Under the Mountain

This story tells a slightly different version of Thorin's reaction to learning that Bilbo has given the Arkenstone to Bard. In his anger, the dwarf hurts the hobbit both physically as well as emotionally. The other dwarves (specifically Balin) must keep Bilbo safe from Thorin until the King Under the Mountain comes to his senses.

This can be read in either book or movie-verse, as it is a slight variation of a thing that happens in both versions. All the characters mentioned are in both the book as well as the films, so read it however you wish, picturing the characters however you see them in your mind. :)

At the moment, this is just a short, three-chapter story. It's not likely to increase in length, but you never know how I might feel as a go along editing my chapters before posting them. I expect to keep the story short, to my originally planned three chapters, but I'll let you know if something changes.

This is my only Hobbit/Lord of the Rings story I've ever written, though I've been a fan of the books and movies for ages. I've never stepped into the writing side of fanfiction for this fandom, so I hope people respond well. It's always scary writing for a new topic, especially one so loved as The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. I assume people have high expectations for stories in this category, considering the source material. I tried to keep everyone in character, and the language middle-earth-ish... but it's possible I failed. Anyway, I hope you like the story. Here it goes:

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Bilbo's heart was pounding loudly in his chest as he led the way to an isolated chamber within the halls of Erebor. After he had informed Thorin that he had handed the Arkenstone over to Bard, the dwarf had seemed visibly disappointed, but hadn't really spoke much. He had instructed the hobbit to speak with him in private, and the two of them made their way away from the others.

Bilbo wasn't really sure where Thorin had wanted him to go, because the dwarf wouldn't walk in front of him, or even side by side with the hobbit. Instead, he followed silently as Bilbo guessed as to where Thorin wanted their private conversation to take place. The hobbit simply walked onward, assuming the dwarf would tell him whenever they reached their destination. He hoped Thorin wasn't too upset with him. He expected some amount of anger from the dwarf, but certainly it was nothing they couldn't talk through, together, as friends.

All the while, as they made their way silently down the wide halls of the Lonely Mountain, the little hobbit could barely contain his racing heart or his nearly frantic breaths. Thorin was angry. Bilbo could see that quite plainly. When they were still back up on the wall, Thorin hadn't spoken of his anger, but Bilbo knew him well enough by this point to tell when he was upset. The dwarf's eyes were filled with betrayal and anger, but Bilbo would just have to explain to him why he did what he had done. It was the only way. He hoped his friend could understand, and had faith that he would. That didn't mean the conversation was going to be an easy one to be had.

As they made their way into a small room a fair distance away from the wall where the other dwarves had stayed behind, Bilbo turned around and looked at his companion as Thorin dragged the heavy stone door shut. Thorin was no doubt going to yell at him, to ask him why he had done such a horrible thing. He had wanted to discuss it privately, probably so the elves and men below wouldn't bear witness to the dwarf having to deal with the fact that he would indeed have to deliver on his promise and pay the others what they were owed. It would be hard enough on the dwarf's pride to give in at all, let along be more or less forced into it by the actions of someone in his own party.

"Thorin, before you get angry," Bilbo raised his hands in defense as Thorin pushed the door closed the rest of the way, but continued to face away from the hobbit, "let me just explain."

Bilbo expected the dwarf to interrupt him, to yell at him and refuse to let him speak, but Thorin did no such thing. With his back still facing the hobbit, he remained silent. Maybe he was willing to listen to Bilbo's reasoning after all.

The hobbit breathed in a deep breath and continued, "you haven't been yourself, Thorin," his voice was nearly shaking, as he knew anything he said might only anger the dwarf further, "we've come such a long way, and have finally made it to our destination, and with everyone intact! We should be grateful we're even all alive, and for this we are indebted to the people of Laketown. We made them a promise. There's so much gold and treasure here, and they only ask for such a small portion. You weren't listening. Your judgement was clouded. This was the only way I could think of to get you to see reason."

Thorin inhaled, but still refused to face the hobbit, "how long did you have it?" he spoke in a voice that could almost be described as a growl.

Bilbo swallowed a lump in his throat, "well, that doesn't really matter, does it? What matters is, you can get it back. Easy. All they want is what they were promised. Everyone gets what's theirs. I fail to see a problem here."

"You had it all along," Thorin finally turned around and took a step toward the hobbit, causing Bilbo to take a step backward, "we were searching tirelessly, all these days, and you had it," Thorin had never looked so angry, not in the time Bilbo had known him at least.

Taking another step back, Bilbo raised his hands in front of himself again, "Balin said finding the stone might only make things worse. You're blinded by this sickness the gold had inflicted upon you. Gaining even more treasure wasn't what you needed. I thought about giving it to you... Many times, actually. But you weren't ready to have it. And it seems you're still not."

With that, Thorin took one more large step forward so that he was towering over the hobbit, "you would do well to keep your mouth shut. You lied to me, and stole from me. I should have expected this of a greedy burglar. To have put any of my trust in such a pitiful being was my greatest failure in this quest."

"You're still not hearing me," Bilbo stared up at Thorin with wide eyes. Though it hurt to hear Thorin claim to lack trust in him, and to call him greedy and pitiful, the hobbit knew there were more important things to be discussed here than his wounded feelings, "This isn't worth going to war over. Just give them what they are owed! You promised!"

Thorin shoved Bilbo then, not as hard as he likely could have, but hard enough for the hobbit to stumble a few paces backward, "there's nothing more you can say, Burglar. We put trust in you to help us on our quest, and you stole the item most precious to us. You've no excuse."

"You must listen to me, Thorin!" Bilbo exclaimed, feeling his breaths become more frantic after Thorin had pushed him. He wasn't really hurt, but the fact Thorin had lashed out at him psychically was unsettling, even more unsettling was the fact that the dwarf had first ensured the two of them were alone, and in an enclosed space.

"I have no such obligation!" Thorin all but screamed as he pushed the hobbit again, harder this time.

Bilbo winced as he stumbled back a few paces. He was breathing even harder now as he widened his eyes to stare in shock and confusion at the dark, angry eyes staring back down at him. The hobbit looked toward the room's door. Surely someone out there could hear Thorin's angry shouts. Would anyone come to his aid if he needed it? The door was heavy, maybe even able to keep in sound... Maybe no one could hear them. And Thorin had stated in front of everyone, that he had wanted to speak to Bilbo alone. Would anyone dare interrupt their king during a private meeting?

"I know you're angry," Bilbo spoke in as calm a tone as he could manage, "but everything will be fine," he promised, "I-"

Thorin interrupted him by shoving him again, this time even harder, hard enough that Bilbo's back actually hit the wall behind him, knocking the breath out of his lungs, "everything will NOT be fine! You have betrayed me!" Thorin yelled, shoving Bilbo yet again just as soon as the hobbit had regained his balance from the last harsh shove.

"Thorin, stop!" Bilbo urged, attempting to escape the angry dwarf, but only succeeding in backing himself into the corner as Thorin stalked right after him, "I was only trying to help you!"

"Help me?" Thorin growled, "you think stealing from me and betraying my trust is helpful?"

When he lunged forward to push the hobbit again, Bilbo dodged out of the way with a soft gasp, "Thorin, you must get ahold of yourself! Your Arkenstone is not lost! They only want what you promised, and it's so small a portion, you won't even miss it!"

"With every word you speak, you just dig your grave deeper and deeper," Thorin scowled at him, his hands now clenched into fists.

Bilbo inhaled a shaking breath as he stared at the dwarf looming before him, blocking his exit, "what's done is done, Thorin," he spoke in a small voice, "I'm sorry it's made you feel betrayed, but I really was only trying to help. You've only got to pay them their share, and the Arkenstone will come back to you."

Thorin did not speak. He simply glared at the small hobbit shaking ever so slightly before him.

"I think I'll go now," Bilbo suggested, cautiously side-stepping against the wall as he attempted to keep his distance from the angry dwarf, "you can stay here as long as you need to. Collect yourself. I'll tell the others to come back at a later hour, if that's what you would prefer."

As Bilbo continued inching his way along the wall, Thorin remained silent. He just needed time to cool down, and Bilbo figured he probably shouldn't press the matter any further. But before he could escape the room and his angry companion, the dwarf's hand shot out toward him without warning. His fingers wrapped harshly around the hobbit's wrist as he pulled him back, roughly slamming him against the wall.

Bilbo could only whimper as he was harshly dragged back in front of the dwarf, who stared down at him with what the hobbit could only describe as hatred in his eyes. For a moment, Bilbo contemplated slipping on his ring and making a run for it... but he couldn't very well disappear right in front of Thorin. The dwarf learning of the ring may very likely be the most dangerous possible scenario; that would be only one more priceless treasure for the Thorin to lust after. So instead, the hobbit settled on attempting to pull free of the dwarf's iron grip.

"You don't deserve to stand in these halls," Thorin growled, "I should take you back out to the barricade. I should take you back to the wall, and throw you to the rocks, so everyone can see what happens to a traitor."

Bilbo gulped. Surely Thorin wasn't serious, but the dwarf did grip both of his wrists now, tight enough that Bilbo was frightened his small bones might just snap. The dwarf's anger was real, but was his threat?

"Thorin," Bilbo gasped in a panicked voice, "you're hurting me. Please let go."

The dwarf squeezed the hobbit's arms even tighter, causing Bilbo to cry out in pain. With his fists still tightly gripping the hobbit's arms, Thorin began dragging him toward the room's door.

Throwing Bilbo harshly to the floor, Thorin reached toward the heavy stone door and pulled it open.

Unfortunately for the poor hobbit, Bilbo was far too deep in shock to make any attempt at escape at this point. He rubbed his throbbing wrists for a brief moment before Thorin reached toward him again.

"Thorin, stop!" Bilbo urged again, scrambling backward away from the dwarf. Bilbo was still on the ground as he tried with futility to evade the dwarf's grasp. Would Thorin truly throw him over the wall for so small a crime?

"If Bard thinks his little informant's life is worth more than the Arkenstone, we will have it back with no extra payment," Thorin grabbed at the hobbit's arms, but Bilbo swatted at the dwarf's hands, refusing to let him lay hold of the hobbit's already hurt wrists.

It was then that Thorin raised a clenched fist up threateningly above the hobbit, who winced and squeezed his eyes shut. He had expected the punch, but even so he still felt shocked, and above all else, hurt... both physically as well as emotionally. Bilbo curled in on himself after Thorin's punch to the hobbit's cheek brought tears to his eyes. He brought his hands up to cover his face, both to shield himself from further assault, as well as to hide the fact that he was actually crying. He hadn't been entirely surprised at the shoves, even if they had been a bit painful. Even the harsh hands squeezing his arms and forcing him along weren't entirely shocking. But Bilbo had certainly never expected such a cruel gesture from the dwarf. He considered Thorin a friend. Bilbo respected the dwarf, and even trusted him. To be hit like that, so harshly, and taking the punch not to simply his arm or even his back, but as a strike across the face hurt him more than he ever thought anything could. It was not just the the stinging sensation on his skin and the dull pain radiating from his jaw that made him hurt.

Still shielding his face with his hands, to keep from behind hit in the face again, Bilbo couldn't help but let out a pained cry. Though he wanted more than anything to remain stoic, the tears refused not to fall.

Thorin didn't seem to care. He took this opportunity to grab the hobbit's arms once more, twisting them roughly behind his back as he dragged the hobbit up off the ground and began forcing him out of the room and down the hall, "I owe the dragon slayer no amount of my treasure. I owe the elf king even less. If they value your life, they can have it. If they value the treasure they think they are owed more, your life will be the price they pay."

Bilbo had to fight hard to suppress a sob at this point, though soft, quiet tears still streamed down his face. He knew Thorin might be angry with him when he had handed over the Arkenstone, but he had still held onto hope that he would be able to successfully talk the dwarf into understanding. He never thought Thorin, Bilbo's friend, who the hobbit had grown to trust, would be so angry that he'd purposefully hurt him, much less threaten to toss him to his death.

Thorin was holding onto him with such harshness, and dragging him along faster than the hobbit's panicked steps could keep up with. Bilbo was barely even making any move to actually walk. Thorin simply pushed him onward, and Bilbo was forced to stumble along in front of the dwarf, sometimes tripping over his own feet, but always remaining off the ground, as Thorin's harsh hands kept him from falling, even when he stumbled..

It didn't take long before they were in sight of the giant stone barricade. All of the other dwarves up on top of the wall looked downward and stared down the hall, wondering what was going on between their king and burglar.

It was probably the little hobbit's pained whimpers that made several of the dwarves begin to make their way down the makeshift stone steps as the others looked on in confusion. Balin, followed by Bofur, Gloin, Fili, and Kili rushed down the steps to stand before their king.

As soon as Bilbo and Thorin were near the wall and only a few yards from the five confused dwarves, Thorin stopped in his tracks, but still held tightly onto the frightened hobbit.

"Uncle," Fili questioned with a furrowed brow, "is everything alright?" the young dwarf's eyes trailed from his uncle's and then downward to meet Bilbo's large, frightened eyes as the hobbit swallowed a lump in his throat but remained quiet. Anything more the hobbit said at this point would probably only infuriate Thorin further, so he elected to keep his mouth shut. Bilbo noted Fili's facial expression shifted from concern to sympathy as his eyes met Bilbo's. No doubt the hobbit had visible tears in his eyes and trailing down his cheeks. Bilbo wished Fili hadn't seen him like this. He wished none of the dwarves had.

"I'm ready to strike a deal," Thorin grumbled.

Balin nodded slowly, but didn't seem entirely convinced, "Very well," he noted, "you're to give them their share?"

"They are to give us back the Arkenstone," Thorin explained, "in exchange for their spy's life," he shook Bilbo harshly for emphasis, causing the hobbit to groan in pain as his arms were stretched even further into the unnatural angle in which Thorin so cruelly gripped him.

Balin frowned, "give him to me," he offered, reaching his arm and hand out toward Thorin and Bilbo, "we'll work something out. There's no need for anyone to get hurt."

The hobbit tried to pull away from Thorin's painful grasp and toward the safety of Balin's offer, but the dwarven king refused to release him. Bilbo was rewarded for his struggles by his arm being twisted behind him further, causing him to finally cry out a quite-audible whimper.

"Everyone, back up the wall," Thorin ordered, "they'll get their burglar back one way or another."

The dwarves exchanged an uneasy look.

"I hardly feel right threatening the poor little hobbit," Gloin spoke up, "but if that's what needs to be done, then so be it. I'll get him up the wall for you, King," he offered.

Bilbo frowned. So it wasn't only Thorin who was angry with him, "Gloin, I said I was sorry... I was only trying to help," Bilbo was becoming frantic as he pleaded through his pain and fear. Up until now, he was counting on the other dwarves to defend him. Of course, the Arkenstone was important to all of them, but he had assumed they would all understand his motives. Thorin was being unreasonable. Up until now, it had seemed that every other dwarf felt the same on that fact.

"You'll be alright, lad," Gloin promised, "Bard will give the Arkenstone back in exchange for your safety. I'm sure of it. Come along."

Bilbo's wide eyes looked from Gloin, over to Balin, and then over to Bofur. Would no one stand up to Thorin and try to help him?

The hobbit gasped as Thorin shoved him roughly forward, causing Bilbo to stumble before falling to the ground. He was lucky he was able to break his fall with his hands, though his arms and wrists throbbed and felt almost numb from having been held back so harshly. He was fairly sure his knees would be quite bruised after this as well.

Gloin pulled him to his feet instantly, and Bilbo instantly struggled to get away from him. He would rather take his chances in the seemingly endless halls of Erebor than willingly go up on top of that wall.

"Hold still, Bilbo," Gloin spoke, holding him firmly as the hobbit squirmed in an attempt to free himself.

But Bilbo refused to go without a fight. He knew Gloin was stronger than the he was, that Bilbo stood no chance at overpowering him, but he had to try. Remaining compliant might very well cost him his life, "let me go, Gloin!" he urged frantically, with fresh tears springing to his eyes at the thought of yet another one of the dwarves, who he considered his friends, refusing to stand up for him.

Gloin held onto him in an inescapable grip, in what was almost a hug, before pushing him gently toward Balin, who wrapped his arm around Bilbo's shoulders and pulled him close. Now Bilbo was confused.

"We won't let you hurt him, Thorin," Gloin spoke up, bringing himself to stand in front of Balin, who held onto Bilbo with gentle arms, "I know you can't understand his actions right now, but he is your friend. You can't throw that all away, not for treasure... Not even for the Arkenstone."

Thorin growled out in anger as he made a move toward the dwarves who were standing guard in defense of Bilbo. It wasn't until Bofur and Thorin's own nephews stood between him and the hobbit that Thorin finally ceased his attempts at attack.

"Get out of my way," Thorin growled as he pushed passed them and made his way up the wall. Kili and Fili followed behind him as the other three dwarves stayed down below with Bilbo.

"You alright, lad?" Gloin asked as he turned toward the frightened hobbit, "I'm sorry if I gave you a scare," he put his large hands on Bilbo's shoulders, "didn't know how else to get him to let ya go."

"I'm okay," Bilbo breathed a shaking breath and then a forced laugh, "if a bit light headed... and a little embarrassed, honestly."

"No need for that," Balin offered a smile as he wrapped his arm tighter around Bilbo's shoulders, "Thorin is the one who should feel shame. Did he hurt you, Bilbo?" the elder dwarf looked down at the hobbit with worried eyes, "I mean to say, are you able to come along with me, away from the wall? Can you walk?"

Bilbo nodded.

"I'm going to take him someplace where Thorin won't see him. I think our king needs his space. Thorin seeing the hobbit will be a danger to them both at this point," Balin explained to the other dwarves, "try to ensure he doesn't follow, hm?"

"I think it's safe to say his mind is on other things," Bofur frowned as he looked up the wall and at his king who was yelling back and forth with someone on the ground. He was still yelling threats about Bilbo, threatening Bard that keeping the Arkenstone would mean the hobbit's anguish.

Bilbo hesitated, "I should go up there and let them know I'm okay... Bard will give him back the stone for nothing!"

The dwarf shook his head, "Sure, you may be okay now, but you may no longer be okay if you stand next to Thorin, Bilbo," Balin offered him a grim stare, "Nothing will be solved just yet anyway. Come along."

Bilbo reluctantly let the dwarf lead him back down the hall and away from Thorin.

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Please review and let me know what you think so far. :)