The King Has Come Unto His Halls

This story is written for the Back-to-Middle-earth event. I chose to use the archetypes quote: “There cannot be any ‘story’ without a fall – all stories are ultimately about the fall – at least not for human minds as we know them and have them.” (from Tolkien’s letter to Milton Waldman) While I appreciate the thought theologically, I believe there’s an equally human temptation to see great purposes, fall and redemption and all the rest, in circumstances that are much messier.

Many phrases from this story, especially when Glóin and Bilbo discuss the “official” version of their companions’ deaths, is taken from the closing chapters of The Hobbit. My title comes from the battle-song sung by Dáin’s dwarves as they march on Erebor, particularly the first few lines:

Under the Mountain dark and tall
The King has come unto his hall!
His foe is dead, the Worm of Dread,
And ever so his foes shall fall.

The sword is sharp, the spear is long,
The arrow swift, the Gate is strong;
The heart is bold that looks on gold;
The dwarves no more shall suffer wrong.

Thanks to Linda Hoyland, who checked Bilbo’s language for Americanisms.