Dawn (A Hobbit Fanfic)

Chapter 26 - This isn't flying, this is falling with style.

I opened my eyes again when I felt the light of sunrise on my face. My father's army stood gleaming in the sun on the field between Dale and Erebor. A legion of angry fishermen stood next to them. From up here they seemed more scared than angry.
My father and Bard rode up to the gate. It was then that I noticed Thorin behind me. He had nocked an arrow in his bow and aimed it at our visitors.
I got down from the railing and hid in a corner. The others had come up as well. Thorin let the arrow fly and it embedded itself into the ground before their steeds. I didn't attempt to stop him because I knew I couldn't. Ever since Smaug was killed Thorin hasn't been listening to a word I say.
"I will put the next one between your eyes!" Thorin warned as he loaded another arrow.
"No, you won't. Or I'll put it between yours," I threatened him with an angry glare. If he had heard me, it hadn't registered. I don't think he was ignoring me, because he would never, and it probably wasn't on purpose either that he did the exact opposite of my advise, but it was frustrating. I had mostly let it go at this point. I trusted Bilbo's plan to work. But those who did not about our trade deal had more difficulty turning a blind eye to what I would have to call Thorin's increasing madness. It was clear that nothing within our reach would snap him out of it, so then we'll have to force him. Balin wasn't taking it too well.

Some of cheered at Thorin's threat, shaking their weapons. I had a feeling it was more to back him up than too encourage him. Balin and I didn't join them. Thranduil glared at Thorin in a way that so closely resembled my angry face that it almost scared me. It seemed to scare Kili plenty, who looked from my father to me and back. I wasn't glaring at the moment, but he had seen me angry before. I guess Thranduil and I really do have some resemblance after all.
Thranduil tilted his head ever-so-slightly to the side. The Elvish army all drew their bows and loaded them. They aimed at us and everyone except Thorin dove behind the railing for shelter. The barely-there cheering had abruptly cut off. Thorin was still stubbornly pointing his bow at my father.

The Elves moved in a way which made it clear that they had rehearsed it very well. If army drills hadn't changed too much in my absence, they absolutely had. It had been one of my least favourite parts of training, perhaps not surprisingly. It was second only following orders.
After holding the position for a few seconds, Thranduil lifted his hand and the archers put their bows away in one fluid movement. Thorin still held his position and the rest of us, with the exception of me, slowly came back up.

My father spoke. "We've come to tell you: payment of your debt has been offered, and accepted."
"What payment? I gave you nothing! You have nothing!" Thorin yelled.
Bard looked smug. "We have this."
He whipped out the Arkenstone and tossed in the air before catching it again. He could have handled that better. Without that smug grin would have been a nice start.
At that, Thorin finally lowered his bow, though more in shock than that he wanted to give diplomacy another go.

"They have the Arkenstone? Thieves! How came you by the heirloom of our house? That stone belongs to the king!" Kili was also shocked. It still felt bad to go behind their backs. I didn't look at Bilbo for confirmation, but I bet he felt the same.
"The king may have it; in our good will." Bard put the Arkenstone back into his robe. "But first he must honour his word."
Thorin whispered to himself, but the Company and I could hear. "They are taking us for fools. This is a ruse, a filthy lie."
How someone could possibly fabricate the Arkenstone, or even think it was possible, was well beyond me. Thorin had officially lost it. Balin seemed worried and Bilbo seemed a bit antsy.
"Thorin, think about it. If that is not the Arkenstone, then what is it? Certainly not something anyone here could cook up with what little they could save from the lake," I explained calmly.
"The Arkenstone is in the mountain! It is a trick!" Thorin yelled. Fine then, so be it. If it takes me revealing my hand for you to admit that it not a trick, at not on their part, then my hand I shall reveal. I stood up.
"My friend, that is the Arkenstone, whether you believe it or not. I gave it to them." Thorin's face filled with anger and sorrow. He was truly hurt by my betrayal.
"You..." he began, but I cut him off before I would start to regret it more than I already did.
"I gave it to them to force you into honouring your word. I don't want you to die because of whatever's gotten hold of you."
"You would steal from me?" The protecting him from himself part had gone over his head.
"If it was the only way to keep your stubborn heart beating, then yes, I would. And I would do it again, a hundred times over." I paused for a moment. Judging from how Thorin looked even madder now, it would seem that he only heard the part where I said that would steal from him a hundred times over. "I- I'll let it stand against my claim over the treasure."
"Against your claim?" Thorin questioned, terrifyingly calmly. "Your claim," he laughed. "No Elf has ever held claim to my treasure, and no Elf ever will." He threw down in his bow in anger and walked towards me. I understood what Gandalf meant when he said that I should be scared of Thorin. I was... frightened, to put it lightly.
"You must understand- I would have given it to you, but-"
"But what, thief?" he hissed. He was now standing so close to me that I could touch him, so I put my hands on his cheeks. "Listen to yourself, this isn't you! The Dwarf I have been travelling with all this time would have never gone back on his word, or doubted the loyalty of his kin."
"You speak to me... of loyalty."
"I only wished to protect you from yourself. I am not your kin, so perhaps-"
"No," Thorin said, taking my hands away from his face. "You are not, and you never will be." He took his sword and swung it at me. I flinched, thinking I should have listened to Gandalf, but he only cut off a bit of my hair. The braid he had put there more specifically. I fell to my knees, shaking. My heart was racing.
Thorin looked dazed, as if he didn't know what he was doing. He took a few steps back, staring blankly. He turned away from me. "Throw her over the rampart," he ordered.

No one moved to follow his order. They collectively agreed that Thorin had gone mad, but no one dared speak up. I was frozen in place. I wanted to flee, but I could not. Thorin wanted me dead, he just didn't want to do it personally.
"Do you hear me?!" asked Thorin. When still no one moved Thorin grabbed Fili's arm, but he quickly pulled it back.
"Fine, I'll do it myself."
He lunged forward and grabbed me. I tried to fight him off but he knew off the tricks that were literally up my sleeves and he was physically much stronger than I was.
"Curse you!" he yelled while the company rushed forward to try and stop him.
"Cursed be you and your kin!" he started pushing me over the railing.
"If you do not like my apprentice-" Gandalf's voice was magically amplified. "-then please don't damage her. Return her to me. You're not making a very splendid figure as a king under the mountain are you, Thorin, son of Thrain?"
Thorin slowly backed away but it was too late, without him holding the collar of my shirt, I slipped away and fell. Luckily, I had fallen from greater heights before. Not all of them unscathed, but I recovered then and I would recover now, though I did land flat on my back. I couldn't move for a few seconds.

I was very surprised to see Thranduil off his Elk and walking toward me, but I scrambled up before he could reach me. I would really feel this in the morning. He grabbed my chin and looked for injuries.
"I am fine father. Even if I wasn't, I could easily fix it," I brushed him away.
He was even more shocked than I was. He gave a nod before he straightened up and got back on his Elk. Gandalf then put his arm protectively on my shoulder. "You're a fool," he told me.
"Son of snakes," I hissed up the wall. I thought I didn't do it very loudly but it was loud enough for Thorin to hear.
"What did you say?" He hadn't understood and was very angry about it.
"Dawn..." Gandalf warned me.
"Just telling Gandalf about how much I love being thrown off high places and getting yelled for trying to prevent fifteen unnecessary deaths," my voice was laden with venom.
"Are we resolved? The return of the Arkenstone for what was promised," Bard proposed.

Thorin looked off to the eastern hill. Seven decades ago we had stood there because it was large enough for a whole army to overlook the battle in the valley. If I'd never yelled at Thranduil there, I'd be home in the forest bugging Legolas. Or maybe I'd be married already. Maybe I'd stand at my father's side as a general right now. Certainly much would be different.
"Will you have peace, or war?" Bard asked very seriously.