I do not own any of the characters or the Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC) those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reull Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.

Please review! I love getting them-they keep me encouraged! J

The next morning dawned overcast and dreary. The wind was moving briskly over the mountaintops, and the morning fire danced in every which direction as each gust threatened to extinguish the small flame.

The company began to stir, and several dwarves grumbled as they looked to the sky, pulling up their hoods. To the surprise of nearly everyone, Kili was one of the first dwarves awake, his dark hair tangled in a myriad of crazy knots and sticking out at various angles as he crawled out of the blankets, yawning heavily.

Bilbo watched as the young dwarf trudged off away from camp, rubbing his tired eyes. The hobbit's keen yet also tired eyes spotted dark circles under Kili's, and wondered if the lad had indeed really slept at all. Having been in the bedroll next to the three since the young heirs were the quietest snorers in camp (and Cirashala didn't snore at all), he had unfortunately been subject to the occasional hand or boot from the young dwarf as he had tossed and turned fitfully during the night.

The hobbit had a feeling that he knew why, but felt that he shouldn't say anything. Poor Kili was exhausted, and Bilbo did not wish for Thorin's wrath to fall on his younger nephew for befriending and comforting the young woman. Not only that, but he knew that the dwarves were rather skeptical of his own inclusion, and still didn't feel as though he really belonged among them.

A feeling that seemed to be growing more and more with each league they passed as they went further away from Rivendell.

XXX

Kili stumbled back into camp just as Nori crept over to Fili and Cirashala, a mischievous glint in his eye. The young heir glanced at his brother and Cirashala, noticing how she was flush against his brother's side. Her arms were brought up in front of her, fists under her chin as her head laid on the blond dwarf's shoulder. Fili was on his back, his right arm under his head as his left was wrapped around her shoulders protectively, both sleeping soundly. His frown deepened as he stared at the two of them, but before he could make sense of that strange feeling in his stomach, Nori passed in front of his line of vision. The lad blinked, before his eyes followed the thief to where he crept beside the sleeping Fili.

He saw Nori bend rather close to Fili's ear ever so quietly, and shook his head, saying nothing. If Nori wished to startle Fili awake and get hit, that was his business. His eye caught Dori's, who rolled his eyes and shook his head as he also bore witness to his middle brother's antics.

The copper haired dwarf smirked, before bellowing, "Wake up, lovebirds!" He jumped back quickly as Fili sat up with a yell and grabbed his swords from behind his head, the steel blade barely missing the thief as several panicked yells and a feminine scream sounded.

XXX

The young heir looked to the side with a gasp, eyes wide as he took in the trembling form of Cirashala, who was curled up on her side, hands clutching the back of her head and hiding her face.

"By Durin!" he cried, face pale as he looked at her, realizing that in his startle he had drawn his left sword as well. He set the swords down quickly, turning toward her. "Cirashala, are you all right? Please tell me you are all right!"

"I-I think so," she replied shakily, moving her arms to look up as several members of the company surrounded them, faces concerned. "I think your sword barely brushed the top of my hair, is all." Fili swallowed, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Are you sure you aren't injured, lass?" Bofur asked, and she nodded, sitting up.

"Yes," she replied, shooting Nori a glare. Thorin turned and glared at Nori as well, but before he could speak, a hand grabbed onto the thief's shoulder from behind.

XXX

Nori didn't even have time to realize what was happening before Kili's fist connected with his face. The startled dwarf fell to the ground, and Dwalin grabbed onto the furious young dwarf and held him back before he could do further damage.

"What were you thinking?!" Kili shouted at him from Dwalin's grasp. "Didn't you realize that Fili sleeps with his hand on his weapons? He could have killed her by accident!" Nori looked visibly ashamed. Kili opened his mouth to speak again, but Dwalin clasped his hand over it. The young dwarf yelled as he fought the burly dwarf, his yells muffled, his dark eyes lit with fury.

Thorin looked sharply at his younger nephew, still struggling in Dwalin's grasp.

"Kili, enough!" he shouted. Kili's movements stilled, but the glare he shot Nori very strongly resembled the glare that Thorin had given the retreating Thranduil on the day that Smaug took Erebor, making the thief avert his eyes and turn pale.

"Nori, what is the meaning of this?" Thorin growled. "Your yell and the ones you caused undoubtedly reached every orc within a ten mile radius!" Nori stood somberly, his shoulders slumped.

"My apologies, Thorin," he began, but Thorin cut him off.

"Not only that, but you would dare to even suggest that my nephew and heir would even consider a courtship with a human woman, and a widowed one at that?" Thorin's low voice was dangerous as his tone demanded a response, and the thief gulped.

"I-I didn't mean it l-like that, Thorin," he stammered, turning red in the face. "I-I was only teasing. T-they looked very s-snug cuddled up toge—" At the death glare he received from the dwarf king, the thief shut his mouth abruptly, glancing to his elder brother pleadingly. Dori shook his head, an annoyed and angry expression on his face.

"Don't expect me to get you out of this one," the elder admonished, glaring at his younger brother. "You should know to never startle a warrior awake. The lad was lucky he didn't kill her by accident, and it would have been your fault if he had."

"Please stop," a quiet voice sounded, and Cirashala approached the circle timidly. She looked between the fuming Kili and Thorin, and the morose Nori, before her gaze settled on Thorin. "I am unhurt. It was unintentional on Fili's part, and a mistake in judgment on Nori's, and I harbor no ill feelings for those." She fixed Nori with a glare.

"As to your other insinuation, however," she said, her voice low and even. "I apologize if I cuddled in my sleep. It was cold, and I can hardly be responsible for my actions when I am asleep. I can assure you that was most definitely unintentional." She swallowed, glancing at Thorin, who regarded her with a cold look, before the king turned toward the group.

"I do not want to hear any more yelling or shouting unless it is an emergency," he spoke, looking firmly at Nori. "We are in the mountains, and we never know when and if goblins or orcs will strike. Do not forget that." This last comment was directed at Nori, who nodded.

"Bombur, hurry and finish breakfast," the king ordered. "We need to get moving as quickly as possible."

XXX

Breakfast was hurried, consisting of fried potatoes and strips of bacon. The company ate quickly, and Fili noticed his brother yawning heavily, wondering why he had chosen to sit opposite the fire next to Ori instead of with him as he always did. Kili yawned a second time, and Fili began to wonder if he had even slept at all the night before. He didn't have much time to ponder it, however, because in short order they had begun to move again.

Fili watched in greater confusion as Kili strode toward the back with Bilbo, leaving himself and Cirashala towards the middle of the group. He kept glancing back at his brother, a bewildered look on his face, only for Kili to avoid his gaze. He had begun to wonder just what he had done that offended his brother so when he heard the young woman beside him speak.

"I'm sorry," she replied, not meeting his eyes. "About this morning. I-I didn't mean to." Fili sighed and looked at her.

"It's alright," he replied, shrugging. "To be honest, I thought you were Kili. He always does that when he gets cold. He is very much a cuddler." The younger dwarf suddenly chuckled a bit, and she looked at him with a bit of confusion.

"Last night, I kept wondering how my brother had gotten so small," he said, grinning. "I kept thinking he was awfully skinny. Smelled a lot better, too." She looked suddenly at the young dwarf, a warning in her narrowed eyes, and Fili quickly held up his hands in defeat.

"I am not saying you smell good," he said quickly, and her eyes widened. "I mean, I am sure that you do, but…I am only saying that my brother stinks." She raised an eyebrow at the young heir, and Bofur behind them chuckled.

"Best stop while you're behind, lad," he said, grinning. She looked sidelong at Fili for a moment, before getting a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Bofur, do you think there are any skunks in these mountains?" she asked the miner, looking over her shoulder before looking pointedly back at Fili, a challenging look in her eyes. "I might have a use for one." Fili's eyes widened.

"You wouldn't," he said, his expression slightly fearful. She raised an eyebrow again, crossing her arms in front of her.

"Then perhaps you should stop mentioning how I smell, since I really would rather not have to go find one."

XXX

Kili trudged in the back of the line next to Bilbo. He was really very tired, and his eyes kept blinking as they trudged along. The usually cheerful dwarf hadn't said a word since they had left camp, and Bilbo kept looking at him worriedly.

"Begging your pardon, Kili," the hobbit began, not sure if the young dwarf would respond. "But you seem awfully tired." Kili glanced at him quickly, before stifling another yawn, and nodded slightly.

"I'm fine," he said, shrugging. "I just…" he trailed off. Bilbo looked at him, sighing.

"Didn't sleep well?" the hobbit finished. He didn't miss the way that Kili's shoulders tensed. The young dwarf shook his head slightly.

"No," he replied quietly, not meeting Bilbo's eyes. The hobbit absentmindedly rubbed his arm where Kili had hit him the night prior, wincing slightly. Kili glanced over at him with concern.

"Are you all right, Bilbo?" he asked, eyeing the hobbit's arm. Bilbo shrugged.

"Unless your fist is made of stone, I will be fine," he replied, and Kili's eyes widened in surprise.

"I-I hit you?" he asked, confusion and guilt clouding his features, and Bilbo nodded.

"Aye, last night," he said. "I daresay you tossed and turned so much that I got dizzy just watching you." Kili's eyes widened further, and a blush spread across his cheeks in his embarrassment. His gaze fell on Bilbo's leg as the hobbit stumbled, and the young dwarf gasped at the large purple bruise on Bilbo's shin.

"D-did I kick you, too?" he asked, gesturing toward Bilbo's leg. The hobbit winced.

"You might want to consider taking your boots off at night," he replied, and Kili hung his head.

"I am sorry, Bilbo," he replied. "I-I didn't realize I was so close to you." The hobbit shook his head.

"No harm done," he said. Kili opened his mouth to argue, and Bilbo held up his hand. "It's just bruises. I daresay I have had worse as a hobbit lad." Kili sighed dejectedly, and looked forward again.

"Why didn't you sleep well?" Bilbo asked, and Kili's cheeks flushed as he avoided the hobbit's gaze.

"It's nothing," Kili said quietly, and moved ahead of the hobbit as the path narrowed a bit. Noticing the others were out of earshot, Bilbo decided to chance it, feeling that what he had witnessed the night before was bothering the young dwarf more than he had realized. He didn't realize up until now how much he missed Kili's usually cheerful personality, and how its absence seemed to make the day even darker than it had been before.

"It's about what happened last night, isn't it?" the hobbit replied, and Kili stopped so abruptly that Bilbo ran smack into him.

"H-how did…" Kili's whisper trailed off, and Bilbo could hear the tremor in his voice. The hobbit sighed.

"I saw you wipe her tears," the hobbit replied quietly. He jumped back as Kili spun on his heel with a gasp, a panicked look in his wide eyes as his face flushed a deep crimson.

"Bilbo, please," he begged, his glistening eyes filled with fear. "Please don't say anything to anyone. I-I shouldn't have done that. I-it was improper, so improper, a-and I….I don't know why I did it, but….I-I wasn't thinking…Bilbo please. Please don't say anything." The hobbit looked at him in bewilderment.

"How is that improper?" he asked, confused. "You are her friend, and you were just trying to comfort her, am I right?" Kili swallowed, nodding.

"I-I just wanted….I just wanted her to feel better," he whispered, a tear making its way down his cheek before being hastily wiped away. "But it was wrong….s-so wrong. I—" Bilbo shook his head.

"I don't understand," he said, before looking past Kili. His eyes widened.

"We had better get moving," Bilbo said quickly. "I can barely see them." Kili's eyes widened as he looked over his shoulder, before the two continued on at a quick pace. Kili was honestly very surprised they hadn't noticed that the two had lingered behind.

XXX

"How is it wrong?" Bilbo whispered next to Kili after they had caught up to the group, though still lingering just out of earshot, and the dwarf's shoulders slumped.

H-how am I going to explain this? He thought to himself. He was glad that the path had widened again and that he could walk side by side with the hobbit, so that they could whisper more quietly.

"Uh, well," the dwarf began, clearing his throat and willing his blush to go away. He ducked his head so his hair covered a decent portion of his face, being very thankful that he wasn't one to bother with braids. "Y-you remember how we told you that beards are extremely important to us that night in Bree, right?"

Bilbo nodded, remembering the conversation quite well, having asked Dori about his impressive braiding in their room at the Prancing Pony as the elder dwarf had fixed one of Ori's loose braids. Dori had explained to him about hair and beards being very sacred amongst dwarves, and that only family or loved ones were allowed to braid them.

Unfortunately for the poor hobbit, the youngest two members of the company had decided that, since Bilbo didn't have a beard, they would secretly braid the hair on his hobbit feet in the night. There had been quite a bit of amusement as the hobbit manservant for the inn had gaped at Bilbo's feet at dawn the next morning, causing the unsuspecting hobbit to glance down in horror at his intricately braided hair, complete with ribbons.

The hobbit had let out an indignant squeak, before chasing the two smirking heirs around the room, throwing any object he could reach at them as they ducked and laughed. The whole company had been howling, except for Thorin and Gandalf, who had been downstairs when complaints from the people below about the pounding and crashing emitting from the ceiling had them rushing upstairs.

They opened the door, weapons drawn and expecting an attack, to see a furious Bilbo attacking the laughing heirs with pillows in the corner while the rest of the company either laughed uproariously or yelled at them for broken belongings that had turned into projectiles. The fact that all the dwarves had ale the night before was not helping matters, since several of them were rather cranky as well.

They had been asked in no uncertain terms if they were leaving that morning, and Thorin had gotten the message loud and clear, thankful that they had indeed planned on leaving that day. Unfortunately for the two heirs, they had been assigned midnight watch every night for two weeks after that incident. And Bilbo's feet had been declared off limits, much to the hobbit's relief.

"How could I forget?" the hobbit muttered, and Kili smiled in spite of himself at the memory of Bilbo's bulging eyes and extremely high pitched squeak as he discovered his rather "feminine" feet. Yes, the two weeks of midnight watch had been miserable, but both heirs agreed the look on poor Bilbo's face had been well worth it.

"Well," he whispered, his smile fading as his anxiety returned. Bilbo looked at him, seeing the dwarf avert his eyes again.

"Y-you see….it's not just braiding. Touching another dwarf's beard is extremely….well, only done if…..you see, dwarf men aren't the only ones who have beards," the young dwarf stuttered, cheeks and ears turning bright red. Bilbo didn't say anything, and after a few minutes Kili glanced to the side, brow furrowing as he saw the look of utter bewilderment on the hobbit's face.

"Huh?" Bilbo finally asked, and Kili sighed, rubbing his hand over his face and through his hair.

"Y-your women," Kili asked, pausing. "Hobbit women don't have beards either, do they?" Bilbo looked at him for a moment, before his eyes widened comically.

"A-are you saying dwarf women have beards?" the hobbit asked loudly in his surprise, and Kili's eyes widened in slight panic as he saw the company looking back at the two of them with curiosity, neither having noticed that the company had stopped for the midday break. Bilbo's eyes followed his gaze, before ducking his head in embarrassment.

"Aye, laddie," Balin said as he approached them. "They aren't as thick as ours, mind you."

"They are finer, mostly just on the jawline," Bofur added, chuckling at the astonished look on Bilbo's face. "Some have mustaches too, though not usually as big as mine."

"Speak for yourselves," Gloin said. "My wife has a mighty handsome beard, long enough to braid."

"It still only grows on her jawline," Oin countered as he started a small fire to melt snow for their waterskins. "Even if her's is longer than many other dwarf women's."

"Why do you ask, laddie?" Balin asked Bilbo, and the hobbit could hear Kili's sharp intake of breath as his brown eyes darted to the hobbit. Bilbo shrugged, hoping it looked nonchalant enough.

"I was just telling Kili how I didn't know of any hobbits that had beards," he said. "And he said dwarf women do as well as the men." Balin chuckled.

"Aye, it is a bit different than other races," he said. "But we wouldn't trade our women for all the gold in Erebor. They are mighty precious to us, beards and all." The elder dwarf chuckled again as he made his way back to his spot to rest.

Balin sat down, before glancing around the camp. He saw Cirashala glance around too, before discreetly fingering her upper lip, brow furrowed in thought. The dwarf looked at her for a moment out of the corner of his eye, wondering. She dropped her hand swiftly as soon as someone turned her way, grasping them together in her lap as she glanced quickly around camp, a nervous expression on her face, as though she were afraid of getting caught. The old dwarf's eyes widened.

Mighty precious indeed, he thought to himself, smiling slightly.

XXX

Bilbo glanced at Kili, who shot him a grateful glance in return. The young dwarf glanced at the camp, before turning slightly so the hobbit could still see his face but not the rest of the company. He caught Bilbo's eye, and brought his hand up to wipe his eye with his thumb, before resting it on his….

Beard, Bilbo thought, eyes widening in realization. If she were a dwarf woman, her beard would be on her jaw, and he would have touched it when he wiped her eyes.

Suddenly, it all made sense. Kili's startled reaction the night before, his sleepless night, and his worry and guilt over what he had done- he had felt that he had all but touched her beard. Or would have, had she had one. And from what Bilbo had learned, it was deemed extremely improper for a dwarf to touch another's beard unless they were family, or loved ones.

He believes that he violated her, Bilbo realized, and when he saw the ashamed look in Kili's eyes, he realized that his deduction was correct. If the beards were as important as the dwarves said they were, then his action would have been akin to kissing a hobbit lass passionately without asking.

He looked at the young dwarf, whose dark eyes were shining with unshed tears. Kili blinked them back rapidly, swallowing as he looked imploringly at Bilbo, and the hobbit smiled and nodded reassuringly, hoping Kili understood what he was trying to say.

It is all right, Kili. I will not speak of it to anyone.

Bilbo glanced toward Cirashala, and back at Kili, giving him a look that the young dwarf recognized all too well, and the young dwarf nodded, looking down.

I will apologize to her, Kili thought to himself as he went to sit and rest, a bit apart from the group. He glanced at her quickly out of the corner of his eye, before looking at his hands in his lap. As soon as I can face her again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX

A response to guest reviewer Ri-chan- I hope I feel better soon too, because as of this response I am still sick L I try to respond to reviews immediately when I get them, so at the moment I haven't actually written the chapter this is going under, but thank you for the well wishes, and hopefully I will feel better by the time I actually write this chapter. I am glad you liked the last chapter, and yes it opened that door up perfectly. Gloin reiterating his love story brought back her own memories of courting and marrying her husband, which was obviously traumatizing and raw pain for her. Yet, she stayed and listened despite the pain. If you wish for further details regarding your reaction to the last paragraph, please private message me so my other readers do not get spoilers if they don't wish to receive them :D All I can say on the public viewpoint here in my author's note is that Kili is thinking the Middle-earth version of your same phrasing as well at the moment…. ;P But, in all honesty, he really has no idea what just happened either ;) I love hearing when my readers get excited at what I write :D

Thanks to all who review, favorite, and follow- you guys are fantastic! And thank you all for the well wishes regarding my awful sore throat :D Hopefully it will be better soon!