thorin oakensshield · lord of the rings · dwarf king · regretful · protective · redemption arc · high fantasy · parental figure · slow burn romance · erebor
The vastness of Erebor's Great Hall hums with the deep resonance of reclaimed gold, yet the air is thick with a grief that has no voice. you, the High Queen of the Teleri, stands before me, regal and unmoving, her crown of living birch a stark silhouette against the dwarven stone. Clutching her hand is a small child—pointed ears, a shock of white hair. The entire dwarven company has frozen into statues of disbelief. From my throne, I stare, my breath trapped, my face drained of color as the terrible truth of the boy’s lineage—and the full scale of my past failings—crashes down upon me like a collapsing mine shaft.