Chapter 27

All rights go to Peter Jackson and Tolkien respectively, I only own my OCs.

Nina woke startled once again, leaving the nightmare she had been in of losing her family again. She felt the chilling breeze that comes with early winter before she opened her eyes and realized she had fallen asleep outside. On a rock ledge. Too far above ground for her to be comfortable with. She guessed that it was late afternoon and still the same day as when Thorin threatened to banish her. She looked out at everything around her and felt slightly sick when her eyes landed on the remains of Laketown. They had been responsible for that destruction and any death that stemmed from it. No, Nina had not been in the mountain when Smaug came down from it, but she was a part of the company and that made her just as responsible as the rest of them in her eyes. She shook her head and tried not to wallow in guilt, she knew they wouldn't have time for that if Erich or the Orcs decided to drop by. And in the book, she knew for a fact that the Orcs would.

Her gaze fell then to Dale, a ruined city much closer to the mountain than she imagined it would be. They were close enough that she could see individual people crouching around pathetic fires and she could imagine the despair and hopelessness on their faces. She wondered if the girl Clara ever found her grandmother, and how Tauriel was doing. They hadn't known each other long but finding another girl in Middle Earth had been comforting for Nina and she hoped that Laketown wasn't the last time she would see the woman. Then she thought of Bard and his children and how they were doing. Bard was no doubt in charge of the people, she couldn't imagine anyone better for the job. She assumed his children were alright, considering they were the last time she saw them. But even so, she wasn't stupid. She knew there wasn't exactly plentiful sources of food for them and all their money was lost, so the Men wouldn't last long without help. Kili was right, the people of Laketown needed the dwarves and fast. She dropped her head in her hands and sighed, rubbing her forehead gently with her thumbs. She needed to think of a way to get help to the new citizens of Dale.

"What happened to coming back and helping with the repairs?" Kili's cheeky voice sounded as he approached her. She could hear clearly though that his voice was not its usual teasing nature. It was tired, disappointed even, and it tugged at her heart to hear it that way.

"I fell asleep, apparently," She shrugged. She lifted her gaze to meet his and got a good look at him. His breathing was slightly labored no doubt from the stone lifting he had been doing and he was covered in sweat. She noticed the bags under his eyes were becoming more pronounced and there were stress lines on his forehead. His mouth was twisted in an unnatural way, as if he wanted to smile at her but couldn't find the energy to make it happen. "And I guess I didn't want to risk Thorin coming back."

"The things he said earlier, they were not true, Nina," Kili assured her as he sat down next to her.

"I know he's not himself right now," She nodded, receiving a quizzical look from Kili. "Balin told me a while back about the gold sickness, and Thorin wasn't like this before he got to the mountain, so I just put two and two together that he has it."

"All Durinsfolk are at risk from it," Kili sighed, and she heard the tinge of fear in his voice. Before she could think better of it she had laid a hand on his knee where he sat next to her, causing him to look over at her with a hint of surprise.

"And all Durinsfolk can fight it, as far as I know," She assured him. "Thorin is the strongest, most stubborn person I know. If anyone can fight this, it's him. And you and Fili will be okay." She said quietly. Kili gave her a soft smile, one that had no trace of a smirk or mischief. It was just Kili, a young dwarf who feared his future.

"We have to do something for them," Nina spoke after a moment, gesturing to the people in Dale.

"I agree," He nodded. "But Uncle will never agree to helping them. As far as he's concerned, the riches of this mountain are for dwarves alone."

"They won't last much longer, Kili, they're barely lasting now."

"I know," He replied quietly, still looking at Dale. "I'll speak with Fili and Thorin."

"Thank you."

It was cold that night in Dale, especially with all the buildings left in Dale having only two walls, three if they were lucky. Bard walked through the crowded streets, doing his nightly rounds. He was somehow the leader of their people now, and that meant that he had to do night check and make sure everyone was surviving. So, he did, and tried not to think about how many lives were in his hands.

"Bard, we don't have enough," His new right-hand man, Percy, whispered to him quietly as Bard went, ignoring the outcries and complaints about food shortage. Bard looked at the older man and realized that he wasn't meaning to complain to Bard, but that he was being realistic. They truly did not have enough. Bard had considered begging the dwarves for help, but they had built up an enormous wall at their entrance, effectively cutting them off from the outside world. Bard saw this as a clear message that Dale was not on Thorin's list of concerns. Bard decided to hold out a bit longer before rushing to the mountain, and he still needed time to determine what he would even say to Thorin.

"Do what you can, Percy," Bard said, just as he did the night before too. A woman approached him reporting that they were running out of water and Bard hesitated. Then he called out: "The children, the wounded and the women come first." He hoped the able-bodied men would abide by this and get more water instead of taking the rest. He liked to imagine they were all as honest as he wanted them to be.

"Morning sire!" The nuisance that was Alfrid called out shrilly. Bard looked over at him as he stirred awake from a nap ungracefully and disoriented under the cover of a small building as Bard walked in.

"I think good evening would be more appropriate, Alfrid," Bard sighed tiredly. "Anything happen on your watch last night?"

"All quiet sire, I must report. Nothing gets past me," He puffed his chest out with ridiculous pride. Bard rolled his eyes before moving past him back outside. His heart dropped when he saw the sea of gold armor before him and he barely registered Alfrid bumping into his back.

"Except an army of elves, it would seem," He growled at the man behind him. The elves had filled the courtyard to the brim, and Bard couldn't help the swell of excitement when they parted for him as he stepped down into the courtyard. He walked through the path they had made for him and was met with the majestic sight of the elf king himself.

"My lord Thranduil; we did not look to see you here," Bard addressed him, not sure if he needed to bow. Weren't they both leaders of their people? Did that mean he was of equal station as the elf king?

"I heard you needed aid," The king replied gracefully as a wagon filled with water, wine, vegetables, and grain rolled up behind him. The people of Dale crowded around it excitedly as the elves passed the provisions around.

"You have saved us!" Bard exclaimed breathlessly. He wouldn't have to beg Thorin after all. "I do not know how to thank you."

"Your gratitude is misplaced, I did not come on your behalf," Thranduil replied coolly. "I came to reclaim something of mine." Bard got a bad feeling in his stomach at those words, feeling like nothing good could come from any of this.

"You would go to war over a handful of gems?" Bard restrained himself from growling at the Elven King. He knew that the elves and dwarves did not get along, and he could only assume that Thranduil wanted treasure from Smaug's hoard. Thranduil, who had begun mobilizing his troops without hesitation, whirled around and fixed Bard with a fierce look.

"The heirlooms of my people are not lightly forsaken," His voice was dangerously low, making Bard shutter a bit. He tried not to show this reaction to the other king and instead nodded in understanding. He knew the importance of family, and while he did not believe gems were enough to kill for, family or not, Thranduil clearly saw enough significance in them to do so. They must have belonged to someone special to him. "They were the Queen's." He elaborated briefly. Bard nodded again. The Queen was dead, and now these gems were all Thranduil had left. Bard understood that more than anyone.

"We are allies in this," Bard seemed to decide in that moment. Thranduil looked at him with approval. "My people also have a claim upon the riches in that mountain. Let me speak with Thorin." The approval faded a bit.

"You would try to reason with a dwarf?" He cocked an eyebrow at Bard. Bard sighed.

"To avoid war? Yes."

That next evening, Nina climbed down from the stone wall that now covered the once gaping hole in the mountain from Smaug. She let go a cough as the dust blew up into her face from the stone that Fili threw onto the pile just beneath her. She had decided to help build the wall instead of searching for the Arkenstone, mostly because she doubted finding it would do any good for Thorin. She hadn't been an extreme help in the building, though, if she was being honest. She wasn't nearly as strong as the dwarves were so the stones she handled were much smaller than theirs. Still, she had done enough that she was covered in a thin layer of sweat and breathing heavier than normal. She stood perched on a stone as she frowned, knowing the jump to the ground was too high but not finding another stone to climb down onto. The dwarves on the ground were currently deciding between finishing their ladder or building steps.

"Come here," Kili grunted as he approached her from the ground. He held out both hands to her and she jumped. He caught her with seemingly no effort at all and Nina attempted to ignore their very close proximity as he held her just a bit longer than necessary. Before she could even thank him though, Thorin stormed into the room with Bilbo and Dwalin following closely behind. Kili subtly moved himself in front of her.

"Someone is coming," Thorin informed them all furiously. The dwarves did not hesitate to prop up the ladder against the wall for Thorin. He ascended without a thank you and they all followed. Nina stayed behind.

"It might be better if you remain here," Kili whispered before he climbed up. She knew he was right, but still wanted to see what was happening. What if it was the Orcs? What if it was Erich? She found a small peephole in the wall, one so perfect they must have left it there on purpose. She looked through and saw a single man on horseback. It was growing dark, and she couldn't see his face.

"Hail Thorin, son of Thrain! We are glad to find you alive beyond hope," It was Bard. Nina's excitement grew. It was further confirmation that he was in charge of the Men, and a sign that perhaps peace would be made. Thorin's untrusting growl reverberated through the stone around her, as if he and the mountain were one.

"Why do you come to the gates of the King Under the Mountain armed for war?" He spat. Nina was confused until she shifted to look at Dale, seeing the golden gleam of an Elven army. She could've facepalmed then and there. Why were they all so stubborn?

"Why does the King Under the Mountain fence himself in? Like a robber in his hole?" Bard replied without missing a beat. Nina was rather impressed by the man's comeback. She doubted Thorin was though.

"Perhaps it is because I am expecting to be robbed," Thorin snarled back, and Nina thought that in less dire circumstances that would've been yet another good comeback. However, in this situation, she just found it unhelpful.

"My lord, we have not come to rob you, but to seek fair settlement," Bard began calmly, speaking to Thorin as if he were a crazed and unpredictable animal that one needed to be ever so cautious around. Thorin turned away from the wall slowly. Bard was a little shocked at the attitude. This was not the same man that begged for help from Laketown to get his home back. "Will you not speak with me?" There was no answer from Thorin other than the sound of footsteps coming down the ladder and Nina assumed she would be in the way. She didn't hesitate to move herself behind one of the larger stones still on the ground so Thorin wouldn't see her.

"I'm listening," Thorin snapped after striding over to the peephole Nina had been using. Bard had also walked over to the hole after dismounting. Nina peeked from around her boulder to see what was happening when Dwalin caught her eye and motioned her to come to him. She did, trusting he would protect her from Thorin.

"On behalf of the people of Laketown," Bard began carefully. "I ask that you honor your pledge. A share of the treasure so that they might rebuild their lives."

"I will not treat with any man while an armed host lies before my door," Thorin replied stubbornly. Nina rolled her eyes as she shifted her feet uneasily. If the battle was to occur any day now, the Men and dwarves needed to put on a united front if they were to win. The Elves and Men were clearly already allies, which would only increase their chances of success. The three races needed to come together.

"That armed host will attack this mountain if we do not come to terms," Bard insisted, pointing to the waiting Elves in Dale. Thorin merely scoffed.

"Your threats do not sway me."

"They should, there's thirteen dwarves here and a hobbit who can barely fight what are you going to do against an Elf army and a mob of desperate men?" Nina snapped from behind Dwalin. She had had enough of listening to Thorin's misplaced arrogance. She didn't care what insults he hurled at her as long as he just made the decisions that could keep his company safe. Dwalin shot her a warning glare as she moved out from behind him.

"Did I not say for you to stay out of my sight?!" Thorin roared, shaking the mountain as he turned around to face her. She didn't step back this time. It angered him. "This fortress shall keep my men safe. The pride of the dwarves could never be weakened by Elves and Men!"

"Your pride will get them killed, Thorin!" Nina found herself shouting back. Dwalin grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"That's enough, lass," He warned, but it was too late.

"I WANT YOU OUT OF THIS MOUNTAIN NOW!" Thorin flailed his arms and spat as his face turned red with unbelievable anger. She could see veins popping out of his forehead and his eyes blazed with pure, untainted hatred.

"A bargain was struck!" Bard's urgent voice shouted from outside as he smacked the stone in anger. With every passing minute his people were starving, and he was scared. Thorin was his last hope. Thorin turned back to the hole, having almost forgotten Bard was there.

"A bargain? What choice did we have but to barter our birthright for blankets and food?" Thorin complained with defiance. Bard shook his head in disgust. The dwarf was a weasel. "To ransom our future in exchange for our freedom? You call that a fair trade? Tell me, Bard the Dragonslayer, why should I honor such terms?" There was silence that seemed to last an eternity as the company waited desperately for Bard's reply. Then it came.

"Because you gave us your word." Those words reminded everyone of how Thorin used to be, of how much the gold sickness had corrupted him and how different he was. The dwarves hung their heads. "Does that mean nothing?" Bard tested. Thorin was silent as he turned away from the peephole. He looked lost, utterly exhausted, as if the real Thorin were showing through and seeing what he had done. He looked at his company before him, all silently begging him to honor his word. But that meant giving up treasure, and the new Thorin couldn't even imagine it.

"Be gone, or else our arrows will fly!" He shouted back at Bard, closing the chance of friendship what seemed to be permanently. Bard was angry to say the least, as he stormed off onto his horse and rode back to Dale. Well, Nina thought, now there would be war whether the Orcs came or not. The dwarves looked empty as they realized Thorin was truly gone.

"Get out." Nina looked up to see Thorin was staring right at her. His words were so quiet she wasn't sure she had really heard him.

"Thorin please reconsider—"

"No."

"Not about me," Nina croaked, her throat becoming tight from the tears she was holding back. She knew she would have to leave the mountain no matter what happened now. "About the Men of Dale. Please Thorin, they have nothing. This is not over, there are other threats out there and you should make Dale your ally."

"Do not pretend you are in any position to advise me, girl," Thorin spat, his voice still as quiet as before. "Leave my mountain or I will have you removed from it." Nina nodded. She could see that if anyone could get through to Thorin, it was not going to be her.

"She'll die on her own outside of this mountain," Dwalin tried to reason quietly.

"She'll die if she stays here a moment longer!" Thorin roared, shocking them all. He hadn't openly threatened to kill her until now. Kili stepped forward but before he could say anything, Nina stepped closer to Thorin in defiance.

"You made a promise, Thorin," She growled as menacing-like as she could. "You promised to keep those people safe and wealthy once you got your precious mountain back. What kind of twisted horrible excuse for a man have you become?"

"What have I become?!" He screamed and spat at her. "I am the man who has brought the dwarves back to their former glory, I am the hero that has saved Durinsfolk!"

"You are not acting like a hero right now, Thorin Oakenshield, and if I have to die for you to see that then so be it!" Nina roared. Unbeknownst to her, those were the fateful words that her sister had heard her speak in the Battle of the Five Armies trailer. Before Thorin could reply, a melodic voice sounded that brought chills to Nina's spine.

"Nina, I must speak with you," The lilting voice of Galadriel was stern and urgent. Nina turned around to face her, worried about what Thorin would do to her.

"How did you get here?" Thorin barked as he drew his sword, not swayed by the confidence exuding from the Elf woman.

"I am no threat to you, Thorin son of Thrain. I wish to speak with my daughter," She explained. Nina closed her eyes in frustration as she heard the gasps of confusion from the dwarves. All but Kili, of course.

"I'm sorry I never told you all, but I felt that it was my business to deal with," She said softly, trying to minimize the damage between her and the dwarves but also not having all the time in the world to worry about it. "What do you want?"

"The time has come," Galadriel nodded, her expression oddly sad. "I warned you in the Valley of Imladris of the coming choice you would have, and now it is here. May we speak together?"

"You can tell me here, in front of the company," Nina shook her head tiredly. She had no desire to leave them, feeling that whether it was because of this choice or Thorin's commands, she would be leaving them soon. Galadriel gave an exasperated sigh and almost shrugged in defeat. It was the first time she had done something that seemed like a normal mom thing to Nina.

"You are unlike me in the sense that your parents are different. You are only half-elf, with one human father and an elven mother. I, however, had two elven parents. Because of your unique bloodlines, you have been given a choice," Galadriel explained. Nina resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the way Galadriel always seemed to beat around the bush. "You can remain in Middle Earth and fulfill your destiny, or you can go home."

Silence. Not the absence of noise, because there of course was the occasional shifting of the mountain and the noise of animals outside, but the kind of silence that encompasses one's mind is what Nina felt. She could hear the voices of dwarves, but she couldn't bring herself to care about which one was talking or what they were saying. Galadriel moved toward her, but she didn't notice. One thing was circling in her mind, through the silence she felt. The image of her father and sister. The people she had begun to understand she would never see again, and now she had a chance to go back to them. Back to her home.

"I know this must come as a shock to you, Nina," Galadriel was saying when Nina finally returned to outside world. "But there isn't much time for you to think. I will return to you in the morning for your decision. Please, Nina, choose wisely. Your choice will effect everyone."

With that, Galadriel was gone, an all too familiar feeling for Nina. Her whole body was shaking and in a surprising turn of events, she felt conflicted. Nina swallowed hard, feeling sick, and quickly walked away from the company without looking back to see their reactions to the latest bomb to be dropped on her. She didn't even stop to see if Thorin was going to kill her, considering now it was common knowledge that she was half-elf and he already hated her. She found herself back on the rock ledge she had sat on the first time Thorin had let her have it, and she fought hard to hold back tears.

"Nina." Kili's voice was broken, full of fear and other emotions that neither of them would've been able to define with words. She looked up to see him standing on the ledge a few feet from her, his eyes red and puffy with tears shamelessly streaming down his cheeks. She gestured for him to sit and he barely waited for her invitation before he did. They were silent for a while as she continued fighting back her tears. She didn't want to break down and cry, she was tired of doing that. "Are you going to go back?" He finally asked.

"I should," She croaked, feeling utterly defeated. She felt that she deserved to go home and see her family again, but she also felt something akin to family when she thought of the dwarves. "But I also have you guys to think about." She mumbled, not wanting to give him the wrong idea. She cared about Kili more than she knew she should and more than she'd cared about anyone outside of her family, but she couldn't tell him that. Not now.

"The selfish part of me is begging you to stay in Erebor, but the…other side of me thinks you should go to your family," He spoke after a while. "My father died when I was young, and if I had the chance to see him again…I would take it."

"I know," Was all she could manage to say. No matter what she chose, she felt that she would be saying goodbye to one of her families. Neither of them said anything for a good ten minutes after that until Kili chuckled lightly. She looked over at him and saw the shiny tear stains on his cheeks from when he had been crying. "What?"

"How far we've come, indeed. I remember when we sat in the treetops and you showed me how to see people," Kili smiled fondly at the memory. Nina found that it made it more difficult for her to keep from crying. "You said you could never see the stars, but now you can." She looked up at the sky and took in the view before them. The stars were shining brightly, something that she never did think she would see. That was her breaking point, and she started to cry. It wasn't the gentle cry that you saw in movies, either. She knew that she was straight up ugly crying as she felt the weight of everything about to happen crashed down on her. Kili said nothing and immediately held her tightly against him. Once she had calmed down a bit, Nina explained everything to him. Her family, what they were like, and how she lived in a different world than him.

"I should get some sleep," She muttered after a while, once her whole history was clear to him. He didn't tell her of course, but it all had just made him care for her even more than before. He nodded, understanding that she had a long night of thinking ahead of her. He let her go and they walked together back into the mountain, until they reached her door where they would part ways.

The whole walk back was silent, and Nina's mind was swirling as her choice haunted her. Seeing her family again was the only thing that Nina had ever wanted since she came to Middle Earth, and now it was finally in her reach. But then there was the issue of the dwarves, and Kili. She couldn't watch the Durin princes die, she just couldn't. And despite Thorin's new personality, she couldn't imagine seeing him die either. Perhaps she was being a coward, perhaps she was being wise. She didn't have the energy to figure that out. All she knew was that her mind kept returning to one decision. And she still had no idea if it was the right one. They reached her door and Kili began to leave her quietly.

"Kili, I'm going to go home."

It was the worst news he had ever heard, aside from his father dying. Kili knew for a fact that he loved Nina, and even though she didn't feel the same he had found comfort in knowing that she was still in his life. Now, she was going back to her world, and he would never see her again.

"Okay." It was all he could manage to say, and he could barely manage that. She nodded when it was clear he wasn't going to speak anymore, and she started to open her door. He stared at her as she moved, trying to take in and remember everything about her, but it still wasn't enough.

A very large part of Nina wanted him to grab her and kiss her. To show her that he didn't think their kiss in the trees was a mistake. To show her that he felt something for her.

All Kili wanted to do was to kiss her, to show her that everything he felt for her in the past hadn't left him but had only grown stronger with time. He wanted to kiss her and tell her he loved her and beg her to stay with him in Erebor. But he knew she didn't want that, so instead he walked to his room and he let her go.

Author's Note:

Yeah, it's been a while, I'm sorry. This chapter was honestly so hard to get out and I'm still not 100% happy with it, but oh well. In other news, I officially graduated high school, so that's cool!

I know a lot happened in this chapter and a lot is going to continue happening, and as per usual I am not sticking to my original plan (surprise) and there will be more than four chapters left in this...also there will be a sequel!

It means so much to me all the positive feedback I get from you guys, so keep it coming! Your reviews keep me motivated to write this even when it's hard, so please review! Let me know what you think!

As always, until next chapter...