A/N Dear readers, my updating has been sparse lately because of school and work. I hope you can understand, I am currently full time at both school and in work. I am out of the house for upwards of 15 hours a day and by the time I get home, I have to go right to bed so I can restart it all over again. I am not trying to ignore any of you and I am so glad that you are still around after the several unplanned hiatuses, it is just life is getting crazy. I hope that I can supply the type of writing that you all wait so patiently for in this installment and in future postings.

From a lower level of the mountain, the dwarves watched as the town burned. Bilbo watched as Thorin separated himself from the group. Thorin looked toward the main doors of the mountain kingdom, his gaze distant. The sun rose as the dwarven company looked out toward the ruins of the town. All those that survived moved onto the grass on the shore.

The company moved inside the mountain. Thorin disappeared inside the vast catacombs of the mountain. Camellia grabbed at Kili's hand.

"What's up with Thorin?" She asked.

"Don't know," he responded, holding her small hand in his.

"He doesn't seem like his old self."

"Hope its not the sickness," Fili stated.

"Sickness?"

"Thor's love of gold caused him to place it above all else. He coveted gold and treasure, much like Smaug had, and it caused him a sickness that forced him to ignore even the lives of his kin," Balin stated. "If Thorin has it, there is no hope."

"Oh, I'm sure that he's fine! Probably just the weather getting to him." Camellia knew the words leaving her mouth were lies. She wasn't sure Thorin was strong enough to ignore the allure of the gold. A few nights more in the stone walls of Erebor proved her right. Thorin was going crazy. He even snapped at Bilbo, thinking that he was holding onto the Arkenstone when it was just an acorn.

An impending battle was upon them. The people of Laketown moved into Dale. They had intended to take their share of the gold, what Thorin promised them, but now, he was very quick to go back on his word. Their movement into Dale had scared Thorin and he wanted to patch up the hole in the wall quickly.

"I want this fortress made safe by sun up!" Thorin commanded. "This mountain was

hard work. I do not want to see it taken again."

"The people of Laketown have nothing," The youngest brother stated as he dropped his wheelbarrow.

"Kili," Camilla started, trying to stop him from fighting with his uncle.

"They came to us in need. They have lost everything," he pleaded.

"Do not tell me what they have lost," came Thorin's sharp reply. At this moment, she stopped listening. She knew that he was going to go on about how he had lost a lot. The moment they had reclaimed the mountain, her anger toward him was steadily growing. The moment that Thorin spoke had sent steam piling out of her ears, but she did not say anything this time. Instead, she quietly left the room.

Moonlight lit the way as Camellia ran outside. She was furious. Laketown was destroyed. People were dead. A promise was breaking. She needed to burn off her anger before she snapped at someone and caused more trouble so she ran. She ran through the fields and through the forest. Along the water's edge too. She had run for so long that the moon had gone from barely above the horizon to two-thirds of the way through the night sky, but her anger was still there. There was no where left to run so she kicked off her shoes and jumped into the water and began to swim. The water's resistance helped force the anger away, but she still spent two hours swimming. When she returned to land, her hands were pruny. For half of the journey back to the mountain, she could feel the water leaking out of her.

By the time that she had returned, the hole was patched up and everyone was asleep. She snuck into the room and changed quickly. She hung her wet clothes on one of the many broken and jutting rocks. Her hair was in tangles and still damp when she laid next to Kili, whom was snoring loudly. She fell asleep quickly.

She did not sleep for long before the sun had peaked through and landed on her face. When she opened her eyes, she was staring into the dirty and still snoring face of Kili. He had drool that cleared a path through the dirt on his face and that pooled next to his cheek. Camellia stood up and ran her fingers through her hair. It was knotted and matted from her late night swim. She fetched a comb out of her bag and began to detangle her hair. She noticed during that Thorin was no where to be seen.

Once again, Thorin was in the treasure room, sifting through all of the gold and other jewels that his grandfather collected. The sunlight hit a small pile of diamonds and shining on top of it was an elven-made necklace. Immediately, Camellia recognised it, but she dared not to try and move while Thorin was near. He was watching over the few dwarves that were looking for the Arkenstone, but even the slightest noise would have redirected his attention toward her and she did not want to fall under his watchful gaze.

Eventually, all had to relocate to address the threat that was at their gate. The Mirkwood guard stood in Dale, armed and ready. Bard approached the gate on a great white horse.

"Thorin, son of Thrain," he called. "We are glad to find you alive beyond hope."

"Why do you come to the gate of the kingdom under the mountain armed for war?" Thorin immediately questioned.

"Why does the king under the mountain fence himself in?" Bard responded. "Like a robber, in his hole?" The air became tense. Camellia was not ready to deal with the angry words that Thorin was bound to through at Bard. She left the gate and went further into the mountain.

She watched as the dwarves raided through the armory and prepared themselves for war. There was no point in trying to reason with any of them. Dwarves were not just stubborn, but they were fiercely loyal and what their leader says, goes. Once Thorin had made up his mind, the rest of their minds were made up and there was no use in trying to change that.

"Camellia, take this," Fili offer her a sword.

"I do not want it."

"You need to protect yourself," Kili stated.

"We wouldn't even be going to war if your uncle had just kept his word," she snapped. The two brothers were startled by her sudden change in temperament.

"Word of Smaug's death would have reached someone by now. We would be going to war anyway," Kili said, trying to calm her down.

"Maybe so, but if he would have kept his promise, we would have allies! Laketown would probably help us and so might Mirkwood! He's putting you," she met the eyes of the other dwarves, "putting all of you in severe danger and its all because of his stupid greed!" She was fully shouting now, her face almost as red as her hair. The armoury quieted down, Camellia's outburst distracting all of them. She looked back at the brothers. "Of all of the friendships I have made, the two of you are one that I don't want to lose. And you," she turned to face just Kili now, "If I lost you, I would lose a part of myself." She picked herself up off the ground. "If either of you die tomorrow, I will bring you back and kill you myself," she stated before leaving.

When dawn broke, the entire Mirkwood army was standing at the gate. In front was Bard and Thranduil, trying once more to get their share of the treasure and stopping this battle. Thorin threatened Thranduil with an arrow and it caused his army to raise their bows. Instinctively, Camellia raised hers and prepared to shoot. Thranduil commanded his army to lower their weapons, but Camellia kept her up and ready.

"We have come to tell you: payment of your debt has been offered," Thranduil stated, "and accepted."

"What payment?" Thorin asked, confused. "I gave you nothing! You have nothing." Bard pulled out the Arkenstone from his coat.

"We have this," he stated as he held it into the air. Immediately Thorin lowered his bow. Before anyone could do anything, the sound of hooves filled the arm. All attention was turned to the west. Another army was approaching, but they did not look like they wanted to start a war. Camellia replaced her arrow in her quiver and put her bow on her back before jumping over the gate and climbing down as quickly as her little legs could take her. In the front of the group was a dwarf man with fiery red hair on a small brown horse. Once they had reached the mountain, he began to dismount his horse. Camellia crashed into him, running at full speed, and threw her arms around him.

"Father!" she cried. "What are you doing here?" she asked as she pulled away.

"I figured you could use some help."

"Keldbak," Thorin muttered.

"Ah, Thorin, it is good to see you again. I hope we didn't interrupt anything."

"Just the deal we were making," Thranduil stated, anger prevalent in his voice.

"Carry on then," Keldback said as he remounted his horse and sent his daughter back to the mountain. Camellia began to climb the gate as Bard and Thorin resumed talking.

When Camellia had climbed up over the stones, Bilbo came forth and admitted that he had given Bard the Arkenstone. Betrayal entered Thorin's eyes before being replaced by the flames of fury.

"You would steal from me…?"

"Steal? No. I may be a burglar, but I like to think of myself as an honest one." The conversation between the two became heated very quick. "You are changed Thorin!" Bilbo accused. "The dwarf I met in Bag End would never have gone back on his word! Would never have doubted the loyalty of his kin!" Thorin was visibly hurt.

"Throw him from the ramparts!"