A/N: Hey, be happy, readers, one update three days only after the previous! ;)

Oh, and I want to thank all those who take time to praise my work on this. It isn't easy to try and couple both movie and book, and even more to think or realistic changes to make.

And to those still sad about Bifur's death, I am sorry. This isn't the last character death in this story, and I'm trying not kill characters all love. Like Dori. Or the boys. Or Dwalin.

34. Negotiations

Bofur gripped my hand. "Why?"

I sighed. "That is something I have to do. I am persuaded that Bolg has gone to fetch an army, and we haven't really only made friends along our way. If goblins and orcs arrive, the Elves and Men will be trapped between them and the Mountain."

"So?"

I could see the conflict in his grey eyes. Switching between knowing they should be warned and wanting them to pay for what they had done in the past.

I gripped his hand harder. "I have to. If they die today, they won't do good in the future. This is still the time of the Elves. It may pass, but it still is."

He remained silent for a while. "Is it the White Lady who told you tha'?"

I chuckled darkly. "No, it wasn't her. Someday, I promise I will tell you how I know all these things."

He kissed my knuckles. "Alrigh' then, I will help yer down the Mountain when the others are asleep. But...yer leg..."

I looked down at the bandaged limb. "I'll be alright. Something tells me an old friend of ours might have arrived earlier today."

He didn't pry it off me. Instead, he stood and walked to the door. "I'll leave yer change. Put on that mithril shirt. Somethin' tells me ye'll need it."

When I was changed, Bofur came back from the main hall, telling me that he had volunteered to watch the Southern balcony for the first part of the night. Apparently, none of our companions found it suspicious.

So we went back to diner.

I tried to be as innocent-looking as I could when in truth a thousand thoughts were going through my mind.

And soon, all light left the huge room as the few sun rays passing through corridors faded altogether.

"We should go to sleep. Who knows what tomorrow brings?"

Dwalin offered to carry me back to my room again, and I accepted, thinking it probably wiser not to decline.

Thorin walked with us for a good part, and that is how I learnt that the room I was staying in used to be his mother's.

Somehow, it put me under stress to know that his own room was not far from mine. I shouldn't wake him up while leaving.

I had been sitting onto my bed, fidgeting Sting, for the good of four hours when the signal came.

Bofur had told me he'd be signalling me when he'd have everything ready for me.

The catch was I had to walk to the balcony on my own.

For safety, I put the Ring on. You never knew.

Erebor's corridors were a maze and, had I not walked those four times that day, I probably would have gotten lost.

After twenty minutes of silently cringing and grasping what I could to hoist me forward, I reached the stairs leading to the balcony.

Bofur was waiting at the top of them, studying the darkness, waiting for me.

I took the Ring off, and he jumped.

"Did yer really have ter do that?"

I silently chuckled. "Just in case some weren't asleep."

He moved down the stairs to help me up. "I managed to find somethin' ter 'elp yer down."

And when we reached our destination, I saw what it was.

Bofur had managed somehow to build some sort of elevator. I would only have to sit onto a plank, and he would bring me down all the way.

Which was, really, a looooong way.

"Ready?"

I had sat myself onto my personal elevator, and looked up into Bofur's eyes, by then hidden in the darkness. I nodded.

"Be careful."

"I will."

He leaned down and carefully kissed me, putting just enough force in it for me to understand that he was worried.

I smiled up at him while he started to bring me down.

The journey down the Mountain took me a good fifteen minutes.

Fortunately for me, the darkness of the night didn't show how high I was. I was afraid of heights something fierce.

Especially when there wasn't anything I could grip to make sure I wouldn't fall.

The plank I was sitting on moved several times, so strongly I thought I could have slipped, but Bofur always steadied his movements before carrying on.

He really had a better eyesight than I had if he could see me in this darkness.

No moon, no stars were visible.

It was as if I was still in a tunnel.

Finally, my feet touched ground. I slipped off the plank and grasped the side of the Mountain, looking up to try and see the balcony, but it was so high it was completely swallowed into darkness.

"Good evening, Miss Ari."

That voice, I hadn't heard it in far too long.

A smile formed onto my lips, and I whirled around. "Good evening, Gandalf."

The wizard was standing a few feet away, and his face was completely hidden to my sight, but I could tell he was smiling too.

At his side, I could make another figure, a little smaller than him, but with an equally pointy hat.

"Ah yes, I should introduce you, I guess. Miss Ari, this is Radagast the Brown. My cousin."

I bowed the head. "It is always an honour to meet an Istari."

The figure moved forward, but he was fidgeting with his hands, clearly not at ease. "P-p-pleasure, Miss."

Gandalf then moved forward, and stopped right in front of me, kneeling so he could look at my leg. "That is a nasty burn you've got."

I huffed. "Dragons aren't that friendly."

The wizard chuckled. I had missed the sound. "Ah, but Thranduil will surely know what to do. Come now, Miss Ari, we are already late."

I didn't question him, didn't need to know what we were late for. I knew.

Negotiations.

Gandalf helped me onto Radagast's sledge, and the two wizards took place behind me, one arm at each side of me to make sure I wouldn't stumble.

Unsurprisingly to me, the sledge was pulled forward by six huge rabbits.

I chuckled at the sight I was given.

"Something funny, Miss Ari?"

I chuckled again. "It isn't every day that you can stand on a sledge pulled by Rhosgobel's rabbits."

"Indeed it isn't."

The ride to the Elves' camp wasn't long, and soon we passed two sentinels who looked at me warily before letting us pass.

The King's tent stood in the middle of all, and was one of the few to still be lit inside.

Gandalf got down of the sledge and looked down at me. "Do you think you can walk inside, or do I have to ask for assistance?"

I pondered for a moment. "I should be able to walk, if I can at least use you as a support."

The wizard nodded and offered me his arm.

The tent was buzzing with people when we entered.

I immediately recognized Bard, standing in his leather outfit, his bow on his back, facing Thranduil, King of Mirkwood.

Behind their King stood Tauriel and Legolas, and behind Bard stood the Master of Laketown, looking as sick as ever, as well as another Man I did not know.

All eyes went to me when we entered.

Bard and Tauriel, who knew me, acknowledged my presence.

Legolas and his father, on the other hand, widened their fair blue eyes.

Gandalf helped me to a chair before turning to our hosts. "My dear friends, this is Miss Ariana, a Daughter of Men I believe to be the bravest person I have ever met. Miss Ari, I think you know most of our companions tonight."

I smirked. "That I do. Good evening Bard." The archer bowed his head. "I believe seeing you here means you have slain Smaug the Great?"

He smirked too. "I have. Thanks to you."

I bowed the head, then turned my gaze elsewhere. "And good evening to you, Tauriel. It has been a while since I last saw you. How fare you?"

The Elf seemed disturbed by the fact I was addressing her before her king, seeing how her eyes darted to him every second or so. But she nodded. "I am fine, thank you. Better than you, judging by that leg."

"Ah yes, a rather nasty encounter with an angry dragon, I'm afraid."

But then my eyes met Thranduil's. My smirk widened even. "King of Mirkwood."

The blue eyes widened again. "So, you are the being that helped the dwarves escape my halls?"

I chuckled. "Beautiful halls indeed, my Lord. Fit for a King, no doubt. Although I think I prefer Rivendell." And then finally Legolas. "Good evening to you too, Prince of Mirkwood."

He didn't answer. The poor thing was truly dazzled.

I chuckled again, then turned back to Gandalf, next to me. "Shall we begin, Gandalf? I am afraid our hosts' thoughts are a little...focused."

The wizard chuckled again. "Indeed, Miss Ari. We shall begin."

All eyes returned to Gandalf, who put on his best mask of business on. I had only seen it once before, long ago in a Hobbit's hole.

"Right. You all know the matter at hand. Thorin Oakenshield and his company have reclaimed Erebor and its riches-"

"And we have a right to it. As do the Men of Laketown and the Slayer of the Dragon."

I sighed. "I'm afraid you won't see any share of the treasure for now. Thorin is a stubborn person, and you," I pointed to Thranduil, "haven't really left him a good after-taste."

The Elf huffed. Bard then spoke up. "Soon, they will run out of supplies. We should wait until they are weakened enough to accept our deal."

I sighed again, a hand going to my forehead. "Unfortunately for you, Thorin has managed, without my knowing, to send a message to his cousin, the infamous Dain Ironfoot."

"And?"

"And, apparently, an army of dwarves coming down from the Iron Hills aren't far from here as we speak. And they aren't willing to listen to Elves at this point, I'm sure. Let alone Men from an obscure little city."

Thranduil glared openly at me then. "And I am certain you have a proposition, then? To ask us to renounce and go back from whence we came?"

I chuckled darkly. "Ah, Elves and their suspicions. No, Thranduil, King of Wood-Elves, this is not what I wish. I have something in my possession that could, however, help you bargain."

Gandalf smirked down at me, and nodded.

Then my hand buried into my pocket, curling around a warm little stone, and putting it out for all to see.

The Arkenstone's light shone around the place, glittering onto the tent's fabric.

"The Heart of the Mountain!"

I smirked. "You've heard of it. And yet, why would have you? I'm sure Thror, when he still ruled under the Mountain, took a sick pleasure into displaying it to your face."

Thranduil's stormy eyes calmed down as they settled back onto me. "What shall I do with it?"

"What shall you all do with it, you mean?" I chuckled once again. "Thorin is looking for it. Desperately so. This is your leverage. For peace-making."

"Peace-making? We do not wish for peace, we wish for our part of the treasure!"

I held up a hand. "Ah, but, you see, you'll have to make peace."

"And why's that?"

I looked up at Gandalf, asking for help in the matter.

The wizard nodded and turned to the others. "Radagast and I are coming from South of the Forest, you all know that. And we have been followed by a cursed company." He paused. "Thorin and his companions have been followed by a revengeful Orc since the beginning of our adventure. Maybe you know his name. Bolg."

Legolas cursed. "The Pale Orc's son."

"Indeed. Well, Bolg has suffered a bitter defeat at the end of Mirkwood, by the bows of your people and with the help of the fair lady standing next to you, Legolas." Some eyes cast onto Tauriel, who looked down. "He has by then gone back to the Misty Mountains and gathered a relatively big army of Goblins."

"We have defeated more goblins than our share, this shall not be a problem."

"Ah, but, see, my friend, from Mordor comes the other part of the threat."

"What do you mean?"

I spoke up. "He means that Bolg has called for reinforcements from the Dark Land. Orcs. And many of them."

A rumour spread.

Until a hand cast up.

Bard spoke up. "Then we'll have to convince Thorin to listen, and to side with us. Fighting on two fronts this size will not come out well."

All nodded.

And it was agreed that, in the morning, Bard, Thranduil, Gandalf and I would go to the Front Gate to talk to Thorin.

All blood left my face at the thought of Thorin seeing me among his "enemies". He that had started to trust me only recently...

"Ariana?"

I looked up and met Tauriel's eyes. "Yes?"

"May I carry you? I'll take care of your wound."

I smiled up at her. "With pleasure, my friend."