Nar brings the news of Thror’s death back to Thrain, who musters the Dwarven armies to avenge Thror’s death. This begins the 9-year War of the Orcs and Dwarves, which culminates in the Battle of Azanulbizar in which Dain Ironfoot saw his father killed and then slew Azog in turn.
Movie: Thror tries to retake Moria with an army, but dies and is decapitated at the Battle of Azanulbizar. Thorin chops off Azog’s arm, but Azog survives. Dain is presumably running late? In other words, Dain’s part in the battle of Azanulbizar was handed over to Thorin in the films.
As I have said before, I am quite meticulously sticking to the book timeline. All proposed workarounds tend to make my head hurt, to be frank (it’s enough work as it is without having to re-jig all the dates to fit) ! And so, I like being able to reference the year of an event or the age of a character.
I do incorporate a hell of a lot of the movie characterisation etc, but when it comes to the big events stuff like this, I am very grateful for the incredible wealth of information in the book universe! So, to the question, though: Thrain and Thorin never saw Thror killed, because I am following the book timeline with this one. This is not to say that it would not have been devastating. Thror was the “father of their people”, their leader and father and grandfather and King. To know he died in such a cruel and vicious way, his body desecrated, would have been a massive and debilitating and painful blow. I mean, they began a war because of it, and fully half the Dwarves that took part died. But they would have been spared that sight, at least.
PPPPPFFFFFFFt. Sort of fits in with Yours Faithfully, I guess, but I am imagining a letter beginning ‘Dear Posh Git’ and finishing with ‘and if you mention it to Dwalin, I will flick you around the ear.’
And the reply would be addressed to ‘Dear Simple Rustic, thank you for the laugh, it was much needed. But you do know that the ring traditionally goes through a pig’s nose…’
(I adore my version of Vili, I am not too embarrassed to say! I like to think that Fili took longer to warm up to him, but in the end was the first one to look for Vili’s approval and pride in him. Augh. AUGH)
Yeah, I went pretty all-in with Thorin and Frerin rebuilding their relationship in Twelve Months and Fifty Years, I guess! It’s easier to trace that progression, as it is brought into very sharp focus in that fic.
Still, peppered throughout the whole of the Behemoth itself are moments in which Thorin reconnects with Thrain and with Fris. It’s not fast, and it’s not always nice, but it certainly happens!
You got me thinking about this progression again, Nonnie! I’ve had my thinking cap on all day, ever since I got your message. I can remember baking my brain about this very topic when I first began the story a gigazillion years ago. I quite deliberately set Thorin’s family relationships as a foil to the more dramatic events of the quest and the much more fiery development of the Gigolas (and the eventual Bagginshield) relationships in the fic. Thorin’s relationship with his family isn’t like that. It’s not dramatic: it’s steady. It’s slow, and quiet and everyday and mundane and ever-present. Fris and Thrain’s support (and Hrera’s and Thror’s, for that matter) is there from the start, of course, but the knowledge of each other, and the trust and the depth and the love, is so powerful now. What we see in that first scene in Chapter 1 is the first rush. It just grows and grows and grows.
It’s Fris waking Thorin because she knows it is important to him (tools do not belong in sleeping quarters inudoy, and oh, when did you grow so tall), and it’s Thrain listening to him speak about Bilbo (so that was the one, then?), not judging or commenting, just accepting. It’s Thrain suggesting and then insisting that Thorin bring the rest of their people on board to watch the Fellowship (we’re here, use us!), and it’s Fris braiding Thorin’s hair, while telling to stop blaming himself for things he could not possibly be at fault for (Gandalf was the one to recruit Bilbo Baggins, not you!).
It’s Hrera’s dumpling soup, and her comforting brand of loving bossiness in the middle of the night, telling him stories of her own youth. It’s Thror giving Thorin his own work-room as a meeting-place, giving up his own space for Thorin’s needs. It’s Vili joking with Thorin about which of the boys is a better swimmer, and which is a better climber. It’s all those breakfast scenes in the Halls, all of them existing together and sharing food and time and gentle teasing.
Where we’ve currently paused, at Chapter 39, Thorin has actually learned to lean on them. A LOT. He relies on his mother enormously, she is basically handling all the information for him. Thorin returns time and again to Thrain’s calm acceptance. There’s a reason why Thorin went to Thrain as well as Thror when he wanted to talk about the dragon-sickness. It’s no mistake that Frerin stays in Thrain’s rooms to decompress and recover, after he reached his melting-point at the battle of the Pelennor Fields. There’s a reason why Thorin trusts Thror to keep an eye on Erebor while he stays with the Fellowship and with Gimli. There’s a reason why Hrera keeps watch over the pool in the Chamber, seated in a chair with a rug over her knees, ready to pass on any messages.
Thorin has now actually reached the point where he can give it back. He’s SO secure in their love now, and he can comfortably show his own in return. It’s taken him a long time to feel that way: he’s been generally pretty awful to himself, on the whole. But now he can see that he is loved, and that he is worthy of that love, and so he is becoming better at expressing his own care. He gently needles Fris when she is overworking (a trait they have in common) and he is constantly aware and watching for anything that may trigger Thrain, ready to leap into action.
Like I said, it’s not a dramatic relationship arc. None of the relationships in the Halls are – that’s quite deliberate! Not only are they contending with the enormous inertia of the Halls, but also against Thorin’s own guilt and anger and self-recrimination… not to mention their own painful issues (looking at you, Thror). Dwarves are stubborn as heck, after all. But it’s there. It’s quiet and subtle, but believe me, it’s there!
(and yeah – I’ve spoken before a bit about Fris’ folks, Ais and Folgar, and they’re around! But as they’re not the focus of the Behemoth and Ricky might actually kill me if I extend the character list any more I might have to one day write a little side-fic detailing their exploits in reconnecting with Frerin, and later Thorin!)
Oh my god, Fris and Thrain would be the PERFECT people to talk to about this. Fris is just so emotionally intelligent and competent, and Thrain has learned (the hard way) not to be impatient. So he knows not to push people, to let things unfold at their own pace and to give people an undemanding space.
I bet Vili went to them as well, for advice… and yeah, Nain and Daeris would probably have a quiet word with them as well.
And yeah, I think Dain and Thorin and the lads would probably have a beer or two together, and Fili would tell them how it felt to realise that he looked like his father and like Frerin. How he was both happy to have Vili back, and angry that he died and left them in the first place. And Kili will tell them how hard it was to begin calling Vili ‘Dad’, and how both of them still look to Thorin for approval instead of their father. How Fili often accompanies Vili on his visits to Erebor each morning. The day Vili showed Kili how to carve runestones.
And Thorin will take a sip of his drink to hide the emotion in his eyes (it doesn’t work) – and Dain will grumble that it’s just so hard to let them help, he’s not a Dwarfling anymore and he’s been standing on his own feet… uh, foot… for centuries, and it feels.. wrong. And Thorin will latch onto the change of topic gratefully and laugh, and tell Dain that he should be grateful he does not have Queen Hrera for a grandmother. She still treats Thorin like he is all of twenty-two years old.
Aw Yiss 