Fic - A Kingly Gift - 1/1

[evandar]

Title: A Kingly Gift
Author: Evandar
Fandom: The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings
Rating: G
Genre: Gen
Pairing: Implied Thorin/Bilbo
Disclaimer: I do not own The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings and I am making no profit from this story.
Summary: No one in the Fellowship knows the true meaning of the mithril shirt, save for Gimli.



When Frodo staggers to his feet, carefully supported by Sam, and opens his shirt, gasping that he isn’t hurt, Gimli cannot help but let his lips part and his eyes widen in shock and awe. He labels the mithril shirt that glitters brilliantly in the gloom “a kingly gift” before he can stop himself – and tries not to wince as generations-old secrets weigh upon his shoulders and stick in his throat.

Not that anyone bar the elf pays attention to his comment, and all the pointy-eared princeling does is roll his eyes. He thinks, no doubt, that Gimli is merely a dwarf sighing over precious metal – and perhaps he is right, though he has no idea of how precious the metal is.

Or what it means.

Mithril, the rarest of metals, is only worked on by the line of Durin. Only those of direct lineage – the kings, the lesser lords, their children – may shape the metal as they please. It is part of why the cost of mithril is so high – and why it was only ever sold to those who were kings or princes in their own right.

He has known almost his entire life that Thorin Oakenshield, King Under the Mountain, presented Bilbo Baggins with a mithril shirt, and he has known for almost the same amount of time what exactly that presentation meant. It is another thing to actually see it, see its lustre and its quality peeking out from under stained cotton and Aragorn’s splayed palm. It is the greatest treasure forged within Erebor, and it was intended – though Gandalf’s claim that Bilbo had not known its worth rings horribly true in more than one way – as a betrothal gift.

The line of Durin only gift mithril to those who will be joining it.

Comments

[zedille.livejournal.com]

Hm, there are probably copies of the Silmarillion (of dubious legality) floating around online? Or I think I have an ebook version of it I could upload for you, if you like :)

(On that note, I'm on vacation now I could certainly do a spot of re-reading myself! Time to hit up the library :D)

[hikarievandar.livejournal.com]

Oh, I gave in to the temptation and bought the Kindle version shortly after I posted that. XD Not that it's managed to download yet...crappy New Zealand internet *grumbles*

I just know that I'll end up with Celebrimbor-feels again. And Glorfindel-feels. And then I'll be a mess all over the place. XD

[zedille.livejournal.com]

Let's have feels together! There are feels to be had about pretty much everyone in the Silmarillion even if right now I'm mostly focusing/flailing over Elrond and his family line. (And Eärendil. And all the descendants of Finwë. And everyone.)

Good luck with your internet!

[hikarievandar.livejournal.com]

It's all just so tragic, isn't it. I'm pretty sure there's even Sauron feels tucked in there somewhere...but like I said, it's been a while. I'm really looking forward to reading it now!

And yeah, thank you. I need it. XD

[zedille.livejournal.com]

I think the Valar probably have Sauron feels! But really if you think about it, he could probably have been this terrifically productive force for good if not for Morgoth's influence. Like Fëanor and the Silmarils, really. The entire Silmarillion is just like feels-in-a-bottle, or essence of condensed tragedy. I swear it's the one fandom that actually gives me angst overdoses, and considering how much I like that genre, that's saying something :D

Oh and to bring the conversation back to your fic, its origins, I was poking around the Internet and stumbled upon this guide to Fellowship of the Ring (they have similar guides for the rest of the trilogy and The Hobbit.) It had this to say about Frodo's mithril coat:

Mithril is an incredibly strong, light, and beautiful metal...
So, that’s what mithril is. But what does it symbolize? Well, if we look closely, it appears to represent hidden (Hobbit) potential. When Bilbo passes his mithril coat on to Frodo, he tells him to keep the armor under his clothes. In other words, Bilbo encourages Frodo to let himself be underestimated: it's always easier to defeat people who don't take you seriously. When Frodo first wears his mithril-coat (again, in secret), Gandalf looks at him penetratingly and comments, "You take after Bilbo [...] There is more about you than meets the eye, as I said of him long ago" (2.5.61). The mithril-coat reminds us not to judge a book – or a Hobbit – by its cover. Underneath a lowly Hobbit's ordinary exterior, you may find a mithril-coat waiting to surprise you.

And I read that and remembered the original fic and almost burst out laughing ;) Sadly the site doesn't have a guide for the Silmarillion, I'd absolutely love to see them try and reduce that to a "high school English class" level of analysis...

[hikarievandar.livejournal.com]

Condensed tragedy is definitely a good way of describing it.

And lol. "High school English class" level analysis never lets you down. XD

What I was thinking while writing (if you don't mind the blather) was along the lines of 'What do we know about mithril? Okay, it's really light, really shiny, really strong and very rare. Very very rare, and valuable. And valuable metals often turn out as status symbols (e.g. bronze and iron (back in the day) and gold)so if mithril as as epic as Tolkien says it is, then it would be right up there as royal property. BUT. We know that dwarves traded it, even with elves - *insert Celebrimbor feels here* - but Celebrimbor was (kind of) a prince, and definitely a lord of a city (ruler in his own right) so maybe they would have let him have it for a huge price. And dwarves are a race of extremely skilled craftsmen, so...what if mithril is so important that they only let the most important dwarves work it. Royal dwarves, maybe some people who've been lucky enough to earn the honour somehow... Back to the coat. It's valuable (have you seen the maps of the shire? It's actually a fair-sized, fertile bit of land, and that coat could buy it? Right...) but it's also protective. Bilbo isn't all about the fighting, true, but Thorin is giving him something that valuable to protect himself? When one of the (few) things we do actually know about dwarves is that they are jealously possessive of their treasure? *insert expression of stunned disbelief here* And fair enough, it's not the Arkenstone, but chainmail is fiddly as all fuck to make and would take a lot of skill, which would up the value yet again, and if we look at forging mithril as a status symbol...'

And a new headcanon was spawned, lots of feels were felt, and a very short fic was written. According to that guide, I'm too anthropological to be an ex-literature student. *cries

[zedille.livejournal.com]

If we're going for "valid and internally coherent logic that Tolkien nonetheless did not think of when writing," I rather prefer your logic! It fits so much better with Tolkien's universe, after all, and the chain of logic is very solid, which is why the fic itself was so brutally effective! I think the biggest leap you made was the one about how only kings/royalty would be able to work the metal (and I found that a bit of a leap only because I think I've read somewhere that there was mithril in Valinor, or other places besides Moria? And I'm pretty sure elves -- like Celebrimbor -- would have been working with it too. Of course they would restrict the metal to people of high rank but is it necessarily as codified as that, to be so very directly linked to status?) but even that was pretty solid logic. And Thorin giving it to him -- yeah, he was in a ~fit of generosity~ when he gave it to Bilbo, life seemed pretty good with all the treasure in Smaug's lair -- though I guess I always assumed that Thorin was only so generous because that coat wasn't really worth that much in relation to some of the other treasure there. The Hobbit sustains that interpretation but then comes LOTR to enlighten us on the true value of the coat (and then come feels after....) There's more stuff like that, I think, where reexamining Hobbit in light of LotR turns up some pretty interesting stuff.

[hikarievandar.livejournal.com]

I should probably point out that that train of thought was solely for dwravish culture. Men and elves would probably only let their most skilled smiths work mithril (again, value) and only the most wealthy would be able to afford it. So it would mostly end up with royalty anyway - particularly with Men, I think - but only the dwarves would make sure that it stayed that way.

At least, that's how it worked in my head. XD

Yeah, I didn't really get the whole coat-thing either when I first read it (ooooh, so long ago XD) but ended up with insta-feels as soon as I read LotR and realised how important/valuable it must have been. That's one thing I love about the scope of Tolkien's universe: sometimes things like that pop up to whack you with a bat mid-story.

[zedille.livejournal.com]

Ah, I see, and I withdraw my objection :) I should have figured, really, since the fic is from Gimli's POV so logically it would be discussing the culture he's familiar with.

Yeah, the first time I read LotR I didn't get half the references (Eärendil, who is he) but I definitely loved the feeling that there existed enough of a world to have those sorts of references. Even in the Hobbit those references are there! :D

Speaking of which, have you heard the "Arkenstone = Silmaril" theory before? What do you think of that? (Tolkien probably did not intend the two to be the same, but imo there are enough similarities between the two that it's a plausible thought experiment/fic fodder if you want it to be)

[hikarievandar.livejournal.com]

No problem. I read your objection and got a bit confused before realising that I hadn't clarified that I was talking specifically about dwarves.

I'm rereading The Hobbit at the moment, and every so often I get an 'aha!' moment when I come across a Silmarillion reference, and then I'm just awe-struck for a while that he managed to tie so much of his work together like that. (Though, he refers to Valinor as 'Faerie' in The Hobbit and it makes me giggle. Every. Time.)

I have heard that theory before. The only thing that really bothers me about it is: how the heck did it end up buried under a mountain? Other than that, yeah, there are definitely enough similarities to make it fic-fodder. The bad luck that seems to follow it around, definitely. Thror claims it, enter dragon; dragon lies on top of it, gets a hole in his jewellery-armour; Bilbo steals it, loses his friends and is dangled from a gate; Thorin makes a deal for it, dies. It's amazing nothing happens to Bard while he's holding on to it...

[zedille.livejournal.com]

I flailed in the theater when Elrond mentioned how the elves of Gondolin (!!) were his kin (yes Elrond that is your great-grandfather Turgon's sword!!), and when Radagast mentioned Ungoliant. It's even better in the book when Tolkien had to filter his references through the children's-story kind of atmosphere he was working in... I wonder what the Valar would think of being referred to as "Faerie"?

Maedhros threw that Silmaril into the a fiery chasm in the earth, or something like that, right? So it sounds like that went down all the way to the molten mantle underground; presumably the Silmaril was moved by lava and thus deposited under the mountain (especially if you buy the theory that the Lonely Mountain was an inactive volcano that also helps). Though if it really was the Silmaril, that just goes to show Bilbo's strength of will if he could give it up just like that...

[hikarievandar.livejournal.com]

I just flailed over Radagast in general. He's little more of a footnote in his own right, and I absolutely loved that they brought him in and made hims so...uniquely awesome. And yeah, the references to Gondolin and the high elves and Ungoliant made me squee with joy. And did you catch the oblique LotR reference about Saruman 'hating meddling'? Because when I started reading FotR finished The Hobbit and work was quiet... I actually squeaked.

And I had completely forgotten that he does that. Huh. I reeeeally need to reread The Silmarillion. Though when Bilbo's giving it up, he does feel an odd reluctance to do so, which would fit with the Silmaril theory - though apparently Bard is immune to it as well, since he puts it in Thorin's tomb. And that makes Bilbo one of the most strong-minded people in Middle Earth: giving up a possible Silmaril and the One Ring. Dude. Bilbo rocks.

[zedille.livejournal.com]

I loved seeing the White Council, since it's not something we see even in the books, either. But you can never go wrong with more snarky interaction with Elrond, Galadriel, and the Wizards -- and generally Saruman's portrayal here was so great! It was totally in line with what we know happens in LotR, even though he's still a good guy here. Such an unexpected moment there :D

To be honest I haven't actually sat down and reread anything in years myself, I'm working off memory and extensive fanfic-reading (the lowest common denominator of what's included among stories generally tends to be canon!) The biggest possible holdup to the Arkenstone-Silmaril theory might be Thranduil, who was there at the handover and would be likely to recognize the Silmaril? (obviously Gandalf wouldn't say anything to stir up trouble there). And pfft, I wonder how possessive Gollum would have been over the Silmaril if hypothetically that had been his Precious? (How he got hold of it would be a different story though. No, bad brain, stop thinking about an AU where the Big MacGuffin is the Silmaril and not the Ring...)

[hikarievandar.livejournal.com]

The look on Gandalf's face when Saruman came in was a thing of beauty. I also loved how they had him wittering on self-importantly while Gandalf got things done in his head because that was exactly how I imagined they would be.

I thought he'd already been semi-corrupted by that point, anyway, and that was why he was like 'Necromancer? Are you high? I know Radagast is...'

And...you're a bad influence on me. Or a good one. I'm not sure. I read your comment and, having not thought about Thranduil at all in regards to this theory, wrote this fic (http://hikarievandar.livejournal.com/30067.html) which explains my thoughts pretty much exactly.

Though, I had it in my head that he was a bit too young to get involved in all of that and it was mostly Oropher who dealt with the Noldor before he went "fuck you guys, I'm going to take my kid and live in the woods" after Doriath was destroyed. I could be entirely wrong about that though, but who knows? I don't remember if Thranduil was ever mentioned in The Silmarillion by name.

[zedille.livejournal.com]

Saruman's snarky comments about Gandalf and Radagast being "under the influence" were just priceless! (Yet he eventually develops a pipeweed habit, so ironic... [I don't remember if they kept that in the movies?]) And yeah Saruman's fondness for power structures and reaffirming his own position... it was perfect :D

I do seem to have that affect on you, don't I? :) I'll go read and headcanon over there shortly!

I don't remember about Thranduil in the Silmarillion either, but I was reading arguments on the topic and if he was born in the First Age (I don't think he's mentioned either way? Iirc Oropher only really comes up in the Second Age/Last Alliance era, and according to Wikis he's never mentioned in the Silm either, only in some of the supplementary material of Tolkien's notes.)

[hikarievandar.livejournal.com]

They definitely had the barrels of pipeweed in the extended versions. I can't remember if they were in the cinematic cut, though.

And yes, yes you do. You make things into Things.

I have vaaaaague memories of Oropher maybe being obliquely referenced somewhere, but they could have been appendices or something. Tolkien focussed more on Celeborn, but I think there was a sort-of mention of them falling out over Galadriel or something. I don't even know anymore. Tolkien wrote so much!

[zedille.livejournal.com]

All right, Saruman the (pipe)weed user is confirmed even in movie canon! He needs a substance abuse counselor. (sorry the mental image is cracking me up, omg, I am too easily amused)

I'm no good at actually writing out my headcanons, so it's a good thing I can get people to write it for me! :D

And yeah, now that you mention it I'm pretty sure Oropher is mentioned somewhere in the Appendices. That makes sense, since he was involved in the Last Alliance, and then after that Thranduil founded his realm. Celeborn and Galadriel -- that almost sounds like Amdir or Amroth?

[hikarievandar.livejournal.com]

Let's face it, all of the Istari need counsellors once if they all make it back to Valinor. "So Gandalf, how does it feel to have been the only one doing anything useful in all that?"

I feel like I should now point out that it's my head-canon now, damn it. But its inclusion (and Lee Pace, who was perfect) makes me like Thranduil more.

I thought Greenwood was founded by Oropher after Doriath fell? I could have sworn there was something about him going off to rule them since they hadn't bothered to find a king of their own, and that he lead wood-elves into battle in the Last Alliance...

[zedille.livejournal.com]

*snickering over Radagast and his mushrooms and Yavanna's reaction* I should stop...

Lee Pace had all of, what, 1 minute of footage? But yeah I was not expecting (I don't think anyone was expecting) him to have embodied the role as much as he did. I am so excited about his appearance in the next movie, being snarky to the Dwarves (and hopefully our headcanons about Thranduil's reasons with the Silmaril won't be contradicted too much!)

Oropher definitely went off to rule the Silvan (? too many names for divisions of the Teleri) Elves, and they took him as their king, but I'm pretty sure Thranduil was the one to found Greenwood specifically after he came back from war? Though obviously Oropher must have been ruling over something, if he had enough elves to raise an army from.... idk I could be completely wrong about what was going on where.

[hikarievandar.livejournal.com]

askafgfka I can't wait for the next film either. I really hope that minute of footage is a sign of things to come, because I'll be gutted if Thranduil doesn't turn out right.

Eh, to be honest, by that point in the book I was too turned around by everyone and their multiple names and the occasional resurrection (yes, Glorfindel, I'm looking at you) that I was totally confused and I could well be making all of this up. Hopefully I'll keep a better track of it this time.

[zedille.livejournal.com]

... minute of footage?!? where?! I've seen gifs from like, behind-the-scenes material of the next movie on Tumblr but this is the first I've heard of it and asdf WANT.

Rereads (or fanfic, that works too) help a lot with the name problem! Though I'm not really one to talk, I think I only just now managed to keep Fingolfin and Finarfin's children straight, previously they were a big puddle of "Not Fëanor". And they get considerably more page time than Oropher ever did....