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Ok, now to find out more about these invaders!

Get 'em, Thorin!

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Chapter 106

~X~

Thorin had seen Sier and Marigold whisk the children into the bedchamber, and he could only hope they would be wise enough to make use of the secret tunnels, getting everyone to safety. Yet once he heard the door shut and lock behind him, he turned his full attention to the approaching enemies, his sword ringing out as it clashed with another. Thorin had no idea who these dwarves were, though if he had to guess, they appeared to be Blacklocks. Dealings with that particular dwarf clan were often strained, their leader always demanding more and more concessions that Thorin found rather unreasonable. Still, he had thought they had made progress over the past few years, possibly even working towards a respectable trade relation. Apparently he had been mistaken. Yet how had they come to be in his mountain, and able to attack him in his private chambers no less? Where were his personal guards? Since each were loyal to a fault, and willing to lay down their lives to protect their king and queen…Thorin got the sinking feeling that they were all dead.

Unfortunately, he had little time to contemplate this thought as his attention was drawn back to the fight. Thorin blocked and spun, bringing Orcrist around to slice through the belly of the one who had attacked him. Yet before his opponent even hit the floor, two more were coming directly at him, axes and blades raised. He could see that Dori, Ori and Gloin were attempting to fend off attackers as well, but he could not seem to find Balin in all the commotion. That is, until they heard a loud shout from off to the side, it was the raspy voiced dwarf, and his words stopped everyone in their tracks.

"Cease this resistance! Lay down your arms, or your king dies!" the enemy dwarf shouted. And when all turned towards his voice, what they saw caused their blood to run cold. There he was, standing with Balin in front of him, his blade placed at their friend's throat, and a look of menacing evil in his eyes. "Drop your weapons…or I drop him!"

Thorin's eyes narrowed, seeing that their enemies now had the upper hand. He was instantly reminded of those three trolls they encountered on their journey, holding Bilbo by his arms and legs, all threatening to pull him apart if they did not surrender. And just like then…Thorin knew he had no choice but to capitulate. They couldn't let Balin die.

With a growl of anger, he threw down his blade, allowing Orcrist to clatter on the floor in front of him. The other dwarves reluctantly followed suit, and the moment they were all unarmed, the remaining intruders surrounded the four of them and forced them to their knees. Within moments they were bound, hand and foot, as they knelt there, glaring daggers at the vile dwarf who still held Balin's life in his hands. Once he was certain that the others were no longer a threat, the black haired dwarf shoved Balin away from him, practically making the older advisor stumble and fall. He too was quickly tied up beside the others, forced to his knees and unable to fight back.

"So…at long last I have you at my mercy, King Thorin," the lead dwarf said, walking back and forth in front of his prisoners. "All our planning has apparently paid off. And soon, Erebor will be mine."

"Over my dead body!" Thorin barked out, his head still encased in the helmet he had put on seconds before Balin had opened the door.

"Silence, slug!" their captor warned, aiming his blade at Thorin's neck. "Do not forget your place…I was addressing your king, not his disrespectful lackey."

Thorin opened his mouth to inform this upstart that he was in fact speaking to the king, but Balin's voice cut him off.

"Then care to tell me…the king…who would be so bold as to attack Erebor?" Balin spit out, playing his part well. He then looked over at Thorin, conveying his thoughts with only a glance. This was his way of protecting his king…even if it meant masquerading as such in order to do it.

"But of course," the burly dwarf answered, giving Balin a mocking bow. "I am Hagen, son of Haken, Lord of the Rhȗn Mountains and leader of the Blacklocks."

"I know your father," Balin hissed, eying the younger dwarf menacingly. "He has always bargained for peace with the Longbeard clan…he would never have sanctioned this!"

"Perhaps not," Hagen nodded thoughtfully. "But my father grows old and much of the ruler ship has fallen on my shoulders. And long has it been a thorn in my side to hear that a son of Durin has chosen to wed a lass of inferior race, thus deluding the blood of kings. My father might not have the stones to act on behalf of his people, and our values…but I do! So, I chose not to inform him of my plans. However, I am certain when I return with the Arkenstone in my hand, and the crown of Erebor's king on my head, he will hardly be complaining."

"The Arkenstone?" Balin gasped, pulling back slightly. "You have no right! It is the King's Jewel!" Granted, after taking the mountain, Thorin had ordered the Arkenstone locked away in the deepest vault, not daring to set it above the throne like his grandfather had previously done. In his eyes, the jewel had caused nothing but trouble, and while it did bestow upon him the right to rule…Thorin wanted nothing to do with that accursed stone.

"Well, since I plan on taking over as king…then it should rightly be mine," Hagen reasoned.

"You will never get away with this!" Gloin seethed, struggling against his bonds. "You may have been able to sneak in here…but you will never make it out of the mountain alive."

"Oh, I beg to differ," their black haired enemy scoffed. "For you see, I have been planning this attack for some time now. And I have amassed quite an army, each dwarf willing to fight and die for our cause. We also obtained a great deal of useful information from several who were familiar with your kingdom …unfortunately not all could be convinced to part with such news willingly, and suffered the consequences."

At this, Hagen gave a wicked grin, one that sent shivers up Thorin's spine…they were obviously dealing with a cruel enemy, one who would not hesitate to kill.

"Through this manner we not only learned the perfect time to strike, but also how to go about practically unnoticed in doing so," Hagen continued, obviously eager to gloat over his plan. "You really should increase your security when inviting any and all to come before you in open audience, mighty king. It took very little effort for myself and a few of my warriors to slip in among the throng." He then stepped closer to Balin, eyeing him thoughtfully. "For some reason, I imagined that you would be younger. From all the tales I have heard of the Mighty Thorin Oakenshield, I expected…more."

"Untie my hands and give me a weapon, and I will show you just how much formitable I can be!" Balin growled, more than a bit offended by his words. "I might appear old, but I could still best a whelp like you in a fight."

"Ah, there's the spirit I was expecting," he nodded, apparently impressed with Balin's retort. "Now, I suppose you wouldn't be so inclined to just hand over the Arkenstone and make this easier on yourself, would it?"

"Go to Mordor!" Balin spat, letting him know they would receive no help from them.

"As you wish," Hagen nodded, apparently fully expecting them to offer resistance. "We will simply have to do this the hard way then." He turned and looked at the remainder of his cohorts, two were dead, three were wounded, but the rest appeared ready and able to do his bidding. "Sorenz, Boresh, search every room! These are the royal chambers, thus his little hobbit queen has to be here somewhere." Two of the dwarves headed for the other rooms, kicking at the doors until they finally gave way.

When Thorin saw them bust their way into his bedchambers, he silently prayed that his wife and daughter, as well as his two nieces, had made good their escape. His instincts were screaming at him to fight, to tell them that he was the king, and offer himself up as leverage so that his friends might go free. And yet, he knew the wisdom of what his cousin was doing. If they believed Balin to be the king, they might not pay as much attention to Thorin, and perhaps he could find a way to get free and overpower this Hagen character. It was not the most thought-out plan, but for now it was all they had…and he would not risk it by letting his pride get the better of him.

Hagen then turned back around and assessed the four other prisoners before him. He walked over to stand before Dori, leveling his sword at his throat.

"You…what is your name and position?" he demanded.

Dori held his tongue, refusing to speak, even when the tip of the blade began to dig painfully into his skin. Yet before more than a trickle of blood could be spilt, Hagen apparently had a better idea and walked over to Ori…placing a deadly looking dagger on the now frightened dwarf's cheek.

"Perhaps if I start on the youngest of your group you will change your mind? I will ask once more," he informed them all, noting that their expressions grew dark with rage. "Tell me your names and your positions, or I will carve out his eyes while you watch."

"Dori! I'm called Dori," the oldest of the three brothers almost yelled, eager to protect Ori at all cost. "I'm head of textiles in the mountain. Cloth, weaving, anything of that nature."

"Very good," Hagen nodded, looking down at Ori next. "And you?"

"I…I'm Ori…the head scribe," he stammered, pulling back as far as possible to get away from the sharp point of the blade.

"Ah, brothers I see," the dwarf commented, taking note of the similarity of their names. He then looked over at Gloin and Thorin. "How about you two?"

"Gloin, son of Groin, and I'm in charge of the treasury," he grumbled, hating the idea of being forced to reveal anything.

"I…" Thorin began, still fighting the urge to speak the truth, yet the insistence in his companions' eyes forced him to lie. "I am Dwalin…son of Fundin, and I am Erebor's war chief."

"Dwalin is it?" Hagen nodded, apparently familiar with the name. "I have heard of you."

"Then you know that I will personally rip your heart out if given the chance," he seethed, figuring that was rather close to what his cousin would have said if he had truly been in his place.

"Would you now? Then I suppose I best not give you that chance," Hagen chuckled, signaling to another dwarf to come to his side. "Nosh, you and several others, take our friend Dori here and have him show you where the quarantine bell is located. Make the announcement and then fetch a healer from the sick rooms, we have wounded that need tending."

At hearing their plan, Thorin's heart sank into his stomach. The quarantine bell was only rung when there was a danger of sickness spreading through the mountain. It confined everyone to their own chambers, leaving hardly anyone moving about in the mountain, and only a small amount of guards and soldiers on duty. It had not been used in many years, and even then, only a mild case of the scarlet throat had driven them to implement it. Yet in such confined spaces, the threat of an infectious illness was nothing to be taken lightly. These villains had apparently done their research, and much to Thorin's horror…their plan just might work.

The one called Nosh cut Dori's ropes, and grabbed him roughly by the arm, a small dagger held at his side threateningly.

"Now, Master Dori," Hagen said in a warning tone. "You will do just as you are told, and if you even blink at another dwarf wrong, not only will you die where you stand, but I will personally slit each and every one of your companions' throats in retaliation…starting with your little brother here. Do you understand me?"

Dori's eyes were full of hate as he glared at his captors. Yet after one glance at his brother and friends, he knew they had him over a barrel. He would gladly give his own life for each of them…yet he would never do anything to risk theirs. So he nodded reluctantly, willing to comply with Hagen's orders. Once they had his word that he would do as he was told, Nosh and the other guards escorted him out the door.

Just then Sorenz and Boresh reappeared from the other rooms, and much to Thorin's relief, they were alone.

"We searched everywhere, there's no one else here," they reported.

"What?" Hagen hissed. "Impossible! I personally saw someone go in there! Where could they be?" He then turned to Balin with a seething glare. "Where is your queen?"

"Long gone," Balin informed him smugly. "You will not be able to use her against me."

"Perhaps not, but she can't hide from me forever," he threatened. "And until then, I still have you three as leverage." Hagen then grabbed Ori by the front of his tunic and hauled him to his feet. "How about you and I do a little scribe work, yes?"

He then shoved the young dwarrow over to a desk, cutting his hands free as he slapped a piece of parchment down in front of him. Ori looked up at his captor and then over to his king and friends for direction. Apparently angered that the young dwarrow did not immediately cower and concede to his orders, Hagen grabbed him by the hair and pulled his head back, exposing Ori's throat to the dagger that the angry dwarf placed against it.

"I give the orders here, not him!" Hagen snarled. "Now, write what I say…or do you wish to die?"

"Do as he says, laddie," Balin spoke up quickly, unwilling to see the young scribe killed for taking an unnecessary stand. They had to bide their time, and strike when it was the most advantageous.

"Here's what you will write," Hagen insisted, rattling off a list of instructions as Ori scribbled frantically, trying to keep up with the forced dictation. The first one was directed to the temporary captain of the guards, seeing as Dwalin was currently out of the mountain. It told him to take the four remaining battalions and ride to the Iron Hills, apparently to offer escort for his visit in four weeks. The second letter he was forced to pen was to the raven keepers, ordering them to abandon their posts and lock up the aviary, for fear that whatever illness was going around could be contagious to birds as well. The last was addressed to the door warden, ordering him and his soldiers to step down and confine themselves to their quarters, and that a secret company, handpicked by the king, would be taking over guard duty until the danger of infection was past. When these were finished, Hagen had Balin brought over, cutting his bonds as he shoved the quill in his hand.

"Now sign them, and no tricks!" he ordered.

Balin was stuck. If he did as he was told, everyone would recognize that it was not the king who did the signing…for their style of writing was vastly different, and he had never had to learn how to forge Thorin's signature. Yet, thankfully, he knew of someone who could.

"I…I don't think I can," he explained, flexing his fingers stiffly. "Those ropes cut off my circulation…I can hardly feel anything, let alone write my name." Yet before Hagen could get angry or lash out, he continued. "But Ori can sign my name almost better than me. He can do it and no one will know the difference."

Hagen glared at Balin for a moment, before looking around the desk, sifting through papers until he found one with Thorin's signature on it. Nodding for Ori to comply, he watched as the scribe wrote the name Thorin Oakenshield with a flourish. Hagen took the pages, compared the signature to the one in his hand, and after giving a nod of satisfaction, he folded them up and gave them to several of his cohorts.

"Now, take these and see that the orders are carried out," he insisted. "Take that one over there with you to the soldiers' quarters." Hagan pointed at Gloin. "And this little scribe can go with you to deliver the one to the door wardens. Having them along will help add authenticity to the orders. Once they are gone, let the rest of our company in, we will need every one of them to secure this mountain and find the Arkenstone." Hagen then glared menacingly at both Ori and Gloin. "But one wrong move and your king will be the first to fall…understand?"

Both nodded in agreement, yet neither one appeared happy about it, and soon they were being forced from the room, off to complete their assignments.

"Now what?" Balin asked as they rebound his restraints, glaring at his captors with hate in his eyes.

"Now we wait," Hagen informed them. "Soon all the residents will be confined to their quarters and we will be able to move around the mountain more freely. And you…oh, temporary king, will tell me where you have hidden the Arkenstone."

"And if I refuse?" Balin questioned, narrowing his eyes at the vile dwarf.

"Oh…but you won't," he hissed, leaning in just a bit closer. "For you have already shown me your weakness, Thorin Oakenshield. You actually care for those under you, for your people…and especially your little hobbit queen. And all these things I will use against you, to get exactly what I desire…your throne!" And with that, he reached out and snatched the crown off Balin's head, placing it on his own with what could only be described as maniacal glee.

Thorin had already guessed that they were dealing with a highly disturbed and unstable dwarf, one who could not be trusted to act honorably in any manner. Yet this had just solidified it. Dwarves did not attack and kill other dwarves…it was unthinkable! And yet, here they were, held hostage by members of their own kind, murderers even, if Thorin's suspicions were in fact true.

They were all in very deep trouble.

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Meanwhile, out in the main square of Erebor, Dori had indeed done just as directed, ringing the quarantine bell and giving the order for everyone to sequester themselves in their own quarters until further notice. Since Dori was such a well-known figure in the mountain, being one of the famous company of Thorin Oakenshield, no one questioned his authority to do so. As protocol dictated, the gates to the mountain were shut and no one was allowed to enter or exit without direct permission from the king. Dori felt terrible as he gave the orders, knowing that by doing so he was playing right into their enemy's hands, and yet, what else could he do? His friends, his king, and his brother's lives depended on it. Still, it made him sick to his stomach to think about invaders inside the walls of Erebor.

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Marigold, Sier and the children had just reached what they believed to be the secret door to Dis' chambers, when they heard the loud gong of the quarantine bell. Even in the dark halls behind the thick stone walls it was quite clear, and the two lasses looked at each other in surprise. This couldn't be a coincidence. It had to all be connected with the attack on the king and the mountain. They knew they needed to hurry if they were going to find anyone able to help them.

Feeling around once more, Sier located the trigger that opened the secret door, pushing against it as slowly as possible just in case they might encounter an enemy. What they did find, however, was Dis - armed with a blade and pointing it towards the wall from which they were entering.

"Dis! It's me…Sier!" she cried, holding up her hands in surrender.

"Sier?" the older dam questioned with a notable sigh of relief. "What on earth is going on? They just rang the quarantine bell and when I stepped out into the hall I saw several strange dwarves guarding the entrance to the royal chambers. Where is Thorin?"

"The mountain is under attack," Sier explained, ushering Marigold and the children into Dis' bedchambers.

"Auntie Dis!" Rose cried, rushing forward and throwing herself into her arms. "We had to leave Adad behind! I'm scared!"

"A group of armed dwarves stormed into our chambers and attacked!" Marigold continued, trying to fill Dis in. "Thorin, Balin, Dori, Gloin and Ori were still fighting when we escaped through the secret tunnels. We didn't know what else to do."

"You did the right thing," Dis assured them. "The lives of the children come first, Thorin would have insisted on it." She placed a kiss on Rose's cheek and set her niece down.

Dis walked over to a small cabinet and pulled out another sword, looking at the two she now held before handing one to each of the dams. She then turned her head and stared at the blade that hung on the wall over her desk…it had been Flinn's. Thorin had brought it back to her after the battle that taken her husband's life, along with the pendant she always wore. Dis had intended to present it to Fili on the day he became king, but until then, she preferred to keep it close, the sight of it a constant reminder of her lost love. Well, now she had a need for it, and Flinn's was the only other weapon she had on hand. She didn't think he would mind if she used it…just this once. So reaching up, she took it down, testing the grip in her hand as she familiarized herself with its weight.

It was an excellent sword, once handcrafted by Thorin himself. Her brother had made two exactly alike, one for Flinn, and the other for Frerin – a gift for the two sword-brothers. It had been a source of great pride between them, to own such fine blades, and they had always taken excellent care of them. Dis knew that Thorin still kept Frerin's blade locked away, a treasured memento from their beloved brother. With a heavy sigh, she pulled herself from her thoughts and returned to the more pressing situation at hand.

"We need to find help and rally whatever troops we can. Yet with everyone sent to their homes in quarantine, we might find it more difficult than we'd like. Do you know who these villains are and what they want?" Dis asked.

"No, we didn't have time to get a good look at them, yet the one who appeared in charge spoke with an accent like those from the Blacklock clan," Sier revealed, patting Freya on the back as the little lass' sobs at last quieted.

"Blacklocks, is it?" Dis seethed. "Can't say I am surprised by that, but what does shock me is how those scoundrels managed to get inside the mountain! I fear that there is treachery afoot."

"Perhaps Thorin and the others fought them off," Marigold offered, desperate hope laced in her tone.

"I would love to think that as well, but with the ringing of the quarantine bell…I fear that is not the case," Dis said with a shake of her head. "Thus, it is up to us." She then walked out of her bedroom, and they could hear her doing something in the kitchen area. Before long she returned, holding a basket full of food and several water skins. After bolting the door behind her, Dis grabbed a couple of spare cloaks, and some shawls for the children, handing them to Marigold and Sier. "Here, we will need these in the tunnels, no telling how long we will have to make use of them before we can get this sorted out. We need to make our way down to Bifur, Bergie and Dena's chambers next."

"Are there tunnels to the lower apartments as well?" Marigold asked, having been told it was only the royal suites that had them.

"Shafts were cut to all the company's chambers right after we retook the mountain," Dis nodded. "It created a bit of a maze, and the way is complicated, but I think I recall how to get there. Now let's get going, before things get any worse."

"I don't know how things could get any worse than they already are," Marigold whispered, taking hold of Rose's hand as they all filed back into the dark tunnels. And yet, as she saw her own fear mirrored in the eyes of Dis and Sier…she had a sinking feeling they were about to find out.

Well things sure do not look good for everyone in Erebor...however, Dis has a sword and a bunch of dams at her command...Hagen and those Blacklocks don't stand a chance!

Balin is such a brave and resorcefull dwarf...pretending to be Thorin to protect his king. So sweet.

Next chapter we get to see what is going on with the mission again. More Kili and Tauriel.

Guest Reviews:

Attention: If I have missed any of my guest reviews, please forgive me. The FF site has been acting up a bit lately, and some of them got lost and were not transferred to my E-Mail account until just recently. Very strange. Sorry.

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abc: Well, he knows all he needs to know for NOW. He might want more information later...but that can wait. I hope you found the answers you wanted in this chapter about who the bad dwarves are and why they attacked. Caught you unawares did I? Good! ha ha.

Guest: So you are kind of like Thorin and his dwarves, moving, taking everything with you, a nomad, fleeing a fire breathing dragon...well, maybe not so much the last part. ha ha. Hope your move is successful. And yes, I didn't want any of you to become complacent...so I like to shake things up now and again with a shocker or two. ha ha.

Aranel Mereneth: So far he is the least dumb during...but let's not count him out of the running yet. ha ha. There is still so much more story to go. And I hope you now know more about who the baddies are and how they got in. You can rest assured that Thorin will be fixing the holes in his defense pretty darn fast after this...assuming he lives through it. *wink wink*

Guest: No need to go back and see if you can find any hints as to who these bad dwarves are and why they are there. They were not sent by Bina or Colm, if that was what you were thinking. ha ha. But I have been planning this attack since...well...around chapter 50? Fili taught Sier well about how to be a level headed princess...that and I think her mommy instincts kicked in and she was in 'protect Freya' mode too. More to come! Thanks