Chapter 27

Annelise was absolutely overjoyed to soon after be reunited with the rest of the Company and see that they had all survived their ordeal. The sounds of the others greeting one another echoed through the small room they were in and Annelise looked around with a huge smile on her face.

"Lassie!"

Annelise turned just in time to have Balin wrap his arms tightly around her waist and start patting her back firmly while the others looked on. Soon the rest of the Company approached and hugged her as well, like they had the others.

"How did you find the others?," Dwalin asked, surprised but happy to see the girl among the dwarves that were left in Lake-town. "I assumed you would be trapped with the pointy-ears."

"She arrived just in time to save us from an orc attack," Fili said, moving over to Annelise and patting his hand on her shoulder in pride.

"I had help," Annelise corrected, laughing down at her cousin. "Prince Legolas and a female elf were with me. Tauriel was the one that helped me escape, and she saved Kili's life."

Annelise watched the eyebrows of all the dwarves around her raise in surprise at the statement.

Before any other questions could be asked, Thorin walked into the room.

"The Arkenstone has not been found. We must search for it."

What followed was hours of digging through the endless piles of treasure looking for the stone.

Annelise did so halfheartedly, her concern growing as she watched her father ordering everyone around coldly from up on a balcony overlooking their work.

"Any sign of it?"

"Nothing here," a voice called from across the cavern.

"Keep searching."

"That jewel could be anywhere."

"The Arkenstone is in these halls. Find it! All of you! No one rests until it is found!"

These final words made Annelise stop what she was doing and look at her father in disbelief.

She saw Bilbo standing off in the shadows watching Thorin and knew he was just as worried as she was.

She moved to climb the stairs and join the Hobbit, intent on asking him what had happened in the days since she had last seen her father.

Before she could reach Bilbo she felt a rough hand on her arm stopping her progress up the steps.

"What are you doing?"

Annelise flinched at the sharp words and heard the dwarves searching below her go quiet at Thorin's question.

"I need to change the bandages on my wounds," she lied quickly, not wanting to confess her real motive of speaking with the Hobbit.

Annelise watched her father's eyes and after a moment some of the strange haze that had been in them cleared.

"Of course," he said, his tone changing completely and he looked down at the hand grasping her arm in surprise. He let go quickly, as if shocked that he had grabbed her. He paused for a second before speaking again.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, I am well," she answered before looking at Bilbo who had moved closer to the pair.

"Good. Go, you should be resting. I'm sure you have not fully recovered yet," her father said, the look in his eyes softening for the first time since being reunited. At the sight, Annelise felt some of the worry building in her chest lessen.

Thorin turned back to the others and they began working once more.

She moved up the stairs faster this time and motioned for Bilbo to follow her quietly.

Once they were a safe distance away, Annelise slowed down a bit and began speaking to the Hobbit.

"What happened to him, Bilbo?"

The halfing sighed deeply before answering her question.

"I don't know. He was alright our entire journey here from Lake-town and when we first entered the mountain, though some of his behaviour was a bit strange. It wasn't until Smaug was killed that I noticed any major change in him. Since then, he has been different. Just now with you was the first time I've seen him a little like himself since we got here."

"Have you been looking for the stone since you got here?"

"Yes," Bilbo answered quickly.

"And there's been no sign of it anywhere?"

At this question, he began fidgeting with his hands nervously.

Annelise's eyes were drawn to the movement and she looked into the Hobbit's face but he wouldn't meet her eyes.

"Is everything alright, Bilbo?," she asked, concern growing for him.

"Follow me to the gate," he said after a moment instead of answering her question.

"Bilbo, what's going on?"

"I don't want anyone overhearing," he explained but this only worried Annelise more.

Once they reached the top of the gate, Bilbo gestured for Annelise to take a seat on one of the fallen stones. He proceeded to pace a bit in front of her, obviously debating on whether or not to tell her everything.

Annelise decided to wait quietly for him to begin speaking, knowing that if she pushed him, he would likely change his mind altogether.

After a moment, the Hobbit moved over and sat next to her.

"I probably shouldn't be showing this to you but I think out of everyone, you will be the only one to understand why I'm doing this," he finally said causing Annelise's face to morph into a look of utter confusion.

"What is it you've done, Bilbo?," she asked.

Instead of answering, the Hobbit reached into his jacket and pulled something out.

Annelise gasped as she saw a glowing white jewel that could only be the Arkenstone.

Before she could speak, Bilbo rushed on with his whispered explanation.

"Your father and the others sent me ahead of them into the mountain to retrieve this. I found Smaug," here he shuddered and Annelise knew he was remembered the encounter. "Something he said has me worried. He knew I was there for the stone."

At this revelation, Annelise's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"What did he say?," she inquired when he hesitated to continue speaking.

"He said that he wanted your father to have the stone," he said finally, looking up into her shocked eyes. "He wanted him to have it so he could watch him suffer. Watch it drive him mad."

He waited a moment to see if she would say anything but continued when she did not.

"With all of the changes that I had seen in Thorin, I feared that giving him the stone would make them worse. Now I'm wondering if maybe it would help him."

"Oh Bilbo. You did the right thing," Annelise said, finally understanding his reasons for hiding the stone. "After seeing him myself, I don't think it would help him. If anything, I think Smaug was right and it would make things much worse."

At her words the Hobbit seemed to breathe a sigh of relief before smiling up at her once again.

"I knew you would understand," he smiled standing from his seat and resting his hand on her shoulder.

"Of course," she nodded, smiling back at him. "I'm glad you told me."

"It is here in these halls. I know it."

Annelise stood with her father and Bilbo on a raised platform, looking at Thorin staring at the large stone throne. Dwalin and Balin were standing below them on the pathway leading to the throne, trying to give him council.

"We have searched and searched," Dwalin answered, trying to calm Thorin.

"Not well enough," he spat.

"Father, please-," Annelise began to protest, but Balin raised his hand to stop her before speaking.

"Thorin, we all would see the stone returned."

"And yet, it is still not found!," her father yelled, his voice echoing through the caverns causing Annelise to jump at his harsh tone..

"Do you doubt the loyalty of anyone here?," Balin inquired and then continued speaking when Thorin did not answer. "The Arkenstone is the birthright of our people."

"It is the King's jewel," he corrected and Annelise shuddered at the coldness in his voice. "Am I not the King?!"

She heard Dwalin and Balin both sigh sadly at his shout and tears began forming in her eyes at seeing her father this way.

"Know this," she turned her face away as her father began speaking once again, his voice dangerously low, "If anyone should find it and withhold it from me...I will be avenged."

Thorin then walked away and she moved to leave with Bilbo, Balin going with them. She saw the tears that were building in his eyes, and he motioned for them to follow him into a side room.

Once the door was closed, they sat in silence for a moment. Annelise's eyes began to fill again as she watched tears begin to fall slowly from the old warrior's eyes.

"Dragon-sickness. I've seen it before, " he spoke suddenly, turning to the both of them. "That look. That terrible need. It is a fierce and jealous love. It sent his grandfather mad."

"Balin, if - if Thorin had the Arkenstone," Bilbo spoke quietly moving closer to the old dwarf, "or if it - if it was found...would it help?"

"That stone crowns all. It is the summit of this great wealth, bestowing power upon he who bears it. Would it stay his madness? No, laddie. I fear it would make him worse. Perhaps it is best it remains lost," he finished, and Annelise knew from the look he was giving Bilbo that he suspected that the stone had indeed been found.

Balin turned to Annelise and could see the question in her eyes. He slowly nodded in confirmation of her suspicions and looked between the two young people standing in front of him.

"Is there nothing we can do?," Annelise asked desperately, the tears starting to flow down her cheeks.

"Dear child," Balin said placing a hand on her right cheek sadly. "You were able to pull him out of it once with his concern for your wellbeing, but I fear that it will not be long before even that will cease to work. I am sorry."

At these words, Annelise began to cry in earnest and collapsed to her knees into the arms of the white-haired dwarf in front of her. Through her sobs, she heard Bilbo move behind her and lay a hand on her back to try and comfort her as well.

After a while, her sobs quieted and Balin and Bilbo assisted the girl back onto her feet.

Upon receiving a reassuring nod from her, Balin then left the room to get some rest, while she and Bilbo moved out to the hallway and sat down on seats across from each other in silence. Since revealing his secret to her, Bilbo had taken to spending most of his time with her, either talking or just sitting quietly together.

Annelise had reclined her head back against the wall and shut her eyes for a few moments to try and get some more rest and recover from her breakdown when she heard footsteps approaching. She paid them no mind until she heard her father's harsh voice.

"What is that?"

Her eyes shot open to see him moving toward Bilbo quickly and panic shot through her body.

"In your hand?"

Bilbo and Annelise both stood to their feet as Thorin stopped in front of the Hobbit.

"It's-It's nothing," Bilbo stuttered, although Annelise could tell it was more in surprise than nervousness.

"Show me," he ordered and Bilbo made a small noise before smiling and holding his hand out toward the dwarf.

Annelise instantly relaxed when his hand opened to reveal an acorn.

"I picked it up in Beorn's garden," he explained.

"You carried it all this way?"

Annelise was thrilled to hear her father's voice back to the soft tone she was used to hearing when he spoke those words and she saw that his eyes had cleared once again.

"I'm gonna plant it in my garden. In Bag End," Bilbo answered, shifting his weight between his legs and Annelise couldn't help the smile that crossed her face at the Hobbit's words.

"It's a poor prize to take back to the Shire," her father spoke quietly after chuckling slightly at the Hobbit's response.

"One day, it'll grow. And every time I look at it, I'll remember. Remember everything that happened," he explained, shifting his eyes up to Annelise before returning them to Thorin. "The good, the bad...and how lucky I am that I made it home."

Annelise and her father chuckled fondly at his answer and Annelise put a hand on his shoulder.

"You never cease to surprise me, my friend," she said fondly and her father looked up at her, smiling for one of the first time since beginning their adventure.

"How is your shoulder?," Thorin asked looking at her in concern.

"It is much better. I've taken the bandages off as it no longer bothers me and the cuts shouldn't be in danger of opening any more."

"That is very good," her father answered softly with a small smile on his lips.

"Thorin," Dwalin interrupted just as Bilbo opened his mouth to speak. "The survivors from Lake-town. They're streaming in to Dale. There's hundreds of them."

Annelise watched the smile on her father's face slowly fall the longer Dwalin spoke, and knew that whatever effect her and Bilbo's words had had on him were now gone.

"Call everyone to the gate. To the gate! Now!"

"Up it goes!"

Annelise watched as the dwarves around her hauled large pieces of stone to the front gate in an attempt to rebuild the wall that Smaug had destroyed. She saw Bilbo pushing a heavy wheelbarrow filled with stone while Kili pulled it, and moved next to the Hobbit to help push it.

"I want this fortress made safe by sun-up," she heard her father yell. "This mountain was hard-won. I will not see it taken again."

Kili stopped in front of them and set down the handles of the wheel barrow.

"The people of Lake-town have nothing. They came to us in need. They have lost everything," Kili tried to reason with his uncle, as Thorin climbed up the gate to look towards Dale.

"Do not tell me what they have lost," Thorin responded and Annelise felt anger rising up within her at her father's cruel response. "I know well enough their hardship. Those who have lived through dragon fire should rejoice! They have much to be grateful for."

Thorin turned to stare at the fires and shadows moving through Dale, and Annelise's confusion and anger began to grow at his words. He soon turned and began ordering them about once again.

"More stone!"

Kili shook his head sadly and moved to pull the rock once again, but Annelise made no motion to help. Bilbo looked up at her in question and was shocked at the angry expression on her face that he had never seen before.

"If you know their hardship so well, then you of all people should show them compassion," she spoke loudly drawing the attention of her father and the others. "They did not come to Dale to steal your kingdom. They came seeking shelter. Do not make the same mistake that others made when you were in the same position as the Lake-men."

Thorin was silent for a moment and Annelise could see the battle waging within him between his true self and the dragon sickness that was clouding his mind. She could feel the tension thick in the air as the others watched with bated breath to see how the dwarf would respond. Fili and Kili had moved to stand on either side of her, and she watched in despair as the movement pushed Thorin back over the edge.

"I will not allow my decisions to be questioned! Especially not by one too young to understand what I have endured. You are dismissed for the night. If you speak out against me again, there will be consequences!"

Annelise barely held back a gasp at the response she got from the dwarf who had raised her. Kili placed a hand on her arm and Fili took a step forward to defend her.

"Uncle!-," he began, but Annelise grabbed his hand to stop him from challenging Thorin.

"There's no reasoning with him," she whispered to him sadly when he turned to her in confusion. She moved to leave as ordered so she could escape from the look her father was giving her. "He is gone."

Kili squeezed her arm where his hand rested, and Fili placed his large hand on her cheek before she turned her back on the group and moved into the mountain to where she and the others had set up their bedrolls.

"Bring more stone to the gate!," she heard her father yell at the others as she left and a tear slipped down her cheek.

Hey guys! just wanted to see if you are still interested in this story. I'm still writing and publishing new chapters, I just havent gotten any feedback lately so I wanted to make sure people are still interested. Thank you!*