The next couple of weeks had brought about a new found routine to Shobha's life in Erebor. Every morning Dwalin, Fili And Kili would take her down to the training halls before breakfast. They taught her to defend herself using a shield and short sword. She found herself to be quite proficient at being able to duck and weave away from her attacker, which was to be expected as she was a decent dancer and generally light on her feet. And over the weeks she noticed more and more of the company joining them on and off, on certain days.

And so there she stood this morning, having advanced the difficulty of her training again. They had strapped her chest, back, arms and thighs in some light armour, which they said belonged to Dis when she was younger. And she discovered that Dis, had also been trained to fight and defend herself. She held a training sword in her right hand and a shield in her left.

Fili was training her this morning, while Dwalin, Kíli and Thorin were sparring in the adjoining ring.

"Are you ready Shobha?" He asked, waving his two training swords.

"Will I be able to hurt you?" she worried. He wore much less armour and had no shield. "Do I really need all this armour?"

"I hardly doubt you will be able to hurt me," he mocked back, his blue eyes flashing at her, reminding her of Thorin. "And that armour is what you will be in if we are ever attacked by orcs, so you need to learn to move freely in it!"

"Alright go!"

He swung at her beginning with one sword and rapidly incorporating the second. She was successful at blocking on her left and parrying back with her right. He was able to advance on her pushing her to the edge of her side of the ring.

Then she spun round and backed the other way.

"You have to learn to attack, or else I will be chasing you down!" He panted between strikes.

"I can.. keep… going… until you tire" she puffed back.

Then from out of nowhere he knocked her shield away. Suddenly holding off both sword strikes with her only sword and weaving became extremely challenging. She could feel herself tiring.

And then out of nowhere, he used his right leg to trip her up. She landed on her back, rolling out of the way of his mock blow. Fili paused, interrupted by the noise in the neighbouring ring.

"Ugh" Thorin grunted, as Dwalin landed several blows on his face, shoulders and side.

"Are you distracted baheluh?" Dwalin mocked.

Thorin paused for a moment rubbing his cheek and checking on Shobha and Fili's ring spotting her on the floor. Finally giving up on his inability to focus, he walked over to check on her.

Fili had pulled her back up on her feet and they were checking her armour when he strode over, followed by Dwalin.

"You can't be so heavy handed with her Fili!" he stated sternly, and began checking her armour himself.

"Its fine – I'm ok.."

"But she's very good Uncle!" he groused. "Anyway a real attacker wont go easy on her."

"This is only meant to be training to defend herself – she should never ever find herself in harms way." Thorin spoke sharply to Fili once more.

"She's fine Thorin…" Dwalin placed a hand on his shoulder. "You, however, my King, will have a nasty bruise on your face for your distraction. If this had been a real attack, you wouldn't be able to save her if you had sustained that from a real sword…"

Thorin scowled, turning away and walking off, muttering and swearing under his breath in Khuzdul.

Shobha watched him leave with concern on her face, "is he ok..?"

"Aye lass," Dwalin groused. "He was distracted, worrying about you taking a few blows."

She wondered why he would be distracted by her for a moment, and then noticed Dwalin and Fili still assessing her reaction and blushed.

Later that day, after working with Bifur and his team, Shobha walked back to her room. Along the large corridor where the door to her room was found next to Dwalin's and Balin's, there stood several other large doors, which she presumed were other royal chambers. That's when she spotted another smaller door adjoining their doors. It was made of the same solid dark wood, with similar patterns carved on the door, but was less impressive. Exploring the corridor had not been a priority before this.

She stood in front of the door, running her hand over the surface of the wood door, feeling its smooth hard wood. Then reaching for the door handle she opened it slowly. Surprisingly the door opened onto tall stairwell, which on climbing, she found led to a covered terrace looking out over the road to Dale.

The people in Dale carried on with their normal lives, immediately below she could see a group of dwarflings playing on the fields just outside the large gate to Erebor. High above her were ravens flying in and out of an upper level. It then dawned on her that she hadn't actually been outside since she arrived here – and even worse she couldn't recall when exactly that had been!

Her head began to spin with thoughts: realising that she neither belonged to this world, and wasn't sure how she felt about going back anymore. Then feeling guilty, thinking about how her parents may have been wracked with worry, since she would have disappeared without a trace leaving her car parked by a hiking trail. There would be no body, or any sign of her on the hike. She hadn't switched her phone on since that day, and frankly wasn't even sure that the battery would have lasted this long anyway – it had been weeks… or maybe months?

Shutting her eyes, she could picture her beautiful modern apartment in London, all her nice clothes, shoes, makeup and perfume in her large wardrobe… And all the times she had her family and friends over for dinners and general gatherings. Given it was the school holiday period, she would have taken her niece and nephew to watch a few movies, the aquarium or a few museums and galleries by now. She had left them all something in her last will – how would they execute her last will without a body to prove that she was dead? She leant over the wall edge as tears pickled her eyes, when she realised her father would certainly not give up, thinking she had not died so easily.

Before she knew it, she was slumped in a corner on the floor in her dusty work breeches and shirt, crying into her knees. Shobha imagined she would have been one of those poor people whose smiling photo was flashed across the news, having mysteriously disappeared, as the authorities conducted a mass search.

A large gentle hand rested on her shoulder, startling Shobha. She looked up to find Thorin crouching next to her, pulling her into his arms. Glad for any comfort, she threw herself into his embrace, her head nestled in his muscular chest. He smelled of fragrant tobacco and vetiver. He didn't try to say anything hollow to fill the silence, or pacify her with empty words, he just held her and let her cry.

Thorin was glad to have found her on his balcony. They had been searching for her when she had missed supper, and was not in her room, and he was glad to have been the one to find her, to give her the comfort she wanted and needed. He stroked her soft, raven hair that was in a single large braid with lots of escaped strands. She smelled of summer flowers that grew in the lands surrounding the Lonely Mountain. He held her tightly, her slender arms had wrapped themselves around his chest not quite reaching his back. And he could feel her breasts and lean torso pressed into him as she buried her face into his chest crying. He worried for a moment as to the effect this would have on his body, but she needed this and he would provide what comfort he could. Finally her sobs died away and turned into deep breaths, almost as if she were taking him in and finding comfort in this.

Could that be possible? Could she really find comfort in him…? he wondered, as he pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and offered it, giving her time to mop her tears.

When she was ready, he let her go, "thank you, your Highness," she sniffed. "I'm sorry about this, I haven't been outside since I arrived and I.."

"There is no need to explain," he said glancing out across to Dale. "You miss your home and your family."

"No its not that - You have all been so kind and patient with me… and I feel guilty about starting to enjoy being here – I should be fighting to go back…" she glanced up at his piercing eyes. And then he placed his large hand atop hers as it rested on the terrace wall.

"Whatever it is you need, I promise to do everything I can to give you," he stared deep into her eyes, and moved his hand to tuck a few strands of her hair behind her ear, and brushed her cheek lightly with his thumb.

He continued to hold her gaze like that for a few more moments.

Suddenly they both heard footfall up the stairs leading to the terrace.

"Uncle - " Fili appeared, and stopped noticing them both. "Shobha! Thank Mahal – you're here!"

After a moment of looking relieved, he then grinned. "Oh did I interrupt something…?" And looked down at Thorin's jacket, which was now covered in stone dust in the shape of her. This earned Fili a scowl from Thorin.

"Oh no – I am so sorry!"

"Think nothing of it." Thorin added, his face returning back to a slightly softer version of his usual stony look. "If Fili had been here a short while earlier, he would have been the one to be covered in stone dust! Now come on, you need some rest, and I am certain Bombur or Elin have made you some warm soup…" He held out his hand to usher her back, and she was grateful for it.