A Long Way From Home[Thorin Oakenshield] RE-EDITING! 2/60 DONE

~Chapter Forty Eight~

The elf felt the sun shining through the window on her face. She got up and sat on the edge of the bed and wondered if her cousin had made it back safely. Honoria got dressed, she put on trousers and a long sleeve sweater and left the room and made hast down the hall. The dwarves were all in their heavy armor, their weapons in hand ready for what was marching to their front gate. Honoria climbed up the stairs where all the dwarves were. The young woman was relieved to see Bilbo was back safe and sound, and she stood beside her cousin as Thranduil's army continued to march on their gate. Thorin was wearing his crown and glared as the elf approached closer on his mount with Bard on his horse. Suddenly Thorin aimed his bow at the elf king and released the arrow and hit the pathway just in front of the giant beast.

"I will put the next one between your eyes." Thorin threatened, already having another arrow at the ready aimed at him. The dwarves shouted at their kings threat. Honor looked over the edge and watched, and wondered how Thranduil would respond to that. With a slight nod the army of elves readied their bows and aimed them at the dwarves. The company hid from sight except for Thorin who still had his bow aimed at the elf king. He wasn't scared at all. Bard turned to the elf, he wanted to settle this without starting a war. Thranduil signaled for his army to lower their weapons, only Thorin still held his bow at the ready wondering what they were playing at.

" We have come to tell you payment of your debt has been offered and accepted." Thranduil declared.

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

Bard suddenly reached inside his coat and pulled out something shiny and held it up for him to see. "We have this." Thorin slowly lowered his bow, his eyes widen, wondering how the stone came to be in there possession? Their was no way any of them got in the kingdom unseen. He sealed the entrance up, had the dwarves on watch since they had arrived? Made no sense to him.

"They have the Arkenstone." Kili hissed. "Thieves! How came you by the heirloom of our house!" Thorin hadn't taken his eyes off the stone, his mind was fuming at the sight of it. He wanted it and he wanted it now. "That stone belongs to the king!"

"And the king may have it...with our goodwill." Bard assured as he stuffed the arkenstone back in his pocket. "But first he must honor his word."

"And I believe you have something that belongs to me." Thranduil interrupted, the dwarf King turned and glared at the elf angrily. " Honoria."

"Honoria isn't going anywhere!" Thorin sneered.

"Am I supposed to believe you actually care for her? She is my daughter and she will be leaving with me back towhere she belongs." Thranduil argued, both of them speaking as if the half-breed wasn't even among them.

"I'm not going anywhere!" Honor growled.

"You don't have a choice, child. If Thorin want's to see that stone returned, he will release you to be with your kind."

"I don't belong with elves." Honor spat.

"You don't belong with dwarves either." Thranduil argued. Thorin turned away in deep thought, he couldn't take this anymore.

"ENOUGH! You're just taking us for fools. This is a ruse. A filthy lie. The arkenstone is in this mountain! It is a trick!" Thorin roared.

"I-It's no trick. The stone is real." Bilbo spoke up stepping away from his cousin. " I gave it to them." Honor looked at Thorin who turned to face him. He seemed just as surprised, even a little angry, as some of the others.

"You?" Thorin uttered.

"I took it as my 14th share." Bilbo pressed.

"You would steal from me?" Thorin questioned, he was sure it had to have been one of his own. Which made it even more of a betrayal to learn it was the hobbit.

"Steal from you? No. No, I may be a burglar, but I like to think I'm an honest one." Bilbo stated. Honoria glanced at Thorin from behind her cousin, he was getting more angrier by the second. " I'm willing to let it stand against my claim." The hobbit added.

"Against your claim?" Thorin repeated, not impressed at all by this. And chuckles. " Your claim. You have no claim over me, you miserable rat!" He spat, tossing his bow to the ground and stepped towards the hobbit. His company were growing nervous for the hobbit, who continued to hold his ground.

"I was going to give it to you. Many times I wanted to, but--"

"But what, thief?" Thorin growled.

" You are changed, Thorin. The dwarf I met in Bag-End would never have gone back on his word. Would never have doubted the loyalty of his kin! Would have noticed the love of his life needs him!" Bilbo shouted at the dwarf.

"Do not speak to me of loyalty." Thorin snarled, as he looked over the edge, this hobbit had been nothing but trouble for him since he came. It was time for him to go. " Throw him from the rampart!" Thorin ordered. Honoria gasped and looked at Thorin. The king was annoyed when none of kin moved an inch to grab the elf. Did you not hear me?!" Thorin yelled at his oldest nephew, grabbing him but Fili managed to rip himself out of his grip. " I will do it myself then!"

Thorin marched over to Bilbo and grabbed him by clothing. "THORIN NO! DON'T DO THIS!" Honor screamed at him as she grabbed hold of his arm, trying to loosen his grip on her cousin.

"Honor no! Get back!" Oin shouted to her.

"Curse you! Cursed be the wizard that forced you on this company!" Thorin roared when he felt someone holding him back, and he shoved the elf to the ground hard. He had the hobbit pressed up against the wall ready to toss him over.

"Honor are you alright lass?" Oin asked, coming to the woman's side and Thorin looked at her and saw the fearful look he recognized and the fresh wound she now had. He still had a hold of the hobbit, but the face the woman gave him was enough to pull him out of his anger.

"H-Honor, I'm s-sorry. I didn't mean to." Thorin cried, slowly approaching her when Kili stepped in front of him. Thorin turned back to the hobbit still gripping his clothing.

"If you don't like my burglar, then please don't damage him." Gandalf' shouted. Making Thorin look up to see the wizard. "Return him to me." Gandalf demanded. Thorin was thinking hard about this.

"Thorin, let Bilbo go!" Honor cried.

"You're not making a very splendid figure as King under the Mountain, are you, Thorin, son of Thrain."

Thorin's grip loosened on the hobbit, but continued to look at the wizard. Bofur ushered the hobbit to get out of here while he could. Bilbo turned and looked at his cousin, seeing her still on the ground, covering her bleeding wound over her eye and saw the elf mouthed at him "to go"

"Never again will I have dealings with wizards...or Shire rats!" Thorin sneered at the wizard. The hobbit climbed down, using the same rope he had the night before and stood beside the wizard.

"Are we resolved? The return of the Arkenstone for what was promised?" Bard asked, all looking at Thorin for an answer. Honoria stood up with the help of Kili, who hadn't left her side encase his uncle tried to hurt her again. Thorin kept glancing up at the hill side as if he was waiting for something or someone to come.

"Why should I buy back that which is rightfully mine?" Thorin questioned, as he paced.

"Keep the stone. Sell it. Ecthelion of Gondor will give you a good price for it." Thranduil coaxed the bowman, enraging Thorin even further.

"I will kill you! Upon my oath, I will kill you all!" Thorin yelled at them in wrath, his company looked at him, they were now seeing what the hobbit was seeing in him.

"Your oath means nothing!" Thranduil retorted. Thorin looked at the hill side once again and still was hoping for something to appear over the hill. "I have heard enough!" Thranduil stated, looking to his army that now had their arrows pointed at the mountain.

"Thorin, lay down your arms. Open these doors. This treasure will be your death." The wizard begged him.

"Sire, we cannot win this fight." Balin pressed. Thorin was once again in deep thought, a voice in his mind telling him there was only one way to end this.

"Give us your answer. Will you have peace...or war?" Bard asked. Just then a raven landed just in front of Thorin and squawking at him. Thorin looked up from the raven and turned to the hill side.

"I will have war." He declared. Honoria couldn't believe she was hearing this and she looked in the direction Thorin was looking and sure enough a huge army of soldiers were marching into view. The company cheered as the army of dwarves stopped half-way down the hill. Thranduil and Bard started heading in their direction along with the army of elves.

"Ay! Thorin! Ironfoot has come!"