Tolkien Fan Fiction
| 13 |
| The Burden of Kingship |
Disclaimer: All places and persons belong to Professor Tolkien whom I greatly admire. This was written for the simple joy of writing. No copyright infringement intended, no money made. Rating: General, suitable for all. Series: The Mazarbul Chronicles Archiving: my website and Edhellond. Everyone else: please, ask first. Summary: After the Battle of Five Armies, Dáin Ironfoot considers his future duties. Double-and-a-half drabble, 225 words. Dedication: to Aislynn Crowdaughter, my fellow Dwarf-fancier, for Edhellond's 5th anniversary. This particular piece has not found a beta reader yet. My apologies. |
| The aftermath was almost worse than the battle itself: the number of the dead and dying disheartening, and the desecration of the time-honoured halls by the Dragon’s filth saddening beyond relief. Dáin asked himself whether the Halls Under the Mountain would ever regain their beauty of old. Whether all the dying and killing was truly worth it. ‘Twas true that the Children of Mahal were jealous of all that which was theirs. ‘Twas also true that the Dragon had needed to be dealt with if one wished the North to be safe again. But the price paid for that elusive safety, for the regaining of their birthright, was a very high one. Thorin Oakenshield, King under the Mountain, was dead, and so were the young princes of his House, who would one day have become his heirs. The eldest branch of Durin’s line was broken, forever. It fell to Dáin now to shoulder the burden of kingship in a kingdom long gone; to rebuild that which had been destroyed by the Dragon. ‘Twas a duty he had never asked for. He had been content in the Iron Hills, and would have stayed there happily ‘til the end of his days. But there was no-one else to step into his place, and Mahal had not made his children to run away from their duties. ~The End~ |