Later that week, Shobha and Dwalin had travelled to Dale to reach the markets early, and after bidding for certain cheeses and ales, and agreeing on a price to be paid on prompt and unspoilt delivery of the food to Bombur's kitchen, they had returned.

As they approached the gates leaving Dale, they could see a large stall being set up near by.

Lord Bard stood in front guiding the workmen building the stall.

"Lord Dwalin!" He called out after spotting them. "Good morning! You are early – it must be time for Bombur's supplies I expect..?"

"Aye, Lord Bard," Dwalin agreed. What Bard didn't realise was that Dwalin had usually been sent, as his rather scary appearance meant than many of the sellers did not even attempt to cheat, overprice or barter with him. And when they said it would be delivered within a certain time – it truly was adhered to! Dwalin, of course found the job quite beneath him, and he had started to take Shobha down to Dale on these visits to make them less tedious.

"And this must be…?"

"Lady Shobha, she is our sister, adopted by our mother after finding her as a babe."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance my Lady." He bowed. "May I introduce you to my daughter Sigrid."

"Pleased to meet you Lady Sigrid." Shobha curtsied.

"The pleasure is mine my lady," she smiled. "It is not often we get ladies from Erebor visit us… in fact we are setting up a stall to welcome visiting dwarves from Erebor."

"Well in that case I may make it a point to visit more often… Perhaps we can have tea together one day? Apart from Lady Dis, I have no other feminine company," Shobha watched Dwalin scowl upon hearing that.

"Good morning my Ladies!" came a deep voice from behind. A younger red haired dwarf walked over. "My Lord Dwalin, Lord Bard." He bowed his head. He was rather handsome, with a broad muscular build and tall for a dwarf, with similar tattoos on his face as Dain. This could only be Thorin Stonehelm.

He took Sigrid's hand and planted a light kiss on the back of her hand – which made her giggle much to Stonehelm's delight. "You must be lady Sigrid."

Then turning to Shobha he did the same, "And you must be Lady Shobha."

"Lord Stonehelm," Shobha curtsied, as Sigrid followed. "I trust you have had time for breakfast following you journey to Erebor?"

"Aye, my lady," he flashed a dazzling smile, his green eyes twinkling like emeralds.

"Lord Stonehelm," Bard placed his hand on Stonehelm's shoulder. "It is an honour, we have not met since the great battle."

While he was regal, exceedingly handsome and charming, it was hard for Shobha to push the thought that he would have been King under the Mountain, in the version of the story she knew of. And yet something still troubled her about the whole issue, Gandalf had told her that every outcome was still a possibility until the event occurred and ending known. So Thorin could still be killed – assassinated. After all there had been several attacks already.

"… my Lady…?" Stonehelm moved to stand in front of Shobha, as she stood deep in thought.

"Oh! My apologies my Lord… I was miles away." She apologised as she saw Dwalin out of the corner of her eye stifling a chuckle.

"Perhaps you could show me around Erebor one day? Adad mentioned you are involved in much restorative work." He flashed one of his dazzling smiles again, once he was finally happy that he had her full attention.

"Not unless you would be happy to get lost, and never be found again?" She chuckled back. "I'm afraid I still get lost, even after all these months. But Fili and Kili may be better guides. Now I must apologise for cutting short out introductions, but Dwalin and I must be back for several other errands."

She quickly curtsied.

"Don't forget out plans for tea!" Sigrid called out as Dwalin and Shobha left.

"What is it lass..?" He complained as she dragged him back quickly. "Poor Thorin, few lasses ignore him as you have done!"

"I had a thought… Dwalin, what I say next, you must not tell Thorin, Dis, or the Princes, but according to the legend I know there is a siege on Erebor in the distant future. And Thorin Stonehelm defends the city, because Dain was King," Dwalin stopped in his tracks as she finished.

"So do you think Dain is after the crown?" Dwalin said, "Because I doubt that…"

"No, but Gandalf said there are various possibilities, and with the attacks we've had recently, I worry that there may be an attempt on his life?" She looked panicked. "But I don't know how to warn him."

"Let's just go and see where he is… and make sure he is safe" Dwalin quickened his pace. "You don't need to say anything more."

They had found Thorin waiting for their return at the Great Gates.

"Ah! Dwalin! Shobha! I am going down to the mines." He looked at her, corners of his mouth drawing upwards as he registered her curiosity. "You mentioned that you had never seen mining before…"

"Oh! I would like that very much," she smiled at him.

I'm coming too – make sure you keep hands to yourself Dwalin signed at Thorin, with a wry smile.

"Shobha...?" he extended his hand, which she took. "Your bodyguard will be joining us too, I expect…"

A series of rail wagons took them down took them deep underground passing through dark caverns and a tunnels. At one point the wagons had travelled through a large cavern on a suspended stone bridge. While Shobha had grown used to walking over such bridges, travelling across at higher speeds in an open wagon on the other hand was much more terrifying. She grasped at the nearest hands, which had been Thorin.

Of course it was Thorin! She thought, as he had wrapped his arm around her waist pulling her tight to his muscular body. She wondered how deep they had travelled under the mountain when the finally came to an even scarier stop in a low chamber lit by many lamps.

Unlike when they clambered in, the short doors where now pinned in by a raised half wall, making it impossible to mobilise in the dress that she had worn for the outing to Dale.

Thorin jumped out first with grace and then held his arms out gesturing for her. Shobha leant over planting her hands on his shoulders, as he placed his hands firmly on her hips and lifted her out of the cart with ease and set her down on the ground. Dwalin then followed.

"I thought Dis said no hanky-panky Thorin!" Bofur stood waiting for them. "Come through! And welcome to my domain!"

They saw a variety of mining tools and had the chance to speak to some of the miners. Much to her surprise some of the miners had been treated by Shobha in the infirmary, and they had recognised her, which had brought a fleeting look of admiration to Thorin's stone mask.

Bofur had shown Thorin to a group of miners, who he spent some time talking to.

Shobha had carried on watching the miners, guided by a miner called Wellin, who it turned out had a small laceration to his hand cleaned and sutured by her.

"Are there lady miners as well, Wellin?" She asked looking around.

"Aye! No many mind – " he looked around. "Are Denna and Mira around lads… I thought they had a shift on this level?"

"I'm here - Keep your pick together Wellin!" A smaller miner came bounding over. "Mira is on the level below."

"This is Lady Shobha, she wanted to meet a mining-dam." Wellin introduced.

"My lady," Denna bowed her head. "We are working on a new tunnel, would you like to have a look? It is perfectly safe."

"Thank you I would love that!"

Denna led her through to the start of a tunnel. "The excavation is much further in now. But we have a lot of rock debris to clear, and we reinforce the walls and ceilings with supports like up there. They are placed at set intervals.."

Shobha looked around spotting tough wood and metal supporting struts were evenly spaced.

"How do you find being a dam and miner?"

"Its tough work – but someone had to keep these rock-brains in place." She smiled, slapping Wellin's back.

"What is used to excavate further?"

"We have a large diamond coated drill… It needs three or four dwarves operating it."

"Wow! And where are the tools made?" Shobha asked as she had never seen many large shipments into the mountain.

"In our very own forges my lady – "

"Please just call me Shobha…"

"You are quite an interested lass aren't you?" Bofur had walked over to where they stood talking. Thorin stood next to him, and Dwalin behind, all inspecting the tunnel.

The struts above looked like they were buckling. She stopped to look, noticing this with several struts in a row. There was a low creak. Were the struts starting to buckle further? And then without warning the wooden support beam above her cracked. She looked across to where Dwalin and Thorin were standing under the adjacent beam, which looked like it would follow. She would never make it to them before she was crushed as the beam above her was about to give way.

"Dwalin – pull him back – MOVE BACK!" She screamed stepping forward. It was too late for her, she thought. But she could in her dying moments make her. life count. Perhaps this was what Gandalf meant. She would not be going back after all….

The next few moments seem to happen in a strange slow manner as she raised her arms to cover her face and head. The beam above her gave way with a very loud crack, followed by a cloud of dust and a shower of rubble. There were two further very loud cracks, which could only be the next two beams giving way. This would be it… This is how she would go; buried in stone – like the Dwarves did. She had been taught in Med school that it takes four minutes for the brain to die, after that the rest wouldn't matter. She shut her eyes and hoped with every inch of her that Dwalin, Thorin, Bofur and the others had all survived. And hoped that she wouldn't be in too much pain, and that her parents would forgive her and they would all find some peace.