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THE PEOPLE OF LAKETOWN HOSTED A PARTY IN HONOR OF THORIN and his Company, Maristela spent the night hanging out with her companions before eventually finding herself sitting on a balcony away from the large boisterous crowd. Fíli was quick to find her, he had sat down with her, they had spent the night cuddled together under the stars stealing kisses and talking about whatever came to mind; Maristela was at her happiest. But come morning, the Company headed to the docks in preparation to head to the Mountain to reclaim Erebor.

"You do know we're one short; where's Bofur?" Bilbo asked Thorin while looking around. "If he's not here, we leave him behind," Thorin replied to Bilbo, they couldn't waste time. "We have to, if we're to find the door before nightfall. We can risk no more delays," Balin added to cement Thorin's words. They march along the pier and the Dwarves board the boat, fully decked out in armor and regal clothing supplied by the people of Laketown. Thorin stops Maristela, "Not you. We must travel with speed, you will slow us down." Maristela looks Thorin in the eyes, she was pleading with him to let her go with them.

"I'm coming with you, Thorin. I promised to be there when you walked into the halls of your Forefathers," Maristela told him but Thorin didn't back down from his decision. "You have gotten me and my kin this far, now you can rest and leave the rest to us," Thorin replied while Fíli turned his head to Maristela, he wanted her by his side when he saw Erebor for the first time. "Thorin--" Maristela was interrupted by Thorin laying his hand on her shoulder as he speaks, "I do not wish your wound to worsen. Join us when you have healed, you are one of us, Maristela. We will await your arrival."

Thorin squeezed her shoulder gently before turning to board the boat, Maristela lowers her gaze before stepping back from the pier. Oin climbs out of the boat, "I'll stay with the lass. My duty lies with wounded." Maristela looked up at Oin, she went to refuse but he sent her a stern gaze and she knew there was no convincing him to leave with the others. "Uncle, she deserves to be there, more than most. You can't deny her that right!" Fíli argued with Kíli agreeing with his brother. "We will carry us, if we must!" Kíli added in a shout, Maristela appreciated their persistence but they were wasting time.

"One day you will be King, and you will understand. I cannot risk the fate of this quest for the sake of an Elf, not even one I deem a good friend," Thorin expressed to Fìli who was still upset with his uncle's words. Fíli shares a look with his brother before stepping out of the boat, Thorin tries to stop him, "Fíli, don't be a fool. You belong with the Company." Fíli turned to his uncle with a glare, "I belong with my heart." Thorin was taken aback by the instant reply, no hesitation in his words proving that Fíli intended to court Maristela no matter the beliefs of their people or hers. Kíli pulls away from the others and follows his brother, "And I belong with my brother and friend."

The musicians of Laketown play their instruments as the Master climbs up to a raised platform; He waves and the people cheer and clap. Further away in a house in the town, a sleeping Bofur is woken up by the sound of the music, he jolts upright and smacks his head on the bottom of the table. "By my beard, is that the time? Oh, ugh," Bofur exclaimes before he scrambled up unsteadily and runs out the door, grabbing a glass of drink on his way. "Bring good fortune to all!" The Master cheers as the Dwarves pull into the canal and begin to paddle away from the town.

Bofur pushes his way through the townspeople and reaches the water, only to find the boat of Dwarves far off down the canal. He sighs solemnly before he turns and finds Fíli, Kíli, and Oin standing by Maristela. "Ah! So you missed the boat as well?" Bofur asked them but before anyone could respond to him, Maristela moans in pain and stumbles backwards, Fíli quickly catching her before she hit the ground. "Mari? Mari!" Fíli pleaded as they noticed her fighting for consciousness, the wound festering underneath its bindings, the black veins seeping from her poisoned thigh to her heart.

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Meanwhile, Bilbo and the rest of the Company are in their boat heading towards the Lonely Mountain. Once they reach the closest shore, they climb the foothills of the mountain. Thorin, recognising the landscape, runs atop an embankment overlooking a valley. As the others join him, they look at the other end of the valley and see the ruins of Dale. "What is this place?" Bilbo asked, his mind was split between helping Thorin and worrying about Maristela who looked deathly unwell. "It was once the city of Dale. Now it is a ruin. The desolation of Smaug," Balin answered him solemnly. "The sun will soon reach midday; let's find the hidden door into the mountain before it sets. This way!" Thorin ordered them.

"Well... is this the overlook? Gandalf said to meet him here. On no account were we--" Bilbo was cut off by Thorin, "Do you see him? We have no time to wait upon a wizard. We're on our own." Thorin turns and walks away, Bilbo frowns as he looks back at the city conflicted before relenting and following the others. They continue their walk until they reached the Mountainside, Thorin's mind reeling at being so close to his home once again. Thorin stands his sword in the ground and pants, "Anything?" The others were scouring the side of the Mountain trying to find the secret entrance.

"Nothing!" Dwalin called back to him. "If the map is true, the hidden door lies directly above us," Thorin informs them. Bilbo, walking around, sees a massive statue of a Dwarf carved into the side of the Mountain. Looking closely, he notices a set of stairs built into the statue. "Up here!" Bilbo calls to the others, they make their way over with Thorin in front. "You have keen eyes, Master Baggins," Thorin compliments the young Hobbit. They painstakingly make their way up the steep and treacherous steps and find a little rock-walled clearing in the side of the Mountain.

Thorin runs into the clearing, "This must be it. The hidden door." The remaining Dwarves and Bilbo come into the clearing as well. "Let all those who doubted us rue this day!" Thorin cheered as he held up his key, the others cheered with their King. "Right. We have our key, which means that somewhere, there is a keyhole," Dwalin expressed, he begins exploring the walls of the clearing with his fingers, looking for a keyhole. Thorin walks to the edge of the clearing and looks out at the setting sun, "The last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the keyhole." As the sun gets lower and lower on the horizon, they begin to loose faith.

"We're losing the light!" Thorin exclaimed as Nori tapped against the wall in an attempt to locate the door. "Come on!" Dwalin growls before kicking the wall. "Be quiet! I can't hear when you're thumping!" Nori snapped at Dwalin holding his ear to a cup against the wall, tapping it with a spoon. Upon Thorin's frantic orders, Dwalin, Gloin, and Bifur try to smash at the wall with their weapons to no avail. "It's no good! The door's sealed. It can't be opened by force. Powerful magic on it," Balin told them sadly, the Dwarves stop hitting the wall in tiredness and defeat as the sun disappears behind distant Mountains.

"No!" Thorin stumbles forward and re-examines the old map, reading aloud, "The last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the keyhole. That's what it says." He holds his arms open in disbelief, the others mutter in disappointment and anger while Thorin mourns the loss. "What did we miss?" Thorin questioned before approaching Balin and repeating the question earnestly and tearfully. "We've lost the light. There's no more to be done. We had but one chance," Balin told him with a sigh. The Dwarves bow their heads in despair and turn back toward the stairs.

"Wait a minute!" Bilbo called to them. "You wait," Gloin replied to him. "Where are they going? You can't give up now!" Bilbo exclaimed to the Company of Dwarves. Bilbo looks beseechingly at Thorin, but Thorin turns away. He holds up his key and looks at it, then drops it to the ground, whete it clatters. "Thorin... you can't give up now," Bilbo pleads with Thorin who throws the map at Bilbo's chest and walks past him. The Dwarves begin descending down the stairs, but Bilbo stays in the clearing. He recites the riddle from the map to himself while gesturing with his hands.

"Stand by the grey stone..." Bilbo moves to stand by the grey wall, "When the thrush knocks..." He looks around but doesn't see a thrush anywhere, "The setting sun... and the last light of Durin's Day will shine. Hmm. The last light. Last light..." He turns away from the wall, thinking hard and muttering to himself. With a thought, he looks up and sees the clouds move aside to reveal the moon. He looks at it wonderingly and sees that it illuminates the clearing, his mind trailing back to when Maristela spoke about the moonlight being its most beautiful on Durin's Day. Hearing a noise, he turns back and sees a thrush hitting a snail against the grey wall.

The moonlight shines on the wall illuminating a keyhole, Bilbo laughs with relief and delight. "The last light!" Bilbo cheered loudly. "The keyhole! Come back! Come back! It's the light of the moon, the last moon of autumn, like Mari pointed out!" Bilbo exclaimed as he laughed happily, he begins looking around for the key that Thorin had dropped to the side. "Where's the─Where's the key? Where's the─it was here... but it was here, it was here! It was just..." Bilbo mutters as he frantically looks around when suddenly, his foot his it and it goes flying from the clearing.

Just before it falls off the side of the Mountain, a boot steps on the string and stops it. Thorin stands there and Bilbo lets out a sigh of relief as Thorin reaches down and picks up the key, then examines it. The other Dwarves step up beside him, they all smile in relief at Bilbo, grateful for his persistence. Thorin inserts the key into the keyhole and turns it; mechanisms are heard turning behind the rock. Thorin pushes the wall, and a previously unseen door opens into the Mountain. The Dwarves look on in awe as Thorin stands on the threshold as he speaks, "Erebor." Bilbo smiles at the sight.

"Thorin..." Balin chokes up and Thorin places his hand on his shoulder. Thorin then steps into the Mountain, "I know these walls... these walls, this stone. You remember it, Balin. Chambers filled with golden light." As he says this, Thorin runs his hands over the wall, lost in memory. Balin steps into the tunnel, "I remember." The rest of the Company slowly and reverently enter the Mountain. Inside, Nori points at a carving in the wall above the door, it is the throne of Erebor, with the Arkenstone above it, sending out rays of light in all directions.

"Herein lies the seventh kingdom of Durin's folk. May the heart of the Mountain unite all Dwarves in defense of this home," Glóin read out the inscription on the carving. Bilbo looks up at it in interest and curiosity, Balin noticed and spoke, "The throne of the King." Bilbo nods slightly, "Oh. And what's that above it?" Balin looked at the carving before turning to Bilbo, "The Arkenstone." Bilbo furrowed his brows before turning his attention Balin, "Arkenstone... And what's that?" Thorin turns to Bilbo upon his question with a smirk upon his face, "That, Master Burglar, is why you are here."

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「 ✦ 𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘 ✦ 」

Maristela and Fíli make my heart swell, I'm not looking forward to what comes next...

Thoughts on the brothers staying behind?

Thoughts on Bilbo thinking of Maristela?

Extra thoughts on this chapter?
Theories? Predictions? Suggestions?

See you in the next chapter!