Soul Traitor

Credit goes to SunnyRose

Chapter 5: Chapter 4- Songs About Gold

Summary:

Bilbo has to decide whether to save the dwarves from the evil of the barrow wights.

Thorin couldn't remember the last time he had a past life dream. He used to get them all the time. Dain and Thorin I, his namesake, were always the more prominent ones. In fact, it had been Dain's memories of facing dragons that had inspired Thorin in his mad plan to defeat Smaug. Durin's memories were the least common and the ones that hit the hardest. It always felt so ominous and given the nature of the dreams, he could imagine why. So it wasn't completely surprising to him when he went to bed that night after meeting the hobbit and dreamed of Durin.

For as much as Durin loved his halls inside the mountain, there was something decidedly wonderful and remarkably stirring about a day under the warm, bright sun above. So every five months or so, Durin would leave politics to his son, Nain, and take his most trusted guards on a hunting trip. Six days and nights out in the elements to ease the strain on his soul. For a long time, Gelbim used to tease Durin that perhaps his One was an elf, and that's why he was so intune with nature. His advisor never had the nerve to mention so terrible a suggestion again after he made him ambassador to said elves. At Durin's age, he found it unlikely he would ever meet his soulmate, and contented himself with these little excursions instead. And then...they appeared.

As Durin and his men scoured across the Azanulbizar for something even remotely interesting, he became aware of a noise in the distance. It wasn't game. It didn't even sound like an animal of any kind. It sounded like...people. With a nod to the guards with him, Durin spurred his ram in the direction of Kheled-zaram where the noise seemed to be originating from. It was as the lake came into view that Durin was brought to a stop unable to comprehend what he was seeing.

Small little curly haired, large-footed people of all shapes and sizes were gathered on the banks of their most sacred pool...preparing a feast. Tents of canvas had been erected making him fear it was an incursion, if it wasn't for the fact that he spied pebbles sprinting on the shoreline and elderly and family groups that made him think they were wanderers rather than warriors. Regardless, they shouldn't be here in this place on dwarven soil.

He rode forward, straightening in his saddle to present himself as regal and intimidating. It worked rather well, as he immediately caught the attention of the strange travelers and whispers passed amongst them as he approached their camp.

"You are trespassing on the lands belonging to the people of Khazad-dum. Present to me your leader before you are removed from this place."

The most unassuming one of them all with golden curls and bright green eyes stepped forward.

"Greetings, Stone Carver! I must say I'm pleasantly surprised to see your people actually do step outside of your caves every now and then. What can the Fallohide Clan do for you?"

Durin's eyebrows pulled together as he processed through the lithe accent only becoming more irritated with every word. Stone Carver? Cave? Who did this little creature think he was?

"As I said before. You are trespassing. Leave now, or we will use force." Durin growled.

The creature's eyes widened in surprise. "Really? We've been living here for almost two weeks now. We had been hoping to make it our permanent home. Are you sure we have to leave? Perhaps we can work it out with your chief."

It dawned on Durin at that point that he had no idea that he was king. Bretik, his loyal captain, seemed especially amused by the situation enough so that Durin had to glare at him to get him to quit laughing under his breath. The other leader merely raised an eyebrow recognizing he was missing something.

"I am Durin, King of the dwarrows of Khazad-dum, the greatest kingdom in Arda."

The creature nodded in understanding. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance. I'm Madoc, Chief of the Fallohide Clan."

"What exactly are you?" Bretik asked, unable to contain himself any longer.

"We're holbyta." Madoc drew himself up proudly. "Hole builders or the Green Folk is how the men refer to us, the same as you are known as Stone Carvers I'm sure."

Durin crossed his arms in agitation at that name once more. "None call us that. We are Mahal's children, dwarrows only."

Madoc blinked as a soft 'oh' escaped him. What an irritating creature! 'Stone Carver'. Even the men referred to them as 'dwarves'. Durin could feel his blood boiling, recognizing the warmth flooding his system as agitation.

"My apologies to you, Master Dwarrows. Please join us." Madoc invited with a warm smile. "We have plenty for everyone, and I believe we can come to a solution that will mutually benefit us both."

His dwarrows were already sliding from their rams eager for some of the delicious smells wafting their direction. Durin held up his hand, and they paused in confusion.

"There is only one solution before you. Leave or we will make you."

Madoc's brows furrowed and his nose twitched at Durin's ruling.

"You would make us pack up and leave a place you didn't know we were occupying with no appeal for the sake of...pride?"

Durin bristled as he glared down at the equally burning holbyta.

"I have said my piece, Hole Builder . Do not let me catch you here again."

It did not endear Thorin to their hired translator, and he spent most of their journey doing his best to ignore the halfling. He thought his company would take cues from him, but Frerin's hatred was a bit harder to overcome. Frerin made it apparent that they weren't to engage with the halfling, weren't to treat him like an actual person. For some reason, it didn't sit right with Thorin, but he didn't do anything to stop it either. He could tell that he disappointed Ori.

His apprentice had a brilliant mind and a large heart. Ori didn't understand why their race continued to punish another for the sake of one being. It was a source of contention between the two as Thorin had the memories of exactly what that one being had cost them. Still, he wasn't too surprised when the company factioned to include the halfling and Ori was one of them. Kili surprised him, but not Ori.

Still the desire to know what was in that journal nagged at Thorin. Sure, he had Durin's memories, but another firsthand account of what Khazad-dum had been like was almost too much to hope for. The historian in him fought hard against the prince, demanding that he engage with the halfling. He didn't have to be nice. It was a business transaction after all. He just needed to know. Every day though, he pushed that voice away. He would not, could not, be the one to interact with the halfling. And then the halfling surprised him by speaking to him first. Well, more accurately, warning him.

Superstitious nonsense, and even if it wasn't he couldn't afford to look weak and bend to the commands of this halfling. Not with everything that was riding on this mission. His one chance to change his fate. No, he disregarded the halfling. Even as those determined, pleading eyes haunted him into the night.

Now, it may be too late to regret it.

Thorin weakly opened his eyes, unable to move his body as it was being draped in white cloth and golden baubles from the demons that stole him and his company. Their cold eyes shined brightly in the dark, and their screeches carried a certain cadence. Almost as if they were singing. They glided effortlessly around him, all except for the one at the end holding a long gleaming blade.

Thorin's eyes drifted close, the energy fading from him fast. Durin, Thorin I, Dain, and now him. He'll just be another voice in the head of the next dwarf.

***

Bilbo stood there in the remnants of their camp, completely alone and indecisive in his next move. Yes, he somehow managed to evade the capture of the wights, but the dwarves certainly didn't. Which meant they were passed out in the downs right now, awaiting a fate worse than death. Could Bilbo leave them to it and continue on his own? A more selfish part of him did think they deserved it. After all, he had tried to warn them. The less selfish part though, reminded him of Bofur and Ori. Of the dwarves that had taken the effort to be kind to him even against their prince's orders. Didn't they deserve saving? And regardless of how Bilbo thought of Thorin, didn't he deserve saving? A hero of his people only acting in the prejudices of his culture? Didn't he wish someone had been there willing to save his mother?

Bilbo sighed. He hated it. He hated everything about it, but he was going to have to face those wights for the dwarves. And maybe, if he thought about it a little more, he went to face them for him too. Payback for a wrong made that he has resented for too long. First things first, he was going to have to figure out how exactly he stopped the barrow-wights from taking him?

His eyes slid down to the flower necklace still laying innocently against his chest. Was this it? Did that nursery rhyme actually hold some merit? He figured it was worth a chance and back tracked to the river's edge to pick some more. He weaved the flowers into the quickest necklaces he's ever made. Once he had fourteen extra, he picked just a few more to stuff in his pockets. Just in case. Then he turned his sights onto the downs.

His knees were shaking and his chest felt tight, but he managed to take a step forward. And then another. And then another until he was standing at the edge of the entrance calling himself the maddest hobbit in history. For a long moment, he stared down into the dark cold hole. Memories came unbidden, and he had to cover his mouth to repress the sob that wanted to break free. It was too much. The dwarves required too much. He tried to warn them. Let that be their legacy. Thoughts of his mother returned, and he screwed his eyes as he remembered. Her dying alone by these cruel monsters. Him arriving too late to save her, and getting away only by the skin of his teeth. He took a deep breath in and reminded himself, this was for her as he entered the darkness.

His ears were twitching to pick up any sort of noise as any glimpse of light was sucked away, leaving him blind in his enemies' den. He placed his hand alongside the cavern wall in order to keep him going straight, but the wall was cold and slick with he knew not what. He shivered, and every nerve in his body was alight with the need to run away as fast as he could. He took his next step only for his foot to come in contact with something soft but cold. Bilbo immediately had to cover his mouth to his scream muffled as he jumped back. He waited for any sign of movement from it. When the tunnel remained just as still as it had been, he prodded the object again, and it released a light moan making Bilbo's heart jumpstart again.

"Bofur?" He whispered as he bent down over the dwarf.

He didn't answer, but a bit more prodding and Bilbo was able to determine the mass was, in fact, Bofur. Grabbing one of his flower necklaces, he draped it over the dwarf's neck. Immediately, Bofur awoke with a start.

"GET AWAY FROM ME YOU DIRTY BAST-!"

Bilbo reached out and covered Bofur's mouth to muffle his protests as he hissed in his ear.

"Bofur, it's me. It's Bilbo."

He could feel the dwarf stop struggling at that point, and slowly he moved his hand away.

"Bilbo! Where in the world are we?! DID YOU SEE THOSE THINGS?!"

Bilbo had to cover his mouth again.

"Do you want to bring them running?"

Bofur was quiet after that.

"I'm sorry." He whispered. "About no one believing you. You were right."

Bilbo shook his head. "Save it for after we get out of this mess alive."

Bofur hummed in agreement as he pulled himself to his feet.

"Now why are the rest of them napping there?"

Bilbo blinked, but it made no difference. He was unable to detect anything more in the darkness. Apparently, Bofur could though.

"The rest? Wait, you can see?!"

"Course I can see!" Bofur snorted. "I'm a dwarf, aren't I? Gotta be able to see in the dark of the mines."

"Well who all can you see?" Bilbo asked, filing that information away for later.

"Well there's Bombur right there. And Bifur. And Dori, Nori, and Ori. That's Oin right over there..."

"Quick!" Bilbo hissed, handing Bofur a handful of flower necklaces. "Put this on them, but keep them quiet."

Bilbo felt Bofur hesitate before he plucked the necklaces out of his hand. Bilbo felt his way over to the nearest dwarf to him, repeating the same process with Bofur. Once they were all awake did they think to question Bilbo.

"What is this and how did you know about it?" Nori asked.

"I didn't. Not really. I just remembered an old rhyme and hoped it would work. Seems to be doing the trick so far."

"What are we going to do when we run across one of those...things again?" Dori asked nervously.

"I'm really hoping we don't." Bilbo shot back.

"WHAT'S EVERYONE WHISPERING ABOUT?" Oin demanded loudly.

Everyone shushed the dwarf which had him complaining once more.

"If these flowers are what is keeping the monsters' spells from affecting us, couldn't we make it into a paste to coat our weapons?" The older dwarf asked as close to a proper volume as they could get.

Bilbo froze. That...wasn't a bad suggestion. Bilbo pulled out his extra flowers, and Oin got to work with his pedestal to grind it up into a paste. They laced the weapons they had with the substance, Nori gifting Bilbo with one of his extra knives in the process. Bilbo hesitated to take it. He's never used anything sharper than a kitchen knife in all his life.

"You're going to need something." Nori insisted.

Deciding he would rather face a wight armed than unarmed, he silently agreed and accepted the knife.

"Okay, let's find the others now." He declared.

They went deeper into the mound, and as they went further, a light began to form. Bilbo shivered, not able to find that to be a good thing. Sconces began to line the walls with an eerie green light that didn't seem to be any natural flame. It played off the shadows and the wetness of the walls, somehow making it look like the walls were bleeding. They all paused at that point, unable to bring themselves to move any further.

Bilbo could very easily say he accomplished his mission. He at least saved half the dwarves from their dark fate. He turned to Bofur who was watching him with no judgment in his gaze. Waiting to see what he would decide. He shivered under the look, taking a couple of shallow breaths before pushing onward.

The tunnel had stopped its downward slope right as they began to hear something. It sounded shrill like a barn owl's cry, but somehow it had a rhythm to it. Like some sort of horrific song. They came to a bend in the tunnel and that's where they found the rest of the company. Everyone worked quickly to get the flower necklaces on them, and Kili actually hugged Bilbo when he was coherent enough. Bilbo froze, looking around the group for help. The rest of them quickly became preoccupied with another problem though.

"Wait a minute, where's Thorin?" Dwalin questioned.

"I think I remember...they took him further in." Frerin admitted. "It was like an...altar."

Bilbo gasped, becoming the subject of thirteen stares. "Thorin is going to become their sacrifice."

Everyone murmured in fear and alarm at Bilbo's declaration, before Balin interrupted, his attention solely on Bilbo.

"What do we do to help him, Master Baggins?"

Bilbo flinched as everyone turned their desperate and pleading gazes onto him. These dwarves who mere hours ago were taunting him for the very evil they were surrounded by now. These dwarves who hated him because of something a hobbit did to them, centuries ago. Now, they were asking him to save the very dwarf who mocked derisively when Bilbo tried to warn them about said danger. They wanted his help. They were willing to follow where he pointed. It was a heady feeling. And one he had to use carefully. Did he attempt to save Thorin even though chances were he was already dead?

"There's going to be one with a long sword. If he gets to Thorin with that, he's gone and there's nothing we can do about it. So we need to distract them. These flowers will lessen the effects of the wights, but it won't stop them completely. Make sure you don't take on a wight on your own. Everyone needs a partner to watch their back. I'll make my way to Thorin to try and free him and get this last flower necklace on him."

Everyone nodded, no one faulting his logic.

"Then I'll be with you." Frerin demanded, causing Bilbo to shrink away.

This was the dwarf who ordered the rest of them to stay away from Bilbo after all. Encouraged their bullying. There was not a single part of him that didn't trust this dwarf not to leave him behind at the earliest convenience.

"That's my brother." Frerin admitted softly, his eyes looking pained. "I won't leave him to this fate."

Bilbo nodded slowly. He supposed that made sense. He was just going to have to deal with it then, because for some reason, Bilbo couldn't bring himself to hand over the flowers. He had to be the one to put them on Thorin. His hand tightened around the pommel of his borrowed knife.

"Alright then. Let's do this." He declared.

The dwarves formed a ring around Bilbo and Frerin as they navigated through the last of the tunnel. They emerged into a large circular antechamber filled with regular torchlight bouncing off the stone walls. Bilbo heard the sound of inhuman screeching and assumed they had been found. The company split up after that, each pair engaging with another wight. It was complete and total chaos, and for a moment, Bilbo was paralyzed on the spot.

"Come on!" Frerin urged, pulling Bilbo forward.

In the center of the room was a stone altar, and laying on top of it was Thorin. Although Bilbo could barely tell it was him under the shrouds of sheer white material clinging to him like spiderwebs. Frerin suddenly shouted, and Bilbo turned his gaze from Thorin to see one of the wights approaching the table, his blade down and ready to thrust straight through their dwarven sacrifice. Bilbo didn't even think about it, he grabbed the knife Nori had lent him by the hilt, reared back and threw it straight at the wight.

The pained wail was enough to make them all stop and cover their ears as it felt like it was lashing out against their very souls. Thorin's face scrounged up at the noise, but otherwise he remained motionless.

"Get to Thorin. I'll try to buy you some time." Frerin yelled, when they could move again, as he placed himself between the altar and the wight.

Bilbo raced over to Thorin's side, ripping the material away, only to find him covered from head to toe in gold. Gold earrings, gold necklaces, gold bands around his wrists and ankles, a golden belt, and golden chains to cover any other spare part of him. It was jarring to him for some reason, but he didn't have time to think too hard on it as he pulled the flower necklace out and draped it over Thorin's head.

The dwarf took a deep breath like he had been underwater all this time and his eyes slowly opened, resting on Bilbo in confusion.

"Thorin, we've got to go. Can you get up?" He asked.

"Amrâlimê? Kulhuizr astû? (My love? What are you asking?)" He mumbled.

Bilbo didn't understand a word of that and was about to turn to Frerin for help when he felt something ice cold grab him by his hand and pinned him to the wall. Bilbo released a long, agonized scream as a burning sensation burst forth from his soulmark, trapping him in two extremes of hot and cold. He withered and shook against the hold, but the pain was nothing compared to the slithering voice snaking across his conscious.

You? The servant of my master? You dare to challenge me.

Tears were streaming down his face as the urge to fight was sucked straight out of him. The pain and the sensations remained. It was as if anything good in the world was sucked away, and this was Bilbo's existence now. He deserved the misery. Resistance was futile. He tried to shake his head, knowing that couldn't be his real thoughts. The wight used its other hand to grab Bilbo by the jaw, and Bilbo was helpless to do anything other than whimper as the pain surged straight through his face now.

They will abandon you just as they did before. It would almost be more merciful to die at my hand now.

Was that right? Did the dwarves abandon him? Should he be surprised if they did? He was nothing more than this shell anyway. Perhaps he should take off his flowers and surrender to the wight's will. Why fight when it only earned him such pain? Suddenly, the wight screamed out, and Bilbo crumpled from its grip. He sucked in air like he hadn't been able to breathe in ages, and looked up just in time to see Thorin pull his sword back out of the wight's body.

Those hardened eyes turned down to look at him, and Bilbo was bound by what he saw. Thorin did that intentionally for him. Thorin saved him.

"Let's go!" He ordered.

Thorin yanked on Bilbo's hand to get him up, but Bilbo was spent. He couldn't do much more than lift his head at the moment. Thorin grunted as he called Dori over. The dwarf made quick work of picking Bilbo up and tossing him over his shoulder as they were suddenly running. He stared down at the ground with long blinks, watching as the light changed back to green before disappearing completely. He could hear the wights still wailing, but even that was getting further and further away with every step.

At last, Bilbo lifted his head just enough to see they had left the downs behind completely. The early morning light, just enough to maintain their escape as the wights stopped just at the edge of their blackened tunnel. Bilbo could feel the pale eyes of the central one boring into him.

The servant of my master. That's what that wight had called him. What did that possibly mean? And why did it come with a sinking feeling in Bilbo's gut. Bilbo held eye contact with it until it finally slunk back in its tunnel. He released a shaky sigh, grateful for the reprieve from darkness, even as questions without answers swirled in his head.

They kept running for a few minutes more, almost back to the original campsite when they finally collapsed. Bilbo was placed on his own two feet as he slid to the ground, panting despite having not run like the others. Thorin was in a battle of his own, ripping the gold from his person and tossing it to the ground as quickly as he could. Brothers leaned against each other, taking comfort where they could, and Bilbo did a quick headcount satisfied in the fact that he did it. He was able to rescue everyone.

"Thorin?" Frerin mumbled, placing a hand on Thorin's back.

The dwarf shuddered, but did not rebuke the contact. Bilbo had no idea what was going through his head. He didn't know anyone who had ever survived when they were chosen to be a victim of the wights, and there was a bitter part of Bilbo that wondered why a dwarf had been so chosen for the honor. However, it was a thought that was gone almost as soon as it had come. Thorin had not been spared by some great entity. He had been saved because Bilbo had chosen to save him.

It seemed to be a thought that most of them had come to as Bilbo was suddenly subjected to several looks of awe and confusion. Yet, no one dared to speak. It was unnerving and on the tip of Bilbo's tongue to make a joke just to lighten the mood when Thorin finally spoke.

"Halfling." He growled, his voice thick and gravelly.

Bilbo took a deep breath through his nose and straightened his shoulders back ready for whatever insults the dwarf was prepared to hurl his way. Thorin found his way to his feet with Frerin and Dwalin's help. Bilbo noticed that despite him ripping all the gold off him that he could, he had left the flower necklace on. Bilbo didn't know what to make of that, but his breath caught at the absolutely gutted look he was subjected to by those deep blue eyes.

"I'm sorry."

Bilbo nearly jumped; he was so taken aback by those words.

"You tried to warn us. You tried to warn me. And like a fool I turned you away, and I did it for a shameful reason. Because of what you are. Because one of your forefathers made the greatest betrayal to mine. Perhaps it's time to finally put such hurts behind us."

Murmurs broke out amongst the dwarves. Bilbo's head was on a swivel as he tried to gauge their reactions. Most were either surprised or in Bofur and Ori's case, glad. There were still a few that regarded him with harsh glares, and Frerin topped that list as his lips pressed together in a thin line.

"Stand witness to this day." Thorin ordered, finally able to draw himself to true height. "Bilbo Baggins rushed to our aid, with no reason to do so, and saved us all. At the very least, he is a fully-fledged member of this company and will be treated with respect. Should his heart prove true and honor strong, once we have the Arkenstone, I will declare him Khuzdbâha before all of Erebor."

Frerin immediately pulled Thorin back as the both of them plus Dwalin and Balin fell into a hushed but intense conversation. Bofur slung an arm around his neck as he, Ori, Bifur, and Kili, all congratulated him.

"That word Thorin called me. What does it mean?" He asked, still utterly bewildered by the events that occurred.

"He called you 'dwarf-friend'!" Ori answered excitedly. "Master Baggins, this is a historical day indeed! To think you'll be the first hobbit welcomed by dwarves in centuries!"

Bilbo let the dwarves celebrate around him as he fell into a contemplative state. Being declared a member of the company seemed redundant, but at least he wouldn't have to deal with any more antics. As for the rest...what if Bilbo didn't want to be a dwarf friend? Bilbo watched the four across from him continue to argue over Thorin's declaration, and he found he wished he could be a part of it just to give that dwarf a piece of his mind! How dare he! He thinks he can be absolutely horrid to him the day before and suddenly one act makes it all better?!

"I'm going to go get the ponies." He mumbled, shaking his head.

He could feel their stares on him as the clearing fell into a sort of awkward silence. Bilbo clenched his fists at his side as he couldn't help but notice no one came after him. It was still him versus them, no matter what pretty words they tried to use. 'Friend' was still a long way off for the company of Thorin Oakenshield. But at least now that officially included Bilbo.