Sorry for the long wait! In case anyone is still reading this though, here's a new chapter :)


Fili tried to keep his mind occupied with other things all day, but with little luck. He was feeling all out of sorts. He had missed his training session that morning, had not attended breakfast with his mother, and now that he was sat together with Lord Finnur, Balin and Dwalin a few hours later, his mood was still foul and his patience thin. His thoughts kept circling back to the past night and how he had felt this morning when he'd woken up. It had been the happiest he'd felt in years, and then, somehow, he had ended up here, angry and miserable. He didn't quite understand how things had gone so awry so quickly and he still felt hurt about the things the druid had said to him.

Due to his foul mood and swirling thoughts, he had barely been able to concentrate on the talk he had been having with Lord Finnur for the past hour about possible trade deals and routes between the Red Mountains and Erebor.

"I was able to secure a meeting with Bard," Balin spoke up, as their discussion slowly came to an end. He gave Lord Finnur a small nod. "You mentioned you might like to visit Dale, and he would be happy to welcome you."

"That is great news," Finnur replied with an appreciative nod, as Balin turned to Fili.

"In fact, I mentioned to Bard that Arinna was recently appointed as court physician," the old dwarf went on with a smile, while Fili's mood soured considerably at the mention of the druid's name, though he tried to keep his face neutral. "He extended his invitation to her in particular. I believe he and his family will be very glad to see her again."

When Fili said nothing for a moment, Balin exchanged a small look with his brother, who was following the scene silently watching the king. The old dwarf cleared his throat quietly, the king's strange mood not having escaped his notice.

"Well," Lord Finnur intercepted, failing to read the situation. "The more the merrier, I say."

"If I may offer my opinion," Dwalin suddenly spoke, the stoic dwarf leaning forward in his chair slightly. He sent Fili a meaningful look as he caught his gaze. "The roads between Lake Town, Dale and Erebor have become increasingly dangerous. Bandits and stray orc attacks have been growing more frequent as of late, Bard conveyed as much in his last letters."

"You would advise against the trip?" Fili asked quietly, ripping himself out of his dark thoughts, as he sent Dwalin a questioning look. The bald dwarf shook his head.

"I'm wondering if it is the right time, is all," Dwalin answered. "Arinna has already been the victim of an attack once before; we would not want to risk a repeat of that."

The blond king let out a quiet sigh, rather unwilling to discuss the topic further.

"The risk of travelling out on the open road can never be fully eliminated, Dwalin," he then said. "And it will be good to meet with Bard. We will make the trip. I will leave it to you to prepare it properly, Dwalin."

Dwalin merely gave the king a silent nod, before Fili stood and dismissed them all quietly. Normally, Fili was the last one out the door after such meetings, however, this time he disappeared quicker than any of them could react. Instead, Balin and Dwalin kept sitting quietly by the table, while Lord Finnur excused himself as well, and the two brothers exchanged another meaningful look once they were alone.

"Fili seemed in a… fine mood," Dwalin uttered dryly.

Tilting his head, Balin let out a small sigh. He couldn't help but agree, having picked up on the foul mood that had surrounded the young dwarf all day. He had also noticed that Fili was still wearing the same clothes that he had worn to last night's dinner, though he didn't mention that to Dwalin.


Several days had now passed since she had woken up next to Fili, and even though she hadn't spoken a word to him since their argument that morning, she could hardly get him off her mind. For the first few days, she could still feel the marks he'd left on her body during their night together, feeling and seeing the hidden spots where he had left his claim with his mouth and hands, an almost constant reminder.

The druid tried to occupy her thoughts with other things, spending a lot of her time with her friends, though she hadn't told anyone about what had transpired between her and Fili. She knew that they could tell her mood was less joyful than usual, even though she tried to hide the troubled parts of her mind and concentrate more on the good things around her. She spent many of her days outside the mountain, gathering plants and herbs.

Today, however, she was still sat in the healing chambers by midday, mixing up a few medicinal concoctions, lost in thought. Balin had sought her out that morning, informing her of the plans to visit Bard and his family in Dale in two days' time. And though the druid very much wanted to go on the visit, the prospect of travelling there with Fili, as well as the Lady Lilya and her uncle was not exactly an appealing prospect. Yet, to decline Bard's invitation on the grounds of her discomfort seemed unreasonable, for she knew how much joy it would bring her to see the Bowman and his family again.

And so, she found herself two days later standing by the stables with Lithen saddled and ready to go. She had gone to the healing chambers beforehand to fetch some supplies, just in case, and was strapping the small bag to her pony's saddle, while she tried to ignore the chatter around her. As they waited for the stable boys to get their ponies ready, Lady Lilya was talking loudly to her uncle about the prospect of visiting Dale's market place, telling him in no small detail the things she intended to purchase.

"I've heard of the beautiful silks that are traded in Dale, uncle," she was saying. "There will be lots to choose from for a lovely dress to be made to wear to the king's birthday celebrations."

Arinna let out a quiet sigh to herself, giving Lithen's neck an affectionate pat. It was just then that she heard a familiar voice call out to her, and she turned her head to see the rest of their party making their way over with the readied ponies. Fili was walking ahead, followed by Dwalin, Lothar and another guard that Arinna only knew from seeing him compete in the tournament of balrûn 'uzûgh.

"Arinna," Lothar repeated, smiling broadly as they reached her. The druid returned his smile with a small one of her own, while she tried to ignore the feeling of Fili walking straight past her without a glance.

"Nice to see you, Lothar," Arinna greeted, as she mounted her pony. The young guard did the same beside her, followed by the rest of the group. As Fili called for them to move, Arinna nudged Lithen into a slow trot, keeping in step with the young guard. It was a cloudy day, and as Arinna looked up at the sky, she was glad to have brought her cloak, the stiff breeze whirling around her ears as they began their way toward Dale.

"I am rather excited to see Dale," Lothar said beside her, as they rode. He sent the druid a sheepish smile as he admitted it, though seeing as they were riding together at the back of the small group, out of earshot of the others, he did not mind telling her. "I rarely get to go at all. And to be escorting the king himself, well, that's a right honour for my first assignment of this kind."

Arinna just smiled at the young guard, nodding her agreement. She could see how proud he felt, remembering how he had told her about Dwalin extending his duties during the winner's celebrations a few weeks back.

"Are you looking forward to visiting the town?" Lothar asked, just as the clouds above them opened up and it began to rain lightly. The druid pulled her hood over her head, taking a deep breath of the sweet rainy smell that now filled the air, before she gave a slow nod.

"I am," she uttered. "I have not seen Bard or his family in many years. They were always very dear to me."

Lothar gave an understanding nod. "It will be good to see them again, then."

"Yes, it will," Arinna answered, this time with a genuine smile. Lothar returned her smile, before he drew his own hood further over his eyes, as the rain continued. They rode on in amicable silence for a while, neither of them participating in any of the discussions that Lilya or her uncle had, as the journey continued. Indeed, it seemed that they were the only ones actively holding up conversation, as even Fili and Dwalin only offered up a few words every now and again.

They had been riding for a few hours and were now passing through a small forest, and while the rain continued relentlessly, Arinna tried to ignore the sound of Lilya complaining about it. The dwarrowdam and her entourage had travelled several weeks to reach Erebor, the druid thought, yet, she could not stand a bit of rain for the few hours it took to reach Dale on horseback.

"We might have picked a better day –" she was saying, but the druid's attention was suddenly drawn to a flock of birds shooting up from the treeline to their right. Arinna frowned, while Lithen let out a quiet neigh beneath her. She slowed her pony slightly, peering into the trees.

"What is it?" Dwalin called from a little distance ahead, noticing that she had fallen behind the rest of the group. The burly dwarf frowned, when he saw the druid's hand resting on the hilt of her sword, as she kept a close eye on her surroundings.

When still she could not see anything, Arinna finally nudged Lithen forward once more, slowly catching up with the others. Dwalin gave her a questioning look, as she came to a halt beside him.

"I'm not sure," she uttered, still feeling slightly on edge. "Something spooked the birds."

While Dwalin gave a slow nod, casting his own gaze along the treeline, Lord Finnur let out a small huff from where he was sat on his pony. "Well, clearly, it was nothing," the dwarf announced confidently. "Probably just some animal."

"Maybe," Fili spoke up, looking around the forested path himself, before he glanced first at Arinna, who returned his gaze with a small frown, and then at Lord Finnur. "Maybe not. We must keep our eyes open, but there is no point lingering here. Let's move on."

And with that, Fili nudged his pony into a trot once more, the others following swiftly. Arinna lingered for another moment, before she followed suit. They had not gone very far, when there was the distinct sound of cracking wood somewhere in the trees, this time to their left. And this time, the druid had not been the only one to notice.

But before anyone could react, there was the sound of an arrow whizzing through the air, immediately followed by a shrill outcry. Arinna watched with wide eyes, as the Lady Lilya suddenly fell from her pony, which bucked wildly, before it bolted with a loud neigh. Lithen and the rest of the ponies neighed frightfully, and Arinna was quick to jump off her pony when she saw that Lilya was still lying on the ground, unmoving.

It was just as she reached her and knelt by her side, that the dwarrowdam slowly opened her eyes. The druid reached out, helping her into an upright position, while Dwalin, Fili, Lothar and Lord Finnur had by now descended their own steeds and formed a protective half-circle around them.

"Are you alright?" the druid asked quietly, sending Lilya a concerned look, as she noticed a light streak of blood on her shoulder. The dwarrowdam seemed shaken, dirt streaked across her face from her fall, though she gave a jerky nod in reply. Arinna looked around then, as did the rest of them, when no further attack followed. The forest around them had gone completely quiet.

And then, sudden roars and shouts sounded from the trees, and the druid quickly scrambled to her feet and drew her sword, as half a dozen men came storming toward them from the treeline. It only took a moment, before their swords collided with their own weapons, and the sound of clanging metal filled the air. As they fought, Arinna stayed beside Lilya, who was scrambling backwards in an attempt to get away from the fight. She barely had time to register how her companions were faring, when one of the bandits came running at her, swinging a spiked mace over his head.

The druid dove out of the way, as he brought it down on her, swinging her sword at his middle at the same time. He yelled out furiously, as her blade cut his side, quickly bringing the mace back around to swing at her head. Arinna barely managed to dodge this attack, before he suddenly brought his other arm up and his fist connected brutally with her face. The druid fell backwards, stumbling over another man that was already lying on the ground, slain by one of Dwalin's axes. She barely managed to keep hold of her sword, her head spinning, as she hit the ground. Her own attacker grinned cruelly, swiftly making his way toward her, as she scrambled backwards.

"Stop!"

The man halted in surprise, when someone suddenly grabbed hold of his leg, and looked down to see the other woman, the dwarrowdam, pulling frantically at his leg to make him fall, or at least to stop attacking the raven-haired druid. Arinna only had a few seconds to react, as the man's attention was turned to Lilya, who was already letting go of him and crawling away, her eyes wide with fear as he began swinging his mace again, this time with his gaze trained solely on the dwarrowdam.

Arinna bent forward and quickly grabbed her old knife from her boot, before she hurled it toward the bandit in one swift throw. It embedded itself firmly in the back of his neck, and the druid watched, breathing heavily, as he kept standing for a moment, before his knees gave way and he fell to the ground in front of Lilya.

The druid quickly looked around then, seeing that only two of the other bandits were still standing, one of them fighting Dwalin and Lothar at once, while the other was facing off with Fili. The druid let her gaze swiftly roam over the scene, though she could not find Lilya's uncle anywhere. With a groan, she got to her feet, intending to go and aid Fili in his fight, when she suddenly saw another man, hiding beneath the trees they had come from, with a bow drawn and an arrow pointed straight at the dwarven king's head.

Arinna barely had time to think, and as the man released the arrow, it was as though everything was suddenly happening in slow motion. The druid felt herself raise her hand, her eyes trained on the arrow, as she spoke.

"Ha'cer ot hor!"

The flying arrow stilled in mid-air as she manipulated the very flow of the wind, suspended in the air for a moment, before it fell to the ground with a small thud. It was just at that moment, that Fili ran his opponent through with one of his blades, while at the same time, Dwalin and Lothar finished off their attacker. They all turned in surprise, Fili's gaze flying from the halted arrow, to Arinna, to the last of their attackers. The bowman seemed in utter shock as he stared at the druid, who still had her hand raised before her.

He was hastily drawing another arrow to shoot, aiming for the druid this time, when she directed her magic directly at him.

"Thu oru le!" She uttered with a mixture of fury and desperation, remembering the last time she had used this spell, during an orc fight in Bard's house. But those had been orcs, she thought, as she watched the air leave the man's lungs, and he dropped his bow. His hands came up to clutch his neck, his eyes wide and full of fear as he stared at her. He seemed somewhat familiar, and with a slight jolt, the druid recognised him as one of the men that had attacked her at the druid ruins. She closed her eyes for a moment, feeling her own magic throbbing in her core, as she continued to draw the air from him, before she suddenly dropped her hand.

As she opened them again, she could see the man scrambling to his feet, before he turned and ran away as quickly as his legs would carry him. It was only a moment, before he had disappeared in the trees, and Arinna let out a slow breath.

"You let him get away!"

It was Lord Finnur's voice that brought her back to reality, and she looked around at the dwarf lord with an angry frown, not quite knowing where he had suddenly emerged from. "Yes."

"Well, what use is that kind of power, if –"

"Magic is not meant for killing," Arinna cut him off angrily, feeling her head throb as she took a few shaky steps forward. She felt a hand come up to her elbow, steadying her slightly, and she looked around to see Fili standing beside her, one of his swords now sheathed again.

Dwalin let out a low growl, as he looked at the dwarf-lord, standing amidst the fallen bandits. "Aye," he said darkly. "You might want to be careful to admonish others, when you ran from the fight as soon as the first blow was dealt."

"How dare you –" Lord Finnur started, throwing his hand up toward Dwalin accusingly, though the burly warrior only reacted by sheathing his axe with a hard look.

"Enough!" Fili interrupted, before the dwarf-lord could utter another word in his defence, his own voice filled with anger. He shortly glanced over at Arinna, as she withdrew her arm from his hold, instead moving slowly over toward Lilya, who was sat at the edge of the treeline by herself. "This is not the time for petty squabbles. We must make our way to Dale; we are but an hour's ride away."

As Finnur snapped his mouth shut, Fili glanced at Arinna again, who was now kneeling beside Lilya and inspecting the small scrape on the dwarrowdam's arm. No doubt, the first arrow had grazed her shoulder, before she fell. Fili let out a deep sigh, before he turned toward Dwalin.

"Take Lothar, find the ponies," he instructed quietly, hoping that when they had bolted, they had not gone too far. "They'll be around somewhere."

Dwalin just gave him a curt nod, before he got moving, though Fili noticed the dark look that the captain of the guard sent toward Lord Finnur, as he turned away. The young king waited a moment, as he watched the two of them move down the path, before he slowly made his way over to the rest of the group. Arinna was just tearing a small strip of her own tunic, before she used it to bandage Lilya's arm, all the while, Lord Finnur was hovering over her like a hawk.

"How bad is it?" Fili asked, addressing the druid as she sat back on her heels. He could see that she was still shaken by what had happened, though she covered it much better than the dwarrowdam beside her, who was shaking visibly. Arinna looked up at him for a moment, and it was then Fili noticed the large bruise that was quickly beginning to form on the left side of her face.

"It's not very deep," Arinna answered softly, glancing from him to Lilya. "It will need to get properly cleaned and dressed later, but it will heal quickly enough."

While Fili nodded his understanding, Arinna moved out of the way so that Lord Finnur could address his niece. She did not linger to hear what he said, though, instead moving several feet away to lean against the rough bark of a tree.

Fili watched her walk away for a moment, before he turned his attention to Lilya. It was lucky she had come away with but a scratch, if the archer's aim had been true, she might have carried away a much more serious injury. He let out a sigh, looking around at the aftermath of the attack. He had only caught glimpses of Arinna fighting until the end, though as he let his gaze wander, his eyes suddenly lingered on something close by.

Arinna was leaning heavily against the trunk of the tree, her head throbbing and her limbs heavy. Using her magic like this had cost her a lot of energy, and all she wanted to do was lie down right where she was, dreading the remaining time it would take to reach Dale. The druid only looked up, when she felt someone step up next to her, finding herself facing Fili yet again. He was looking at her with concern, his gaze lingering once more on her bruised face, before he slowly raised his hand and held something out to her. Looking down, Arinna felt herself draw a small breath of surprise, as she saw her old knife, the blade that Fili had once given her, resting in his palm.

"I thought, perhaps, you'd want it back," the dwarf uttered, his voice a quiet rumble between them. The druid nodded slightly, her fingers brushing against his skin, as she reached out and took the blade from him. She noticed that he must have cleaned it before handing it over to her, the blade glinting lightly in the sunlight that fell through the trees.

"Thank you," Arinna said quietly, brushing her thumb over the hilt, before she looked up at him again. His expression was gentle, his eyes searching hers. The druid withheld a sigh, as she held his gaze. They were lucky to get away mostly unscathed, she thought. Arinna felt a strong pull in her chest as she looked at him and for a moment, all she wanted to do was reach out and hug Fili, simply glad that he was alright.

Fili seemed to feel similarly, his hand coming up to gently brush against her forearm. Though, before either of them could say anything, they were interrupted by a loud voice carrying up the path.

"Found them!" Dwalin called, and Fili and Arinna both turned their heads to see the captain and Lothar walking back up the path, leading their ponies along. The druid let out a sigh of relief as she saw Lithen trotting along calmly, and she swiftly moved toward her steed, Fili's hand falling from her arm in the process.

They made quick time once they all got back on their ponies, and it wasn't long before they reached Dale. Soon enough, they reached Bard's house, and while the druid still felt exhausted, she could not help the joy that suddenly overcame her, as she lay eyes on the Bowman, who was now King of Dale. He came to meet them, and Arinna watched as he greeted Fili and Dwalin, before his own eyes fell on her. He sent her a bright smile that illuminated his aging face.

"Arinna of Evendim," he breathed, coming toward her in big strides. "I am glad to see you!"

Arinna smiled, as he enveloped her in a small hug, before he held her by the shoulders and pulled back, giving her a stern look, as he took in her bruised face. "Though, I was hoping to see you all in better spirits. What happened?"

"We had a run in with some bandits," Arinna uttered, waving off Bard's concerned look, as she turned slightly toward Lilya. "I am quite alright. The Lady Lilya's injury, however, will need some treatment, if you could provide me with the necessary things."

"Yes, of course," Bard nodded, a deep frown now marring his face, as he turned his head toward Fili, who shot him a serious look.

"Aye," the dwarf said, anticipating Bard's thoughts. "We'll need to discuss the safety of these roads further, I am afraid."

Bard simply nodded again, his expression stern, before the former Bowman finally began to usher them toward his house.