Clarity of Vision, Chapter 15

[mithen]

Title: Clarity of Vision, Chapter 15
Relationship: Thorin/Bilbo
Characters: Bilbo Baggins, Fíli, Kíli, Thorin, Dwalin, Balin, Gandalf
Fandom: Hobbit
Warnings/Spoilers: None
Rating: G
Word Count: 4400
Story Summary: In a Middle-Earth where Erebor never fell, a shadow remains in the heart of the Lonely Mountain. Bilbo Baggins finds himself

Comments

[shirebound]

"I am a dwarf," Thorin said, and heard the pride and the pain in his voice.

Pride and pain... what a marvelous way to capture his thoughts and emotions.

Oh my, Thorin has the Ring! What a fascinating twist.

[mithen]

Thorin's sense of being a dwarf--how it's a good thing and also a very bad thing--always gets me in the gut, somehow. And yes, Thorin with the Ring! It seemed the most logical twist to make sure things didn't follow canon too closely--I considered having them not find it at all, and then felt rather guilty, since if it isn't found here it's very likely to fall into Sauron or Saruman's hands. I didn't feel up to dooming Middle Earth just to save Bilbo and Thorin from having to deal with it...

[queen0fcups]

Oh THANK GOD for your post script, thank Eru and Aule and Manwe and every conceivable deity possible. Because my reaction this entire chapter could be summed up with NO NO NO NO NO NO. All I was thinking was Thorin + Ring Madness = scariest thing I can possibly imagine, and I can imagine quite a bit. I can tell we're going to get a little bit of that, you can already see it in the way he's trying to justify holding onto the Ring, but at least it's not so bad as I feared.

Seriously, I need a moment to clutch my heart dramatically and recover because I went from surprised at the twist in the Gollum scene that Thorin was there to HOLY SHIT NO and remained there at the edge of my seat for the remainder of the chapter.

[mithen]

The Ring is definitely going to have some influence over Thorin--he's a stubborn being, but it's as bad as it gets. And wrath and dragon-sickness is not good at all... *thinks about petting Thorin, decides to pet Bilbo instead*

Ah, the moment where Thorin catches the Ring out of the air--I could see it as if in a Peter Jackson film, lol, with little reflections of Bilbo's face in it as it spun upward and then started to descend. Curse you, Ring! *shakes her fist at it*

I am delighted the twist worked for you, actually! If I can leave someone at the edge of their seat, my day is made... :)

[iris_summers]

"I am a dwarf," Thorin said, and heard the pride and the pain in his voice.

Such a poignant line - it sums up the good and bad of Thorin. And now he has the Ring... Bilbo, why didn't you tell Gandalf?!Thanks for the note - I was wondering why Thorin didn't turn invisible. And clearly while the ring doesn't quite hold dominion over the dwarves, it amplifies any inherent flaws in their nature. Thorin's actually a little less arsy in this version - I'm wondering what's gonna happen now that he has the Ring in his hands...

Haven't been commenting much, but as always, I love your stories. :)

[mithen]

Thorin's actually a little less arsy in this version - I'm wondering what's gonna happen now that he has the Ring in his hands...

Yeah, it...could get a bit ugly, I'm afraid! The idea that it could wake the dragon-sickness really got me interested...

Haven't been commenting much, but as always, I love your stories. :)

*grin* I love hearing from people that you're still reading! I don't need constant comments, just a reminder now and then...

Part 1!

[starsandsea]

Something denser and colder than the rocks; his hand closed around it without thinking. A band of some sort. No time to look at it--whatever it was, it was no weapon. Shoving it into his pocket, he scrabbled for his knife, gazing wildly around the rocky cave.

Meeep! And so the Ring appears...

"We are a small party and can avoid detection," said Gandalf, catching Bilbo's frantic look. "Probably."

"Probably?" Bilbo's voice squeaked.

"Almost certainly," Gandalf said reassuringly.

Those lines made me giggle, I have to admit! Poor Bilbo... But Gandalf! *hearts him*

They sent the ponies off into the rain with a slap on their rumps. Daffodil cast Bilbo a reproachful look over her shoulder as she moved off into the rain-soaked darkness, heading back down the pass toward Rivendell, and Bilbo wiped his face roughly with the sleeve of his jumper.

DAFFODIL!!! D: But at least Elrond will look after them...

He heard every faint rustle of his own clothing as if it were a shout, but there was no outcry, no alarm as he slipped ever closer. He

Re: Part 1!

[mithen]

Those lines made me giggle, I have to admit! Poor Bilbo... But Gandalf! *hearts him*

Gandalf being...not very good at reassurance always makes me happy to write. He's good when it matters!

DAFFODIL!!! D: But at least Elrond will look after them...

He will! I had a rough time with that one, I just couldn't bear to have her left behind in danger...

Ahhhhh! OMG, having Thorin there with Bilbo and Gollum! *flails*

It...it really changed things immediately! In ways I'm not always happy with, to be honest! For example, we've immediately lost some of Tolkien's message about how showing mercy can turn everything for the good in the end...

THORIN CARRYING THE ONE RING, AHHHHHH! *frets for what the future holds for Thorin now*

AHHHHH! *flails a bit* It definitely makes the fate of Middle Earth a little more complicated, although...he might not be the permanent holder... *whistles innocently*

Part 2!

[starsandsea]

"Well, you didn't show it. You just glared straight ahead. I assumed you were thinking, you know, Serious Princely Thoughts about your High Destiny, and had no time for silly rhymes."

*giggles*

"When I look at my nephews, my heirs, I wonder, will that happen to me? Will I come to value their lives, their laughter, less than gold?" He released a long breath, felt it shaking in his throat. "This glass," he murmured, touching the pack with a gentle hand. "It is all of my hope for the future. If it can cure the dragon-sickness, I need never fear losing myself again."

*wibbles massively* Oh, poor Thorin... And now I really worry what carrying the Ring will do to him...

The hand on his tightened briefly. "Well, I'm an honorary dwarf too, right? And you're also an honorary hobbit now. Neither of us are...simply what we started as."

*squees quietly*

"Uncle Thorin!" cried Kíli and Fíli, and would perhaps have spitted themselves in turn if he hadn't moved the sword before they threw their arms around him. "You're alive

Re: Part 2!

[mithen]

*wibbles massively* Oh, poor Thorin... And now I really worry what carrying the Ring will do to him...

Having him finally open to Bilbo about his fears right now... *wibbles with you* But as long as he has his Mission and his Quest to focus on, the Ring shouldn't be able to influence him too dramatically...

Hee, Fili and Kili in this chapter! I really thought this story would have more focus on Kili, but Fili is really going to step up a bit soon...

I'm so looking forward to posting more--soon, I hope!