The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings Imagines

I've Been Here Before (Middle Earth/Erebor)

You had your back turned to the lake, your head tilted upwards to look at the mountain ahead. The sun had not come up yet so you wrapped your cloak tighter around your body. The early morning breeze was cold and it made your cheeks feel numb. But you continued on towards the entrance.

Instead of entering the mountain, you stood by the entrance in silence. You spent a few moments staring up at the stone carvings before turning to walk to another part. You've lost count how many steps you've taken and how long it took you to maneuver around the rocks and uneven ground. But the place you were heading off to was a place you will always know where to locate.

At long last, by the time the sun was peeking over the horizon, you reached your destination. Truth be told, you were walking on a slower pace than your normal one.

It was because you almost didn't want to reach your destination.

You looked ahead and there stood three graves.

With a heavy heart, you trudged up to the gravestones and placed a hand delicately on top of the one in the middle. Then you looked at the other two that lay on either side of the one in the middle and sighed.

You bit back a sob as you remembered that some of them might have been buried elsewhere, and some where left in another place, deep under the ground, unable to get out. It hurt to think that all that was left of them was a book written with their desperate last words.

Taking a deep breath, you sniffled and closed your eyes, gripping onto the gravestone.

Ravens called out while they flew towards the mountain.

Pickaxes and other tools hammered against stone.

Then there were voices around you. Their loud voices echoed and broke the silence.

But somewhere between their banters, a deep voice broke through. He sang, and soon the others followed.

"Far over the Misty Mountains cold, to dungeons deep and caverns old... We must away, ere break of day, to seek our pale enchanted gold..."

There was silence.

 "Isn't the mountain beautiful during sunrise, Gimli?"

"Aye, it sure is."

"I prefer seeing it during sunsets."

"It doesn't matter if the sun is rising or setting! The mountain's more beautiful when you're inside and walking through the halls!"

"Alright, alright, enough of that."

"What say you, Thorin?"

"I think a home only becomes beautiful when you are there with your family and friends. Don't you agree, (Y/N)?"

You opened your eyes and there you could no longer stop your tears. Your knees buckled and gave way, making you kneel in front of the gravestone. Forehead resting against the stone, you let out heart wrenching cries that no one will ever hear. You let out tears that no one will ever wipe away for you.

Or so you thought.

In your grief you felt the lightest touch on your shoulder. You stopped but did not dare look up. It couldn't be real—everyone was gone. You were the only one left.

But the touch feels so warm and comforting.

"You still have somewhere to go to, (Y/N)," a voice said, and it was deep and quiet. You knew who it belonged to. It belonged to a dear friend, one who led a quest to reclaim their home.

"I can't do this anymore," you whispered, shaking your head.

"You can," he insisted. "Just one more place to go, and you'll be done. One more and this will all end."

"But..."

"One more and you'll be free."

Before you could look up, the warm touch faded and you were left feeling cold and empty again. But the last words he told you made you feel braver. So you stood up and wiped away your tears. With one last look at the gravestones and the mountain, you walked away with a lighter heart, hoping for an escape from this misery.

There was no reason to come back.

But there was still reason to continue on.

"Before, in these halls I never stood alone,

I look at you faces and I am home,O

nce, I thought we'd be together forevermore,

When I was here, with you, before.

But now you've gone and I am alone,

This place is cold, this is no longer home,

Your memoires I bring forevermore,

As I stand here, without you, where I've been before."

(I write this with the thought of how everything and everyone we knew had all gone, had all passed. What if we were immortal? Or what if we were elves who decided to stay behind, and our friends have already passed or sailed? What if we, readers, have been transported to their world but all those we knew have gone? It is your decision how you will imagine this scenario came to be but one thing is certain—they are now only a distant memory. They are friends we will never see again.)