Disclaimer: I do not own anything. The characters in this story are those of J.R.R Tolkien. All rights reserved. I am merely inserting a character of my own into the story. Please note that while this story will follow the lines of the movieverse, several things will be changed to suit my needs of this fanfiction. Once more, this is a fanfiction. I own nothing but Miss Aydan. I just decided to play with them a bit.

A/N: I am so sorry for the wait! I got caught up with life, but don't worry, I didn't forget about this story! We are coming up on the end. Anyways! I hope you enjoy the chapter.

Chapter Twenty-Six
The Oncoming Storm

The next morning we set out on our search for the others. I was at the back of the group, moving slowly as we wandered up the mountain. A hand was shoved under my nose as I climbed, clumsily over yet another boulder. My gaze followed the arm up to the face I knew so well. The face I'd come to love in these past months. I wrapped my fingers around Kili's hand and allowed a small smile to cross my lips as he assisted me. As I straightened, I released his hand as if it had been on fire. This closeness we had was frightening. How was I to be expected to do my duty and protect all of the Durin men when I could only think of one?

We didn't have to travel far up the mountainous terrain as we were met by two armed, and very familiar, dwarves. It was only then that Kili left my side, after making sure I was steady on my feet. A small smile quirked at the corners of my lips as I watched the scene unfold, my gaze focusing on Kili. My heart fluttered as I watched the happy reunion, my mind taking me away to a future that could never be.

"Aydan?!" The exclamation caught me off guard and I turned my gaze from the dark haired dwarf to the two armed and armored dwarves. I was enfolded in a tight hug, a hiss of pain leaving my lips. My feet left the ground as I was hugged by the exuberant Dwalin, a very unexpected greeting. He released me back to my feet and slapped his large hand down onto my uninjured shoulder, jarring my entire body with the strength.

"We thought you dead." Dwalin said, stepping back from me as I glanced over to see a rather astonished Thorin. I'm sure he thought me dead and with the state Kili had been in when I'd shown up, he probably hadn't held much hope for his youngest nephew. My own astonishment grew as an arm slung around my shoulders, careful not to jar my wound too badly.

"She saved Kili." The familiar voice of Fili sounded in my ear. I glanced up to him, my long black hair falling out of my face as I tipped my head back. Thorin said nothing, but the look of appreciation was all I needed to understand the general line of his thinking. With a small nod, I gently shrugged off Fili's arm and stepped forward.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there is an army headed this way." I said, Dwalin nodding gravely.

"We were informed by the Thrush of the oncoming men and elves. We've been preparing."

Relief flooded me. It was one less thing to worry about. Though the impending battle was still worrisome. We were still going to be out manned. Our chances of surviving this were slim to none.

"We have sent word to our kin in the Iron Hills." Thorin said, catching my attention. That would help us greatly if they came to assist in the battle. A familiar presence was once more by my side as we were led by the our comrades up the mountainous terrain. Kili gripped my good arm tightly as assisted me over the boulders and up the rocks while Bofur and Fili placed themselves behind, presumably to catch me should I fall. I was grateful for the assistance as my shoulder was smarting from the jarring hug I'd received from Dwalin. I was still rather surprised by it, to be honest.

My foot slipped off a rock as we climbed and before I could do anything, I was pulled against a hard chest. I turned my gaze upward to the face of the roguish Kili and tried to push down the blush that threatened to rise. I was a mercenary for goodness sake, not some blushing girl. Regret washed over me as he released me from his warm embrace and we continued our ascent into the fortified entrance of Erebor.

Amazed was a good word to cover my feelings at seeing the magnificent Erebor. It seemed I wasn't the only one, either. Fili, Kili and Bofur were in awe of the place as well. Kili's warm had was still wrapped around my bicep, though his grip had loosened. Thorin and Dwalin continued on into the mountain and I shook us out of the stupor we'd been in by continuing forward. We received a similar warm welcome from the rest of the company and Oin found some medical supplies to re-wrap my shoulder. I was bombarded with questioned from the others about just how I'd made it out of the Orc attack alive when they'd seen me struck. With patience I answered the questions of the armored dwarves and hobbit.

Oin patted my knee lightly after he finished wrapping my wound and stood, wandering off in the direction I'd seen the others disappear in. My gaze turned from the hobbit still asking me questions to a familiar dwarf walking toward me, clad in armor and looking like a warrior. I attempted to tear my gaze away but it was futile. There was no point. He held his head high and, if not for the roguish smirk gracing his lips, I wouldn't have recognized him. His dark brown eyes bore into mine as he walked over and sat beside me. A gleaming pile of armor was set on the stone floor and I watched as his gaze moved from my face to my bandaged chest and shoulder.

"How is your wound?" He questioned and it took me a moment to process the words. I lifted my hand to gently touch the spot I'd been shot with my finger tips before I spoke.

"It is healing. Is that for me?" I nodded toward the armor and Kili tore his gaze away from me toward the armor. He nodded and smiled to me once more.

"I believe it will fit you, but you are much smaller than the dwarfish women." He smirked at me and I frowned, pulling the armor into my lap and ignoring the sting of my wound as I shifted. I would need to be able to move during battle, I may as well get used to the discomfort.

A wince had Kili assisting me with donning the leather and metal chest piece, after shedding my uncomfortable corset. He tightened the lacing and tied it off as I fitted metal gauntlets on my forearms. His fingers brushed my cheek as he pulled my hair back and tied it with a string of leather. Color flooded my cheeks but I continued with the task of tying the gauntlet to my arm. Brown eyes and a handsome face filled my vision as I looked up to Kili. His smile was contagious.

"This will do perfectly." I commented, a smile tugging at my lips as I twisted and shifted my upper body to get a feel of the armor. It was not as elaborate as the others, save Bilbo's maybe, though he just wore chain mail. Still, it would do nicely. I glanced down to the chest piece. It was all leather, save for the metal breast plate and tied like my corset. I was not outfitted for battle as well as the others, but I was sure my swift feet would help me out. Hopefully before the storm of battle came to rain upon us I would be able to draw a bow and stay back to cover the company from afar. It was wishful thinking though, I was sure.

An arm was place in front of my face, drawing me from my thoughts. I didn't need to follow the arm to know it was Kili. Using my uninjured arm, I reached up and grasped his forearm, ignoring the fluttering in my heart as he mimicked the action. Without even a hint at effort, Kili pulled me to my feet and straight into his chest, his free arm wrapping around my waist. I gazed up into his brow eyes, my lips drying and my breath becoming shallow. Did he know the effect he had on me?

The sound of Thorin calling for us to gather broke me from the moment. I gently pulled myself from Kili's warm embrace and began to walk in the direction of the others. Kili's grip on my arm tightened and I was forced to stop, my gaze turning over my shoulder to look to the archer. No smirk or smile graced his lips and his dark eyes were alight with an emotion I couldn't quite place. I wet my dry lips and waited in silence for him to speak. The silence seemed to stretch on forever before he released me. Swallowing, I watched him, allowing my arm to fall into place beside me. I expected him to speak, to say something to break the silence, but nothing came. Was he waiting for me to speak? Waiting for me to admit what he probably knew already?

For several more minutes we stood there, silence filling the space between us. Kili shook his head and the roguish smile crossed his lips once more as he gestured for me to continue. A sigh left my lips and we walked back to the group, Kili just a step behind me.

"Finally." Thorin said with slight frustration. Kili had the good sense to look sheepish, I however, had schooled my expression into stone. Kili's silence had gotten to me more than I'd ever thought possible. It pulled at my heart and placed doubts in my mind. Kili, himself, always got to me and he was continuing to worm his way into my heart.

Fili gave us a knowing, and rather disproving look before he turned to Thorin once more.

"The Men and Elves will soon be upon us. I have seen their fires burning in the night. Expect a war and hope for peace." His words fell over us and I frowned. With all the treasure horded in the mountain that, I doubted, Thorin would give up? A war was surely upon us. Men were greedy and their talk at the lake side had put worry in me. I doubted the Elves would be so compensating to the fact that they would not receive any of the riches that lay deep in the mountain.

Turning, I walked away from the group, picking up a sword from the small pile the others had put together. I hefted the blade and began slicing through the air, my left arm firmly planted behind my back. I'd need to regain any sword skills I'd once had for the oncoming storm. I'd try my had at a bow once the others were asleep. I don't think I could stand to have them watch me fail as I suspected I would. The feel of someone staring had me stopping, my soft leather boots scuffing lightly against the stone as I halted my movements. My gaze turned to see Kili watching me intently and my heart fluttered. What would become of us if we both managed to make it out alive?