Shayla had not returned to the chambers where she knew Riley would not have strayed from her room. She wondered whether anyone had taken her any food, though someone must have done so; she just wondered who would have been brave enough to endure the onslaught of Riley's anger.

Jessika, Fain and Kili had kept her company the most during the two days that she had stayed with them. They had breakfast together in their chambers and had dinner out in the great feasting halls with the other residents of Erebor, occasionally seeing the other people she had met, but never Riley.

She worried constantly about Riley. Shayla knew that she shouldn't feel guilty about what had happened but she couldn't help it; she had taken them out camping in the first place, something which she was continually reminded. Thankfully, her guilty conscious was eased through nights watching the stars. Kili walked her out to the same outpost each night, the one highest within the mountain, so that Shayla could be closest to the night sky.

For the most part, they would sit or lay in silence. Shayla was quite content with the silence though; it helped her to calm her mind and relax herself while learning new constellations that dotted the immeasurable darkness. Sometimes they would speak, though usually on the way to and from the outpost.

Shayla was with Kili down at the training fields on the afternoon of the second day, practising with defensive tactics as they had largely spent the past two days doing. Jessika had helped her practice with a sword for a little while yesterday morning, but the weight of the weapon grew heavier each moment she held or swung it, causing her muscles to ache and fatigue to set in.

"You need to focus." Shayla raised her eyes from the dirt ground that she had been staring at, lost in thought, to Kili's deep brown eyes. He was standing in front of her in defensive position, just as Shayla was, but his eyes were focused on her instead of the floor that had held her gaze.

"Sorry," Shayla murmured, bending her knees properly to bring her slightly closer to the ground as Jessika and Fain had showed her the day prior. Without any warning, Kili took several steps forward and swung a dagger towards her once, twice, three times, as Shayla parried and ducked from each blow.

They continued like this for over an hour, though Shayla growing heavy with exhaustion as her movements became slow and laboured. Taking in a deep breath, she moved her hands into the air in front of her in surrender.

"I can't… Go on… This is… Too hard…" Shayla attempted to get a grasp on her breathing, putting her hands on her knees and bending over slightly as her stomach begun to churn with nausea.

"Are you okay?" Kili asked worriedly, placing his dagger onto the ground and moving closer to Shayla, kneeling in front of her to look up into the eyes that had become fixed on the ground once more.

"Yeah… I just… I haven't ever done anything like this before…" Shayla lifted her head to look at Kili through her thick, knotted and sweaty hair, seeing his own hair looking the same as it had before they had started; immaculate.

How did he look as though he hadn't just been sparring non-stop for an hour?

Shayla stood upright as soon as she had her breathing under control, her arms and legs already feeling like lead. Kili stood as well, smirking at Shayla as he did.

"I'm sorry about how difficult the training is. Once you can defend yourself adequately, we can start on my speciality, the bow and arrow." Kili continued to grin at her, until Shayla replied.

"Why can't we start that first? It sounds like it would be a little less strenuous than throwing me into defence." Kili's smile faltered and his eyes focused on something just over Shayla's head, as he breathed in deeply. It took quite a while to respond, but when he did his whole demeanour changed.

"Come. I think there is something that you are ready to see." Kili nodded his head towards a corridor across the training field, motioning Shayla to follow him.

They continued in silence, meandering through corridors that seemed to move slightly downwards. Shayla felt as though they had been walking for hours with her aching muscles, but it had only been fifteen minutes or so until they came to an opening at the end of the corridor.

Walking slowly out into the expansive hall, Shayla's feet stopped moving as her eyes looked towards a huge statue that rose before her. It was at least 15 metres tall and was carved out of a different stone than what the rest of the mountain seemed to be made. The figure was donned in stone armour, clenching a Warhammer that he held downwards, hands gripping the base of the handle. His face was downcast as though he were looking at them; despite being made of stone, Shayla thought his eyes looked remarkably sad.

Shayla looked to the ground, and lined along the walls of the immense hall were perfect rectangle blocks, which each in turn had their own carved statue standing at the head of the blocks. Shayla could see dozens of them across the walls to their left and right; the sight was astonishing, but as soon as Shayla realised exactly what they meant, the air seemed to take on an entirely new chill.

"Who are they?" Shayla whispered, wide eyes trying to count exactly how many there were.

"These are my forefathers; the Line of Durin." Kili walked into the cavern and knelt, bowing his head towards the large statue that towered over them both. Shayla stood, watching Kili as he seemed to be honouring those that rested within.

After almost a minute he stood once more, leading Shayla many metres towards the smaller statues and stone blocks. They stood before the closest one, and Shayla could feel the anxiety and sadness radiating from Kili. He knelt once more before the block, placing a hand against the cold stone. There were markings carved across it but Shayla did not know what they said; instead, she focused on the statue that stood at the head. The Dwarf was dressed in armour as well, but did not wear a helmet as the large statue did. His eyes were not trained downwards either; they looked straight ahead and Shayla swore that his stone eyes radiated something more than the lifeless a stone should convey.

Kili opened his eyes and stood once more; staring straight into those eyes.

"This… This is my Uncle, Thorin Oakenshield, reclaimer of Erebor. He brought us here, all of us. Fili and I, we did not grow up here. We lived in the Blue Mountains with our mother, Dis. He did not want to bring us on the quest those years ago. I still remember him telling Dis that he would not risk our lives. He was adamant. That was until Fili told him that he would not be worthy of the title of Heir, and we would not be worthy to share the name of Durin if we did not join and reclaim our Homeland with him."

"Even then, he was hesitant. It was not until we secretly followed him from the Blue Mountains that he truly allowed us to join the Company. Though, he was furious with us for the entirety of the journey to Bree." Kili laughed softly under his breath, his vision not leaving the statue of Thorin.

"When did he pass?" Shayla asked quietly, looking back to Kili once more.

"Five years past. He suffered mortal wounds during the Battle that led to us taking back Erebor twenty-nine years past. Amelia healed him, and gave him more time, but he didn't truly recover from his injuries."

There was silence for some time as Shayla had no words to convey her empathy. The openness of Kili about the death of his Uncle was slightly unnerving for her. Within her culture, the death of a family member is taken so seriously that mourning periods can last months, and even naming the person could stir their spirit. Shayla fidgeted with her palms in nervousness, the stagnant air of the burial place for so many causing something deep within her chest to stir uneasily.

"Fili and I made sure that when the Dwarrow craftsman carved his statue, that they encapsulated the love within his eyes that had become commonplace once Erebor had been reclaimed. He carried that love and warmth with him until he finally passed; it was as though we finally knew the real Thorin."

"The last thing he said to us… To Fili and I… Was that he was proud of us… That he was so happy that he was like a father to us." Shayla didn't need to look at Kili to know the tears that had lingered within his eyes had begun to spill over.

With Shayla's chest pounding with the discomfort of the place that she was within, she did the one thing that she knew words could not.

Slowly, she reached for the hand that Kili still rested on the top of the stone resting place, letting the warmth of her fingers comfort him and the contact of his hand comfort her in turn.

They stayed like this for quite a while, until Kili broke the contact by turning to Shayla, the tears no longer visible within his eyes.

"Miss Shayla… The reason why I brought you down here, was to show you why your current training is so important." Kili took a deep breath and turned towards the centre of the hall, shoulders tense with stress.

"I was told a long time ago that welding a bow and arrow was useless by someone important to me. I am continually told this, but I should have listened those years ago. During the Battle, I felt useless because I had worked so hard to become exceptional at archery, but was average at hand to hand combat and defending myself. It is the reason I have this reminder for the rest of my life." Kili touched the side of his face then, fingers moving across the scarring there.

"It is also the reason why Thorin departed to the Great Halls of Mahal too soon." Shayla looked at him inquisitively, encouraging him to continue.

"I believe that if I had endeavoured to become exceptional at hand to hand combat, I could have defended Thorin better than I had. I do not want someone else to make the same mistake as myself." Kili seemed as though a great weight had left his shoulders, but instead of leaving him feeling relieved, he seemed as though he were left crumpled.

Shayla took a deep breath and pictured the greens of the forest trees, fuelling her strength and her compassion. She took several steps towards Kili and stood in front of him, looking evenly into his deep brown eyes that seemed to carry the guilt of several centuries.

"When I look at that statue, I see the likeness of someone who had been given a second chance with those closest to him, those who he needed in his life. Whether he had an extra five minutes or fifty years with you, a second chance is worth more than anything in the world." Shayla turned to look at the statue once more, knowing what she saw there now.

"I think he knew the chance he had been given, and it made him the happiest he had ever known."

They had left the halls of Kili's forefathers soon afterwards, much to Shayla's relief. As soon as they had exited the vast space, she felt as though she could breathe normally again. Being so close to so much death, regardless of who the dead were, made her feel on edge. Kili's demeanour had changed too; the stress and tension that bore down on his shoulders seemed to have detached themselves, at least temporarily. It was as they drew closer to the feasting halls that Shayla knew she needed to see Riley. The more that she thought about what she had said to Kili, the more she knew that she needed to give her friend a second chance.

"Kili, could we go back and eat with the others tonight? I want to make sure Riley is alright." Shayla stole a sideways glance at him as he cocked his eyebrow and nodded wordlessly at her request. Backtracking, they were greeted to the usual commotion before they saw the chambers full of guests for dinner.

Entering the dining area, Shayla and Kili were greeted by exuberant welcomes and greetings by mostly familiar faces. The only new face that she saw was a bearded woman who sat at the head of the table next to Fili.

Wait, what? Shayla thought quickly to herself as she did a double take and caught the piercing blue eyes of the woman. In her attempts not to stare, Shayla most certainly made a fool of herself as she continued to flit her eyes back to the beautiful woman.

"Miss Shayla, it is my absolute pleasure to introduce you to my mother, Dis. Ma! Meet Miss Shayla, the new Human from where Amelia hails!" Kili's voice rung out across the table and there was an excitable chatter that built up from everyone else sitting down at the dining table.

It was then that Dis stood and bowed slightly at Shayla, her magnificent icy eyes not breaking the gaze. The power that Shayla could feel radiating from Dis was extremely intimidating, and she realised then that she looked incredibly like the statue of Thorin. Shayla could only imagine what it would have been like to meet Thorin as well; she almost felt like she would melt under the regard of just one of the siblings.

"Uh… Hi," Shayla responded lamely, even giving her a little wave to complete the effect of her utter awkwardness. Whether Dis was oblivious to Shayla's nervousness or did not care about it at all, she continued without regard for the slight tension within the air.

"Come, child. There is space for you and Kee here." She smiled, motioning for the end of the table that held several spare spaces. Kili felt Shayla tense beside her and responded instead.

"Ma, she needs to see her friend Riley first. Then she will come eat with us." Kili gave her Shayla a small smile and Shayla relaxed with relief, nodding and moving towards the corridor to the left of the dining table. With a smirk that looked ridiculously like the one that Shayla had seen on Kili's face regularly, Dis begun to stand from where she was sitting.

"Well, I feel most compelled to meet any Human that hails from Amelia's home. Let me accompany you." It was at that point that everyone became silent. Shayla was shocked, though not for just the reason that Dis, the mother of the King, wanted to meet Riley. The same Riley that everyone knew to be an asshole, Shayla's mind added quickly. No, it was also in the fact that the dining table, which consisted of the boisterous Dwalin, Gloin, Gimli, Fili, Amelia, Bilbo, Jessika, Fain, Ori, Nori, Dori and Bofur had just become as silent as the Halls of Durin.

At least it wasn't just Shayla who was completely and utterly filled with trepidation and concern of what would happen when the piercing and powerful Dis met the Human version of a wildfire.

This was going to end remarkably well, Shayla thought dejectedly.

Well, if anyone is going to calm the storm that is Riley, it's going to be Dis isn't it?

Thanks for the review pallysdeeks; don't worry, Riley will come around! It might just take a while... I just feel like after writing about Amelia/Josh in my first fanfic, and even Shayla in this one, I needed to write a character that would absolutely dig their feet in and resist admitting and accepting a situation like this. But don't worry, a certain charming Dwarf will help her accept this situation, just a little later rather than sooner! xD

Enjoy your weekends! xx