Didn't expect to see me back so soon, did ya? ;)

Well, here I am! With a new chapter for you all! After leaving you waiting for a long time and after an ending like the one I gave you last, I couldn't shake the inspiration and had to continue. This one, however, was...well, let me put it this way: you're probably not gonna like me after this one :P

Either way, enjoy! :D

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After Aelin had killed Norin once and for all, she ordered everyone else to get into her boat so they could escape.

As the others climbed into the boat, Fili moved beside Aelin and asked her, "Aelin, why did you come back? Why are you not with the others?"

"There's no time. Save your questions until we get out of this place," she replied.

"But, Aelin, we need to know what's happened," he said back.

She turned to him and told him sternly, "You are really reminding me of your uncle right now, Fili. There is a bloody dragon attacking Laketown and if we stay here any longer, we will all die. Now, get in the boat."

Fili knew there was no negotiating with her, so he desisted his push for answers, did as he was told and jumped into the boat.

Aelin jumped in behind Kili as Fili and Bofur took up the oars and started rowing. "Are you all right, lad?" she asked Kili, taking a look at his neck.

"Aye, I'm fine," he answered, running his hand over his neck and brushing away the droplets of blood still on his skin. "It's just a tiny scratch."

Right then, Smaug flew right above their heads and released another wave of fire just ahead of them. The terrified screams and wails of the townspeople filled the air, combined with the boisterous roars of the dragon. They had to get out and fast.

After careful maneuvering through the burning town, they managed to reach the outside and by the time they did, Bard, whom had escaped his jail cell and they had seen trying to go up against the dragon earlier, had fired his Black Arrow and taken down Smaug. The mighty, fearsome dragon took the sky and, in the throes of death, had fallen back down into the midst of Laketown. The entire town was now on fire and towering billows of smoke overtook the skies above. Aelin and the others, along with any Laketown survivors, sailed to the edge of the Long Lake, where soon they were all clamoring ashore, wounded, horrified, traumatized and wallowing in sorrow for their losses.

Aelin and the others climbed ashore and Tauriel immediately took Sigrid and Tilda out to look for their father. Bain, in the midst of their escape, had jumped from the boat to go help his father when they saw him. The boy had yet to be seen.

"I do hope the young ones find their father," commented Oin as they watched the two girls a few yards away crying out for their father.

"So do I," added Aelin.

Bofur then looked at Aelin and then started stammering nervously, "Speaking of fathers...you...you, uh…y-you..."

"Killed mine? Yes, Bofur, I know," she finished for him, knowing exactly what he was trying to say.

"I just...didn't think you would actually go through with it," he said.

She shrugged. "I never held any love for him. He was a criminal. He abandoned me. He wronged me. He threatened me and also Kili. He was insane. I had no connection to him other than blood and clearly, that meant nothing to him, so I had absolutely no qualms about ending his life. It's what he deserved and this world is now better off for it."

"And...you're all right?" Kili asked, concerned.

In response, she nodded and replied, "I am. I'm perfectly fine."

Fili finally walked up to her and said, "Aelin, what happened back at the mountain? Why were you not with the rest of the company?"

This was the part Aelin wasn't looking forward to talking about. She didn't know what her friends would think of her after hearing she had left. Would they understand? More than likely, no, they wouldn't. They would think she was mad for leaving or for even remotely thinking that Aelin would jeopardize Thorin's chances of being King. It was time to come clean and she braced herself.

"Actually...I left," she admitted through a sigh.

All four of the other Dwarves looked taken aback and gave each other bewildered looks.

"What do you mean you left?" asked Bofur.

"I had seen Norin the night before we left and he said some things to me that ended up toying with my mind," Aelin explained. "He told me that if I stayed with Thorin, his people would judge him for choosing a former thief as his Queen and therefore, they would question his judgement and possibly rebel against him. Norin told me I would ruin Thorin's chances at being King...and I believed him. I felt I couldn't do that to Thorin and that I had no choice. They opened the door to the mountain and afterwards, I left."

Fili went up to her and gently grasped her head. "Aelin, what were you thinking?" he questioned. "You know bloody well that Thorin would never let the judgements of others influence his choices, especially when it comes to whom he chooses as his Queen! Besides, you would prove every naysayer wrong and show them that you are fit to be Queen, one worthy of Thorin Oakenshield! We already think you are worthy of him; I'm sure that the rest of Thorin's followers will think so, too."

Aelin diverted her gaze. "I don't know, Fili…," she began to doubt.

"Look at me, Aelin," Fili ordered firmly. When her green eyes were connected with his again, he went on, "I have not spent days on this journey watching the two of you grow closer and form a love that even the gods would be jealous of to then see it fall apart over something so trivial. More importantly, I am not going to let the words of that heartless Dwarf that fathered you obscure your mind. Thorin will not let anyone speak ill of you. He will defend his decision in having you rule beside him."

"As will we," added Kili. "If Fili and I and the rest of the company approve of you, then the rest of our people should follow."

Then Oin spoke up, "Aye, the lads speak true."

A tiny smile formed on her lips. "I appreciate that, my friends," she began, "but even if I go back...I don't know if Thorin will forgive me. I didn't tell him about my father; I made it seem as if it was all my own doing."

Fili then took Aelin's head and brought it forward, touching his forehead to hers. "Thorin loves you, Aelin," he said softly. "He may hold grudges easily, but if you just explain everything to him, I have no doubt he will forgive you. It simply was a moment of weakness, which we all have. We will help you, if needed. He listens to Kili and me."

"But as of right now, you are not going any further from here. You're coming back to the mountain with us, even if we have to tie you up and throw you back into the boat," Bofur declared.

Aelin chuckled as she pulled back from Fili. Then she shook her head. "I really made a terrible mistake," she said. "I never should have left. But how do we know if Thorin and the others are even still alive?"

"That's why we're going to go back. Unless we find proof otherwise, I am holding on to the hope that they all survived, but we need to see for ourselves if they are alive or dead," Fili answered her.

"You're right. Then we need to go now," said Aelin.

Just then, Kili looked past her and said, "Just a moment." He proceeded to walk past her and, when she followed where he was going with her eyes, she saw him heading towards Tauriel.

As she grew curious watching him interact with the Elf, Fili moved beside her and said quietly,, as if she knew what he was thinking "Kili's developed a bit of a fancy for her."

"Hmm, I see," she replied.

While Kili spoke to Tauriel and said his goodbyes, Aelin, Fili, Oin and Bofur got their boat turned back around and ready to push back off onto the lake. When they were ready, Fili called out for his brother, Kili met back up with them and they set off to sail back across the lake towards the mountain. Aelin looked back at the shore, hoping that all of the poor people of Laketown would be all right and that they would find some sort of refuge. More than anything, she hoped that Bard made it out and that he and his son would find his two daughters. She hated the thought of those two girls now all alone. Hopefully, they would be all right, too.

They made their way back across the lake until the reached the shores at the bottom of the mountain and the five of them started their climb up the mountainside. Every once in a while, they would have to slow down a little for Kili, who was still adjusting to his newly healed leg and the climb was a bit strenuous. That led to Fili, Kili, Oin and Bofur recounting to Aelin everything that had happened since they had parted ways before, which helped her better understand how Kili was suddenly able to walk so well and why her father had gone after them when she had found them.

Very soon, they found themselves approaching the gates of Erebor. Aelin felt a different entering the mountain through this way instead of through the hidden door like she originally would have. It was a mighty stone gate with giant Dwarven statues on either side. However, they could see that the gates were destroyed, most likely from when Smaug had left the mountain. That only reminded them of their worry of whether or not their friends had all survived whatever had happened inside the mountain prior to Smaug's attack on Laketown. The five of them dashed inside the mountain as quickly as they could.

"Hello?" Bofur cried out into the empty hall. "Bombur? Bifur? Anybody?"

"Where is everyone?" asked Kili.

"Do not give up yet. Let's keep looking. There are plenty of places they could be," stated Fili.

The five of them traversed on through the mountain, down a series of steps, looking for any sign of life within.

Finally, they heard a familiar, small voice cry out, "Wait! Wait!"

"It's Bilbo!" cried Oin.

"He's alive!" Aelin added in relief.

He came sprinting towards them from another smaller corridor, worry etched in his expression as he yelled, "Stop! Stop, stop!" He approached them and said sternly, "You need to leave. We all need to leave."

"We only just got here," said Bofur, perplexed as to why Bilbo would say such a thing.

Still a little breathless, Bilbo said in a huffy voice, "I've tried talking to him, but he won't listen."

"What do you mean, laddie?" asked Oin.

"Thorin!" Bilbo abruptly answered.

"Thorin?" Aelin repeated with concern. "What are you talking about? What's happened?"

"He's been down there for a long time," the Hobbit explained. "He doesn't sleep...he barely eats. He's not been himself...not at all. It's this place. I believe a sickness lies on it."

"Sickness? What kind of sickness?" asked Kili.

Something about Bilbo's description of Thorin's behavior sounded familiar to Aelin, but she couldn't place why. Where had she heard words like that before? However, just as Bilbo said "a sickness lies on it", she remembered exactly where she had heard it all before and the cold hand of fear clutched at her heart.

"Oh, no…!" she gasped quietly as she recalled words exchanged between her and Thorin on their last night in Rivendell.

"Do you know of the sickness that runs within my family?"

"No, I can't say I do."

"It's a sickness of the mind. The firstborn sons in my family are draw to gold and treasure. They crave it and lust after it above anything else in the world; above food, drink, sleep or any other worldly pleasure. I watched my grandfather succumb to it...it changed him completely...earlier tonight, I overheard the Elf Lord tell Gandalf that he is certain I shall fall, as well."

She exchanged a worried glance with Fili, who was mirroring the same look. Something told her that Fili knew what was wrong, too,

"Bilbo, where is Thorin now?" Aelin asked.

He pointed down to a lit room down the stairs and answered, "In the treasure room."

Without a second thought, Fili and Aelin took off down the stairs with Bilbo calling out for them behind them. They didn't care, though. They could both sense that something was terribly wrong and they had to see Thorin right away.

The two of them rounded the corner, with Bilbo, Kili, Bofur and Oin right behind them, into the treasure room and they stopped as they beheld the vast pile of treasure that stretched for what seemed like miles.

"The stories I've heard of the vast wealth of Erebor were true…," commented Aelin to herself. Were she still a thief, this would have been the greatest score she could ever achieve!

Just after she said that, a one-word whisper echoed on the walls, "Gold."

Their eyes all looked to see Thorin suddenly appear, walking on the gold, dressed in a fine, black fur cape that trailed behind him. He was looking down at the gold, having hardly taken any notice of the newcomers in the chamber.

"Gold, beyond measure...beyond sorrow and grief…," he said out loud, his words almost slurring together as if he were half paying attention to what he was saying as he kept his attention down on the gold at his feet.

Already, Aelin could tell that something was wrong. Thorin was different now and she didn't like the uneasy sensation that arose within her chest.

His head lifted and he found the others looking down at him. All he did was stare at them for a moment. There was no smile or cry of happiness at their arrival and seeing them alive; no joy to be found at all. Only a simple blank stare as if they had walked in on a private moment.

Everyone looked down at him, unsure of what to think, as the first thing he then said to them was, "Behold...the great treasure horde of Thror." Then his eyes diverted back to the gold, a satisfied grin inching upward.

"Oh, Thorin...what has happened to you?" Aelin thought sadly to herself.

Right then, Thorin thrust his arm up and hurled something in their direction. It flew straight to Fili, which he caught before it could hit him. It was a ruby the size of a large stone. He looked at it curiously before returning his gaze back down at Thorin.

"Welcome, my sister-sons...to the kingdom of Erebor," Thorin greeted them in an almost ominous-sounding tone.

When none of them had no reply, Thorin simply turned away and resumed gluing his eyes to the gold throughout the room.

"This isn't right…," commented Fili, who nonchalantly dropped the ruby in his hands back down to the pile of gold below.

"How long has he been like this?" asked Kili to Bilbo.

"Since Smaug was killed," Bilbo answered. "Once he heard us say that the dragon was dead, he came straight into this room and he hasn't come out since."

"That was hours ago!" said Aelin in a hushed voice.

"I know," said Bilbo back. "We've all taken a rest and eaten since then, but he won't have any of it. He refused to leave this room as if he's afraid it'll be taken from him again. That and he's searching for the Arkenstone. He made everyone start searching for it earlier and when they all kept saying they couldn't find it, he threw us all out."

Bofur then asked, excitedly, "The others? They're all alive?"

Bilbo smiled and sighed, "Yes, everyone is alive and unharmed."

"Take us to them," said Fili.

"You all go on," Aelin told them. She looked back to Thorin wandering the room. "I need to talk to him."

"Good luck," Bilbo said to her. "I'm hoping now that you, Fili and Kili are back, he'll maybe listen to, at least, one of you."

She gave him and the others a reassuring nod and then they all went off with Bilbo to find the rest of the company. Then she proceed down the stairs towards the lower entrance of the treasure room.

This was the moment Aelin had been dreading since returning to the mountain and now she was even more nervous upon realizing that Thorin was falling prey to the sickness he had told her about. That and after seeing him just then, she knew for certain that he was definitely not himself. She had no idea how this conversation was going to go.

As she entered into the treasure chamber and made her way through the gold, she eventually spotted Thorin again with his back to her. She wrung her hands together nervously as she approached him.

"Thorin…," she simply said to alert him to her presence there.

He remained motionless, his back still facing her. Then his neck craned a little to the side and, without looking at her, he said flatly, "So you have returned."

"Aye, I have," she said back.

He was silent.

She kept going, "Thorin, I am truly sorry. I never should have left and I realized that at as I was sailing across the Long Lake. I would have returned sooner, but that was just as Smaug left the mountain and attacked Laketown. I was closer to the town, so I went to help Fili and Kili and the others, but-"

"So you chose my sister-sons over me."

Aelin was cut short and taken aback by this reply and Thorin was still refusing to look at her. "What? No!" she said back. "No, it's not like that. I was already halfway to Laketown, so I knew I could get there faster and get them and our friends out of there."

"You could have come back," said Thorin.

Now she was getting frustrated. "Thorin, I didn't know if you were even dead or alive! If you would just let me explain-"

"Yet you chose to go to Laketown instead of returning to Erebor to find out."

"Would you rather I had let Fili and Kili die?!"

She had said that last question rather loudly and it echoed in the large chamber. Finally, it made Thorin turn around and actually look her in the eye. He glared at her with cold eyes that penetrated her soul and instinctively, she took a step back.

"You knew I needed you here," he said in a dark voice. "I begged you to stay, yet you left my side despite everything we had been through. What am I to think when I see you return with my nephews? You did not really leave because you were afraid of what would happen to me if you were to rule at my side. You were more concerned about them and wanted to go to them instead."

"You know bloody well that's not what this is, Oakenshield," she shot back in a firm voice, reverting back to calling him by his surname.

He then turned his face up almost in disgust and asked, "Why have you come back?"

Her mouth hung ajar in astonishment. What kind of a question was that? For a second, she was silent, but then answered in disbelief, "I came back for you. I came back for Nori. I came back for the company; for my friends."

Thorin just grumbled to himself, gave her a wary side glance and turned away, walking in the opposite direction.

"Don't you walk away from me!" Aelin cried out.

"You dare speak to me in that way?" he snapped, whipping back around, his long raven hair nearly hitting his face as he did.

"Yes. I will speak to you in any way I want, especially when you're suddenly acting like this," she shot back, looking him over with astoundment.

He glared at her angrily, took a step towards her and declared, "I am your King, woman, and such behavior could be constituted as treason."

Boldly, she scoffed at him. This was sounding all too familiar. "Really? We're back to 'woman' and pulling the King card on me again? I'm getting a very strong sense of deja vu right now."

Irritated, he growled in response.

However, she stood her ground, looked him right in the eye and said back, "I've done this with you before, Oakenshield. If you didn't scare me then, you certainly won't scare me now."

He was silent, but continued to stare her down with a fierce look in his eye.

Her voice softened as she asked, "What has happened to you? I leave for not even a day and suddenly it's as if you are a completely different person."

"Are you certain that you ever really knew me?" he said coyly.

This question almost seemed to hurt Aelin as she felt a sharp twist in her heart. She brought her hand up to her chest and replied, her emotion clear in her voice, "I know who you are, Thorin. I have seen your true character. I know your darkest secrets, your deepest fears and desires. I know almost everything about you, I know I do!"

Just as the last word left Aelin's mouth, Thorin stomped towards her, grabbed her shoulders, pushed her against a towering pile of gold behind her and proceeded to firmly and passionately kiss her, pressing his strong body against hers and pinning her between him and the gold. She was caught off guard and gave in to Thorin's passion for a moment. This kiss was not gentle and sweet like it had been before. This was more similar to their very first kiss in the Trollshaws and the memories of that encounter flashed through her mind: the way Thorin had first kissed her with such hateful lust, how she had returned that same fire, the way Thorin's hands had felt up and down her body...it felt almost just like that in that moment. Their kiss was not as fiery as the one they shared back then, but the lust and desire was still there and it was stronger this time.

His lips departed from hers, but they hovered just an inch away as he whispered, "In this moment, my one deepest desire is you; to make you truly mine. Marry me, Aelin, and be my Queen."

Whatever response Aelin was about to give was caught in her throat as she heard Thorin's last words and her eyes widened. That was the last thing she had been expecting. Had he actually just proposed to her? Now, she was even more confused.

"Wh-what…?" she stammered out.

"Marry me, Aelin. Marry me and all of this can be yours. You can have all the wealth and power you wish," he stated, motioning with his arm to the entire chamber, referring to the gold. Then he turned his lust-filled eyes back to her and said, "Marry me...and I will give you the greatest pleasure that many Dwarf women have only ever wished they could know."

Aelin was at a loss for words. Of course, the thought of marrying Thorin and becoming Queen had crossed her mind, if it were any other time, she would have accepted right away. However, at that moment, his proposal didn't sit well with her. As he gazed intently at her, there was no love in his eyes; only carnal desire. He had not spoken of her happiness or the joyous future they could share, ruling Erebor together; he had only spoken of the riches and power she could obtain in becoming his Queen.

As she looked once more into his blue eyes, they almost seemed to appear blue no longer, but a glimmering gold as the treasure behind her was reflecting in them. She didn't like what she saw and she turned away. It was then she could tell that whatever this gold-sickness was that he had was truly real and he had been consumed by it. Thorin's mind was no longer his own.

"No...this isn't right…," she muttered. She directed her gaze back at Thorin and asked him, "Wealth, power and pleasure? Do you really think that's what I want?" When he simply stared at her, dumbfounded, she pushed his hands off of her shoulders and side-stepped away, removing herself from between the gold and him. Keeping her narrowed eyes on him, she went on, "You truly are mad if you think that I would accept your hand in marriage for those terms only."

"So you refuse my offer?" Thorin questioned, his voice growing dark again.

She shook her head. "I love you...but I will not marry you, Thorin. Not like this."

"Then you really are a traitor," he growled at her. "You betrayed me once by deserting me and now, by refusing me, you have betrayed me a second time."

"I will never leave you again. That, I promise you," she said in return. "You made me that very promise and now I am making it to you. I realize that was my biggest offense against you and I've learned from my mistake."

"What makes you think I even still want you here?" he snidely asked.

Even though that question cut Aelin to the core, she kept her emotions in check and reemphasized to him, "I am not going anywhere."

For a minute, their eyes kept an unwavering gaze at each other, both of them contemplating what their next move should be.

Then the silence was broken by Thorin saying with the shake of his head and once again turning away from Aelin, "I grow tired of this. Leave me."

Aelin clenched her teeth in frustration. Thorin was definitely more stubborn than usual now. As he walked away, she cried out with determination after him, "This isn't over, Thorin! This isn't you! I know the real you is still inside you somewhere and I will find a way to bring him back! I'm not giving up! Do you hear me, Thorin Oakenshield? With Mahal as my witness, If it's the last thing I do, I will bring you back to me!"

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*sigh...*

I even hate myself :P

Well, there you have it. Things with Thorin and Aelin are deeefinitely not in a good place now. They're essentially back where they started almost, except Aelin is determined to make things better, whereas before, it just happened.

So obviously Aelin leaving didn't sit well with Thorin. Next chapter, you'll find out how the rest of the company handled it. Will they be cold to her like Thorin was or will they be more welcoming and forgiving? Also, there will be a little surprise twist thrown in there, too. Whatever could it be, I wonder...? xD Stay tuned to find out!

Leave me a review or hit me up on PM and let me know what you thought!