Hey!! Here's chapter 48 and I hate to say this but.... we're very close to the battle... I shall cry when I write that because I have decided who will live and who will die!!! I'm not telling you who I'm killing off in the story but I'm sure you'll be crying with me! I thought I'd tease you so now you can all panic until I post that chapter...

But on a happier note, here's chapter 48, ENJOY!!! And please comment, vote and follow! Thank you so much for your wonderful support!! The next chapter will either be a Thorin POV or a Bard's but I haven't decided yet :)

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*Cassy's POV*

"I've had enough of this." I hissed under my breath, watching as Thorin walked back inside the Mountain. The other dwarfs all looked at me with curious looks.

"I talked to him about this and he said he understood. He said he would consider my words. He was nice! And now he screws everything up again. Why can't he just see reason?" I sighed exasperatedly.

I saw the other's nod in agreement. Something was wrong with Thorin and I suspected I knew what it was... dragon sickness. His grandfather had it and that's what made him so obsessed with the gold of Erebor, I was willing to bet my life that he was starting to suffer with it too.

"You can't reason with him at the moment." Caspian said as he came to stand beside me.

"Aye, we need to let him cool off." Balin said, looking around at us all.

"And then what? Talk to him to only make him angry again? Its just a vicious circle of emotions and we have no idea what's wrong with him. We have no idea why he has become obsessed." Fili spoke up then, looking straight ahead in thought.

"I know what's wrong with him but if I even mention it he's probably going to get twice as angry and he may even punch something." I said as I stared towards the stairs that Thorin had disappeared down moments ago.

The others stared at me with curious expressions before I sighed and said, "Screw it all, I'm talking to him and I don't care if he does hit me, I'll just shoot him in the leg." And with that I stormed down the stairs, the other's scrambling behind me to try and catch up. I heard some of them saying that it wasn't a good idea but I wasn't backing down now. He had to see reason.

My expression hardened when I stormed over to him, his expression turning into a confused frown when he saw my stony expression.

"What's the matter -" He started but I cut him off.

"Why did you not take Bard's offer to parley? The things he said were true and reasonable, taking council with him would have been a wise decision." I said when I came to a stop in front of him.

"You were standing right there." Thorin said. "You heard what I said and why I wouldn't take council with him and his little elven friend."

"You might be right not to grant Thranduil any of the treasure, for he has done nothing but hinder us on this quest. But Bard and the people of Laketown deserve what is rightfully theirs!" I forced myself to stand strong as Thorin's eyes narrowed dangerously at me. "And you would agree with me were you in your right mind!"

"Do you mean to say I am not?" Thorin growled over the murmurs that had broken out over the company, and I remained standing where I was, unwavering, as he came one step closer to me.

"This – out there – was not you speaking. It was the lust of treasure that has taken hold of you." I said, and I heard the company fall silent around us again as everyone watched my confrontation with Thorin. My voice calmed, as I tried to reason with the king, my tone conveying how worried I was for him. "You are so blind with greed that you cannot think straight anymore, Thorin. This treasure, your untiring hunt for the Arkenstone, it changes you. It has changed you already. It is making you sick."

"Watch your tongue, archer." Thorin snarled lowly, his voice so dangerous it sent a shiver down my spine. "You don't know what you are talking about."

I sighed frustratedly as I looked at him. "I know what this treasure has done to your grandfather." I said slowly, watching as his eyes darkened in anger. "I fear that you might –"

"Who are you to talk to me like this!" Thorin barked, making me flinch back from his tone. "You know nothing of my grandfather or my people! And you would do better to know your place and not cause any more trouble than you already have."

"Is that right? What trouble have I caused you, Thorin?!" I yelled, no longer holding back my anger. "I have done nothing but help you on this quest and you know it! We discussed the hundreds of ways I have helped you and your people merely six days ago? Or is your obsession already messing with your memory?! I have saved your cousins life numerous times, nearly killing myself each time! I saved Kili by getting shot! I stood up for you on numerous occasions! Bilbo and I saved you from getting killed after you recklessly went against Azog on your own!"

I saw Kili as he tried to step in at that point, but Thorin silenced his nephew with one single glare and a harsh movement of his hand. I continued to stare at Thorin as my eyes welled up with angry tears.

I saw him open his mouth to say something but I raised my hand and cut him off. "I am not finished!" I hissed before I continued. "Not only that but I have sacrificed a lot of personal things for you and your people! My father had to leave Caspian, my mother and myself to assist your people and the problems they were having with the Orcs! And you wanna know something? If my father had been home then the Orcs wouldn't have overpowered me and my brother and they wouldn't have killed my mother! And then my father wouldn't have gotten himself killed in a revenge attack! I haven't caused you any trouble but you have caused me a hell of a lot of trouble!" I yelled harshly and tears began streaming down my face.

I saw Thorin staring at me with wide eyes, his expression softening considerably. The others were all staring at me in concern, but my brother was staring at the ground with a saddened expression.

"This treasure will be your downfall if you go on like this." I eventually said. "What are you planning to do? Barricade yourself in here and wait for the Lakemen and elves to give up and disappear? They can camp before your gates for months if they want. They have provisions, tents, water; everything they need. Yet our food will only last for a few more days at the most. Your treasure might be nice to look at, Thorin, but you cannot eat it. You will starve within the halls of Erebor."

"I have already sent a messenger to my cousin in the Iron Hills a few days ago." Thorin said calmly as he continued to look at me worriedly. "As we speak, Dain and his men are on their way to help us defend the mountain against anyone that dares to challenge us. This means that a whole army of dwarves will be marching through that valley within the week. So, if these people dare to come armed to my doors again, I will consider them as foes, and I will not hesitate to show them their place."

"You would rather start a war than share a part of your gold?" I asked in disbelief, wide eyes looking at Thorin as tears slowly ran down my tanned cheeks.

"I will not be threatened into giving anything to those that do not deserve it." He merely said in reply.

"But they do deserve it!" I shouted but Thorin raised his hand to silence me.

"At least when Dain arrives I know that he will listen to me, because he trusts me unlike you! You're stubborn, greedy, and you cannot see beyond your own desires! You are going to start a war that you cannot win! And if you start a war... I don't know how many of us will make it out alive and those deaths will forever be on your conscience. Try thinking about it that way, Thorin."

I watched as Thorin stepped back in shock as he registered my harsh but true words.

"I really hope you will come to your senses before it is too late." I said and with those words I turned away from the dwarf-king before he could reply anything, ignoring the looks I got from the others as I grabbed my bow and stormed past them out of the room, ignoring their yells for me to come back.

There was only one thing I could do to calm down... and that was to go and shoot something.

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I hope you liked it! Please comment, vote and follow! :D Thank you!!