The Lonely Mountain [1]

Dragon's Sickness

The people of Lake Town began the long and treacherous journey up to the fallen kingdom of Dale and Erebor. They carried only what they truly needed; the hope of what could be bestowed on them keeping them going.

In Dol Guldur Gandalf, Galadriel, Saruman and Elrond were to discover that a darkness had once again returned to middle earth. Sauron had once again risen and was gathering forces that included Azog the defiler. Gandalf, who was now out of the clutches of the enemy, was in a hurry to get to the mountain. He and Radagast were summoning their many allies. The battle for the mountain was about to begin.

However, in the halls of Erebor, the Arkenstone had still not been recovered and it was feeding Thorin's madness.

"It is here in these halls I know it." Thorin said as he gazed upon the broken back of the throne that once held the king's jewel.

"We have searched and searched." Dwalin said.

Bilbo, Amara, Dwalin and Balin were all stood around the throne. All of them could tell that Thorin was succumbing to dragon's sickness and were getting increasingly worried.

"Not well enough." Thorin snarled, his back still turned on them.

"Thorin, we would all see the stone returned." Dwalin tried again.

"Yet it's still not found!" Thorin said the level of his voice rising.

"Do you doubt the loyalty of anyone here?" Balin asked cautiously.

Thorin turned to look at the two dwarves before walking down the throne steps.

"The Arkenstone is the birth right of our people." Balin continued.

"It is the king's jewel." Thorin said as he stopped his decent. "Am I not the king?!"

They all stood slightly shocked at his sudden outburst.

"Know this." Thorin continued. "If anyone should find it and withhold it from me; I will be avenged." He said before walking off.

The other four stood for a moment trying to comprehend what had just happened before they departed one by one.

Amara was sat on what would once have been the turrets of the great city under the mountain but were now no more than broken bits of stone. She pulled off her bag and pulled out her sketch book. She looked back at the pictures she had drawn and saw how far the company had come. She sighed as she looked back into the great halls. The dragon's sickness had truly taken a hold of Thorin. She knew if they found the Arkenstone it would only grow worse. She wondered where Legolas was. If he had gone to Gundabad and what he had found.

"He's gone mad, hasn't he?" Bilbo asked as he sat down across from her.

"They call it dragon's sickness. A need to covert riches." Amara informed him. "It is less like madness, more like an illness. His grandfather, Thror, suffered from it."

Bilbo noticed that her sketchbook was one on a picture she had drawn of Legolas. "That's him isn't it? The one you told me about in your fathers portrait gallery, your betrothed."

"Yes, that is him. You have keen eyes, Mr Baggins." She smiled at him.

"What's his name?"

"Legolas. He is the son of King Thranduil."

Their conversation was interrupted as Dwalin appeared. "Look. The survivors of Lake Town."

She looked where he was pointing and saw what he meant. There were hundreds of lost, tired people pouring into the ruins of Dale.

"They will have come for what they were promised." She said.

"I should tell the others." Dwalin said as he departed.

"Thorin isn't going to like this, is he?" Bilbo asked.

"No, I do not think he will."

They were right, as soon as Dwalin told him, Thorin had everyone moving all the stone fragments they could find to the main entrance to the mountain. He was determined to shut the gap that the dragon had made.

"I want this fortress made safe by sun up." Thorin said as he walked into the entrance hall. "This mountain was hard won. I will not see it taken again." He said as he walked to the front of the entrance hall where the others were working.

Kili dropped the cart he and Bilbo were moving. "The people of Lake Town have nothing." He said walking forward. "They came to us in need. They have lost everything."

Amara turned around from where she was perched on the ramparts to watch Thorin's reaction to the challenge from his youngest nephew.

Thorin turned to face his nephew with a hard face. "Do not tell me what they have lost. I know well enough their hardship." Thorin said turning his back to look at the now lit ruins of Dale. "Those who have lived through Dragon fire should rejoice. They have much to be grateful for." Thorin stopped, seemingly enchanted by the old ruins. But as soon as it had appeared it disappeared and his face went hard as he turned to face the company again. "More stone!" He yelled. "Bring more stone to the gate!"

Bilbo glanced up at Amara with a worried look which she returned. This was going to take them all night.