A new chapter! And a long one!

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It took a while until the company's boat had disappeared from Kili's sight, the dwarf having stared after it as long as he could until he had seen Cinna lift her head and look in his direction a few moments before the distance had become to great and all he could make out were small silhouettes in the distance.

Kili wasn't sure why he had given her the stone if he was completely honest, having reacted almost unconsciously when he had realised that they were getting separated and he wouldn't see her for an unknown amount of time. He could see how nervous she felt, even though she hadn't spoken a word to him or even glanced in his direction the whole morning. He had kept an eye on her the whole time, from the moment he'd spotted her and all he knew when he saw her sitting in that boat by herself, looking completely forlorn, was that he wanted her to have the stone.

He hadn't slept at all the night before and he had gone up to his room very late, when the festivities had been ending already, having stayed out on the porch for what must have been several hours. His thoughts had circled the fae's kiss for the entire time, and no matter how much he tried to push the incident to the back of his mind, thinking that there were more important things to concentrate on, his thoughts always circled back to the moment her lips had connected with his.

Kili didn't understand how it had come to this. Before she had kissed him, Kili had thought the notion of the two of them together utterly ridiculous, impossible even. Before she had kissed him, he had been sure that he didn't feel anything for her but friendship. Before she had kissed him, Kili had been happily oblivious of how much he actually cared for her. And then her lips had connected with his and turned his whole world suddenly upside down, leaving him confused and unsure of his own feelings. And he couldn't even be sure of hers. She had kissed him, yes, but why? What did it mean? It couldn't be because she loved him, Kili thought, it had taken her long enough to even see him as a friend. Perhaps it had been a spur of the moment kind of thing, Kili pondered, though he didn't really want it to be like that. But then again, what did he actually want? Perhaps he should have gone to her room to talk to her the night before, to get the answers he needed but he couldn't bring himself too, too confused he'd been.

Kili didn't have the answer for the questions that his thoughts raised and he didn't have any more time to think about it as Oin fussed over him and brought him back to the present, and with it to the horrible pain that was invading him.

"You need your rest, lad," the old healer spoke, worriedly looking at the dwarf's pale face and the dark circles around his eyes. Kili merely sighed quietly, moving to stand from the pillar he'd been sitting on.

But as he put his weight on his injured leg, the pain shooting up from his wound into his body suddenly became almost unbearable and Kili's sight shortly clouded with white dots as he swayed, groaning loudly in pain.

"Kili?" he heard Fili call worriedly beside him, his hands shooting out to support his brother's weight to keep him from falling over. "Kili!"

The blond dwarf shot a desperate glance toward Oin as Kili leaned heavily against his side, blinking quickly to clear his mind while Fili adjusted his position slightly to get a better grip on his brother as he pulled his arm over his shoulder. Once more Kili groaned painfully beside him, his eyes fluttering open before he clenched them shut as another wave of pain shot through him.

"He needs help!" Bofur stated with a concerned look, shocked at the brunet's state. He had seemed fine the day before, how could his health have deteriorated so quickly from such a small wound?

Oin only nodded upon the hatted dwarf's words, nodding for them to follow him as his eyes found the Master and his advisor making their way through the crowd back to the townhouse. While Oin led on, Bofur quickly stepped in to put Kili's other arm over his shoulders, helping Fili carry his brother's weight as they hurried after the old healer. They reached the two men quickly, calling after them through the dispersing crowd.

"Wait! Wait, please!"

The two Lakemen halted in their steps and turned around to them with confused expressions, though both their faces darkened slightly as they saw the dwarves approaching with their injured companion.

"Please," Fili called as they stepped in front of them, his little brother's form weighing heavily on his shoulder. "My brother is sick! We need your help!"

"Sick?!" the Master called out promptly, taking a sudden step backward as he shot the brunet dwarf a wary look, raising his hand in front of his mouth as though even breathing the same air as Kili might be contagious. Fili frowned deeply at the greasy haired man waved his other hand at them. "Is it infectious? Get back! Alfrid, don't let them come any closer!"

As Fili's face darkened, Oin stepped forward in turn, addressing the men imploringly. "Please, we need medicine to help him!"

"Do I look like an apothecary?" Alfrid snarled impatiently in reply, sending the old dwarf an irritated look while the Master took another step backward. "Haven't we given you enough, eh? The Master's a busy man; he hasn't got time to worry about sick dwarves! Be gone. Will you go on? Clear off!"

"No! Wait!" Fili called angrily as they were shoved out of the way by several guards while the two Lakemen continued quickly on their path. The dwarf shouted at their retreating forms. "You can't do this! Wait!"

But it was no use; they would not help them and simply left them there in the streets, the guards shooting them warning glances before they followed after the Master. Fili's eyes were wide with disbelief, his stomach churning with rage at their behaviour as he looked at his companions who seemed equally as shocked. How dare they treat them this way? How could they refuse to help them after the promises that had been made between them and Thorin?

"What do we do now?" Bofur asked worriedly, shooting a glance toward Kili who barely managed to keep his eyes open, his breathing heavy as he tried to fight the pain. Oin could only shake his head slightly, not knowing how to proceed. If they couldn't get the young prince any medicine, he would not stand a chance. He simply could not understand how these men could refuse to help so cruelly.

"No one will help us," the old dwarf uttered in frustration, looking around the townspeople who were retreating into their homes, doors slamming shut all around them. Oin shook his head. "These people are cowards and none dare go against the Master's will. They'll rather let us freeze on their porch."

Fili's forehead was creased with worry and anger at the same time as he listened to the healer's words. It was true, the townsfolk was under the Master's thumb and as the company had departed for the mountain and all the deals had been made, there was nothing more the dwarves had to offer them in return for their help.

"We must go and find Bard," Fili uttered then, at a loss for anything else to do. He received sceptical looks from his companions.

"Bard?" Bofur questioned, doubt clear to see on his face as he looked at the blond prince. "What good is that? He's sure to slam the door in our faces as soon as he sees us."

"Perhaps, but unless you have a better idea, he is our only hope," Fili retorted sternly, and as Bofur shook his head the blond sent a worried glance to his little brother. "Can you make it that far, Kili?"

Kili only nodded silently, the small motion even causing him pain and so the others didn't hesitate any longer, setting off and hurrying down the alleys and narrow pathways that they knew led to the bargeman's home. It didn't take them long to reach it, Oin hurrying up the few stairs that led to the front door first, closely followed by the others as Kili struggled slightly to get up.

It only took three swift and hard knocks on the bargeman's door and a few moments before Bard opened the door, a deep, disapproving frown coming onto his face as soon as he saw the small group standing there.

"No," he growled darkly before any of them even had the chance to say a word. "I've had enough of dwarves. Go away!"

Bofur barely managed to get his foot between the door, grimacing slightly as Bard tried to slam it shut. "No, no, no!" the hatted dwarf called desperately, looking up pleadingly at the Lakeman. "Please! No one will help us! Kili's sick!"

Bard's gaze moved from the hatted dwarf to find the young brunet leaning heavily against his brother's side, his hair hanging in strands over his eyes, dark circles making his skin look even paler and sickly. He was breathing heavily, and the bargeman drew his mouth askew at the obvious pain the dwarf was enduring.

"He is very sick," Bofur repeated desperately and Bard shortly glanced down at him before he looked back at the brunet dwarf who was looking at him out of tired brown eyes. The bargeman hesitated, unwilling to have any more to do with these dwarves after everything that had happened, when his mind suddenly conjured up the image of a small red-haired woman. Bard frowned and blinked slowly as he remembered the fae's innocent and honest eyes staring up at him while she had apologised on the dwarves' behalf. They were her friends, he thought with a small sigh, one of them even her supposed husband even though Bard knew that wasn't quite true. The fae cared for them, and that must count for something, the bargeman thought. He couldn't just leave them to their fate, could he?

He inclined his head slightly then, taking a step to the side to let them pass. The dwarves sent him grateful looks, thanking him as they hurried past him into the house. Bard pulled the door closed behind them with a sigh, turning and calling out to his children as the dwarves entered the house.

"Bain, help them get him on the bed!" he called and his son, though with a confused and sceptic look, did as he was told, hurrying to help lift Kili onto his father's small bed that stood in one corner of the room. "Sigrid, boil some water!"

While his eldest daughter did as she was told, his youngest took a few careful steps toward the bed where the brunet dwarf was groaning in pain at all the movement, surrounded by his friends who shot him concerned looks.

"Da, why are they back?" Tilda asked in confusion, her voice quiet as she looked up at her father. "I thought the dwarves were all leaving for the mountain."

"They were, Tilda," Bard muttered in reply, shooting a glance to the small group before he looked down at his daughter with a soft expression, trying to explain. "But one of their company, he, well –"

"His name is Kili," he was suddenly interrupted, though gently, and as he looked up he saw that the young blond dwarf had turned to face them, sending the little girl a friendly look. "My brother, he has fallen very sick. So he couldn't go."

"So you stayed here with him?" Tilda asked, looking curiously at the blond dwarf while one hand was reaching out to grab hold of her father's sleeve. Fili nodded again, smiling slightly at her.

"Aye, of course. He's my brother. I wouldn't leave him behind for anything. Tilda, is it?" he uttered gently, sending the girl a questioning look, continuing as she gave a small nod. "You have siblings of your own, Tilda. I'm sure you understand."

Again, the girl nodded, a faint smile tugging on her lips as she looked at the dwarf before her with wide eyes. Fili's blue eyes were twinkling friendly. "I'm Fili," he said kindly, bowing slightly and sending her a small wink that made her giggle quietly. "And these are Oin and Bofur."

"At your service, little one," the hatted dwarf proclaimed with a smile while he bowed together with the old healer. Again, Tilda smiled shyly and Fili smiled at her once more, his dimples showing slightly and he looked up at Bard, the bargeman giving him a small nod. It was then that Kili released another deep moan, his hand reaching up to clutch his stomach.

"Will he be all right?" Tilda asked fearfully, stretching her neck slightly to glance at the brunet dwarf.

"He's got a fever," Oin uttered worriedly as he examined the young dwarf, swiftly untying the makeshift bandage on his thigh and revealing the wound beneath. Fili stepped back up to the bed, and the dwarves' eyes widened as they saw the flesh blackened with infection. "This does not look good. Not good at all."

"Can you not do something?" Fili urged, glancing at the healer expectantly. Oin drew his mouth askew, nodding swiftly and it was at that moment that Sigrid came over with the hot water that she had boiled, handing it to the old dwarf as he reached out his hand urgently.

"First we must clean out his wound," Oin said, shooting a small glance toward Kili who was blinking up at him tiredly. "This will hurt, laddie."

"Can't be worse than it already is," Kili muttered hoarsely, sending the old dwarf a small nod. Oin merely raised one eyebrow slightly, dipping a cloth into the hot water before he pressed it into Kili's wound, beginning to clean out the wound. Kili groaned loudly as a sharp pain ripped through his leg at the healer's action, his leg twitching and kicking as he tried to get away from the cause of the pain. He clenched his eyes shut as he felt a heavy weight settle on his lower leg, no doubt one of his friends holding it down so Oin could proceed.

Oin scraped and wiped at his wound for a seeming eternity, each motion causing Kili more pain and he couldn't help the groans and grunts that escaped him. When the healer finally finished, bandaging his leg anew, Kili's eyes opened slowly, white dots clouding his sight slightly as he glanced at the old dwarf.

"Ah well… Clearly, I was wrong," he murmured with a huff, as his vision blurred and he fell unconscious.

The company rowed right up the Long Lake and passed out into the River Running, and now they could all see the Lonely Mountain towering grim and tall before them. The stream was strong and their progress slow and Cinna had spent most of the ride lost in her own thoughts. Her friends had been talking quietly around her for most of the time, excited to reach the mountain within a few days' time but the fae didn't pay them any attention.

It was only when some miles up the river they drew in to the western bank and she felt the boat connect with land, the impact sending her reeling forward slightly in her seat, that she finally looked up. She remained silent as they disembarked, taking Bombur's offered hand as the big dwarf helped her climb out of the boat, her legs slightly numb from sitting in the same position for several hours.

They swiftly packed what they had brought along from Laketown, and while the dwarves were carrying the weapons and other heavy paraphernalia, Cinna and Bilbo were assigned the packs with the food provisions. The fae shouldered her pack with a small sigh, following along after the others as Thorin led the way from the bank in direction of the mountain.

As they walked, Cinna's heart sank slightly at how empty these lands felt. There was no birdsong to be heard anywhere, no green to be seen. It was almost as though nature was completely lifeless here, the land desolate and dark. There was little grass and most of it dried and brown, and as they walked on, drawing away from the river, before long there was neither bush nor tree, and only broken and blackened stumps to speak of ones long vanished.

As the land around them grew ever more bleak and barren, Cinna eyed her surroundings warily without noticing the person who came to walk beside her.

"It wasn't always like this, you know," Balin spoke quietly, sending the fae an apologetic smile as she jumped slightly upon the sudden sound of his voice next to her. She looked at him questioningly and Balin's smile waned as he spoke. "Once these lands were green and fair. Filled with life."

Cinna inclined her head slightly, looking around once more. "I can barely imagine it," she admitted quietly. "Everything is grey and bleak. Nature seems so desperate around here and forsaken, it makes me sad. It seems almost impossible that it used to be different once."

"Oh, but it was," Balin sighed, shaking his head lightly as he followed her gaze, his mind filling with images from long ago. "In summer, wild flowers would adorn the riverbank, growing all the way from the mountain's outskirts down to the lake. The trees were so high that it was near impossible to climb them, though to be fair we dwarves are not much for climbing trees anyway."

The fae glanced at the old dwarf from the side with a faint smile at his words, reaching out her hand and shortly squeezing his shoulder comfortingly. "It must have been a wonderful place to live," she uttered gently and Balin nodded slowly, sending her a small smile as she retrieved her hand and they contented themselves to march alongside each other in silence for the remainder of the day.

And they walked on for a long time while midday turned into afternoon and afternoon gave way to evening as the sun slowly disappeared behind the mountain. Thorin didn't stop until the very last light had left the sky and the stars began to come out, the moon dipping the dark lands into a faint milky light, making them seem even greyer. Only then did they make camp for the night, and while Cinna handed her pack of provisions over to Bombur so the dwarf could prepare something for supper, Gloin quickly set up a small fire. They had made camp under an outcropping of rocks so that they stayed out of the mountains sight for the night. Though there had been no sign of any danger all day, the dwarves were still wary of the dragon that slumbered under the mountain and were taking any precautions they could.

There was no song or animated chatter that night, the enthusiasm that the dwarves had felt departing from Laketown all but vanished. They ate supper in silence, only a few quiet murmurs exchanged before Thorin assigned watch and the dwarves settled in for the night.

Cinna lay on her side for a seeming eternity, trying to fall asleep without much success. Sleep evaded her as it had the night before and instead of closing her eyes she was staring at the dark silhouette of a tree stump a few metres away. Her fingers were wrapped around the rune stone in her pocket, turning the smooth object slowly in her hand. Her thoughts were unfocused, as though they were all tangled within each other. The night was so quiet that it felt strange to Cinna; no sound penetrated the dark. There was no noise of an animal scurrying through the bushes somewhere, or the hoot of an owl, there was only the soft howl of the cold wind over their heads. Somehow, even the dwarves' snores were more quiet than usual.

The fae sighed and turned onto her other side, pulling her coat and the thin blanket she'd been provided with closer around her, her breath creating a small cloud in front of her face as she breathed out.

"Can't sleep?" a voice suddenly spoke quietly from somewhere near her and the fae glanced up abruptly at the familiar deep voice, finding Thorin's dark silhouette sitting on a small boulder nearby. The fae hesitated shortly, letting go of the rune stone in her pocket as she sat up and shook her head. Thorin inclined his head in a small nod.

"It's too quiet," the fae uttered in a whisper as she wrapped her blanket around her sitting form, looking over at the dwarf-king whose face was illuminated slightly by the dim light of the moon. Again, Thorin gave an understanding nod. "Like nothing lives here at all. Not even the smallest creature."

Thorin smiled mirthlessly, glancing at the redhead with raised eyebrows. "No, I shouldn't think anything would," he muttered. "Smaug has driven all life from here and left behind nothing but the desolation he brought."

Cinna inclined her head, her heart sinking at the dwarf's words. She could only imagine, after what he and Balin had said, how it must have been like here before Smaug came. She looked up when Thorin continued quietly, his voice carrying a bitter tone as he spoke.

"We were once a noble people, Cinna," he murmured and the fae studied his dark form thoughtfully as he spoke. It was so rare that he addressed her directly like he just had. "Not tinkers and merchants, scraping around in the dirt for a couple of coins, but dwarf lords. Erebor was thriving with life and prosperity."

He looked over at her, meeting her gaze with his icy blue eyes that seemed even paler in the dim moonlight. One corner of his mouth lifted slightly, though he did not smile. "Once we were kings."

"You still are," Cinna uttered quietly, causing the dwarf-king to huff slightly and shake his head at her, turning his gaze away. But Cinna only frowned and she addressed him quietly while her voice still conveyed how serious she was. "Just because there is no crown sitting atop your head does not make you any less kingly, Thorin. Your people were driven from their home into exile, a fate that would let many despair and crumble. And yet, you led them on, built a new home for yourselves a long way from here and never gave up hope that one day you would get the chance to come back. To reclaim your homeland."

She offered the dark-haired dwarf a faint smile as he looked at her, eyebrows drawn together slightly as he regarded her with a thoughtful gaze. "I don't know much about kings," she murmured. "But I know you are a great one, crown or no crown."

Thorin remained silent for a long moment, taking in her words as she turned her gaze away to stare out into the dark lands. She didn't know whether her words made any difference to the dwarf-king but to her they were true. It had been almost a year since she had come across the company and in the time she had spent with Thorin on this journey, she had come to know him as a true and strong leader, and though he had a bad temper and sometimes was too quick to judge, he was wise and kind at heart. He was stubborn but courageous; someone to look up to and to rely on.

"I misjudged you," Thorin finally spoke, his voice quiet and deep as it sounded over the camp and Cinna turned her head to look at him, eyebrows raised in question. Thorin sent her a small smile. "When you first joined our company – when I made you join us – I thought you would be a liability, a burden to carry on this journey."

Cinna's face fell slightly as she thought back to the very first days and weeks she'd spent with the dwarves, seemingly facing one hurdle after the other. The fighting, the scepticism, the fact that no one ever seemed to listen to her.

"I was wrong," Thorin continued slowly, his blue eyes holding her gaze. "I regret to say that I only truly realised it when you endured all that pain in Goblin Town, questioned and tortured about a quest that you knew very little of and only because the rest of us wouldn't speak. You proved yourself to be a loyal companion, Cinna. I doubt Beorn would have ever offered us his help if it hadn't been for you and perhaps if I had listened to you more, we would even have made it through Mirkwood without running into the Elves."

"It does not matter," Cinna uttered quietly, feeling oddly touched by the dwarf's words. "We are here now. On the doorstep, so to say."

"Aye, so we are," Thorin agreed, clearing his throat slightly. "I merely wanted for you to know that though I might fail to show it, I do value your presence and your help."

Cinna smiled, inclining her head at the dwarf-king. "I appreciate that," she said kindly and Thorin returned her smile faintly, the action almost lost in the dim light but Cinna saw nonetheless. He motioned toward her bedroll then.

"You should try and get some sleep now," he muttered in an almost gentle tone. "Durin's Day is tomorrow. We must leave at first light if we are to reach the mountain in time."

The fae just nodded, lying back down on the stony ground and wriggling around slightly to find a comfortable position. "Good night, Thorin," she whispered quietly, her eyes already closed so she couldn't see the dwarf-king glancing over at her, eyes thoughtful before he stood and went to wake Bifur for the second watch.

"Sleep well, Cinna," the dark-haired dwarf muttered.

Kili awoke to a strange feeling of something pressing down on his face, opening his eyes slowly to find that half his view was covered with a damp cloth that hung over his forehead. He moved slightly, though he regretted it immediately as pain shot through his body when he tried to sit up.

"Keep still," a familiar voice spoke quietly next to him upon the small groan that escaped him, a pair of hands suddenly reaching out to gently push him back down onto the mattress by his shoulders. It was a moment later that the cloth was removed from Kili's face and he could make out his big brother sitting on a chair next to the bed he was in, dunking the cloth into a small bowl of water.

"What happened?" Kili asked, his voice raspy and scratching against his throat as he looked up at Fili questioningly. The blond dwarf met his gaze slowly, a deep frown creasing his forehead as he wrung out the cloth slightly before he put it back on Kili's forehead, though he kept it from obstructing his view this time.

"You fell unconscious, that's what happened," Fili uttered, his voice slightly strained as irritation and concern flared in his eyes at the same time. He shook his head. "You should have said that you were doing worse, Kili. What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking it might go away by itself," the brunet dwarf muttered, grimacing at his big brother's slight glare. Kili sighed then, shortly staring up at the ceiling above before he brought his gaze back to Fili. "Fine. You're right. I should have mentioned it to Oin. But I didn't want to cause a great fuss when I thought it was nothing. I didn't want it to keep me from reaching the mountain, Fili. Not after everything… And now it did, anyway."

Fili only huffed quietly, shaking his head once more, as he looked at his little brother. "How could you be so stupid, Kili?" he growled incredulously. "Oin has looked at your wound. It is gravely infected and you have a bad fever. If it is not treated correctly you could die from this, Kili, do you not realise that? What value has the mountain over your life?"

Kili opened his mouth to reply but closed it again at his brother's dark gaze, tilting his head slightly to the side. He hesitated for a long moment, unsure what to say. There was no use discussing the situation any further, Kili knew, for he couldn't deny that Fili was right and that he had made a mistake keeping his state to himself. Though he had not foreseen the extent it would take. So he decided to change the subject instead, in an effort to take his brother's mind off his injury.

"I think I might need to apologise to you," the brunet muttered quietly then, causing Fili's eyebrows to rise slightly. Kili cleared his throat.

"What for?" his big brother huffed darkly. "Your infuriating stubbornness? Or your incomprehensible stupidity? Or –"

Kili rolled his eyes slightly as he interrupted his brother, sending Fili a pointed look. "I'm talking about last night," he groaned as he changed his position slightly. "Not my injury."

Fili fell silent and hesitated for a moment then, his expression growing less stern and more curious as he regarded his brother with raised eyebrows. "Oh? What about last night?"

"I wasn't entirely fair to you. The things you said," Kili answered quietly, taking a deep breath as he tried to gather his thoughts. "About… about Cinna and me. Perhaps there was some truth to them after all."

"Was there indeed?" Fili uttered, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. He sent his little brother a smug look. "Care to elaborate?"

Kili shortly pressed his lips together, trying to find the right words. "I was jealous," he admitted begrudgingly, glancing up at the ceiling as he felt Fili's gaze rest on him. "When she was dancing with that boy. I wished to be in his place, though I wasn't really ready to admit that to anyone, not to mention myself, when you brought it up."

"Tell me something I don't know," the blond dwarf muttered with a small snort, though he sobered slightly as he saw Kili's eyes grow thoughtful, his expression marred with a frown as he shook his head slightly.

"It's stupid, really," he murmured quietly, as if only to himself rather than Fili. "I shouldn't be jealous at all. She isn't even mine."

Fili sighed quietly, looking at his brother as Kili turned his gaze toward him, looking at him almost forlornly. "Only because she isn't yours does not mean you do not love her," Fili answered quietly.

"No. No, I suppose not," the brunet whispered, his thoughts whirling inside his head to the point where it was almost making him dizzy. Was he really in love with her? He thought back to the moment Cinna had kissed him the night before and how convinced he had been that he did not have any feelings for her.

"She kissed me, you know. Last night at the feast, she… We argued, somehow it always ends up in an argument… and then she kissed me," he muttered then, his voice hoarse and wondrous, as though he still couldn't quite believe that it had really happened, as he turned his gaze back to Fili who only raised his eyebrows slightly, clearing his throat.

Kili frowned at the lack of surprise on his brother's face before his eyes suddenly widened slightly. "You knew," he breathed incredulously while Fili merely gave a small shrug, averting his gaze as he scratched the back of his head. Kili's frown deepened. "How?"

"She told me," the blond dwarf admitted, tilting his head, as he looked back at his little brother. "Yelled it in my face, really."

Kili's gaze was filled with disbelief while the blond dwarf leaned forward in his chair, uncrossing his arms from his chest as he regarded the younger dwarf intently. "I meant to talk to her but she did not want to listen to a word I said. She seemed rather upset," he uttered and Kili just gave a small nod, clenching his eyes shut as another wave of pain shot through him.

"I don't even know why she did it, Fee," the brunet dwarf muttered in a quiet groan as he clutched his stomach, taking several deep breaths until the pain subsided slightly. Fili watched him in concern. "I kept saying that… I said such stupid things to her, Fili. I don't understand why she kissed me."

"Well, if I had to venture a guess," Fili answered slowly, sending Kili a pointed look, raising one eyebrow. "I would say she did it because she's in love with you."

"But that's ridiculous," Kili huffed, repeating the words he'd said to her the night before.

Fili's brows drew together as he sent his brother a questioning look. "Why do you say that?" he asked in confusion. "Does it really seem so unlikely to you that she might have feelings for you?"

"Yes," Kili murmured with conviction, turning his gaze away to escape his brother's intent stare. He shook his head slightly. "I mean, how could she? Why should she? No one… Back home none of the dwarrowdams would even look my way twice."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Fili frowned, trying to catch Kili's gaze but the brunet was staring stubbornly at the ceiling above. Fili sighed quietly, knowing very well that his little brother had often been the subject of cruel jokes and ridicule from the dwarven women in the Blue Mountains when he was younger because of his lack of beard, his lean figure and his love for things that weren't inherently dwarfish. Fili had just never thought that Kili had taken their words so much to heart.

The blond dwarf shook his head. "Those girls were stupid and mean, Kili, their words never held any truth. And Cinna does not care about such things, anyway. In fact, I remember when I mentioned it to her, she called them a bunch of babbling idiots herself."

Kili smiled faintly, glancing up at his big brother with raised eyebrows. "She did?" he asked quietly and Fili just nodded in return, remembering when he had explained the touchy topic of hair to her at Beorn's house.

"Aye," he said. "Kili, all these reasons you have for not being with her, for thinking she would not feel the same as you, are purely in your head. I am sure if you were to talk to her, to admit to your feelings, you would stand to gain a lot more than you are afraid to lose."

"Whenever did you become so knowledgeable, eh?" Kili grunted slightly, though he was considering his brother's words. Fili was right, all the reasons he had made up to convince himself that he and Cinna could be nothing more than friends stemmed from his own insecurities. He looked up at Fili, frowning slightly. "I don't understand why you are being so insistent, Fili. Even if she were to feel the same, a faerie is not exactly what people have in mind when they think of a match for a prince of Durin."

"Ah, so what if they don't?" Fili huffed, rolling his eyes slightly. "It does not matter what they think, not when it comes to love. No one can tell you who is the right match for you, only your heart knows for certain. Our father was a miner and our mother a princess of Durin; that wasn't considered a fitting match either. Did that do anything to keep them from each other?"

"It's hardly the same, Fili, father was still a dwarf and not a woodland faerie," Kili retorted with a sigh, sinking further into the pillows that supported his head. All this talk and the thoughts that it provoked were making him rather tired.

Fili couldn't help but smile at his brother's words. He inclined his head. "Be that as it may," he uttered. "I am merely trying to make a point."

"I know and it is well taken, brother," Kili muttered, wincing slightly as he adjusted his position a little bit. Fili watched him with silent concern, seeing how tired his little brother looked. "I just… I'll need to think about it."

"Well don't think too hard," the blond dwarf uttered. "I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself. You know, any further."

Kili just rolled his eyes in return while his brother sent him a slight smirk before his expression turned more serious again and he put one hand on Kili's shoulder. "You should get some sleep," he murmured and the brunet just nodded, unable to deny how exhausted he felt. "You need your rest. Hopefully, come morning your fever will have gone down and we'll make straight for the mountain."

As Kili closed his eyes and sank further into the mattress, falling asleep almost instantly, Fili watched his little brother with a slight frown on his face, releasing a deep sigh before he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, as well. While Fili knew that he needed to get some rest himself, he did not want to leave Kili's side for even a minute.