Dwalin watched as his best friend awkwardly let go of their host. What was he witnessing here? First Thorin had held her longer than necessary as she was clearly able to look after herself and now the king looked lost.

Ruby turned around, looking up into Thorin's eyes. It was as if she was not completely sure how to react in this kind of situation. It was obvious that their host knew her way around the mountain and also knew how to survive, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to live so long here all alone.

An awkward silence filled the air while Ruby stared up at Thorin, and Thorin, to Dwalins surprise, avoided her eyes, scratching his neck.

"You didn't have to, but thank you though," she grinned and hugged the startled king, rubbing her cheek over the fur of his coat.

For a moment all dwarrows froze in their movement. Dori was the first to react by snatching Ruby by her shoulders and dragging her away from Thorin and further down the hall. Dwalin shook his head to come back to his senses. Was Thorin's hand following the small red-head just now? And did the ever frowning, grim expression of the king just turn into a fond absentminded smile?!

One after another they broke free from their frozen state, following Dori inside like little ducklings would their mother. The eldest of the Ri brothers gently guided their host by the shoulders back inside, sending deadly glares at the king and his brother. After a final look out into the dark night Dwalin turned around to follow the others. A warm presence on his left made him turn his head.

The young scribe had found his way right next to him in the very back. Without the never ending fussing of his oldest brother and the silent threatening glares of his second brother, Ori had grasped the chance and separated himself from them.

Warm fingers brushed lightly over the back of Dwalin's hand. He nearly flinched away, but his brain reminded him just in time, that he probably would never have a similar chance ever again. If Dori knew, they wouldn't even have this chance at all. His fingers fidgeted, while his other hand fiddled with the edge of his shirt. Dwalin would have liked nothing better than to grab the young dwarrows hand, but he decided not to. There was already enough going on as is, he could wait.

Abrupt the warriors head flings to the side. Ori had grabbed his hand all on his own and gave it a light squeeze, as if to test out Dwalin's reaction. His head spun back to stare blankly forward as he lightly squeezed back, but even the dimly lit hallway couldn't hide the crimson blush down to Dwalin's neck.

~

A loud gasp from Gloin made Dwalin and Ori instinctively jump away from each other, awkwardly coughing. The remark wasn't for them, but rather what lay before them. The great forges of Erebor lit the hall and warmed the air, drawing strange shadows onto the walls. No, not shadows. There were actual paintings on the walls of tall buildings, strange looking skylines and unfamiliar sights.

Like most of the company Dwalin stared at the new sights those paintings were showing him. Ori on the other hand had made his way to the front where Dori and Ruby stood. At the base of the largest fire pit was something which looked like a castle of cushions, blankets and books, towers of books wherever one looked.

Ruby stopped in front of one of the book-towers and confidently grabbed one of the large leather bound books. It looked a bit worn out and the lather was bruised on the edges. Multiple bookmarks stook out of the tattered pages, marking the beginning of each new year. Their host wiped off some of the dust that had gathered on the golden ornaments on the back of the book.

"Here," she handed it over to a surprised Balin, "these are all items in the treasury as well as the expenses I made over the years. Most of which was trade, but some of the gold I had to use as well. It should be alright though, cause some of the gold in the treasury was taken from Dale when the dragon came, so it is only right to give it back, don't you think so?" she smiled up at him.

"Miss Ruby?" her attention as well as Dwalins shifted from the astonished king's aide to the scribe of their group, "what exactly is all this? I have never seen anything similar in the slightest!"

Ori's eyes beamed at her filled with curiosity for the unknown things he had just discovered. He had removed his shoes and was sitting on one of the cushions spread over the blankets on the floor. In his lap he held a book that had prior lay open on the small desk in the far back.

"That is my diary, master Ori," she grinned down at him, before sitting in the place next to him.

The young dwarf blushed furiously, muttering something indistinguishable before closing the book and desperately searching for something else to talk about. His gaze stopped at Gloin, who was still admiring the large paintings of buildings on the walls.

"What are those then?" he asked, pointing at the painting on the wall nearest to them.

"That was my home."

A heavy silence filled the halls, only interrupted by the crackling of the fires. Dwalin could see the longing and the sadness in her eyes.So she as well had lost her home and made a new home here in the mountain.

"I will tell you about it someday," Ruby looked up, a sad smile on her lips.

Dwalin nearly moved towards her, to hug her and tell her she would be fine, that she no longer was alone any more, but something bumped against his shoulder, bringing him back to reality.

Looking to the side he could witness something rather unusual. Thorin Oakenshield, his friend and king showed open concern and worry. Thinking back Thorin had acted quite strangely ever since they had reached the mountain, somewhat out of character. He had been more open and not as on edge as he had been throughout the whole journey. His king was also more considerate towards their host than Dwalin would have ever considered possible.

Ruby was no dwarf, just a child with unknown background, living in their home as it seemed to be. Still, there was some strange aura around her which made it impossible to grasp the whole situation, or rather her whole being. There was definitely more to her than she would let on. He shouldn't have let his guard down in the first place, only because she looked like a child and they were in the safety of their home.

A loud crashing sound made him shift his attention back onto the situation. Once again the forges were wrapped in a dead silence. On the ground next to Thorin he could spot a pile of books and in between those, small shards of what looked like some kind of teacup.

Even though it was shattered, Dwalin could see that it was rather poorly made, most likely by a child or a very untalented potter. The sharp inhale of air made him look in Ruby's direction. The attention of the whole company lay on her. Thorin even slightly flinched back, a guilty grimace on his face.

Her eyes lit up like a golden flare, shining from the inside out. A slim line of smoke crept out of her mouth as she began to speak, her voice deep and menacing, "You! You come here, into my mountain. Eating my food, drinking my ale and enjoying the warmth~" she nearly hissed the last part, letting the sound slowly die out.

The sound, her flashing eyes and mannerism as well as the fact that there was literal smoke coming out of her mouth and nostrils made Dwalin shiver. The chill crept right through his flesh and into his bones. His hands automatically flinched to grab his weapons. The realisation hit his mind like fire. He, as well as the other dwarrows had left their weapons in the dining room.

In the meantime Ruby had started to circle around Thorin. Her presence had become dangerous, almost even more terrifying than the dragon that might still be somewhere in the mountain. What in Mahal's name was she?

"Thorin Oakenshield," her hissing voice cut through the air like a sharp knife, "There is no King under the Mountain, just a fool!" tears welled up in her eyes as she stood in front of him, trembling terribly.

"I gave it to you, I gave it all to you! The Arkenstone, the gold… I thought about not giving it to you at all, to hide it where you may never find it, so I didn't have to see you going mad like your grandfather did," her last words were no more than a whisper.

With that she slipped away, leaving the dwarrows standing still as if they had been struck by lightning. Ruby hurried through the hallways. Now they felt cold and empty, almost hostile towards her. She needed to get out. She needed air, silence and some time to stretch her wings.

The dragon rampaged in her chest, desperately trying to get out once more, to get to the surface and burn whatever had hurt her. But that was no option, she would never be able again to sleep soundly if there were any harm coming to her dwarrows. No, she would need to vent her anger elsewhere.

Maybe she would even be able to kill two birds with one stone. To prevent any further harm coming to her drarrows she would just have to get rid of a small obstacle, and said obstacle would be a perfect target for her to vent her anger without further consequences.

Azog would die tonight. As if to agree her dragon roared as she changed forms, her clothes secure in her right claw.

She didn't notice the hobbit, running out of the mountain shortly after she had shifted into Smaug, watching her as she glided through the air and into the dark. Neither did she see the horror on the small creature's face as he spotted the familiar clothings in the dragon's claw. Even to hear the shocked "What have we done?" whispered by Bilbo, she was already too far away.