Their wide eyes met- hers wide out of fear and embarrassment, his wide due to shock. Suddenly, Bilbo was sporting a wide grin; he winked at Selah, before rolling over to his other side and, presumably, going back to sleep.

Surprised at his actions, Selah silently wondered if he would keep their secret; after all, it was quite scandalous for an unmarried maiden to allow a man to rest his head in her lap. And above it all, Thorin was king! If the others found out, not only would she and Thorin suffer endless teasing, but her reputation would be soiled and he would be forced to marry her. Her heart stuttered at the thought. She had not thought of marriage before this moment, but she realized that she definitely did not want him to marry her out of obligation.

Worried that the others would be waking soon after Bilbo, Selah set about rousing Thorin.

"Thorin," she whispered softly, her hand lightly cupping his face. "It's time to wake up, my lord."

Thorin mumbled something in Khuzdul that she didn't understand, but remained asleep.

"The others will be waking soon," she tried again, a bit louder. She lightly shook his arm, but that just caused him to sleepily grab her hand and pull it to his chest. His head turned slightly so his nose was now pressed firmly into her belly, his hot breaths doing strange things to the innocent young dwarf-maiden. She tried frantically to wriggle her hand out of his hold, desperate to escape the new sensations, but could not get free.

Selah had no idea what to do and was worried the others would wake up to see them in an even more compromising position than before. While she panicked, a part of her enjoyed the proximity to Thorin, who was clearly very comfortable in her lap.

She leaned down so her mouth was a few inches from his ear and used her free hand to shake his arm again, this time a bit harder than before. "Thorin, if you don't wake up this instant I shan't talk to you for the rest of this trip," she desperately pleaded, her angry words left empty by the frantic tone of her voice.

His eyes fluttered open and he turned his face from her belly. Their noses brushed softly and Selah found herself, once again, lost in the king's eyes as he starred lovingly up at her.

The sound of the others stirring in their sleep caused her to jerk away, straightening up in her seated position.

"Very well," she said, trying to distract him from the warmth in her cheeks. "I admit it would have been rather difficult to ignore the leader of the mission."

"Why do you speak of ignoring me, amrâlimê?" Thorin's voice was husky and low from sleep, causing Selah to shiver lightly. He saw her response, but must've thought she was reacting to the chill air of morning, because he quickly sat off and pulled his cloak around her, pulling her small figure into his as the cloak surrounded them.

Selah reveled at the proximity and his warm arm wrapped around her shoulders, keeping her close to him underneath the cloak. "Well, sir, it's rather embarrassing, actually. I, well, I suppose I was threatening you to wake up?" Her voice trailed off in a questioning tone, scared of how he might react to her words.

He let out a loud laugh that reverberated through his body and shook her slightly. It was the first time she had heard him laugh and she took intense delight in the pleasant sound. Then she realized he was laughing at her and turned to look at him somewhat indignantly.

"Beautiful dwarf-maiden, do not be offended by my response. I assure you, I did not mean to seem as though I was laughing at you, my dear. The thought of you threatening me was simply too amusing to resist," he explained, only causing her expression to grow haughtier.

"I fail to see the amusement in that," she responded icily, leaning slightly away from his warm body. "I can be threatening."

He let out another low chuckle at that, but the part of Selah that enjoyed the sound was overpowered by her wounded ego.

"Please, amrâlimê, do not be offended, but can you truly not see the amusement to be found in such a statement? You, my little dwarfling, threatening! You are about as threatening as a new born kitten, Selah," Thorin's voice was laced with amusement.

"You are forgetting, my king," Selah bit out, untangling herself from his grasp and standing before him, a smirk on her face. "I. Am. Magical."

She used her powers to momentarily stop time- something she knew she'd pay for later, as it greatly taxed her energy. While time stood still- evident to Thorin by the statue-like fire a few feet away and a bird that hung frozen in air a couple yards to his right- she thrust her left hand upwards, flinging Thorin a few feet into the air, dangling him upside down with a twist of her wrist.

He cried out in surprise and glanced at her with wonder and fear in his eyes. Moved by his fear, she decided to be a little gentler with her powers. With a few waves of her hand- the one that was not held up in the air to keep Thorin afloat- she quickly built a chair out of branches and twigs. Cautiously, she lowered Thorin onto the chair, before looping a couple daisies together into a chain and floating it onto the king's head as a crown.

She beckoned him to come closer, but before he could, she moved the chair a few inches from where she was standing. The chair- which was really more of a wooden throne- was tall enough that Thorin was still taller than her while seated.

"Do you trust me?" she whispered, starring deep into his eyes. He nodded almost imperceptibly and his eyes were clear of any doubt.

She grabbed both of his hands in hers and closed her eyes. Concentrating heavily, she could almost tangibly feel the safety net around her; it felt like a bubble surrounding her and she pictured it to be white. Then she poured her energy into it, imagining it becoming a clear blue like water, and forcing it to expand. She gripped Thorin's hands tightly in concentration as she outlined his figure with her shield. When she was certain it encompassed both of them, she opened her eyes and turned her gaze on the chair which exploded into flames.

Thorin gasped and started to get up out of the chair, but stopped when he saw that the fire was not affecting them. Her brow furrowed in concentration, Selah allowed herself a quick glance at Thorin to see him starring at her in awe.

She could feel the energy draining from her body- this was the most she had ever attempted at once. She hadn't even known she was capable of expanding her shield or manipulating it to shield from something other than the locator spell that it was always shielding her from, but something inside of her had told her she wouldn't regret taking the risk. Thorin's face was worth the risk.

She imagined the clear blue of her bubble becoming actual water and sent it spraying outwards as she released her protective hold around Thorin. Thorin looked around at the now wet chair that no longer burned.

Selah's grip on his hands became weaker as she grew more exhausted. She was unable to keep time frozen any longer and soon the sounds of the others waking up filled the silence around them once more. She felt her knees grow weaker; she was aware of Thorin's arms circling her waist and him calling her name before she succumbed to unconsciousness.

A/N sorry it's not very long. I just wanted to give a little insight into some of the things Selah is capable of. I hope you all are having happy holidays! :)

You can follow any updates, ask any questions, and read Thorin's POV on my tumblr: authorunderthemountain