Bilbo POV
"Anything?" Thorin asks. We are looking for the hidden door.
"Nothing!" Dwalin answers him.
"If the map is true, the hidden door lies directly above us." Thorin states.
As I look around for any sign of where the hidden door, I see Mallory and decide to ask her more of what happened with Aerlinniel.
"Mallory, what exactly happened with Aerlinniel?" I ask her.
"We were sneaking through Laketown when we saw a lot of guards starting to surround us. Imryll shouted for us to look out, but Aerlinniel was hit on the back of the head by this creepy looking man. Imryll and I tried to fight off the guards and get Aerlinniel back, but the creepy man took her away. We escaped the guards and tried to find Aerlinniel. We couldn't find her anywhere so we headed to the overlook. We were hoping she escaped." She explains to me.
As I walk around a part of the mountain, I see a massive statue of a dwarf carved into the side. I look more closely, and notice that there is a set of stairs built into it.
"Up here!" I shout to them.
"You have keen eyes, Master Baggins." Thorin tells me.
We make our way up the steep steps and, when we get to the top, find a small clearing in the side of the mountain. Thorin runs to the clearing.
"This must be it. The hidden door." I hear Thorin say. "Let all those who doubted us rue this day!"
Thorin holds up the key, the Dwarves cheer.
"Right. We have our key, which means that somewhere, there is a keyhole." Dwalin says.
He begins exploring the walls of the clearing with his fingers, looking for a keyhole. Thorin walks over to the edge of the clearing and looks out at the setting sun.
"The last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the keyhole." Thorin recites.
The sun is starting to get lower and lower on the horizon. And they are not finding anything.
"Nori." Thorin shouts to him, frantically.
Nori runs to the wall and begins tapping it in different places with a spoon while holding his ear to a cup that he is holding up against the wall. Meanwhile, Dwalin tries to push against the wall.
"We're losing the light." Thorin tells us.
"Come on!" Dwalin shouts and begins to kick the wall.
"Be quiet! I can't hear when you're thumping." Nori tries to quiet him.
Dwalin, not listening to him, says, "I can't find it...it's not here! It's not here."
"Break it down!" Thorin commands them.
Dwalin, Gloin, and Bifur smash at the wall with their weapons, but it is not doing anything.
"Come on!"
"It's no good! The door's sealed. It can't be opened by force. Powerful magic on it." Balin says.
They drop their weapons and the sun disappears.
"No!" Thorin stumbles forward and re-examines the map, he reads out loud, "The last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the keyhole. That's what it says. What did we miss? What did we miss, Balin?"
Balin tells him, "We've lost the light. There's no more to be done. We had but one chance. Come away; it's...it's over."
"Wait a minute!" I say to them. I did not come all this way to almost be eaten by trolls, chased by Orcs and Wargs, almost fall off of a cliff, captured by goblins, wrapped in webs by spiders, bust them out of the Woodland-Realm, ride down a raging river, sneak into Laketown, and finally reach the mountain, all for nothing.
"You wait." Gloin tells me.
I look over at Thorin, "Where are they going? You can't give up now!"
He turns away and holds up the key and looks at it, then drops it to the ground.
"Thorin...you can't give up now." I say to him.
But Thorin throws the map at my chest and walks past me. The dwarves begin heading down the stairs, but I stay in the clearing. I recite the riddle from the map to myself.
"Stand by the grey stone..." I go and stand by the wall. "When the thrush knocks..." I look around but I don't see a thrush anywhere. "The setting sun...and the last light of Durin's Day will shine. Hmm. The last light. Last light..." I turn away from the wall, thinking hard and muttering to myself. I look up and see the clouds move aside to reveal the moon. I look at it and see that it illuminates the clearing. Hearing a noise, I turn back around and see a thrush hitting something against the wall. Just then, the moonlight hits the wall.
I laugh, feeling relieved and point at the wall.
"The last light!" I exclaim
The moonlight illuminates a keyhole in the rock, and I gasp in surprise, then yell for the dwarves, "The keyhole! Come back! Come back! It's the light of the moon, the last moon of autumn! Ha ha ha!"
I begin to look around on the ground for the key, "Where's the- Where's the key? Where's the- it was here...but it was here, it was here! It was just..."
Suddenly, my foot hits it and it goes flying from the clearing. Just before it falls off the side of the mountain, a boot steps on the string and stops it. It is Thorin. I sigh in relief. Thorin slowly reaches down and picks up the key. The other Dwarves come up beside him. They all smile in relief at me.
Thorin inserts the key into the keyhole and turns it. He then pushes the wall, and a previously unseen door opens into the mountain. The Dwarves look on it awe as Thorin stands on the threshold.
"Erebor." Thorin says.
"Thorin..." Balin chokes up, and Thorin puts a hand on his shoulder.
Thorin then steps into the mountain. "I know these walls...these walls, this stone. You remember it, Balin. Chambers filled with golden light."
Balin steps into the tunnel. "I remember."
The rest of the Dwarves and I slowly enter the mountain. When we are all inside, Nori points at a carving in the wall above the door.
Gloin reads aloud the inscription on the carving. "Herein lies the seventh kingdom of Durin's Folk. May the heart of the mountain unite all Dwarves in defense of this home."
I look at the carving in interest and curiosity.
Balin explains it to me, "The throne of the king."
"Oh. And what's that above it?" I ask.
"The Arkenstone." Balin tells me.
"Arkenstone....and what's that?" I question.
"That, Master Burglar, is why you are here." Thorin says to me.
~~~
"No, Balin, I promised I would do this, and I think I must try." Balin has walked with me further into the mountain.
Balin looks at me and then begins to chuckle, "It never ceases to amaze me."
"What's that?"
"The courage of Hobbits. Go now with as much luck as you can muster."
I nod at him and I continue down the tunnel.
"Oh, and Bilbo...if there is, in fact, a live dragon down there, don't waken it." Balin warns me.
I walk a few more steps, then turn to ask a question, but Balin has already disappeared around the corner. I tiptoe, going further and further into the mountain.
I quietly walk through a large doorway and find that I am in a massive hall. I whispers out loud, "Hello?"
I knock quietly on the wall beside me, but the sound gets louder as it echoes. I jump and press myself against the wall in shock. Seeing no reaction to the noise, I walk out into the hall onto a walkway.
"You're not at home. Not at home. Good. Good, good, good." I say, trying to calm myself.
I get to the top of the staircase, and stop walking. My mouth drops open in shock. I see mountains of gold, jewels, weapons, cups, and all sorts of treasure piled dozens of feet high all throughout the massive hall.
After a moment, I climb down the stairs and carefully begin to walk on top of the treasure. I am trying so hard to be quiet, but the coins and jewels beneath my feet are making a lot of noise. I start my search for the Arkenstone. I find a large white jewel and examine it.
"What's that?" I ask out loud to myself.
I then shakes the jewel and continue examining it. Deciding that it's not the Arkenstone, I carelessly throw it aside, then jump when it clatters.
"Shushh, shushh."
I continue to look around. "Arkenstone, Arkenstone...a large, white jewel. Very helpful."
I am surrounded by so much treasure that it would be impossible for me to find one particular jewel out of all of this. How do they expect me to find it?
I climb up a mountain of gold and pick up a golden cup. This action starts a small avalanche of coins. I look up and see the coins falling away to reveal what looks to be a Dragon's eye. But it is shut. I jump behind a stone pillar, frightened by what I just saw. All is silent, and it seems like the Dragon is still asleep. Suddenly, Smaug snorts, and the treasure around his nose falls away, revealing it. I slowly try to make my way down the pile of gold, but stop short when I realizes that the Dragon's body is buried in a large circle around where I am standing.
I take a few steps, then pause and kneel down as the Dragon, Smaug, begins to raise his head, his eye still closed. I watch as Smaug opens his eye, I then run and dive behind a pile of gold.
~~~~~~
Hope that you guys liked this chapter. And guess what...you guys get TWO updates today! :D This one, and then I'm going to post another one a little later. And, there is going to be some Leginniel in the next chapter! ;)
Love you my elves from the realm of llamas,
~Ellethwen <3