Chapter Thirty: A Bargain is Struck

Notes: Last chapter of the week! One hell of a way to finish for this week as well. Thank you to whoever has made it this far, I appreciate you all so much!

I looked over the edge of the wall and looked down to the ground. The cold winter air hit against my face and the freshness of it felt so clean and cleared my head a bit. I wasn't standing on the wall for the view or the fresh air though. I was breaking out of the prison.

I threw rope over the edge and it unfurled down to the ground. I grabbed onto it and threw my legs over the ledge, then shimmied my way down the side of the wall. My shoulder had time to recover, but it still ached when I was trying to hold myself up as well as trying to be as quiet as possible. Besides trying not to get any attention from those inside of Erebor, I also didn't want to alert the elvish army who would certainly think I was doing a secret attack or sabotage.

As soon as I reached the ground I ducked down behind large rocks, most of which were debris left over from our altercation with Smaug. I ran from one piece to another, heading towards Dale as quickly and quietly as possible.

I did consider wearing the ring again, to ensure that I wasn't caught, but after what happened last time when I was trying to hide from Smaug and it burned me, it made me wonder exactly where the ring was pulling its power from. Something told me that it wasn't good magic so I wanted to avoid using it if possible. I believed in my ability to stay quiet and hidden.

It was surprisingly easy to get past the elves and the human guards who were keeping watch on the mountain, and once I was far enough in it was simple enough to fit in with the humans as long as I kept my large, hairy feet moving and my cape over my head. I kept my ears open, listening for hints as to where I could find Bard or anyone else in charge.

I did get little whispers here and there with people sharing stories of the day, talking about how Bard tried to make peace with the 'mad dwarvish king' and his 'rabid followers' threatening Bard if he stayed there a moment longer. I couldn't blame them for that interpretation, it just made me wish desperately that it hadn't gone down that way. If it hadn't, I might not have been running around the ruins of Dale trying to find Bard.

I believe I had found the outside of his tent but I stood close to it and listened just to be sure. I certainly recognized the voices inside.

"You, Bowman! Do you agree with this? Is gold so important to you? Would you buy it with the blood of dwarves?!" the voice of Gandalf demanded.

"It will not come to that. This is a fight they cannot win and they must know that," Bard responded.

I pushed away the flap of the tent and stepped inside. "That won't stop them from going into this fight anyway," I stated. "You think the dwarves will surrender but they won't. They will fight to the death to defend their own, especially Thorin who isn't willing to shift at all."

Gandalf looked down at me surprised. "Lydia Barclay! You are quite possibly the last person I was expecting to see tonight!"

I smiled up at him, so relieved to see a familiar and friendly face. "Probably not the last, but close to it I suppose. I…I'm here to help prevent a war if I can."

"We must have you meet with Thranduil," Bard said with certainty. He and Gandalf nodded, then led me out of their tent and in the direction of the elf king's tent. The last time I had seen Thranduil was when the dwarves were being held captive in his dungeons, so I can't say he was at the top of the list of people I had wanted to see ever again. But if he was the one who I needed to make a deal with, so be it… Whatever it takes…

I looked up to Gandalf and asked, "Friend, where have you been? You were to meet us on the mountain ages ago. What happened?"

"I fear the story is far longer than the time we have at present. Though, I hope you never need to know the things I saw and had to do."

"Cryptic as always. Either way, I am glad you're well."

"Same to you my dear, I hope everyone else is also in one piece?"

"As much as we can be after the encounter with Smaug…and I'm sure you've heard of Thorin's current state."

"Indeed I have, and I can't say it hasn't been a worry on my mind. I was hoping beyond hope that his family illness would not touch him."

I hung my head and reminded myself of the reason why I was here.

They led me to the tent without a moment wasted and were quick to introduce and present me to the picture of perfection himself, King Thranduil. He turned and looked at us with no particular surprise at being disturbed.

Gandalf pushed me forward and bowed his head to the king. "Thranduil, this is Lydia Barclay. She has come from Erebor."

He looked down at me, unimpressed. "I believe this is the halfling who broke those dirty dwarves out of my dungeons?"

"Yes, well, your guards certainly didn't make it hard for me." The attempt to lighten the mood fell on deaf ears so I cleared my throat. "No matter, I didn't come here to discuss your security. I have come to give you all this." I approached the table that Thranduil sat at and removed the Arkenstone from my pocket and set it down in front of him.

He stood up from his table in surprise. "The heart of the mountain! The King's Jewel." Both Gandalf and Bard swarmed the table to get a better look at it.

Bard said, "And worth a king's ransom. How is this yours to give?"

I tucked some of my curls behind my ear. "I took it as my fourteenth share of the treasure. It was written into my contract as their burglar."

Bard shook his head in disbelief. "But…why would you do this for us? You owe us no loyalty in this fight."

"This is not only to benefit you and your people. I'm afraid I can't be that selfless unfortunately. As much as I will carry the guilt of those who died by Smaug's dragon fire in Laketown, I also do it for the sake of the dwarves. They are the most difficult, stubborn, and loud creatures I've come across besides mountain trolls, but I've benefited from their friendship. They're brave and loyal and I can't imagine my life without them anymore. And…that includes Thorin. He values that stupid stone above anything else right now. I'm hoping that in exchange for its safe return to Erebor that he will give you whatever you're owed and I hope more. I just…I just hope beyond hope that there will be no need for this horrible war."

I still hated the thought of Thorin getting his hands onto the Arkenstone again, but if it's to save him, the other dwarves, and potentially also the lives of some elves and humans, I knew it would be worth it. If Thorin doesn't kill me afterwards, I would still be trying to help his sickness for as long as I'm able to.

I stuck around for a little while to discuss what the plan was going to be for tomorrow, but I knew I had to get back sooner rather than later. It would have been a million times worse if they noticed I was gone or caught me sneaking back into Erebor.

So, I was very surprised when I left the tent with Gandalf and he said, "Rest up tonight. You must leave tomorrow."

"Leave?"

"To get as far away from here as possible."

"I'm not leaving, Gandalf. I have not gone across this continent and bonded with all those dwarves to just leave now. I'm going back to Erebor and I will stand next to them tomorrow like I have this entire time."

"I understand that you've grown close to them, but I don't like to think what Thorin will do when he finds out what you've done."

"I am not afraid of Thorin."

"But you should be! Don't underestimate the evil of gold. Gold over which a serpent has long brooded. Dragon-sickness seeps into the hearts of all who come near this mountain. Well, almost all." He looked up and I was horrified to see Alfrid. "You there! Find this Hobbit a bed, and fill her belly with hot food. She has earned it."

He squinted at me, trying to remember why I looked familiar but then begrudgingly accepted the task. Gandalf whispered something to him though I could only imagine it was a warning about me slipping away. That was entirely my plan as well.

As soon as Gandalf went back into Thranduil's tent I turned to Alfrid, turning on my barkeep smile, dimples, freckles and all.

"Excuse me Master Alfrid, I sure wouldn't want to waste your precious time. If you'd like, you could just point me in the right direction on where I can sleep. I think I can find my own way. It can't be that hard."

He narrowed his beady eyes on me. "I don't know Small One, Gandalf warned me that you'd make such an offer…"

"What kind of trouble could I possibly get into with all these guards around? I'm completely exhausted as well, I really just want to go to bed."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Go straight down that way and take a right. You'll see all the women and children together and they can find you a cot."

Well that was easy.

"Thank you, good man!" I slapped his shoulder and rushed away before he could second guess his choice. I didn't sprint off, since I didn't want him to alarm Gandalf, but I did hurry. Once I was out of the sight of Alfrid, I pulled my hood back over my head and disappeared again into the shadows of the cold night.

I struggled to climb up the wall quietly, wanting to huff and puff and swear the entire way. Once I got my hands onto the ledge, I pulled myself up and breathed a sigh of relief. After catching my breath, I threw the rope back into the building area, among the hammers and stone. I left no trace of my adventure beyond the wall. Though it certainly felt like I was crawling back into a cold cage.

I stood on top of the wall and stared out at the lights of Dale. I had decided my fate, there was no going back on what I did. Despite it being my choice and I didn't regret it, I couldn't help but mourn the life I had dreamt about with Thorin. I didn't know what future I wanted, I just knew I wanted to have him in it and that was most likely gone for good.

I took a shaky breath and wiped the warm tears off my cold face.

"Planning your escape?"

I jumped out of my skin and looked down to Thorin standing among the rubble. I put my hand over my heart and shook my head.

"Of course not," I responded, wiping the rest of the wetness off my face. My hands shook as he ascended the stairs to join me on the wall. "It's impossible to sleep, I'm sure you agree since you're obviously still awake."

"Your assumption is correct." He looked out across the landscape as well. "I know you do not agree with the reasoning of this battle or who we're going to be fighting, so I don't know why you wouldn't escape while you could."

"I will stand by your side for as long as you will allow me to," I responded. "I will not stand down on what I believe though. I know deep down that you know this entire thing is ridiculous. And I do not say that to make you angry, I just know you're better than this."

"I know you believe that," he nodded. "I've tried to get you to understand me and you've tried to get me to understand you. We're simply at an impasse."

"We are." And it has driven me to betray you with the best intentions. My eyes started welling up again. "I am frightened for you and the others, and when I know how unnecessary this fight is with the humans and the elves…and there's so many of them…"

He took my hand into his and gave it a light squeeze. "You know what Erebor and everything inside it means to me, Lydia. I won't stand down from this fight."

"I know." I closed my eyes for a moment before looking back up to him. "I love you, Thorin. I always will."

"I love you too, always will."

"Can you promise that to me?" I asked, my voice cracking. I felt my grip on my emotions slipping again.

He didn't hesitate to pull me into his arms and hold my head against his chest. "Of course, I swear it with my soul. Trust me, everything will go our way tomorrow. And once we win, the dwarves will begin to return and Erebor will be complete again. You will get your constellation, Miss Lydia Barclay, as well as every other wish you desire."

"The constellation," I said softly. "That conversation feels like a world ago at this point, doesn't it?"

"Somehow it seems like we were much younger then."

"So much can change over just a few months, our lives couldn't be more different. You were just a stranger that entered the bar I worked in, once upon a time, and now here we are. I never would have thought at the beginning of this journey that we would actually get here and that the dragon would actually be killed."

"I think I even had my doubts. It was such a large task…but we did do it."

I lifted my face and looked at Thorin. He looks mostly like himself, but I knew something in his eyes wasn't completely right. The Dragon Sickness in him kept that unhinged look. He still looked the most sane he had looked in days though.

"You promised me you would join me back in your room tonight, do you intend to keep that promise?" I asked.

He held my cheek in his hand and gave me a soft smile, illuminated by the moon. "I owe it to you and I also crave it all the way down to my bones. As long as you still wish to have me as well, it would be a pleasure."

"Yes, I would like that very much."

Hand in hand we retreated to his room, exchanging only a few words as we ascended the stairs together. We mostly just enjoyed being around each other. There just…really wasn't much to say either at that point.

Exhaustion weighed heavy on the both of us so we simply just crawled into bed in each other's arms. We held each other so close and wrapped ourselves in each other. He would lay small kisses on my forehead while we waited for sleep to take us over and I was so grateful I got to have one last night to have him to myself.

Not entirely Thorin, but mostly him. It was enough.

I could think back fondly on our time together and pretend that this was the happiest ever after, the last chapter of the book. Though, in the back of my mind I had to remember that the sun would rise in the morning and I would lose him again.