Riley's poor attitude persevered the following morning, the wearing effects of her hangover doing nothing to alleviate the anxieties that were plaguing her. She couldn't speak to Shayla about her fears, knowing there was no way to convince her to preserve her safety when her thoughts lie with her parents.

She couldn't speak to Bofur, or even Kili if she had felt desperate enough to do so; they were far too preoccupied with the repairs and fortifications of their walls that Riley had not even caught a glimpse of them since the King's feast.

Riley trudged behind an excited Shayla, who was talking animatedly to Bilbo as they headed towards the arena for the second morning of competition. She paid no attention to their words, her thoughts consumed with what would await them as soon as they left the halls of Erebor.

She needed to tell someone about what was happening before it was too late.

The three met Sigrid, Bard and Arya just outside the arena today, and entered together to sit in the same area they had done the previous morning. The tournament resumed after around ten minutes of being seated, and it was not long before Fain was on field preparing for his first challenge.

Riley saw Bilbo twisting his hands together nervously, and it appeared that she wasn't the only one who noticed.

"What is it, Bilbo?" Shayla asked, her voice dropping since their conversations through the corridors.

"I can't help but feel nervous for Fain. I truly hope he doesn't make a fool of himself." Bilbo's blue eyes darted across the faces of those he could see within the arena, the tension clearly visible within his expression.

"He will be fine, I'm sure he will." With a reassuring smile, Shayla moved her hand to cover Bilbo's fidgeting ones. Riley's eyebrow shot up at the action and she saw the way the tension in Bilbo's shoulders dissipated as though there was nothing there to begin with.

"I suppose, he will be fine… Thank you Shayla." Bilbo grinned back at her and Riley frowned as she watched the exchange. She knew that Shayla and Bilbo had been on very friendly terms due to the nature of their planning, though Riley was surprised by just how close they seemed to be. She wondered what Kili would say about their relationship.

Their attention was drawn back to Fain, who had just taken his place in front of the targets of his first trial. His head was held high and he sported a small smirk that showed his confidence, and that confidence was not all for show.

Riley was surprised for a second time within a matter of minutes, as he hit his first target dead in the bullseye. Cheers sounded from the small audience, and Fain managed to hit the second target dead in its centre once again. It was as he moved on to the targets at greater distances that his confidence swayed with each performance; by the time he reached the final target, he had only just managed to hit the wood at all.

Riley clapped along with the cheers of the rest of his family, their words indicating how impressed they were thus far, however his posture now spoke a different tune.

Riley could see why as the rest of the competitors made their way through the first trial. Almost every single Dwarf nailed each target with a bullseye, their experience very obviously outweighing what Fain was bringing to the table.

The second trial was no different. Fain's confidence had taken a hard blow, and when he was left making his own knives as an indication of his resourcefulness and ability in making his own weapons, he was quite easily outdone by half the other competitors.

By the time he made it to the third trial, he was sporting an obvious scowl. Bilbo was nervous again, and even Riley felt sorry for him. Each individual competing in this had at least fifty years of extra experience on Fain; how could he ever truly compete against that kind of skill?

The third trial showcased the agility and speed that he held, which was more than likely a testament to his half-human, half-Dwarven heritage. He blocked and parried his way through obstacles and Dwarvish soldiers all while throwing daggers at various targets. Shayla was wide-eyed in awe at his skills, and an idea begun to form in her mind.

The trials concluded just before noon, and despite Fain's best efforts, he only managed to top a handful of the other Dwarves. As Shayla and Riley walked back to their chambers with Fain's family, the atmosphere was despondent.

Fain hadn't left with them, and it wasn't until later that night that they saw anyone besides those they had watched the tournament with.

Shayla, Riley and Bilbo had helped Sigrid prepare dinner for anyone who would join them, though Amelia and Jessika were the only ones who sat with them. Fain had entered the chambers with a storm cloud following overhead, and ignoring the sympathetic expressions worn by each of them, had grabbed a handful of meat and bread, disappearing once more.

Jessika sighed and stood, grabbing a few pieces of fruit as she did so.

"I'll go and speak to him." With that, she left the chambers also.

Amelia exhaled and sent an apologetic smile towards Shayla and Riley.

"I'm sorry about Fain. He isn't happy with his performance."

"What isn't there to be happy with? He went up against warriors with ten times the experience he has and still managed to beat almost a dozen of them." Riley understood failure, but his reaction and the despondence felt in the air from his family didn't feel proportionate to his attempt.

"He feels as though he has let us and himself down. He wanted this chance to prove himself to Fili and to the company." Amelia shook her head and smiled a little to herself, becoming lost in her own thoughts.

A thought that Shayla had during the day begun to plant itself further into her mind, and she dug for a little more information.

"Why does he want to prove himself?" Amelia passed the plate of meat down the table to Bilbo and Bard as she spoke.

"Jessika and Fain spent most of their childhood sneaking down to the arenas to watch the company train, particularly Kili and Dwalin. They would have been only five or six when they first picked up a blade. Granted, they might as well have been pocket knives, but they started their training young."

Shayla noticed Bilbo's gaze fall to the table, his fingers tearing apart a piece of lettuce.

"They spend most of their days honing their skills, when they aren't drinking, of course. As well as that, they have spent the past few years working hard to even be able to partake in the tournament. Both Jessika and Fain want to show their worth and do us proud."

"Must be hard." Riley commented as she also begun to play with the food on her plate.

"Yeah, it is. It's hard trying to live up to something that you don't think you'll achieve, but it makes it easier when you've got family surrounding you who will support you every step of the way." Amelia seemed to stare into Riley's soul then, and she shifted uncomfortably under her gaze.

"No matter how they fare, we will always be proud of them." Amelia smiled at Riley, and then Shayla, before she begun to speak to Sigrid about Josh.

Shayla sat, contemplating her words. A plan begun to form within her mind, and it wouldn't be until the twins had finished in the tournament that she would find how easy it would be to execute.

Holy hell, I am so sorry for the progression of this story! Honestly, life has been really difficult and I've only just started writing again after the last ten months of having zero creativity. I am now two chapters ahead of what I've just posted, so at least there will be a new chapter each week for the next few weeks.

Thank you to Belle and Knowing Grace, I really appreciate your reviews and sticking with it!

Sending ya'll a lot of love 3