The others were relieved when Thorin informed them that Beorn was going to travel with them to reclaim their home. Oin was still in with Gandalf and Bilbo, but Thorin knew the others needed to focus on something or they would go stir crazy. Beorn understood as well and set about putting the dwarves to work. His home needed to be prepared for Beorn being gone for some time. Thorin stayed inside, keeping an eye on his nephews and Ori as they worked on getting a meal together with the help of Beorn's animals. The rest were outside, tending to the gardens closest to Beorn's house as the old skinchanger prepared his animals for them. Thorin could not help but see the differences in the brothers. Where Bilbo was solemn and secretive, Beorn was loud and playful. Bilbo was quiet and moved about like a shadow where Beorn seemed to crash through everything. Yet the two were both gentle, tender with their charges as Thorin had rarely seen in the world. They reminded him of Thorin's own siblings. How different they all had been. How different the world might be if they were all here now.

"Uncle, you think any harder and your head will burst," Fili broke through Thorin's thoughts, holding a steaming cup beneath the older dwarf's nose. Thorin took it with a nod, still looking out the window. Fili sighed and sat down on the bench beside his uncle, drinking from his own cup, "With Beorn with, Bilbo won't have to take on the dragon alone."

"It is not the dragon I fear," Thorin finally let out, taking a sip from his cup. "I stopped fearing the dragon years ago. No, I fear what came before the dragon."

"What do you mean?" Fili glanced at his uncle. Thorin saw a lot of Frerin in his nephew and not a day went by his heart did not ache for his brother.

"You will be a great king someday, Fili, so it is time you knew," Thorin looked at his nephew. "There are many things not known about our forefathers. The books and songs remember them for their heroic deeds leading our people into our prosperity. But the line of Durin is a cursed line, stumbling through history rather than valiantly leading a charge. If the people knew, though, their faith in us would waver. Maybe it should, but we can ponder on that later."

"This is about Thror," Fili said after a moment of silence. "I overheard Mother talking to Balin about him once, something about gold sickness."

"Aye, that is what this is about," Thorin felt his heart clench at the thought of his grandfather. "Thror was once a good king, a wise dwarf and a loving father. I remember being nothing more than a babe and he taking me to council just so that he could ignore his advisors. He took us to the mines, said we had to know our people. He taught all of us how to work the forges and made all of us work in the mines beside our people so we understood their struggles. Thrain was a good father to myself and your mother, loved us as any father should, but it was Thror who taught us to love the people."

"What happened?" Fili asked softly.

"A miner discovered the Arkenstone shortly after I turned 100," Thorin looked down at his cup. "He was so entranced by its beauty that he nearly fell to his death. That should have been warning enough to all of us about that rock. Thror saw it as a sign from the gods blessing the line of Durin but it was a curse. Thror and Thrain both rubbed its beauty in the faces of the elves and lorded it over the dwarf lords. Thror stopped visiting the markets and the mines and spent more time in the treasury. I will admit, I felt the pull of the Arkenstone myself, but not as strongly as my elders. Or maybe because they kept me from interacting with the Arkenstone that I did not fall under its spell. It drove Thror mad with lust. Lust for gems, gold, anything that shimmered. He hoarded it away in the treasury, constantly visiting at random hours. For a time, Thrain would visit as well, but Thror banned all but himself from the treasury. It was a dark time in the kingdom, but very short lived. The dragon attacked and many forgot the years where the king locked himself away in his chambers and the great Prince Thrain could be heard roaring in the mines. The years where Prince Thorin and Prince Frerin and Princess Dis ran the kingdom for their elders," Thorin ended bitterly.

Fili was silent for a moment before taking a big breath, "And you fear that you will fall to its spell."

"No. Well yes but also no," Thorin looked up at his nephew. "I fear for the rest of you. Balin and I spent much time after we were driven from our home looking for cures. What we found…a hoard protected by a dragon is just as potent as the Arkenstone. I was so focused on just reclaiming Erebor that I have not thought of what that will all entail. Balin has tried to warn me but I would not listen."

"Until Bilbo," Fili supplied.

"Until Bilbo. I fear I was already falling to the gold sickness. Just the idea of it, all that gold could save our people ten fold," Thorin gripped his cup tightly. "I need to speak to both Gandalf about this before we go any further. There is no point in waking a dragon if there is no way to protect ourselves against gold sickness. I will not risk your lives for the mountain."

"We will talk to Gandalf," Fili nodded. "As you said, I am to be king someday. I need to know how to handle a wizard."

"Well, if you can handle Balin and Dori ready to spill blood all over a mountain, then I think you can handle a wizard," Thorin gave a small smile.

"They're all blind," Fili grumbled. "Seriously, I don't know how Ori and Dwalin didn't realize they were each other's Ones. Even Kili could see it and normally he's the last person to know."

"Well," Thorin paused before chuckling. "That is quite sad."

"But its all going to be ok now," Fili nodded. "Dwalin and Ori are finally together, Balin and Dori are now even more terrifying because they realize they can plot together, and the King finally has his One."

"Am I that obvious?" Thorin raised an eyebrow.

"Uncle, for as long as I can remember, I have seen you actually seen you flirt with someone," Fili laughed just as the door to Bilbo's room open. Gandalf stepped out and met Thorin's eyes.

"Bilbo wishes to speak to you."