An angry roar was heard from afar the moment Smaug had made his way to Lake-Town. My kin and myself quickly darted away and made our way to a lookout we had seen before entering the mountain. A lookout right above Dale were we could easily see Esgaroth in the distance. The moment we reached the top where the lookout was, the company then soon followed.

I watched Smaug swoop low to the town before turning back to the sky, what looked to be "playing" with the people in the town. When he made another descent, I saw an orange glow in the distance and a blast of fire engulfing part of the town before he took off once more. I could hear the muffled cries of distress and fear coming from the people of Lake-Town.

Every so often, Smaug would swoop down and destroy the town and engulf it in dragon fire, the screams of the people louder then ever. Soon...the whole town was blazing bright in the darkness, just a glowing light in the middle of the lake. Bells were ringing the longer the dragon swooped and attacked the town. Some of the company slowly sat on the ground and listened to the distant bell tolling, to the company I'm sure it was a distant cry...but the louder the screams got it almost felt like I was there.

"Nana..." Thenidiel whimpered from behind me.

I turned to look at her and saw her eyes were transfixed on the burning town in the middle of the lake.

"There's so much pain..." Thenidiel mumbled. "I can hear them..."

I walked over to her and blocked her line of sight causing her to look straight up at me.

"Cover your ears gwilwileth..." I mumbled, taking her hands and placing it over her ears. "do not look..."

Balamaethor came over and took Thenidiel into his arms, guiding her away to sit on the pathway we had come from in the far back of the company.

"Poor souls..." Balin mumbled as he came to stand beside me.

While my back was facing the town, I noticed Thorin wasn't around and I followed down the path to see the dwarf king standing alone. His back was toward me, but I could tell his attention was solely focused on the mountain.

'Thorin...' I thought as I looked toward the gates of Erebor.

Suddenly, the bell in the distance stopped ringing, and I looked back toward the lake.

'Bard, Tilda, Sigrid, Bain...' I thought sadly, thinking of the kindness the family had shown us...us! Complete strangers...and what we had brought upon them. I then began to think of the children that I had met and I averted my eyes to the ground in shame.

"Who are you that would stand against me!" Smaug's voice called out faintly.

I turned my attention back toward the town in surprise.

"You don't think..." Beriohtarion mumbled having heard as well.

"Quite possibly..." I answered, listening carefully.

"Now that is a pity." Smaug mumbled as I watched him crawl his way slowly across the town. "What will you do now...bowman. You are forsaken. No help will come."

I watched as Smaug had his eyes set on something in front of him, though that something I did not know for I could barely see through the smoke and the fire.

"Hm...Ah...is that, your child?" Smaug questioned.

'Child?' I thought in a bit of a panic.

"Is one of the girls with him?" Beriohtarion questioned.

"If Tauriel is with the family...the girls would be with her." I mumbled. "No, I think it may be Bain that is with his father."

"What's going on, Belle?" Bilbo questioned.

"I think Bard has Smaug's attention..." I replied.

"How do you know it's him?" Kili questioned. "Can you hear what they're saying? Can you see?"

"The smoke and fire is obscuring our vision." Beriohtarion stated. "We can only hear what Smaug is saying..."

"You cannot save him from the fire." Smaug spoke once more, stepping closer. "He will, burn."

Smaug's eyes was only focused on one thing, and as he crept closer, I could faintly see little bursts of ember sprout up from beneath his claws.

"Tell me, wretch. How now shall you challenge me?" Smaug questioned rearing up. "You have nothing left...but your death!"

Smaug let out a loud, ferocious roar as he started barging his way forward, he spread his wings and lunged forward with his jaw open wide and ready to clamp shut.

From beside me I saw Beriohtarion avert his eyes, but I kept my eyes on the dragon.

His body then jerked to the side, skidding across the town and demolishing any buildings that were still standing, that were still on fire.

After skidding across half of the town, he twisted and began flying straight up, straight toward the sky. I noticed his flight was a bit rocky, his wings not functioning and he was clawing his way upward. I could hear his snarls of pain and at a certain point in the sky he had stopped moving. The light from his chest completely diminishing and his body started to fall, the impact created a loud thud as his body hit the burning town. I could not believe what I had just witnessed.

"What was that?" I heard Ori question from where he sat. "What happened."

"It fell. I saw it." Bilbo said coming to me. "Belle, what happened?"

"The dragon is dead..." I mumbled quietly in shock.

"It's dead..." Bilbo repeated turning back to the company. "Smaug is dead."

From above I heard flaps of wings and the cawing of birds. I looked up to see large black birds begin swarming toward the mountain.

"By my beard. I think they're right. Look there." Gloin called out, pointing toward the sky. "The ravens of Erebor are returning to the mountain."

"Aye. Word will spread." Balin smiled and nodded. "Before long every soul in Middle-Earth will know the dragon is dead!"

"The dragons dead..." Beriohtarion said in shock, turning to me. "The mountain is back in dwarvish hands."

The company erupted into cheers and laughter. My kin joining in on the happy occasion and I looked around for Thorin. I moved toward the path we had come from and I saw Thorin start heading back for the mountain.

I was concerned...I was worried. Not a word was spoken by him, not even joining in on celebrating with his kin. I felt a heavy weight push against my heart and I looked behind to the company's smiling faces.

"We should head back." I called out. "We can celebrate in the mountain."

The company stopped and started heading onto the path back to the mountain. The smiles on their faces still plastered on, and my kin and myself were straggling behind the company.

"What's going to happen now?" Balamaethor questioned from behind me.

"I think that the next step...would be searching for the Arkenstone in that mountain." I pondered as we walked down the steps of the path.

"Nana..." Thenidiel spoke up, having recovered from the shock of hearing so many cries for help.

"Hm?" I spoke, turning to look at her over my shoulder.

"I have a very bad feeling Nana..." Thenidiel spoke quietly. "from this point on...I feel uneasy. Maybe it's just me, but I just...can't brush it off."

"It is not you Thenidiel..." I stated. "you got that trait from my family."

'And it's usually always right...' I thought sadly as the four of us made our way back into the mountain.

It started off like any other, the company woke up and Thorin had disappeared. He always disappeared before any of the company stirred from their sleep. I would catch him for the past days disappearing before the sun rose, he would disappear toward the treasure room and appear later in the day. I paid no mind to it though, because he was the same Thorin I knew...every so often he would be staring off toward the room, but his attitude hasn't changed. I watched him closely and I saw no signs of madness surfacing. After the dragon was killed, Thorin had gone off somewhere and returned dressed in a fur lined coat.

The second day, I noticed him becoming closed off from his kin. Keeping to himself and walking the halls. Every so often speaking to himself, before snapping out of it and joining the company to talk and relive the memories, sharing stories of his days in Erebor with all of us.

Then the third and fourth day I began to notice other things that I had not seen at first. He wasn't getting any sleep like I had assumed. The second day after Smaug had been killed I had fallen asleep, though the days after I had not and I noticed he would lie in his sack, eyes wide open. I saw that he was barely eating as well...no matter if any one of us asked him to, he would brush us away and go off to staring at nothing. I could see him slowly getting worse as days passed after the death of Smaug.

This particular day...I decided to follow him. I didn't follow so close...I wanted to stay hidden in the shadows and observe from afar. While he took the rightful path toward the treasure room I took a different path. This path lead me to a second floor of the treasure room that overlooked the whole chamber.

I quietly hid in the shadows of the large pillar and waited silently as I saw Thorin walk into the room. He marveled and admired the treasure horde around him, the clinking of coins under his feet echoed around the room.

"Gold." I heard him mumble. "Gold beyond measure. Beyond sorrow...and grief."

He was lost in thought...his eyes from where I could see was glazed over.

"The treasure horde of Thrór..." Thorin spoke out in a daze. "it is...magnificent. A sight to behold."

'Thorin...' I thought, my heart heavy, and I turned my eyes away from the sight before me. 'I cannot watch this...'

I swiftly turned and quietly headed back toward the rest of the company, back in what we had used as a dining room.

"Nana," Beriohtarion called out, being the first to see me. "good morning."

"Good morning..." I mumbled quietly.

"Is everything okay Nana?" Balamaethor questioned.

"Everything is fine..." I smiled as best as I could. "do not worry..."

The two looked at me skeptically before letting it go.

"Any sign of it?" Thorin called out to the company below.

"Nothing yet." Dwalin called back.

"Nothing here." Ori announced.

"Keep searching!" Thorin called out.

"That jewel could be anywhere." Oin called out.

"The Arkenstone is in these halls." Thorin called. "Find it."

"You heard him. Keep looking!" Dwalin voiced out.

"All of you! No one rests until it is found." Thorin called out.

Coins were clinking everywhere, echoing throughout the halls. The company was down in the treasure room, frantically searching through all the piles of the gold in the room. I was standing beside Thorin in what looked to be a small study room that looked over all the gold.

"Thorin, we have been searching for three days straight." I said stepping forward to stand beside him. "They are exhausted Thorin..."

" rests until it is found Bellethiel..." Thorin growled out, glaring up at me. "You should be looking down there as well."

"We can look more tomorrow when the company has had rest." I bargained hopefully.

Thorin glared before turning away from me. I stepped forward and blocked his path.

"Thorin!" I growled out. "I am concerned for the well being of this company, and for your well being as well..."

I reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Please Thorin..." I pleaded.

Thorin shook off my hand and turned his back to me.

"Go and look for the Arkenstone." Thorin mumbled.

I looked at his back sadly before turning and walking away.

(Bilbo's P.O.V)

I watched the exchange between Belle and Thorin, and it upset me how Thorin was treating Belle. I turned and walked away, not able to bare seeing the look on Belle's face.

When we had all had a second to relax after Smaug was killed, I had noticed the bead hanging on the side of Belle's face. I asked the company and they told me (happily) that now they were, officially, together I suppose. Basically, it was to show that she belonged to Thorin, that she was off limits they had said.

I was very happy for Belle. I saw the signs as we traveled together, even after while we stayed in the mountain, and that's why it hurt so badly to see how in pain Belle looked when Thorin acted so cold toward her.

I did not know where I was going, but my feet seemed to have taken me to the ruined gates of Erebor, the overlook on the top of the gates.

I sighed as I looked around to make sure I was alone before I took a seat on a random stone. I crinkled my nose, before sighing sadly. I felt guilty...for what I was doing and I thought back to what had happened when I went alone back into the mountain.

"I am almost tempted to let you take it." "If only to see Oakenshield suffer. Watch it destroy him. Watch it corrupt his heart and drive him, mad."

I looked around before reaching into my coat and pulled out the beautiful white gem, the gem sparkled a bright white with specks of color inside.

'I should give it to Thorin...' I thought, sighing sadly. 'Maybe not tell him I kept it, but say I found it just now...'

"Bilbo?"

I jumped suddenly at the voice that called my name, almost dropping the stone and I looked fearfully toward where the voice came from.

Through the shadows emerged Belle, staring at me and then her eyes went straight to the stone that was in my hand. Her eyes widening in shock and I knew I was caught.

"Belle...I-I..." I stuttered, my heart thumping hard against my chest. "This isn't..."

She stood there, not moving, and just staring straight at the stone in my hand.

"I-I was...I was planning to give to Thorin I swear..." I stuttered out. "I swear I was Belle."

Belle quickly snapped out of her shock before quickly storming over to me. I cringed, thinking that I was in trouble, thinking she was going to snatch the stone out of my hands...but that didn't happen.

She knelt before me and closed my hands around the jewel before her hand engulfed over my own. She pushed my hands with the jewel toward me.

"You must never show this to anyone Bilbo..." She breathed out, looking up to me. In her eyes...I saw fear. "Most importantly...you should never show this to Thorin..."

"Belle?" I questioned in shock. "Why are you..."

"I have seen what he is becoming..." Belle mumbled sadly, her hands slid from my own and she slumped to the ground, her shoulders sagging. "it is almost like I do not know who he anymore is Bilbo...at times he is the same Thorin I knew back at the Shire, the next...I see his grandfather when he ruled over Erebor..."

"Belle..." I breathed out, seeing how broken she is.

"If he gets his hand on this Bilbo...I fear what will happen." Belle said, standing to her feet. "Never, ever show this to anyone. Keep it hidden in your coat."

"If Thorin finds out that I've been keeping the stone from him..." I said, looking up to her as I placed the gem back into my coat.

"I will defend you all the way Bilbo...that stone should remain hidden from Thorin..." Belle sighed sadly.

"I'm sorry...for what's happening Belle." I said earnestly.

"Do not apologize Bilbo." Belle smiled down at me reassuringly. "Now, I came looking for you because Thorin wishes to speak with us in the throne room. I suggest we head back before others come looking for us, wondering why we were taking so long."

(Bellethiel's P.O.V)

I had found Bilbo, and to my surprise, in his hand lay the Arkenstone. My first thought was to take the stone and head straight to Thorin. But then...I thought of what could possibly happen once Thorin got his hands on the jewel that would crown all. So, I had told Bilbo to keep it safe and secret in his coat...that was the best option in my eyes.

Bilbo and myself were walking toward the throne room, where Thorin had asked us to be. When we got there I had stood to the right while Bilbo stood to the left of the throne. Dwalin and Balin came soon after and waited patiently as Thorin just stood in front of the chair, staring up at the place where the Arkenstone once was.

"Thorin..." I pipped in after waiting for a couple of minutes.

"It is here I these halls." Thorin mumbled quietly to himself. "I know it."

"We have searched and searched." Dwalin answered.

"Not well enough." Thorin spoke out.

"Thorin, we all would see the stone returned." Dwalin said.

"And yet, it's still not found!" Thorin yelled out angrily, his voice echoing throughout the empty throne room.

"Do you doubt the loyalty of anyone here?" Balin questioned gesturing to those in the room, and those that were still looking for the Arkenstone in the treasure room.

Thorin turned around to look at Balin and I saw Bilbo quickly avert his eyes away. He caught my eyes and I mouthed to him to be calm as Thorin stepped toward Balin and Dwalin.

"The Arkenstone is the birthright of our people." Balin defended.

"It is the King's jewel." Thorin said. "Am I not the King?!"