Once again, Bofur woke Meta from a restless sleep. Oin had given her one of his noxious potions, and it had helped at least a little with the pain. Some ribs were indeed broken and she struggled to move. 'Now what, Bofur?' she asked tiredly.

'Bilbo is back from Dain's camp and must speak with you immediately.' He helped his One sit up.

Head spinning, Meta leaned back against her pillows. 'Send Bilbo in and ask Oin to come in a little while. Bofur nodded and left to call the hobbit.

Bilbo reported all that he had heard in the camp. 'You were right to worry, Meta. It sounds like Dain is going to try and take Erebor from us!' He wanted desperately to go home and was appalled at this turn of events.

Meta stared hopelessly at the ceiling and cried out, 'Adad, what am I going to do?' When the ceiling offered no answer, she turned back to the hobbit. 'You are going to have to play messenger now as well as spy, Bilbo. Go to elves' camp and find Thranduil and Gandalf. Insist that they come here. We have to act before Dain! You can tell Gandalf what you know if you must, but try and keep it from Thranduil if at all possible. Just get them here as quickly as you can!' She waited only long enough to get his promise and then closed her eyes once more.


Bilbo found Gandalf relaxing outside his tent smoking a much-anticipated pipe. 'Well, Bilbo, what brings you here and how is Thorin?' The wizard had tried to see Thorin earlier, but Oin and Mariel had left orders that he was not to be disturbed.

'I don't know, Gandalf. He was badly hurt, and I have not seen him since right after the battle ended. Meta insists that you and Thranduil must come to the mountain tonight!'

Gandalf sighed. 'Can it not wait until morning? We are all tired and I know Thranduil will be most reluctant to move on behalf of dwarves. His losses this day have been appalling.'

'You must come! Dain is intending to try and seize Erebor from the company, and Fili is dead!' the awful news tumbled out of Bilbo's mouth.

Gandalf's sleepy eyes popped open and he sat forward in his chair. 'Fili is dead and Dain intends what? How do you know this, Bilbo?' Then a knowing look crossed his face. 'Ah, doing a bit of spying again, Master Burglar?'

Bilbo didn't care about being accused of spying; he just wanted the wizard to move. 'Please, Gandalf, you must come!'

Rising to his feet, Gandalf agreed. 'You are right in this case. Let me try and convince Thranduil to join us.'

'Meta doesn't want him to know why, Gandalf. I'm not sure how come, but she was very insistent!' Bilbo exclaimed.

'She doesn't want him to know because it gives her an edge, Bilbo. Meta may not have been trained to be queen, but she certainly has the instinct for the intrigue such a position requires.'


After much grumbling and complaining on Thranduil's part and threats on Gandalf's, the pair stood before Smaug's skull the eyes ablaze with torchlight. Dori, Nori and Bifur were standing guard, something they had not expected to have to do any longer. 'We will send word to Meta, Gandalf. We have no orders to admit you,' Bifur asserted. He felt awkward saying such a thing to the wizard, but they were all on edge with the word of Dain's betrayal.

Thranduil drew in a deep breath to blast the hapless dwarf, but it was unnecessary. They heard small grunts of pain and turned to find Meta crawling past the teeth with Bofur's help. Balin followed behind with a small box. 'It's alright, Bifur, they could have entered, but as long as I am here….' She knew Thorin really would die if Thranduil entered his beloved Erebor without his permission.

'And exactly why am I here, dwarf?' Thranduil inquired rudely.

Bofur settled Meta on a handy rock so she did not have to continue standing. 'Please, pull up a rock, Thranduil, Gandalf, so I do not have to stare up so high!' she tried to lighten the moment and ignored the insult.

Glaring, but still a gentleman after all, Thranduil sat across from her. 'So, what do the dwarves require now, Meta? I have already given you more than I ever intended,' he said as images of the dead flashed through his mind.

'I realize that, and I am most humbly sorry for your losses. I know how difficult it is. We have suffered also. However, Dain has apparently decided that Erebor should be his rather than Thorin's, and I will not have it! My father fought too hard to regain his throne to lose it now. I ask for you to continue this alliance for awhile longer.' She hissed in pain and pressed her hand again to her side. Bofur leaned toward her, but she waved him away.

Thranduil contemplated her words for only a moment before asking, 'And why should I support you rather than Dain? If past experience is any guide, he will be easier for me to influence than either you or your father!'

'Ah, but he would not be nearly as entertaining a foe, I am sure. Plus, he would never be able to give you this!' Meta motioned for Balin to open the box he carried.

Balin undid a small gold clasp and raised the lid. Nestled inside was the pin Meta had found all those ages ago in the troll cave. Even in the limited light of the torches, the gems glinted and shone and the mithril gleamed. She had managed to retain it unharmed throughout her journey. Now she hoped that it would help to end it.

Impatient, Thranduil barely glanced at the box, but then his eyes widened and he stared at its contents. 'Where did you find that? It has not been seen since the First Age!' He started to reach for the box, but Balin pulled it back and closed the lid.

'A small reward for singing a silly song in a forest months ago, Thranduil. It can be yours when and if Thorin or any of his named heirs except Dain ascend the throne of Erebor! Should Dain succeed, I will destroy it or have it done! Choose wisely.' She leaned against Bofur and watched Thranduil's face.

'What do you want?' he asked bluntly.

'We are sadly undermanned at the moment. I need someone to guard my front gate and convince Dain that he would be happier in the Iron Hills. You have an army at your disposal and I do not think he is ready to go to war with elves even if it is for Erebor.

The elf king asked, 'What of Thorin and Fili? Are they willing to continue this alliance? Why is Thorin not here?'

Meta took a moment to control her emotions. 'I assumed you knew. His injuries are grave and Mariel doubts he will survive. Even if he does, it will be long before he is able to attend to his duties. Fili is dead,' she said bluntly. Her heart broke with the words. 'We must counteract Dain now, not wait until he forces our front door!'

'And for that you will give me the pin?'

'Only when one of us sits on the throne of Erebor. Until that time, I will entrust it to Gandalf, if he will agree to hold it?' She turned to the wizard with questioning eyes. 'Gandalf?'

Gandalf nodded slowly. 'I would prefer not to be involved, but it seems a small price to pay for peace in the North. I will hold it.'

'I will provide you with the necessary guards to discourage Dain; however, if it comes to a fight, you are on your own. I will not sacrifice any more of my people for dwarven greed!'

'Fair enough; my hope is that Dain is far too sensible to try and force his way into the mountain. We are well situated for a long wait, but he is not. If we can delay long enough, Thorin will recover and he will have no choice but to leave.' Even as she said it, she only hoped her words were true.

The deal was sealed, leaving Gandalf with an age-old pin, Thranduil with an ache to see it again, and Meta with aches in general. Balin and Sadron huddled together to finalize the necessary plans.


Her ribs throbbing and her head sore, Meta waited until Balin came from his meeting with Sadron. 'Is it all set? We will have guards before morning?' she asked.

'Aye, Sadron is going to send a few tonight and more before dawn. Dain will not easily walk into Erebor. There is something else we must do, Meta,' Balin said. 'If we are to face Dain, we need a regent to act on Thorin's behalf.'

'How do we do that?'

'We need to call a meeting of the company. It should be someone we all agree upon,' Balin replied.

'Do we have to do it now, Balin? I was hoping to get to bed. Why don't you take care of it; whoever you choose is fine with me. I know Thorin trusts you implicitly. As a matter of fact, you can be the regent,' she said with a smile.

'I will be happy to take care of it, but you must know that I intend to nominate you as regent, Meta. You are the obvious choice,' Balin warned her.

'Me? What do I know about being regent? Certainly you or Dwalin know more of these matters than I do!'

'Perhaps, but you have shown great instinct in dealing with Thranduil, and you are Thorin's heir. Also of all of us you have the clearest mark of Durin. It is a potent sign among dwarves. I will help you, but you need to be our voice, Meta.'

Cringing at the words Thorin's heir Meta protested, 'But Dain does not think much of women, Balin. He all but ignored my mother and me at the last meeting. What makes you think he will accept me?'

'He doesn't need to accept you, Meta; the company does. In some ways, Dain's dislike of women may work in our favor. I am hoping he will underestimate your abilities. I know you can do this. Will you allow me to present the idea to the company? I have Kili's vote for you.' Oin had put Kili to bed with a sleeping potion.

Wearily, Meta nodded. 'If it means I can go to bed soon, do as you must. Just don't blame me if it doesn't work out!'

Balin quickly rounded up all the members. 'We are in need of a regent,' Balin informed the group. 'We have learned that Dain intends to try and seize the mountain while Thorin is incapacitated. We must present a united front and the best way to do that is to speak with one voice. I am open to nominations.'

Meta noticed that the sly dog did not name her outright and was interested to see what others would suggest.

'I nominate Balin,' Dori said. 'He's the obvious choice.

'Kili,' said Nori, more to annoy his brother than because he was serious.

'Meta is a good choice,' Dwalin said. 'She is Thorin's heir.'

Meta noticed surprised looks cross several faces. Fili's death had been so sudden she realized that many in the company had not yet thought of her in that way. Low muttering ran around the room as the idea was digested.

'Any others?' Balin asked. No one moved or said anything. 'Very well, by show of hands, who would like Kili as regent?

Nori raised his hand. 'One for Kili. Before we continue, I should mention that my vote is for Meta. While I appreciate your nomination, Dori, I believe Meta should speak for us. That said who will vote for me?'

The respect for Balin was so great that no hands were raised. 'And for Meta?' All hands were raised swiftly in the air including Nori's.

'You can't vote twice, Nori,' Dori protested.

'Well, I can't be the only one who didn't vote for her now, can I?' Nori protested, keeping his hand high in the air.

'As I have Kili's vote for Meta, it is unanimous. Meta is now the Regent of Erebor until such time as Thorin recovers,' Balin proclaimed.

Meta groaned. 'I still think this is a bad idea, but if it is what you all want, I will do it. Now can I go to sleep?'


Bofur held Meta gingerly in his arms. He didn't want to risk hurting her ribs, but she had insisted they sleep together. 'After today, I need you with me more than ever,' she said.

He was just nodding off when he felt her body jerk and she cried out in pain. 'What is it, my dear? What's wrong?' he whispered.

'How can I do this, Bofur?' She had dreamt of elves and dwarves battling before the gates of Erebor.

'What?'

'Be the regent, be the queen; any of it. How can Fili be gone? Why did this happen? It has all gone so wrong!' Meta cried.

'You will do it because you must. Fili is dead and you are the only one left until Thorin recovers. None of the others are as close to him in blood as you are and we all agreed to it.'

'Kili is almost as close, let him do it. He has been with Thorin far longer than I have and Dain will accept him better.'

Bofur pressed his lips to her cheek. She seemed a bit warm and feverish. 'Oin has given Kili something to make him sleep, Meta. He is worried about his mental state. Fili's death was always his worst nightmare and now it has come true. There is no way he could stand for Erebor right now. You are Thorin's daughter. You can do this, I know you can! Look at all you have accomplished on this journey. Take control and prove to yourself and everyone else that you can be their queen.'

He felt her smile in the dark. 'Oh Bofur, listen to you. You will make a fine consort to my queen someday. With you by my side, I can't fail, can I?'

'What, what do you mean?' Bofur asked nervously.

'Silly, a queen's husband, if he is not the king in his own right, serves as her prince consort. That is unless you no longer wish to marry me?' Now her words sounded nervous.

Bofur wanted to hug her tightly but remembered the ribs just in time. 'Of course I still want to marry you. You are my Only One now and forever, but I never gave you being queen much thought. It really seemed very unlikely.'

'Neither did I, but now it is most likely, Bofur. I still cannot believe Fili is dead.' She remembered the soft sound of his last breath and felt her heart ache all over again.

'You are not alone in this, Meta. I'm here for you no matter what and so is the company. We will all help. Now get some sleep; I suspect you are going to need it.' He kissed her softly once more and helped her settle into a better position.

Meta murmured, 'Don't let anybody ever tell me that a lowly miner isn't good enough for the line of Durin. I would have to have them punished…'


Dain woke smiling. Today might be the day! At long last he would have a kingdom worthy of his skills! The Iron Hills was alright, but his talents were wasted there. Erebor was much more to his taste. Although he wanted to close the deal that day, he took the time for a leisurely breakfast and a planning session with Havmr. 'We will have to send for more people once I am established in the mountain, Havmr. Who knows what kind of mess has been made.'

'What if the current occupants are unwilling, sir? They are still in control, and I for one would not like to try and force my way through that skull!'

'Havmr, have more faith! We know that Thorin is not in charge and is most likely near death or even already dead. I intend to go and pay my respects to the injured and condolences for the slain. After that, all I need do is convince them that Erebor is far too complicated a situation for them to rule competently. Compensation will be offered and they will be more than happy to stay or go as they see fit! Should Thorin survive, I am sure something can be worked out.' It all seemed so clear cut and easy in his mind. Already he could hear the fanfare of trumpets on his forthcoming coronation day.

Unconvinced, Havmr knew better than to try and dilute Dain's dreams with common sense. After all, there was a possibility things might actually work out. One heir was already dead and the rest? It remained to be seen.

Dain gathered his entourage and a squadron of dwarves to pay a visit to the Front Gate. As they marched up the approach, his eyes narrowed. Those were not the ragtag guards of Thorin's little company standing watch. It was a shining, competent line of elves stretched out around the skull! 'Havmr, go find out the meaning of this!' he ordered.

As Havmr neared the line of elves, they faced him and moved their swords into a battle-ready position. 'Dain of the Iron Hills desires to see Lord Thorin Oakenshield!'

An elf captain stepped forward. 'By order of the Regent, no one is to enter the mountain,' he proclaimed.

Havmr returned to Dain and told him what the elf had said. 'What! What Regent? I demand answers!' He stalked to the guard line and made as if to force his way through. Swords flashed in the sunlight and he knew they meant business. 'Who is this Regent and by what right does he issue orders to elves?' he blustered.

A voice rang out from one of the eye sockets. 'I, Meta,am the Regent and I issue orders with the authority of my father and the members of the company!' After her restless night of little sleep, Bifur and Bofur had helped Meta onto a narrow ledge inside one of the eye sockets as soon as Dain's movements had been detected. She watched him approach and had heard everything said so far. 'What brings you to Erebor so early, Dain? How may I help?' she asked ever so politely.

Recovering quickly, Dain said, 'I wish to pay my respects to Thorin and congratulate him on his tremendous victory.'

'My father is indisposed at the moment, Dain. However, I would be happy to come out and accept your congratulations on his behalf.'

'Nonsense, Thorin is my dear cousin and I want to speak to him in person. I am sure he would wish it.'

And I am sure he would not, Meta thought. She remembered Thorin's words about allowing Dain into Erebor before he himself had been crowned. 'Although I am certain Thorin appreciates your concern, his caretakers have ordered complete rest and no visitors. I am merely seeing that those orders are obeyed. I am sure you understand,' she said in her sweetest voice.

'Pardon me if I question your appointment as Regent, but I think it merits some review. I have already ruled for many years. It would make more sense for me to serve in that capacity in these troubled times. Why don't we have council with your company and discuss it? Ruling is not something a woman should have to worry about,' Dain proclaimed.

It was a good thing Dain couldn't see Meta's expression when he made the crack about a woman ruling. The look would have killed. 'I thank you for your concern, Dain, but the company long discussed the matter and they have decided. Your name was considered, but it was felt it would be wrong to keep you from your home,' the sweet voice lied.

Seeing his dream slipping, Dain tried another tack. 'I cannot in good conscience return to the Iron Hills until Erebor is secure. Why not meet with me and discuss this? I doubt you have the experience necessary to retain possession under the circumstances.'

If you mean you trying to take it away, you are right, Dain old buddy, Meta sneered to herself. 'That is a most kind offer, Dain, but I assure you I have very competent advisors. Balin and Dwalin are well-versed in dwarf governance and Thranduil has been most kind to offer his services should I need additional assistance.'

'You are relying on elves to rule? I have never heard of anything so foolish! I demand to see you at once! Allow me to enter Erebor!' he shouted. The thought of elves having precedence made his blood boil.

'If you insist on meeting, Dain, I will be most happy to come out, but you will not enter Erebor anytime soon,' Meta said calmly.

Dain glared at the skull. 'How dare you keep me standing on your doorstep? Let me in this instant, or you will pay the price!' He felt his control slipping and that angered him even more.

'And exactly what would that price be, Dain?' the voice asked. 'Will you go to war with the elves and your own kin? You have very little right to the throne of Erebor. By my count, three people take precedence according to Thorin's wishes, and should he die, I can guarantee that you will have none!' Meta's blood had also been at a slow boil but now it exploded.

'You are unfit for rule; it is my right to be Regent!' Dain exclaimed.

Meta retorted, 'If I am unfit, then Kili reigns in my place, Dain. And besides, Thorin still lives. You shame yourself and the line of Durin by trying to usurp his throne!'

'I am more capable than any of you! Thorin has sold out to the elves and disgraced his name!'

'How dare you insult my father when he is unable to defend himself? You will never rule Erebor as long as I have even one breath in my body,' Meta hissed.

His face dangerously red, Dain shouted, 'You would disinherit me, you miserable woman? I will have Erebor if only to protect it from the likes of you!'

Meta snorted in a most unladylike manner. 'Well, since we are in here and you are out there, I would like to see you try!' she taunted.

'Then consider yourself under siege,' Dain said. He turned on his heel and stalked away trailed by an unhappy entourage.