Author's Note: I own nothing.
28 To the Treasure Room
The group stood at the door for a moment as Thorin stepped further into the tunnel. Fili and Kili were next over the threshold followed by Ori urged on by Dori and Nori but none of them moved further than the entranceway. Bella was last through the door. She had never felt more an outsider than she did in that moment, but that was understandable. This was not her moment. This was a moment for those who had not had hope since a dragon stole their home from them. Silence reigned for a few more minutes until Balin laid his hand on Thorin's shoulder.
"It's time, if we're to go through with this plan we need to do it now, while the beast still sleeps." Balin said and Thorin glanced up at Bella who nodded. She knew what it meant. She was to head into the mountain alone, in search of the Arkenstone. Apparently not everyone had fully grasped the plan though.
"You cannot send her in there alone!" Fili hissed, none of them were speaking in more than a whisper, the fear of the presence ahead palpable in the air. Thorin glared at his nephew.
"I don't want to do it this way either but we have little choice." He muttered. Bella stepped between them.
"This is why I was hired as the company's burglar. I will go down there and take a look around, the dragon will not see me." She assured slipping her hand into her pocket to finger the ring. "I would appreciate some direction as to where I may find the stone though." She said and Balin nodded.
"I will take you down this tunnel but I can go no farther." He said and Bella nodded, Thorin caught her hand and pulled her in for a searing kiss.
"Be safe Ghivashel." He said leaning his forehead against hers. She smiled lightly.
"I will be as safe as I can be. I will be back." She promised squeezing his hand before following Balin down the hall.
"This is madness Thorin." Bifur mumbled, several of the others nodded.
"We know the key works, why not go to Dain now? Bring his armies and take the dragon by surprise." Dwalin suggested. Thorin shook his head, eyes fixed on the tunnel Balin and Bella had taken. A few minutes later Balin returned alone.
"She's headed to Thror's old treasure room, it's where you last saw the stone yes?" He asked Thorin who nodded slightly, eyes fixed on the tunnel. Kili twitched towards the tunnel and Nori caught his arm.
"You go down there now you'll doom her for certain. If she can evade capture by Thranduil's people for a week without ever raising an alarm until she got us out of our cells she can slip into a treasure room unnoticed." Nori assured.
"And if her trinket doesn't work on dragons? What then?" Kili hissed as Fili began to pace. Nori frowned.
"I've read about a few magic rings but I've never heard of one whose powers had species specific weaknesses." Ori pointed out. His tone was hopeful but his hands were shaking. Dori, ever the pragmatist shook his head.
"We can do her no good for now. I suggest we set up camp on the doorstep, it's too dark to climb down anyway. We may be needed later but we cannot help her for the moment." Dori said ushering Ori and Nori back out the still open hidden door. The others followed at a slow trickle. After a time it was just Thorin, though Kili and Fili had to be practically dragged from the entryway.
"Come, there's nothing you can do now. For the moment we wait." Dwalin said laying a hand on Thorin's shoulder. He shrugged it off.
"I should never have sent her down there alone." Thorin muttered and Dwalin nodded.
"Aye you shouldn't have. We shouldn't have. But we did. Nothing can be done about it." Dwalin said shaking his head. Thorin took a step towards the tunnel and Dwalin grabbed his arm. "You go down there now you damn her for certain. The dragon knows your smell. It will not have forgotten those who escaped." Dwalin insisted. Thorin clenched and unclenched his fist as he stared down the tunnel.
Bella was so busy repeating Balin's instructions for how to get to the treasure room to herself that she almost didn't notice the smell. It was not the dust that had tracked her footsteps all the way down from the hidden door, and it was not a short way from the hidden door to the trove of Thror. No, this was something Bella had never smelled before. The closest comparisons she had were the bonfires that they sometimes had at festivals in the Shire. But it was not comforting, it smelled like rot and flame and something she was horrified to recognize as the scent of blood. It halted her in her tracks. This must be the scent of dragon then. She tried not to breathe too deeply as she inched forward. Her goal must be in sight. The tunnels and halls of Erebor were mostly dark, there were a few glowing stones here and there in the walls, coated in dust and barely letting off any light. Bella was half tempted to take one of them to light her way but she wasn't sure she could pry them out of the wall.
But when she reached the end of the hall the problem sorted itself out. Here was the largest room she'd ever seen. She had to call it a room for it had clearly been formed for a purpose. Whatever that purpose had originally been had been drowned in a literal mountain of gold. The glowing stones set in the wall here were not dusty like the others and the treasure reflected their light well, refracting and reflecting the light to dance all over this cavern. Bella stood in the doorway staring down at the treasure of Erebor wondering how in Yavanna's name she was meant to find a single jewel in all this.