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"We have come a long way, bleeding, for this gold and you will not get a single-"
"What?" Bilbo’s voice broke through Thorin’s reply and the company turned as he approached the barricade; an achingly precious glow held cradled in his hands.
"You found it." Thorin’s eyes were drawn immediately to the Arkenstone, forgetting about the armies at his gates, and he took a step forward.
Bilbo took an equal step back, holding the Arkenstone behind him as if to keep it out of reach. “Hold on a moment, what did you say?”
Something in Bilbo’s tone gave Thorin pause enough to ignore the voice in his thoughts suggesting that the burgler wanted to keep the Arkenstone for himself.
"I said-"
"We came all this way for what, now?"
Thorin caught on to the frayed threads of conversation and focused on Bilbo. “You know what we came here for, burgler, what we hired you for. That they think they have any claim to what is ours-”
"Are you suggesting that this entire journey was for something so…so stupid as money?”
The dwarves bristled and Thorin took another step forward. “How dare-“
"YES, I dare!" Bilbo’s voice was sharp on the morning air; carrying on despite Thorin’s growl at being interrupted once more. "You seduced me, Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror. You seduced me with tales of your people, and a home that you longed for more than anything else in the world and all this time we were fighting for gold!” He was livid; fists clenching tight around the stone.
"I fought for you," he stepped closer, crowding into Thorin’s space. His voice fell to a dangerous low and anger and betrayal flashed in his eyes. "I bled for you. I left my home and put myself into unimaginable dangers for this quest and you’re telling me it was all a lie?! I would have died for you!" His voice rose in a shout on the last sentence, echoing clear down the mountain.
Bilbo stepped away again, tears gathering in his eyes as his shook his head. “I gave everything I had for you and I was fighting for nothing more than….mathoms.” He lifted up his arm and let his fingers uncurl from the Arkenstone; the gem clattering to the stone at Thorin’s feet. “Enjoy it, King Under the Mountain. May you rot with it.”
He turned to walk away. Thorin could only stare after him.
Bofur tried to reach for him before he could go. “Bilbo…”
"Don’t," Bilbo hissed, and Bofur recoiled as if stung. He looked to each dwarf in turn. "You are all the same. Consumed by your thrice damned lust. I wash my hands of this quest. For the first time in far too long I’d thought I found a family. I couldn’t have been more wrong.”
The company watched helplessly as Bilbo vanished into the gate, and by the time Fili had rushed into the entrance hall the Hobbit had disappeared completely.