The Hobbit Imagines

6. Thorin x Reader

The late evening sky was dimly lit with pale moonlight. All was peaceful as the company drifted softly to sleep. Everybody was in dire need of rest; you would be setting off again at dawn. Your breath, even and calm, was all you could hear while you were wrapped up tightly in your cloak, but you still shivered as an early winter's chill bit at your bare arms. When you were sure everyone was asleep, you sat up quietly and opened your rucksack. You reached in and produced an old, leather-bound book. Often this was the only opportunity you got to read- when everyone else was resting. Otherwise, it would be too loud or you would be too busy. The only reason you wanted everyone to be asleep was because Thorin wouldn't approve of you staying up when you needed energy for the next stretch of the journey. But he didn't understand how you had to read. Sometimes, it was your only way to escape your reality. You liked to imagine yourself as the character in hundreds of fantastic adventures, always coming out triumphant, always winning the man of your dreams. None of that stuff happened in real life though. No. Mostly your "great adventure" with the company had consisted of sitting around in dirty, makeshift camps for hours. And when you weren't doing that, you were walking. It wasn't as fun as the books made it seem. The stories romanticised the pain of losing someone, and impossibly sentimentalised the guilt that comes along with it. You knew the truth though- you lost your parents in a village attack a few years prior to meeting Thorin, and you've never forgiven yourself for not saving them. You had one enemy left on Middle Earth besides the orcs- yourself. Thorin had looked after you, since he found you in the rubble of the attack. You two became good friends with ease, seeking adventure and excitement. You learned all about him and the more you got to know him, the more you realised how deeply in love you had fallen with him.

While you were captivated in your story, you hadn't spotted the goblin creeping towards the camp through the thick forest. It was only when it growled at Kili, who rolled over in his sleep, that your head snapped up to see it. Knife quickly in hand, you jumped up and dropped your book. You hissed at the hideous creature, who snarled in return before charging at you. Swiftly, you dodged it and nicked its arm with your dagger. It grunted and turned to you again. The two of you faced off, blades biting and slicing at every opportunity. At one point, you were retreating into the trees, trying to lure the beast away from camp, and the other dwarves but as you stepped backwards, you stumbled over a tree root and fell. Landing with a thud, you gasped as the goblin sprinted towards you hysterically. You scrambled to get up but not before it was upon you. Knocking your knife from your hand, it raised its own blade above its head and cackled. You shut your eyes and awaited the pain, but it never came. A strangled shout came from the goblin as someone tackled it off of you and wrestled it to the ground. You opened your eyes to see it was Thorin who had come to your rescue. He repeatedly hit the goblin who squealed. You watched in terror as the goblin slashed at Thorin with its knife. The silver weapon cut into Thorin's forearm and he roared in pain. Though, he didn't falter. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed the goblin by the throat and drove his sword into its chest. The creature writhed and twitched before falling still. Thorin panted and slumped off the body. Hurriedly, you ran to his side and placed a gentle hand on his back. He winced and looked up at you. You smiled down at him sadly and whispered "Thank you for saving me." Thorin laughed and replied "You're welcome. Was that the only one?" You nodded and added "He must have been a stray. Turned up alone, probably looking for dinner." Your eyes flicked to the wound that was just below Thorin's shoulder. You grimaced and ran back to the camp quickly to fetch some bandages.

Returning moments later, you sat beside Thorin who smiled gratefully. Slowly, you lifted his arm but he groaned at the pain so you stopped. While you cleaned the wound, Thorin watched you closely, his eyes grazing over you curiously. You could feel yourself blushing under his gaze. "You're being quiet. You're never quiet. What's wrong?" You asked shyly. Thorin frowned and shrugged "I'm just thinking." You narrowed your eyes at him and joked "Well that's always a bad sign." A small chuckle fell from his lips and he sighed. You grew serious again as you said "What are you thinking about?" Thorin took a deep breath and relaxed as he spoke "When we first met. How much we've changed. And how our biggest adventure may just be our last one." Thorin had worry etched into his features. You tutted "You shouldn't worry about such things. We're not even at Erebor yet, for goodness sake. Why do you sadden yourself with these ideas?" Thorin could do nothing but shake his head. In your mind, you knew that Thorin had been pondering over this for days. Although you understood why he did it, you hated that he was letting himself give up before it was over. You didn't want this foul mood to stick around but clearly Thorin needed to talk to someone. "We've been friends for many years Thorin, we've escaped the most helpless circumstances before. Why, this time round, do you doubt yourself and the rest of the company?" Thorin bit his lip as he began to explain "I was wrong to bring you all here. Especially you. We were not ready when we set off-" You interjected "But we are ready now." Thorin considered this and then said "If I told you that when dawn comes you would march to a certain death, would you still march? What would you say?" You paused, thinking, and replied "... If you told me that, I'd tell you to shove it. Thorin, you, nor I, have never believed in any of those prophecies! We won't know what is going to happen until it happens. Please, don't lose yourself to doubt. I need you to keep it together. This company will fall apart if you back down now. You are brave, you are strong, and you are the rightful king under the mountain. And I know you can do this." Thorin listened carefully and closed his eyes while you spoke. Then he blinked at you a few times and smiled lovingly "What would I do without you?" You placed your hands on either side of his face and leant in close, speaking in a low voice "You'd find the next best thing." Smugly, you pecked him on the nose and stood to go back to camp. A lot of the time, you hid your feelings through joking and sarcastic flirting. It was easier than explaining your awkward crush on him.

You had finished bandaging his wound while you chatted. When you turned away, you felt Thorin grab your wrist and pull you back down. You giggled at him as he shuffled closer to you. The two of you sat cross-legged and carried on talking. Thorin said "There's not a thing like you in this world. You know that?" You gushed "Aww, be serious." He looked at you intently "I am. I could search for the rest of my life and never find anyone like you. And I'm afraid that I might lose you." You frowned "Why? I'm not going anywhere." You retorted confidently. "Y/N, please just take this seriously for a second..." You stopped grinning and nodded. Thorin sighed "When we get to the mountain, things will happen that are out of my control. I can't promise that I'll save you from a thousand orcs, though I'll try my best. I can't promise that I'll slay the dragon, but I damn well plan to. My point is, every time I save you from something, a new threat will come along. And I just want us to be home, and happy. I want us to live our lives together and start a family. I don't want you to die. But you might. That's why I'm afraid." Tears pricked in your eyes as you watched Thorin. You sighed happily "You want to start a family with me?" Thorin nodded, slightly embarrassed that he had basically declared his love for you in such a nonchalant way. You smiled excitedly "Thorin, I want that too." He looked down out you with wide eyes, his brow knitted together. You laughed "I've wanted that for so long." Thorin put his good arm around your shoulders and kissed you on the head "I'm sorry for being so doubtful. There's only one thing I know for sure- I love you, and I want to marry you." You smirked and raised an eyebrow at him "That's two things." He laughed and you stood, offering a hand out to him. When he got up, you hugged him tightly and whispered "I love you too." He put an arm around your waist and you wandered back the camp, knowing that whatever the future had planned, you would face it together.

Hey guys! So I guess I lied when I said I would be uploading more regularly- but in my defence, I still have exams going on! Anyway I hope you like this story, I know it's quite short. I've been really struggling for ideas, so please if you have any requests, just message me or leave them in the comments- I appreciate it so much <3 Don't forget to vote and add this story. Hope you enjoyed and I'll see you for the next one!

~Niamh~