From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 291 The Coronation of the King Under the Mountain

The coalition forces' singing had stopped, and the dark red light from the lava lake shone on the faces of every coalition soldier.

"We... won?" Thorin asked in disbelief.

They were clearly ready to die in the previous second, but who would have known that in the next second the coalition forces, under the command of the wizard, sang a song praising the Star of Hope, and created a lava lake out of thin air, submerging the entire Raven Ridge and all the orcs on it.

"Yes." Ivy finished checking the character panel and turned to look at the coalition forces. "Azog and his orcs from Mount Gundabad are all dead. From now on, the Lonely Mountain will never be shrouded in darkness again!"

The cheers of the coalition forces were deafening and reached the sky.

When everyone fell silent, a deep sense of fatigue crept into everyone's bones.

"I want to invite each of you to attend my coronation ceremony!" Thorin shouted while riding on a goat. "Although I call myself the King under the Mountain, I have never been crowned. I hope that you, my comrades who have lived and died with me, can witness the most important moment of my life! Of course! There is also the gold in the Lonely Mountain! The elves of the Woodland Kingdom and the humans of the Valley City will receive one twelfth of the gold of the Lonely Mountain as compensation for the dead in the battle."

Victory and gold can both boost morale, let alone both at the same time?
Even though they were exhausted to their core, the coalition soldiers continued to cheer.

The humans in the valley city have prepared everything the warriors need, including hot water, hot meals and warm beds.

The next day, the dwarves of the Iron Hills helped Ivy cut apart Smaug, who was stuck at the gate of Lonely Mountain. His blood still retained its warmth even after so long in the cold late autumn.

Ivy used stone shaping to create more than two hundred jars just for holding dragon blood.

There are also countless dragon scales, dragon bones, dragon tendons and dragon sinews.

Thorin, the King under the Mountain, allowed Ivy to use the furnace in the Lonely Mountain to make dragon handicrafts. He also generously fulfilled his promise and gave him two-fifteenths of the treasures in the Lonely Mountain, including all the mithril creations.

However, the mithril shirt that Thorin promised to leave for Bilbo was handed over to the current holder of the One Ring.

"Wizard, you can make those magical items, right?" While the dwarves were busy cleaning the hall, Thorin found Ivy mysteriously.

After seeing Ivy nod in agreement, he continued, "I want to ask you for a dragon bone crown as my gift at the coronation ceremony. After all, I now know that gold and gems are not the truly precious things, but the friendship between friends and the people who live and work in peace and contentment. I think a crown made of Smaug's bones will make me remember this better. Of course, if you can add some magic to it, it would be even better!"

Ivy smiled. "I was planning to use Smaug's bones to make some small things to give to the generals of the coalition. In this case, I will give you a crown. I was going to give you a shield, using Smaug's skull as the base, covered with dragon skin and dragon scales."

"Then I will change my name to Dragonbone Shield!" Thorin laughed. He has become much more cheerful since the shadow of the orcs disappeared. "Thorin Dragonbone Shield! That sounds good!"

In addition to cleaning the halls of Gushan, another more important thing is to collect the corpses of the allied soldiers.

Bard has regained the recognition of the residents of Dale because of his status as a descendant of Lord Girion and has become a true king. Of course, the Dale State now only has one semi-ruined city, Dale City, and another semi-ruined town, Long Lake Town.

Bard told Ivy that he planned to send people south along the Anduin River in the early spring of next year to Gondor to find craftsmen to rebuild the city. Thranduil promised to give these craftsmen and merchants shelter so that they could travel safely in the Black Forest.

After so many days of fighting together through thick and thin, the elves, humans, and dwarves have reached a complete reconciliation, and the leaders of the three parties have promised to help each other.

They considered exchanging tokens to form an alliance at Thorin's coronation ceremony.

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye it was the day of Thorin's coronation.

The elves of the Woodland Kingdom, the humans of Dale, and the dwarves of the Iron Hills who had come with their families to pay homage to the King under the Mountain crowded together in the Lonely Mountain. Even Lothlorien and Rivendell sent friendly messengers.

Everyone who entered the room saw the statue covered with white cloth in Thorn's Hall. Some well-informed dwarves of the Iron Hills had already boasted, "That's the statue of Thorin's father, Thorn! It's made of pure gold! It should have been completed on Thorn's coronation day, but as you all know, the evil dragon Smaug flew from the north and destroyed the kingdom under the mountain, so Lord Thorn never completed the coronation ceremony. Now that Thorin has ascended the throne, he naturally wants to erect a statue for his father as well."

Behind the Thorne Hall is a long corridor and viewing platform. The circular stepped structure allows all guests to see the scene in the throne room, and the person sitting on the throne can easily use the indoor structure to convey his voice to everyone on the viewing platform.

The seats on the viewing platform were carved from stone and covered with exquisite sky blue fabric as cushions. Anyone who was well-informed could tell at a glance that it was the work of the elves.

Except for the row of seats behind the throne, the other seats were not marked with regions or races. Anyone could sit down anywhere as long as there were no empty seats.

Those who participated in the ceremony agreed that this was a good move that would increase mutual trust among the three tribes.

When the viewing stands were filled with people, some of whom could only stand on the stepped aisles, the coronation ceremony of the King Under the Mountain finally began.

Thorin, dressed in a majestic robe, walked through the corridor accompanied by two royal guards, Kili and Fili, to meet everyone's attention. Behind the throne, the rest of the Lonely Mountain expedition team, including the Balin brothers and Dain, and the master thief Bilbo were among them. The old wizard Gandalf was not left out, and even Thranduil and his son were sitting there.

Standing next to the throne was Ivy in gorgeous attire. Beside him stood a high table with a stone box inlaid with gold on the table.

When Thorin slowly walked to the throne, Ivy spoke loudly. The voice amplified by magic echoed in the Lonely Mountain, and everyone could hear it clearly.

"After more than six months of arduous adventures and dozens of battles, Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thorne II and grandson of Thor I, finally returned to his kingdom with the help of the Lonely Mountain Expedition. With the joint efforts of elves, dwarves, humans, wizards and giant eagles, this land was finally liberated from darkness."

"Thorin will now be crowned the King Under the Mountain and King of the Dwarves of Durin! He will have the right to rule over the seven clans of dwarves! This is a fact that has been confirmed by the seven clans! It cannot be questioned or refuted!"

Then Ivy showed seven sealed paper documents one by one, officially confirming Thorin's rule over the dwarves.

"Now, please step forward, Thorin," Ivy called.

Thorin walked forward with a determined look and stood in front of Ivy.

Ivy opened the stone box on the high table, and inside was a crown with an ancient and ferocious shape: "This is a crown made of the bones of the evil dragon Smaug, carved into the shape of an evil dragon breathing fire, which means that all descendants of Durin will remember how the kingdom under the mountain fell, and how it was restored with the unity of all races!" Ivy raised the dragon bone crown high, and in the attention of everyone, slowly placed it between Thorin's black hair, saying: "As long as the throne of the Valar is here, it will be blessed forever!"

Thorin raised his head, but Ivy did not leave the throne. He waved behind the throne, and Dwalin and Dain came out together. Together, they held out a shield in their hands. It was a dragon bone shield covered with dragon skin and dragon scales. It looked extremely heavy and was almost as tall as the dwarves.

"This shield is also made of the dragon Smaug's bones. Thorin, King Under the Mountain, you won the right to be crowned with the sword in your hand, but I hope you can become a strong shield against the evil in the north and guard the city of your people! I hope it can remind you to never forget your people and your friendship with elves and humans!"

Ivy used magic to make the dragon bone shield lighter. Although it looks extremely heavy, its actual weight is not much different from that of a small round shield.

"The Kingdom under the Mountain will not forget, the King under the Mountain will not forget, Durin's descendants will all remember this day deeply!" Thorin, holding a dragonbone shield in his left hand and wearing a dragonbone crown on his head, turned around and shouted to everyone, "The Great Wilds of Rhovanion will enter a new era, and it belongs to everyone living here!"

Cheers and applause broke out in the viewing stands; a new king was born.

After everyone cheered for a while, Thorin raised his fist again, hoping that everyone would quiet down.

Thorin said: "Everyone knows the wealth of the Lonely Mountain, the gold that fills the halls, and the jewel that is set on the throne - the heart of the mountain and the Arkenstone."

"My grandfather once said that it was a gift from the earth and the king's gem. I once longed for it so much that I could even say I was obsessed with it." Thorin held the dazzling gem high in his arms. The colorful light it reflected made everyone hold their breath.

"The flames of the evil dragon once destroyed it, and finally with the help of the wizard, I got it again." Thorin said slowly, "But the wizard also made me understand that the Arkenstone is not the king's gem, nor is it the symbol of the royal power of Durin's descendants! If the person who owns it is the king, then it is the king's gem. If the person who owns it is the farmer, then it is the farmer's gem. As a king, my most important wealth is my country! My people! My allies! It is definitely not the gold and jewels in the mountains! Not to mention this gem!"

"I have never forgotten that the disaster of Durin's clan was caused by it. Ever since my grandfather dug it out of the Lonely Mountain, he began to become more and more greedy, and his desire for gold was never satisfied! People say that it is dragon disease, a mental disease. It was my grandfather's act of hoarding gold in the Lonely Mountain that attracted the evil dragon Smaug in the north!" Thorin stared at the Arkenstone in his hand, "So today, on this extremely important day, I will turn this king's gem into a wizard's gem!"

Looking at the gem that Thorin handed over, Ivy was stunned. Based on his understanding of the dwarves, he never thought that these stingy guys would one day spit out the treasure they had obtained.

Ivy took the gem, looked at it in her hand, and returned it to Thorin: "Since you can let go of this gem, the dragon disease will no longer bother you, Thorin."

"I understand, wizard." Thorin smiled. "I am not worried about myself, but the future monarchs of the Kingdom Under the Mountain. If they develop dragon disease because of the Arkenstone, the Kingdom Under the Mountain will inevitably fall into bloodshed again. It is not worth it to consume the lives of my future people for a piece of gem. Please take it away and put an end to the troubles for Durin's family forever!"

What else could Ivy say?

He nodded and took the gem shining with colorful light from Thorin.

Seeing Ivy accept it, Thorin smiled happily: "Since the Heart of the Mountain is already a wizard's gem, it won't work without a suitable staff to match it."

"Groin!" Thorin shouted behind the throne. "Bring it up!"

The burly dwarf laughed and carried out a long box.

Thorin opened the long box, revealing an exquisite silver-white staff with an exquisite cage at the top. Thorin chanted some spell, and the mithril branches that made up the cage actually spread out like vines. After he put the Arkenstone into it, the mithril branches gradually rotated and closed, and no trace could be seen at all, as if the gem was firmly grown inside.

"This is a staff made entirely of mithril. It's extremely light. I noticed that you and Gandalf both used staffs to fight, so I took the initiative to add some sturdy edges to it. Even if you use it as a hammer, the Arkenstone stuck in the edges will never be shaken at all. Of course, I don't have the knowledge to make a staff myself. This was done with the help of Gandalf, but he didn't know that I was going to give the Arkenstone to you, wizard." Thorin smiled cunningly.

"I never thought I would receive such a precious gift." Ivy played with her new staff lovingly. "Thank you, Thorin, and of course you, Gandalf."

Ivy tried to inject a little magic, and the starlight immediately filled the entire viewing platform. The crowd once again burst into amazement and cheers.

"One last thing, wizard." Thorin looked at Gandalf behind the throne again. The old wizard was groping for tobacco and a pipe from his pocket. Although the space in Lonely Mountain was large enough, it was still a semi-enclosed space. Smoking here was really inconsiderate to other people's feelings.

Gandalf thought Thorin was reminding him, so he put the pipe back inconspicuously.

"Gandalf, please come with Ivy to witness our covenant." Thorin smiled, "The tripartite covenant between the Kingdom under the Mountain, the Kingdom of the Woodland, and the River Valley."

"This is wonderful!" Gandalf said excitedly. As Istar who wanted to unite Middle-earth, this was a great honor and reward for him.

Thranduil and Bard also stood up from their seats, representing the Elves and Men of the North, respectively. Standing beside them were their sons, Legolas and Bain.

Witnessed by two wizards, the three kings swore together: "Listen, all the people living in the Great Wilds of Rhovanion! Witnessed by two wizards, in the name of the three of us (Thorin, son of Thorne; Thranduil, son of Oropher; Bard Girion), we swear that the Kingdom under the Mountain, the Kingdom of the Woods, and the Kingdom of the Valley will be friends forever. The enemy of a friend is our enemy, and the danger of a friend is our danger. No matter what kind of evil, threat, or attack befalls them, we will spare no effort to help them. This covenant will be passed down from generation to generation, as well as all the people who come to this new territory after us. May all the people living in this land abide by the oath to prevent the darkness of the north from coming again!"

After everyone's cheers ended, Ivy took out three more horns and gave them to the three kings: "These are horns made from the horns of the evil dragon Smaug. They are connected to each other through magic. As long as one horn is blown, the other two horns will sound at the same time no matter how far apart they are. May these three horns be witnesses of your covenant."

After the three kings experimented with it, they all accepted it with joy.

"I haven't finished giving out my gifts yet." Ivy continued with a smile. He just waved his hand, and two longbows appeared on the high table next to him.

"This is a dragon bone longbow. It contains magical powers and can be fired without arrows." Ivy pointed to the three-color gems inlaid on the bow arm. "As long as you press different gems and then pull the bowstring, the dragon bone bow will automatically generate magic arrows. Red represents fire, purple represents thunder, and white represents starlight. Bard and Legolas are both powerful archers. They will definitely be able to make good use of these two weapons."

Legolas and Bard both took it happily and started playing with it.

At this time, Ivy conjured up a magic wand, which was a gift he prepared for Gandalf and was also made of dragon bones.

"My old friend!" Ivy laughed and said, "Your staff was destroyed by the Dol Guldur Shadow, so let me give you a new one! This staff is very good at casting fire and light magic, I believe it must be very suitable for you. More importantly, it is also very tough and will definitely not be destroyed easily. Now you can return the staff that sometimes works and sometimes doesn't work to Radagast!"

Gandalf took the dragon bone staff, fiddled with the crystal on it himself, and hugged Ivy with a smile.

Both the host and the guests were delighted. After completing the coronation ceremony, the king finally sat on the throne and announced the official start of the banquet.

(End of this chapter)