This chapter is a rough one. So I am apologizing in advance. I couldn't find a Beta to read over this so I am hoping that the 20 odd times I read over this will suffice. I has been a long while since I posted so I wanted to get you guys something to read since this is starting to ramp this is a rough draft and I am doing a lot of reworking on the entire story. Maybe someday I will be able to upgrade this with the bigger, better, prettier Final Draft. *fingers crossed*

Chapter 20

6 months later… Late Spring

She cursed under her breath as she pricked her fingertip with the needle… once again. She sucked it in-between her lips with a faint hiss. It wasn't a small needle prick; the needle was larger and hollow as she attempted to sow the leather plates of the bracers together. She sat them down on the top of her worktable in frustration.

The warm rays of the spring sun seeped in through the carved windows of stone and glass, the strategically placed mirrors glowing bright like miniature suns turned the air around them warm, chasing away the chill of winter from the depths of Erebor's stone walls. She sighed as she leaned back into one of those heated slices of fractured sun, relishing the feel of the heat on her face.

Bilbo had just left a week prior, after spending the winter with them in Erebor. Dwalin and Rosalyn had been married under the starry night sky of the darkest day of winter, the hoar frost trees glistening as if inlaid with the finest of diamonds under the glow of the bloodless moon. It had been a small, intimate affair of their closest friends and family, and it only added the enchanted feeling of the beautiful evening.

Bofur and Ralia's wedding had taken place earlier that spring, another small event that was none the less joyous as the royal garden had been filled with the brightest blooms of spring blossoms in every shape and color. Bilbo had taken immense pride and satisfaction helping Ralia painstakingly maintain her garden over the winter.

It had been no small feat, but they had managed to recreate the perfect temperature and humidity with constant steam from the woodstoves and captured sunlight from the mirrors. Thorin had taken a special interest in the uses of mirrors to enlighten further the darkened corridors and rooms of Erebor, and was especially keen in creating a large city center garden that would make the dwarven city more self-efficient when it came to supplying their own fruits and vegetables. And who better to instruct them than a hobbit with a very formidable green thumb?

She missed Bilbo. Fiercely. They had grown close over the winter months, and now that Rosalyn was married as well, finding time to spend time together had become harder. She missed her friend, but she was content in knowing she was finally happy with Dwalin, and they were finally beginning their lives together. She had never seen the surly Captain so content in all the time she had known him. He was still quiet and took his duty seriously, yet he now had a softness in his eyes, and a faint smile was always lingering in the corners of his mouth, especially when Rosalyn was in the room.

There remained a serious air, however, that she was not privy too. She wasn't obtuse. She knew something was happening and she was purposefully being kept in the dark. It should have angered her more, she knew, but a part of her didn't want to know what was lingering out there past the walls of Erebor. She had come to savor the safety she felt, and the stability of her day-to-day task grounded her and gave her purpose she never had before.

She had taken her place at Thorin's side and took her role by both hands and led with that tenacious fire Thorin worshipped her for. The peace that had settled within her was precious, and she wanted to keep it desperately. She told herself repeatedly that she trusted Thorin, and that he would let her know if it became necessary. It was a big leap of trust for her, but she was beginning to reach that point where she felt like she could give in completely with him, and just…be. She was standing at the precipice of that feeling, of giving in to him completely. It was terrifying, and she loved that she still had that desire to let go of it all despite the fear that lingered like a stubborn mist in her subconscious, blurring the borders of everything just faint enough to keep her slightly on edge…. just in case.

Mistlynn nearly jumped out of her chair as the door to her workroom burst open without any warning, disrupting her thoughts.

Dis flew in with a flurry of sweeping skirts. "Mistlynn. Something has happened. Thorin is asking for you to join us in the Throne Room."

Mistlynn stood quickly from her bench, her eyebrows raised in concern. Dis coming to get her by Thorin's orders was very odd. She looked down at her work clothes, and as if reading her mind Dis approached her quickly and grabbed her hands and began to pull her to the door. "Don't worry about that, there is no time. The survivors are being gathered in the Throne Room this very minute."

"Survivors? Dis…"

"Do you remember those small mining camps that were being raided and burned in the Grey Mountains, always attacked in the middle of the night?"

Mistlynn nodded as she followed Dis quickly down the corridor. "Yes. They assumed it was from rogue Orc raiders?"

"The council assumed. But Thorin never thought that. It's too organized and clean. The few that made it out said it was fast and quiet."

Mistlynn frowned, eyebrows furrowed. Thorin hadn't confided his theory with her. He tried to keep their time alone free of any 'kingdom politics' as he called it. She had been so caught up with her new roles as Queen she rarely had time to sit with him during council meetings, and she was never called in when foreign affairs were being discussed. Balin had comforted her, stating that Thorin didn't want to overwhelm her with too much too soon. It had bothered her, but she didn't question it. Now, in this moment, she felt like she was going in blind.

"He never involves me in these kinds of matters Dis. Why is he asking for me to be present now?"

Dis didn't look at her as she kept up her fast pace. Her silence made Mistlynn's stomach plummet with a heavy dread. "Dis. What is it that you are not telling me?"

Dis kept her eyes straight ahead, her regal mask firmly in place. "It's not my place to overstep the King. He wants to tell you himself."

Mistlynn swallowed nervously but nodded her acceptance. Dis never referred to Thorin as 'The King' when they talked about him between themselves. Something had happened. And it wasn't good. She tried to fight the sick feeling in her stomach as she felt that small sense of hard earned peace slowly slip away from her, as if seeping away in the icy tendrils of a morning tide.

Dis led her into the ante chambers of the Throne Room. The room was thick with tension, and as she walked in all conversations ceased. Thorin had been standing beside Balin, Fili and Kili. Dwalin, Gloin, and Nori were standing off to the side with a few other of Thorin's most trusted council members. She immediately noted that their expressions were grim and hard, and as her gaze fell on each one, they averted their eyes. Not even Fili or Kili could meet her gaze.

Feigning a confidence she wasn't truly feeling, she approached Thorin. She looked at him questioningly, and she felt her heart seize as she recognized that his stoic King mask was firmly in place. His eyes were icy and guarded as he seemed to study her, as if looking for something he had never been able to see before. She felt the cold, damp tendrils of fear beginning to seep through her as she struggled to think of any viable reason that would warrant him greeting her in this way.

"Yasun, what is going on?" There was a slight shake to her voice as she meet his piercing gaze with her own.

"I have three miners waiting to speak with you in the Throne Room. They just arrived with hundreds of survivors who were chased from their homes in the dead of the night, with nothing but the clothes on their backs. I want you to hear their account for yourself." His tone was emotionless, and it disturbed her greatly. He had never spoken to her in such a devoid manner.

She searched his face for any further clues but found nothing. He held his arm out for her to take, and with nothing said further led her out of the room. The throne room was empty save for the survivors she was supposed to speak with.

Thorin led her to stand in front of them, allowing her to take in their rough appearance. Smoke residue, dirt, and dried blood covered them. They looked frightened and exhausted from the ordeal they fled from, her heart immediately going out to them and their apparent discomfort. They took a knee as her and Thorin approached, making her grimace at their display of fealty.

"I appreciate your willingness to share your account with the Queen. I assure you your families have been seen to and rooms and meals are being made ready for you."

"We thank you for generosity Your Majesty." The dwarf miner that stood directly in front of his comrades bowed his head in reverence.

Thorin nodded graciously. "Start from the beginning, the night you were attacked."

"It was well past midnight. They took us completely by surprise. They were able to scale our walls before the alarm could even be sounded. They took out the soldiers within minutes, and opened the main gate to let the riders and Wolves in."

Mistlynn couldn't help the gasp that escaped from her lips as her heart stopped in her chest. "Excuse me. Did you say Wolves?"

"Yes, your majesty." The other miner nodded; his eyes wide as if trying to beg her to believe them. "Giant wolves, and they were ridden by what looked like dwarven warriors, although they looked nothing like any dwarven clan I've ever seen. "

"They raided our weapon and food stores, then set our buildings ablaze, whoever tried to fight back they slaughtered whether they were armed or not."

Mistlynn felt her throat constrict as her ears began to ring. She felt eyes boring into the back of her head as she fought to keep her composure, her hands clutched tightly in front of her.

"There were thousands of them." The other miner spoke up, his voice shaking. "And there were thousands more just waiting outside the gates, we could see the glowing eyes of the wolves. They made no demands or tried to stop us, they just let us go."

"Did you happen to see their leader?" Thorin's voice was low and tense. She couldn't bring herself to look in his direction.

"Just a glimpse, your Majesty. He led the attack when the doors where opened. He was taller. He rode a white wolf; it was bigger than the other Wolves. He…he was laughing as he let his wolf attack our warriors. He had black markings on his face, covering his eyes. He looked crazed."

She felt tears burn the rims of her eyes as she fought to keep her breathing under control. She was panicked. There was no possible way that was her adad's army. That sounded a lot like Valinn, even though her adad was a bear of a dwarf as well. She couldn't be sure. This had to be a nightmare.

She faintly heard Thorin thanking the survivors again for their retelling and had them escorted to their awaiting rooms and meals.

She was frozen in place as she fought to collect her thoughts, her memories, anything that could make sense of what she had just heard. Her Adad would never do such a thing. He strictly forbade anyone leaving the lands of their kingdom. He believed in secrecy and isolation. He didn't believe in war, especially fighting and killing your own kind. None of it made sense.

It was then that she could feel him, feel his eyes boring into the side of her face as he watched her struggle to come to terms with what she had just heard.

"Mistlynn."

She heard his voice faintly, as if he were speaking to her from a great distance. Her chest was burning as she fought to keep the panic at bay that was threatening to consume her.

Giant wolves.

Dwarven riders.

Thousands of them raiding and seizing weapons.

"No." she told herself as she shook her head, trying to disperse the loud thoughts that were bombarding her.

"Mistlynn!"

Her knees buckled out from underneath her, and she dropped to the hard stone floor, her body had become numb, ears ringing, mouth dry, lungs burning, begging for full breaths of air.

She felt a pair of strong arms, so achingly familiar, encircle her. "No." she managed to push out through clenched teeth.

"Thorin! She's as pale as a sheet. For Yavanna's sake!"

"You don't think I can't see that Dis?"

"The lass is havena a panic attack."

"Mist? Can you hear me?"

Their voices were crashing around her, melding into her tormented thoughts of self-doubt and disbelief, intensifying the jaw clenching ringing that filled her ears. In a daze, she felt herself fight against his arms before freeing herself.

She stood on shaky legs, as if walking for the first time after waking from a raging fever. She heard muffled exclamations, meaningless words fell around her as she pushed herself forward, towards the door she had come from.

She needed quiet.

She needed Luna.

She needed to get out of this suffocating mountain.

She felt something grab her arm, and with surprising force she ripped herself free from the grasp, resulting in her stumbling hard into the door of the ante chamber. Her body was humming and light, she didn't even feel the impact. One foot, then another as she moved in this dreamlike state, her heart beating like a trapped frantic bird in a cage.

She felt herself get picked up from behind, then forcefully sat down in one of the seats in the room. She closed her eyes tightly as her vision began to swim at the sudden movement.

She felt pressure on her face as she forced her eyes to open. She blinked drowsily as a face slowly came into focus.

It was Thorin, cupping her face in his hands, his eyes bright and intense with worry. His lips were moving, but no sounds came out. She watched his lips move but for some reason she could decipher what he was saying.

Thorin*

"Mistlynn! I need you to breathe please!" he watched her eyes, dazed and distant, staring at his lips as if unable to understand what he was saying. Her lips were turning blue as her breathes became shallower, her chest rising in quick rapid pants, unable to gather and deliver air into her lungs. She was trembling as if she had been submerged in ice water, and her skin was cold and clammy to the touch.

He had not been anticipating this reaction from her. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting the moment he heard the survivor's tale. He had first been shocked, then that was soon replaced with a deep rage and hurt.

She barely spoke of her homeland, of what her life had been like before came into his life. He had gathered that it hadn't been an overly happy or easy one, on the small bits and pieces she volunteered begrudgingly. But this crippling panic that had seized her, he couldn't help the foreboding dread that was making his gut clench.

His Mistlynn was not easily shook. She was strong and had a vice like control over herself more often than not.

Seeing her like this, fragile and struggling to breathe through turmoil of emotions surging through her, was shaking him to his very core.

He grabbed her trembling hands and placed them on his chest. "Mist. Breathe with me." He soothed as he cupped the back of her head and brought her forehead to rest against his. "Come back to me M'eudail."

"Uncle, what can we do? What does she need?" Fili couldn't take his eyes from Mistlynn as he and Kili hovered behind Thorin anxiously.

"Amad left to get some cold water." Kili added.

"Isna nothin we can do. This is her battle." Dwalin muttered, his bushy brows furrowed, giving away his concern.

"Breathe dammit." They heard Thorin plead through clenched teeth.

Her body shuddered visibly as she managed to inhale a small breath and shakily exhale. She started shaking her head vehemently, clenching her eyes shut. "I-it can't b-be h-him. H-he w-wouldn't d-do t-that."

"Ssshhh M'eudail just focus on breathing."

"I-it's not p-possible."

He drew her into his arms, cradling her against his chest. "Breathe with me, okay? Can you do that for me?" He whispered into her hair before placing a soothing kiss on her head. He felt her hands suddenly tightened on the collar of his shirt as she buried her face into his neck, clinging to him as if her life depended on it.

He cursed himself internally. He shouldn't have thrown her into that without any warning, he let his sense of duty as King choke out his duty as her husband and protector. He picked her up gently, careful to not jostle her too much as he sat down on the chair and set her on his lap so that she could burrow into the safety that was him.

He sighed in relief as her breathing grew deeper and stronger. The shudders wracking her body subsided with each deep breath she took. The tangible worry in the room lightened as she grew visibly calmer in his arms. It was Thorin who broke the silence first. "Fili, Kili. I need you to talk to as many survivors as you can and get every detail about what happened."

Fili and Kili nodded, eager to have something productive to do. "Dwalin, Nori, I need you to have our army at the ready and our guard doubled. Nothing as much breathes outside this mountain without us knowing about it." Dwalin and Nori nodded stiffly. "It will be done."

"Balin, I need you to send Ravens to Dain, Thranduil and Bard. Inform them of what we know and to be on guard. The rest of you we will convene as soon as we know more. For now, I want everyone on high alert, and no one is to leave Erebor."

"It will be done."

Mistlynn*

She could feel his chest rumbling under her as he spoke to whoever was in the room with them. She couldn't bring herself to focus on anything, let alone to what he was saying. Her head was pounding, and her body ached. She breathed him in, his scent a soothing balm to her exposed and raw nerves. She felt him sigh deeply as the sound of a closing door echoed in the room.

His hand was rubbing her back soothingly while the other held onto her firmly. "You scared me." She heard him whisper into her.

She swallowed, her throat scratchy and thick as her grip on his shirt tightened.

"I-I'm sorry." She couldn't help but whisper as she struggled to form the words properly on her tongue.

She felt him shift so that he could gently push her back from him so that he could look down at her. His free hand cupped her jaw, his thumb tracing along her cheekbone softly. "I need you to talk to me." His words were gentle, yet still firm. "I need you to tell me what you know."

She shook her head as tears threatened to fall. "I-It can't be them. My Adad would never leave the safety of the Northern Wastes."

"Kurdunuh. You heard what they said. The giant wolves. The description of their leader. The chances of there being another dwarven clan with Dire Wolves…" He stopped, reigning in his frustration. He couldn't have her shut down again.

"No Thorin. He didn't do this!" She stumbled back off his lap and stood trembling on unstable legs, her eyes blazing with unshed tears and anger. "You don't know, you know nothing!"

Thorin's eyes flashed at her abrupt show of anger. He stood slowly from the seat and drew himself to his full height. "I know nothing because my wife has been keeping things from me." His tone was quiet, yet an accusing anger lingered under the surface.

"There is nothing to tell! We are not bloodthirsty savages! We don't seek out war, or plunder and pillage! We don't kill our own kind!" Her voice shook, heavy with emotion and righteous rage.

"WE? Don't be so naïve!" Thorin hissed. "You have this ridiculous notion that your people are incapable of any wrongdoing! There is no question that this is your father, raiding my outlining towns and mines to gather weapons that you've said yourself that your kingdom has no access to otherwise!"

"We don't need your precious weapons! We live in solitude, away from every backstabbing, greedy kingdom in this cursed land." Her eyes flashed, desperation and fear making them appear wild.

He narrowed his eyes. "I'm going to pretend that shite just didn't come out of your mouth. You know that isn't true." He took a controlled step towards her, his arms crossed over his chest as he studied her. "This doesn't have to be a fight."

She let out a shaky breath. "You are accusing my kingdom of something you have no proof of."

"No proof?" he looked at her incredulously, fighting to keep his voice from raising out of pure frustration. "Are you saying you don't believe those dwarves that barely escaped with their lives? You might as well call them liars!"

"I'm not saying I don't believe them!" she defended as she ran a shaky hand through her hair.

"That's exactly what you're saying! By not even accepting the possibility that your adad could be behind these raids! Who else on this side of Arda can it possibly be!" he snapped, losing the battle to keep his temper subdued.

Her bottom lip trembled at his outburst as her defensive stance threatened to crumble again. "I need to know how big his army is. How many are there Mistlynn?" His voice was low and gravelly as he looked at her expectantly.

She gulped thickly before shaking her head while wrapping her arms around herself. "I don't know."

His eyes flashed in anger and disbelief. "You do know." He growled. "Fine, then give me a general idea so that I can be prepared."

"Prepared for what?"

"Durin's beard Mistlynn, you are not this daft! My people, OUR people are being attacked and I need to respond, most likely with military force!"

She looked at him in shock, only just realizing that he would have to answer against such a threat.

How did she not realize that he had no choice but to retaliate against those attacks?

It was all too much, too soon. Here they stood, across from each other, at odds. And why exactly? Her initial response was defensive, to deflect and fight back. She knew he had every right to be angry and demand answers.

The very idea of Thorin, her One, going to war with anyone made her blood turn into ice.

She couldn't accept that it was her Adad leading his army against them, attacking innocents, and stealing weapons. But that was before Argos died, and probably assumed her dead as well. His grief over her Amads death had broken him already, but he never showed that kind of affection towards her, only his sons. None of that wouldn't explain why they would invade when they avoided all contact with all other kingdoms for the past couple thousand years.

Unless, he had somehow heard that she was now married to the King of Erebor, a son of Durin. King of the Long Beards. The mightiest of the 7 Dwarf clans. Would that drive him on this rampage? If that was the case, this was all on her. She never told Thorin the full story of her family, her people, and that she was the one who exiled herself rather than face the shame of her brother's death. She felt a wave of nausea hit her low in the gut as she started to realize what her poor decisions and communication had wrought. Her husband leading his kingdom against her fathers in war.

She reached out for his hand desperately. "You can't! You can't go to war with them. I beg of you! Please don't!"

Her sudden desperate pleas startled him. "What kind of King do you take me for? It is my duty to protect my people, I cannot ignore this just because it could be your family!"

Tears were now streaming down her face freely, tugging at his heart painfully. Her hands shook as she linked her fingers through his. "I am so sorry Thorin. I had no idea …I didn't know or thought that this would ever happen. "She was looking down at their intertwined hands, before she clamped her eyes shut tightly, "50,000 strong was where my father's army was before I left. 10,000 of that are paired with Dire Wolf mounts."

Thorin looked as if she had sucker punched him. "50,000 strong?" he repeated, his voice hoarse.

She nodded, incapable of saying anything else. She couldn't help the sob that escaped her lips as he pulled his hand out of hers. "Why did you not tell me?" He growled, unable to hide the hurt dripping from his words.

"You never asked! And to be fair I never thought this could happen. If it truly is my father…"

"Do you hear yourself Mistlynn?! IF!?" he roared incredulously. "You are still standing by IF? They literally described a dwarf riding a massive Dire Wolf. That isn't a coincidence that is a stone-cold fact!"

"I swear to you Thorin, this isn't my father! He could never do these things. There must be another explanation."

Thorin's answering laugh was cold and disbelieving. "You're unbelievable, you know that? What else have you kept from me?"

Mistlynn clenched her jaw, her teary eyes glistening with fury. "That's rich coming from you! It's not like you haven't been all forthcoming with all your skeletons!"

"I've withheld nothing of importance about myself! Unlike you, hiding the fact that a kingdom of hybrid dwarven warriors with a standing army of 50,000 and 10,000 bloodthirsty Dire Wolves are just waiting beyond the Grey Mountains for their opportune moment to strike!"

"You told me that only your Grandfather succumbed to Dragon sickness! You withheld the fact you succumbed as well and nearly killed Bilbo and incited a war between Elves, Dwarves and Men all for a stupid sparkly rock! How do we not know that our children wouldn't be susceptible to inheriting it from you!" It was a low blow, she knew that. She immediately regretted it the moment the hurled accusation left her mouth.

A painful shame flashed across his face, contorting his expression with a look of betrayal before he schooled his expression into the hard, ruthless mask of a King.

"You have made it abundantly clear where your loyalties lie." His voice was deep and dangerously low. His eyes were dark and cold, making her shiver as they bore into her ruthlessly. "I am done with this."

Her heart stopped as if it had been stabbed through with an icy dagger. She watched, frozen in place as he turned sharply and stalked towards the door. He threw the door open, finding Dis standing uncomfortably on the other side, with a pitcher of water in her hand. "See that she is escorted to our room and is kept there." He seethed venomously before storming off.

Dis watched him disappear down the corridor before turning to look at Mistlynn, eyes wide in disbelief.

Thorin*

His office was occupied with his closest friends and advisors, except for Bombur who was busy cooking comfort meals for the refugees. He needed those he could trust most with this new turn of events. It was a very rare occurrence that he felt this exposed and at a complete loss as to what he should do.

Anger and guilt were rippling through his veins. He forgot how exhausting it was to feel it at such a strong capacity, all built up and hot under his skin, pent up and threatening to burst.

"So, you're telling me you've known this for over 8 months? She told you all of this before our wedding and you didn't think to tell me?"

Balin sighed wearily, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers. "I told her she needed to tell you and she promised me she would. I assumed she told you during your honeymoon."

Thorin cursed vapidly in Khuzdul as he leaned over his desk, his hands gripping the ledge of the surface as he sought to relieve some of the rage he was fighting to keep under control.

He still couldn't believe how he had woken up alongside his wife that very morning, so very much in love with her, only to be broken hearted and tasting the bitter taste of betrayal on his tongue by the time night had fallen that same day.

He was well aware that he had been keeping things from her as well. But this felt different. He never thought of keeping his discoveries about her supposed abilities and connection with the Arkenstone as a betrayal. He didn't have factual evidence to support his suspicions, the only substantial catalyst being the steadily freezing vaults in the deepest part of the treasury, the Arkenstone's power intensifying with each passing day. "She told me some of it, of how she was taught to hate and distrust other clans. She knows now that she was fed nothing but lies growing up. But that was the extent of it."

"I saw how she broke down today, Laddie." Balin pressed, sensing the King's frustrated ire. "Keeping her people's history and her lineage a secret is not malicious on her part. I think she was genuinely scared of how we would all react if it came out."

"I already knew she was of elven descent!" Thorin seethed. "I obviously did not care in the slightest! I married her! Made her my Queen! What bothers me the most is that she purposefully hid from me the extent of her kingdom's military standing and what their true issues were with the rest of the clans. And now, they are attacking our mining towns and seizing weapons for a massive army that could take out both the Iron Hills and us without even blinking an eye!" He emphasized that last point by slamming his fists down on the desk, making his comrades wince at the loudness of the impact.

"Uncle, she was adamant it couldn't be her Adad." Kili winced as Thorin's steely gaze landed on him.

"And yet, four of our most profitable mining towns are in smoldering ruins, hundreds of our subjects are dead!" Thorin hissed. "Thousands of weapons are now in the hands of hybrid, dragon slaying warriors with chips on their shoulders. And with Dire Wolf mounts no less!" He stopped mid-rant, taking a deep breath to bring his anger down a level. "Thranduil warned me of this. He also warned that there is a strong probability that her father has in his possession one of the last Dwarven rings of power. The one given to Azaghal, Mistlynn's ancestor, was never accounted for. It isn't too far of a stretch that he may very well be under its influence. Not to mention that infernal threat her Gamul'adad made to mine regarding the Arkenstone."

He watched his comrades mutter amongst themselves at this new information. "Why now? Countless years have passed, and they have lived apart from us, knowing we had the Arkenstone in our possession. What would draw them to declare war now?" Nori prompted as he stroked his beard.

"Maybe he caught wind of Mistlynn marrying you. And he thinks that's a slight?" Bofur offered, as he fiddled with his pipe.

"She was exiled. Why would he care? Unless its regarding her influence over the Arkenstone?" Fili bit out, just as desperate as all of them to make it all make some sort of sense.

Bifur bit out some curses under his breath as everyone began to argue whether Mistlynn was aware of any role she played in this conflict or not.

"Dinnae matter wha reason 'e has! If 'e has a ring of power anythin could provoke 'im." Dwalin growled loudly as he paced in front of the fireplace. "She left on bad terms, dinnae matter if she is aware, involved or no."

"There is no way she could have known that she was Thorin's One." Balin retorted testily." We would have noticed, and I don't think she is capable of pulling off such an act. She is one of the most genuine souls I have met. Do not forgot how we found her, of how scared she was of all of us."

"She doesn't know about the Arkenstone besides what she's been told by us." Thorin interrupted, his tone firm as he swept the room with an unyielding gaze. "She's been mourning the death of her brother and adapting to our clan and way of life." He let out a weary sigh. "Balin is right. She isn't aware of any extenuating circumstances regarding the Arkenstone or the raids. I just…" he grappled for the right words as his gaze stopped at Balin. "Why wouldn't she tell us about the size of their army?"

Balin shook his head ruefully. "I can't say that I know Laddie. I am just as baffled as you are."

Roac flew through the open window by his desk, making all discussions cease as he landed on Thorin's shoulder. They watched in suspense as Thorin listened to the raven's message intently. His face grew dark by the time Roac finished his message. "Dain has sent word that they are completely surrounded by an unknown army of about 25,000 soldiers, most of them are on Dire Wolf mounts and heavily armed."

The silence was deafening, and all heat was sucked out of the room despite the roaring fire in the massive hearth. "Another 25,000 are expected to be here at our gates within the next couple days." He finished, his tone was brittle as he walked back to his desk, grabbing parchment and an inkwell. He scrawled several quick messages before walking back to the window, giving one to Roac before summoning more ravens to carry the other four messages.

"What are we going to do?" Ori couldn't help but whisper, the only one brave enough to break the heavy silence.

Thorin said nothing as he watched the ravens fly off and disappear into the night. "I have reached out to Dale, Mirkwood, Rohan, and Rivendell. Until then, we will prepare for our uninvited guests. If it's a fight he wants, that's what the bastard will get."