On we go! Bit of a filler, this one, but you won't have to wait for the next chapter very long this time. Thanks to everyone who commented on the last one, let me know your thoughts, as always!

They arrived back at Erebor late that afternoon. Arinna hadn't spoken much, and neither had Fili since his confessions at the top of Raven Hill, and so the ride back had been almost as quiet as the ride up the hill in the morning. It was only when they were leading the ponies into the stables, that Arinna finally spoke up again.

"Thank you," she uttered quietly, as she was pulling the saddle off Lithen's back. She looked over at Fili, who was doing the same to his own pony. The blond dwarf looked up at her with a silent question in his pale blue eyes. "For taking me up there. And for… for being there and saying… the things you said."

Fili looked at her silently for a moment, before he inclined his head, letting out a small rumbling sound that came from deep within his chest. His blue eyes were shining with a peculiar light when he next looked up, soft lines tracing the spots of his dimples, as he gave her a serious nod.

"Thank you for letting me," he said quietly.

They finished taking care of the ponies in silence after that, both of them lost in their own train of thoughts. Once they had finished, and the ponies were equipped with fresh hay and water for the recovery from the journey, they slowly made their way toward the main gate. Fili came to a halt once they had entered the halls of Erebor, letting out a small sigh. Arinna looked over at him as she stopped as well, and they stood in silence for a few seconds, before she ventured a few words.

"I suppose you'll be preparing for the final of the competition?" she asked, though her words sounded awfully mundane to her after all that had been said earlier that day. "I'm afraid today's venture may have robbed you of some precious time."

Fili merely shook his head.

"I hold the moments I spend in your company very dear," he said honestly and unexpectedly, causing Arinna's heart to skip a beat, though he went on swiftly, before she had any time to process his words properly. "Much more so than the time I spend in a training yard. Though, I must admit, Oin might end up scolding me for riding out after yesterday's injury."

"Does it hurt badly?" the druid asked, concern coming to play on her face as her gaze flew to the dwarf's shoulder. It was true, had she been more in control of her senses, she might have told him off herself. Only yesterday he had been in the healing chambers for a dislocated shoulder. Riding out like this was more than just inadvisable.

"I've had worse," Fili smiled, his soft voice trying to placate her, though his words didn't help much. Fighting Dwalin in the final, he doubted he'd come away without another injury, anyway. Her eyebrows rose slightly, when he looked back at her with sudden intent. "I was meaning to ask you something."

The druid leaned back slightly, though her emerald eyes rested on him. "And what might that be?"

"I would like for you to accept Oin's offer," Fili said, causing her to frown in surprise and slight confusion. He cleared his throat, going on to elaborate. "He needs an associate, and you are the best healer I know. I'd like for you to become Erebor's second court physician."

"I –" Arinna began, though she struggled for something to say. After all the events of the day and the past weeks, she had not expected this at all. She felt something stir within her, something that wanted her to accept then and there, though she was cautious to trust that feeling so easily. Clearing her throat slightly, she returned his expectant gaze. "May I think about it?"

Of course, Fili thought, perhaps this had not been the best moment to spring it on her. Though he had been thinking about it for a while now, ever since the evening they had had dinner with his mother. Dis had been right, Arinna would not stay forever, if she wasn't given a reason. And though Fili wasn't quite ready to ask her to stay for the reason that actually drove him, knowing that their connection was too fragile to even think about asking her, he could offer this.

"Of course," he finally said, ripping himself out of his thoughts, as he gave her an understanding nod. "Of course, you may take all the time you need to decide. Though I may say, in the name of Erebor – we would be grateful for your services."

"So, what did you tell him?"

Arinna was sat at Bofur's dining table, sitting across from the hatted dwarf, her hands wrapped around a warm mug of tea that Marla had prepared for her. The dwarrowdam was sat to her right, both dwarves staring at her expectantly.

"Nothing yet," she answered with a slight shrug. It had been two days since her ride out with Fili and his suggestion that she stay in Erebor permanently as court physician. The druid had spent the past days thinking about it, going back and forth in her mind. She didn't seem to be able to come to a decision, which is why she had come to confide in Bofur and his wife.

"What do you mean?" Marla uttered, stirring her own tea. The spoon made small clinking noises against the inside of the mug. "He is the king. Such an offer, made directly to you, is a great honour. You cannot possibly delay any longer in giving him an answer."

Bofur cleared his throat. "It's not quite that easy, dear," he muttered, shooting a glance over to the druid. "Is it?"

"No," she admitted with a sigh. She exchanged a small glance with Bofur, who offered her a comforting smile. At times like these, Arinna was glad to have him as her friend. Though, of course, her other former companions all knew about the connection she had once shared with Fili, Bofur had been there for most of it. He witnessed their relationship develop and blossom, had even given them his own courting beads to use.

"Well," Marla said with a slight huff in her voice. She had become good friends with the druid during her time in the mountain and had come to know a lot about her journey with Thorin's company, not only from her but from her husband, as well. Arinna glanced over at her, bracing herself. "Excuse me for being blunt, dear, but if I had been parted from the love of my life for eight years and he asked me to stay with him, I certainly wouldn't hesitate."

"That is good to know," Bofur muttered, though his comment was ignored by both women.

"He asked me to be a healer," Arinna answered her friend, holding the woman's sceptical gaze. "Nothing more."

Now, Bofur let out a sigh, shaking his head. He had followed the conversation for a while now, brewing on his own thoughts on the matter.

"He could hardly ask you to stay for him," he offered gently, causing both women to look at him across the table, though he kept his gaze on the druid. "It took you years to even step foot on this side of the earth again. It took the both of you weeks to actually start talking to each other like normal people again. Asking you to be court physician is a start, is it not?"

Arinna stayed silent, taking in her friend's words. Bofur took a sip from the mug in front of him, before he continued thoughtfully.

"Coming back to Erebor, you made a first step," he went on. "Fili never thought he'd see you again, I know as much. He lost you once, I don't think he's willing to do it a second time. And while everything else about your relationship may be written in the stars, asking you to be court physician at least ensures you don't leave before you both have a chance to figure it out."

A heavy silence hung over the room after he had finished his small speech, and he looked at Arinna compassionately as she took a shaky breath. Her fingers were shaking slightly as she uncurled one hand from around the mug and brought it up to wipe away a few stray tears that were threatening to escape her eyes.

"And besides all that," Marla uttered, more softly now, as she sent the druid a kind look. "It would mean you have a home here. You would no longer merely be a guest. You would no longer be travelling aimlessly from town to town with your healing services."

Arinna smiled joylessly. "I have not had a home for a very long time."

Her smile grew slightly softer as the dwarrowdam beside her brought up her hand to squeeze her shoulder gently. "Perhaps it is time to make one."

The druid let her fingers tap lightly against the mug on the table in front of her, letting her friends' words sink in. She couldn't deny that she felt fearful. Fearful of what it might mean to accept Fili's offer, just as much as she was afraid of what it would mean to say no. For the past two days, she had not been sure which of the two scared her more, though she was starting to see that there was only one decision to be made. She had come back to Erebor with the hope of rekindling a life she had only but glimpsed at years ago, a life with friends, a family, and a place that actually felt like home.

"Maybe you are right," she finally uttered, breathing out slowly as she looked first at Marla, who sent her a kind smile, and then at Bofur, who sat back in his chair with a curious expression on his face. The druid frowned slightly at his unexpected reaction. "What is it?"

"Oh, nothing," Bofur shrugged casually. "I'm never usually right in this house. It's oddly unsettling."

His words were enough to break Arinna's momentary tension and the dwarf smiled as a quiet laugh escaped her, which evolved into an amused chuckle as Marla sent a sugar cube flying at her husband's head in reply.

The next day, Lothar was standing guard in front of the closed doors to the council chambers. He held a thin spear in one hand, while he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Looking up and down the deserted hall, he let out a small sigh. He didn't particularly like guard duty during council hours. The meeting had been going on for hours now, and he was growing rather bored.

It wouldn't be so bad either, he thought, if it wasn't for his ribs. Even though the battle in which he had obtained the injury – and simultaneously been eliminated from the tournament – had been over a week ago now, it was still painful. The young dwarf winced slightly, shifting his weight back to the other foot again. Oin and Arinna had informed him that he had sprained several ribs, and though he was lucky that none had been broken, it would cause him a lot of discomfort for a while.

"Lothar!"

The young guard looked up at the familiar voice, finding none other than the druid healer making her way down the corridor towards him. She was smiling slightly as she came to a halt in front of him, and he noticed that her black hair, which she usually kept plaited in one thick braid, was flowing freely over her shoulders today.

"Arinna," he greeted her amicably, sending her a smile as well. "Fancy seeing you here."

"I'm actually looking for Fili," the druid answered. "I'm told I might find him here."

"Aye, King Fili is still in council," Lothar replied, careful to address the blond dwarf by his proper title, even though they were the only two there to hear it. "I don't suppose it'll take much longer, though. At least, I hope so. I've been standing here for hours."

The druid gave a small nod, noticing the dwarf suppress a wince as he shifted his weight to his other foot once more. "Your injury still bothers you."

Much as was the case with Oin, Lothar knew by now that there was no use arguing with the healer, so he merely gave a short nod in reply. Arinna let her eyes roam over the heavy armour he wore for a moment, letting out a small sigh. "Well, standing around for hours, wearing heavy iron won't help matters much."

"Do you suggest I take a day off?" Lothar grinned slightly. "You've already forbidden me from training with the others, this is the least I can do to fulfil my duty."

Arinna refrained from rolling her eyes. Though taking several days off to heal would have been precisely what she'd advise, she knew that it was no option for Lothar. He had worked very hard to become a guard and was proud to be one, she knew as much.

"Well, then I suggest you rest as much as possible, as I told you last week," she answered earnestly. "And I'll extend your time off the training yard for another week, at least. You'll only get yourself in worse shape otherwise. And in the meantime, you may come by the healing wing and we'll give you something to help the pain."

It was at that moment that the door behind them suddenly opened, and Arinna stepped aside to let the group of dwarven lords pass by her and Lothar. They were murmuring among themselves, a few of them shooting her a short greeting nod, while one or two merely had weary looks to give. The druid smiled at them anyway, before she waited for Lothar to give her a nod, and only once he had, did she move past him and knock quietly on the open door.

"Yes, come in," a familiar voice said and Arinna followed the invitation to greet Balin with a smile. The old dwarf sent her a surprised look as she entered, though his eyes were sparkling kindly. He was stood by the table next to Fili, the two of them poring over a piece of parchment. "Arinna! What a pleasant surprise. What brings you here, lass?"

"I came to talk to Fili, actually," the druid answered, suddenly feeling irrationally shy as the blond dwarf caught her gaze across the long table. She made a small gesture toward the parchment they were looking at. "Though, I can come back later. It's not that important."

"Please, you may speak freely," Fili answered, his voice calm while his eyes were staring curiously. He rolled up the parchment and pushed it aside without another look at it. "We have time."

Arinna smiled slightly, glancing from him to Balin, who had stood back, following the scene before him. The old dwarf sent her an encouraging look, curious to hear what she might have to say.

"Well, I just wanted to tell you that I've had time to consider your offer," Arinna explained then, bringing her gaze back to Fili, who was now standing up straight, crossing his arms over his broad chest as he listened attentively. He was holding his breath. "I accept."

While Fili slowly breathed out and nodded at her, trying not to show the relief he felt at her decision, Balin was frowning at the both of them. He cleared his throat, as he watched them exchange a small smile.

"I suppose that is good news," he uttered with a smile of his own. "Might I ask what offer you're accepting exactly, lassie?"

"Arinna will be our new court physician," Fili explained, before the druid could answer, sending her a last lingering look, before he turned to Balin with a small smile. "That way, Oin has his new associate and the people of Erebor will be in very safe hands."

"Indeed, they will be," Balin agreed with raised eyebrows, looking from Fili to Arinna and giving her an appreciative nod. "It's not every day that one can secure the service of a healer of your skill, dear. I'm very glad you accepted."

The druid inclined her head in thanks, before the old dwarf continued.

"Perhaps, we could announce it at the winner's ceremony the day after tomorrow?" he suggested, looking back to Fili, who gave a nod. "By then we'll know whether it is you or my brother who will be in need of her assistance after the fight."

Fili let out a quiet huff, while Arinna couldn't suppress a small smile. "It is a good idea," the king then agreed, nodding again as Balin suggested he inform the necessary parties and excused himself. Fili wasn't entirely sure, which parties he meant, as he would be the one to make the announcement, though on second thought, his advisor might endeavour to inform Oin of the decision, which Fili had failed to do so far. Although the old healer himself had told him a few weeks ago that he would recruit Arinna on the spot if given the chance.

Fili rose from his thoughts and looked up again, just in time to see Arinna turning and walking toward the door.

"Arinna."

The druid turned around at the sound of her name, her eyes meeting his across the table. Fili held her gaze for a moment, as he uncrossed his arms and put them on the back of the chair before him. He glanced down and let his thumb stroke lightly against the carved wood, before he sighed and looked back up at her. She was standing but a few metres away, and it was only now that he noticed that her usually tied up hair was falling in dark waves across her shoulders, creating a stark contrast to the emerald green eyes that were staring at him questioningly.

"I am glad you decided to accept the position," he said softly, finally regaining his voice. He cleared his throat slightly, trying to convey his meaning. "Not just on behalf of the people of this mountain, but… I am glad."

Inclining her head, she thought for a moment as she took in his words. She gave him a nod and a tentative smile as she looked back toward him, feeling his pale blue eyes bore into hers.

"Yes," she answered quietly. "I think, I am, as well."