I was surprised by the number of humans that chose to stay. Most of them were men but there were a fair few women that stayed behind too. They had all been told of what awaited them. The armies that were marching towards us, getting closer each day. Yet they were still willing to stand and fight. Even after a dragon wrought devastation upon them. They could have left it to the elves and the dwarves but they didn't want that. From what I could gather, quite a few felt like they had a responsibility. It was their home so they should be defending it.

That's why I was not in any way surprised to find out that Bard had not left for the woodland realm. He stood, stalwart, with the people who chose to remain, stepping into the role of leader quite easily. His people looked up to him. Not only was he there for them before any of this happened, but he was also the one to deal the killing blow. In their eyes, he was like some fantasy hero.

Then again he was a fantasy hero in my eyes too.

I decided to seek him out once Kili and I had made up. We walked hand in hand, weaving through the tents, in the direction Kili believed Bard to be. The new camp was harder to navigate than the other one had been. Instead of neat rows of tents, they had been set up almost haphazardly wherever they could fit. It made it a little difficult, but we eventually found our way.

I had almost gotten used to the way the elves acted around me. The bowing and curtseying. The titles. The strange, unearned respect. So when it happened I bowed my head back at them or smiled.

I was not prepared when the humans started acting similarly.

News must have gotten around that I was the one who distracted Smaug. As I walked I caught their wide-eyed stares. A strange look of reverence and wonder. Occasionally someone would bow and offer me their hand, confessing their eternal gratitude, commending my bravery. It felt weird to receive such praise. I hadn't exactly felt brave as I stared into the dragon's eyes. All I felt at the moment was terror.

I took their hands and smiled awkwardly back at them. Kili was pretty good at shuffling them away without appearing rude. He could tell when I was getting overwhelmed.

We found Bard talking to Adar. He leaned a little more heavily on one side and his skin was rather pale. But other than that he seemed perfectly healthy. Nothing appeared to be broken and he had no gaping wounds I could see. The healers must have done a pretty good job on him.

I drew up short when I saw Adar. A part of me was still nervous about his earlier reaction. Was he still mad at me? Or had the whole 'healed an unhealable wound' mellowed him out a bit? Only one way to find out.

His eyes clocked us as soon as we entered his line of sight. The look on his face was unreadable as he paused his conversation with Bard and made his way over to us.

"I would like to speak with you," he said to me.

He levelled a look at Kili. It wasn't a glare but it was clearly indicating that he was not to be a part of this conversation. Kili, thankfully, understood what the look meant and after giving my hand a quick squeeze he shuffled off in Bard's direction.

Adar put a hand on my shoulder and guided me into a nearby tent. It was unoccupied and full of scavenged furniture. They didn't quite match but they were at least undamaged. He closed the door flap, giving us some semblance of privacy.

My hands wrung together nervously before I finally looked up at Adar. He wasn't quite as unreadable now that he was shrouded by others. His eyes roamed over my face as if he was truly seeing me for the first time.

"Life is truly complex with you around, tithien vin," he said after a moment.

My chest warmed at his use of my nickname. It was a good sign.

"I'm not angry at you Liriel," he paused. "Well, at least I'm not anymore. In actuality, I was incredibly mad at you. But after I've had some time to think and reflect I realise that my anger was misplaced."

"I am not angry that you helped. The fact that I have a daughter that cares so deeply about her people that she would risk her life for them makes me incredibly proud. Even if I didn't have a hand in it, you have grown to be a kind and brave elleth. Just like your naneth."

Adar took a deep breath "It was fear that drove me. Fear that I had lost you once more. All this time I have still been seeing you as my little girl. One that still needs her Adar's protection. But you are not a child anymore."

Adar touched his face. "I think it took you healing me to realise that. You are powerful and capable in ways that I had not let myself see. I owe you an apology."

I felt like I couldn't keep up. It was one revelation after another. When I finally internalised everything Adar was saying, I looked up at him and said. "You don't need to apologise, Adar."

"Though I feel I must. I have been treating you like a child when you deserved more respect than that."

I surprised him with a hug, burying my face in his chest. His robe was soft against my cheek. He only hesitated a second before I felt his arms wrap around me.

"Thank you, Adar."

Adar left not long after. There was a whole army to run and he couldn't stay in one place for long. However, I felt lighter knowing that I hadn't disappointed him, and that he was proud of me. It felt like a weight lifted from my shoulders.

Bard gave me a relieved smile when I approached him.

"Liriel, I'm so glad you are well. After what happened I had feared the worst," said Bard.

"I'm glad you're okay too, Bard," I said. I quickly gave him a once over to look for any sign of injury. "You don't look like you've fallen from a height at least."

Bard laughed "No, I've been under near-constant surveillance by your healers. They wouldn't even let me move until this morning."

"Your family. Are they okay?" I asked tentatively.

Bard took a deep, steadying breath. "Yes, thankfully, they all made it out unscathed. I sent them with the others heading for the woodland realm. Bain wasn't pleased to be leaving but I told him that he had to look after his sisters. He seemed to feel better about it after that"

I nodded, happy that his family was safe. They would be treated well in the Elven Halls. Probably be fed better than they had ever been in Laketown.

"I don't know who was among the dead," I paused, taking a breath. "I was just thinking about all the children that I looked after. Did any of them - were any of them–"

Bard caught what I intended to say and answered for me. "As far as I know, no children were among the dead. But…"

My heart froze in anticipation of his words.

"I remember you got quite close with Maggie's children," My heart was in my throat. Oh god know please don't tell me they were hurt. "Well...Maggie didn't make it. She lost her life getting her children to safety."

I felt a burn at the back of my throat. "But she was all they had," I covered my mouth with my hand.

Kili wrapped a comforting arm around me. I leaned into his support.

Maggie had been young. She had been scared but she had been willing to do anything for her children. The thought of her gone was awful. Who did Hilde, Dilly and little Sven have now?

"Her children were left in the hands of a good family, I promise you. They'll be okay." Bard reassured me.

As okay as any recently orphaned children could be, I guess.

The Elves prepared for a battle all around us. They laid out traps and secured good vantage points. In the story, they had been surprised by the orcs attacking. It meant that they were unprepared and many died because of it. This time they knew what to look out for. They set up fire traps with some of the leftover oil and trenches filled with spears.

I was very relieved to find out that the company had all made it out alive. A raven had been sent shortly after Smaug's demise to confirm that they were all safe. I had been so happy and ready to hug them all. However, I was shocked to discover that they were all still in the mountain. With everything that happened with Smaug, they hadn't had a chance to check up on the dwarves. Too busy evacuating the vulnerable and healing the injured.

An uneasy feeling settled in my stomach. What if they were trapped in there? Smaug could have caused a cave in and they couldn't get out. They might have sent a Raven saying that they were all alive but that didn't mean that none of them were hurt. I was also terrified of Thorin being around all that gold. The longer he was around it the more it would dig its claws in. I know I had warned him, but there was no way of knowing if that would be enough.

Kili and I knew we had to get to that mountain as soon as possible. Adar seemed worried when I told him. For a second, it looked like he was going to tell me no, but then he schooled his expression and said that we could. We had to take an Elven escort with us but we could go. It was progress, I guess.

I climbed onto a horse behind Kili. He was very uncertain about riding a full-sized horse but he was hiding it well. Two guards were escorting us to the mountain. Though what Adar believed would happen between here and there is anyone's guess.

Kili urged the horse into a trot, and we began our journey.

Fili

Fili vowed to never go near a dragon ever again in his life. He was struggling to even stand close to the campfire keeping the company warm. Its flickering flames sent sharp memories into the forefront of his mind of burning heat at his back. How close he had been to being snuffed out.

How had his people coped after Erebor was lost? None of the company had been greatly injured and yet here he was refusing the warmth from his own fire because it hurt to look at. Is that what his own people had done?

When Smaug crashed his way out of the mountain, he thought that everything was going to plan. They had all rushed up to the closest balcony to watch. Smaug fell for the trap instantly, following the pyres, getting closer and closer to his demise. When everything went wrong.

It was Bofur who first saw the fire in the woods. The place he knew everyone had been evacuated to. When he pointed it out, Fili felt like the world had slid out from under him. He couldn't even fathom how it could have started. Smaug's flames had been nowhere near it. Yet the flames began to spread nonetheless.

Fili prayed that Smaug wouldn't notice it. Would ignore it for just long enough. But it wasn't to be. The beast had superior senses in every way. Fili, along with nearly everyone else, cried out when Smaug turned towards the elves and humans.

He felt so lost, so helpless, just standing there and watching the destruction. The smell of smoke in the air and the sound of crackling flames was almost too much to handle. Everything in him rebelled. Yet, he couldn't do anything.

When he thought that all was lost a bright light lit up the sky. It drew the eye of everyone. Like a star had been brought down to Middle Earth. He had to close his eyes against the onslaught. Smaug himself wasn't able to ignore it either. Fili drew in a shuddery breath when he saw the dragon abandon its attack.

Fili knew that light. Had seen it often enough and even been on the other end of it. His brief relief was quickly crushed and replaced with panic. This time stronger than it had been before.

Leah. It only could have been her. The last time he had seen her, she had been stuck in Mirkwood. Yet there she was, acting as a new beacon.

She had made it out, but Fili was terrified that it would all be for nothing. Smaug could shutter out her life in an instant. And if she died then...Oh, Mahal, no. Kili would perish along with her. He couldn't prevent the sob that bubbled up.

He wanted to screw up his eyes, bury his head in his hands and block it all out. Like a scared child. Yet he refused to.

Watching Smaug be impaled had been like a shock to the system. Like he had emerged from a lake. But it was quickly squashed when he saw the dragon crash into the platform with Leah on it.

He hadn't been able to cope. The others could barely console him. There was so much uncertainty. Kili and Leah could both be dead, and he could do nothing. The thought that he had just watched them die was like falling headfirst into a never-ending pit. The same pit he had fallen down the first time he saw the light leave his brother's eyes. For that minute that Kili was lost, he felt like he was drowning. The pain in his chest was so intense he felt like it would never stop hurting.

But his brother had come back then and pulled him out before it was too late. It was a miracle. One that tended not to happen twice.

The arrival of a raven was the thing to shake him out of his reverie. It felt like a lifetime when in actual fact it had only been two hours. The raven told them all that Kili and Leah were alive. Leah was injured, but they were all still alive.

It almost hurt, how relieved he was.

The dwarves decided that they should stay within the mountain while the elves dealt with the destruction. It would take quite a few people to unearth the front gate enough to let them out. They could probably climb down the ramparts, but it would be dangerous. It would be too reckless when they were perfectly safe in the mountain.

Bilbo, however, was dead set on them all leaving as soon as possible. At first, he couldn't see why. He even felt himself get angry as Bilbo continued. But after a few days, Fili started to see.

His Uncle was acting strange. He made them spend countless hours within the piles of gold, searching for the Arkenstone. Fili saw his uncle getting angrier and angrier. He couldn't understand. They'd won, and Smaug was gone. The only reason they really needed the stone in the first place was to join the dwarves together under one banner. A symbol of unity that would encourage them all to fight the dragon.

They should have been concentrating on more important matters. There was a war coming. They needed Thorin to send for Dain's army. Yet, so far, Thorin had refused to do so. It didn't make sense

When he heard Gloin call down about people approaching the mountain, he raced up to the ramparts. Everyone else followed suit. Including Thorin, who now sported armour and crown made of gold.

The sun streaked down onto the ground below. Fili squinted against it until he saw the three horses approaching the gates. When he saw his brother climbing off the back of one, he nearly vaulted over the low walls to get to him. If it wasn't for his Uncle's arm that shot out he would have probably gone over the edge.

"Kili!" he shouted. Then he saw Leah climbing down from beside his brother "Leah! I'm so glad you're alright."

Kili began to walk forward, looking as if he wanted to sprint up towards them. "Oh, Fili, you have no idea–"

"Stop right there!" Thorin's voice bellowed out.

Kili and Leah flinched to a stop.

He turned to Thorin with wide-eyed confusion. "Uncle, what do you mean? Kili should be here with us."

"Can you not see?" Thorin asked, his eyes wild. "Thranduil promised that they would remain in Mirkwood. Yet we see them here before us. It was all a trick. It was all lies."

Fili took a step back. Unable to comprehend Thorin's words.

"Thorin, please, we just wanted to see if you were okay," Leah pleaded. She sounded distressed but didn't look surprised.

"Thorin, what are you talking about? I'm not normally one to stick up for elves, but they helped us," said Dwalin.

Thorin turned towards Dwalin. "They lied about keeping Kili safe. Which means that they've lied about more. They have probably already poisoned him against me. They are using all of this as a ruse. They want to steal from us."

Exclamations of disbelief poured from everywhere. The dwarves couldn't understand where Thorin's thoughts were coming from.

The Elves below sensed a threat and drew out their bows. It only exacerbated the situation. "Look. Look how they send their soldiers after us. He would be alone if Kili were truly here of his own will. No. The elves want the mountain from us."

"Uncle, please," came Kili's voice from below them.

Thorin's face flickered with pain before settling on anger. "No! You are not welcome here while an elven garrison lies outside our doors."

"But what about the war, Thorin?" Leah's determined voice piped up. "It's coming whether you believe it or not. You must send for Dain, or you'll only lose the mountain again."

Thorin shook his head. "It's all lies. There is no orc army. We have not seen any sign of them for near two months now. You only want me to send for the dwarves so your father can finally end us all."

"Thorin, this is madness," said Balin.

The others in the company spoke out with words along the same line.

"Am I not your King?" Thorin shouted, silencing everyone.

"Of course you are, Thorin," Balin said, uneasy.

"Then you will listen to me," Thorin's voice was fierce and low. "We must protect what is ours."

"I faced a dragon for you, Thorin," Leah screamed, her face a picture of rage. "And you had to go and get fucking gold sickness. I even warned you. Did you not even try to stop it?"

For a second, Thorin looked vulnerable. Like her words cut through to him. There was a brief fear in his eyes, but all too soon, it was replaced by a crazy-eyed fury. "I will not stand here and have you speak to me like that."

Thorin leaned forward over the ramparts. The elves angled their bows towards him.

"No one enters this mountain, and no one leaves it." Then Thorin turned around and walked back into the mountain.

He left many a dazed dwarf in his wake.

"You've got to fight it, Thorin! You have to!" Leah shouted once more. "You need to send for Dain, and you need to fight this sickness. You're better than this."

Her words fell on shadows and the empty space Thorin left behind.

How could Thorin ever turn Kili away? How could he speak to Leah like that? Fili knew that his Uncle cared about Leah. He treated her like she was one of them. Because she was one of them.

When Leah mentioned gold sickness, it all started to make sense. A curse had gripped his uncle. One that had already succeeded in killing his great-grandfather. He couldn't think straight while it had its claws in him. If they couldn't get through to Thorin soon, he feared that he would be too far gone.

After Kili and Leah left, Thorin wandered into the Throne room. Fili watched him from a distance. He leaned heavily on the throne, head in his hand. Fili couldn't hear what he was saying, but it sounded like he was arguing with himself. It broke his heart to see him like that.

He wanted so desperately to help Thorin. But there was nothing he could really do. The company had attempted to reason with Thorin, but he began to look upon them with suspicion too. Fili felt out of his depth and not in control.

He could control his own actions.

Growing up, he had always been taught to respect authority figures. Had learned that he had to listen to his King. Thorin may have sometimes sounded unreasonable, but in the grand scheme of things, Fili had known they were for his own good. But should he still listen to him when he was no longer being reasonable? When his mind wasn't right?

Fili decided he was going to act now and face the consequences later. Decision made, Fili made his way up to one of the abandoned balconies. He made sure that he wasn't followed. While he still trusted his fellow dwarves, he wasn't certain that they wouldn't go back to Thorin. The older ones especially struggled to defy Thorin's orders. It had been drilled into them for so long that they didn't know what to do.

The air was brisk, and a hint of frost glistened on the wall. Night had almost fallen. Fili could just about make out the camp far below with the last of the light. Where his brother now resided. He couldn't believe he was separated from him once more. How many near-death experiences had that dwarf had in such a short time? When all this was over, he would lock his younger brother in a room for his safety.

Fili's hand reached into one of the trick pockets sewn into his tunic. From within, he pulled out the reason he had made this midnight journey. He'd found some parchment during his time inside Erebor. Most of the paper he found had rotted away, but some hadn't been left to the elements.

He had grabbed the best-looking page he could. But without ink, Fili had put his sneaking skills to the test. He waited until Ori was busy before going through his bag and swiping a bottle. Ori had collected three extra bottles during their time in Mirkwood. He wouldn't miss one.

Nori would have been proud of him. Then again, maybe not. It was his brother Fili was stealing from after all.

Fili wouldn't consider his writing very neat, but he hoped it was legible. It had to be.

He whistled a short tune. A raven didn't take long to descend onto the wall before him. It tilted its head to the side and chirped at him. What can Roäc do for you, Dwarf?

The ravens of Erebor were fiercely intelligent. So much so that they could speak and understand Westron. They had been allies of the dwarves for centuries.

Fili held out his hand with the folded parchment in. "This needs to get to Lord Dain in the Iron Hills as soon as possible. If it doesn't, then we could all die."

The raven took the parchment offered to him. Understood. Roäc can do this for you. Then without further preamble, the bird took flight into the night.

"Thank you," Fili said, hoping the bird had heard him.

Fili felt like a weight was lifted from his chest. He knew he had done the right thing. If everything went as it should he could have saved a lot of people.

"You did the right thing, Fili," a voice came from behind him.

Fili nearly jumped out of his skin. He spun so quickly that he almost fell over. Bilbo filled the gap in the doorway. His eyes were inquisitive yet understanding.

"Bilbo!" Fili exclaimed, "How long have you been there?"

He had been certain that he wasn't followed. How had the hobbit snuck up on him so effectively?

Bilbo's nose scrunched up, and he looked a bit guilty. "I've been here the whole time," When Fili looked like he was about to bolt, Bilbo raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Don't worry, I'm on your side. You did the right thing, Fili. If you didn't do something, then I was going to."

"Thank you, Bilbo," Fili felt the tension leave his shoulders.

"Leah warned me that this would happen," Bilbo sighed.

"She did?"

"She told me that there was a sickness here. That it would try to break into Thorin's head and feed him lies...And that's exactly what happened," Bilbo's voice was strained, and it sounded like he was close to tears. "It's telling him that the elves are trying to trick us. That his own nephew has turned against him. If he doesn't break out of this soon, he'll start turning on all of us."

Fili wanted to lash out and tell Bilbo that it wasn't true, but deep down, he knew it to be fact.

"Leah said that the Arkenstone would only make it worse for him," Bilbo continued.

"It's good that we haven't found it yet, then." There was a huge lump in Fili's throat. He felt like he couldn't swallow. What would happen when they did?

Bilbo seemed to hesitate, scratching his head and wrinkling his nose. "There's a reason for that."

"Bilbo. Do you have it?" Fili said, words barely above a whisper.

Bilbo hesitated before reaching into his robe. What he pulled out made Fili's jaw drop. A truly magnificent jewel that sent fractals and rainbows of light across the ground. It seemed to glow with its own radiance. How Bilbo had managed to keep something like that under wraps was nothing short of a miracle.

Fili hated to admit it, but he, too, felt some kind of draw to the jewel. Some longing to hold it. With more effort than he liked, he lifted his eyes back to Bilbo.

"You need to get this away from here. As far away as possible. I can't let Thorin be hurt any more than he has."

"I know. That's why I'm here" Then Bilbo indicated to a rope tied around his middle. A rope that Fili had only just noticed.

He unspooled the rope from around his body and began to tie it around a stone pillar.

"You're coming back, aren't you?" asked Fili.

Bilbo threw the rope over the edge and watched as it unwound before stopping at the bottom.

"Of course," Bilbo smiled. "You can't get rid of me that easily. Even if he is like this, I'm not just going to leave him. I'm going to do everything I can to make him better. He'll be back to the Thorin we know, and lov–" Bilbo coughed. "He'll be back, I promise."

Then he climbed over the ledge and began his descent.

Leah

I couldn't believe it. After everything that happened, I couldn't help Thorin with his gold sickness. It felt like fate was playing against me, mocking me, telling me that some things were inevitable.

I felt my mind spiralling. If I couldn't stop this, did that mean I couldn't prevent their deaths? What if, after all this, it had been for nothing. I couldn't cope if I had to watch any of them die.

The journey back to camp was a hard one. Frustration boiled to the surface, and it felt like my skin was bristling. Thorin had looked down at us like we were strangers, like we were traitors. It was so hard to see. I loved him, and there he was, accusing me and my family of conspiring to kill all the dwarves.

I tried to calm myself, for Kili's sake. He had it so much worse than me. Thorin was his family, and his rejection stung. More than stung, Kili looked devastated. His hands held onto the reins so tightly I feared he'd tear right through them.

Kili and I ended up back in his tent. The sound of the army returning from the woodland realm was all around us. From the snippets I could hear, the journey had gone smoothly, and all the humans were settling into the Elven Halls nicely.

Once we were finally alone, I was immediately crushed into a hug. Kili sucked in a sharp breath, and I could tell he was trying not to cry.

"I'm sorry, Kili," I said, running a hand down his back. "And I'm sorry I got so angry at him. I know it's not his fault, but I couldn't stop how mad it made me."

"I don't blame you, Leah. I wanted to scream at him myself," he said into my shoulder.

"What are we going to do now?" I tried to keep the panic from my voice, but I struggled. "We can't fight the orcs without the dwarves. It'll be a bloodbath."

Kili leaned out of the hug, shaking his head. "I don't know, Leah. We've got to find a way to break through to Thorin."

We spent the rest of the day within the confines of the tent. I didn't want to brave the chaos outside. I doubted that I would cope. My nerves were like live wires, constantly on edge. So much uncertainty turned me into a mess. By the time the sun was going down, I was exhausted.

I settled down onto Kili's cot, determined to let sleep claim me for at least an hour or two. But sleep was slippery and elusive, and I gave up with a grumble. Kili laughed as he watched me climb back into a seated position and wrap the blanket around my shoulders.

"I have a perfectly good shoulder if you need something to lie on."

I took him up on his offer and bundled my way over to him. I collapsed, still wrapped in my blanket and pressed myself close to him. The warmth of him was a welcome sensation.

The tent door flipped open and let in a freezing breeze. I nearly swore as the cold bit at my exposed skin. I was certain it had been tied closed. But then, as quickly as it opened, it closed once more.

"Oh, thank Yavanna, I found you," came a disembodied voice.

Then a hobbit materialised out of thin air. The sudden appearance of Bilbo was disconcerting, to say the least. It was like my brain was screaming 'wrong' at me. It was so strange. Kili nearly jumped off the bed when Bilbo popped in front of us.

"Bilbo!"I exclaimed, climbing to my feet.

I immediately wrapped my arms around him, giving him a hug whether he wanted it or not. Just seeing him, I felt better. It was a good sign that he was here, surely.

Bilbo hugged me back for a moment before not so subtly prising my arms away. "It's good to see you too, but I'm on a tight schedule here."

I muttered an apology and let him continue.

"Fili has sent for Dain," he said

"Oh, thank god."

"Thank Mahal."

"Thorin refused because he thinks something bad will happen if he does. The other dwarves disagree with him, but I don't think they know how to defy him. It's not really in their nature. Most of them think he will come around eventually, but I knew we didn't have time for that. If Fili hadn't done it, then I would have," said Bilbo.

"I knew Fili wouldn't have been able to stand by and do nothing. Not after Thorin rejected me. He would have known immediately that something was wrong with Uncle," said Kili.

Knowing that Dain's armies would come was such a huge relief. It felt like I could breathe again.

"And the Arkenstone?" I whispered.

Bilbo reached into his breast pocket and revealed the aforementioned artefact. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before, like the light of a star was contained beneath its smooth surface.

"I kept it from him like you said. But I don't think it's a good idea for me to keep it around. He's bound to find it at some point. I was hoping that you could keep it safe for me," Bilbo's eyes were pleading as he offered the stone to me.

At first, I was reluctant to take it, but I knew I had to. The surface was strangely warm when I held it. Like it was emitting its own heat. It wasn't particularly comforting.

"You did the right thing, Bilbo."

"Have I?" Bilbo laughed self-consciously. "Why do I feel like I've betrayed him then?"

"You haven't betrayed anyone," I urged. "You're doing this for his own good. To protect him. If that's not noble, I don't know what is."

Bilbo had to leave pretty soon after that. He couldn't be gone too long from the mountain, or people would note his absence. He gave us both a hug goodbye before donning the ring and disappearing into the night.

I was left holding a very shiny rock and not really knowing what to do with it.

"It would probably be a good paperweight," Kili mused.