Where She Went

Peace or War?

It was the faint sound of heavy marching that woke Talia from her sleep. The young woman reluctantly opened her eyes to find herself covered in dark brown furs. One of the Dwarves must have found her some time during the night. Talia blinked and looked around to see the treasure room empty. She furrowed her brows and recalled that Thorin wanted to leave her inside while the battle was taking place. That was why no one bothered to wake her.

The Terran got up slowly and was sneaking her way to the front gate, where she could see all her Dwarves clad in armor, looking down on the Elves and Men. Talia crept her way up the stairs, but quickly stopped when she saw Thorin drawing his bowstring, shooting an arrow.

Talia's breath hitched in her throat. Who had Thorin shot at? Did he hit his target? She saw Thorin drawing his bow once again. "I will put the next one between your eyes!" he shouted, and the Dwarves cheered and were shouting in Khuzdul. Talia breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't killed anyone...yet.

The young woman briefly saw the Dwarves ducking behind the battlements...all except Thorin. Even if he wasn't sick, Talia was sure that Thorin still wouldn't cower in the sight of them. He was too proud for that.

"We have come to tell you, payment of your debt has been offered, and accepted." she heard Thranduil say. Talia slowly made her way further up the stairs.

"What payment? I gave you nothing! You have nothing!" Thorin spat.

"We have this." Bard said, causing Talia to freeze. She felt a pang of guilt as she saw Thorin lower his bow. She could only imagine the look on his face.

"They have the Arkenstone." Kili breathed in shock. "Thieves! How came you by the heirloom of our house? That stone belongs to the king!" he shouted.

"The king may have it, in our good will. But first, he must honor his word." Bard hissed. Talia saw Thorin shaking his head, and she widened her eyes. Would he really not give in, even if it meant parting with the stone he wanted so badly?

"They are taking us for fools. This is a ruse...a filthy lie." Thorin said lowly. "The Arkenstone is in this mountain! It is a trick!" he shouted. Talia finally took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"No. It's not a trick. The stone is legit...I know that because...I gave it to them." The Dwarves were eyeing Talia in shock. Thorin turned around to face her, a forlorn expression on his face.

The Dwarf king shook his head. "You?"

Talia frowned in the guilt she felt. Though she knew this was the only way, she felt like a traitor. "I took it as my fourteenth share." she confessed.

"You would steal from me?" he asked quietly, and the young woman could have sworn she saw a glistening of tears in his eyes. She smiled through the pain of seeing him like this.

"Steal from you? No, I might be a burglar, but I like to think that I don't use that profession liberally. You never exactly said what I couldn't claim." Talia said.

Thorin scoffed. "What you could claim? Your claim! You have no claim over me you little rat!" he spat. Talia felt a sting in her eye at that.

She shook her head. "I wanted to give it to you. There were so many times when I almost did. But-"

"But what, thief?" Thorin sneered.

Talia glared, summoning all the courage she gained throughout the journey. "You have changed, Thorin, do you get that? This place is consuming you and you're letting it! The Dwarf I met back home would never have gone back on his word! Would never have started a war over money! Or doubted the loyalty of his kin!" Talia shouted.