A/N: From the reviews I received, everyone is mad at Thorin and Kaleria for not talking (lol :D) But these two can't make it easy for each other! Thank you for all the comments, follows, and favorites! Please enjoy Chapter 30, and know this isn't over just yet.

Dinner was uneventful as two of the five chairs remained empty with Dis, Fili, and Kili being the only ones to attend. As soon as the boys had left, Dis rushed to Thorin's study to find the door still locked. She beat on the door insistently to let Thorin know she wasn't going away anytime soon. After a minute of continuous beating, the door flew open, giving Dis a full view of Thorin.

His eyes were irritated and watery, his cheeks were red, and his hair looked like he had been pulling at it from different directions. He didn't say anything as he looked at his sister.

Dis calmed herself from the agitated state she had arrived in. "May I speak with you brother?"

Thorin didn't answer. He moved away from the door and sunk back into his desk chair, covering his eyes with one hand.

Dis closed the door behind her before approaching Thorin slowly. "Did Kaleria come by?"

"I don't want to talk about her." Thorin rubbed his eyes.

"Fine, then listen." Dis braced herself on the desk and leaned toward Thorin. "She came to apologize, and to clear everything up. It was a misunderstanding-"

Thorin shot up. "I saw her with my own eyes, Dis! There was no misunderstanding about that kiss. She made her choice, and I don't want her pity!"

Dis waited for Thorin to stop yelling at her. He took a few short breaths to reign in his anger, when he realized Dis wasn't going to fight with him.

"If you're done yelling," Dis took his eye roll as permission to continue, "Kaleria did not come to you to give you her pity. She came to tell you that yes, you did see Brerrick kiss her, but what you didn't see was her pushing him off and telling him to go to hell. Those may not have been the exact words, but that's what I've been imagining."

Thorin's shoulders sagged as his sister's words took the strength from his body. He began to rethink what he saw on the balcony. If he had stood there a moment longer, would he have seen Kaleria push Brerrick away? If he had rushed out onto the balcony to stop them, would Kaleria have run into his arms? If he had told her how he felt before that moment, would he be the happiest he's ever been?

Dis sighed. "And I probably shouldn't tell you the other reason she came here, but since you didn't listen to her, I think I'm allowed to tell you this next bit of information."

Thorin met his sister's eyes.

"She loves you, Thorin," said Dis. "She told me herself."

The air was knocked from his lungs as Dis' words registered in his brain. All along he had been worried that she didn't feel the same, and when he witnessed one moment that confirmed his fears, he had given up on her. Now, Dis was telling him exactly what he wanted to hear, and all he could do was scold himself for how he had treated Kaleria.

"Where is she? I need to speak with her." He moved around his desk, toward the door, but Dis stopped him.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

Thorin frowned. "Why not?"

"You rejected her this afternoon, and now you're going to barge into her room in the middle of the night and tell her it was a misunderstanding? That's not romantic, Thorin."

"Then what should I do?"

Dis crossed her arms as she thought of the best way to get Thorin and Kaleria together to talk. She knew Kaleria wouldn't want to see Thorin after today's outbreak, so she would have to be sneaky. Her plan needed to make Thorin look good, and help both of them realize they are perfect for each other.

The next morning, Kaleria laid flat on her back in her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She had been awake for almost an hour, but nothing made her want to leave her bed, or her room. She didn't want to be reminded that Thorin had rejected her without listening to a word she had to say. She didn't blame him for his anger. She blamed herself for taking so long to realize what she wanted.

Kaleria needed a new plan. One that Thorin couldn't escape from. She had to tell him the truth, even if it didn't change the outcome. He had to know what she felt for him, and she had to know if she was dreaming that he might accept her. The problem became not how to tell him, but how to make him listen.

Knocking at her door brought Kaleria out of her thoughts.

"Kaleria, can I speak to you?" She recognized Dis' voice from the other side.

She threw off the covers, then pulled on her robe before opening the door.

Dis looked her over. "I don't even get a greeting?"

Kaleria gave a small smile. "Sorry, Dis. Good morning."

"Good morning to you." Dis paused, choosing her next words carefully. "I assume things didn't go well last night."

"You would be right. He wasn't interested in what I had to say." Kaleria stared at the floor.

"I'm sorry, Kaleria," said Dis. "Thorin has always been difficult to apologize to. He somehow blames himself for other people's actions toward him. He believes it's a fault in his character that makes others do bad deeds against him. He doesn't understand that everyone is flawed, and we all make mistakes."

Kaleria looked at Dis. "I don't care what he may think of me. I won't give up until he listens to me. I didn't give up on him when he was sick, and I won't give up now because he's stubborn."

Dis smiled, glad that Kaleria was proving to be as stubborn as her brother. "That's exactly what I wanted to hear. But, we should give him time to cool off."

"More time?" questioned Kaleria.

"Yes," said Dis. "He's still worked up, and giving him more time might help him listen."

Kaleria gave Dis' plan some thought. Dis knew her brother better than anyone, and if he needed more time to calm down, then Kaleria would give him the space he needed.

"Okay, I'll give him more time."

"Good," Dis patted her arm, "while you wait you can help me with a project."

"What kind of project?"

"Meet me in the library in two hours. I'll explain then." Dis left Kaleria's room before she could be questioned any further.

Kaleria closed her door, and walked toward her vanity to dress for the day. She pulled the top half of her hair into a bun and left the bottom half down around her shoulders. She put on a dark green dress with a squared neckline and long sleeves, then she pulled on her ankle boots.

She spent the rest of her free time ignoring any thoughts of Thorin, and organizing her room. She moved her clothes around, hoping to find more space in her wardrobe, but soon realized she had accumulated too many clothes to be stored in it. She shuffled the books on her bedside table, realizing two of the books needed to be returned to the library. Kaleria kept herself busy because she knew if she stopped for one second, she would start thinking about Thorin. She didn't want to wait to talk to him, but it was the right decision.

Two hours passed by in a blink, and Kaleria approached the doors to the library right on time, holding the books she needed to return. She wasn't sure where Dis would be, so she entered the library and walked toward the couches. When she cleared the bookcase, Kaleria stopped short, her books crashing to the floor.

"Thorin," she said, more as a reaction to his presence, and less as an address.

Thorin, who had been facing her when she walked in, stood in a plain gray tunic with dark pants and his black, fur lined boots. He didn't smile, but he wasn't frowning like he normally did in serious situations.

Kaleria waited for him to speak, but no words left either of their mouths. She didn't know what to say to him. She hadn't prepared anything. She wished she would've practiced something.

He stepped toward her slowly, inching closer like a river of melted gold. Kaleria swallowed hard as she watched him advancing on her. Thorin stopped a step away from her, then bent down and gathered the books she had dropped. Once he rose to his feet, he turned back to the couches and set the books on the table.

The nerves Kaleria had been feeling exploded into irritation and anger, and she found her words. "You won't speak to me now, is that it? Because that's a childish move even for you."

Thorin faced her, but he offered no explanation.

Kaleria crossed her arms. "If you won't speak, then you better listen. I would've told you all of this yesterday, but you threw me out of the room. I don't appreciate being ignored, but I especially don't appreciate being escorted from a room like a child.

"I know you're mad at me, Thorin. I know you think you know what happened, but you don't. Yes, you saw me on the balcony with Brerrick. Yes, he kissed me." Kaleria's eyes began to water and she pointed at Thorin. "What you didn't see was me shoving him away. What you didn't hear was me telling him I could never love him."

Her voice broke and she sucked in a shaky breath. "And what you don't know is-"

"I love you."

Kaleria met his eyes. "What?"

"I love you," he repeated.

Kaleria couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. Her brain didn't seem to register that Thorin had said something that usually required a response.

He approached her slowly, once more. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you yesterday. I'm sorry I acted like a jealous child instead of speaking to you as an adult. I'm sorry I didn't realize my feelings sooner. And, I'm sorry it took my sister getting involved for me to listen to you."

By this time, he had reached the space in front of her, and he took both of her hands in his. "I love you, Kaleria. I have never given myself the chance to love someone because I thought I didn't deserve it. You have shown me not only am I deserving of love, but that I am capable of loving someone in return."

Kaleria's eyes remained locked on Thorin's as she processed his words. A tear fell from her eye, and before it could race down her cheek, Thorin took her face in his palm and wiped the tear with his thumb. She closed her eyes as the contact from his hand sent a tingle through her cheek. When she opened her eyes again, all she could see was blue.

"I'm sorry, too," she apologized.

"For what?" Thorin's brow furrowed.

"That night at the celebration, when we danced," she averted her eyes to his chest, "I became frightened, and that's why I ran to the balcony."

"Frightened of what?" Thorin rubbed his thumb along her cheek, coaxing her eyes back to his.

"Frightened of what I feel for you. That night I finally realized my fondness for you went much further than being friends." Kaleria's gaze returned to him. "I love you, Thorin."

Thorin smiled for the first time since they had begun speaking. The corners of his eyes crinkled as happiness spread across his face.

The space between them grew warm as their bodies hovered inches from each other. Kaleria watched his eyes travel down her face, focusing on her lips. His hand on the back of her neck held more firm, and Thorin leaned his head closer to hers. Thorin moved tantalizingly slow for a warrior with lightning fast reflexes. Kaleria found herself lifting her chin in hopes of closing the gap sooner. Thorin's breath traced her skin, making her shiver and her eyes closed involuntarily. The milliseconds dragged on for eternity, until finally his lips pressed against hers in a firm kiss.

He released her other hand and wound his arm around her back, supporting her against his broad chest. Her hands reached forward and gripped his waist, needing another point of connection to keep herself standing. Kaleria didn't know where to focus her attention, his soft lips moving against hers, his large hands securing her to his body, or her own hands holding him tightly.

Thorin pressed one more kiss to her lips before pulling back to see her face. A large smile split his lips as he looked at her. Kaleria smiled back at him, but it quickly changed into a frown when he started chuckling.

"What's so funny?" She questioned.

"Nothing." Thorin saw she was unconvinced. "You do realize this was Dis' plan and she's probably waiting outside for us now."

Kaleria glanced toward the door, then back to Thorin. She moved her hands up to his neck, standing on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around him. "She'll have to wait a little longer."

She pulled him down to her, forcing their lips together. Thorin returned the kiss eagerly, his arms wrapping around her waist to bring her closer. They stood together in the library for a long time, lost in their newfound happiness.