Lake-Town was positively buzzing on that cold and dreary morning. The fabled Dwarves of Erebor were continuing the quest for their stolen gold. The people could see it already: translucent gems would fall from the sky like rain, the rivers would flood with gold, their hands would grow heavy beneath the weight of precious sapphires, diamonds, and rubies. Surely, some of the more outspoken ones said, the dragon would be no match for the sons and daughter of the Lonely Mountain, not now that they had been fitted with the best weapons that Lake-Town had to offer. Besides, only the foolish would rush into danger if they didn't think that there was a chance for victory.

And Thorin was no fool. Though not all shared in this sentiment.

He saw them whenever he glanced over his shoulder: men and women with shifty, watchful eyes. He could feel the wrath of their unease along the back of his neck. It pricked at his skin, made him irritable. They, like Bard, believed that no good would come of his quest. They hated him already and moved carefully along the edges of the cheering crowd, as if already in mourning. Thoughts of fire, death, and blood cast shadows across their faces.

Yet he held his head high, kept a neutral expression. He couldn't let any of them - be it man or Dwarve - see that deep down in his heart he shared in their fears.

The Company moved quickly. The preparations had been finished and one by one they were beginning to pile into the boat. Their old, travel-worn clothes had been burned and now each Dwarve (and the Hobbit) stood with fine, fresh fabrics upon their chests and sturdy weaponry by their sides. He would have smiled, for seeing them attired thus filled him with a fresh sense of pride. He loved them all fiercely, so much so that the thought of sending them into the jaws of the dragon hurt him even more.

All with the exception of Kili. Depriving him of his right to aid in the liberation of the Lonely Mountain felt like treachery, one made worse by the fact that Thorin had set out upon the quest with Fili and Kili in mind. There was so much to gain from their victory, but seeing his sister's sons set their eyes upon the glory of their homeland once more was forefront in his heart. But Kili was injured, Fili was stubborn, and Oin was bound to his duty as a healer. And Bofur was missing in action. He had no choice but to leave them all behind.

So he was four Dwarves short. It was regrettable and it nagged at his conscience, but he had been taught from a young age that the winds of fate were tempestuous. You either moved with them or you got knocked off your feet.

Still, there was something on his mind, mooring him to indecision.

Nadi was standing a ways back, away from the pier. He had seen her hovering about in the shadows, chewing her lip and staring at Kili. The fact that she wasn't buzzing around him struck Thorin as strange. But the quest had been hard on their relationship, all could tell. No doubt she wanted to stay with her once-beloved, but he knew that the calling of the mountain rang loud in her ears. Which would make the coming conversation tricky.

He heard the pier creak beneath her weight as she set foot on it. He put his hand out and stopped her before she could board the boat.

"Nadi."

"Thorin?"

When had she gotten so old? It was only yesterday that she had been a small, young thing jumping on his back and bargaining her wares with him in the marketplace of Dale. She had always been in his favor, even as the years spanned and his duties as prince - and then king - wedged a distance between them. He did not doubt that his rise to power confused and frightened her. He had seen it happen many times before: untrammeled love eclipsed by fearful adoration. It had broken his heart when she had stopped calling him uncle and started calling him king.

"Are you sure that you want to do this?" He asked. She looked at him in surprise.

"As sure as I've been since the start," she said. Then, when he didn't respond, she narrowed her eyes. "Why do you ask me this now? Do you doubt me?"

He lowered his hand and let it rest briefly on her belly. It was a protective gesture, but it alarmed her nonetheless.

"You're with child," he said quietly.

He had been right, he could see it in the fearful widening of her eyes. And then her expression grew hard - it snapped like a door closing in his face - and reproachfulness crept into her eyes. She was so like her mother, he mused. How many times had Sadi held his eye with that same expression, one that conveyed distrust and anger misplaced?

Nadi was waiting for him to speak, anticipating him recanting his sentence or laying some judgment but he was well-acquainted with moments like these. Speak first and you set the barrier by which all others are built. Her hand jumped to her belly and then, perhaps realizing what she had done, she quickly slipped it behind her back and looked away.

"How did you know?" She asked. She was trying to be strong but defeat had etched its way into her voice.

"You talk in your sleep. And I listened. Thranduil-"

"Aye, aye, he knew," she said quickly, not wanting him to be the one that voiced any more of her secrets. "That is why the Elves separated me from the group when we first reached the Woodland Realm. Doing harm to someone in my...position gave them pause." Her hand found her belly again and she held it there, her thumb tracing small lines against the fabric of her vest. "But I guess, in the end, it wasn't enough to keep them from throwing me in a cell to rot. Me and the babe."

Her last words sent a sharp pang of endearment through his heart, but he didn't show it. "Does Kili know?" He asked instead. The idea of it being anybody else's child wasn't even worth the thought.

She bit her lip and shook her head, water brimming in her eyes. He sighed and placed his hands on her shoulders. Someone called out from beyond and the crowd went up in cheers, oblivious to the moment of tenderness unfolding within their midst. He put his forehead to hers for a moment and then drew back.

Tell him, he wanted to say but he knew that he had no right. Telling Kili was a decision that belonged to her and her alone, though in his mind the matter had been made all the more urgent due to the peril that they now faced. If he was her, he would have done it - especially now that Kili was sick. But he wasn't. All that he could do was provide gentle guidance.

"Thorin, please-" she started and then fell hopelessly silent. He wasn't sure what she was pleading for. Did she think he would reveal her secret? Or maybe turn her away? Time was tugging at the edge of his mind. They were losing light. He'd have to make sure that she was sure of herself before she continued on.

"There are more lives at stake now. More than before. Are you certain that you want to do this? There will be no turning back."

She did something odd then. Her eyes wandered away and she slapped her ear. He watched with increasing suspicions as she jostled her head back and forth, muttering something disjointed beneath her breath.

"You're not being honest with me," she croaked and then gave her head a sharp yank back and forth. Her eyes were no longer on him, but darting back and forth as if following an invisible fly. "You doubt me, but for another reason."

Her bluntness surprised him. It was out of character, and also odd that she had been able to see right through him, to his other point of concern. He took in her face, the odd twitching, and soundless movements of her lips and said, "Your face. It's turning black, towards the top, beneath your hair."

She yanked her hand up and brushed it across her forehead. So she didn't know. He had first noticed the odd change in her coloring at the entrance to the Mirkwood forest. Gandalf had been the one to point it out, and he had kept an eye on it ever since. Once a slight shadow along the edge of her ears, it had grown darker and descended further down her face like fresh ink spilled upon amber parchment, tracing her veins. The hand that she held up was completely black, too. They both noticed it, even though she was quick to hide it behind her back.

"Are you ill?" He whispered, taking a step forward. Such a move seemed to cause her alarm and she stumbled backward on clumsy feet. He watched in confusion as she continued to put space between them, her movements crab-like and disoriented. She was talking faster now, her tongue slurring between Khuzdul and the Common Tongue. The people around her moved away in surprise as she bumped into them. Finally, she stopped only when her back was against the wall of an old shack, her hands cupping the edge of her eyes as if to narrow her vision. She kept her eyes on him as if she were seeing him for the first time. This was not the Nadi that he knew. Something was off, terribly and horribly off.

But there was nothing he could do. He had a duty to carry out, and unfortunately, it would have to be without her. It was a shame, as he had been hoping to see her face when they set foot upon their homeland once again.

But he had readied himself against the unexpected long ago. Such was the nature of all valiant crusades. He turned away from her and stepped into the boat, his eyes grazing the Lonely Mountain beyond. There lay Smaug and, somewhere deep within, the precious Arkenstone. But even as they began to move away and the crowds cheered deliriously at their departure, he could not shake the look on Nadi's face from his mind.

X

"There are more lives at stake now. More than before. Are you certain that you want to do this? There will be no turning back."

Thorin's words hung suspended in her mind, waiting to be cut free by her response. Yes, she had wanted to say, Mahal, yes! I will not see us fail!

But her confidence was suddenly drained. Thorin's words became distorted and then were lost beneath the sound of a new voice, one that was loud and wicked and strange.

He's lying to you, the voice said. She looked away and slapped her ear, but the voice wasn't coming from outside. It was in her head, filling every crack and crevice with its terrifying opulence. It sounded familiar, and yet she couldn't quite place it.

He's cast you away before, I can see it in your memories. He doubts your strength.

"What are you," she whispered to herself and then shook her head. Thorin was staring at her, his expression tepid but watchful.

Ask him what he really thinks, go on, ask, the disembodied voice said. Was she crazy, or had she heard laughter in the back of her mind? There was an echo now, repeating the word 'ask' over and over again until she felt as if her skull was full of it, full enough to break.

"You're not being honest with me," she cried out, just to silence the voice, or maybe to see if it was right. "You doubt me," she said to him, "but for another reason."

"Your face. It's turning black, towards the top, beneath your hair."

She jerked her hand up and ran it across her face. Her skin felt cool to the touch, feverishly so, and it was damp with sweat. She lowered her hand to see if there was some sort of residue or grime on her fingers but was surprised to find that it had gone completely black. Her fingers began to quiver as she turned her palms to face the ground. The blackness was everywhere. It had overtaken her hand like a leather glove. It spread in wispy tendrils up her wrist and along her arm until it faded away at her elbow. She couldn't believe it. The only other person she had seen with a hand like hers had been Ana.

Thorin was staring at her hand. She quickly hid it behind her back and clamped her teeth together to stop them from chattering. She was afraid now, truly and horrifically afraid, but she didn't want him to see it, couldn't bear the thought of him thinking she was weak.

It's nothing, she thought to herself, it must be a reaction to some poisonous plant that I touched on the way here, that's all.

No, the disembodied voice said, there's nothing there. He's lying to you, putting images in your head. He doesn't want you to continue on this journey.

"Are you ill?" Thorin reached his hand out and she jumped back.

"N-no," Nadi said. Her feet began to carry her away of their own accord. She bumped into someone and was shoved sideways by the force of it. She saw Thorin's face as if through a blur. Holding his eyes made her uncomfortable, for it only made the voice in her head louder.

Liar liar liar, the voice said, your king's a dirty liar.

She had to look away. What was more, she had to get away. His presence was no longer comforting to her. There was something malicious in the air, and it had found its way into her. Being near him made her nervous. She wanted to strike out and push him into the water just to get away from him.

For she now knew who the voice belonged to.

"Ana," she moaned. "Please leave me alone." Her back bumped against something solid and she put her hands out. She wasn't sure how much time had passed. The Company had gathered in the boat, they were moving away. She wanted to run after them and launch herself into the boat but she was screaming. Or maybe she wasn't. The sounds around her had all melted in the one, struggling against the sound of laughter that rang in her ears. The boat had moved away. It had become a pinprick in the distance. She had missed her chance. They were going, going, gone. And she was left shivering on the pier, a shrill ringing filling her ears.

X

There was a crash from within Bard's home. Someone was calling her name, and others were shouting in response. Glass shattered and heavy things went tumbling to the floor, the sharp sound of it making her jump and moan. Her hands were pressed firmly against her ears. She couldn't take it. The sound was driving her mad.

The moon glossed over the shores of Lake-Town. The crowds had long ago dispersed, leaving the docks eerily empty. She had been sitting with her back to Bard's door for hours. Sleep had tempted her and yet remained out of her reach. Every blink brought the world around her into sharp focus and then cast her back into dreariness. Maybe she was asleep, maybe it had all been a dream. But the cries from within the bowman's home were all too real.

"Nadi! Nadi! Nadi, where are you?"

She pressed her hands harder against her ears, closed her eyes tight. Kili's voice grew shrill and strangled as he called out to her. But she couldn't go to him, she wasn't strong enough. His cries were all too reminiscent of the dreams that she had once had, the wicked, cursed ones in which she killed him over and over again. Who was to say that she wasn't back in that space, that her presence wouldn't cause him some grievous harm?

The sound of things being knocked off of their surfaces and rolling across the ground crashed through the air. She could see him in her mind's eye: his face drained of all its color, his lips parched, his eyes wild with fever. It was the single most haunting image that her mind could conjure. She couldn't do it, she couldn't watch him die again.

The door flung open and Bofur scampered outside. "What are you doing?" He demanded of her. "He's calling for you, can't you hear? Come on, come inside. Now, Nadi!"

She stood up on shaking legs and stumbled through the doorway. Kili had been lifted upon a table. As she watched in fear he clutched at his chest and thrashed about like a snake with its tail trodden on. When he saw her, he reached his hand out. She rushed to his side and rubbed it between her hands, tears brimming in her eyes.

This wasn't a dream. This was real. He was dying in front of her. The poison from the Morgul shaft was already wreaking havoc in his blood.

This was nothing like the time that Iree had stuck him with a poisoned blade. This was true, dark magic. She traced the pulsing, blackened veins beneath his skin with her eyes and felt completely hopeless. She wouldn't be able to suck it out like last time. Not even garden variety medicine and herbs would be able to help. Nothing that grew in Lake-Town would be able to save him.

Oin had been speaking to her. His words reverberated soft and indecipherable in the back of her mind. She realized that he had been asking her if she knew of anything that could be of any use to them. Kili screamed and she cringed.

"T-tobacco could draw out the poison," she said, thinking back to the time when her mother had healed a stray dog of snake venom using only the herbs in their garden. "Aloe for the burning, or cucumber. We could make a poultice from turmeric, onion, and ginger….or honey for infection."

Her words came out shaky and unintelligible. She felt stupid and useless. She had never come across a venom so potent and consuming before. Mere kitchen remedies would be of no use to him. Kili squeezed her hand so hard that she feared he would break it and arched his back beneath another wave of pain.

"It won't be enough," she said to Oin, who was holding his other hand from the opposite end of the table. Fili paced in the corner, wringing his hands in front of his face.

"We just have to start by bringing down his fever," Oin said, trying his best to maintain a soothing tone. He turned to Bard. "Have you any Kingsfoil?"

Bard nodded. "Aye, we feed it to the pigs."

"Right, then. Bofur!"

"On it!" Bofur said and rushed out of the house. Kili grabbed her collar and pulled her close to his sweat-slickened face.

"The book," he said with difficulty, through clenched teeth. "Do you have it?"

Of course, she knew which book that he was talking about. It was a book that they had written together when they were young. It featured their observations of the fauna and flora of the forests surrounding Erebor. It was a wishful and youthful thing, full of drawings and descriptions of the world as they understood it. They had planned to introduce it to the Elders of Erebor one day, and to change the world with their discoveries. He still had it. She had seen him perusing it many a nights during their quest. It was most likely in his satchel, but in his delirium, he hadn't realized it.

"Aye, I have it," she said and kissed his tear-speckled hand.

"Don't let the Orcs get to it," he hissed, his eyes fixed deliberately on hers. "Nasty things will tear it to shreds," he moaned from between pursed lips and threw his head back. "I have to leave, now, Nadi," he said, looking back down at her. "You must protect it."

For a moment, she felt as if he had seen right through her: that he knew that there was life in her and he was warning her to keep it safe. He closed his eyes and she screamed, shaking his shoulders and pinching his face. Fili grabbed her and pulled her away, but she clung to Kili in desperation, calling his name until the streets echoed with the sound of it.

There was a sound like something tumbling on the doorstep, and then the door was pushed open. The five of them looked up in surprise at the two Elves that sauntered into their midst. Nadi knew them immediately: it was the red-haired Elf and her blond colleague. Tauriel and Legolas, she faintly remembered. Kili lifted his head ever so slightly and gazed at Tauriel in wonder. His hand slipped weakly from Nadi's as Tauriel moved closer to him, eyeing his condition with a steady gaze. Bofur appeared in the doorway behind them, waving a bundle of weeds over his head and smiling as if he had won an award.

"Look what I found," he said merrily. "Kingsfoil and, er, Elves! Don't remember your names...sorry."

Legolas cast him a scathing glance but otherwise ignored him. There was a guttural howl from the distance and they all looked around at the gaping doorway. It seemed ominous, somehow, what with the eerie sound lingering in the air.

"Orcs," Nadi muttered to Fili in Khuzdul. "And so close."

"One would be inclined to think that their timing was intentional."

"If only they were that intelligent." Nadi spat on the floor, looked sheepishly at Bard, and quickly apologized

Legolas spoke a few rapid words to Tauriel before rushing through the doorway. Tauriel seemed torn between leaving and staying but one glance at Kili's haggard expression seemed to settle her indecision. She turned and lifted the weeds from Bofur's hands.

"Athelas," she said thoughtfully, fondling the stems.

"What are you doing?" Bofur exclaimed. She smiled softly and looked at Kili.

"I'm going to save him."

The Dwarves watched in wonder as she began to whisper an incantation. The words rolled from her lips like cool spring water, the syllables merging and untwining seamlessly. The moonlight from the window washed over her, creating a mystical aura that lit her cheeks and the wise glint in her eye. Though she couldn't understand the language, Nadi felt as if she, too, was being healed. All thoughts of Ana and the voices in her head evaporated as she stared into Tauriel's face. A gentle calmness descended over them all as they watched Tauriel work. Time was lost and when the Elf maiden finally drew back with a sigh they realized that they had been caught in a trance for quite some time. The color had come back to Kili's face. His head lay heavy upon the bundle of clothes that Oin had slipped beneath him. His breath was steady now as were his limbs and heartbeat when Nadi put her fingers to his wrist.

"I've heard tales of the wonders of Elvish medicine," Oin said with a satisfied nod. "That was a privilege to witness."

"Aye," Nadi said. She pulled a chair up to the table and folded her hands neatly in her lap, her eyes never leaving Tauriel's face. Something about it was comforting. It reminded her of the warmth of Sadi's smiles when she used to tuck her into her crib. Every time that she looked away from Tauriel, the evil thoughts and cackling whispers rose in her head. What a strange, strange Elvish mystique, she thought to herself. "Even I feel healed. How did you…"

Tauriel turned and looked at her with a smile that lifted only one corner of her lips. It was an odd sort of smile for an Elf. It was almost mischievous.

"Would you like to learn our ways, Master Dwarf?"

"Well, yes! I mean no - no! Our ways are quite sufficient." Nadi crossed her arms and huffed. She was actually quite curious about Elvish medicine but admitting that felt like a betrayal to the Dwarven race. Kili gave a small laugh that made his chest jump. Both women turned to look at him but Tauriel was the first to put a hand on her shoulder.

"She thought that she could cure me with onions and turmeric and radishes," he said and Tauriel flashed that odd smile again.

"I did not say radishes, you-" Nadi started.

"Perhaps she has the right idea," Tauriel interjected. "What you need now is a nice, warm bowl of broth. And lots of rest."

"Aye, we can get on that. Uh, Bofur, what say you and I collect the ingredients. Bard, do you think it'd be possible-?" Moved by intuition born of many years, Oin nudged Bofur and they along with Bard and Fili shuffled out the door. That left Nadi alone with Tauriel and Kili in the silent house. Nadi began to swing her legs back and forth against the chair, a nervous gesture of hers that her mother had always hated. But what else was she to do with her legs? They barely reached the floor anyway. She was staring at Tauriel and biting back the words that threatened to spill along her lips.

There was another voice in her head now. This one was kinder and more reassuring, reminiscent of a memory.

Does Kili know? The voice asked. It was Thorin's. And then, there are more lives at stake now. More than before. Are you certain that you want to do this?

Now was the time to tell Kili about the child, she decided, his child. Or, rather, theirs. She watched him sit up with Tauriel's help. He was looking much stronger now, even though he was wincing slightly. He could take it, she knew that. He had always been much stronger than her. She took a deep breath in and then cleared her throat. Both he and Tauriel looked over at her.

"I have something that I have to tell you," she said, trying her hardest to keep her voice from quivering. He looked at her curiously, waiting.

"Go on…" he said.

"I'd rather say it in private," she whispered, glancing at Tauriel. The Elf looked away and then stood up abruptly. Kili made a grab for her hand but she was quick to pull it out of his reach.

"I'll leave you to it, then," Tauriel said, her head lowered and eyes diverted as she brushed past Nadi.

"No, no, wait, please!"

Nadi watched in alarm as Kili almost killed himself in his attempt to grab hold of Tauriel's sleeve. He succeeded and pulled her gently back towards the table. They looked at each other for a long time before she allowed him to guide her gently towards the windowsill where she stood, shoulders tense, with her hand in his.

"You've done so much for me," he said to her, his eyes bright and lovelorn. "I will not see you leave." He turned back towards Nadi. "Whatever you have to say to me, you can say in front of her."

Nadi felt the bile rise in the back of her throat. They were both staring at her, their faces so different but expressions similar. Not for the first time, Nadi felt as if she was standing on the edge of something too great for her to understand. It tugged at her heart and dealt pressure all along her body, so much so that she was inclined to let it push her back, out of the door, across the waters, back into her past. But the Kili that she once knew was now a faded, laughing figment of her memories. The real one was here, in front of her, grown-up and smitten with somebody else.

"I-" she tried. Her hand had come to rest on her still-flat belly. By chance, she caught Tauriel's eye. The Elf was quick to look away, but not before Nadi caught the glint of pity on her face. A strange thought crossed her mind then and her eyes furrowed. "You knew…"

Tauriel said nothing to this. She kept her gaze fixed upon Kili's forehead, but she wasn't seeing him. Kili glanced between the two women in confusion.

"She knew...what?" He asked. Nadi ignored him.

"I was wondering how Thranduil found out," she said, directing her words to Tauriel. "I was separated from the Company before he ever laid eyes on me...somebody must have told him...but only after they told the guards to take me away, tend to my wounds...because that 'somebody' knew someway, somehow…"

Tauriel finally looked up at her. But this time the sight of her face did not bring Nadi comfort. "I don't understand Elvish intuition or divination," Nadi said slowly, "but I'd like to think that I understand sympathy between women."

"Can somebody please tell me what the hell is going on? Nadi? Tauriel?"

"It's not my place to say," Tauriel said quickly. She stood up and marched towards Nadi. "But it wasn't only that. We saw a darkness growing inside of you, something akin to black magic utilized by necromancers and their undead-"

"Nay, that's just my sunny disposition," Nadi growled back.

"You must take this seriously, for the sake of-"

Nadi put her hand up. The disembodied voices were beginning to grow louder in her head, growling and yawning in the corners of her mind. Tauriel took one look at her and then stepped back.

"-unless you tell me that you have some way of cleansing me of this mysterious illness, I reject your counsel. Otherwise, it's all the same: vague speculations, substanceless insinuations, portents, warnings, distrust for the sake of something that none but I carry. Nay, my burden truly is my own. It has been ever since my mother took me from the forest and threw me into this mad world. And ever since I've been clawed and pawed at by evil. Desolation and destruction. And now this... tell me, can you sympathize with that, Master Elf?"

"I can," Tauriel said, so quietly that none could hear her.

"This isn't like you, Nadi," Kili said and she turned on him with venom in her eyes.

"And you! All I have to say to you is this: I am sorry for what I've put you through. I'm sorry for everything, for drawing you in and pushing you away. For disappearing when you held your heart out to me. It's true, I was put under a terrible spell by Iree but I should have - I could have fought it for you, for us. I don't know my own strength, indeed it feels as if these days I know less and less. But I do know this: I love you but I have lost you. And I will always mourn what we could have had."

"Nadi, wait-"

But already she had reared out of her seat and flung herself through the open door.

X

She stumbled onto the starlit boardwalk. None were around and so she put her hands to her head and howled at the moon. The sound of her rage echoed through Lake-Town and all fell silent. She dropped her hands to her knees and heaved for breath, but it eluded her and she choked in fright, grasping at her throat.

She heard a match flare behind her and she whirled around. Soft orange firelight briefly illuminated Fili's face as he lit his pipe and exhaled smoke into the night.

"Trouble?" He said simply, watching her gasp.

"Like you wouldn't believe."

"Well, if it's a different archer that you desire, I happen to know for a fact that the lady Elf was accompanied by a tall, handsome warrior-type. Legolas, I think she called him."

"Thanks, but I'm not overly fond of blonds...or Elfs, at the moment."

"Ah!" He exhaled a ring of smoke, his throat making a soft popping sound. "Well, at least I'm not an Elf! And if it's only a matter of hair, then, I'm sure I can-"

She rushed him and began to pummel his shoulders. He crossed his wrists in front of him, deflecting most of the blows as she cursed and sputtered in indignation.

"Was it something I said?!" He cried, quickly grabbing her wrists before she could land another punch.

"You," she growled, giving her wrists a weak yank. She was crying and trying desperately to hide it. He had never seen her so indisposed before. "You and your damned jokes! Such a funny Dwarve, I oughta tear your tongue from your mouth, I oughta...I oughta tear you limb from limb! I...I'm going to-'' she collapsed into his arms, a shivering sobbing mess. He folded his arms around her and simply held her against his chest as tears and snot drenched his clothes.

"I'm sure you'd like to do all of those things," he said kindly, swiping her drenched hair away from her nose. "You can try, if you'd like. Don't think it'd help your situation, however." Fili was wise beyond his years. He knew that her anger was not directed at him, but something far beyond his grasp of understanding. The journey had been hard on her, he figured, and her entanglement with his brother hadn't made things any easier. He knew Kili well. The moment that he had laid his eyes on Tauriel, he knew that it was over between Kili and Nadi.

"I don't know the difference between wrong and right anymore," she said, her words muffled against his chest. "It used to be clear as night and day…"

"Well, for starters, you're here in my arms. And that's quite alright. You're safe, see?"

She shook her head. "I couldn't tell him. Not with her there. It felt wrong."

"There will be time to tell him whatever you need to. You just need to get through the night. If you need a distraction to bide your time, we can start by wringing all this snot from my vest."

She gave a small, mirthless laugh before looking up at him. He was reminded of when they were children and her eyes used to sparkle with the same sense of disbelief when he said something unbefitting of his status.

"Ma told me that I shouldn't marry you," she said quietly.

"Why? Are my jokes that awful?"

"Sometimes. Nay, she said that you would treat me too good, that I'd become stupid and complacent."

"Well, you don't really need me for one of those-"

She sucked her bottom lip in and punched his shoulder. "Funny Dwarve. She always wanted me to go after someone like Kili. She said that he would break my heart and toughen me up like leather. It made sense at the time but, Fili, I don't think I want to be tough anymore. I just want to be Nadi: silly, malleable, oblivious Nadi."

"Like I said, it's not too late. It's never too late to forge your own path, you know"

She turned around and set herself gently down on the stair step below him. He hummed deep in his throat as he smoked, the two of them staring across the black, rippling waters of Lake-Town. His words echoed through her head. Never too late to forge your own path.

"Maybe," she said and let her head rest against his knee, her eyes on the Mountain beyond. "Maybe…"

X

Ending Notes: So Nadi's pregnant (yay!) But also carrying the spirit of Ana as well (aw...)