"You've been told not to go out Nali!" Aría hissed, speaking for the others present. Bofur and Dis stood back silently, letting the younger dwarrowdam finish her piece. "It's dangerous outside the mountain."

"I s'pose so." Nali shrugged, looking away at the floor of her room. Bofur frowned. She was acting like she had when he'd first met her and the crowd had questioned her about the fight. The dwarrowdam went into nonchalant agreement with everything said.

"I know you've lived a very different life until recently." Dis nodded in understanding. "But while you're in this mountain, you'll follow our rules. And that means you need an escort when leaving Erebor."

"I s'pose I will." Nali replied moodily. Dis nodded in satisfaction and left.

Bofur sighed. "I know you don't know me lass, but next time, just ask! I'd be happy to rustle up a couple blokes for an escort. It'd really be no trouble."

"I'll ask next time." Nali replied in a mellow tone, still looking at the floor.

Though doubting the truth behind her words, Bofur nodded anyway. "Alright lass. Just rest now and don't take it too hard on yerself. You're still on the mend!" He nodded to Aría in silent apology and left the room as well, closing the door quietly behind him. After a moment of silence, the two dwarrowdams looked at each other.

"Really, Nali. Isn't risking your life once enough for a week?" Aría sat down wearily at the end of the bed.

"I've lived all my life outside of mountains." Nali rolled her eyes. "And I'm still breathin' aren't I?" Aría gave her a look in reply. "Oh! And I think I saw a ghost!" Aría gave her another look, though this one was less annoyance, and more disbelief.

"A ghost?" she echoed. "Like your will o' wisp then?"

Nali scowled. "I did see a will o' wisp. And it was a ghost. A pale skinned, fair-haired girl carrying a bouquet of white flowers… Lilies. I tried to talk to her, but when I called out, she disappeared into the morning mist."

"Very likely." Aría said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"You think I'm spinning tales, don't you?" Nali narrowed her eyes.

"I think there are lots of reasons that you thought you saw a ghost." The other nodded. "But I doubt it actually is a ghost."

"Suit yourself." Nali shrugged. "Woe to those who doubt."

"But there is one good thing about this little adventure of yours." Aría had to admit. "It means you're well enough to go to class tomorrow."

Nali grumbled. "Aye, because that's so heartening."

A familiar twinkle of bells filled the ears of the previously sleeping dwarrowdam. Faina opened her eyes to a dark, stone walled room. Her room. It had been since the reclaiming of Erebor, and was designed to look exactly like the room she had had back in Ered Luin, only bigger. Tasseled tapestries covered the walls, a hearth smoldered in embers, framed by granite slabs, the floor in front was covered in a bearskin rug, and the four-poster bed was filled with feather filled pillows. It was comfortable. And she enjoyed her comfort, but at the same time, hated it. Everyone else hated her for it as well, but that didn't matter. She was used to that. But she hated it and that was very different. Every pillow, each perfectly stitched tapestry, they all came at a price.

Her parents doted on her beyond reason, as long as she was polite, and respectful, and quiet, and remembered her manners, and showed proper etiquette… all the things that Teella and Jade and all those other street rats didn't have to bother with.

And the worst part was, no one understood. They didn't know why such a polite, charming girl could turn into such a horrid beast as soon as her parents were out of sight. They couldn't see that all these manners and proper behavior was killing her.

She wanted to yell, she wanted to throw a fit, she wanted to tell her parents what she was really thinking. And she couldn't. So she treated everyone else that way instead.

The bell rang again.

Faina groaned loudly and rolled over, her face burying itself in one of the many pillows. After bell rang a third time, Faina pulled herself from the covers and dressed, ready yet unwilling to start another day.

Soon after she finished dressing, a knocking came upon the door. "Yes?" she sighed irritably.

"Good morning to you as well Lady Faina." The butler spoke through the door. "Your new needlework instructor has just arrived for this morning's lesson before class. Lady Heraltian advises you come down presently." Ah yes, Lady Heraltian. He couldn't have just said, your mother, he had to use her title. Because that's just what Faina needed, another reminder of her rank.

"I will be down presently." Faina called through the door, slipping a rusty coin from her dresser into a small pocket on the inside of her belt, hidden from view. Her little secret. And she made her way out the door, down the stairs, and into the sitting room of her large house. Her mother sat very properly in one chair, a cup of tea in one hand upon which she was blowing. In the other seat, sat an all to familiar face. Ciri.

"I take it you're my new needlework instructor?" Faina asked politely, barely masking her obvious distaste.

"Faina, this is Ciri." Her mother introduced her daughter. "A charming girl. I must say, I had my doubts, but I hear she's one of the best in her craft. Her father runs that inn we've been hearing about."

"A pleasure." Faina faked a smile. Ciri nodded back politely.

Lady Heraltian smiled. "I'll make myself scarce and let you two get to work. I'm sure you have much to teach." As soon as the older dwarrowdam exited, the smiles dropped away like dead flies.

"What are you doing here?" Faina asked in disgust.

"Believe me, I'm not any happier about this situation." Ciri raised her hands in defense. "I'm just here to get paid."

"I don't want to learn needlework from you."

"Well I don't want to teach you either! But I want to get paid more than I don't want to teach you, so what are you going to do about it?"

Faina glared at the dwarrowdam in suspicion before resigning and sitting down in a chair nearby. "Very well, let's get this over with so we can go to another boring class."

Twenty dwarrowdams sat upon the long benches of the banquet hall. All looked expectant at the four older dwarrowdam that were making their way to the head. They stopped as one smiling at those assembled.

"Morning lassies!" Dis called to them. "Now, I'm sure you're all want me to get to the point about this announcement I've told you about, so lets get to it. Today, we'll be going on a wee trip."

"Out of the mountain?" Nali jumped up in excitement.

Dis glared at her until the younger sat back down. "No, not out of the mountain, something better." Her smirk caused unease. "We'll be traveling to the top of Erebor. The peak." A murmur ran through the girls. The peak of the mountain was the emptiest part of the mountain, but there was said something beautiful lay hidden at the top.

"But, milady?" Aría interrupted, "That's almost a full day's journey."

"If you walk, yes." Dis nodded. "You will all start from the same location, but there it is not absolutely necessary for you all to arrive as a group. As long as you all get there eventually."

Tension suddenly filled the room as Dis smirked to herself. Perfect.

Twenty dwarrowdams were led through the halls to a room, from which sprouted four separate passages. The teachers bid the students farewell and disappeared down each of the pathways. Faina smirked at Teella. "Last one up has to do what the other says?"

Teella smirked back. "You're on." Both sprinted down opposite passage ways, followed quickly by their respective gangs, leaving the others to stand for a moment in confusion before picking a third passage as a group.

After a few minutes of silence, a rather chubby cat came waddling with dignity into the room and, after looking around for a moment, waddled it's way down the fourth passage.

Nali found herself once again running through halls alongside Teella, Jade, and Upa. The four of them climbing stairs in bounds as they followed the pathway from the beginning through the winding path.

It was strange for the youngest dwarrowdam, as she seemed to be lagging in the back with Upa, her breathing more labored than usual and pain creeping up her arm. "Can we… slow down?" she huffed, taking the stairs two at a time instead of three. Upa nodded in agreement from beside her.

"Not a chance!" Teella snapped back. "We have to with this!"

Nali shook her head, stopping at the bottom of another staircase. The running was jarring her still recovering wounds in quite unpleasant manner. And although she hated to admit it, Nali wasn't as well as she pretended to be. "You go ahead… I'll… catch up… only you," she pointed to Teella "need to get… there."

Teella rolled her eyes. "Fine, you'll only slow us down anyway."

"Me too." Upa wheezed, bending over to try and get rid of the stitch in her side. Jade and Teella disappeared through the halls above them. The other two took a moment to catch their breath on the steps.

"How are you… so out of shape?" Nali asked the other. "You're always running… around with Nali."

"Who… knows…"

"Hurry up Jade!" Teella called back in the passage. "We need to go faster or we'll never make it there first!"

Jade shook her head at Teella. "We can't just madly sprint all the way to the top of Erebor. We'd kill ourselves first."

Teella narrowed her eyes. "Need I remind you that Faina is making her way up the other passage as we speak? Need I remind you what happens if Faina wins?"

Jade started walking again, but only walking. "I know but that's no reason to run ourselves deep under. Why'd you agree to it in the first place?"

"No time for that!" Teella hissed, starting forward again. "These paths aren't all the same, her passage could be shorter! More direct."

"So? What do we do about it?" Jade asked, catching up to Teella. "Seems like there's not much."

"There's got to be a catch." Teella frowned. "This field trip… it's too simple. There's no purpose. There must be a catch."

"Well what is it?"

"I don't know!" Teella snapped.

"It's just this path though." Jade shook her head. "It's too jagged and random. We need a straighter path."

"We need to get to familiar territory." Teella nodded in agreement.

"Right." Jade said looking around. "But I haven't seen any other paths to take since we got on this one."

"There's got to be another way." Teella set her jaw. "And I'll find it."

Faina huffed as she climbed stairs. Her three lackeys panted behind her.

"This is orc dung." One of them complained. Remi, daughter of Lord Groy, master of trade. "The whole thing is just one big staircase!" And it was, Faina could not deny that. Ever since they entered, it had just been one long spiral staircase.

"At least we don't have to run." Another rolled her eyes. Mai, sister of one of the royal guards. And one of the laziest dwarves in Erebor unless there were jewels involved.

"Come on, this'll be fun!" the third smiled happily as always. "It may be a little tiring, but at least we won't get lost!"

"Shut up Zelena." Faina grumbled. Zelena was the daughter of one of the council members and always had a bright side to everything. Always.

"Don't be mean, Faina." Zelena frowned innocently. Like a little puppy that had just been scolded by it's owner.

"Oh yeah, we wouldn't want that to happen." Mai rolled her eyes again.

"Those things'll roll right out of your head one day." Remi informed the other girl knowingly. "One day someone will make a bad pun and it'll be one roll too many, out they'll pop and you'll never see again."

This tale was rewarded with another eye rolling.

"Will you dorks shut up and stop lagging behind?" Faina snapped from ahead.

Zelena smiled. "Sorry, we're coming!"

The four dwarrowdams continued up the spiral staircase up high into the mountain. And just when they thought it would never end, it did. Opening out into a room that split into two doors standing before the doors were two dwarves, one in red and on in blue. The teacher, Brimli, was also there in between them. She smiled as the four came closer, clearly puzzled.

"Welcome to your challenge. You must get past in order to reach the top of the mountain." The teacher told them.

Faina looked at the arrangement skeptically. "What do we have to do?"

"One of these doors is the path to the top. The other is a dead end. A very long dead end that will leave you walking much, much longer." Brimli began.

"Alright…"

"You can only open one door, for there is but one key." The teacher finished.

"And how are we suppose to figure out which one? What are they for?" she looked at the dwarves.

"They are the guards. You will give one of them this key to open their door." She handed them a key. "You may also ask them one question. And one question only."

"What's the catch?"

"One of them always lies, the other always tells the truth."

"Can't you tell us which is which?" Zelena asked sweetly.

"No." Brimli shook her head.

"Fiddlesticks."

I'm stuck in a rut guys. Please! Led me your creative powers!