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Congratulations to those who found the movie quote in the last chapter. It was Kili, saying "I know how I feel, I'm not afraid. You make me feel alive." Said to Tauriel on the shores of the lake in BOFA.

Now that the trouble at the mines is mostly over - just a bit of mop up - let's go back to Erebor and see what is happening there!

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Chapter 119

~X~

Thorin and the others stood up as Hagen and his soldiers returned with Balin, giving a sigh of relief as they noted their friend appeared unharmed. He had apparently done as directed, giving nothing away…or at least not anything their enemy had detected.

"You can all abandon any hope of the men from Dale coming to your aid," Hagen sneered, noting their expectant expressions. "Your king did just as ordered, sending them away with no hint as to what was truly going on inside Erebor."

Thorin knew that to be a lie…for just the sight of Balin in his raven-wing crown would have tipped Bard off. He needed to get his advisor alone, to ascertain what information had been transmitted…and what they might expect in the way of aid. Yet he knew of only one way to get rid of Hagen…to give him what he desired. Or at least make him think he was getting what he wanted. While Thorin would never give up the actual location of the Arkenstone, just in case Dis and the others had not managed to get it to safety, he would happily send them on a wild warg chase instead.

The guards unlocked the cell door and after stripping Balin of his royal emblems, they shoved him back inside, yet leaving it open in case Hagen wished for them to continue their previously interrupted interrogation. However, Hagen's anger had appeared to have softened, and he was prepared to give the king one last chance.

"Now…as you can see, there is nothing you can do to stop me from taking the mountain," he stated, pacing back and forth in front of the bars, his hands gripped tightly behind his back. "Your allies are clueless, your soldiers are gone, and no one within Erebor is wise to our invasion. Your only means of remaining alive is to do as I ask…and give me the location of the Arkenstone."

"And you can go to Mordor before I will do such a thing," Balin spat back, ready to give his life in defense of his king and home.

"Very well," Hagen sighed. "I gave you every opportunity…you brought this upon yourself." He then flicked his wrist, signaling the burly dwarves to get back in there.

Yet before any of them could step through the door, Thorin spoke up.

"Wait!" he called out, holding up his hands in a sign of surrender. "I can't allow you to do this, my king." He turned to Balin, meeting his look of shock with one of determination. "As your captain of the guard, it is my duty to see that you are protected…even if it means going against your orders to do so."

"What?" Balin said, blinking as he attempted to decipher what Thorin was saying.

"I know you would die before giving up the location of the Arkenstone, but I cannot stand by and watch you sacrifice yourself that way," Thorin stared directly at Hagen, the dwarf watching him anxiously. "I will tell you where it is. I will give you the location of the jewel…if you promise to spare the life of my king."

"Of course!" Hagen agreed, delighted that one of his prisoners was at last talking sense. "You have my word."

"Dwalin…NO!" Balin yelled, both horrified and confused at Thorin's offer. "His word is worth nothing! I forbid you to do this."

"Would you defy your king's command?" Gloin joined in, acting as if he were scandalized by this act of supposed treason. "You and all your family will be dishonored forever for this."

"Better to live with dishonor than the guilt of knowing I could have saved my king," Thorin argued.

"Exactly!" Hagen said in approval. "Just tell me where to find the stone, and everyone lives."

"It's on the lower levels," Thorin began, taking a few steps forward, as if trying to distance him from his comrades, who were looking at him with eyes of hate. "In the third treasure chamber there is a hidden door behind a large tapestry…it leads to a tunnel that will take you to where the Arkenstone is hidden in a stone chest." He then reached out and grabbed the bars, doing his best to appear worried. "But you have to take me with you…it will take you forever to find the way on your own." Thorin then glanced over at Balin, flinching slightly at the glare of death he was giving him. "And I can't stay in here now that I have defied my king this way…you have to take me with you."

Thorin hoped that his pleas sounded convincing, for it would lend credence to his supposed betrayal, still it went against every fiber of his being to beg this way. And no matter if they took him or not, he intended to make the most of his plan. If they brought him along, he would find a way to escape and come back for the others…if they left him there, at least he could learn what Balin knew and hopefully formulate a plan from that.

"Oh…I think not," Hagen said in mock sympathy, taking this moment to replace the crown and coat that Balin had been forced to relinquish. "I will not risk you trying to overpower my guards and escape, Dwalin, son of Fundin. Your reputation precedes you, and I don't dare let you out of this cell. Thus, you will remain, and we can only hope your king and comrades are the forgiving sort. If not…well, that is hardly my problem, now is it?" He gave an evil laugh as he watched the guards slam the prison doors shut, then turning, he led them away, thinking he now had everything he wanted.

When the outside doors of the prison shut, and they were alone once more, Balin and the others dropped their looks of anger and turned on Thorin in confusion.

"And what did that gain us, laddie?" Balin asked, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at Thorin. "He won't find what he is looking for and he will only come back madder than a wet hen."

"It bought us time," Thorin explained. "Time for Dis and the others to find that key of Nori's, or for us to find a way out of here on our own." He gave Balin a slight smile. "And I couldn't just stand by and watch them cut out your tongue, old friend. No matter how irritating your counsel can be at times."

"Well, thank you for that," Balin huffed, though in truth he was indeed grateful for his intervention.

"Now, tell me what you know," Thorin ordered, getting down to business. "What help can we expect from Bard?"

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While Balin explained everything to Thorin and the others, Dis and the dams were still attempting to figure out a way to get the key into the prison cells. They had eliminated using the air shaft, since the children claimed the key was too big to fit through the tiny grate. But they still had not come up with a new solution.

"What if one of us were to get captured?" Dena suggested. "We could hide the key somehow and sneak it in with us when they lock us up?"

"And who's to say they would put us in the cells with the others," Dis asked. "Why would they risk it?"

"What if I went? I could demand that they allow me to see my husband," Marigold offered, stepping up bravely. "It would make perfect sense to put me in with Thorin…I mean, Balin," she corrected, recalling that their cousin was pretending to be her husband.

"Marigold…while I commend you for your bravery, what you suggest is beyond foolish," Dis told her. "First of all, even if they did put you in with Thorin, don't you think they would search you first? The key would be taken from you before you even stepped foot in the prison cells. And according to that guard we caught, Hagen already has half his soldiers out looking for you as it is. Apparently eager to secure the queen of Erebor, in order to force Thorin's hand. You can't allow yourself to be played like that."

"Then what are we going to do?" the hobbit wailed, wishing for nothing more than her husband's comforting arms around her right then. "I can't just sit around here and do nothing…I have to help in some way!"

"We all want to help," Sier soothed, pulling the distraught queen into her embrace. "But we can't act foolishly and put our loved ones in more danger than they are already. We will think of something, I promise."

It was then that Talin stepped up, tugging on Dis' sleeve in order to get her attention.

"What if I go?" she offered. "I could say I want to see my adad. And since Uncle Thorin is pretending to be him…they would take me to see him, right?"

"Oh, sweetheart," Dena cooed, leaning down to pat the little lass on the cheek affectionately. "That is kind of you to offer, but you and your brother have already done your part. It is far too dangerous."

"Wait a moment," Dis said slowly, looking down at the brave lass with hope in her eyes. "Maybe that is not such a bad idea after all."

"What?" Marigold sputtered. "You wouldn't let me go, but you would send a child in there?"

"Think about it…Talin is not royalty, so she would not be seen as a viable bargaining chip, and they might just let hergo in. Especially if she were to throw such a fit that they do so simply to shut her up."

"But that does not solve the problem of her being searched and the key discovered," Bergie pointed out, not quite sure if she could handle her child being put in danger once again…even if it meant saving Balin and the others.

"True," Dis nodded, rubbing her chin in thought. "We would need to find a way to hide the key so that no one would find it on her." The princess looked down at Talin, with her brown curly mop of hair and sighed. "If only she had long hair, we could have woven it into a braid around the key, hiding it from view."

"I have long hair," Rose spoke up, stepping forward and pulling her dark dwarvish braid around for everyone to see. "Let me go in her place."

"Rose! NO!" Marigold cried out, grabbing hold of her daughter by the shoulders and pulling her back against her protectively. "Don't even suggest such a thing!"

"But Ama, I want to help Adad!" she insisted, pulling loose and turning to look up at her with tear filled eyes. "Please, let me do this, I can be as brave as Tor and Tal…honest I can!"

Marigold stared at her daughter for a long while, recognizing the need in her eyes to help in whatever way she could. It was the same desire that she had…yet there actually was something Rose could do, where she couldn't. And while her heart screamed not to allow her baby to do something so dangerous, she also knew that Rose was Thorin's daughter, and she had inherited his bravery, strength and spirit. Marigold knew her daughter could do it.

"Oh, sweetling…are you sure you want to try?" Marigold asked, leaning down as she cupped her daughter's rosy cheek in her hand. "It will be very scary."

"I'm brave! Adad says so," Rose boasted, her chin coming up proudly. "I have Durin blood in me!"

"That you do," Dis agreed, so very pleased with her little niece. "And your father will be so very proud when he finds out what you offered to do."

"Or kill us all," Marigold whispered under her breath.

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It took very little time to undo Rose's hair and re-braid it around the oddly shaped key, fixing it so that it was completely encased in the child's thick, black locks.

"There, perfect!" Dis nodded, having Rose turn around so that everyone could see her handiwork. "No one would even dream that she is hiding something in her hair."

"But how will she get in?" Marigold asked, still fretting over allowing her daughter to be a part of this.

"We will get her as close as we dare, and then she will simply have to walk up to them and demand to see her father, Lord Dwalin," Dis reasoned. "If she throws a big enough fit about it, they will more than likely comply. Males have no idea what to do with a screaming child, and will probably be thrown into a state of panic. And besides, to a dwarf, children are more precious than gold and jewls, and a lass is even more so because they are so rare. Thus, they wouldn't dare harm a single hair on her pretty little head."

"I hope you're right," Marigold nodded, leaning down and kissing her daughter on the nose. "But I'm coming with you."

"Then who will stay with the other children?" Dis argued, still worried over Marigold going anywhere, with as close to giving birth as she was.

"Bergie, Sier, or Dena…take your pick!" the queen huffed, stomping her foot. "But I will not stay behind while my daughter is risking everything to save my husband!"

"Very well," Dis agreed, seeing that this was an argument she would not win. "Bergie…will you remain and guard the children?"

"Of course," she said, stepping forward and giving her hobbit niece a comforting hug. "Don't worry…everything will work out just fine. I know it will."

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So it was, that ten minutes later, Dis, Sier, Dena and Marigold slipped through the corridors, keeping little Rose safely between them. It was a long distance to the dungeons, and many of the hallways were blocked by enemy guards. Dis couldn't help worrying that Bifur and Gimli might have run into the same problem, and hoped they were successful in their assignment. That they found the Arkenstone and got it as far away from Erebor as possible.

Yet, as they were forced to cross through a large open room in order to get to another corridor, they were stopped by the sound of a voice behind them.

"Halt! What is the meaning of this?" a gruff looking dwarf shouted, as he and five others appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. "What are you dams doing breaking quarantine?"

"We…" Dis began, thinking quickly to come up with a convincing lie on the spot. Yet before she could manage it, one of the dwarves cut her off.

"Look at that one there!" the dwarf said, pointing directly at Marigold. "Look at her ears…and her feet! She must be the hobbit queen!"

"Stand where you are, lasses," the first one ordered, drawing his weapon and slowly advancing. "I have orders to take this one directly to Hagen…but the rest of you might as well come along too, can't have you wandering around like this."

Dis, Sier and Dena each drew their weapons, pushing Marigold and Rose behind them.

"Lookie here, fellas," the lead dwarf laughed. "They intend to fight us."

"Come on, lassies…there are six of us and only three of you, you can't hope to win," another sneered.

"Don't you come any closer or you will lose more than your dwarrow pride over being bested by three dams," Dis warned, tightening her grip on her deceased husband's blade. "You have no idea who you're dealing with."

And while Sier and Dena had both trained with their husbands, learning how to properly defend themselves, knew they were nowhere near as proficient as Dis. She had grown up hard and fast after Smaug had taken the mountain, and she was almost as comfortable with a sword in her hand as Thorin. Still, six against three, was a bit daunting.

"Ahhh…a spirited lass," the first dwarf commented, tossing his blade from his right hand to his left a few times in a show of confidence. "You fellas take the other two…but leave this one to me. I'd like to see what she's made of."

"Come any closer and everyone will see what you're made of…as I spill your guts on the floor," Dis threatened, not liking this dwarf's attitude at all. She was a princess and a warrior, and she was not about to stand there and listen to anyone belittle her skills!

"Get 'em, lads!" the first dwarf cried, rushing forward, his blade raised.

Dis and the other dams met them hard, not backing up an inch as they stood their ground in protection of Marigold and Rose. The hobbit queen held a blade in one hand, while using her other to push her daughter behind her for safety.

Dis spared no time doing just as she said, disarming the lead dwarf and bringing her sword across his middle, slicing him open with one cut. She had kept Flinn's blade razor sharp, not allowing time or disuse to cause it to lose its edge. When the fool of a dwarf fell at her feet, Dis did not even spare a second glance as she stepped over his prone body and challenged the next. Sier and Dena too were fighting valiantly, though having much less success in dispatching their foes. As it was, they were being forced backwards, and now a bit unsure that they had the skills needed to defeat their enemy. Still, they battled on, not allowing fear to cloud their minds and steal their resolve.

As the second dwarf fell to Dis' sword, she turned back to aid Sier and Dena, only to have two of the four remaining dwarrow rush at her together, no longer underestimating the enraged dam. They circled her, causing Dis to swivel back and forth, not wishing for either to get the drop on her. Yet as the one on the left rushed at her, she was forced to take her eyes off the second in order to defend herself. This left her flank unprotected, and the Blacklock dwarf made the most of his chance.

Even though she was highly distracted by her own battle, Sier saw the enemy rush at Dis from behind, and screamed out a warning to her mother-in-law in an attempt to save her. The dwarf she was fighting with took advantage of Sier's lack of attention and struck out with his foot, sweeping the dam off her feet and tumbling to the floor. She could hear Marigold cry out in fear as she hit the ground, pain radiating through her head as it struck the stone, her sword sliding out of her reach. Still, even though she was seeing spots before her eyes, she fought to remain alert, her eyes searching out Dis, praying that her warning had come in time.

Dis had heard the cry from Sier, and though she suspected the villain to not play fair, she could do nothing to protect her back while currently engaged in the battle before her. Yet, miraculously, an attack never came, and the moment Dis was able to stab the dwarf before her in the chest, she spun around to see why. There stood the dwarf, his blade still raised over his head as if he were preparing to strike, yet with a look of utter confusion and disbelief on his face. Dis stared at him for a moment, and then watched as he fell to the floor with a sword wound in his back.

"GIMLI?" Dis gasped, seeing the dwarrow now standing in front of her, his blade red with the blood of the enemy he had just killed.

"Always at your service, Lady Dis," the young dwarf said with a quick bow and a wily grin, yet that was all the time they could spare as they both turned to aid Sier and Dena.

Sier's vision was just starting to clear, but when she saw the dwarf coming at her with his ax, she almost wished she had remained dazed. Yet as images of Fili and her children flashed before her eyes, she knew she was not about to give up. If her husband had taught her one thing, it was to always have another weapon hidden somewhere! And with lightning speed, Sier reached down and pulled a dagger from her boot. Pushing herself up, she thrust out her arm, sinking the blade as far as she could into the dwarf's stomach, seeing his look of shock at her unexpected move. It was not a wound that would kill, Sier knew this, yet it apparently bought her enough time, for just then Dis attacked from behind. Striking with strength and precision, the enemy dwarf let out a cry of agony as he fell to the floor beside Sier. Releasing a sigh of relief, she stared up in surprise at Dis, the princess's dress lightly splattered with blood, yet with a look of triumph on her face.

"Care for a hand up, my daughter?" Dis asked, reaching out to assist her, the two dams exchanging looks of relief and gratitude.

Meanwhile, Gimli had headed directly for the one attacking his mother, wasting no time in dispatching the fiend who would dare to raise a blade against his amad. When their final enemy lay dead on the floor, Dena stepped forward and embraced her son, never happier to see him than she was right then.

"What are you doing here?" Dena asked, her eyes wide with concern. "You and Bifur were ordered to get the Arkenstone out of Erebor!"

"And we did…Bifur rides towards the Iron Hills as we speak, with the Arkenstone," Gimli assured her. "He hopes to intercept our troops and bring them back. But I just couldn't leave you and adad here in danger. I had to come back."

"Well…I for one am happy you did," Dis said, stepping over a few dead bodies to reach the mother and son. "You saved my life, Gimli, son of Gloin, and I will not forget your deed."

"I'm just happy I came along at the right moment," the younger dwarf said with a slight blush. "But we can't remain here, nor should we allow these bodies to be discovered…otherwise the enemy will know we are on to them."

"Agreed," Dis nodded, reaching down to grab hold of the first dwarf she saw, dragging him towards one of the tunnels she knew housed a small closet. With help from Gimli, they managed to hide the six bodies, tossing a bucket of water they found nearby onto the floor in hopes of washing away most of the blood and the telltale signs of a battle.

When they had done all they could, Dis informed Gimli of their plans…of getting the key to Thorin in the prison. At first he was not sure he liked the plan, the idea of the little lass entering the dungeons all by herself caused him to feel sick to his stomach. Yet after he saw the look of determination in young Rose's eyes, he understood why they were allowing it. She was Thorin's daughter, and just like her father, once she had set her mind to something, no one could talk her out of it.

Gimli could only hope that nothing would happen to the little princess, for if it did, there would be hell to pay…in the form of Thorin Oakenshield.

Well, the plan is set...next we will see if it works out!

And Gimli is back in the fold!

Rose is a brave lass...she takes after her daddy.

Guest Reviews:

Aranel Mereneth: I agree, I love seeing Flinn re-bonding with his lads. He sure missed out on so much fun with them. Good thing he has a mini Fili and a mini Kili to watch grow up in his grandsons.

Emrfangirl: Ha ha, good to see you have your priorities straight, ha ha. And sorry no one did anything while you were away, make them cook for you to make up for it. Wait...or is that a punishment to you? Glad you enjoyed my not tooooo violent battle scenes, and of course the overhead buckets came in handy...otherwise why would I have bothered mentioning them. ha ha. Oh man, if Bergie had to kiss Thorin...not sure who would be more upset, Dwalin or Marigold. ha ha. We will just have to see who has what issue when they all get back...and yes, they WILL get back. ha ha.

abc: I thought it only fair to let Flinn do the honors of beheading Gorbash. And yep, Kili and Tauriel are together at last. Bifur is doing OK...might have saddle sores though. More to come, and Dis will meet her Flinn again. Thanks for the reviews.

Feu d'Argent: Yes, Tauriel is the queen of awesomeness, or is it Dis? Did you know that the only woman mentioned in the whole book of the Hobbit is Belladonna Took/Baggins? Yep, gotta love that family time. THAT'S IT! Dang woman...what are you trying to do, make me THINK? I even had to look up what dystopian meant. I have no idea...not even one...I think we read what we are missing out on in real life. We read to escape, to find a better place to let our minds run free...or maybe we read about something more depressing than our own lives to prove that we are not so bad off after all? I have to stop thinking now or my head will explode. ha ha. And sure, you can borrow Flinn...you do mean little Flinn right? And if so, remember, he is only 10 so he has a strict bed time. 9:00pm is the latest you can have him out...and make sure he eats healthy food, don't let him fill up on sugar. Fili says so. And what do you mean, don't listen to Dwalin? He is the one who came up with the "KISS HER" plan...and she liked it, A LOT. Wow...Bilbo and his wife for the wedding. Never thought of that. But no. Sorry. But fluff is coming up on the way home. Cool or warm colors? I like the rich warm colors during the winter...and the bright flashy ones in summer. Does that mean I have a split personality?