~~ Elena ~~

"Could you pass me the butter?"

Elena reached for the plate, then sat back in silent resignation as another hand reached the plate first, pushing it down towards the dwarf who'd asked for it. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes - again - before raising her eyes to meet Fíli's gaze across the table, her exasperated brown eyes matching with his far too amused blue ones.

"I wasn't even going to use my left arm!" she protested. "It's currently in a sling, my right arm is fine, and it barely uses any muscles to push a small plate down the table."

The prince just shrugged infuriatingly. "You're supposed to rest, and if you're not willing to do that, I'll make sure you do." His eyes darkened. "Your wound was healing incredibly fast for something you received only this morning, and the actions of one idiot may have set it all back." His hand clenched into a fist around the knife he was holding to cut the meat on his plate. "And not only that, he could have caused even more damage."

"Yeah..." Elena dropped her gaze, suddenly feeling glad she hadn't told him about the bruises she'd discovered on her arm when Óin and her sister had 'kidnapped' her to take a look at her arm while they waited for the feast to be prepared. There were already dark bruises forming, roughly in the shape of a man's hand, and all centered directly around the cut on her arm. Óin had nearly had a conniption when he'd found out, and Celia had muttered something involving a process that sounded incredibly painful.

She'd barely managed to keep them from marching out and telling everyone what the guard had done, let alone from telling Fíli, and she'd only just persuaded them by reminding them of their need to reach the mountain soon - and preferably without a murder charge hanging over their heads. And by this point, she honestly wasn't sure who it would belong to.

Maybe her sister, who had the guard flinching every time he looked her way - something that made her proud, if she was being honest. Or Bilbo, who'd looked murderous just from seeing the tears on her face, and had managed to hide in the crowd and deliver what sounded like an incredibly painful kick with his powerful hobbit feet (He'd been shaking his feet for a good half hour afterwards). The blow had been attributed to a rock kicked up by everyone running around, but the guard was now somehow limping on both feet, and his face crinkled in pain every time he moved. She couldn't find it in herself to feel sorry for him.

There was a chance it could be Thorin, though she doubted he would do anything physical - it seemed beneath his dignity to interfere in a situation where he was not in a position of power to do anything about it - but the mere force of his icy glare seemed strong enough to kill. And a large portion of it was directed at the man quivering in the corner.

Or, you know, maybe it would be her, guilty of murdering all her friends and family if they didn't stop hovering. It was coming from a good place, but she was more than capable of moving a butter dish, thank you very much. She shifted her glare from the table to Fíli when she heard the blond sniggering, looking like he knew exactly what she was thinking.

"Come on, Elena," he said, leaning forward and lowering his voice, as if it was needed amongst the rowdy crowd that surrounded them. "You can hardly say that you're surprised. Dwarves are incredibly protective of their females, even more so of their friends and family, you have an overprotective sister and adopted uncle, and you have a knack for getting into insane amounts of trouble without even trying. Or, what's worse, you do try, and it's all for an excellent reason, so we can't even yell at you for being foolish without feeling like we shouldn't be."

He glanced pointedly at her arm, where it was being held snugly against her chest by a sling. Óin had deemed it necessary to give her arm a chance to heal more thoroughly, before reapplying the paste and bandaging it once more. He'd also muttered comments about the blindness of the race of Men before adjusting the sling so that it held comfortably, and sent her off with a stern warning to not get into any more trouble. Fíli had immediately attached himself to her, just like he had been before Óin had carted her off.

She gave in to the temptation this time, and rolled her eyes. "I don't mind having you guys be protective for the most part. It's actually kind of nice, in a place like this," she admitted sheepishly, her eyes finding Alfrid, who was currently pandering to the Master of Lake-town, neither of whom she wanted to notice her. "There are a few people I'd rather not... be alone in a room with, and it's good to know that you have my back. And like you said, no, I'm not surprised. It's hardly the first time you guys have gotten all overprotective on me. Or Celia. And even Bilbo, sometimes."

Fíli smirked. "We dwarves can be hard to win over at times," he admitted without a hint of shame. "But once we're friends, we'd take an axe for you. Bilbo managed to win over the whole Company without even trying. Especially Uncle - not many people are willing to talk to him, without caring a bit about his position, and what could be gained from it. He values the friendship Bilbo gives him. But from our point of view, we now have three people we care about who are less able to defend themselves than us, are physically weaker, and have a terrifying ability to get themselves into trouble."

Elena scoffed, using her free hand to grab a bun from her plate before biting into it, savoring the taste of fresh food after the long day before returning her attention to her friend. "We're not that bad, we're just on a dangerous quest, where dangerous things can happen. It's not our fault that they happened."

Fíli raised a disbelieving eyebrow at her, counting on his fingers the points as he enumerated them to her. "You get sucked into another world, where you're found lying unconscious on the ground, the man entrusted with your care burns down your house for the money, you come back to our world and are found unconscious again, by your uncle, who was orphaned by wolves, might I add, and that all happened before we even met." He paused. "Shall I continue?"

"I'm listening," Elena said mockingly, draining the water from her glass and flinching at the taste - the sanitation process in this town left something to be desired, which was not something she wanted to think about -before placing it back down and resting her chin in her hand, gazing at him with wide, brown eyes. "Please continue, this is riveting."

"I'm sure," Fíli huffed, using his other hand to mark his points this time. "Then your uncle got captured by trolls -"

"Because you and Kíli told him to get the ponies back, no doubt, and everyone else got captured by the trolls as well - except us, if I recall correctly," Elena interrupted dryly.

He threw her an offended look before continuing. "Then you and your uncle fell down a cliff and nearly died -"

"We all nearly died that day, don't just count me and Bilbo."

"Then you and your sister fell into an enchanted stream - "

"Because Celia was trying to save Bombur from falling in, and you almost fell in as well."

"Then got separated from each other, and you got bitten by a venomous spider -"

"So did everyone else -"

"And you somehow managed to befriend the Elvenking, while we're imprisoned in his dungeons, before getting shot after deliberately placing yourself in the line of fire!" Fíli ranted, sounding more and more upset as he counted off the various ways she'd gotten hurt.

Elena twisted her lips into a frown, feeling like there was another layer to what he was saying. "I didn't deliberately place myself into the line of fire, I was trying to open the gate so we could escape," she pointed out, trying to keep her voice calm. "And all of those things were things that no one could have foreseen, least of all us. They were accidents, and while yes, we could have died, we didn't - we're all still here, and alive."

Fíli shook his head, glowering at the table with a fierceness that only highlighted his similarities to his uncle as his fingers tightened around his mug. "All those times, you could have died, Elena, you're missing the point!" he exclaimed in frustration, not even noticing that his knuckles were almost white, he was holding on so tightly.

"And now, we finally arrive, and we're so close, and then that guard came along, and he hurt you while you were incapacitated! Deliberately! And I had to watch as he made you cry, the pain was so bad. I've never seen you cry before, and I couldn't even do anything about it. Now we're going on to face a dragon, and you can't even use your arm!"

Ah. He seemed more angry at himself than at her. She knew what this was now, and how to deal with it. Hopefully. She slipped off the bench and around the table until she was next to him, sliding onto the empty space as he watched her with a confused expression. Taking his left hand with her right, she raised it to her neck.

"What - what are you doing?" he stammered, looking thoroughly confused, and fairly embarrassed, trying to pull his hand back, but giving in when she resisted.

She didn't answer at first, instead bringing his hand to the front of her neck, under her jaw. "Can you feel it? That's my pulse. It means my heart's beating. It means I'm still alive." She released his hand, and it fell from her neck as he watched her with a blank face, waiting for her to get to the point of her message as she gestured at the others in the large room filled with celebrating people. "We're all still alive, Fíli. You're not looking at it the right way. Yes, we've gone through our fair share of hardships to get here, but we've all survived. Every single one of us."

She gently pried his fingers from the mug, half surprised it hadn't broken by now. "It's not a case of 'we should have died, or came close to dying', it's a case of 'we lived!' All of these adventures that we've gone through, we've all survived. Every last one of us. I'd say that that's a pretty good indication that we're going to be all right. I mean, can you be better protected by worrying? By locking us all up in a room forever? By forever blaming yourself for things that aren't your fault?" she asked with a purposeful nudge to his shoulder. "That's no way to live life."

Fíli shook his head. "Ever the optimist, Elena."

"Not really. I'm more of a realist. Just ask Celia - she calls me a pessimist," she retorted, smiling hopefully up at him. "But when my friends start blaming themselves for things that they're not responsible for, and start being all gloomy and sad, I do tend to try and remind them of the good things in life. Or, you know, that things aren't all that bad as they seem. But I get where you're coming from, I really do."

Fíli quirked an eyebrow, seeming - not necessarily happier, but lighter, at least, than he had before. "Really?"

She smirked. "Yep. Actually, it was a bit ironic. I was asleep earlier, back at Bard's, and woke up slightly at one point. Celia was actually having a bit of a panic attack about what was coming, and before I could do anything, your brother came in and handled it beautifully. It was so adorable. Wish I could have been awake enough to pay attention to how they were sitting, I could have used the chance to draw a cute picture of them both."

Fíli nodded. "Yes, I remember coming in and seeing them hugging." He narrowed his eyes at her. "I also seem to remember someone hitting me with a pillow when I tried to wake them up. As it turns out, it seems they were already awake."

Elena shrugged shamelessly. "I was still half asleep, like I said. And I didn't want to get up. Getting up meant leaving the warm bed and probably going outside, into the cold, wet air."

He clucked his tongue and shook his head at her. "That's just inexcusable, Elena. Before, I might have been willing to let it go. But now that I know you were acting with sound mind - well, as sound as it gets for you -" he dodged her elbow with a laugh. "There will be repercussions. Repercussions, Elena!"

He tried to sound threatening, but it was ruined by the soft look in his eyes as he poked her in the side, although they gained a worrying gleam when she shrieked and shied away. "What's this - are you ticklish, Elena?" He tried to poke her again, and was met with her hand trying desperately to slap him away. "How have I not figured this out before now?"

She'd just drawn breath to declare that she was absolutely, definitely not ticklish, and that was the reason why he'd never figured it out before, when she was interrupted by a voice that sounded similar to hers, but much colder, cutting through the din in the room.

"Don't. Don't even finish that sentence," Celia bit out from her position at the table a short distance away from the Master, her face a combination of enraged and mortified. She held up a hand in the air to stop him, clearly trying to remain calm and dignified. "Please. Just... don't."

Elena glanced at Fíli, noticing the way Kíli - who sat beside her sister - had the same mixture of embarrassment and indignance in his expression, while the other dwarves around them looked to be alternately uncomfortable or displeased with whatever had been said. Bilbo seemed about ready to burst, his face was so red, and he glared at the Master as if contemplating waltzing up there and kicking him as well. Fíli looked just as lost as she was, but then nodded to Thorin, who was about to speak.

"Lady Elena and Lady Celia are both nobility from Erebor," the dwarf leader announced in a low voice that radiated displeasure. "They are highly trained, and are traveling with us for the purpose of helping us with our mission. As such, they are to be accorded the highest respect for both their status, and their abilities."

"Ah, well, I assure you, I meant no offence!" the Master blustered, his chubby cheeks jiggling as he talked, Alfrid nodding along like a bobble-head beside him. "I merely wished to ensure that you were all being taken care of properly."

"I believe we're all doing fine, thank you very much," Celia said coldly, her voice hard enough to cut ice. "Your concern is gratifying." She inclined her head slightly in a gesture of faint - very faint - respect for his position before slipping away from the table, Kíli quickly following her. The buzz of conversation, which had hushed when it seemed that there was a confrontation going on, rose back to normal levels quickly, and someone started a drinking song - possibly led by Bofur.

Elena exchanged a quick glance with Fíli before they wordlessly agreed to go after their clearly upset siblings. Leaving their dishes on the table, they quickly got up and hurried out of the room. Outside, the snow was still gently falling, although it seemed to melt before hitting the ground, and the air held a mild chill to it that made Elena glad she still had her coat, as she wrapped it around herself awkwardly, unable to place it on her arm over her sling. Fíli helped her before adjusting his own coat, and then they set off to find their missing siblings.

They were a short distance away, and Celia didn't seem to be feeling the cold at all as she paced back and forth across the ground, ranting and waving her arms wildly in the air. Kíli stood off to the side, his expression watchful and his posture tense as he waited, arms crossed and offering input from time to time. His head snapped towards them as he heard them approaching, his hand falling to his dagger, but then he relaxed as he saw it was them.

Celia didn't even seem to realize they were there at first, still complaining about the Master, and how presumptive he was, and how dare he, what kind of person did that, and so forth. "I didn't even hear," Elena murmured, stepping up next to Kíli. "What'd he say that got her so mad?"

Kíli's face flushed again. "It wasn't so much what he said, as it was what he implied," he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Either way, it was not appreciated - by any of us, and we came out here to cool off. Well, her to cool off and rant, me to cool off and make sure she stays all right."

Elena raised her eyebrows in surprise. "What, were you afraid she was going to fall in the water, or something?"

Kíli grimaced. "Or something."

Elena blinked, trying to understand. "But, Lake-town's happy we're here - it means we'll be getting them rich, and even if we're liars, we'll be gone tomorrow, and out of their hair. Why would they want to hurt any of us?"

Kíli squinted at her, trying to see if she was serious. When he'd determined that she was, he scoffed and shook his head, gesturing at her arm as if it were obvious. "Right. Who here would be willing to hurt an unarmed and injured dwarf girl while she pleads for them to stop? I can think of at least one right off the bat," he scowled.

Elena drew back a little in shock before her mouth dropped open as she understood. "Where's the happy dwarf who helped my sister earlier today, and reminded her to be positive?"

"He became a bit more cynical after seeing his friend be hurt for no reason," came the bitter reply. "It's good to be optimistic, but it's also wise to plan for the worst." He glanced around the area as a particularly loud yell came from the Master's mansion, where everyone had been eating. "Especially in an area where it's been clearly demonstrated how fast the public opinion can change."

Elena slung her arm around Kíli's shoulder as she watched her sister continue to rant. At this point, she didn't really need someone to talk to - just someone to talk at, who could listen to her and let it all out.

"I'm okay, though, Kíli, and so's Celia," she reminded him. "It was unpleasant, sure, but there're people like that everywhere. We can't let it ruin our day. I'm fine, Celia's fine, we're all going to be fine."

~~ Early the next morning ~~

"This is not fine, how is this anywhere near being fine?" Celia all but shrieked as she swung on her sister. "How are you okay with this?"

"It's all right, Cel, I actually think it might be for the best," Elena said placatingly, trying to calm her sister.

"For the best?" Celia repeated incredulously, her voice rising shrilly. "For the best? How is leaving you alone here in Lake-town while we go off to face the dragon anywhere near 'for the best?'"

A/N: Oops? Also, I've only implied what the Master said, but I'll leave it up to your imaginations. Suffice to say that it was insulting. To the extreme.

I apologize for the shortness of this chapter, but work, family, and a severe cold that's left me wiped has, well, wiped me out, and seems to have knocked the creativity clean out of my brain (And the knock to the head I gave myself didn't help matters, either). Thankfully, I've already started to get better, and hopefully should be back up to full speed by next week - where things should start picking up. There's a bit of business involving a dragon that should hopefully prove interesting. :)

I hope you all had a great Easter!

Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to Outofthisworldgal, Lady Silverstar2, and E for reviewing!

Outofthisworldgal: Hahaha, yeah, that guard will regret his deeds before the dwarves leave... And Thorin definitely has jerk issues. Unfortunately, they're only going to get worse for the time being. :/ Bard definitely did not have things going well for him so far, but things should be turning around soon(er or later). Yep. The Master sucks. And I'm pretty sure that Lake-town was built by the survivors of Dale, but I'm not 100% sure about that... :/ Thanks for reviewing! :)

Lady Silverstar2: Yep! Kíli's a cinnamon roll. :D I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed the last chapter, and hopefully you enjoyed this one too (even though it was written when I'm half out of it). Next week's chapter should be both longer and better. Hopefully. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you enjoyed! :)

E: Yep. I figured it was past time for one of them to start worrying at least a little bit about it. And Kíli is quite proud of himself. ;D And yep. The Master sucks. Everyone hates him, but, as the saying goes, needs must. No Bard this chapter, but he should be up there soon. Thanks for reviewing (It's always really motivating to see your reviews as I go to write each chapter) and I hope you enjoyed! :)

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)

General Disclaimer: I don't own the Hobbit, just Elena and Celia.