Author's Note: Double chapter update tonight. Stay tuned!

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The hunting party arrived well into the morning. The inhabitants of Dale hailed them merrily, the women and she-Dwarves casting flowers along their path and wreathing them with jewels. With their bloody armor and torn clothes, they were a frightening and majestic sight. Kili bowed his head with a smile and let a woman place a thinly woven necklace of gold over his head. His heavy hair lay in black rivulets along his chest and face as he called out words of victory in Khuzdul. He raised his mighty arms and both the citizens and his Company responded in a glorious frenzy. It hadn't been easy, their quest, and one of them had been injured. But they had made it back home alive. No longer would the surrounding hills be terrorized by the wandering Trolls.

His Uncle stood at the entrance of Erebor, along with Nain and Thrain. The hunting party came to a stop before their Lords and each Dwarve took a deep bow. Thorin was smiling, and this filled Kili's heart with pride. One by one, the Lords embraced the members of the party. When it was Thorin's turn to take Kili in his arms and press their foreheads together, Kili tried his best to keep his expression neutral but proud.

"I am glad that you are safe, nephew," Thorin whispered to Kili in Khuzdul. He turned and clasped Fili on his shoulder and nodded in respect. "Though we had been expecting you back long before this."

"There were many more Trolls than we had expected. The hills were swarming with them."

"And how many did you kill?"

"Six." Kili said proudly, "Out of the twelve."

"Ah, well," Fili said from behind him and Kili's eyes darkened, already knowing what his brother would say. "I had to help you with the last one. Nasty bugger wielded a club twice the size of the largest among us," he said to Thorin.

"Well...I was the one who struck the fatal blow."

"And I was the one who distracted him long enough for you to strike. Five and a half, we'll say."

"Fine, five and a half," Kili said quickly, "but mostly by my hand."

Thorin smirked and squeezed his shoulder. "My blood truly does flow through you. Fili, what was your number."

"...two...two and a half if you count Kili's troll. I fought at a much closer range."

Thorin laughed and with his other hand squeezed Fili's shoulder. "Kili's bow and arrows were quite advantageous, then? It's easier to take out a troll, the farther away you are from it. Perhaps you should have him give you lessons."

"Ah...no," Fili said quickly. "I'd rather learn on my own, with all due respect, Thorin. Sometimes it is pure luck that guides my brother's hand."

"How fairs Kadi," Kili asked, in reference to Nadi's ailing uncle. Thorin's smile fell and his voice lowered.

"He succumbed to his illness days after you left. Nadi is now the last of her house."

"And she?" Kili asked, with a painful lump growing in his throat. Kadi had always treated him with kindness, seeing as he and Fili had grown so close to his niece. He used to advise Kili on how to properly use a bow and arrow, and regal him with embarrassing stories of Nadi's youth. Kili was surprised that Nadi had not been there to welcome him. News of their parties' arrival had traveled fast, and many from Dale and Erebor had gathered at the entrance of the mountain at their arrival. He assumed that she had gone out traveling again, but a grieving Dwarve was never quick to abandon the proceedings following the death of their own.

"Kili," Thorin's voice echoed and the young Dwarve realized that he had been lost and thought. "She's been missing ever since her uncle's death. We assumed that she went looking for you."

"On her own?"

"Aye," Thorin said in a voice that implied he knew Nadi all too well, "You know she's always been particularly obstinate."

"Then I will go after her," Kili stated matter of factly, slinging his worn pack higher on his shoulder. Fili did the same, for if his brother was foolhardy enough to go crashing back into the hills then he would of course remain beside him. But Thorin raised his eyebrows and a look of pity crossed his strong features.

"Oh? And where will you go, nephew? How will you track a master tracker?"

"I…" Kili faltered because Thorin had made a great point. Though Nadi had spent the majority of her life exploring the woodlands and thus had become an expert tracker, his skills were not as fine-tuned. His pack slid a few inches down his arm as he thought. "I do not know…"

Suddenly there was a stir from the crowd and Kili turned around. Everybody seemed to be looking at a point in the distance with expressions of surprise and horror.

"What is it?" Fili asked and Kili stepped forward, his archer's eyes scanning the horizon. A lone figure was approaching from beyond the market. It moved slowly, with a limp, its dark figure trailing puddles behind it.

"It's Nadi!" Someone cried and Kili rushed forward. The crowd parted before the young prince and Kili arrived just in time to catch Nadi as she fell. Her sleeves were soaked through with blood and a nasty wound ran along her neck and cheek. Kili could see that it was fresh, although the blood around it had dried. She heaved heavily in his arms and when she finally looked up at him her amber eyes seemed far away.

"Make way, make way," Thrain commanded, rushing through the crowd followed by his son, grandson, and hunting party. "My poor, sweet girl. What happened to you?"

The King pulled her arm heavily around his shoulders and Kili did the same with her other arm. Together they half dragged, half pulled her towards the entrance of the mountain.

"Get Dina," Thorin yelled to Fili upon seeing the state that Nadi was in. Fili nodded and ran as fast as he could through Dale. "By my beard…"

"Nadi! Nadi! I need you to look at me," Kili said, lifting her bearded chin towards him. Her eyes rolled back in her head momentarily and then rolled back towards him.

"There was a bear…" she slurred. "It wounded me and then I wounded it and then..." She coughed suddenly and her entire body was wracked by the force of it. She spat out blood and spoke with difficulty. "And then I...I found..."

She coughed again as the King and young prince heaved her bodily up the stone steps. They paused to let her rest. Her slack jaw hung open and she wheezed desperately for breath.

"Agh!" She coughed and wheezed again.

"Give her space, let her breathe," Nain commanded and the Dwarves let her down gently. She lay upon her back, clutching at her throat and staring blindly into the sun.

"I found…" but she would say no more, despite their gentle urgings. Frightened, Kili placed his hands on both sides of her face and turned her towards him.

"What did you find? Speak!"

Nadi's eyes seemed to focus on him all of a sudden. Her mouth fell open and she breathed. "No," she said weakly, "not you. No...no...NO!"

She began to thrash around violently, striking and tearing at her chest. She covered her ears and screamed, its high-pitched sound sending waves of shock through the land.

"The-worst-is-yet-to-come, the-worst-is-yet-to-come, THE-WORST-IS-YET-TO-COME! KILI, STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Thorin pushed his nephew back and they looked at each other with gazes full of incomprehension. The young she-Dwarve lay shivering and muttering on the ground below their feet. Finally, the Dwarve named Dina arrived. She gently pushed Kili back and he let her, his heart full of shame and guilt. He didn't understand what had caused Nadi to curse him so. Had he done something wrong?

"There, there," Dina said sweetly. She held a handful of putrid, moist leaves to Nadi's nose. "You'll be alright, dear."

Nadi inhaled and once again her eyes rolled back into her head. Her eyelids fluttered over a frightening whiteness as the crowd watched in relief. "Let's take her to my chambers."

Two strong Dwarves lifted Nadi from the ground and carried her gently through the mountain. Slowly the crowd dispersed, leaving Kili to stand quite confused in the same spot. He turned to Fili who regarded him with guarded distrust.

"What did I-?"

Fili turned on his heel and together they made their way back to the mountain.