mithen

Thorin returns to Erebor, and Bilbo Baggins enters the Lonely Mountain for the first time.

Oooooh! Excitement!!!!

He noticed, however, that Thorin had moved to stand between Bilbo and the worst of the blustering wind.

<3

And away from our father, he did not add, but Dís's eyes flickered to his, dark with old memories.

Oh what a wonderfully evocative sentence!

"He recovered quickly

OMG he really was trying to get them killed! *shakes fist* You can't have them, no you can't! *cuddles Fíli and Kíli – and Dís*

never enough to compare with the Khazad, of course

Of course... *rolls eyes*

"Perhaps your ring is one of those."

äslkfh.mnsvslkjäpfkjäpoföjsmnl

"I'm trying to imagine an elf-lord of old painstakingly crafting a ring with the awe-inspiring power to turn hobbits invisible," he said.

Oh Bilbo... *gnaws nails* All this underestimating of the One is going to give me a heart attack.

"You have learned some...unorthodox skills in my absence, sister."

Hasn't she just? Dís is fabulous! And how much do I love that she's tugging on his beard? Fdöaljgvnädflkgjaö

"But...Khazad-dûm was like a grave, dead and gone. This place…it lives. It breathes."

Thorin stared at him a moment. Then he brought his forehead to Bilbo's, a brief touch. "Thank you,"

NYARGH. These two are so wonderful together. <3

"Mîn, daughter of Lîn,"

Ooooh nice. And Gimli!!!!!!!!!!!!

OMG they will finally cure him, won't they? *BOUNCES LIKE A BOUNCY THING*

Somewhere in the darkness, something whimpered.

Oh God.

Bilbo heard Thorin sob once, a horrified sound of shock and anguish, and Thrór wrenched his mutilated hand away.

Oh God.

"This drink will give you the power to regain all that you have lost, my King."

Very cleverly put.

"I will not risk the lives of those I love against my father," he said. "Yours above all."

*melts into a puddle*

"For pity's sake, we must get him into some clean clothes, I can't bear it.

Oh Balin... he's known Thror even longer...

"Why, where has that hobbit gone?"

YESSSSSSSS!

A distant boom echoed through the hall, as if great stone doors were thrown open somewhere. Thráin paused, then forged ahead:


Ooooh dramatic entrance, I am giddy with anticipation!

Library! Hidden passages! And little Thorin playing there! LöSDKJFHÄALSDKFJÄ

"You were my father!" Thorin cried, and heard the echoes die all around him.

Urgh. *cluthes chest * *dies*

Bilbo to the rescue!

"Oh, I thought I'd lost you," he murmured.

UH OH - it's begun. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! GET RID OF IT NOW NOW NOW

"And you are a very bad dwarf indeed."

*thud*

"Then I shall take you without killing you, or die myself in the doing,"

STUPID NOBLE DWARF ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Well, I'm afraid I didn't take to him either," Bilbo said judiciously.

headdesk. Only Bilbo, I swear. I bet that was the most fun while writing this chapter... pitting Bilbo against all TEH SERIOUS DWARFS.

"What did he mean," said Bilbo, his voice slower and more thoughtful. "When he called me a witch and a ring-bearer?"

älakdgösldfkhgösdlk

"Yes," said Thorin, but his voice was thoughtful as if he were filing something away to think on later.

Yes, please think about it!!!!

Thrór would gift Bilbo with a circlet of gold--which Bilbo privately thought made him look rather silly

:-)

But for the moment, it was just the two of them in the dark together, step by step and side by side, and it was more than enough.

Perfect chapter ending!