One Week Later
Ella stood at the balustrade and looked down at Thorin. The dwarf king was clad in splendid garments and a floor-length, fur trimmed cloak and swayed about the treasure hall like a sleepwalker.
"Gold." he whispered to himself in a throaty voice. "Gold beyond measure. Beyond pain, beyond sorrow and grief."
He had been like this for days, ever since Smaug had left the Erebor.
There had not been much sense in fighting the dragon, they all knew that, and still they had tried.
Had lured him all the way through the fortress up to the great forge, in hopes he would ignite the furnaces with his fiery breath- which he did- and then drown in a flood of molten gold.
It had been a clever plan, but it turned out that fire could not be fought with fire, and a dragon not killed by the substance he loved the most.
Smaug had risen from his supposed grave and broken through the front gate to carry his blazing vendetta to Lake-town.
Ella and the dwarves could only watch in helpless horror as the dragon had wrecked the city, just like Bard had so gloomily predicted before.
And then they had seen him fall from the sky and die.
A week had passed since then and the fate of their companions who had stayed behind in Lake-town was still uncertain, but Thorin seemed to mourn his nephews as if they were already confirmed dead and only the sight of his treasure hoard was able to give him solace.
He didn't allow anyone to leave the fortress to look for Kili, Fili, Oin and Bofur, instead he ordered them to search day and night for the Arkenstone.
Every corner of the treasury was to be combed, every stone of the fortress overturned until it was found.
The dwarves did their best to carry out their king's will and all the tables in his chambers now bowed with piled-up coins and jewelry, but the King's Jewel remained lost.
And as day after day of the unsuccessful search went by, Thorin grew more and more angry and suspicious.
Last night, in a fit of raving madness, he had called the dwarves a bunch of retards who weren't capable of finding a single item.
It was heartbreaking to see him talk to his old comrades like that. They had followed him into great dangers to recapture his kingdom and deserved better than to be treated like the lowest lackeys.
"It is here in these halls, I know it," Thorin said to Ella when they were both lying on the huge canopy bed in his chambers. "And still it has not been found."
As most of the time now, he seemed to be talking to himself rather than to her, even when she lay right next to him, in the sweet fatigue that followed extensive lovemaking.
Along with the Erebor and its treasures, Thorin had reclaimed her body as well.
She spent every night in his chambers now and he was passionate, virtually insatiable.
It was as if he lusted for her just as much as for the gold in his treasure hoard, and his desire seemed to grow in the same measure as his madness.
In the mornings she would wake up exhausted and sore and with the space next to her in the bed empty- meaning the king had long left her to again wander Erebor's hallways like the restless, vengeful ghost he had become.
He hardly ate these days, nor did he sleep, obsessed only with the thought of the Arkenstone like a drinker with his next supply of wine.
The Arkenstone.
Which she still carried in her pocket.
Ella swallowed.
More than once had she wanted to give Thorin the jewel, but time and time again she had heard Smaug's malicious words echo in her head and she couldn't bring herself to do it.
"Perhaps it is lost," she answered softly and hated herself for lying to him. "We have been searching for days now- if the Arkenstone really was here, shouldn't it have been found by now?"
"Indeed." Thorin said darkly and turned around to her. He leaned on his elbow, cupped his chin in his hand and burned his stare into hers. His beautiful deep-blue eyes were wide and sparkled with madness. "What if they have already found it and purposefully withhold it from me?" he whispered.
Ella felt an icy cold shiver run down her spine. If only he knew how right he was.
Frowning, she shook her head and hoped her shaking voice wouldn't betray her. "You can't be serious. The company has always been loyal to you, none of them would ever-"
"Oh Ella."
Thorin reached out to stroke her cheek and smiled, albeit in a way that did nothing to allay her fears. "You're so good, so pure. You have no idea what greed and hunger for power can do to even the best and most loyal dwarf. The Arkenstone is the most valuable artefact of our people and it is called the King's jewel for a reason. Whoever possesses it can proclaim himself king, do you understand? Now, who of them wants to steal my crown, what do you think?"
"No one! Thorin, you're wrong!" Ella objected vehemently.
But he didn't even seem to hear her.
He got up from the bed, wrapped himself in his cloak and began to pace the room.
"Is it Balin?" he mused in an absent voice. "He may be old, but it doesn't say for nothing there's no fool like an old fool. Or Dwalin? He has always been ambitious- has he grown tired of following my orders and rather wants to give them himself now? Gloin maybe? Who has never held back to criticize my decisions before?"
Ella shook her head in disbelief.
It was as absurd as it was unsettling to hear him utter such groundless suspicions against his companions, when it was obvious to everyone but himself that he was the only one who was obsessed with the cursed gem.
It didn't seem to occur to him that the real culprit was right here in this room, in his bed even, and Ella dared not think of how he would react if he ever found out about it.
She wished she could say she couldn't imagine he would ever hurt her, but in his current mental state he was unpredictable and the truth was, she was afraid of him. That he obviously did not suspect her was cold comfort, it only made her feel all the more guilty.
"You're tired, you don't know what you're saying," she tried to soothe him. "You can impossibly believe your own kin would betray you. Come back to bed- or if you're hungry, I could go and get you something from the kitchen-"
Bombur had done his best to free the old kitchen and storage rooms from dust and spiderwebs, and cook them daily meals from the dwindling supplies they had brought with them from Lake-town.
With its huge hearth it was one of the warmest rooms in the fortress and had become the dwarves' gathering place for the time being.
Thorin, who had spent every day of the journey in their company, never joined them at their meals any longer.
When he was not in the teasure hall, he preferred the seclusion of his own chambers now, or Erebor's huge, empty halls and the company of the whispering voices in his head.
He summoned them to his throne room when he had orders for them, and when he talked to them now it was no longer like to equals or friends but as a king to his subjects.
Thorin shook his head. "I'm not hungry."
He let his fingers absently run over the jewelry boxes on his desk. "Perhaps you're right and it is none of my kin," he pondered, then he suddenly turned around to her.
"It is Nori, right?" he gasped out. "Of course! It must be him. He has always been a thief-"
"Thorin, stop this!" Ella cried out.
Her heart fluttered in her chest with panic. Next he would remember that the same could just as well be said of her-
Thorin looked shocked at her outburst and for a moment, his eyes lost their mad glow and he looked again perfectly normal. And worried.
At times he would suddenly wake from his derangement, but those moments of clarity were short-lived and increasingly rare.
"I'm sorry my love," he said softly but he sounded confused, as if he had no idea what exactly it was he was sorry for. "You need rest."
He seated himself next to her on the bed, leaned over and breathed a tender kiss on her forehead.
Ella wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his broad chest. Desperate tears threatened to drench the fabric of his splendid cloak.
How was it possible that her love for him was not enough to keep him from descending deeper and deeper into madness?
When they made love, Thorin seemed to be all hers and entirely under her spell but the bad magic of the Arkenstone was stronger; it always forced his mind back to it right afterwards.
"Sleep now, "Thorin whispered after a while and gently freed himself from her embrace.
Ella tried to hold back her tears."Won't you sleep, too?" she asked quietly.
Thorin smiled and brushed the damp hair off her face. "I'm not tired. I'll join you later," he promised.
He left the room and gently closed the door behind him.
It was only when Ella no longer heard his footsteps on the corridor that she let her tears flow freely.
As expected, Thorin had not returned when Ella woke up the next morning.
She sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes in order to get rid of her sleepiness.
When her lover had left her last night- presumably to resume his lonely walking tours through his shattered kingdom- she had made a decision.
She would return the Arkenstone to him, today.
It was the only way.
She would volunteer to search the treasure hall along with the others and pretend to have found it only now.
Smaug had said it would drive him mad, but how much madder could he possibly become?
At least, when Thorin had the gem, he would no longer have reason to suspect the others of treason and conspiracy against him.
And when his obsession with the Arkenstone no longer occupied his mind, he would again think of his nephews, and of Oin and Bofur, allow them to leave the fortess and make inquiries about what happened to them.
Ella refused to believe they were dead and she knew the other dwarves were worried sick for their missing companions as well.
She would do it.
She would return the Arkenstone to Thorin, but first, she would talk to Balin.
She wished she could seek Gandalf's advice, but the old wizard remained gone for reasons unknown and in his absence, the wise, old dwarf was the next best option.
She got dressed, left Thorin's chambers and made her way through the dark, deserted hallways.
The dragon was dead, but upon his retreat he had left behind a trail of devastation and also his stench; the whole fortress still reeked of fire and brimstone.
It would take an army of builders and cleaners to restore its former glory. If it was even possible.
Ella tried- and failed- to envision the charcoaled, foul-smelling ruin as it must have been before Smaug came- a bustling, prosperous place, a safe and happy home for the dwarven people and their families.
How could it ever be like this again, under the rule of a half-mad king who was practically eaten away by greed and mistrust?
Ella wrapped her cloak tighter around her as she walked.
When she was not in Thorin's arms, she was always cold now. It was a cold that radiated from the thick, damp walls around her and seemed to settle down deep inside her bones.
She found Balin in the library among dusted volumes and parchments.
She knew him to be the oldest member of the company, but only now he really appeared old to her, almost decrepit.
When they had first entered the Erebor he had wept tears of joy, but as he looked up at her now, his eyes were again red from crying but all joy had left his weathered features.
"Dragon sickness," he answered her unspoken question in a quiet, sad voice. "I've seen it before. It is a fierce and jelous love, Ella. It sent Thorin's grandfather mad and I fear the same is happening to him now, too. He has not been himself since we entered this mountain-"
Ella remembered the conversation between Gandalf and Lord Elrond she had eavesdropped back in Rivendell. She hadn't wanted to believe the words then, but now it became painfully clear that the Elven lord's fears had been all too warranted.
"We should never have come here," Balin continued, his voice choked with tears. "We were happy in Ered Luin. I knew better than anyone else what could happen, I should have tried harder to convince Thorin to leave the mountain alone. But how could I have refused him?"
He turned his desperate face to Ella and lifted his hands helplessly.
"He is my king, he is from my family, and what is more- he is my friend. How could I have said no?"
"You couldn't." Ella choked back her own tears and nodded her understanding. She knew only too well how he felt.
The most disturbing thing, however, was that Balin was only half right when he said Thorin were no longer himself.
He had not changed overnight- he had been headstrong and bossy before, although never immune to advice.
And he had always been protective of the company and mistrustful towards outsiders, whereas now, he was only protective of his gold, and mistrusted even his own kin and his closest and oldest friends.
"What can we do?" Ella whispered.
She stepped closer and looked intently at his sad face. "Balin," she began hesitantly. "If Thorin had the Arkenstone- if it was found- do you think, it would help?"
The old dwarf sighed. "The whole treasure hoard is cursed," he explained in a serious tone. "And the Arkenstone crowns all, it is the summit of this great wealth and bestowes power on he who wears it. Would it stall his madness?" He shook his head unhappily. "No. I fear it would make it worse. Perhaps it is better if it remains lost."
Ella bit her lip and tears filled her eyes as she watched the lonely figure of the king under the mountain make his endless rounds amidst his cursed gold.
The dragon had told her so, and Balin had confirmed it just now- if Thorin got hold of the Arkenstone it would drive him mad for good.
If she really wanted to help him, she could not give him what he desired most.
Best she threw the gem from the top of the mountain and watched it shatter on the stony ground-
She turned to leave and at this moment, she heard hurrying footsteps on the stairs coming her way.
"Uncle!" a familiar voice shouted out loud and immediately, Ella felt her heavy heart grow lighter and leap with joy.
Fili! They were back!
Thorin stopped dead in his tracks and slowly raised his head as if he had just woken from a dream.
He looked up the balustrade and spread his arms wide.
"Welcome," he began, but then his brow furrowed and he squinted as he took a closer look at the newcomers.
Four had stayed behind in Lake-Town, but only three had returned.
All colour seemed to leave Thorin's face.
"Fili," he whispered, aghast. "Where's your brother? Where's Kili?"
