"That [i]armed host[/i] will attack this mountain if we don't come to terms!", the bowman countered for his side of the arguement, a little baffled towards the dwarf king's refusal. "What of your conscience? Does it not tell you that our cause is just?", Bard asked him, reminding him that he could use good judgement to see the consequences of taking this path. "My people offered you [i]help[/i], and in return, you brought them ruin and death!", that is where he became a little angry, getting louder with emotion in his voice. Particularly because he could have lost his own children in the firestorm. "A bargain was struck. You gave us your word, Thorin; does that mean nothing?"

Fili's heart raced and tightened during this back-and-forth exchange. He took a glance to the side at his little brother, and he could see vulnerability in both his posture and troubled expressions. The blonde figured that he was thinking about Saeril, and what their uncle's tyranny would potentially bring. By his refusals and declinations, he wasn't going to show mercy. If they ever crossed him, it would most definitely bring something darker. Saeril came to his own thoughts, but they had to stick to their secret a little longer.

Bard was angry now -- no, frustrated, at Thorin's refusal to consciously think about what his actions had caused: the potential for war. He couldn't argue any further with him now; he just declared to continue taking the warpath. The bowman grunted before turning his horse around, and heading back to the desolated sanctuary of Dale. The ElvenKing did say they will attack at dawn before he left, so he may have been right to come in the first place. There was no turning back from a fight that has already been started...

Fili turned his glance to look down at the ground, once he heard Bilbo ask about Kili's thankfully-fading bruise. He wouldn't want to lie either, but he never felt so conflicted with his little brother being the reason not to trust Thorin. Kili did tell him that Saeril wouldn't be pleased if she found out, and that is where he was troubled the most. Thorin has declared war; whether they like it or not, they were vulnerable, and at his corrupted mercy.

Nearby, behind the company, the she-elf was listening, as she leaned against one of the stone structures. By what she just heard, Thorin was getting worse, both mentally and spiritually. She would like to talk some sense into the king, but that would put her godsons at risk, while in this condition. Silently, she made her way down the halls, unaware that Kili might have seen her; getting her mental state ready for what was to come.