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Mending the Broken Pieces	By : LadyLaran Category: Lord of the Rings Movies > Het - Male/Female Views: 13613 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own "the Hobbit" nor do I make money from this story. Tolkien and Jackson are the ones who own the characters and world.

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Author’s Note – It’s not as long as I would like, but I’m hoping this will help the story move a bit more. I’m so grateful that everyone has enjoyed this tale as much as they have!

Disclaimer – I do not own “the Hobbit” nor do I make money from this story.

Chapter Fifty-one - Plans and Worries

Time passed slowly without any word from the missing members of their company, outside of the private dreams shared between the two soulmates, and Thorin kept himself busy despite the broken ankle. Oin said it was healing well but reminded him to keep it off of the floor and elevated whenever possible. The king had done just that, determined not to hinder the healing since he hated having to be restricted all of the time. The other members of the company were healing well too, much his pleasure, and it helped alleviate the worry he felt for all of them. They had become his family in many ways, and he was determined to keep them close.

Thorin had kept focused on his tasks in Erebor, inspecting the areas he could get to with ease since he was on crutches, but he also kept a good portion of his attention on the bond he shared with Hawthorn. As each day passed, he could sense a fatigue that seemed to grow and it worried him, especially when he saw her each night looking pale and exhausted. He mentioned it to Balin, who commented that the ring might be trying to drain her strength the closer the group got to Mordor.

The idea that she could be losing so much energy didn’t sit well with him at all, and he shared more of his strength with her in hopes that it would enable her to keep going. In his heart of hearts, the dwarf king hoped and prayed that Sauron, if he had made it to Mordor after his defeat in Dol Guldur, was too weak to even act against the group entering his lands. The idea of losing any of them, especially Hawthorn, made him ache inside and it was frustrating knowing that he could only provide what little support he could via the bond.

Despite his worries and frustrations, Thorin was able to make progress in areas that he’d set as priorities during the time the group was away. He’d worked with several members of the company, including Bifur and Bofur, to design the changes that needed to be made to the king’s chambers so their hobbit would feel at home in those rooms. Given the two dwarrow in question were experts in stone and woodwork, the pair had been able to assist him in drafting the plans that would be followed for the renovation. Those involved had sworn themselves to secrecy, knowing this was a gift for Hawthorn, and they’d been delighted to take part in something that was a tradition her father had started.

The engineers that had come from the Iron Hills with Thorin’s namesake had declared the treasure hall to be stable once a few pillars were shored up, and a few small teams were set to work sifting through the massive amounts of gold. By the king’s decree, each team spent limited time in there due to him not wanting to risk any form of gold madness forming. It was a plan Dain had agreed on before he’d left to return home with his son and the soldiers who were not staying temporarily in Erebor.

Elrond’s twin sons had remained after their father had departed for Rivendell, wanting to help where they could as well as get to know their hobbit’s cariad. Thorin had thanked them for their aid, knowing their skills had saved quite a few people – dwarrow and humans as well as elves. They had also gone hunting with some of Thranduil’s elves, helping to supply Erebor with food.

The king had seen a lot of his sister-sons in the elvish twins and was quickly growing to like them. His respect had grown after a night where he, the twins, and Fili had sat in his rooms with glasses of wine, and the pair had questioned him regarding his plans for Hawthorn. They’d been protective of her, which he had expected, but they’d also provided insight into his future bride in regards to her tastes and habits. By giving him these details, they had shown that they cared for her happiness and approved of him, even if they hadn’t come right out and said anything regarding that.

“Thorin?”

Ori’s voice pulled him from his thoughts and away from the documents he was supposed to be reading. He’d forgotten just how tedious the paperwork could be, and he dreaded the amounts he would receive once his people were safely in Erebor. He would have to hire an aide since Balin would be busy with his duties as both adviser and council member; if he didn’t get help soon, he knew he’d be drowning in paperwork and unable to spend time with his family. Once the other members of the Scrivener’s Guild arrived, he would have Balin find someone to fill that position.

“Yes Ori?”

“A few wagons have arrived from Rivendell,” he said. “Lord Elrond sent supplies as well as Hawthorn’s belongings from the Shire.”

Thorin was more than happy to use this as an excuse to get out of the room he’d been using as an office in his personal rooms, and he soon accompanied Ori down to the gate. The scribe had paced himself, not wanting to go too fast since the king was still on crutches.

They arrived at the gate in time to see Elladan and Elrohir frowning over something that had been wrapped in a blanket. It was odd to see them looking so stern and upset, and Thorin was quick to question them on it.

“What’s wrong?”

“Hawthorn’s lute was broken despite all possible care being taken while packing the wagon with her things,” the elder answered. “She’s going to be unhappy about that.”

“I didn’t know she played the lute,” Ori commented, frowning now. “The only musical talent we knew she had was singing and composing.”

“She learned from Lindir during her visits to our home and showed remarkable talent for it,” Elrohir answered. “This instrument was a comfort to her when things went so dark; she stopped singing but used this to help her when she needed a way to express herself.”

“Dain has some master luthiers,” Thorin stated. “We’ll need the measurements from her old lute, and I’ll send the request to the Iron Hills by raven. If we’re in luck, we can have a new one here before she returns home. I have a feeling she’ll be needing it.”

The others agreed and worked together to get the measurements, which Ori wrote down, and soon a raven was on its way to the lord of the Iron Hills with a request for a new lute for Erebor’s future queen. Thorin knew Dain would see to it that the request was carried out swiftly since his cousin had become rather fond of Hawthorn during his brief stay in Erebor.

Hawthorn’s clothing was sent to Oin’s rooms while the rest of her belongings were stored not too far from where the royal rooms were. This way it wouldn’t take long to move them into them once the renovations were complete. Bofur and Bifur had examined the furniture that had arrived and presented the king with the idea of refurbishing the antiques so they would last longer, look nice, and would allow Hawthorn to have things in her new home that she had grown up with. He had agreed, cautioning them not to overwork themselves.

Oin had pulled Dori aside as the hobbit’s clothing was put away, and the tailor was quick to write down measurements so a new wardrobe could be made with the cloth that had been stored in cedar chests as well as fabric that Elrond had sent. Though well cared for, the garments from the Shire were worn out and Oin wanted his daughter to have the best he could provide. It was a sentiment Thorin approved of, and he’d often heard various comments about using the styles favored by the dwarrowdams instead of the simpler styles the hobbit women chose to wear. Occasionally, Dori would come by with drawings for Oin to look over and Thorin’s opinion would be asked for. Despite his time away from Ered Luin, the king had often helped his sister with choosing dresses whenever it was important for her to need a new one.

The tailor had come up with some styles that would be comfortable and suit Hawthorn’s figure while mixing some aspects of the popular styles dwarrowdams favored. He’d shared with both males that he’d been working on designs for the dresses for the wedding and Hawthorn’s coronation, and Thorin cautioned him not to make any decisions until Dis arrived since he knew his sister would want to be a part of the planning.

With everything going on, Thorin also used his limited free time to work on ideas for his part of the Acts of Devotion. There were seven acts, one per month, that needed to be performed by each couple. Some were craft related, others focused around aspects of the future spouse, and the tradition was one to publicly demonstrate how deep the knowledge they had of each other as well as the love they shared. It was a beautiful tradition that dated back to the father of their line, and it was one he had always hoped to go through whenever he found his One. The problem was the limitation he had on his free time.

Thorin addressed the issue with Balin, who promised to ensure he had an aide as soon as possible, and Ori devoted some of his time to helping the monarch with the paperwork that was slowly piling up on his desk. The older dwarf was grateful and used the time wisely, designing each month’s act so that he could get started as soon as Oin allowed him to start working once more.

It was good to try to stay busy as it gave him something else to focus on besides his worry for Hawthorn. He could tell the other members of the company were worried too as well as Elrohir and Elladan, and it finally came out during dinner one night.

“I hate all this waiting,” Fili grumbled, playing with his food instead of eating.

Nori looked up from his drink and nodded, not even having to ask for the crown prince to explain what it was he was speaking about. He didn’t like not having word about their missing company members either and knew it was a strain for all of them.

“Did Glorfindel and Gandalf say how long it would take them to get there,” he asked, looking at the rest of the company and the two elves.

Elrohir sipped his wine, then set the goblet down with a soft sigh. Though he and his twin had hidden their concerns well, they had also been fretting about their missing hobbit-sister and hoping she would be all right.

“With the help of the eagles, it shouldn’t take them too terribly long but it depends on what they find when they reach Mordor. Our father and grandfather were unsure as to what the activity there would be like. Sauron was defeated by the council, but there is no information regarding just how quickly he will be able to return to Mordor or how many orcs will be there once Hawthorn and the others arrive at the border.”

“Chances are good they will have to make the rest of the journey on foot,” Elladan finished for his brother. “It’s possible that is what they are doing now since the eagles would make the journey much faster.”

“It’s been weeks,” Bombur said with a worried look on his face.

“The bond between Hawthorn and I is still growing, but all I have been able to sense from her is exhaustion; she tries to hide it from me during our shared dreams, but I can tell the ring is draining her a great deal,” Thorin told them. “For the moment, I’m of the belief that the exhaustion is a good sign because she would be angry or panicked if something was wrong.”

“Thorin is right,” Bifur stated. “We need to take that as a good sign and just have to keep on praying they’ll be safe. As much as we hate not having word, we will keep focused on our tasks so that the group will be surprised to see how much we have gotten done when they return.”

Bofur nodded, swallowing the bite of food he’d been chewing on before speaking.

“We trust those who went with her,” he shared. “We just have to keep on trusting them; they’re strong people who will support Hawthorn as she does this thing. As long as Thorin senses there’s no problems, we shouldn’t borrow trouble unless she tells him that there’s something to worry about.”

“Face forward and keep on working,” Dori agreed. “Like Bifur said, we’ll continue to pray that Mahal keeps them safe and focus on what we’re building here.”

The group nodded, still very worried for those who were not home. They knew they needed to focus on rebuilding Erebor, and each of them would continue praying to their Maker for the safety of the loved ones who were not home with them. It was of little comfort honestly, but it was all they had for now.

Thorin met his nephew’s eyes and gave him a reassuring nod while sending his love to Hawthorn through the bond, grateful when he felt her send her reassurance back. For now, this would be enough as they waited.

Author’s End Note – I hope you guys enjoyed this! I’m gearing up for this year’s NaNoWriMo and hoping I’ll be able to succeed through it. Please let me know what you thought of the chapter. I will see you all next time! ~Laran
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Mending the Broken Pieces