Here is chapter 10. I'm sorry that it took so long, but at least it is here now.

Please review on what you think of it. Should I add more descriptions and/or more feelings in the following chapters?

(PS: if you are interested in the story about the Werewolf that cursed Gwaine (mentioned in this chapter), please review, and maybe I'll write it down as a whole story)

Furthermore, I've read a few stories that contained a brother of Thorin named Frerin (sorry if I spell it incorrectly). Could anyone tell me where in the books or films he appears or where I can find information about him, for I am interested.

The same question about Durin the undeath (or something like that), and the other name of Aragorn: Estel.

Maddie putted off her bag and sat down on a rock as the last light of the sun shined upon her face.

It had taken the company the entire day to get off the rock the Eagles had left them. The trip went slowly because of Thorin's injuries.

After getting down, they had found a suitable camping spot surrounded by a few trees.

Maddie looked around to see whether there was something she to help. Fili and Kili were taking the first watch, Bofur started a small fire and Bombur was making a stew.

Maddie stood up and walked towards Gandalf and Oin, who were tending to Thorin. For three years she had lived with a physician, so she knew some things about injuries, and helping Gandalf and Oin was the best thing she could do right now.

'Need some honey?' she asked, as she retrieved a small pot out of her back. 'Against infections.'

Oin nodded, took the honey from her and spread some of it equally on Thorin's wounds. Thorin tensed a bit because it stung, but didn't complain.

Oin then examined the biggest wounds and nodded. 'Those will acquire stitches, but I'm not good in it. My hands are too big.'

'I'll do it,' Maddie offered. 'I've already done it before twice.'

Oin agreed and left with Gandalf to eat.

Maddie sat down and began her task.

It remained quiet for a few moments.

'Thank you again for saving my life,' Thorin said, trying to start a conversation.

Maddie lifted her shoulders. 'Anyone would have done the same.'

'But you're the one who did it.'

Both fell to silence.

Maddie finished her stitches and putted some herbs on the wounds. She then placed a clean bandage, looked at her work and nodded. 'That will do. But you'll have to take things easy for a while.'

Thorin nodded. 'I will. And thank you.'

They both joined the others and ate Bombur's stew. After that, the company turned to bed.

Balin walked with Thorin at the front of the group and noticed that Thorin regularly looked behind him.

Balin didn't question Thorin's strange behavior at first. Maybe Thorin was just worried that Azog and his pack of Wargs were close behind them. But, on the other hand, the Eagles had taken them quite a distance, so it was unlikely Azog would gain on them in one day.

After Thorin had looked behind him for the Balin didn't know how many time, Balin couldn't restrain his curiosity and asked Thorin: 'Is there something … interesting behind us?'

Thorin looked at his feet. Eventually he answered: 'It's Maddie.'

Balin looked behind him at the girl in question. She was talking to Gandalf. Then he looked back at Thorin. 'What about her?'

'I want to make up for my behavior previous on the quest.'

Balin sighed. Thorin always had believed that deeds counted more than words. This case was no exception. Just saying sorry wasn't enough for him. Still Balin tried.

'Look, Thorin… You've already apologized to Maddie and she has no doubt already forgiven you. I'm sure she's just glad that things are good between you two now.'

Now it was Thorin's time to sigh. 'I know but…'

'But what?'

'It doesn't take away my actions. If I hadn't been so blind, we could have been friends by now.'

Balin nodded. 'So you want to become friends, then.'

'Yes, of course. But I don't know how.'

Balin raised his eyebrow. He had known Thorin since Thorin had been a little boy. Always he had wanted to look strong and not show any weaknesses. And here he was admitting that he didn't know how to become friends with Maddie.

After a moment of thinking, Balin gave Thorin the best advice he knew. 'Talk to her.'

'About what?'

'It doesn't matter what. Anything.'

Balin noticed that Thorin hesitated.

Before Thorin could protest, Balin turned around and walked towards Maddie and Gandalf.

'Gandalf,' he began. 'I need to talk with you about something in private.'

Gandalf raised his eyebrow at Balin. He recognized the look on Balin's face and knew he was up to something, but played along. 'Of course.'

Balin turned towards Maddie. 'Maybe you can take my place besides Thorin for a while.'

Maddie nodded and quickened her pace to catch up with Thorin.

After she had gone out their hearing distance, Gandalf asked Balin: 'Why did you do that?'

Thorin watched how Balin talked to Balin and Maddie and shook his head. He really appreciated Balin's help, but he wanted to talk to Maddie in his own time, when he was ready for it.

Thorin turned his head back when he how Maddie made her way towards him.

Maddie finally caught up with him and walked beside him in silence.

Thorin looked at Maddie and swallowed. He had to say something. The first thing he came up with was: 'Hello.'

Maddie looked back at him and said: 'Hello to you too.'

Both fell back to silence.

After a few minutes, Thorin tried again to start a conversation.

'How's your arm?'

'Fine, thank you,' Maddie answered and showed him her arm. You could see it was bruised because there was a big contusion. But its edges were already turning purple, so that was a good sign.

'How are your wounds?', she then asked.

'Good,' Thorin replied as he shifted his backpack a bit.

The wounds hurt under the weight of his luggage, but Thorin didn't want his men to carry more luggage, just because he was wounded.

Apparently, Maddie had noticed that he had shifted his luggage, because she grabbed his bag and carried it herself. Thorin tried to protest. But Maddie raised her hand and said: 'Doctor's orders to take things easy, remember?' Thorin opened his mouth to speak, but Maddie's look told him that it was pointless to try to get his bag back. So instead, he changed the subject.

'It was good thinking of you, back there with the Wargs. How did get the idea to throw burning fir cones at them?'

Maddie lifted her shoulders. 'I knew that wolves don't like fire, so why not Wargs? You see, Merlin, Gwaine and I had some dealings with a Werewolf before, and…'

Maddie stopped talking and looked a bit apologizing at him. 'You're probably not interested in that,' she said.

'Actually, I'd really much like to hear it,' Thorin contradicted her. And he meant it, for he hadn't expected Maddie to have a story with a Werewolf included in it and at least they would have something to talk about during their walk.

Apparently, Fili and Kili, who were walking behind them and had heard the entire conversation, agreed with him.

'Oh please do tell, Maddie,' Kili said. 'If our uncle doesn't want to hear it, you can tell us about a big Werewolf,' Fili finished.

If Thorin's looks could kill, Fili and Kili would have been no more.

Thorin looked back at Maddie, who was blushing a bit.

'Alright, I tell you,' she said and started her story.

'It happened two years ago. Gwaine had been send to a nearby kingdom to represent Camelot. After receiving no word of him for more than two weeks, Merlin and I decided to go looking for him. We had just entered the kingdom Gwaine had been meant to go to, when the moon came up. It was a full moon…'

Maddie filled the rest of the day with telling stories, Even during their dinner she was asked to tell a story (thanks to two enthusiastic brothers).

She'd been a bit surprised when Balin had earlier asked shown up and had asked her to go over to Thorin, but she had gone nonetheless.

After a few minutes of attempts to start a conversation, Thorin, Fili and Kili persuaded Maddie to tell her story about the Werewolf that had once cursed Gwaine.

First Maddie had been a bit shy. But as she continued to tell the story, she could see that Thorin was really interested and listening to her. In fact, after she had finished the story, he had even asked her to tell another one.

Maddie was preparing her bedroll for the night when Thorin walked towards her. 'Thank you for the stories,' he said with a smile.

Maddie lifted her shoulders. 'That's the price for being too adventurous, I'm afraid,' she answered with a chuckle. 'Maybe next time you can tell a story.'

'Me? About what?'

'Anything you want.'

After a few seconds, Thorin nodded and walked away.

Gandalf and Balin were smoking their pipes together as they watched how Thorin talked to Maddie.

'Do think it worked?' Balin asked Gandalf.

Gandalf changed his tobacco while thinking of the question. Maddie and Thorin had spent the entire day together and it seemed like they were getting on together.

'Yes, I think it did,' Gandalf answered Balin while putting his pipe back in his mouth. He then watched how Thorin returned to his bedroll with a smile on his face. 'Oh, yes it did…'

For the next few weeks, Maddie and Thorin quickly became good friends. They often walked together while they told each other stories. Gandalf and the others often listened.

Maddie told Thorin stories of magical creatures she had met and friends she had made.

Thorin only told a few stories about his past. Maddie figured out that he found it difficult to talk about his home that had been taken by Smaug. She accepted that and didn't say anything about it.

Thorin was glad Maddie and he were friends now and he made sure to ask her opinion every time a decision needed.

There were also times were they didn't say anything to each other, but were just enjoying each other's company.

Everybody in the group agreed that Maddie's and Thorin's friendship was the start of something new. Of something good.

'You killed her! You killed Kara!'

Maddie watched how Morded fought with Arthur. She saw how Arthur tripped over a dead body and fell on his back. Mordred raised his sword to kill Arthur.

Maddie pushed the man in front of her out of her way and ran towards Arthur while casting a spell at Mordred.

The spell didn't affect Mordred. He just looked up at her, smiled sickly and lowered his sword towards Arthur's heart.

'No!'

Maddie woke up from her nightmare panting. Her back was wet.

'Maddie, are you alright?' Kili asked. He and Fili were holding watch and both looked concerned at her.

After a few moments, Maddie nodded. 'I'm fine, thank you. Just a nightmare.'

Maddie stood up, she was sure she wouldn't sleep for a while after such a dream.

Since one of the first days she had been in Middle-earth, she had had nightmares about how Arthur died. First there had been a lot of them. But while becoming friends with Thorin, she hadn't thought much about Arthur anymore and the nightmares had become less often. Now they were only once in a while.

Always the nightmares were the same. Mordred shouted that Arthur had killed somebody named Kara. They fought and Arthur tripped. Mordred raised his sword to kill Arthur and then she woke up. Every time.

Maddie sighed and walked away from the camp.

The last few days, the company had been following a river. And it was that river Maddie was heading to for a good splash of water into her face.

She walked around some bushes and then stopped.

At the shore of the river, on a big stone, sat Thorin. With sad eyes he looked at the floating water.

Maddie approached him silently, not knowing whether he wanted to be alone or not.

Apparently, Thorin had good ears, for when Maddie was only a few meters behind him he asked: 'Can't sleep?'

Maddie was a bit surprised Thorin had heard her coming, but on the other hand, Thorin was a warrior, so he had to have good hearing.

'No', she answered to his question and kept walking until she stood beside him. 'And you?'

Thorin shook his head and sighed. 'Me neither.' He then looked up at her.

Maddie noticed his face still looked rather sad. Maybe he wanted to be left alone. 'If you want me to leave you alone, I can…'

'No, no… ,' Thorin interrupted her. 'I… I'd like some company.'

Maddie sat down beside Thorin and gave him a thoughtful look. He still looked sad. 'Do you want to talk about what's bothering you?' she asked. She wanted to help him, if she could.

Thorin looked at his feet and hesitated for a moment, but then made up his mind. 'It has been 60 years since Smaug took the Lonely Mountain,' he began. 'In all those years my people dreamed of the day we would retake it. But… what if we fail? What if we can't defeat the Dragon? And what if I get dragon sickness just like my grandfather? What if… Erebor doesn't feel like home anymore?'

Maddie understood Thorin's fear about failing on the quest. She had the same thoughts about saving Arthur. Of the rest, she could only guess how Thorin felt.

'Thorin,' she said with a stern voice, forcing him to look up at her. 'You have to keep faith, for if you lose hope, this quest is doomed to fail. You will take back the Mountain and you will be a great king. And I will stand by you, till the end.'

'Till the end?' Thorin asked.

Maddie nodded. 'Till the end.'

A promise was made.

Kili, Fili and Maddie kneeled in front of the track they had found to have a closer look at it.

A week had passed since Thorin had told Maddie about his worries of the Mountain. Since then, Thorin had slowly began to tell more tales of his past and the Mountain. Maddie listened with great interest.

Thorin's style of telling stories was a bit different than that of Balin. Balin was very enthusiastic while telling stories and often used wide hand gestures (he had once accidentally slapped Oin in the face).

Thorin, however, had a more calmly way of telling stories, but Maddie didn't mind it.

Now, Maddie, Fili and Kili were on a hunt while the rest of the company was setting up their camp.

'What do you think it is?' Kili asked as he gestured at the track.

Maddie frowned. She knew that track and wasn't very pleased to see it. 'It's a wild boar.'

Fili's eyes grew big. 'A wild boar?' Maddie nodded.

Wild boars were dangerous creatures, especially because of their enormous strength and fangs.

Maddie felt uneasy seeing a wild boar track so close to the company's path. They could be attacked by the boar by surprise. So she said: 'I think it's best to check whether the wild boar is still around or not. Maybe you two should get back to the others with the pheasant we've caught earlier while I follow the trail of the boar.'

'You want to follow the boar on your own?' Kili asked surprised. 'What if it attacks you? Don't you need help then?'

Maddie shook her head. 'I have my magic to protect myself.'

After a few hesitations, Kili and Fili left Maddie alone and went to the others.

Maddie followed the trail. It seemed it had been heading towards the river, maybe to drink.

In the distance, Maddie could already hear the water streaming. She speeded up her pace.

After several minutes of walking, she reached the river. In surprise she stopped. She had found the wild boar, but not how she expected.

On a rock on the shore of the river lay the remains of the boar. Someone had killed it and eaten the lot of it.

Maddie frowned. Who could have killed it? It hadn't been the company and there wasn't anyone else around, unless….

A branch snapped behind somebody's feet behind Maddie.

Maddie turned around and found an Orc running towards her. Quickly she hit it with a spell which sent the Orc flying backwards against a tree.

Another Orc came out of the bushes on Maddie's left. Before Maddie could respond, the Orc hit her on her head with a club.

Maddie sank down to the ground. The last thing she remembered before darkness claimed her was an Orc smiling down upon her.

And what do you think of it? Thrilling end? Or not so much? Again, please review.