The men struggled and attempted to break their cages. That was impossible, of course, and they soon gave up. All grew quiet and we waited. We waited for what seemed like an eternity. I could do nothing but stare at the wall. I'm sure I memorized every crack and bump in the stones of that damned cell. Every ten minutes, a guard would strut by, doing his rounds. It was quite annoying. I heard his footsteps coming for the tenth time. "For gods' sake! We're still here! Just like we were ten minutes ago! And the ten before that! And the hour before that! Go make yourself useful somewhere else!" I believe he got the message. The Elf began doing his rounds every thirty minutes instead of ten.
I was lying on the floor when I heard him coming. His struggle could be heard from quite a ways away. His heavy boots scraping on the stone. The steel gate slammed and, of course, he rammed and beat against the bars until he was bruised and bloody. He gave up rather quickly. I could hear him huffing and puffing from my cell. "I take it things went well."
"Roslina..." He warned. "Not. Another. Word." He said through gritted teeth. I smirked.
"Did he offer you a deal?" Balin asked quickly.
"He did." Thorin said. I could hear the arrogance in his voice. "I told him he could go îsh kakhfê ai'd dur-rugnul. Him and all his kin!" He shouted.
"Fantastic..." I muttered.
"Well, that's that then." Balin was disappointed. I could hear it in his voice. "A deal was our only hope." It truly was. And Thorin had let his pride get the better of him.
"Not our only hope." I heard Thorin say.
"What exactly are you expecting to happen, Thorin?" I hissed and walk to the bars of my cell, grabbing a hold of them. "You had the chance to make a deal with that monster and we could be on our way! Just give him the damn jewels! You have no use for them!"
"I will give him nothing!" He spat through his own bars.
"It's a small price to pay for our freedom." I tried to reason with him. "Think about it. Without freedom, we will never reach the mountain to open the door. Then, this will all have been for nothing."
"We will reach the mountain!" He growled. "Bilbo is still out there!"
"Don't be an idiot! If he had any sense at all, he'd be long gone, far away from this place! He's safer in the wild than in this dungeon! And even if he were stupid enough to come looking for us, there's no way he'd make it through the gates. There's no way he could get to us without being caught. The city is sealed!"
"I will not give that Woodland scum the satisfaction!" Thorin's white knuckle grip tightened. "A king does not crack under pressure."
"A king thinks of what is best for his people!" I shout. "Your pride and contempt has clouded your judgement. You say you are not your grandfather, yet here you are, letting his same faults destroy your chances of retaking your home. You are just like him."
"I am not my grandfather!" He roared, shaking the bars of his cell.
"Then prove me wrong, Thorin." I hissed through the bars and walk away. I could heard him muttering curses beneath his breath, but I couldn't care. He was being a fool and I was the only one who wasn't afraid to say it. He was turning into his grandfather. The more he tried to be different from him, the more like him he was. In someways, that was good. For when Thror was well, he was a wonderful king, kind and fair. He was a doting father and grandfather, even to me. I loved him dearly and still do. Thorin adored him so much when we were younger, it only makes sense for him to be like him. It was Thror's weaknesses that worried me. He was so different in the end. He was like a stranger, with fleeting glimpses of who he use to be. I feared for Thorin. He was teetering on the edge of the same cliff. One false move would send him over the edge with his grandfather. The thought was unbearable. I shoved it out of my mind. Surely, the company could make him see reason. Even if I couldn't. I went to the corner of my cell, pulled my knees to my chest and let myself doze.
