Greetings to my loyal readers!

Once again, I find myself apologizing for updating so late! I had quite the busy holiday season celebrating with family and friends and had little time to write for you all. Anyway, I am sorry to say that it may be a few months before the next chapter is up. My job is FINALLY reopening after such a long shut down (thanks COVID) and I start back tomorrow! Also, I am going to be spending quite a bit of time working on my YouTube channel as well as my One Piece fanfiction that I have not updated since spring of last year. But do not fear, I will not be abandoning this story anytime soon; we are just now getting into the good stuff. :)

(Anyone interested in finding my YouTube channel will be able to locate it under my fan fiction name: Lady Tolkien. My profile picture is the same as this one.)

~Lady Tolkien~

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE HOBBIT, ONLY MY OC :)

*Inner Thoughts will be in Italics

*Elvish will be in Bold Italics

*Dwarvish will be in Bold Underlined

- Day 12 -

The days were quickly blurring together and everyone was ready for some action of any kind; anything to break the monotonous cycle of walking, eating and sleeping.

"How long does it take to get to the mountains?" Kili asked impatiently.

Turning back to glance at him, Val laughed at the young Dwarf's annoyed face. "I guess you have no patience or love for traveling Kili?"

Said Dwarf huffed and adjusted his pack strap idly. "Just bored is all."

"Well, usually it takes around forty days to get to the mountains, but seeing as we have kept a fast pace and I have been taking some shortcuts, we should make it in about twenty-five."

Kili looked at her, a hopeful look developing on his face. "So, we are halfway there already?"

Val nodded and the young man immediately grinned. "Thank Mahal for small favors!"

Having listened in on the conversation, Thorin found himself smiling at his nephew, reminded of just how young the boy still was. His gaze then slid over to Val, smile getting wider. "I believe Gandalf made a wise choice in having you join us Valarie. Without you, it definitely would have taken us longer to get to the mountains."

Val looked back at him in shock, surprised to be complimented by the harsh Dwarf. "Thank you for those kind words Thorin, but I am sure you all would have done just fine without me."

Thorin smirked, the right side of his mouth lifting to reveal almost perfect teeth. "Oh, I don't know about that. But never the less, I am glad you are here with us."

Val bit her lip and blushed lightly at his words before looking away, even as the Dwarf continued to gaze at her.

"I have to admit, she is pretty cute when she blushes like that. I wonder what it would feel like to bite that lip…. Wait, what am I thinking?"

Shaking his head Thorin looked away, trying to get his mind focused on anything else but the assassin in front of him.

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- Day 17 -

Thorin found himself being shaken awake by Val that morning and upon realizing just how dark it still was, he looked at her in confusion. "Valarie is something wrong? How early is it?"

Val pointed to the sky. "It's morning, but rain is on the way so we should get going."

Thorin nodded and immediately gathered his things together, before going and helping the others. As soon as everyone had something warm to eat and packed their bags, they proceeded to follow Val.

A couple hours after they started walking, the rain began to pour from the sky, quickly turning everyone's moods sour.

"I am real sick and tired of this rain." Oin grumbled.

Balin chuckled lightly from behind him. "What do you expect? We are almost to the Misty Mountains. It always seems to be raining there."

"How do you know so much about the landscape Master Balin?" Val asked.

"Well lassie, before joining this fine troop I did quite a bit of traveling on my own. Probably not as extensive as your own, but I have seen a few parts of Middle Earth."

"Out of all the places you have seen, which was the most breath taking?"

Balin spent a few moments thinking before answering. "Nowhere is more beautiful to me than Erebor, but besides my home I found the Shire quite eye catching. All of the homes that are built into the hills, the rolling fields of flowers and crops, and the people there are just wonderfully pleasant and helpful. If I ever got the chance to go back, I definitely would."

Bilbo smiled at Balin's words, a hint of homesickness flashing through his heart. "I am so glad that the people in my hometown made such an impression on you Balin."

"Everything I say is true laddie. Many people talk about the beauty of the forests and the mountains, but to a restful soul, the Shire would be paradise."

"I have to agree with Balin." Ori piped in. "I found the Shire to be quite perfect for sketching."

Val looked back at the young Dwarf with a gentle smile. "You will have to show me your sketches sometime Ori."

Ori immediately flushed with embarrassment, his hand drifting behind his head to nervously pull on his braids. "I was actually hoping to sketch you sometime Miss Val."

Val stopped walking and looked at the young Dwarf in surprise. "Ori, that is so nice of you. I would be honored."

After receiving a shy smile from the blushing Dwarf, Val turned back and continued on, a wide grin plastered on her face.

As Thorin walked on beside her, he could not help but smile at how happy she looked.

"I may have seriously misjudged this woman. Anyone that could have that much joy over someone asking to draw them must have so little that makes them happy in life. I believe that this is the first genuine smile she has had in days. I hope that Dwalin can come to see this side of her as well, because I am glad I have."

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- Day 20 -

By the time the group made camp for the night they were all soaked to the bone, the rain having only just let up. As soon as the fire was lit, Val sat down in front of it and curled her arms around her drawn up knees. She was so cold that the others could see her body wracking with tremors as it tried to generate some sort of body heat.

"For you being a Ranger I figured you would be used to this weather." Nori teased as he laid out his bedroll.

"I am used to all sorts of w-weather M-m-master Dwarf, but that does not m-m-mean I enjoy it. I am still h-human so I am m-m-more susceptible to the w-weather than you all are." Val stammered, her teeth chattering violently.

"You should take your cloak off and let it dry." Dori suggested. "Even though your clothes are all soaked through, having that heavy cloak on will just make you colder."

Slowly stripping off her sopping cloak, Val hung it on a rock that was near the fire. Fingers trembling, she proceeded to unbuckle and unstrap her armor, laying the pieces against the rock next to her cloak. Left in only her leggings and tunic, she hurried back to her spot on the ground and sat as near to the flames as she could without catching on fire, her shivering now intensified. Seconds later, Val felt a heavy weight fall over her shoulders, warmth emanating from it. Looking down she realized that it was a fur coat. Val quickly turned and found Thorin smiling down at her.

"Thorin, this is yours!"

"Aye, it is. But we can't have our guide freezing to death, can we? Only my outer cloak got saturated by the rain so that should still be mostly dry."

Val blushed at his kindness and burrowed deeper into the fur, inhaling the scent of earth and manly musk. "Thank you."

Thorin just nodded his head toward her before grabbing a bowl of food from Bombur and sitting on the other side of the fire by his nephews.

Having watched the exchange with a Cheshire cat grin, Fili nudged his Uncle softly. "Uncle, is there something going on between the two of you?"

Thorin's spoon stopped centimeters from his mouth and he turned to look at his nephew. "What in Mahal's name are you talking about?"

"Oh come on Uncle, we have seen the way you two look at each other. Ever since we found out Val was a woman you have been stealing glances her way when you think no one is watching."

Thorin huffed and resumed eating. "I'll tell you both this one time; nothing is going on between us. If it appears that way, then it must be your young minds showing you what you want to see."

"Then why give her your coat? She could have just pulled out her blanket, or Kili and I could have invited her to sleep with us; we could have kept her warm between the two of us." Fili said with a smirk.

Thorin about swallowed his spoon. "Fili! Have you no shame?"

Fili and Kili laughed at the horrified look on their Uncle's face.

"We are just joking Uncle, but she is pretty attractive for a human woman." Kili stated as he eyed the woman in question.

Fili chuckled. "Well, you did say she had a nice ass before Kili."

Thorin blushed at his nephew's words, remembering that he too had looked at the exact same ass. Shaking his head to clear that image from his mind, Thorin went back to his supper. "Alright boys, that's enough. Get some sleep, I have watch tonight."

The boys continued to laugh as they left Thorin's side and made their way over to sit by Val.

Shaking his head at the two, Thorin finished his supper and handed his bowl back to Bombur before grabbing Orcrist and making his way to the edge of the camp, settling down for his watch.

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The following morning started off just as dark as the day before, but it had not yet started to rain. While everyone packed back up, Val made her way over to where Thorin had kept watch. She slid Thorin's warm fur off and handed it back to him, before pulling on her own cloak which had now completely dried.

"Thank you for allowing me to use it Thorin. It really did the trick and kept me warm all night."

Thorin smiled before placing it back upon his shoulders, unable to stop himself from inhaling her lingering scent. "You are welcome Valarie. I am glad I could be of help."

Shouldering her bag, Val turned and checked to make sure everyone was ready before leading them onward.

They had not even traveled a mile from their campsite before Kili and Fili glanced back at their Uncle, mischievous grins on the faces as they made their way to Val's side.

"So Val, sleep well last night?" Kili asked.

Val looked at both of them with suspicion. "I did."

"All nice and toasty in Uncle Thorin's coat?" Fili questioned.

Val rolled her eyes. "Yes boys, I was nice and warm because of your Uncle last night. Is something wrong with the leader of our group looking after someone who was in need?"

"Not at all." Fili said innocently. "We were just inquiring as to if there was anything going on between our Uncle and you."

Val snickered. "You really think there is chemistry between that Dwarf and I? Oh please."

Fili and Kili looked at each other and smiled. "Okay, whatever you say Val."

"Are you both done pestering me now?"

"Aw Val, you wound us! We just want to hang out with our new favorite companion!" Fili exclaimed.

"Is that right?"

"Yeah." Kili teased. "Now that we know you are not spoken for, maybe one of us could court you?"

Val laughed loudly, drawing the attention of the others behind them. "You two must be joking."

"What's going on up there you three?" Bofur asked.

Val turned and smiled. "Apparently these two striplings think they have a shot at courting me."

Most of the Dwarves either laughed or gasped, while Fili and Kili both blushed darkly. Thorin felt himself bristle at the thought of one of his nephews pursuing a relationship with the assassin.

"You both have no idea how old I am do you?" Val asked.

"No." Kili answered. "But you can't be older than us, you look too young."

"Well, if my knowledge about Dwarves is correct you both are about a third through your lifetime, so in human years you would be around 30 years old."

"Aye." Fili agreed.

"I happen to be almost half-way through my Dúnedain life span, so I would be around 50 human years. You two are barely adults while I would be considered an old one."

Fili and Kili looked at each other in shock.

"So how old are you lass?" Gloin asked.

"Well Master Gloin, in a week's time I will be 60 years old."

"No way!" Nori exclaimed in disbelief.

"Then that means you are closest in age to Uncle Thorin!" Kili exclaimed. "You sure do not look like you could be that old, you are much too pretty."

Val blushed a slight pink. "Oh, come off it Kili."

"What do you think Uncle?" Fili asked slyly. "Don't you think she's beautiful?"

Thorin looked at Val and smiled. "Aye, I would agree with that statement."

Val flushed from pink to red and she quickly faced forward to hide her embarrassment. "You guys are just saying that to make me feel good about myself, you don't have to lie."

"It's no lie lassie." Oin said. "I don't normally fancy anyone other than a Dwarrowdam, but I might consider you the exception."

The others all laughed when the older Dwarf wiggled his eyebrows but Val just shook her head before continuing on.

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- Day 24 -

A couple hours after midday, the weather drastically turned for the worst. They had finally reached the mountains by late afternoon, but now had to make their way across the treacherous ledges while trying not to fall into the ravine below them. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed while rain continuously pelted them, but they were slowly making progress.

"Hold on!" Thorin yelled loudly, hoping they all heard him over the raging storm. "We must find shelter!"

Val nodded and tried to peer ahead, but found it almost impossible due to the darkness and rain all around them. Suddenly, a boulder seemed to fly at them out of nowhere, shattering above them and littering them all with pieces of debris. Looking up, they all saw another boulder hurling through the air and smashing even closer above their heads. More stone rained down on them and Val cried out when a stray piece crashed into her head.

"Val!" Bilbo cried out worriedly. "Are you alright?"

Val pressed a hand to her head and it came away bloody. "Don't worry about me Bilbo, I'm fine."

Taking a quick glance at Thorin, Val could see that he was worried. If they were not careful, they could easily meet their end here.

At that moment Balin gasped and pointed out into the ravine. "This is no thunderstorm; it's a thunder battle! Look!"

Right before their eyes a Stone Giant came right out from behind the mountain, ripping off a massive boulder from the peak and throwing it at another Giant.

Bofur gasped at the spectacular sight. "Well bless me, the legends are true! Giants! Stone Giants!"

"Take cover!" Thorin yelled as yet another boulder flew past them.

The first Giant threw another boulder and it flew past the company, hitting a newly emerged Giant in the head. The group grabbed hold of anything they could as the mountain below their feet shook. Suddenly, the rock formation below them began to split in half, parting the company into two halves.

"Kili!" Fili cried reaching for his brother. "Grab my hand!"

The Dwarves all watched in horror when they realized that they were all standing on the knees of a third Stone Giant! Part of the company was able to jump off the Giant and pressed themselves against the mountainside while the other half, including Kili and Val were still on the Giant. Another boulder was thrown by the first Giant and it collided powerfully against the third, causing it to lose its head and sending its body plummeting toward the mountain. The first group watched in horror as the Giant crashed into the mountain, their other companions still on it.

"No!" Thorin cried in anguish, his heart constricting painfully in his chest. "Kili! Valarie!"

The group all rushed forward and around the corner, breathing a sigh of relief when they saw that everyone had survived. Fili ran over to embrace Kili, while Thorin placed a hand on Val's shoulder. "Are you alright?"

Val smiled, despite the blood flowing steadily down her face. "Yes, I'm fine Thorin."

Bofur began to twist and turn, as if looking for someone. "Where's Bilbo? Where's the Hobbit?"

Val immediately paled and began to search around for her friend.

"Over there!" Ori cried, pointing to the ledge.

Looking over, they could see that Bilbo had fallen over the side of the cliff, his fingertips barely holding him on.

"Get him!" Dwalin yelled.

Val immediately ran over and leapt over the side, bracing her leg against a rock and holding on to the ledge above her with one hand while pushing Bilbo up with the other. "Climb Bilbo!"

Bofur had made it over to them by then and he leaned over the side, grabbing Bilbo around the collar and dragging him up over the edge. Val tried to pull herself back up over the ledge behind Bilbo, but the rock she braced her foot against broke and she started to fall, barely holding onto the cliff with one hand.

"Valarie!" Thorin cried. The Dwarf threw himself to the edge, grabbing onto Val's arm. "Valarie, you have to let go so I can pull you up."

Val looked up at him, terror in her eyes. "Thorin, I can't. I'm scared."

"I know you are, but you need to trust me."

Looking into his eyes, Val gulped and nodded. She let go of the ledge and Thorin immediately pulled her up and over into his arms, where she shook like a leaf. "I got you Valarie. You are okay."

"I thought we'd lost our burglar." Dwalin chuckled lightly.

"He's been lost ever since he left home." Thorin stated snidely. "He should never have come. He has no place amongst us."

Bilbo immediately looked away, tears in his eyes.

"Thorin, that's enough." Val said scathingly, pulling away from his embrace. "It is not his fault we encountered Stone Giants. If you want to blame someone, then blame me. I'm the one who led us down this path, and I almost fell as well, so do I not belong here either?"

"The only reason you almost fell was because of the Hobbit." Thorin said angrily, pointing at Bilbo.

"That doesn't matter! I still led us on this treacherous path!"

Thorin growled. "I am not going to argue about this with you woman!" He then proceeded to turn around and walk away. "Dwalin! Let's find some shelter."

Dwalin immediately followed after Thorin while the others trailed behind them in silence.

Val placed a hand on Bilbo's shoulder. "Don't listen to him Bilbo, you did nothing wrong."

Bilbo just nodded solemnly before walking on after the others. By the time Val had caught up with the others, Dwalin and Thorin had found an opening in the mountain.

"It looks safe enough." Dwalin commented quietly as his gaze drifted around the cave.

Thorin looked around hesitantly. "Search to the back; caves in the mountains are seldom unoccupied."

Taking a lantern, Dwalin drew his axe and searched the cave thoroughly before returning to his King's side. "There's nothing here."

Gloin immediately dropped a bundle of wood onto the floor and rubbed his hands excitedly. "Right then, let's get a fire started."

"No." Thorin said firmly. "No fires, not in this place. Get some sleep. We start at first light."

Balin moved over to Thorin's side, a worried look on his face. "We were to wait in the mountains until Gandalf joined us. That was the plan."

Thorin peered over at Val before looking back at Balin. "Plans change. Bofur, take the first watch."

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As Bofur took watch at the entrance of the cave, the rest of the group all found space on the hard, rocky ground and one by one began to drift off. Val had managed to find a small area at the back of the cave and was wetting a piece of cloth with water, trying to dab away the drying blood from her face.

"Here, let me help you."

Looking up, Val watched as Thorin dropped his belongings next to hers and reached for the cloth. "I can take care of it myself Thorin, it's what I have been doing for many years now."

Thorin chuckled. "That may be true, but I insist."

Sighing, Val handed him the cloth and pulled back her hair so he could see the side of her scalp. She winced in discomfort as Thorin pressed the rag against the gash.

"Sorry." Thorin muttered.

"It's alright, but I'm not the one you need to say those words to."

Thorin stopped his movements and looked at her.

"What happened out there was not Bilbo's fault Thorin, and you know that. You are always taking your aggression out on him and that's not fair."

Thorin resumed cleaning her head and let out a long breath. "I know, and I will talk to Bilbo about my harsh words, I give you my word."

Silence fell between the two as Thorin continued his ministrations.

"Valarie, why do you defend the Hobbit so much? Gandalf said something about Bilbo reminding you of someone?"

Val was silent for a minute, while Thorin looked expectantly at her.

"Bilbo reminds me of Valarico."

Thorin remained quiet, so Val continued on.

"Valarico may have been the same age as me, but I always felt like an older sister. He was not as interested in our lifestyle as me, so I was always taking him under my wing and protecting him from others who would make fun of him for his lack of skills and say he didn't deserve the title of a Ranger. Bilbo and Valarico are so alike in their demeanor, that I can't help but imagine that I am talking to my brother again."

Thorin stopped again and looked at her, sadness in his eyes. "I truly am sorry that he died Valarie, and whichever monster did this to you deserves a swift end."

When Val nodded, Thorin noticed her expression change almost guiltily. "Valarie, what are you hiding?"

Val swallowed thickly and looked away from the Dwarf's intense gaze. "I have another secret to tell you Thorin."

Thorin felt himself getting angry that Val was once again hiding things from him and the company. "What are you talking about Valarie?"

Val chewed on her lower lip nervously. "When I was telling everyone about what had happened to my brother, I was not very specific about who killed him."

Thorin's brows furrowed in confusion, not understanding why this facet of information was hidden away. "Who was it?"

"It's someone you know very well, someone you have dealt with in the past; someone you believe is dead and gone from this world."

His mind whirling, Thorin grabbed Val's arms and turned her upper body toward him. "Damn it woman, spit it out!"

Before she could answer they heard faint whirring noises below them as small cracks starting to form underneath the sand.

Thorin immediately let go of Val and looked toward where the others were. "Wake up. Wake up!"

The others were all startled from their sleep by Thorin's yelling, but before anyone could react the floor of the cave collapsed downwards, revealing to everyone that they were resting on a giant trap door. The whole group, along with all of their packs and belongings began to fall down an enormous chute, sliding and banging against each other. After a few moments, they all fell out of the end of the chute and landed harshly in a large wooden cage.

Val landed last, falling on top of another member and eliciting a sharp gasp from them. Looking down, she realized that she had landed on top of Thorin, with her hips perfectly aligned with his. They both blushed upon realizing their placement, but before either could say anything they were fell upon by a horde of Goblins.

As they were groped and scratched at, the group started throwing punches while Val got to her feet and rushed for Bilbo, placing him behind her in order to protect him from their sharp claws. The group was eventually outnumbered by the hideous creatures and were led away one by one, Val finding herself at the end of the end of the line next to Nori. As they moved along, she whirled around looking for the little Hobbit, but couldn't see him.

"By the Valar I hope he got away!"

TO BE CONTINUED...

Who killed Val's brother? What will happen to the company in the Goblin Tunnels? Stay tuned!

ANY AND ALL COMMENTS/QUESTIONS/REVIEWS ARE WELCOME! :)