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"How far away is that damn mountain?" Alenia shouted ahead to the dwarves. "It looked so close on the lake."

"That's how eyesight works, love." Kili yelled.

"Shut it, you lousy oaf." Alenia called back, annoyed.

The four dwarves and the half-elf crested a hill, and the ruins of a presumably once-grand city lay ahead of them.

"This must be Dale." Fili noted.

"What's left of it at least." Alenia muttered.

Kili turned from the ruins of the city to see the entrance to Erebor, the enormous stone gates crack wide open, mounds of rubble from where Smaug had probably emerged. No sign of whether any of the Company was still alive.

"Oh my gods." Alenia breathed.

Kili took off running towards the mountain, stumbling on despite the hard terrain. Fili ran after him, causing Oin, Bofur and the Ranger to follow after the brothers.

"Is it possible that there is a Mrs. Dragon in there, one who stayed behind after Mr. Dragon left to destroy Laketown?" Alenia yelled in between pants, as the group cleared the huge chunks of fallen stone surrounding the gates.

"I hope not." Fili said, as they paused for a moment to catch their breath.

The group crossed over the threshold into the mountain.

"Hello?" Bofur yelled. "Bombur? Bifur? Anybody?"

They rushed down a set of steps, heading further into Erebor.

"Wait, wait!" A voice yelled from within. A small figure darted in between sets of pillars, heading towards them.

"It's Bilbo!" Oin yelled. "He's alive."

"Stop! Stop! Stop!" Bilbo yelled, as he rounded the corner.

Alenia broke into a huge smile, and Bilbo slowed at the sight of her, before racing into her arms for the biggest hug in the history of hugs.

"You're okay?" Bilbo asked, as they pulled apart.

"Completely." the half-elf assured.

"That's great- wait, no." The hobbit's smile disappeared very quickly, as he turned to look at the rest of the group. "You can't be here. You need to leave. We all need to leave."

"We only just got here!" Bofur protested.

"I have tried talking to him, but he doesn't listen." Bilbo said.

"What do you mean, laddie?" Oin asked.

"Thorin." Bilbo answered. "He's been out there for days. He doesn't sleep. He barely eats. He's not been himself - not at all. It's this - It's this place. I think a sickness lies on it."

Fili looked past the hobbit, looked deeper into Erebor and frowned.

"Sickness? What kind of sickness?" Kili asked, glancing at the rest of the group.

Fili pushed past the group, and continued down the staircase Bilbo had come up to meet them.

"Fili, wait!" Alenia protested, as the rest of the group hurried after him.

"Fili!" Bilbo called.

A golden light began to fill the hallways, the shimmering growing until they turned a corner and looked out on a massive hall filled with gold and jewels. The fire of the torches around the enormous room sent the light bouncing off the walls, filling the air with the very essence of the cavern's wealth.

Thorin, a crown on his head and dressed in furs, walked through the gold below them. He picked up a few coins, and muttered to himself, though the sound travelled through the hall. "Gold. Gold beyond measure. Beyond sorrow and grief."

The King Under the Mountain looked up to see the newly arrived dwarves and half-elf. He spread his arms wide, as if trying to encompass all the wealth in the mountain. "Behold - the great treasure hoard of Thror."

He stooped to pick up a large jewel, which he tossed to the group on the staircase overlooking the gold. Fili caught it, and turned it in his hand, the light bouncing off the ruby surface, as Thorin said, "Welcome, my sister's sons, to the kingdom of Erebor.

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this chapter is dedicated to celinekeaa;

thanks for all the support, love!

xx

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a/n:

kind of short. oops.

idk what else to say lmao.

have a great weekend everyone <33

- ash xx