✓ | Forget-Me-Not ~ Fili FanFiction / Hobbit FanFiction / Fili FF

「 Chapter 44 」

Immediately all the dwarfs took cover behind the piled stones. Only Thorin stood motionless on the wall, his bow still raised, the next arrow already on the string.
For a moment nothing happened, then Thranduil quickly raised his hand and the Elves reacted immediately, taking down the arches and returning to their original position.
"We have come to tell you," Thranduil raised his voice, "Payment of your debt has been offered and accepted." The dwarves emerged cautiously from their cover at Thranduil's words.
Ilèyn relaxed a little when she heard that at least the Elf King had accepted the rather involuntary offer from Oakenshield.
"What payment?" asked Thorin, who still hadn't lowered the bow. "I gave you nothing! You have nothing!"
At this statement, Thranduil's gaze wandered over to Bard. He reached into his coat pocket and took out the Arkenstone. The jewel gleamed in his hand as he held it up and presented it to the Dwarf King.
"We have this." said Bard.
Ilèyn looked carefully at Thorin, whose features were derailed. Slowly he lowered the bow and pierced Bard and Thranduil with deadly eyes.
"They have the Arkenstone." said Kili, who was standing close to his uncle, "Thieves! How came you by the heirloom of our house? That stone belongs to the King!"
"And the king may have it!" replied Bard "With our goodwill." Bard tossed the stone up a little, caught it again, and put it back in his cloak.
"But first," said the Dragon-Slayer, "he must honor his word."
Thorin shook his head in disbelief.
"They are taking us for fools." he grumbled, so that only the dwarves could hear. "This is a ruse."
The dwarf king did not take his eyes off Thranduil and Bard. Fili looked doubtfully at his uncle, Ilèyn exchanged a worried look with Bilbo.
"A filthy lie." said Thorin angrily "The Arkenstone is in this Mountain! It is a trick!" he called down to them.
"No, it's no trick." At the sentence she heard Bilbo say, Ilèyn's heart skipped "The stone is real."
Slowly the hobbit stepped in front of Thorin among the other dwarves.
"I gave it to them."
The dwarves turned to Bilbo and looked at the hobbit in horror.
"We..." Ilèyn then said "We did that." She stepped from Fili's side to Bilbo and stood next to him. When she briefly met the Blonde's gaze, she was met by confusion, shock and uncertainty.
"You...?" Thorin uttered softly.
Bilbo hesitated to say something.
"I took it as my 14th share." he then admitted.
Thorin's eyes darted back and forth between Ilèyn and Bilbo, his gaze growing gloomy.
"You would steal from me." he said, stunned.
"Steal from you?" said Ilèyn, shocked, "No."
"No, I may be a burglar, but I like to think I'm an honest one." Bilbo added.
Thorin took a step closer. The look he gave the two of them honestly scared Ilèyn.

"I'm willing to let it stand against my claim." said Bilbo.
"Against your claim?" Thorin asked.
The tension in the air was almost palpable with one's hands. Ilèyn and Bilbo took a small step back. Ilèyn looked for help at Fili, who was watching worriedly what was happening.
Thorin laughed in disbelief.
"Your claim." he said "You have no claim over me, you miserable rat!" Thorin tossed his sword aside, shouting the last words angrily.
Ilèyn winced briefly.
"I was going to give it to you." said Bilbo seriously "Many times I wanted to, but..."
"But what, thief?" Thorin's voice became more and more menacing, so that he no longer sounded like the dwarf Ilèyn had met.
"You are changed, Thorin!" Ilèyn did a step towards Thorin and stood against the Dwarf King "The dwarf I met in this company would never have gone back on his word!"
"Would never have doubted the loyalty of his kin!" added Bilbo, strengthened by Ilèyn's support.
"Don't speak to me as if you know me, nasty She-Elf!" Thorin spat and took several steps towards Ilèyn. This shocked Thorin's behavior and his statement, but despite the fear that rose in her, she held the gaze of the dwarf.
"You accompanied us, as an enemy, as a spy for your king down there!" roared Thorin and now stood right in front of the archer.
Ilèyn's heart beat up to her throat, she screwed up her mouth angrily and glared at Thorin.
"Throw her from the rampart!" Thorin ordered suddenly and Ilèyn gasped in horror.
Ilèyn looked panicked at Fili, who was standing next to his uncle.
"Thorin..." said the blonde, horrified.
"Did you not hear me?" shouted Thorin and grabbed Fili by the arm to force him to do it. Fili tore himself away, the other dwarfs did not react to Thorin's command either.
Thorin whirled back to Ilèyn.
"I will do it myself! Curse you!" he exclaimed angrily, grabbed Ilèyn by the collar and dragged her to the wall. Ilèyn made a painful sound when Thorin twisted her arm and pushed her halfway over Wall.
"No! No!" called Kili.
"Thorin, no!" Fili tried to free Ilèyn from Thorin's tight grip.
"Stop!" it suddenly came from below. Ilèyn managed to turn her head a little and saw Thranduil, who had ridden closer to the wall and had raised his hand.
"Kill her and it will be the last thing you did with your head on your shoulders."
Ilèyn, breathing heavily, looked again at Thorin, who was still holding her. His eyes glared as he looked from Thranduil to Ilèyn and back again. The Elf King gave a small hand signal and only a few moments later all archers had their weapons pointed up the wall again.
"Thorin, please!" Ilèyn heard Fili say and clearly heard his despair.
"And if you don't like my burglar" it suddenly sounded from the ranks of the elves and Gandalf the Gray hurried to the gate "then please don't damage him! Return him to me!"
The wizard stepped a little closer.
"You're not making a very splendid figure as King under the Mountain." noted Gandalf, "Are you, Thorin, son of Thrain?"