"Run!" yelled Gandalf at them, head turned to the direction the howls had come from. Without further instructions, they all turned, sprinting speedily along the terrain, if only to avoid the approaching danger a bit more. But it seemed fate was against them as the sound of heavy paws eating the earth in their wake drew closer and closer.

Bilbo looked for his cousin and saw her running alongside Thorin. Relief filled him for all the briefness of a second before he noticed her leg. It seemed that during their less than pleasant acquaintance with the goblins their king had made some insinuations towards her. The male hobbit felt his ire rise at the thought. Filthy goblins! Of course Lori had flat out refused the offending offer. But that decision cost her, in the form of a most likely sprinted ankle. Swift on their feet, Halflings were very good runners when needed but she was having problems keeping up.

It was then that Bilbo remembered she had been unsteady when hugging him. Why had he not paid attention? Oh, the ring. That little piece of gold had been on his mind ever since he obtained it. There was something darkly attractive about it, a force he could not resist. And it had proven quite useful too. If only he knew all it hid within and why the creature he had gotten it from was so desperate to find it.

His thoughts were interrupted as a warg jumped in front of him. The beast growled menacingly at the hobbit, flashing its razor-sharp teeth. It jumped at him with murderous intent and Bilbo was forced to push his weapon in front of him for defence. Luckily, wargs were not known for their superior intellect or the enemy might have noticed the glint of the metal and escaped its cruel fate. As if was, the creature impaled itself upon the hobbit's sword, then fell, dead, to the ground. Bilbo was frozen as he took in what went on around him.

The dwarves, skilled warriors, were trying to hold these monsters back but it was not easy and they were already tired from their previous battle. It was also unfortunate that they were outnumbered too. For each warg they slain another two appeared out of the darkness. This was hardly going to end well, the Halfling thought with some fright. "Damn this Took blood; it's a curse running through my veins," he muttered, picking up his blade. The best solution was to put the blame on the bad blood. His father should have known better.

And worst yet, his cousin was the same. Deep down, beneath her shyness and innocence she was a Took, like her grandmother, fiercer even that the old crone; a tiny bundle of mischief just waiting to erupt. And Bilbo had given her the best, and worst circumstances, chance to do just that. His only relief came from the fact that Rudigar could not see his daughter. The old hobbit would probably fall flat on the floor if he saw her now, facing a warg with as much determination as any seasoned warrior there, tiny fists holding her sword in a death grip. A warg! Oh yes, her father's heart would no doubt falter. And the blame would fall on Bilbo. With the weapon clutched in his hand, the hobbit inched closer to the tree. "Eru, give me strength."

Meanwhile, Lori was a hair's breadth away from giving up. She would collapse any moment now, she realised with no short amount of despair. Her leg could not take the abuse anymore. Pain rippled through her limb forcing a whimper out her mouth. As if sensing her pain the warg bared its teeth to her, snarling and shaking its fur covered form. "Stay away!" she warned, thrusting her sword forward. "Or bear the consequences."

Two arrows embedded themselves in the warg's head. Blood gushed from the wound and the animal yelped in pain. "You're welcome, oh, Queen!" Kili shouted to her over the fray.

"I could have handled it," Lori muttered under her breath. Troubled eyes could not help looking at the dead creature. She could not have, in truth. "Thank you!" she replied when she caught the archer's eyes again.

Ori ran past her, a warg at his heels. Sneering and clamping its jaws together it followed the axe-wielding dwarf bent on catching him. Poor lad looked frightened out of his mind but to his credit he turned to deliver a blow to his assailant. Lori turned to look for Bilbo. She saw him not a long distance away. But she could not move. If she were to leave her safe spot, she would only make it harder for the dwarves to protect her. And they had enough to do without worrying over her. It remained unthought of that she would fall flat to the ground if she did so.

"Keep your focus," Thorin's voice distracted her from her thought. "Don't let your guard down."

She nodded, holding her sword in a defence stance. Words refused to leave her mouth. More accurately, she did not dare open her mouth, least she dissolved in a fit. Her leg was only getting worst. The pain was so intense that despite the numbness she could still feel it clearly. They were nearing the cliff's end. This was not good. There was nowhere to run to.

"Up into the trees. All of you!" Gandalf's voice rang out. "Come on, climb! Bilbo, Lori, climb!" Upon those words the dwarves rushed to the trees, each using one trick or another to reach the tall braches.

Used to climbing trees, for she had done it a hundred times as a child, Lori deftly went up the bark even with an injured leg. She was joined by Bilbo, who, once he reached her, hugged her to his chest. "Don't move."

They held their breaths as a horde of wargs came running down, sniffing the ground. Underneath the tree Lori and her cousin had climbed in, a few of them stopped, onyx snouts searching. They scraped against the rough bark with their paws, only to start bickering amongst themselves. Lori was tempted to shake her head but she didn't dare. What if they noticed her?

All movement of the enemy stopped. The breath caught in her throat at the sight in front of her eyes. Riding a great wolf, a terrible creature came into view. Lori could tell that beside her he would be a giant. The being was all muscle and raw power, and not in a good way either. His skin was translucent, a sickening white, almost like the colour of a corpse. Scars ran all over his uncovered flesh, wounds crudely stitched together. His eyes glinted dangerously in the dark; a shiver travelled Lori's spine. He could snap her in two and used her bones as toothpicks if he so chose. The monster inhaled and then said something, delight evident on his features. Whatever he had just said, Lori was willing to bet it was nothing nice and comforting. Amber orbs threw a merciless stare to the tree tops.

A movement in the neighbouring tree caught her attention. She looked to see Thorin's disbelieving face. Did he know this creature? His eyes set themselves in a glare but Lori could see, behind all the steel, a spark of fear. It worried her greatly to see it for some unknown reason. That fear quickly became rage as Lori caught Thorin's name spoken in the voice of the orc. Irrational anger coursed through her and she wanted to yell that this beast had no right to call Thorin as he just had; no doubt their nemesis had also added some unbecoming insult. She tensed in her cousin's grip, her lower lip reddening as she nibbled on it.

"Lori," Bilbo warned softly, "don't do anything you'll regret after." He was, understandably, worried. Orcs were more dangerous than goblins, and by far more vicious.

"I haven't done anything yet," she replied morosely. "I don't like this Bilbo. I have a bad feeling." Her heart fought like a caged bird at the sight of a chance to escape. Lori swallowed thickly.

"You're not the only one," he assured her. The hobbit grabbed her hand. "Don't let go. Whatever happens, hold my hand. I'll protect you."

"It cannot be," Lori's ears picked up Thorin speaking. The orc simply raised its weapon in the dwarven king's direction and said something in his tongue.

His faithful wargs unanimously growled and lunged for their prey. Lori almost jumped out of her skin as she saw them climbing the trees. "Bilbo!" she called to her cousin who looked just as frightened by the ordeal. The beasts jumped and ripped branches apart. "Sweet Elbereth."

The Pale orc's voice was not helping the situation at all. Their opponent continued to order his minions, words that sounded all wrong to Lori's ears. She barely managed to pull her foot away from the gaping mouth of a wolf, avoiding limb loss when it happened. The tree shook with such force that Lori had to hug it to keep from falling. But it was inevitable in the end. The wargs seemed to have uprooted the tree somehow because the next thing she knew the female was holding to the tree for dear life as it came nearer to the ground.

Just like domino effect, the tree crashed into another, so on and so forth until the last tree was precariously leaning over the edge of the cliff. The orc laughed as the wargs circled the last tree. Gandalf was the one to save them once again. He lit a cone and threw it at the beasts. The wolves shied from the fire, ears flattening to their heads. Azog watched in angry incredulity. So they feared the slow burning flames, did they?

Fili was the first to whom Gandalf passed his new weapon. Lori grabbed one from Bilbo and aimed it at a random warg. She put all her power behind the throw and the little thing ended hitting the enemy's head. A chilling howl was heard as the wolf tried to put the fire out, rolling its whole body through the gentle soil. All the dwarves were throwing such improvised shells. A sea of fire stretched slowly at their feet.

Lori cheered along with the others as the wargs retreated, scared by the fire. Only she had not counted on the tree giving way. She fell with a sharp shriek, hitting her leg painfully along the way. Just when she thought her end was near a hand caught hers. Lori looked up in Thorin's eyes as the dwarf hoisted her back to relative safety, placing her on the wood. Her leg smarted with pain and she held her breath for a moment to make it subside. There was nothing to be done.

"Thank you," she managed to hiss trough gritted teeth. If only she could get her leg to stop burning.

No reply came but Lori felt his hand brush her shoulder. Also she became aware of the pair of a stranger's eyes trained on them. The orc, shining in the fire light, regarded them with pure hatred. Lori daringly glared back at him. He snarled something which made her shrivel inside as it was clearly addressed to her. She had no idea what it was but her lungs seemed to constrict, making it hard to breathe. Thorin had heard it too and perhaps he had understood the meaning better because Lori swore that his whole face went dark, just as his frame went rigid next to her. Letting go of the woman, he climbed to his feet. The whole aura that surrounded him screamed for blood. And not any blood, the lifeblood of his enemy.

And indeed the dwarf had understood, for the most part, what those words had been. Azog had told her that he would soon put her where she belonged. The orc had also called her an inappropriate name which Thorin did not even want to think of. It was as much of an insult for her as it was for him. It implied that she was easy and he unable to protect his own. This enemy had shadowed the earth long enough, the dwarven king decided. The sword in his hand flash in the light and Azog challenged him with a stare.

Lori watched with anguish, for fear had taken root deep in her heart. They had just fought goblins and wargs, he could not possibly think to challenge that mountain of a creature to a fight. But he was. Her hand instinctively shot out after him. However she had not been quick enough.

Thorin had made up his mind. He advanced surely, his intent clear. He would punish the orc for his words and for taking his grandfather's life, along with numerous others. Azog deserved to die and Thorin would be the deliverer of his end. No one could stop him from seeking his justice.

Tears gathered in Lori's eyes as she saw Thorin dashing through the fire in pursuit of the orc. The enemy simply smiled derisively and waited for Thorin to approach, as if knowing the fate of this battle. Once he was close enough Azog's warg jumped, landing with all its strength of Thorin, knocking him back. A cry left Lori's lips and her spine stiffened as if she were about to sprint over there too. She thanked every god when he got up. "Valar be praised!" But her relief was short lived. Azog's slammed his weapon into Thorin, making him crash to the ground.

Balin yelled out beside her and that was when Lori's mind crumbled. A hand pressed her shoulders down firmly. She looked at Bilbo with begging eyes. "Let me go," she whispered, struggling with no avail. "Let go, I have to go to him. Let go!" Her voiced pitched so high that her cousin grimaced. Her whole frame trembled with effort and grief. "Don't die," she pleaded in a lost voice. "Please let him survive. Don't take him from me." As if to spite her, Azog turned a sadistic smile to her and hit Thorin who was still on the ground. A pained scream flew past her lips. His pain was her own, after all, and she felt it reverb through her whole being. "No!" The assailant only watched her with great satisfaction. Azog's lips moved, his voice chanting something. Lori balked at it. "Monster! I hope you rot in the eternal fires!"

The grey warg sunk its teeth into Thorin and squeezed. Lori closed her eyes. She could not watch this. The pressure on her shoulders was relieved suddenly. She looked up to see Bilbo leaving their side. Thorin's cry of pain distracted her, she was frozen, petrified at what she was seeing. The wolf flung the dwarven king on a rock. His head banged against the hard surface and rolled back.

"Get up!" Lori yelled. "Thorin! You have to get up!" He wasn't moving. Why was he not moving? Another orc was coming towards him, sword drawn, ready to strike. "Thorin!" Alarms blared in her head and she got to her feet. Just as soon, she fell in a heap with a strangled scream. Her ankle had given way and was hurting terribly. She tried again, only to fail, a shock of sorrow shooting through her. "Thorin." Dwalin grabbed her before she could attempt the same thing a third time.

He could hear her yelling. Her words full of fear, Thorin could hear his beloved shouting out for him. He wanted to get up, tell her all was fine but his muscles screamed in protest. He could not move, his body refused to listen to his command. The fire was hot on his skin and the heavy steps of an orc pounded in his ears. The dwarf grimaced; he only wanted to hear her voice. Just once more, he wished that her lilt would caress his hearing. In his line of vision came the orc, sword positioned to deliver a finishing blow. A thought rang clear in his mind, he could not die.

Using all his remaining strength Thorin tried to reach his sword, hoping to parry the strike. But his arm could not find it, fingers frantically searching the charred earth. When he least expected, his saviour appeared. The burglar jumped out of nowhere, making his executioner falter. They tumbled out of his vision. Thorin's head fell back and he entered the numbing darkness.

The orc landed on Bilbo, squashing the Halfling. But his sword easily sliced through his opponent, making him retreat. Without even thinking about it Bilbo pursued the creature, stabbing puncture after puncture in its flesh. His enemy was dead in mere moments.

"For Lori," Bilbo told himself as Azog scrutinized him. His men moved in with him, no doubt ready to strike him down. The only thing he could do was hold his ground. "I'll be damned if I just let you destroy my cousin's happiness."

The dwarves stepped in, attacking in a wave. Lori was, thankfully, not with them. Bilbo breathed in relief. "Thank you Eru. Reckless woman will get herself killed one of these days." He drove his sword over a warg's face. Then another. This one was Azog's and it pushed him away with ease. The orc approached him, growling low. Bilbo panicked and remained unmoving.

Then out of nowhere an eagle, bigger than any Bilbo had ever seen, saved him. The creature was followed by another of its kind. Then another, and another. Many joined the fight picking up wargs and orcs and flying them over the cliff.

A scream of fury left Azog's mouth. He darted his head back and forth, a mad gleam in his eyes. His army was being slaughtered. The orc barely managed to dodge one of the eagles that flew past him. Rage clouded him but he could do nothing at this point. This fight was lost.

One of these strange creatures picked Thorin in its claws and to Bilbo's horror he was taken to the sky by another. Despite his protests the bird dropped him in free fall. He yelled out only to land on something smooth. The hobbit opened his eyes to see feathers. He was on the back of an eagle, soaring through the sky. A breath left his lungs as he mentally cheered. He was not dead.

"Bilbo!" He turned his head to see Lori with Kili and Fili, on another such creature. His cousin smiled at him weakly, her mind clearly on the state Thorin was in.

"Lori! Stay close to Fili and Kili!" he screamed in the wind. He did not want her getting any ideas into her head. They had enough trouble as it was.

The girl rolled her eyes, catching on to his thought. "It's not like I can go anywhere. I have yet to take my flight lessons," she joked, hoping to appease Bilbo.

"I wouldn't put it past you," Bilbo returned not a second later. "Stay put."

"You really shouldn't," started Fili, one arm going around Lori's shoulders, "talk that way to my Queen. I may take offence."

His brother, in tune with him, elaborated. "Indeed. You are being disrespectful. My bow quivers and my arrows wait."

"Don't do anything drastic," Lori said, her face blank. "Remember, he is still my cousin. Just, no death. Okay?"

"What?" Bilbo asked in annoyance. "No, just no. Lori, what are they even saying? What queen? What are you all blabbering about? She is not even married."

And for that Lori shook her head. He was not worried about two dwarves taking offence to his words but his brain threatened to stop working at the though of her getting married? "You're a right terror, you are."

"But she will be." Kili too put his arm around her, ignoring her words. "And soon by the looks of it."

"You don't know that," Bilbo cut through the dwarf's bubble, he too choosing to not hear her. He knew very well what it looked like, but Bilbo would be damned before he admitted it.

"Stop fighting." Lori blushed at their stares. "And keep your noses out of my business." She was peeved at them, always acting like small children and clashing over things of no importance.

The eagles dropped them off on top of another cliff. Bilbo jumped off the bird and hurried to help Lori. She let him wrap an arm around her waist and leaned her entire weight on him. No words were exchanged but Bilbo could feel her relax against him when she saw Thorin. Knowing that she would like to be next to him, Bilbo aided her. Despite the animosity between himself and the dwarf, when it came to his cousin, Bilbo would not dare make her unhappy.

Lori dropped to her knees, ignoring her own pain at the contact with the rough rocks. She placed her hand to his cheek and looked him over, sighing at the wounds she saw. "It's okay now. You're going to be fine," she whispered, choking on her fresh tears. "Why, in the name of Aule, did you do this?"

"Thorin!" Gandalf called, reaching them hurriedly. "Thorin." The wizard conjured a spell, his eyes closed in concentration. Lori watched in silent fascination as Gandalf retreated his hand and Thorin opened his eyes to the light of the rising sun.

"Have I failed?" the king asked, his eyes landing on Gandalf. His voice had sounded rough, scratchy but Lori was delighted all the same to hear it.

"It's your right. Bilbo is here, he's quite safe," was the only reply he got out of the wizard.

In the meantime all the others had gathered. Thorin was helped up and so was Lori, Kili holding her back to his chest.

"You!" Thorin addressed her cousin, while Lori worried her lip between her teeth. "What were you doing? You know you could've gotten yourself killed?" He advanced. "Did I not say that you would be a burden? That you would not survive in the wild and you had no place amongst us?" Lori winced. But she was the first one to see the change on his face. "I have never been so wrong in all my life." The surprise was when Thorin hugged her cousin.

Despite her tiredness and the pain that lingered, Lori found herself smiling. Things were finally getting better, it seemed. She fiddled with a lock of hair, her ears scouring for the next words to be exchanged.

"Well I'm sorry I doubted you," he added lastly. A sense of respect had bloomed between them.

"No-no, I would have doubted me too," Bilbo admitted still astonished. "I'm not a hero, nor a warrior. Not even a burglar."

"But I beg to differ," interrupted Lori. Bilbo stared at her and she chocked her head to the side, smiling sweetly. She did not clarify. She did not need to. For her, Bilbo's gesture had meant the world. Lori did not think she could ever express how grateful she was.

"How's the leg?" Kili asked her quietly. "Do you think you could stand on your own for a few moments?" It was then that she noticed the archer's hand was burnt, an angry red mark decorating the edge of his hand, flesh charred.

"Did you burn yourself with Gandalf's cones?" She gingerly took his hand, inspecting the wound. "I could clean this up for you and bandage it."

"Nay, one of the orcs managed to get me down," the warrior revealed, taking back the hand that supported her. "My glove was torn."

Lori hummed low in the back of her throat in understanding. She was about to say more when Thorin turned around, grey eyes drinking her in, like a parched man seeing water for the first time in a long while. It was enough to make her teem in unfamiliar delight, a foreign sensation coiling in her stomach. A gentle blush permeated her cheeks. It was one of those stares that made her already unsteady feet melt below her. Kili had let go and she was forced to stand on her own. But standing was as far as it went, for she could not walk one step without sending her body tumbling down.

"Watch out, melekihn," the young dwarf joked from behind her, a whisper so none of the others heard, "dwarves are known to be full of zest after a fight." His voice was filled with laughter.

The she-hobbit blinked in confusion. What was Kili saying now? She had no doubt it was some sort of euphemism, something that amused him greatly it seemed. She had no answer for him in that instant, and no time to figure out what he was implying. She let the smile she had slide off her lips, face turning serious.

"Why is it that all the men I know dive in headlong at the first sign of trouble?" she questioned, hands on her hips, much like she was preparing to deliver a lecture. Bilbo smirked behind his hand. "Reason does not work for you menfolk in certain situations." Lori pursed her lips, "What excuse could you possibly have to be so irresponsible-"

He cut her off mid speech, taut mouth bending hers to his will with an effortless, compelling gesture. Her head was spinning after not one moment of his lips on hers. Lori clasped her arms behind his neck, holding onto him, all her balance flying out the window. Unlike the simple press of lips she had received from him before, this movement was ferocious, passionate and all consuming, nothing that she had ever dreamed of to be sure. For a brief moment she had almost thought to resist him. After all, he was the one who worried her half to death and then simply ignored her. But, of course, she could not do that. There was no possible way she could deny him. Her lips mimicked his, a touch more feminine but just as ardent. Her skin warmed, molten lava travelling through her vein underneath the thin covering. Lori wanted this moment to last forever.

For Thorin the fact that she had been speaking proved to be very helpful. As he caught her off guard, he touched the tip of his tongue to her lower lips. Lori trembled at the contact but did not shy away, trapped just as much as he was in the kiss. The dwarven king lured her tongue in the dance, feeling it move against his, sending a jolt through him. She tasted sweet, like hope and enthusiasm with a good dose of innocence that made it hard for to pull away, impossible even. Instinctively, iron fingers tangled in her silken tresses, easily melding their mouths together more intimately. The arm around her waist tightened its hold as they shared the air in their lungs, another set of digits digging into the small of her back. Her curves melted into his armour, heat caught between them. Thorin felt himself respond to her excitement, a delicious fire numbing him to everything else.

One annoyed Halfling gaped at them. Bilbo shook his head. He would have understood had the dwarf kissed his cousin and be done with it. But those two were devouring each other without an ounce of shame in full view, might he add. The blood pounded in his head, the ache intensifying tenfold. This, Bilbo thought with not small amount of irritation, was against all propriety. One would think they were alone in their bedchamber to be sharing such a moment and not in front of an entire company of men. What was his cousin thinking? Bilbo's hands itched to give her a good shake for the more than inappropriate manner she conducted herself in. "For the love of-"

Bofur grabbed the hobbit and turned him away with such resolve that Bilbo followed without even wanting to. "Look at this view here, Master Baggins? Is it not wonderful?"

"Excellent," Bilbo commented in dour tone. "Most fabulous, I have never seen anything quite like it. Few sights have amazed me so." And then he was no longer speaking of the scenery.

"He will not dishonour her," the dwarf assured Bilbo with a small jerk of his head, instantly understanding the other's fear. "Our King will not bring her any sort of unhappiness if he can help it."

Something incomprehensible left Bilbo's mouth. He calmed down and said, "I hope you are right. For her sake, I hope you are."

"If you wish to rest at ease, you may ask Balin to tell you of our customs," Bofur offered, slightly taken aback. How could he begin to explain that many of the dwarves here were expecting some announcement to be made soon? "The only thing I can tell you is that she is, by our standards, betrothed to him."

That helped, Bilbo thought, somewhat calmed by the knowledge. At least they had something solid to work with. "I shall let Lori decide her destiny," he replied firmly. "I have no business telling her what to do and don't." Because, in all honesty, it was her choice.

"Wise decision," Nori joined them, a teasing grin of his face, "women are might scary when deprived of what they want. And most of all they wish for freedom to do as they will. I commend you Master hobbit, for the soundness of your thinking." He looked at Bofur and laughed at some inside joke that the hobbit could not understand.

On the other hand, two young dwarflings patted each other's backs in silent praise. The king's nephews had smiles a mile long on their faces and were practically oozing glee. Fili was counting all the money that would fill his pockets while Kili rubbed his hands together thinking about all the possible ways to tease his uncle's lady. It could not be anything offending or uncle would have his head before he could blink.

"I knew it all along," Kili boasted. "I have told you from the start that this would happen."

"What are you saying?" Fili levelled an irate look at him. "I was the one who first noticed. Stop pretending it was otherwise."

Gnashing his teeth together, the dark haired brother hissed, "Most definitely not. And you owe me half of what you're getting."

"You aren't seeing one coin from me," the blond snapped, a challenging smirk on his fine features, "not until the deed is done."

"That's hardly fair!" complained Kili, face arranging itself in a pout.

They bickered back and forth, like brothers often did. Behind their belligerent words there was nothing but the tease they liked to use so much on others.

Gandalf watched the horizon in a contemplative manner. They were all unaware of the danger that waited in these lands.


A/N: Well, here is your long awaited chapter. I swear I wanted to update faster but school work is forever stopping me. On the bright side, you had another kiss and it's all on Valentine's day. What luck! For Thorin and Lori, I mean. I've been lazing around today, after I got home and decided to finally wrap the chapter up.

And I was thinking, would you like it if I update a few short one-shots every once in a while? Of course they will contain Thorin/Lori, because I'm hooked at the moment Anyway tell me in a review because I've been writing one and was thinking of putting it up. They will be mainly set in alternate universes.

I hope you liked this chapter. Next off, we will meet the big, bad Beorn.

Sorry, I meant bear.

Enjoy! :)