Chapter 10: Onto the Mountain

Having been comatose for just two days short of a whole week, H'anigi was too far into the waking world to entertain even the vaguest notion of a nap anytime soon unlike the exhausted dwarves and hobbit who prepared to sleep so soon after her story had been told, consequently rendering her increasingly alone to decide on what to do to pass time. Faced with the decision on whether to just sit on her tush in wait for the morning to come, H'anigi decided to go outside and retrieved what clothes she hadn't put on yet, retrieved the pickaxe, and headed out after a quick question offered to the very sleepy but still up and cooperative Bifur who in his own way pointed to markers that had been thoughtfully laid down for those who did not innately know Erebor's layout.

With care she cautiously followed the trail that would lead her to the outer gates, accompanied only by the obnoxious thunder of her own bootsteps. Everywhere did this largely empty kingdom seem to possess incredible acoustics.

It was a lonely trudge that was belatedly joined by the idle clink of crystals as she entered a grand hall and at last found where the machines Guidance Node sent to chase Smaug had ended up. She figured they'd return to the chamber down below, but it would seem there was an imperative to safeguard the only apparent entrance that overgrown lizard could push its enormous frame through.

A choice probably taken for her benefit. It wouldn't do to lose the only person to come by after five thousand years of wait, able to finally get that Aetheryte up and running.

For a moment she simply watched the mechanisms as they patrolled across a small but elaborate orbit, not once impeding one another, before she plucked from its pocket the tomestone given to her and held it up.

H'anigi did it simply on a curious whim to examine the thing, then blinked curiously when it glistened as if shone upon... and prompted a reaction. She looked up as one of the bulbous machines suddenly disengaged from its patrol and descended to meet her.

"Hello?" she probed for an answer.

It just bobbed disinterestedly, and swung in a broad orbit around her that quickly degraded until it stopped to hover a couple of feet off her right shoulder.

"A bodyguard, huh?" H'anigi quipped in her mild surprise, "How sweet. Do you have a name?"

Bits... the flat tone of Guidance Node rumbled from the tomestone. Combat Drones of Allag. Placed into widespread usage after extensive tests in Azys Lla Research Faci-

"Right, right." H'anigi interrupted, interest instantly gone, as she pocketed the tomestone and with the Bit in tow strolled through the great door that the rest of them guarded and entered such a darkened outside world that she quickly learned to appreciate the Bit's presence, as the illumination it provided by coincidence or design gave light to the surroundings.

"Protector and lamp both?" she provided an oblique glance to it and teased: "My hero."

"Can you per chance transfigurate into a dashing miqo'te stud?"

Its silence indicated a 'no'.

"And here I thought you could do everything." H'anigi with playfully displayed petulance kicked a small pebble into the distance, "Would have made passing time until morning a whole lot easier in any case."

Once again, it offered no thoughts or opinion if ever one or both existed within that little shell.

"Like a miniature Bifur. He doesn't talk much either."

It did not provide a response.

"Welp, I might just as well find a place to relax in till dawn."

H'anigi searched along the walls a small while, and found a suitable if cool corner where the wind didn't reach. Elegantly she laid herself across it and closed her eyes. No sleep came, only the vague sense of time passing slowly along until, when chance came, the very faintest hint of sunlight reached wistfully from the horizon.

"Oi!" she eventually heard a wary Dwalin shout, "Are you out there, H'anigi?"

With a little stiffness that she quickly worked out of her limbs, H'anigi got up and moved into the open where she found the dwarves right at the door, Bifur anxiously looking up over his shoulders at the hurdle they left behind – the Bits apparently an object of fear to them. "Ahoy, I'm over here." she held up a hand and called out.

Dwalin looked relieved at having braved that hurdle, along with the sight of her, until the Bit companion of hers hovered into view. Instantly did the big tough dwarf look like a mouse trapped between two cats. A sentiment the usually silent Bifur heartily shared. "Er..." Dwalin stood agape, pointing at the thing.

"You need not fear it, honest." H'anigi affirmed amusedly, "It's just a bodyguard the bunch of them lended to me, sort of."

Visibly did Dwalin turn less green and approached, if with a healthy amount of caution, "Damn it lass. You and your antics, I swear..."

She folded her arms in faked indignance, "Welp, excuse me."

"Let's just get going." Dwalin sighed, and threw what appeared at first to be a long stake at her, "Here, picked this one up for you."

With practiced agility she caught the offered tool and found it to be a long handled single-edge axe of decidedly dwarven make. It was fully made of gray-colored metal which naturally made it heavier than the one she lost, but perfectly balanced otherwise.

"Thanks." she offered while the dwarves strolled past, and holstered the new weapon of hers as she turned to follow.

"Pray don't mention it."

With this, they ventured into the part of wilderness that was so firmly wedged between Erebor and Dale before Dwalin led them up the huge hill to the left. It was odd to see Dale from this angle, somewhat, but it looked sort of crunched in parts – a fact particularly visible in the areas they all traversed in their initial approach.

The trail of this recent destruction made it all too apparent what happened, so she bothered not to inquire.

Or at least, she did not express surprise till they reached the top and she looked back down, across the lands, to the south, and found down at the lake a perspectively tiny but clearly diminished Lake-town – much of the settlement gone from sight.

"Aye," Dwalin followed her line of sight sadly, "With us not providing easy enough sport for Smaug's liking, the bastard went and threw his weight around Lake-town instead. Luckily they managed to send the bastard packing before the battle got any worse for them."

H'anigi raised a brow back at him, "Why did you not break this to me earlier?"

"Didn't come up, and the most saddened of those who saw it happen has locked himself in with grief. We wished not to plunge him deeper... so we kept quiet."

"You're talking about Bilbo," she realized, "aren't you?"

"Aye. Balin, Fili and Kili went with him to an outlook over yonder, but he took upon himself the lion's share for the blame."

Her chest tightened with quiet sympathy, "That's why he looked so miserable."

"Afraid so." Dwalin sighed, before he turned to Bifur who has taken to gesticulate wildly, "Now come on. Bifur's spotted something."

H'anigi did not reply with a single world as she watched the devastation. "If only you and your fellow Bit had killed Smaug then and there." she whispered to the machine that still hovered over her idly, unaffected by the scenery.

With a heavy heart she made a move to follow Dwalin, but stopped halfway when something that looked like no more than a little spot at this distance vaguely shone with an unnatural golden radiance as the sunlight met it emerged from Mirkwood, something so out of place that H'anigi simply stood there and gaped. And when finally she found the words to speak, she could not quite keep the incomprehension from her voice, "Dwalin?"

"Yes?" the currently inattentive dwarf asked with the implied quirking of his bushy brows.

"What in the world is that?"

Silence was what met her as Dwalin peered again at the south, and examined the sheen that so pierced the green, "Durin's Beard..." he swore, "Elves in full armor. An army of them."

OoOoO

Days have gone by since Lake-town's destruction, and Bard could plainly see the downward spiral they were locked into as he wandered through what was for all intents and purposes a refugee camp that reached a fair distance across the lake's western edge where the survivors of Smaug's rampage huddled together for what little warmth they could find. Every attempt to salvage from Lake-town's wreckage, along with every effort to hunt, fish, and forage for food across the surrounding wilderness only drove home the precariousness of their situation. They got some cattle, but that was it, and those could not simply be butchered out of hand.

Anywhere else they looked, only contemptible winter could be found, ever eager to press its point.

Fortunately, for all it was worth, some progress has been made on the matter of shelter. Men skilled at craft worked hard to fell trees, and used these to build huts north from their destroyed village with every intent to build a new Lake-town. A goodhearted effort sadly doomed to failure if they can't do something about the current resource scarcity. They are low on food, among many other commodities, and people are still dying every night as sickness and wounds surmounted their wills to survive.

Everyone who could tried to do their part. Whether it be to manage cattle, to hunt, to fish, or assist in any number of labors being undertaken. His daughters currently assisted the wounded, while Bain helped the craftsmen. Bard on his own part prepared to disembark onto the lake with a few other fellows for another attempt at salvage from Esgaroth's ruin.

That is, before one of the hunters who set out earlier approached the beach at a frenzied dash, "Lord Bard!"

Subtly did Bard suppress the urge to roll his eyes, having more or less accepted his role as the township's new leader – though he still cringed at how people insisted on attaching titles to his name. "What is it?" he asked, noting to himself the man's urgency.

"Elves!" the astonished hunter proclaimed, "The elves are coming!"

To that, many around them reacted with excitement. Bard didn't, his feelings incredibly mixed considering how much of the recent turmoil took place because of events an elf helped facilitate. "How many?"

"A legion of them, sire. And I believe I saw the Elven King among them, sitting astride an elk greater than any I have ever seen in my life."

"King Thranduil's coming here?!" Bard started in disbelief and looked to the west as two possibilities asserted themselves in his thoughts. The first was the possibility that the King heard of Lake-town's sorry state and decided to come and provide relief. The second, on the other hand, was too terrible to contemplate in full though it would indeed be perfectly in line with their horrid luck as of late.

With effort he pushed the negativity from his mind and put his full focus and hope on the first possibility.

Bard thanked the man for the information and made his way up through the camp at a brisk pace as a commotion started to grow from the news circulating, and belatedly learned how close the people of the forest had come. For no sooner did he clear the increasingly crowded western edge of the camp before he encountered them.

Never had he seen so many elves in one place, the terrain and hills ahead covered in gold-armored warriors who stood still as statues. Bard stared wide-eyed at the multitude of immortals and was thankful when there came a break in the formation, and a path widened in the midst of it that stretched toward his position.

And from this path appeared King Thranduil himself, mounted on an incredible elk which antlers stretched far and wide. He was followed close behind by his son, and the elven woman – who looked decidedly uncomfortable – he had to blame for much of which had befallen Lake-town, and a gathering of honor guards who all rode upon beautiful white-coated horses.

"My Lord Thranduil..." Bard said, trying desperately to find the proper decorum, "We did not expect to see you here."

"I heard you needed aid." Thranduil said loftily, exuding an undeniable aura of authority, and waved a hand to the horse-drawn carriages that came into view along the path next. Each one filled to the rim with goods. He and his entourage stood aside and let every carriage move past in a steady procession and into the camp proper without any ado, without a single further word.

Bard was astounded beyond words as cries of elation rose behind him, and had to struggle to find his voice again. "You have saved us." he spoke breathlessly, thankful beyond measure, "I do not know how to thank you."

"You need not." the Elven King dismissed, "Provide what I wish to know, and it will be enough."

OoOoO

Before long they were sat in a tent quickly set up by Thranduil's servants. Its weave was of astounding quality and was well worthy of being a temporary abode to the King of Mirkwood. It was yet not wholly set up though, as it would be brought down again soon as their conversation concludes.

It was simply set up to establish a measure of privacy in this crowded a setting.

"Now that we have a measure of quiet." King Thranduil started and brandished a hand with dismissive aplomb, "I would learn all you know that pertains to a certain group of dwarves and the current state of Smaug. For I can not but wonder if the brazen intrusion into my land, and the string of events that led to the repeated sieges of your esteemed village are in some way connected."

Bard grimaced, but he hid the expression quickly. Because of what the Lord have so generously done, he was more than ready to disclose all he knew. Yet the question was:

Would he frame the she-elf he now knew to be Thranduil's Captain of the Guard? He still desired for her to be punished for the things she brought into motion in bringing the dwarves to Esgaroth, but Thranduil was like to not believe him and in so doing the accusation could potentially destroy any good will the Elven King had.

He really wanted to include her treachery into his tale. The risk was however altogether too great with all the lives at stake here, so he explained all that he knew about the dwarves... and left the part of her involvement out. The names, those he knew by name that is, along with their shared intent to venture northward to the Lonely Mountain and reclaim Erebor from Smaug's clutches.

"Thorin Oakenshield. I suspected as much." the Lord said with a slight narrowing of the eyes, "Continue."

Bard next covered how he tried to stop them from leaving the villlage but failed after he learned of their intent. Once again much to his distaste he had to leave the she-elf's involvement out, and on the side said nothing of the cat-woman... if only because of his lack of sureness whether the Good King would believe him. Then he moved onto the attack by Smaug, how injured the dragon somehow was rendered from its confrontation with the dwarves, and ended his tale on how he managed to make the dragon flee.

"A most admirable feat." King Thranduil inclined his head in brief but genuine commendation, "While the dragon was not slain, what you did was an accomplishment few through the ages can hold to their names."

Bard echoed the gesture, "Thank you, my lord. I have told you all that I know, and can guarantee the dragon will not return for long a while. Now I must return to my people, for shelter remains a concern."

"I will send for craftsmen among my people to aid in the rebuilding." the Elven King announced as he stood, "Yet even with efforts combined, it will not be enough to provide homes for all your people before the winter's end."

"Then what are we to do, my Lord?" Bard blinked dumbly.

"You have shelter that can be readily used, if only you open your eyes and look thereto."

It took him a moment to comprehend, "Dale."

An empty city, ruins to be sure, but shelter nonetheless. Splitting the surviving population between Dale and the new Lake-town in progress would allow him to quickly provide shelter for all of them, and doing so would strain their food-poor surroundings far less. Such a simple and elegant solution to their problems lay before him all this time.

"And with a little bit of the gold in the mountain we could more ably rebuild." Bard added to the conversation.

"Many will now look to the mountain in the dragon's absence. I for one seek a precious heirloom."

"Then we shall not tarry, my Lord. Give us a little time and we shall accompany you."

"Do as you wish."

"Thank you, my Lord." Bard inclined his head and excused himself promptly, to begin preparations at once. And so, though he did not yet realize it, the seeds of a new Kingdom of Dale was sown.

OoOoO

"Well?"

Thorin's brusque voice pierced the relative quiet as well as any razor blade through soft flesh as Balin and Kili finally returned from the outlook. It had been just past midday when the morning hunt was completed and Dwalin hurried off to warn their leader of what they've seen. And before too long they in full assembled at the gates.

"They are coming." Balin wiped sweat from his bald patch and confirmed, "The whole lot of them, and I wager some from Lake-town might be with them."

"Lake men aside, it turns out Tauriel was quite right about what her sovereign would do in Smaug's absence." H'anigi observed from her seated position on a flight of stairs, finding quiet satisfaction and alarm both in how Thorin seemed to fume not far from the manner of a kettle, "Want to guess how much of her other assumptions might come to pass?"

Bofur looked between them worriedly, "A big battle's coming isn't it?"

"Afraid so." Balin sighed, "Azog remains on the hunt for us, and may very well be on his way here with every orc he can marshal."

Thorin snorted, "It matters not. When Dáin arrives, Erebor will be made unassailable."

"Aye, but the elves may arrive before he does, uncle..." Kili joined in.

"Then we'll make do with what we have. Erebor was hard-won, and I will not see it taken from us again." the dwarf leader continued thoughtfully as he took a long look at the broken gates, "We will block this passage with a wall of stone as high as we can build it. After that, we will gather from the nearby armory all the weapons and armor we require."

H'anigi observed somberly as none voiced as to what the Elven King wanted, nor ask whether the hurdle could be solved simply by handing it over. For if a host of orcs is truly on its way, and arrive before this Dáin does, then their survival hinged on making the legion of elves stay close by denying them their prize.

A daunting task in more than one way, but needs must when Thal rides.

Soon as the plan was laid out and the dwarves responded with a roar of grim approval, Thorin lead them back into Erebor to wherever he intended to collect equipment and materials for the most immediate task. H'anigi got off from where she sat and followed in the dwarves' wake, though her objective was to reach Bilbo who trudged along, his expression grossly melancholic.

Bilbo looked even worse than he did yesterday.

But soon as she came close enough to strike a conversation, Bilbo inexplicably sped up his pace and pushed further into the crowd in an apparent effort to escape. Confused, the miqo'te motioned to follow when Dwalin suddenly stepped in and held out an arm to stop her, "Hold, lass..."

"What are you doing?" H'anigi hissed the question angrily.

"I'm damned well aware you wish to help him, H'anigi," Dwalin replied with surprising gentleness, "but this is something the lad's got to work out by himself."

She stared at the normally gruff dwarf disbelievingly, "And if that guilt pushes him over the edge?"

"If that happens, I can not think of a better person to catch him." he said solemnly, then shrugged as he lowered the thickly muscled arm of his, "And this may sound completely stupid to you, but there's such a thing as an expression a man can not show to a woman."

"Indeed," she frowned, "that does sound stupid."

Dwalin barked a short laugh he shut off with a succinct cough, "Just leave him be for the time being, till he's ready to open up."

"I'd prefer not to put it off, but... fine..." H'anigi sighed, reluctantly conceding as they arrived at a heavy set of doors to what was probably a storage space that Dwalin's point was reasonably sound even if she did not favor it in the slightest. At the very least, she would keep an eye on her friend whenever she could spare it.

OoOoO

"Not a bad night's work."

Bilbo felt compelled to agree with Glóin's congratulatory statement as he looked upon the wall they spent the rest of the day and the whole of night to complete. It was made from a dozen or so large statues that had been broken down, hewn into roughly shaped bricks, and wedged into place with deliberate care. So firm in construction courtesy of the dwarves innate skill in stonework that it did not lack for much in hardiness compared to the adjacent walls, and featured an even floor on top they could walk across without having to worry about stumbling, and without fear of its collapse.

This firmness was especially impressive considering the complete lack of mortar to bind the stacked-upon pieces together.

No details were overlooked. It included a steep set of stairs... and even a very square hole near the bottom through which persons on either side could converse face to face. Bilbo wondered if it would see use at all, but gave the dwarves a silent helping of kudos for sheer attention to detail.

"Splendidly done, my companions! Most exemplary!" Thorin praised, seeming less mad than what was usual for him since their arrival here, "Alas we still have one more task before we stop for breakfast!"

"Armor and weapons." Bombur nodded in remembrance, sighing, "I'd rather like to go back and prepare our meal."

"Usually I wouldn't object, brother," Bofur smiled good-naturedly, "but we really ought to get you fitted first. It'd be a mighty embarrassment if you tried to don whatever we picked for you on the eve of battle, and find it doesn't fit at all."

Battle...

Bilbo shuddered with a spike of emotion. While his participation in fights has been on the increase since the Misty Mountains, he deeply detested violence and would rather not fight if any peaceable solution could be resorted to instead. Bloodshed was sadly inevitable in this case with an army of orcs likely on its way. He could only hope the orcs assail them before the elves do.

The Elves... He much remembered the beauty of Rivendell... the warmth and fairness of its people. Having much for love for them, he had no desire at all to shed their blood. Nor did he want to hurt the men of Esgaroth... for they have suffered enough.

Outside of his miserable thoughts, a laugh was shared by the others at Bofur's teasing. Even their leader chuckled. "Sooner we get it done, the sooner we can feast." Thorin declared, and after the mirth and anticipation that brought they all left the newly made wall behind, and made for the nearest armory.

Bilbo followed only with great hesitation, and was the last to enter the armory proper when they arrived.

Predictably, none of the armored suits that filled these halls could be fitted onto a hobbit's frame. For that they were much too large in every conceivable way. Likewise the weapons are too large and heavy.

Sting would have to suffice. It was small enough for him to use, and so light that to heft and swing it required no effort on his part.

Only one other saw difficulty in the available selection. H'anigi browsed through the wares with idle curiosity and an absence of intent. She was altogether too tall and too slender, and sported a long tail besides so the application of any dwarven armor would at best be too heavy, and prone to falling off.

"Master Baggins, come here."

Bilbo blinked apprehensively and he turned to look at the end of the corridor where Thorin stood, already clothed in full black armor, with something in his hands. Unsure but not about to decline the request for to him to attend, he approached.

Thorin waited patiently for him, "You're going to need this." he presented to him a vest of chain mail so fair that the hobbit struggled to believe it was made by dwarven hands. It most definitely must have been so, however, or the black-bearded dwarf would not have touched it. "Put it on."

For several seconds did Bilbo stare before he removed his jacket and the vest underneath to gingerly put on the offered vest, and let surprise be evident as he noticed how light it was. Compared to it, his regular wear weighed a ton.

"It was made from silver steel. Mithril it was called by my forebears." Thorin stated with reverence, "Very rare. Precious few mines now produce it from their steep pits. No blade can pierce it."

"Well, I f-feel magnificent..." Bilbo replied, saying his thoughts aloud, "but I expect I look rather absurd. How they would laugh on the Hill at home! Still, I wish there was a looking-glass handy!" He shook his head, "Still... I am a hobbit, not a warrior."

"It is a gift. A token of our friendship." the black-plated dwarf sighed, "True friendship is hard to come by."

"I have been blind..." Thorin continued as he applied a hand onto the hobbit's shoulder and led him from the others, "but now I begin to see,"

Bilbo blinked, sufficiently surprised by this admission that he dared hope that Thorin has taken leave of his madness and returned to his honorable and honest self. Yet that was not to be as a veneer of calm lifted from his gaze and exposed a furnace that burned with contempt.

"that I am betrayed."

Instantly did Bilbo's bones freeze, as though turned to ice. He was almost too frightened to ask, "Betrayed?"

"The Arkenstone."

H-have I been found out?! Bilbo thought to himself, on the verge of panic. No... he didn't, or I'd be gutted already...

He cocked his head and leaned close, his black-armored appearance a fearsome sight in the dim light, "One of them has taken it. One of them is false."

"Thorin," he pleaded, "the quest is fulfilled, you got the mountain back. Is that not enough?"

"Betrayed by my own kin." the dwarf glanced away and muttered in a hateful manner, lost in his paranoia, deaf to the words of the hobbit who could only stare in abject horror. "You, my friend, is the only one I can trust with such an important task." Thorin said as he withdrew, "Find the traitor, expose him..." and watched as their dwarven companions walked the halls fully armed for war. Covered in thick suits of armor, with fearsome weapons on their backs that are lacking in even the most basic sense of civility.

So stunned Bilbo was by this development that he merely stood there, staring at where Thorin stood even long after his departed, his mind assailed by an intense onrush of undiluted horror.

W-what have I done...?

His only lifeline that made his "safekeeping" of the Arkenstone remotely bearable was the reasoning that they'd keep searching for it until the time was right to bury it in a distant corner of the treasure for them to find at long last. Now it was no longer an option, as the company stood poised to unravel as distrust seeped through its foundation.

It would take a few days yet, but had all the inevitability of the world behind it.

Now its discovery could not come soon enough, even though he recognized what might come to pass after. Thorin may very well be mollified... or he'd descend further still into madness as he kept it out of reach from those he suspected of betrayal. As for H'anigi...

Bilbo dared now finish that thought, of how much could go wrong.

All of these possibilities weighed down on him, and the Baggins and Tookish sides of him waged a bitter war on which direction to take on the issue... only to be tormented by terrible indecision that threatened to finally push him over the edge until a firm hand landed on his shoulder and shook him out of his impromptu trance.

Startled and confused, Bilbo gave a small yelp that ended as he snapped his eyes into focus and looked upon Bofur who now stood before him, the normally jolly dwarf's face naked with concern. "Bilbo," he whispered, "What's the matter?"

"I.. S-sorry about that," he whispered, scrambling to find at least a halfway decent excuse, "I was m-miles away for a moment..."

"A moment?" muttered Bofur disbelievingly, "Had you remained any longer, I've no doubt you'd be about ready to root yourself to the floor and call it a year."

"That bad?" Bilbo grimaced, nervous and just a twitch from fidgeting, "Maybe I just need to go for a walk, get some fresh air."

"I could go get Ori for you..."

"No, no, no." he shook his head, "That won't be necessary. You got enough on your plate as is." noting absently the clashes of metal that told him a sparring session's probably going on to put their new weapons and armor to the test.

Bofur frowned but did not object, "If you say so."

"Yeah... I'll see you at breakfast." Bilbo nodded perhaps more than he needed to as he went and retrieved the clothes discarded earlier, "One of the things no hobbit would even consider missing out on."

"And," the dwarf cocked his head amusedly, "what are those other things if I may ask?"

"You need to ask?" he managed a smile as he recalled the so distant and homely Shire, "Any time when meals are served."

Bofur chuckled, "Your people got their priorities straight."

"They do, and I try to follow suit." Bilbo shrugged with a little snicker of his own, "Now I best get on that walk."

"Don't go too far, alright?"

"I won't." Bilbo promised, grateful, as he stepped toward the exit and left this brand of narrow space behind somewhat briskly. "Well..." he whispered to himself soon as he was out of earshot, feeling surprisingly calm after the conversation in spite of how his heart hammered, "That was oddly therapeutic..."

Now he could embark on what he needed to do with a clear head, his decision finally made, but needed to be swift.

Soon as he arrived at the great hall, he made a turn away from its swarming residents to take the winding but thankfully marked path that would lead him back to the mansion they used for a campsite. A traverse that was a small journey in and of itself. Every second of the approach through Erebor's labyrinthe interior, he spent trying to think of ways to mitigate any damage in case the worse of his predictions came to pass. Wild conjecture, mostly, but helped provide assurance.

If there's a will, there's a way.

Bilbo fully intended to have much of either.

To such an extent did he immerse himself in this planning session, with enough mind on the side to follow the markers Balin thoughtfully laid out for them, that he remembered little of the journey itself and was almost surprised when he suddenly met with the mansion entrance.

Once past it he made a beeline for his room, and in there retrieved the makeshift bundle of cloth he used as a pillow from his bed and brought its contents to light with wrapped concentration. "Still here." Bilbo breathed as he looked onto the rough globe, momentarily bewitched by its otherworldy radiance, "Now... I got to..."

Bilbo turned from his bed, his next destination intended fully to be the treasure chamber, when he noticed something was off... given how the door was blocked by a very recognizable feminine figure. A sight that saw his heart plummet through the floor.

"I never imagined," a frighteningly calm H'anigi commented, "you had it in you, Bilbo."

OoOoO

To be honest, H'anigi felt somewhat peeved that Bilbo kept secret the fact that he's possibly had the Arkenstone in his possession for days, maybe even since their flight from Smaug – the most likely time and place, she deemed – but could not find it in her to be really angry as upon seeing her the hobbit's skin turned deathly pale like a lalafell's would if she found herself stuck on the sticky end of a gigantoad's tongue.

Bilbo stuttered, frightened beyond his wits, "H-H'anigi...?"

"Since when?" she tested.

Everything just burst from him, as if thinking that complete honesty would cushion an inevitable blow, "Um, since m-my talk with S-Smaug."

Guess I got that right... "You didn't hand it to Thorin."

"Intended to... b-but I got sidetracked..."

A sword to your gut and a dragon breathing down your neck will do that... H'anigi thought dryly, "What about after?"

"Because of what happened... I'm a-ashamed to admit that I grew to fear him," stuttered Bilbo with a tone that carried a deep sense of resignation, deflating before her eyes, "... Thorin's greed has overtaken his senses. He's become paranoid and likely to lash at whoever he suspects of betrayal."

She had no doubt of that, "And what did you plan to do about that?"

"After the talk I had with Thorin in the armory, I decided things have gone too far. I... intended to hide it amidst the treasure and make sure it's found in one or two days time..."

"You didn't think of it before?"

Bilbo looked unsteady as he glanced side to side, "It did not cross my mind till then... Also... er..."

"Hm?" she quirked a brow at him.

"N-no, noth..." he refused initially only to swiftly reconsidered, "Actually... I worried also that you'd leave once you got the Arkenstone in hand..."

H'anigi stood stock still for a moment as she digested that particular piece of information, "That's why you avoided me."

"Yes, I was stupid and I am sorry."

"That you are." H'anigi muttered as she took a few steps closer and inclined to look into his face, "I may be a few things, but lacking in commitment I am not. In no way am I about to renege."

Bilbo stared back at her before he at the statement just plopped into his bed, looking as though the whole world fell off his shoulders. "I..."

She withdrew slightly and waved it off, "No need for that. But regarding that plan of yours. It's good, but I doubt you have a clear overview where everyone have looked. Pick slightly wrong and Thorin will aim to cull members from the company before the day is out."

The hobbit looked slightly lost as he considered that, the sense of relieved elation gone already, "Then... how do you suggest I go about this?"

With a frown, H'anigi pondered the issue. She looked away and into a wall for a moment in so doing before an idea occurred, "... The approaching lake men." she recalled thoughtfully, "I was told you took onto yourself much of the blame."

"Y-yes... but don't say it wasn't my fault." Bilbo was puzzled by the sudden change of topic but swiftly recovered as his gaze became distance from remembrance, and his voice gained an edge of bitter self-disgust, "My carelessness ultimately led to Lake-town's destruction. And I have every intention to make amends."

"I'm not going to argue on that." H'anigi told him with a slump of her shoulders, "How are you going to make amends, if I may ask?"

"My payment for taking part in this quest's one fourteenth of the treasure."

She let out a low whistle, thinking of the veritable ocean of gold and gems, "Sounds... generous. Compensation might very well be what the lake men want, and Thorin might very well have a few choice words about that – none of them particularly congenial."

Bilbo emitted a deep sigh as he slumped, "Given his current state of mind... I can all too easily see that happen."

"Which is why we could, well, secretly loan them the Arkenstone so to force a parlay."

A pregnant moment predictably stretched out between them as Bilbo processed the suggestion. "Yes..." he finally whispered, "that just might work. Risky though... what if an opportunistic someone decide to run off with it?"

"I would find the git and try my new axe on his skull." H'anigi with hands applied to hips bluntly stated. "Outside, where the aether density is much lower, an artifact as powerful as the Arkenstone will shine as clearly as a lighthouse during a fogless night."

"Besides—" she continued before a mess of shambling noises erupted from the mansion entrance that immediately caused Bilbo to pack away the Arkenstone in a tremendous hurry. Accompanying this clamor was a voice that clearly belonged to an exhausted Bombur, among others – one of whom entered the adjacent corridor before he with Dori's voice yelled out and slammed the living room door shut. No doubt startled by her little Bit bodyguard that bobbed about just outside the room.

It was amusing, really. Moments later, Dori called from the door, "H'anigi, you there?"

"Aye." she resisted the urge to giggle and replied aloud, "Come out. It ain't going to fillet you... yet."

Dori's lack of response and further entry was priceless.

"Well, I'm convinced at least." Bilbo said pointedly once the crystal was far out of sight, "Let's say and make no more of this till the time comes."

"Of course." she accepted curtly, "Meanwhile we can concern ourselves with more immediate matters such as what sort of breakfast Bombur's gonna prepare, and the deconstruction of a certain ring I believe we've postponed enough."

At that, when she brought it up, something strange flashed across Bilbo's face as he put a hand over his pocket. A mildly twisted yet unreadable expression which vaguely reminded H'anigi of the creature Gollum. It passed without his apparent notice though as he drooped and suddenly looked very tired, "Do you think it can even be done? ... You saw how bad that went back in Lake-town."

"Nothing is unbreakable Bilbo. Nothing." H'anigi snapped so the hobbit jumped, alarmed by what she just glimpsed, "One way or another, we will deal with that issue. I promise."

"I, I... y-yes." Bilbo stumbled on his words before he abruptly went and slapped his cheeks, followed by a sigh as the small flash of pain vanished, "Okay, let's say we try to destroy it again... we're going to need help."

She softened the tone and cautiously smiled, "Aye to that, and I got just the people in mind."

OoOoO

Once the belated breakfast was finished, it did not take long for the mansion to be largely emptied once again as Thorin left and took the majority of the company with him for further exercises. Balin to the greatest extent agreed with the need for it, but greatly worried for their unbreakable leader whose behavior has gotten... erratic as of late, the star he represented to them darker than ever before. Much of it could be attributed to the persistent failure to acquire the Arkenstone, but there is also a great current of greed beneath the surface akin to that which his father and his father's father suffered.

Not one of them would even think to betray the one they to a man recognized as their King, but he could not help but feel unease with the situation as it is now.

As fitting of one his age, Balin remained at the living room table and quietly ruminated till a chair opposite to him was pulled away with a slight screech of wood being slid across stone. Not easily surprised, Balin simply looked up at the tall and smoothly slender and tailed figure that gracefully took the unoccupied seat.

Briefly Balin recalled how the friendship between her and Bilbo mended in so little a time, indicated by how they sat side by side during breakfast without the hobbit trying to shy away. The latter tendency has been rather a mystery to him, admittedly, as there were no readily apparent cause for it, but he simply shrugged it off in favor of being glad that it was no more.

Instead he focused on the miqo'te who from the moment she joined has alongside the hobbit contributed much toward the continuation and success of their journey. Not to mention that she also represented something astonishingly new, complete with world-shaking revelations he found fascinated by to no end.

Would the coming conversation bring new information to light, he wondered. Her expression was enough to provide affirmation.

She asked: "Balin, do you have time to talk?"

"Why of course I am, lass." Balin raised his shoulders an inch, "Is there an issue?"

"Yeah..." the miqo'te fidgeted mildly, "By any chance, are you familiar on the topic of, well, magical rings?"

Balin frowned, "You speak of the Rings of Power per chance?"

"The same, I think." she nodded nervously, "You see, Bilbo has had one in his possession since his sojourn into the depths of what you guys call the Misty Mountains. A possession that is taking him to dark place..."

"Does it have a jewel embedded in it?"

"Not really. To the eye it looks like no more than a simple golden band."

"I see. Not among the seven given so long ago to the lords of our people, then." Balin considered with a hum, brows brought together as to form a solid bushy line, "Thorin's father used to have a Ring of Power in his possession."

"You know more about the topic than I do, then." H'anigi said, her tone solemn, "Does that include on how to destroy them?"

Balin scrunched up his face, puzzled, "Is the ring such a burden?"

She took a deep breath, "Yes it is. The ring provides longevity and evokes from its user a sense of obsessive possessiveness that will grow to the point of irrationality, then insanity. A conclusion we've reached considering its former owner... and a couple of moments prior where Bilbo displayed problematic symptoms, along with moments where he inexplicably prioritized the ring over his own life. It also grants its user the ability to turn invisible... so if Bilbo gets sufficiently insane he'll certainly put it on and we'll never see him again. So I ask again... do you know how to destroy it?"

"I am not certain. To my knowledge, the Rings of Power may only be undone in the places of their making." Balin closed his eyes, grim at the things she described. If Thorin learned of it... Balin shuddered at what could happen given his current... unbalance, "Where they were made however... I do not know."

She buried the face in her palms, dismayed, "There must be something."

"Peace lass. I do not plan to abandon Bilbo, and so shall I collect my brother and we'll make an attempt to break it asunder." Balin growled, determination lit, "See if it can withstand the crafts of the dwarves."

Author notes: Originally I planned to have the elves and lake men arrive at Dale within this chapter, but ultimately it did not feel right. Instead it'll take place next chapter. Also, Thranduil turned into a bit of a tsundere here when I mixed the niceness of his in the book with the less nice behavior he put up in the movies, come to think of it.

As for an answer to comments:

Korus207: That might happen, eventually.

Exillion: I considered that before I started on this story on whether to include more FFXIV characters. Ultimately I thought about how future events would unfold to and beyond the inevitable time-skip and decided H'anigi would suffice for the duration of this 1st arc of the story. She's got a companion cube now at least.

Merlinius Ambrosius: It would present a huge hurdle to the world of Middle-Earth for sure, but it's not like they've not faced huge hurdles before. That said, they won't be short on outside aid when the time comes.