Daughter of Starlight

Chapter Thirty One: This Means War

Above is just a funny little video I found for you guys xD enjoy the vid and the chapter!

I spent the rest of the night holed up in my bedchamber, finally emerging from my solitude when I had managed to find a good hiding spot for the satchel of smuggled jewels. I made my way back to the entryway of Erebor, numb from my lack of sleep. I wasn't surprised to see that the gate had been rebuilt, towering over me almost as though it had never been destroyed.

I looked upon the company, seeing that every dwarf was just as exhausted from their sleepless night as I was. I was a little confused when I saw that a few of them held weapons and seemed to be readying themselves for a battle of some sort.

"Laerornien." Kili's soft voice sounded from behind me.

I turned and faced him, seeing a worried expression on his face. "Yes?"

"Where were you?" he asked me, his voice hushed.

"You know where I was," I told him, avoiding his gaze.

He sighed and went to say something else, but before he could, Thorin angrily strode past the company, growling, "Come on," as he passed.

I gave Kili a confused look, silently asking him what I had missed. He looked like he didn't know what to say to me. I knew that nothing good had happened while I was gone, and when I made it to the top of the ramparts, my stomach sank to the stone beneath my feet.

Thousands of Mirkwood soldiers stood in the ruins of Dale, their golden armor glinting in the early morning sunlight. Their ranks stood tall and strong among the crumbling stones of the city, prepared for the order that would send them towards the gates of Erebor. There was only one person they would have followed here, and I knew exactly what he was here for.

"Oh no." The words were all but silent, barely passing my lips. Now that Erebor was free of the dragon, it was the opportune time for Thranduil to amass his troops and attempt to take the mountain. I knew he could care less about conquering a dwarf kingdom, that all that mattered to him were the gems he had been deprived of for sixty years, but I also knew that he would do anything and everything that was necessary to get what he wanted, even kill every single member of the company.

I began to feel a bit nauseous as I realized that this was all my fault. The company's lives were in danger because of me, and I couldn't do anything. There was nothing I could do to stop the attack that was coming.

Suddenly, I heard the distinct sound of a horse trotting down the stone road towards the gates of Erebor, and I looked down to see Bard atop a white horse, heading straight towards us. What was he doing here?

He stopped his horse a few yards away from the gates, casting his gaze upwards at us.

"Hail Thorin, son of Thráin," he called up. "We are glad to find you alive beyond hope."

Thorin returned Bard's graciousness with distaste dripping from his words, demanding, "Why do you come to the gates of the king under the mountain armed for war?"

"Why does the king under the mountain fence himself in like a robber in his hold?" was Bard's reply. It was in understanding the subtext of his question that finally understood what he was attempting to do. Thranduil had sent him here to try and placate Thorin, to try and get through his dragon sickness before he took matters into his own hands and attacked.

I sighed and looked at Balin, who had chosen to stand at my side, and he returned my hopeless glance. Bard had no idea what he was getting himself into.

"Perhaps it is because I am expecting to be robbed," Thorin retorted.

Suddenly at the edge of my tolerance for Thorin's behavior, I turned my head to him and opened my mouth to say something that I knew I would regret later. Thankfully, before I could say it, Balin put a hand on my shoulder, silencing me with a warning look. I sighed and looked away from Thorin, directing my gaze to the Lakeman below us.