A/N: I know, I know. Another long wait. Unfortunately, between the lack of time and the lack of inspiration, this was a real bitch to get out. Hopefully I'll be able to keep hold of this sudden burst of creative juices and manage to get to the end of this story without any more massive time gaps (we're in the final stretch, people...!) Until then, I hope you enjoy this chapter...!

Big thanks to the following people for following/favouriting: LadyWriter15, AviorHyrax, StoryBeta, PhoenixUniverse, The Sheeva, Rilaina, and NerdyWitch...!

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'My silence is not a sign that I gave up... It's only the beginning of my revenge.' ~ Ma. Inee Altea

Chapter 55:

"You shouldn't be here, Thorin. Your wound-"

"Shush, atamanel," he interrupted, his voice carrying as little bite as hers had. Alana was exhausted, having been sleeping poorly in recent days and feeling emotionally wrecked in the wake of everything that had happened in the last two weeks. "Oin gave me permission to be here. Do you really think I'd be able to escape the Healing Hall if he hadn't?"

Alana shook her head slowly. "No, I suppose not."

Thorin tried not to be disappointed that his feeble attempt at humour hadn't brought even the smallest twitch of her lips. He stepped forward, ignoring the twinge of the gash on his chest. He was in more pain than he let on, but there were more important things to worry about. Alana's hands were cold to the touch when he slid his fingers between hers. "I am sorry I was not here sooner, my love. I am sorry you had to deal with this alone."

"But I haven't been alone. And I... I was not the only one who lost her."

Thorin's brows furrowed further. "How has he been? I know Kili and Makaylen were... close."

Alana sighed, playing with his fingers and avoiding his gaze. "Not good. Not at all. He barely leaves his room during the day, and he doesn't let anyone in there except Fili. And Fee, he... He's been doing what he can but, um... Kili's been lashing out. A lot. Seems his grief has manifested itself in the form of rage. He wants revenge as much as I do. Maybe more..." She paused, biting her lip and then hesitantly meeting his gaze. "Tamalyn?"

"Came back into the Healing Hall for the first time this morning. She doesn't look good, but... she's coping, I suppose. As much as anyone who has lost a daughter could." He blew out a long breath, pulling her gently by the hands towards their couch. Alana all but collapsed into her seat, the weight of everything clearly bothering her greatly. "Any luck with the bandits?"

"Well, beyond what we got in the early stages, no," she grumbled, rubbing her forehead. "Guknar and Elbria are stubborn, to say the least. Either that or they really don't know the location of their second safehouse." She huffed, shaking her head. "Do you think we can do this, Thorin? Do you think we can find this place?"

"I think we don't have a choice."

Sighing, Alana leaned back into the cushion, hands rising to cradle her swollen belly. "You know, I really wish I was out there right now. Helping with the search. Tracking. Hunting. Instead, I'm stuck in here feeling useless, and we're not making any headway." Her voice quietened. "What I wouldn't give for a handful of Rangers right now..."

"We'll just have to make do with what we have."

"What we have is not working," she snapped in return. At once her anger vanished, seeing the expression on Thorin's face. "I'm sorry, Thorin, I just..."

"You're tired," he finished softly. "I understand, Alana. Truly. But this will go as fast as it will go, and right now we can't do anything to speed it up. Our only two options are getting the exact location out of one of the two down in the dungeons, or finding this hideout ourselves. And when we do, we will make sure there is nothing left that could be a threat to us. But in the meantime, we have no choice but to be patient."

Alana had to bite back her retort. She knew Thorin was just trying to help, to keep her calm and to settle her nerves, but... she was itching to go out there. To join the hunt. To get revenge. Ten months into her pregnancy, she knew it was no more than a far-fetched dream, but the desire remained. Certainly, it would be better than her current state of perpetual frustration and bone-deep exhaustion.

"My Queen!" a familiar voice cried from the other side of the door, accompanied by the sound of hurried feet. "My Queen!" Nyr burst through the doors, taking a second to look surprised by Thorin's presence in the room, before letting his face become serious again. "They... They've escaped. Guknar and Elbria. They're gone."

"What?!" The two cried in unison, horror and fury on their faces in equal measure.

"How did that happen?" Thorin demanded.

Nyr swallowed thickly. "We... believe it was an inside job, my Lord."

"Explain."

Nyr hesitated, his eyes flicking between the two of them. His eyes met Alana's, and for a second his frame softened. The two had become excellent friends - over the past two weeks they'd spent most hours of the day in each other's company, so it was all but inevitable - and Nyr knew he could get away with dropping the formalities around her, and he knew that Thorin wouldn't care.

But in doing so, he immediately set her on edge. Alana knew at once that she wouldn't like what he was about to say.

"The doors are undamaged, and there's no sign of anyone picking the locks, so we must assume the key was used. They left through the rear of the dungeons - the guards never saw them leave, and never reported anyone being there that shouldn't."

"So whoever helped them either was allowed to be there... or knows the ins and outs of the city well enough to be aware that there are two ways out of the dungeons," Thorin mused, frowning. "But the doorway out the back is hidden; invisible to all but those who know it is there. And that number is few..."

"That's not all, my Lord..." The hesitation was back, that flickering reluctance in Nyr's eyes.

Alana stepped forward, her fingers gripping Thorin's tighter now as a bolt of anxiety shot through her. "What is it, Nyr?"

"When the guards first found out about the escape, they came to me, of course. But this wasn't the first place I looked for you - I looked in the council hall first. I found Balin and Dwalin and the Lady Dís in there..." He grimaced, inhaled sharply, and then told them, "Fili and Kili are missing. And they have been since around the same time we think the prisoners got away."

Thorin frowned. "They would certainly know about the dungeons' rear exit..."

Alana blanched, whirling on him. "Thorin, surely you don't think-?"

"That this is just the sort of harebrained, recklessly stupid thing that they would do in desperation? Yes, I do, as a matter of fact."

"Desperation?" she echoed, at once baffled and horrified at the thought that Fili and Kili, of all people, would do this. "Thorin, these people are criminals. They killed Kayla. Why in Mahal's name would they free them?! Especially since Kili is more likely to rip their heads off than let them go free."

"But Fili is much more level-headed than his brother." Thorin sighed, running his hands down his face. "Come, we must find the others. I'll explain my theory once everyone is gathered." He looked at Nyr. "Bring the rest of the company to the council hall. And also send a raven to the elf Baralinor, in Dale. We will be wanting his help at once, and will need him here. Make sure to express the urgency of the matter."

Nyr bowed. "Of course, my Lord." Then he disappeared out of the room at a run, Alana and Thorin following behind at a hurried walking pace.

Alana moved with a deep frown on her face, one hand helping to support the heavy weight of her pregnant belly. "Thorin, please, tell me what's going on."

"I think Fili and Kili set them free to trick them. One of them pretended to be a friend, let them loose... and then once they were free of the mountain, the two could track them back to this hideout of theirs. I'm sure Guknar and Elbria's first move would be to warn their allies of what happened. They'd be leading Fili and Kili right to them."

"Right into the belly of the beast..." Alana murmured, shaking her head. "And do you think they'd be sensible and reasonable enough to turn back and inform us, once they found that place? Or would they do what you and Dwalin did and just charge in?"

By the expression on Thorin's face, he knew she still hadn't forgiven him for pulling that particular stunt. He didn't comment. "It's difficult to say. If they really are involved in all this, then so far Kili has shown great restraint in not doing what you said and killing the monsters. Perhaps that will continue. With luck, Fili will be able to keep his brother going over the edge."

"And if he can't?"

Thorin glanced over her, his expression grim and dark. He didn't say anything, but he didn't need to. Alana heard his unspoken words as if they'd been shouted.

Then they will most likely die.

Alana couldn't bear the thought. Every horrible thing that had happened in the last few months flickered in front of her eyes, filling her gut with dread. Almost losing their child. The confirmation of Sauron's return. Thorin's injury. Makaylen's death... And now this. Alana was sure that, so soon after the demise of one of her best friends, losing her nephews would mean the end of her. She didn't know if her heart could take any more pain without fracturing into pieces.

"How long ago do we think this happened?"

Dís' countenance was the epitome of forced calm. Her question spoken with a measured voice, but all present knew that just beneath the surface she was fuming. Her eyes blazed with a silent inferno.

"Early this morning. Say, six or seven hours ago. Just as the early risers were waking."

"And we are sure that they have left the mountain?"

"The guard at the gate confirmed seeing two people matching Guknar and Elbria's descriptions leaving, aye. They headed east. On foot."

"And Fili and Kili?"

Nyr sighed, shaking his head. "No one has seen hair or hide of them. If they left, they didn't leave via the main gate."

"There are several passages that would allow them to leave the mountain undetected," Thorin said, brows furrowed deeply and his eyes intense. Alana knew he wanted dearly to skip this part and get straight to following his, as he said, 'harebrained' nephews. But they needed a contingency plan in case things went awry.

"I thought there was only the secret door we came through during the quest to reclaim the mountain," Bofur piped up, frowning. "You're telling me there's more?"

Thorin glanced at him briefly. "There are eight secret doors and passageways dotted around the kingdom. Seven of them allow people out, but not back in. The eighth - the one we used - allows people in and not out." Bofur nodded in understanding.

"Obviously we need to follow Fili and Kili and hope we reach them before they reach the hideout," Dwalin cut in, his expression dour. "But there will be dozens of sets of prints out by the gate. How are we going to determine which ones are the ones we want?"

"We know Elbria and Guknar headed east," Thorin pointed out. "And we can be fairly sure that somewhere along the line, Fili and Kili started trailing them. So we want a trail that starts with two sets of prints, and then quickly becomes four."

"But still, the time it would take to find them... I'm not sure we can afford to lose it."

Thorin nodded. "Which is why I sent word for Baralinor. With luck, his elven eyesight will allow him to find the tracks much quicker." He straightened. "In the meantime, we should all prepare to leave. Pack enough to last several days. We don't know how far this hideout is from here - so be prepared for a long journey, just in case."

The group nodded, and immediately went to do as instructed, filing out one by one.

Thorin froze after a second, narrowing his eyes. "Dís..."

The princess paused, shooting her brother a sharp glare. "Don't you dare tell me to stay here, Thorin Oakenshield."

"You haven't fought in years, Dís. Where we're going-"

"Those boys are my sons. I don't care what dangers we'll be facing, I'm going." She scowled at him, then nodded in satisfaction when Thorin didn't argue again, probably recognising this to be a lost cause. She left with the door snapping shut behind her.

Alana glanced over at Thorin, the two of them the last in the room. "You're going with them, aren't you?"

Thorin exhaled, clearly bracing himself for a fight, before nodding. "I could very well have been the one to start this mess. I'm not letting them get caught in the crossfire."

"And I will be staying here."

"You're ten months pregnant, atamanel."

"And you are still healing." Thorin said nothing, his eyes bright and determined and saying everything he could have possibly said next. Alana was silent for a long time, eyeing him closely. Then she released a forceful huff. "If you die out there, I will kill you."

A startled laugh escaped his lips, and his relief was enough to take away some of the heaviness in his eyes. He looked up at her, softening at the expression of veiled sorrow and worry on her face. "I'm going in with plenty of help this time," he reminded her softly. "I'll be okay. We all will."

She nodded slowly. "I know. I just wish I could help."

Thorin tilted his head to the side. "Well, I know it isn't much, but you could help us identify their tracks. Another pair of skilled eyes wouldn't go amiss."

The grin that spread across her face made Thorin's heart do a funny kind of leap. He hadn't seen her look like this in what felt like forever, and it gladdened him more than words could express to witness it now. Hope was beginning to return to her. Hope that soon, this would all be over; the worry and the danger.

With luck, within the next few days the threat would be eradicated, and they'd have justice for Makaylen's death. And then they could go back to the way things should be: Happy. Easy. They could look forward to the birth of their child without this heavy weight hanging over them.

"Come on," Alana said softly, breaking Thorin from his musings. "I'll help you pack."

Baralinor arrived on the back of a handsome piebald horse just as the ragtag group were saddling up ponies for the journey. They had no idea how long their trek into the wild would be, but they knew they needed speed on their side if they were to catch up with the two Princes, and so they had opted to ride instead of walk.

Alana moved away from the rest of the group to greet Baralinor and explain the situation to him. His frown only deepened the longer she spoke.

"What do you need me to do?" he asked at last, holding onto his horses reins with a firm grip, said animal huffing as it tried to catch its breath from the hurried pace its rider had demanded of it.

"Our job is finding their prints," Alana told him. "You and I have the keenest eyes of everyone here. We need to find a set of two tracks heading east that later becomes four. With luck, it won't take too long."

Baralinor nodded, and got to work without another word, eyes turned to the dirt beneath his feet.

Alana glanced over towards the others, noting that the last of them had finally arrived and were saddling up their ponies. They would be ready to go as soon as she or Baralinor gave the call that Guknar and Elbria's tracks had been found.

Just as Alana was about to turn her eyes to the ground, Dís raised her head and met her gaze. Even from twenty metres away, Alana could read every ounce of fear and worry on her sister's face, and knew that what she saw was only a fraction of the true depth of emotion the dam was feeling. And so with a steely expression she joined Baralinor in the hunt for the footprints.

There were dozens of track paths leading away from the entrance to the mountain, though - to their advantage - most headed west towards Dale. A few headed south, and a few more went vaguely east. Alana followed at least five sets of tracks, most of them with two or more different prints, but after following each for several metres her gut told her none of them were the ones they were looking for.

She searched for several minutes before she heard a shout.

"Here, my Lady!"

Her head whipped up, and she found Baralinor gesturing to her. He was stood almost right next to the wall of the mountain, his eyes on the ground. She joined him, letting her own gaze flicker over his discovery. So far it looked very promising. Two sets of prints, where one dug into the ground much more heavily than the other. The lighter set of prints seemed to have been made by a more delicate set of footwear - a good indication that they could be Elbria's.

"Any sign of Fili and Kili's prints further down the road?" she asked him, her eyes following the tracks towards the east.

Baralinor nodded. "Yes, just short of a half-mile away. I'm certain these are the ones we seek."

A flicker of tentative joy lit in Alana's chest. "Good. Thank you for your help, mellon nín. I will go and tell the others."

Thorin was waiting for her, already seated on top of his pony with a stern expression on his face. Like Dís, Thorin was doing well to hide the fear he felt, but his mask was as imperfect as hers had been. There was a tightness to the corners of his eyes that Alana hadn't seen for a while. Fili and Kili would always hold a special place in his heart, and their absence was clearly bothering him more than he wanted to admit out loud. Alana could relate to that.

She accepted that she couldn't go with them, that she was in no fit state to ride or hunt or fight.

That didn't mean she was happy about it.

"Any luck?" Thorin asked without preamble.

Alana nodded. "Baralinor found them. He said that Fili and Kili picked up the tracks about half a mile from here. I'm guessing it's relatively close to where one of those secret exits comes out?"

Thorin thought for a second, then nodded. "Aye, there's one not far from the eastern training yard. I guess that must have been the one they used."

"Then I guess that means we're on the right lines, and you have a place to start." Alana stepped up to him, placing one hand on his knee and the other reaching out to grasp his hand. "Bring them back to us. Alive. And... be careful, Thorin."

Some of the tightness on his face disappeared, and he leaned down to place a tender kiss on her forehead. Alana felt her heart pang in her chest, fearful that this could be the last one she ever received. She had hope they would succeed, truly she did - but that didn't mean that things couldn't go wrong.

"We will send word when we find them," he promised. "And I'll be back before you can miss me."

Alana gave a weak and wobbly smile. "I doubt that. You don't have to be gone long before I start to wish you're there."

"Nîkana annukê zabal âti tada higbushul 'uhlaw. (Then my return will be that much sweeter.)"

"And you had better return." Alana cocked an eyebrow. "I was serious when I said I'd kill you if you didn't."

Thorin smirked. "Ben iest gîn, rîs vuin. (As you wish, beloved queen.)"

As it always did, the sound of the lilting Sindarin tongue leaving Thorin's lips made her stomach do a funny flip. And, given that he was using it more and more in her presence, Alana was beginning to get suspicious that he knew this little fact. Not that she would dare bring it up - because on the off-chance he was still clueless, she refused to give him ammunition against her.

She smiled up at him, squeezing his knee tenderly. "Be safe."

"We will." He drew her hand up to his lips, planted a kiss on it, and then released her. Alana stepped back, watching in silence as he turned to the rest of the company. The familiar group looked at their King with grim expressions, but each was determined to find the Princes and, with a little luck, bring an end to the bandit group that threatened them.

Without a word needed, Thorin nudged his pony's flanks, and the beast started forward at a canter. The others fell quickly into stride behind him.

Alana was aware of Baralinor joining her as they watched the group ride away, and he placed a firm but comforting hand on her shoulder. For a long time they stood in silence, watching the dwarves grow gradually smaller and smaller in the distance. Alana felt that tug in her chest again - the one that told her she should be with them. She ignored it, as she knew she must.

"Do you want me to join them?" Baralinor asked after an unknown amount of time, breaking the silence around them. "I still wish to help."

Alana tore her eyes away from the eastern horizon at last, glancing up at the elf. "Actually, I was hoping you would be able to help me."

His eyebrows rose. "With what, my Lady?"

"While they were in the dungeons, Guknar and Elbria both alluded to the fact there might be a few of them within the mountain itself. Now..." She paused, biting her bottom lip in thought, before continuing with greater hesitation. "Thorin thinks that Fili and Kili set this whole thing in motion; they released the prisoners and then gave chase. But something about that doesn't sit right with me."

"So what do you think?"

"I think one of their allies set them loose, and Fili and Kili happened to spot them as they made their escape." She looked over at him again. "Either way, my next move remains the same. This threat won't vanish until all of them are dead. We can almost guarantee that most will be in this hideout of theirs, but we must also assume there are still some closer at hand. We have to find those that have made it inside the city walls."

Baralinor nodded, eyes hardening. "I will aid you in any way that I can. Ask, and I'll see it done."

Alana nodded in satisfaction and quiet gratitude. "Thank you, mellon nín. I will be forever in your debt for this."

A grin flickered over his features. Baralinor was young in the lifespan of elves, though he didn't often seem it. It showed now, in the bright spark of youthfulness on his face and in his eyes. "What are friends for?" he asked in return, and the two shared a smile before turning to enter Erebor again.

They had some planning to do.