A/N: I'm so glad to see that you guys like this! Without further ado here is the next chapter! Enjoy!

Chapter Two

11 years ago

"You are very lucky."

"Simon…Jesus….I thought you were-"

"Mum or dad? They're fast asleep."

Eleanor exhaled a relieved sigh as she placed her shoes on the floor and hung up her coat. She knew she was home a little later than planned and thought for sure one of her parents would be waiting for her. The last person she'd expected to find in the living room was Simon, even though it was also rather a relief. Out of all her siblings, Simon was the most chill one when it came to acts of teenage rebellion. If anything, their parents had always had a difficult time with Simon growing up and so Eleanor assumed that they just thought the others would be easier.

"How did you-?" Eleanor began

"I told them you'd called me to say that you'd be running a little late and that Georgina's mum would give you a lift home." Simon explained, "I assume some of that is true?"

"Yeah, thanks Simon."

"You owe me one, Sis."

Eleanor knew her brother well enough to know that this would come back and bite her eventually, but for now she was grateful. If she was lucky, her parents wouldn't notice her baggy eyes or the hangover she would undoubtedly suffer, but it had all been worth it.

Quietly, she stumbled up the stairs to her bedroom, let her bag fall to the floor, quickly changed into an oversized t-shirt and fell onto the bed. It didn't long before Eleanor found herself drifting into a heavy sleep.

The anger would not subside.

No matter how much Thorin tried to expel the rage out of his body, it was still there, lurking and festering like an ancient tree root that just would not let go. It was ridiculous, of course. Thorin knew that as well as the next dwarf, but yet he could still not help but to be angry. He was the crown prince of this kingdom and yet his grandfather and father still treated him as a child and he could never catch a break. His siblings however, seemed to be forever excused no matter how childish their behaviour. Thorin, however, was not allowed the same leeway and that is what caused the anger bubbling within him.

Of course he understood the importance of his role as crown prince. He knew that he was the one who would take over the throne of Erebor and he knew what his duties entailed. Recently, his father had decided that Thorin should sit in on various council meetings and discuss trade opportunities and all Thorin wanted was to spend time with his friends. Alas, his father and grandfather had other plans for him and no matter what he said to convince them otherwise, it was his duty.

"Why are you so angry?"

Thorin didn't know how long Eleanor had been standing there, but it didn't matter. It had been a few weeks since her last appearance and he was used to the randomness of it all. In earnest, it was nice to have a friend who wasn't part of Erebor and someone in whom Thorin could confide. There were times when he wanted to tell his brother or Dwalin about Eleanor, but he soon realised that there was no way they would understand or even believe him. In fact, Thorin wasn't sure that he understood it, but Eleanor seemed to always show up just at the right time.

"I'm not angry." Thorin lied as he used his elbow to quickly dry away the tears that filled his eyelids.

"You sound like my brother Dylan," Eleanor said, "It's okay to be angry, though. What happened?"

The young dwarf prince inhaled and exhaled a sigh before he unclenched his fist and turned to Eleanor. She wore the same nightgown as she so often did when she appeared, which admittedly was a little strange, but nothing that really bothered Thorin.

"Why do you have black lines under your eyes?" Thorin asked

Eleanor raised an eyebrow before she quickly wiped her eyes and chuckled.

"This is just eyeliner." She explained matter-of-factly, "It's like...make-up for your eyes."

"Why were you wearing it?" Thorin asked, "What purpose does it serve?"

"It makes you look prettier is all. I was out with my friends and sometimes I like wearing it."

"Well, I don't think you need it."

Thorin regretted the words as soon as he'd spoken them. A moment of silence passed between them until Eleanor sat down on the ledge next to Thorin. Even if Eleanor appeared elsewhere in the mountain, they always walked to the treasure horde because that's where they would be left alone.

"My father," Thorin said quietly, "I'm angry with him."

"Why?" Eleanor quietly wondered, "Did something happen?"

"No...or...well, it is what is going to happen."

"What do you mean?"

The thoughts whirled around in his mind for a while until Thorin could make sense of them. He wasn't sure how to explain things to Eleanor in a way that she would understand. It seemed like things were done differently where she was from and even in Middle-Earth, most humans struggled to understand dwarrow customs.

"There are certain rules that I must adhere to and duties to fulfill." Thorin explained, "Meanwhile, my brother and sister do not have the same responsibility and sometimes it is frustrating."

"Because you're the eldest?" Eleanor guessed, "That must be hard."

"Not only because I am the eldest, but also because I'm the crown prince so there is more pressure on me to behave a certain way or attend certain events. Not to mention I am expected to find a suitable dwarrowdam to court for eventual betrothal."

"Oh…..Is that something that you want?"

Thorin had thought about that many times lately and he didn't have an answer. Sure, it would be nice to have a wife in the future and perhaps to even become a father, but he was still a young dwarf and wanted to enjoy his youth while he still could.

"Perhaps one day." Thorin replied, "It seems as though everything is supposed to happen so quickly and sometimes I worry that I will miss out on a life lived the way I want and not in the way other people expect. I will turn 40 in five years and I know things will become even more intense then, because that is when dwarves come of age."

"Forty?" Eleanor repeated, "You are turning forty years old? That can't be right! You look like you're a little older than I am."

"And how old are you?"

"I turn sixteen in May. How can you possibly be almost forty and still look as though you're my age?"

Thorin shrugged and realised that this must be another thing that was different between Eleanor's home and Thorin's. Even in Dale, people knew that dwarves aged differently than humans or elves, yet this seemed to surprise Eleanor.

"Sorry, it just...surprised me is all." Eleanor apologised, "You've been my friend since I was little and I feel like I'm only just getting to know you."

"There's no need to apologise." Thorin said, "I should have perhaps been more clear from the beginning. It's just that, well...age never really came up in our conversations."

"No, I suppose not."

Just like it had many times before, Thorin began to notice Eleanor fading ever so slightly. The first time it happened, it had alarmed him and he wondered if it was nothing but a dream, but he knew that she was very real indeed. Now, her reappearing and fading away was a normal part of his life.

"I'm sorry, I think I'm leaving again." Eleanor said, "It'll be alright, Thorin."

Before the young dwarf prince had a chance to reply, he found himself sitting alone on the ledge looking out over Erebor's treasure horde.

9 years ago

Her mum wouldn't stop crying.

No matter how much her dad tried to calm her down, nothing seemed to work. Every time Eleanor thought the silence meant that maybe she'd finally fallen asleep or she was a little more stable, her mother let out a devastating wail unlike anything Eleanor had heard before. It broke her heart into a million pieces and she hated it. Nothing she or anyone else could do to convince her mum that things would be alright. That one day, Simon would walk through the front door as if nothing had happened and that it had all just been a bad dream. She wished it had been a bad dream, but Eleanor knew she wasn't that lucky.

Her older brother was dead and nothing she did or said would ever bring him back.

The worst part of it all was that it was all her fault. Angie and Dylan knew it, even if they wouldn't say anything. Eleanor could tell that her dad also knew it because he struggled to as much as look her in the eyes. No matter how many times she thought back on the moments leading up to the accident, she knew that it was her selfishness and her choices that caused it . that's why her oldest brother was dead and would never come back.

That night, Eleanor locked her bedroom door and crawled into bed and buried her face into her pillow. At first, she thought she'd never fall asleep until she was overcome by exhaustion and drifted off into an uneasy slumber, like so many times before.

This time, Eleanor didn't even notice she was in Erebor until she felt the familiar chill of the treasure chamber. It was a miracle that Thorin still remained her friend considering it wasn't the first time she was there, crying. When she felt his familiar and warm hand on her shoulder, Eleanor didn't look up. For a moment, she thought he would sit down, but when she opened her eyes she saw Thorin holding out his hand towards her. He pulled her back up on her feet and embraced Eleanor in a hug so sincere that all she could do was sob into his shoulder, yet Thorin didn't seem to mind and so they stood there.

To be continued….

Another chapter done! Slightly longer this time! Let me know if you have any suggestions for characters you want to see or things you might want to happen?