By that time, the afterglow of the setting sun had completely disappeared. The shadow of the mountain loomed over everyone.
Dragons raged in the sky.
The valley was ablaze with fire.
The silver king transforms into white lightning,
Come to the dwarf's door.
"Lord Turka."
The silver-white king is not a being that can be taken lightly. Thorin Oakenshield, who was hiding behind the high wall, finally showed up. He said: "Thank you for your help. The Turin dwarves are able to return to their hometown. It's all for your lord's sake. Please accept my Respect."
Turka noticed the deep fear in the dwarf king's eyes, and couldn't understand why the once brave and fearless hero became so suspicious.
But one thing Turka is sure of is that the fate of the dwarves in front of him has indeed been changed. Thorin and his two nephews, who were supposed to be dead, were still alive, and everyone else was also in good spirits.
In contrast, the Iron Hills reinforcements suffered heavy losses.
Almost half of the 500 horned sheep knights were lost. Including the injured and unconscious, there were only about 200 dwarves who could still stand in front of the gate of Erebor.
This will cast a shadow over the authority of the Turin royal family.
Turka glanced at the ring on Sorin's short, strong finger with concern, and said, "In that case, Sorin, why do you want to shut yourself up behind a high city wall like an indifferent master?" Inside and shut out your friends?”
These words made Dain and the others empathize instantly, and the dwarves of the Iron Hills immediately set their sights on the high and mighty King Under the Mountain.
Visible to the naked eye, a trace of struggle flashed in Thorin Oakenshield's eyes.
The beautiful qualities such as enthusiasm, hope, and gratitude had a fierce conflict with the dragon's curse and the power of the ring in the heart of the King Under the Mountain.
For a moment, he seemed to see a ferocious dragon breaking into the country of the dwarves, slaughtering his subjects and occupying the dwarves' treasures; for a moment, he saw a tall figure commanding an army that filled the mountains and valleys, forcing He signed a city alliance and made the dwarves submit under a banner with a dragon painted on a gold background.
A voice kept whispering in his mind:
Don't listen to him, Turka Aracano is just a guy who is looking for fame. He just wants to plunder the dwarves' wealth and enslave the free dwarves! Look, the dragon is his minions and the elves are his accomplices; they are all the same!
"No! This is impossible!" Thorin closed his eyes in pain, seeming to be struggling, and seeming to say no to the Silver King angrily.
This greatly shocked all the dwarves present.
"Thorin!" Balin was shocked, looking anxious and frightened.
"I...I." Thorin Oakenshield opened his eyes dripping with sweat. His once firm eyes became confused, and his face became painful and overwhelmed. "NO, I have not……"
Turka's voice became loud and majestic, and his already tall and majestic figure became almost as towering as a mountain. "Thorin Oakenshield!" he shouted. "Look at me!"
In a daze, the King Under the Mountain couldn't help but look at Turka Aracano.
"Tell me, where has that brave and fearless dwarf gone?" The silver-white king's voice struck Thorin's heart like a drum in the evening and a bell in the morning: "The one who would rather die than abandon any of his companions, the one who vowed to eradicate evil, the one who was persevering and unyielding. Where is Thorin Oakenshield who fought to regain his homeland?"
Finally, the entire valley echoed with the dragonborn's majestic voice. The mountain peaks trembled at this sound, the water of the rushing river trembled at this sound, the empty halls of the dwarves rumbled, and the mountain ravens fled their nests in panic.
The dwarf trembled and panicked.
Bilbo covered his mouth. The look of the Silver King reminded him of the expression on his face when he asked him for the magic ring in the Misty Mountains.
He looked at Thorin anxiously, and then looked at Turka below worriedly, feeling a little at a loss.
Facing Turka's stern questioning, Thorin Oakenshield held his forehead in pain, his eyes sometimes filled with fierceness, sometimes confused and uneasy.
Seeing this, Turka sighed, returned to the way he had been in front of Bag End, and said: "We are not your enemies! Thorin, open your eyes and look around you, we are all yours Friend! Don’t let the greed and shadow in your heart blind you!”
Thorin felt as if he was struck by lightning. He couldn't help but look around and found that everyone was looking at him worriedly.
He looked down again.
But I saw Dain and the others all miserable and miserable, their robes stained with blood.
Finally, the good side of Thorin's heart defeated the shadow. He dropped the short bow in his hand, took off the crown on his head, and said shyly: "My friends, my people, I will not ask for your forgiveness. , but I will spend the rest of my life proving that what I did today was not what I wanted!"
He ordered the stone wall in front of the gate to be pushed back to welcome everyone, all the warriors who had proven themselves today.
This even includes elves.
He said this: "The grudge between Thranduil and me ends here. No matter for whatever reason, he saved me and the Turin dwarf's life at the most critical moment! In the past, the grudges and grievances have ended. Gone with the wind, new hope is being born. What is more precious and gratifying than the remaining life after a disaster? Gold is cold and silver is ruthless, but they are not enough to make the dwarves prosper forever. What truly makes us prosper forever Let’s unite, unite everyone!”
He said so and so did he.
Thorin sent an envoy to the ruins of Riverdale City, inviting the Elf King and his army to repair the palace in the dwarves' old homeland, and reaffirm the alliance between the two races.
This gratitude did not waver even when Thranduil took out the Heart of the Mountain gem.
He said: "I don't blame anyone, I know someone sneaked the gem out and put it in your hands, but I think he had good intentions. He had a lot of courage in his little heart , and loyalty to friends. He knows that gold, silver and jewelry are far less valuable than a life. This is his choice and a blessing I want to be grateful for! I have a true friend! He was in my darkest moment. He has never abandoned me! May his big feet always be strong!"
This surprised Thranduil.
The elves also suffered considerable losses in this battle. Because they were attacked from both sides, only about 1,500 of the 2,000 elves in the Woodland Kingdom were left after the war. The battle losses were greater than those of the dwarves in the Iron Hills!
This is because Beorn and Turka came to the rescue in time enough, otherwise Thranduil might not have been completely annihilated this time.
Therefore, seeing Thorin acting so generous and tactful, the Elf King who was originally full of resentment felt that he didn't recognize the dwarf.
In addition, after hearing what Thorin said, Bilbo immediately knew that the dwarf king had guessed that he had hidden the Arken gem and secretly handed it to the elf king. This made the hobbits very uneasy at first.
However, seeing the chuckles on the faces of Balin and Lord Turka, Bilbo understood that all these were the true words of the dwarf king who had regained his sense.
So, he stood up and said apologetically: "Please forgive me, Thorin, I just thought there might be a curse on it. I...I just...just didn't want you to get hurt. I thought Gandalf or Lord Turka I will solve this problem, and then maybe... maybe it would be a good choice to hand it back to you... Please forgive me for making my own decision! I really mean no harm!"
At that time, in order to entertain their allies, the dwarves specially cleared a very clean hall and arranged a small banquet to thank all the allies who participated in the Battle of Gushan.
Thranduil and Legolas, Turka and Bilbo, Balin and Dwalin attended the banquet.
Thorin Oakenshield, who was sitting on the main seat, smiled and said: "Please don't explain, my friend. As I said, I will not blame anyone! On the contrary, I want to reward you, Bilbo Baggins." , you did what a true friend should do! When I was at my most irrational, you took the most rational action of all. It was your choice that allowed the dwarf to live to witness the arrival of new hope!"
Dwalin on the side handed him an exquisite box.
Not big.
But very heavy.
"You are more like a king than a king! You are compassionate, loyal, brave, and tenacious without losing the spirit of sacrifice. May this heart of the mountain always shine on your future!"
Bilbo, who reached to open the box, was stunned.
