Hey guys! Here's chapter four for yah! So I thought I'd have a chapter where you see how the Ereborians are doing! How do you all feel about Dori? I hope you like him because it's more from his perspective with a little Frodo! Lemme know how I did with them!

Rated-T

Warnings

Abuse/torture

Some OOC-ness maybe

I might not get all of their talking entirely accurate so please bear with me

Things you need to know

Lydia speaking in Khuzdul

Disclaimer-I don't own the Hobbit or How To Train Your Dragon.

Here We Stand United

Chapter 4

Dori sighed worriedly as more yelling reached his ears. Dwalin, Balin, Thorin, and Bilba were still arguing about what to do. Dwalin was convinced they should hold a funeral, having given up all hope that the Princess was still alive, while Bilba raged at him for daring to suggest such a thing. Thorin was probably developing a headache with his wife's screeching, which would surely make him irritable, and Balin was once again being the voice of reason, saying they should carefully comb their way through all the towns on the surrounding islands, saying Lydia was intelligent enough to wait for them somewhere where she could easily be found.

Another roar rang through the ship, the word Khuzdul in origin, and all fell blessedly silent. Apparently, Thorin had had more than enough of the bickering and decided to put a quick end to it.

Dori gave a wry, humorless chuckle as he headed above deck to check on Ori, an irrational fear overrunning his mind for his little brother's safety. He found his little brother dressed in his cloak, standing on deck and studying a nearby island, one that was all bleak, unforgiving rock with no signs of life, which was why Thorin thought it was safe to dock off shore, where no one would bother them while they debated their next move. Ori was fascinated by it for some reason, drawing pictures of it and even having nightmares.

"Ori, whatever is the matter?" Dori asked softly, placing a hand on his youngest brother's shoulder. Ori jumped, having been so lost in thought he didn't even notice Dori's presence.

"Dori...I...nothing is wrong, per se. I'm worried about Lydia, but at the same time I feel I should be more concerned for our lives rather than hers...there's something very wrong with that island, Dori," Ori said, still not looking at his brother, and therefore did not see the look on his face. Dori opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off as Ori suddenly turned around and said insistently, "I want to go investigate, Dori!"

"Absolutely not!" Dori replied immediately, and Ori's face fell, before a determined look crossed his countenance, and Dori knew he would argue, if not for another voice cutting smoothly into their conversation.

"Dor's right, Ori. It's too dangerous for you to head on out there. I'll check it out, and I'm sure Mother Hen over there will be coming along as well." Dori and Ori turned as their thief of a brother stepped out of the shadows. Most people would be surprised at how one moment there seemed to be no one there, and the next there was a man with an elaborate, hard-to-forget hairstyle walking towards them and intruding on what might have been a private conversation. However, growing up with Nori, one came to expect him to be just around any corner, lurking there and spying on anyone he thought was worth his time at the moment. Even the other Ereborians, after seven years at sea with him, were no longer surprised by him, which irked Nori to no end.

Dori's mouth opened and closed in shock at his brother's suggestion, while Ori looked like a kicked puppy. "Dori...you'll go with Nori, right? I'd feel a lot better if you both went together..." Dori glanced at both of his brothers, and knew it was impossible to say "no." So, with a deep long-suffering sigh, Dori nodded in agreement, the three brothers entirely unaware of the curly-haired prince watching from a dark corner.

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Nori sighed for what felt like the hundredth time, and Dori was about ready to box his little brother's ears for it. Honestly, if he was such a hindrance, why in Mahal's name had he volunteered Dori for this? Finally, finally, the thief spoke up. "Dori..." Dori looked expectantly at his younger brother, even as he kept rowing the boat. Nori met his pale gaze, but then looked away, much to Dori's annoyance. "Never mind."

Damn it!

"Nori, for Mahal's sake, just spit it out!" Dori snapped, his patience finally snapped. He was very patient with Ori, still seeing him as the small child he had raised, but Nori was another story. The thief got under his skin at the best of times and right now he was in a terrible mood. It had started to drizzle, and a fog had fallen over the water. While this hid their small boat, it made it harder for them to see. Now that he thought about it, Ori was right. There was something terribly wrong with this place. The land was too bleak, too quiet, the water too still, as though the island was trying too hard to look uninhabited, and he wanted nothing more than for Nori to realize this as well so they could turn back, maybe convince Thorin it was in their best interest to move along...

"Dori, do you hate me?" Nori suddenly blurted, jolting Dori rather violently from his brooding thoughts as he stared in shock at his equally shocked younger brother. Nori looked as though he had not meant to say that and that he wanted to yank the words right back as soon as he said them.

"No...what brought along such a ridiculous notion?"

Nori hesitated, and then he glanced away and it was clear he had no intention of saying anything on the subject. Dori glared darkly at his brother, as though the force of his gaze alone could either bore a hole in his head or make his stubborn brother speak his mind for once.

It was another few minutes before their little boat touched the shore of the rocky, unforgiving land, and the two elder Ri brothers splashed ashore. "Stick close to me and stay quiet." Nori seemed to transform. Gone was the caring brother who doted on Ori and stole tea and other nice things for Dori, in his place was the King of Thieves, Lord of the Underworld. Dori didn't like it, but it did come in handy.

Which was why he didn't protest when Nori led the way over the barren landscape. The mists swirled around them and Dori found it difficult to navigate, so he stuck to Nori like glue. He had no intention of getting lost any time soon. Nori seemed to know exactly where he was going despite the limited visibility, so when he stopped, Dori stopped as well, hovering right over his brother, frowning deeply.

"What is it?"

"Dori, shut up and head back to the boat! I'll meet you there. This island is definitely inhabited," Nori hissed. Without waiting for his older brother to reply, he disappeared into the mist, leaving Dori standing there fuming and having to navigate back to the boat himself.

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He watched quietly as Ori watched the horizon, tense and silent. The young scribe was obviously worried about his brothers. Frodo knew that feeling of worry. For a week and a half, he'd been worrying in the very same way, about his little sister. He knew she could take care of herself and was an excellent warrior, but older siblings had rights to worry. It came with the territory. So, understanding his friend's pain a little, he walked over to stand beside him. Ori didn't even notice, so Frodo cleared his throat to gain the younger's attention.

Ori jumped, but relaxed when he saw it was only Frodo. "Yes, Frodo?" Ori asked hesitantly. He was unsure if the Prince knew where his brothers had gone or if he would be upset with him letting them go.

"There's no need to worry about Dori and Nori. Dori's the strongest among us and there's not a cell in the world that could hold Nori. Besides, the island is likely uninhabited. I doubt even small animals could live there," Frodo said gently. Ori risked a glance at his friend, and was relieved to see the look of understanding and kindness in his ice-like eyes. Frodo was nothing like Thorin. He smiled a lot and he was always relatively happy, if not a little shy and brooding, but he had a good heart and Bilba's gentle nature.

Ori smiled hesitantly and nodded, hoping Frodo bought it, but he knew there was no such luck when Frodo frowned at him, but he left it alone, walking off to help when his cousins raced past, trying (and failing) to reign Gimli in, who was running around with Kili's bow and screaming about something. Even though he was nearly of age, he still acted like a little kid, especially when his maniac "babysitters" gave him sweets. That was what it looked like Kili and Fili had done, the fools. Ori laughed quietly despite himself, but turned back around when he heard the sound of one of the lifeboats being cranked back up. Nori hopped on deck, shrouded in darkness.

"Nori, what's out there? Where's Dori?" Ori asked worriedly, studying his brother. Nori's face was haggard, his expression defeated and the confidence gone from his eyes.

"Bad news little brother. That island is definitely not safe. Now, I need to talk to Thorin about a rescue mission."

Voila! Chapter 4! I have big, big plans for this story. Let me know what you thought!

Oh, and the Ereborian's ages right now in the story are:

Thorin: 38

Bilba: 36

Balin: 40

Dwalin: 34

Bifur: 35

Bofur: 33

Bombur: 30

Oin: 43

Gloin: 34

Dori: 36

Nori: 29

Ori: 19

Fili: 23

Kili: 20

Frodo: 18

Lydia: 16

Gimli: 11

If you're wondering how old everyone was when Erebor fell, just subtract eleven from all their ages. Thanks for reading!

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