On we go! As always, thanks very much to all of you who commented on the last one, let me know your thoughts on this one!

Arinna woke with a slight start, blinking several times against the light that surrounded her. For a moment, she had expected to find herself back in the forest, and it took her a moment to realise where she was, once her eyes had adjusted to the light. She was in the healing chambers, she realised with immense relief, back in Erebor. Someone had found her.

"Lass, thank Mahal," she heard someone say next to her and she slowly lifted her gaze to find none other than Fili sitting beside her bed, looking at her out of concerned blue eyes. He had dark circles under his eyes, as though he hadn't slept at all. It took her another moment to realise that it wasn't him who had spoken, but Oin, who was standing right behind the blond dwarf, looking at her over the king's shoulder. "You had us worried there for a moment."

The druid wasn't sure what to say, her throat feeling dry as she slowly lifted herself up on her arms. A sharp pain ran through shoulder and back at the motion and she let out a groan, trying to suppress the feeling. Oin quickly shuffled around Fili, coming to the edge of the bed to help her sit up. He made sure that she moved slowly, though Arinna couldn't have been any faster if she'd wanted to. Every little movement caused a bolt of pain to run through her shoulder.

"Fili, the vial," she heard Oin say beside her and the druid looked over at the blond dwarf as he picked up a small vial and held it out to her. She reached out and took it from him hesitantly, unable to decipher the thoughts behind his eyes as her fingers brushed lightly against his. She dropped her gaze to the object in her hand, lightly swirling around the clear liquid behind the glass.

"It's for the pain," Fili offered quietly, his voice raspy as though he had only just woken up. The druid wondered whether he had only just come from his chambers, risen from his slumber by someone.

Arinna nodded slightly at his words, though she had known already. She exchanged a small look with Oin, the healer giving her a calm nod, before she unscrewed the small cork from the bottle and downed the medicine in one go. She made a face, the bitter taste of the liquid making her shiver slightly. Oin chuckled quietly, taking the empty vial from her hands, before he sat down on the edge of the bed, sending her a stern look.

"What in Durin's name happened, lass?" Oin asked her earnestly and Arinna let her back gently drop against the bed's headboard with a small sigh. "They said you rode out and never came back. And then Fili here brought you to me, unconscious and bleeding."

The druid glanced over at the blond dwarf at Oin's words, and Fili returned her gaze quietly. She swallowed tightly. "You found me?"

He gave her a small nod, leaning forward so that his forearms were sat comfortably on his thighs. He folded his hands between his legs, holding her gaze as he answered in a quiet rumble. "Bofur alerted Dwalin and me when you didn't turn up for supper at his house," he said slowly, watching the druid for her reaction. "And when we realised that your pony had returned without you, we came looking for you."

"Lithen?" Arinna asked quietly, following Fili's words attentively. He gave another nod.

"Aye, he led us straight to you," he said, adding the next words to ease her mind in anticipation of her asking the question. "He's unharmed and well taken care of in the stables."

A relieved sigh left her at the king's words, and she gave him a grateful nod for the information. Fili returned the gesture, before he exchanged a small look with Oin, his expression much more serious when he next looked at her.

"What happened?" he repeated the healer's earlier question, looking at her intently as she exhaled deeply. She closed her eyes for a moment, bringing herself into a more comfortable position before she answered, her emerald eyes flicking between Oin and Fili as she explained.

"I did ride out in the morning. I wanted to visit the old druid village East of Dale, the village where my ancestors came from," she said with her usual soft tone, knotting her fingers together in her lap. She caught Fili's gaze and hesitated shortly when he simply nodded, as though he had already known that. "I was exploring the ruins, and then I found myself suddenly surrounded by a group of men. Bandits, perhaps, a small gang of them. I didn't even notice anything was amiss at first; I was so inattentive. I didn't expect to run into any trouble."

"It wasn't your fault," Fili interjected quietly, causing the druid to falter slightly in her words as she looked at him.

She took a shaky breath, her hand shortly coming up to brush against the skin of her neck, before she continued. Fili had followed the motion with his eyes, the frown on his face deepening as she went on. "Before I knew what was happening, one of them was holding a blade to my throat. I'm not sure what they wanted, exactly. I offered them the coin I carried for the promise of letting me go unharmed but they didn't care. They completely outnumbered me."

"How did you get away?" Oin asked, his face stricken with concern at her tale. Arinna gave a small shrug.

"Luck, I suppose. I managed to kick my attacker and get away," she said, shaking her head slightly at the memories of the previous day. She had been more than lucky to get away with her life. "I managed to get a hold of Lithen and rode as fast as I could. Even as the blade hit me, I just kept going. My strength left me eventually, though."

"So, you sent Lithen ahead without you?" Fili inquired from her left and the druid glanced back at him with another sigh. "I know that pony would not abandon you freely, or you him. Did you tell him to go?"

Arinna gave a small nod, shrinking slightly beneath the blond dwarf's intent gaze. She still wasn't sure what he was thinking, though she felt a strange comfort in the fact that he knew her well enough to guess at her actions.

"I fell," she explained quietly. "I didn't have the strength to get back up."

Fili inclined his head at her words and Oin let out a deep sigh, shaking his head.

"Well, you're lucky you got away with your life, lass," the old healer emphasised as she looked over at him. He was sending her a stern look. "That wound will take some time to heal. I want you to rest as much as you can, so as not to rip the stitches back open. No heavy lifting, no excessive movement for at least a few weeks. Understood?"

Arinna let out a sigh, though she merely nodded her head. She would not have given any other orders herself if she were treating someone with a similar injury. "Understood."

Oin gave her a satisfied nod and lightly patted her uninjured shoulder, giving her a small smile before he got to his feet with a small groan. "Now, if you'll excuse me," he huffed, grabbing a bag of ointments and medicine off the top of a nearby table. "I have other patients to see to. Arinna, I'll be back to check on you later and change your bandages. You stay here and rest."

The druid merely inclined her head, waving Oin goodbye as he shot her a last stern look before he nodded a short goodbye toward Fili. Once he was out the door, a heavy silence settled in the room, as Arinna and Fili were left alone. Glancing over at the blond dwarf, the druid wondered why he was still here, having rather expected him to leave with Oin. But Fili was still sitting in his chair, his gaze set thoughtfully on the light fur blanket that covered the druid's legs. She cleared her throat quietly.

"Thank you."

Her voice had barely been above a murmur but it was enough to rouse Fili from his musings and his eyes darted up to look at her. Arinna saw the question in his eyes, breathing out slowly, as she explained herself.

"For coming to look for me," she uttered softly.

"Of course. I wasn't sure at first if… if…" Fili answered quickly, trailing off uncertainly at the end as he glanced down at the blanket once more, his voice low as it rumbled across the small distance between them. Arinna frowned slightly, before realisation dawned on her. She watched as Fili let out a small sigh, shaking his head to himself, before he found her gaze again.

"Did you think I had left?" she asked him quietly, watching carefully for his reaction. The blond king merely looked at her silently for a moment, before he inclined his head slightly.

"I wasn't sure," he admitted quietly. "I wouldn't have blamed you after the way I spoke to you the other day."

Arinna dropped her gaze to the blanket that covered her legs, her fingers beginning to fumble lightly with the fur. Of course, their recent fight was still fresh in her mind, and she couldn't deny that she had been thinking about leaving only a day before on her way to the druid village.

As though Fili had guessed her thoughts, he cleared his throat beside her, catching her gaze again as she glanced up at him. "I realise how wrong I was," he uttered, his voice unusually gentle. Arinna hadn't heard that tone of voice in many years. His gaze was open and honest as he looked at her. "About everything. As soon as it became clear that Lithen had returned without you, I… we realised that something was wrong."

He hesitated for a moment, before he added quietly to his words. "I am very sorry for what I said to you last time we spoke. You must believe me; I know that you have no care for the riches that were promised to you and it was wrong to suggest you came here to lay claim on your share. I… Well, I suppose what I mean to say is that you are welcome to stay for as long as you wish. And I… I hope, perhaps –"

Fili was interrupted before he could finish his sentence, and they both jumped, when the door to the healing chambers suddenly flew open. The blond king quickly leaned back in his chair, swallowing his words, as he watched Bofur, Dwalin and his mother all make their way inside the chamber.

"I'm glad to see you up, dear," Dis smiled gently, as the small group gathered around the bed, and Arinna inclined her head slightly, still trying to digest Fili's apology.

"Thank you," the druid answered, returning the dwarrowdam's smile, though her gaze quickly flicked to Bofur as the hatted dwarf spoke up. The druid didn't see the look that Dis shot her son, who had silently risen from his chair now.

"You missed supper," Bofur stated matter-of-factly, causing the druid to draw her mouth askew in reply.

"I got delayed. I'm sorry if the food went cold," she answered with a slight shrug, causing Bofur to grin and shake his head, though the concern still remained in his eyes.

"You gave me quite the scare," he told her, motioning to the rest of the small group. "All of us."

"Oin says your recovery will take a while?" Dis added softly, while Arinna simply gave a small nod, not quite knowing what to say in return. She watched as the dwarrowdam came to stand by the side of her bed, taking the seat that her son had vacated. It was only now that the druid noticed that Fili had moved at all, and she looked around to find him standing at the back of the group now.

"I shall take my leave now," the blond dwarf said, holding her gaze for a moment, before he inclined his head slightly. "There are some matters that I must see to."

The druid could only nod, suppressing a small sigh at his words. Fili caught her gaze once more and she saw him let out a deep breath, before he bid them all a swift goodbye and made his way to the door, which fell shut behind him with a soft thud. Arinna stared at the spot where he had vanished for a moment, before her attention was drawn to Dis once more.

"What happened exactly, dear?" she asked gently, and Arinna slowly went on to retell the story that she had relayed to Fili and Oin earlier. Dis, Bofur and Dwalin listened attentively, their faces stern and solemn as she spoke. When she had finished her tale, they all remained silent for a few moments, contemplating what they had learned.

It was Dwalin, who spoke up first, his face grim as he spoke. "If these bandits have taken up camp in the old druid village, then Bard must be informed of it," he uttered gruffly, though he sent the druid a small nod. "It lies outside our borders, but such a thing cannot go unanswered or unpunished."

"I do believe Fili is already taking care of it, Dwalin," Dis answered him with a firm nod. "He was very clear about that last night."

"Last night?" Arinna repeated with a small frown. Fili had only learned of the details of her attack this morning, how could he have been making plans before that, she wondered. Her frown deepened, when the dwarrowdam sent her a gentle smile in return.

"Well, yes," she explained, looking at her attentively. "He said you must have gone to druid village and assured me that once he knew who attacked you, these people would be held accountable for their actions."

For a moment, Arinna was at a loss for words. Not only did he know her well enough to have guessed at her plans, there was something else that suddenly went through her head.

"He… was he here all night?" she asked quietly, while Dis merely gave her another soft smile. The dwarrowdam simply nodded, gentle gaze studying the druid's face.

"Oh," the druid uttered, her heart giving a small, surprised flutter at the gesture. She wasn't sure what to make of this information, though it filled her with a forgotten, yet familiar kind of warmth to know that Fili had watched over her like that, that he had stayed by her side all night until she had awoken.

While Arinna remained silent, Dis exchanged a small look with Bofur and Dwalin, before she motioned for them to get up. "Now, let's not crowd her too much," she uttered, as she got to her feet herself, sending the druid another kind smile as she looked up at her. "You need your rest, dear. And a lot of it."

"Aye, you ought to get some sleep," Bofur agreed, a smile now playing on his face, as well. "I should let the others know that you are alright, anyway. Marla has been worried sick for you. And the kids won't stop asking after you, either. I don't suppose you'd have the energy to see them later on?"

A small smile came to play on the druid's lips at his words, and she gave Bofur an emphatic nod.

"Please, bring them," she said softly. "I would very much like to see them."

Bofur just inclined his head, before Dis finally began to usher them all out of the room. Arinna watched with a small smile as they disappeared from her sight with small waves and muttered goodbyes with promises to come back to see her later. Only when the door had closed behind them and she was finally alone in the large chamber did she let out a deep sigh, carefully lying back down on the mattress.

She winced slightly at the movement, letting out a small, pained groan, before she finally found a comfortable position. Lying on her uninjured side, she stared at the nearby fireplace, where a small fire was blazing. She still pulled the furs further over her body, her limbs growing tired as she tried to relax. Her thoughts were whirling in her head, from the bandit attack to waking up here. She smiled slightly as she closed her eyes, thinking about how caring her friends were.

After another night spent in the healing wing, Arinna was finally allowed to retreat to her own chambers again and do some light activity throughout the day. Oin had agreed to have her go about her business, as long as she kept her arm in a sling. Though the wound on her back was healing well, she was still prescribed daily medicine for the ongoing pain. Still, she tried to get up and move as often and as much as she could, knowing that the healing process would be slower otherwise and partly because she would probably go insane if she had to spend all day in bed.

A few days after the incident, the druid had risen early and was already on her way down to the main gate. The halls of Erebor were scarcely populated at this hour, though the few dwarves she met gave her nods in greeting, which she gladly returned with a smile of her own. She had been in the mountain for a while now and through her work with Oin, she had slowly gotten to know more of its people. She felt that they were slowly growing accustomed to having her around.

"Where are you off to, then?"

The druid jumped slightly at the sudden sound of a familiar voice behind her and turned quickly, only to find none other than Balin standing behind her. The old dwarf's arms were filled with several pieces and rolls of parchment, and he gave her a skind smile as he met her gaze.

"The stables," Arinna answered with a smile of her own, while Balin frowned slightly at her words.

"I do hope you're not aiming to ride out? I'm sure Oin wouldn't appreciate having to re-stitch your wound," he uttered with slight concern and a nod toward the sling that was still wrapped around her arm, though Arinna just shook her head in reply.

"Not to worry, Balin, I'm just going to feed Lithen and spend some time with him," she explained. "Maybe let him roam around the meadow for a while. He needs to get some fresh air, and so do I."

Balin gave a satisfied nod, before he reached out his arm toward her. "In that case, we're going the same way. I'm on my way to council. Walk with me for a bit, dear," he said and smiled as Arinna hooked her arm with his, following as he led the way.

They walked in amicable silence for a little while, before the druid spoke up. "It's rather early. Does council always start at this hour?"

Balin gave a nod, looking over at her for a moment to give her a small smile. "Aye," he answered. "Fili likes to get a head start on these things. He'll have been up for hours already."

"Hours?" she repeated softly, a small frown coming to play on her face. The sun had barely risen an hour ago. "What does he do that has him wake up so early?"

"Oh, you know. Feed the chickens, water the pigs, royal things," Balin uttered, chuckling quietly as she gave him a soft nudge with her elbow, a smile playing around her own lips. He cleared his throat slightly as they rounded another corner, his voice growing more serious as he answered her quietly. "It is a routine he has gotten into, ever since… Well, let's say ever since he took up Thorin's mantle as King under the Mountain. He gets up before the sky is even light, spends a few hours in the training yard, then has breakfast with the Lady Dis, followed by his first council meeting of the day."

Arinna remained silent for a few long moments, contemplating Balin's words. She had always known Fili to be dutiful, but by the way the old dwarf was describing the king's routine, it was clear to hear in his voice that Balin thought it too rigorous. Arinna couldn't presume to make a judgement, knowing that in the years after the battle and after having left Erebor, she had spent most her days trying to fill the hours with as many tasks as possible, so that her mind would stay occupied with other things than the ones truly weighing on her. Perhaps, Fili was doing the same.

"Actually, I suppose he'll be spending even more time in the training yard from now on," Balin went on, pulling the druid from her thoughts. She sent him a questioning look, prompting him to elaborate. The white-haired dwarf lifted the pile of parchments he was carrying in his other arm. "He'll be making the announcement for balrûn 'uzûgh tomorrow. We're finalising the plans in council today."

"What's… balrûn 'uzûgh?" The druid asked in slight confusion, her tongue stumbling clumsily over the foreign words. Balin smiled brightly at her effort to pronounce it correctly.

"It is a battle of will and abilities," he explained, obviously looking forward to the event. "A tournament if you will. It's a great old tradition of this kingdom. All dwarves of the mountain are invited to participate. It used to be held every year before Smaug's attack. Fili is reinstating it this year."

Arinna nodded, taking in the dwarf's words. "And what happens in this tournament?"

"Oh," Balin said, clearly excited by the topic, as they neared the council chambers. "It entails several rounds of one-on-one combat; the contestants may choose any weapon they wish. It's quite the spectacle, Arinna. I still remember the last time this tournament was held here in these walls."

The druid merely waited for him to continue with a small smile, happy to listen to his enthusiasm, even if she couldn't really see the excitement in such a tournament herself. Druids were a peaceful folk, and though she wielded many weapons herself if she needed to, to battle simply for battle's sake was not in her nature.

"It was under the rule of King Thror. I remember him cheering when his grandson won the tournament," Balin told her wistfully. "In his final fight, Thorin was opposing his own father. They didn't give each other anything, both of them giving it their all. The whole mountain was watching that day."

"Thorin fought his own father?" Arinna asked, surprise written across her face as Balin merely nodded.

"Aye, it is tradition for the royal family to take part in the tournament," he explained, before he cleared his throat slightly. "I came in fourth that year, if you are interested to know."

She sent him a wide-eyed look, shaking her head slightly as she smiled at him. "Balin, I never knew you were so… prone to violence."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Balin chuckled. "But I was still a young dwarf then. Well, younger anyway. And to take part in balrûn 'uzûgh is an honour for any dwarf."

They walked in silence for a few moments, before they finally reached the stairwell that led up to the council chambers, while another hallway went on straight to the main gate. Balin stopped at the corner, patting Arinna's hand slightly before he let go of her.

"Well then, this is where I must leave you," he muttered kindly, giving the druid a gentle smile, which she gladly returned. "Make sure not to put too much strain on yourself, will you?"

The druid inclined her head at his words, feeling warmth well up inside her at the fatherly gaze he was giving her, small concern mirroring in his eyes. "I will, Balin," she answered softly. "Thank you for walking with me."

"My pleasure, lassie," the dwarf smiled, before he gave her a last nod and made to walk off toward the council chambers. Arinna watched him go with a smile for a few moments, before she turned away and made her way to the stables to spend some time with her loyal steed.