destitute ~ The feeling of lacking something and incapable of feeling said thing.
~ You can't run away from your battles, because battles turn into wars until you're left broken beyond measure
I DO NOT own the hobbit, the characters or their stories. I only own my OC character Nikoleva and her story.
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Night had passed long ago and it was now in the early hours of the next day, the dwarves had fallen asleep wherever they could, apart from Thorin who could be heard wandering the halls muttering to himself. Nikoleva had returned to where the others were sleeping and quietly walked past them.
As she did, she noticed there was someone missing. Bilbo Baggins was nowhere to be found. The brunette took it as her opportunity to find him, though what she was planning could not be expected from anyone.
Venturing up a broken staircase, she found the hobbit out on the ramparts of the front gates, near the hole Smaug made in the wall. He started to pace back and forth before looking around to see that no one is watching. Nikoleva ducked her head behind the wall next to her, watching him through a crack in it.
Bilbo then sat down on a mount of rubble and contoured his face into one of frustration. He was thinking.
"I am almost tempted to let you take it, if only to see Oakenshield suffer, watch it destroy him, watch it corrupt his heart and drive him mad." Smaug growls and extends his neck to eat the hobbit.
Bilbo puts on his ring and slips away. Unseen by Smaug, he grabs the Arkenstone and hides it in his tunic. Out of anger, the fire drake began to breathe fire in the direction he saw the hobbit last.
Nikoleva watched as he snapped back to reality and looked around once more. She narrowed her eyes as he reaches into his tunic and pulls out the Arkenstone. He stares at it, as it glows with patterns of light from within, regret filling his eyes.
"Well, what do we have here? A thief? Traitor?" She mocked as she stepped out from behind the wall, her cloak flowing behind from the gusts of wind.
"What!? No... Nothing. Absolutely... Nothing!" Bilbo stumbled up from the rubble, almost falling over his feet as he fumbled to put the Arkenstone back in his pocket. His eyes wide with fear as she stalked closer.
"Nothing?" She questioned as she stopped in front of him, tilting her head as a smirk appeared on her face. "So there was no jewel in your hands seconds ago. The dwarves call it the Arkenstone, do they not?" She added, slightly louder causing him to panic.
"No, no, no. Stop!" He exclaimed. Bilbo saw her amusement.
"Thorin is looking for it," She spoke plainly.
"Yes..."
"He will kill you for it, he is starting to go mad" She chuckled, as she watched Bilbo's face fall and the fear being replaced with regret.
"I know..." He mumbled.
"I won't tell him" She stepped back slightly.
"You won't, b-" She cut him off with a menacing glare.
"If you give me that little ring of yours in return"
Bilbo looked at her wide-eyed before attempting to cover it up with confusion. "Wh-What ring?" He asked, stepping back slightly.
"Do not think me a fool!" Nikoleva hissed, her eyes turning black as she pulled out one of her daggers and pressed it against his neck, making him fall back onto the rubble. "That lovely little ring of yours that you stole from my lovely little friend Gollum! Where is it!?"
"I don't know w-"
"Do not test me! Give. Me. The. Ring!" She hissed as she pressed the dagger harder on his neck. His breathing became quicker as he stared at he in utter fear. Her once green eyes, now black. The black veins emerging under her skin - covering her face and neck. "Give it to me!"
"I don't know what you are talking about! Help!" Bilbo shouted, struggling to get free from her hold. "I don't think this is you-"
"Give me the ring! It will return to his master and the darkness with return!" Nikoleva's voice turned monotone as her eyes changed from black to a ghostly white, the veins becoming a glowing orange. "Lat-sho dorzog" {You will surrender}.
She lifted the dagger in the air, holding it above his heart, and smirked. "Well, if you will not give it to me, I will just take it from your corpse!" Before she could embed the blade within his flesh, a large rock that the hobbit had been reaching for came in contact with her forehead. She stumbled away from him, clutching her head before glaring at him.
He was moving backwards, his sword now pointed towards her. "Stay back!"
"What are you going to do, creature of the shire? Poke me? Slightly graze my skin?" She mocked, letting out a laugh as she twisted the blade in her hand. The brunette launched at him again, moving to the side to avoid the jab from his sword.
Nikoleva circled around him before stopping in front of him. "Give me the ring and this will all be over. If not, you will watch everything burn!"
"I'm so...sorry," Bilbo stuttered as he swiped his sword across her abdomen. As he did, a group of dwarves came rushing through the archway. They all held looks of confusion as to why Bilbo had his sword pointed to Nikoleva. They could not see her monstrous expression nor the dagger in her hand. Only the extremely terrified hobbit.
"Bilbo?" Fili asked, his eyebrows furrowing. "What are you doing?"
The hobbit was about to answer when Nikoleva lunged forward once more. "I am going to kill you!" Her face slowly turned back to normal, knowing the dwarves were there.
"Leva!" Seeing her movement, Kili lunged forward too, grabbing onto her hands in an attempt to calm down. Dwalin and Fili stepped forward as well while Balin and Bofur stood in front of Bilbo.
"Let me fucking go!" She tried to pull her arm out of their grasps, but it was no use. Fili grabbed hold of her dagger and threw it onto the stone.
"Leva, calm down!" Kili pulled her back once more as she stumbled against him, her breathing quickening.
"Get off me" She mumbled.
Dwalin shared a look with Fili and kept holding onto her. Kili was staring at her in shock.
"I don't think so lass" Dwalin answered.
"I said, get fucking off me" She pushed them all back and immediately rushed through the arch way, flipping over the side and landing on one of the lower levels.
"Nikoleva!"
"Lass!"
It was then the hobbit realized that she was not in control of her actions, the way she moved, the way she spoke, the way she ran away... She was a puppet. But who was the master?
