The Hobbit ~ Tumblr Challenges

Thorin ~ The Sound of Silence

The dwarves of Erebor had not taken kindly to Smaug's attack on their home, to losing loved ones and losing their gold. Already a hardy folk, it ignited a fire within them, one of survival and of revenge.

They trained for years, always fuelled by the desire of returning home, of killing Smaug. Fireside stories soon filled with tales of how they intended to do that, every dwarf having a different way of ensuring that Smaug's heart stopped beating.

The years earned them a reputation, people whispered about their skilled warriors, about how they may even now match the skill of the elves in facing the great beasts. Of course, being a secretive people didn't help the rumours, some of which became wild and fuelled with dark magic.

Either way, it was a legacy that you were proud of.

You'd been quick to join when the original call went out and even quicker to prove your worth. You had lost a lot when Smaug had attacked, and while some things you would never get back, you could certainly make sure that you were there when the final blow was made.

The call had come too early for a lot of the dwarves, the memory of losing Thror and Thrain still fresh in their minds, but a small group of you trusted Thorin, and if all of you were as capable as you thought you were, then the small group would be enough.

The journey was fraught with danger and many a times some of you thought that you wouldn't make it, but finally, Erebor was in your sights.

Thorin stood proud before the mountain, a determined gleam in his eye, and it was here that you finally understood how much you admired your king.

There was little time to dwell though, all of you sure that Smaug would die that day, you'd all been training for this, pushing yourselves to your limits and beyond and nothing was going to stop any of you from putting your lives on the line to kill the dragon.

Thorin delivered the final blow, something that you had all felt was rightfully his anyway, but his specially designed blade had sunk deep, through the gap in Samug's scales that had been made all those years ago, and the fire finally died in Smaug's eyes, the dragon's body collapsing in the large hall.

All of you, bloodied, bruised and exhausted, had all stared for a long moment before the laughter and cheering had started. You all knew that war was still coming, it had been foreshadowed enough on your journey, but for now, a desire had been satisfied and all of you were ready to face whatever came next.

Once the battles had been won and everything now settled, Smaug's skull was set in the stone above the throne, the Arkenstone underneath and became a strong pride of the dwarves of Erebor as they returned home. They would often talk about your small company and what you managed, becoming both a tale for children and one for adults to share over drinks, all with varying degrees of details.

The only ones that truly knew though, were those that were there.

When times were quiet, you approached Thorin with your feelings, only to find that he returned them, you had both simply been focused on this for so long, that neither of you had been willing to say anything until now.

Erebor was soon overjoyed to have a King and Queen, especially two of dragon killing legend, knowing that any heir produced would indeed be worthy of the crown.

It almost felt like celebrations lasted too short a time though when word reached Erebor of another dragon.

Word had travelled far about what the Company of Erebor did, about how the dwarves had trained themselves for dragon slaying, rivalling the skills of elves in battle. That word, it seemed, had reached another dragon, who was now issuing a challenge and those he was terrifying, were begging for help.

Many more dwarves jumped at the chance this time to be involved, determined to be a part of the legend themselves, determined to make their own mark on history, despite warnings that this would be no easy task.

The mood was very different marching to that dragon, the army that the two of you had were almost cheerful, the only ones that were grim were those that knew, all thirteen of you.

Thorin stood before the dragons cave, the fire in his eyes just as strong as what it was for Smaug, staring down the darkness within. There was an eerie silence amongst everyone, not even slight movements causing a sound, as if they were holding their breath.

You let out a steadying breath next to him. "Shall we go say hello?"

Thorin sends you a smile, nodding slightly in agreement and starts forward, his footsteps echoing towards the cave. "Hello darkness my old friend."