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While Magauna had indeed been quietly complaining to herself of the coldness in Erebor, she did find it to be convenient after she departed from Thorin and the vault. The Half-Elf saught out a place to sit by herself and contemplate the current happenings. She found that standing at the lookout in the front of the Kingdom's gate would be this place. The cold air from the mountains bit her face, turning it red, and it ruffled her hair everytime the wind blew past, but she found it to be almost calming.

Magauna had wanted to be alone with only her thoughts, but two pairs of hefty footsteps climbing up the stairs behind her ruined her wish.

"Go on, you first." Whispered the voice of Fili.

"Me? Why do I have to go first?" Kili whispered back in response.

"Because she likes you the most!"

"She does not! With the amount of times I've irritated her by making jokes about her arm, I'm surprised she hasn't run that fancy sword of her's through me."

"Kili, just go!"

"No! You do it!

"I'm the oldest, so I shouldn't have to!"

"That's the exact reason you should go first!"

Having heard enough of their petty arguement, Magauna sighed loudly and spoke loud enough for then to hear her. "The whispering is serving you two no good. It's like listening to a couple of children sneak up on their mother."

The whispering stopped abruptly, and there was a shuffle of footsteps as the brothers stepped out from around the corner of the stairs and out onto the lookout. Magauna studied the pair, seeing how they stood there awkwardly, and had anxious expressions on their faces.

"Do you need something?" The Half-Elf asked.

The two brother's glanced at each other warily, and then Fili spoke first. "Maggie... Thorin hasn't...done anything to you, has he?"

Magauna's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Like, been aggressive? Or shouted at you? Or threatened you?" Kili asked.

Since Smaug had been killed, Magauna had seen him do these things to members of the rest of the company, but never to her. In fact, Thorin hadn't once raised his voice at her since she arrived in Erebor.

"No, he hasn't." Magauna told Fili and Kili. "In fact...he's been particularly nice to me." The brother's seemed to be relieved. "Why do you ask?"

They exchanged a glance again.

"Well, it's just that we accidentally let slip how you got to Laketown." Fili said, the nervousness in his voice coming back. "You know, with the Elves?"

Magauna opened her mouth to speak, but Kili beat her to it. "We didn't mean to, we promise! Thorin made us."

"Yes," Fili nodded. "He was pressuring us about it. And with how he's been lately, we had to tell him."

"We saw him walk off with you earlier." Kili said. "We thought he was confronting you about it, that he might've gotten aggressive."

Magauna smiled slightly. Once again, Thranduil's statement had been proven wrong.

"You don't have to worry about me." The Half-Elf told the brothers. "Besides, your uncle knew better than to think I would leave this Company."

Once again, they both instantly seemed relieved.

This was still a slightly unknown concept to Magauna. She wasn't used to people worrying for her, caring for her. The years she had spent as a wandering Ranger - her years in exile - had not been kind to her. Neither had the twenty years in a dungeon in Mordor. Kindness was something from Magauna's childhood. Kindness was something that no one had shown Magauna for two hundred years. Kindness was something Magauna only remembered of when she was rescued by Gandalf the Grey. So, kindness was the thing that Magauna cherished everytime she received it.

"What's that?"

Fili's voice snapped Magauna out of her thoughts. The Dwarf and his brother were staring past her with concern on their faces. Turning around to look out upon the land, Magauna realized immediately what the were staring at. In the ruins of Dale, hundred, maybe even thousands, of golden clad Elven warriors stood ready for war. Magauna's eyebrows furrowed with worry. These were Elves from Mirkwood.

Fili and Kili wasted no time rushing down the stairs to warn the others. Magauna made no attempt to kove from her spot, she only stared out at the sight with anxiety. Thranduil was no doubt the one behind this. Only he would be dramatic enough to go to the measures of war, for what was no doubt the white gems hidden deep inside Erebor's hold.

Moments later, the rest of the Company joined her at the overhang, with Thorin in the lead. He stared out at the sight of the army with a scowl.

Magauna glanced over at him. She knew Thorin had made an agreement with the people of Laketown, that he had promised they would get a share of the treasure with Erebor. But with the greed that recent seemed to consume him, the Half-Elf wasn't sure he would stay true to that word.

But, for the love of all things green and good, Magauna hoped that he would.

The thought of a battle between the Elves and the Dwarves made her head spin. If it came down to battles there would be no way the Company would ever survive with how little they were in numbers compared to Mirkwood. And there was also the nagging question in her mind of whether or not Maethor was somewhere in that ginormous army. There was doubt he was. And then she wondered if Legolas and Tauriel were there as well. She didn't think she could bring her self to fight any of the three of them. The very thought made her stomach churn uncomfortably.

Her thoughts lingered in the back of her mind as she watched as a rider came pouncing towards Erebor's walls upon a white horse. She only realized who the rider was until they reached the gates, and stared up at the Company.

It was Bard.

"Hail Thorin, son of Thrain!" Bard called up for then to hear. "We are glad to find you alive behind hope!"

Thorin glowered down, not returning the kind gesture. "Why do you come to the gates of the king armed for war?" He questioned immediately.

"Why does the king under the mountain fence himself in? Like a robber in his hole?" Bard reputed

"Perhaps it is because I am expecting to be robbed." Thorin replied.

"My lord - We have not come to rob you, but to seek fair settlement." Bard told him. "Will you not speak with me?"

There was a pause, in which Thorin considered his request. Finally, Thorin nodded, and turned away from the railing. He moved down the steps, and as Bard dismounted his horse down below, the rest of the Company quietly followed Thorin. As Bard and Thorin reached the hole through their makeshift gate, the Company stood off to the side, out of sight, ready to listen to the conversation. Magauna lingered further up the stairs, sitting on one of the steps, trying to mask her anxious expression.

"I'm listening." Thorin said to Bard through the hole.

"On behalf of the people of Laketown, I ask that you honor our pledge." Bard said. "A share of the treasure so that they might rebuild their lives."

"I will not treat with any man while an armed host lies before my door." Thorin almost snarled back.

"That armed host will attack if we do not come to terms." Bard warned him.

"Your threats do not sway me."

"What of your conscience? Does it not tell you our cause is just?!" Bard questioned. "My people offered you help. And in return you brought upon them only ruin and death!"

"When did the men of Laketown come to our aid, but for the promise of rich reward?!"

"A bargain was struck!" Bard exclaimed in frusteration.

"A bargain?" Thorin questioned, hostility homing in his voice. "What choice did we have but to barter our birthright for blankets and food? To ransom our future in exchange for our freedom? You call that a fair trade? Tell me, Bard the Dragonslayer...Why should I honor such terms?"

"Because you gave us your word." Bard said. The desperate tone of his voice made Magauna have to bring a hand up to cover her face to hide her sad expression. "Does that mean nothing?"

Thorin didn't answer him. He only turned away from the hole and leaned against the wall, looking tired and almost weary. He looked out at the Company that stood watching him.

"Begone!" Thorin called back to Bard. "Ere arrow fly!"

There was an anger grunt of frusteration and the sound of a fist smacking the stone wall from Bard's side. Magauna listened with sadness and regret as she heard him mount his horse and ride away with it. She stood up and came back out on the overhang again. Everyone else was quick behind her.

Magauna watched Bard ride away with not just pity, but great anxiety. There was no way they would survive the war that was soon to come.

"What are you doing?!" Bilbo said in exasperation to Thorin. "You cannot go to war!"

"This does not concern you." Thorin said in attempts to dismiss him.

But Bilbo kept on. ""Excuse me?! But just in case you haven't noticed, there is an army of elves out there. And not to mention several hundred angry fishermen. We-We are in fact outnumbered."

Magauna sighed and turned to Thorin. "Thorin, he's right. We won't last thirty minutes."

Thorin turned to face her, and he smiled. It wasn't the kind smile that Magauna was used to from him. This one was conspicuous, and made the Half-Elf's neckhair stand on end.

"We may be outnumbered now, but not for much longer." Thorin said.

Magauna furrowed her eyebrows slightly, and it was Bilbo who spoke exactly what she was thinking. "What does that mean?"

"It means, Master Baggins, you should never underestimate Dwarves." After saying this, Thorin turned to the whole group. "We have reclaimed Erebor. Now we defend it!"

And as he strode back down the steps, Magauna lingered on the overhang, and turned back to stare out at Dale with overwhelming distress. She had a feeling that none of this would turn out in their favor, and would only lead to ruin.

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The Company was immediately pushed into preparing for the next morning, in which the war would inevitably start.

The armory in Erebor was filled with the Dwarves bustling around and suiting up for battle. There was also tons of spiderwebs. Magauna had a hard time touching anything in there because of them.

But there wasn't much if anything that Magauna could wear from the armory. All of it was Dwarve sized - either much too small or much too big for her. She was however, still wearing the armor from Mirkwood, so she wouldn't need any new pieces.

With there not being much else that she could do, Magauna occupied herself by sitting down and sharpening her sword. It didn't really need it, but Magauna could find nothing better to do, and she was too uneasy to watch the others.

"Master Baggins, come here! And you too, Litercash."

At the sound of her name, Magauna looked up to see Thorin had called her and Bilbo go him. Magauna stood up and sheathed her sword, and joined Thorin at Bilbo's side.

Thorin was holding out a tunic, appearing to be made of some sort of white chainmail.

"You are going to need this." Thorin said to Bilbo. "Put it on." Bilbo started to remove his coat. "This vest is made of silver steal - mithril, it was called by my forebears." He held the tunic up for Bilbo to slide into it. "No blade can pierce it."

Bilbo looked down at himself, and the other Dwarves had turned to watch at the sight of the rare metal he wore. Magauna smiled slightly in awe. She had never seen real mithril, and thought that there was no such thing until now.

Bilbo looked back up at Thorin with skepticism. "I look absurd. I'm not a warrior; I'm a Hobbit."

"It is a gift." Thorin told Bilbo. "A token of our friendship." Then, he turned to Magauna.

The Half-Elf raised an eyebrow. "Do I get one of those?" She questioned jokingly.

Thorin smiled slightly. "No. But close."

The Dwarf turned around and carefully picked up something that Magauna couldn't see until he turned around again. Magauna's eyes widened slightly as she saw that he held out an elegant diadem.

"This belonged to my sister, Dís, when she was young." Thorin said.

"It's beautiful." Magauna whispered in awe.

"It is yours." Thorin told her.

Magauna looked back at him with surprise. "What? No. Thorin...I-I can't accept this! This was made for a Dwarf, for royalty! I am neither of those."

Thorin smiled - the sweet, kind smile, not the unnerving one. "You are my friend. That is all that matters." Magauna attempted to decline again, but Thorin was quicker. "Please." He said. "Allow me to put it on you."

Magauna stares at him for a moment, reluctant, before nodding. She got down on one of her knees so that Thorin wouldn't have to awkwardly reach up wear he couldn't. Thorin delicately set the diadem over her forehead. Magauna looked put once he was finished, and saw that he was still smiling. She hot to her feet.

"Like the mithril to Bilbo, this diadem to you is a gift; a token of our friendship." Thorin said, repeating his words from a few moments ago. "True friends are hard to come by."

And although he had been smiling, as Thorin cast a glance towards the other Dwarves, it quickly turned to a frown. He put a hand on each Magauna's and Bilbo's shoulders, and steered them to a secluded part of the armory, where they would not be overheard.

"I have been blind." Thorin said quietly. "Now I begin to see. I am betrayed!"

"Betrayed?" Bilbo asked, he and Magauna facing him unsurely.

"The Arkenstone." Thorin said lowly. He moved closer to the pair in front of him, and Magauna couldn't help but notice how uncomfortable and how uneasy Bilbo looked in the situation. Then Thorin whispered. "One of them has taken it." Bilbo made a noise that sounded like a sigh. "One of them is false."

Magauna closed her eyes for a brief moment, in what could be portrayed as disappointment, but was more so expectancy. "Thorin...the quest is fulfilled. You have won back the mountain! Is that not enough?"

"Betrayed by my own kin." Tborin continued. Magauna suddenly became uneasy.

Bilbo stammered slightly. "No eh...You...You made a promise...to the people of Laketown. Is-Is this treasure truly worth more than your honor? Our honor, Thorin. I was also there, I gave my word."

"For that I'm grateful. It was nobly done. But the treasure in this mountain does not belong to the people of Laketown! This gold...is ours...and ours alone. By my life I will not part with a single coin! Not...one...piece of it!"

The more he spoke, the more Magauna paled. The more she became unnerved. Thorin moved away from them as the rest of the Dwarves came walking past them, all clad in armor, and all harboring weapons - all ready for battle. Thorin fell in stride with them, leaving Magauna and Bilbo behind, to stare after him unsettlingly.

"Maggie."

Magauna looked down at the Hobbit beside her. She noticed he looked particularly unsettled.

"I uh...there's something I need to tell you..." Bilbo said, sounding hesitant. She furrowed her eyebrows questioningly. "Alone." He added. "I need to tell you alone."

Magauna stared down at her friend. His voice held the same tone of unsettlement that it did the day they sat in one of the corridors on a bench together, and his face showed the same repressed uneasiness. He was worried, which made her worried.

"Alright." She said quietly.

She turned to look up at the line of Dwarves retreating down the corridor. Grabbing his arm, Magauna pulled the Hobbit further into the rows of dusty, ancient armor, so that they were further secluded from any interruptions.

Magauna turned back down to her Hobbit. "What is it, Bilbo?" She asked softly.

Again, he was hesitant. Bilbo had travelled across Middle Earth for many months with this Half-Elf, and he had come to consider her a friend, and now trusted her with his life. But there was still the nagging warning in the back of his mind that said she wouldn't have a favorable reaction. This was the same thought that kept him from revealing a secret to her that day in the corridor. But he was too deep in to turn back now. Besides, he trusted Magauna.

"Thorin thinks one of the others has the Arkenstone. But he's wrong." Bilbo said.

Magauna looked down at him in confusion. "What do you mean-"

"I have it." Bilbo cut her off. "I have the Arkenstone."

Almost immediately, the color drained from Magauna's face. Her lips fell slack, and she stared at her friend with a new expression; one that carried fear.

"Bilbo..."

"I found it when I was first sent in the treasure hoard, when Smaug was still inside." Bilbo continued quietly. "I was...I was going to give it to Thorin, many times I almost did...but he's not himself. He's changed. He's become so violent, and selfish. And...and after what Balin told us...I feared it would only make him worse."

The Hobbit stared up at the Half-Elf helplessly. Magauna stared back, mortified; not because he kept the Arkenstone from Thorin, but because his was such a risk. Had anyone found out - had Thorin found out - the poor Hobbit would have been in a terrible situation that Magauna didn't want to imagine.

Magauna's hands reached forward, shaking, and she clasped Bilbo's shoulders, gripping onto him. "Bilbo, you have to leave! You have to go! Go far from here! Thorin cannot know!" She said, her voice hinting desperation, as well as her facial expressions.

Bilbo shook his head. "What? No, I can't just leave you all-"

"Bilbo, you must!" The Half-Elf pleaded. "You get the Arkenstone away from here!"

Bilbo knew that Magauna was right. But he feared to imagine what would happen to her if he were to leave.

"Come with me." Bilbo suggested. Magauna sighed and started to argue, but the Hobbit kept on. "We'll take the Arkenstone to Dale. We'll give it to Bard and Thranduil. They can use it as leverage to get what they want."

Magauna had a sickening feeling in her stomach. This plan of his was risky, and made her cringe with the thought of betraying Thorin. But while this would be considered betrayal, it was in Thorin's best interest. If things worked out - which, unfortunately, they often do not - they could pertain the possibility of bringing Thorin back to his old self. Now, that was all Magauna wanted.

So, with a reluctant sigh and a small nod, Magauna agreed. "Alright. Let me get my bow. Meet me on the overhang outside, and bring some rope. We will bring the Arkenstone to Dale."

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Finally got this chapter out,
oh my God!!😂😭
Sorry for such the long wait guys, I've had a bit of writers block for this story and just didn't know how to get this chapter up and rolling. Plus, I've been planning a Star Wars fic (which I will be publishing once this book hits 30k reads, so fingers crossed I can keep a steady updating schedule between these two).
Anyway, hope you guys liked the chapter, I'll try my best to update again soon!

- stillobsessed