The next morning, I woke slowly to the chorus of snoring from close by and a soft breeze against my cheeks. I didn't open my eyes, not just yet. It was that moment between sleep and being fully aware that I held onto, those few minutes where you didn't feel as though you needed to be anywhere or do anything important.
Rolling slowly onto my side, I pulled my blankets closer to my chest to keep the cool air from making me shiver. It was then that I realised there was more than just my blanket and cloak atop me. I moved my hand across the weight on my shoulders, recognising the familiar fur coat if not for the scent.
I opened my eyes to see Fili lying within a metres distance beside me. His mouth was gaping open, a light snore escaping his lips as I watched him. It wasn't until his shoulders moved upwards as he breathed in, that I saw them bare of the coat that I knew he had laid on me during the night.
He was still wrapped in his own blanket that had been given to him in Lake Town, though I couldn't help but smile at the gesture. Moving ever so slightly across the floor, I crept closer to him so that I was within a few inches. I wondered about where I would sleep after we helped the people from Lake Town. Would it be in my own room, or would I be able to stay with Fili?
I smiled to myself at the thought; if I could wake up to Fili like this each morning, in an actual bed, I would be pretty happy with myself. It made my stomach roll with nervousness and excitement, and I hoped for nothing more than that. I edged my hand towards his that lay on the stone floor below us, taking his fingers in mine.
Lifting my gaze to his face, I could see him smirking from behind his braided moustache and growing beard. He entwined my hand within his large one, gently squeezing as he did so. The motion was greatly reassuring despite the little contact there was between us.
Even though I began to become more conscious of the problems that I was going to have to consider that day, I felt the strength return to and fill my body. I could try and talk to Thorin again; maybe he would listen today. Even if he didn't though, maybe I could speak to Bard. I didn't know him, but I knew his daughter and I wanted the same thing that he did.
It wasn't fair that Thorin was leaving them out there to suffer, despite the anger he felt towards the Elves. The townspeople had helped us, and I wasn't going to stand around while he let them down. I wouldn't sit here while I knew that Ildur and Cersa were out there, along with all the other women and children. I didn't know what I was going to do, but I had to think of something.
"If you keep frowning so often, you are going to age twice as fast." I snapped my gaze back to the deep voice that murmured from beside me. Fili had an eyelid opened lazily as he watched me, his smirk obvious in his attempt to bait me.
"Hey, watch it you. Not all of us can look so good at such an old age." I narrowed my eyes as I leered back at him, hoping he would catch onto what I was saying.
"Oi! I am not old at all. But I must agree with the good-looking part," he winked at me as he spoke, and I just chuckled at him in amusement. His blue eyes twinkled and I suddenly felt nervous under his intense gaze. My reaction led me to do as I usually did when I was under some sort of pressure. I made a fool of myself.
I poked my tongue out at him, my lips curving into a smile. His bemused expression and soft chuckles made me continue, and I began to pull faces at him until he was attempting to muffle his laughter.
"You are such an odd human, Amelia." I grinned at him and rolled onto my back, letting go of his hand to stretch out my arms above my head.
"You love it," I said through a yawn, arching my back off the ground as I stretched the muscles there. It felt incredible.
"Aye, I do." The tone of his voice changed as he spoke the words. I almost froze where I was, only moving to glance back over to him. He looked at me with such an intense expression, even more than before. I stared at him for a few moments, taking in exactly what he said as I opened my mouth to finally speak the words that had been sitting on my tongue for the past few weeks.
I don't know what it was, but obviously the universe wanted to shit all over my attempts at telling Fili how I felt.
A loud horn sounded from the distance and instantly Fili's expression became unreadable and serious as he jumped upright, moving to his feet. I threw my blanket and his coat off myself as I watched the entire company move from where they lay to their feet, hurrying to gather their weapons. I instantly noticed that there was no sign of Thorin.
"Ori, go through the halls and find Thorin. Tell him that the Men and Elves are back at the front gate, and we require his presence. Dwalin, Balin, Gloin and Bilbo, you will follow with me. The rest of you will stay behind the front gate." Fili's voice radiated everything that I had come to recognise from Thorin; I could hear the power and leadership that emanated from his tone and his whole demeanour. He sounded exactly like a King.
We didn't eat anything, but instead hurried to organise ourselves, the anxiety and tension growing with each moment that passed. I quickly gave Fili's coat back to him, and reluctantly sheathed my weapons. Were they expecting to fight? What was going to happen?
I was too anxious to voice my fears as we moved down the stairs hurriedly. Glancing to my left as we reached the bottom and begun to walk towards an area to our right, I became even more worried. Bilbo was fidgeting with his pocket and looking down at his feet with a strange expression on his face. He looked almost... Guilty? Noticing a glint of chainmail silver under his coat, I focused back on him and outstretched my arm, brushing his hand lightly with my own. He tensed greatly at the motion and glanced at me with wide eyes.
Without drawing any attention to ourselves, I mouthed the words 'are you okay?' to him. He shrugged his shoulders slightly, though he didn't relax at all. I tried to catch his eye contact once more, but he fixed his gaze firmly on the ground we walked briskly upon. I couldn't pick exactly what it was, but my mind was screaming at me. Something was wrong. There had been several moments where my instincts hadn't kicked in quick enough for me to realise what was happening, but most of the time it was dead on.
I felt as though this would be one of those times, and I didn't like it one bit.
Trepidation gnawed at my chest, there lying a darkness that was threatening to consume me from within. I focused on trying to breathe more steadily as we walked through the large hall, coming to what I assumed to be the Front Gate.
It was enormous, hundreds of metres taller than us, and I was again left wondering why they needed something that was just so much bigger than the stature of the Dwarves. It was like a massive set of doors fixed within the grey slate of the mountain, that which had been carved to a smooth surface. I imagined that the outside would just be a large entrance surrounded by the untouched rocky crop of the mountain side.
"What does the filthy Elvish King want now?" A voice rung out from the hall behind us, and I didn't have to look to know exactly who had spoken. His words dripped with loathing and hatred and I couldn't help but flinch away from his words, though still I glanced at him all the same.
He stormed across the floor, Ori following behind skittishly as though he was scared Thorin would turn around and shout at him. I was worried myself that would be the case. It was Fili that moved from the front of the company at the gate towards Thorin, looking just as powerful as his Uncle.
"The Elves and Men have blown the horn to meet with us, Uncle. Perhaps we can settle these terms today." Thorin just looked at Fili blankly, before brushing past him towards the Front Gate.
"We will see about that." Without speaking further, he pushed open one of the towering doors of the Front Gate, leading Fili, Bilbo, Balin, Dwalin and Gloin with him. My fear multiplied at seeing my friends walk through the gate, their weapons within a second's reach and stony looks on each of their faces.
Bilbo was the only one who didn't express the same reaction as the Dwarves, as he still looked overwhelmingly nervous. One side of the Front Gate was left open, while we were left to watch from behind the safety of the mountain walls.
I couldn't stand it. I watched each footstep the six took away from us, to meet a small group of people that I could see not too far in the distance. It was when I scanned past the group that I finally saw the wasteland that was visible beyond them. There was smoke coming from a dark huddle of shapes that lay on the lake. I guessed that the only reason we were able to see the destruction was because of the slight height leverage we had from the mountain side.
Near the edge of the lake, I could make out smaller shapes dotting the shore. It was a fair distance away, but it looked to me that it was a makeshift camp. I had to swallow the bile that was rising in my throat; that would be the townspeople there, attempting to survive after their home had been destroyed. A twinge of guilt stung within me before I bit it back and continued to look at what was before me.
Closer to us, near to where the two groups of Dwarves, Elves and Men were about to meet across the desolate land, was what certainly looked like camps. I guessed that it was the Elves that had set up base, though it seemed to me that they were not alone there. It looked like there were humans as well, and I guessed that it was the Men of the town.
Are they readying themselves for a fight?
I felt utterly sick. Why would Thorin let this happen? Why couldn't he just give them some of the damn gold so then everybody could get back to restoring their homes? His feud with the Elves was beginning to drill at my mind, he had to realise that what he was doing was complete and utter madness.
I became incredibly aware as to how fast the Elves and Men had gotten to the base of Erebor. It had taken us several weeks to get here, though I considered that we had taken a much more indirect route in a bid to avoid waking Smaug. Fat lot of good that did, though. They must have marched here day and night to get to where they were currently basing themselves.
But who was at the edge of the destroyed town of Esgaroth, separate from the large camp at the base of the mountain? It took longer than it should have, but it quickly became clear. If the Men were planning to go to war, they wouldn't have the woman and children amid it. They would keep them far away from the middle of the feuding so that they were safer from a distance.
They think there is going to be a fight.
It felt like an eternity, but after only a few minutes my friends met the group of Elves and Men down the small slope and at the edge of the mountain base. My stomach clenched nervously. I hated that I wasn't out there with them.
I wasn't the only one that was reacting in such a way; the tension in the air was so thick that I could cut it with a knife. Kili was pacing anxiously at my side, glancing out beyond the doors every few seconds. His fear was in seeing his older brother and his uncle out there, and I understood that. As he walked past once more, I quickly grabbed his hand to stop him at my side and gave it a squeeze.
He looked at me, his dark eyes holding more dread than I could have imagined. The expression there made me look back at the group in the middle of the wasteland. I could see the tense shoulders of Fili and Bilbo in particular, though Thorin's whole body looked rigid with rage.
Something was wrong.
"We need to get out there now, something is happening." My voice was not more than a murmur, yet the entire company heard me. I snapped my head up to look at Kili, and then to Dori, pleading with them through my eyes.
Dori gave another hard look towards our friends, and nodded sharply.
"Let's go, lads. I do not have a good feeling about this." I let go of Kili's hand as he left the relative safety of the mountain. Turning to Josh, I outstretched one of my arms to stop him as he tried to move past me.
"What are you doing?" He questioned, his voice strained with the fear that we both held.
"You need to stay here Josh. Something is wrong, I can just feel it."
"I'm not staying here while all of my friends and family are out there!" He looked angry and hurt, bringing me back to the night I had tried to tell him that we were going back to our world. He was more stubborn than anything else, but I had to try and stop him from going out there.
"Can you please just trust me? I wouldn't do this if I didn't feel the need to!" He narrowed his eyes at me and tried to reply to my words when a yell sounded from outside. I moved my eyes to discern what was going on, but I became overwhelmed with fear in what I saw.
The company that had just left the Front Gate were now running towards the others. I could hear many shouts, but not what they were saying. Fili was out there. Bilbo was out there.
Without a second thought, I turned to Josh and spoke again before running down towards them.
"Stay here!"
"Not a chance," was his reply, and I felt him at my side as I ran towards the company. For fucks sake Josh! Why can't you just listen to me? We ran as quickly as we could, catching up with the others within seconds as we found ourselves in the presence of the Men and Elves.
"How did you get your filthy hands upon the jewel of my fathers?" Thorin was absolutely livid, his voice echoing off the rocky mountain side surrounding us. I finally saw who the figures that stood in front of us were; Bard was stood beside two Elves with pale blonde hair, with several Men and Elves standing behind them, shoulders tense and seemingly prepared for the worst. All their faces were showing, except for one man who stood with the hood of his grey cloak obscuring his face.
The two Elves that I first saw made my skin crawl because I knew exactly who they were. King Thranduil stood with Legolas at his side; I ducked behind Dwalin when I noticed them, though it seemed Legolas saw my movement. His eyes flicked over to where I stood, and a dark look was sent my way.
My eyes focused on what was happening at hand when Thorin spoke again, his voice barely controlling his wrath.
"Thieves! How did you steal my family's heirloom?" Thorin stepped further forward. Despite him being several heads shorter than both Bard and Thranduil, the ferocity in his entire demeanour made him intimidating and plain scary. Bard took the slightest of steps backwards and raised his eyebrows at Thorin's movement. I could see what Bard was holding then; in his arms was a small chest, and in it, the gleaming Arkenstone that I had seen just once before… But how did he get hold of it?
Oh, no...
Bilbo…
"We will return what is yours, when you bring out what is ours." There was a split-second silence in which I briefly thought Thorin was going to agree to Bard's words, but my hope disappeared almost instantly.
"How did you come by it!?" Thorin roared, his voice quivering the air around us. I thought that he was going to shout again, but a small voice came from nearby and caused us all to turn around and look at the source in shock.
"It was me! I gave them the Arkenstone!" Bilbo moved from the midst of the company, standing near to Thorin but far enough out of his reach. I was glad for that, because in the next second Thorin spun to face Bilbo and lunged towards him.
"You! You miserable, deceitful little Hobbit!" Thorin lunged for Bilbo once more, though this time the Hobbit couldn't get away fast enough. Thorin grabbed him tightly by the shoulders and shook him roughly, shouting more curses his way. I pushed past Dwalin, the anger within me bubbling up as I saw what Thorin was doing to Bilbo.
I was going to kick him right in his idiotic face.
My opportunity was lost though, as a powerful voice erupted from in front of us. I snapped my gaze towards the source and I swear I had never been so happy to see anyone in my life.
"Gandalf!" I yelled, shock and relief filling the tones of my voice. I heard some sighs of relief and some mutters of annoyance amongst our own company, but I ignored them and focused on the Wizard, who had unveiled the hood from his face and moved forward quickly.
He faced Thorin, unhanding him of Bilbo and pushing the Hobbit behind himself as Thorin moved to grab him again.
"Thorin Oakenshield, you will stop this madness!" Gandalf's voice grew, his whole demeanour shifting into something darker and more sinister. I shivered against the power of it, though kept my eyes closely fixed on Gandalf and the terrified Bilbo who was cowering behind him.
"Your burglar stole what is mine by rights, and gave it to these-these filthy peasants!" I looked at Thorin, wide eyed, as his words rung in my ears. They sounded much too familiar for my liking and I could feel a chill down my spine.
"You have not even listened to dear Bilbo!" Thorin glared up at Gandalf, before his hate-filled eyes moved down to Bilbo. The Hobbit moved slightly from behind Gandalf, and with his hand in his front pocket, he stood up straighter and spoke.
"As per the details of the contract in which I signed all those months ago, I was promised one sixteenth of all total profits to do with as I pleased. I took the Arkenstone as my share of the profit, and have done with it as I wished." Thorin looked as though he was about to lunge at Bilbo, but Gandalf spoke once more before he made a move.
"Your anger does not lie with Bilbo, nor the Men of the Lake or the Elves of Mirkwood. If you give a share of the treasure hoard as reparations for the destruction of Esgaroth, then you shall receive your Arkenstone." The Dwarvish King stood there looking at Gandalf for a moment before his gaze lay upon the stone. It was a long time before anyone spoke, let alone moved. I held my breath as I glanced between each face of those before us.
Most looked nervous. Some looked confident and victorious. I gave a dark look at Thranduil, who was the one who looked as though he had just won first place in a beauty pageant. I wanted to wipe the smug look from his face.
It felt like forever before Thorin tore his gaze from the Arkenstone and spoke, the anger and frustration still too evident in his voice.
"You will have one-sixteenth of the treasure, though it will be the burglar's share that you will receive. Deal with him as you will, as he will not be getting a share from the rest of my forefather's wealth." He spat the words out behind gritted teeth and a clenched jaw.
I just wished that he would get rid of more of it; the effect that it was having on the stubborn Dwarf was tangible and it scared me. He would have never treated Bilbo like that, not after the Hobbit saved his life. He wouldn't treat Fili or Kili, or the company for that matter, the way he was before.
He was sick.
"We will keep the Arkenstone until you bring us our share," Bard said sternly, his expression hard and determined. Thorin took several steps back towards him, his chest expanding by the second.
"Very well, but you will take this traitor with you!" He moved back towards Bilbo, who edged closer to the Elves and Men. "Go with these new friends of yours, and take our friendship with you! We are done." Thorin spat the words as if they were poison on his tongue and turned on his heel, brushing past the company and back towards the Front Gate of Erebor.
The company stood for a few moments with confused and torn expressions, glancing between Bilbo and Thorin. I felt shocked, so much so that I couldn't move for several seconds. My eyes moved to Bilbo's, and I could see him standing there with a look of utter loss and complete despair all too clear on his face. My feet moved towards him before my mind knew what I was doing.
He looked at me with some fear in his expression as I moved quickly and encircled him in my arms, not wanting to let him go. I looked up at Gandalf with an expression that I knew would be something close to soundless pleading. He couldn't let Thorin do this. He couldn't do this to Bilbo!
"Miss Amelia, if you do not return with the company now, Thorin will cast you out also," Gandalf murmured his words to me, out of earshot from the Elves that had moved away but were still lingering. I glanced at Bilbo, who I still had at an arms-length, and begun to argue before Gandalf cut off my words.
"I will take care of Mister Baggins, do not fear. I feel as though your presence will be needed with the company. They will need to see reason, and you will need to lead them to it."
How the fuck was I supposed to do that? I had already tried to talk to Thorin, to force him out of his obsession with the damn Arkenstone, but it had failed.
"I don't know what to do, Gandalf." I whispered, my head dropping in frustration. He placed a hand on my shoulder and I looked up into the grey-blue eyes of the gentle Wizard.
"Trust your instincts, it is that which has carried you thus far." He nodded deeply, and placed the hand onto Bilbo's shoulder to nudge him away from the mountain. Bilbo gave me a desperately sad look, before turning away from me.
I clenched my fists in remembering exactly why he was being sent away. With the rekindled anger spreading through my veins, I spun around and ran up the slope to catch up with the company. They had almost made it to the Front Gate, but I sure as hell wasn't going to be left out here. Not until I had taken my anger out on the thick-headed, imbecilic Dwarf that had just abandoned not only my best friend, but the person who had single-handedly saved his life.
The company moved quickly inside the Front Gate, though I noticed Josh searching behind him. He quickly caught my gaze as I ran up the rest of the slope, meeting him at the doors and moving inside with him. It was Dwalin that shut the gate behind us, and the yelling met my ears.
"Why did you cast Bilbo out like that? He is our burglar, and our friend!" Fili's voice rung through the hall as the company stood and watched the scene unfolding before them. Thorin turned around, his face full of betrayal and loss. It made my stomach curl.
"He is a thief and a traitor, conspiring with our enemies as such! He is no friend of mine." I glanced at the faces of the company, trying to determine their own reactions. Not one of them seemed to mirror Thorin's reaction; even Dwalin seemed slightly shocked. Most of the company looked sad though, especially Ori, Kili, Balin and Bofur.
"You have no enemies, Uncle! The Men lost their homes because of Smaug. We need to help them." Thorin stepped forward, coming toe to toe with Fili. Neither of them backed down, and I was well and truly over the heap of shit that was piling up around us.
"Stop it!" I screeched, moving in between the two and pushing against their chests so hard that they both stumbled backwards slightly. I glared at the both of them, though Thorin in particular. Turning on him fully, I let my anger flow into every motion I took and every word I spoke. Thorin's eyes widened slightly as I moved towards him.
"Bilbo has saved your life, you fucking bastard. He has saved all your lives more times than you can count, and this is how you repay him? You push him aside because he was trying to do the right thing? He could see the stone destroying you, Thorin! He was trying to help you!"
Though his expression remained stony, with each step I took in his direction, he would step back. I felt overwhelmed with anger; the darkness was beginning to overtake me, and I couldn't stop it. I needed to get him to understand what his damn actions were doing. Why the hell couldn't he see?
He opened his mouth to reply, but a noise from the distance stopped him instantly and his expression became overwhelmed with victory.
The noise was loud and like the horn we had heard that morning, though much deeper. The look on Thorin's face made me realise that it certainly wasn't the Elves or Men this time. He turned away from me and ran towards the staircase that led to the balcony where we had slept the night before.
I followed quickly after him, though glanced at the rest of the company in confusion, attempting to understand what was going on. They all showed a look of recognition, though not all of them became relieved. Most of them looked much tenser than they had five minutes earlier, and it just confused me even more.
We ran up the stairs after Thorin, crossing the balcony floor in a small number of large strides. I heard Thorin speak before I could witness myself what had come about.
"Oh Mahal, Dain has arrived from the Iron Hills!" I ran the remainder of the distance and looked to where Thorin's gaze was held. To my far left, I could see hundreds upon hundreds of tiny figures moving across the plains in an enormous grouping.
The deep bass of the horn sounded again, and the noise filled me with anxiety. I looked towards the camp of the Men and Elves to see them frantically rushing around and moving towards the edge of the grouping closest to the approaching army.
Thorin turned around to the company, who were all now watching the scene unfold from the balcony.
"Gather your armour and weapons, lads. We are going to war." Thorin's voice spoke with so much authority that most of the company moved without question.
I just stood there with my mouth agape. Josh was the same, looking between me and the moving company in confusion and fear. Fili stood with his back to us, his hands clenching and unclenching as Kili moved to his side and murmured something under his breath.
Their whispers became louder as they begun to argue, their postures absolutely tense and voices full of anger. I didn't know what to do. I was still in shock.
They couldn't just go to war. Thorin couldn't do this.
What about the women and kids from Esgaroth? What about Bilbo and Gandalf? What about the company? Fili, Kili and Ori could be hurt, oh my god.
I wouldn't let this happen. I couldn't let this happen.
I ran past Fili and Kili as they argued, quickly making my way down the staircase and towards the company whom I saw jogging towards a passage way across the large hall. Thorin was letting his obsession take hold of him, and he wasn't thinking straight. He couldn't just go to war with them over such a fucking ridiculous reason.
"Thorin!" I yelled out, only managing to catch the attention of few of the company as I did so. It was mostly the older Dwarves that ignored me, I noticed with anger. The passage quickly ended and opened into a large room, which I found was full of armour and weaponry.
"Thorin, will you stop!" I shouted, finally earning the attention of the Dwarf. He turned to me with his steel blue eyes alight with the fire of the violence that was to come. Crushing the fear I felt as I looked at him, I spoke again with much more composure.
"You can't do this. Please, just think about the women and children down there." My words saw no reaction, so I tried a different tactic.
"What about the company? You're about to send them into war over something that can be settled so easily. What about Fili and Kili? Your family could die because of your stubbornness!" That most definitely gained the reaction I was aiming for. His brow furrowed over eyes that changed from anger and bloodlust to sadness and sorrow.
"What would you have me do?" His voice was stony, but in his expression, I could see desperation there. Slumping my shoulders, I took a deep breath in preparation for what I was about to say.
"You need to give them part of the treasure, Thorin. It's the only way, and you owe them that much." He stood staring at the ground at my feet for a long time, before his expression changed and all my hope was lost.
"No. I will not destroy the sacredness of my forefathers' memory by giving their wealth to those thieves and traitors." I opened my mouth to argue with him once more, though he stopped me instantly.
"If you speak once more against my word, then you shall take your friendship to the Men and Elves at the foot of Erebor. You fight with us, or against us." I stood there for a long time, just staring at him in disbelief, before I turned around and walked back out the way I had come through.
There was no use in arguing with him. There was no point in stopping him from what he had already set out to do, because he was a damn Dwarf and stubbornness was something he seemed to overflow with.
I clenched my fists and dug my nails into the palms of my hands. Gandalf shouldn't have trusted me to try and do this! How could I try and stop Thorin from going to war? Running out of the dimly lit tunnels, I quickly entered the large hall.
"We must stop Uncle from doing this!" Kili's voice rung out from the stairs, and I looked upwards to see Fili moving swiftly down them with Kili in tow. The younger brother's voice was almost pleading, though Fili's expression was as hard as the stone of the mountain.
"Our King and our Uncle has given us orders, and we must follow," Fili said grudgingly as he left the stairs and moved towards me to where I had just emerged the passageway.
"We have to do something, though!" I exclaimed angrily, as I came to meet them across the hall. Fili looked at me with desperate eyes, glancing between his brother and me. I could see the confusion and indecision in his expression, as if he was torn between doing what his Uncle expected and doing what was right.
He sighed and spoke to Kili in Khuzdul; the younger Durin nodded sharply to what he said, as Fili turned back to me.
"We will attempt to speak to him, but his mind is clouded with the stone. I do not know if he will listen." I took his hand and gave it a quick squeeze in encouragement. He nodded back at me and within seconds let go of my hand and moved past me with Kili, into the passage where the company were.
I closed my eyes and just stood there for a long time. The blissful ignorance from this morning had disappeared, and I felt myself longing for that moment once more. This was too much for just one person to deal with! I wasn't even from this damn world!
Remembering that I wasn't the only one who wasn't from Middle Earth, I quickly made my way up the stairs to where I knew Josh had been earlier. What surprised me was seeing him standing at the edge of the balcony, his elbows leaning on the carved stone and his face cupped in between his hands.
I moved over to him and put my hand on his shoulder as my fear for him came over me like a tonne of bricks.
"Josh, are you alright?" He slowly stood upright, his hands moving from his face to reveal his eyes that were brimmed with tears. I couldn't help it when I felt my own eyes well at the heartbreaking sight of my brother.
"What can we do Amelia? We can't let them fight! Sigrid is out there, and so are the kids from Lake Town. If they fight each other, they could be left without more than their town! We need to do something…" He had kicked the balcony during his angry and fearful outburst, causing me to jump slightly.
Josh sobbed infinitesimally, his shoulders slumping in defeat. It was all I could do to pull him towards me in a hug and wrap my arms tightly around him. He started to shake in his sobbing, and I had never felt so helpless.
I had never seen him cry in my life. Not even when he had told me of the abuse from our father, he hadn't shed a tear, nor when our mother died. Now though, he was completely and utterly distraught.
He cared more about the people around him than himself, and that made him the most selfless person I knew.
We stood there for a long time, not moving. He was right, as he always was. We needed to do something, anything at all to stop this from happening. It was when Josh begun to quieten that I realised there was something we could do.
"Josh, we can stop this." He stepped back from me slightly to look at me, his eyes still red from the tears.
"How?" I moved back towards the balcony, looking over at what was happening in front of us. Dain's army had stopped just before the camp of the Men and Elves, and I could see a small gathering of figures in between the two. I knew exactly what we needed to do.
"We need to go out there and tell them that Thorin has agreed to send the treasure out, and tell Dain that there isn't going to be any fighting! If we take some of the gold out with us, then hopefully they will see it as a sign of good faith, just until we can beat some sense into Thorin!"
I smiled at him widely, my plan sounding somewhat better than what I had thought of in my mind. Josh's eyes became filled with determination and a small smile hinted at his lips as he considered my words.
Looking quickly back to the camps that lay in the lands before us, I turned around and made my way towards the stairs.
"Stay here Josh! I'm going to get some gold from the treasure halls, then I will bring them back and take them to Gandalf and Bard! This plan will work, I'm sure it will!" I shouted my optimistic words back at him, though when I reached the stairs, his confused voice made me stop dead in my tracks.
"Amelia, what the hell is that?" I turned around quickly to see him facing towards the balcony and looking to the sky overhead. I didn't even need to move from where I was to see exactly what he was staring at, but I moved nonetheless.
I walked back to him in an almost dumbfounded stupor. On the horizon, in the far distance, there were pitch black storm clouds that loomed over the mountains.
"Those clouds weren't there a few minutes ago?" I murmured to Josh as I stood beside him. His reply made my blood run cold.
"They aren't clouds, they're moving too fast for it to be." Squinting my eyes to try and decipher the image, I realised he was right. The blackness that seeped from the horizon was beginning to darken the sky, and darken the land below it.
"Do you feel that?" He whispered even quieter than before, glancing at me quickly. I could see the fear in his eyes, and I didn't need to ask what it was he felt. There was something about that which spread its tendrils out from over the mountains, something that absolutely terrified me. It was sick and dead and cold, and I felt my stomach heave at the sight.
"We need to get Thorin right now." Josh spoke when I could not, though his words broke me out of the trance the darkness had me in. I ran back over to the balcony and screamed out to Thorin and the company as loud as I could manage.
"Thorin! Fili! Quickly, come here now!" To my own ears I sounded desperate, and it was only a matter of moments before I could hear the scurry of footfalls across the stone floor, before the company, led by Fili, erupted from the passage way.
Each one of them had their weapons at the ready, and I could see the confusion on their faces as they looked up at me.
"You need to get up here now, something is wrong!" I exclaimed as they made their way across the hall and up the stairs. When they got to Josh and I, they didn't need to ask what was wrong. The black of the sky caught their eyes instantly, and their expressions mirrored Josh's.
No one moved an inch.
It was an old, decrepit voice which came from the balcony that broke each of us from our shock. I saw Josh's head turn to his right and he jumped backwards, a small yelp escaping his mouth.
"Thorin, son of Thrain! I bring tidings from the South," the voice called, and Thorin moved forward as Josh moved very quickly backwards. I took a few steps myself to see who had gotten onto the balcony without us realising. How the hell could anyone climb up there so fast?
I felt as surprised as Josh when I saw a large raven sitting atop the balcony, his wings as dark as a moonless night. His eyes were clouded over, giving an eerie look about the bird. I remembered suddenly what Kili had said several days earlier about a raven that was bringing messages to the company.
I quickly got over my surprise as the bird spoke again, his voice old but not weak in the slightest.
"Darkness is spreading over the sky, as an army gathers. Azog the defiler is leading an army of Orcs, Goblins and Wargs to the Lonely Mountain. Their army will not leave before the blood of Durin has been spilled."
My whole body tensed as I glanced at the company. None of them spoke a word, not even Thorin. Azog was coming. Oh my fucking god, an army of Orcs and Wargs and Goblins was coming. We had almost been killed the last time we had faced them, and that was only a dozen or so!
"Battle dawns upon you, Thorin, King under the Mountain. Old alliances must be forged anew to defeat the darkness before it engulfs you." The raven turned around and flew away before Thorin could reply to his words.
There was no way to stop a fight now. The memory of the last time we had come across Azog filled my mind; we had only just escaped him then, and it was pure luck that we had. How were we going to defeat him this time?
I looked up to Thorin, who had begun to pace back and forth across the balcony. It was Balin that spoke before anyone else drew the nerve to.
"Thorin, we must council with Dain, the Men and the Elves. Roäc speaks truth, we cannot defeat Azog without the help of those on our doorstep." Thorin looked at Balin with a flash of betrayal in his eyes, before he cast his eyes to the floor and exhaled in defeat.
"Balin, Fili, Dwalin. We meet with Dain for council immediately." Thorin gave a sharp nod to the three Dwarves, before moving back down the staircase. Balin and Dwalin followed, and so did Fili after some whispered words to his brother and a glance towards Josh and I.
I moved over to the balcony and watched as the four travelled from the Front Gate below us, towards the army of Dain, the camp of Men and Elves, and the darkness that was looming over all. My anxiety did nothing but intensify with each second that passed that entire afternoon, and not even once the four returned some hours later did I feel relieved.
We were going to war; the Dwarves, Elves and Men of Esgaroth were aligning themselves against the army that came from the South. The women and children of Lake Town were going to be taken further into the Mirkwood Forest by some of the Elvish people, so that they were closer to the King's Halls and out of immediate danger.
I thought of the spiders that lurked in that forest and my skin crawled at the idea of the women and children being in there. I desperately hoped that some of the Elves were going to stay with them and keep them out of the darkness that hid within those trees.
I hated it more than anything, but the fact was they weren't at the forefront of my problems right now. At the current moment, the safety of my friends who were about to be on the frontlines of war, was my main cause for complete and utter inner turmoil.
It was late evening when Thorin, Fili, Dwalin and Balin returned. They brought back some food to give us strength for what was ahead, and they told the rest of us about what they had learned from their council.
Gandalf had told them that Azog's army would be there the following morning.
My friends were going to fight, and my friends could die tomorrow.
I thought about Ori and Bilbo trying to fight alongside the other warriors, and my heart clenched. I couldn't let them do it. Then I thought about Josh, and trying to imagine him fighting an Orc or a Warg made me feel dizzy.
There was no way I was going to let him fight.
How could I stop him though? He was as stubborn as Thorin, except he knew right from wrong. It was because of his unclouded judgement and his continuous attempts to do the right thing that he would try and fight with the company. I would be damned if I were to let him do that, though.
We had trained constantly over the past five weeks, whenever we had the chance, and even though we had become quite good at wielding our blades and bows, there was no way we were prepared to fight.
I felt like I was in a god damn movie, and in a way, I guess I was.
There was no way I could think of how to stop him from fighting besides hitting him over the head and knocking him out.
Knock him out…
I was still standing at the balcony as night fell on the land, when I knew exactly what I needed to do. Turning on my heel, I left to the armoury to find Oin. It didn't take long before I found him with the company, and I pulled him aside to speak with him out of earshot of the others, especially Josh, who was being fitted by Bofur in chainmail.
"What is it lass?" Oin said as we left the passageway and came to the main hall.
"I need your help, but I also need your word that you won't speak of this to anyone else." He gave me a curious look, before nodding and allowing me to continue.
"The herbs that you used to knock me out while we were in the tunnels... Do you have any left?" He frowned at me and then spoke, uncertainty evident in both his face and his voice.
"Why are you curious about this?" He countered, his tone laced with suspicion and trepidation. I sighed, unable to get his help without telling him. Lowering my voice, though not enough that the deaf Dwarf wouldn't hear me, I continued.
"I can't let Josh fight tomorrow. I know that he will want to, because he is as stubborn as you lot, but I can't. I promised our mother that I would keep him safe. Can you please put some of the plant in his food in the morning, so that he will sleep through the battle?"
Oin looked at me for a long time, his eyes searching the depths of my own. I had begun to give up hope that he would help me, before he nodded.
"The flowers of the plant Lissuin are only found in few places in Middle Earth. Their power brings peace of heart and often rest upon those who ingest even a small amount of the plant. Are you sure this is what you want?"
I regarded him for half a second before nodding my head sharply in confirmation.
"I'm not going to break my mother's promise. Not this time."
"Tomorrow morning when we break our fast, I shall do as such." With that, he turned back to the armoury. I took in a deep breath and followed him.
I wasn't going to let Josh fight, but I sure as hell was.
I was scared shitless, but I needed to help. There was no way that I was going to sit by idle, while my friends put their lives on the life. My vision focused on Ori, who I knew would help me find some armour. I feared that if I were to ask Fili or Kili, they would send me straight back out. They wouldn't want me to fight and I was sure of that. Fili would be absolutely against it, but I wasn't going to let him stop me.
"Ori, can you help me find some armour?" I murmured to the young Dwarf, who was also attempting to find something suited to his size. He gave me a confused look, his eyes wide as he opened his mouth to speak.
"Don't say anything," I interrupted, "You're not going to change my mind." He looked at me for a few seconds before nodding and turning to walk down a length of large shelves. Stopping at one, he came to a space which held something that shone almost pale white.
"Thorin gifted one of these to Bilbo, before… Before..." Ori looked uncomfortable as he stuttered over his words, until he managed to continue. "It is mithril, incredibly strong and light." He held up the silver-white chainmail before him, examining it and myself.
"It should fit you, Amelia." I nodded and took the metal armour from his hands. A small gasp escaped my throat as I realised just how light it was, it was like I wasn't holding anything at all. Quickly, I took off my coat and replaced it with the mithril chainmail. It was a little loose around me, though otherwise fit fine, and it gave me a little bit of relief against what was ahead.
For the most part though, I felt petrified.
Taking my coat from the floor, I put it back over myself to cover the armour I was now wearing. I nodded to the frowning Ori and moved from the armoury to the balcony where we had set up our camp. Everyone else was still looking through the armour and weapons, so I was alone to my thoughts. I looked over the balcony for a long time before any one of them returned, wondering about how Bilbo was going, and becoming more stressed with the battle that crept ever nearer.
That night, not one member of the company got enough sleep. We were all awake by the fire, eating little, sharpening weapons or going over attack strategies. I didn't pay any attention to their words; my own mind was clouded with crippling fear of what was ahead.
I didn't know what was going to happen. For the first time in months, I attempted to remember how the book and movies ended. I clawed my way through my own mind and my own memories to find the answer.
Surely it wouldn't end like this. How could it?
Fili sat close to the fire, sharpening his blades on a whetstone that he held within his hands. I moved next to him and sat down, unsheathing my weapons as I did so.
"Can you sharpen mine too?" I murmured to him. He glanced up from his daggers and gave me a confused look, his brow furrowed.
"Why would you need yours honed?" I gave him a pointed stare as he realised what I was saying.
"You're not fighting tomorrow!" He exclaimed in a hushed whisper, anxiety filling his whole expression.
"Yes, I am, and you're not stopping me." He opened his mouth to say something more, but I forced my blades onto his lap and stood to move back to the balcony. He muttered under his breath in Khuzdul, but I ignored him.
The freezing air whipped around my cheeks and my hair, blowing it in the breeze. It wasn't long before Josh came over and stood at my side, looking over the world ahead of us in silence. It felt like forever before I spoke.
"Mum misses you, Josh." I whispered quietly. I saw his head snap towards me from the corner of my eye, his own expression laced with uncertainty.
"What do you mean?" He said, and I turned to face him. I needed to tell him about what happened while I was asleep, or what I thought had happened.
"The flowers that I ate, the ones that Oin gave to me... They have certain side effects. I... While I was sleeping, I saw mum, Josh. I saw her and I talked to her. I don't know how, but it's true. She said that the magic in Middle Earth made it possible… She told me that she loves and misses you."
Josh's eyes welled with tears suddenly, and I was again taken aback by his reaction. He didn't say anything, but looked up to the sky instead. There we stood in silence once more, however it wasn't uncomfortable. He hadn't spoken his thoughts on what I had said, though I knew that he believed me. Of course he would believe me.
I felt as though it was the early hours of the morning before I even attempted to go to sleep. I lay on my blankets next to Fili, who was already asleep. I noticed that my blades were next to my rucksack, and after lightly touching the edges of them both, I knew that he had sharpened them as I had asked.
Wrapping myself in my cloak and blanket, I barely felt the chainmail that hung from my shoulders. The knot in my chest and stomach was more constricting than anything else, and I reached my hand to take hold of Fili's in an attempt to relieve the pressure that was building there.
The instant he entwined his fingers around mine my anxiety lifted a little. It was enough to allow me to lull into a light sleep, though I remembered two things before I drifted out of conscious mind.
The first, were the words I mumbled under my breath to the Dwarf that was lying at my side.
"I love you, Fili."
The second was the tight squeeze of my hand from the warm grip of Fili's.
I awoke to the shouts of people from nearby and afar. Snapping my eyes open, I saw the company jumping to their feet and fitting themselves in the armour that they found the night before.
This was it. This was really happening.
I glanced over to Oin and nodded to him. After some hesitation and a regretful look in his eye, he nodded back. Even though he didn't quite agree with me in doing this to Josh, he had to understand that it was the only thing I could do.
Bombur moved quickly among the company, handing out rations of food. I focused intently on Josh as he received several pieces of bread in which he downed quickly. Dori came over to me and offered a small cup of warm tea.
"Miss Amelia, some tea to calm your nerves." I nodded my thanks to him as I watched Josh's every movement, and took a deep sip of the drink Dori had made for me.
It was when I finished the mouthful that I recognised the smell of the tea.
My grip on the cup faltered and it dropped to the ground, smashing into a thousand pieces.
"Dori," I cried, my voice filling with anger and betrayal.
He glanced down at his feet, unable to look me in the eye.
I looked into the faces of the company.
They knew. Each and every one of them knew.
I turned to Josh, his expression filled with guilt.
My hands started to shake and I stumbled slightly, my head becoming foggy.
"Oin! You promised me!" I screeched, the energy draining from my body.
Josh and Fili quickly moved over to me as I began to fall.
Hands caught me before my head hit the floor, and laid me down.
I couldn't move anything but my mouth as I continued to yell at the company, though my voice begun to weaken with each word I spoke.
"Don't fucking do this to me! You can't let Josh fight! Fili, you bastard!" They looked at me, their eyes full of pity and guilt.
"You stay with her, Josh." Fili spoke, but it sounded as though he was speaking through glass. His voice was unclear and distant to my ears.
My vision clouded. My breath began to slow. My limbs felt obsolete.
I felt Fili's hand on my cheek and lips on my forehead, more than I saw it. His voice was even further away this time, and it was the last thing I heard.
"We will come back soon, delva. I pinky promise."
Hey everyone! Sorry about such a late update, I have been busy with exams and this was a really hard chapter to write. Thank you for your wonderful reviews, and welcome to my new followers! You guys motivate me to continue writing so frequently, so thanks a bunch :)
Note: The Lissuin plant that I have used as the flower that drugged Amelia, I found listed on the Tolkien Gateway :)
The next few chapters are going to be big, as you can tell! The way that I am going with this story hasn't been done by any fanfiction that I have read so far, so I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on it! Thanks again everyone and have a great day :)