Shayla returned hours later, at a time she had hoped she would find the others asleep. She hadn't eaten since the end of the days' trials, though she ignored the sounds of her stomach growling in irritation so as to stretch out the moments she was atop the world, far away from the paths she knew she needed to take.

When her stomach could not tolerate her escapism any longer, she trudged reluctantly back through the Halls of Durin, towards the Kings Chambers. Opening the door as gently as she could, she was relieved to find the living space empty, glowing a faint orange in the dying firelight.

A sigh fell past her lips as she tiptoed across the slated stone floor, heading directly for the kitchen. Quietly she moved through the pantry to access the cakes and sliced meat in a hidden space she saw Riley stealing from on occasion. Shayla moved even quieter still to the bedroom, but before she could even reach for the door handle, one of the wooden doors down the corridor opened and a sleepy-eyed Bilbo stepped out from the dark room.

"Oh, Miss Shayla, I did not realise you had woken. I heard the chamber door, and then the pantry door, and wondered if Bombur had been to raid our stores." Bilbo smiled a little, rubbing his hand through his unruly blonde locks. Shayla just stared back at him, glancing back down the corridor to the distant view of the chamber door, and then back to Bilbo. She was sure she hadn't made a sound.

"How did you hear me?" She whispered, a little shocked.

"My Dwarven genetics means partially improved hearing." Bilbo replied, looking abashed.

"That makes sense." Shayla attempted to smile, though it was in vain.

"What is it?" Bilbo's expression shifted quickly to concern, and Shayla's mind swam. The truth threatened to bubble from her chest, and she had to swallow hard to force it down.

"Ah, oh nothing. I'm just feeling sad for Jessika and Fain." Shayla replied lowly, and just like that, Bilbo's expression morphed into excitement.

"Oh! I should have told you earlier, and this news shall cheer you up." Bilbo dropped his voice even lower and took a step towards her before he whispered so low even Shayla struggled to hear him. "Fain and Jessika have agreed to help us. It took barely a minute of convincing." The grin that consumed his face nearly broke Shayla's heart in two, and it took all her strength to remember the words that Riley had spoken to her hours earlier.

"But you're willing to risk the others permanently being separated from their family?"

"That's… That is great, Bilbo. I'm so excited. Do you… Do you think I could look over the maps of the road to Lothlorien? I want to make sure I know as much as possible before we leave." Shayla whispered, using the cover of secrecy to conceal the fact that she wasn't truly excited.

Instead, she felt sick to the stomach at what she was planning to do.

"Of course, Miss Shayla, that is very thoughtful. Give me a moment to collect them." Bilbo snuck back into his room, allowing several moments for Shayla to bite back the tears she was afraid were beginning to well in her eyes. Bilbo returned and handed the maps over to her without any hesitation, as though she wasn't about to betray that trust.

"Thank you so much Bilbo, really. Thank you for everything." Shayla whispered, enveloping him in a tight hug.

"You are to be thanked, Miss Shayla. Thank you for allowing me to see parts of the world I have barely glimpsed. She was glad then that he couldn't see her face, as she was sure a tear or two escaped past the dam she had frantically attempted to construct.

Letting go of Bilbo, she turned towards the door before he could see her expression.

"Goodnight." She whispered.

"Goodnight, Miss Shayla," Bilbo replied.

Shayla took a deep breath, hoping Riley had fallen asleep. She opened the door slowly before her. A small candle was still burning in the corner of the room, lighting Riley's sleeping expression. Shayla sighed again in relief; she knew that she could not hide her emotions, nor her plans from Riley. She was transparent.

Shayla sat down on the edge of her bed with the maps in hand, watching Riley. The feeling of déjà vu washed over her, as she remembered sitting in the same position, frozen as a statue as she watched her friend for days, hoping she would break her fever and wake up.

That despair felt as though it had consumed her a lifetime ago, those minutes had quickly turned to months, until she couldn't quite remember how long they had been there. Shayla closed her eyes and refocused the despair at the new challenges into determination.

Shayla would find her way home on her own. She opened her eyes to watch Riley as her soft snores filled the air. After Riley's admission, Shayla knew that she could not drag her along for this ride, just like she couldn't accept any further help from Bilbo and his family. Riley had seen what Shayla hadn't; her eyes were too focused on the path to reach her family once more, that she had completely bypassed the way she was about to tear another family apart.

The thought terrified her, but she brought herself back to the image of her mum's warm embrace and how she would have a cup of tea on the patio with her as the sun rose over the trees. She imagined her dad's kind, dark eyes that held the wisdom of their kin, their culture, and their connection to their land. Shayla needed the soil of her country beneath her feet once more. The ground she stood on now held an odd familiarity that did nothing but set her teeth on edge.

Shayla closed her eyes and ran a hand through her thick curls, deliberating. She couldn't leave it any longer. If it was going to take her months to even reach Lothlorien, she couldn't wait. She opened her eyes again to watch Riley, a small sob biting its way up her throat. Tears begun to well at her eyes once more, and it was then that she realised she couldn't hide this from her. She had almost told Bilbo; how could she get through even one day without spilling everything to Riley? To Bilbo? To…

To Kili.

How had her vision been so narrow that she failed to realise what leaving would mean for whatever connection there was between herself and Kili?

Her shoulders shuddered as she clamped her hand over her mouth. She would truly never see Kili again. She would never see Riley again. Is this something she could do?

As Riley's chest rose and fell rhythmically, Shayla focused on her friend's breathing to bring her back from the precipice. She could do this. It was the only way she would be able to get back to her family. She had to say goodbye, but this would be it. She wouldn't be able to face them again before she escaped. The secrets would tumble from her lips without even the tiniest of prompting.

Shayla furiously wiped the tears from her cheeks and rose to her feet. She would be long gone before they even begun to stir from their slumbers.

Riley started suddenly, waking from a nightmare she couldn't quite grasp at, but as soon as consciousness reached her, she cast her eyes in the dim light to Shayla's bed, relieved to see her friend asleep under the covers.

The argument yesterday had exhausted Riley, and she never thought she would find herself sick of the fighting. Being in this place had given her some degree of calm that she hadn't experienced before, but the arguments reminded her of the reality of their lives, and the desperation of Shayla to return to hers. It was cowardly, but Riley knew how to run from the things that hurt her. It just seemed pure dumbluck that she had found somewhere that wasn't as bad as what she had been running from.

She wasn't sure how she could feel that way on account of her almost dying from sepsis, but there was something in her chest that seemed to quieten here when she was in the company of the others.

Though it wasn't all the others she thought as she rolled onto her back and exhaled heavily. The thought of being in the presence of a particularly optimistic man- well, uh, Dwarf, she corrected herself, gave her a strange combination of excitement and peace.

Riley cursed herself inwardly as she wondered for the thousandth time how she had allowed herself to be so vulnerable. Hadn't she gone through this already? Hadn't she had a gut full of this feeling?

Pulling the pillow over her head, the stern words from the matriarch of their host family drifted through her mind.

"Dwarves are loyal, fiercely so. We protect our own; whether they be our kin, or those who come to be our kin."

Could it be that this time it would be different?

Riley considered the possibility as she begun to drift back to sleep.

A light knocking woke Riley slowly, as a hushed voice whispered through the door to them.

"Miss Shayla, Miss Riley, the next round of competition is due to begin." Riley groaned, rolling onto her side.

"Come in, Bilbo."

Bilbo hesitantly opened the door, a slightly embarrassed expression on his features. Riley found that he looked notably less excited than the previous days.

"Do we even care about the tournament now that Jessika and Fain are knocked out?" Riley groaned again, finally pulling the covers from herself and glancing at Bilbo.

"Uh, well, I suppose not quite as much, but it is still exciting nonetheless." Bilbo responded, offering another small smile. Riley noted that he was far less excited than he made out to be.

"It'll only be exciting if Ranar gets his ass handed to him." Bilbo supressed a smirk, looking as though he agreed with her comment. Riley rolled herself upwards and stretched, wiping her eyes as she focused on Shayla's sleeping form.

"How in the hell are you still sleeping, Shayla? I think this a world first that I am out of bed before you." Riley watched the blankets, waiting for a response of any sort, even a pillow thrown in her general direction, but there was silence. Was she still upset at Riley from their heated words yesterday?

Riley stood to her feet, a little nervous. Maybe Shayla didn't want to speak to her?

"Shayla… You know I'm awful at apologies, but I didn't mean to get so angry yesterday. You know I just want you to be safe…" Riley continued towards Shayla's bed, her heart sinking. There was no movement. Something was wrong.

Shayla?" Riley closed the distance and threw the blankets off the sleeping form, only to find the sleeping form made entirely from pillows.

"No," was all Riley managed to make out. Bilbo had been standing frozen in the doorway while Riley had apologised, but he ran quickly to where Riley stood.

"What- Where? Where is she?" Bilbo sputtered.

"No, no, no." Riley glanced frantically around, as though Shayla would appear from somewhere, but the sinking feeling in Riley's stomach told her she wouldn't be so lucky. Her frantic eyes skimmed over the odd piece of paper on the table where the candle stood, burning down to its last light. It took several moments for Riley to realise that the paper was out of place.

She stumbled over, almost in a daze, and picked it up with trembling fingers. It read:

Riley,

I know you will be furious with me, but I can't wait.

I need to get back to my family and I won't rest until I am with them again.

I wanted to say goodbye, but I knew I wouldn't be able to hide it from you.

I know that you're happy here, and I didn't want to take that away from you.

Thank you for being there for me, always.

I'm sorry again. Please tell Kili and Bilbo I'm sorry too.

I love you, Riley.

Shayla.

Man oh man, I'm getting excited now! Sorry about the delay, but I'm glad this chapter is complete as this was one I was really struggling to formulate. I think I have rewritten it at least twice! I hope you're all doing well!

PS: BrownEyedGirl87, welcome back! Oh my gosh it is so lovely to hear from you and thank you for sticking with the story! I have been consumed by Middle Earth once more, like yourself, and I hope we can see the end of this story together :D Much love! xx