A/N I DON'T KNOW. HERE'S ANOTHER ONE?

WELCOME TO EREBOR

Where the chapter is short but everything hurts. Mostly. There's some sass. But mostly pain.

Thorin's sanity has left the building.

Thank you and goodnight.

She did not, in fact, get woken when it was her turn to row. She wasn't woken up at all until the bottom of the boat was scraping against the rocky shore. The noise startled her and she bolted up, eyeing the sun that was westerning over the forest.

"You were supposed to wake me up."

Bofur shrugged and took her by the arm to keep her steady as she stepped out onto the shore. "Didn't need ye really. Current took us and we barely had to row, right lads?" He winked at the other three and reached back into the boat for his pack.

"Figured since we didn't need you, we should let you sleep." Kili added. "You know, since you had a late night dragon slaying and all."

"Holding an arrow. I literally only held an arrow." She corrected.

Bofur smirked. "Aye, and the beast died for it, didn't he?"

Fili smirked at her as well with a far more mischievous glint in his eye. "Besides, what good would you have been at rowing with one arm winged up like that. Though, it would've been funny to watch you try."

Josephine snorted and nudged his leg with her foot. "Okay okay, I get your point." Staring up at the foothills of the Lonely Mountain she felt tired all over again. "How many miles do you think?"

Oin followed her gaze and wrinkled his nose. "Oh, 'bout twenty-five or so, give or take. Been some time though, could be wrong."

Days. Days away from seeing the havoc Thorin was reaping with the rest of the company. At least they'd get there before Bard and the elves. She didn't expect she'd be able to do much damage control, hell she needed them at odds. The elves had to be ready on the field for when Azog attacked, so even Thorin's madness had its role to play. But god she was dreading it.

"Not to worry Lady Josephine, we'll camp here for the night and set out come morning." Kili assured her.

It took them nearly three whole days to traverse the foothills and come into view of the gate. She was certain, oh so certain things had gone to plan. But the broken gate still sowed a seed of doubt that made her nervous. Josephine could always be wrong.

Stepping warily through the wreckage, Bofur called out for his brothers with no answer. They rushed deeper into the hold, the breadth of pathways and deep ravines making her remember the daunting size of Moria all too well.

"Wait!" Bilbo yelled, running down a bridge towards them.

Josephine pressed her hand to her chest and took a steadying breath, letting go of the worry she'd been wrong.

"It's Bilbo, he's alive!" Bofur said.

"Stop! Stop! Stop!" Bilbo ordered, palm outstretched. "You need to leave. We all need to leave."

Bofur frowned. "We only just got here."

"I've tried talking to him, but he won't listen." Bilbo continued.

"What do ya mean laddie?" Oin asked.

"Thorin!" Bilbo snapped. Thorin. He'd been down there for days. He doesn't sleep. He barely eats. He's not been himself. Not at all. It's this- It's this place. I think a sickness lies on it."

"Sickness?" Kili said. "What kind of sickness?"

Fili left them and took off down the stairs, followed immediately by Kili and then Josephine and the others.

Down, down into the hold towards a telltale orange glow until they came to the last stairs leading into the ocean of gold. A faint and rhythmic clink, clink, clink harkened Thorin appearing from a doorway, staring at the coins at his feet.

"Gold...gold beyond measure…beyond sorrow…and grief." His eyes turned up, empty as if he were already dead. "Behold, the great treasure hoard of Thror. Welcome, my sister-sons, to the kingdom of Erebor." His arms stretched wide, and his voice was a deep rumble, wholly unlike himself.

Josephine didn't recognize the dwarf in front of them, not anymore. His dark robes sucked up the firelight reflecting off the hoard, and the flicker of torches cast deep shadows on his face.

She bit down on her lip to stop it from trembling but couldn't do anything about the tears that filled her eyes. He'd come back. He would. This was just temporary, necessary, and nothing she could've stopped. But that didn't mean it hurt any less to see.

Thorin turned away, seeming to forget they were there, and the six of them retreated quickly to the upper levels. Bilbo sent them to an old banquet hall and despite finding Thorin in such a state, the joy of seeing everyone alive and well made for a warm reunion of the Company. The joy was inevitably short-lived, and they hadn't even finished telling their stories when Thorin had the dwarves searching the piles of gold for the Arkenstone. There wasn't much sense she could try to talk Thorin into, but some things needed to be said. While he barked orders from a balcony she slipped through the doorway and waited until he noticed her.

He paced like a man looking for a fix, living and dying for a hit. In a matter of hours, it sounded like he'd slipped away. His behavior made her nervous, she remembered his volatility from the movie well enough.

"Thorin?"

His eyes flicked to her arm, still bound in a sling, though it was nearly healed. "Do not worry, child. When you are healed, if it is still not found, then you may search for it as well."

"I'm actually here about Fili, Kili, Oin, and Bofur."

He grew cold again when she brought them up. "What of them?"

"We've been traveling for three days, they need rest too." Each one of them was beat, exhausted, and sore in one way or another. Kili's leg was still bothering him from time to time, though he was doing a good job hiding it. She knew they'd go right back to searching come morning but maybe she could at least bargain for a night's rest.

"Nonsense." Thorin snapped, startling her. "Do not forget the strength of dwarves, Lady Josephine. They are of heartier stock than you and your kin." Then just as quickly, his voice dropped again. "Go and find Mr. Baggins, see that he gets you settled."

He turned away from her, back to the glow of the gold, and a shiver ran down her spine. But he didn't have to tell her twice to get out and find Bilbo. She needed some air and missed his company.

Bilbo had come out to the top of the broken gate, looking out over the ruins of Dale when she found him. He was deep in thought and his hand was tucked into his coat. Josephine had an idea what he had hidden there and made sure to announce herself so he wasn't startled.

It didn't work, he was so caught up in his head he jumped anyway.

"Goodness, Josephine! You gave me a fright." He jumped to his feet and gestured to the rock he'd been sitting on as an invitation.

Once she'd sat down they were eye to eye and he gave her a once over with his arms crossed and looking very perturbed.

"I've already been chastised by the others for the past three days, be nice." She warned him.

"You look like the dragon swallowed you and then spit you out."

Her eyebrow rose and she scoffed. "Thanks."

"What did you do, try to fight Smaug bare handed?"

"No, I had a bowman and a black arrow and then I fell off a bell tower. You'd look like shit too."

He tutted, took a closer look at her face and arm, then wrapped her in a loose hug, mindful of her various dents and dings.

"I cannot tell you how relieved I am that you're back." He said.

Josephine leaned into his hug and wrapped her good arm around him to get him in close enough that she could whisper and nobody would be able to tell. "Please tell me you have the Arkenstone."

Bilbo froze, stiff like stone. "Yes…"

"Don't give it to him. No matter what he says, no matter what he does."

"...Alright I- I promise."

She was about to pull away when he tightened his grip.

"Josephine, what is happening to him? I know you know. Will he be okay?"

"In time, if things go right."

With a nod he stepped back, holding her at arms length. "Well then, we'd best get you something to eat and I'll see if I can't scrounge up something else for you to wear that isn't so…Singed."