Title: Treasures Beyond Compare
Characters: Thorin Oakenshield, Dwalin
Pairing: background Thorin Oakenshield/Bilbo Baggins
Rating: G
Length: 451
Authors Note: Post-BotFA - everyone lives!
Summary: Thorin ventures into the treasury of Erebor for the first time since the Battle of the Five Armies



Standing at the huge doors that led to the treasury, Thorin had to pause momentarily to gather his thoughts and his courage. Logically he knew that he had nothing to fear, that the Arkenstone was no longer here, that it now resided deep in the bowels of Erebor in Thror’s tomb. Behind him, he could sense Dwalin’s reassuring presence and knew that, if anything were to happen, his best friend would get him out. Taking a deep breath, he squared his shoulders as Dwalin stepped up next to him and then, with deep grunts of effort from both of them, they pushed open the doors to Thror’s greed.

Just as the last time, Thorin couldn’t help but marvel at the sheer wealth of Erebor. Thror’s greed may have brought the Fire Drake but it had also brought vast amounts of treasure to his people. Even having given portions of their treasure to both Bard and Thranduil – however reluctantly – the amount contained within the treasury was obscene. Still, as tempted as he was to rummage around in the piles and see what he could find, he had a mission to complete.

Making a beeline for the farthest corner, he pulled a key from his pocket and opened a small chamber that none but the royal family knew existed. Instead lay Thorin’s objective; all of the jewels and treasures that had belonged to the line of Durin for generations.

He may have acted like a fool, possessed as he was by gold madness but Thorin was far from stupid. Unlike his grandfather, he knew that his greatest wealth lay in his family and friends. In them, he had a wealth beyond compare, treasures that he felt truly unworthy of. He was not a particularly verbose dwarrow, he never had been and never would be so he planned on showing his love and appreciation in the only way that he knew how; with his craft.

Once the forges were working again, he would take his turn and make beads for his lover, his sister and his nephews, all of them made from only the finest metals, intricately carved and studded with chips of precious gems. For now though, he would settle for ensuring that Bilbo, Dís, Fíli and Kíli wore items that befitted their stations within the new Erebor.

Thorin knew without a doubt that all four of them would protest, insisting that he didn’t need to festoon them with diamonds and pearls or any kind of gems and, truthfully, Thorin himself knew that but, after everything he had done, everything he had put them through, he wanted them to know, he wanted all of Erebor to know just how much he treasured them.