The Dragon's Curse

Funeral

Time passed slowly and no sign of change occurred between either Artemis and Thorin. The general had taken command and refused for any contact to be made whilst Sredir remained in a fragile state.

"Sir, you are needed in the infirmary!" A solider quickly reported as the General leapt to his feet running towards the screams. Artemis's eyes were wide open yet fogged with red as flames leapt from her skin like a halo. Screaming her body arched upwards, tears dripped down her face, whilst her voice morphed between her pained roars of a dragon and her own cries. Whilst the healers panicked to hold her fragile life to her body the same was occurring in Erebor.

"What's happening to him!" Fili demanded as they watched their uncle surrounded in a red glow, shouting in agony.

"No one touch him!" Gandalf warned as they stood watching, the winds picked up, the candles erupted three feet high before blowing themselves out. When it grew silent they went to take another step closer only to feel a powerful heat radiate off his body.

"It's not over" Dwalin whispered as they could do nothing but watch.

Black marble shone underneath her feet as she continued to walk through the endless pitch-black corridor. Well she thinks it's a corridor. Still dressed in her armour Artemis couldn't understand where she was as the further she walked the colder she grew. Her body shivered violently before her knees crumbled underneath her.

"Artemis?" A familiar voice shook as she struggled to lift her head to see Thorin shaking, stiff with cold before he collapsed beside her. Wrapping his arms around her tightly she felt her energy being drained from her very body as Thorin's pale skin started to radiate warmth. Quickly releasing her the room grew colder as she looked down at her hands to see them fading away.

"I'm killing you" Thorin sadly spoke as he knew he couldn't touch her.

"We'll both die if we stay here" Artemis shuddered as Thorin tried to gain his surroundings yet saw nothing but darkness.

"I remember pain, so much pain and how we're here. Where are we exactly?" He questioned as she shook her head refusing to tell him.

"Artemis where are we?" He demanded.

"Only one of us can live through this Thorin. It's a cruel trick of an ancient magic. Since the connection was broken we are stuck here...."She informed before trailing off, his ears straining to hear the final part of the sentence.

"Pardon?"

"We are stuck here because my life was taken! So now one of us surrenders our life for the other, otherwise we both die" Artemis told him blankly. As soon as the words escaped her mouth they fought, instead of aiming to achieve power over the other they each wanted to fail as the life source poured into them draining from the other. Artemis refused to lose this battle so she cheated and played dirty. As a single tear dripped slowly down her cheek, Artemis grabbed him by the collar and pulled him in a passionate kiss his instinct to dominate took over before gasped when the final bit of life drained from her very being.

"NO!"

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It had been a month since Bilbo had returned back from the mountain and he couldn't get back into a routine of being home in shire, without having to constantly be looking over his shoulder. It was early one morning as he smoked his pipe and grabbed his mail from his letterbox. Flicking through them he frowned when he came across a red envelope. With black ink his name was written in curved writing as he turned it over to see a dragon wax seal. A spark of hope erupted within him as he ripped it open only to stumble back to sit on the bench outside his home.