Early the next morning, the plains in front of the Mountain was covered in legions of Elves and members of Buffy's army, armed for battle. Bard, Razanur Tûk, and the Wood-Folk Chieftain and their armies stationed in Dale. The Dwarves of Erebor, also prepared, watch from above the gate blockade to await their enemy.
Meanwhile in Dale, Jonathan comes to wake Bilbo up, carrying a bowl of food.
"Okay Bilbo, wakey, wakey, It's time to for to get... up." Jonathan paused and realized that Bilbo is not in the room where he had left him. "Oh boy."
Thranduil and Buffy ride together to the front of the armies and approach their side of the broken bridge over the moat. Willow and Joyce were both mounted on elven elks that were given by the elven king. Buffy turns around and gives Faith a nod, who nods back with a grin.
"Get ready incase." Faith whispered next to Kip.
"Right." Kip whispered in compliance. "No prob."
From above the blockade, Thórin does something foolish when he draws a bow and released an arrow. The arrow flies between Buffy and Thranduil, and it lands directly in front of Faith. Faith jumped back in a gasp, and looked up in surprise.
"Did you just..." Faith gasped in shock. "Aaah!"
"I will put the next one between your eyes if you all come another step closer!" Thórin shouted at the armies.
As the angry dwarf king draws his bow again, the dwarves on the wall cheer and shake their weapons.
Faith grins as she nods her head and whispered. "Laugh it up."
"That was not cool." Kyle whispered unhappily.
While the Dwarves continue to cheer, thinking they won, Buffy and Thranduil slightly tilt their heads. Instantly, two battalions of elves between Buffy's army pull out their bows, nock their arrows, and aim at the dwarves, all in one fluid motion.
"Draw weapons!" Faith shouted.
"Crossbows!" Xander yelled as well.
"Guns!" Riley shouted also.
At their command, many fighters load their weapons and aim at the dwarves too. The Dwarves stopped cheering and they all duck behind the ramparts. The only who didn't duck was Thórin. After holding the pose for a few seconds, Thranduil raises his hand, and the elves easily put away their arrows. Buffy raised her hand too, giving the same order for everyone to lower their weapons.
"Come on, Thórin!" Faith called, holding her bow tightly and aimed her arrow directly at him. "Go on! Send the next one at me and I'll send this one between your eyes."
"I'm not afraid of you!" Thórin yelled back.
"Oh really, then what are you waiting for?" Faith asked and scoffed.
"You'll be dead before the arrow leaves the bow!" Spike warned loudly.
"He's right!" Xander called. "Faith doesn't miss!"
"Stand down!" Buffy ordered, holding her hand up. "My hand is up, and you know what that means!"
Faith hesitated for a moment and she furiously sighed when she lowers her bow.
"You heard her!" Graham shouted to everyone. "Lower your weapons!"
"What do you all want?" Thórin exclaimed.
"You know what we're here for, Thórin." Buffy replied loudly with an unhappy face. "Don't make this difficult for yourself. We're giving you another chance to fulfill your word."
"We've come to tell you: payment of your debt has been offered... and accepted." Thranduil announced.
"What payment?" Thórin asked in a fierce tone. "I gave you nothing! You have nothing!"
"Angel, show it to him." Buffy whispered to him.
Angel nodded and at a split second, he reaches into his robe and pulls out the Arkenstone, holding it above his head. "We have this."
Thórin was very shocked when he saw the shining jewel in Angel's hand.
"They have the Arkenstone!" Kíli exclaimed in shock. "Thieves! How came you by the heirloom of our house?"
"That stone belongs to the king!" Dwálin growled.
"Of course, the king have it back." Buffy promised. "In our good will. But first, he must honor his word."
Angel puts the Arkenstone back into his robe.
"They are taking us for fools." Thórin whispered to himself.
The dwarves near him can hear what he said, and Bálin looked completely shocked that Thorin's mental state has deteriorated to the point at which he would even consider this.
"This is a ruse, a filthy lie!" Thórin riased his voice and yelled. "THE ARKENSTONE IS IN THIS MOUNTAIN! IT IS A TRICK!"
At the top of the ramparts, Bilbo steps out from the dwarves.
"It-It's no trick." Bilbo confessed. "The stone is real. I gave it to them."
As Bilbo speaks, Thórin's expression changes to a mixture of sorrow and anger. Buffy looks on in worry.
"What is he doing up there?" Cordelia whispered in shock. "He was suppose to leave, not go back and tell him."
"Oh boy, this is not good." Anya whispered, shaking her head in worry.
"Bilbo, get yourself down here at once!" Riley ordered the hobbit.
"I can't." Bilbo refused and continued to look at Thórin. "I'm sorry, Thórin. But I had to give it them."
"You... why?" Thórin asked, sounding a bit upset.
"I took it as my fourteenth share." Bilbo admitted.
"You would steal from me?" Thórin asked furiously.
"Steal from you?" Bilbo asked, pretending to sound thrilled. "No. No. I may be a burglar, but I like to think I'm an honest one. I'm willing to let it stand against my claim."
"Against your claim?" Thórin asked, pretending to look happy, but in truth, he was very unhappy. "Your claim! You have no claim over me you miserable rat!" He throws down his bow in anger and begins walking toward Bilbo.
"I was going to give it to you." Bilbo said. "Many times I wanted to, but..."
"But what, thief?" Thórin asked in a low growl.
"You are changed, Thórin!" Bilbo shouted at him in a brave tone. "The dwarf I met in Bag End would never have gone back on his word! Would never have doubted the loyalty of his kin!"
"Do not speak to me... of loyalty." Thórin whispered in sadness and then shouted to his kin. "Throw him from the rampart!"
Bilbo looks shocked. The other dwarves, rather than obeying Thórin, step away from Bilbo in confusion. Buffy and everyone in her army were completely shocked on what they heard.
Thórin was surprised that no one obeyed him. "DID YOU NOT HEAR ME?" He yelled angrily when he pulled Fíli by the arm, but his nephew shakes him away as a sign of refusing to kill Bilbo.
"I will do it myself!" Thórin growled and lunged forward to grab Bilbo. "CURSE YOU!"
"No!" Fíli shouted.
As Thórin struggles with Bilbo, the other dwarves leap forward, shouting, to pull Thórin away. Thórin manages to grab Bilbo and begins pushing him over the rampart.
"Cursed be the Wizard that forced you on this Company!" Thórin yelled.
Suddenly, Gandalf appears, striding through the armies. His voice was magically amplified to incredibly loud, deep, and powerful tones. "IF YOU DON'T LIKE MY BURGLAR…" Then his voice returns to a normal volume and tone. "Then please don't damage him. Return him to me!" he takes a step forward and continues to speak directly at him. "You're not making a very splendid figure as king under the mountain, are you? Thórin, son of Thráin!"
Thórin slowly lets Bilbo up, and some of the other dwarves rush to help Bilbo up.
"Never again will I have dealings with wizards... or Shire-rats!" Thórin yelled at the wizard in fury.
"Go." Bofur whispered, gently pushing Bilbo toward the rope he'd hung the night before to climb down the walls.
Bilbo throws his coiled rope over the wall and clambers down.
"Aphrodesia! Aura!" Cordelia called to two of her friends. "Get him out of here!"
"Right." Aura complied as she and Aphrodesia run and they both grab Bilbo on each side.
"Come on." Aphrodesia said to the frightened hobbit.
The two Cordettes quickly take him away gently.
"Are we resolved?" Buffy asked loudly. "The return of the Arkenstone for what was promised."
Thórin was breathing heavily and looks to a ridge in the distance, as if looking for someone or something. He turns to walk across the wall where every dwarf remained silent. "Why should I buy back that which is rightfully mine?" He shouted in hate.
"Go back to Bard." Thranduil said to Buffy and instructed her. "Tell him he can keep the stone and sell it. I'm sure Ecthelion of Gondor will give him a good price for it."
"I WILL KILL YOU!" Thórin roared in fury. "UPON MY OATH, I WILL KILL YOU ALL!"
"Your oath means nothing!" Thranduil exclaimed.
"Oh, I've heard enough of this!" Faith shook her head in displeasure. "If he's not going to fulfill his word, then I guess we have no choice." She turns to Riley. "Riley, just give the signal and do it."
"Everyone, prepare to fire at my mark!" Riley shouted.
"Raise weapons!" Xander shouted.
"Steady!" Miller ordered loudly.
"No, hold your fire!" Giles shouted.
"We're not holding our fire anymore Giles." Faith said to him.
"He's out of his mind." Stephen said.
"Thórin, please!" Buffy pleaded. "Lay down your arms. Open these doors."
"Thórin, this treasure will be your death." Angel warned.
"Thórin, we cannot win this fight." Bálin begged.
"Thórin, please listen to him." Cordelia pleaded too. "Just say the word, and we won't do it."
"What's it going to be Thórin?" Faith asked, desperately wanting to fight. "Will you have peace or war?"
Before Thórin was about to answer his word, he bowed his head until a large raven flies up to the ramparts and perches beside him. Thórin heard the words from the raven.
"I will have war!" Thórin exclaimed.
"So be it." Buffy whispered and sighed as she closed her eyes in despair on what she was about do. She raises her hand up and prepares to signal her forces to open fire.