I'd spent the day in the archives. The dwarves apparently weren't big readers beyond the Dwarf Sutra-because the archives contained very few books. Loose leaves and crumbling scrolls were heaped on cobweb draped shelves. I'd barely concealed my horror at the state of everything, scrunching up my nose when a rat skittered across the table.
A whimper escaped my throat as I thought back to seeing that large fat rodent scurrying about sniffing at breadcrumbs left over from Balin's breakfast. Hours had passed since my harrowing encounter, and it still gave me the willies.
Rodents and Spiders made my skin crawl.
Shaking my head, I returned to the present and carefully picked my way over a mountain of gold toward the mountain entrance. All the dwarves were gathered, staring into the dark.
"What's going on?" I asked Bilbo who stood at the back of the group.
The Hobbit combed his bangs out of his eyes and sighed. "The people of Laketown are camping in the remains of Dale."
Torches bobbed in the distance, casting the charred and barren walls of the city in an ominous pool of orange light. The shadows were thick but even so I could just make out movement in the ruins.
Fili overheard our conversation, his expression stoic. "There's only one reason they'd come here."
I folded my arms across my chest and nodded. Yep. They needed the money Thorin promised to rebuild their town after Smaug's attack.
Since the Company stirred up the dragon in the first place and Smaug destroyed their homes, I believed they were owed their share of the treasure.
"The gold." Thorin whispered hoarsely. "Beautiful...gold."
I tensed at the avarice in his tone.
The Dwarf King strolled slowly over to a pair of boulders and peered through the night; his gaze unfocused. "Those who have survived dragon fire should rejoice! There are few who can claim to have done so."
My eyes stung with moisture. Thorin's callous words were a knife to my heart. Nervous glances shot around the dwarves.
"Thorin, shall we not keep our word? They are in need because of our actions." Kili ventured. "We owe them for the devastation we brought upon them."
It was a mistake. Rage twisted Thorin's mouth. "Owed? I did not succeed here only to bargain away my birthright!" He gestured sharply. "No nephew, the treasure is ours."
A tear rolled down my cheek. He was so fucked up right now. He didn't even sound like himself. Those poor people had lost everything, and he did not care.
Thorin noticed. "What troubles you, athane?"
Fili and Kili glanced at me and did a double take at my appearance.
"Y-you're hair..."Kili sputtered, brown eyes wide.
I touched a braid woven along my left temple. "Thorin decided to play hairstylist last night." Studying the brothers, I had the impression I'd missed something significant.
Fili and Kili stared at each other at a loss for words.
"Um...am I missing something guys?"
"Well..." Kili began, unusually hesitant. "Among dwarves braiding a dwarrowdam's hair is one of the most intimate acts a suitor might commit."
"What are you saying?"
"What is going on here?" Eyes narrowed with suspicion, Thorin inserted himself between me and his nephews. "Fili, Kili, I have glad tidings for the line of Durin. We will soon crown Adelaide Queen Under The Mountain. I will take her to wife and we will usher in a new era for the glory of Erebor."
You could hear a pin drop after Thorin's proclamation.
"What the hell?" Anger surged in my breast, and I strode around Thorin to face him. "I don't remember agreeing to marry you! Its not something you can decide on your own!"
"So...you hold that wretched elf in your heart after all." Thorin said in a dangerously low voice, gripping my chin tightly. "I feared as much. You are a fool to be enchanted by their beauty."
I was too furious to back down. He'd gone too far this time. "What elf? What are you even talking about?"
"Aelfric." He hissed. "That pointy-eared elf-spawn!"
My mouth trembled at his accusation. Wrenching free of his grasp, I backed away.
Thorin's eyes flashed. "You would recoil from me, athane?" He bellowed in my face.
Shaking like a leaf I searched for an escape but there was nowhere to run. A mountain of treasure barricade me from behind and the Company blocked the entrance. "Aelfric is my friend. He has nothing to do with this. Thorin, you aren't yourself."
"Not myself?" He spat grabbing my arm and yanking me toward him. "How dare you betray me with that wretched elf!" His fingers bit deep into my flesh, hard enough to leave a bruise. Tears misted his eyes. "How could you do this?"
Warmth spread through my limbs. Chest heaving, I struggled in his hold. With my other arm damaged, it wasn't easy. Thorin was very strong. "Let me go."
"Athane, you know how I feel but it is clear to me that your treacherous human heart cannot be trusted." Thorin tried to drag me deeper into the mountain. "I will lock you up for your own safety."
I dug in my heels, fear drowning out my reason. "Let me go!"
The warmth sped through my fingers and erupted in a blinding flash of light striking Thorin.
Staggering, Thorin lost his footing and fell onto his backside. Stunned he stared up at me, a look of utter betrayal on his face. "Athane?"
I barely noticed, staring at the glow fading from my hand in disbelief.
The Company gawked at me, equally flabbergasted by the light that had shot from my hand.
Flexing my fingers, I flipped my hand back and forth studying it. What was going on? What just happened?
"Lass, that was quite a display of magic." Balin commented.
My gaze landed on the old dwarf. "Magic? What do you mean magic?"
Did I really just used magic? How?
The dwarf stroked his beard. "It seems Gandalf had another reason to include you on our quest." He chuckled. "Wizards and their secrets."
My mind spiraled in a dizzying tailspin. Gandalf? Magic? Secrets? I could not deal with yet another complication.
"How deep your treachery runs to lie of your witchcraft!" Thorin boomed, recovered from his initial surprise. He climbed to his feet. "What other secrets do you harbor? Are you truly an elf?"
His accusations struck me like a volley of missiles. I flinched with every word.
"Uncle, leave Adelaide be." Kili grabbed Thorin's arm and the Dwarf King rounded on him with a snarl.
"We will greet the people of Laketown with stone and steel." Thorin gestured sharply at the broken chunks of stone around them. "Build a wall so that none may enter and rob us of our inheritance."
Cloak billowing around him he stormed deeper into the city disappearing behind a pile of gold. I released a shaky breath and dragged a hand over my face. For a moment there, I truly feared he'd strike me in his rage.
I gazed out at the sea of flickering torches beginning to realize that in order to save Thorin I'd have to leave him for a time and seek the help of one far wiser than me.
I had questions and Gandalf better answer them.
OoO
The elves came at dawn, their golden armor a warning of what was to come. Tension hung over the Company like a pall as they worked. The wall was finished by midday, turning Erebor into a largely impregnable fortress.
It could be climbed by a set of stairs made of jagged cracked stone. After being trapped in the bowels of the mountain for days I needed the fresh air and to get away from the crazy.
The wind whipped my hair around my face as I gazed across the valley to the host gathered in Dale. Thranduil was not only a stubborn ass but also a determined one. No one could call him unmotivated, although those motivations were misguided.
Thinking of Thorin's baseless accusation I wondered if Aelfric was among the elven army, prepared to heal any elf or human who became injured in the battle to come.
The memory of his musical voice and gentle hands was a balm against the wound Thorin had inflicted on me with his words and actions. I cared for the Dwarf King, deeper than I ever expected which is why his cruel accusations hurt.
There could be nothing between Aelfric and me besides friendship for obvious reasons. One being I'd grow as wrinkled and shriveled as a raisin in a few decades while he'd be forever young, unless killed in battle.
Getting old didn't bother me. As a human you accepted death as an inevitability. Its not necessarily a thrilling thought but when there's nothing to be done about it, there's no point in worrying.
A bitter smile curved my lips. Besides, who'd say I would survive the Battle of Five Armies? I wasn't much of a fighter.
Movement out of the corner of my eye caused me to turn. Bilbo crouched down behind a pillar, a troubled expression on his face.
I wasn't the only one who grappled with what to do to help Thorin.
Sinking down beside him, I stretched out my legs. "Bilbo, I know what you're planning to do and it's the right thing."
"How do you know-"
I sent him a pointed look.
Bilbo nodded and looked down at his lap. "I know it's the right decision, only I..."
"Have doubts?" I prompted gently.
He nodded again.
Tilting my head back, I gazed up at cloud draped sky. "Sometimes in order to save someone you have to betray them." I jiggled my foot back and forth. "The Company has been through too much together to fall apart now. We can't let it."
"Thorin is a good man but he's...lost." Bilbo finally admitted. "I will do what I can to help him."
"So will I." I vowed.
OoO
Under the cover of night, Bilbo and I snuck from Erebor, using a makeshift rope made of sheets knotted together to rappel down the wall. I had to ride on his back. If they were looking in our direction, I'm sure the elves were getting an amusing show. Stumbling on landing, my boot caught a rock, sending it skittering across the ground. I tensed, waiting for one of the dwarves to sound the alarm.
Bilbo caught and held my gaze as we waited a moment. When no one stirred we darted across the field, zigzagging across the rocky terrain to reach Dale.
Blustery wind gusted across the land, biting through the thick layers of my coat and tunic, nipping viciously at my skin. Shivering I burrowed my chin into my collar and tugged my hood lower over my head.
Bilbo navigated the terrain with ease, his superior night-sight picking out obstacles I tripped over. Cursing, I righted myself and booted the rock out of my path.
An elven sentry spotted our approach and blocked our entry with a spear. "Halt." His blue eyes narrowed with suspicion as he examined Bilbo and me. "Where do you hail from?"
"Erebor. Take us to your king." I answered, not wanting to waste time.
Thumping the end of his spear on the ground, the elf spun on his heel with military precision. His pale blonde hair was turned silver by the moonlight "Follow me." He commanded.
There was no turning back now. I had made my choice and now had to face the consequences.
A/N: Next up Thrandy is back! Hope you liked the chapter it was fun to write!