Prologue
-Thorin's POV (Point of View)-
Golther was a well-known warrior and life-long comrade of mine. However, he betrayed his dwarvin heritage by marrying a mortal girl and disgraced it further by having the half-blood child, Eva. My grandfather wished to banish Golther from the dwarves of Erebor but he knew that he was too valuable of a warrior. Malaya, Golther's wife, died in childbirth, leaving him to raise the girl alone. Eva was a perfect blend of both races. Her beauty was undeniable but being a half-blood she was accepted by neither race.
Everything changed the day Smaug attacked. Golther, being a brave warrior, was one of the first to answer the call to battle. His courageousness was contagious and many dwarves soon followed him. However, dwarf warriors are like mere ants to a fierce dragon such as Smaug. Golther and the rest of our armies were torn to shreds or turned to ash. Chaos fell upon our village as dwarves ran away trying to escape the impending annihilation. Our defenses fell in a matter of minutes and the wretched screams of my fellow dwarves will always haunt my dreams. As we fled with nothing but the clothes on our backs we turned to see our beloved home engulfed in flames and all we had cherished disappear. The elves stood on the hillside and watched as we were driven from our home land. It was as if Thranduil came to bask in our defeat.
With days of weary travel ahead of me and the burden of my people’s distress weighing down on me, I did not even consider what had become of the half-blood. It was a few days before I noticed that Eva was traveling alone. No one talked to her; no one cared if she ate. I too would have ignored her if I had not continued to play back the vision of her brave father rallying the Dwarves in a vain attempt to ward off the evil dragon. I cared little for the half-blood but as the days went by and the child became visibly weak and still no one cared or noticed I knew I had to honor the sacrifice Golther made and at least help the child find a new home. I owed Golther that much. My respect for the fearless warrior was greater than my disdain for the child.
I shared what food I had with the famished girl. She ate in silence, devouring it as if it were a great feast. The Dwarves were starting to separate into small groups. Our numbers dwindled as the groups made their way to different destinations to settle and start a new life. As each group left I asked them to take the girl but they all refused. Nobody would take her in, despite my asking. No, not even I, their prince, could get them to look beyond their prejudice against the child.
When all else failed I went to the king for guidance. That was a bad idea. Losing his massive wealth and most importantly the Arkenstone really took its toll on him. He told me to either abandon her or kill her. When I refused he ordered me to raise 'the little half-blood abomination' myself. I was stuck with a child that nobody, including me, wanted.
I feared how that would affect my reputation. If everyone shunned the child then they would no doubt shun me. I left for a human village, taking Eva with me. My hope was that I'd have more luck finding someone to care for her, away from the villages where she was known. I'd hoped that there was a chance that these humans would be less hostile than those from Dale. Filled with doubt, I left with no other option and headed to the closest village as soon as possible, hoping to drop off my burden and catch up with my kin who were on their way to Ered Luin, The Blue Mountains.
