Author's Note: I own nothing.

30 Many Titled One

All of the dwarves froze on the doorstep of the secret door as a rumble echoed from under their feet. Ori trembled.

"What was that, an earthquake?" He asked, sounding almost hopeful.

"No lad, that's not an earthquake." Balin said, voice shaking. "That is a dragon." Thorin bolted for the door. Dwalin caught him before he could cross the threshold.

"Thorin."

"Do not try to stop me. I will not leave her down there alone to die." Thorin snapped.

"None of us will be leaving her to die alone." Kili said pulling his sword. The others nodded as Thorin pulled his arm from Dwalin's hold and raced into the secret door, quickly followed by the others.

"Underhill?" Smaug frowned slightly. Bella's attention snapped away from the stone.

"And under hill and over hill my paths have come. And through the air I have flown. I am she who walks unseen." An idea was forming in her head. Get the stone, get out the door and from there flee with the others. They could figure out what to do after that, she'd faced the dragon and that was what her contract allowed for. Steeling herself she crept out from under the platform and froze as Smaug's claw came to rest on the stone she had just been sheltering under. He perched himself there.

"That I believe." He said amusement mixing with slight frustration in his hissing words. "But that is not your name, is it?"

"I am the clue-finder, the tale-spinner, the web cutter, the stinging fly." She said making up the titles as she inched towards her goal. None were lies, she had done all these things over the course of their long journey. "I am a friend of bears, and guest of eagles. I am the ring-winner, and luck-wearer." She managed to silently brush aside a few coins and wrap her hand around the Arkenstone. She slipped it into her pocket feeling triumph in her heart. "I am a prison breaker, soul-singer, and a barrel rider." She said slipping along another ledge free of treasure. Smaug snorted and laughed.

"Pretty titles indeed. And your Dwarf friends outside?" Bella froze.

"Dwarves? No. No dwarves here." She said trying to figure out if she could risk another step.

"Do not lie to me! I know the taste and smell of dwarf! You Barrel Rider reek of dwarf!" Smaug laughed slamming his claws into the treasure. It sent Bella off balance, along with quite a bit of other treasure sliding down as if an avalanche. She managed to scramble back to her feet and dive behind another pillar before Smaug could figure out where she was. Taking a moment as he hissed and searched the fallen treasure she assessed where she stood. There was a doorway just across from her that looked to have a bridge that would reach the hidden door, or at least a hall that might get her there.

"You will meet a sticky end if you continue your association with the would be King Under the mountain." Bella drew in a breath at that, Smaug could smell Thorin on her. "I know the scent of that line. Traitors and madmen all!" Smaug snarled and Bella shook her head.

"You're wrong!"

"The one they call Thorin I believe is the last of that line now! I have broken the King Under the Mountain. He has sent you down here to do his dirty work. He has weighed your life and found it worth nothing!"

"Liar!" Bella called and threw caution to the wind. With the echo of her word still ringing through the hall she sprinted across the mounds of gold straight for the door. A roar of frustration echoed from the dragon and flame plumed. Bella dove flat to the treasure which slid with her momentum sending her skidding passed the door and down the mountains of gold.

"It matters not Oakenshield's quest will fail. I'm half tempted to let you take the stone he sent you for, just to watch it drive him mad." Smaug laughed and Bella frowned slipping a hand into her pocket around the stone that suddenly seemed to weigh much more than it had before.

"What do you mean?" She muttered pulling herself to her feet and slipping into the shadow of another pillar.

"You are being used Thief in the Shadows. You have been sent to your end, and the end of that wretched little town of yours Barrel rider!" Smaug's wings unfurled and flapped once with the force of a hurricane. Bella was blown off her feet tumbling down to the very base of the treasure horde. She rolled back to her feet just as she heard footsteps coming from the hallway to the secret door. Without looking to see who it was, or wondering why they had followed her after only a few hours Bella whistled to gain the dragon's attention, snatched up the piece of treasure nearest her, a small golden cup, and pulled off the ring.

"Missing something?" She called and the dragon's head snapped in her direction. A roar louder than any before. She could see the fire building in his throat as she dove to the side slipping the ring back on, praying to the Valar that the Dwarves had been smart enough to retreat and knowing that they would not be. She ran, the heat behind her told her she needed to keep moving. She was nearly surprised that she made it all the way up the stairs. She took a breath and pulled off the ring before darting down a hall. She wasn't sure if she was heading away from or towards the door but anywhere that wasn't being consumed in dragon fire was better than here. She took a left away from the horde, or at least she thought she was heading away from it. There was treasure wherever she turned. She didn't even realize she was still holding the cup she'd taken to distract Smaug, who was roaring up a storm somewhere behind her until she ran smack into someone and it fell from her fingers tinkling merrily off to be lost in the piles of treasure surrounding the stairs. She blinked realizing that the dwarf she'd run into was Thorin. She sighed in relief, then pulled back and smacked Thorin on the chest.

"You're alive!" He sounded relieved as he momentarily buried his head in her hair.

"You idiot! You weren't meant to come after me!" She chastised but Thorin's attention was on the gold behind her, for a moment she thought she spotted the reflection of the gold in his bright blue eyes before he turned back to her.

"Mizimel, the Arkenstone, did you get it?" He asked. Bella grabbed his hand and began to pull him down the hall.

"Dragon! Right behind me! Move!" Before they could continue their arguments the others bounded out of the hall, all with weapons drawn. They were all so excited to find Bella alive they almost didn't see the livid dragon barreling towards them. If Smaug hadn't heralded his own arrival they would likely all have died.

"You will burn!" He snarled at them.

"Run!" Bella screamed and the company did just that racing away from the dragon and the horde of treasure, only Thorin glancing back over his shoulder as fire chased their steps.