1 | dark pasts [oakenshield]

Thiry-three

thorin this is a negotiation not a photoshoot damn it

Meeting with Thorin was possibly the worst thing ever imaginable to Anne at the moment, especially since he was a bit deranged.

When Bilbo and Anne came in the Dwalin and Balin, they saw him kneeling in front of Thror's throne, the place where the Arkenstone was supposed to be empty and scarred with a dragon's claw. Bilbo and Anne exchanged a look and gulped, Dwalin nudging Anne's back as if telling her to go. They walked down the bridge, Anne and Bilbo hopping up the stairs and standing on Thorin's left side. Dwalin and Balin stood at the foot of the stairs, and it looked as if Dwalin was about to blow a fuse. He dared to glance at Anne, who did a quick shake of her head.

Just go with it.

"No Arkenstone yet?" Anne guessed as Bilbo stood next to her.

"It's here in these halls, I know it," Thorin murmured for what seemed like the millionth time to himself.

Dwalin sighed in frustration. "We have searched and searched—"

"Not well enough!" Thorin spat, making Anne blink in surprise and take a step back.

Ouch.

"Thorin, we all want to see the stone returned, yet it is still not found!" Dwalin growled through gritted teeth. His words vibrated through the mountain, his echo bouncing off the walls. Anne flinched, glancing at Bilbo. She knew that no matter how hard the Dwarves tried, they would never find the stone in the mountain.

Only in Bilbo's pocket.

Balin stepped in, waving his hand around as if trying to find the right words. "Do you doubt the loyalty of anyone here?" he asked.

Being the wisest one here, Anne would've thought he could at least get to Thorin. But the Dwarf only whirled around, Bilbo avoiding eye contact with him while Anne was watching his every move. Thorin was at the top of the steps, eyeing both Dwalin and Balin.

"The Arkenstone is the birth right of our people," Balin said again, slowly this time. The last thing any of them wanted was for Thorin do scream, "Off with his head!" and go completely nuts.

"It is the King's Jewel," Thorin said like everyone should know before raising his voice so it bounced off the walls and pointing at himself. "Am I not the King?!"

Silence.

Anne rolled her eyes and groaned quietly, crossing her arms and rocking back and forth on her feet. "I've got so many drama queens to deal with," she mumbled lowly under her breath.

Thorin didn't seem to hear that, but he did look over his shoulder as he moved the leave. "Know this." he warned lowly through clenched teeth. "If any one should find it... and withhold it from me..." He scoffed and walked around the throne past Bilbo and Anne. "I will be avenged."

He disappeared in the hall behind the throne, Anne watching him leave. Bilbo was rocking back and forth on his feet, Balin looked sad, and Dwalin looked like he wanted to break something.

"Anne," he grumbled.

"On it," she said with a nod, chasing after Thorin. It wasn't hard to find him, really, seeing as he was walking towards the gold anyways.

"Hey. Hey, wait up!" she called.

Thorin kept walking through the narrow hall, though his strides slowed down as she jogged to catch up with him. He looked over his shoulder, Anne slowing down.

"Yes?"

Anne scrunched up her nose. "Um... hi?" She rolled her eyes. "What was that?"

Thorin frowned and turned around, crossing his arms. "What was what?"