Curse of the East (Fili/The Hobbit Fanfiction)

Chapter 46 - The Return Of The King

I stared into the gold for a long moment as it began to bubble and swirl again after the last of the Arkenstone's light had disappeared; not quite able to look away and not able to accept the fact that I had really done it, nor the fact that now I was going to have to answer for it.

I turned back and sought out Thorin. I met his gaze for a moment, but then he stumbled back and fell hard onto one knee. He looked broken, a kind of brokenness I had never seen before. When Fili and Kili stepped forward and laid their hands on his shoulders he accepted their sympathy, and a smile forced its way on to my face. It had worked, it had really worked.

I moved quickly to the second chain and kicked it back over the edge,unhooking it and choosing to slide more than climb down in my hurry to get to them. I hit the ground hard, but I didn't even pause to acknowledge the jarring in my legs as I moved toward my friends. Dwalin was smiling at me, and he opened his mouth to say something; but whatever it was, he never got the chance to say it. The moment my shadow entered Thorin's line of sight his head snapped up, and my heart skipped several beats when I saw that the darkness remained in his eyes. And now they were burning with angry fire so intense I was certain I would catch fire where I stood.

"Thorin," I whispered. "Please." He got slowly to his feet, shaking off the hands of his nephews, who were looking at each other as if trying to decide how far they were willing to go to stop what was coming. But then Fili met my eyes, and I saw him remember his promise.

"What. Have. You. Done!?" Thorin shrieked, moving toward me so quickly I had barely blinked and he was suddenly in front of me. A single breath later he had his hands around my throat and my feet were off of the ground; my back pressed up against the forge, though a small part of my mind was aware enough to note that at least the metal at my back wasn't hot. Not that it helped my situation in the slightest.

"This isn't you." I managed to choke out around his hands. "Thorin, I know you're still in there somewhere, and I know that you don't want to hurt me." He squeezed harder, and I coughed weakly. "Fight it Thorin. I need you to fight this." He shook me violently, and the blackness from my dream returned, but this time I knew it wasn't going to move me somewhere else. It was going to kill me.

"Uncle you have to stop this!" I heard Kili beg from somewhere over Thorin's left shoulder, and there was a pair of hands trying to pull one of his hands away from me; but the King was not budging.

My hand brushed the knife he had thrown at me, and one last idea surfaced in my mind; a very risky plan that was either going to work,or get me killed. I drew the knife, ignoring the flash of my own dead body behind my eyes as I held it up so Thorin could see it.

"Do it." I whispered. "If this is really you then do it. There's nothing I can say, but if it isn't you and you can still hear me then listen to me very carefully. I had another dream." There was the ghost of something familiar in his eyes, and the grip on my neck lessened for long enough for me to take several huge breaths before it was tightened again; whatever it was had gone, but now I had hope I could get it back. "If you kill me there is no hope of you winning the war that is moving toward us right now. Orcs, thousands of them lead by Azog and his... spawn." I choked out when his grip tightened at the mention of the pale Orc. "If you kill me there will be no one to save you. Or them."

"Who is them?"

"Fili...and... Kili" His grip lessened in surprise and I took another breath while I had the chance. "I saw them die. I saw you die. And I am the only one who can stop it. If you kill me, their blood will be on your hands along with mine. And hundreds more of your people if I can't get a message to Dain. Now you need to make a choice." I held up the knife again. "Kill me if that's really what you want. But if I'm right, you're in there and you aren't alright with this;so come back to me. I've never fought a war, I can't do this by myself. I need you Thorin. Your people need you. Your terms." Every second was agony as the blackness crept back into my vision, my limbs began to get heavy; but all of a sudden Thorin dropped his head onto my shoulder, and a second later I was back on my feet.