Shayla had realised that Riley left almost instantly; she had turned around to call out to her, but only caught sight of Riley's back as she left through the corridor doorway. Instead of feeling disappointed, Shayla held onto the hope that Riley had come out into the presence of so many others, even if she had stayed true to her five-minute promise.

It was that night that Shayla returned to the room she shared with Riley, promising to meet Jessika, Fain and Kili the following morning for breakfast and training. By the time that Shayla had finished eating and helped washing up, Riley had already fallen asleep in the bundle of furs and blankets in which she was wrapped.

The sleep that Shayla had that night was the best she had in the past few weeks; her head was clear, her heart determined and her soul at ease. She would continue to train so that they could travel to the people who knew how they got there in the first place, and help them get back home.

That is what Shayla reminded herself as she struggled to pull her aching body from the warm bed in which she had slept, feeling the chill against her cheeks and wanting for the first time in her life to sleep in.

Taking in several deep breaths, she steeled herself and threw her blankets off to meet the cool air. What she wasn't expecting was that Riley had woken up before her, and was laying beneath her blankets, watching Shayla with an expectant expression.

"How in the hell are you awake before me?" Shayla whispered with exaggerated shock within her voice and expression. Riley let out a long sigh, sitting up and leaning against the wall.

"Well, I wasn't up all night making heart eyes at Montoya, so that's probably one explanation." Riley responded dryly. Shayla's cheeks flushed and she decided that she would rather not continue the topic with Riley.

"I'm going to get some breakfast and go to training. I'll see you later tonight, okay?" Shayla pulled her boots on and made for the door, when Riley stopped her in her tracks.

"I want to come with you." Shayla's jaw slackened and she just stared at Riley, not sure if she was serious or not.

"Wow, Shayla, I can see you drooling. Don't act like it's a big shock. I need to make sure that you stay out of trouble, and by that, I mean that I need to make sure your friend keeps himself out of trouble."

"You need to stop." Shayla replied exasperatedly, opening the bedroom door and walking to the dining area. Riley moved herself from the bed, put her sneakers on and followed behind her friend.

It must have been a little later in the morning than Shayla usually woke, because the chambers were mostly deserted. Bilbo and Ori were the only two in sight, and they sat at the dining table with food platters, dozens of old looking parchments and large, dusty books strewn between them.

Bilbo and Ori only realised that Shayla and Riley had entered the room when Shayla sat down directly in front of them and begun pulling a plate of food towards her.

"Good morning!" They both chimed at the same time, their wide smiles for Shayla becoming much more reserved when their vision moved to Riley.

Riley took a little longer to sit down due to the combination of her still-healing leg and reluctant disposition. Shayla had responded to their greetings, whereas Riley ignored them and pulled the bread platter closer to her and begun munching on a piece of bread.

"What are you two doing?" Shayla asked curiously, leaning over the table as she begun eating an apple. Ori and Bilbo looked at each other almost guiltily, until Bilbo looked back at Shayla and cleared his throat a little.

"We are still studying Old Magick, Miss Shayla." Excitedly, Shayla begun to shoot off a series of questions, much to Bilbo and Ori's relief, and even to Riley's curiosity.

"Oh, sweet! Have you found anything that will tell us why we are here?" Shayla's eyes were trained on Bilbo's, and he slumped his shoulders slightly as he responded.

"No, not yet… Though, we have found some Dwarvish scripts that document Old Magick in the First Age." Bilbo and Ori carefully flicked through the pieces of parchment that were in front of them, until Ori found the item and passed it in front of Bilbo. Glancing over Riley and Shayla's shoulders and speaking lowly, he continued.

"Forces of Dwarves, Elves and Men rallied to rid this Realm of the greatest Evil the Ages had seen. One particular stronghold was raided by these forces, to drive the followers of Evil from its walls, but what they did not expect was to fight against Old Magick."

"There is some documentation we found, of Dark Forces in the North, in Angmar, who attempted to use Old Magick to grant access to other Realms. From what we have seen, this stronghold was one such place in which they tried. The raid against these forces was successful, however many forces disappeared and the stronghold was destroyed. Those who survived the raid and the return journey home spoke of Realm Walkers, though they were documented as the ramblings of scarred and mad warriors, not as actual truth." Bilbo looked up at Shayla knowingly as he continued.

"Those who were lost that night were never found. Not their bodies, whether alive or dead. Though I suppose we all know where they found themselves, considering the nature of their attempts." Shayla thought about those who went missing, and wondered where they could have ended up in their world.

"This is all very interesting," Riley drawled, "but how does it help us get back?" She was leaned in back in her chair, an air of nonchalance about her, though Shayla could see the anxiety in her eyes and hear the slight quiver of her voice.

"And why us? Have you figured out why and how we got here?" Ori lowered his eyes and shook his head, and Bilbo watched Shayla with his curious, blue eyes.

"No... Though I know that whether it was their purpose or not, when my Mother and Uncle were brought into this world, they saved many lives. When we travel to see the Elves, you shall seek their counsel. I'm sure it will help." Both Shayla and Riley replied at once.

"What is this, some great quest for our destiny?"

"Wait, are you coming with us?"

Bilbo looked to Riley and then back at Shayla, deciding to answer Shayla's question instead.

"Well, I would like to join Ori and learn how to map and document the travels. Though I doubt I would acquire either of my parents' permission…" Bilbo folded his arms across his chest and sent his downcast expression towards the pieces of parchment in front of him.

"Well, you do look young enough to need a permission slip." Riley shot out.

"Thank you," Bilbo beamed at the comment, the snark and meaning of Riley's words obviously flying straight over his head. Riley frowned in confusion and opened her mouth to respond when Shayla intervened.

"Thank you for looking for more information for us. Do you think that you could show us to the training field? We were supposed to meet Kili and the twins this morning."

"Of course." Bilbo spoke to Ori in their language as he stood from the table, leading the two Humans from the chamber and through the maze that was Erebor. It took longer than expected as Riley struggled with several corridors that had stairs, her injured leg causing her mild discomfort even though she refused to let it show.

Riley and Shayla also both refused to let it show that the new knowledge that they had gained from Ori and Bilbo's research had unnerved them. The fact that there were creatures that had tried to break through into different Realms scared Shayla the most, as she thought about her family and how they would be looking for them both. They would be looking near the river that Riley and Shayla had been pulled into…

Shayla's attention drew back to the present, because as they drew closer to the training field, a low buzz of noise became distinguishable as voices, shouts and clinks of metal against metal. Shayla frowned slightly; each morning they had trained the field was completely empty. When they saw just how filled the field was, Shayla's breath hitched a little in her throat.

There was what looked to be at least fifty Dwarves training throughout the huge field; most were training with close combat weapons such as axes and Warhammers. Others were practising with throwing knives, and only a handful were practising with bows and arrows. Bilbo pointed to an area across the field, where Shayla recognised Kili practising with Jessika and Fain.

"There are my athletically inclined family. Now, if you will excuse me, I will make my way back to the area in which I am better versed." With a small smile, Bilbo left Shayla and Amelia to fend for themselves.

"Well, let us avoid getting our necks sliced open, please." Riley drawled sarcastically, watching the fighting with a feigned bored look on her face. Shayla knew, though, that the way Riley's eyes flickered across the figures, that something had caught her interest.

Shayla begun to lead them around the field, reaching the twins and Kili before they had seen them, their eyes focused on each other as they practised with swords and axes. Kili glanced the pair out of the corner of his eye, and almost received a blow to his head as he stood upright to greet them.

"Well, I suppose it is better late than never!" Kili called out with a smirk, his hair sticking against his sweaty forehead and cheeks.

"Why are there so many people… Uh, Dwarves here?" Shayla asked.

"Most of the work is completed by mid-morning, which leaves the middle of the day for training. Besides, with the tournament drawing closer, the training will become much more rigorous." Kili had walked over to them both, a huge grin spread across his face. Fain and Jessika continued to practise in his absence.

"Is it still okay for us to train today, with so many around?" Shayla queried nervously.

"Us? Is Riley to join in training today?" Kili questioned with surprise evident in his voice, much to Riley's annoyance.

"No way, mate. I'm just here to make sure Shayla doesn't get hurt." Riley folded her arms across her chest and held herself in such a way that seemed like an invitation for conflict, her voice laced with the anger that was constantly evident in her demeanour.

"Shayla will not be harmed; I will see to it." Kili gave Riley a hard look, the happy aura of his grin now replaced with a deep glower. Riley mimicked the expression, the scowls on their faces growing with each second that passed.

Shayla attempted to defuse the situation by declaring her need for a sword. Walking over to the closest rack, she sought the smallest and lightest weapon that she could find, which still happened to be a one metre long blade that was as solidly built as Dwalin.

Kili smiled at her choice, and with Riley finding a bench close by, they sparred and practiced different techniques and moves for several hours. It didn't take Riley very long to get bored, and she took to playing around with a set of small knives that were hidden away behind one of the weapons racks.

After they had finished training, Jessika showed them down to the bathing springs, where Riley again refused to take new clothing. What surprised both Shayla and Riley, however, is that Riley joined the company for dinner again that night, at her own will, and stayed for longer than five minutes. She did endeavour to sit in between Shayla and Kili, to which she succeeded, much to the dismay of the two. However, she had also positioned herself inadvertently across the table from the smirking Bofur, much to her own mild annoyance.

No words were spoken, though instead they passed platters of food to each other for the whole fifteen minutes Riley spent with them. Riley could try and convince herself all she liked that she only joined them for the food, or to keep Kili away from Shayla, though what she would not admit was that the bricks of her wall were getting harder to replace after they had fallen.

Hello everyone, I hope you're having a great week so far! So I went through quite a lot of Tolkien Lore to make sure that the bits that Bilbo spoke about are as accurate as possible, about the Dwarves fighting against Morgoth in the First Age in the North towards Angmar. I obviously added the bits about Old Magick and Realm travel, but I wanted/needed to start shedding a little bit of light on the origins of it and how it will play into the larger picture of this story. If there is anything that you think I can improve in that area though, please let me know!

Also did anyone pick up the Princess Bride reference? ;) Thank you Pallysdeeks for your review and hello to the followers! Enjoy the rest of your weeks xx