Daughter of Starlight

Chapter Twenty Three: the Arkenstone

Unable to stay in the treasury any longer, Bilbo led us to a small dining hall everyone had been gathering in. As soon as we entered, the dwarves all greeted each other happily, overjoyed to see that the other half of their company had returned. I was surprised to receive a fair amount of embraces, unaware that so many of them had been unhappy that I had stayed behind.

Bilbo had left to go back to the treasury and try to talk to Thorin, but now he returned to the dining hall, a grim look on his face.

"Everyone," he said, trying to get our attention. "Thorin wants us all in the treasury."

"What for?" Bofur asked. It was obvious he didn't want to go back in there so soon.

Bilbo looked hesitant to tell us, but he finally said, "Now that the entire company is here, he wants us to find the Arkenstone."

Silence overcame us. We all knew exactly what this stage in Thorin's sickness meant, but none of us were eager to defy him.

The rest of the company exited the dining hall, but Balin stopped me.

"Laerornien," the elder dwarf looked at me earnestly. "I think it would be best if you kept out of sight."

"What?" It had taken me a moment to comprehend his words, but when I did, I was no closer to understanding him. "Why?"

"You've seen how he is now."

"Yes, I have, but he's still Thorin," I told Balin. "I have no reason to fear for my safety."

"Don't you?"

My brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know how much you know about dragon sickness, but what you should know is that he now holds that treasure above everything else. You came here for one thing, and that one thing is something he will never give up."

"I didn't come here for any piece of his treasure," I told him.

"No. You came for a piece of your own."

We locked gazes, and I realized he knew about the White Gems of Lasgalen. I didn't know whether to feel happy or scared about that. Thorin and Kili were the only other members of the company who knew, and even though I had told myself I would tell the rest of the company, I still felt a lingering need for secrecy

"How do you know about that?" I asked him.

"I was once Thrór's most trusted general," Balin explained. "I was there the day you brought the gems to us."

I stared at Balin for a moment longer, tears pricking at my eyes. "So you understand."

He managed to put a hand to my shoulder despite our height difference. "I do, and I'm sorry."

I had never expected an apology from someone who had been a part of the ordeal so long ago. Thorin hadn't been about to give me one, and Thranduil certainly hadn't either, but Balin's was all I needed right now. I took comfort in the fact that someone knew how wrong those events had been and that someone was worried for me.

Despite Balin's concern, though, I was determined to do my part as a member of the company and help search for the Arkenstone. I had never seen the the Arkenstone before, so I had no idea what to look for. Balin had told me to look for a stone that looked like the white opals in my ring, except much larger and with a luminescent glow about it.

"Any sign of it?" Thorin called impatiently. The tone of his voice made me flinch.

"Nothing yet," Dwalin called back.

"Nothing here," Ori reported from where he was looking.

"Keep searching," Thorin ordered us.

"That jewel could be anywhere," Gloin said. I was going through piles of coins near where he was and had to sit myself down to rest for a minute. I had been trekking up the mountain all day and was not ready for even more climbing over hills of gold.