The Elf, the Hobbit and the Dwarf - Book 1 NEW VERSION

Epilogue

From Dale the horn echoed all the way into Erebor, filling them all with more sorrow as they stood in a large hall, only lit by candles with the sound of soft music from the company of Thorin Oakenshield as they sang for their dead. Only ten Dwarves remained and the three who had been lost laid on stone coffins for the company to say farewell to. Thorin Oakenshield, and the brothers Fíli and Kíli - the last of Durin's line - were dead. Fíli had died as he had gotten captured by Orcs and Azog himself put an end to the young Dwarfs life. Kíli had, in rage, sought Azog out and that was how he ended up alone fighting Bolg to protect Tauriel and Míriel. Thorin... he had met the devil himself face to face on the frozen lake of Erebor and there the enemies ended each other's life, putting an end to the Battle of the Five Armies.

Gandalf, Beorn and Radagast stood by the side quietly and observed. Míriel felt a tear run down over her cheek as the thought of the three brave Dwarves as how they had been in life. She wiped it away but more came, and she wanted nothing more than to remember the three for the wonderful Dwarves they had once been. Míriel wished that she could have met Thorin one last time for she had never had the time to say goodbye to him properly. She had bidden both Kíli and Fíli farewell once before, but her last conversation with Thorin had been harsh. He had not been himself and that was not how she wanted to remember their last conversation as. Instead, she would remember him as the brave Dwarf who had broken out of his dragon sickness and fought until the end for his people.

What hurt the most was to see the three Dwarves as cold, empty shells who were no longer alive. Never before had Míriel seen so much death and never again did she want to experience it. The harsh truth of knowing that they would never meet again had come to her and it was painful to think in that way.

Míriel walked up to Thorin slowly and saw how the Arkenstone laid in his hands - on top of his sword Orcrist. The candles faint light over the Dwarf King's face almost made him appear as if he was sleeping for he did not look as pale as he did without the light. He was not sleeping, though, and hearing Balin weep for his king struck pain through Míriel's heart. The Dwarves, Míriel and Bilbo were walking slowly around the three, crying and remembering. Míriel looked at Fíli's face and her tears started flowing yet again. He had been such a handsome Dwarf with so much ahead of him in life. One day he might have been king of this mountain, a day that Míriel would have liked to see more than anything.

At last Míriel's eyes fell upon Kíli. He and his brother and been more than just her friends; they had been like her brothers. During the few months they had spent together, a friendship more unlikely than any had formed between the Dwarves and Míriel. Never could she have known that they would inflict such pain on her one day nor that there would be a love so strong between them. There she now stood, all alone as she had lost everyone she had cared about and there was nothing she could do to bring them back.

*

Daín was crowned king only a day later and Erebor would finally be restored as the last great Dwarf realm in Middle-Earth. It had been painful for them all to see Thorin's crown placed on top Daín's head because Thorin had not worn it even close to as long as he should have. Much rather would they have seen Fíli or Kíli crowned, but it was right nonetheless for Daín was the heir now that Thorin's line had been ended.

Not even a day after the coronation Míriel and Bilbo sat down and together decided that they would leave Erebor together as soon as they could get away. They both felt that the mountain was filled with too many painful memories that they would rather escape than face. Bilbo would return home to the Shire and Míriel would follow him until their paths would lead them different ways. Míriel needed to go home.

"There is to be a great feast tonight," Balin said as he followed the two out of the mountain slowly.

"Songs will be sung, tales will be told. Thorin Oakenshield will pass into legend."