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delicatenightfury · 7 months ago

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Star of the Mountain Chapter 38

Warnings: fluff, angst, canon-level violence, spoilers for the Hobbit films

Pairing: OC x Thorin Oakenshield

Beta'd By: @mistys-blerbz

Author's Note: please do not steal my work! I do not own the Hobbit or the characters, but I do own my OCs and the parts of the plot that are not part of the movies. I have worked very hard on this fic. Please be respectful and do not steal.

Please comment, reblog, and like!

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Oreliell ran down the halls as quickly as her feet would allow. She had left the others behind, only hearing them faintly calling her name. She hadn’t even bothered to speak to the guard standing at the entrance. She only had one thing in mind: her sister.

She took the stairs multiple at a time. The corridors got darker the further down she went. There were torches lining the walls, but they became less frequent the deeper into the mountain she went. She willed her eyes to adjust quicker to the darkness.

“Vedis!” she called. “Muinthel! Answer me!”

Her voice merely echoed through the stone halls. She huffed in frustration, slamming her hand against a cell door.

The dungeons were a series of twists and turns with various sets of stairs and landings, meant for confusing prisoners if they somehow managed to escape. The cells were spaced apart from one another, more than those in the Woodland Realm had been. A majority of the torches were lit, but only toward the top half of the dungeon. From her understanding, the lower levels rarely got used and therefore the torches typically remained untouched. However, there were still a few lit in the lower levels.

Oreliell slowed to a stop. Her eyes darted around, searching for any sign of life, but all she saw was stone and iron reflecting in the dim fire light. She ran a hand through her hair in frustration. After a long moment, she forced herself to take a deep breath. She closed her eyes and focused on the sounds around her. She could hear dwarves in the upper levels, talking in hurried voices as they journeyed toward her. She tuned them out, focusing on the sounds around her.

“Come on, Vedis. Answer me. Where are you?”

A low groan caught her attention. At first she thought she had imagined it, that it was only a sound conjured by her wishful thinking in her mind.

But then it came again.

Oreliell turned quickly, eyes darting to one of the cells down the next small set of stairs. She stepped forward to look through the metal bars.

Oreliell gasped.

“Vedis!”

Further back in the cell, slumped against the wall, lay a tall figure. Oreliell pulled at the door, cursing when it wouldn’t budge. She ran her fingers over the lock, glaring when she noticed small black markings. She took her dagger from her belt, gave it a slight twirl between her fingers, before jamming it into the lock. The mechanism groaned loudly at her force. Oreliell twisted the blade quickly before stabbing it in deeper, putting her weight into the jab. The metal shook and then moved as the markings fizzled out.

Oreliell ripped open the door and raced inside. She knelt down and touched Vedis’s face. Vedis’s skin was pale, her blond hair having lost its normal shine. Her wrists were bound and there was a bruise forming on her temple.

“Muinthel,” Oreliell said, her voice low. “Vedis, I’m here now. Can you hear me? All will be well.”

She shook Vedis, trying to get her to open her eyes. She tried not to panic when Vedis did not first respond, but released the breath she was holding when Vedis groaned again.

“Oreliell!”

“Here, Thorin! I found her!” She placed her hand on Vedis’s face, trying to coax her awake. “Vedis, please. Give me a sign, muinthel.”

Oreliell felt a tugging on her mind. She reached for it, trying to grasp on to the feeling.

“-liell?”

“Yes. Yes, Vedis, I’m here. Everything is all right now. I have you. But I need you to wake up.”

Oreliell watched Vedis’s face scrunch up slightly, another moan rumbling from her throat. Behind her, she could hear Thorin arrive with a small group of dwarves.

“How is she?” Thorin asked, standing at the door to the cell.

Oreliell took a minute to really look her sister over. Her skin seemed more ashen and her hair was a crumpled, dirty mess. Her wrists were chained together, the skin beneath red and tender looking. Every small detail made Oreliell’s heart sink and her blood boil. But what really caught her attention was the dark coloring to her hair. Oreliell touched it, only to discover that it was dried blood. She tilted Vedis’s head to try and rouse her more.

“She is alive,” Oreliell said. “We need to get her up to the study.”

Oreliell helped Vedis to her feet, steadying her when she nearly toppled. Thorin stepped forward to help steady her.

“Steady, muinthel,” Oreliell said. “We’re getting you out.”

“Where is the key?” Thorin called to the dwarves outside.

“No.” Oreliell looked at her sister upon hearing her voice in her mind. Her speech was slow, like each word was a struggle. “The key will not work. Morfaroth. Guldur.”

Oreliell cursed.

“A key will be no good to us, Thorin,” she said. “These chains are made with dark magic. A product of Baralin’s magic.”

“Then how do we break them?”

Oreliell pulled her dagger out again. She lifted Vedis’s hands and slid the blade between the links of the chains. With a quick, sharp movement, she managed to separate the cuffs. Vedis’s hands were at least separated, but the cuffs remained in place.

“That will have to do, for now,” Oreliell said. “We need to move.”

#The hobbit #Tolkien #Thorin Oakenshield #Thorin #Thorin Oakenshield x oc #Thorin x oc #Thorin Oakenshield x elf oc #Thorin x elf oc #Thorin x elf #The hobbit oc #Fan fiction #Star of the mountain

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delicatenightfury · 7 months ago

Text

Star of the Mountain Chapter 36

Warnings: fluff, angst, canon-level violence, spoilers for the Hobbit films

Pairing: OC x Thorin Oakenshield

Beta'd By: @mistys-blerbz

Please comment, reblog, and like!

Masterlist - Previous Chapter - Next Chapter

“What’s on your mind?”

Oreliell glanced over at Thorin, who was seated at his desk. He appeared to be combing through various stacks of papers, but she knew that he was still quite attuned to her.

Oreliell sighed.

“I don’t know,” she said. “I just feel as though something is wrong.”

Thorin put down his papers and turned in his chair to face her.

“What makes you say that?”

Oreliell hesitated. She wondered if her concerns were simply in her mind, that she was fabricating something out of nothing.

Thorin stood from his seat and joined her by the large window. He took her hand, prompting her to look at him. The sun had barely risen over the horizon, yet the early morning glow cast a brilliant orange across the study.

“It is far too early to see your face so troubled, gimlelul. You must tell me when something is weighing on you. I cannot read your mind. I leave that job to you sister.”

Oreliell smiled slightly at his attempt to jest, but sighed.

“It is actually Vedis I am worried about. I have not been able to find her.”

“It is still early in the day.”

“Vedis rises earlier than the sun. She always has. Last night, something seemed to be troubling her at dinner. Then during the night, I heard her leave her room. When I checked this morning, she still was not there.”

“Have you tried calling for her?”

“Many times. She has not responded.”

“Is it possible she is simply out of reach?”

“Erebor may be vast, but we have yet to find a distance where she cannot reach me.”

Before Thorin could say anything more, there was an almost frantic knock at the door. The two exchanged glances of confusion.

“Enter,” Throin called.

The door opened slightly and a dwarf popped his head inside.

“Ori?” Oreliell said.

“I’m sorry for disturbing you,” he said.

“Nonsense, Ori. What is it?” Thorin asked.

“There’s… well, there’s been a situation in the throne room.”

Thorin’s brow furrowed.

“What kind of situation?”

“It’s best if you see for yourself.”

Thorin sighed, but nodded. He looked at Oreliell.

“We will deal with this, then I will help you find Vedis,” he said.

Oreliell smiled.

The two followed Ori out and to the throne room, where several guards stood. Typically, only two guards stood outside the throne room at a time. The guards bowed their heads to Thorin and let them inside. The throne room was empty, minus the small gathering of dwarves by the throne. Oreliell realized that they were all members of the company, plus Dís. They were mumbling quietly to themselves, making it slightly challenging for Oreliell to determine what was being discussed.

“Thorin,” Dwalin said, dragging everyone’s attention to them.

Thorin greeted them.

“What has happened?” he asked. “Ori said there was a situation.”

Dwalin nodded.

“It’s the Arkenstone.”

“What about it?”

“Thorin,” Dís said, stepping forward. “It’s missing.”

Oreliell’s eyes went wide and shot up to the throne. Sure enough, the Arkenstone was vacant from its place.

Oreliell felt someone grab her hand. Her gaze was drawn away and down to Thorin. He had her hand in a tight grip.

“How?” Thorin said.

“It was Bifur that discovered it,” Bofur offered. “Go on, brother.”

Bifur stepped forward. He had somehow lost the ax that had been lodged in his head during the battle, miraculously giving him the ability to speak in common tongue again.

“I was making my normal rounds this morning when I discovered it,” he said. “I came into the throne room and saw that the stone was missing. I called for Dwalin and made sure no one came in.”

“When I got here, I instructed several guards to remain outside,” Dwalin said, continuing with the report. “No one on rounds saw anyone go in or out of the hall.”

“The stone couldn’t have just disappeared,” Kili said.

“And we are sure it is nowhere in the hall?” Thorin said. “And that none of the guards have seen it?”

Dwalin shook his head.

“I questioned them all myself. None reported noticing anything, and they’ve all been sworn to secrecy until we figure out what has happened.”

Thorin nodded.

“Very good. Let’s initiate a search, but it must be kept quiet. No one must know. We do not want to create an uproar.”

Dwalin turned to the company and began passing out roles. Gloin was assigned to gather men, and several others would head different groups. The rest of the company would work to make sure word did not get out.

Oreliell looked down at Thorin. She squeezed his hand slightly to gain his attention.

“{Are you all right?}” she asked in elvish.

Thorin took a minute to respond, but ultimately shook his head.

“{The last time the Arkenstone was missing, I nearly lost my mind to the dragon sickness. It is the king’s jewel. To know it is missing once again… is difficult to come to terms with.}” He squeezed her hand. “{But I will get through this. It was the thought of you that pulled me through the darkness last time. With you now physically by my side, I believe I am less likely to stumble.}”

“{Even if you did, I would be there to catch you, my love. You need not stand alone ever again,}” she told him.

Thorin smiled up at her and pressed a kiss to the back of her hand.

“Thank you,” he whispered, making Oreliell smile. He looked away, going to say something when he noticed Dís and Dwalin looking at them. He eyes them suspiciously as Dís whispered to Dwalin, staring at her brother in surprise. Thorin sighed. “Now what are they up to?” he muttered.

Oreliell chuckled in amusement.

“Dís is merely commenting on the fact that you speak my native tongue,” she said. “The thought that you took the time to learn elvish never crossed her mind apparently.”

“Only enough for insults, once upon a time.”

“Like what you said back in Mirkwood?”

Thorin rolled his eyes at her teasing tone.

“We were being falsely imprisoned,” he grumbled. “Thranduil had no reason to detain us, that stuck up stick pixie.”

Oreliell laughed.

Dwalin, Balin, and Dís approached the two. Dís looked between them, obviously amused by what she had witnessed. But her expression became serious when Balin began speaking.

“This is most troubling,” he said. “We won’t be able to hold off the people forever. What will we tell them?”

“And what about the council?” Dís asked. “They are going to be anxious and curious about all the secrecy.”

Thorin sighed and ran his free hand over his face.

“We wait. Searching for the Arkenstone will be our primary focus. However, should we not find it, we will call a council meeting in the morning.”

Dwalin put his hand on Thorin’s shoulder.

“Will you be all right?”

“Yes,” Thorin said. “It is in the best interest of Erebor that we remain calm. We do not need to incite concern. But Dwalin, I want an increased guard around the mountain. Make it subtle if you can. If the stone, thief, or a clue is found, I want to know about it.”

“Of course.”

“We will find it, brother,” Dís said. “Do not worry.”

Despite the efforts of the search parties and increased guard, nothing turned up that day. Oreliell could tell that Thorin was becoming anxious. He tried to keep himself occupied with other things, but she knew the disappearance of the Arkenstone was weighing on his mind. Thankfully, not as heavy as it had before the battle. Thorin tried to keep Oreliell as close as possible, and was almost constantly holding her hand, as if it were to ground himself.

The next morning, Thorin summoned the council. Oreliell could hear them gathering behind the large wood doors, talking amongst themselves. She glanced at Thorin who straightened his coat. She offered her hand to him, smiling when he took and squeezed it.

“It’s going to be all right, Thorin,” she said. “We are here for you.”

“I know. And I will be forever grateful for your support. I just worry what will happen should this get out. What if my rule is questioned? I have lost the symbol of the king, and nearly lost the mountain. What if I am unfit to be in this role?”

“Enough of that.” She brushed some hair away from his face and ran her fingers through his hair. “You have done so much for Erebor and its people. You won back your home, you are restoring it to its glory, and you have brought your people back. No one else was able to or tried to do such a thing. It was you.”

Oreliell could tell that his smile was slightly forced, but his eyes told her that he was grateful for her words.

Thorin rolled his shoulders and pushed open the door to the council hall. The dwarves nodded in greeting to the two of them as they made their way to the table. Oreliell looked around at them. Those that had been part of the company looked tense, the knowledge of the missing Arkenstone weighing them with worry. The others were quiet but appeared confused as to why they had been summoned. And as always, Lord Korvon looked at her with disapproval in his eyes. He did little to hide his displeasure, but she was not going to try to force him to accept her.

Oreliell took her seat beside Thorin, who remained standing at the head of the table.

“Thank you for coming on short notice,” he said. “I would not have called you here if it were not dire.”

“Dire?” Lord Malark said. “What do you mean? Has something happened?”

Thorin glanced at Oreliell. She gave him a small smile and a nod. He turned his eyes back to the council.

“Yesterday, we discovered that Arkenstone had disappeared.”

Several of them gasped in shock and questions were fired in quick succession.

“How could this have happened?”

“Where were the guards?”

“Are there any leads?”

“Who could have dared to do such a thing?”

“Let the king speak,” Dain said over them.

“We do not know much, other than it was stolen during the night,” Thorin said after nodding at his cousin. “We have had additional guards posted outside the throne room, and patrols around the mountain have been increased. We are on the lookout for the thief, but so far we do not have much. Our goal is to keep the mountain from going into a panic if this were to get out.”

“I agree with this decision, your majesty,” Lord Trinan said. “We have had too much uncertainty regarding our home. Adding another reason would not be wise.”

“What else can we do to help?” Dain asked.

They dove into plans about how else they were going to search for the Arkenstone. They organized further search parties and guard rotations. They even created plans for if the people came to learn about the missing stone.

Oreliell saw Thorin become more and more relaxed as the council talked. Having plans in place was easing his nerves. Knowing that he had their support even though the Arkenstone was missing was a weight off his mind.

The lords pitched in their suggestions for the plans, debating what would be the most efficient way to assist in the search. However, one lord was rather quiet, simply observing the talks rather than putting forth his thoughts.

Apparently, she was not the only one to notice.

“Lord Korvon,” Dís said. “You have been rather quiet today, which is quite unlike you. Is everything all right?”

“Yes, your highness,” he said. “It’s just… I couldn’t help but notice something peculiar.”

“And what is that?”

“Lady Oreliell.”

Oreliell was slightly caught off guard. He had never once addressed her so formally, and his tone was… somewhere between mocking and curious.

“Yes?”

“May I ask where your sister is? I can’t help but notice that she is absent today.”

“I’m not sure, Lord Korvon.”

“Not sure? Surely you have some idea.”

“Unfortunately not.”

“But you two are practically joined at the hip.”

“Believe it or not, I am not my sister’s keeper. She may come and go as she pleases.”

“When did you last see her?”

“The other night when she left Thorin and I to spar at the training grounds.”

“Curious.”

“Why does all that matter, Lord Korvon?” Kili asked. “Vedis is allowed to miss a council meeting if she is occupied.”

Korvon shrugged, feigning innocence.

“It’s a simple observation, my prince. Or rather, it seems like a coincidence.”

Oreliell tensed, sensing where he was going with his line of thought.

“Speak plainly, boy,” Lord Rusnig said. “What are you getting at?”

Korvon huffed.

“Does no one else find it odd that the elf should go missing the same night that the Arkenstone does?”

The room fell silent. Oreliell stared at Korvon in shock.

“Lord Korvon, you can’t possibly be suggesting that Vedis is the one who has stolen the Arkenstone,” Balin said.

“Why is that so unbelievable?”

“What is the basis of your accusation? What proof do you have?”

“The night the stone went missing, so did she. Oreliell herself said she hasn’t seen her sister since then. And when I was taking a walk that night, I saw her headed toward the throne room.”

“Vedis patrols the mountain at night,” Dwalin said lowly, arms crossed over his chest. “That is hardly proof.”

“She kept looking around like she was making sure she wasn’t being followed! She was paranoid!”

“Perhaps it is because of dwarves like you that hold ill intent toward them,” Dain replied.

“Have I a reason not to? Elves betrayed us in our time of need. When Smaug first attacked the mountain, the elves of the Greenwood watched as our people died before turning their backs on us. When we sought shelter in the aftermath, they shut us out! And before that, elves have tried to stake a claim on treasure that is rightfully ours!”

“All of those instances were with the Woodland Realm and King Thranduil, and those conflicts have begun to be resolved,” Balin told him. “Oreliell and Vedis have only ever helped us.”

“Are you sure? Who’s to say that they haven’t been deceiving you all this time? They could have planned all this from the beginning, planned to seduce and trick our king by feigning helping him search for Prince Thrain and later reclaiming the mountain. All this was a ruse to aid the elves of Mirkwood get into the mountain and steal from us!”

“That is enough!” Thorin said. He was on his feet once again and glaring at the dwarf lord. “I suggest you hold your tongue if you wish to keep it, Lord Korvon. I will not have you slandering my One, your soon-to-be queen, or her sister. To suggest that they could be behind the Arkenstone’s disappearance or that they would create such an elaborate ruse with a kingdom they hold no allegiance to is disgraceful. I will hear no more of it.”

Korvon narrowed his eyes before shoving his seat back and storming out of the room. Many angry eyes followed him out. Thorin looked at the other dwarf lords, who all appeared to be shocked by their fellow dwarf’s outburst.

“If there is nothing else to discuss concerning this matter, you are dismissed,” he said behind gritted teeth.

“The nerve that man has,” Dís grumbled once the lords had left the room.

The others voiced their frustrations. Oreliell, however, stayed silent, still in shock. Lord Korvon’s words echoed in her mind. She felt hands on her shoulders, only slightly pulling her out of her thoughts. She placed her hand over one of Thorin’s, squeezing it.

“I cannot believe he would accuse Vedis of such a horrible thing,” Kili said. “She would never steal the Arkenstone!”

“But he’s right.”

Once again, the room went quiet. The dwarves looked to Oreliell, stunned that she would agree with Lord Korvon.

“Oreliell,” Thorin said. “Lord Korvon is simply looking to place blame.”

She shook her head.

“I’m not saying he’s right about Vedis stealing the Arkenstone. She practically hates the thing. I’m saying that the timing of it all is suspicious.”

Dain leaned forward, resting his arms on the table.

“How so?” he asked.

“Even if Vedis wanted to steal the stone, she would not have done so so obviously. She’s incredibly smart. She would have stolen the stone, stored it somewhere she deemed safe, then stayed present to feign assistance in searching and lead it away from her. Her absence raises suspicion of her being the thief and makes her more likely to be caught.”

The others thought on this in silence for a moment, slowly nodding.

“You’re right,” Dwalin said. “It’s too convenient, too easy to place blame.”

“But even so, we still do not know who has taken the Arkenstone,” Kili said.

“Then we must focus on one thing at a time,” Thorin replied. “While finding the Arkenstone is of great importance to the throne, our first course of action should be finding Vedis.”

“What about the lords?” Oreliell asked. “They will disagree with such a decision.”

“Their opinions do not matter when it comes to family and kin.” She smiled at him and squeezed his hand. “Dwalin, please gather some of your best men to begin the search. The search for the Arkenstone will continue, but I want Vedis found.”

The group nodded in agreement. As they began to slowly filter out of the room, Oreliell turned to look at Thorin.

“Are you sure about this?” she asked quietly.

“She is your sister,” he said to her, “and she is my friend. I want her found as much as you. And we will find her.” He kissed her forehead. “I promise.”

#The hobbit #Tolkien #Thorin Oakenshield #Thorin #Thorin Oakenshield x oc #Thorin x oc #Thorin Oakenshield x elf oc #Thorin x elf oc #Thorin x elf #The hobbit oc #Fan fiction #Star of the mountain

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