A/N: So this one is shorter than normal, and I was actually gonna post it yesterday because of that. Unfortunately, Evernote (which is the thing I use for literally ALL of my writing) was down yesterday so I couldn't. Anyway, it's up now, and as always I hope you enjoy it!

Big thanks to the following people for following/favouriting: Knight of Loyalty, captainbellatrix, Marlen-sama, Krayzee Aussie, killer4853 and Dreamhare.

Review Response(s):

Elves Dwarfs Hobbits: You were indeed the first one, and thanks ;) And I think I'm writing them so fast because I've got so much time to write. I'm in my half-term week off college and the moment, and next week I'm off on study leave too, so I've had a ridiculously productive past few days. Thanks, as always, for your support! :D

Sparky She-Demon: Ah, well, we've got quite a ways to go before we reach the gold sickness ;P

SunnySides: Are OC-sickness fics where the OC gets sick, or...? 'Cause I've not read any of those before.

CrystalVixen93: Thanks, and here ya go! :)

'Obstacles are placed in our path to see if what we want is worth fighting for.' ~ Unknown

Chapter 11:

Alana ate her dinner slowly that night, and in silence. Everyone else seemed to be in deep or casual conversation, but Alana didn't mind that she was on her own.

"May I join you?" Alana nodded her head without thinking, tearing apart her small piece of bread and then popping one half of it in her mouth. The dwarf - Thorin, it turned out to be, much to her shock - sat down and rested his elbows on his knees, which were half pulled up to his chest. It was a position that seemed just too casual to fit with Thorin's usual uptight demeanour. But, Alana mused to herself, Thorin was still a person. She was just glad he seemed comfortable enough around her to allow himself to relax. He glanced at her, his grey eyes scanning over her blank face. "What are you thinking about?" he asked quietly.

Alana blinked and looked at him. "Many things," she admitted. "I'm thinking about the road ahead, the road behind, past, future, present. Mostly though, my thoughts linger on my brother."

Thorin, after a long moment, smiled softly. "You really are the most protective sibling I have ever seen in my life."

Alana snorted. "I've got nothing on Kili and Fili. Inseparable, they are. I may care greatly for my brother, but not enough to be constantly with him the same way they are. Staying in one place would drive me crazy after a while."

Thorin chuckled deep in his throat. "The age gap between my nephews is much smaller than between you and Aragorn. Besides, they are both male. When you're a girl and he's a boy, complications arise. Trust me; I would know."

"And yet still I'm here and he's back in Rivendell," she said. "My point is, if I was as protective of him as you make me sound, I wouldn't leave his side, even if it drove me mad."

Thorin pursed his lips. "Still..."

Alana smiled. "Try all you want, Thorin Oakenshield, you can't win an argument against me about my family."

The two sat in a semi-awkward silence for a while, before Alana sighed and looked up at the Misty Mountains to the east. She stood up as she saw something stir in the corner of her eye. "I'm going scouting." Without waiting for an answer, Alana swung on her weapons and then jumped on Firebrand's back. She spurred her heels into his side and the stallion took of like the wind. She led him south, where she thought she'd seen the stir. Letting her sharp eyes scan the surroundings, Alana pulled Firebrand to a halt. She could now feel eyes on her, and then she caught sight of something moving in the distance. She cursed, recognising immediately what it was. She turned Firebrand swiftly around and urged him back into a gallop.

She came across the camp very quickly.

All the company were alert immediately. Thorin barked at her, "What is it?"

Alana glanced over her shoulder again. "Orcs. They're still hunting us. Put out the fire, now!" She slid off Firebrand's bare back as Gloin and Bombur quickly put out their campfire. She approached Thorin. "We have to keep moving. Once we reach the mountains we should be safe. They will not follow us in."

"And how do you know this?"

"Because the orcs are not as reckless as we are," she bit back. "And I've had orcs following me before. They never go into those mountains via the High Pass. They take another route across them, one unknown to me."

Thorin stared at her for a moment, before turning to face the others. "Gather your things. We leave as soon as we are ready." He turned back to Alana. "For your sake, I hope you're right."

Alana rolled her eyes and began helping the others pack away their stuff. They were then quickly on the move. Bilbo settled himself on Alana's empty side, and the two of them exchanged a concerned glance.

Several days of nearly constant walking later they were in the heart of the Misty Mountains, and the heavens had opened up above them. It was a storm so fierce that the ground seemed to shake with every rumble of thunder that sounded. The company edged their way along the slick rock, their progress slow due to their battle against the wind.

"Hold on!" Thorin shouted to everyone.

The wet and cold was putting Alana in an extraordinarily bad mood, not to mention she'd had to say goodbye to Firebrand at the base of the mountains, and it was only with great restraint that she held back a scathing remark at Thorin's stating of the obvious. As Bilbo walked, two places ahead of her, the stone beneath his feet collapsed, but luckily Dwalin caught him before he could fall.

"We must find shelter!" Thorin called out.

"Watch out!" Dwalin roared. A large boulder smashed into the rock above them, raining down sharp shards. Alana cursed and pushed herself as close to the wall as she could, though she could feel the odd stone hit her body.

"This is no thunder storm!" Balin shouted over the vicious howl of the wind. "It's a thunder battle! Look!"

The stone across the valley from them was moving. And it was huge. Almost as tall as the mountain itself.

"Well, bless me; the legends are true!" Bofur exclaimed, stepping closer to the edge of the ledge, as if in a daze. "Giants! Stone giants!"

"Save it for later!" Alana roared.

Thorin pulled Bofur away from the edge of the rock, yelling "Take cover, you fool!" as he did.

The first giant threw a large rock at the second, causing the company to yell out as their perch wobbled. Kili's eyes were filled with fear. "What's happening?" Alana squeezed his shoulder in a vain attempt to reassure him. Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to split, between Fili and Kili.

"Kili!" Fili called, panicked. "Kili, grab my hand! Ki-!"

But they were too far apart. They were now on separate legs of a third stone giant.

It too joined the violent fight, throwing its arms around aimlessly. It was soon knocked down, its leg crashing into a wall of the mountain. Alana and her group of dwarves managed to jump across onto a ledge, but the others were still in danger. Alana's eyes widened in fear as they suddenly hurtled towards a stone wall. She grabbed hold of the hand of the dwarf in front of her instinctively - which, of course, just had to be Thorin - as they began to fall. The leg hit the mountain, and then moved back, revealing itself to be empty.

"No!" Thorin cried out, now grasping Alana's hand back just as tightly. "Fili!"

Instantly they raced forward, rounding the bend to find the other half of the company all safe and alive. Alana sagged against the wall while the dwarves happily reunited with one another, releasing a relieved laugh. She then promptly froze when she realised Thorin still had hold of her hand, and he seemed to notice the same thing at the same time. Their eyes met, and for some inexplicable reason, she found herself unable to move. His eyes seemed to bore into hers, searching for something, though she couldn't say what.

A shout quickly ripped them apart. "Where's Bilbo?!"

"There!" Bofur shouted, pointing at the lip of the ledge.

Alana darted forwards, crashing down on the rock and holding out a hand to reach the hobbit. She managed to catch his wrist just as he lost his grip on the rock. Alana grunted and pulled with all her might, but was unable to pull him up. He was heavier than he looked, not to mention his clothes were full of water and his pack alone weighed almost as much as he did.

She was positively shocked to see Thorin swing himself down as well, pushing Bilbo up. She tried to ignore the way her heart leapt into her throat when Thorin almost slipped and fell, though Dwalin caught him quickly. Alana pulled Bilbo - who was trembling violently - into her arms, stroking his hair in an attempt to calm him.

Watching as Dwalin then pulled Thorin up, she smiled and released Bilbo. He gave her a tiny, thankful smile. Dwalin huffed. "I thought we'd lost our burglar," he said.

Thorin scowled. "He's been lost ever since he left his home. He never should have come. He has no place among us." He then turned away. "Dwalin!" Anger boiled in Alana's blood at Thorin's harsh words, and she promised she'd give him a few of her own when they found a decent place to rest for the night.

Alana frowned when Thorin and Dwalin entered a cave they'd found. It gave her a bad feeling.

"Looks safe enough," Dwalin commented.

"Search to the back," Thorin ordered. "Caves in the mountains are seldom unoccupied."

It didn't take Dwalin to return. "There's nothing here," he reported.

"Yet," Alana mumbled, though no one heard her. She could hear something faint, and quickly shushed everyone. She walked over to a nearby wall and put her ear to it. The noise became clearer, and though Alana had no idea what it was, it made her blood run cold. "We should move on," she said. "There's something moving on the other side of this cave." She turned to Thorin, who ignored her.

"Get some sleep. We begin at first light."

"Thorin!" Alana hissed, stepping up to him, towering over him with her height. "Did you not hear what I said? Goblins live in these mountains, and there is something wrong here. We have to move on."

Thorin glared. "You are not in charge here."

"I might as well be if you're just going to make foolish decisions," she snapped. "You're putting the whole company in danger by being here."

"Do you see any more caves nearby?" Thorin barked. By now, their argument had drawn the attention of all the other dwarves. "We have nowhere else to go. It is dangerous here, yes, but the risk is far greater if we continue on."

Alana threw up her hands in exasperation. "Fine, if you want to condemn the company, so be it. I'm going to find another cave." She stormed to the entrance - making sure to roughly push past him - and lifted her hood before stepping into the pouring rain, grumbling about Thorin's stubbornness and stupidity as she did.

Alana had little luck finding another cave. The only one she came across was barely big enough for her alone, so would be no use to the rest of the company. With a dejected huff, she turned back. The cave was easy to find - she simply had to follow the snores, which somehow were louder than the storm around her (though the storm had thankfully calmed in the last hour). A fond smile began to creep over her face. Those dwarves...

As she stepped in, she was greeted by Bofur, who offered her a grin. She didn't return it, because her eyes were drawn to Bilbo, who appeared to be packing. "And just what do you think you're doing?" she asked as he approached.

Bilbo sighed. "Leaving. Going back to Rivendell."

Bofur was on his feet in an instant. "No, no, no, you can't turn back now," he cried. "You're part of the company. You're one of us."

"I'm not though, am I?" Bilbo said. "Thorin said I never should have come here, and he was right. I'm not a Took, I'm a Baggins. I don't know what I was thinking. I should never have run out of my door."

"Bilbo..." Alana whispered, and for some reason the thought of him leaving caused her to feel hugely hurt and disappointed.

"You're homesick, I understand," Bofur said.

"No, you don't, you don't understand!" Bilbo hissed. "None of you do - you're dwarves! You're used to this life, to living on the road, never settling in one place, not belonging anywhere!"

Alana recoiled as if she had been physically struck. While Bilbo had only said about the dwarves, it was true for her as well - ever since her village burned, she'd never found a place to call home. And hearing him say this pained her greatly. Bofur also looked upset and offended, losing his usual cheerful demeanour. Bilbo was utterly horrified with himself. "I'm sorry, I didn't..." He sighed.

"No, you're right," Bofur said in a small voice. He glanced back at the others. "We don't belong anywhere." He turned back and smiled. "I wish you all the luck in the world. I really do." He placed his hand on Bilbo's shoulder, and the hobbit turned away. Bofur suddenly stiffened. "What's that?"

Bilbo and Alana looked at the small sword on the halfling's belt, which was glowing out of it's sheath. He drew it, and the blue glow lit up the air around them. Alana cursed. "Get up!" she yelled. "All of you, up, now! We have to get out of here!"

The dwarves were instantly awake, but before any of them could do anything, the floor beneath their feet collapsed, and the company tumbled downwards.

IMPORTANT(ISH): Now I don't usually do this, but I wondered whether you thought it was a good idea to separate this into three separate fics that cover the three Hobbit movies, OR if you think I should put it into one fic and remove the 'trilogy' label in the title. I'm actually erring towards keeping it in one fic at the moment, but I wanted to ask for all your opinions, if you'd be wiling to give them.