he made to swallow Thorins reflection who turned to the beast with his hands held out before him in defense...screaming out one last time to Thorin above.

<"This treasure will be your death! Just like Thrain...your dea.."> gone..down Smaugs throat who looked at Thorin with a smile. Thorin watched it...a whimper off to the side..green eyes with tears.

*Kechi was watching Thorin stalking across the golden floor...whispering one moment to his self..almost hissing, then the next he was snarling out gazing into the golden floor beneath him...all while his head was swinging back and forth between the two. She whimpered as she watched him sinking further into his madness..he snapped his head to look at her at the sound. Kechi felt fear at first then it turned to grief knowing he was losing to the battle within him...tears started to fall from her eyes...there was a roar coming from him..jerking her head up.*

"I..AM...NOT...MY...GRANDFATHER!" with a roar, Thorin reached up wrenching the golden crown off his head and tossing it far away across the room..falling to his knees breathing hard. Thorin heard a soft cry to his left "Thorin" glancing over he sees Kechi staring at him as tears flowed down her face. He stumbled upon shaking limbs..crawling over to her and engulfed her in his arms..feeling her stiffen for a moment then relaxing into his arms...his shame filled voice falling into her ears as he whispered brokenly. "I am so sorry. So sorry ghiveshel. Please forgive me..please." he stroked her head as he kept pleading..begging for her forgiveness. He felt her reaching up to stroke his face tenderly as her watery eyes gazed into his own ocean blues. She leaned in slowly..resting her forehead against his as her eyes focused onto his.

"I always will..."she saw a flash of gold in his eyes..an eerie light racing across as his teeth clenched, as if there was a battle raging inside him self. She knew the sickness was pushing with all its might for control..one last push...she leaned in without hesitation, knowing what she had to do now...she brushed her lips across his briefly as she whispered with all the love within her. "....Men Kardunah (my heart)." with that she sealed her lips to his...somewhere in her mind she could hear a roar ~NO!~ echoing out as the sickness burned before her love that filled the emptiness that was left behind by the sickness.

Thorin leaned back away from her..his eyes and mind clear for the first time in a long time. He gently cupped Kechis face...a true loving smile on his face as he gazed at the most beautiful sight before him.

"Kechi...men lananubukhs menu leshon (your love is sacred to me) and from this day on..khaz torak rar azamar (our souls are forever joined)..thats if you will have me?" she saw all of it..his belief that he wasnt worthy anymore, the uncertainty, and the hope that some way..some how she would still want him. Kechi smiled, leaning in once more to kiss his warm lips.

"Nai vel azamar (now and forever)" in that moment he knew to his core that together they had beaten the sickness..the Durin line was healed of this ancient curse.

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There was shouts echoing out from below...screams of men dying upon the field, soaking the very land with their blood as the orc army pushed the opposing armies back..towards the mountain.The company watched as Dains army kept falling back towards the mountain, in hopes of Thorins men coming to their aid and all the company could do was watch with hearts filling with shame at themselves.

Kili sat upon a stone next to Alysi...their heads together as her arms were wrapped around his shoulders, stroking his hair in soothing motions. She understood his dilemma ..he wanted to obey his king and his uncle..but his heart was telling him this was cowardice by staying safe in the mountain while their allies, friends..their own people were dying below. His body was vibrating in agitation there on the rock, when suddenly he sees Thorin and Kechi walking towards them, hand in hand. He swiftly stood up confronting his uncle in his justified anger.

"I will not hide behind a wall of stone, while others fight our battles for us!" his fury swelling between them as he stood before his uncle...seething. "It is not in my blood, Thorin." his eyes pleading of the wrongness of all this. He was surprised when Thorin reached out his hand to wrap around the back of Kilis neck and pulling him in to touch heads together as his voice rumbled out..sounding like his uncle he thought was lost to him.

"No, it is not. We are sons of Durin and Durins folk do not flee from a fight." Thorin smiled and turned to look at the others..a look of shame at his actions upon his face. " I have no right to ask this of any of you, but..will you follow me..one last time?" looking around at their faces he saw forgiveness in their eyes as they nodded. He felt humbled for their continued loyalty. "Then lets do this..one last time my friends."

A/N: it has come to my attention that I havent done Tias pov in a while..my reasoning is there is very little she can contribute at this time during the war..after the war she will start talking again :)