Continuing from the last chapter

Bilbo felt extremely disappointed and irritated as he washed up and put his clothes on. He already knew without a doubt where Thorin had gone off to. If only he had awakened sooner and prevented him from doing so. That chamber was the last place he needed to be.

He exhaled deeply as he left the room. He needed to have his first breakfast before speaking to Thorin. Of course, it likely wouldn't do any good, since he probably wouldn't even listen to much of what he said.

Almost everyone was in the dining hall when he stepped into it, waiting for Bombur to finish cooking. Thorin was the only one who wasn't present, but this was no longer a surprise. He rarely came in there.

"Morning," Bilbo declared to the others. He sat down on one of the remaining chairs.

They either returned the greeting or nodded. Bombur did also as he walked out of the kitchen carrying a tray heaped with sausages. He then went back to get a tray of eggs, as well as a few kettles of tea and coffee.

Everyone quietly dished out how much food they wanted and started to eat. None of them appeared to have a good deal to say as they did. Most of them were either too tired or stressed out to exchange more than a few words.

Balin stepped over to Bilbo after they had finished their meal and left the dining hall. "What's wrong, laddie? You look disappointed about something," he observed. He noticed that he had been quieter than usual during breakfast.

The latter sighed heavily again. "Only because I am. I managed to get Thorin to leave that blasted gold chamber last night. But when I woke up this morning, he wasn't there. I was hoping that he would stay with me for just this once," he responded.

"Ahhh. That explains it," Balin murmured sadly. "That dragon sickness is changing him for the worse."

"Don't I know it. I just wish I knew what could be done or said to make it go away and have him snap out of it."

"You aren't the only one. Hopefully, something will sooner rather than later."

"Yes. Hopefully."

They continued to walk in silence before going their separate ways. However, Balin paused when he saw that Bilbo was heading towards the gold chamber.

"What are you about to do, lad?" he called to him.

"I need to talk to Thorin about something."

"Oh. All right. I wish you luck with that."

Balin knew that Thorin would not listen to anyone unless it was about his treasure as well. So did everyone else. It was a shame; he thought that Thorin would at least pay attention to Bilbo. He was courting him, after all.

"Thanks," the said Hobbit grumbled. He would need it.

When he eventually arrived at the gold chamber, he found Thorin in what appeared to be a state of panic. He was sifting through the coins and treasure feverishly while muttering to himself, swearing colorfully several times.

Bilbo approached him. "Hi. I figured that I would find you here again," he declared.

Thorin faced him distractedly. "Oh...hi," he greeted in a sullen voice.

He moved closer. "I didn't hear you get out of bed this morning. If I had known you would be up that early, I would have joined you. I told you last night that missed being with you," he stated, making it clear that he was unhappy with him.

Thorin turned away, and Bilbo could have sworn that a look of guilt or shame had darkened his expression.

He pursed his lips. "Did get any sleep or eat breakfast, at least?"

"...No. I wasn't tired or hungry."

"Thorin! You need to eat! You haven't eaten in the past two days! Nor have you slept since we came here! All you want to do is stay in this bloody chamber!"

His echoing voice was all that could be heard; Thorin did not comment on anything he said. He just stood there quietly. Too quietly.

Bilbo reached over and took his hand. "Come on. You need some food in your stomach, as well as a nice long rest."

Thorin pulled away from him. "No. I'll eat and sleep later, but not right now. I need to do something first."

"No, you bloody well don't! Not in here!" he fumed as Thorin continued to root through the gold. "What are you doing?!"

"I'm searching for something," he replied vaguely. "Where in Durin's name is it?!"

"Where in Durin's name is what? I hope it is some breakfast or sleeping medicine that you're looking for in this hoard...because I don't see what else could be more important than that...!"

"Bilbo, this is not a time for joking around! What I'm searching for is really important!"

"I was not joking, Thorin! I was being serious! Can you just stop what you're doing and listen to me for once?! What are you trying to find?!"

Thorin straightened and ran his fingers through his hair in distress. "The Arkenstone! It should be here among the treasure! Smaug can't have taken it before he went to attack Laketown. He would have hinted as much, knowing him!" he responded.

It was a good thing for Bilbo that he was still looking away from him at the moment. Otherwise, Thorin would have noticed a significant change in his own expression. However, he recovered quickly.

"O-Oh. Well...if it is in here, surely you don't need to look for it right now..." Bilbo remarked.

He shook his head. "You don't understand, love! The Arkenstone is no ordinary jewel! It is the birthright of my kingdom...!"

"Yes, I know that. You have told me so plenty of times before..."

"Then you should understand that it's essential that I find it as soon as I can!"

"Well, working yourself into a frenzy isn't going to help. You ought to settle down."

"I'll do that after I find the Arkenstone, and not a minute before!"

Bilbo frowned. "Thorin Oakenshield, you are being ridiculous! It's not going to be the end of the world if you choose to find it later!"

When the said Dwarf king opened his mouth to yell back, he cut him off.

"No! Not another word. I've heard enough! You are going to settle down and come with me, right this instant!"

Bilbo led him out of the gold chamber with surprising strength-but none too roughly-and headed to the kitchen. He filled a plate with the remaining eggs and sausages, then poured him a cup of tea. Since he knew better than to let Thorin go, he had to make two trips to the dining room so that he could put the food and drink on the table.

After the second one, Bilbo pulled out a chair and sat him down. "Please eat. I will sit here with you, and I will not let you get up until your plate and cup is empty. When you are done, you will rest in our bedroom. You need to have some sleep. I don't want to be hard on you, but I'm doing it because I care about you and love you. Staying in that accursed chamber, not eating, and depriving yourself of sleep isn't healthy for you."

Thorin just gaped at him. He was unable to argue, but he wouldn't have dared to even if he could. He knew that Bilbo meant business this time. Plus, it amazed him that he did everything with only one hand.

He eventually nodded resignedly and began to eat. Nevertheless, Bilbo could see that he was only doing so with half his mind. It was obvious that he was still thinking about the Arkenstone.

He cleared his throat. "How does the food taste? Is it cold?" he questioned.

Thorin blinked, snapping out of his reverie. "Hmm? Oh...no. It's still warm. It tastes fine," he grunted.

"Good."

"Can you let go of my arm now? I'm not going anywhere."

"Sorry, but no."

He sighed in irritation, but Bilbo didn't care. He could huff and puff all he wanted, but he was going to stay there and finish his breakfast. If it took all day, then so be it.

Of course, he knew that he wouldn't be able to stop him from returning to the treasure hoard indefinitely. Still, he would for as long as he could manage to.

Thorin eventually ate the rest of his food and drank his tea. Bilbo linked his elbow with his so that he could wash and dry his plate, cup, and silverware, then led him to their bedchamber.

"All right. Please get some sleep," he said once he got Thorin to remove his boots. He sat next to him.

"I'm not tired," Thorin mumbled.

"Well, can you at least try to? For me? You need your rest."

Knowing that he wouldn't give up, Thorin scowled and yanked the covers over himself. "Fine. I'll try. Happy?"

"Quite so. Thank you, Âzyungâl."

He didn't respond, just turned over.

Bilbo shook his head at him. Instead of being satisfied, he was feeling rather annoyed. His insides were also squirming with guilt. They had been ever since Thorin mentioned the Arkenstone.

He thanked Yavanna once again that Thorin couldn't see his face. He would have been curious-and likely even suspicious-if he did, and even more so if he saw it earlier. Moreover, he would have had every reason to be.

Bilbo knew that the Arkenstone wasn't in the treasure hoard. He also knew that Smaug hadn't taken it either...

...because he had it. It was hidden in his coat's chest pocket.

When he entered the Mountain to retrieve it for Thorin, he had unintentionally awakened Smaug while searching for it. They spoke to each other for some time, Bilbo only doing so to keep himself alive for as long as possible. He also did so to keep Smaug from noticing the Arkenstone, which he finally found half hidden in the gold minutes later.

Unfortunately, Smaug did, and ended the conversation by asking how he chose to die. He made to swallow him up then, but Bilbo put on his magic ring and vanished before he could. The latter quickly grabbed the Arkenstone and put it in his pocket. After that, he quickly ran to escape the chamber as Smaug set part of the ceiling on fire and knocked over several pillars.

He met Thorin when he was halfway out. The latter demanded to know if he found the Arkenstone or not, but Bilbo knew that it wasn't the right time to worry about that. Not with Smaug looking for him. He didn't answer his question, only told him that they had to leave the chamber.

However, this was not the response that Thorin wanted. He used Orcrist to stop him from going anywhere when he tried to rush by him and pointed it at his chest.

Bilbo had been shocked and confused as he backed away from. Thorin would never do this to him in his right mind. But after peering at him closely, he could see that he wasn't. He tried to make him snap out of it, but Thorin didn't until Smaug began to approach them. He didn't behave oddly when he, Bilbo, and the rest of the Company were evading him either.

If Thorin had not been stricken with the dragon sickness a second time, just after Smaug was killed, Bilbo probably would have given the Arkenstone to him then. Nevertheless, that may not have been a good idea either. It was likely that it could have had an affect on him even if the gold did not.

He exhaled deeply and rubbed his temples. He didn't know how long he would be able to keep it hidden, but he would do so forever if it was necessary.

He hoped that Thorin would never find out that he had it too. Not while he was under the influence of the dragon sickness, that is. He couldn't imagine how he would react if he did, but he knew it that it wouldn't be a pretty sight.

XXX

Bilbo managed to keep Thorin in their bedchamber for the rest of the afternoon and evening. The latter still couldn't get any sleep, much to Bilbo's disappointment. He was relieved when Thorin consented to eat his dinner and supper without protest, though. He noticed that he fidgeted the entire time, but he didn't try to leave his presence to go to the treasure hoard chamber.

That is, not until the next morning. Bilbo woke up to Thorin attempting to slide away from him. He frowned as he tightened his arms around him. Thorin went rigid.

"Where are you going?" Bilbo inquired sternly.

"Er...uh..." he stammered, trying to think of a good response. Then he drooped and chose not to answer; he didn't want to lie to him.

Bilbo didn't need him to say anything, however. He already knew where he was planning to go. He sighed wearily. "Please, Thorin. Let's not have to go through this again. Why don't we spend the day together? We could find something entertaining to do. How about you give me a tour of the Mountain after breakfast? I would enjoy that," he suggested in a hopeful voice.

There was a brief silence before Thorin said, "Perhaps. But I don't feel like having breakfast. I'm not hungry."

"I know you aren't, but you still need to eat something anyway."

He huffed in exasperation.

Bilbo ignored this as he looked at the clock. "Breakfast will start in little more than a half hour. Why don't we wash up and get dressed before we go?"

Thorin refused to initially, but he was able to convince him to get out of bed after a few moments. He made sure that he wouldn't escape him as they took a quick bath and put on their clothes, and he linked his arm with his as they left the room.

The Company was taken aback when they entered the dining hall soon after. They weren't expecting Thorin to show up since they were used to him not being there. He didn't look as if he wanted to be either. They knew it was likely that he only came because of Bilbo, who had let go of him as they walked through the door. He knew that Thorin wouldn't like it if he held onto him in front of the others.

The said Hobbit was relieved when Thorin didn't argue or try to go back out. Instead, he greeted everyone in a brooding voice as he sat down at the table and dished out some food. They nodded to him as well as Bilbo when he too said good morning to them.

Seeing that Thorin wasn't in the mood for conversation, the Company resumed talking amongst themselves. Meanwhile, Bilbo watched him out of the corner of his eye while he ate. He wanted to be sure that he would finish his breakfast.

Eventually, Thorin did, albeit reluctantly since he had no appetite. He made to leave, but Bilbo eyed him pointedly. He grumbled and remained in his seat. Why can't he just let me be? Thorin asked himself in irritation. All he desired was to be alone for a while.

Bilbo soon ate the last of his food and stood. "There. Why don't we go on that tour now? I would like to see the places I haven't been to yet, and learn about everything else," he added, noticing how restless Thorin still was.

He exhaled deeply and got up. Bilbo told the others that he would see them later as they left the dining hall. After that, he slipped his hand into Thorin's. The said Dwarf king found this an improvement. At least he didn't feel as if he were being dragged to and fro.

"Well...how about we start by going this way?" Bilbo asked, jerking his head in a direction that wouldn't bring them anywhere near the treasure hoard.

Thorin just nodded and led him towards the west end of the Mountain. He knew what Bilbo was doing, but chose to not to say anything on the matter. The last thing he wanted to do was to end up having an argument with him. In any case, he had missed spending time with him. Even when his attention had been on the Arkenstone and gold during the last several days, his other thoughts were centered on him too.

He squeezed his hand a little, and Bilbo turned to smile at him. He grinned back and kissed him.

The tour went by smoothly at first. Bilbo looked highly interested as Thorin showed him the mines, the library, the throne room, and various other places. The latter pointed out statues and memorials too, explaining who made them, and who or what they were created for. They even put on their coats so that they could take a stroll on the grounds and headed over to Ravenhill.

They took a break a few times to have second breakfast and dinner. Bilbo was delightedly surprised when Thorin didn't tell him that he wasn't hungry or complain in either instance. However, the said Dwarf king was in too good a mood to.

After dinner, they went to see how the others were. All of them appeared to be doing fine; they were relieved to see that Thorin hadn't gone back to the treasure chamber after (first) breakfast earlier that morning. They hoped that Bilbo would be able to keep him from going there for as long as he could.

"Any sign of my nephews? Or Bofur and Óin?" Thorin queried at one point.

Everyone exchanged glances and shook their heads. They looked incredibly worried-as did he and Bilbo-and rightfully so. None of them could be certain that Fíli, Kíli, Bofur, and Óin were still alive.

They had remained behind in Esgaroth-or in Bofur's case, left behind-so that they could look after Kíli while he healed from the poisoned arrow that he had been shot in the leg with. However, after Smaug had set fire the small town, there was only a slim chance that they had survived. They hoped that they managed to leave before Smaug had, or that they had lived through the attack and were on their way to Erebor.

Thorin gave a tense sigh. "And what of Gandalf?" he inquired next.

"We haven't seen him either," Dwalin replied.

"But if we see any of them approaching the Mountain, we will be sure to let you know," Balin added.

"All right. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

During the tour, Bilbo had been awe. There were a good deal of splendid things to admire, He especially loved the library; he knew that he would find himself spending a lot of time there.

He couldn't help but feel sorry when he also noticed that many other places had been destroyed, though. Either that, or things were falling apart and in disrepair. Nevertheless, he knew that after Erebor was cleaned up and restored, it would look as spectacular as it used to be. He was greatly interested in seeing what it had been like before Smaug had come.

Thorin nodded in agreement when Bilbo shared his thoughts with him about this. He smiled a little as well.

"If anything, I will make sure that the Mountain looks even better than it had. Just you wait and see," he remarked.

All in all, it was an enjoyable morning and afternoon. They had pleasant discussions on matters other than what Thorin was showing Bilbo and walking in a companionable silence at other times.

Unfortunately, their high spirits didn't last.

Thorin started to grow increasingly distracted as they reached the end of their tour. His eyes also became cloudier, and he fidgeted. Bilbo tried bring him back to Arda by asking questions and commenting on something that was in particularly bad shape, but Thorin wouldn't respond.

That was when he realized that they were close to the treasure hoard's chamber. He immediately attempted to drag Thorin to another part of the Mountain, but this time, it didn't work. The latter snatched away from Bilbo (but not too roughly-he wasn't too far gone to know that he didn't want to harm him accidentally) and began to make his way to the aforementioned room in a trance-like state.

Yet, Bilbo was hurt. It caused him pain seeing the dragon sickness affecting Thorin like this. His spirits fell further when resisted his efforts to stop him. Thorin would only walk around him or remove his hands gently from his arms. Bilbo tried to talk to him and make him see sense also, to dissuade him, but that didn't work either.

"Come on, Thorin. Let's find something else to do," he said at one point.

"No. I need to go and look for the Arkenstone now. As I told you yesterday, it's important that I do," was all Thorin would mutter. "I will leave the treasure hoard when I have it, Ghivashel. I promise," he added in asides to Bilbo.

The said Hobbit stood in front of him. "Âzyungâl, please. This isn't a good idea. Every time you are near that chamber, the gold begins affect your mind! You need to stay away from there! A sickness lies in that place!"

"Nonsense! There is no such thing! Nothing is affecting me! Please, love, just let me be. I have to go and find it."

"No!"

Bilbo moved to take his wrist, but Thorin snatched his arm out of his reach before he could.

"For the last time, leave me alone and let me do what I want to do for once. As I said, I will leave the chamber when the Arkenstone is found. I will not leave it a moment before!" he roared, having lost his patience.

And with that, he stormed away.

Bilbo gaped at him in shock before collecting himself. "Thorin! Please, come back!" he yelled after him.

Thorin paid no heed to him, continuing to make his way towards his destination.

"Thorin!" Bilbo shouted again.

However, it was no use. He didn't stop or look at him. He just ignored his calls and protests as he turned a corner and disappeared from his view.

(A/N: Please review! I know this chapter isn't as long as the first, but I still hope that you enjoyed it! Sorry for the long wait. Good-bye for now, and happy holidays!)