Queen Under The Mountain

Betrayal

  "Larewen, he's being unreasonable, you must speak with him." Balin said to me.
  "He doesn't listen to me, Balin." I replied.
"Make him!" Balin urged.
  "I doubt he'll listen." I said.
"You're his wife, Larewen." Balin reminded me.
  "Yeah, well I'm beginning to think that he's forgetting that." I crossed my arms.
  "Just try." Balin nodded towards the entrance to the treasure hoard.
  I looked at Balin for a moment before walking towards the entrance. I looked back and Balin had disappeared.

  I took a deep breath before walking in.  Thorin's back was facing me and he was scanning the piles of gold.
  "Thorin."
"Hm." He didn't turn.
  "We need to talk." I said.
"About what?"
  "The way you've been acting." I tried my best to keep the conversation at an easy tone. "You haven't been yourself."
  "How so?" Thorin turned to face me.
"Well to start off, you are barely eating, you don't sleep and you just aren't.. You." I explained.
  "How can I have time for eating and sleeping when I am looking for the Arkenstone?" Thorin asked.
  "And there's the subject."
Thorin stood upright.

  "Thorin, I want you to take a break." I said. "You have started a war, over a stone, don't you think that's-"
  "I am not giving up the Heirloom to my people, and casting it aside." Thorin snapped.
"I'm not telling you to give it up, I'm telling you that it's ridiculous that you are starting a war over one stone-"
  "That one stone is a sacred symbol of this kingdom." Thorin's voice raised.
  "Could you let me finish?" I asked. "Thorin, you are not yourself."
  "I am fine." Thorin argued.
"No you are not, you are sick." I rebottled. "It's this treasure, it's this place! It's driving you mad, like it did your grandfather."
  "I am not my grandfather!" Thorin yelled so loud that I had to take a step back.
  "You need to leave this mountain."

Thorin paused for a moment before speaking.
"No, you're trying to make me leave to keep the treasure." He said.
"What?"
"You made a deal with Bard, to run me out so that the men could take all the gold, my rightful gold."
"Thorin, that never happened."
"Or, this was planned long ago." Thorin tilted his head. "You planned this when you lived in Dale, for all the men to take the treasure because they never had enough."
"What are you talking about?"
"All of this was a lie."
  "Thorin, stop."
"Get close to the King's grandson and take all the gold?" Thorin's eyes were colder than ever before. I could feel tears gathering, a lump in my throat formed. "This was all just a nasty play that went too far. The dragon came and all of the plans were ruined."
  "You know that not true." I tried my best to hold back the tears. "Thorin, you know I love you, you are paranoid-"
  "Don't lie to me, men caile! Imi! Men fraul drakh!"

I stood for a moment, dumbfounded, broken and shocked. Never in my life, would I even imagine Thorin to say those words to me.
"Thorin-" I croaked.
"Get out." Thorin spat and turned away.
I turned on my heel and rushed out of the treasure hoard and to the front gate. No one was in the halls, so there was no one to stop me from leaving.

Hot tears ran down my face as I climbed the stairs and felt my heart break into pieces. Bombur was asleep, he was supposed to be on watch, but what was I going to do about it?
I was going to tie a rope over the wall to get down, but apparently one had already been made. Who could have already climbed down this wall to leave?

I swung my leg over the side and climbed down the rope and began running towards Dale. Just as I had gotten maybe a few feet from the entrance, an arrow flew straight past my head with a whizz.
I instantly jumped behind a rock and held up my hands.
"Don't shoot!" I shouted. "Where's Bard? I need to speak with him!"
I raised my head to see two Elves pointing their bows at me.
"Please don't shoot me, I am not needing that right now." I stood up with my hands still raised. "Just take me to Bard, please."

The Elves were reluctant, but they got on either side of me and escorted me through the ruins of Dale to a tent. They stopped outside the entrance and one of them stepped in.

"Lord Bard, there's someone here who wants to speak with you."
"Bring them in." I heard Bard's voice inside the tent.
The elf came back out and escorted me in.
I was only expecting to see Bard and King Thranduil, but Bilbo and Gandalf were in there as well.

"Larewen!" Bilbo, Bard and Gandalf all said at the same time.
"What are you doing here?" Gandalf asked.
"Long story that I don't want to tell." I replied.
  "You've been crying, Larewen, what happened?" Bilbo asked.
"I just said that I don't want to tell-" my attention immediately went to a shining stone on a table in the middle of the tent. "Is that?"
  "The Arkenstone? Yes." Bilbo answered. "Don't tell Thorin."
I shook my head, eyes still on the stone.

"Which was what we were just discussing, how is this stone yours to give?" Thranduil asked Bilbo.
"I took it as my fourteenth share of the treasure." Bilbo answered.
"Why would you do this?" Bard asked. "You owe us no loyalty."
"I'm not doing it for you." Bilbo shook his head. "I know that Dwarves can be obstinate, and pig-headed, and difficult, and vicious and secretive, with the worst manners you can possibly imagine."
"You can say that again." I sat down on a stool.
  "But they are also brave, and kind, and loyal to a fault." Bilbo continued, and I rested my head in my hands. "I've grown very fond of them, and I would save them if I can. Now Thorin values this stone above all else, next to Larewen."

"I'm afraid you'll have to put me in second, due to his condition at the moment, but please do continue." I said. Bilbo looked at me before continuing.
"In exchange for its return, I believe he will give your word, there will be no need for war." Bilbo finished.

Gandalf took Bilbo outside of the tent leaving me with Thranduil and Bard.

  "Now, I must know, why are you here and not at the mountain?" Bard asked.
  "Thorin has been driven mad by the treasure in that mountain and it has corrupted his mind." I said. "His mind tricked him into thinking that I wanted him to leave the mountain in order for me to get all the treasure to you and the people of Laketown. He also believed that I had planned to do so the first day we met, hinting that I never actually loved him and our entire life together was a huge play."

"Did you try reasoning with him?" Bard asked.
"Yes and he called me a wench and filthy animal." I replied. "So I left." "Why am I not surprised?" Thranduil sat at his chair.
I don't know what came over me, but in one second I reached to my belt, pulled out a dagger and threw it at Thranduil, just missing the top of his ear and the knife stuck out of the wooden chair.

Thranduil looked at the knife then at me, Bard stiffened and his mouth fell open as he stared at the dagger.
"I suggest that next time you aim better." The Elf King took the dagger from the chair and threw it back to me, it hit the back of my chair.
"I was aiming at your chair." I said putting the knife back at my belt.
"And so was I." Thranduil said.

"Larewen, do you want a place to sleep?" Bard broke the silence.
  "Yes she does, and she will need it." Gandalf walked into the tent. "There may be a war starting tomorrow."