Disclaimer: I own nothing that you recognise.

A/N: So apologies for any spelling mistakes, I have tried.

This chapter contains: Magic, Thranduil being dumb, Two elves and a wizard trolling quietly, Slapping, A few harsh truths, a Smack down and more Magic.

I hope you enjoy :)

Chapter 20

Bard POV

I stared around the ruined hall that we were using as a healing house temporarily, although the elves had brought so much with them in the way of ointments and salves, when they had appeared, many were turning to the young woman who had been travelling with the dwarves. She had stayed with us, even after the rest had gone and I didn't believe it was because the younger dwarves had begged her to. I watched as she darted around the hall, her hair tied back in a long braid and her clothes covered in dirt and soot from the dragon's fire and the travel here, she would not accept any clean clothes offered to her. She would not accept any kind of payment for her healing talents, a stark contrast to the elves who I was sure wanted something from us.

I would have thought that many of the people of Laketown would be wary of her, considering she had practically commanded the dragon, it's fire and the water of the lake we were residing on, but they had embraced her. I suppose after all this time, anyone who had the power to order around a dragon would make a powerful ally. That and many people were hailing me as their leader after the master had perished in the town when the dragon had destroyed his house. Why they chose me I didn't know, Sigrid said it was because I had helped many of them over the years, but I wasn't so sure.

I turned towards her as she crouched down beside Ingrid and began to softly talk to her, her tone amazingly soft and respectful but still retaining some of the undertone of the dwarvish language, watching in awe as her hands began to glow a faint blue. I moved through the crowd, towards her, just as an elf approached. "Bowman, Girl, the king requests your presence in his tent." She froze at the patronising tone in the elf's voice, turning to look at him with such venom. "Excuse me? Girl? Is that what he called me? After all this time he has forgotten my name? Well you can tell your perfect king that if he truly wants to speak to me then he can get off his regal ass and come and get me himself. As for you, if you ever speak to me in such a manner again I will carve out your tongue." She told him, before turning away and waving her hand dismissively.

I stared at her for a second before following the elf as he made his way back to King Thranduil's tent. "My king, the girl-child refuses to come and see you, she says that you must go and get her yourself." I raised and eyebrow at the blatant lie he had just told his king. "Is this true Bowman? Is this what the dwarfkin had to say?" He asked me and I flushed, just noticing the three other elves that were within the tent. I shook my head and cleared my throat, "She may have also suggested that if your elf was to call her girl again she will carve out his tongue. She also said that you could get off your regal ass and go and get her yourself. It almost sounded like she thought you knew who she was." I said in reply, ducking my head.

There was choked laughter and I saw the dark haired elf struggle not to laugh, the she-elf was smirking as she looked over at Thranduil and the copy of him that had been in my house was shaking his head. "I will go and try to get Ariana to come here, she may listen to me." He said softly and the king just glared at him, his glare becoming fiercer as the wizard Gandalf entered the tent. "I see that you are holding council. Is there anything I can assist with?" He asked and I just stayed silent, figuring the question wasn't for me. Thranduil was arguing with the three of them about something softly. Clearly Ariana had made the suggestion for the other two elves to come here with Gandalf, from wherever it was they were before meeting the King's forces. The young elf that had left came darting back into the tent, slightly paler than when he had left.

I soon realised why as Ariana stormed into the tent, her face in a dark scowl that matched that of her royal brother. "What do you want? I am busy." She snapped out refusing to even look at the elfking. The dark haired elf stepped forward. "We need your help, we need you to help Thorin to see sense." She stared at him. "See sense? I'm sorry what have you seen that makes you think that you can make a dwarf in the midst of gold sickness see sense. Because I think you need to share it, as all I can see is death, death and more death. I see elves, men and dwarves lying dead after a battle. I see nothing but that. Anyway what on this good earth makes you so sure I will even enter that mountain? That Thorin will welcome me as kin?" She snarled out and Thranduil surged to his feet.

He scowled down at her, towering over her by at least a head and half. "You will do it. You will enter that mountain." He snarled out as she stared at him, before slapping him sharply across the right side of his face. "I will not enter that mountain, not for all the gold within it. I dare you to tell me the reason why you think I would ever set foot in there and if you say to get you your gems I will gut you here and now. I have lost so much to that mountain. I didn't leave with Kíli and the others to enter it for two reasons. The lesser one was because I knew that the town would need my help after the dragon attack." She paused and took a breath, her hands clenching and unclenching.

She looked back up at the elf king. "I have face orcs, goblins, dragons, torture, imprisonment and death. I do not fear any of those. What I DO fear is that mountain. That mountain has taken so much from me, it slowly drove my grandfather mad, to the point where he didn't even recognise me. It is doing it again with Thorin, so what in the name of Mahal makes you think that I would want to watch that again? You saw how much I adored my grandfather, what you didn't see was how much I adored my brothers and the sons of Fundin. Three of which are now inside that mountain and are gripped by gold madness. Why in hell would I want to enter that mountain, knowing that they will choose the gold over me, that they will break every promise they have ever made me. Why the hell would I shatter that one last shred of hope that I still have, that I have a family that still cares for me. Just for your fucking jewels?"

Her snarl echoed in the tent and I heard a sniffle, causing us all to turn to see the hobbit stood there. "Ariana, I'm so sorry." He said as she turned to him, shaking her head quickly. "No Bilbo, don't tell me what he's like. I know he will be worse than my grandfather ever was, because he once said that he would never turn away those who had lost their home and he has done that, he has broken his honour which he values so strongly. I know how deeply he has sunk into madness." Her voice wavered slightly as she spoke the last few words and I could see tears forming in her eyes.

The Elf king looked down at the Bilbo, "If I am not mistaken, this is the Halfling who stole the keys to my dungeon right from under the nose of my guards." I looked over at Bilbo, impressed, Bilbo just shrugged, "Yes, sorry about that. We might be able to avert this war between our two sides though." Thranduil tilted his head to the side, "The King's Jewel." I looked over at Bilbo, curious, "And worth a king's ransom. How is this yours to give?" I asked and he shrugged, looking over at Ariana. "I took it as my one-fifthteenth share of the treasure." Gandalf seemed to be trying not to smile, while Ariana held no reaction. "Why do you do this? You owe us nothing." He nodded, but looked over at Ariana as he spoke. "I'm not doing it for you. I know that Dwarves can be obstinate and pig-headed and difficult. They're suspicious and secretive, with the worst manners you can possibly imagine. But they are also brave and kind, and loyal to a fault. I've grown very fond of them, and I would save them if I can."

Bilbo said as he stepped forward and placed a cloth covered something on the table and we all gathered around it, except Ariana who started backing away. The air suddenly grew colder in the tent and harder to breath. "Keep that accursed thing covered. I would not gaze on that thing if it were the last good thing on this earth. It is vile and disgusting." She hissed out and Bilbo nodded, tucking it back into his coat. "If we cannot barter with the Arkenstone, then what would you have us do?" The she-elf asked. Ariana sighed and the tent returned to its original settings. She ran a hand over her face, looking far older than her years, "There is something that we have within the mountain, that essentially works like a stewardship does for the kingdoms of men. Except ours has a separate section for gold sickness. It states that the next oldest in line after the affected has the right to challenge the ruler to a fight for the mountain, only the two of them and their weapon of choice." She said, looking around at us.

I nodded, as did many of the others. "I am sensing a 'but' there." Bilbo said as she nodded, "Thorin barely recognises his blood, he may not recognise me at all as I am adopted. The records, however, show me as being older than Fíli and Kíli, giving me the right to challenge. Thorin will fight me and if we are to even survive this I must win, but to do that I cannot use my magic." Bilbo looked at her and grasped her hand. "Can you do it? Can you win without your magic?" He asked and she nodded, sighing slightly. "I must, for if I don't I will just be the first of many to die in the next few days." She said it so matter of factly that even the elves looked taken aback. "What can we do?" I asked, before even thinking it through. She turned to me and I found myself caught in that gaze.

She looked at me, "Get your people ready to move into the mountain as soon as you can. I will go and challenge Thorin now. I will win this, I am angry beyond what you could understand at my brother. Just give me an hour and then begin to travel over." She said, turning to leave the tent. She had barely made it out of the tent when the young blonde elf that had fetched her darted out calling after her, "Nana tampa." Every elf in the room froze and stared at the one who had left. It was Gandalf that broke the silence, "Would you like to share with the rest of us why your son just called her mother?" He glared over at the elfking, who just shook his head, staring after her. It was Bilbo that scoffed and shook his head. "I cannot believe how immensely dense beings of your advanced years can be." He said shaking his head and moving after Ariana and the elfprince. It was then that I truly looked at Thraduil.

I realised that the look on his face, while it had been one of anger, had changed to one of shock and had been that way since Ariana had announced that she could die within the next few hours. He looked exactly as I had seen many men look when they were told that their wife might die, it was one of intense grief, but it was clouded with confusion almost like he didn't realise that she held a place in his heart. I shook my head I had no time for love struck elves, especially when they couldn't see it, "If you'll excuse me, I must go and prepare my people." I said bowing out of the tent, making my way towards the hall. I had barely reached it when Ariana moved past me, my children running after her and little Tilda was crying. "Why are you leaving us?" She asked and I could see that my people were watching for her answer as well.

Ariana turned back around as she fastened her sword to her belt and sighed, "I am leaving to win you a safer place to weather the next few days and coming months. Don't worry I'll see you later." She said, her voice even and normal and if I hadn't heard her speak in the tent, I wouldn't have known she was lying. She bowed her head at me as she passed me, her smile fading and I could see the terror in her eyes, she was far more scared entering that mountain than she had been facing Smaug. I extended my hand to her and she clasped it tightly in hers, nodding her head. "I will do my best, be ready." She whispered and moved through the crowd that had gathered, the hobbit following after her.

The next hour seemed to drag by as I prepared my people, helping them pack up their meagre belongings and we began to the long walk over to the mountain, the elves following us. Well the elfprince and his friend were walking by my children, I turned to him and saw how pale he was. I moved closer to him and laid my hand on his shoulder, "She will be alright, she is strong and in good health. She could face a dragon down, I have to believe she can face down Thorin as well." I told him and he nodded, "I only have faint memories of my mother and I was drifting away from my father. I think it pains him that I look so much him, but act like my mother. Anyway, I met Ariana back when Thrór still ruled the mountain, nearly a year after she had arrived here. She was such a little thing, 7 years old and tiny, far smaller than even your Tilda." He said and I looked over at my youngest, she was just about taller than my waist.

I looked at him, when he met Ariana she was older than Tilda was, but smaller. I frowned and he nodded, "From what she once told me in her letters, her childhood was not a good one before she came here. When I met her she didn't even reach my belt, but she grabbed my hand and looked up at me with such wide eyes. I fell into them, my heart reacting to this hypnotising child. It confused me for many years, until I saw her again in the wood before she arrived at your house. I saw a fierce warrior, but my heart reacted in a way that said she is home. I want to please her the same way I have tried with my father, my heart recognises her as a mother to me, not to replace my birth mother, but almost as if she was always meant to be my mother. If that makes sense?" He said, softly turning away from me to look at his friend when she laid a hand on his shoulder.

She smiled sadly over at me, "I am far younger than Legolas and I owe the king my life. He took me in, a lowly elf and raised me, gave me an honourable position, one that is far above my station. I never met Ariana when she was young, but I did meet her in the forest and then again within the Kings halls, she draws people in. She cares for you even if you treat her wrongly and its hard not to love her. My heart reacted in a similar way to Legolas', which I think reflects on who she is and how tightly my life has twined with Legolas'." She said and he smiled over at her, "Where Ariana is the mother of my heart, Tauriel is the sister of it." He said and I nodded, focusing on the mountain as we finally reached, what yesterday had been a puzzle of brick scraps, but was now a strong, solid door.

"Da? You said it was like a puzzle?" Bain said, worry clouding his voice. I placed a hand on his shoulder, "It was son. I don't know what sorcery this is." I said and Gandalf appeared next to me. "It appears we may be in luck, unless this was done before the fight." He murmured and I turned to look at him, only to swing my head back around as the stone groaned and the solid door parted down a invisible seal and in the parting stood Ariana. I heard Legolas inhale sharply and saw the darkening bruise around Ariana's throat, where the scar around her left eye had been was once again an open wound and she was walking stiffly, like her bones ached. Which if she had just fought a dwarf like Thorin, they probably did.

Next to her stood the Hobbit and the dwarf she had healed. She bowed down to us, "The line Durin welcomes you to Erebor. If you will follow me, I will show you where in the mountain you can settle." She said formally, her eyes distant and glazed. Legolas darted towards her and walked next to her muttering quickly. Tauriel stood next to me, "He is asking if she is ok, if she is hurt anywhere that needs healing. He's begging her to let either a healer or one of the two of us heal her face. She isn't allowing it." She whispered to me and the dwarf who had come to stand next to her scoffed.

We turned to him as we walked. "She can't, it needs to show if other dwarves come that she did enter combat with Thorin. That she did win, despite the vouching of myself and all the company but Thorin himself, he has sequestered himself back down in the treasure, trying to find that thrice damned rock. She also won't heal herself because I think she needs the pain, to focus after being forced back into the mountain. She hates it, I can see it in her. My aunt who loved life, who loved to joke and laugh and sing and dance in the rain is gone. This is someone I don't know, I think if the sickness wasn't here then she would be better, but it is and it haunts her." He said showing us into the cavernous hall that Ariana was lighting with her magic, sconces and small fires springing up around the room.

She turned to us, "I appreciate it is not the homiest of places to stay, but until the danger I have seen coming is over, I am afraid it is all I can do. Please don't leave this cavern, many of the halls around the mountain have not been repaired from the dragon and there are no railings to prevent you from falling into the depths of the old mines. I will help where I can, but we are expecting contingent of dwarves within the day and I feel that they will take a large portion of my time. If I am unavailable please find my nephew Kíli or our hobbit Bilbo, they will help you if they can. If you'll excuse me." She turned just as the oldest dwarf from the company walked in, but before he could speak, Tilda had latched herself to Ariana's leg.

I watched as she winced, but turned to Tilda and smiled down at her, "Yes sweetling?" She asked and Tilda looked up at her, "I don't care that we're in the mountain, but I can't see the sky. I don't like it." She whimpered and I flinched, Tilda had been afraid of the dark for a long time and we tried to keep a small lamp burning at night, or a candle in a tin bucket, just for light. Ariana's eyes widened and she knelt down next to Tilda, even though I could see that it pained her. "How could I forget to put the sky in? Thank you for reminding me Miss Tilda." She said softly and smoothed a hand down her hair. She then stood and a ball of brilliant blue light appeared in her hand. She threw the ball at the roof of the hall and it sparked, sending an image reaching out from it, matching the sky outside perfectly and immediately the cavernous hall didn't seem so bad.

She winked down at Tilda and went to follow the dwarf out. Kíli stood next to me and stared after her, "She shouldn't be able to do that. She said that the more magic she uses the more she needs to eat and the more complex the spell the more magic is used. She told me she was lucky that what she did to Smaug didn't kill her, it used that much magic. This was also after she had healed me, she shouldn't have the power left." He shook his head and frowned and it looked wrong on his face. Bilbo stood next to him and patted his arm, "We need to trust that she knows her limits. I think I saw Tauriel sneak her some of the Lembas bread, which fills you immensely, one bite is a meal. She ate the whole thing so hopefully." Bilbo shrugged as Legolas turned to him.

He looked around and I watched my people settle, while still listening to the conversation. "I know that she won, she wouldn't have the power she has now if she didn't, but how did the fight go?" He asked and I watched as Gandalf and the three elves that seemed to be in charge came over. "Thorin called her a traitor, tried to disown her and said that he wishes that she had died long before she reached the mountain. She flinched and he attacked, brutally. You would have thought she was an orc with the way he went for her. She lost her sword and he dropped his, diving for her."

Bilbo paused and Kíli took over. "Uncle thought that he would win, he still thinks of her as a little child. That her ability to fight hasn't improved, but it has. Mahal the punches and kicks that she delivered to Thorin where full of power. You could see she was angry. He grabbed her throat at one point and she headbutted him, worse than I have ever seen another dwarf do, even Dwalin and he lives to headbutt. Thorin let go of her and then dove for her waist, wrapping his arms around her and trying to push her over. That turned out to be a mistake, for all of her slender build and grace she is strong. She threw him over her shoulder and was on him before he blinked, her arm wrapped around his throat, almost choked him into surrender as he couldn't get out of her grip." Kíli said proudly and smiled darkly.

The dark haired elf chuckled, "I take it you approve of her methods?" Kíli nodded, "In beating Thorin, she managed to break the rest of the company out of the gold lust. They say they had been mostly pretending, because Thorin is King and to cross him or go against him is treason and a death sentence. Ariana winning let them drop the act and we all support her. The gold lust was real, more for some than others." He muttered and I saw his eyes go to the blond dwarf that had just entered the room. He then turned, bowed and walked away to help some of the men set up beds for our injured. The blond walked over, " I guess he still hate me right now?" He asked Bilbo, who shrugged. "You threw your brother away for gold. I think he's entitled to hate you a little bit."

The blond nodded and moved to help the women moved around a few crates of food. I sighed and began to help as well, I was passing out blankets and other supplies when the older Dwarf entered the room, a contingent of Dwarves following him and he showed them the area that they could use. Their rough language and the lilting tones of the elves breaking out almost immediately and I didn't need to speak either tongue to know they were insulting each other. The older dwarf barked something out and the dwarves voices dropped to a mutter, but I could see they weren't happy about this arrangement. The only question I cared about was could we survive what was coming?

A/N: So this is the last of my already written chapters, Daín is up next and he's about 3/4 finished so hopefully it will be up tomorrow. :)

I hope everyone enjoyed Thorin's smack down, this is however not the full story of what happened with the rest of the company though, that will be explained in the next one :)

Also I forgot to add in a few Translations from Legolas' chapter - Nana gi melin means Mother, I love you. Ada/Adar mean basically the same thing Dad/Father I used both as I can see Legolas thinking of him as ada, but calling him adar. In this chapter Nana tampa basically means, mum stop. So that should really blow the elves away ;)

Also, last one, I have reached 100 reviews! :) This is about the sum total of all my other stories combined! So THANK YOU so much :)