"Do not speak to me of loyalty! You went behind my back! Consorting with my enemies". Thorin inhaled harshly. "Throw him from the ramparts!" A stunned silence followed his words. None of the dwarves moved.

Namir reached a hand into his pocket and pulled out the Arken Stone. He held it up as his voice screamed, a savage roar. "Thorin Oakenshield!" The dwarves all jumped at the sudden noise. They turned and he watched as Thorin's eyes widened at the sight of the stone. "You will not harm a hair on Bilbo's head".

"The stone!"

"Thief!"

"He has the stone!"

Various shouts and exclamations emanated from the dwarves. Bilbo slunk away in the distraction and Namir saw him hook a rope over the stone and begin to climb down the wall. He kept his focus on Thorin. The king unable to take his eyes off the stone. "How come you by the emblem of our house?"

"I found it", Namir replied. He lowered the stone but kept it cradled to his stomach as he talked. "I did not know what it was. Just thought that it was pretty. Took it without knowing what it was. I even thought about giving it back. I have no care for it beside it's beauty".

"Thief! Traitor. This must be a trick!"

Fili and Kili's eyes were hurt with betrayal. Namir sighed, he had not wanted to do this. He hefted the stone high again, raising it above his head so that the light caught it and the colours glowed. "Bilbo was right Thorin. You have changed. My father told me not to trust dwarves. They are greedy. He was right. Dragon sickness has you in it's claws and this jewel is the reason".

"You are trying to fool us".

"It is no trick", Namir replied.

Thorin slammed his fists onto the stone wall with a roar. "So what? You wish to hold us to bargain? Hold the jewel of our people hostage while we jump to do your bidding? I shall take no part in it! You are no better than an animal for slaughter like the rest of your race! Curse you!"

Namir could not help but flinch at the insult. Stepping back reflexively as a growl built in his throat. He took a deep breath and sighed. Gaze watching the company unblinkingly. "You, Thorin. You left me to die in Laketown. It was only the friendship your nephews showed me that stopped me from hating your race. So I will say this. Abdicate from the throne and let Fili take your place, or I shall shatter the Arken stone on these very steps".

Thori turned to Fili with wid eyes. "You? Betrayed by my own flesh and blood!"

"No!" Namir shouted before the dwarf could move to kill his nephew. "He has no part of this. I am demanding that you relinquish the throne because you are mad. Thorin. A king should not go back on his word. You will only lead Erebor to ruin like your grandfather before you. Let a new and better king rise up or I will destroy this".

"You are taking me for a fool!" Thorin leaned out to glare down at the Skin-changer.

"Namir!" Behind him, Gandalf was storming up the steps. "What on earth are you doing?"

"He tried to kill Bilbo", Namir shrugged, not once looking away from Thorin. The stone still held up above his head.

Gandalf took on look at the panting hobbit, Bilbo was pale and silent, and turned back to the gates. "You're not making a very splendid figure as king under the mountain. Are you! Thorin, son of Thrain".

"Curse you and the wizard who brought us to your door! You are a runt. Nothing more than a mongrel. Never again will I have dealings with wizards, foul beasts, or shire rats".

"Give me your answer", Namir called back.

"Yes", Thranduil nodded. The elf king seemed rather amused, if the smirk on his face at watching the chaos was any indication. "Will you have peace, or war?"

Thorin turned to gaze at the rising sun. "I will have war".

"Alright then", Namir sighed. The dwarves all cried out in alarm as he brought his hand down and threw the Arken stone onto the rock. The beautiful jewel instantly shattered into a million pieces of clear crystal. The shards skittering underfoot like the glittering gore splatter of a murder scene. Horrified silence fell with the weight of a curtain. Only the tinkling of broken crystal on stone was audible.

Up on the hill above on the right, the clang of iron echoed. A grey haze seemed to move over the grass. It seemed like a haze, a cloak but Namir could pick out what it was. Hundreds of dwarf soldiers marching towards them. "Ironfoot", Gandalf muttered grimly. Thranduil tugged on the reins ask his moose reared up and round. The elf king galloping through his ranks as he called out instructions in elvish to the surrounding soldiers. 

Namir  turned back to the road and watched the shards scatter and fall still, sharp edges glinting under the golden sunlight. Finally coming to rest in a scattered covering over the road. The darken stone no more than dust and embers. Then he raised his head, flicking his wild hair out of the way, just in time to see the arrow ark through the air and embed itself into his shoulder. Sinking onto the flesh of his collar bone just next to the joint. Thorin watching in grim satisfaction as the skin-changer fell back in shock. The pain blossoming sharply. He staggered back as blood welled and began to drip from the wound.

Gandalf steadied him with a hand on his back as Namir let out a whine of pain. He looked up to see the company looking down at him with a mixture of expressions. Half of them watching the army approach, the other half still gazing down at Namir and the remains of the arken stone. Fili looked torn between rage and shock. Kili was pale with wide eyes. Dwalin was glaring while Balin looked concerned. Bifer, Bofur and Bofur seemed surprised. Dori, Ori and Nori were cheering the arrival of their breathing with Gloin and Oin. Thorin stood in the middle, smug satisfaction and vengeance in his face as his eyes met Namir's. They were wrathful. 

Namir's expression was cold as he snapped the shaft with one hand. He didn't wince or blink, maintaining eye contact with Thorin as he pulled the arrow head from his skin. It was a simple diamond shaped head and had not struck deep enough into the muscle for it to put his right arm out of commission. But it had not intended too. He could see it on Thorin's face. The dwarf wanted to kill him. Namir had destroyed something precious to his people and now Thorin was going to make him pay for it. The arrow was just a promise. The dwarves now wanted him dead. 

unedited