A/N: I would like to say thanks again for all the amazing reviews. Readers enjoying this story make me happy. I am also pleased to say my research paper in school is done and out of my hands. Now, I just have to worry about finals.

This chapter covers some inner-conflict within the Company before we get to the outer-conflict of the final part of the first film in the next couple chapters. The only thing I can say it is a little all over the place. I kind of hinted there would be some inner-tensions in the summary, so here you go.

Chapter Seven

or "Of Tension and Snowballs"

Bilbo thought something was very, very wrong here. He had no other word to describe what was going on. No, he, at least, had no clue for it. The fact he did know was that it made him fill with unease.

The fact was that everybody seemed to be arguing. The hobbit failed to tell exactly what caused it. There were only a few sources that he could think of. The first, after the relative peace and stableness of Rivendell, the dwarves had become more easily antsy and uptight after being thrust on the road again. Most of the Company would dispute this point. Simply because few of their group would admit the elf haven was a comfortable rest. Furthermore, admitting they were thrown off kilter of the absence of restful comfort would reason further dispute.

The second guess Bilbo had was that it could be because Gandalf was absent. The wizard always offered a calm atmosphere, one edged with wisdom. He was social, though not as part of the group of dwarves as they were with each other. With this thought, Bilbo could not guess how Gandalf's simple absence would cause such antagonism bubbling over the camp. Maybe the wizard had put a calming spell over everybody constantly? No, that was crazy! The hobbit sighed, and hunched his shoulders as he walked on.

The final estimate Bilbo came up with did not make him happy, but it did make the most sense. Just possibly, he had simply not noticed the constant arguments that arose within the group, and that they always were going on. He had quite enjoyed the rest in Rivendell. Now that he was thrown back out onto a constant trek he was more weary and irritable- more keen to notice the pessimistic going-ons in camp. If Bilbo did not feel like dealing with stubborn dwarves, he had often talked to Gandalf to distract him. Currently, there was no one. He was stuck in his weary mood around an agitated company of dwarves- and he picked up on it.

A little more of a week had passed since they set out from Rivendell. At first, everything seemed fine. There was a renowned energy since after the brief rest, and everybody, minus Bilbo, were eager to continue the quest. Then he had heard and picked up little snippy comments here and there. He was good at blocking those out. Further along, he had heard constant mutterings and words that led to quarrel. Finally, at least once a night, starting on the third day post-Rivendell, there would be a heated fight in raised tones. Bilbo was quite honestly surprised that no one had gotten physical yet. This was a company of dwarves, after all.

Then again, he could only be overacting. Bilbo was a passive hobbit, and a rambunctious group of dwarves could easily set him off balance. The Company seemed good at doing that if nothing else.

A half dozen paces away, Fili and Kili passed by him. The two brothers had lowered their voices, yet both seemed agitated at the other. Bilbo groaned. If even those two were at odds with each other, who had proven to be extremely close, he was not overacting.

There was something seriously wrong here.


Nori knew he should keep himself quiet. That was what he did. The tri-lobbed dwarf would not call himself a sneak, as that was a little harsh of a word, but it was close enough. So, the art of silence was absolutely necessary.

Why, then, had he made such a racket on such a small problem? Nori did not think of what he did as a problem, and really it wasn't. The problem again though was he had not kept quiet.

That was when Dwalin had come up, thinking he had done something wrong, when he had not. Nori was just sorting through the supplies, not taking anything. He tried to explain this to the impossible-mannered tattooed dwarf, and he would not do anything. Nori was not a novice like that to make noise. If he did do anything he would be quiet about it. And what use would it be to steal from other members of the company? He only did it while it was practical. Nope, sense did not register for the other dwarf.

The fact they had a history of these kinds of arguments before the quest did not help the matter.

"The best thing you could do is admit to the deeds." The tall dwarf had his arms crossed and looked the full bit of intimidating. If the one on the receiving end was not used to it. Usually, it worked on Nori, but, right now, he was too annoyed to be anything else.

"I did not do anything! Name one time, no ten, when I did not come clean once I was caught."

"I could name a hundred." Dwalin stalked off a second later. The thief thought this was a good thing, yet the other dwarf left in a mood like he had won.

"Fine- come up with that much." Nori knew the honor by the words spoken would mean Dwalin would have to come up with the number he stated. No matter what mood the words were spoken in. And, he wouldn't be able to do it. Nori had not even been caught a hundred times. He had the number at seventy-eight, yes, he counted.

That way, he was confident with the conflict right now. He would hold on to that as long as possible. A quick glance behind, the problem was trying to keep a good front to his little brother. Ori was not blind, he knew, but if Dori could get away with his mother hen antics then Nori could hope.


Bombur was generally a quiet and mellow dwarf. He did not get in others business if he could help it. Bofur was always open with words for the both of them, not that the ginger haired dwarf was closed off in any fashion. Bombur knew how to use limited words to get the same point across. They balanced each other.

With that point in mind, the round ginger-haired dwarf did not argue, or like to argue. The best argument was a food fight and then that was wasting food.

The one thing even the mellowest of people had conflict over were deals concerning family. That was how it started with Gloin, and really, Bombur did not notice how antsy he got over it.

"Why, I don't think that is the right with being that young. The mines are OK, but combat should wait a few extra years."

"That works if they are lucky. But you know how young male dwarflings are; they would find a way to get in a fight anyway. I'm not saying that's a good thing. It has to be handled so everyone knows how to defend themselves. The sooner the better."

"Gimli is your only child so of' course you have to make sure he can hold his own. But with the amount of kids I have you have it is a different story."

The two had been going on and off on child raising techniques and mannerisms for the whole day. The argument did not become overly heated, yet it was consistent and worn the atmosphere down. Family was a passionate subject with usual passive Bombur and Gloin just as much as an already passionate dwarf. No one did bother to stop them, however. Both Bofur and Oin knew when the point was passed for their brothers to stop being reasonable. Thus, neither really tried.

The other main reason was most dwarves were not experienced with raising a family- so they would be shot down in any attempts. Only a few in the company had much experience in that field that decidedly chose not to put any input. Whether Thorin did not was due to the fact the two dwarves he helped raise were practically ten paces behind him and would beg to differ if Thorin did say anything, or he simply did not want to bother. Dori also kept quiet.

So, the argument between the two gingers went pretty much interrupted to supper that night. This would be fine if Bombur had remembered to make dinner. Bilbo had tried to access the dwarf's supplies so he could try something himself, not bother his friend, but the hobbit was shooed angrily away.

"Now, what we have here is that you do not understand. The best thing is to take care of the basic skill sets first. Something like cooking," Bombur stated with an irritated voice.

"No doubt but specialized skills need to start as early as possible if anyone will get ahead."

"Multi-tasking in learning will be too much. Focus on one thing will guarantee smoother acquiring of knowledge."

"Then why do you have so many kids?"

"What?" Gloin was not intimidated by the glare and continued.

"Because you have to put a certain amount of attention to each one. Is that too hard?"

"Oi, Bombur, we're hungry!" Bofur came over to his brother and patted him hard on the back. The goal was to try to distract him before this got ugly. The other reason was that they were, in fact, all hungry.

Bilbo shifted uneasily by the fire. He did not have the will to try and make something on his own, and he was highly uncomfortable.

"That is not hard for a real dwarf to handle."

"Hey, why not when we are all done on this quest we can sort this all out. Each would babysit the others dwarflings for a day, whatever day the other is most busy. Simple!" Bofur attempted to interfere once more. His hope was they would both forget several months down the road, but it was not a bad alternative. The now was what was important and finish setting up camp and eating some food.

Oin said something to Gloin and after the brothers' words sank in the two dwarves started to deflate. The half of the camp that watched everything unfold let out a breath.

Less than five minutes later, the camp was back to normal and the Company settled for the night.


Bofur walked in the middle of the group, one of his most common spots. The dwarf gave a brief glance to his brother, who looked amiable and happy enough. He had not seen Bombur that agitated, as he was last night, for a long while. Then his eyes travelled to Gloin, and the other ginger haired dwarf seemed just as unruffled. He did not blame the dwarf at all. Ones got sensitive when it concerned family. That was why he should have probably interfered earlier, as he knew how rattled Bombur could get after a hefty argument.

There will probably be a mini-feast tonight if he knew the other dwarf. The cook always overcompensated anytime he felt on the wrong side. If only there was enough food to cook.

Bofur let his mind wander away from the topic of old arguments and food. He was not a stark pacifist, he was still a dwarf, but he did rather hope conflicts would settle as soon as possible. There was no point to think long over things once they resolved. That merely caused bitterness.

He slowed his pace until he was next to Bilbo, near the back of the mish-mashed line. The hobbit looked dejected, and Bofur offered an assuring slap on the back. His smaller friend jumped in the air in shock, but once he noticed what was going on Bilbo smiled.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," the hobbit replied. A few moments passed before he elaborated. "I think… I am finally figuring out what I am getting into on this journey after leaving Rivendell."

The dwarf gave a hearty laugh and gave a gentler pat. "I don't think we're half way through yet!" The old 'optimistic and too blunt' voice came back out, as Bilbo saw it. The hobbit groaned.

"Please, don't say that." He buried his face into his hands.


Dwalin had worked the last three days on his list. Once he was sure he had it, he confidently strolled up to Nori and thrust it to the dwarf's chest. The thief just raised his eyebrows in surprise before he looked it over.

He did not know how he could use that specific list against Nori for the current time. What Dwalin did know was it would prove as helpful in the management of the sneaky dwarf. Some hard evidence always helped.

No specific reason caused this antagonism between the two dwarves. It was several specific explanations and circumstances. Dwalin had dealt with several criminals before, and they were all annoying. His first time with dealing with Nori was twenty years ago. Since then, he was the one who dealt with the dwarf at least sixty percent of the time. The majority on the list was from his experience.

The one thing why Dwalin had not pummeled the other dwarf yet was because he knew it started, at least, with taking care of his family. The taller dwarf looked over to Ori as the young dwarf talked to Kili. Actually, Kili was doing the majority of the talking, yet both dwarves seemed content enough.

Yes, he understood loyalty to others. Dwalin just did not understand why they had to break the law to do it. Nori seemed honest enough when he joined the quest, and maybe after this was done the dwarf would see enough in honest work. That way he did not have to worry about him getting in trouble anymore.

The dwarf in question finally looked up from the list, unimpressed. "Several of these are repeated when they're really the same offense. Number twenty-three and forty-one is an example. Two different items but it was the same time, same load, and I did not get caught separately for them."

Dwalin's jaw twitched in frustration. "What?" He loomed dangerously over the convicted trouble-maker. Or, maybe Nori would always be that way. No one changed their spots that easily. He was thinking too hopefully then. It was the last thing he wanted to do.

In response, the carefully written list was ripped in half. "Honorable dwarf, very nice try, but even if you succeeded in this task it does not prove I did anything so far on this quest."

The words felt like a slap in the face, an insult. Dwalin cracked his knuckles threateningly. He knew his knuckle dusters always seemed to get any way-ward's attention. "I would rethink these words carefully."

"No, you're right. Let's bury the axe here. These words are adding heat to actions in the past. But, I say, I did nothing wrong since I signed on here. Everything else is in the past." Nori showed his hands, palm up; his way of saying he was honest with the speech.

Dwalin grunted in response then let the other dwarf alone. He would have to take a different tactic to make sure Nori shaped up to being open, but so far, there was little, yet enough, progress.


Kili could tell his brother's eyes were steady on his back, but he refused to turn around. Fili would have to deal with it. There was nothing that he did wrong. He would give it another day and try to talk again tomorrow.

Currently, he was in deep conversation with Ori. His friend seemed a little uncomfortable but Kili knew how to say a few jokes to ease the mood. The scribe was his usual bet whenever he and Fili got in any kind of argument. As long as he never dragged the other dwarf in direct involvement, Ori proved enough distraction to talk to.

The other option was Thorin; however, long ago, their uncle made the point clear if his nephews argued at all, he was, absolutely hundred percent of the time, not going to get involved. That was probably due to the fact the one time he did the whole thing did not go well for Thorin. Kili did not think so, then again, he was a little bias.

"I'm tired," he grumbled silently. Ori gave him a brief look before focusing on the path ahead of them once more.

"You could look at some of my books." He knew it was useless. What it could do, though, was fully take Kili's mind off the moody cloud in another way.

The archer gave a short laugh and shook his head. "No, it would only prove to put me to sleep. You need to find better ways to have fun."

"I think you do. Your record would be cleaner." Kili gave a superior look to the shorter dwarf. He looked deeply offended by the words.

"No, I really don't. What have I ever done wrong?" He quickened his pace with a half-hearted glare behind his shoulder.

"I can give you a list." Ori hid a grin with his hand. He heard Kili huff ahead of him and the other dwarf did not look back.

Tue enough, Kili was tired. It was not the kind of tired where he wanted sleep, although rest would certainly help. His energy was suppressed with his mood, which caused extra strain in overall for the young dwarf. The long days also put the focus on nothing but trekking, instead of his normal routine of trying to relieve the tempers up.

Maybe it was him. The light-heartedness was what kept the days short for him. Now, if merely everyone else will see that.

"Kili-" He felt a hand on his arm and he immediately shrugged it off.

"Leave me alone, Fee." He still refused to look behind him.

"We should talk," Fili sounded worn down, which was true. They have been going back and forth like this for almost a week. "Stop acting like a kid-"

"Stop treating me like one!" Kili almost shouted and succeeded in getting attention from a few of the other dwarves.

"I don't. All I said was," but he did not finish his sentence. Kili shrugged him off, again, and stepped back with a dejected look.

"Please," the younger of the two gave a brief smile. It was not the irresistible one the dark-haired dwarf usually had, but it was still enough for Fili looked away, abashed.

"You're hopeless." The blonde dwarf stepped forward and gave his brother a tight hug and a kiss on the temple.

Kili looked at the ground for a brief moment before he continued walking. His hand went up to play with a few dark strands of hair in thought. He felt a little hollow; the stubborn side of him resisted the bubble form back inside him.


Balin watched on to the camp a small sigh. Unlike the small hobbit, he knew how dwarves worked, and these specific ones even more. A long journey like this would cause that to happen. More than that, his age and experience gave several insightful memories on how to handle rowdy and argumentative dwarves.

For the most part though, the wise dwarf let things go. Sometimes interference would make the situation worse if one did not know how to handle it. Attempts to stop the constant conflict will only backfire in the long run. With a bunch like this, the situation was better not to let any animosity simmer for long periods of time. The outbreak once the feelings got out will only be worse.

Therefore, Balin kept a pleasant conversation with Thorin. Their leader had the same keep-out of everything policy. Thorin would interfere if something became too tense, but the stubborn and proud dwarf generally stayed out of it in case his personality made it worse. Balin admitted that the regal dwarf was poor on conflict management in several aspects. People settled down when they respected Thorin, but future scenerios he would have to work without the respect in place.

The other dwarf's face right now was confused; a look he adapted every time Fili and Kili got in any type of argument. Balin looked over to the two young dwarf princes - both brothers were propped up against each other, too tired to continue their feud right now. Despite there being more productivity with the two not planning to disrupt the peace the tension grew with the cheerful dwarves at odds.

Balin was happy to see the young dwarves slowly make up. He may be the oldest dwarf here, but he enjoyed the mischief of the younger generation. There needed to be something to alleviate the mood.

"We'll be reaching the Misty Mountains with a day's trek." He stated calmly, all business.

"We have to be careful." Thorin responded and glanced back to the towering peaks. "Hopefully, the wizard will be done with whatever he's been doing and meet us as planned." The way he spoke it sounded like he would just continue on if Gandalf met them on time or not. Balin decided not to comment. If he put the idea in Thorin's head to continue without the wizard when if it wasn't there in the first place then there was no doubt the stubborn dwarf would carry through.

Thorin stood up to distribute watch, and Balin noticed he put several pairs on duty that previously argued. He sighed. The rest of them did want some sleep. Thorin did need to work on his management- settling scores in the middle of the night was not the most prolific way to go.


The following day did lead up into the mountains. The higher they got the more comfort came to the mountain-loving dwarves. Everybody knew that it was not the safest mountain ranges, nonetheless the peaks brought a feeling of more familiar comfort.

It also brought snow. Kili shouted in joy once he noticed the fluffy white stuff and jumped into the patch. His speed and direction of trajectory guaranteed he would land on his back. Fili chuckled, not making the usual move to help the hyperactive dwarf up.

Kili glared back at him and picked up and bundled a patch of snow before throwing it at the blonde dwarf's face. He was not the only dwarf to go along that path. Nori had quietly patched some snow in a ball and after thinking of a target he threw the snow at the back of Dori's head.

Within fifteen seconds, almost all the dwarves were engaged in a mighty snowball fight. Some had paired up with others and moved to settle payback in a physical yet nonviolent way. A few minutes passed and the snowball mania rapidly developed into free-for-all, everyone against everybody else.

A few members of the Company did not join right away. One of these was Thorin, who considered the whole thing below him. That led to a few brave, or stupid, souls left to gang up on him and get him to join. This was, mainly, Fili and Kili, who took several snowballs each and barraged Thorin. Surprisingly, the most mature, in his mind, dwarf prince did not retaliate right away. He simply glared at their backs as the two stumbled away to attack their next victim.

Dwalin soon noticed his respected friend was not participating. Now, these two have a long history of friendship and trials that warranted some fun with each other every once in a while. Dwalin rolled out a large snowball, no one daring to attack him while he was busy or distracted. Only more fury would go toward them. He then took the giant snowball and threw it at Thorin's face. That had successfully gotten the dwarf in the fight.

Thorin's first target was Kili; since he wanted, for a long time now, to get back at him for various misdemeanors since the start of the quest. The dark-haired dwarf bent up in a ball once Thorin dumped snow down his coat.

"I didn't do anything! I didn't do anything!"

Fili laughed but first took the opportunity to aim at the back of Bifur's head before going to help his brother.

The final member to join in was Bilbo, and most of the dwarves fully had the intent on each other to heed the hobbit any mind. That was until both princes escaped Thorin and noticed Bilbo awkwardly standing on the side.

Bilbo squeaked as snow came full on in the chest. Soft laughter came from behind him and he turned to see Ori, as the dwarf attempted to stifle it.

"It really is good to get it out there, Mister Baggins. Really, there is a lot worse this group could do for fun." Ori took a snowball and fired it at Oin. Bilbo was surprised how well little Ori did. Then again, both Ori and Kili proved to have the best aim thus far in the snowball craze with their weapon experience. "Had you never had a snowball fight before?

Bilbo shook his head and bent down to pick up some snow. He evened his breathing before he charged into the fray. Bilbo took an aim at everybody, not sure who was the best target and wanted to be fair in who he attacked. However, he did aim quite a few snowballs at Thorin and managed to hide or look preoccupied every time the dwarf turned to look.

Another hour went by prior to the snowball fight settled down. All the dwarves breathed heavy, soaked to the bone, and fully cheered up. The good news was the escapade started late in the day anyway, so they only lost a little bit of the day. A five minute search led to a rocky-overhang that would suffice for a camp spot for the night.

Kili shrugged off, or attempted to, Fili's coat when the other dwarf offered it to him. He soon gave up and curled up at his brother's side. The older dwarf gave a relieved sigh and wrapped an arm around Kili's shoulders. The dark-haired dwarf was thoroughly drenched, more from his clumsy feet than any amount of snowballs.

Dori also fretted over Ori, who was a little better off. The scribe pulled out his extra quilted items and held them up before he found a comfortable spot to settle by the fire.

Bilbo collapsed down by the others, a smile on his face. Several dwarves with amplified spirits went around congratulating each other on their success and good shots in the game. A couple came over to him with a hearty laugh. The hobbit gave a nonchalant nod and tried not to act like he thought he enjoyed it too much. Thorin was on the same boat but for the first time in a long while a smile stayed on his face longer than ten brief moments. It was an arrogant smile, but it was still there.

Further time passed than usual until everything was fully set up for the night. Once the camp was set, a content atmosphere developed.


A/N: The snowball fight actually fit in naturally as I wrote. Even if it didn't, I was going to include it anyway. Need some fluff, as I don't think I would get much chance to include more for a few more chapters.

I know I did not really resolve, or explain, Fili and Kili's argument, and that was on purpose. It isn't resolved. I have future plans for Durin drama, which will not settle for being included in just one chapter.

Oh, and listening to a couple interviews (I am a behind-the-scenes and interview obsessed) I concluded that film!Bombur has about a dozen or so children. Yep. Probably should have included that in the chapter, but it is fine to wonder exactly how many he has while reading it.