Alright, alright, alright. Last day in Laketown, technically. The boat will be leaving tomorrow. Thank you to everyone who read and/or reviewed the story. Keep it alive! On a side note, anyone know what caffeine does to a cat? Keep finding her with her nose in my tea.

Chapter 25 Last Week at Laketown

The next morning, Thorin announced to everyone while eating that they would be leaving in a week's time. His eyes had lingered on Kili when he said this although the young dwarf didn't notice. The ensuing days were filled with long hours of training and sharpening the weapons the Master had given them to take to the mountain. Even Ori was forced to participate for a portion each day by Dwalin, much to the distress of Dori who insisted that there was no need for him to train. However Balin, the ever negotiator, assured the worried dwarf that Ori wouldn't be harm but he needed to learn more defense than his slingshot since they were going against a dragon. Although Dori calmed down and stopped shouting at Dwalin, he was a constant present and refused to participate while Ori was and immediately rushing over to his youngest brother and fussing over him when they were done.

It was a constant source of amusement and irritation for the rest of the company. More of the amusement came from a certain part of the company including Fili, Kili, Helena, Bilbo, Bofur and Nori. Helena asked why Nori didn't do anything to help either brother and was told that it was for that exact reason that he stay out of the way. With Dori acting as a mother hen to Ori, Nori was left to his own devices as he liked. She had rolled her eyes at him and returned her attention to Bilbo who was with her brother training with his small sword now that his cold was over. It had gotten a lot better after the ring was taken away and he was almost completely better the second morning of their exercises. When Gavin had offered to teach him some more maneuvers, Bilbo had eagerly accepted and looked to Helena pressing his hand to his vest pocket. She had given the ring back to him later that day and still wasn't sure if it was a bad idea that she hadn't thrown it into the Lake.

Bilbo followed her into the kitchen after everyone had eaten dinner and was smoking their pipes in front of the fire relaxing. He watched as she stood on the top of a chair precariously leaning against a wall and pull down a chair from a hidden corner. It was easy to see that she had taken measures to make sure he wouldn't find the ring while sick. Helena gracefully hopped down and set the chair back to its previous spot before walking over to where he stood. The jar was cradled between her two hands and appeared so nervous a blind man would have noticed.

"To be honest Bilbo, I don't want to give this back to you. I almost threw it into the water."

"But why?"

Thumbs caressed the container in thought. "It's evil, I can feel it even without touching."

"Don't be silly, it is just a magic ring."

"Magic can be used for evil Mr. Baggins. Please, be careful. I care for you like family, I don't want anything to harm you."

Bilbo went forward and covered the top of the jar with his hands causing Helena to look him in the eye. "If anything were to hurt me at this point, it will probably be the sharp teeth or fire of the dragon we are about to go against." He lifted the lid off and pulled the ring out, tucking it away into his pocket.

Helena opened her mouth to say something else but the kitchen door was pushed open to reveal Fili looking at them curiously.

Nothing was said about her and Bilbo being alone in the kitchen and Helena was glad that Fili trusted Bilbo alone with her, it spoke volumes about what he thought of the hobbit. Now three days later, she was sitting with Kili at the ending of the large room everyone was in inspecting the arrows that had been provided for them. With the loss of his bow to the Woodland Elves, Kili was allowed to use hers while another was being created for him. Not that he knew, Helena had commissioned it in secret with Gavin and right now Kili thought he was going to use hers while she used a sword. It was early in the afternoon when the fatigue she had felt all morning had caught up with her. Helena excused herself and stood, a hand at her lower back that was aching. Her exit was noticed by more than one person aside from Kili, only one of them having an inkling of why she was leaving. She walked back to the guest slowly and collapse in one of the chairs, too tired to climb the stairs. Curled up in one of the larger loungers where Thorin found her when he came to check on her.

"Thorin stepped into the house and shut the door quietly behind him. His royal blue eyes took in the first floor of the house that he could see finding Helena propped up against the arm of a sofa chair, sleeping with her dress tucked around her legs. Her situated body didn't strike him as particularly comfortable but she was a lot smaller than himself. However sleeping in her bed might be a better idea if any of the others decided to come back. Walking over to her side, Thorin shook her shoulder slightly. A testament to how tired she was showed in the lack of attack as she normally did when someone other than Fili woke her. A hand rubbed against her face and a bleary eye looked up at him.

"Thorin?"

He frowned at her hoarse voice. "Are you sick? Did you catch the hobbit's cold?"

"I don't think so, I'm just tired."

"Perhaps you should sleep upstairs. Come, let me help you up." He extended his hands and Helena placed her sleep warmed hands in his. Thorin pulled her up and kept her steady as she tried to shake the sleep from her limbs enough to walk. From his height, he was able to look over her shoulder and spotted a stain on the fabric where she had been laying. "Turn around."

His command had Helena giving him a quizzical look but did as he said. Unbeknownst to her, there was a red stain on the back of her dress. Thorin sighed and moved her back around to face him, knowing this was about to become uncomforable. "I'm about to ask you something personal, are you fine with that?" She nodded still slightly confused and sleepy. Thorin shifted on his feet somewhat awkward. "What are the symptoms of your woman's bleed?"

Red bloomed on her cheeks at the questions and her eyes widened. Hesitantly, Helena gave him the answer. "I get tired, sore back, muscle cramps…" Her voice trailed off as her eyes widened further and her hands flew from his to pull at the skirt she wore.

Thorin looked at her horrified expression, frantic movements, and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Helena, calm down. When was the last time you had one?" Her lips were pressed together in embarrassment and refused to answer him. "I have a sister and know more about this than most of the company we travel with. Tell me."

Helena's eyes moved away in thought, "About seven months."

"Right before you joined us." She nodded. "Is this normal in your world?"

"Sometimes. However it is more common for people who experience more stress than others."

"You have had more than your share of stressful events." Thorin admitted. "Let's go upstairs now, I'll find you some rags and draw you a bath."

"N-no, you don't have to do that." She tried to protest as the dwarf king ushered her to the stairs.

"As I said before I have a sister, Dis, and have gone through anything that might seem embarrassing to you right now. Or would you prefer me to get someone else?" She shook her head violently turning red again. "Then go grab new clothing and return down here to the first bathroom."

Oin had made an appearance in the short time Helena was upstairs and Thorin told the worried dwarf what was going on and the healer gave him an herb from the kitchen to put in the bath to ease her pain. Thorin thanked him and made him leave before she came downstairs. He had water over the fire already in the bath room, waiting for her when she made her reappearance. She stood in the doorway with clean clothes bundled in her arms and watched Thorin as he set up a screen around the tub.

He stayed with her the entire time, after pouring the steaming water in over the herbs and adding cold water to cool it off, next to the door on a footstool with his back to her. Even after asking and demanding him to leave, Thorin showed off his dwarfish stubbornness and told her to get over herself. He told her to get into the water and relax, he planned on staying for the duration and keeping her company in case she fell asleep again and were to drown. Something she was glad for later. Thorin entertained her with stories from years ago when Fili and Kili were dwarflings and the mischief the two of them wrought in the halls of Ered Luin. Her laughter rang through the house and was what the company came back to when hunger got the best of them.

Helena couldn't have been more thankful that none of the company said anything to her even though she was sure that one by one they all became aware of her situation. Gavin was the first to give her a look and then smirk before quietly offering to find her some chocolate. She had glared at him because of course the irritating ass had known immediately what was wrong with her having spent years in her company. What Thorin had done for her, as embarrassing as it was at the time, elevated him in her mind further than before. It was obvious he was more than used to taking care of sick…well she didn't want to say children, but from the stories he had told her it seemed an appropriate word. At one point, Helena was tempted to compare his behavior to a bedside doctor: professional and caring. Fili seemed more than ecstatic she had warmed up more to his uncle, never minding the fact he had been in the room with her when she bathed. Apparently it was something he had done with his sister when she was younger and with them also, although with Fili and Kili being boys Thorin didn't turn his back on them.

It was almost unbelievable the she hadn't noticed before that the past seven months had gone by without her normal monthly. Not that she was complaining, just thinking about it and what had happened before made Helena shiver in disgust. It was now the last day before they were to stay, leaving early the next morning with fanfare courtesy of the Master of Laketown and the dwarves had commandeered a vast amount of mead and food to commence a celebration of sorts for their last night there. Helena's eyes drifted over to Kili who had kept getting steadily paler as the days passed.

A sigh fell from Kili from where he sat next to her that morning. The sound getting her attention, Helena looked at him. "What's wrong?"

"I fear Uncle may leave me behind."

"Why would he do that?"

Kili gave her a look that told her he wasn't stupid. "I've seen how he stares at me sometimes, evaluating how I'm healing. To which I'm not, not near how I should've been."

"I doubt Fili would allow you to be left behind Nadadith." Helena leaned into him and wrapped her arms around his, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"I hope Thorin won't either."

She had watched Thorin the rest of the morning and into the afternoon at intervals and saw indeed that he was watching Kili closely without being too obvious. However she wasn't the only one to notice as she met the gaze of Balin in one of her surveillance sessions. Feeling a little useless at the moment with nothing to do, Helena left her spot next to Fili who was speaking to Dwalin. What about she had lost track of since she hadn't involved herself into the conversation. Wandering into the kitchen, she met with the sight of Bifur yanking something away from Bombur which Helena only assumed was food. Bofur sat nearby with his feet propped up smoking his pipe and not involving himself between his brother and cousin. What stopped her more was the sight of Daemyn perched on his hat, nestled in as though it were his nest.

"You stole my bird."

Bofur exhaled before answering. "Hardly, more like my hat was seized for his use. Little bugger's been up there for a while. Guess the cold finally got to him."

Helena nodded, it actually was the reason. "Is there anything I can help with? There is nothing for me to do since Thorin told us not to train anymore today."

"Oi, Bombur." The fat dwarf stopped trying to wrest the food from Bifur's grasp and looked at his brother. "The young lady would like to help you."

Bombur's eyes lit up and clapped his hands together. Forgetting about his previous mission, he ran to her and ushered her to his previous station where that evening's food was being prepped. Bifur and Bofur came to stand near them as Helena was steadily questioned about what she could and couldn't do in the kitchen.

Gavin sat in the corner of the large living room watching the dwarves in yet another drinking contest of who would drink their cup the fastest. These beings outdrank anyone he had ever met before. He almost mourned at the thought of not being able to bet on their drinking abilities with a group of people, say a frat house. He could've raked in a fortune had such a thing existed here.

"Almost reminds you of every college movie we've seen."

A smile jumped to his face seeing Helena in front of him. She had sent her bird away earlier knowing it was going to get loud, which Gavin now conceded was a good idea. "I was just thinking something similar. Where did your robin fly off?"

Helena came to his side and watched the dwarves as well who were all slamming their mugs to the tables next to them. "He is at Bard's oddly enough, playing with Tilda." Amusement colored her voice. "And according to Bilbo, they did the same thing at his house."

"Maybe it's a tradition we have yet to know about."

"I'm actually waiting for them to start the singing and dancing."

Her words were overheard by Gloin who roared in agreement. "The lass is right! We need music."

"But there are no instruments here." Bilbo informed them quietly.

Bofur slapped him on the shoulder, "Never's stopped us before. Come on lads, let's find some instruments."

Bilbo, Helena, and Gavin were left where they were as half of the dwarves scoured the house for anything that could be used and the other half shuffling the furniture around. At one point, Bilbo was physically picked up and moved by Dwalin. The poor hobbit did nothing but blink in surprise and gape with his mouth hanging open. Helena rescued him and pulled him to where they were safely tucked out of the way of the impromptu mission the company was on. Pot, wooden spoons, clothing wash rack, tea pots…the list went on of random items that had been gathered and now sat at the edge of the circle created by the furniture.

"Can't say they aren't efficient."

Helena snorted and slapped Gavin on the arm. Not that he was wrong. "Mamahdûna!" Her attention was drawn to Kili who was flopped onto his usual couch and was waving her over. Before reaching him, her path was obstructed by Fili who wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Would you like to dance with me again Pundurith?"

That name was beginning to grow on her and Helena was almost positive Fili knew. "Maybe, but the only dance I know that you do is too slow."

A grin split his face, "Which is why we will teach you one of ours!"

"Oh this oughta be good."

"Shut up Gavin."

"Is it a fast one? Took me forever to teach her slow dances."

Fili looked over her shoulder at him. "I believe all of our dances are of a faster tempo. You taught her how to dance?"

"Only more formal dances." Gavin looked to the right of them at the other dwarves who were picking out their own 'instruments' to play. "Mind if I sing a song then? I promise it is a fast one and the beat is easy to pick up."

Twisting around slightly, Helena narrowed her eyes at him. "What song?"

"Don't worry, you know it."

The smile he gave her didn't reassure the sentence in any manner. Gavin pushed himself to his feet and went over to the dwarves to show them the tempo of the song he was going to sing. Helena looked back at Fili went she felt his hands creep lower and settle on her butt.

"You just want to dance so you can grope me."

"I could do that without coercing a dance out of you." He said lowly leaning closer to her. Fili barely touched his lips to hers when Kili's voice pulled them apart.

"Uncle, they're doing it again!"

A growl left Fili as he glared at his brother. "I swear to Mahal, when you meet your one I will interrupt you as often as possible." Kili only gave his brother a cheeky grin.

"Alright." Clapping his hands together, Gavin brought all of the attention to himself. "Do you need to show her the steps?"

More than one dwarf grinned at the thought. "I think she will be fine." Fili said grinning down at Helena who narrowed her eyes again.

"Let's do this." At his words Bofur, Bifur, Oin, Nori, and Balin struck up the rhythm Gavin taught them and he started to sing.

While in the merry month of May, from me home I started

Left the girls of Tuam nearly brokenhearted

Saluted father dear, kissed me darling mother

Drank a pint of beer, me grief and tears to smother

Then off to reap the corn and leave where I was born

Cut a stout blackthorn to banish ghosts

And goblin' brand new pair of brogues to rattle o'er the bogs

And frighten all the dogs on the rocky road to Dublin'

One, two, three four, five

Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky road

And all the way to Dublin', whack-fol-la-de-da

In Mullingar that night, I rested, limbs so weary

Started by daylight, next mornin' light and airy

Took a drop of the pure to keep me heart from sinking

That's the paddy's cure when there he's on for drinking

To see the lassies smile laughing all the while

At my curious style, 'twould set your heart a-bubblin'

Asked if was I hired, and wages I required

Till I was almost tired over the rocky road to Dublin'

One, two, three, four, five…

The dwarves that didn't have their hands occupied clapped and stomped their feet along with the words as Fili spun Helena around the circle showing her maneuvers and footwork that left her breathless and laughing for the duration of the song. At the last line of the song, which Gavin shouted and dwarves took the cue that it was the end, they stomped their feet in one last pattern and Fili pulled one of the moves she had taught him and spun her back into his arms where she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I daresay the lass makes an excellent dwarf. No hesitation whatsoever." Cheers went up at Gloin's words and more mead was passed around. "Do you have any more songs Master Gavin?"

"Oh I have plenty. Although I'm not sure that you can dance to all of them."

"Let us find out then. Drink up lad for you shall regale us with your songs."

With a pointed look at Helena, Gavin gulped down half of his drink. "Helena, you know all the songs you've heard right? Sing with me."

"I'm a little trapped." Which she was in a sense, Fili had sat down and had a tight hold on her with one arm and a mug in the other hand.

"Doesn't mean you can't sing."

"Alright, what did you have in mind?"

Gavin began to hum the first words of a song and she caught onto it immediately.

Meet me tonight and I'll buy the first round,

I know a little place that you might not have found;

It looks down on the city from the underground,

This is our station in the heart of town.

Helena whistled the tune and Gavin struck up a beat with two wooden spoons he had taken onto a large pot at his feet. The rest soon grabbed the rhythm and joined.

Leave the weather at the door, leave the rush out on the street,

Let down your jewels, take the weight off your tired feet;

Draw up a chair, strike up a little craic,

If you've had a lousy day, take the monkey off your back…

During the song, the first four lines were repeated three times more. The dwarves caught onto the words and the last two times it was sung the room nearly shook from their booming voices. Once again cheers and applause went up at the end of the song. 'Another' was shouted from one of the dwarves but Gavin couldn't tell who said it as his mug was refilled again.

"One more and then I demand to hear songs from you all." Shouts of encouragement went up and he thought of another song.

Well, I came into a scolding wife a few short years ago

And ever since I lead a life of misery and woe

My wife she is a tyrant around the room and in

Ah, she'd sell me to the devil for a galss or two of gin

Sure I'll get up and go to work as mild as any man

And she'll get up and dress herself and go and have her dram

And if I chance to say a word, it's well I know my doom

She'll follow me with the fire shovel up and down the room

And if the devil'd take her I'd thank him for his pain

I swear to God I'll hang me self If I get married again

And if the devil'd take her I'd thank him for his pain

Oh, I swear to God I'll hang me self if I get married again...

Once again the lyrics were grasped quickly and Helena was once again dragged into a dance, this time by Thorin. From Gavin's whistling in between lines got them to pick up their homemade instruments again and go along with his singing. Helena was laughing again as she tried to keep up with the dwarf king. Thorin brought her back in front of Fili as the song ended and bowed to her to which she responded with a kiss to his cheek.

The singing and celebration went on into the night with them not heeding any thought that they could be heard by the townspeople. Their journey started in the morning where they may face potential death and nothing was going to stop them from enjoying the last few hours of frivolity.

So I think this is my longest chapter, thanks to the songs. Which are:

Rocky Road of Dublin - Dubliners (You may recognize this song from Sherlock Holmes with RDJ)

Our Station - Spirit of the West

Scolding Wife - Great Big Sea

Yes I'm using Irish song. They fit in very well I thought.

Nadadith - Little brother

Mamahdûna - She who is Blessed

Pundurith - Kitten