She felt many sharp yanks on her clothes and was slammed down backwards – her back, arms and legs stung. Everything was a dusty blur of darkness. She waited for unconsciousness, but instead heard the gentle clink of a flint and the writhe of a body under her. She sat up slowly, feeling in the dark.

"Shobha..? Denna…? Wellin…?" she could bear Bofur close by, and more shuffling, coughing and groaning. The noise of the flint again.

"Aye – we're trying to get some light." Wellin's voice sounded from behind.

She was alive… and unburied, but felt a wall of sharp rock just ahead.

"Shobha! Shobha!" A deep loud rumbling voice penetrated from the other side of the rock. Thorin was alive.

"She's here with me!" Bofur called out. "We're alright."

And then there was a soft dim light. Wellin had managed to light a lamp, and Denna was helping to light more. Bofur was looking around to gauge the casualties. It appeared that no one was hurt. But they were trapped.

As the light improved, she sprang to work checking on the miners trapped behind the rubble. There was many with light cuts, scrapes and bruises, and the worst injury was for an older miner who appeared to have hurt his ankle. It didn't appear to be a break, but Shobha strapped it to a wood splint using torn strips of fabric from her dress, to keep it still and allow him some rest. By the time they were done bandaging everyone's bleeding cuts, her dress had come up to her knees, and they had all joked about starting a new fashion.

In several hours they could hear rocks on the other side being moved, and Bofur had yelled something across about supporting the sections. Before they knew it a small window in the rock wall had formed through which water skeins were passed through for the trapped.

Eventually they had cleared enough of a gap in the rubble to get the trapped out and help the miner who had hurt his leg, using a litter.

Many of the injured had been taken directly to the infirmary, while some had chosen to go home and wash the dust off prior to attending the infirmary for salves to treat their minor cuts and bruises. Shobha had insisted on the same for herself, much to Thorin's annoyance. So when she had argued, insisting that she went home, he had then agreed, on the basis that she had a guard escort her and he would be there to pick her up shortly after and take her to the infirmary himself! At this point she was so tired, she had agreed.

After being escorted back to her room, and having a well deserved hot shower. She had temporarily collapsed on her bed still in her robe and a towel wrapping her wet hair loosely – surely no one would begrudge her a five minute nap?

They had all been grateful that there were no fatalities from the mine cave in – but Thorin knew it had been due to Shobha's quick thinking. Bofur and Wellin would thoroughly inspect the area before any further mining activities would recommence, and Thorin had informed all the miners that they would be afforded a compensated period of respite until this was looked into during which time all mining activities would cease.

Most of the remaining miners had been sent home or to the infirmary. And Thorin would now waste no time in returning to the royal wing to pick up Shobha.

And so he stood in front of the door to her room knocking. When he heard no reply at first, he knocked harder and then called her name loudly through the door. If she didn't answer, he would let himself in, to make sure she was safe.

"I'm coming!" He finally heard her, just as he was about to let himself in. She opened the door, looking half asleep.

Mahal, was she trying to test my self control on purpose? He thought as he took her in. Her hair hung damp below her shoulders and robe was dishevelled. It had come undone slightly with the front opening up a little more than expected, the V-shape of her neckline tempting his gaze towards the hollow between her breasts. He quickly shifted to fix his gaze firmly on her big dark eyes. She looked tired, and with that realisation his annoyance dissipated somewhat.

"Oh! I'm Sorry!" She apologised. "I fell asleep – I didn't mean to of course…"

"You were almost killed today Shobha." He began, a softness returning to his face, while maintaining his stone mask. "You need to be checked over in the infirmary –" he walked into her room as she quickly adjusted her robe after noticing its state.

"Please Thorin," she tried again. "I am really tired, but otherwise unharmed. There really is no – "

"If you had gone to the infirmary when I asked you, then this would not cause you trouble."

"Ok then. Are you going to stand in here..?"

"Well I'm not leaving this room without you, my lady." He stood there defiantly.

"So you don't mind that I undress in front of you then?" She pretended to start taking her robe off.

"I saw you undressed the day you first arrived… in fact I helped to undress you… so its nothing I haven't seen already!" He watched as her jaw dropped open in surprise slightly, as she plonked herself on her bed next to the dress that she had had already left out. And then he felt a twinge of guilt at how harsh his words must have sounded.

"Oh…"

He crossed the distance between them, stood in front of her, and reached out very lightly picking her chin up with his hand "why did you almost sacrifice yourself like that for me?"

She sat there for a while, tears welling up in big soulful eyes as she stared back up at him desperately willing herself to find the words. She thought today had been the day her life would end. She had lost all semblance of her former life and family as she knew it and she didn't know what the future here would hold for her. What better way to have gone than sacrificing herself for the ones that she loved – who had looked after her like their own, in this strange land.

Thorin gently took her hands in his, and encouraged her back onto her feet, and she willingly stood there before him. This beautiful woman, who had almost willingly sacrificed her own life for him.

"Please," he implored, "tell me Shobha." He brushed her cheek tenderly with his thumb.

"I just couldn't bear to lose you, Thorin.." she couldn't manage anything more, as she remained transfixed in his intense gaze. Then she followed his eyes as they moved down to focus on her lips, closing what little space there was between them as they stood there in front of the fireplace next to her bed. He moved his hand down lightly tilting her chin up to meet him, and brought his lips to hers tenderly.

She felt the bristle of his beard against the skin on her face and the warmth radiating from his body. And before she knew it, her whole body was responding to him. Her arms had wound their way around his neck, her hands were running through his hair and her body willingly pressing up against him.

His kiss grew deeper, in response. His hand moving from her chin to behind her neck, and the other wrapping around her waist pulling her to him. In that moment time stopped for her, nothing else would have mattered anymore – neither near death, nor hooded men, nor big black dogs... and not even the gentle loosening of her robe as they moved their bodies close against each other, locked in their kiss.

"Mmmm…" he gently broke off the kiss, just in time to grab the front of her robe from falling open with one hand while keeping his other arm still wrapped around her waist. "Mahal… you do test my self control, lovely one." He breathed gently, resting his forehead against hers, and pecked her lips softly again several times. He couldn't taste enough of her.

They were interrupted by a hurried knock with Bofur rushing in and suddenly halting, realising what was going on, as Shobha quickly worked to fix her robe again.

Damn robe – does no one actually knock and wait in Erebor?

"Oh sorry Thorin! My Lady!" As hard as Bofur tried, he couldn't hide the enormous grin that was threatening to burst out over his face. "But we all need to speak urgently. Its about the cave in – all the company are gathering now in your War Room. Wellin and I finished our inspection – and there is something else."

"Thank you Bofur – we'll be there straight away." He looked up at Bofur, not letting her go yet and gave a small nod. And Bofur quickly slipped out, now grinning from ear to ear.

He finally let her go, and turned his back to allow her to get dressed quickly.

"Well it could have been worse…" she smiled pulling on her boots after getting dressed.

"Oh…! And how would that be…?" He turned around raising an eyebrow.

"I suppose you could have walked in on me in the shower…" she said walking over to the door as he followed.

"Hmmm… Maybe I can hope for that next time then," he winked at her with an unusually playful look and a hint of… was that lust?! This stopped her in her tracks as she gasped, eyes widening with surprise. This was a very different side to Thorin indeed!

He opened the door for her and ushered her out, his face once again resuming back to his usual unreadable mask as they walked into the corridor where Dis, Fili, Kili, Dwalin and Bofur all stood there looking suspiciously nonchalant as they observed the two of them closely.

She realised it must have looked very odd to them, watching her leaving her bedroom with a shocked look on her face followed closely behind by Thorin, and tried to focus on preventing herself from blushing!

Thorin lightly brushed his hand along her lower back as he walked past her, stepping forward to catch up to Bofur and Dwalin. Shobha dropped back to walk with Dis and the Princes.

Dwalin gave Thorin a firm slap on the back, "Mahal's beard! If you had waited any longer, we'd have all been laid to rest in stone baheluh!"

"Split the orc head with an axe!" Kili grinned stepping ahead of Dis and Shobha with Fili matching him, trying to catch up to their Uncle. Then Dis reached out and clipped the Princes around the head like they were naughty younglings.

"Don't even think about it!" She shot them a warning look and winked at Shobha. "Unless you want to scare off a future Aunt!"

Shobha rolled her eyes, shaking her head – it appeared nothing was secret amongst the company here in the Lonely Mountain!