Being temporarily unemployed means I can smash out over 10,000 words of fanfiction in half a week; there's always a silver lining right?

Anyway, a bigger chapter than normal but I hope you enjoy!

The tension they had felt within the chambers that day had only amplified and spread throughout the entirety of Erebor itself. Within the two weeks that had followed, there were two more attempted attacks.

Both were in the nights succeeding the first, and both involved attacks on Dale. Fortunately for everyone within both cities, there had been no casualties, however, it wasn't relief that they all felt.

It was as though a rubber band was getting stretched further and further with each daunting moment that passed, and everyone was waiting anxiously for it to snap.

Essentially everyone except for Bilbo, Shayla and Riley were made sparse during those two weeks. Dinners were remarkably quiet, with only Jessika and Fain making appearances, and even then, they would arrive late after training and leave early to attend council meetings.

They were still preparing for Durin's Tournament, though there was some scepticism as to whether the event would go ahead. The guard were busy protecting outposts, the front gate and Dale, and anyone else who would participate were busy forging weapons, fortifying entrances, sending supplies to Dale or re-establishing sleeping chambers within Erebor in case Dale's people needed to be evacuated to the security of the Lonely Mountain.

Ori was sitting in on many meetings with the King and the Council, which meant that he was only occasionally available to help Shayla, Riley and Bilbo with their planning. What it also meant, however, is that he was able to relay all the information he had received, particularly if it affected their escape.

Shayla and Riley had been feeling quite down throughout this time, despite their quiet determination to get back to Shayla's family. The combination of the current atmosphere, their house arrest and the fact that they hadn't seen most of their new friends in quite some time all led to low spirits and short tempers.

There was a sick feeling in the pit of Shayla's stomach and an ache in her chest that would not relent. She knew that the fear of not being able to leave, to get back to her family was the main cause, but she also acknowledged that the feeling would be amplified when she thought about a particular brunette Dwarf.

Shayla had wanted to speak to him, to forgive him for his words; after all, she was a very forgiving person. However, she had not seen him throughout the entire two weeks. She continued to reassure herself that it was only because he was busy helping his brother, the King of Erebor, but there was a seed of doubt in her chest that told her it was because he didn't want to see her.

Riley's newly found attitude had evaporated as well, though she continuously ignored the reason behind it. She didn't want to admit to anyone, including herself, that she had begun to look forward to seeing Bofur each breakfast, his humour lighting up the dim situation that her and Shayla were in.

To prepare and otherwise distract themselves from their inner fears and angst, their days would be busy. Riley, Shayla and Bilbo would go down to the eerily empty training fields in the morning and continue their practise, knowing that they needed to continue with or without their mentors if they were to survive their journey to the Elves.

In the afternoons, before they prepared dinner for themselves and whoever they hoped would show up to join them, they would plan their journey.

It was about a week before the Tournament, on a rare afternoon that Ori was available, that Bilbo found information about the Elf that helped Amelia get back to their world, and her whereabouts.

Bilbo had rushed into the living quarters, hands full of scrolls and letters from where he had emerged from one of the bedrooms, his whole demeanour filled with guilt as he spread the documents across the table before the fireplace.

"Galadriel, the Elf that can send you home is in Lothlorien, not Rivendell," he exclaimed with urgency, looking between the two. Both Shayla and Riley stared at him as though he hadn't just revealed a crucial piece of information in their plans.

"Look," He said, quickly taking one of the letters and pointing to an area halfway down the page. "These are letters from Bilbo to my mother- ".

"What do you mean 'from Bilbo?'" Riley questioned, knowing that the information was not particularly relevant.

"Bilbo Baggins, my namesake. He is a Hobbit who lives in the Shire, far away from the mess in the East. He is my mother's best friend and even after almost thirty years, they write each other every few months.

He knew Galadriel too, and he has spoken about her and the Elves only recently, look."

The space on the page to which he pointed read as follows:

The Elves seem to be leaving Rivendell and travelling through to the Grey Havens. I have heard whispers that G has left for Lothlorien.

Shayla looked between Ori and Bilbo, perplexed, still missing the point.

"If the Elves are leaving to the Grey Havens, that is not good." Bilbo continued.

"Why not? What are the Grey Havens?" It was Ori's turn to explain. Moving towards a bookshelf, he pulled down a large, dusty book and turned it to a series of pages partway through.

"The Grey Havens lie to the West, just past the Shire. There are texts that write of the passage to the Undying Lands, or Valinor, starting at the Grey Havens, across the sea. The Elves, they travelled from Valinor in the First Age, away from great evil. If they are leaving Rivendell, leaving to the Grey Havens, it may be possible that they are fleeing another great evil."

There were several moments of silence, before Riley spoke the words that they were all beginning to think.

"Which means we are running out of time."

"Precisely. Galadriel may be in Lothlorien right now, but we don't know for how much longer." Bilbo said, turning the pages of the book to another map.

"Which also means, if she does leave and we don't get to her first… We'll never get home…" Shayla finished.

Bilbo looked up to Shayla and nodded sadly, before the determination returned and he traced his finger along the map.

"This is Erebor. The Mirkwood Forest runs between us and Lothlorien, so we have three options. We can travel through Mirkwood," Bilbo said, running his finger across a path through the forest, "This is the quickest route, but…" He trailed off, looking at Ori.

Ori was trembling, looking at the map with wide eyes as though he were remembering something terrible. He looked up with a resolution in his eyes that Shayla and Riley had not seen before.

"We cannot travel through Mirkwood Forest. I… The last time we travelled through… We almost died… If the Elves do not entrap us, and the spiders do not eat us, then we will likely starve to death."

Shayla and Riley looked on, shocked at Ori's change in demeanour and terrified by his words. Bilbo simply nodded; he had heard the stories from his parents.

"The second option is to travel south down the eastern edges of Mirkwood and then west, around the southern edges to Lothlorien. However, that would bring us into contact with the current threat in the east, so," Bilbo stopped moving the book to face the others a little better, "The most viable option is the third option.

We travel north along the edges of the Mirkwood forest and past the Grey Mountains, working our way south along the Anduin River and towards Lothlorien." Bilbo opened his mouth to continue, before Shayla cut him off.

"We, Bilbo? You can't come with us. It's too dangerous."

"I told you that we would help. This is us helping." Bilbo gestured to Ori and crossed his arms in front of his chest in stubbornness.

"Amelia, not to mention the King, would have a heart attack if they knew they youngest son was escaping Erebor to help us." Riley commented idly, taking a seat in one of the armchairs.

"We can't ask you to do this, Bilbo. We can't separate you from your family in a bid to get us back to ours, it's… It's not fair." Shayla was quite visibly upset at the notion, imploring his eyes in the hope that he would concede. However, Bilbo had already thought over and over about his offer to help, and he knew what he wanted. Steeling himself, he stood a little further upright and jutted his chin out slightly, almost as though he were talking to his parents and not Shayla.

"Look… Besides the fact that you will have no idea where you're going, and I have studied these maps my whole life, and Ori has travelled these paths… Besides those crucial factors, I have never been further than Dale. I have never seen anything more these two places… I will never get to see the world that my mother, and my uncle came from, your world… But I should be able to at least see this one.

In addition," He continued, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes tight as his confidence waned, "My siblings are highly revered for their skills as young warriors. They are about to become the youngest Dwarves to enter the Durin Tournament. I have never amounted to anything, and I would like to change that."

Shayla felt as though she wanted to cry at his admission, but instead she took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"You don't need to prove anything, Bilbo," she whispered softly.

"I know." He said with a nod, but as he turned his head downwards and took his hand away to continue planning their course, Shayla saw the glisten in his eyes and felt the way his hands trembled slightly.

"So, Ori, why is it that you want to join us?" Riley filled the silence with her pointed question, as Ori gave her a small smile from where he currently sat on the edge of an arm chair, reviewing scrolls and letters.

"A scholar can only read so many books before they need to go into the world and discover things for themselves. I would like to ask the Elves questions about Old Magick, if they would allow. And I do want to help you get home, if that is what you desire," Ori added nervously, as though he were embarrassed to have a reason to join beyond altruism.

"It's okay, Ori. We know opportunities like this only come up every thirty years, more or less." Riley smirked, hoping the joke would calm his nerves. Fortunately, it did, and they had continued the afternoon planning their escape from Erebor.

The following week had moved by in similar fashion, their afternoons spent discretely planning everything from packing provisions, sleeping rolls, their escape and subsequent travel to Lothlorien.

There had been three main problems that they encountered during the afternoons, that they hadn't yet resolved. The first, was that Ori and Bilbo estimated the journey may take up to three months by foot. Shayla and Riley were in disbelief and beyond frustrated, as two humans might be when told they would have to walk every day for three months when such a trip may take several days maximum in a car.

When they suggested a mode of transport besides walking, their second dilemma arose. They could buy ponies from Dale as they obviously had the money to afford several well-fed animals, but it would mean their escape route would change and make it much more difficult.

Their hope was to escape through an unused outpost to the north-west of the Mountain, travel downwards and begin their long journey around Mirkwood. However, if they decided to take ponies, they would need to escape from an eastern outpost to collect the animals and leave. With the recent attacks, the eastern outposts were extremely well guarded, and attempts to enter Dale at night to collect their ponies could result in arrows through their bodies, depending on the eyesight and steady fingers of the guards of Dale.

The conundrum was leaving them miserable, and that wasn't even considering their third and major predicament.

Their current issue of being on a potential deadline meant that their current abilities would not be suitable for protecting themselves adequately once they were out in the open. Bilbo had admitted he was handy with a dagger, however their lack of skilled warriors accompanying them meant their risk factor was much higher.

Riley was down in one of the bathing springs as she mulled over her promise to Shayla. Within the remnants of her heart, she knew that she still wanted to help her friend get back to her family. However, her mind, which housed the more pessimistic and cynical side of personality, were thinking about how she could tell Shayla that leaving not only wouldn't work, but more than likely would get them killed. There were far too many things that were already going wrong, and they hadn't even left the confines of Erebor yet.

Riley finally left the bathing springs and was met with a fresh flutter of anticipation and excitement from those she passed within the corridors. They were all too preoccupied with the tournament being held in the morning that they didn't spare more than a glance or a nervous smile towards the tall human, and the tense fog that had descended upon Erebor had lifted for a fraction of time.

Bilbo had told Shayla and Riley that the Tournaments of old were strictly held to Dwarvish audiences; however, since the reclamation of Erebor, Thorin had opened the newly founded Durin's Tournament to human audiences as well. Despite some disagreement from his council at the time, he overruled their opinions on the matter, stating that their homeland would still be under the siege of a Dragon if not for the brave actions of the humans that had helped them in their quest.

Apparently, he had also reminded them that humans had aided their quest to reclaim Erebor from the beginning, while many of his kin refused to help until after the Dragon was felled.

Riley thought the sass of the previous King was highly amusing, and quietly thought she may have gotten along with him.

Because of this, Shayla and Riley were allowed to attend the Tournament if they wished.

The beginning of the event would start the following morning, and would last longer than previously anticipated. Fili had decided against cancelling the event, refusing to be bullied into defeat by rouge attacks on their cities, but instead spanned the events out over several weeks as opposed to over one week. This meant that they would still have sufficient guards on duty at all required areas, as well as the blacksmiths and craftsmen still working whenever they were not required for their battles.

When Riley finally arrived back at the chambers, through the passageways that she had started to become accustomed to, she was met by the smell of cooked meat and baked pastries.

Her mouth had already begun to salivate before she reached the dining area.

Bilbo, Ori, Shayla and Amelia were in the kitchen preparing a huge feast; the night before the Tournament always marked a banquet in the Kings chambers surrounded by those closest to the Ruling family.

Riley knew this, so it shouldn't have been a surprise when she was greeted by a very full table. Most were faces that she recognised; Fili, Kili, Balin, Dwalin, Jessika, Fain, Joshua, Dori, Nori, Bombur, Bifur, Dis, Gloin, Gimli, Oin, and Ranár. However, there were several unfamiliar faces, and it was the Dwarf she was most excited to see who introduced them to her.

"Miss Riley, as always, it is a pleasure to see you!" Bofur called as he left his seat at the table to bow deeply to her. Riley rolled her eyes, but she had a smirk at the corner of her lips and a twinkle in her eye that made it blaringly obvious she did not find his greeting annoying in the slightest.

Meeting her, he extended his arm out dramatically to the table and begun introductions to those members she had not met.

"Miss Riley, I would like to introduce you to the rest of our kin. Over there we have the ever lovely Glola, wife of Gloin and mother of the not-so lovely Gimli." The company burst out in laughter, with Kili notably spitting his ale across the table while Gimli turned a beautiful shade of tomato.

"Now, here is Master Joshua's wonderful wife, Sigrid!" Riley waved at the woman sitting next to Josh, who was markedly older than Josh, looking as though she was in her mid-forties, the age that Riley knew Josh really was despite his exterior looks.

There was also a boy and a girl sitting next to them; they looked to be only slightly younger than Shayla, both sharing the same light brown hair and brown eyes as Sigrid, and Riley could immediately see that they were Josh and Sigrid's children. As Riley observed them, she noted that they seemed to exude a composed, quiet confidence that was so different to their older cousins Jessika and Fain. If she had to take a punt, she would put her money on them getting along much better with Bilbo than with the twins.

"And," Bofur continued, "Their children, Bard the Second, and Arya." Riley frowned in bewilderment at the name, looking to a very amused Joshua for clarification.

"I suppose you're a Game of Thrones fan," Joshua chuckled lightly, a huge grin spanning his face. "So, who is it that sits on the Iron Throne?" Riley smirked back, ignoring the fact that everyone had fallen silent around them, confused and intrigued by the current conversation.

"Unfortunately, we haven't gotten that far, but I can tell you that your girl Arya is in the running." Joshua fist pumped the air before laughing again.

"Well, it looks like I know who I am getting my spoilers from!" Riley's smirk didn't falter, and she proceeded to follow Bofur back to where he sat with Bifur and Bombur.

As soon as she had sat down a tankard of ale was placed in front of her by Bifur, who gave her a small nod and continued speaking across the table in Khuzdul to Balin and Dwalin.

It wasn't long after that plates and plates of food were brought out; platters of whole chickens and carved meat, fish and squid, bowls of vegetables further than the eyes could see, cheeses, fruits, pastries and breads all forming over a dozen mountains that spanned the length of the table.

Riley's stomach rumbled but she noted that no one had taken any food yet, and it wasn't until Amelia took her seat beside Fili, and Shayla, Bilbo and Ori took seats in the little spare space available, that silence descended upon the company.

Quickly though, Fili rose from his seat with a flagon of alcohol in his grip, and begun to speak. His demeanour was much less commanding than the day two weeks ago and instead filled with cheer and the buzz of alcohol in his system, although Riley could see the tension of his jaw and how tired he appeared to be.

"My kin," He begun, looking everyone in the eye as his gaze trailed the span of the room. "The eve of Durin's Tournament marks an important time within our history. It marks the first Tournament to take place within Erebor since our home was reclaimed. It marks everything that Thorin, our Uncle," Fili gestured to Kili who was sitting on his other side, "begun, everything that he believed in, and everything that he lost to bring us home again.

It marks the things that he fought for; a purpose for our Line, a home for our people, and above all else, it marks the importance of kin. The love, the protection, and the support of family. That, is what we celebrate, and that is what we will continue to fight for, every single day."

Fili's words caused something to shift within both Shayla and Riley. The latter had never been a part of a real family, but she was beginning to understand what it might feel like, being within the company of those around her. Shayla, however, felt the sharp edge of his speech and struggled to control the tears that begun to brim at her eyes. Thoughts of her own family begun to stir something inside of her, something that was fighting to be felt above the surface.

"To Durin! To Thorin! To family!" Fili concluded, raising his flagon as the air filled with shouts and cheers, everyone standing to their feet and knocking tankards against tankards in cheers. Riley turned to Bofur and clunked her flagon against his, her smile meeting his wide grin.

Finally, they begun to eat, and continued to drink through most of the night. Jessika, Fain, Bifur, Dwalin and Gimli were the only ones at the table who did not drink, for a change, and left early to rest for the start of the tournament in the morning. Fili, Balin and Dis also left soon after, which was not a surprise under the current circumstances.

Everyone else, however, continued well into the early hours of the morning. After only half a flagon of ale, Riley was buzzing, and her night was spent singing along to songs with Bofur, telling stories and joining in on the banter and festivities. Shayla continued her night quite reserved, sitting on the outskirts of conversation but relishing in the sight of Riley.

Well, Shayla thought with a small smile, it seems like the camping trip on the Reserve was not a complete waste of time. As much as she tried to distract herself though, Shayla's thoughts were becoming more consumed by her family by the moment. The words that Fili spoke had really impacted her, and she wanted nothing more than to be back with them.

Shayla only stayed with the company out of respect, but once it started to get quite late she stood discreetly and made her way to her bedroom.

Everyone was either too drunk, or too preoccupied with cleaning up that there was only one person that noted her exit.

Kili had followed her hesitantly, calling her name as he entered the corridor and away from the commotion of the feast. Shayla was almost at the door or her bedroom, but turned around to face him.

She couldn't help but agree with Riley's observations that despite his rugged exterior, he certainly looked like a lost little puppy as soon as he came into her presence. He was still worried about her being angry at him, she was sure of it.

Before he could say anything, she cut him off, moving back down the corridor towards him.

"Kili, I'm sorry I haven't been able to talk to you sooner, about… About everything. I'm not mad at you anymore, I promise." Shayla smiled a little, the words not quite reaching her eyes and Kili nodded, though he didn't look relieved.

"I… Thank you, Shayla… I was out of line and I know that I shouldn't have said the things I did. But… That's not why I'm here… I wanted to make sure you were okay, you… You seemed to be upset during the feast… Are you alright?"

Shayla could have put up a wall and pretended that she was fine. She could have made a sarcastic comment and retreated into her room and into her shell, allowing no one to see what was brewing within. She could have been like Riley.

But she wasn't Riley. She wasn't as strong as her, and she wasn't as ferocious as her.

Instead, Shayla's eyes begun to brim with tears, and her chest begun to wrack with sobs at the pain of being disconnected from her family. The pain that she had been holding in and pushing down under the surface, pretending that she and everything around her was alright.

But the rubber band had stretched so thin that it finally snapped, causing the façade to collapse.

Before she could physically collapse, Kili reached her and held up upright, his arms encircling her as she sobbed against his shoulder.

"Come, Shayla. Let's take you closer to your family."

And so Kili led Shayla to the highest outpost of Erebor, the one that she had become so familiar with, holding her the entire way as though he was scared she would collapse under the weight of her burdens.

They sat and watched the stars for as long as it took for Shayla to calm down, which seemed to be a lifetime later. Shayla clung to Kili as though she were holding onto what remained of her determination and sanity, wiping her tears on his tunic even after she had stopped sobbing and begun to spill words from her tongue, the words that had been kept so close to her chest for the past two months.

"What if I never get back to them? They have got to be looking for me, terrified… What if they go the rest of their lives not knowing what happened to me?" Tears continued to stream from her bloodshot eyes, as she sat curled into herself, with Kili's arms still wrapped around her.

"Once the threat has been eliminated, I will take you to the Elves myself, Shayla. I will help you find your way back, I swear it."

Riley and Bilbo's words echoed in Shayla's mind, their similar promises to help her find their way back home. Shayla opened her mouth, her loose lips beginning to allow the flood of secrets about their escape from Erebor, but it was as though Riley had sent a divine intervention to stop her.

The sky begun to lighten around them and Kili looked upwards, missing the way she opened her mouth, ready to spill everything to him.

"It's getting light, Shayla… We must get some rest before the Tournament, and before someone realises we are gone. It may look… Disreputable." Kili stood and helped Shayla with him, a small smirk on his lips as he turned to face her, hoping his joke could help lift her spirits.

What he found when he looked into her eyes, however, was something else, a look in her eyes that he couldn't quite understand.

They just stared at each other, frozen by the depths of each other's' eyes, many things bubbling beneath the surface just waiting to be spoken.

"Kili," Shayla whispered, her secrets willing to be released once more, but Kili misinterpreted the longing in Shayla's voice.

Glancing down to her lips, he closed the distance between themselves and kissed her gently, almost as a question in which he needed the answer.

Every nerve along Shayla's lips sparked and she reciprocated after several moments, answering his unspoken question with a yes, wrapping her shaky arms around his neck.

Their kisses were gentle, much gentler than Shayla thought were possible from the rugged Dwarf, as he slowly encircled her waist with his arms.

Their kisses slowly grew deeper, until they were forced to resurface for air, breaking apart and resting their foreheads against one another. As they regained their composure and their ability to breath effectively, the light of the approaching dawn surrounded them, and Shayla felt the tide recoil beneath her skin, allowing her to ride the waves instead of being drowned underneath them for one, shining moment.

Yeaaaaaaah finally! Talk about kissing and making up!

Just a few things I wanna quickly touch on here:

1. I know in the movies Galadriel retreated to Lothlorien after banishing Sauron back to Mordor, but news takes a while to travel in Middle Earth and I imagine Bilbo found out about Galadriel through the Elves that were travelling to the Grey Havens.

2. I am going off of the movie timeline, that the War of the Ring happens around about 3003, 33 years after the this story takes place (as opposed to about 50 years). The reason being, is that the events currently happening are all leading up to Sauron trying to take over the North by force during the War of the Ring, and I think 50 years is perhaps a little too much time between for there to be any significance.

Also, how about that foreshadowing with Ori! I made myself cry a little writing it, because I hate that he goes off to Moria twenty years after this story and doesn't return. *Wipes several tears away*

Anyway, I hope you are enjoying, it's going to start picking up the pace from here on out! I know my updates have been really irregular, and I sincerely apologise. Between working full time at a hectic job and then quitting due to my deteriorating mental health, 2017 has been one hell of a ride!

Please review and all that jazz, I love hearing from you!

Have a wonderful week my precious cinnamon rolls xx