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"That's about as bad as news can get," Thorin said grimly. "The Elves outside can't be trusted. Humans are even worse."
He clenched his jaw.
"When survival is on the line, I doubt the Elves will care about a few white-gem ornaments. As for the people of Lake-town… if Orcs appear at the gates, they may be the first to flee."
He exhaled slowly.
"Running would be the best outcome. What worries me is betrayal. Turning their blades on us, grabbing what they can, and vanishing."
Thorin's gaze hardened.
"We urgently need dwarves. Real dwarves. A force that stabilizes morale."
He looked toward Jimmy.
"When will the Iron Hills and the Grey Mountains arrive?"
Jimmy had saved them once already.
Thirteen dwarves intact, no casualties.
He had no intention of letting that effort go to waste.
More than that… Jimmy had a feeling.
If he saw this through, something unexpected would come of it.
Thorin calculated quietly.
"If they ride," he said at last, "they'll arrive by tomorrow morning."
A rare smile crossed his face.
"Dain Ironfoot is my cousin. When he receives my call, he marches day and night."
He laughed once.
"All we need to prepare is good food and strong ale."
"That's excellent news," Jimmy said. "Tomorrow, Fili and Kili will come with me to greet your brother."
"Take the Arkenstone with you," Thorin added without hesitation. "If Dain wants it, give it to him."
Thorin knew Dain well.
Compared to Dain's temper, his own seemed gentle.
Gandalf's eyes brightened.
Thorin truly wasn't under the Arkenstone's influence.
…
Early the next morning, Jimmy was already waiting outside.
Kili had slipped off again… meeting Tauriel. Fili stood beside Jimmy, arms crossed.
Jimmy casually tossed the Arkenstone up and down in his hand.
Fili's eye twitched.
This gem was cursed with terrible luck.
Those who wanted it couldn't obtain it. Those who had it… didn't care.
"Jimmy," Fili muttered, "you might want to stop doing that."
He nodded toward the distance.
"Hm?" Jimmy looked up.
People were slowing their work, Even the Elves' posture had shifted.
"Oh! Right."
Jimmy slid the Arkenstone back into his armor and focused forward.
The Elves formed ranks.
Legolas suggested a formal handover ceremony.
The white gem ornaments were still with Jimmy. Once the Iron Hills dwarves arrived and took position, the gems would be returned to the Elves.
For this exchange, the Elves had dispatched another fifteen hundred warriors.
Thranduil trusted no dwarf… not truly.
"Coming," Jimmy said.
He stood.
A low rumble rolled across the land.
"Thrum! Thrum! Thrum…"
Over a distant ridge, figures emerged.
Dwarves.
At their head rode a stocky figure in full plate, gripping a massive war-hammer, seated atop a massive boar.
Behind him thundered goat-mounted cavalry. Shield-bearing infantry followed, wielding long dwarf pikes.
Interspersed among them were Iron Hills specialists… wind-crank axe launchers designed to shred Elven arrow volleys.
Jimmy stepped forward.
The Elves aligned their formation.
Jimmy took a position at the front. Gandalf stood beside him. Fili half a step back.
Kili came running late, breathless, offering an apologetic grin.
Jimmy shook his head.
Hopeless.
…
"Heh. Morning," the boar-mounted dwarf called out. "All of you."
His gaze swept the field.
"And you," he sneered, pointing his hammer, "knife-eared tree lovers."
"Treacherous Woodland Elves. I thought you'd hide in your forests forever."
He spat.
"Now kindly remove your filthy boots from dwarven land."
He raised his hammer slightly.
"If you don't… I'll pound you flat and spread you across the ground you're standing on."
"King Dain," Jimmy said calmly, raising a hand, "you need to cool your temper."
"There are no enemies here."
"Gandalf the Grey," Dain snorted, "you're telling me to stay calm. In front of Woodland Elves."
"Uncle, it's me. Kíli."
"Uncle, I'm Fíli."
Dain's eyes narrowed.
"And you're saying Gandalf is right. The Elves aren't enemies, Humans aren't enemies either."
He stared at them as if they'd lost their minds.
"What?! Did Smaug roast your brain?."
Jimmy stepped forward.
Instead of arguing, he pulled the Arkenstone from his pocket and tossed it casually.
"Enough talking," Jimmy said. "Hey, Dain, right. You recognize this."
The Arkenstone spun through the air.
Dain fumbled and caught it instinctively, eyes wide.
"This human," Dain growled, "what is the meaning of this?"
"It's simple," Jimmy replied. "Good faith."
"Get your people into the inner city and take control."
"Thorin has thirteen dwarves. Thirteen."
"You're standing here threatening temporary allies while the mountain itself is barely held."
His voice hardened.
"If you really care about Thorin, stop posturing."
Dain looked at the gem. Then back at Jimmy.
"And who are you supposed to be?"
"Jimmy, Jimmy Halstead."
He shrugged.
"Smaug, I killed him."
Dain blinked.
"You."
"What, don't believe me?" Jimmy said calmly. "Then let's test something else."
He nodded at Dain's hammer and mount.
"You look strong, Your boar looks strong."
"Let's compare."
Jimmy rolled his shoulders.
"Charge me, I'll stop you."
Silence.
"You're joking."
"I never joke."
Dain tossed the Arkenstone back to Kíli.
"Hold that."
Then he leaned forward in the saddle.
"Fine, I'll humor you."
"If you want to measure strength… let's do it."
"Charge!"
Dain kicked his mount.
The boar thundered forward.
"Human," Dain roared, "here I come."
Boom!
Jimmy planted one hand on the boar's snout.
The other caught Dain's war-hammer mid-swing.
Metal screamed.
Jimmy skidded backward three, four steps, boots carving trenches into stone.
He exhaled sharply.
Then he dug in.
One step, two. Three.
With a roar, Jimmy pushed.
Boar and rider were driven back fifteen full steps.
The boar squealed, legs shaking, and finally forced into a reluctant retreat.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
…
Half an hour later, Dain, Thorin, and Jimmy sat together in the outer city, eating meat and drinking broth.
Dain laughed loudly.
"Good timing, truly. If you hadn't arrived when you did, we'd still be watching every shadow."
Now the inner city gates were open.
Dwarven warriors poured out, retrieving weapons from the armories and distributing them to the people of Lake-town under supervision.
As for the families at the ruins of Dale Bard hesitated.
Looking at the mountain of gold guarded by only a handful of dwarves, he chose not to move them here.
For a fleeting moment, greed tugged at him.
He mastered it.
Bard glanced at Jimmy.
His gaze was complicated.
He knew that among all this treasure, one-fourteenth belonged to Jimmy by right.
Yet Jimmy hadn't taken a single coin.
Not one.
He wandered the mountain freely, laughing, exploring, treating the hoard as if it were meaningless.
Only someone like that…
Only someone who didn't desire gold at all…
Could be trusted with the Arkenstone.
Or with the white gems the Elves treasured as sacred.
Bard finally understood.
Some people weren't immune to temptation because they were holy.
They were immune because they already stood above it.
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