Thorin wandered through the hills of treasure alone, unable to bear parting from it for more than a moment. It was so beautiful, how could anyone wish for more than this? The others seemed not to understand, concerned with silly things like food and the armies that camped on their doorstep. He was not worried. He had sent a raven to Dain, he knew that once his kin arrived all would be well, with both the problems of food and siege dealt with. Then he would be left in peace, and he could begin to sort through the mess that had been made in his kingdom. He gave a passing thought to his son, wondering how the boy fared, and how long had it been since he had seen the lad? Was it just this morning?
A niggling thought at the back of his head told him this was not acceptable at all. He should not be ignoring his kin, he should be showing them around. After all, the lad would be inheriting all of this when he got old, and he needed to see what he had fought for. Nodding decisively, Thorin went in search of Frerin, eager to get started on the finer points of the lad's education. Perhaps he could find him a crown in this mess. Fili and Kili should see it as well, even if they were only secondary heirs, they were family. He would drape them in all the finery they had been denied these long years.
He came upon them in a darkened corner away from the treasure, not noticing how they whispered together, and completely missing out on the drawn expressions on their young faces. He was already far too busy envisioning them clad in gold armor and fur robes, with the finest weapons Erebor had to offer clutched in their hands. "Frerin, my son, what are you doing hiding in the corner?" he asked with a jovial smile. "Come, it's time I showed you some of the kingdom! You too, Fili, Kili, come along," he cajoled them, holding out his hands as he dismissed the nervous looks in their eyes.
The three exchanged glances, cautiously padding after their leader, unable to fully hide the awe that struck them at the sight of the endless piles of gold. It did not consume them, but still it drew them in, and they were only slightly reluctant when Thorin led them out into the middle of it. "This is unbelievable," Frerin muttered, both fascinated and terrified by the sight before him. Light bounced off the surface until it seemed that even they were coated in it's gleaming golden hue. Colors of every shade imaginable twinkled amongst the hoard, like many colored stars. In the midst of it all Thorin crouched like a predator, protecting his own, sifting through it in some sort of manic trance.
The king turned to them, eyes shining in approval at the sentiment voiced by his son. "It is wonderful, isn't it?" The three young ones shuddered as he gazed over the treasure with the same look that was once only devoted to his wife, each one wondering if he even thought of her. "Bilbo!" he cried out, startling them as well as the hobbit who had been wandering nearby, lost in thought. "Come here, I have something for you." He lifted up the item that had been draped over his arm, the silver armor shifting like water through his hands and shining bright as moonlight. "Put it on," he ordered the hobbit with a smile of satisfaction.
Bilbo hesitated, eyeing it with concern. "Umm Thorin, don't you think armor is rather unnecessary? I'm not exactly built to carry much weight..."
Thorin laughed, such a genuine sound that the hobbit could not help but smile in return. "It's mithril, light as air and strong as diamonds," he assured his friend. "Trust me, you won't even notice you have it on." Without waiting for further protest he slipped it over Bilbo's shoulders and grinned.
Bilbo stared down at it, frowning and shaking his head. "I look silly," he announced, immediately putting on his jacket to hide the ostentatious finery.
"You don't like it?" Thorin rumbled, sounding rather hurt and confused. How could someone not like it? He remembered when he had his own mithril armor, it had been the proudest day of his young life to receive it at the time.
Bilbo just shrugged, eyes gleaming with their easy smile. "It's nice, just... hobbits don't generally go for gold that much, or anything like it for that matter. We like simpler things," he explained, gratified to see that while Thorin still seemed confused he had lost the just-been-kicked expression from the previous moment. Taking it as a good sign that Thorin was in a better mood, Bilbo decided to try his luck at reasoning with the king. "Thorin?" he asked gently, waiting until he was certain the dwarf was no longer focused on the gold under their feet. "Can we talk? Privately?" He ignored the looks that were shot his way from the younger dwarves, pulling insistently on Thorin's arm to draw him away and down a hall.
"What is it?" Thorin asked easily, glancing back down the corridor every so often as if to check that his treasure was still there. Bilbo hid a wince, trying not to show how much the action pained him.
"The lakemen," he began, holding his hands up in a placating gesture when Thorin immediately glowered. "Now just hear me out please," he begged. Thorin nodded, drawn brows easing slightly as he fought to hold his temper in check. Bilbo had been there for them, the hobbit had a right to speak, even if he did not understand the situation. Thorin would humor him and then send him along. "It's just... it's our fault, what happened to them. You can see that, right? I feel terrible, so many lives lost, and I know it was for an important cause, what could be more important than your home? But in claiming yours, they lost theirs, and I really feel we owe them for that." He was pacing in agitation by the end of his speech, and Thorin had become impossible to read, his face carefully blank.
Thorin dearly wished the voices would stop tumbling through his head, their noise rendering him incapable of making a decision. He knew Bilbo was right, but he knew also that he was right too. Thranduil would just take anything he gave to the lakemen, and he could not abide the thought of his hard won gold in the hands of that traitor. How could Bilbo not understand that? "You don't understand," he gritted out, forcing the voices away so he could think. "How would you feel if it were your possessions that were being given away, if it were your sliver spoons being given to that dreadful woman that tried to stop you from leaving?" He felt a moment of triumph as Bilbo looked at him thoughtfully, feeling he had at last driven the point home, but that hope was swiftly crushed, leaving him floundering.
Bilbo sighed, shaking his head. "If it meant that a family could eat, that they would have shelter and comfort, I would gladly give away every single one. No amount of treasure is worth more than a life Thorin," he said softly, before leaving the dwarf to his thoughts. Bilbo was trapped in a struggle of his own, as he realized what he would have to do. He had tried to reason with his friend to no avail, and now there was only one option left to him. He would have to use force to persuade the stubborn king to part with his gold, and the very thought disgusted him. It stank of betrayal, and he wanted to cry at the unfairness of it all. Why couldn't Thorin just listen to him? When he slipped out of the mountain that night it was with a heavy heart, and when he returned to wait for the dawn he found himself unable to sleep as the anticipation grated on his nerves.
Author's note: Next chapter we will see the fallout from the choices that have been made, and whether family is stronger than madness. Stay tuned, and thank you to all that have favorited, followed and reviewed, every bit means a lot!
