Before long men and elves were camped out at the foot of the mountain, unable to get in due to the huge rock wall erected by the dwarves. So much for a gate, thought Beth, this is a glorified barricade. And it wasn't long after that that Bard had come up to try and convince Thorin to come down and Parlay. Beth rolled her eyes at that one too. If she wasn't trying to avoid Thorin she would have called down to Bard that it was no use trying to reason with the dwarvish king. She had tried many times those first few days cooped up in the mountain, and when all she received was stubbornness and denial she simply stopped trying and distanced herself. The hobbits deserve the wealth and love I can bestow more anyway, she sulked.

And many more days passed within the mountain still. The dwarves occupied their time mostly in the treasure room when they weren't posted on watch. It seemed to Beth that Thorin had forgotten all about her in his quest to find the Arkenstone in the glittering room. He hadn't tried to talk to her once since the day the Raven spoke to them.

At this moment in time, Beth had come to relieve Bilbo from his duty on watch. The days had gotten very cold indeed and she didn't want to leave poor Bilbo (who she knew hated the cold) out in the wind. As she approached, she noticed Bilbo playing with a small shiny object before slipping it into his vest pocket. Determined to find out what he had been hiding since Mirkwood (or even before), Beth marched forward with her game face on.

Bilbo, who was feeling more guilty about the fact he had the Arkenstone jumped to conclusions when he saw his sister marching forward with a face that demanded answers. And at the exact moment Beth asked, "What have you got in your pocket?" Bilbo exclaimed, "Don't be angry!"

Both siblings were silent, staring at each other. And again at the exact same time Bilbo said, "Oh, you want to know what's in my pocket!" and Beth asked, "Why should I be angry?"

Again silent. Beth narrowed her eyes. "Bilbo," she said in a voice that warned of trouble, "What have you got in your pocket? And why should I be angry with you?"

Bilbo swallowed. He had done it this time. "I, uh, well you see, I have this ring in my pocket," he stuttered. "And it's why I've been able to get out of so much trouble and keep disappearing. You see, I can literally disappear."

Beth blinked, taking in the response she had clearly not expected. "So that's how you got out of the troll cave?" she asked.

"Yes," Bilbo answered. "That's where I found it, actually."

Beth scrunched her face up and waved it off stating, "I don't want to know. And that's how you snuck into the elves palace?"

"Yes," Bilbo answered again. Really, he was hoping she'd forget the second question all together.

"Okay," Beth nodded. "Um, cool. You have a super power." She shook her head, doubting Bilbo would get the reference. "And uh, why should I be mad at you again?"

Bilbo paled. "Um, alright, I may have sort of taken the Arkenstone."

Their eyes locked. Bilbo couldn't read her face and started sweating, waiting for the worst. He almost fainted when she smiled.

"Bilbo," she grinned, "you're a genius." Beth plopped down beside him on the ground. "And a real thief as well!" she teased.

Bilbo let out a sigh of relief. "I thought you were going to kill me!" he exclaimed.

"Why?" Beth asked laughing.

"Well, you know," said Bilbo timidly. "It's sort of been keeping your boyfriend occupied and away from you."

Beth's face darkened and Bilbo felt bad for saying anything at all. "No, that's not your fault," she told him, "if it weren't the Arkenstone he was looking for, he'd just be down there looking at everything else."

Bilbo lowered his head. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Bilbo," Beth sighed. "I knew it was too good to be true anyway. And hey, this way I can still go home with you! We can be spinsters together!" Bilbo smiled a little, but the look in his eye told her how much he worried. "Don't worry, Bilbo. I know a lost cause when I see one."

The siblings sat in solidarity for a moment. Beth reached into the coat she had on and took out the starlight necklace and pulled it out for Bilbo to see. He looked at the necklace and back up to her with a wide grin on his face, having seen the spectacle she put on with Thranduil.

"It looks like we've both gotten pretty good at our jobs," he joked.

Beth grinned wickedly. "Then how's about we disappear like thieves in the night?"

"I will take your turn for you, if you like," Bilbo offered Bombur. "There is no sleep in me tonight."

Their plan was simple. Take some poor, unsuspecting dwarf's watch duty (Bombur seemed like their best bet tonight) and climb down the rope ladder to give the men something to bargain with. But they only had five hours.

Bless Bombur for this need of comforts. "You are a good fellow, Mr. Baggins, and I will take your offer kindly. If there should be anything to note, rouse me first, mind you! I will lie in the inner chamber to the left, not far away," he announced, making his departure.

Beth waited for Bombur to become unseen before she ran out onto the balcony with the rope ladder rolled up in her arms. The siblings made quick work of securing it and getting a move on getting down. They had hoped the cover of night would be enough to shield them from view too early. Beth made her way down first, gently lowering herself into the pool at the bottom and looked up to see Bilbo almost all the way down himself. Except when Bilbo turned his head to look where he was going, his hand slipped and he fell into the pond, making an audible splash. Beth face-palmed.

Some guards came to investigate the noise. "Maybe it was a fish?" one offered.

"That was no fish!" another said. "There is a spy about. Hide your lights! They will help him more than us, if it is that queer little creature that is said to be their servant."

Beth couldn't help herself and laughed out loud, attracting the attention of the guards. "They called you a servant!" she said between giggles.

"We're right here if you want us," Bilbo called, rolling his eyes.

"Who are you?" the first one demanded.

"I am Mr. Bilbo Baggins, and this is my sister Beth," Bilbo introduced, "companions of Thorin, if you want to know," he added.

Beth stepped up. "Good elves, your king knows me, and Bard is familiar with the both of us. We would be grateful if you could take us to them and maybe get us in front of a warm fire to dry off by."

And so that is how, two hours later, Beth and Bilbo were huddled under blankets in front of a fire, with a king of man and a king of elves staring at them. "Really, you know," Bilbo began explaining, "things are impossible. I'm tired of this whole affair."

"And so the King's Council graces us with her presence to tell us how to fix things," drawled Thranduil, clearly still holding a dislike for her upon their previous encounter.

Beth glared at him and stood up, ignoring the look of recognition on Bard's face. "As a matter of fact, yes," she stated. "We need everyone's cooperation in this. Thorin is quite ready to sit up on that pile of gold until he starves." Thranduil began to open his mouth. "But wait!" she exclaimed dramatically. "'Let him!' You say?" The elven king glared at her. "I feel you; I really do. And that would probably just solve all our problems." Both the king's eyebrows shot up in shock, knowing her for being romantically involved with the person she was speaking about. "But," she continued, "dwarves from other lands are coming to aid him. And I'm sure it's a chore to keep these armies of yours fed all the way up here. So, to ensure everyone's cooperation, we bring gifts."

Bilbo stood to join her, quite amused by her sass show to Thranduil. In truth, Bilbo was quite pleased that the position of power seemed to be getting to Beth's head. It brought out a fire in her he admired deeply and he knew she often supressed.

"For you," she said to Thranduil, pulling the necklace out of her pocket and reaching her hand out for him to accept. The elven king reached out his hand with a look of pure awe on his face and accepted the jewels. "They're really yours anyway. And I figured it'd keep you happy and cooperative."

Thranduil bowed his head in thanks and she turned to address Bard, waving Bilbo forward. "And for you, a bargaining chip."

A collective intake of breath was heard as Bilbo pulled the Arkenstone out of his pocket. Bard reached out to take it and he looked to Beth in reverence. "You are very brave to come up with a plan like this," he told her.

"Well, it wasn't all my idea," she admitted. "Bilbo stole the damned thing to begin with. He's also the one who suggested we give it to you."

"Bilbo Baggins!" Bard said. "You are more worthy to wear the armour of elf-princes than many that may have looked more comely in it."

Bilbo blushed and replied, "Well, thank you very much. But, um, would you happen to know what happened to our other companions? The dwarves that we left behind."

Bard nodded. "They are good and well, all four. They traveled here with the elf prince and a fierce elf maiden with fiery hair. We can take you to see them. I'm sure they'd be pleased to see you two."

"Oh, no, I really must go back. I even promised to wake poor Bombur at midnight!" he exclaimed.

"I'll stay," Beth offered.

Bilbo paled. "Uhhhm, is that really such a good idea?"

Beth scoffed. "If you're thinking Thorin will notice and be angry, I'll remind you he hasn't noticed I've been alive and breathing at all these past few days anyway. Besides," she huffed, "what use is it being the King's Council if I can't hang with any king I choose at any time? If Thorin wants to know what happened you can tell him I took the rope ladder down and marched my way down the mountain. And that he can shove it."

Bard guffawed at Beth's speech and Thranduil even smirked a little. "Right, well," Bilbo said. "I won't tell him that last part, but you're right and…send my well wishes, of course."

"Of course I will!" she said. "Now off with you, before you get into more trouble."

"You know it's probably your fault I've seen all this trouble to begin with," grumbled Bilbo.

He was led off my a couple guards and she watched as a tall man is grey robes stopped Bilbo for a quick word. The more she watched him, the more familiar he looked.

It came to her just as the man finished with Bilbo and began wandering off. "Gandalf!" she called.

The wizard lifted his head and smiled, also making his way over to her. "My dear girl!" he greeted. "It's lovely to see you whole and mostly unscathed. I should have expected you'd come down here with Bilbo."

"Of course!" she laughed. "You knew this whole time, didn't you?"

"Well, not the whole time," the wizard humbly corrected.

"Sure," she snorted. "Now where's Fili and Kili and Bofur and Oin? Surely you know where they're hiding!"

Gandalf smiled and nodded, leading her through the maze of tents and camp fires to a spot a little further down the mountain. Beth had no problem spotting the four dwarves and a red haired elf around a small fire of their own. She grinned at Gandalf and pressed a finger to her lips, shifting her path to get right behind the Durin brothers.

The elf woman and Oin spotted her behind the brothers but made no indication she noticed anything with another silencing signal from Beth. In a quick motion she threw her arms around their shoulders and popped up between them. "Did you miss me?" she asked cheekily.

"BETH!" they cried, and in both going to hug her at the same time, the trio topped over and backwards in a fit of laughter with only Bofur to assist them up again. When he did Beth tackled Bofur in a hug of his own.

"You all had me so worried!" she confessed. "I thought Smaug did away with you all!"

"Ah yes," Bofur smiled. "You wouldn't have had anything to do with that, would you?"

Beth cleared her throat awkwardly. "I may have had something to do with it, but if I'm going to be honest it was probably more Bilbo than me. Anyway!" she chirped. "Why don't you introduce me to your lovely lady elf friend?"

The elf in question was smiling at their display and bowed lightly. "I am Tauriel, My Lady. It is an honour to meet you."

Beth smiled but rolled her eyes. "Nothing they've told you is true. Except for the prophesy part, unfortunately. How did you come to travel with my friends?"

"She saved me," Kili answered for her. "She used her elf magic to heal me from the poisoned arrow."

"She was also one of our guards in Thranduil's palace," Oin added, obviously less impressed with the woman.

Beth shook her head at Oin. "Well then thank you for saving my friend."

Tauriel nodded but said nothing and the group resettled by the fire. "What news from inside the mountain?" asked Fili.

"Nothing good, I can tell you that," grumbled Beth, shaking her head. "Most of the dwarves do little else than play with gold all day and Thorin hasn't even so much as looked at me in almost a week. He's obsessed with finding the Arkenstone." The Durin siblings shared a look that Beth caught. "What? What's wrong?" she asked.

"It could be nothing," Kili offered Fili.

"But mum said—"

"What?!" cried Beth. "Your mum said what?"

"Mum told us some years ago about a sickness that lives in our family," Fili told her. "The gold sickness drove our great, great grandfather insane with greed. She said that it even started showing in her father before he, well, went missing. Maybe Thorin…"

Well that explains everything, actually, thought Beth.

A tense silence fell over the fire before Beth nodded. "I should go speak more to Thranduil and Bard. We're going to need a damned good plan of action if we're going to make Thorin see through his gold coloured glasses."