By the time they returned down to the palace's front gates, the sky looked heavy and full of rain—"Good signs of an oncoming storm," Thorin had mentioned to Billa as they then entered shelter and safety from the taut winds, before the heavens broke loose with their torrent. The hobbit had nodded in return, glad they made it back when they did—but neither of them had the foresight to see that Thorin's words were coming true in more ways than they thought.

Not until, of course, they heard a loud, thunderous voice declare, "There you are!" from further on down the main hallway.

Instantly, Thorin scowled, muttering to Billa as he then gently shoved her away and to one of the side doorways leading off from the main hall, "You'd best get out of here and back to your room now. I will see you at dinner, later, yes?"

"W-wait, what?" Billa murmured back, watching him with wide worried eyes even as she let herself be pushed away. "O-oh, okay…"

And although hesitantly, she left without much more complaint, and once she was gone, out of sight and therefore safe, that settled the panicky beast that had risen, buzzing around nervously in Thorin's chest as soon as he heard his cousin's voice. But now more at ease, more confident, Thorin turned to deal with the other dwarf king, who approached with a murderously stormy expression clouding his wide face, fists clenched and eyes darting up and down his relative's form, with Azog right behind him, surprisingly.

But Thorin had no time to greet his High Commander. Nodding briefly in a vague hello to them both, he then listened as his cousin burst in anger, "Where have you been? I travel all this way, and receive a warm enough welcome thanks to your High Commander and Company, but then I hear and see no sign of my cousin, who, they tell me, is off on a 'vacation' with one of his 'suitors'! What—?"

"—I had been hiking," Thorin clarified, meeting Dain's gaze with no intimidation in his own. "Getting some fresh air. Perhaps you should do the same, Cousin. You seem rather wound up from such a journey."

"I am, because I am not pleased, Thorin," Dain huffed, glaring hard. "You are playing a game I know well enough in finding your suitor—a game any dwarf knows well, competing for a hand—but these results that I am hearing are not turning out how I expected them to be when I first heard you had decided upon finding a new partner after that horrible other!"

Thorin couldn't help but smile just a little at that, amused. A reminder of the hobbit made his heart feel so light, he could hardly care what his cousin was saying. "Indeed. I don't think the results are turning out to be how anyone expected them to, to be honest," he mused.

Azog smirked at him in a mysterious glance that the dwarf king supposed he could comprehend as understanding, if that's what it was. However, though, Dain's face clouded over even darker. "Are you taking this at all seriously?" his cousin exclaimed. "This isn't just about you, Thorin—this is about all of Erebor. Don't be so selfish as to assume who you chose won't affect your people."

Well—yes. He knew that. He wasn't dumb. Nor was he selfish.

But when Thorin opened his mouth to respond so, his cousin cut him off once more. "This is about your responsibility, Thorin. This is about politics and playing it smart; this isn't about finding love." Dain panted a bit, before shaking his head. "I know you may have hopes—what king, in your situation, wouldn't? And, granted…" he sighed, as if this taxed him to admit, "…if what I heard Ithur say was right, then so be it—your One may very well be an orc or a hobbit. That's…that is your choice. But despite that, you need to crown your partner not based on that, but on who will be the best for those you serve. Someone you and your people can actually trust."

Thorin frowned heavily at his cousin, sighing in growing impatience. "Get to the point, Dain. What are you trying to say…?"

Billa hovered uncertainly in the empty hallway. Unfortunately, she…she couldn't quite remember where she was. Fili, Kili and Nori hadn't taken her down this way or this path of the castle during their explorations last week, and it wasn't as if there were any dwarves around at the moment to ask for help. Actually, she was completely and totally alone. To couple that with how she was clueless as to where she was, it made sense she was rather unnerved. Possibly scared. Maybe.

Definitely.

Oh, where is everybody…?

"Lost, little hobbit?"

"I'm trying to warn you that perhaps you shouldn't trust her—that Miss Baggins."

What…? "Why ever not?" Thorin growled, eyebrows lowering as he stared hard and demanding at his cousin.

A gasp tore itself from her throat as she spun around, backing up in instinctive preservation of self. "I—I—uh—" She cleared her throat, smiling weakly at the orc in front of her. "—oh, w-well, p-possibly…"

She could hear Dis' words in her ears loud and clear—words that she probably should have taken in warning more seriously than she did before this moment. "…I could have killed you yet again, and you wouldn't have even known I was here. Stupid Halfling. You're no better since the first night we met."

Still, she was no better, it seems.

Bolg merely 'hmphed' in a way that…strangely sounded pleased. Billa swallowed, Ithur's words also resounding inside her in head, echoing in warning and in caution: "…I must say that that orc is one of the few who I…I just do not trust him. He clearly does not want the consortship of Thorin because he at all feels affection for him; he wants the power. Of that, I am sure."

So then, should she not trust him as well…? It was strange that such a question had never occurred to her before—but then again, they had rarely talked. He had never given her a personal reason not to trust him…so… "I—I just need to find one of the other dwarves; they'll help me find my way back, I'm sure—"

"—like how they've helped you cheat throughout all these past four weeks?"

…what?

Billa felt the color chill from her face, leaving her cold and suddenly so very frightened in the hallway.

"Yes," he answered for her unspoken question. "I know exactly what you've been up to."

…oh…oh dear…

Billa took a step back.

Dain looked like it pained him to say it, suddenly softening to degrees he had never softened to before—perhaps simply because of the confusion and doubt within his own cousin's eyes that so blatantly told of his growing affection for the little halfling—but he continued anyway. "It has come to my attention Thorin, thanks to your High Commander here, that Miss Baggins has been cheating to get to you. She has been cheating all along."

Cheating…?

What?

"That's the craziest accusation I've yet heard," Thorin uttered in clear disbelief, almost laughing at it. "How can you even 'cheat' in this—"

"—she has been receiving outside help in appealing to you, Thorin," Dain continued, harder now, louder now, more forcefully and more heavily, taking a step forward to ingrain this in his cousin's brain—especially the more and more Thorin looked to be in denial. "Your very own sister and even more recently, your nephews, have been working with her illegally—against all rules—as her attendants and aids in order so that she can win your heart."

…w-what…

"You have been played, my cousin."

…that…that didn't sound right…that wasn't true.

Thorin took a step back.

"Bolg, I'm really sorry—I didn't—I didn't intend to cheat—I didn't—"

"—but isn't that what you did?" Bolg asked, taking a step forward. "You've used an unfair advantage and through it, have sabotaged my own chances of winning. Tell me, little hobbit, is that 'fair'? Is that 'right'?"

'Winning'…? Forget the other words he was trying to stress—why did that one, in particular, seem like such an ill-fitting term for what they were trying to do, especially coming from the orc's mouth? Why did that send a striking spine of stone into her body, making her stand straighter and clasp her shaking hands together in a bid for courage as she muttered quietly, shakily back, "W-well, first, y-you tell me: what h-have I sabotaged you from w-winning…?"

Bolg grit his teeth and stepped forward. It took every ounce of willpower on the hobbit's side not to step back again. "The throne, of course," with great force, he bit back the awful words he would have gladly called her, and focused instead on persuading, on focusing what he truly wanted her to understand. "What we have been competing for all along—your selfish actions have stolen my chance at ruling by Thorin's side—at being the consort Erebor needs. So tell me how that is right. Try and justify for me your treacherous and conceited actions which will lead Erebor to ruin."

Billa pressed her lips together, calling desperately for reason. Because what—what could she say?

And why…why most of all did she truly feel no regret for this?

"I…I fail to see…" Her voice shook, betraying the conviction she wanted to utter, but she went on anyway, looking him straight in the eye as she responded as calmly as possible, "I fail to see…how I have wronged Erebor…o-or will lead her to ruin…b-by falling in s-something as pure as love with her king."

"Love?" Bolg spat the word as if it were poison, and hunched his shoulders as he claimed to her, "Love has no place—"

"—it is a better m-motivator than dry ambition."

…did she just interrupt him?

Billa seemed to be aware of the same fatal thing, and fighting the heavy urge to bow her head—because no, for once in her life, no, she would not be meek and trembling while she was fighting and standing up for what she needed to—what was right—she continued hurriedly, "Y-you cannot make me a-apologize for d-doing what I have done—e-especially if it p-protected Thorin from a p-partner who would never have cared for him rather than the chair he sits upon. S-so no, I did not…I have not w-wronged anyone. N-not if in using Dis, Fili and Kili's help I have saved Erebor f-from someone who was disillusioned enough want to win the throne more than the king's own heart—because that, Bolg, is truly what this contest w-was about from the very beginning."

…did she say that right? She did, yes? She got it right?

By the dark, ugly look crossing Bolg's face, she would guess that perhaps yes; yes she did. Which, gave her comfort, in a sense, to not have gotten wrong something so important.

Of course, it also gave her great fear because holy crap she just practically labeled the orc as a villain right then and there, to his face, by saying she was glad she had cheated because it meant he wouldn't win. (Who…who said that? Ever?)

"You will regret this, little hobbit…"

Billa hadn't the opportunity to even scream.

Having Dain tell him what the hobbit had been up to was one thing—but to actually see Dis, Fili and Kili and have them, face-to-face assert what they had been doing, gathered like criminals in a side-room where the other members of his company stood guard and looked equally as pained as Thorin did, it was…almost too much.

He knew he should have been done with love.

Yet, the instant she saw that look cross her brother's face, Dis erupted into a stand and looked the dwarf king square in the eye, bidding his attention firmly as she added, "Do not think it has been out of vain ambition, Little Brother. That hobbit has not 'played' you—no matter what anyone says, or what anyone has interpreted our actions to be. She did not come to me and bribe me into aiding her—I pledged myself to her, because I believed she should be by your side. And if it is a crime to believe that and to then subsequently aid her in winning your heart, then so be it. I will gladly be a criminal, if only because I believed in Billa Baggins and her love—that she loved you sincerely—and that you might even be able to love her back and find happiness in her. Happiness that you deserve."

Kili and Fili immediately stood up, declaring, "Us, too! We'd be criminals, as well!"

"The hobbit is not a liar or a cheater, Uncle—"

"—far from it—"

"—believe us!—"

"—in fact, she told us to only give her hints—"

"—yes! She didn't even want us to help her too much—"

"—her distinct words were because she wanted to win you own her own. She loves you, Uncle."

"She really does! Her affection is true! We've seen it!"

But Thorin merely sighed, passing a heavy hand over his face as he tried to process this…tried to process everything. Confusion, hurt, hope, passion, pain, comfort, agony…what was the proper response to this? What should he believe?

Dain's voice rose from behind him, low and unyielding. "…you need to make a choice, Thorin."

He knew.

He knew he did.

But what choice was there? That she should stay? That she should be eliminated—disqualified? That Bolg should win? That…

…that what…?

"…Thorin…?"

Dis.

"Gather—gather the people. Right now. In the assembly outside, under the balcony. Tonight my decision shall be made."

Alarmed silence met him as an answer, several pairs of startled eyes gazing at him in bewilderment.

"But Thorin, it isn't until tomorrow that you—"

"—do as I say, Balin." Turned and looked hard at his advisor, dark and stormy eyes pinning the older dwarf in place, who dared not to speak in response to such a tumultuous gaze. "Gather everyone in the Lonely Mountain and prepare the criers for the news they must spread throughout the other regions of Erebor—tonight my intended shall be announced."

Bofur was the only one who dared speak up, quietly and confused as he uttered, "…but it's raining outside right now…we can't make them stand out there while—"

"—I care not," came the dignified roar. Thorin turned upon them all, fiery, furious and burning as he claimed, "It could be hailing—it could be thunderstorming—it matters not! We shall gather, and I shall make my decision—no matter what or who tries to interfere. The rain does not hold back, and neither shall I."

And with those words echoing behind him, he left in a whirl of tempest.

Crystal's Notes: Ah-ha...things are reaching their climax, I fear. 8D;; Haha...heads-up, guys, though you might already know this: what is to come is going to be a LOT of hard stuff. ;A; Because this is where we get to the nitty-gritty; this is that moment where all four weeks have passed, and now it is time to hold on while this billowing storm that has been building since chapter 1, plows through.

You've been with me thus far as valiant and brave readers. I truly could not have asked for a better audience. Now, though, comes the test of your courage and loyalty: are you ready for what thorns lie ahead?