Fíli watches as his uncle digs through a small writing desk in one corner of the room until he finds a sheet of paper and a pencil. His hands move quickly, writing furiously as Bilba stares at her ring.
"What, exactly, has it done?" His uncle snarls as he finishes writing, regarding the little circle of gold on the hearth in the same manner as one might look at a venomous snake.
"Nothing much," Bilba replies, obviously shaken by his tone and Fíli feels his arms tighten around her. "I go invisible when I put it on, and, well, to be honest it makes me feel sick when I wear it and the world gets all, sort of, washed out I suppose."
"Where did you find it?" Thorin demands, the sound of a commotion outside the room reaching their ears going almost unnoticed in the fury of his uncle's words.
"That horrible thing in the Misty Mountains had it when it tried to kill me," she says after a brief pause. He scowls at her and Bilba shrinks back a little, as though realising that her hesitation is enough to make Thorin suspicious of lies. "It was how it got past you all and got so close to me."
"And you did not think this was something worth mentioning?" He snaps.
"I didn't know what it did!" She cries. "I thought it was just a ring, and then when I realised it made me invisible I thought I could use it to escape. I didn't want to come here! I didn't want this!" Fíli feels something in him go cold at that, even though he knows that she means living in the mountains and the crown, not him specifically. Truth be told he does not really want to live in the mountain and be king either. "Of course I wasn't going to tell you when it might have been my only way out."
"What is happening here?" Gandalf's voice rings through the room and Thorin pauses in the act of speaking. "I understood Bilba was hardly going to be thrilled with the outcome of this morning's proceedings, but is it truly necessary to brow beat her into submission?"
"It was nothing at all to do with that," Thorin sniffs. "If she really objected to it so much she would not have been kissing the lad ten minutes ago." Both Bilba and Fíli flush. "It is to do with that." He points at the ring which sits so innocuously before the fire and Gandalf tilts his head, moving closer and bending to reach for it. "Do not!" Thorin orders and the wizard gives him a look of mild annoyance. "I believe it is connected to an evil that has not been seen in these Halls since the days of my father."
"Is that so?" Gandalf asks mildly.
"I am no fool, Wizard," Thorin points out, "and in my youth I spent a great deal of time in Gondor, especially in the libraries there when I could. This," he hands the wizard the paper he had been scrawling on, "appeared on the band when it had been heated in the fire. A fortunate moment of carelessness on Fíli's part," he adds. "No matter what Thranduil would have you believe, nor the teasing of the twins for that matter, I can read and speak more than one dialect of elvish. That is not one that I recognise, but I do recall reading an old scroll from the days of Isildur which mentioned a ring upon which such writing would appear were it heated. I have also spent enough time in Rivendell to study some of the paintings upon the walls there."
Gandalf's face takes on a troubled expression, his beard twitching as he mumbles softly to himself.
"How came the boy by it?" He asks.
"Bilba Baggins was the one to bring it here, Tharkûn," Thorin says in a dangerous voice, "and apparently it has been in her possession since we crossed the Misty Mountains." Now it is Gandalf's turn to look at the hobbit lass in alarm. "I have had the story from her, she has no idea what it might be. Only that it was a trinket with which she could hide herself from the sight of others, and perhaps escape our care."
The look Gandalf sends towards Fíli and Bilba is icy and the young dwarf scowls at the wizard before turning his attention to the ring. It is just a ring, after all, a golden band that rests in front of the fire with no sign of burning writing, no hint of anything dark or malicious or evil as Thorin has claimed. He feels Bilba step away from him and hears her begin chiding the wizard, but pays it little mind as he moves towards the ring instead. It is so small, such a little thing to have caused such concern in his uncle. Why would Thorin fear this little thing when he has faced a dragon? When he has faced a Balrog? Curiosity wins out, Fíli reaches for the ring, picking it up curiously.
"Fíli, no!" He hears Thorin bark as though from a world away as his fingers close around gold.
There is a searing pain in his fingers that races up his arm and lances through his head. He thinks he yells, but has no idea whether it is him or someone else. The song of the Arkenstone, which is still upon the sword strapped to his hip, roars in his mind and changes from something distant and beautiful into an agonised shriek as his vision fills with flames which wreath a great eye that races towards him. There is a flash of pain in his cheek and the iron taste of blood in his mouth and the ring clatters back onto the floor where it seems to exude malice.
"What did you see?" Gandalf demands of him and Fíli turns his eyes from Thorin, who is looking down at him in concern, to the wizard.
"I saw fire," he says softly.
"So I was right," Thorin declares, "it is his."
"I fear so," Gandalf mutters. "And its return may well have been his goal in convincing the White to steal the Arkenstone."
"It cannot remain here," Thorin snarls.
"I fear that, indeed it must," Gandalf disagrees. "With the exception of Erebor, Moria is perhaps the most defensible stronghold in all of Middle Earth. Until we can find some way to reach Mount Doom without bringing all of our enemy's forces down upon us this is the best place for it."
"I will not have such evil in my father's Halls once more!" Thorin declares.
"But they are no longer your father's Halls, Thorin, son of Durin," Gandalf's tone is almost unbearably smug, "they are Fíli's now. Only he has the power to force the ring's removal. We should send for, and consult, Lord Elrond and the Lady Galadriel. They will be able to advise us on how best to deal with the situation now that it has arisen." Fíli stares at the two of them with wide eyes. "Let the ring remain with Bilba, she seems to have been entirely unaffected by the thing."
"What is it?" Fíli demands as Bilba declares that she wants nothing to do with it.
"Better that you do not know, lad," Thorin shakes his head.
"If I'm supposed to be king here, I think I should know what Gandalf is telling me to hide here!" Fíli disagrees. "And I should have known what I was walking into in that throne room too! I'm not a child, Thorin, will you stop treating me like one and tell me what that thing is!"
"For someone who claims not to be a child," Thorin begins, only to be cut off by Gandalf.
"Fíli is correct, he should know, if only so that he can guard his own mind against the games that the thing will play," the wizard gives the ring a baleful look. "For Eru's sake, Bilba, take the ring and put it back wherever you've been hiding it. I would prefer that this remain between the four of us until we have spoken to those who may have a better idea of how to handle this than I." Bilba looks at the ring and pulls a face, but after a moment she takes a breath and does as the wizard has asked.
"This is a bad idea," Thorin hisses.
"They need to know," Gandalf says, "Bilba needs to know what manner of thing she is hiding, Fíli needs to know what he is protecting." He looks at them both seriously as Thorin goes to keep watch at the door. "You have heard of the rings of power, have you not?" He asks. Fíli and Bilba both shake their heads. "What have you been teaching him, Thorin?" He demands.
"I have been keeping him safe," Thorin replies haughtily, "he has time to learn yet."
"In times gone by rings of power were made by the elf smith Celebrimbor and one he knew only as Annatar, whom he believed to be a friend," Gandalf begins. "With Annatar's help sixteen rings were made, nine of these were given to the Men and seven of them to the Dwarf Lords. Three others, which were given to the elves, were also made though they were touched by Celebrimbor's hands alone. Whether he made them alone because he wished to craft such perfection alone, or if he knew that Annatar was not who he seemed to be no one can really be certain. All we know is that Annatar was, in fact, Sauron, who had once held the name Mairon and served Aulë before he had turned from the light. Another ring was made, in secret, by Sauron designed to bring all bearers of those rings he had created with Celebrimbor's help under his dominion. The One Ring of Power, cut from his hand by Isildur during the Last Alliance of elves, Men and dwarves. Isildur kept it, rather than destroy it, and upon his untimely death it was lost. How it came to be in the possession of the creature you took it from, Bilba, I know not, but it will seek its master, and corrupt anyone it may in order to return to him."
"Then you should take it!" Bilba replies, holding the ring out to the wizard once more. For a moment, Fíli thinks that Gandalf will accept the offer as his hand hovers over the tiny one of the hobbit. Then he snatches his hand back.
"It is too great a temptation for me, Bilba Baggins," he says, "I would not be able to resist using it to do good. It would corrupt me without my even noticing it happening. That you have held onto it for months, that you have used it even, and remained so good and caring is a testament to your good character. For you to offer to return it… I know of none who would be able to resist its call, let alone be able to give it away after holding it for such a time. Isildur, indeed, surrendered to its call within mere hours."
"And you expect me to just keep it?" Bilba demands.
"You are the safest option," Gandalf replies.
"Will you send for the others?" Thorin asks from the door.
"They are already on their way for young Fíli's coronation, the ravens were sent out upon our arrival last night," Gandalf shrugs. "I see no need to let word of this out into the world until they have arrived."
"Coronation?" Fíli asks weakly.
"Of course," Thorin nods. "You have come to claim your throne, it is time to make it official."
"But I don't want the throne!" He objects. "I don't want to be king."
"That is unfortunate," Gandalf observes, "but you have no choice in the matter. By right of your birth, and by the will of that stone, you are the king of this realm. Now that the ring has come back into the world Moria will need her king if she is to survive. Like it or not, that is you."
A.N:No, your eyes did not deceive you. I have, in fact, posted the final chapter of this part of the story. As I was writing the next couple I realised that I was going to have to diverge slightly from my format of chapters from either Fili or Bilba's POVs and add in a few others. Keeping that in mind, and the fact that there is going to be a shift in roles for so many people. I decided to go back to the original thought I had when I started the rewrite and split it into two stories. The next one, Jewel of Durin: Ring (because while my imagination goes to brilliant places when I'm writing I suck at giving things titles) will start in about three weeks when I've built up a little bit more of a buffer.
