Author's Note: I want to apologize for how long it took for me to write this chapter. A month is far too long and I am terribly sorry for the wait. I had a huge case of writer's block and did not have the motivation to finish this chapter until earlier this week. I hope this chapter will be worth the wait and I want to thank you all for your patience.

Author's Note 2: I've made a lot of changes to this chapter but I think they help paint a more realistic reaction from Laura, about her situation. An, of course, I fit in more dwarves.

I would also like to thank you all for the favorites, follows, and many kind reviews. All of you are just so awesome. I also want to throw out a thank you to all of my guest reviewers, I'm sorry I cannot reply but please know I appreciate and cherish your reviews.

I was struggling to breathe.

It was partly out of nerves, as I did my best to contain my looming panic, and partly because of the air itself. As I made my way deeper into the mountain the air seemed to grow heavier, thicker, and warmer. It felt unnatural, which meant it had to be because of the dragon. It was silent too, so quiet that it made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

The corridors were pitch-black no matter how much farther in I walked and all I could do was run my hand along one of the walls as a guide. What was the saying about mazes? Follow the left wall? It was the best plan I had. At least Thorin had been certain the treasury was close. It meant I was more likely to stumble across it than get lost trying to find it.

There was a smell to the air now, and I wasn't imaging it. It wasn't as repulsive as the trolls had been, which was unfortunately burned into my memory, but just as distinct. Though, not unfamiliar. I paused, mind working, and then it hit me. Ralph. My fourth grade class's pet snake whose terrarium was at the back of the classroom. It was almost identical: musky, almost sweet, and very much reptilian.

I was getting closer, I thought as my stomach dropped sickeningly. And it could only be because of one thing. I turned my head, hoping to get some kind of clue, but all I could see was black. I scowled. What I wouldn't give for a flashlight. With no other option, I did the only thing I could think of: I followed my nose.

I probably looked ridiculous as I followed the smell. At one point, it seemed to lessen and I reversed, not bothering to turn around, and turned to my right. I took three cautious steps in that direction and almost toppled down a sudden drop which was the top of the staircase. I corrected so sharply that I fell back in a heap, one foot still caught on the stair.

Dazed and annoyed, I stared up at where the ceiling would be for a long moment. What was I doing? This was insane even by Middle Earth standards. The reptile-smell seemed to almost waft over me from the stairs and I knew what I had to do.

I took it slow, gingerly feeling out each step down before committing to it. It was a long staircase, longer than the ones in Thranduil's dungeon which made me nervous. But the further down I went, the more I swore I could see a light at the bottom. It was barely more than a glow, soft and golden, and by the time I reached the last stair I realized, yes, it was a light. The staircase had ended in the middle of another corridor and to my right was the source of the glow.

Deciding that thinking it through would only invite panic, I followed the corridor. The light didn't brighten but it remained steady all the way up until I reached a point where the hall seemed to narrow. It was one of the few times I was grateful for my size, because I slipped through the gap with no trouble. I was in a new corridor now, one with only slightly more light, enough that I could see it opened into several more dark shadowy branches. At the end of it, though, it opened into an arch and I could see what looked like a walkway.

The smell was even stronger here, almost suffocating, the closer I got to the arch. It opened up into a space that made me think it was more of a cavern than a room. Even that felt insufficient. It was the size of a sports stadium, maybe even larger. Its ceiling was high, so high it was enveloped in shadows and I couldn't see how far up it went. The walkway I'd found jutted out into a sea of gold, held up by great stone pillars and stretched clear across the room to the far wall. There were others I could see, both other walkways and other pillars. Some of the pillars held up the walkways, others disappeared into the darkness above.

I stepped out, mesmerized. The gold below looked almost fluid, like great waves, so deep it reached more than halfway up some of the lower pillars. This was the source of the glow. It threw the geometric patterns on the walls and pillars into sharp relief. There were statues too, I could see, enormously tall where they were carved into the very walls.

This was magic, I knew. The same magic as Rivendell, as Thranduil's Halls. Thorin had said that he wasn't well-versed in it, but how could that be? This room – the treasury – practically sang with it.

It wasn't just gold I could see, now that my awe had overtaken my fear and I crept further into the room. There were gemstones, too, diamonds and rubies and sapphires, and so many different metals whose shine only seemed to amplify the gold. I understood now what Thorin had meant by sharing the wealth of Erebor with Lake-town, by my payment. It would be an easy thing to pay out. It probably wouldn't even be missed.

And somewhere in there was the Arkenstone.

I was going to clock Gandalf when he finally showed himself. How would I ever be able to find the Arkenstone in all of this? It would take weeks, months, maybe even years. And that wasn't even taking into account the literal dragon-

The dragon. I froze. Thorin's words came to me suddenly: don't go further than you must. Yet here I was, smack in the middle of the treasury, on an open walkway. I might as well find a golden platter in the treasure below and serve myself up.

The panic was back. I scanned the gold below feverishly, studying every corner, looking for any sign of the dragon. It'd clearly been here and for a long time. The smell of it seemed almost imbedded in the very stone of the mountain.

But there was nothing. No sign, no sound, nothing. It was as if the treasury was as empty as the rest of the mountain.

I weighed my options. My instincts told me to run and Thorin's words were still ringing in my head. But what if – what if this was a chance? A chance to find the Arkenstone and avoid the dragon entirely. Find the Arkenstone, return to the dwarves, leave, meet up with Gandalf and cuss him out a little, let the dwarven armies handle the rest, go home.

It was tempting. So tempting.

I gave in.

I was still following Thorin's instructions. I was scouting. Only scouting. I wouldn't touch a thing, and count on Bilbo's hobbit-magic not to disturb the gold too much. Have a look around. I could do this.

Sighing to myself I rolled my shoulders and gingerly stepped onto the treasure. It became immediately clear that Bilbo's hobbit-magic could only do so much. It was like walking on sand, the treasure slipping and giving way easily beneath my feet. I lost my balance almost immediately and shot my arms out into the air to try and save myself, wincing at the sound of the treasure spilling over itself before settling again. After a moment of struggling, I was able to steady myself with a grunt before taking another step forward, this time with much more care.

I wouldn't say I got better at walking on top of giant mounds of gold but I got used to it. I was determined not to go far out into the treasury, instead staying along the walls or beneath the walkways. I eyed the treasure with interest. There was gold of every shape. Coins, jewelry, metalwork. There were plenty of crystals and gems too, of all sizes. There were even some as big as my head.

I stopped as a thought occurred to me, even as my eyes continued for another moment to scan hopefully over the treasure. What did the Arkenstone look like, exactly? It was a jewel. I glanced around at my feet. There were a lot of jewels.

Irritation was bubbling under my skin now. Irritation at myself. Why didn't I think to ask? Why didn't I think about this before climbing all over the treasure hills?

Coins were spilling over again, treasure sliding like an avalanche, the sound of it echoing through the cavernous room. My feet were planted firmly, I had my balance. I glanced around my feet. There wasn't a single piece out of placed.

Dread was blossoming again, cold and low in my chest. The noise hadn't stopped and I was now focused entirely on finding the source. If it wasn't me, then could it be-

There. At the other side of the treasury, the gold was beginning to ripple, like when a stone dropped into a pool of water. It was getting louder, almost like a downpour, as it moved, turning into an actual wave, not unlike one in a lake or an ocean.

And it was coming right towards me.

I barely got a few awkward hurried steps in before it hit me. It was almost what I imagined an earthquake to be like and I felt the force of it throw me off my feet. I tumbled down the slope of gold, disoriented. Before I could think to catch myself I landed, hard, on my shoulder even as the gold and treasure continued to slide around me. I was half-buried by the time everything had settled, even as the strange rainlike sound of it still echoed in my ears. I tried to focus, to for a clue if the treasure was still shifting somewhere else. But I couldn't hear anything.

I pushed an elbow under my torso and used it to leverage myself up and out of the gold. It was more difficult than I would've liked, my elbow slipping and sinking before it found stability, my knees doing the same right after.

I glanced around, trying to find my bearings. I'd landed close to one of the great stone pillars that held up a walkway. It was the closest one to where I'd been standing so at least I hadn't gone far. I weighed my options. I could follow the row of pillars to the treasury wall, then use that to guide me to a staircase. But I didn't know what had caused the treasure-wave, though I suspected. It would be safer to get a look around before I did anything, right?

I couldn't even agree with myself. Fear had joined the dread now, and it made me feel sick.

Before I could think twice about my idea, I was already halfway up the treasure-hill I had tumbled down. By the time I reached the top, my palms were sweating, my breath shaky. I wanted to throw up.

The impulse grew tenfold when I managed to crawl to the crest of the pile and look out over the rest of the treasure. I didn't quite register what it was at first. It was several treasure hills away and still half obscured by gold. In the low light I couldn't make out a color, other than it was dark. Maybe brown, maybe red. The more I stared at it, the more I realized it wasn't smooth but textured and with several spikes jutting out from it.

It moved slowly, shifting the gold around it. It was turning. I watched, unable to tear my eyes away, as it stilled again. There was a new sound suddenly, almost an exhale, and several coins and gold pieces scattered.

The room felt warmer suddenly. There was a rumble, so low it was almost a thrum, like the bass of a song. Suddenly the red-brown thing was no longer red-brown. A flame, that's what I thought of first. It was reddish-orange and glowed against the gold around it. Even from my distance I could clearly see a black slash straight through the middle of it, up and down.

An eye. It was an eye.

This was Smaug.

I felt like I was choking, drowning. I knew fear, yes, but this was something else entirely. It eclipsed every other terrible thing that I had ever seen, ever felt. My head felt foggy and I realized I'd stopped breathing. I opened my mouth and inhaled sharply, as quickly as I could.

The eye was still open. I didn't know if it could see me or not.

I didn't want to stay to find out.

Every caution I had built up was crumbling. Thorin's warning, from deep in the dungeons, that I clung to ever since he had given it, slipped away like water through my fingers. Fear was all I knew, it felt like it was the only thing I'd ever known.

The world turned a shadowy grey and I bolted. I didn't care that gold beneath my feet was avalanching, I didn't care that the nearest staircase was on the wrong side of the treasury. The only think I cared about was the noise, the terrible noise of the gold shifting, far away but getting closer by the second.

I reached the top of the staircase when I heard the rumble again. I could feel heat cut through my ring's cold shadows. I didn't stop, didn't waste time to look back. I was only a dozen feet away now from the archway that would take me out of the treasury. The rumbling was above me now, and it wasn't rumbling anymore. It was a full-fledged growl.

The moment I cleared the archway I began to sprint in earnest. The grey shadows around me didn't darken and I could clearly see the end of the corridor open into another and when I reached it, I followed it. And then the next. And then the next. I ran until the stitch in my side forced me to stop.

The pain in my chest was excruciating, I could hardly breathe. I collapsed against the nearest wall and slid down until I finally hit the ground. I don't know how long it took for my breathing to even out but it felt like hours. I watched the shadows flicker around me absently, almost like grey flames. Then it hit me, like a bolt of lightning.

My ring. No. No.

I fumbled with my fingers trying desperately to find it, after a few panicked moments I finally felt it on my left index. I wretched it off with all my strength and suddenly I was in darkness. The only think I could focus on was how loudly I was still gasping. The fingernails of my right hand were digging painfully into my palm. My legs felt like jelly, my chest was on fire still. My face was wet and cold.

I began to cry, great shuddering sobs so violent they shook my whole chest. Each one was painful. My throat was hurting now too, from the force of them. I knew I must sound pathetic. But I didn't try to stop. I let every tear fall, every sob hitch. I wanted my fear to leave with them.

I wanted to go home. The thought reverberated with every sob. I wanted to go home.

That was what stayed with me. That thought, that mantra, even as my tears dried up, even as my breathing finally evened back out. I wanted to go home.

I wanted to be angry, too. Angry at the Valar. Angry at Gandalf. But I was so tired, I had been tired, really, since the goblin tunnels, but this was a new depth that my exhaustion had hit. One that I'd never known it could reach. It was bone-deep and heavy. It felt like I'd never not been tired and would be forever.

I wanted to be angry about that too. I wanted to be able to do something.

So, what could I do?

I could stand up. As soon as the idea came, I put it at the bottom of the list. I wasn't ready yet. I focused instead on what I could do after. I could find my way out. Find the dwarves and, hopefully, Gandalf. There had to be ways to get around the treasury, surely. And then once I did, I knew Thorin and the others wouldn't make me go back in. I'd be safe with them.

Safe. I felt my back straighten against the cold stone wall. That's what I wanted now. And I could do it. I could get back to the dwarves.

I used the wall to push myself back onto my feet with only a stumble or two. Once I was steady, I glanced down at my right hand, still clenched into a painfully tight fist. I was shocked that this time the flames of anger were able to ignite in my chest. Unwilling to let them catch further, I eased my ring into my coat's inner pocket. The relief was immediate, even if the cold still lingered. But the cold was forming into something else, now. Resolve.

I would never use my ring again. It felt like an oath. Like a promise. One I was determined to live up to.

My legs almost gave out from under me as I began to walk. If I hadn't still been using the wall just as much for support as I was a guide, I would've collapsed. I was slow but I was moving and I began down the corridor towards where it seemed less black and more grey. When I reached the end, there was another corridor around the corner, this one, though I could actually see and at its end was what looked like another cavernous room or hall.

As I closed the distance, I could see more clearly that the corridor opened into a huge floating walkway, one of many. It was part of many layers of walkways that stretched across a huge gap, a canyon really, in the rock. There were many more pillars and staircases, too. On the walls of the rocks looked like buildings, windows dark and overlooking the hall. Below, after several levels of walkways and more buildings, was darkness, and I wasn't sure how far down it reached. The light here was silvery-blue and came from above, though I couldn't see any openings or windows. Like the treasury, the stonework was full of harsh geometric lines and shapes, clearly indicating where the natural features of the mountain ended and the dwarves' architecture began.

I didn't move out onto the walkway, instead settling in just inside the archway. This was perhaps the best chance I had to find a route around the treasury, back to the dwarves. I took a few deep breathes, focusing on keeping them even. I thought back to my flight through the corridors, following it backwards through the mountain from here. And then I did again three more times just to be sure. Finally, I was reasonably sure that this great hall was parallel to the treasury, if not a staircase or two above it. If I wanted to circle around the treasury I would need to go to my left and find a hallway that led back in that direction. Going across the walkway ahead of me would only lead me deeper into Erebor.

For the first time since entering the mountain, I felt a whisp of confidence beginning to form. I could do this. I had a plan.

That whisp was immediately blown away by the soft echo of a noise from somewhere in the hall. I flinched instinctually. That was the first noise I heard in the mountain outside the treasury and it felt so sudden and out of place here.

There was a second noise a few moments later, that sounded closer than the first, its echo louder. The same quiet clink. Then there was a third. Then a fourth. A tremor followed – an earthquake? No, it wasn't the mountain that was moving. It was the air around me. It was a sound.

I don't know what made me look up, maybe it was an instinct that hobbits had that I hadn't had a reason to use yet. But when I did, I saw the cause.

Smaug.

The dragon was huge. Colossal. Easily the size of a commercial jet, if not larger. It was a deep red, except for its belly that glowed orange. Its eyes glowed too, bright like torches in the gloom. It was using the walkways and stone crossbeams above to move across the hall, wings occasionally stretching out to the next walkway or crossbeam, its body following behind a moment later. It was moving faster than its size would suggest and it was going to reach me in a matter of seconds.

I resisted the urge to jerk back into the shadows. Instead, I moved slowly, hoping that keeping my movement steady would keep it from noticing me. I took several steps back, pressed up against the wall, and covered my mouth with my hand.

Please, hobbit-magic. Please, please, please.

I knew when it made it over my doorway's walkway because a wave of suffocating heat came with it. There was more clinking and I saw a ruby, a handful of coins, and what looked like golden chainmail scattered across the walkway. Well, that explained it. After two more breathes there was that rumble again, and I felt my chest vibrate along with it. The clinking still rang out with no real pattern but it was getting quieter again, closer to how the first had sounded, far away.

I took a chance and glanced around the corner of my walkway.

Smaug hadn't slowed down, hadn't glanced back, instead followed the curve of the hall-canyon and was halfway out of view. Its tail whipped overheard before it too vanished around the corner.

Smaug was looking for me. Smaug was looking for me. My ring hadn't saved me at all. It knew that I was here.

My terror was short-lived, thankfully, as a thought cut through it like a knife. Wait. If Smaug was here it wasn't there. In the treasury. I wouldn't have to find a new route at all. I could go back the way I came. I knew the way, had played it through so many times.

Yes, I thought, not quite gleeful but definitely giddy with relief, as I turned and hurried back into the dark. If I was quick enough, Smaug would still be far from the treasury when I passed through it on my way out. If it meant not wandering the mountain for hours, with the very real risk of Smaug lurking around a corner, I would gladly take this chance instead.

I'd ran farther than I thought. The corridors were longer than I remember and my anxiety was starting to build when I finally spotted the telltale glow of the treasury down the last corridor. I picked up my pace, stumbling only once as I let go of the wall, and found myself lurching to a stop in the archway overlooking the treasury once again. I ran my eyes carefully over the treasury, even raising them to glance up into the darkness above, wary that Smaug could go anywhere apparently, and then bolted.

It didn't last long and I slowed in exhaustion about halfway across. My breathing was ragged already and I could feel the stitch in my side returning. I reached up clumsily, keeping my eyes on my feet, and pressed my hand carefully against my ribs as a feeble attempt to keep the pain at bay. Below me, the treasure glowed softly, warmly, my eyes adjusting easily.

I paused, my eyes catching on another light, peaking through the rest of the gold around it. This one was pale, cooler, but almost prismatic. It shone through the light the treasure gave off, strangely stark against it. I stopped, despite knowing it was a terrible idea. I crept closer to the edge, as close as I dared, then even dropped to my hands and knees, fingers curled around the edge of the walkway and stared at the strange light. It came from a single source, half-buried by gold. The light within was moving and maybe that was why I spotted it. The jewel was round, I thought, and large, even compared to the others I'd seen.

Oh, you have got to be kidding me.

The Arkenstone. It had to be.

I jerked my head up, wrenching my eyes off it, back to my surroundings. Where was Smaug?

After a few moments of frantic searching, of straining my ears, I saw no movement. I heard nothing. I returned my attention back to the Arkenstone. It was a near-perfectly between two staircases, the ones that led down into the treasury from my walkway. But that was still a fair distance, given the size of the room. Too far, it felt like. And I'd be exposed, even more so than I was now. If Smaug returned while I was still out in the gold I didn't think luck would carry me a second time to safety, especially without my ring.

No. No, I'd taken too many risks already. I'd been too impulsive, too overconfident. It was enough that I'd found it. I glanced around, determining where exactly in the expanse of the treasury it was, counting how many walkways I could see in each direction. I glanced down below and tried to pick out larger pieces of treasure to serve as landmarks: an oversized golden pot that was probably as tall as I was, what looked like a golden drum, and a shield encrusted with gemstones. That would have to do for now.

With one last glance down at probably-the-Arkenstone, I pushed to my feet and hurried back into the safety of the darkness. This time, it was most welcome.

The return walk back felt like an eternity. I was certain I was on the right track, ticking off each turn I could remember. It was when I was turned a final corner that I could see a new light, much different from the glow of the treasury, that was hardly more than a star for how high up it was at the stop of a long staircase.

I knew this staircase. I was safe.

As much as I wanted to rush up the stairs, my body wouldn't cooperate. My legs were heavy and stiff, and every step took longer than I liked. But my patience was rewarded as my head cleared the top of the staircase and I could see the outline of the hidden door, filled with light that was near blinding. I winced, covering my face with my arm until my eyes stopped watering, before lowering it. There was a dark blot, blocking part of the light, leaning up against the left wall. It was only when I made it up the last step, my foot dragging over the lip of it, that I realized what it was- or rather who it was.

"Dwalin," I breathed out. It couldn't be anyone else. His silhouette was too distinctive. I cleared my throat, stumbling forward and trying again, louder this time, "Dwalin?"

The silhouette shifted immediately and between one blink and the next Dwalin was in front of me, big hands wrapped around my arms.

"There you are," Dwalin said gruffly, squeezing my upper arms gently before pulling me towards the light. "Come along."

With Dwalin's help, we quickly reached the door. We were a few steps away from stepping into the casted light when Dwalin shouted something out in dwarvish.

The dwarves were all rushing towards us when we stepped out into the light. I flinched again, pain flaring at the back of my eyes from how bright it was. The sun was out fully, just past the highest point int the sky. There were only a few clouds, cottony and soft against the blue. It felt like such a stark contrast from the darkness of the mountain it felt like a dream. Well, a dream before I came to Middle Earth.

Dwalin was still at my shoulder when the others stopped suddenly, crowding around us, staring. I stared back at them and for a long moment none of us spoke, all of us in varying degrees of shock. Their expressions were rapidly changing, though I couldn't quite pinpoint into what.

Thorin was the one to break the silence, his voice spilling over with relief, the same way it had when I had managed to free him back in the dungeons, "Master Baggins."

Thorin didn't seem to know what to do with his hands. He stepped closer, reached out, as if to pull me in, but his arm dropped back down just as quickly. His expression turned very solemn, the more his eyes roamed over me. "What news?"

Balin stepped forward, now. "Are you well?"

I very much was not. Instead, I offered, "Smaug is still alive."

None of them looked surprised. But everyone's expression grew more troubled.

"You found him? Did he see you?" Balin asked urgently, face full of concern. It made him look even older.

"I," I said, hesitantly. "I don't know. It knew I was there. It came looking for me. I'm sorry I took so long."

"There is nothing to be sorry for, Bilbo." Balin said quickly, sincerely, "We are glad to have you back with us, alive and unharmed."

"Master Baggins," Thorin said, this time sternly, almost impatient, but stopped when Balin placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Perhaps," Balin offered, voice even, "We give Bilbo a chance to rest. It is well earned." Balin's eyes met mine and crinkled at the corners, "We can speak again after."

Thorin's face changed then, so quickly I barely caught it. There was a twist to his expression, something impatient and angry. Thorin's shoulders visibly tensed and I knew Balin would be able to feel it beneath his hand. But just as quickly as it had come, it had gone and Thorin agreed.

"Off you go," Dwalin said, shooing me away with a gentle nudge between my shoulder blades. I did as he asked, letting Bofur and Bifur corral me over to where a few bedrolls had been set up against the mountainside, furthest from the edge.

"Maybe something to eat, eh?" Bofur asked me even as I resisted the urge to collapse on the closest bedroll.

I didn't know how to explain that I wasn't hungry, that I was borderline nauseous. I was saved by Bifur, who began to sign with one hand and held out my red Lake-town cloak in the other. Bofur threw up his hands in defeat and said something in dwarvish before Bifur started to usher him away.

I took up the bedroll pressed up the closest to the mountainside. I barely had time to adjust the cloak and settle in before my body decided it had had enough. With one last sigh, sleep claimed me.

The nightmare that followed was the most vivid yet. There was the darkness, the flame that I was used to, that never changed. But there was a new facet to this one, an eye, made of flame, red and orange and yellow with a middle, tall and thin, so dark it felt like a void.

And that image stayed with me when I woke, as if tattooed on my eyelids. I had to blink several times, staring up at the purpling sky until it finally faded. I slowly came back to myself and found my shoulders shaking. My eyes were damp.

I still felt terrible. Like I hadn't slept at all. That was maybe the worst part.

It took a long time to gather the energy I needed to sit up and when I did, it took me even longer to stop shaking. Even after, tremors still lingered in my hands where I curled them in my red cloak. Unwilling to wait for them to stop, I took up my next task of extracting myself from my bedroll and lean up against the mountainside.

I turned my head to the horizon. The sun was half gone. It felt even darker than the night before, the sky was overcast letting no other light through. I hoped that was just a coincidence and not an omen.

I felt more than saw a body settle in next to me and when I turned to look, I found Fili staring back at me. His eyes were wide and gleaming, face solemn. Kili dropped down on his other side a moment later, looking just as serious.

"Bilbo," Fili said, offering me a waterskin. Since it wasn't food, I wasn't nearly so reluctant to accept it. That was all Fili said, though. Kili said nothing.

"Fili, Kili," I answered, feeling a little awkward under when facing their intensity. It was more intimidating, in a way, than Thorin's was. It was probably because it coming from the two most unlikely candidates.

There was a long pause in which none of us said anything, though it was becoming increasingly obvious that they had something to say. Fili and Kili were both restless in a way I rarely saw from them even for all their boundless energy. It wasn't until they turned to each other, then back to me in sync that they finally broke.

"Uncle says that you did not know about the dragon," Fili said, low and worried. His face grew paler with every word.

I would've been less surprised if he'd struck me. I stared, then realized I should probably breathe. I inhaled and then exhaled shakily. Finally, I offered, "He told me in the dungeons."

Now it was Fili and Kili's turn to look like I'd hit them.

"Bilbo," Kili breathed out, his own expression stricken, "I don't understand. Balin said you signed the contract."

"I did," I agreed, ignoring their looks of disbelief, "The best I could, anyway, given that I- well. Gandalf gave me the broader details when he convinced me to come."

Fili's brow furrowed and he pressed, "Which were?"

I was painfully aware that it wasn't just Fili and Kili's attention I had on me. I had no doubt that if I glanced around, I'd find quickly averted eyes and sudden hushed conversations for cover.

I thought back to Bag End. It felt so far away now. Not just in distance but in time. Like it had all happened a lifetime ago. I considered my words carefully then explained slowly, "He said that you needed help to reclaim your home. That a hobbit was needed and that hobbit was to be me."

Neither of them looked impressed. Instead, their brows furrowed even further. Fili asked, "That's all?"

No, of course not. But I wasn't about to spill everything Gandalf had said about fate and responsibility and the Valar and protecting Bilbo. Never mind the fact that Gandalf had gotten very impressive back up in the goblin tunnels and in Lake-town.

I hummed quietly before settling on something safer I could share, "He did mention the Arkenstone, I think."

Which, speaking of. I glanced over to Thorin. Balin and Dwalin were with him and they all looked to be in deep discussion.

"Bilbo," Kili said, looking lost when my eyes returned to them. Fili's frown had only gotten deeper.

"I tried my best," I told them, hoping they'd hear the apology beneath my words. "But you might agree, Gandalf can be so difficult to argue with."

Especially when he turned out to be right most of the time. It was as comforting as it was grating.

"I am trying," I added when neither of them said anything.

"We know, Bilbo," Fili replied carefully. "You are the reason we have come this far."

I didn't know how to feel about that. There was warmth kindling deep in my chest, chasing away some of the coldness than lingered from my nightmares. From my ring. But I felt uneasy, too. Like I was back in the treasury, gold ever-shifting beneath my feet.

Kili curled in closer to Fili and I, and offered, "We are sorry for it, Bilbo. But we are glad you're here."

I was touched. I couldn't say the same, not without feeling like it was a lie, but despite that, their words meant the world to me. Their kindness, their sincerity, felt precious. Like my own treasure.

Before I thought it through, I reached out my hands, leaning in and grasping a shoulder from each of them to pull them close. I was only a little surprised to find that neither of them fought me, leaning into my touch easily. It felt ridiculous, the three of us curled up so close together, like we were conspiring. It felt warm. It felt safe, even if for just a few moments.

"Thank you," I whispered to them, thick with emotion.

When I pulled away, their frowns were gone. Kili was smiling, if a little more hesitantly than usual. Fili looked contemplative and his eyes still followed me as I stood clumsily. If I had bothered to turn around to look at them as I made my way over the Thorin, Balin, and Dwalin, I knew they'd still be watching me.

Thorin was the one to notice me first, "Master Baggins."

Balin and Dwalin both nodded in greeting, Balin echoing Thorin.

"I must admit, the news you've brought is ill indeed," Balin told me tiredly, "but hardly unexpected. The beast has laired in the treasury, to claim it as its horde."

Dwalin crossed his arms, frowning, "There is no other choice, then."

"No," Thorin agreed, looking lost in thought, "We cannot risk further damage to the mountain, nor the treasure. We need the Arkenstone."

Well, that segued nicely into my question, "What does it look like?"

All three stared at me, expressions blank.

"The Arkenstone," I explained, unable to keep my exasperation out of my voice, "You said it's a jewel?"

Balin was the one to confirm, "Yes, Master Baggins. A large white jewel. It is the very heart of the mountain. You will know it when you see it, if it is there at all."

Oh, it was there. The jewel I'd seen couldn't be anything else.

"It is there," Thorin said sharply.

"Yes," I agreed, glancing at Thorin, startled. "I've seen it."

I'd often been able to surprise Fili and Kili over the course of our journey. Ori, too. And, on a rare occasion, even Gandalf. This was the first time I had seen such abject shock from Thorin, Balin, or Dwalin. I almost laughed.

Dwalin even dropped his arms, as he asked, "You've seen it?"

I nodded, glancing between them all. "On my way back. It's in the treasury, with the rest."

"By my beard," Balin murmured, awestruck.

"And you did not take it?" Thorin demanded, stepping forward.

Oh, absolutely not.

"You said to scout," I reminded Thorin, unimpressed. His frown stayed, though he did acknowledge my point with a nod. "It was too far and I didn't know where Smaug was."

"You did well," Balin cut in firmly, glancing between the two of us. Thorin stepped back under Balin's reproving gaze.

Dwalin shook his head, "And now?"

Thorin's eyes were very bright as he turned to me and said, "Master Baggins."

"Thorin," Balin objected before I had a chance to swallow back the lump in my throat.

I knew what Thorin wanted. He'd been so confident, when I'd offered the first time, in a way I still couldn't wrap my head around. My return, with news of the Arkenstone no less, probably only solidified that faith in me, even as oblivious as I'd been about my role. But what were the options?

Let the dwarves serve as a distraction? No.

Send in Nori? I glanced over to where he was sandwiched between his brothers. His hair- which had gone almost limp since the river, not to mention the swim to Bard's- was almost back to its original style, if with a little less volume. I knew who was responsible for that, even if Dori wasn't currently still fussing over a few remaining wayward strands.

No, I thought, I couldn't ask that of Nori. Or his brothers, for that matter.

I couldn't help myself and let me eyes stray to where the staircase that led down the statue began. It remained empty. Gandalf was still missing. Which meant any help, or guidance, he could've offered was gone too.

I really was the only option.

Dwalin's face was twisted in impatience. But, to my surprise, the quelling look he gave was in Thorin and Balin's direction before he turned to me. "What say you, Master Baggins?"

"I don't know," I told them, voice cracking on the last word. It felt far too honest. Gandalf had seemed so certain. Thorin too. But I had only seen glimpses- which I still chalked up to luck- of what they claimed I was. "Smaug."

"We cannot fight the wyrm ourselves," Thorin agreed lowly, "not with only thirteen. Not without a wizard. Our hope of reclaiming Erebor lies in the dwarf clans. They would only answer to the one who holds the Arkenstone."

"And the Arkenstone," I said slowly, unable to shake my reluctance. "That's all you need?"

All three nodded. Thorin's face was solemn, his eyes very bright. Dwalin's face was mostly obscured in shadows but what I could see of it, he looked worried. Balin did too, the lines of his face had deepened and not just because of the low light.

Balin's eyes shone with concern as he said, "We are sorry for our part in this, Bilbo. We would have never accepted your contract if we had known the circumstances. But I am afraid that does nothing for us now."

No, it didn't. Though it was nice to hear.

I offered Balin a half-smile. I couldn't bring myself to offer anything more. Even that felt hollow.

I turned my attention to the hidden door, to the shadows that spilled out onto the overlook. I really, really, didn't want to go back in there. But this was part of my fate, I suspected. And there was nowhere else for me to go but forward.

Even if that meant straight back into a dragon's claws. I could only hope that Bilbo's magic- and perhaps if they were feeling generous, the Valar- would see me through this.

"I'll go," I finally said after a long moment. Thorin's expression was of relief, Dwalin's surprise. Balin looked regretful. "But I have to insist that no matter what happens, you wait here. Either for me or for Gandalf."

Smaug may not have known what I was, but it knew that I'd been there. It had followed me through the mountain. I was a little shocked that it hadn't found a way to follow me out of the mountain. If it caught wind of the dwarves, either by its own doing or by the dwarves', it would put us all in danger. Well, more in danger.

Dwalin frowned thunderously and even Balin looked skeptical. I was unmoved.

"I don't know what will happen down there," I glanced towards the hidden door, "But given my luck, I'd rather we all remain cautious. Please."

Balin frowned, even as his eyes followed mine to the hidden door, "Fili has sung nothing but praises for your luck, Bilbo. And I find that I must agree with him. If any of us could find success in this errand, it is you."

I couldn't stop myself from whipping my head around to glare at Fili. He and Kili glanced up immediately before meeting my eyes and looking back down again, shoulders up by their ears. They didn't look up again.

"That's very kind of you, Balin," I told him when I turned back. I was pleased to find that I managed to keep my annoyance out of my voice. "But all the same? It would make me feel better."

God, the last thing I needed was the dwarves squaring up to the dragon in an attempt to protect me. I'd like to think they'd have some survival instincts, but given how tenaciously and valiantly they'd jumped into the fight with the trolls – and that was before we'd become friends – on my behalf, I couldn't rely on that.

The three of them exchanged a few words in dwarvish, and more than a few looks. They all looked incredibly reluctant even after coming to some sort of agreement.

The details of it didn't matter much to me though because I got what I wanted. Thorin nodded, eyes bright and solemn as he swore, "You have our word."

Looking back on it, I was too confident- by which I mean had any confidence at all- stepping back into the mountain. Get in, get the Arkenstone, get out. I knew where it was, and I knew how to get there. The plan sounded simple. I should have known nothing was that easy.

Especially when you involve a dragon.