So I want to start this Chapter with an apology for how long it's taken me to upload. I decided to take show some of my writing to some people I know who write quite a bit as well. They discouraged me when they critiqued everything down to the fact that a real writer should never write a story in past tense. So I tried to change my style and the more they tried to change about the way I wrote the harder it became to write anything. So I gave up. Stupid idea. My sister, who's been reading this kept bothering me for the next chapter and when I explained what happened finally she told me I was an idiot for listening to them. Like normal, she's right. Anyways, I switched it up for a little bit and started a Guardians of the Galaxy fanfiction, just to get used to writing back in my style. I'd like to thank anyone who's stuck it out with me this far :)


Ali was roused early the next morning by the shifting of blankets and subtle dip of the mattress. Smiling to herself she wrapped her arms around her pillow and rolled onto her stomach, telling herself she could continue to sleep until Thorin woke her up. After all, this was the day. The day that this entire journey was leading up to. By the end of this day they would be standing at the foot of the Lonely Mountain waiting for the last light. So naturally she wanted to get all the rest possible.

Any second now he would shake her shoulder and tell her it was time to leave. Any minute now they'd be back on their journey…across the room the soft sound of the door latch rising caught her attention. Ali ceased breathing but didn't shift under the covers.

"Good-bye," Thorin whispered from the doorway.

A mad thought to jump up and confront him seized Ali but her body felt too heavy to move. Good-bye. That sounded so final. Good-bye. The door clicked shut behind him. Good-bye. It wasn't fair that he was leaving her. Ali's eyes finally opened but she couldn't find the energy to push herself out of the bed.

Last night had been a dream. It must have been. Last night Thorin seemed so happy, so fun, and so in love. A stark comparison to this morning. Ali's throat tightened and she gripped the sheets where he had been laying beside her. Tears burned behind her eyes and she willed them just left. He just left without saying anything, without knowing if they'd ever see each other again.

I can just get up and chase after thought further tightened her throat. Because it wasn't right, he'd left for a reason. Last night had been the perfect night, and the perfect memory to leave him. After all it seemed unfair to curse Thorin when her own plan was surprisingly similar.

Ali sat up slowly and looked around the room, though her eyes didn't take it in. She'd known since the beginning of this journey that she wouldn't last in this world. How will that day be for Thorin, when he knows she won't be coming back? For the first time since she started this she realized how selfish her plan really was. Ali idly caressed the little bead he'd given her last night. Somewhere along the journey she'd stopped trying to be there to save Thorin for the people and the greater good of whatever it was Galadriel had told her about. Now it was only so she didn't have to live a day longer than he did, and that was greedy, because she was condemning him into that very fate.

She had to follow him to that mountain, Ali sighed, but now she had to find her own way. Sliding out of the bed Ali stumbled around for her boots. Surely there was a road, or boat that made its way over to the mountain. There had to be one, but if there wasn't then she'd walk through the blasted forest. Ali smacked her cheeks several times both to wake herself up and as punishment for allowing a temporary haze of self pity. It wasn't like he was leaving her like…Ali stopped as a rush of cold swept through her veins. She'd nearly compared him to her mother.

But he's running off to get killed, so how different is it? A voice in her head asked. It's entirely different, because he doesn't know. Ali thought, but couldn't entirely make herself believe. But I knew, I knew and I didn't tell him. Ali's hands shook as she tried to finish lacing her boots. I couldn't tell him. If I told him then he'd have questions, ones I can't answer.

"Hello?" A woman asked from the doorway. Ali jumped when she saw the lady who looked at her with wide apologetic eyes. "I'm sorry, I thought this room was empty, but then I heard a voice and thought to check."

Ali opened her mouth to tell her it was alright, but couldn't speak. She'd been talking to herself again. How long had it been since she'd done that?

"I'm sorry," the woman bowed her head again and began to back out the door.

"Wait," Ali croaked. "I…" She wanted to ask which voice the woman heard. The one accusing herself of basically killing him, or the one defending her actions. But she couldn't, how crazy would she seem asking which voice she heard when Ali was clearly the only one in the room. "Do you think you could find some clothes my size?"

While the lady shuffled around the mansion looking for clothes Ali pretended she couldn't hear the trumpets sounding the dwarves departure. Pretend or not, Ali's heart sank into her boots and she accepted a stack of boys clothes that should just about fit. That is if she were five inches taller and thirty pounds heavier. But at least it wasn't a skirt. If only it wouldn't cause a huge fight if she jumped on board their boat. Thorin would throw a fit for sure.

She cinched the belt tight around her waist and tucked her hair up into the cap and thanked the lady, leaving her elvish dress as a sort of payment. It was too small for her, but the woman's eyes lit up when she held the fabric and ran it through her fingers.

"It's the softest fabric I've ever touched." The ladies hand fluttered to her mouth to cover a gasp. "It's too much, I can't accept this." She tried to press it back into Ali's hands but she waved it off.

"It won't do me any good," she tried to convince the woman, who wouldn't hear anything of it.

"Wait here," the maid scurried off down the hall and left Ali standing alone in the corridor. One minute ticked by, three minutes, six minutes, soon Ali began to worry she wasn't going to come back and started shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

"Here," the woman startled her when Ali had begun staring at her feet and not paying attention anymore. She shoved a small backpack into Ali's hands.

"What is it?"

"Some food and a small blanket," the woman said smiling, "it's not much but the Master won't miss it."

"Thanks," Ali returned the smile and shrugged the rough brown backpack back up onto her shoulder.

The woman pointed her to the back door and Ali managed to slip out without sight or sound of either the Master or Alfred. If they were there to see the dwarves off this morning then they would know she didn't leave with them. Pulling the small brim of her hat down to cover her eyes better, Ali scurried through town, trying to remember her way to Bard's house. He was the only one she knew that might be willing to help someone like her. If nothing else she prayed that he would be able to point her in the direction of a person who would, or a road.

This place was a maze though. Every corner had the same rotting wooden houses, half of which looked ready to fall into the icy waters and take their inhabitants with them. Some of the others already had, they were broken masses that held on by splintering wood keeping them from floating away entirely.

At one point Ali thought she had passed the same woman hunched over a basket of withered grey carrots three times without turning from her path. How could she know really? Everyone was bundled in the same patchy grey and brown clothes that she now wore. Would she even recognize Bard's house at this point? Ali wandered around for hours, eventually resorting to asking several villagers the way. Each time was exactly like the last. They began by narrowing their eyes when she approached, then when she asked they scowled and turned away, refusing to answer any question.

Finally desperation began to edge into her. Thorin and the company had been gone too long, at this point what were her chances of catching up with them? Don't give up hope. Ali's pace picked up though and she scanned each path quicker. It's here somewhere.

The walkways shuttered violently under her feet, Ali just managed to grab a support beam before she stumbled into the icy waters. Sweet mashed potatoes, what in the world could that have been? Ali's eyes flashed to the grey waters that splashed around the town. Were there Killer Whales, thrashing around under the water? No, this was Middle Earth after all. It was probably something closer to Chuthulu. Ali shuttered and refused to look back at the water, she didn't have time to think about it, night would be falling soon and all she'd done was wander around.

That's when she saw it, or for a better word, him. At first Ali thought she saw a fat boy run across the path in front of her, but he wasn't fat, just big. Or short, but also full sized adult looking, so…a dwarf. Ali stood dumbstruck for a second. All the dwarves should have been on the boat that left for the Lonely Mountain, so what was that.

Forgetting the threat of Chuthulu, Ali took off running after what she hoped was a dwarf. Maybe she'd been wrong, maybe they hadn't left and Thorin was just leaving for breakfast. After all she hadn't actually seen them leaving. Ali skidded around a corner so fast she nearly slid off the side, hardly managing to right herself without stopping. From there she could see the distinct flipped hat that Bofur wore and her heart sailed into her throat.

"Bofur!" Ali called out, her voice shrill and desperate.

Bofur stopped his own running at the sound of his name and turned. Ali collided with him, knocking them both back onto the rotten planks.

"Ali?" Bofur asked, shocked.

"Am I ever glad to see you?!" Ali jumped to her feet and tried to drag him up with her but he was too heavy. "Where are the others? I've been looking all day and haven't seen anyone! Has Thorin been looking for me?" Ali felt light headed and pulled Bofur's arm even though he rose slowly on his own accord.

"Ali, hold up a sec," Bofur shuffled his feet and straitened his hat. For the first time Ali noticed the worry, even in the dying light. "Thorin-'n the others, they left this morn', just a few of us are left."

Ali's heart sank faster than her face. "What happened?" Nothing short of a disaster would part Thorin from his company, something terrible must have happened.

"It's Kili, he's taken ill." Bofur's eyes widened and he spun around. "I'm suppos' ta be lookin fer Kingsfoil."

"Kingsfoil?" Ali's mind when straight to the comment, Will Kingsplasticwrap be alright?

"Kings what?" Bofur asked, his brow lowered, "I don't understand."

Shoot, she really was talking out loud again. Ali thrummed her fingers on the wooden rail and shook her head. "Nothing, let's look while you explain what's going on." Ali pushed him forward. The joy of thinking that Thorin hadn't left her crushed down just as hard as it had this morning. As they searched Ali grabbed handfuls of anything with a leaf on it and showed Bofur. As usual she was useless. While he told her about the worsening wound, the rumble being the dragon stirring, everything she'd apparently been blind about.

Angry at missing everything, Ali showed Bofur what she felt was the hundredth handful of leaves. Yet again they were the wrong ones. This time Ali threw the leaves into the water, the desired effect wasn't quite there when they fluttered harmlessly to the surface, but the intent wasn't lost on Bofur.

"We don't have time fer this," Bofur said with a sigh, shuffling through someone's plant box, muttering to himself.

"I'm not even doing any good," Ali snapped. He'd been checking everything she looked through anyways.

"Yer doing plenty good," Bofur tried to help.

"No I'm not. I'm just grabbing randomly at anything that might do any good, yet nothing ever does!" Ali's thin emotions began to crack and her voice raised a notch. "I don't even know what I'm doing!"

"Your best," Bofur raised a handful of grass to a torch to try and see it better in the dark.

"My best isn't good enough," Ali stomped after him.

"What'ya want me ta say?" Bofur was irritated now as well, each second they didn't find the plant was a second on Kili's clock.

"How about if I show you my best," Ali stomped over to a pig pen and snatched a wad of gunk out of its mouth. "See this is what my best turns out like, crushed, messy, disgusting-"

"That's it!" Bofur yelled, throwing his hands up and grabbing his hat.

"What's it?!" Ali stepped back, startled. Was he trying to tell her she was right about what her best looked like? If so, then ouch.

"That's the plant!"

"This is the plant?"

"That's it!"

"This is it!" Ali tossed the plant at Bofur who tossed it back like they were playing hot potato for a minute.

"We gotta get back!' Bofur finally snatched the plant and gripped it close to his chest, their previous conversation wiped from both their minds. "Pig's food, he told me pig's food and I didn't listen."

"Good thing my best is normally pig food!" Ali yelled, following so close on his heels that she stepped on him several times.

"Well talk-" Bofur's cut off when something fell from the roof and landed on him.

He was thrown back so fast that he smashed into her and they both crashed through a table, Bofur landed solidly on Ali. It knocked the wind right out of her lungs and stunned her. Bofur groaned but didn't move pinning her down with all his weight. Ali gasped in short ragged breaths that were hindered by his weight. Pain began to creep into her back and head. That must be what it feels like to be in a cowboy bar fight.

Ali tried to push Bofur off herself and only managed to shift him just a little, which is just enough to see what knocked them down. An orc. Ali's heart shuttered in her chest and her breathing picked up, at this rate she might hyperventilate before it had the chance to kill them.

Luckily Bofur groaned and shifted, looking up to see their attacker advancing on them. He rolled off her chest and got up, still clutching that mash of a plant. Ali couldn't yet pull in a full breath, but she wrapped her fingers around one of the shattered table boards. Kili had to have that plant.

The orc shrieked and dove for them, Ali's courage fleeing at the sound. Both her and Bofur dove for the side and narrowly missed the incoming ax. Glancing back the orc's face was down at her level, reacting out of instinct Ali gasped and drove the board back into its face. One of the shards of wood sunk into its eye, drawing an ear splitting scream from the orc. Before she thought about it Ali shoved the plank harder into its face and jerked the wood down, snapping the shard off in its eye socket.

Both of them stumbled back, Ali clutching what was left of the wooden board, and the orc digging at the wood sticking from his face. Grasping the exposed piece, the orc ripped it from his socket dragging his eye out with a sucking noise and pop. The orc gurgled something past the rush of black oozing blood before falling face first into the table.

Ali couldn't help it. She turned and threw up into the dark water, emptying the entire contents of her stomach.

"We need ta go," Bofur urged, pulling her arm to get her to follow him. Ali nodded and while she hadn't gotten anything on her face she couldn't stop wiping her mouth with her shaking clammy hands.

"What are you doing…" Bofur had stopped them a little bit ago, but she hadn't been paying attention. She couldn't get the image of the orc pulling his eye out of her mind. It just replayed over and over.

"I'm going to save him," it was Tauriel. Standing in Bard's doorway, smashing the plant even more in her own hands. "I'm going to save him."

A flash of something blonde caught Ali's eye before it disappeared in the dark, Legolas was leaving. Where was he going?

Tauriel and Bofur rushed into the house and Ali moved to follow, and then stopped before she entered the house. There were so many people. Humans, elves, and dwarves, rushing around getting everything set up. What could she do? Nothing. Ali pulled in a breathe and stepped back from the door and fled down the steps, if she was lucky she'd be able to convince Legolas to get her to the Lonely Mountain. If.


It feels good to be back writing Ali's story!

Thanks for reading

Muah!